Throw some DS games at me
 

So, I'm currently waiting on some games from Gamefly, and in the interim I figure I can get away with playing some games I won't necessarily review. It'll also be nice to have something on the side that I can run to when I can't take anymore goddamn Metal Gear Acid. As such, I'm looking for some DS games to check out.

I tried checking out Phantom Hourglass, but I'm really not digging the controls, and when Navi wouldn't let me explore because WE GOTTA FIND LINEBECK I kinda lost all interest.

I've already played all the Ace Attorney games except Apollo Justice, which I haven't been able to motivate myself to play.

Played Contra 4, Super Mario Bros DS, both Dragon Quest remakes, FFIII and FFIV, EBA and Ouendan 1&2, SMT: Strange Journey, and probably quite a few others that I've forgotten. With that in mind, are there any games you lot can recommend checking out? My DS is seeing decreased use as of late, and I'd like to remedy that.

Did you ever beat Devil Survivor? The Luminous Arc games are half decent as well.

Well keeping in mind your love of RPGs and that you probably already have the two DS SMT games, Strange Journey and Devil Survivor (if you don't well I don't have SJ yet, but Devil Survivor is a decent SRPG, the gameplay's not great it shows that the SMT team hasn't made one before, but it has excellent character development, writing and a very open ended storyline atypical for JRPGs, there's 5 very different endings stemming from the ways you can progress through the game) I can recommend the following.

Contact - fun, funny, fourth wall breaking game with a strange sense of humour, admittedly a lot of grinding and a unusual combat system.

Atelier Annie - Don't have it myself yet, but the Atelier Iris games for the PS2 weren't bad, so it could be worth a look. If they're anything to judge this by, expect cheesy anime humour, bizarre characters and an extrme focus on item creation (I heard somewhere it's the series that introduced the idea to JRPGs).

All three Castelvanias are good, I enjoyed Portrait of Ruin the most however. Ecclesia's combat system just wasn't as fun and Dawn of Sorrow was too easy even on hard mode.


Going way back, the first DS game that I really enjoyed and ate up a lot of my time, was Kirby's Canvas Curse. It's an unusual platformer relying exclusively on the stylus but done very well. It's also really old, I've seen copies going for $4.


Also yeah, the only really good thing about the DS Zeldas are the boss fights, which are extremely fun and very innovative ( the invisible boss whose location you determine because you see through it's eyes on the top screen particularly impressed me).

If you don't have them already, I recommend Bowser's Inside Story and Elite Beat Agents. I just recently bought a DS and I love them.

I'm also playing FF12: Revenant Wings, but it's kind of iffy. I'm 40% through the game already but the only characters I've been able to play as are Vaan, Penelo, and a pair of the Rabanastre undercity orphans you talk to for like ten minutes in the first game. Balthier and Fran show up a few times during cutscenes, and I have no idea when Basch and Ashe come in. Gameplay's kind of fun, and the storyline has potential, but it doesn't go as deep as it could have. So far it's one of those future-plotline-safe, not-really-seriously-affecting-any-characters'-relationships sequels, more of a random nod from Square to make more money than an actual sequel that accomplishes anything (not sure why that surprised me, actually). The random bartender/Clan Centurio recruiter from ff12, Tomaj, suddenly becomes awesome, though.

Pretty hard to reccomend to you of all people...lessee

Hotel Dusk: Room 205- Point&Click/Visual Novel game, Investigate the past of the current residents of said Hotel, how they are related both to each other and to the 'Nile' smuggling ring. Pretty good but it's a simple story, don't expect the main character to pull any miracles. Also, it features the WORST DAMN DS PUZZLE in the world, you probably know which one if you've played World Ends With You or decides to dive a bit into Phatom Hourglass.

GTA: Chinatown- This GTA has some great dialogues, as if everyone had a bit of Mike Toreno into them, and the drug dealing mini-game is pretty addicting.

I've been playing a bit of Infinite Space lately and...dunno, the combat system is simple(Although you must always pay attention to not risk taking a Barrage to the face) but it's pretty vague about your next objectives(Reason I haven't played that much) plus there's no 'Recall What I Need to Do' option so it's pretty easy to get lost atter some time without playing.

I'll try to think of something else that might be rare and nice, but other people will probably reccomend the most notable ones...

Seconding Bowser's Inside Story and Hotel Dusk. Also Final Fantasy III DS is pretty decent. The Layton games are very good, if you're at all interested in that genre.

Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow

Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin

Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia

As all three are great (a usual for 2D CV games) though Ecclesia plays more like the old classics (stage based) and is rather short.

Megaman ZX (and Advent too... Maybe) ZX is almost as good as MMZ. It's worth a try. Same could be said with ZX Advent.

Lunar Knights (was called Boktai DS in Aisa by the way) It's a good title. Tghough unlike the older GBA Boktai games, it doesn't use a sun panel nor does it require one. (but you can use the GBA Boktai's Sun Panel for a few game bonuses.

Just a few from my collection you might like.

Maybe that's just me, but I felt all three DS Castelvanias are about the same length.
7 hours for my first playthrough of both DoS and OoE. Haven't really finished PoR yet, but I'm at it.
It's not something I personally consider short, it's a decent length for a 2D action game without 50 hours of cutscenes.

It also might be worth noting that, yeah, Order of Ecclesia is stage based, but that doesn't mean it's all old-school about it (though, the game did remind me of the SNES game Demon's Crest). Depending on the area (which you can revisit at any time) there's some decent exploring to do. I particularly liked the underwater levels, which is unusual.

Seconding the Castlevanias, basically.

Thirding really.

Actually haven't gotten my hands on that one yet. I've heard good things about it so I'll probably check it out.

Yup! Played and reviewed already, actually. Game had some problems but you gotta love that ending.

Played both Portrait of Ruin and Ecclesia. I actually liked Ecclesia more than Portrait of Ruin, mostly because I wasn't a fan of the two characters thing, and I remember it making you use it hardcore to unlock the true ending.

Actually have and have played FFIII DS. Played a little of Hotel Dusk, but wasn't in a point and click mood at the time. Might try it again. I did play Trace Memory, and that was as good as you can really expect from a point and click that isn't Ace Attorney based. Finished the first Layton game, kinda been reluctant to play the second, as it's going to start all the puzzles from stupid easy again so I can work my way up. Might check out Bowser's Inside Story. I liked the first Mario and Luigi.

EBA I have beaten. Like, even Diva mode has been completed. I'm so proud of that fact.

I heard the same guy behind FFX-2 and FFXIII was involved in FFXII Revenant Wings so that, plus what you said about it, makes me reluctant to check it out.

Almost beat this one. Don't remember why I didn't. I wasn't as big a fan of it as I am the more old school Megaman games, and I didn't like the awful map system, but I did come pretty close to the end.


Actually started playing Rhapsody DS, because I love me some NIS, and I also love me some musicals. Based on this list I might check out Dawn of Sorrow, ZX Advent, Bowser's Inside Story, and Devil Survivor. More recommendations are still welcome, however.