So, I think I'm finally going to cave-in and get a DS...

[Snapple]

...and I have a few questions.

First off, I do have a PSP, and it's alright. The graphics are amazing, but I'm not really a fan of playing games that seem like just scaled-down PS2 games. And the type of original off-beat games that are coming out for the DS are making me finally realize that I may have chosen sides in this handheld war a bit prematurely.

So I was finally able to coerce my mother to get me a DS for Christmas. I'll be buying most of the games out of my own pocket though.

So, questions.

1. First, obviously, what are the must-have games for the system? I'm more interested in the kind of games that you wouldn't ordinarily find on a console system, stuff that takes advantage of the DS's capabilities.

2. A few games that have caught my eye for a while are Phoenix Wright, Trauma Center, Yoshi Touch and Go, and Sonic Rush. How would you rate these?

3. Is it worth getting Mario 64 DS and Mario Kart DS if you already own the older versions of those games? Having never played either one, they look kinda like just ports with a couple extra features, and I don't want to spend full-price for a new game if I can get the same satifaction from a game I've had for ten years.

I guess that's all I'm wondering for now. Thanks in advance.

[cowmando6]

I highly recommend Trauma Center. It puts the touch screen to good use. On Mario Kart, yes get it. It has different tracks than the other mario karts. It even includes some old tracks for the retro cup like Banshee Boardwalk. Oh and the unlockables are pretty sweet, especially the secret characters. Wifi rules too. Super Mario 64 DS puts an interesting spin on Mario 64, but suffers from lack of an analog stick. Still a great game though.

[comrade]

Ah, good choice my friend. Now is the perfect opportunity to jump into the DS scene.

1. My must have list is Castlevania: Dawn of Sarrows, Advance Wars: Dual Strike, Mario Kart DS, Meteos, Sonic Rush, and Trauma Center Under the Knife. Seeing as I have just jumped on the band wagon too, my list may be small compared to others.

2.Phoenix Wright, Trauma Center, and Sonic Rush are all good examples of games that take advantage of the capabilities of the DS. I haven't played Yoshi Touch and Go, so I can't really speak for that game. But those three that you mentioned are great games.

3. Buy Mario Kart. This is definately not a port of the original games. The combination of online with the single player is like DS gold. You can't really ask for more. The touch screen allows you to make custom decals for your kart too. With Mario 64 DS, thats another story. Just look at the title, 'Mario 64 DS', I mean its what you expect. Almost the exact same game, with a few little extras here and there. If you find it for a reasonable price, pick it up.

I hope this helps out a bit. :)

[Cmtz]

^ What they said. Also check out Lost in Blue.

[philosophyst]

^ What they said. Also check out Lost in Blue.

and Zoo Keeper since it's a "cheapy title" these days.

[njiska]

Ah, good choice my friend. Now is the perfect opportunity to jump into the DS scene.

1. My must have list is Castlevania: Dawn of Sarrows, Advance Wars: Dual Strike, Mario Kart DS, Meteos, Sonic Rush, and Trauma Center Under the Knife. Seeing as I have just jumped on the band wagon too, my list may be small compared to others.

2.Phoenix Wright, Trauma Center, and Sonic Rush are all good examples of games that take advantage of the capabilities of the DS. I haven't played Yoshi Touch and Go, so I can't really speak for that game. But those three that you mentioned are great games.

3. Buy Mario Kart. This is definitely not a port of the original games. The combination of online with the single player is like DS gold. You can't really ask for more. The touch screen allows you to make custom decals for your kart too. With Mario 64 DS, thats another story. Just look at the title, 'Mario 64 DS', I mean its what you expect. Almost the exact same game, with a few little extras here and there. If you find it for a reasonable price, pick it up.

I hope this helps out a bit. :)

What he said.

[Poofta!]

yeah i recommend zoo keeper too, its simple, but goddamn its addictive. also wario ware touched is very entertaining, it uses all the ds has to offer. also skip Feel the Magic, its not that good. Mario 64 is a great game, if you wanna play it on the go, get it. Mario Kart has online capabilities, so clearly its a must have if you like kart games. meteos is amazing. yoshi touch n go i personally found kinda boring, i lost interest very quick. advance wars is really good if you like strategy games. enjoy =]

[njiska]

yeah i recommend zoo keeper too, its simple, but goddamn its addictive.

That's because it's just Bejeweled with animals and who hasn't know someone with a Bejewled addiction?

[comrade]

Ah, good choice my friend. Now is the perfect opportunity to jump into the DS scene.

1. My must have list is Castlevania: Dawn of Sarrows, Advance Wars: Dual Strike, Mario Kart DS, Meteos, Sonic Rush, and Trauma Center Under the Knife. Seeing as I have just jumped on the band wagon too, my list may be small compared to others.

2.Phoenix Wright, Trauma Center, and Sonic Rush are all good examples of games that take advantage of the capabilities of the DS. I haven't played Yoshi Touch and Go, so I can't really speak for that game. But those three that you mentioned are great games.

3. Buy Mario Kart. This is definitely not a port of the original games. The combination of online with the single player is like DS gold. You can't really ask for more. The touch screen allows you to make custom decals for your kart too. With Mario 64 DS, thats another story. Just look at the title, 'Mario 64 DS', I mean its what you expect. Almost the exact same game, with a few little extras here and there. If you find it for a reasonable price, pick it up.

I hope this helps out a bit. :)

What he said.

Mmm...damn im good. LOL

I had a question that could probably work for this topic, is there any difference in a japanese DS or a US DS? Are there any complications with the wi fi service if playing with a jap DS?

[Lothars]

Ah, good choice my friend. Now is the perfect opportunity to jump into the DS scene.

1. My must have list is Castlevania: Dawn of Sarrows, Advance Wars: Dual Strike, Mario Kart DS, Meteos, Sonic Rush, and Trauma Center Under the Knife. Seeing as I have just jumped on the band wagon too, my list may be small compared to others.

2.Phoenix Wright, Trauma Center, and Sonic Rush are all good examples of games that take advantage of the capabilities of the DS. I haven't played Yoshi Touch and Go, so I can't really speak for that game. But those three that you mentioned are great games.

3. Buy Mario Kart. This is definitely not a port of the original games. The combination of online with the single player is like DS gold. You can't really ask for more. The touch screen allows you to make custom decals for your kart too. With Mario 64 DS, thats another story. Just look at the title, 'Mario 64 DS', I mean its what you expect. Almost the exact same game, with a few little extras here and there. If you find it for a reasonable price, pick it up.

I hope this helps out a bit. :)


yeah he said it the best, those are the main games to go for

also don't forget kirby which is an awesome game

[Snapple]

Heh, alright. Thanks, I think I can use that.

[DigitalSpace]

One of these days. One of these days.

There are so many cool games I wanna check out. I don't have the extra cash now, but one of these days I'll get one.

[suckerpunch5]

I'm not gonna say it's a "must have," but one game that got a LOT of attention when the DS came out was XX/XY Feel the Magic. It does a great job of using every single capability of the DS, in ways that i'm not sure any other game has since. Except maybe Wario Ware: Touched.

I'll warn you though, people seem to either love or hate this game, with no middle ground. And, I saw it on clearance at Wal-Mart and Target, for $9.

[comrade]

I'll second Fell the Magic. It uses the touch screen really well.

[Lothars]

I'll second Fell the Magic. It uses the touch screen really well.

hmm I will have to go and pick that one up and try it out

i've really heard mixed things about it.

[comrade]

I'll second Fell the Magic. It uses the touch screen really well.

hmm I will have to go and pick that one up and try it out

i've really heard mixed things about it.

Definately try it out if you find it for cheap. It is just a really unique game. It was one of the first that truly used the touch screen.

[stuffedmonkey]

I was thinking about getting feel the magic - I think it is currently 10$ shipped at amazon.

You have to get Mario Kart - that's a given. I liked Polarium - but I seem to be the only one. It's a puzzle game with only 100 levels - so it's kind of short. The "challange mode" is useless. But if you can find it for the 10$ it seems to be going for the puzzle mode is worth it.

[suckerpunch5]

TRU is selling polarium for $9.99 right now. If you can find it.

[Joker T]

Try Tony Hawk's American Sk8land it is quite fun :)

[drummy]

Phoenix Wright is quality if you like to solve in-depth puzzles and stuff. Mario & Luigi: Partners In Time is also quality. If you enjoyed the first one, you'll probably like the second one. Daigasso! Band Brothers is also fun if you're willing to pay the money, it's a rhythm game. Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan! is also a fun rhythm game. And as everyone else said, Mario Kart DS is awesome. And Super Mario 64 is fun. It's similar to the one for N64 with a few changes.

[Snapple]

Well, I do like rhythm games, but not all of them. I'll keep those under consideration.

I went to a few places yesterday, and I was able to find almost all of the games I'm interested in (didn't buy any), except for Sonic Rush and Trauma Center. I guess those two are hot sellers for Christmas.

[unwinddesign]

Buy Feel the Magic. It's really nifty and you should be able to get it for $20.

[Rev. Link]

I have to speak up in defense of Mario 64 DS. Yes, it is a port of the N64 game, but it has a lot of extra stuff thrown in. The original game had 120 stars to find. This new version has 150. It also has a large number of mini games to unlock, some of which are really quite fun. Plus, there are four playable characters in this game instead of just Mario (Luigi is awesome, btw), and there's a multiplayer mode.

I wouldn't suggest paying the full $35 for Mario 64 DS, but if you find it for cheap it's definitely worth picking up!

Other must-haves for me include Mario Kart, Castlevania, Phoenix Wright, Meteos, and Wario Ware. Feel the Magic and Metroid Pinball were also pretty good. Oh, and I'm still in the middle of it, but I'm having fun with Trace Memory.

[Daniel Thomas]

I posted an entry on V-TNG of the Nintendo DS games I've played so far. You can pay a visit over there if you need some ideas of what to get.

[Leo_A]

Agreed about SM64 DS.

I hope Ocarina of Time see's a similar rerelease on the DS.

[SegaAges]

1. First, obviously, what are the must-have games for the system? I'm more interested in the kind of games that you wouldn't ordinarily find on a console system, stuff that takes advantage of the DS's capabilities.

OK, from what I have played, there are 3 that stand out: Feel the Magic, Nintendogs, and Jump Super Stars. I am sure that there are other good ones out there, but I have not played them.

Feel the Magic does an incredible job of using the touch screen, in fact, I am pretty sure that you use the touch screen the entire time.

Nintendogs speaks for itself. If you haven't played it or don't know anything about it, you can find many websites that will explain it.

Jump Super Stars is an import only game, but it is incredible. Think of Super Smash Bros. mixed with a 2D fighting game. It is like super smash bros, but you have a team of guys that you can switch in and out by touching the touch screen.



2. A few games that have caught my eye for a while are Phoenix Wright, Trauma Center, Yoshi Touch and Go, and Sonic Rush. How would you rate these?

Haven't played them, but have only heard goos things.



3. Is it worth getting Mario 64 DS and Mario Kart DS if you already own the older versions of those games? Having never played either one, they look kinda like just ports with a couple extra features, and I don't want to spend full-price for a new game if I can get the same satifaction from a game I've had for ten years.

I have to be the evil one here (sorry guys). I do not like playing mario 64 ds. It sucks butthole moving with it. I tried everything I could to get comfortable moving with it, but it just didn't feel right using the sylus pen for movement, I just didn't feel comfortable playing it that way (I mean my hands felt wierd).

Mario Kart DS if nothing else, is worth it for the online play. I found out that you can go to many places to use wi fi and don't need to go to a mcdonalds to do it. I do know from experience that panera bread does not allow the ds to work because of the user agreement, but i know that my school does allow it, so it all depends on the place. plus, you can buy a usb wi-fi connector that turns your pc into an access point, which is pretty cool.[/quote]