While many would scoff at the notion of paying for an emulator to a console that’s over 35 years old, especially given the fact that not every game is compatible “out of the box”, what 3dSEN brings to the experience overall is nothing short of thrilling. Each game has its own 3D profile and each handles the 3D in similar fashion, however certain games/3D profiles add a bit more to the visual experience (more on that in a bit). The best way I can describe the visual experience is comparing it to something like a McFarlane Toys 3D Diorama set from the mid 2000’s. There’s also a VR supported 3dSEN that is available, however I do not own a VR headset, as the effects still make me too physically ill to invest in, but I digress. It’s not stereoscopic 3D like the 3DS, but rather a bit of some graphical wizardry that gives stages and characters a third dimension. What makes this emulator stand out from the pack is the fact that you can play (a currently selected number of) NES games in 3D. For $9.99 (currently $6.69 via Steam Summer Sale which ends on July 8th, cheaper on itch.io), you get access to this long worked on piece of software.
![3d nes emulator zelda ii 3d nes emulator zelda ii](https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/original/1551/15511094/3019448-smb3.png)
“ 3dSEN doesn’t attempt to change how you play each game – it gives it a new coat of paint that remains faithful to the source material, and manages to inspire an awe in me that’s only surpassed by the very first time I played these gems.“ģdSEN (read backwards as NES 3D….well, NES D3, but you know what I mean!) is currently only available on Steam, GMG and itch.io, making it one of, if not the only NES emulator exclusively gated behind a paywall. At this point, unless it’s real hardware or something like a SNES Classic/Switch (I really need to get a Retrotink 5X), it’s going to take something of significance to have me play old school games on my desktop.Įnter 3dSEN – a commercially available Nintendo Entertainment System emulator that brings the visual presentation of your favorite 8-bit games into the third dimension.
#3d nes emulator zelda ii Pc#
Sure, you can basically use clone controllers on your PC and play that way, but the experience just isn’t the same, and as awesome and commendable as the NES/SNES game suites on the Switch are, it fails to replicate that authenticity as well. As small and sometimes uncomfortable as an NES and SNES controller can be at the age of 40, nothing replicates the feel of blistering my thumbs on them, trying to get to the next level of each game I played. The older I got though, I started moving away from emulation and, at least for the PlayStation and Dreamcast, moved towards real hardware again. This was the best way I could “catch up” and play some of these hits that I wasn’t fortunate enough to own (even after begging my mom to purchase some of those games for me from her job at Woolworth’s, regardless of the fact that my parents spoiled me with games at times), or discover fantastic gems that I never knew of before ( Shatterhand, Power Blade, Little Samson). Like most gamers with access to the internet, I’ve also dabbled quite a bit with emulation over the years.
![3d nes emulator zelda ii 3d nes emulator zelda ii](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91MEVIjA-UL._SL1500_.jpg)
I can put on something like Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!, and immediately feel the nostalgia overtaking me, all while the game is challenging me in ways most current generation video games fail to do. Not only are there some of gaming’s greatest experiences on the console, but it brings me back to a much simpler time in life, where my only worries in life were mostly isolated to finishing my homework and keeping my room clean.
![3d nes emulator zelda ii 3d nes emulator zelda ii](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/SvsqisGgEqI/maxresdefault.jpg)
The NES is my second or third all-time favorite video game console, and for good reason. When my parents bought me my own console in 1990, the Nintendo Entertainment System, my love for gaming skyrocketed to new heights. Starting with my dad’s Commodore 64, ColecoVision and Atari 2600, I quickly became fascinated, and addicted, to this interactive electronic world that I was exposed to. I’ve been playing video games since 1983.