Common Sense Media Review
By Marc Saltzman
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Enjoyable flying adventure shows off the graphics of 3DS.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Play
Videos and Photos
Pilotwings Resort
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's It About?
It's been 20 years since Pilotwings first soared on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), and now the series has made its 3D debut with the launch of the Nintendo 3DS. PILOTWINGS RESORT lets you fly around WuHu Island -- the location featured in Wii Sports Resort – in order to compete in a number of aerial challenges. The three main ways you can fly the friendly skies are in airplanes (from prop planes to fighter jets), hang gliders, or rocket belts (think jetpacks). As you'd expect, each of these modes of transportation handle very differently, so you need to take this into account as you maneuver around obstacles and through checkpoints.
While the game only has about 40 flight challenges in the Mission mode,
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Is It Any Good?
Pilotwings Resort is good, but you must like flying games. The analog stick -- the first time on a portable Nintendo system --
feels great to control much of the action. For example, you might have
to fly through 10 rings within a specified time. Or shoot at balloons in
the sky, on bridges, and through tunnels. Unlike past Pilotwings games, the game can be played in 3D, without
needing glasses, and you do get a remarkable sense of depth while
soaring the skies. But after playing the game after a short while, it felt like there was
little reason to keep going. Sure, you can unlock more parts of the
island, take on more difficult missions or look for goodies in Free Play
mode, but there was little incentive to do so. Perhaps if Pilotwings
Resort offered a wireless multiplayer mode or an augmented reality
feature (imagine flying planes against a real backdrop, like your
backyard or family room), the game would have more replayability.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Nintendo likes to reintroduce the same games on multiple platforms. Is this a good thing because people love their franchises -- like Super Mario, The Legend of Zelda or Metroid -- and they want to enjoy them on every new platform that debuts every few years? Or is Nintendo simply recycling old ideas, characters and game mechanics?
What do you think about playing games in 3D? Did it make playing this aerial challenges game easier? Are you looking forward to exploring other 3DS games?
Game Details
- Platform : Nintendo 3DS
- Pricing structure :
- Available online? : Not available online
- Publisher : Nintendo
- Release date : March 27, 2011
- Genre : Simulation
- ESRB rating :
- Last updated : November 11, 2020
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