Some consoles, such as the 3DS, gather statistics on the games that you've played. I noticed, that I've bought a relatively large amount of downloadable games from the 3DS eShop (+the 20 NES & GBA classics, that I got from the so called "Ambassador program", because I bought the expensive 3DS at launch).
As these eShop games are relatively cheap (at least by console-standards, I think most of them cost 4-8 dollars/euros) & easily available for most gamers, I thought it would be a nice idea to take a look which game has delivered statistically the best "bang for the buck" on my 3DS.
I made Top 5-lists based on the total time played & the number of times played (if you're a 3DS-owner, you can find your stats in the 3DS's Activity Log). In addition, I made separate lists for the "3DS-only" downloads (doesn't include the non-3D Virtual Console NES, Game Boy & GBA-games or the Nintendo DSi-downloads) and for all types the games downloaded.
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| The 2011 released 3DS is starting to have a relatively good library of games. |
I know that this Activity Log-ranking method isn't very valid, if you'd like to find out which one of your games is the all round-best considering the graphics, gameplay, the date the game was bought etc. etc... a game could be "the best game" (subjectively evaluated), even if playing it lasted only a few hours (many relatively short, but awesome narrative-driven games are like this). These type of lists just show, that what games have given you the most entertainment or have been the most addictive.
So here they are, my own 3DS's download Top 5s based on the total time & the number of times played:
My Top 5: Total Time Played (Only 3DS-games)
1. Pullblox (or as it is known elsewhere, Pushmo. The game's called Hikosu in Japan)
8 hours 5 minutes
2. ZEN Pinball 3D
7 hours 33 minutes
3. 3D Classics Excitebike (a remake for the 3DS)
3 hours 25 minutes
4. Fun! Fun! Minigolf TOUCH!
3 hours 12 minutes
5. 3D Classics TwinBee (a remake for the 3DS)
2 hours 48 minutes
Pullblox & ZEN Pinball are the in the lead by a great margin (they were released quite early), when the focus is on the 3DS-games' total time played. It's also interesting for me, that none of them reached 10 hours. Maybe I've been focusing on my home consoles lately.
My Top 5: Total Time Played (all eShop downloads, shared number 1 spot. I'm a bit ashamed of the number 2)
1. Zelda: Link's Awakening DX (originally released for the Game Boy Color in 1998!)
11 hours 59 minutes
1. Bloons TD (Originally a browser-based game!! & the download is a Nintendo DSi-game)
11 hours 59 minutes
3. Mario Kart Super Circuit (originally released for the Nintendo Game Boy Advance in 2001)
10 hours 35 minutes
4. Yoshi's Island. Super Mario Advanced 3 (originally released for the Nintendo GBA in 2001)
9 hours 28 minutes
5. Pullblox
8 hours 5 minutes
Apparently the old school stomps most of the new "mini-games" that I've bought, but it's not really a fair comparison, as many of these classics were designed to be big/full-sized individual releases back in the day. It's like putting the older-aged basketball legend Michael Jordan against an average rookie-player.
My Top 5: No. Times Played (Only 3DS-games - a shared fourth position)
1. Pullblox
50 times played
2. 3D Classics Excitebike
28 times played
3. Speed X 3D Hyper Edition
20 times played
4. 3D Classics TwinBee
17 times played
4. Fun! Fun! Minigolf TOUCH!
17 times played
Pullblox being the surprisingly clear winner.
My Top 5: No. Times Played (all eShop download)
1. Mario Kart Super Circuit (originally released for the Nintendo Game Boy Advance in 2001)
64 times played
2. Punch Out!! (originally released for the NES in 1987)
59 times played
3. ZEN Pinball 3D
56 times played
4. Paper Plane (another one that's a bit embarrassing, but I guess this was addictive in a "Flappy Bird" (that I haven't actually played)-kind of a way ... it's a minigame for the DSi released in 2009 & originally a minigame from the WarioWare-game for the GBA)
55 times played
5. Pullblox
50 times played
Punch Out!! clearly isn't a time-consuming game, but it has good replay-value (it's also one of my all-time favorites, so I'm a bit biased over here). Mario Kart "won" this list and was number three on the Total Time Played-list, so the numbers are telling that it is still a pretty good game.
Pullblox (a.k.a. Pushmo or Hikosu) was the highest-ranking 3DS game on the both 3DS-only-lists, so I would recommend it for the people who like puzzle-games. It was released in 2011, but it's still a pretty fun & charming game. Apparently the older classics haven't lost their edge, so I could recommend them too for anyone, even if you aren't familiar with the older gen. games & consoles.
Have a great day,
Karelian Gaming
