The 3DS games that I presently possess: a running

Ocarina of Time 3D has one particular moment that cannot be enjoyed in the N64 game. Head to Castle Town, as a child, when the sun is setting. There, you will find the town bathed in pink, red and purple, sporting deep and extravagant hues that the pre-rendered setting of the Nintendo 64 iteration could not provide for. Suddenly, the town no longer feels like the set-piece you remember; the buildings and the people are now enriched with the warmth of the sun, and the excitement of the encroaching dark makes their subtle gossip of the Sheikah and Hyrule royalty all the more intriguing and significant. The simple effect is staggering, recreating that impression of a living, breathing world in 2011 that players pored over 13 years prior.

The world I inhabit is one characterised, in recent years, by grey skies and mundane colours. The world of Pilotwings Resort, by contrast, reminds of the vivacious shades of my childhood. Nowhere in this game are the skies mottled with threatening clouds; nor can there be found structures that are paralysed with dusty hues that speak of frigid breezes. Wuhu Island embodies the warmth of my younger days: skies are rich blues marred neither by clouds nor weak winter sunlight--they are, instead, thick with summer heat and clearness, both during the day and the evening. As sun sets, the tropical oranges of Wave Race 64 are summoned, the purples of the horizon gently bleeding into the rest of the red panorama. These sights--none possible on the DS--suffuse with the serene chords of the soundtrack to spirit the soul away to the halcyon days of one's past. No better an exhibition of the 3DS hardware could have been hoped for.

Better looking even than the Wii game, Mario Kart 7 sports inspiring environments and some well-advised recreations of retro tracks. Mario Kart 7 is appreciated most for its Wuhu Island raceways, which enable a more intimate excursion on the much maligned atoll that dispels some undue antipathy.

Though unimpressive visually, Tales of the Abyss is endowed with some very necessary heft.