Nintendo returns to the skies for the first time since 1996 and your in for a treat
The game gives you three vehicle options: the Plane, the Rocket Belt and the Hang Glider. The plane can travel basically everywhere, while the hang glider relies on jet streams for altitude both offer similar experiences. The Rocket Belt is very different from the two and I found control of it to be very hard to master. The new circle pad is used to control all three.
As everyone knows the 3DS has 3D. The game does benefit from playing with the 3D on, but it's not necessary. I did find that it was harder to keep your eyes in the "sweet spot" in this game compared to some of the other launch 3DS games. I attribute this to the flying nature of the game instead of a fault in the game. Besides that the game looks very similar to the Wii's Wii Sports Resort which is impressive considering it's a handheld game.
There are two main modes in Pilotwings Resort, Challenge Mode and Free Flight. Challenge mode gives you a certain task to complete and then ranks you on a three star basis. There are 15 missions for each vehicle, but you won't find much challenge in the first six or seven. Doing well in these missions will unlock new content for Free Flight Mode. Free Flight Mode allows you to fly around Wuhu Island (you may recognize it from Wii Fit or Wii Sports Resort) and collect all sorts of things. This is a surprising amount of fun and I found myself playing this just as much as the challenges. The one bad thing about this is that there is always a time limit. It can be extended by popping balloons but it would have been nice to get rid of it altogether.
Pilotwings Resort doesn't have tons of content or do anything new, but that doesn't make it any less enjoyable. While fans of the original two games from over fifteen years ago may be disappointed, there is something for everyone on this cart. Though not perfect there you can't go wrong by picking Pilotwings up near the launch of the 3DS.