My son is getting a 3DS XL for his birthday in a couple of weeks (bought already) and I was wondering if people could give me some recommendations. He like games like mario and zelda and really wants something that he can get good milage from. He really wants mario kart 7 and New marios bros 2 but they are still quite pricey 2nd hand and all his birthday money has gone on buying the 3DS so he is reliant on pocket money only which he doesn't have a lot of as he also needs to buy a case and screen protectors.
Pokemon you can buy Pokemon black or white cheap 2nd hand. The 2 actual 3ds games are both expensive and are cheaper new than second hand at least online. Any of the 6 is about 100hrs gameplay which at a few hrs a day is a long time. Mario and zelda never really go cheap as they are hugely popular games same with Pokemon.
Zelda a Link between Worlds (there also a couple of old Zelda games (Oracle of Ages/Seasons) in the eshop that are around £5) Castlevania: Mirror of Fate Mario 3D land
I second this, about 3.5Hrs into my Black 2 Playthrough, pretty good tbh, it will end up being a massive time sink
Might help if you tell us how old he is? My 5yr old (4.5 when he got a 2DS) loves his Luigis Mansion, he runs about the house playing it (puts on a bag and a torch lol). Also the usual Mario games, he also gets a good giggle out of nintendogs (the missus had a DS years ago). He also likes Mario Kart.
He is 13 this week. We have already bought Super Mario 3D Land which he wants to save for when we go to Butlins and is now looking for a 2nd cheap game and he already has lots of normal DS games so is looking for something that use the 3D facility. There's a rental service that gives a 21 day free trial and then you pay £3.99 a month and you get one game a month which is better than buying a new game and finishing it within a month.