Not really. But I figured I’d get that out of the way, since I’m about to post about what’s been posted before. I’ve read all the old threads about recommending DS games, but the problem is they’re all old enough now that they’re just recommending games I either have already or have no interest in.
So that said, I am flying home in a few weeks to visit my family, and decided I needed a few new DS games to occupy the Seattle to Boston with a layover in Detroit flight time. I spent some time yesterday sifting through Amazon’s 60+ pages of DS games (and think I got stupider as a result… there are some AWFUL looking games out there) and came up with a few that looked interesting that I’m wondering if anyone has any comments about.
Diner Dash. I played the flash version on the web, and have heard that the DS version is basically identical. It was fun for a bit, but am I going to get bored with it after 30 minutes?
Viva Pinata - Pocket Paradise. I’m a huge fan of VP on the 360… does the DS version translate well, or will I just be disappointed?
Lock’s Quest. I do like tower defense games, but I wasn’t terribly impressed by the flash demo available on the web. Yet I’ve heard a bunch of people say it’s really good. Is it worth giving it a chance?
Zoo Tycoon I/II - I really enjoy the various tycoon games on PC. I’ve seen mixed reviews of these DS version however. How well do they compare to the PC versions?
Going back to the old threads on this subject, I’d like to pick up Meteos, though it seems I’m going to have to try to find it used somewhere. Also, Mario Kart DS seems to get high ratings here, though I’m not much interested in driving games on the DS, so I may give that one a pass. Age of Empires looks like I might enjoy it, though I always enjoyed watching my husband playing Advance Wars type games over playing them myself. ;)
For the record, some of the games I have already an enjoy are Puzzle Quest, Phoenix Wright, Elite Beat Agents, Clubhouse Games, Etrian Odyssey and Animal Crossing. (I have more, but this list is a good indication of the types of games I enjoy). I have PQ: Galactrix on PC already, and am hesitant to pick up the DS version, partially because I hear it’s quite buggy, but also because I don’t really want to start a new character all over since I’ve progressed in the PC version.
So yeah, I guess I’m looking for recommendations on some of the newer DS games that are available and will keep me entertained for 7-9 hours. :) Thanks!
Galactrix is a lot of fun and i’ve had no bugs with it, Peggle is a lot of fun, both of which just came out ( I know you said you have Galactrix on the PC, but I like it more than I do the first, which i absolutely hated, so YMMV ).
Otherwise… Professor Layton is fun, and a new Pokemon just came out, and that thing will eat your soul and all your free time.
Professor Layton is a great suggestion, if I didn’t have it already and have finished it even. ;) I did get many hours out of it.
I actually also have Pokemon Blue, which my husband bought, so I wouldn’t dismiss the Pokemon games out of hand. I haven’t actually played it much recently, though I’m not sure if Platinum brings anything new to the table? I haven’t really looked into it at all.
Dragon Quest Monsters sounds interesting, I haven’t heard of that one, so I’ll take a look into that.
Speaking of Peggle (which I enjoy on the PC), I was wondering earlier whether PopCap had looked into bringing all of their casual games to the DS. Some of them seem like they’d be a perfect fit. I was completely addicted to Bookworm Adventures for awhile, and it seems perfectly suited to DS controls. I could easily see myself playing that for at least half of the entire plane trip if not longer. Certainly a lot of their other games would port well too. But I don’t know the first thing about licensing for the DS, I just wondered if they’d looked into it.
I LOVE Rocket Slime though. Also, if you are into SRPGs, Final Fantasy Tactics Grimoire is really good (don’t get the FFTA game though. Get the sequel, Dark Grimoire or something like that).
Viva Pinata DS is really good but it’s basically a direct port of the first 360 game, so your enjoyment will likely depend on how much you played that one. If you don’t mind dealing with the same pinatas and sours and variants and such, then it’s fantastic.
There are a few tweaks, all for the better IMO. My favorite is that the stupid mating minigame is gone. It is not missed. When a pinata visits for the first time, the requirements for making it a resident, romancing it, and producing its variant are immediately known; things like turning a taffly into a reddhott are still up to you to know. Along with this, as soon as a sour shows up you know how to tame it and once you do so you instantly get the blocker for that type. The various pieces of romance candy are replaced by one type which can be used on any pinata, even if that pinata type has never mated before. It can’t be bought and is only earned as a reward for fulfilling party requests from pinata central.
Also the interface is streamlined and loading times are almost nonexistent.
Chrono Trigger (best RPG of yesteryear)
GTA Chinatown (could be the best DS game to date)
Rocket Slime (quirky and fun action RPG)
Henry Hatfield (platformer and puzzler combined FTW)
Just went on a long trip myself and expected to spend most of the time playing Lock’s Quest. I really enjoy the game, and after you get past the intro section (which is quite long), there’s a lot of depth to the game. My biggest qualm with the game is how stressful it is. I didn’t actually play it much because 30 minutes to an hour would exhaust me. After the game gets going, it gets difficult fast, expects you to build your defenses in 3 minutes (which always seemed like too little time) and while the battles going it expects you to be 12 places at once. It’s difficult, but not overbearingly so, but fun, and really stressful. If you can manage that, there should be more than enough hours in this game to fill your trip.
The game that took the majority of my time ended up being Shiren the Wanderer. There’s a pretty long thread somewhere in here about how awesome it is. Even though the games are set up completely differently, I play Shiren or Etrian Odyssey when I’m in a specific mood, and both fill the same function for me.
Final Fantasy Tactics A2 I found to be good to sit down to while sitting at the airport terminal. I do a whole lot of flying, so I know the value of a DS.
Meteos is another favourite, though i can now only sit down with it for short bursts after the initial novelty of the game wore off.
Do NOT get Galactrix on DS. The touchscreen recognition is horrible.
Meteos is excellent.
If you don’t have it, I strongly recommend Hotel Dusk.
You said in a few weeks? You need Rhythm Heaven, which will be out on April 5th. It’s a collection of 50+ music/rhythm based mini-games from the Warioware team. Footage here
I must disagree with this guy. Personally I don’t see why anyone would get Galactrix on anything BUT a DS… it’s perfect for portable play. and the touch screen recognition is bad in places, but it’s hardly horrible. So you should definitely consider Puzzle Quest. And Hotel Dusk… is boring, don’t bother.
What are the best DS rogue-likes? Are there any like Crawl? I like the map and auto-explore features in particular; I guess auto-explore might be rare and I could live w/o it but I’m not going to make maps for a handheld.
She mentioned liking PW in the original post, which was why I suggested Hotel Dusk.
Piemax2, the game you want is Mystery DUngeon: Shiren the Wanderer, an excellent game, though probably not to the OP’s taste (though if she likes Etrian Odyssey then maybe…)
By what metric is it not horrible? It’s worse than any other DS game I’ve played, and I’ve played a lot. In fact, it’s the only game I’ve ever played where I’d actually call the touchscreen recognition bad. I don’t even understand how it’s possible to get it wrong.
As someone who really liked the original Puzzle Quest on DS, Galactrix is a huge step back in everything but the gameplay itself (I don’t like that as much either, but at least that’s subjective).
Also, Hotel Dusk is awesome.
I think it’s difficult to go wrong with Chrono Trigger and GTA, whatever you’re into.
