A lot of people would argue it isn't. It's missing a lot of the good third party support that the DS had. Plus, games such as Elite Beat Agents and Igavania aren't on the 3DS. I can see the 3DS surpassing the DS eventually. If you're talking about first party support and not the system overall then I agree.
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NeoGAF's Official Nintendo DS Collecting, Appreciation, and Nostalgia Thread
- Thread starter Cody_D165
- Start date
A lot of people would argue it isn't. It's missing a lot of the good third party support that the DS had. Plus, games such as Elite Beat Agents and Igavania aren't on the 3DS. I can see the 3DS surpassing the DS eventually. If you're talking about first party support and not the system overall then I agree.
I'd say the mainline DS FF are actually not that interesting - there is a remake of 3 and 4, and while both are interesting for invested fans, I wouldn't recommend either as a reentry point (3, because of its difficulty and its lack of savepoints, also it's slow, and 4 because it's balanced somewhat weirdly compared to the original, although the 3D is charming).
I'd recommend FF6 Advance on GBA, playable if you have anything earlier than a DSi, or if you mean "Final Fantasy" in the broad sense, then Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles : Rings of Fate for some Action-RPG goodness with a good story, and either Final Fantasy Tactics Advance on GBA or FFTA 2 on DS if FFTA1 is not an option.
There's also FF12 : Revenant Wings, but I'd say to avoid except for the technical demo of a RTS-lite with stylus.
No way. Just look at the sheer volume of amazing games on the DS. I'm not sure any handheld is ever going to top it. Love my 3DS though.
The eShop is pretty awesome too.
I really enjoyed most of them. 4 Heroes of Light is close to my favorite RPG on the system. I also really loved the FF3 remake though. It's primitive, but the art is great and it still holds up. The FF4 remake is nice, but the difficulty is so ridiculous. I played a TON of Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates though. I hear the 2nd DS Crystal Chronicles is great too. FF Tactics A2 was pretty solid as well.
Overall though, the Dragon Quest series is what really shined on the DS. Every DS DQ game is gold, but especially 5 and 9. We're talking "Best RPG of All Time" material in the case of those two.
nabe_shogun
Member
I'm still building my DS library as it has so many good games, and amazon still sells many of them new for about $20. I've also realized almost all my games are 3rd party, 9 of the 10.
A bunch of Atlus games. The games with the most value by the end of a console/handheld life cycle tend to be RPGs. Look for low-printed games too. It may be too late for that but those games will see a rise in price eventually.
BinaryPork2737
Unconfirmed Member
I should have said that I played both 5 and 6 on the GBA.
I'll definitely pick up Rings of Fate at some point. I was already looking at FFTA2 so I'll have to get that too. I'll probably pick up 4 Heroes of Light too.
Thanks!
There was a man in youtube that had a very very very good Nintendo DS collection. Retrocalypse was his name (he deleted everything all his videos from youtube). I remember that I made a list with all the good games from his collection (120 games I had in my must have list). But I cant find this list and no videos to be found... maybe I should make another one...
Also disagree. I picked one at launch, and besides the novelty fun of face raiders, I found it to be quite uncomfortable for lengthy game cessions, which was quite disappointing after the ds lite/dsi and xl. It's become better with the 3DS XL (and the recent library), but some design decisions can't be corrected at this point without revising everything and go against the simple elegance of the original DS (the different sized screens, for instance - a game like Hotel Dusk would look weird on 3DS because the proportions aren't there anymore).
But it's a whole other argument, and this here is the DS's place to shine !
No problem !
I think there was a follow-up to Rings of Fate, too, called Echoes of Time, but it was mostly a plotless expansion, a multiplayer focused add-on, so being a lonely caveman player, I didn't pay it much mind. Maybe I should have ?
As for FFTA/FFTA 2, I prefer the plot from FFTA and I found FFTA2 a bit too much (too grindy, too talky with little sense, too much content with little focus) but it's still a pretty damn good game in its own right, you can't go wrong either way.
The Bankslammer
Member
My current collection, for anyone curious or eager to make suggestions. (Have physical copies of AA1-3, 999 and Ghost Trick in the mail now)
My DS beginner's must-haves list:
Elite Beat Agents: The perfect rhythm game~ Gameplay is absolutely spot on, storytelling is great and extremely charming (also will make you cry real tears!!!) and it's really really fucking cheap so go get it. Only downside is questionable song list, but even songs that aren't so hot are utilized really well.
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: At the very least try the first game. It's one of the better ones in the series and is an excellent, excellent visual novel. I'm sure it'll hook you, because nobody dislikes these games!
Mario Kart DS: Probably the game I have played more than any other out there. My personal favorite kart racer all time, I could probably play it forever, it's just so fun. Although I suppose a lot of people would argue it's outclassed, but this is just me~
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story: Probably my favorite RPG on the system that isn't a port/remake. Writing is absolutely fantastic and the gameplay and battles are fun (coming from someone who doesn't like RPGs!), and the clear standout in the Mario & Luigi series. Get it!
Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow: You should probably get the Castlevania games because they're good so start with this one I guess!!!!
If you're going to get a Pokemon game for the sake of playing single player, I'd say go with Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver: Still probably the Pokemon game most jam-packed with awesome stuff. So... yeah. It's rad.
If you haven't played it before: Chrono Trigger: One of my favorite RPGs ever and a very faithful port. Some of the music is a bit different but you'll really hardly notice, and some of the bonus content is pretty lame, but that's okay! Enjoy what is, in my opinion, one of the best RPGs out there!
My DS beginner's must-haves list:
Elite Beat Agents: The perfect rhythm game~ Gameplay is absolutely spot on, storytelling is great and extremely charming (also will make you cry real tears!!!) and it's really really fucking cheap so go get it. Only downside is questionable song list, but even songs that aren't so hot are utilized really well.
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: At the very least try the first game. It's one of the better ones in the series and is an excellent, excellent visual novel. I'm sure it'll hook you, because nobody dislikes these games!
Mario Kart DS: Probably the game I have played more than any other out there. My personal favorite kart racer all time, I could probably play it forever, it's just so fun. Although I suppose a lot of people would argue it's outclassed, but this is just me~
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story: Probably my favorite RPG on the system that isn't a port/remake. Writing is absolutely fantastic and the gameplay and battles are fun (coming from someone who doesn't like RPGs!), and the clear standout in the Mario & Luigi series. Get it!
Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow: You should probably get the Castlevania games because they're good so start with this one I guess!!!!
If you're going to get a Pokemon game for the sake of playing single player, I'd say go with Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver: Still probably the Pokemon game most jam-packed with awesome stuff. So... yeah. It's rad.
If you haven't played it before: Chrono Trigger: One of my favorite RPGs ever and a very faithful port. Some of the music is a bit different but you'll really hardly notice, and some of the bonus content is pretty lame, but that's okay! Enjoy what is, in my opinion, one of the best RPGs out there!
Dr. Feel Good
Banned
OP needs recommendations by genre and year.
Also everyone should own this game.
Also everyone should own this game.
D
Diggeh
Unconfirmed Member
Such a great system. There's some super hidden gems that I never hear people talking about, so pay attention guys!
Along with the imports everyone should own!
Along with the imports everyone should own!
bigmit3737
Member
I picked up one a year ago. Been playing Ace Attorney for it. The game is perfect for the DS. There are soooo many games I want to try out.
Gameboy415
Member
I was honestly pretty upset when Nintendo DS basically killed off the Game Boy line but I'm certainly happy with its stellar library of games!! 
I think I have nearly 250 DS games at this point - including every first-party Nintendo game released in the US. I have the majority of the Euro & JP-exclusive first-party games too.
I think I have nearly 250 DS games at this point - including every first-party Nintendo game released in the US. I have the majority of the Euro & JP-exclusive first-party games too.
Lot of people have been suggesting this - I'll work on compiling some and adding them to the OP.
Any Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass lovers out there? I REALLY enjoyed that game and was super surprised years later to learn that so many people didn't dig it.
Wind Waker is my favorite Zelda ever so I was crazy excited to hear they were making a sequel to it. I loved sailing in Phantom Hourglass and discovering weird little islands. Or building new parts onto my boat to make it look awesome. However, I think my favorite part of the game were the characters. So many interesting and hilarious people. I loved when that pirate chick would be all "HEY! I SEE YOU BASTARD!" and then chase you down.
Or how about the online multiplayer? I used to goof around in that all the time! Or drawing your own maps!? How sick was that!? I never minded the touch controls much either. I played for 6 or 7 hours straight sometimes. I can see how some people were turned off by them though.
Man, but that Temple you had to revisit over and over sure was rough. Screw that place.
Wind Waker is my favorite Zelda ever so I was crazy excited to hear they were making a sequel to it. I loved sailing in Phantom Hourglass and discovering weird little islands. Or building new parts onto my boat to make it look awesome. However, I think my favorite part of the game were the characters. So many interesting and hilarious people. I loved when that pirate chick would be all "HEY! I SEE YOU BASTARD!" and then chase you down.
Or how about the online multiplayer? I used to goof around in that all the time! Or drawing your own maps!? How sick was that!? I never minded the touch controls much either. I played for 6 or 7 hours straight sometimes. I can see how some people were turned off by them though.
Man, but that Temple you had to revisit over and over sure was rough. Screw that place.
Princess Viola
Member
I have like 30 DS games.
Japanmanx3
Member
Oh the glory days of Dual Screened bliss...man I loved my DS. Day 1 purchase w/ Super Mario 64 DS. The library was ridiculous...its utterly bananas how much time I spent playing Mario Kart DS. I remember when Nintendo Wi-Fi became all the rage and the site that would live update with your stats (it was wonky but I loved it lol).
Unfortunately, it was the most volatile library of games for me to hang on to. At one point I remember owning Starfox Command, Bomberman DS, Bomberman Blitz, Diddy Kong Racing DS, Final Fantasy III, KH 358/2 Days, Tetris (ALMIGHTY!) DS, Metroid Prime Hunters, Tony Hawks American Wasteland, and one of my all time favorites Kirby Canvas Curse...now they either sold, lost, donated to family, or just plain gone...all I have now is Mario Kart DS, FFTA2, and Pokemon Platinum/HeartGold/Black...i still want to play FFXII Revenant Wings and I want to play Advance Wars...Also Megamam Battle Network 5 Dual Edition...
Think I'll actually start building my library back on it and GBA when I have enough side money to devote to it...
Unfortunately, it was the most volatile library of games for me to hang on to. At one point I remember owning Starfox Command, Bomberman DS, Bomberman Blitz, Diddy Kong Racing DS, Final Fantasy III, KH 358/2 Days, Tetris (ALMIGHTY!) DS, Metroid Prime Hunters, Tony Hawks American Wasteland, and one of my all time favorites Kirby Canvas Curse...now they either sold, lost, donated to family, or just plain gone...all I have now is Mario Kart DS, FFTA2, and Pokemon Platinum/HeartGold/Black...i still want to play FFXII Revenant Wings and I want to play Advance Wars...Also Megamam Battle Network 5 Dual Edition...
Think I'll actually start building my library back on it and GBA when I have enough side money to devote to it...
Not bad, I have about 120 games, mostly jRPG and oldschool games thoughI was honestly pretty upset when Nintendo DS basically killed off the Game Boy line but I'm certainly happy with its stellar library of games!!
I think I have nearly 250 DS games at this point - including every first-party Nintendo game released in the US. I have the majority of the Euro & JP-exclusive first-party games too.
Phat/lite/iXL owner here!
Infinite Space, Radiant Historia, Strange Journey, Etrian Odyssey, Devil Survivor 1+2, Dragon Quest, some of the best Pokemon games and Professor Layton.
Such a strong little machine. The 3DS library might beat it personally for me eventually, but I don't see any handheld ever matching the sheer output the DS had ever again.
Such a strong little machine. The 3DS library might beat it personally for me eventually, but I don't see any handheld ever matching the sheer output the DS had ever again.
Velcro Fly
Member
Subbed!
Love the DS library.
More of an RPG guy so I have a few of those. Definitely more than a few I'm missing though. Thinking about finding 4 Heroes of Light to play before Bravely Default comes out.
Love the DS library.
More of an RPG guy so I have a few of those. Definitely more than a few I'm missing though. Thinking about finding 4 Heroes of Light to play before Bravely Default comes out.
I will always have a soft spot for that game because it was actually the first Zelda game I ever played and it's what really got me into video games.
I got a GameBoy when I was about 8 or 9, but I wasn't really into video games at the time so it kind of sat on the shelf collecting dust. Same with the GBA I later bought.
Years later, I was online one day and I saw that Nintendo had released a Pink DS Lite bundled with Nintendogs. I decided I had to have it because it was PINK! and had a PINK! paw print on it. No other reason. I went online and they were all sold out. The only thing that was left was the Zelda DS Lite bundled with Phantom Hourglass. I was disappointed, but I bought it anyway.
I had never played a Zelda game before so my mind was blown! The puzzles made me feel smart. I loved being able to mark my map to remember locations for later and blowing on the mic to solve a puzzle...well, I thought that was the coolest thing ever invented. lol It made me want to play more games.
Since then I've played a lot more games and my tastes have definitely changed, but I still have much love for Phantom Hourglass for introducing me to the world of video games.
Since then I've played a lot more games and my tastes have definitely changed, but I still have much love for Phantom Hourglass for introducing me to the world of video games.
Awww, this was the best story.
The Game Boy Pocket was the first console I ever owned so handhelds have always been where my heart lies. I loved the GBA too and played (what I thought were) a lot of games on it back in the day.
The DS was where I really felt like consoles and handhelds started to meet up. I would still rather play a game on my DS than my monster PC or console any day.
MidnightCowboy
Member
Hotel Dusk and the Ace Attorney games are some of my favorite of all time. And Kirby Canvas Curse is an incredible game as well.
Very cool. I've always thought PH was a bit underappreciated. I enjoyed it. Couldn't really get into Spirit Tracks for whatever reason though.
Gameboy415
Member
And now I want to see a list of your games... or a photo... or both!
I actually tried taking a picture before I posted but the section of my shelf that houses my DS games is somewhat obscured by my TV so it's difficult to get a decent pic.
I'll see if I can slide my TV out of the way and snap a few pics later today.
Gameboy415
Member
Here's a shot of the whole lot from the top:
I managed to slide my XBR960 CRT out just far enough to squeeze behind it and snap a few close-up pics too:
I have a few other Japanese "big box" games tucked away somewhere too - I know I have Slide Adventure Mag-Kid, To-Love-Ru, Arkanoid DS w/paddle, and Band Brothers w/the GBA Expansion cart off the top of my head but there may be a few more I'm forgetting.
That said, I think my original estimate of ~250 games was a bit off - it's more like ~290! :O
(36 games per shelf x 8 shelves + a few extras)
There are still a handful of games I want to track down, but I'm pretty dang happy with my collection as it is now.
I managed to slide my XBR960 CRT out just far enough to squeeze behind it and snap a few close-up pics too:
I have a few other Japanese "big box" games tucked away somewhere too - I know I have Slide Adventure Mag-Kid, To-Love-Ru, Arkanoid DS w/paddle, and Band Brothers w/the GBA Expansion cart off the top of my head but there may be a few more I'm forgetting.
That said, I think my original estimate of ~250 games was a bit off - it's more like ~290! :O
(36 games per shelf x 8 shelves + a few extras)
There are still a handful of games I want to track down, but I'm pretty dang happy with my collection as it is now.
There are still a handful of games I want to track down, but I'm pretty dang happy with my collection as it is now.
Impressive, that is a fantastic collection! Seems like you've got the perfect shelves going on too.
Here's a shot of the whole lot from the top:
I managed to slide my XBR960 CRT out just far enough to squeeze behind it and snap a few close-up pics too:
I have a few other Japanese "big box" games tucked away somewhere too - I know I have Slide Adventure Mag-Kid, To-Love-Ru, Arkanoid DS w/paddle, and Band Brothers w/the GBA Expansion cart off the top of my head but there may be a few more I'm forgetting.
That said, I think my original estimate of ~250 games was a bit off - it's more like ~290! :O
(36 games per shelf x 8 shelves + a few extras)
There are still a handful of games I want to track down, but I'm pretty dang happy with my collection as it is now.
Holy shit man. I didn't have my DS for long so I never built a collection. I've started only recently actually. I had found Dragon Quest 4-6 in their boxes with the cover art for only $60 all together and well I just had to start buying more. I'm hunting down Infinite Space right now for a decent price! Just several 3DS games in there but slowly building up something.
SatelliteOfLove
Member
The DSLite is quite possibly one of the nicest looking consoles ever, or will ever be produced. Cleanest, leanest, form from function one could ask for.
The massive library of turn-based gaming on there was a welcome refuge from their drastic drop in numbers on home consoles, and many developers did smart things with both the second screen and the stylus.
Such a great system.
The massive library of turn-based gaming on there was a welcome refuge from their drastic drop in numbers on home consoles, and many developers did smart things with both the second screen and the stylus.
Such a great system.
DidntKnowJack
Member
Crappy pics, but these are my games. So many games. So many.
(90 by my count)
(edit: changed to more recent, slightly less crappy pics)
(90 by my count)
(edit: changed to more recent, slightly less crappy pics)
stonedwal
Member
It's by far our biggest collection; from memory we have two of each model and just under 300 games, and there are about a hundred more we want to try. My fiancee is a huge RPG buff, so we have all but a handful that were released in English. There are a considerable amount of doubles in there as we'd each established our own DS collections in the 3 years between launch and us getting together.
Really interested in finding more quality Japanese exclusives. At this point pretty much everyone knows about Ouendan, Band Bros. and Jump Superstars - there has to be more out there.
Really interested in finding more quality Japanese exclusives. At this point pretty much everyone knows about Ouendan, Band Bros. and Jump Superstars - there has to be more out there.
My DS family. Yes, I know, there's a few 3DS members in there. There's also an obvious problem: that literal black sheep (well, not literally a sheep), the black DSi. I really need to get a replacement white/pink DSi (or two) at this point, but the problem I've got is getting my digital purchases from the current DSi to the new one. Nintendo, you frustrated me so much sometimes!
Also, here's my DS library: via Google Docs.
The DS is the one system I still allow myself to "collect". Otherwise, I try to only own what I think I'll play again, and get rid of games when I know I won't go back to them. And my list needs some updating in what I still want, but.
I love the DS. I've said it many times before, but the DS reminds me of my childhood with the NES. Back in those days, there was this sense of simplicity yet wonder to gaming, and most of the games I played were things were I went in not knowing what to expect, and ended up with an experience that felt different than anything else.
That's what I feel about the DS. I love all of my other systems, but the DS was just so different and unique and welcoming. It was okay for games to be simpler in design and execution, but not dumbed-down like I'd say of games on, say, mobile devices or Facebook or whatever.
Good thread. I still need to buy so much games for DS: Castlevanias, Infinite Space, Kirby's Magic Paintbrush, The World Ends With You, Ace Attorney games, Chrono Trigger, Advance Wars games, Fire Emblem games, Pokémon HG, Platinum and Black 2, Elite Beat Agents, Ouendan, Dragon Quest games, Final Fantasy remakes, Super Mario 64 DS (I don't know why I sold this) and Picross 3D...
Here are my games. Anyone feel free to add what I might be missing.
And yes I do know my collection is tiny
Good luck with Infinite Space, Pokemons and generally Nintendo games. You'll need it.
Then again, everything has a price.
DracoBlade
Member
I sadly am without a DS because my hinges broke from the launch day phat bundle I got really tempted to buy that GS 40$ DS lite offer....
Also I really want Pokemon Soul Silver/or HeartGold but the prices are outrageous (and all I want is the case, game, manual, not even the pokewalker)
really tempted to buy that GS 40$ DS lite offer....Also I really want Pokemon Soul Silver/or HeartGold but the prices are outrageous (and all I want is the case, game, manual, not even the pokewalker)
I have about 35 games myself and I feel pretty good about my collection. There are a few games I still want to get though.
foobarry81
Member
I don't have a particularly big collection, but I guess I got a few of the "essentials" at least.
I'm from the US so I've always wondered - is that Pokemon typing game actually anything worth looking into? I love the Dreamcast Typing of the Dead and wacky peripherals like a DS keyboard sound appealing to me.
Metal Slug 7 is probably the closest, but if you want 2D action games, Aliens: Infestation, Thor: God of Thunder, Spider-Man: Web of Shadows, Megaman Zero Collection and the Castlevania games are good bets.
Note that the Thor and Spider-Man games on DS are different to the console (and 3DS) games with the same name, the DS Thor game is a fantastic 2D brawler by WayForward.