What are the pros/cons of using a 3d engine for 2d games?

Posted by mrohlf on Game Development See other posts from Game Development or by mrohlf
Published on 2011-08-10T14:56:00Z Indexed on 2014/06/06 3:42 UTC
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What pros or cons should a beginner be aware of when deciding between a 2d game engine (like Slick2D/Flixel/FlashPunk) and a 3d engine (like Unity) for 2d game development?

I am just getting started in indie game development, though I have dabbled a bit with Game Maker, Flash, and XNA in the past. I've heard a lot of positive things about Unity, and its cross-platform nature makes it appealing, but as I understand, it's a 3d engine at its core.

For a strictly 2d game, are there any compelling reasons to work with a 3d engine like Unity? Or would it just add unneeded complexity to my initial learning experience?

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