The 31 Best DS Games
- August 13, 2008 14:10 PM PST
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If you'd rather take your gaming on the go, GamePro's got another handy guide for dual-screen greatness with The 31 Best DS Games!
Before anyone knew it, the Nintendo DS changed the spectrum of handheld gaming in a way that no one, not even the Nintendo faithful, thought possible. Despite looking like an odd technological cousin to the Game & Watch hardware, the Nintendo DS took veteran and casual gamers by storm. With the introduction and staying power of the DS Lite, this pocket-sized marvel is still selling: over 70 million units worldwide. More than that, the DS's trademark dual-screen gameplay has yielded titles that will always remain classics. The GamePros are counting the top 31 games that have graced this handheld wonder -- and we're looking forward to what the future holds...
Why It's Great: The console versions of Guitar Hero are an exercise in clutter creation. Between the huge box and the clunky, hard-to-store guitars, the series is as fun as it is inconvenient. Thankfully, Guitar Hero On Tour boils down the guitar to its basest elements and delivers a near-console experience with tons less plastic. It's not quite as precise, and the song list isn't as diverse, but when you pull out that pick and start hitting the keys, it's hard to notice the differences.
#30: Animal Crossing: Wild World
Why It's Great: Lets get one thing out of the way right off the bat; the loss of downloadable NES titles really sucked. Besides that, this portable version of Animal Crossing bested the original in almost every other regard. With more to do, more to hear, and Wi-Fi play allowing many more people to see, Animal Crossing: Wild World truly breaks borders. This game was born to be played portably.
Why It's Great: Tired of coming home and seeing your goldfish face up in his tank? Can't afford that puppy in the window? That's where Nintendogs comes in: a ridiculously adorable pet simulation for irresponsible, busy, or just plain broke animal lovers. Nintendogs had charm, appeal, and was accessible to any age group. Add in the diversity of pets, from Chihuahuas, Labradors, Dachshunds and Dalmatians, and you have a title that's still spawning virtual animal spin-offs to this day.
#28: Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time
Why It's Great: Mario has been everywhere, that's obvious. From the deepest depths of the ocean to the farthest reaches of space, Mario has seen it all. Now, with the company of his manically depressed brother and their young, infantile incarnations, Mario must save the princess (srsly!..) from the evil Shroob aliens. In all seriousness, though, we wouldn't recommend this game if it wasn't worth playing. We had fun with it, and, if you enjoyed Superstar Saga, you'll probably enjoy it a lot yourself.
#27: Professor Layton and the Curious Village
Why It's Great: Point-and-click adventure games are a dying breed, but thanks to the folks at Level-5, we can revel in the old-school experience with the touch of a screen. The game follows Layton and his young, cavorting assistant in the hunt for a mysterious "Golden Apple." It's not exactly Treasure Island, but it's definitely worth your time if you enjoy games of the puzzle solving persuasion. Plus, we heard chicks dig top hats.
Why It's Great: I think it's fair to call Q Entertainment the modern masters of puzzle games. In addition to two of the PSP's greatest games in Every Extend Extra and Lumines, the company created another innovative puzzler in Meteos. While the "match 3 symbols" idea has been done before, the gravity-based rocket ship block-removal system was a breath of fresh air--while you could remove newer blocks with ease, ones at the bottom required larger combos to create enough power to blast off. There was also a Disneyfied version of Meteos released called Meteos: Disney Magic that was notable in the fact that it made us actually care about a Disney game for the first time in about 15 years.
#25: Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords
Why It's Great: It sounds like a fairly boring (not to mention nerdy) combination, doesn't it? The classic puzzle game Bejeweled married to a generic fantasy storyline with some RPG concepts sprinkled on top: that sounds like the recipe for a niche title that maybe sells a couple thousand copies. But instead, Puzzle Quest turned out to be one of the best games ever produced on any platform. Deeply rewarding, intensely challenging and highly addictive, Puzzle Quest is the type of game that you can pick up in the morning and literally play all day long. It's the perfect DS game to take with you whenever you know you're going to be stuck with nothing to do; just be careful because once you start to play, it's hard to stop.
Why It's Great: It's not a Nintendo system launch unless Mario is there in some fashion. While it took some time for an all-new adventure to hit the system (see a later entry for that game), this port of the N64 launch classic proved that the DS could handle some serious gaming--the game looked even sharper than the N64's platforming opus, and the touchscreen controls proved that the system could provide analog-stick-caliber movement. The addition of little bonuses like multiple playable characters as well as additional stages made this a must-play for even the most dedicated Mario 64 players. This game was a good omen for things to come.
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- Aug 12 2008 at 05:55:35:PM PST
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so whats up with GP popping up with handhelds? Sure it's portable but it rarely gives out AAA ratings and what not.
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The only game I have for my DS is Phantom Hourglass, this list showed me that I definately need to get more.
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