Pilotwings Resort has been released on 3DS and been provided for us to preview/review by the publisher.

Believe it or not we are still playing it. Here are some extracts of what we made of it in chronological order:

"Pilotwings Resort is Nintendo's light-hearted 3DS flight simulation that provides a perfect opportunity to show off just what the 3DS can do. No huge scares here, unless you are sensitive to sheer drops, high speeds and generally running out of fuel a few thousand feet in the air..."
- Scared Gamer (Tue, 26 Apr 2011)

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"Pilotwings Resort 3DS realises the dream of a portable Pilotwings update. While this leans heavily on Wii-Sports Resort flying the familiarity works in the favour of this almost perfect 3DS launch title..."
- Family Gamer (Sun, 27 Feb 2011)

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Pilotwings Resort 3DS Release

05/03/2011 12:30

Pilotwings Resort offers a more structured challenge than Wii-Sports Resort flying, but multiplayer and Pilotwings modes are where the rubber will hit the road.

As the 3DS launch date approaches and we have our hands on previews for the games, a clearer picture is being painted of how Pilotwings Resort's different levels and features will be delivered.

Firstly the Mission mode tasks players with working through a series of challenges on each of the three modes of transport. Each level has two challenges for Biplane, Hang Glider and Jetpack.

Depending on their performance, players are graded on each mission with up to three stars. Photography challenges, for example, grade the players on the angle, proximity and size of their subject to calculate their score.

Free Fly mode enables players to explore the world at their leisure. The Island itself is Wuhu island from Wii-Sports Resort, but this has been expanded and developed in the intervening time so that it now provides additional challenges and surprises even for players who have completed the Wii game.

The most pressing questions remain however. What, if any, multiplayer modes will be provided and will the game pick up on classic Pilotwings levels and challenges.

It seems crucial, and quite likely as I mentioned previously, that Pilotwings Resort will mirror the Wii game in its multiplayer but less clear is how robust a commitment the game has to its Pilotwings roots.

Pilotwings Resort will be released on March 25th alongside the new 3DS console.

Mii's and Wuhu Island

25/01/2011

Pilotwings Resort 3DS maybe Nintendo's hardcore launch title, but the familiar Wii-Sports' Wuhu Island and amiable Mii's broaden its appeal substantially.

The Nintendo faithful may have been waiting for the return of Pilotwings 64 for years, but Pilotwings Resort has been designed to also appeal to those oblivious to the calming powers of its magical flights.

With the format for Pilotwings Resort's Rocket Pack, Glider and Bi-Plane exploration now in full view, we start to see how Nintendo are leveraging familiar Wii brands to bring Pilotwings to a wider audience.

As in Wii-Sports Resort, Pilotwings Resort 3DS pulls in your Mii characters both to pilot the vehicles and populate the islands urban areas. Then as you fly around you can take pictures of the various characters that popup and share them with friends and family.

This joins the familiarity of the Wuhu island location to bring Pilotwings well and truly into the Wii generation aesthetic. Again in similar style to Wii-Sports Resort, mission mode tasks you with a series of 40 fetch quests and exploration tasks that take you to every corner of the island - both above and below ground. Time to practice is provided via the Free Flight mode where you can explore in a less time constrained session.

The final piece of the puzzle is whether multiplayer modes will be included. My sources suggest that, in line with matching other functionality from the Wii-Sports Resort flying, a multiplayer dogfight and co-operative exploration mode would be likely. As soon as Nintendo confirm this I'll let you know.

Pilotwings Resort will be released on March 25th alongside the new 3DS console.

Pilotwings Day and Night

25/01/2011

Pilotwings Resort 3DS adds atmosphere to its explorative adventure with a plethora of vehicles and early morning, evening and night flights.

Pilotwings Resort reviews started popping up after hands-one time with the game at the recent 3DS launch event. Although I've not had enough time with the game for a full review, having experienced it first hand certainly paints a fuller picture of the experience on offer.

Along with the novelty of 3D display, Pilotwings Resort also combines features from Wii-Sports Resort flying along with new modes of transport. Of recent note are the different times of day you can explore the island. As you can see from the screen shots, this changes the look and feel of the game substantially.

These different time periods also unlock particular items and locations not available at other times. Although some over eager reviews have talked about real time day/night cycles, Pilotwings Resort handles this like Wii-Sports Resort. You choose whether to fly morning, evening, daytime or night before starting, and that time period is then locked in for that session.

Pilotwings Resort Vehicles

04/10/2010

Pilotwings Resort offers Bi-planes, Jetpacks and Parachutes as it returns us to Wii-Sports Resort's island - only now it's in miniature 3D.

The 3DS's first party flying game merges classic game play from Pilotwings with Wii-Sports resort flying. Returning to the same location with more aircraft and challenges is not only prudent but also sounds like a lot of fun.

Each vehicle not only looks very different but flies differently too. The Bi-plane for instance is excellent at getting round the island quickly, whereas the Jetpack comes in handy for pinpoint missions requiring vertical take-off.

Along with the discovery game play that kept us busy investigating the Wii-Sports Resort version, on the 3DS there are a variety of other flying challenges. These task players with completing a certain course, or collecting items within a given time limit.

But more than any of this, it is the upgraded DS visuals and 3D display that makes Pilotwings Resort such an exciting prospect.

The 3DS is available in the UK and States in March 2011. No release date for Pilotwings Resort has been announced.

Pilotwings Resort Announced

09/08/2010

Pilotwings returns to show Wii-Sports Resort how to fly a wide range of aircraft.

Pilotwings returns to the island resort genre it started on the SNES. This takes the Flight School levels from Wii-Sports Resort and injects them with a range of different forms of flight.

This returns to the Wii-Sports Resort island, but here again there will be much more to do. Taking familiar locations and adding new challenges is an old trick for Nintendo, but one that promises to expand upon the flight fun from the Wii Resort game.

We hope this means that other Wii-Sports Resort titles will get the full game treatment. Perhaps Nintendo do in fact realise just how good those little games really are. In fact, a full version of Table Tennis would be enough to keep us satisfied until Christmas.