Notable DS Games

[Obsessed]

Well the holidays are coming up, so I might as well start making a list. What DS games would you recommend? If possible list why you enjoyed the game(s) that you listed.

I will list some of the DS games I currently own just so you get an idea of what I like (though I will play just about any genre).

- Ace Attorney series
- The World Ends With You
- WarioWare Touched
- Super Mario 64 DS
- Scribblenauts
- Pokemon Diamond
- Chrono Trigger

 

[asim]

i've gotten more play time out of Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon than any other DS game.

i'd also suggest Mario & Luigi 3 and Phantom Hourglass / Spirit Tracks (when it comes out soon).

 

[MagicMaster87]

The various Dragon Quest games that have come out for the DS are great, especially if you're a fan of RPGs. The ones I know of are Dragon Quest IV, Dragon Quest V, and Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker. There's also Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime, but that one is a completely different type of game, and while I personally enjoyed it, I know some people who didn't. You should probably look that one up before purchasing.

The Professor Layton games are quite awesome, and are a definite must have (unless you hate puzzles and riddles, which seems unlikely if you have the Ace Attorney series and WarioWare). Professor Layton and the Curious Village is the first one, and I recommend playing them in order since there's a few story elements and characters that are referenced or reappear in the second game.

Another series of puzzles games I found extremely enjoyable was the Puzzle Quest games. If you've ever played Bejeweled, the basic gameplay is similar to that, but the developers also added RPG elements to it and a storyline, and they actually made it work. There's two games for the DS, and they're completely unrelated to each other so you can pick up whichever one you want without worrying about spoiling storylines or anything.

 

[Obsessed]

The various Dragon Quest games that have come out for the DS are great, especially if you're a fan of RPGs. The ones I know of are Dragon Quest IV, Dragon Quest V, and Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker. There's also Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime, but that one is a completely different type of game, and while I personally enjoyed it, I know some people who didn't. You should probably look that one up before purchasing.

I know that for some series you have to start with the first game if you want to fully understand the plot. Is Dragon Quest that kind of series, or would it be okay for me to purchase the latest (Dragon Quest V) game in the series while ignoring all the prior ones?

 

[Bynine]

Dragon Quest IV and V.

MARIO AND LUIGI 3 IS A MUST BUY. Better than the Superstar Saga because it's longer, but both carry the same awesome humor and gameplay.

 

[Vicas]

Shadow Dragon also sounds pretty good, but I always seem to be disappointed by tactical RPG's. If I hated Final Fantasy Tactics A2 would I also hate Fire Emblem?

Well, this is my personal opinion as a jaded FE fanboy, but Shadow Dragon really wasn't that good, for an FE game, because they pretty much ported it from the NES, other than going two screens (a plus) and making the graphics even more terrible (god it's painful to look at). I haven't played FFTA2, but if you don't like tactical RPGs in general Shadow Dragon really doesn't bring much to the table, in terms of things like interesting story or characters.

 

[RBG]

The fact that the greatest music rythym game ever made (Elite Beat Agents) is not on this list is a crime.

 

[MagicMaster87]

I know that for some series you have to start with the first game if you want to fully understand the plot. Is Dragon Quest that kind of series, or would it be okay for me to purchase the latest (Dragon Quest V) game in the series while ignoring all the prior ones?

All of the Dragon Quest games are separate from each other storywise, much like the way the Final Fantasy games are.

 

[Meow]

The fact that the greatest music rythym game ever made (Elite Beat Agents) is not on this list is a crime.

LOL! I have that game and thought it was the worst ds game I've ever seen.

On my list is:
Metroid Prime Hunters
Pokemon Games
Madden 09
Mario Kart

 

[asim]

Shadow Dragon also sounds pretty good, but I always seem to be disappointed by tactical RPG's. If I hated Final Fantasy Tactics A2 would I also hate Fire Emblem?

that's probably a safe bet

Mario & Luigi 3 sounds pretty good. Do you think it is better or worse than the original Superstar Saga?

eh, i didn't find it to be as good, but it's still really great (and better than partners in time imo). superstar saga is still the best.

also i want to add that all the ds castlevania games (dawn of sorrow, portrait of ruin, order of ecclesia) are great with dawn of sorrow being the best.

edit: i saw elite beat agents and have to say that game is definitely the best music game ever created.

 

[Accent]

also i want to add that all the ds castlevania games (dawn of sorrow, portrait of ruin, order of ecclesia) are great with dawn of sorrow being the best.

Im sorry and imma let you finish but Portrait Of Ruin is the best Castlevania OF ALL TIME

edit: i saw elite beat agents and have to say that game is definitely the best music game ever created.

Along with Rhythm Heaven, which is also on the DS, how convenient!

IMO the DS is the best console that has ever been brought to this world so there is more than enough choice BUT the priority should be on the Castlevania and Ace Attorney series plus some unique games like Ouendan/EBA or Rhythm Heaven and Prof. Layton. But then again there's also both Advance Wars, Mario Kart, and a ton of other classics - yeah in fact making a list of good games on the DS would take a week or so.

 

[Quaily]

You would be better off sticking the gba Fire Emblem in your ds than shadow dragon, SD is basically a remake of the first one without any improvements.

I need to get the DS castlevanias. Cotm was my favorite gba one, what should I hit up first for ds?

 

[Trick Room]

Ninjatown is an awesome game also FF3 is a great remake for the rpg fan. DBZ supersonic warriors 2 is a good fighter for those who want a challenging yet fun arcade like game.

 

[Accent]

Again Portrait Of Ruin is the best imo (sorry I can't help but repeat I'm a huge fan). It's long, has a very unique gameplay for the series' standards, and a long list of features that even Order Of Ecclesia lacks. However, it does have a subpar atmosphere compared to the two masterpieces in that domain, Symphony Of The Night and Dawn Of Sorrow, but if CotM was your favourite on the GBA, PoR is a no-brainer. Just a word on Order Of Ecclesia: it's a good idea to play that one next as the challenge is quite higher and it's a good transition before trying Dawn Of Sorrow.

 

[Obsessed]

Ninjatown is an awesome game

Tower defense? Is it any better than the multiple tower defense games I could play online (such as Bloons TD)?

 

[Trick Room]

It was scored well by X-play I havent played the ones you mentioned but it's the best defense game I played.

 

[Niraj]

You should check out Hotel Dusk Room 215 if you like adventure/puzzle games. Basically you are a former detective that is trying to solve a mystery that takes place in a hotel (a basic, but workable description).

If you like minigames, Chocobo Tales is decent. The minigames are pretty varied and while the story and presentation is kind of "kiddy" I still think the whole storybook/fairy tale mixed with final fantasy aesthetics is pretty charming.

If you like puzzle games, Meteos, Picross, and Planet Puzzle League are all good choices. I think Meteos is probably the most fun, Picross probably has the most replayability (downloadable puzzles), and Planet Puzzle League is probably the most simple/accessible.

Trauma Center is pretty good and fairly challenging as well. If you're unfamiliar, you basically perform surgery on patients via the touch screen.

I would also like to affirm the recommendations for Dragon Quest IV and V. Personally I'd also recommend Kirby Canvas Curse, but not everybody likes the controls and playing style, etc. Personally I find it pretty fun, and there are unlockable characters, which makes for different gameplay each time through.

 

[Mizuno]

Fire Emblem is very different from FFTA. IMO, Fire Emblem games make you think more, since you can lose characters permanently (plus other elements), and have a really interesting story. Shadow Dragon is pretty good, not as good as the original GBA one, but still very good.

Also, you could try the Advance Wars series (Dual Strike and Days of Ruin). Both are tactical RPGs, somewhat similar to Fire Emblem in the interface. You don't need to play any previous GBA Advance Wars games (even though it could help a bit I guess for Dual Strike, but Days of Ruins is an entirely different story line). I liked Dual Strike more, but Days of Ruins is nice as well.

Seconding Elite Beat Agents!

Also Feel the Magic and The Rub Rabits for more fun, weird games!

Kirby Superstar Ultra is really good. If you didn't play the original SNES one, then get this NOW. Best Kirby game ever, and it's really fun. Oh, and Kirby Canvas Course is fun too, even though it's a very different style of play.

I enjoyed the Final Fantasy III and Final Fantasy IV remakes, so look into them if you like RPGs. Same with Dragon Quest IV and Dragon Quest V.

I've always been a Mega Man fan, so I recommend Mega Man ZX. Didn't really like the second one though.

And if you ever get the craving for a fighting game, the Bleach DS games are the best fighting games available on the DS. Even if you are not a fan of the series, these are really good fighting games. They were developed by Treasure, so you know it's good!

 

[GatitoNeku]

FF IV is definitely a must buy, probably the best game on the DS besides maybe TWEWY. The story is fucking amazing. Also as RB Golbat said, you should get Elite Beat Agents, though it's a bit too short for me.

 

[Obsessed]

Well I have it narrowed down to 5

- Mega Man ZX
- Kirby Canvas Curse
- Lock's Quest
- Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
- Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker

Thanks for the help everyone. I appreciate it.

 

[Firestorm]

I remember seeing Dragon Quest Monsters Joker for $10 at EB Games Canada less than a year ago. Mega Man ZX and Lock's Quest should be about $20 each. Kirby's Canvas Curse will be a hard find and full price, just like Bowser's Inside Story.

 

[Accent]

DQMJ isn't worth it imo and Lock's Quest is... wtf is it in fact, a port of a flash game?!

I'd say a lot of much better suggestions have been made but do as you want.

 

[Vapor Trails]

Legend Of Zelda: Spirit Tracks is on my list.

 

[Obsessed]

DQMJ isn't worth it imo and Lock's Quest is... wtf is it in fact, a port of a flash game?!

I'd say a lot of much better suggestions have been made but do as you want.

DQMJ sounded pretty interesting, and it got decent reviews. I like the collect/battle monster gimmick which is why I chose it over the other Dragon Quest games. (Though I will have to try Dragon Quest V at some point).

Lock's Quest is an odd choice I admit. It pretty much made the list because most of the other suggestions were RPG's. I really wanted to limit the number of RPG's on my list since I have to finish The World End's With You (postgame content), and then start Chrono Trigger. Besides, I have heard some really good things about Lock's Quest.

 

[Niraj]

Lock's Quest is pretty decent while it lasts. It's only about 12-15 hours if I remember right, and I don't remember too much incentive to play after you've beaten it. I think you can replay any level or something to that effect, but it's just something to keep in mind.