So a few weeks ago we found a Nintendo DS left in the theatre. I immediately called dibs and handed it over to the girl who is the office manager for her to keep should anyone call about it. No one has, so it is now mine.
But it’s just the main handheld, no peripherals, so what do I need to go buy? I assume I need something to charge it. Some stylus. And some games. So show me the light.
– IG
Hey! That’s mine!
Charger (unless it’s a DS Lite, the old Gameboy SP type charger will work), stylus, games. Takes Advance games as well as DS.
I don’t play 'em, even though we have 4, so I can’t help with games.
You can buy a charger for not too much at the store, same with stylus’ and a carrying case (I bought a kit which had a car charger, extra stylus’, case, game case and a cloth to clean the screen for about ten bucks Canadian).
Games… main reason I bought my gameboy was for Mario games that I couldn’t play as a kid (Dad wouldn’t let us have a system). You can get older Mario games and a few new ones for both Advance and DS (DS will play both). I’ve also been having fun with some RPG’s (just finished Chocobo Tales, which is played solely with the stylus, now I just need to go back and work on sussing out all the secrets I missed). Some games can also be played wi-fi, and I have a few but I’ve never been that interested in it so I never got the adaptor, I just play single player mode.
Games I like(d) (DS unless otherwise noted):
Chocobo Tales
Super Mario 3 (Advance)
The Urbz
Children of Mana
Hotel Dusk: Room 215
Trying to think of the one I didn’t like, but the name escapes me at the moment.
I’m quite taken with my gameboy. It languishes at times, but some days I just can’t put it down. I didn’t even think I wanted one until I spent an hour at a stand fiddling with it! Best birthday present I ever bought myself.
Dragon Quest Heros: Rockey Slime is great fun, but an unusual game. I love it.
Final Fantasy III. Great remake of a great game. If you like RPGs at all you must buy this.
And I’ll second Hotel Dusk.
With regard to games, if you are into RPGs or Puzzles, you might want to look into Pheonix Wright: Ace Attorney or its sequel Justice for All.
You should be able to get most of the things you need from a gameshop, just remember to check whether its a DS or DS Lite. Powercord for charging, and a stylus (if that’s not with it, check the back to confirm) should be enough.
Also, the DS may have its previous owner’s information stored on it, depending on how they configured it. If you power it and go to Settings and click the Green User Icon, users can save username, birthday, personal messages etc.
May I recommend trauma Centre? brings out the Doug Ross in us all.
Or New Super Mario Bros. for old school-meets-new brilliance.
And of course, Dr Kawashimas How old is your Brain… curiosly addictive.
If you want a great collection of games that are quick to play and just lots of fun, try Clubhouse Games. It makes very good use of the touch screen. It’s got 42 games, including a whole bunch of card games (solitaire, hearts, etc), plus strategy games like backgammon, action games like bowling and darts (bowling is very addictive), and other puzzle games like Tapei (Shanghai). Great fun when you just want to sit down and amuse yourself for 15 minutes.
I reccomend either Castlevania game and Pokemon Diamond and Perl. yeah, yeah, I know: Pokemon is for kids. But it’s a great game and has many fun things to do.
Either of the Mario Brother’s RPG’s.
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga (GB Advance)
and
Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time
Tetris DS is fun for brain candy time.
If you like Bejeweled, get Puzzle Quest.
Elite Beat Agents
Advance Wars
Trauma Center
And, of course, any GBA game you want (but I recommend Summon Night: Swordcraft Story 2, purely out of vanity).
The DS has a few great “desert island” games - those that I can play over and over for a long time and still enjoy.
Advance Wars - A turn-based strategy game with land, air, and naval units. The campaigns are extraordinarily long, and there is a long list of maps to play random games on. There are also challenge modes that are very difficult, and add a lot to the replayability. I think I’ve put almost 100 hours into this game since I got it a year or so back. In fact, talking about it makes me wish I brought the DS with me today so I could play it at lunch. Check out video reviews on Youtube (here’s one). Note: it’s weird looking, but there is a ton of depth under there. I don’t think it’s getting hard to find yet, so snatch up a copy (it’s $20).
Brain Age - The game that makes u smrt! The game itself is pretty fun (though like all things, it eventually gets old), but the Sudoku that’s included is absolutely top notch. You hold the DS sideways and use the stylus to jot down the numbers on the touch screen. There are only 100 puzzles to go through, but they’ll last you a long while. I haven’t played any of the standalone sudoku titles, but from what I’ve heard Brain Age’s implementation is better. And it’s only $20.
Clubhouse Games - It’s just what it looks like, a bunch of card/parlor games to carry around. While it’s nothing special, the stylus control makes it a far more appealing platform for games like Solitaire and Poker than my other portables (iPod and cell phone). And I credit this title for introducing me to Backgammon, which I had never learned to play before (lo and behold, it’s fun). If you enjoy games like these, you’ll get a lot of use out of it. You can play online too if the computer isn’t enough of a challenge.
Thanks guys, I’ll head down to the local Beast Buy and see what I can find!
– IG