Arcade 2012 for Nintendo 3DS — top best games in the Arcade genre

Rayman Origins - a game in the Arcade genre

Game released: Nintendo 3DS → 8 June 2012

Players: 7.7/10

Steam: 93/100

Metacritic: 85/100

This 2D platform adventure with action elements takes place in the Glade of Dreams, which has been overrun by Darktoons. The Fairy Council calls on Rayman to save...

LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes

Arcade, Action, Platformer, Third-person view, Comics, Open world, Adventure

Game released: Nintendo 3DS → 19 June 2012

VGTimes: 7.0/10

Players: 9.1/10

Steam: 94/100

Metacritic: 75/100

LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes is a continuation of the arcade adventure with a first-person view based on the Batman comics in the style of LEGO toys. The game...

LEGO Lord of the Rings

Arcade, Platformer, Third-person view, The Lord of the Rings

Game released: Nintendo 3DS → 23 November 2012

Players: 7.9/10

LEGO Lord of the Rings is an arcade action adventure game with a third-person view in the Lord of the Rings universe. An exciting adventure awaits you through the...

LEGO The Lord of the Rings

Arcade, Action, Adventure, Third-person view, The Lord of the Rings, Fantasy

Game released: Nintendo 3DS → 23 November 2012

Players: 8.8/10

Steam: 89/100

Metacritic: 74/100

LEGO The Lord of the Rings is an arcade action adventure game with a third-person view in the Lord of the Rings universe. The game is based on the film adaptations...

VVVVVV

Arcade, Platformer, Indie, Side view, Exploration

Game released: Nintendo 3DS → 10 May 2012

Players: 7.3/10

Steam: 96/100

Metacritic: 85/100

VVVVVV is an arcade indie platformer with a side view. You play as the fearless leader of a team of dimension explorers who have crashed and lost contact with each...

Disney Princess: My Fairytale Adventure

Third-person view, Arcade, Action, Adventure

Game released: Nintendo 3DS → 5 October 2012

Players: 8.8/10

Steam: 89/100

This third-person adventure arcade game takes players to the worlds of Cinderella, Rapunzel, Ariel, Belle, and Tiana. The goal is to turn evil imps back into...

Cave Story+

Arcade, Action, Adventure, Platformer, Side view, Exploration, Metroidvania

Game released: Nintendo 3DS → 1 May 2014

Players: 10/10

Steam: 91/100

Metacritic: 88/100

Cave Story+ is a supplemented and improved version of the arcade action-platform with the side of the Cave Story. You have to go to a fascinating world where an...

Theatrhythm Final Fantasy

Arcade, Music game, Anime / Manga, Fantasy / Medieval

Game released: Nintendo 3DS → 6 July 2012

Metacritic: 74/100

Theatrhythm Final Fantasy is a musical rhythm game set in the fantasy universe of Final Fantasy. In the game you will face numerous opponents from the popular...

Project X Zone

Arcade, Role-playing game, Strategy, Fighting

Game released: Nintendo 3DS → 5 July 2013

Metacritic: 70/100

This tactical role-playing game with fighting elements brings together more than 50 characters from 29 game franchises created by three Japanese companies. In...

Animal Crossing: New Leaf

Arcade, God Simulator, Isometric

Game released: Nintendo 3DS → 15 June 2013

Metacritic: 88/100

A life simulation set in a town where players choose their own activities and shape the world around them. They can pass ordinances, fish, visit a coffee shop, or...

Horses 3D

Arcade, Simulation, Third-person view

Game released: Nintendo 3DS → 27 March 2012

Horses 3D is a third-person arcade game with simulator elements from the developers from the Neko Entertainment SARL studio. The main publisher of the game is...

Code of Princess

Arcade, In real time, Platformer, Third-person view, Anime / Manga, Action, Role-playing game, Adventure

Game released: Nintendo 3DS → 9 October 2012

Steam: 55/100

Metacritic: 67/100

Code of Princess is a hack and slash game that features multiple game modes and over 50 playable characters. Single-player mode features a story campaign mode with...

Professor Layton and The Miracle Mask

Arcade, Adventure, Logic, Puzzle

Game released: Nintendo 3DS → 28 October 2012

Metacritic: 82/100

This puzzle adventure takes Professor Layton to the colorful city of Monte d'Or, where a mysterious man is wreaking havoc with the powerful Mask of Chaos. Layton...

Scribblenauts Unlimited

Action, Platformer, Puzzle, Logic, Adventure, Arcade, Side view, Casual game

Game released: Nintendo 3DS → 6 December 2013

Steam: 93/100

Metacritic: 74/100

Scribblenauts Unlimited — side-scrolling arcade adventure puzzle game. Welcome to an adventure in a vast world where your most powerful tool is your...

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity

Arcade, Role-playing game, Anime / Manga, Fantasy / Medieval, Roguelike

Game released: Nintendo 3DS → 24 March 2013

Players: 7.7/10

Metacritic: 59/100

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity — The game features many Pokémon from the Unova region, with Pikachu, Oshawott, Tepig, Snivy, and Axew being the...

Mutant Mudds

Arcade, Action, Shooter, Beat them all, Platformer, Indie

Game released: Nintendo 3DS → 21 June 2012

Steam: 79/100

Metacritic: 75/100

A retro-styled action platformer in which the hero, Max, fights mutants with a water cannon. Armed with the cannon and a jetpack, he makes his way through levels by...

Block Factory

Arcade, Puzzle, Logic

Game released: Nintendo 3DS → 26 April 2012

Steam: 77/100

Metacritic: 42/100

An arcade puzzle game about creating falling-block games. From the main hub, players can choose one of four predefined games or play games they have created or...

Harvest Moon: The Tale of Two Towns

Arcade, Strategy, In real time

Game released: Nintendo 3DS → 1 November 2011

Metacritic: 63/100

A farming game in which the player grows food in the hope of eventually reuniting two rival towns. Farm work is the means of bringing the towns back...

New Super Mario Bros. 2

Arcade, Mario Game

Game released: Nintendo 3DS → 21 August 2012

Players: 5.5/10

Metacritic: 78/100

New Super Mario Bros. 2 — The game's plot is similar to previous games, focusing on Mario and Luigi's efforts to rescue Princess Peach from the captivity of...

Madagascar 3: The Video Game

Arcade, Action, Platformer, Third-person view, Adventure

Game released: Nintendo 3DS → 5 June 2012

Players: 7.3/10

Metacritic: 45/100

This adventure platformer, based on Madagascar 3, follows Alex, Marty, Gloria, and Melman as they try to find their way home through Europe. To stay under cover...

Tekken 3D: Prime Edition

Arcade, Fighting

Game released: Nintendo 3DS → 14 February 2012

Players: 1/10

Metacritic: 64/100

Tekken 3D: Prime Edition is an arcade game with fighting game elements from the masters from the Namco studio. The game is published by Namco Bandai Games. The PC...

Ice Age: Continental Drift

Arcade

Game released: Nintendo 3DS → 29 June 2012

Players: 4.4/10

Ice Age: Continental Drift is an arcade game from the Behavior Interactive studio. The main publisher of the game is Activision, and Lazy Games is responsible for...

Mario Tennis Open

Arcade, Tennis, Sports game, Mario Game

Game released: Nintendo 3DS → 20 May 2012

Metacritic: 69/100

Mario Tennis Open — features 24 playable Mario characters, 4 of which are unlocked by completing certain tasks, and another eight are unlocked by scanning...

Paper Mario: Sticker Star

Arcade, Platformer, Mario Game, Japanese role-playing game

Game released: Nintendo 3DS → 8 December 2012

Players: 6.5/10

Metacritic: 75/100

Paper Mario: Sticker Star — the player controls a paper cut-out version of Mario in a 3D paper world with landscapes ranging from snowy areas and forests to...

Nano Assault

Arcade, Action, Shooter, Third-person view, Top-down view, Futurism (Future)

Game released: Nintendo 3DS → 19 April 2012

Players: 5.5/10

Metacritic: 75/100

Nano Assault is an arcade shooter that takes players through cell stages and dark worlds with rugged terrain. The difficulty adjusts to the player's skill, and...

Old Skool Classics

Arcade, Collection, Mini-game / browser-based

Game released: Nintendo 3DS → сентябрь 2012

Old Skool Classics is an arcade game with a touch of browser or mini-games from the masters from the Storm City Games studio. The main publisher of the game is...

Inazuma Eleven GO 2: Chrono Stone

Arcade, Football, Sports game

Game released: Nintendo 3DS → 13 December 2012

Players: 8.4/10

Metacritic: 77/100

A football role-playing game about the Raimon Jr. High team embarking on a time-bending adventure to protect the future of football. The journey introduces new...

Naruto SD: Powerful Shippuden

Arcade, Adventure, Platformer, Anime / Manga

Game released: Nintendo 3DS → 8 March 2013

Metacritic: 71/100

An arcade platformer based on Naruto, following a ninja’s journey to become a powerful Leaf ninja while fighting opponents. Story Mode ties battles together through...

Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney

Arcade, Action, Fantasy / Medieval, Puzzle

Game released: Nintendo 3DS → 29 November 2012

Metacritic: 79/100

This crossover adventure combines courtroom investigations by defense attorney Phoenix Wright with puzzles solved by archaeologist Hershel Layton in a medieval...

Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!

Arcade, Sports game

Game released: Nintendo 3DS → 8 March 2012

Players: 10/10

Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! is an arcade-infused sports game from Nintendo R&D3. The game is published by Nintendo of America Inc.. Sometimes the game is also...

Deer Drive Legends

Arcade, Action, Hunting / Fishing, First-person view, Sports game

Game released: Nintendo 3DS → 8 August 2013

Steam: 20/100

This hunting action game sends players around the world to track animals, including species believed to be extinct. The quarry includes white-tailed deer, wolves...

Art Academy

Arcade, Educational game (Education)

Game released: Nintendo 3DS → 28 July 2012

Metacritic: 75/100

This art-learning game teaches drawing and painting techniques through step-by-step lessons. Art Academy is aimed at both beginners and experienced artists...

Abyss

Arcade, Platformer, Side view

Game released: Nintendo 3DS → 23 August 2012

Steam: 90/100

Metacritic: 59/100

Abyss is a side-scrolling adventure arcade platformer. The game takes place in 2034. The planet's natural resources are depleted, and the survival of humanity is...

Transformers Prime

Arcade, Beat them all

Game released: Nintendo 3DS → 30 October 2012

Players: 7.3/10

Metacritic: 56/100

This beat ’em up action adventure follows a fight to save Earth from Megatron and his new secret weapon. The player steers Bumblebee through a collapsing canyon by...

CRUSH

Arcade, Platformer, Third-person view, Top-down view, Puzzle

Game released: Nintendo 3DS → 6 March 2012

Steam: 50/100

Metacritic: 77/100

CRUSH is an adventure arcade puzzle game with a third person view. The game tells the story of a young boy named Danny, who suffers from long-term insomnia. To...

Farming Simulator 2012 3D

Arcade, Simulation, Business / Management, Third-person view

Game released: Nintendo 3DS → 29 March 2012

Players: 6.4/10

Farming Simulator 2012 3D — a game in which the player begins his career as a simpleton farmer. And he takes control of a small farm, which is constantly...

Skylanders Giants

Arcade, Adventure, In real time, Platformer, Third-person view

Game released: Nintendo 3DS → 19 October 2012

Metacritic: 75/100

Skylanders Giants is an adventure platformer built around the existing Skylanders toys. It adds 20 characters to the roster, including eight...

Samurai Sword Destiny

Arcade, Action, Hack and slash, Beat them all, Anime / Manga

Game released: Nintendo 3DS → 26 December 2012

Metacritic: 50/100

This arcade action game follows Akane, a samurai searching for her missing elder brother. Her quest leads through ambushes and assaults on enemy castle rooftops...

Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion

Arcade, Beat them all, Platformer

Game released: Nintendo 3DS → 26 September 2013

Metacritic: 63/100

An arcade platformer with beat ’em up elements, inspired by the classic Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse. Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion builds on that...

HarmoKnight

Arcade, Action, Platformer, Music game, Fantasy / Medieval

Game released: Nintendo 3DS → 28 March 2013

Metacritic: 73/100

HarmoKnight is a fantasy rhythm platformer centered on musical combat and level progression. The hero, Tempo, uses a staff adorned with music notes to keep the beat...

Arcade

Best Games in the Arcade genre of 2012 for Nintendo 3DS