Going to buy a DS Lite, What do i need to know?

noobert

Long thread title go!

I was about to make this in G&T, but those guys seem pretty busy talking about games and stuff, while H&A is busy helping people with all sorts of stuff. I guess this thread works in both forums...

Alright, so i've been considering ways to spend my money that will provide me with enjoyment. Now that i work full time and live at home pretty much all of my income is disposable. I've been pretty bored with computer gaming for awhile now, so a hand held console seemed like the perfect way to go.

Hand held = good because I can play it at work! I work in sales, during the week there are often several hour stretches where i have nothing to do bar stuff around on the interdongs and talk to my 2 coworkers, A DS would be awesome in that case. Also the unit its self is cheap, but so are games. Apparently these cheaper games are also pretty damn amazing.

Ok, so, What game should i look at picking up with my DS?
Black, white or blue?
What games are highly recommended?
My pokemans, can i show you them?
Are there any up coming price drops or junk like that i should know about?

Organichu

I don't know about technologiez or anything, and I don't own one, but I can definitely say that this generation of Pokemon is just as addictive as the first generation.

So I definitely recommend one of the Pokemon games.

Jimmy King

I've been enjoying Puzzle Quest. Basically an RPG where you play a tweaked version of Bejeweled as battles and then other variations of bejeweled for various other things like training mounts. It also has a quick play mode which allows you to just jump into a battle and play and still gives you money and xp for your character in the main game.

There's also a Mario and Luigi game... Partners in Time? I haven't played it yet, but it's on my list. The GBA one, Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga, was excellent. You should also look at some of the GBA games, such as Superstar Saga. The GBA Metroid games are also awesome.

Janson

Colour is entirely your preference. I will say, however, that fingerprints and smudges show up far more clearly on black than on white. Black does look pretty sleek, though.

Games; um, hard to know where to start. What do you like? I've loved:

Kirby: Canvas Curse
Rocket Slime
Hotel Dusk
Puzzle Quest
Elite Beat Agents
Trauma Centre
Meteos
Phoenix Wright 1&2
Animal Crossing
Mario vs Donkey Kong 2
Big Brain Academy
Warioware: Touched
Cooking Mama

(the last four all having reasonably fun mini-games)

There are other games, too; those are just the ones I personally liked. I've been underwhelmed by the other platforms (I thought Canvas Curse was really good fun, but the second Kirby game abandons the stylus) and apparently Yoshi's Island, etc., were better on previous systems.

Currently playing Pokémon: Diamond. My first experience with the franchise, but it seems reasonably well polished.

noobert

For the last, about 7 years, i have played RTS, FPS and MMO games exclusively, so i'm sort of getting back into the whole non pc gaming thing. However, i LOVE guitar hero on my ps2, along with GT:4.

Going back further than that, Pokemon red and blue where totally badass on my game boy and i remember loving JRPGs + mario style games on the SNES. N64 Made me fall in love with Banjo Kazzoie, mario cart and smash bros.

I'm thinking ill start with pokemon and elite beat agents. I know i'll enjoy the former and the latter has impressed so many people on these forums. But tbh i really need to find out what games are actually out there more than anything else.

Thanks for that list Janson, i'll start reading reviews and junk like that on all those titles.

Red or Alive

If you're going to pick up touch-screen intensive titles (Elite Beat Agents, Trauma Center, etc.) I'd advise buying a screen guard/protector, which is basically an overlay that should prevent your screen from being riddled with scratches. These aren't visible when the DS is turned on (unless there's an overhead light angled just right) so it's just a cosmetic thing, but I actually wince when the innumerable scratches on my screen show themselves.

Janson

Eh - it really depends. I've always used the default stylus (third party styluses I find are sometimes a bit roughly-moulded) and I'm pretty rough with my DS, and in a year of constant use, I've not had a single scratch appear.

noobert - can't go wrong with those two games for a start There aren't many good RPGs out for the DS right now; hopefully that will change. But there is still plenty to keep you going. I hear Age of Empires for the DS and also Advance Wars DS are two good RTS titles, but I've played neither.

Organichu

There's an AoE for DS?

Wow.

I'm just visualizing using the stylus to drag box around units... this is an awesome concept.

jothki

Organichu wrote: »

There's an AoE for DS?

Wow.

I'm just visualizing using the stylus to drag box around units... this is an awesome concept.

It's apparently a TBS.

In my opinion, Partners in Time wasn't that good.

Organichu

jothki wrote: »

Organichu wrote: »

There's an AoE for DS?

Wow.

I'm just visualizing using the stylus to drag box around units... this is an awesome concept.

It's apparently a TBS.

Ah, phooey. :<

gneGne

Hori screen protector, that's about it... oh yeah.. Games...

Zeromus

What do you need?



Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan! I still think it's the best of the three-game series (O!T!O!, Elite Beat Agents, and Ouendan 2).

You'd also probably do well to buy a bigger stylus. I personally use the one from my tablet PC.

JLM-AWP

You want a good 2-D RPG? Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow and Portrait of Ruin are fantastic. Save points all over to accommodate you on-the-go needs, and the gameplay and environments are stellar.

Doc

Planet Puzzle League is a DS version of Tetris Attack, the best puzzle game to ever grace a console.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planet_Puzzle_League

stimutax67

my experience is as follows...
I got the white one, my friend has black and my wife has pink, so really the choice was made for me. I like the blue but I dont think its for sale normally in US.
I love Phoenix Wright game.
Tony Hawk sk8land is pretty good if you like those games. They kinda make me sea sick... I dont know why.
Tetris, Puzzle Bobble kick ass. My friends are addicted to Puzzle Quest but I havent played it yet. they love it.
Cooking Mama is fun.
Trauma Center is great but Im stuck on a complex surgery and dont need my videogames to stress me out more than my real life, so I stopped playing.

I want to get Hotel Dusk, but I heard its not very exciting. Its hard to take opinions about games like that.

Brodo Faggins

Doc wrote: »

Planet Puzzle League is a DS version of Tetris Attack, the best puzzle game to ever grace a console.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planet_Puzzle_League

This game is like crack fucking cocaine. You will never get tired of it.

multimoog

Don't forget Puzzle Quest. Or New Super Mario Bros. I loved Cooking Mama and Hotel Dusk might be fun if you can get it used or rent it.

If you have a DS... and can get it to the Nintendo World store in NYC... absolutely get it laser engraved. There's something about having your DS pimped out officially by Nintendo that's... well, take a look at mine:

Lewisham

All my dicks etc etc.

Now I have to go to NYC

Geod

stimutax67 wrote: »

I want to get Hotel Dusk, but I heard its not very exciting. Its hard to take opinions about games like that.

You are wrong, sir. It is an exciting and amazing game.




Just make sure you like adventure games.

kerthu

I had some good fun with FF3. It can get annoying at times though. In dungeons you have no chance of saving, so if you die you have to restart from the beginning. Also, be prepared to grind some levels quite a few times.

Other then that it's alot of fun, and can be a challenge at times.

As others have said, Phoenix Wright, Hotel Dusk, and Puzzle Quest are very fun.

reddog

I totally forgot that Nintendo World does this!!!! But is it worth it with a white DS?

Lately i've been playing Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow to no end. This is definitely my favorite in the series. Other games that I keep with me are Meteos, Mr. Driller Drill Spirits (AWESOME ADDICTING PUZZLE LIKE GAME), Clubhouse Games, New Super Mario Bros and if you're into homebrew, check out Word Up.

I have a question for you guys: What cases are you using for your DS? I have one of those cheapo Nintendo thin pouches. I need something where I know it won't get hurt in my messenger bag.

TychoCelchuuu

Advance Wars! Advance Wars 2! Advance Wars: Dual Strike! Mario Kart's a ton of fun when it comes to multiplayer, too.

multimoog

reddog wrote: »

I totally forgot that Nintendo World does this!!!! But is it worth it with a white DS?

Lately i've been playing Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow to no end. This is definitely my favorite in the series. Other games that I keep with me are Meteos, Mr. Driller Drill Spirits (AWESOME ADDICTING PUZZLE LIKE GAME), Clubhouse Games, New Super Mario Bros and if you're into homebrew, check out Word Up.

I have a question for you guys: What cases are you using for your DS? I have one of those cheapo Nintendo thin pouches. I need something where I know it won't get hurt in my messenger bag.

The engraving doesn't stand out as much on a white DS, really. Sucks, too, because it looks so damn cool. I think they might do some kind of custom printing for white ones, though - you'd have to check it out and see.

So Mr. Driller on DS is that good? I've never played any of the games before but I always meant to.

I don't use a case for my DS at all - they get a lot of fingerprint smudges but they don't scratch that much. I've had mine since this past Christmas and I keep it in my bag constantly.

Blake T

New Super Mario is just plain fun.

And I like Brain Training specifically for it's excellent Suduko functions (The Suduko specific games aren't as good as it)

Partners in time. I think it's ok. Super Star Saga has a better world Partners in time has a far more linear world but I like the story and I think combat is more challenging and fun.

zilo

Mostly second'ing other folks' recommendations, but here goes:

Phoenix Wright. Play 'em in order. They're two of my favorite games of all time, regardless of system.

Also Etrian Odyssey for old-school dungeon crawler RPG action, although I wouldn't recommend playing that at work since you can't save whenever you want. It's more of a "stay up until 4am playing DS in bed" kind of game. It's just so good.

Puzzle Quest. It's a Bejeweled RPG! You can ride a rat around!

The GBA Metroids are super, as are the DS Castlevanias.

Finally, Hori screen protectors. They're a bargain at twice the price.

Brodo Faggins

Before you buy, consider this.

It's 150, but hey, it comes with Brain Age 2 and has a sweet color scheme.