# Should I give up and sell my Nintendo DS? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 14, 2006, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-give-up-and-sell-my-nintendo-ds/339934 "2006-01-14T05:34:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/51bf81/32.png) [@TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2006, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-give-up-and-sell-my-nintendo-ds/339934/1 "2006-01-14T05:34:49Z")
I’ve had the DS for about nine months, and I only have four games. I can’t think of a single game on the horizon that I’m excited about, mainly because it seems like designers have settled for merely making regular Gameboy Advance-style games and only use the touch-screen as a gimmick (tap the screen to feed Mario a potion!) rather than basing games around it or offering new playing experiences, which was the whole point of the system and its early games (Feel the Magic, WarioWare, etc.). The two games that I was really excited about (Trace Memory and Lost in Blue) were essentially denounced as unplayable by critics, and I have zero interest in the two would-be killer apps for the system, Mario Kart and Animal Crossing. Mario Kart is just another boring racer that uses the DS’s online capability as its main selling point, and I already played Animal Crossing to death on the Gamecube. It just seems like there are still so few games for the system a **year** after its release, and nothing exciting on the horizon; the average Target or Best Buy DS section has about five or six games in it. The upcoming Final Fantasy III remake looks really promising, but I can’t even think of anything else that I’m looking forward to at this point. To add insult to injury, the proverbial word on the street is that [Nintendo may be about to unveil a redesigned and potentially superior DS](http://ds.ign.com/articles/680/680982p1.html) just to fucking stick it to all the people who bought one in the past year. It wouldn’t be surprising; look at all of the Gameboy redesigns that Nintendo has trotted out in succession over the past years. It’s going to be infuriating if they release a DS with better battery life, better screens, mp3 and web browsing capability, etc. before releasing some better games. Is anyone else feeling this way? Anyone dumped their DS? Anyone have hope for the future of the system? ---
**Author:** ![Electronic\_Chaos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Electronic\_Chaos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electronic_Chaos)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2006, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-give-up-and-sell-my-nintendo-ds/339934/2 "2006-01-14T05:44:23Z")
You should check out Trauma Center. It can get frustrating at points, but is pretty satisfying. Animal Crossing is addictive, but nearly identical to the GC version (at least, from what I can tell. I only rented the GC version, and played it for a week), with the added feature of being able to interact with real people on it. ---
**Author:** ![Ensign\_Edison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ab992/32.png) [@Ensign\_Edison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ensign_Edison)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2006, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-give-up-and-sell-my-nintendo-ds/339934/3 "2006-01-14T05:44:41Z")
Great games for the DS: Kirby Advance Wars Tony Hawk’s Sk8land Castlevania Nintendogs Metrioid Pinball - new full Metroid coming soon New Pokemoon soon of course - wireless battling will rule! I love my DS, and I don’t feel stuck to that a new design is coming. Doesn’t make mine less usable. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2006, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-give-up-and-sell-my-nintendo-ds/339934/4 "2006-01-14T05:51:51Z")
> [@Electronic Chaos](#): > > You should check out Trauma Center. It can get frustrating at points, but is pretty satisfying. Animal Crossing is addictive, but nearly identical to the GC version (at least, from what I can tell. I only rented the GC version, and played it for a week), with the added feature of being able to interact with real people on it. These were the two games I popped in here to recommend, so I’ll second **Electronic Chaos** ’s recommendations for both. My DS sat on a shelf for over a year until I got these two games, and now I play it (at least for a little while) daily. Nintendogs is kind of cute too, though the gimmick where you have to yell at the screen gets old fairly quickly. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Carnage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/max_carnage/32/12775_2.png) [@Max\_Carnage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Carnage)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2006, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-give-up-and-sell-my-nintendo-ds/339934/5 "2006-01-14T06:07:32Z")
Yes, you should sell it. I’ll take it off your hands for $50 since I’m such a swell guy. ---
**Author:** ![Wolfian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/7ea924/32.png) [@Wolfian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolfian)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2006, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-give-up-and-sell-my-nintendo-ds/339934/6 "2006-01-14T06:43:01Z")
> [@VCO3](#): > > To add insult to injury, the proverbial word on the street is that [Nintendo may be about to unveil a redesigned and potentially superior DS](http://ds.ign.com/articles/680/680982p1.html) just to fucking stick it to all the people who bought one in the past year. It wouldn’t be surprising; look at all of the Gameboy redesigns that Nintendo has trotted out in succession over the past years. It’s going to be infuriating if they release a DS with better battery life, better screens, mp3 and web browsing capability, etc. before releasing some better games. I knew it! I [effing](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=6959710&postcount=10) knew it! > [@me](#): > > I’m still waiting for the l33t model you know they have stashed away in a storehouse somewhere like the Arc of the Covanent. ---
**Author:** ![BraheSilver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@BraheSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BraheSilver)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2006, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-give-up-and-sell-my-nintendo-ds/339934/7 "2006-01-14T07:37:32Z")
That link seems to be nothing more than rumor dressed up as insider information. Another “story” released [today](http://ds.ign.com/articles/681/681200p1.html) from the same site neither confirms nor denies it. Anyway, I’m not regretting my DS. Trauma Center is an excellent game, if at times infuriating (stop interrupting me, you stupid nurse!) which takes advantage of the touch screen. Just don’t play it in a moving vehicle. Castlevania and Advance Wars are great games even if they don’t always require the use of what seems to be the system’s defining feature. ---
**Author:** ![Talon\_Karrde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Talon\_Karrde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Talon_Karrde)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2006, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-give-up-and-sell-my-nintendo-ds/339934/8 "2006-01-14T09:29:07Z")
A DS game that I really liked was Phoenix Wright: Ace Attourney. It’s not for everyone though, and it does have some flaws. But not many games made me laugh out loud as much as that one. ---
**Author:** ![broken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@broken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/broken)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2006, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-give-up-and-sell-my-nintendo-ds/339934/9 "2006-01-14T10:55:25Z")
Concerning Animal Crossing DS, there are a decent amount of additions/differences, although the gameplay itself is largely the same. Even if you played through a lot of Animal Crossing (gamecube), Wild World still has a fair amount to offer. The on-line aspect I can’t really comment on, just haven’t worked up the motivation to find some friend codes on-line as of yet. I know this game is terribly “old school”, but did you play much of the mario 64 DS game? You may also want to give Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time a chance. Are you into puzzle games by any chance? Both polarium and zoo keeper are excellent. Finally, Into the Blue was actually a pretty decent game, although a bit tedious/difficult at times, the gameplay experience was fairly rewarding. Concerning the Best Buy/Target DS section, retailers are notorious for dropping games that don’t move huge units (or aren’t on an incredible discount/pricepoint). You might want to check a GameStop for a better idea of what is available. In regards to the rumor of a DS redesign floating around, it’s inevitable, but I kind of doubt the redesign will be earth-shattering. The latest rumor pins the redesign as potentially adding some kind of multi-media playback support, let’s hope Nintendo isn’t going for a jack-of-all-trades approach. (/hijack) If it makes you feel any better, I’m on the verge of selling my PSP, whereas the DS has a lack of games coming out (with most of them being pretty good), the PSP has a plethora of games coming out, most which are pseudo-ports of old PS2 games, with a bit of content thrown in to lure buyers… and don’t even get me started on the rip-off aspect of UMD movies. ---
**Author:** ![FlyingRamenMonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@FlyingRamenMonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyingRamenMonster)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2006, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-give-up-and-sell-my-nintendo-ds/339934/10 "2006-01-14T14:22:28Z")
I’ll recommend Phoenix Wright as well. I mean come on, you get to be a LAWYER. And it’s fun, too. ---
**Author:** ![Kaspar\_Hauser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b3f665/32.png) [@Kaspar\_Hauser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaspar_Hauser)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2006, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-give-up-and-sell-my-nintendo-ds/339934/11 "2006-01-14T14:23:02Z")
_Pac-Pix_ is really a lot of fun, and makes full use of the touchpad. The new Mario and Luigig _Partners in Time_ was great but doesn’t use the touchpad. ---
**Author:** ![audiobottle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc8723/32.png) [@audiobottle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/audiobottle)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2006, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-give-up-and-sell-my-nintendo-ds/339934/12 "2006-01-14T14:48:17Z")
I think they just released Electroplankton which looks pretty interesting. It’s a kind of music composition program. Not really a game per se, but more a way to make interesting combinations of noises and stuff. I’m not entirely sure what it’s all about, but it definitely seems to use the capabilities of the DS. As for the redesign, I’d be surprised if they really did release a new one. Why should they? They’re selling out of the old one, it consistently tops all other gaming devices in sales charts, it definitely has the better games compared to the PSP… There’s really no reason for Nintendo to make a new one. Having said that, if they did release a new one, it’d be pretty sweet. Oh, and I’ll second Castlevania. That’s a great game. ---
**Author:** ![Morelin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Morelin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morelin)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2006, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-give-up-and-sell-my-nintendo-ds/339934/13 "2006-01-14T15:21:01Z")
> [@FlyingRamenMonster](#): > > I’ll recommend Phoenix Wright as well. I mean come on, you get to be a LAWYER. And it’s fun, too. Phoenix Wright is great, but from what I understand Capcom has sold them all and isn’t planning on making more. It may be hard to find. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2006, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-give-up-and-sell-my-nintendo-ds/339934/14 "2006-01-14T15:40:25Z")
> [@Morelin](#): > > Phoenix Wright is great, but from what I understand Capcom has sold them all and isn’t planning on making more. It may be hard to find. Actually Capcom has sold them all and is struggling to meet the unforseen demand. If there aren’t copies lining the shelves of your local game store now, there will be soon. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2006, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-give-up-and-sell-my-nintendo-ds/339934/15 "2006-01-14T16:39:18Z")
Mario Kart DS is also supposed to be wonderful. And there’s all your old GBA carts. Frankly, of the two newer choices, the DS seems to be the winner. ---
**Author:** ![bubastis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d07c76/32.png) [@bubastis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bubastis)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2006, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-give-up-and-sell-my-nintendo-ds/339934/16 "2006-01-14T20:23:43Z")
Having taken a great disliking to the PSP, I cant wait to buy a DS. However, my GBA has only two games since I bought it three years ago, so I’m being told that a new Handheld is an IMPULSE BUY and that I DONT REALLY NEED ONE, I just WANT ONE. ---
**Author:** ![metonymic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@metonymic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/metonymic)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2006, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-give-up-and-sell-my-nintendo-ds/339934/17 "2006-01-14T21:07:54Z")
I have to second (third, etc) the love for Advance Wars, Trauma Center, Mario Kart and Mario & Luigi Partners in Time. Having played Advance Wars on GBA as well as the DS, I find the DS version’s use of the touch screen to be intuitive and a great addition to the game. It really seems to work well. Ditto for Trauma Center, though I agree the game is totally frustrating sometimes. As for the other two games, it’s true that they don’t use the touch screen, which is disappointing, but they’re still excellent – very addictive and fun. Playing Mario Kart online is fantastic! I have a couple of friends who rave about Animal Crossing, and Zoo Keeper is apparently so much fun it inspired my mom to get a DS. I’m kind of interested in Organizer Plus, too. I wish that functionality (calendar, notes, address book – standard PDA stuff, I guess) had been built-in from the start. Anyway, I love my DS! I have a PSP also – in terms of games, innovation and overall enjoyment, no contest: the DS wins. I can’t see getting rid of it any time soon. ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2006, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-give-up-and-sell-my-nintendo-ds/339934/18 "2006-01-14T21:23:53Z")
\*\*VCO3: \*\*What I heard about Trace Memory was that it was good but too short. What I head about Lost in Blue was that it was good but very slow. If you liked Animal Crossing, I bet you’ll like those two games. Pick them used, why not. For reference, here’s a short list of DS games coming out in the near future [(courtesy IGN)](http://ds.ign.com/index/release.html): True Swing Golf Age of Empires: The Age of Kings Black & White Creatures Ultimate Brain Games Nicktoons Unite! Resident Evil: Deadly Silence Super Black Bass Fishing Super Princess Peach Golden Nugget Casino DS Scurge: Hive Metroid Prime: Hunters Worms: Open Warfare Tetris DS Harvest Moon DS Nicktoons Dynasty Warriors Guilty Gear Dust Strikers Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi Super Monkey Ball Touch & Roll Brain Flex Pokemon Trozei Top Spin 2 Mage Knight: Destiny’s Soldier Ice Age 2: The Meltdown Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest Garfield’s A Tail of Two Kitties Legend of the Dragon Xenosaga I & II Digitylish Shin Megami Tensei DS Dragon Quest Monsters Legend of Zelda DS, The Dino Dini’s Soccer Azure Dreams Pokemon Ranger: The Road to Diamond and Pearl Flipper Critters Rainbow Islands Revolution Rub Rabbits!, The Bomberman [untitled WiFi-enabled sequel] Tenchu DS Fairly OddParents Puzzeloop Ys Strategy Bomberman Story Yu-Gi-Oh! Series [working title sequel] Castlevania [untitled sequel] Tales of the Tempest Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney 2 Mario Basket 3on3 Seiken Densetsu DS: Children of Mana Digimon World [working title] Dark Reflections Cerulean Dreams Konductra Biker Mice From Mars Cartoon Network Racing Strawberry Shortcake Rune Factory Detect Hacker Kaitou Wario Tingle RPG [working title] Custom Robo DS Wish Room Zoids Saga DS: Legend of Arcadia Tottoko Hamtaro: ASH Contact Nights of War Songs Iron Feather Street Racing Syndicate Deep Fried project [untitled] Professional Wrestling Puyo Pop Fever 2 Katamari Damacy [rumored] Jeff Corwin Experience Worms Forts Under Siege SpongeBob SquarePants Multiplayer [working title] Baten Kaitos DS Pokemon Pearl Pokemon Diamond Final Fantasy III World Reborn: Unification Intellivision Lives! Code: Lyoco Turok Next [working title] Boy and His Blob, A Totally Spies Boktai New Super Mario Bros. Egg Monster Hero Winning Eleven Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles DS Anaka SSX 4 I’ve also heard that Disciples, Jagged Alliance & Europa Universalis will have DS versions out shortly. Off that list, I’m expecially interested in Age of Empires & Azure Dreams, and the Rub Rabbits. YMMV. I personally wouldn’t swap my DS for anything, except a smaller redesigned one. ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2006, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-give-up-and-sell-my-nintendo-ds/339934/19 "2006-01-15T02:45:52Z")
Oh and I forgot to mention the game I most want to get a US release: [Ossu! Tatakae! Ouendan](http://www.gamespot.com/ds/puzzle/ouendan/story.html?sid=6132078). Currently it’s only available in Japanese but it can be imported elsewhere. Supposedly the multiplayer and the cheerleading part works fine even if you don’t read Japanese. What’s it all about, you ask? > [@](#): > > Ossu! Tatakae! Ouendan! is a rhythm action game that puts you in charge of a trio of male cheerleaders that, much like Batman, is never far from those in need. The trio remains in a state of catlike readiness until it hears the call of “Ouendan!”, or “Let’s cheer!”, from someone in need of help. You’ll find two main modes in the game, a single-player experience that offers easy and normal difficulties, as well as an unlockable cheerleader difficulty and a multiplayer mode for two to four players. > > The single-player game is a collection of 14 slices of life that finds your trio of cheerleaders making the rounds in Japan and helping anyone that cries out for help. > \ > The multiplayer mode comes in two flavors, a simple two-player versus and a four-player rumble, that let you mix it up with friends over the DS’s Wi-Fi. It’s a rhythym game that uses the touchscreen to lead the cheerleaders through their routines, encouraging the struggline citizens to complete their tasks. The artwork for it is fabulous manga and the music that I’ve heard from it good too. The cheerleaders dress sort of like Neo and it’s a riot watching them strut their stuff. The videos on the site are must-see. [Here’s a link to the video page.](http://www.gamespot.com/ds/puzzle/ouendan/media.html) For sheer loopiness I think this game sounds tops.