Upgraded

Yo, so I just purchased a 2ds bundled with Pokémon Y (which I think has the best version exclusive Pokémon [excluding the cover legendary {i love that dang deer but I'll never use him anyway}])

The system is still in the mail on its way to me, so in the mean time I'm trying to compile a list of 3ds games to purchase. Here is my current list:

Alpha Sapphire
Majora's Mask 3D
Super Smash Bros (I'll never get a Wii U)
Monster Hunter 4 U (a friend of mine swears by the game, this is definitely a "maybe")
Probably a Kirby Game

I'm fairly out of the loop on recent games...are there other 3ds games I should definitely be considering?

AlphaSapphire and Smash 3DS are great choices. Haven't played the others.
If you wanted to be clever, you could get a used copy of AlphaSapphire or OmegaRuby and transfer the previous owner's Pokémon to the Pokémon Bank service, then back to either the game of origin once you restart it, or Y. Pokémon Bank costs $5 for a year's "subscription".


You should download Pokémon Shuffle from the eshop. It's free and is pretty fun.
And if they still have the OmegaRuby/AlphaSapphire demo up, DEFINITELY download that. Just for completing it, you get a free Glalie with its mega stone for use in OR/AS. It also lets you try out all three starters and their megas if you play it again, and you get items to transfer over if you complete it multiple times.


As far as retail games go:
Mario Kart 7 is great. I'd say it's the second-best in the series after MK8, but I never played the DS one, so maybe I'm wrong there.
Super Mario 3D Land is fun, and doesn't suffer from the 3DS controls at all.

Fire Emblem: Awakening was a fun time (I put over a hundred hours into it), but if you haven't played any of the others, I'd highly recommend emulating Sacred Stones and Fire Emblem (no subtitle) for the GBA and Path of Radiance for the GameCube before playing Awakening.


I've heard that Mario and Luigi: Dream Team is pretty good (most say it's better than Partners in Time and about equal with Bowser's Inside Story, but not as good as Superstar Saga), but I haven't played it.


AVOID:
Sonic Lost World (legitimately one of the worst games I've ever played)
Paper Mario: Sticker Star (nothing like the original or Thousand-Year Door and RIDDLED with design problems)

I've got a few days until the 2ds gets here, so I may as well emulate Fire Emblem and see if I like it.

I'm not a fan of portable Mario Kart games because of the two screens. Typically, the bottom screen is a top down view of the map and shows all hazards and players. It's so easy if you play using just the bottom screen. And then the top screen is just too small for all the details you need when racing.

I really like the humor of the Mario & Luigi series, I might give the one a try. I did like Superstar Saga, but I could never beat the final boss. Bowser's Inside Story was okay, definitely not as good.

Shuffle definitely sounds worth the time. Is that the candy crush-esque game you were talking about before?

I think the wider viewing angle of the 3DS's screen helps with the field of vision problem you're talking about (but then again, I have the XL so my screen is bigger than yours will be). I never really used the bottom screen map, so I don't really have anything to say about that complaint.
I do think that MK7 does have some really well-designed tracks and a great "retro" track selection. MK7's Rainbow Road is without a doubt the best in the series.


Yes, Shuffle is the game I was talking about a couple months ago. I've got around fifteen hours into it over the last few months.


Oh, and there's going to be an event this weekend where you can download Diancie to a copy of OmegaRuby or AlphaSapphire. If you want to go for Pokédex completion, it's something to think about, since I have no clue when Diancie is going to be available again.
http://bulbanews.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Diancie_to_be_distributed_via_Wi-Fi_for_PAL,_North_American_regions