GregHowley.com

Best Nintendo DS Games

October 22, 2007 -

I know a few people who've been contemplating buying a Nintendo DS, but haven't done so. I've never used a PSP or a Gizmondo, but I think I can say with a good degree of certainty that the Nintendo DS is the best handheld platform out there. It's selling better than the PS3, XBox 360 and even the Wii. So for those looking into a DS, here is what I believe are the best games on the system.

In my opinion, the DS's best game is The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. I'm playing it right now, and it's phoenomenal. I was going to write a review, but Brandon has recently written one, and his review is far better than the one I'd write, so I'll just link to his. Let me just say that I'm enjoying the game thoroughly, and that if you're playing you should send me your friend code so that we can trade ship parts and treasures.

Next up, Mario Kart DS. I've never been a fan of racing games, but in between everything else I play, I keep coming back to Kart DS. It's just fun. Great game - until Zelda I'd have said it was the best game on the system.

Puzzle Quest is a game I've previously reviewed. It just came out for $15 on Xbox Live Arcade last week, and I've been trying to persuade my brother Sean into getting a copy. It's just a lot of fun.

Both Brain Age games are also really good. They've got Sudoku in there, which never gets old, and while the first one has better training exercises, the second one has Dr. Mario. I've scored over 1000 points and gotten up to level 13. Beat that!

Elite Beat Agents might at first seem odd, but it's another great game and makes fantastic use of licensed music. When I first heard the level set to the song Napoleon Dynamite dances to, I was groovin'.

Advance Wars is a great little Turn-Based Strategy game, and suits the DS perfectly. I still haven't finished playing, but I'll keep going back until I do, and when the next Advance Wars comes out, I'm all over it.

Lastly, Phoenix Wright. It's an adventure game and involves more reading and story than gameplay at some points, which could put many people off, but it's great for air travel - I played most of it over the Atlantic last year.

You might also find people who argue for New Super Mario Brothers, Meteos, Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time, and Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow. I've played three of those four, and they're good, but not amongst my favorites. Still, this should give new DS owners a jumping-off point for game purchases.

Comments on Best Nintendo DS Games
 
Comment Mon, October 22 - 2:26 PM by Frank
What would you say is the ideal age range for Brain Age? My daughter has a DS but I'm not sure if she'd be ready for this game at 8 years old.

One of these days I'll get a DS of my own. I agree with you in that it's the best handheld platform out there, at least as far as quality of games goes. I play my PSP pretty much every day at lunch and graphically it kills the DS. There just aren't very many quality games for it right now.
 
Comment Mon, October 22 - 2:53 PM by Greg
If Bella is doing addition in school, Brain Age would be good. She's in what, 3rd grade? I think that's when I started multiplication - I'm not sure whether you can turn the multiplication on and off, so she might be forced to mix some of those in. If you want, stop by my place sometime and meet Lia and I'll lend you my copy of Brain Age for 6 months or something.
 
Comment Mon, October 22 - 7:46 PM by pmd
When I was little, I had a 'Mr. Professor' toy calculator. It was like a Speak 'n Spell except it quizzed math. Anyway, I knew how to multiply from 0x0 to 10x10 at age 5. In fact, I was better at multiplication at age 5 than I am now (it's all about keeping up with it).

I'm not saying push her into becoming a Brain Age master within the year or anything, but it's amazing what kids can learn just because the resources are available. In my case, long car trips helped too.

Mr. Professor is #30 in this picture
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dansette/89645994/
 
Comment Tue, October 23 - 9:09 AM by Brandon
Thanks for the linkage and the compliments.

To piggy back on your comments, I agree that Zelda is the best DS game out there. It's a fantastic piece of work.

A new Phoenix Wright game, and the last one with these characters, drops tomorrow, so people can pick up all three and experience the full Phoenix Wright saga.

In the same vein, Hotel Dusk: Room 215 is another good adventure game for the DS.

Picross is a must buy for puzzle owners. I like it better than Soduku as the picture at the end of the puzzle is more appealing to me than a grid filled with numbers.

Tetris DS is a tremendous value, and you'd be surprised at all of the ways you can make small changes to Tetris and make the variants feel like completely different games.

Finally Metroid Prime: Hunters is a great game for Metroid and shooter fans. I found that using the thumb nubbin thingy that came with the strap for the original DS is the best thing to use for shooting, but I'm sure with some practice, the stylus will work well too. The multiplayer is a lot of fun and pretty much lag free.