[By Chris Kohler, Wired.com]

Having played the majority of the first wave of games for the Nintendo 3DS, we can say one thing for sure: The glasses-free 3-D handheld, which hits U.S. stores Sunday, will be stuck in the launch doldrums for a while.

Yes, many of the 16 games that will be available at launch prove entertaining enough. And there’s a lot of fun stuff to do with the hardware, even if you don’t buy a single game.

But in the rush to make it out on Day One, developers have cut corners. Some games last only a few hours, others lack the communication features that were supposed to make 3DS games special, and some are rush-job ports from other hardware. It’s not that there’s anything particularly bad about them. It’s just clear we’re going to have to wait for games that fully exploit what 3DS can do.

Like iPad early adopters, gamers who snag a 3DS this weekend will no doubt be itching for something to do with their snazzy new machines. Unlike iPad apps, 3DS games typically retail for $40 a pop. If you want to spend that money wisely, read our hands-on impressions of games that will be available for Sunday’s launch.

See the original post and read the comments on each game here: http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2011/03/3ds-games-buyers-guide/