Must-have DS games

[Alan Bolte]

For my birthday my parents bought me a Nintendo DS, "What's Cooking? Jamie Oliver," which I think is some sort of glorified recipe book in a DS cartridge, and Quantum of Solace DS (presumably they remember I liked Goldeneye 64). I was considering asking for the receipt since I can't possibly afford more games and that Bond game doesn't look awesome, but a friend surprised me with a $50 gift certificate to Barnes and Noble, which apparently sells games now. I might still take it back, or at least the Bond game, but I figure I could get 2 great games with that gift card, 3 if I return QoS, so I was wondering if anyone here has suggestions.

So far, Mario Kart, and New Super Mario Bros. look good. I kinda liked one of the Fire Emblem games I played, apparently there's one for the DS coming out soon. I love Castlevania, looks like there's a couple of those, not sure which one to get. I played and loved Metroid: Zero Mission for the GBA, but I'm not so sure about this Metroid Prime: Hunters game. I hear Zelda: Phantom Hourglass wasn't great. It never hurts to have a simple puzzle game that you can play for three minutes while waiting for something, but I'm not sure what would be worth $20-$30.

[KrauserKrauser]

I enjoyed the Civilization Revolutions game but it is not exactly that challenging. Good way to waste time.

Pokemon Diamond or Pearl are always great options if you can stomach the cuteness.

[General Zod]

The Phoenix Wright games are solid, though not everyone's cup of tea. Elite Beat Agents is definitely worth getting though, especially if you're into rhythm games.

[Stark]

Ouendan. It's so much better than Ouendan 2 or EBA.

[DPDarkPrimus]

Though if you enjoy Ouendan, more of the same is good.

[TheFeniX]

I enjoyed the Civilization Revolutions game but it is not exactly that challenging. Good way to waste time.

Seconded. I own it for both 360 and DS and they managed to cram the whole game (graphics and audio aside, obviously) into the DS version. That's impressive. I actually play the DS version more often.

If you're into remakes, there's Final Fantasy 3 and 4 (2 in America). Chrono Trigger has also been released. I've heard good things about Final Fantasy Tactics Advance 2, but I have yet to pick it up. "Touchmaster" consists of a bunch of mini-games and may or may not be worth the $10 you can pick it up for. Also, GBA titles work on the DS. I'm currently working my way through the original LoZ.

[weemadando]

Civ Rev on DS fucking OWNED me for weeks - it's a return to Civ 1 and it's fucking hand-held. GODDAMN.

Other's that I like:

Puzzle Quest - puzzler RPG which is fun and good time-wasting.
Glory Days 2: Operation Ghostlight - it's no Jetstrike, but it's a great take on Choplifter

Ummm...

Warioware: Touched - because micro games are good sometimes.

Fuck. Drawing a blank at the moment. I'll check my collection and let you know later.

[Ford Prefect]

Ouendan.

Phoenix Wright

Both of these suggestions are excellent ones that you should look into.

[Bounty]

Forget Phoenix Wright; it's broken, dull and about as fun as clicking Next in an installer.

Advance Wars DS is great except for the stupid timed missions, but they're just a small part of the campaign. Brain Training and its ilk are not really "sit down for hours" games, but they're fun in bursts and you get a pretty slick Sudoku game built-in.

If you like shooters, check out Geometry Wars. It's not as pretty as the home console versions but it works even with the digital buttons and it's great for short breaks.

[Archaic`]

If you liked Fire Emblem, certainly wait to get the one coming out to the DS (It's a revamped and expanded version of the original NES game), and consider picking up one of the Advance Wars titles. Dual Strike probably isn't everyone's cup of tea, but Days of Ruin / Dark Conflict has a much better storyline that you'd probably appreciate.

Other than that, I'd second the Ouendan and Pheonix Wright suggestions, though if you don't like "Visual Novel" style games you might want to stick away from the latter. Pokémon and Puzzle Quest are fairly staple games in most collections as well.

[Schuyler Colfax]

Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon is fun, but it's a step down from the other ones, but its still fun in a way.

Mario Kart DS is a must have.
Chrono Trigger is fun.
If you're interested in Advance Wars go with Dual Strike not Days of Ruin, DoR isn't bad, Dual Strike is just better.
You can wait for Pokemon Platinum.
Brain Age 2 is fun.
The World Ends With You is pretty fun, but full of angst and it is kind of short.

And word around the internet is that Moon is a good game. A good FPS on the DS who would have thought.

And if you want a puzzle game get Planet Puzzle League, if you ever played Tetris Attack, you'll feel right at home.

[Alan Bolte]

a friend surprised me with a $50 gift certificate to Barnes and Noble, which apparently sells games now

I guess they don't really sell games, they just have some sort of agreement with Gamestop... which means that I can't use my gift card to buy games. While normally I would by happy to buy books, in this case I think I'll sell my gift card to my mother, who shops there frequently.

I'm getting a little off topic, but does anyone have any suggestions for buying games, as in, where to get good deals? I never buy anything on ebay, would that be recommended?

Also, is there some sort of English version of Ouendan that I'm not finding, or are you guys all pulling my leg?

[Flash]

Elite Beat Agents is an english version of Ouendan. Same gameplay, but IMO the songs aren't as good as Ouendan.

For getting good deals on games, try various secondhand shops and pawnbrokers [/professional bias]. Some are terrible, some are good. Check to see if they have a returns policy, and physically inspect the disc! Take your DS and check the cartridge to make sure it works. You can save quite a bit, but you do have to be careful.

[General Zod]

a friend surprised me with a $50 gift certificate to Barnes and Noble, which apparently sells games now

I guess they don't really sell games, they just have some sort of agreement with Gamestop... which means that I can't use my gift card to buy games. While normally I would by happy to buy books, in this case I think I'll sell my gift card to my mother, who shops there frequently.

I'm getting a little off topic, but does anyone have any suggestions for buying games, as in, where to get good deals? I never buy anything on ebay, would that be recommended?

Also, is there some sort of English version of Ouendan that I'm not finding, or are you guys all pulling my leg?

Amazon is a good source for DS games, though I generally just get most of mine at Gamestop since they're not that expensive.

[Ryushikaze]

If you liked Fire Emblem, certainly wait to get the one coming out to the DS (It's a revamped and expanded version of the original NES game), and consider picking up one of the Advance Wars titles. Dual Strike probably isn't everyone's cup of tea, but Days of Ruin / Dark Conflict has a much better storyline that you'd probably appreciate.

Technically it's a revamp of the third game, since that was the original game and then some, but yeah, it's solid.

If you're into roguelikes at all, there are several solid ones, such as Izuna, Shiren, and Chocobo's dungeon- if they ever translate the thing, that is.
DS certainly has a surfeit of titles available. I'm sure you can find something you like.

[KrauserKrauser]

Just thought I would throw another title out, Guitar Hero for the DS, but saly I cannot fully endorse this game.

The controls are a bit wonky and using the pick stylus is not always the best.

If you are a die hard Guitar hero fan and need a poor imitation of the game at all times, this would be for you, avoid it otherwise.

[FA Xerrik]

It never hurts to have a simple puzzle game that you can play for three minutes while waiting for something, but I'm not sure what would be worth $20-$30.

I'll put in a good word for Meteos. I don't know if it's still available retail, but you could probably pick it up used somewhere. You can pick up and play for just a few minutes or goof around for a lot longer. It may even be better in short doses, as it's pretty frenetic. Picture Tetris with the ability to launch your blocks back at opponents. I could certainly understand the game not being everyone's cup of tea, as there's no plot to speak of and the gameplay is pretty elementary. I had a blast playing it though as a pick-up-and-go sort of game.

[Archaic`]

Also, is there some sort of English version of Ouendan that I'm not finding, or are you guys all pulling my leg?

There's the English remake as has already been pointed out, but the original Japanese Ouendan is just superior. You honestly don't really need to know any Japanese to figure out the controls, and it's fairly easily explained in any case.

If you liked Fire Emblem, certainly wait to get the one coming out to the DS (It's a revamped and expanded version of the original NES game), and consider picking up one of the Advance Wars titles. Dual Strike probably isn't everyone's cup of tea, but Days of Ruin / Dark Conflict has a much better storyline that you'd probably appreciate.

Technically it's a revamp of the third game, since that was the original game and then some, but yeah, it's solid.

From what I hear, it's a revamp of the first, not the third. It doesn't include the material from the third's book two, which is rather frustrating. Who wants to bet that it'll be released as a stand alone game?

[Schuyler Colfax]

If you liked Fire Emblem, certainly wait to get the one coming out to the DS (It's a revamped and expanded version of the original NES game), and consider picking up one of the Advance Wars titles. Dual Strike probably isn't everyone's cup of tea, but Days of Ruin / Dark Conflict has a much better storyline that you'd probably appreciate.

Technically it's a revamp of the third game, since that was the original game and then some, but yeah, it's solid.

From what I hear, it's a revamp of the first, not the third. It doesn't include the material from the third's book two, which is rather frustrating. Who wants to bet that it'll be released as a stand alone game?[/quote]It has been released (give or take where you live) and yes, it is a stand alone game. In case you were worried, a number of new features have been added.

[Archaic`]

I meant that book two from the third game might be released as a stand alone sequel to this remake of the first game.

Besides the prologue, what have they added to the DS version over the original game besides the weapons triangle?

[Anguirus]

I second New Super Mario, if you are a fan of old-school Mario. My own problem with it is I beat it too fast.

[Schuyler Colfax]

I meant that book two from the third game might be released as a stand alone sequel to this remake of the first game.

Besides the prologue, what have they added to the DS version over the original game besides the weapons triangle?

I never played the original so I'm not completely sure how to compare it to the DS revamp, but the new version has online play, class swapping, new classes, save point in the middle of battle, and 6 difficulty settings off the top of my head, I'm sure those weren't in the original.

I second New Super Mario, if you are a fan of old-school Mario. My own problem with it is I beat it too fast.

They made it a lot easier so it could appeal to young gamers. I suck at platforming and I am far into it.

But the game that has the most of my attention right now is Advance Wars: Days of Ruin, which I'm really starting to warm up to.