Back in the late Summer/early Fall, Nintendo released a new batch of 3DS StreetPass mini-games.  I didn’t get them right when they came out because I didn’t have an opportunity to get out with a bunch of 3DS users to really take advantage of the StreetPass capabilities.  But a couple of weeks ago I went to PAX South, so I finally had a reason to download these games and try them out.  You can download the games separately, or in a bundle for less than ten bucks, so it wasn’t that bad.  The games are pretty small, so I thought it would be fun to do a mini-review of each game per day this week.  So we’ll start with Slot Car Rivals!

I’m not sure if Nintendo is doing this promotion anymore, but when these five games first came out, you could pick one for free and buy the rest.  I chose this as my free game.  When you tag people via StreetPass, you can race against them on a slot car track in a hobby shop.  Controls work like any slot car set.  Just hold down the button for the gas, and release to slow down.  There are turns and ramps on the track that if you release the gas or hold it at the right time, you can get a speed boost.  At the end of the race, the other racers will make you a temporary part for your car that’ll boost your performance in the next race.  So you want to try to get as many StreetPass players as you can!  Of course, you can always hire racers with the Play Coins.

Sometimes you can win new chassis and car models to race with.  I also liked the slot car theme of this game, as I loved to play with slot cars as a kid.  I had a Dukes of Hazzard one when I was little and it had a ramp on it.  How many times do you think those cars jumped the ramp and landed back again?  Zero!  Only problem I have with this game is that to unlock new tracks, you don’t have to get first place every time, but you do have to meet certain requirements like get a perfect boost on a specific corner.  This can be hard to do sometimes and can really slow your progress.

The other problems I have are common in all the new StreetPass games.  I don’t know if they’ll hold my attention as long as some of the other ones did.  I unlocked everything in Find Mii and its sequel.  I played through the flower game and grew all the breeds (but I did stop when they challenged me to grow all the colors in all the breeds).  And I’m still enjoying the fishing game.  But I don’t think these new titles have staying power.  Also, I think they released these a little too late as well, because now that the Nintendo Switch is on its way and can be a portable game system, too, it makes me wonder how long of a life the 3DS has left?  Better enjoy it while I can, I guess.

Kid Factor:

The StreetPass games are rated E to E-10.  Nothing violent in the slot car game, but reading skill is needed for the text.

Tags: Game Reviews