I'm trying to find a birthday present for a friends 3 year old little boy and he just got a 3DS XL for Christmas. His only games so far are Mario Kart and Lego Batman 2. He is really into super heroes. Does anybody have any suggestions on a good game(s) in the $20 range that can keep a 3 years old attention for awhile and isn't to difficult? I'm thinking of getting him Nintendogs but I'm not sure if that would be to difficult for him. He is a very bright child.

If he's already got Lego Batman 2, how about Lego Pirates of the Caribbean, Lego Star Wars III The Clone Wars or Lego Harry Potter Years 5-7? If he can play one Lego game he should be able to play any of them and those are all in your price range on Amazon.

It's out of your price range but Star Fox 64 could be a good choice as well. My son loved to watch me play this game on the N64 when he was 3. I can't remember when he actually began to play the N64. The main challenge was the N64 controller was difficult for smaller hands to deal with. If the 3 yo you mention can play Mario Kart on the 3DS he should be able to play Star Fox without a problem.

They make a bunch of Diego and Dora the Explorer games that are great for 3 year olds. I would stay away from any 3ds titles since children under the age of 5 should not be using 3d.

Well, you can turn the 3D off (and I think disable it in parental controls).

Mario Bros. games are always good, Epic Mickey 2 is fun, and there are a lot of old NES and Game Boy games online. If he was a bit older I would suggest Pokemon, but they are very text heavy.

Also, be sure to update it via wireless. If you don't have a wireless, any BestBuy or McDonald's will do. This way, your kid will be able to access all the hats and puzzles from StreetPass Plaza, which is fun.

I would say a $20 Nintendo gift card would be nice. When my son (he's 5 now) started playing my DSi he would play Mario Clock game, which was just Mario running through coin stages with no enemies, for some time. Now when he gets a hold of my 3ds he plays original Super Mario Bros. and Excit-bike 3d. Or if he likes Sonic, Sonic Colors is good.

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Educational games should be fine, but the OP should use his time to improve the boy's reading and other skills. He's only three years old, and I doubt he really understands what's going on in these games.