The Nintendo 3DS had a hell of a 2013, and Nintendo expects 2014 to be just as strong, if not better. With the early release calendar showing some strong titles like Yoshi's New Island, we're inclined to believe they hype.

Last year, Nintendo sold more than a combined 16 million games on the 3DS physically and digitally. If you can believe it, that was 45 percent more than they sold in all of 2012. Part of that has to do with the continued success of the 3DS family of handhelds, which (counting the 3DS, 3DS XL and 2DS) has moved 11.5 million units in the U.S. alone during its lifespan.

Nintendo is expecting big things from the handheld in 2014, with games like Super Smash Bros. and Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy holding down the fort of dependability. Newcomers like the just announced Disney Magical World, which has you managing a cafe and helping Disney characters solving problems, should help keep those astronomical numbers growing, too. But before Disney Magical World arrives on April 11, 3DS owners will have Yoshi's New Island to look forward to. Arriving on March 14, Yoshi's New Island brings producer Takashi Tezuka's (who worked on the original Yoshi's Island) vision to life in 3D, and reunites him with Baby Mario and everyone's favorite green lizard.

There are still plenty of other 3DS titles we're eagerly awaiting release dates for, but the early part of 2014 is shaping up fairly nicely. Whether or not Nintendo will be able to replicate, let alone outdo, the success of 2013 remains to be seen.

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