Need some good DS games

[JCvgluvr]

How has this topic gone 3 pages without suggesting Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story?! This game is fantastic, and it puts all other RPGs to shame. You HAVE to get this game, TC.

[Vilecat]

My favourite DS game is 'The World Ends With You', though it's more of an action oriented rpg rather than strategic, but it's definately worth a go.

I second this. I will one up Anti-Syne, however, and say it's my favorite video game period. Because it is.

I loved TWEWY, even if it was a bit hard to get the whole fighting system at first(figuring how to properly use certain pins). It's also one of the rare games I've tried where I felt like the use of a stylus was well incorporated instead of just forced upon the player once in a while. And it gets bonus points to be able to unlock songs of the game and set them as your menu music <3

Bowser's Inside Story is another game I loved from the start. I HAS CHORTLES!

[Gollgagh]

you need need need need need

need to get Shantae: Risky's Revenge off of the DSiWare

effing fantastic game

[EC2151]

Some contrarian comments:

SMT: Devil Survivor is what would have happened if TWEWY was done RIGHT.

Valkyrie Covenant: I went about it, but the plot and gameplay mechanics were so frustrating, that I just up and quit.

Really, the plot makes no sense. This is a warrior culture, the dude's dad died in battle and went to Valhalla, and he's pissed at the gods? Why? Because... they took his soul to heaven?

Yeah, JRPG hero! Rage against the machine!

If you want any version of FFIV, just get the GBA version. DS version = meh

----

Days of Ruin is the best Advance Wars game since Advance Wars 2 (which is imo the best in the series). It's really good, really balanced, and the multiplayer is godly (though it's hard to find folks these days). The single player rocks too. Get it- it's fun.

Fire Emblem DS sucks hard. The way to get certain characters sucks (LOLOL ONLY IF X NUMBER OF YOUR OWN GUYS DIE CAN THIS GUY BE RECRUITED LOL); you don't spend an entire series learning how to conserve your troops for this bullshit to happen.

Not like it matters, though. The story is shit and the game is by and large BORING.

This one is hard to find, but Knights in the Nightmare is a great DS game, and one the most unique and entertaining strategy games on the DS. It plays like a mix of Final Fantasy Tactics, Fire Emblem and Touhou, if you can imagine it.

Recommend it whole-heartedly. It's different, it's strange, it's got a great plot...

As a caveat though, it's incredibly hard to get into. I spent the first day with the game just reading the instruction manual and going through the tutorials.

And even after that, I started over the game twice because I had fucked up so badly, that I couldn't feasibly continue in good conscience (imagine going through a Fire Emblem game without recruiting anyone).

But once I did, I found it to be one of the most engrossing experiences I've had on the DS.

[Gollgagh]

Some contrarian comments:

SMT: Devil Survivor is what would have happened if TWEWY was done RIGHT.

Dude, I don't even... fucking what? I love both games but they're not even remotely similar. What the hell is this comparison about?

One is a semi-SRPG (isometric) with heavy SMT style (monster allies, etc.), the other is a freaking ARPG in which you use equipped bottlecap-pins to attack.

I guess maybe you're likening the plots? But that comparison is as tenuous as comparing the plots of Duke 3D and Commander Keen because they both have aliens. There are hundreds of games with doomsday plots, why would you link these two as if they were siamese twins? Next thing, you'll be telling me that Star Craft II is Quake IV done right.

[Skummel Maske]

While on this topic: Which DS Castlevania game do you guys consider the best?

[Gollgagh]

Order of Ecclesia

it has class out the ass, difficulty that takes skill and not necessarily grinding, and you play as a girl that doesn't have a complex about being a kid

the downside to this is that it makes Dawn of Sorrow feel very dry and Portrait of Ruin feel very anime-y, so you might want to play those first if you want to play them at all

[Jonnas]

Valkyrie Covenant: I went about it, but the plot and gameplay mechanics were so frustrating, that I just up and quit.

Really, the plot makes no sense. This is a warrior culture, the dude's dad died in battle and went to Valhalla, and he's pissed at the gods? Why? Because... they took his soul to heaven?

The kid grew up with his mother cursing the Gods, blaming them for his father's death and his family's poverty. It's irrational, but there's a valid reason for his motives.

And the entire point of the plot is that his revenge is irrational and pointless, anyway.

Yeah, JRPG hero! Rage against the machine!

I'm so tired of this argument... Anyone is a typical JRPG hero, these days.

Apparently, someone who can slaughter his trusting friends without batting an eye in order to kill a benevolent Goddess is also a typical JRPG hero.

[EC2151]

I know it's supposed to show that it's irrational, but it sure as hell made me not want to continue an adventure with an asshole.

Besides, maybe it's the historian in me, but given the culture they were brought up in, the mother would NEVER have cursed the gods- such a society would have killed people like that a long time ago. She may have cursed the king that had caused the war, but never the gods. It just didn't jive.

And it just felt that whatever TWEWY was trying to do as a game (doomsday plot and all), SMT was just doing it better. While I enjoyed TWEWY on an initial playthrough, subsequent ones made me feel like the game was sloppy in some aspects. SMT was not such the case.

And seconding Order of Ecclesia. I'd say it's the best Castlevania game post-SOTN, but that's just me : P

[Dunther]

There are tons of good games for DS...too bad I don't like tactical RPGs (yet?), so nothing to suggest for that genre.

[Necrotic]

Order of Ecclesia

it has class out the ass, difficulty that takes skill and not necessarily grinding, and you play as a girl that doesn't have a complex about being a kid

the downside to this is that it makes Dawn of Sorrow feel very dry and Portrait of Ruin feel very anime-y, so you might want to play those first if you want to play them at all

Not to mention Lv. 1 Hard Mode is an amazing way to replay the game and REALLY test yourself.

Like, fuck, seriously. The regular difficulty is pretty damn challenging to begin with. I rarely replay games a second time, if I do it'll usually be a few years or more from when I played it the first time. Lv 1 Hard Mode convinced me to replay it ASAP and I've enjoyed every minute of it so far.

[ocre]

And, 1337 1, feel free to update us on what games you decide to pick up and what you thought about them. I'm sure I'm not the only one who wants to know how it all turns out.

[Strike911]

I second Advance Wars Days of Ruin. It's a good game.

I know it's not a strategy RPG, but really you should try BANGAI-O. It's a puzzle based shooter. I've seen it at multiple storefronts (including GameStop) for 12 bucks, sometimes even less! It's a tough little puzzle-shooter, but once you get over the learning curve, it's the most fun I've had on my DS in a loooooong time. Plus it's by Treasure. And I say this as a fellow lover of tactical RPGs.

[Jonnas]

I know it's supposed to show that it's irrational, but it sure as hell made me not want to continue an adventure with an asshole.

Well, I thought it was a nice change of pace, myself. But opinions, I know.

Besides, maybe it's the historian in me, but given the culture they were brought up in, the mother would NEVER have cursed the gods- such a society would have killed people like that a long time ago. She may have cursed the king that had caused the war, but never the gods. It just didn't jive.

Said mother went insane when she heard of her husband's death, though. Her son just followed in her footsteps.

But we have dwelled on this long enough. I like the game, you don't. That's that.

[Dhsu]

If you like the FFTA universe, you might like FF XII: Revenant Wings. Supposedly Blue Dragon Plus and Heroes of Mana are pretty similar too.