DS recommendations

[Bob The Mercenary]

I'm at home cuddling with my new DSi, which has opened a strange new world to me. The last time I picked up a Gameboy-derivative was the Advance with Pokemon Yellow. A lot of time has passed since then and right now I only have three titles to go with my new toy: Final Fantasy Tactics A2, LoZ:PH, and Advance Wars Dual Strike (the one game I would take to a desert island). At the store I saw a plethora of RPGs I was tempted to buy, but most only had mediocre reviews and I didn't want to spend all day rooting through each one.

Anyone have anything I should maybe check out? A good world-building sim or anything non-linear is what I'm looking for, but I'm open to everything.

[Ryong]

Super Robot Taisen - Original Saga - Endless Frontier: The name is as long as the game is good. The battle system is very good, you can run away from any battle but bosses with 100% chance and the cast is pretty good: Unless you hate women, because that's what most of your party is. Most of the bosses, too. Some are robots. And there's one that's both. Yeah.

Henry Hatsworth and the Puzzling Adventure: It's a platformer with RPG-ish stuff thrown in and a simple but fun puzzle game. You kill monsters in the top screen and they go to the bottom screen as blocks in a puzzle that you have to clear or they go to the top screen and attack you. The game is fun and has a pretty quirky story - you're basically Scrooge McDuck, but less rich. Not by much, though.

[The Wandering God]

Pick up Sid Meier's Civilization: Revolution if strategy titles interest you. It's pretty easy to pick up once you understand all the systems involved.

The Wandering God

[Julford Hajime]

Pokémon. Diamond, Pearl, Platinum; any of them will do, though I've heard that Platinum (The newest one) is the best, and gives you access to more legendaries.

[El Mullet]

Retro Game Challenge. This is a MUST get if you're into older games, as there are eight different ones that are an omage/satire of NES games in the 80's. RPG-wise, there's Gaudia Quest in the game. It's part Final Fantasy I, part Dragon Quest I, part Shin Megami Tensei. Hilarious translation, too. "Do you feel asleep?"

[russianreversal]

Well, if your friends have DSs, that pretty much obligates you to get Mario Kart DS. Prolly the best multiplayer for the DS IMO (thought you might wanna look up how to drift).

I'm looking into getting Elite Beat Agents myself, but I technically can't recommend it until I've actually played it. So.

Sorry I don't have any RPG suggestions at the ready, but wait, I guess if you can get over the obnoxiously terrible portraits of FE:Shadow Dragon, you might find it's probably the best in the series gameplay wise (in particular the multiplayer has improved by the scale of a few billion, also both the stylus and buttons can do everything, for no matter what mood you're in). I also played FF3 for a while on the DS and liked that. It was shiny (shiney, shiny goddamnit).

[Kim]

Elite Beat Agents is great, as are both its Japanese counterparts. I consider them a must own for the DS.

[Regulus Tera]

Pokémon. Diamond, Pearl, Platinum; any of them will do, though I've heard that Platinum (The newest one) is the best, and gives you access to more legendaries.

Platinum is the best because of improved speed, better post-game stuff and more legendaris.

[Magus]

Most recent game I bought was Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars which is a lot of fun, but I'm looking forward the possibly-maybe-soon-to-be-released-and/or-vaporware game, Black Sigil: Blade of the Exiled, which appears to be a lovingly crafted Chrono Trigger clone.

[Grand Master Kickface]

If you like fun, you'll love Rhythm Heaven. It's quirky and catchy, and it's the only game I know of that lets you rapid-fire mustache-enhancing multicolored dumplings into your mouth.

Etrian Odyssey II is, gameplay-wise, the best turn-based RPG I've ever played. However, it's also really freaking hard, so this one's best left alone unless you have a lot of spare time.

Meteos is a fantastic puzzle game that synthesizes sound effects, visuals, and player input into a delicious smoothie of awesome. It's a joint effort between the guys who headed up Smash Bros. and Rez, which might help give you an idea of how it plays. It's great for short bursts or to play for hours on end. The Tetris Effect (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheTetrisEffect) very much applies here.

Megaman ZX and Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin are both nifty 'lil 2D-action games. They also have sequels: Megaman ZX Advent and Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia (well, Ecclesia isn't a strict sequel, but it's in the same series. I didn't like it as much as Portrait of Ruin due to its linearity and its obscene difficulty, but some people like Ecclesia more, so eh.)

Oh yeah, New Super Mario Bros. is good too. It's Mario. There are bouncy mushrooms. Whoo.

The World Ends With You is a streamlined action-RPG that can be played in brief spurts or in long sittings. Great story, great battle system, great art style, great everything.

Oh, and um, I'll throw in another vote for Pokemon. The new games let you have a flaming monkey.

[Daimo Mac, The Blue Light of Hope]

I agree with Kickface about The World Ends With You/A Wonderful World. The game is great fun, and the music is such a blast I find myself singing along to the lyrics. :sweatdrop

Don't bother getting Chrono Trigger as it is an incredibly blah port.

[Solid Snake]

Don't bother getting Chrono Trigger as it is an incredibly blah port.

Crappy re-translation and uninspired new 'ending' aside, I have to say that I love my CT port, if only because it allows me to play the best RPG ever anywhere. I mean yes, the SNES version is technically better, but it doesn't matter how much Square tries to ruin the original formula, CT is still CT and the DS version still kicks ass.

I'm very much into TWEWY now and I agree with all the positive comments though I will say that the storyline is somewhat formulaic and the main character reminds me way too much of Squall in all the worst ways imaginable. Despite this, the battle system alone is so awesome that Neko's idiocy is completely forgotten, and every character who isn't Neko is pretty cool, so all's forgiven.

I actually just purchased Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution and, though it lacks any kind of depth compared to Civilization III (which, in turn, was 100% better than Civilization IV) it's still a fine port to the DS format. The game is shortened effectively enough that you can actually go through all the eras (from cavemen times to modern day) in a timespan of a few hours. The animated battle sequences are cute, and the 16 (!!) Civilizations are actually designed with greater strategic differences in playthroughs than their Civ III counterparts. (Unfortunately, this does mean that some Civs just plain suck compared to others that are overpowered...it's not the most well-balanced system ever.)

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown is thoroughly underrated and is, quite possibly, my second favorite GTA game ever after only San Andreas. Maybe Vice City beats it, too, in terms of its superior storyline, but there's a lot of great gameplay aspects in GTA: Chinatown that utilize the DS to its fullest and help compensate for the shortcoming in the graphics department. Even if you disliked the PS2 GTAs there's actually a decent possibility you might enjoy Chinatown as the drug-running aspect actually adds a sense of long-term, moneymaking strategy that's sorely lacking in the other GTAs; you could honestly avoid the main storyline and just make a ton of money trading drugs in a simulation that mirrors the 'Drug Wars' you'd play on your TI-85 graphing calculator in high school.

Hotel Dusk: Room 215 and the Ace Attorney games (exception: Apollo Justice) are all amazing point-and-click 'adventures' and I will never stop recommending them. Super Mario Kart DS is probably a title you own already but if not, buy it now...it's the best Mario Kart experience, in my opinion, by far.

In terms of disappointments: New Super Mario Bros was a bit of a letdown for me, I was really hoping it'd recapture some old-school Super Mario Bros. magic and, for several reasons, it fell short. The game was too easy, the powerups were less sophisticated than SMB3's, the giant mushroom and tiny mushroom 'powerups' looked cute but didn't add layers of depth to the experience (in fact, the giant mushroom powerup just succeeded in making an easy game easier) and honestly, a straight-up port of SMB3 (perhaps with upgraded graphics) would have been a better game.

One strange note that I'll close this long-winded rant on: The DS is my favorite current-gen 'console,' and I own a Wii. In fact, if given the chance to only own two consoles I'd choose a PS2 and a DS and eschew the PS3, X360, and the Wii entirely. Despite owning a Wii, I've invested far more time into my PS2 and my DS lately. I'm sure that'll eventually change, but this really has been a great generation for handhelds. Prior to this console generation, in fact, I had never considered owning a handheld. Now I own and adore my DS, and I wouldn't even mind owning a PSP (if I had extra money to burn.)

[Ryong]

Am I the only person to NOT like the TWETY battle system? Mostly because your partner has the dumbest AI ever? Not to mention the management for getting the good pins is also a horrible thing.

[Demonlink2]

Once you get over the partner AI in the battle system, TWEWY is the best RPG ever. It goes from decent to meh to breaking the theoretical limit on awesome that new Square-Enix RPGs have.

Really, if the battle system is your only complaint, let the AI take over. If the AI is no good, learn to battle 2 screens at once.

So yeah, TWEWY approval.

[Mirai Gen]

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown is thoroughly underrated and is, quite possibly, my second favorite GTA game ever after only San Andreas.
Underrated? It was hitting tons of charts all over meta-ratings as one of the best DS games ever.

And yes, it is fantastic.

Puzzle Quest is horribly addicting, but only if you buy Challenge of the Warlords. Avoid Galactrix for reasons I've already covered. (http://devilmayrant.wordpress.com/2009/03/15/puzzle-quest-galactrix-ds-review/)

Mario Kart DS was a nearly-release title but I have no idea why it hasn't melted from overuse yet.

The first two Castlevanias are awesome, but avoid Order of Ecclesia unless you like throwing your DSi into the wall and buying a second one.

Super Mario 64 DS is the worst title of all time but its a good solid port/tweak of Super Mario 64.

Phantom Hourglass is pure magic.

[Viridis]

New Super Mario Brother is fun.

Phantom Hourglass's multiplayer is great and interestingly made.

[synkr0nized]

Super Mario 64 DS is the worst title of all time but its a good solid port/tweak of Super Mario 64.

While I have not bought many DS games, this was indeed one of the worst purchases I've made over the years. The DS is not the platform to best control that game with, and I guess I didn't enjoy the game enough the first time around to appreciate having a portable copy.

Mario Kart DS is likely the best game ever. Mmmm, hyperbole.

Puzzle Quest and Bomberman were great purchases, at least for me, as they offer immediate puzzle-esque entertainment for short bursts of time, such as when riding a bus or something or waiting for a meeting, etc. Being able to connect with friends in the latter is an added plus (and the single player is, well, it's there).

I don't have many "long" DS games. And I have yet to make use of the GBA compatibility (partially because I'd buy ports of games I already have on SNES or PSX). Hmm.

[Solid Snake]

Underrated? It was hitting tons of charts all over meta-ratings as one of the best DS games ever.


It's underrated in the sense that no one is buying it.
I simply can't comprehend why it's selling so poorly, though a lot of DS-haters are using GTA: Chinatown as 'evidence' that only young'uns would bother owning the system.
Which is sad, because really, more adult gamers should own a DS. I'm not kidding when I say I've enjoyed my DS more than I'd enjoy owning an X360 or a PS3 at this juncture. (Though I wouldn't mind owning a PS3 once Sony wises up and realizes they need to reincorporate backwards compatibility.)

[Mirai Gen]

While I have not bought many DS games, this was indeed one of the worst purchases I've made over the years. The DS is not the platform to best control that game with, and I guess I didn't enjoy the game enough the first time around to appreciate having a portable copy.
Mostly I just like poking fun at the name (I did an entire essay breaking down how painfully silly Super Mario 64 DS is) but yeah, the control scheme didn't do it for me, nor did the characters. I enjoyed being Mario and playing around, and having the game force me to pick new characters to access new stars/areas was more annoying than I'd like.

Its sorta like the CTDS port but in different ways.

[Fifthfiend]

Don't bother getting Chrono Trigger as it is an incredibly blah port.

Personally I'm violently opposed to it in every way but I can see where someone might choose to tolerate/ignore the dumb new ending for the sake of the sweet, sweet delight of having Chrono Trigger in portable form.

Anyway of stuff I've enjoyed on the system I'd say Super Contra, New Mario, Geometry Wars: Advanced, and if you like Dual Strike you might try Advance Wars: Day of Ruin; the plot takes a kinda random turn for the dramatic but gameplay wise it's everything you'd expect.

[russianreversal]

Elite Beat Agents is great, as are both its Japanese counterparts. I consider them a must own for the DS. Ok, just got it. Possibly better than Mario Kart DS, and that's saying something. This is the most fun I have ever had sucking. Seriously, I still can't beat Jumping Jack Flash on easy.

[Kim]

Yup, and there are four difficulties. And the Japanese games are even harder. I want to hate Ouendan 1 for not letting me skip the song intros and get right to the tapping part, but it has Ready! Steady! Go!, so I'll forgive it.

[Mike McC]

I enjoy playing Rune Factory 2, and Spore Creatures, and I'm looking forward to the release of Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor (a strategy RPG) on the 23rd.

[Bob The Mercenary]

Bought Mario Kart, lovin it. Thinking of grabbing Chrono Trigger, but my funds are dwindling.

[squeegninja]

It hasnt been said enough, Mario Kart is hands down the best american DS game to date.

If you dont mind imports, Jump Ultimate Stars was and still is extremely fun. Its basically smash brothers but with Jump characters. IE: Goku, Naruto, Ichigo, Luffy, YuGiOH, Ken Shiro, and so on. It has online play with up to four people but some of those japanese players are ruthless. :sweatdrop

Advance Wars Dual Strike is amazing if you love TBS games. Its probably the most complete version in the series, with way too many things to unlock and accomplish. This game is four player as well. :whee:

[PCD]

Since Elite Beat Agents has already confirmed to be awesome, I'll just leave it at the game has taken over my life in the best way possible and everyone should play it and Ouendan.

If you need other awesome rhythm games, I also will back up the recommendation for Rhythm Heaven. It's insanely quirky and addictive, difficult but delightful. I don't even mind that I suck at Glee Club, just because of the faces they make.

[russianreversal]

Yup, and there are four difficulties. And the Japanese games are even harder. I want to hate Ouendan 1 for not letting me skip the song intros and get right to the tapping part, but it has Ready! Steady! Go!, so I'll forgive it. Oh god, I just got to Without a Fight on medium. What kind of sadistic freak made this?! If it weren't for the story I'd hate this game so much right now.

I haven't been this fail-tastic at medium difficulty since IWBTG.

[Mirai Gen]

Personally I'm violently opposed to it in every way but I can see where someone might choose to tolerate/ignore the dumb new ending for the sake of the sweet, sweet delight of having Chrono Trigger in portable form.
I got it anyway because I was curious about the new added content. Trust me when I say it sucks.

But that's okay, cause I can get rid of it without a problem!

[Solid Snake]

Oh come on now, Mirai, it's still Chrono Trigger. I mean yeah, Square can throw dung on the outer coating by marring the translation and adding lifeless content and a craptastic so-called "ending," but the superb battle system and the plethora of sidequests and the delicious character development that comprises the meat of CT is still there and as wonderful as it always will be.

[Regulus Tera]

This thread has not enough mentions of Rhythm Heaven, especially from everyone recommending Elite Beat Agents/Ouendan.

You guys suck.

[Kim]

I count at least two references, and I didn't look very hard.

Besides, EBA>>>>>RH

[Mirai Gen]

Oh come on now, Mirai, it's still Chrono Trigger. I mean yeah, Square can throw dung on the outer coating by marring the translation and adding lifeless content and a craptastic so-called "ending," but the superb battle system and the plethora of sidequests and the delicious character development that comprises the meat of CT is still there and as wonderful as it always will be.

To rephrase, when I said "it sucks," I was talking about the new content.

Because CTDS if they had just left CT alone would have been great - the stuff they did with the menus is hot shit, because I'm all on board for the dual-screen allowing me to see more kickass Chrono Trigger graphics. All the other changes they made - dialog, ending, new quests, etc - are just awful. I know nobody reads my big ranty blog or nothing but I did a whole review on the new content (http://devilmayrant.wordpress.com/2009/02/23/chrono-trigger-ds-review-or-yes-virginia-you-can-fuck-up-a-classic/) and specifically said hey, CT is awesome, but that's not what we're discussing today.

As Fifth said it's a total package if you don't mind the changes but having grown up with Chrono Trigger on my emulator (cause I never had a cartridge copy) it was a huge, huge letdown.

So, Bob: If you played CT before, you might not want to. If you haven't, go for it.

[Regulus Tera]

I count at least two references, and I didn't look very hard.

Two is not enough for GotY 2009.

Besides, EBA>>>>>RH

I'm defriending you.

P.S. Obligatory "Choose your poison" link (http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=222049).

[PCD]

NonCon is not allowed at the Music Party. Only people who think that DJ Yellow would be bffs with Agent Spin and that The Dazzles are in training for the Divas are allowed in.

Come on Tera the Crop Stomper makes great punch I hear

[Mirai Gen]

What is truly odd is that I love Patapon 2 and Guitar Hero and all sorts of other rhythm games but I couldn't find any interest at all in Rhythm Heaven.

[Regulus Tera]

NonCon is not allowed at the Music Party. Only people who think that DJ Yellow would be bffs with Agent Spin and that The Dazzles are in training for the Divas are allowed in.

Come on Tera the Crop Stomper makes great punch I hear

Break! C'mon! Ooh!

Scratch-O, hey!

What is truly odd is that I love Patapon 2 and Guitar Hero and all sorts of other rhythm games but I couldn't find any interest at all in Rhythm Heaven.

That's cause your face is ugly, I suppose.

[Kim]

I'm defriending you.

D:

Main reason I like EBA more is that you don't have to spend three weeks training in the mountains of Tibet with an ancient clan of rhythm ninjas to be able to do well at it.

EBA says, "You're a retarded social reject who fails to grasp even the vaguest sense of rhythm? That's okay. There, there. We'll give you visual cues to help you out. See? All better."

Rhythm Heaven says, "HEY! YOU! YOU DROPPED A DUMPLING! YOU ARE THE WORST PERSON EVER. YOUR PARENTS PROBABLY DON'T EVEN LOVE YOU." Then it murders your pet dog.

[PCD]

Actually I caught on to Rhythm Heaven a lot faster than I did EBA. I got it... maybe two weeks ago? As of last night I have medals in all 50 of the levels and 28 Perfects. EBA took me months to finally get Commander Kahn out from behind his desk.

Also in Rhythm Heaven if you mess up they say "Yeah you suck." In EBA, the love of their life is lost, they miss out on the chance of a lifetime, they get turned into statues, and she never sees her father again.

[Mirai Gen]

That's cause your face is ugly, I suppose.
I'd think it's more because the game has very little beyond the enjoyment of the great music and the button-tapping rhythm element, which I can normally get on board for but I'm not very good at finding the rhythm when it isn't attuned to an actual musical instrument of some sort. IE, the singing parts or the Gradius space-shooter parts I was very good at, but the other parts where I had to 'fill in the gap' in the music I was just terrible at, and that was sadly most of the game.

I think that's what it is, anyway.



...

http://pics.livejournal.com/miraigen/pic/000qrbr5

[Kim]

The thing with Rhythm Heaven as opposed to any other rhythm game I've ever played, is that in the others the visual element is to help you find the rhythm. In Rhythm Heaven, the visual element is there to throw you off or otherwise distract the fuck out of you.

[PCD]

Oh christ a rhythm game that makes you rely on your sense of rhythm

What were they thinking

[Azisien]

Some game where you throw balls to catch monsters and my favourite monster was this yellow rat thing but I can't remember the name of it. Anyway that one is a good DS game.

[russianreversal]

Also in Rhythm Heaven if you mess up they say "Yeah you suck." In EBA, the love of their life is lost, they miss out on the chance of a lifetime, they get turned into statues, and she never sees her father again. On the other hand, the sheer absurdity of EBA's story is great, especially when you consider for a Nintendo game, it has some very un-Disney endings to the missions, even when you ace them. The game has tons of jokes built in that you notice bit by bit as you play.

I guess what I'm saying is I had ~30 bucks, and I could either get some just-out mainstream game and have my DS squawking at me for the rest of the week, or some year old well recognized masterpiece where you play a group of secret government operatives who solve problems by rocking out to Walkie Talkie Man. I think given the circumstances I made the right choice.

On another note, is it messed up to want to go back to all the songs I aced and purposely screw up just to see the alternate endings, because I feel like a terrible person for even considering it. :sweatdrop

[Kim]

Oh christ a rhythm game that makes you rely on your sense of rhythm

What were they thinking

Obviously, they weren't.