Top 6 DS games
My ugly, fat DS hasn't been in use for a very long time as I lost the charger for it ages ago.But lately I have been using my sister's coral pink (ultimate man machine) DS nonstop. I'm realizing how great of a console the Nintendo DS turned out to be as opposed to the Wii and its competition the PSP. There's a wide array of great unconventional and traditional games. There's a lot of crap too, but let's not talk about that. I was originally going to do a top 5, but I started the list and was having trouble with what to place at #5. So 6 may be an unusual list starter, but it's cool, right? Put the gun down.
6. Elite Beat Agents
I heard alot about this "Ouendan" import game from weirdos on message boards back in 2005 and always made fun of them because honestly I thought the game looked pretty lame. Dancing male cheerleaders didn't really appeal to me. Also I wasn't into the whole anime **** Then Nintendo released the US version of the game "Elite Beat Agents" which is a different take on the original Japanese version meaning completely different characters and songs. There are no dudeleaders here, these guys are like the men in black of..the blues. The game was released to great critical acclaim and after much thought I decided to try it out. So I went to the local K Mart, picked up the game, returned home, turned the power on and started playing it. I hated it. I carried on, not really determined to like it, but to get a little enjoyment out of the game. And then it grew on me I guess, I got to the point where I was no longer sucking and was nailing the beat. I think the system as weird as it looks to watch works very very well. Also the cutscenes I found to be very entertaining, they had a natural charm to them with comic book **** Onto the bad, the song choice sucked. Song selection ranges from Avril Lavigne's Skater Boi to Ashlee Simpson's Lala to Village People's Y.M.C.A. Still there are a few good ones like David Bowie's Let's Dance and The Stray Cats' Rock this Town. Regardless of the song selection it's still a great game, one of the best on the DS and far better than Guitar Hero On Tour.
Not that GHOT is bad, it's just not worth playing it's such a pain in the ass...
5. Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow
It has to be made clear that this is the only Castlevania game I have ever played so I was by no means a Castlevania fan prior to this game's release. Why'd I pick it up? I needed a good DS game. Is it good enough to warrant buying more Castlevania games? Perhaps, but I'm trying to save money. The game has lots of replayability so there's not really a need for it. The castle is huge filled with corridors to explore and souls to collect. Collecting souls gives you new abilities to attack your enemies with or to guide you in another way. Most souls aren't necessary, but they make the game very fun and the collector in me digs the concept. Then there is Julius mode which isn't quite as fun as the main game, but it's still cool to play as different characters. The music is excellent and the 2D environments are beautiful and detailed. The game runs very smoothly. All in all I was very impressed by the technical quality of the game, but the gameplay is no slouch either. The game can be tough if you rush through it being an rpg action explorer hybrid, but you'll get much stronger and find better equipment through leveling and exploration of the castle. The story was good, it was about resurrecting Dracula or atleast bringing on a new Dracula. But the story is almost nonexistent. It's all about the side-scrolling exploration and the acquiring of souls. It's a really fun game I reccommend to anyone with a DS.
4. Mario Kart DS
This seems to be the player's choice and critical darling of the DS library. I played Mario Kart 64 as a kid a lot and played a little DoubleDash too, but was starting to lose interest in the series. I really can't stand Grand Prix's rubber banding and blue shell excessiveness so sorry fans. But I found this Mario Kart game to be the best yet. The computer AI not being as cheap is the biggie. Reverting back to single karts felt great too. This was one of the first games on the Nintendo WiFi Connection and that was a really good experience. Finally online Mario Kart! The funny thing is I think this game actually has more features and modes in it then the Wii Version does. For one thing the Battle Mode is much deeper and gives you much more options than in Mario Kart Wii. It's also packed with single player content like missions and boss battles which I thought were surprisingly fun. If you like Mario Kart this could be your favorite. I know it's mine. I have the most memories with Mario Kart 64, but this is the most well made game in the series and deserves credit.
3. New Super Mario Bros.
Finally the return of Mario in side-scrolling glory! It was just too long a wait. And now that New Super Mario Bros. is here it is no disappointment. Bowser Jr. kidnaps the princess this time and it's up to Mario to stop him. It's Mario exactly like you remember him. Only now he's 3D! There really isn't much to say about this that everybody doesn't know about Mario games of this quality. To sum it up the gameplay is pure bliss and the game itself is a nostalgia trip. In addition to the main game there is a collection of minigames to play which can be good for some quick fun and they all have multiplayer options. A few of my younger cousins showed me at Thanksgiving, I didn't even know. It was fun though for a bit. Less spectacular however is the Mario vs. Luigi mode. It's just aimless running around really, but no points taken away for bonus content right? Also I gotta give a nod to the L+R+A secret for playing as Luigi. No sidescrolling Mario is complete without the Green Machine.
2. Kirby Canvas Curse
This is one of the first games I picked up for the DS and it's one of the only non casual games I feel really uses touch screen gameplay to the full effect. You don't actually control Kirby in this, rather you control a magical paintbrush (your stylus). While indeed that does sound pretty lame it makes for some really innovative gameplay. You draw lines for Kirby to move across and you tap him to make him use his standard attack or one of the special powers you acquire from defeating an enemy. Also you can tap the enemies with the brush and paralyze them for a few seconds so Kirby can just roll over them to death. It's quite bi+chen actually. The game may be relatively easy to complete, but don't stop there. You have 250 medals to collect, 3 side games, 4 extra characters to unlock and lots of other content to buy too. I really dig the Metaknight ball, it's all about speed and bounce, but not much hp. Likewise, the graphics are crisp and clean and the music is fitting. It's a must have and is by no means a gimmick like many games on the system.
1. Advance Wars: Dual Strike
Advance Wars Dual Strike is a tremendous game. I've put over 50 hours into it and have hardly scratched the surface. There is a Campaign mode with 3 save slots and an unlockable hard mode, a war room which gives you even more scenarios and seriously a bazillion maps to choose, a versus mode for battling friends and the computer, survival mode which gives you limited funds, turns or time, a real time combat game like Tanks, a Wireless Vs. Mode with DS download play, a sound room, a gallery and a very fun map editor. I should probably tell you about the actual gameplay though since this isn't the most well known game in the library. Advance Wars is a turn based rpg in which you must defeat your enemies army. Each army is headed by a commanding officer, or CO who take turns commanding and building armies on a grid based map. And everything's double in this game, two screens and tag battles with two Commanding Officers on each side makes for more varying fights. Honestly you really have to play it to see how good it really is. It's one of the most rewarding and addictive games I have ever played. I'm not even that good at it. I'm stuck in early hard mode, but it's definitely an amazing game.
Honorable Mentions:
The Legend of Zelda: The Phantom Hourglass-This is a great game and deserves mention. I just never beat it because of that darn Ocean Temple. I was there for my 4th time and just felt done with the game after that. A really good game marred by a poor design decision. I may pick this up again, but I'm just not feeling it.
Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time-This game is hillarious. It's also really fun. I love Mario RPGs of all kinds. They are consistently awesome. This didn't make the list only because it has absolutely no touch screen control.
I'm looking forward to Chrono Trigger and have heard good things about The World Ends With You. Any other must haves out there?
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