I’m going to be traveling to a couple of gaming conventions in a month or two, and one of the things I like to take along to amuse myself is my Nintendo DS (especially now since I got the DS Lite and will actually be able to see the screen without burying my head under a blanket). So I’m looking for a couple of new games to play during the flights.
Here are the games I already have and like:
Animal Crossing: Wild World
Trauma Center: Under the Knife
Here are the criteria I’m looking for (and wanting to avoid) in new games:
Nothing I have to talk to as an integral part of playing (since I’ll be around other people on a plane–I’ve got “Phoenix Wright, Ace Attorney” and am looking forward to playing it, but not on my trips))
Nothing overly complicated (I don’t want to have to take a game guide along)
I like RPGs, especially “old school” ones
Nothing military or “hard science fiction”–I get bored with those
Nothing that requires lightning reflexes (ditto)
No puzzle games (ditto–I’m probably the only person on earth who doesn’t like Sudoku)
Nothing I can’t play in small chunks and then save and come back to later.
I like anime-style games, but only if they’re good–nice graphics can’t save a bad game.
Things I’m considering, based on reviews and backs of boxes I’ve read:
The new Super Mario Bros.
Super Princess Peach
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (is it any good? I’ve heard mixed reviews)
The new Tony Hawk skater game (which I will like if it’s not in that weird isometric perspective of some of the other handheld skater games, like the one for PSP–my brain can’t cope with that for some reason)
The Lunar RPG for DS (would I need a guide for that one, or are the quests pretty straightforward?)
Any other suggestions, or comments on the ones I’m considering? Thanks in advance!
Get the new Super Mario Bros. Especially if you like SMB1 and 3. It’s pretty much a mash of the two. You get the map sort of thing like you had with SMB3, and all the old school side scrolling of the first one (and the third one of course). Plus there are tons of levels and new items and all that jazz. Great game.
If you like racing, Mario Kart DS is a lot of fun too. If you’re into online play, Mario Kart is good, as is Tetris, although it is a puzzle game of sorts to you might not like it. I finally beat my addiction to Tetris by forcing myself to study for finals.
I’m also going to recommend the new Super Mario Brothers. Excellent game, and even though I’ve “beaten” it (as in, defeated Bowser & Jr. in World 8) there are still lots of alternative paths to explore, secrets to unlock, etc.
My daughter got *Trace Memory *and really enjoyed it. I liked it, though it was a pretty quick game (got through it in about 8 hours or so). I have to say that some of the puzzles in that game were the absolute *best *use of the dual screen format ever to come along.
Zoo Tycoon is another good timewaster, but a bit clumsy to play on the small screen and with the memory limitations of the DS.
And, although it’s not a traditional game, I highly recommend *Electroplankton *for off-the-wall atypical fun.
A third recommendation for New Super Mario Bros. Even if you’re not the most coordinated gamer around, the abundance of extra lives and infinite continues makes it friendly enough.
I’d recommend (as others have) Super Mario Brothers. If you like puzzle games, I’d also recomment Meteos and Tetris.
If you’re into Soduko and like to test your brain, Brain Training is a really fun game.
Umm… what else. Band Brothers is fun if you like music (especially if you dig stuff like Guitar Hero) and for just spacing out and making neat sounds, you can’t beat Elektroplankton.
My husband recommends Castlevania, but I’ve not played it.
Hah - I just started playing Phoenix Wright the other day. In my grand tradition of never reading the manual, I assumed I’d yell ‘Objection!’ (you actually yell ‘Hold it!’). As I exclaim my disdain at my rival lawyer’s line of questioning, my mom yells at me from the other room trying to figure out what the hell I’m babbling about. I explained I was talking to my video game, and she backed off, because she’s used to that. Really, talking to members of my town in offline Animal Crossing isn’t that odd, is it? Can I use the :wally on myself outside of the Pit?
I also recommend Mario Kart DS - all the fun of the N64 one without wonky controls. I mean, at the time, Mario Kart 64 had great controls, but trying to play it after Double Dash is just horrible.
OP said no puzzle games or Sudoku. Brain Age (not Brain Training) is a great game, but it definitely falls under the puzzle genre. And some parts require you to talk.
My vote is for Advance Wars DS and Wario Ware Touched. Advance Wars is “military” but it’s very cartoony violence and the gameplay is simple yet deep. Wario Ware rocks for quick pick up and play.
I second whomever suggested Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow. Lost in Blue and Trace Memory are fantastic as well. Resident Evil: Deadly Silence is good campy fun. Eh, I have weird taste when it comes to games (or so they say).
I’m currently enjoying Lost Magic (an interesting RPG where you cast spells by drawing runes on the touch screen) and would join the chorus recommending Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow. If you like the series it’s great and even if you’re not familiar with it, it’s still pretty enjoyable from what I here.
Also, I don’t know if WarioWare Touched! is out based on your list. It requires some reflexes, though I wouldn’t categorize it as “lightning.” Also, you don’t have to talk at all, though you do need to blow into the microphone for some of the games.
I don’t think you have to yell in Phoenix Wright. I think you can just touch the screen on the yelling parts, or press a button.
I loved that game. It gets really frustrating in parts though, where I can think of things to bring up but the game doesn’t recognize as a possibility. Also, the legal system is seriously messed up.
Trace Memory is a great, Myst-esque adventure game. I picked it up for $7 on clearance at Target a few weeks ago, and it’s one of my favorite DS games so far.
Another vote for Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time, which I just picked up today for a plane flight. It’s an old school-style RPG built around the Mario franchise, but it’s more actiony than most turn-based RPG’s and it’s a TON of fun.
I’ve never heard of Phoenix Wright so I looked it up and it sounds fun. Gamestop lists it as coming soon though, is it a goof or did you guys somehow get it early?
The New Super Mario Bros. game is pretty good but I only give it a 7 out of 10. It looks nice and plays like the classic Mario we’ve all come to know and love but the game seemed a bit short to me. You could get two new mushrooms in the game one that made you so big you filled up 3/4 of the screen and another that made you tiny (even smaller than what you start out at in the beginning of the game). These new mushrooms can be fun but far to often you get them in areas where they are nearly completely useless and it doesn’t make the game any better or worse. All in all I think Mario 3 was the better game.
Burnout Legends. I love this game on the Playstation 2 but it’s just not a very good DS game. The crash levels are boring but the racing is only mediocre. You can find it for 20 bucks but I’d still avoid it.
Mario Kart is a fun game but I got it bundle with my DS and I’m not sure if I would have bought it on my own.
So far my favorite game is Trauma Center Under the Knife and I see you’ve already got it. You say you don’t like puzzle games but I consider Under the Knife to just be a puzzle game disguised as a sci-fi reflex puzzle game. That’s just me.
Phoenix Wright is weird–it was around for a short time and then the company stopped making it–too early, it seemed, because it disappeared from store shelves and a lot of people were still looking for it (I think it had really good word of mouth). I think once they got wind of the demand, they’re starting to produce it again, so it should be showing up in stores again soon. I was lucky enough to find a copy for a reasonable price while it was still around the first time.
Yeah, I can see that–but at least Trauma Center has a storyline and cool anime characters. I’m a sucker for anime games, and I can even be persuaded to play puzzle games if they have a storyline. (Actually, I kind of lied when I said I don’t like puzzles–I don’t usually like them in and of themselves, but they’re fine when they’re part of a storyline. I used to love solving the puzzles in the old Zelda games, because they got me something–more than just another, harder puzzle, I mean. )
