The Shrine

First system I've purchased since 2003, when I bought my GameCube to play Metroid Prime and Wind Waker.

I picked up Dragon Quest IV along with it. After enjoying DQ8 so much, I'd like to go through and play the games in the series. DQ5 is next, and eventually DQ9 when it comes out.

I'd also like to get more of a twitch game that's easier to just pick up and play. It's either going to be Mario Kart DS, Castlevania: Order of Eccelsia or New SMB. I want all three eventually, but playing two games at a time is probably enough.

I haven't played through one since III. Man, that game tripped me out, with the fake castle at the end.

I'd recommend Mario Kart. It's a great game and you can never really go wrong with kart racing. The new SMB was fun, but it didn't wow me like I had hoped it would.

Any of the phoenix wright games.

Depending on how big of a fan you are of the series, Mario Kart DS is the best Mario Kart game ever released. There's a reason it's been in the top 10 for 3+ years.

NSMB is an excellent game as well. More in the vein of SMB3 but not quite as long. But very, very fun.

As for the Castlevania games, if you loved Aria of Sorrow, get Dawn of Sorrow. It's a direct sequel. If you a Castlevania fan and don't like Aria, you either haven't played it or you're legally insane. I haven't played the other two but apparently Ecclesia is the better one. The first 2 are about $10 used and the third I can get for $20 or less, so they're very low investments money-wise.

The Phoenix Wright games are quite fun as is Professor Layton. Phantom Hourglass is apparently a pretty solid game as well (haven't played it myself). FYI: DQ6 is coming as well. And then there's CT and FF4

There's a shitton of great games for the system. Once you're through the Castlevanias, Marios, Zeldas, Phoenix Wright, and other games currently on your radar, give me an idea of the type of game you'd like to play and I can recommend something else.

Quite honestly, every month there's 3 or 4 games at least that are interesting and there's tons of little games that won't necessarily appear on your radar that are just excellent (Pac Pix is worth it if you can find it; it's only $10 used). The DS has been great for new types of games and some use the stylus extremely well. Many aren't known franchises and are often one-offs as well (such as Elite Beat Agents or Drawn to Life). To me, it's been by far the most consistent system in terms of quality software released on it.

In other words, you have TONS of backlog to go through.

Nice... I'm totally borrowing it for the new Phoenix Wright/Ace Prosecutor game ;)

I suppose other than the other recommendations I'm going to have to say you should look into Hotel Dusk if you have a mystery/adventure fix. The story is pretty great.. the gameplay is.. not. But still good.

The Advance Wars games are pretty fun, too. Even if I had to use walk throughs like a sucker to get through a bunch of levels.

Hotel Dusk is made by the same makers as Trace Memory, it's longer and has some stuff in it that is much more interesting, but the game itself wasn't as good in my opinion.

Mario Kart is really good for multiplayer; getting 8 player over the WiFi connection is really fun.

As people have mentioned, Phoenix Wright, there are four games in the series, and soon to be five. The Dragon Quest games are both very fun (though I have not played all through 5 yet, I have only played a bit of it).

I also recommend Fire Emblem, FF4, and Chrono Trigger.

Kirby Superstar was also an excellent game, it includes all of the original game, plus new additions. A fun multiplayer experience as well.

Kupek wrote:I'd also like to get more of a twitch game that's easier to just pick up and play.

Rhythm Heaven.

The sheer amount of good, accessible and relatively cheap games for the DS is a big reason why I got it.

Hotel Dusk is a maybe. I've never really played an adventure game. The Phoenix Wright games don't appeal to me - if I was given a copy for free, I'd try it out, but I'm not going to spend money on a risk like that.

I think Mario Kart is going to be my next purchase - within the next few weeks. I didn't play Aria, and I've heard Dawn of Sorrow is good, but I think I'd rather play Eccesslia. I'm more interested in playing a game that's a mix of free-roaming and linear levels, as opposed to another Metroidvania.

I think I'll skip both Phantom Hourglass and the upcoming train one. After finishing Twilight Princess, I feel I've had enough Zelda to last a while.

I also have high hopes for DSi Ware. They're giving out 1000 points (= $10) now when you buy a DSi, and I used 300 points to get Dr. Mario Express. Since the DS processor is the same architecture as the GBA, and they're already doing downloadable games, it's conceivable you'll be able to download GB and GBA games in the future.

Blotus wrote:

Kupek wrote:I'd also like to get more of a twitch game that's easier to just pick up and play.

Rhythm Heaven.

I agree.

I wouldn't recommend considering Hotel Dusk over any of the Phoenix Wright games. Simply, it's just not as good in just about any respect; it's kind of like Lufia and Breath of Fire compared to FF6 and Chrono Trigger. Similarly, if you don't enjoy Phoenix Wright, you'll probably want to slap yourself for getting Hotel Dusk.

Professor Layton is also fairly good; better than Hotel Dusk as well. You might also like The World Ends With You; a game I found surprisingly amazing after getting a few recommendations; probably the best use of the DS in an RPG/adventure in addition.

Oh yeah, Layton is a must. Probably my favorite game for the system... that or Dawn of Sorrow. I'd like to get into Ecclessia some day but I found it difficult to get by the initial few hours of hacking up the same enemies I've been killing since SotN (mermen, skeletons, bats).

Kupek wrote:The sheer amount of good, accessible and relatively cheap games for the DS is a big reason why I got it.

Hotel Dusk is a maybe. I've never really played an adventure game. The Phoenix Wright games don't appeal to me - if I was given a copy for free, I'd try it out, but I'm not going to spend money on a risk like that.

I think Mario Kart is going to be my next purchase - within the next few weeks. I didn't play Aria, and I've heard Dawn of Sorrow is good, but I think I'd rather play Eccesslia. I'm more interested in playing a game that's a mix of free-roaming and linear levels, as opposed to another Metroidvania.

I think I'll skip both Phantom Hourglass and the upcoming train one. After finishing Twilight Princess, I feel I've had enough Zelda to last a while.

I also have high hopes for DSi Ware. They're giving out 1000 points (= $10) now when you buy a DSi, and I used 300 points to get Dr. Mario Express. Since the DS processor is the same architecture as the GBA, and they're already doing downloadable games, it's conceivable you'll be able to download GB and GBA games in the future.

As I was mentioning before, try to keep an eye on the smaller, not-so-well-known titles as well. There's an incredible amount of really good ones that aren't always talked about and aren't necessarily "your type" of game that you will find shockingly fun and addictive. They're also a big reason why you get the system. It's much more than just an updated super Super Nintendo.

I mentioned a few above but there's a whole lot more. Get through a bunch of the big-named games and if you want, we can discuss those smaller titles more if you feel like trying some.

I actually know a lot of the titles, even the smaller releases, that are out for the DS. Contact is on my radar, particularly since I saw it for $15 at GameStop.

Yes, I would also recommend Professor Layton. It's a really good game to "pick up and play" and the puzzles are awesome. Plus, you can hook to Nintendo WiFi and download new weekly puzzles so there is a ton of reply.

I cannot wait for a sequel.

It just sucks that I lost my copy.

Kupek wrote:I actually know a lot of the titles, even the smaller releases, that are out for the DS. Contact is on my radar, particularly since I saw it for $15 at GameStop.

Yeah, that's another one. Nintendo release too which was a bit strange.

What you may wanna consider is grabbing an R4 chip (you can get them with a Micro SD card for about $40 up here) and use it for demo purposes or for Jap games. That way you'll try a helluva lot more games than simply deciding which ones to buy and missing out on checking some out 'cause of monetary reasons. You'll actually give Elite Beat or Pac Pix a shot whereas you may not necessarily wanna spend $25 on Elite Beat (it's an awesome game) or you just can't find them. The volume of "good" titles is so large it may help you sift through them better.