Pilotwings Resort Review

Pilotwings Resort (3DS)

As the only 3DS launch title that I bought, I had decent hopes for Pilotwings Resort. It seemed as an excellent way to showcase the Nintendo 3DS and what it can do, and while it certainly does that, it falls flat with presentation and lasting appeal.

Pilotwings Resort is the third entry in the highly beloved Pilotwings series, with the first two games being on the SNES and N64, respectively. The basic premise of Pilotwings Resort is that it's a flight simulation game in which you fly around Wuhu Island (same one from Wii Sports/Fit) in a variety of vehicles. The game is split into two huge modes: Mission Mode and Free Flight Mode.

Mission Mode is self-explanatory, and has you fly around the island completely missions of various difficulties. These can range from anything to flying through hoops, landing on pads, or even putting out fires. The missions start out easy, but difficulty ramps up from gold on, and there are some brutal missions at the end. The game encourages you to get 3 stars in each mission, so as to unlock collectibles such as more vehicles or a super secret unlockable at the end.

Free Flight Mode is also what you'd expect, but there is enough to keep you satisfied with its many unlockables. You can choose what vehicle to fly: plane, hover pack, or hanglider, and also what time of day. You start out with only 2 minutes in free flight mode, but that number is increased by the amount of unlockables you collect around the island. These range from I Points, which give you information about places around the island, to trophies with your Mii on them.

Speaking of Miis, they are the star of the show here, and show up in a multitude of places around the island. Collecting all these unlocks dioramas (NO WAY!) in the menu, which are fun to look at, especially in 3-D. But, after collecting almost all that's humanly possible, I found myself putting Pilotwings back on the shelf, and putting in Pokemon Black, which is a shame. I'm a bit surprised that multiplayer wasn't considered for Pilotwings, and the game would be a great fit.

The graphics in Pilotwings Resort are breathtaking, and soaring around the island in a hanglider is a sight to behold. The 3-D isn't a dealbreaker, but it adds an extra sense of depth to missions, such as judging the distance between objectives or figuring when to turn, and this adds some strategy to the game. The music is simple elevator tunes, with some notable remixes from the previous two titles.

Pilotwings Resort is an excellent launch title, and shouldn't be missed by anyone who owns a 3DS. It isn't a masterpiece by any means, but it's enough to keep you satisfied until the next batch of 3DS games are released.

Pros:
Excellent Gameplay
Beautiful Graphics

Cons:
Low Replay Value
Not Enough Variety

Overall: 7.5/10.0