DS Game Discussion

[Raum]

What are your favorite games so far? Which do you think best implement the systems unique capabilities? Complaints? Praises? Discuss em here.

I for one am kind of sick of gimmicky touch-screen additions or forced touch screen menus. Fir instance, in Mario 64, if you press select in the castle to view which stars you've gotten, you cannot cycle between them using the DPad, but have to use inconveniently placed arrows on the touch screen. Things like that should be optional etc.

I'm a big fan of Advance Wars, Ages Of Empires 2, Fire Emblem etc, so I'm thinking about picking up Ages Of Empires DS sometime soon. Looks enjoyable and might offer a little variety compared to FE / AW.

Favorite DS game so far would probably have to be Castlevania. Mario Kart online is wonderful, but the newest CV just feels so polished overall. The bosses are pretty enjoyable, graphics and audio are superb, the castle is interesting and so on. I thought the story was lame myself, but oh well. I care more about gameplay, and those lame characters were fun to battle, so I was happy. I was surprised I liked this as much as I did, seeing as AoS was my least favorite of the GBA CV's.

One thing I can't get over though, is the DS being one unergonomic ******. When Metroid Prime comes out I'm gonna get carpal tunnel or something. Just playing the demo hurts my hands, as does using the R / L buttons often in any game on the DS. I've actually busted out my original GBA recently to play GBA title on because its just more comfortable over all. Meh.

[NeoTrunks]

The only game I would ever regret playing for long hours is Mario Kart, and that was just at the beginning. My left wrist would cramp up so bad from that Dpad. But it's all smooth as gravy now. As for AoE for DS, I've heard (read) only good things, and may be picking that up soon.

I did pick up Resident Evil for the DS. That's one of the games that you will either love or hate. Personally, I was never fond of the game on the PSX. But the series had grown on me since then. It's just fun playing it on the handheld. Everything, from the campy voice acting to the FMV cutscenes, has been preserved in that game, something that's impressive for a DS gamecard. You could play the game exactly as the classic version played, or you can play the new rebirth mode, which adds some nice DS specific stuff to the game, like touch screen puzzles, blowing into the mic to administer CPR, and swiping accross the touch screen to slash your knife in first person mode.

Another nice game to get would be Tony Hawk's American sk8Land. Again, it's just one of those games that leaves me impressed when it comes to handheld gaming, just coming from the GBA. The game plays just as fluidly as the PS2 games in the series, while managing to look almost as good. Though, you may not like that if you weren't into the Tony Hawk games to begin with.

If you're not always looking for playing "games", you may want to check out Electroplankton. And what I mean by that is, that it's not a game at all. You're simply creating sound and in some cases, pretty lights to look at with the stylus and/or mic. My girlfriend always wants to play that game when we are bored :).

[AMDMEFX-55]

I was going to keep my second DS for Resident Evil. I am glad I did not. I played it on my friends DS and was thinkn it had crap gfx and just sucked. I like mario kart but the DS mk I think blew crap thats why I sold my ds. When I had my DS I used to bash the PSP but I got a PSP now and love it. I still like the DS I just wish Nintendo would make a new mario kart like on the snes and also a biger screen.

[NeoTrunks]

I was going to keep my second DS for Resident Evil. I am glad I did not. I played it on my friends DS and was thinkn it had crap gfx and just sucked. I like mario kart but the DS mk I think blew crap thats why I sold my ds. When I had my DS I used to bash the PSP but I got a PSP now and love it. I still like the DS I just wish Nintendo would make a new mario kart like on the snes and also a biger screen.

Ouch! Seems the DS wasn't right for you, as it's not at all meant to blow anyone away graphically. I'd have to disagree about those two games you mentioned. Sure RE has the same graphics it did all those years ago, but it was meant to. It's a practically a direct port. As for MK:DS reminding you of the SNES version... perhaps that's intentional as well. I think it's the best version of the game so far.

[bob_loblaw]

Im thinking about getting a DS Lite when it comes out just to get into the DS world, but there are very few games that looks interesting to me. Mario Kart looks like a given. The New Mario Bros. game looks good. But what Im looking for a is a good RPG or platform/side-scrolling. One that takes advantage of the touchscreen like during battles. Any recommendations?

[Ji@nBing]

What are your favorite games so far? Which do you think best implement the systems unique capabilities? Complaints? Praises? Discuss em here.

I for one am kind of sick of gimmicky touch-screen additions or forced touch screen menus. Fir instance, in Mario 64, if you press select in the castle to view which stars you've gotten, you cannot cycle between them using the DPad, but have to use inconveniently placed arrows on the touch screen. Things like that should be optional etc.

I'm a big fan of Advance Wars, Ages Of Empires 2, Fire Emblem etc, so I'm thinking about picking up Ages Of Empires DS sometime soon. Looks enjoyable and might offer a little variety compared to FE / AW.

Favorite DS game so far would probably have to be Castlevania. Mario Kart online is wonderful, but the newest CV just feels so polished overall. The bosses are pretty enjoyable, graphics and audio are superb, the castle is interesting and so on. I thought the story was lame myself, but oh well. I care more about gameplay, and those lame characters were fun to battle, so I was happy. I was surprised I liked this as much as I did, seeing as AoS was my least favorite of the GBA CV's.

One thing I can't get over though, is the DS being one unergonomic ******. When Metroid Prime comes out I'm gonna get carpal tunnel or something. Just playing the demo hurts my hands, as does using the R / L buttons often in any game on the DS. I've actually busted out my original GBA recently to play GBA title on because its just more comfortable over all. Meh.

My faves so far are MK, Age Of Empires, Pheonix Write: Ace Attourney, Trauma Centre: Under The Knife, and Castlevania. There are tons of good games though.

BTW, if you are finding the DS uncomfortable, go down to Best Buy or Toys R' Us and get yourself a "Nintendo DS Carrying Case". It's by A.I.S Industries and the model # is NDS6 (it says it on the front of the package). It's a softshell case and the DS stays in it while you play. It adds about 1cm to each side while you hold it, so your hands aren't so cramped. It makes playing the DS 10x more comfortable and no more hand cramps. It also protects the DS, and for $10 it's a really good deal. I had to modify mine a bit by cutting the top half of the sheath the DS slides in off, but once you do that, it's all good.

[Danrarbc]

Im thinking about getting a DS Lite when it comes out just to get into the DS world, but there are very few games that looks interesting to me. Mario Kart looks like a given. The New Mario Bros. game looks good. But what Im looking for a is a good RPG or platform/side-scrolling. One that takes advantage of the touchscreen like during battles. Any recommendations?

RPGs won't be tough to find over the course of this year so I'll forego listing any. If there's a genre that's exploding this year for DS it's that one.

As for a platformer that uses the touch screen, look no further than Kirby.

[DAaaMan64]

My faves so far are MK, Age Of Empires, Pheonix Write: Ace Attourney, Trauma Centre: Under The Knife, and Castlevania. There are tons of good games though.

BTW, if you are finding the DS uncomfortable, go down to Best Buy or Toys R' Us and get yourself a "Nintendo DS Carrying Case". It's by A.I.S Industries and the model # is NDS6 (it says it on the front of the package). It's a softshell case and the DS stays in it while you play. It adds about 1cm to each side while you hold it, so your hands aren't so cramped. It makes playing the DS 10x more comfortable and no more hand cramps. It also protects the DS, and for $10 it's a really good deal. I had to modify mine a bit by cutting the top half of the sheath the DS slides in off, but once you do that, it's all good.

Interesting, I will have to check that case out...

[Raum]

Picked up Electroplankton and Ages Of Empires today. AoE so far I'm unimpressed with, but maybe things will improve. Big fan of Advance Wars, this seems along the same lines except clunkier and less fluid. Electroplankton is enjoyable though. I got blazed and recorded some songs, be posting them in this forum.

I had tony hawk for DS but ended up selling it. It's too much of a videogame for my tastes rather than a skateboarding simulator. Tony Hawk games just feel too fake to me after riding a board in the real world, and I despise the modern level design as well. This game had all the same problems, lower-quality graphics (Though impressive for a handheld), and controlled worse as well. Online wasn't as captivating as I thought. I could free skate with one random person or post my high-scores, the latter of which was the only wifi feature I'd bother with.

I'm still real satisfied with Castlevania. Best game on the DS IMO.

[Laughing-Man]

The New Mario Bros. game looks good. But what Im looking for a is a good RPG or platform/side-scrolling. One that takes advantage of the touchscreen like during battles. Any recommendations?

Supposedly Mario Brothers Partners In Time is a good game, but I have never played it. At this point if you want RPGs you would probably want to get GBA games, but the DS has many RPGs in the pipeline that will be coming out like Children of Mana, Contact (made by the creators of Killer 7), Final Fantsy III Remake, etc. I pray that they release Mother 3 (Earthbound sequel) in the US though for the GBA.

I'm really getting into the puzzle games at this time like Meteos. I tried it Super Bowl weekend at a friend's house via download multiplayer play and got hooked on it and ended up buying it. I've been playing it like every night before I go to sleep because I am obcessed to get all the fusion stuff. I am so looking foward to TetrisDS next month. I know 5 other people with DSes so the wireless up to 10 player network mode is going to be insane.

[NeoTrunks]

I'm really getting into the puzzle games at this time like Meteos. I tried it Super Bowl weekend at a friend's house via download multiplayer play and got hooked on it and ended up buying it. I've been playing it like every night before I go to sleep because I am obcessed to get all the fusion stuff. I am so looking foward to TetrisDS next month. I know 5 other people with DSes so the wireless up to 10 player network mode is going to be insane.

Meteos is one of the best puzzle games I've played. The fusion feature adds so much replayability to the game. Sadly, I haven't had the chance to try out multiplayer yet. I haven't read all that much on the new Tetris, but it's going to need more than the Wifi Connection to beat Meteos for me. Though, I'm still looking forward to getting that game anyway :).

[moloko]

I just got my DS. So far I think Mario Kart DS is the best for me. I love the fact they have the retro courses. For me its easier to control than on the large console. I have advanced wars but have not played it yet. Animal Crossing is fun but so time consuming, you need to play it.

Im still trying to get my wifi set up and so far have not been successful.

[Raum]

Yeah, I wish they had even more SNES and N64 Mario Kart courses. It was great having the retro ones though.

I can't wait for Metroid. I was just playign the demo again and tweaked my controls even more so the game is more intuitive to play. The full version will probably have more in-depth control customization too.

I'm still not all that impressed with Ages Of Empires. It's good...but clunky, boring, slow-paced etc. I really don't see much of a reason to play it over Advance Wars or Fire Emblem, both of which I enjoy more at this point.

Meteos is a game I want to pick up though. Polarium is good, I could use another puzzle game. Tetris will be great if you can play it online. I'd log tons of hours into that for sure. :)

[bob_loblaw]

I heard Fire Emblem was pretty good. Is the battle system a typical RPG game where you gain XP through fights? Good storyline? Any special features like djinns (sp?) in Golden Sun?

[soothsayer]

Meteos and Mario Kart are my favorites so far, although Super Mario 64 is quite enjoyable as well. I want to pick up Electroplankton, but I'm not sure if it would be enjoyable and worth my money/time.

[Raum]

I heard Fire Emblem was pretty good. Is the battle system a typical RPG game where you gain XP through fights? Good storyline? Any special features like djinns (sp?) in Golden Sun?

It's a strategy RPG. If you've ever played Advance Wars, it's similar. You have a top-down view of a map with forests, plains, castles, rivers etc aligned to a grid. You move your team and attack, then the enemy has a round. You can equip different weapons....spears, swords, lances and a few others. Characters level and gain stats, plus can class change as well. It's an enjoyable strategy / RPG hybrid, but if you want something more along the lines of Golden Sun you might not like it. I do know other good GBC / GBA rpg's though.

@Sooth: http://www.gamefaqs.com/portable/ds/review/R98215.html - My Electroplankton review

[nav1]

Supposedly Mario Brothers Partners In Time is a good game, but I have never played it. At this point if you want RPGs you would probably want to get GBA games, but the DS has many RPGs in the pipeline that will be coming out like Children of Mana, Contact (made by the creators of Killer 7), Final Fantsy III Remake, etc. I pray that they release Mother 3 (Earthbound sequel) in the US though for the GBA.

I'm really getting into the puzzle games at this time like Meteos. I tried it Super Bowl weekend at a friend's house via download multiplayer play and got hooked on it and ended up buying it. I've been playing it like every night before I go to sleep because I am obcessed to get all the fusion stuff. I am so looking foward to TetrisDS next month. I know 5 other people with DSes so the wireless up to 10 player network mode is going to be insane.

Partners in time is not a good game... it's a great game !!! The mechanics are unbelievable. Controlling the 4 characters at a time brings a lot of interesting oportunities, and like some game site said, sometime when you see the puzzles, you have to say to yourself "man, that's clever". My friend lend it to me, and since I got it, I cannot stop playing it.

I'm looking out for Contact too. Being a great fan of Killer7, it can only be good, plus I wonder what kind of f***-up ideas Suda 51 can come up with for the DS functionalities.

Last, I'll be pre-ordering the new Mario as soon as it's available.

[Raum]

I didn't think Partners in Time was that great. The puzzles were sometime senjoyable, but I don't recall any that were very clever, to the point where they stood out to me. The whole game held your hand and was laughably easy to boot. I'd enjoy it if I were say, 6 or so....but I'm 19 now and could beat the game by button mashing prettymuch.

I tdoesn't help that with most every monster you can dodge all their attacks, making the game that much easier. An RPG that holds you hand, gives you the option of avoiding all damage and has humour that is completely lost on me....yep, that's about why I sold the game.

It's not so much that it's a bad game, just seems aimed for a different market than a more mature, seasoned RPG vet like myself. I'd definately recommend it to younger RPGers or people new to the genre, since it does mix-up action with RPG fairly well.

[Ji@nBing]

Has anyone here played Pheonix Wright? If not, I highly suggest you pick it up if you can find it. Very enjoyable puzzle game. It's out of print now and very hard to find, so if you see it, grab it!! It may be your last chance.

Another interesting game is Trauma Center: Under the Knife. It's a surgery puzzle game and it has probably the most interesting use of the stylus so far. Again, out of print. It's not nearly as hard to find as Pheonix Wright though, and I've seen it at EB Games a few times lately. But again, get it while you still can!!!

[dt]

Meteos is amazingly fun; the audio-visual experience combined with intuitive controls and unique gameplay make it just one of the best DS titles thus far. :) If they make a sequel, Nintendo Wifi support would probably be nice :D

Mario Kart DS is also superfun game as everyone else seems to agree. Very smooth graphics, classic gameplay style and controls, and nice new courses and features. Plus the robust multiplayer, of course. Great game.

I have Advance Wars but I haven't played it enough really.. I got stuck on some level and I got frustrated and stopped playing.

Then again, I'm not one of the most patient gamers.. :p

I'm probably not going to get Tetris or Peach (gonna save up for Mario Bros.) but both of those look pretty unique.

DS has excellent games (almost forgot: Electroplankton, that looks awesome)

[nav1]

I didn't think Partners in Time was that great. The puzzles were sometime senjoyable, but I don't recall any that were very clever, to the point where they stood out to me. The whole game held your hand and was laughably easy to boot. I'd enjoy it if I were say, 6 or so....but I'm 19 now and could beat the game by button mashing prettymuch.

I tdoesn't help that with most every monster you can dodge all their attacks, making the game that much easier. An RPG that holds you hand, gives you the option of avoiding all damage and has humour that is completely lost on me....yep, that's about why I sold the game.

It's not so much that it's a bad game, just seems aimed for a different market than a more mature, seasoned RPG vet like myself. I'd definately recommend it to younger RPGers or people new to the genre, since it does mix-up action with RPG fairly well.

I don't agree with you, but you do mke some points. I never said the puzzles were complex or difficult, but the way you had to involve all 4 characters is very clever. And yes, you can dodge all attacks, but it's not so easy to pull everytime, as well as with the bros attacks. The game does hold your hand though, by pointing you were you have to go, which makes it kind of linear. But I don't think it has anything to do with age. The humor is good, and I love Luigi and Mario's voices. I keep hoping they talk sometime, cause it makes me chuckle their silly voices.

[Raum]

I guess the humour thing could just be my preference, I do have a weird taste in humour. Most comedy movies and stand-ups never make me laugh for instance, when many of my friends will love em.

It was neat the way you had to use all the characters, I just wish the puzzles were a little trickier to figure out. Puzzles are more enjoyable to me when I have to consider multiple possibilities and examine a situation, figuring things out on my own, instead of feeling like it's simply a process of getting from Point A to B. This is how the puzzles in this game were to me for the most part....same with other games, namely Golden Sun. That game had some of the easiest puzzles ever.

Overall it is a well-crafted game in most respects, but the linear nature of it and lack of difficulty just made it too boring for me to want to play. Many RPG's suffer from this, such as the recent Final Fantasy games. Final Fantasy IX I enjoyed tremendously though due to what I found to be an interesting plot with decent twists, a fun ability learning system, gorgeous scenery to admire and so on.

Mario had some redeeming qualities such as the puzzles, smooth and fast battle system and a good sense of simplification rather than number-crunching and complex stat management like many RPG's. Just not my cup of tea.

[Marduk]

I've enjoyed my ds a great deal mostly what I've played was AC WW but I played it for a full month straight a few hours every single day(literally) and then just couldn't do it anymore because it started to feel bleh, but then that was ALOT of game time so overall even though I'll probably never ever touch the game again, I feel it was fun while it lasted, ALOT of fun at that too.

I've played Mario Kart quite a bit, but I dunno not as much as I was hoping too.

SMB64DS gotta be one of my favs, nothing like old school fun.

Advance wars DS was incredibly fun but I just stopped playing it because I've got so many other great DS titles maybe I'll go back to it sometime, hmm ah well.

Castlevania blew me away, I purchased it on a whim cuz I had some extra money and I was just shocked by how amazing and fun it was, I was glued to it till I finished it, I loved its metroid aspects, that I found was the main draw for me.

Sonic Rush is one that I"m suprised nobody has really talked about yet, its the first genuinely HARD, yes hard sonic game that I've played since ever, what a fun yet challenging game, its definately a must have for anyone with a DS who even slightly enjoyed any sonic game in the past.

theres so many great DS games, theres a few I haven't mentioned because I don't have them :( and can't find them Phoenix Wright and Trama Centre(can't find them at local wally-mart that is).

All I know is, on March 20th my poor wallet will be crying like a little girl raped by her father after Metroid Prime Hunters and Tetris DS is released on the same day, oh what a cruel cruel mistress you are DS.

**SPOILER**

Partners in Time is fun and mostly easy until the final retarded boss fight that is like a marathon fight with 4!! Rounds of non-stop no save possible annoyance. But then the last Mario and Luigi had it too! Damned shame I enjoyed the bloody thing so much up until that, I figure its not worth my time to sit throuhg all that just to make a few mistakes when my hands cramp a lil, then have to start from scratch :/ god damned shame.

**spoiler over**