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[DS] [Advice] I received a DS Lite for me birthday, guv!
Dortmunder
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
My awesome SO bought me a DS Lite for my birthday as well as the New Super Mario Bros. game.
I'd like to pick up some more games, but I have no idea what's good.
Some of the games I am thinking about include:
- Final Fantasy Tactics A2
- The World Ends With You (I think Jerry mentioned it in the podcast once)
- Phantom Hourglass
Are any of those really worth / avoid like the plague?
What else is out there that you would recommend? Assume I like all types of games. I'd like something with lots of replayability, or at least a long initial game.
I heard good things about Professor Layton - but is it the kind of game that you play once and never touch again?
Thanks guys!
I'd like to pick up some more games, but I have no idea what's good.
Some of the games I am thinking about include:
- Final Fantasy Tactics A2
- The World Ends With You (I think Jerry mentioned it in the podcast once)
- Phantom Hourglass
Are any of those really worth / avoid like the plague?
What else is out there that you would recommend? Assume I like all types of games. I'd like something with lots of replayability, or at least a long initial game.
I heard good things about Professor Layton - but is it the kind of game that you play once and never touch again?
Thanks guys!
Dortmunder on
0
Posts
Professor Layton is pretty good, but it does have only a little replay value.
Phantom Hourglass is an otherwise standard Zelda game with really, really good controls. Worth it if you've ever enjoyed the series.
Also worth getting:
Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin
Final Fantasy IV
Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates
Space Invaders Extreme
Sonic Rush Adventure
Advance Wars: Days of Ruin
Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer
Hotel Dusk
Kirby: Canvas Curse
Etrian Odyssey 2
The World Ends with you is insanely addictive once you get used to the controls. Some other games I would suggest:
Puzzle Quest
Any Phoenix Wright game
Club House games is also decent, it's probably pretty cheap now too.
Also, while the best adventure game I've played in years, Phoenix Wright has zero replayability.
Which reminds me, I haven't played the first three in over a year. /beardstroke
Also, I play a lot of Puzzle Quest and Geometry Wars DS.
No, you have to do it like Ouendan.
SLLLLLAAAAASSSSHHHH!
Zeboyd Games Development Blog
Steam ID : rwb36, Twitter : Werezompire, Facebook : Zeboyd Games
Also:
FF4 DS
Tetris DS
Phantom Hourglass (YES, do)
XBL/PSN/Steam: APZonerunner
Anyway, so I keep an ever-evolving list of console recommendations, and so here's what I have for the Nintendo DS:
Mario Kart DS -- Fantastic kart racing/combat game. Several new circuits and also has a lot of "classic tracks" to race on; which are tracks from the previous SNES, GBA, and N64 games. Great multiplayer, lots of fun, and you can play it against people on the internet as well. Very accessible and addicting racing game.
Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword - this is Team Ninja's first game for the Nintendo DS. This is a brilliant and beautiful action game on the system that takes wonderful advantage of every aspect of the system. The game is held sideways like a book, which is very comfortable. The gameplay is action-oriented like the console Ninja Gaidens, and as Ryu Hayabusa, you perform all sorts of sword-based ninja attacks and combos, combined with stylistic special moves, acrobatic jumping maneuvers, and throwing shiruken. On top of that, you can progressively unlock new maneuvers to add to the combat, as well as a whole lot of varied and fun Ninja Magic spells, most of which you control the effects and direction of with the stylus. The controls are fantastic and work extremely well with the stylus. The graphics and music are beautiful and run smoothly.
The World Ends With You - This is one of the best and most unique RPGs that Square-Enix has released in recent years. This is an RPG with a unique, modern setting and storyline with deep and interesting characters. The game has incredible style, and a very deep combat mechanic that puts the dual-nature and touchscreen functions of the DS to full and fun use. The World Ends With You is a compelling and immaculately presented RPG from start to finish, and is a great way for Square Enix to kick off a new franchise.
Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift - the sequel to Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, in FFTA2 you play as Luso Clemens as he stumbles across an ancient book, transporting him to the mystical land of Ivalice. Polished FFTA gameplay, new jobs/classes, and a new, deep clan systm. Long campaign, and 400 available quests, over a hundred of hours of content. Impressive graphics/sound/production value.
Contra 4 - a true testament to classic 16-bit Contra gameplay, this game takes inspiration from every excellent 2D Contra game preceding it, and combines it all into one single awesome action game. It's tough as nails but extremely fair. Plus it includes tons of challenges that unlocks tons of bonus content - it also allows you to unlock the original Contra for the NES, and the sequel Super Contra for the NES, too. So it's 3 good games in one, with tons of content and excellent action shooter gameplay.
Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass - a new game in the Windwaker series of Zelda games, this is the best action-adventure/RPG game on the Nintendo DS. Not only does it have incredible graphics, but it fully utilizes the touch and dual screen abiliities of the DS for movement and special items and steering the ship and other various maneuvers. It's a great and expansive game, get it if you like Zelda-style gameplay.
Planet Puzzle League - this is considered one of the better puzzle games on the Nintendo DS. It's based on an addicting system of blocks rising from the bottom of the screen, and by using the stylus, you maneuver different blocks to match, which subsequently disappear causing the blocks above to fall down onto them. The gameplay revovles around setting up the stack of blocks so that when you match a pair, it causes a chain reaction of falling blocks onto similar-colored blocks. The game has several good modes and difficulties and can also be played online or against friends from a single cart.
Professor Layton and the Curious Village - Professor Layton is an old-fashioned point-and-click adventure which requires your use of skills such as reasoning, knowledge and creativity to solve various puzzles. Except it's not a stupid or cheap game like the old DOS point and click adventures. It has very fun and rewarding puzzles to complete, that a smart person can achieve through critical thinking.
Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow -- Awesome Castlevania game in the vein of Symphony of the Night. You explore an enormous castle, destroying enemies as you level up and become more powerful. You search for and gain new abilities to access new parts of the castle to explore. You ultimately are trying to power up enough to find and defeat Dracula. Has like 3 or 4 endings depending on what you do.
Castlevania Portrait of Ruin -- Similar to Dawn of Sorrow, except with a heavier emphasis on action/combat. This time you have 2 characters, one to specialize in Magic and one in Melee type of attacks, and you have combo-team attacks, so lots of depth there. Otherwise, similar and awesome gameplay. There's multiplayer boss rush mode and can also be played online.
Trauma Center: Under the Knife -- this is a game in which you play as a rookie doctor who ultimately becomes amazing at surgery and must help cure a new virus created by a bioterrorist group. You use the stylus as a scalpel and other such medical tools. The game starts out easy, but gets tough quick. Each surgery requires figuring out a cool little trick of sorts in order to perfform well. Listening to your Nurse helps a lot. It's a fun game, but the difficulty can turn some people off.
Trauma Center: Under the Knife 2 - sequel to the excellent Under the Knife, you play as Dr. Styles as he deals with the aftermath of GUILT, uncovering the mystery behind the disease. A difficult and rewarding experience with a more interesting plot and character development and tons of new and interesting surgeries to complete. The game also has improved audio/music, graphics, as well as a sleeker style along with a better front-end and HUD.
Geometry Wars Galaxies - THE best space-shoot'em-up on the DS, this game takes the already extremely good and popular gameplay of Geometry Wars Retro Evolved and expands it exponentially by providing 60 unique levels, new enemies, and a system of 'Droids' that help you out that you can level up and teach new helper behaviours. This game also includes a 2 player cooperative or versus mode, and it also allows for online leaderboards. To top off this incredible package, you can also unlock the original GeoMetry Wars Retro Evolved in its entirety.
Bangai-O Spirits - Bangai-O Spirits provides gamers with addictive shooter gameplay, punishing supermoves and a sensory overload of fireworks onscreen, with strategic and tactical elements and TREASURE’s quirky design style. The game also offers co-op, competitive multiplayer for 1-4 players via local wireless, a powerful level editor tool which allows players to edit in-game levels or create new ones from scratch, and the ability to transfer data among DS systems through sound data. Deep, customizable, strategic shoot'em'up blending puzzle solving and satisfying action.
Civilization Revolution - portable, epic empire-building with 16 civilizations to master, an array of historical leaders to lead or compete, intense combat, and constant action. Civilization Revolution for the DS is a distilled, streamlined version of the popular PC strategy series that succeeds despite its limitations; Civ Revo capitalizes on the DS’s strengths with some great stylus-based controls.. One of the most robust strategy games on the NDS.
Kirby Canvas Curse -- Awesome Nintendo platformer in which you guide Kirby with the stylus by drawing pathways on which he travels. Innovative and addicting, great use of the touchscreen feature and very intuitive to control. With the stylus, protect Kirby from level hazards, draw paths, stun enemies, destroy barriers, detonate bombs and much more. Kirby CC has replay value, it uses the touch and dual-screens brilliantly, it constantly plays with its own elegant control scheme, and, as the icing on the cake, is impeccably presented throughout. Polished and charming platformer that departs from the traditional standards of the genre for something fresh and fun.
Advance Wars Dual Strike -- This is an awesome strategy game in which you command a fleet of different fighters in your army against your opponents. There's a lot of depth and strategy involved, but it's not a typical RTS. It's a good long game, with lots of depth and replay value, and it uses the touch screen well. It can also be played in long or short sittings. Great game if you can find it and want a long game with depth to sink your teeth into.
Advance Wars Days of Ruin -- This is a sequel to the excellent turn based strategy game, Dual Strike. Get this game if you want but cannot find Dual Strike - it has just as great and addicting strategy gameplay but a unique story and some online multiplayer options.
Meteos -- This is a really, really cool puzzle game, and arguably the best puzzle game ever. You use the stylus to line up certain blocks and send them shooting up the screen to destroy falling objects/enemies. The game has absolutely stellar presentation in its graphics and audio, and the game can get pretty deep in gameplay and very exciting and extremely addicting. Lots of replay value. Don't get the Disney Version, get the original "Meteos."
Tetris DS -- this is another really good puzzle game for the DS. It takes Tetris and creates 6 different games based on the Tetris Theme, and gives the overall game a classic NES theme to its graphics and audio, which is awesome. You have Classic Tetris, which you can play for limited or unlimited play time to max your score, or you can play against the CPU or another player (up to 10 from a single cart!) in multiplayer. You can even do a 'Battle Mode" in multiplayer which allows you to use crazy items like banana peels or turtle shells which have different effects on your opponents. There's also a cool mode called Push, in which you and an opponent each play Tetris, but you use the same playfield on opposing sides. Each person tries to push the lump of blocks against the opponent's bottom line by lining up and clearing lines. There's other cool puzzle modes that use the stylus well. This awesome game can also be played on the internet.
Elite Beat Agents -- this is a kickass music/rhythm game.. It has a lot of different crazy songs of all types, and the gameplay is based on tapping appearing/vanishing circles on the screen to the beat of the music. All the while you have hilarious comic-book-like animated panels telling the stories of the various characters in the game, and the Elite Beat Agents jamming out to the song - it's zany but very endearing. The gameplay can get really intense, fun, and addicting like most excellent music/rhythm games. It can also get pretty hard for casual music game fans, so hopefullyl you have some rhythm.
Phoenix Wright Series, also the Apollo Justice Games - These are excellent adventure games in the style of traditional 'point and click' adventure games. These games focus on the adventures of Phoenix Wright or Apollo Justice, attorneys at law, as they uncover the mysteries of their client's cases. Action centers around deducing mysteries from talking to characters and snooping around and finding evidence, and the action takes place in-court where you examine/cross examine witnesses and prove your case by proving or disproving witnesses and using evidence. Great style, great writing, great humor.
Clubhouse Games -- 42 games in one cart! This has TONS of classic card games and board games to play that everyone can enjoy. Can be played online. Great multiplayer that anyone can enjoy, and plenty of good pick up and play games. Lets you have multiplayer on multiple DSs from a single cart.
Bleach DS: Blade of Fate - this is a 2D fighting game that is designed in the style of Guilty Gear, except that it supports between 2 and 4 players against each other. The game is very combo-centric yet uses a very unique control scheme; to top it off, the touchscreen allows for easy special move execution. The game has arcade and story modes as well as challenge modes, so there's tons to do. Lots of characters with plenty of variety of styles. Can also be played online.
Picross DS - this is a classic puzzle game for the DS, except it is unique in that it's not like traditional puzzlers like Tetris. You're given a slate of tiles onto which you are to chisel out an image, but you're only given clues as to what tiles to chisel out. It combines a sort of reasoning and an ability to figure out what blocks to chisel based on clues and other blocks; kind of like the sort of logic that Sudoku requires. This game is cheap, shouldn't be more than $15 either. Lots of cool Nintendo references in it too.
Call of Duty 4 - this is the 2nd best First Person Shooter on the DS. It takes the excellent controls of Metroid Prime Hunters, but provides a very unique and fun single player campaign to complete. It emphasizes accurate shots and staying behind cover to take out enemies, and you have various weapons and grenades at your disposal. There are also cool levels that take place from a bombing aircraft, from the back of a truck, and from behind the machine gun of a helicopter. Great single player FPS if you enjoy those on the Nintendo DS. Also has an up to 4 player multiplayer mode.
Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time -- a very well polished action-ish RPG game. Similar in spirit to Super Mario RPG. It's a cool, lighthearted story but it packs a lot of good and unique gameplay and interesting battle mechanics that use both screens and you have a 4-way partner system which opens the way for cool battle tactics and puzzles. Great game and interesting take on the RPG formula.
Space Invaders Extreme: A vast overhaul to the classic game, Space Invaders Extreme can almost be described as a combination of Lumines and Space Invaders gameplay; the "Pac-Man CE" of Space Invaders. Invaders Extreme takes it all to the next level by injecting a certain energy to it all: a steady rhythm pulses a background beat while trippy motion backgrounds set a dynamic stage. The revamped gameplay adds new layers of depth, including multi-enemy combo hits and chains, and weapons with different effects, and others. Multiplayer modes as well.
Metroid Prime Hunters -- This is a love/hate game. Imagine Quake III with a Metroid theme. It uses the stylus like a mouse, so you have precise shots and such, but it's really best when played multiplayer, which can be done online. Probably try this before buying it.
Brain Age (series) -- Great little game that gives you lots of little 'minigames' that exercise your mind and tracks your progress. Cool and fun and good for short spurts of gameplay. Comes with an EXCELLENT version of Sudoku to play. Tracks progress of multiple players and compares them. Plus it's super cheap.
Sonic Rush -- this is a an excellent evolution of classic 2D Sonic the Hedgehog gameplay. If you ever enjoyed, or even think you'll enjoy, the original Sonic games, you'll probably love this one too. it adds some depth to the speedy platforming with a trick system and a Rush system in which you can blaze through enemies at the speed of light.
Sonic Rush Adventure - The sequel to Sonic Rush, this game retains most of the good 2D Sonic Rush gameplay but also includes a touch-screen style ship-steering 3D gameplay periodically between levels, unlocking new areas of the game, so it keeps things fresh and interesting.
Megaman ZX -- One of the best recent 2D Megaman games. Pretty darn tough game, but very fair in its difficulty. Like Metroid or Castlevania, you travel an open world exploring for bosses. Once defeating a boss, you gain their abilities. This game lets you level up your abilities for more options and attack power. Also lets you choose between 2 available playable characters. Highly recommended if you like tough action games.
Megaman ZX Advent - sequel to the first ZX game, this continues the tradition of tough but exciting 2D action/platforming of the Megaman ZX series. This game gives you the ability to not only absorb new attack powers, but also the ability to transform into boss characters to unleash new attacks and abilities. Also utilizes the touch screen for a map and some special features related to certain enemy abilities.
Final Fantasy IV - remake of the excellent FFIV (originally FFII [SNES] in the USA), this classic and very traditional RPG introduced the Active Battle System for the first time, and included a great character-driven plot and fantastic music by Nubuo Uematsu. This DS remake includes a complete 3D overhaul and audio upgrade, and it looks and plays beautifully on the DS. Get if you want one of the best traditional RPGs on the DS.
Final Fantasy III -- remake of the very good Square RPG Final Fantasy III, this is the only original Final Fantasy that was never localized in the USA until now. Most famous for introducing the Job System of the series. This game got a major 3D graphical and audio overhaul, and it looks and plays gorgeously on the DS. Get if you want a very traditional RPG to play.
Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings: Revenant Wings offers some fresh gameplay for the mammoth RPG series and its dominant RTS element has been simplified to offer a good 20 entertaining hours or so; think of it sort of as an introductory game to the strategic RPGs, rather than an excessively complex, micromanaging one. Witty story, great characters and a bite-size battle system that's ideal for DS. Fantastic rpg with impressive production value.
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates - A great Diablo-esque dungeon crawler action-RPG; it's balanced and has just the right loot curve, which offer not too many loot drops but good enough stuff to keep the difficulty proper. Game balance is great, the game looks beautiful, and there's even some really fun writing hidden beneath the youth/casual storyline. This is hack-n-slash done right on the DS. Even better in multiplayer if you can find someone else with the game.
Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords -- this is a combination of an RPG and a puzzle game. It plays like Bejeweled, except there's a story and you have RPG levels and items, so there's a lot of depth and strategy involved. Great game if you can find it.
Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime -- very goofy and lighthearted but addicting RPG, whose gameplay is similar to Zelda. Good fun and a good action-rpg if you're in the market for one.
GRID - extremely robust racer on the NDS, GRID offers a great balance of arcade and simulation racing with enough extras to keep you entertained for hours. Compete in challenging city-based competitions, and then on through to road events and urban street races, with tons of real-world tracks across 3 continents. Collect the many licensed cars as you go, or tweak the minute aspects of the cars that you own. The game also has a very robust Track Editor for creating your own racing tracks using an intuitive dual-screen & touch screen interface, after which you can race your own track or even share it with friends and play online. Great racing game on the go if kart racing's not your thing.
Metroid Prime Pinball -- If you like Pinball videogames, this is the one to get. Kickass Metroid theme in graphics, music, style, and objectives. Real inexpensive too.
Resident Evil: Deadly Silence -- a port of the PS1 classic Resident Evil in all of its original glory -- plus it has some additional touchscreen elements and extra mode to play. Get it if survival horror sounds good to you, or if you enjoyed the original Resident Evil.
Konami Classics Series: Arcade Hits - this is a game that includes arcade perfect ports of tons of classic Konami games. These arcade games are all very well done and have tons of options, and they're all very well geared towards handheld pick-up-and-play gameplay. The game has 15 games, but the best of them are Contra, Gradius, Rush'n'Attack, Time Pilot, Twinbee, Track & Field, and Yie Ar Kung Fu. Tons of options to tweak each game's appearance and controls.
Worms Open Warfare 2 - arguably the best iteration of "Worms" warfare, action-strategy gameplay. It's straightforward "retro" 2D artillery-heavy action and it can be extremely hard to put down once you get started. Open Warfare 2 doesn't break new ground for the series, but builds upon and refines the series' trademark gameplay and adds another layer of weapons, modes, and some customization. The game also supports online multiplayer over the Nintendo Wifi. This is a great pick up and play game and is pretty ideal for a portable game.
Lunar Knights -- an action RPG designed by the guy behind Metal Gear Solid (Hideo Kojima). It blends action, stealth, and action-rpg elements nicely and has a cool 2-screen gameplay mechanic involving the day/night to power your attacks. Cool action-rpg game.
Pokemon Diamond/Pearl - The newest edition in the Pokemon gameplay, this game expands and refines the series' gameplay elements while staying true to the series formula. Between exploring the massive towns, wandering through the multi-tiered wastelands, and challenging legions of trainers, you'll enjoy a lengthy adventure that most other DS game cannot deliver. The game features more creatures, moves, depth of strategy, and personalization than the series has traditionally offered, lending to a complete and rewarding experience. Great wifi online options, too.
Bomberman DS -- classic Bomberman gameplay in single player and multiplayer. Best recommended if you love multiplayer bomberman, as you can play yourself against the CPU or against up to 7 other people from a single-cart multiboot. 8 player across 2 screens is awesome. Inexpensive multiplayer NDS fun; the single player is fairly forgettable though.
Etrian Odyssey - one of the best dungeon-crawling style RPGs on the Nintendo Ds, this is one tough but unique RPG. It's gameplay is difficult but rewarding, and it offers a sense of accomplishment. Instead of a world that conforms to your level and rewards you with HP every time you level up, you have to strategize about which characters will enter the Labyrinth, how best to allot skill points among your characters, who charges the front line and who stays in back, and how much money you have to spend on reviving dead characters. Very difficult learning curve though.
Etrian Odyssey II: Heroes of Lagaard: Sequel to the excellent but tough and rewarding DS dungeon crawling RPG, Etrian Odyssey 2. Experience an all-new story, more classes, improved mapping capabilities, new Force Skills, and over 100 side-quests. Chart your progress through the dungeons with the mapmaking tool with improved features. This sequel contains everything you'd love about the original, and improves and refines it.
Hotel Dusk - If you're a sucker for a great story and don't mind a slow paced, puzzle filled adventure, Hotel Dusk fits the bill perfectly. The art style is flat-out amazing. The sepia tones and hand-drawn characters perfectly complement the game's mood and 1970's setting. The film noir themes that occur throughout the game are perfect, never over-the-top or cheesy. It's a classic PC-styled adventure with an emphasis on story and realized in a great way on DS hardware.
Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer - In this rogue-like RPG, you'll move in a turn-based manner through randomly generated dungeons that provide a great challenge and lasting replay value. It's more demanding than its fellow DS-based roguelikes, but it's remarkably well crafted, with streamlined gameplay that belies its impressive substance. Combining planning and persistence with the goal of surmounting the tons of randomly generated dungeons amounts to an impressively addicting experience. Just be aware that this game is in the "roguelike" genre; it can be demanding, difficult, and punishing, but also extremely rewarding and addicting if you have the right mindset.
Yoshi's Island DS -- (*see disclaimer) this may at first seem like a kids' game, but it's quite a good platformer and thoroughly enjoyable if you liked New Super Mario Bros. It's a good and long game with lots of levels. Interesting platforming mechanics and bosses. (disclaimer: this is a good platformer, but don't expect it to be nearly as good as the original Yoshi's Island, arguably the best 2D platformer ever; the two games are not much alike. You'll be very disappointed expecting a game similar to the SNES original).
Diddy Kong Racing -- fairly good Kart racer in the vein of Mario Kart (arcadey/powerups/weapons, whacky levels/characters) but with karts as well as planes and hovercrafts. Good if you want another kart racer, but make sure to get Mario Kart DS first. Single player mode is built upon a hub-world structure. Fun in multiplayer; multicart or single cart multiboot with up to 8 players. Supports online multi. Create your own track feature.
Nintendogs -- This is a 'sandbox game' which means that you play it how you want it. Some people enjoy sandbox games, some don't, but Nintendogs is very popular. Imagine it as a virtual pet dog that you can train or play with and do all kinds of things. Uses the microphone, for example, to tell dogs to "Sit" or "roll over" and such, or use the touchscreen to throw balls/frisbees.
It's getting deliciously long
Steam ID: slashx000______Twitter: @bill_at_zeboyd______ Facebook: Zeboyd Games
So far I already have the New Super Mario Bros.
This week I think I'll pick up:
Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
FFTA2
The World Ends with You
and I'll take a closer look at:
Kirby Canvas Curse
Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow
Geometry Wars
Bomberman DS (for the multiplayer)
and a couple others
Looking forward to Chrono Trigger DS too. Any word if Secret of Mana is getting a port/remake?
Or you could wait for the new one, Order of Ecclesia, which looks to be shaking up the formula a bit.
The title contains the words Final and Fantasy and not the words Crystal and Quest. It might not be a shining example of strategy RPGs, but it's not an awful game, and you can't find many RTSRPGs out there.
Yes, I love Contra 4. It's an amazing game and while tough as hell I keep coming back to it.
This is what we call "a lie." Space Invaders Extreme is awesome and hasn't left my DS since I got it. Well worth the $20.
Furthermore, it's fun seeing how quickly i can wear a hole THROUGH my touchscreen with the stylus, from frantic left-right-left-right scrubbing.
That's DS abuse, you will make your DS sad forcing it to play that rubbish, if you want a decent retro remake get Tetris DS, your mistreated DS will thank you :P
The only seal that I had any problem with was the last one, and that was for about 30 seconds while I figured how to draw it quickly. I don't really get the complaints with that - if you take a minute to practice each one when you get it, you'll never fail. At least I didn't.
I haven't played PoR but hope to soon. Dawn of Sorrow was fantastic, though. I'm slowly making my through Julius mode now, in between my other games. Good times.
Other favorites of mine are Trauma Center (start with the original), Tetris DS, The World Ends With You, Final Fantasy IV DS and Etrian Odyssey II (brutal RPGs; EO2 is a lot easier to find and the improvements put it over the original IMO), and Elite Beat Agents/Ouendan. There's a treasure trove of great games in every genre, though, so just experiment.
I have to say this list is absolutely spot on. I plan to own all of these games sooner or later.
Except maybe nintendogs, 'cos i'm a gruff manly man...and...Ooh, look at widdle schnookums, he caught the ball, yes he, did, you're a good doggie, yes you are...
Where was I?
It really depends on how much of an arcade-style-game, high score fanatic, pseudo-shmup fan you are. I have thoroughly enjoyed Space Inv Extreme and heartily recommend it if you like the idea of Space Invaders gameplay, but modernized in ways like Pac Man CE was.
However, as a 'genre,' so to speak, traditional arcade/high-score style games are somewhat love/hate, kind of like shmups.
I'm of the opinion that everyone should just get Tetris DS just because it's awesome. It's not really a retro-remake per se, though, just a new edition of the game that's been evolving over time (thanks to the rules set out by the Tetris Holding Company and its iron-fist licensing).
Steam ID: slashx000______Twitter: @bill_at_zeboyd______ Facebook: Zeboyd Games
Does Prof Layton have those "downloadable" puzzles, or was that only a Japan thing?
I'm a huge Trauma Center fan myself. But we know this. Did you ever end up getting New Blood? You better have...
Steam ID: slashx000______Twitter: @bill_at_zeboyd______ Facebook: Zeboyd Games
I did
The U.S. version of Layton did have the downloadable puzzles (which were really just downloaded keys to unlock on-cart content, IIRC), though I never tried it and I don't know how many there were/if it's still happening. The sequel should be coming at some point, though, since it was teased in the game and instruction manual heavily and it's already out in Japan.
Get it if you haven't before.
If you can find a copy of Yggdra Union for the GBA, grab it. It's insane.
It's mostly that they're just different. Minish Cap is a Link To The Past-style Zelda, whereas Phantom Hourglass takes a relatively larger departure from the standard formula. I enjoyed Minish Cap, but I much preferred Phantom Hourglass - I like the new mechanics introduced, and as far as more standard 2D Zelda's go, it's pretty darn tough to be as good as Link to the Past or Link's Awakening.
It's a fun rogue-like with an anime style presentation. Izuna is a spunky unemployed ninja girl, who has to enter different randomly generated dungeons to defeat different gods. It has a lighthearted story line, tons and tons of loot, and a really fun, deceptively deep magic system revolving around talismans. Talismans can be used, thrown ( you can throw anything in your inventory, with all kinds of effects, you know - because ninja are good at throwing stuff ), or applied to weapons and armor for various effects and buffs. It's made by Atlus if that helps some of you out on your decision making process. It's pretty difficult at times, especially once you start getting into the dungeons with a lot of status effect traps and monsters. The random placement of these things have generated all kinds of unique, amusing, and difficult situations. Graphics are clean and functional. Dual screen use isn't really anything special, a map screen when you are in the dungeon and a static overhead graphic of the island when you are in the hub town. When you talk to the inhabitants of the town, they are displayed on the upper screen with their dialogue. The stylus isn't used at all, but if you like these kinds of rogue-like dungeon crawlers, you won't miss it.
I hear there is a sequel out. Anyone got anything on it?
And for what it's worth, I'd recommend Dawn of Sorrow over Portrait of Ruin. I haven't beaten PoR yet... I kinda got bored midway through and stopped playing. DoS, however, is excellent and didn't leave my hands until I'd gotten 100%
Just drawing attention to the fatc plenty of us feel the exact opposite way, and got bored with Dawn while enjoying Portrait.
And I had no interest at all in farming enemies for souls in Dawn of Sorrow, so I just beat the game and left it at that.
Portrait of Ruin, however, I got 100% on.
https://twitter.com/Hooraydiation
I love Izuna. Look up a couple of posts or so, and you see me talking all about it.
https://twitter.com/Hooraydiation