by 3 people |
You've got a Nintendo DS: Now have FUN with it!
While this list is hardly authoritative, it represents the cream of the crop of Nintendo DS games. These are the games which take best advantage of the DS' features and hardware and which are the most enjoyable to play!
The Games
These games are great. Every single one. I have intentionally linked to their Metacritic.com reviews, rather than to any specific shopping site. Why? Because Amazon or wherever isn't always the best place to buy a game from.
- Mario Kart DS
- Mario Kart on the Super Nintendo was one of the best games ever. The DS version is the first release to actually top the SNES version of Mario Kart.
The game is a fast paced racing game, which features a variety of racers, karts, and weapons to make things interesting. The levels are extremely well conceived and fun to drive through, with lots of interesting hazards. The three difficulty levels provide a steady learning curve, which keeps the game fun, but not frustrating.
You can play online against other players (even if they don't have their own game cartridge), or play Grand Prix or a few other modes on your own. - Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan
- "Osu! Tatakae! Oendan" translates, roughly, as "Go! Fight! Cheer" from Japanese. It's a rhythm game (think a stylus-based "Dance Dance Revolution" -- then again, maybe not, as it's in a class of its own) in which you play various Matrix-inspired cheerleading punks (yes, you read that right). These cheerleaders use their powerful cheers to inspire people to greatness. It's all accompanied by humorous Manga art and catchy Japanese pop music.
Yes, this game is ONLY available in Japanese. But thanks to Nintendo not doing any sort of region encoding, you can play it without difficulty anywhere else in the world. Gamefaqs.com has plenty of useful translation FAQs if you happen to need one.
The game is frustratingly difficult, highly entertaining to play or to watch, and appropriate for gamers of any age.
Import this game NOW and enjoy hours of fun play! - Feel the Magic: XY/XX
- Feel the Magic is a stylish collection of mini-games linked together by a somewhat surreal plotline. You are a boy who falls in love with a cute girl, and aided by the "Rub Rabbits," a performance art group with rabbit ears, you try to win said girl's love.
Despite the hokeyness and chauvinism inherent in the "plot," the game is a lot of fun. The mini-games are challenging and have a steep difficulty curve which keeps you on your toes. The music is fun, albeit repetitive, and the graphics have a quirky pop art sensibility.
This was one of the first games to take full advantage of all the DS features (stylus, microphone, multiple screens) and holds up well against newer competitors.
Word to the wise: This game can be found quite cheaply on eBay/Half.com. - Super Mario 64 DS
- I know what you're thinking: Mario 64 is nearly 10 years old! What could POSSIBLY be interesting about having it on the DS?
The answer: It's still a ton of fun to play.
The game translates quite well to the DS. The lack of an analog stick is a bit trying (the stylus doesn't quite work as a replacement), but once you get used to it, you'll be running and jumping like a champ.
The game's been enhanced: It has better graphics, a handful of new stars to find, plus a few new levels and three new characters (Luigi, Wario and Yoshi).
But the best new feature is the mini games. By collecting rabbits (don't ask, I don't know), you can unlock a variety of mini-games which are each wonderful little arcade-type games. They equal or exceed the mini-games in WarioWare, and are entertaining and challenging.
If you've never played Super Mario 64, do yourself a favor and buy it. The game's a ton of fun. If you have played it before, this game still has some good replay value, but I can't recommend it unreservedly. - WarioWare: Touched!
- This collection of micro-games takes full advantage of everything the DS has to offer. Use the stylus, the microphone, and both screens to unlock an expansive collection of simple little games.
Did I say simple? Yes, this game is incredibly easy, perhaps too much so. The main challenge is the volume of games, and they are, in fact, quite entertaining. Great little time waster, and a fine example of how to use the DS' hardware.
For more interesting microgames, check out the mini-games in Mario 64 DS or Feel the Magic. - Metroid Prime Pinball
- Who knew the DS would be a great pinball simulator?
Metroid Prime Pinball is a pinball game. Except as a special bonus, it has space pirates, metroids, and other wacky stuff from the Metroid franchise. While your ball (actually Samus in her morph ball form) occasionally transforms into normal-Samus, and opens fire on the enemies which crowd the screen; the rest of the time, it's straight pinball.
And that's a good thing, because it's very well done pinball. You can tilt the pinball table using the touch screen, flip flippers and otherwise pinball your day away. As an added bonus, it comes with a rumble pack which slides into the GBA cartridge slot. Vibratey!
Pinball wizards, line on up.
Excellent looking games
These games look like a lot of fun, and are well reviewed, but I haven't played them. Take my endorsement with a grain of salt.
- Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
- An anime lawyer adventure game. The DS is a haven of weird fun, and this appears to be in good company.
- Tony Hawk's American Sk8land
- I'm a huge fan of the original Tony Hawk games. This one seems to be in the same vein, and has some snappy cartoony graphics to go with it.
- Nintendogs
- Even people who eschewed Tamogatchi seem to love Nintendogs. They're cute, lovable, and do everything you train them to do. Plus they don't shed or piddle on the carpet. Woof!
- Viewtiful Joe: Double Trouble
- Old school side-scrolling fighting game, plus some nifty uses for dual screens. Cut!
Where to find more fun games
The reviews and ratings you can trust when you're shopping for DS games
- DS Games on Metacritic
- Metacritic aggregates reviews from the top sites for DS game reviews and ratings. It combines all the reviews into a single averaged score. The top games on this list are universally excellent!
- Eurogamer
- If I had to pick one game review site to read, I'd pick Eurogamer. Their DS reviews are spot-on, always opinionated, and entertaining to read.
- Nintendo DS on Amazon.com
- Amazon's reviews are a bit uneven, but it gives a pretty decent "man on the street" snapshot of what people think of games.
- The Mothership: Nintendo
- Nintendo makes many of the top games for the DS. Their site is well worth checking out, if you can stand the crazy layout and copious flash animations.
by iNik
I'm a Mac geek from way back who's currently living in Northern Colorado.
Here's my question: Why "Squidoo?" (more)
