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Best DS games?

I had my DS for 2 years and the only games i beat on it in that time was the two Castlevania games. Loved them both. Anyway what are some other good DS games? I like RPG's a lot but dont really wanna get into casual games that you only play for 5 min like animal crossing stuff like that..also I don't wanna play games that are too limited by the hardware that they are on and should really only be played/made on a console (such as that metroid prime hunters game).
I heard Final Fantasy 3 is good but is it really? or just good cause its the only FF game on there?
 
One that may not get a mention is Prince of Tennis 2005 Crystal Drive.

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schuelma

Wastes hours checking old Famitsu software data, but that's why we love him.
HomShaBom said:
Advance Wars: Dual Strike


On a related note, is this damn game actually available anywhere without having to pay 50 bucks for it?
 
None of these games are that good

Are you serious? You should try them before you jump to conclusions, because they're definitely the best games for the DS console.

I thought Megaman ZX was good, and seriously hardcore, if you dislike casual games so much. Plus, there are the sleeper RPG's like Rocket Slime or Contact, but I don't think they're as good.
 
Being a rpgfan myself I've found the DS library lacking. Perhaps it's me having harder and harder to play something that feels retro but in the end if you're into rpgs for the story and gameplay DS rpgs will leave you bored.

Final Fantasy 3 is a good example of this. If you're into old school gameplay it's an amazing game with great graphics and lots of grinding, if you like the advancements in the genre since FFVI the game will feel really old.

I would love some good recommendations on rpg's on the DS though cause I think I played most of them and they've sub SNES standard.

For good games look for:

Phoenix Wright (if you like point'n'click adventures these are pure bliss)
Puzzle Quest (mix Heroes of M&M with Bejeweled = amazing )
All the mario & yoshi games
Brain Training
Age of Empires & Advance Wars
Hotel Dusk
 
No GBA games allowed?

Rocket Slime is pretty slick. FF3 is alright. Depending on your threshold for average rpgs, you might want to dip your toe into Children of Mana and Magical Starsign. Puzzle Quest is really good.

Aside from that...you seem to dislike a lot of stuff I think is really great, so I don't know how much I can help since our tastes differ so much :/
 

sphinx

the piano man
jakershaker said:
Being a rpgfan myself I've found the DS library lacking. Perhaps it's me having harder and harder to play something that feels retro but in the end if you're into rpgs for the story and gameplay DS rpgs will leave you bored.

Final Fantasy 3 is a good example of this. If you're into old school gameplay it's an amazing game with great graphics and lots of grinding, if you like the advancements in the genre since FFVI the game will feel really old.

I would love some good recommendations on rpg's on the DS though cause I think I played most of them and they've sub SNES standard.

I kind of agree with this guy but I am absolutely in love with Final Fantasy 3.

It may have to do with the fact that I was a lapsed gamer until recently. I missed the whole snes/gen, PS1/N64 generations so I am enjoying the experience differently than like someone who has been playing non-stop since long ago.

On the other side, I bought final fantasy 4 for GBA and was vastly unimpressed. I rushed through it and 50 or 60% into it I knew I was never touching it again after completion.

The production values of Final Fantasy 3 makes for a whole different experience compared to FFIV but I agree, in the eyes of hardcore RPG gamers, it may not be adding much to the RPG world. I am not sure if you should get it

Try watching youtube videos and see if it can interest you what you see.
 

callous

Member
Gizmo, although I think there are tons of good games on DS, pretty much only Mario Kart and FF3 are of the same quality as the two Castlevanias. So get those.

There are many good games on DS, but those are the only 4 I felt compelled to finish.

I would love some good recommendations on rpg's on the DS though cause I think I played most of them and they've sub SNES standard.

I think I've played them all and you're pretty much shit out of luck. A few have the makings of a cult classic, Like Magical Starsign, but are broken by some infuriating flaw like slow-as-hell combat or some such thing. Dragon Quest: Joker should be good!
 

sphinx

the piano man
callous said:
Gizmo, although I think there are tons of good games on DS, pretty much only Mario Kart and FF3 are of the same quality as the two Castlevanias. So get those.!

I suppose we may add new super mario bros. It certainly doesn't reinvent the platformer wheel but it's very entretaining and presents a nice challenge, it's definitely not as easy as some gaffers think.

I recommend it.
 

callous

Member
sphinx said:
I suppose we may add new super mario bros. It certainly doesn't reinvent the platformer wheel but it's very entretaining and presents a nice challenge, it's definitely not as easy as some gaffers think.

I recommend it.
Yeah, I considered that as the 5th game, but I actually didn't feel compelled to finish it, so it didn't make the list. It lacked heart .. or something. It lacked something ...
 

beelzebozo

Jealous Bastard
you like rpgs?

mario & luigi: superstar saga and mario & luigi 2: partners in time.
first plays in the gba slot on your ds, and it's phenomenal, non-traditional, and hilarious (a pretty rare triumvirate in an rpg). the latter is a bit weaker, but still incredibly fun.
 

beelzebozo

Jealous Bastard
astute observation. i was just pointing out that it's still a perfectly viable option for a ds owner, in case he hadn't checked it out.
 

Brak

Member
Meteos.
Kirby: Canvas Curse.
Elite Beat Agents.
Advance Wars DS.
Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime.
Metroid Prime Pinball.

Nintendogs is actually really good. If you like dogs.
 

SteveO409

Did you know Halo invented the FPS?
Had my DS for quite some time and the one I spend the most time on is Lost in Blue series. Even though it gets repetitive getting food/water every day, it's quite an experience. Oh yeah Mario Kart DS was awesome too
 

.dmc

Banned
What was the verdict on Hotel Dusk? 'Brilliant point+click comeback classic' or 'stylish but flawed text adventure'?
Or to put it another way, should I pick up Pheonix Wright or Hotel Dusk?
Or Children of Mana or Rocket Slime?
 

Durante

Member
Gizmo_Monkey said:
I like RPG's a lot
Then you won't find too much happiness on handhelds.

Now that I have my agenda out of the way, the games I enjoyed most on DS besides the Castlevanias are
Both Phoenix Wright games
Trace Memory

If you don't have a PSP you should also get Puzzle Quest.

.dmc said:
Or to put it another way, should I pick up Pheonix Wright or Hotel Dusk?
I haven't yet tried Hotel Dusk, but I can still say that you should absolutely pick up Phoenix Wright.
 

Jcgamer60

Member
.dmc said:
What was the verdict on Hotel Dusk? 'Brilliant point+click comeback classic' or 'stylish but flawed text adventure'?
Or to put it another way, should I pick up Pheonix Wright or Hotel Dusk?
Or Children of Mana or Rocket Slime?

Get both.
 

PistolGrip

sex vacation in Guam
In before "DS has no games"

j/k NSMB for me though I don't have a DS, just going by my nephew's taste
 

sykoex

Lost all credibility.
180290b.jpg


I'm having tons of fun with quickspot. There are TONS of unlockables and tons of stuff to do. The minigames are great too. Right now i'm trying to get gold medals on all the Rapid play levels. :D
More people need to check this game out.

Oh and it's the first game i've played that's been able to replicate Wario Ware's quirky humor.
 

Jiggy

Member
Other than the two Castlevanias you mentioned:

Advance Wars, Elite Beat Agents, Kirby Squeak Squad, Mega Man ZX, Meteos, and Pokemon Diamond/Pearl. Top three of those in descending order are Pokemon, AW, and EBA.

Other notes:
-Kirby could be a backburner title if you have a Wii, since Kirby Super Star should eventually hit VC and it's better.
-You may want to hold off on MMZX since the sequel is coming and will address some of the few flaws in the first.
-Meteos would be hard to track down. Also not sure if it's too pick-up-and-play for your tastes.
-I really enjoyed Magical Starsign, but I don't think it's anywhere near the caliber of the others--but that may be just because of its linearity. If you don't mind an RPG that's only worth playing once, MS may be right up your alley. Kind of the same thing for Mario and Luigi 2, but I enjoyed that less.
-Rocket Slime. It's this mixture of half awesome (tank battles) and half mediocre (Zelda lite). It's pretty cheap now, so it might be a great buy if you don't mind fighting to get to the tank greatness.
-Yoshi's Island DS and NSMB are at the very top end of the B-level games (B level as in 80-89% on a grading scale). They're not in my recommendations per se, but consider them.
 
As many have said:
Ouendan
Ouendan 2 (you better buy this >:O)
EBA
Phoenix Wright 1&2
Anything with Mario, Yoshi, or Princess Peach in the title
Final Fantasy Chocobo Tales <3
Anything with Kirby in the title
Magical Starsign
Megaman ZX
Clubhouse Games
Tetris
Sonic Rush
Advance Wars: DS
 

neoxavean

Banned
Gizmo_Monkey said:
but dont really wanna get into casual games that you only play for 5 min like animal crossing

5 minutes?

Shit, I (and my friends who bought it when it came out too) probably put at least 6-8 hours a day into that game...forever. You can easily log hundreds of hours into it.

I'd reconsider it.
 
sykoex said:
180290b.jpg


I'm having tons of fun with quickspot. There are TONS of unlockables and tons of stuff to do. The minigames are great too. Right now i'm trying to get gold medals on all the Rapid play levels. :D
More people need to check this game out.

Oh and it's the first game i've played that's been able to replicate Wario Ware's quirky humor.
Finally some well-deserved love for a true under-the-radar gem.

Check out the official thread here.

I'll add the flawed but fun Nanostray and the underrated Uno/Skip-Bo/Freefall (GBA ports, but still madly addictive).
 

NPC

Member
Bust-A-Move DS is totally awesome.... except for the menu music. But once you play it with a group of friends you'll love it.
 
Gizmo_Monkey said:
I had my DS for 2 years and the only games i beat on it in that time was the two Castlevania games. Loved them both. Anyway what are some other good DS games? I like RPG's a lot but dont really wanna get into casual games that you only play for 5 min like animal crossing stuff like that..also I don't wanna play games that are too limited by the hardware that they are on and should really only be played/made on a console (such as that metroid prime hunters game).
I heard Final Fantasy 3 is good but is it really? or just good cause its the only FF game on there?
Final Fantasy III is good for a handheld RPG in that it's beautiful with great music and is grindtastic. Believe it or not, handhelds make grinding less of a chore - you can grind for twenty minutes twice a day on the bus or while watching TV, for example. If you plan on playing it for hours at a time on its own however, you're more likely to enjoy something like Pokemon.

Pokemon Diamond & Pearl are coming out later this month. You cannot call yourself an RPG fan unless you've at least given these games a good shake. Deep battle mechanics, excellent gameplay and vast amounts of game content. Regardless of its image as a kids' game, there's a reason the Pokemon series is the most popular RPG franchise in hardcore RPG-loving Japan.

And if you're too image conscious to purchase 'teh kiddie gaimez' in a store, that's what Amazon is for. Honestly, the only people who have not enjoyed mainline Pokemon games are those who began to play having already decided that the game is no good. Online trading even gives you the option of unlocking all the game's content without the need to look less 'hardcore' in front of your very judgemental friends when asking them to trade Pokemon.

Also, Phoenix Wright and its sequels have a better, deeper storyline than most RPGs. Seriously. They're also funny as all hell. Get Phoenix Wright.

Also, don't overlook some of the GBA games. Metroid Fusion, Metroid Zero Mission, Final Fantasy I - VI, Castlevania, Fire Emblem etc.

DaBargainHunta said:
I'll add the flawed but fun Nanostray
Nanostray is absolutely gorgeous (seriously, check out some in-game video) and almost perfect in every way, but the weapon-changing system ruins the experience. Not to worry though, Shin'en is bringing out Nanostray 2, with a button-based weapon change system to replace the touchscreen-based one. It will be, as they say, "teh sex".
 

Ichirou

Banned
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Justice for All
Tetris DS
New Super Mario Bros.
Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time
Ouendan
Elite Beat Agents
Dragon Quest: Rocket Slime

These are the ones I own that I would recommend. I have FFIII but I haven't started it yet.
 

sphinx

the piano man
callous said:
Yeah, I considered that as the 5th game, but I actually didn't feel compelled to finish it, so it didn't make the list. It lacked heart .. or something. It lacked something ...

Oh come one, I know what you mean, I was also there with Mario bros 3 and this NSMB doesn't feel as grand but I think any new comer will love it as much as we love the older Marios.

NSMB is good enough to make my 8 years old niece love Mario forever.

we are too jaded, that's all.
 
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