The New Super Mario Brothers is my favorite game right now.
It has two action buttons: Run/Shoot, and Jump
This began as a comment on Flickr, but a friend called me today and asked questions about the Nintendo DS. I can’t talk on the phone real well to begin with, so I’m putting this here.
I’m not a hardcore gamer (more of an avid collector) – but the DS has been my favorite system in quite some time. And it’s not just for the new “DS” games, but also because I can play old GameBoy Advance carts. (Which can be picked up cheaper than new at places like GameStop, which appear to be 2 miles apart here in Cincinnati. Also note: their site allows you to find available stock for a game in a zip code radius – quite handy).
There are two versions of the DS. The original one comes in colors, is thicker, dimmer but does it’s job. I much prefer the brightness, thickness, and feel of the new DS Lite.
The games I enjoy most:
- New Super Mario Bros. (platformer) Five stars. Awesome. An update on the Mario you know from 1986, with some fun/ mind/ time wasting games that use the stylus.
- Clubhouse Games Over 40 games from Poker to Chess. I talk about it briefly in this entry
- Tetris DS (puzzle) Same as it ever was. Fun with friends or by yourself.
- Super Mario Kart DS (racing) Also, fun with friends or by yourself.
- Metroid Prime Hunters (first-person shooter) A little complicated control scheme pays off with a great 3D adventure that gradually gets too hard, but is fun while it lasts.
- Monopoly / Boggle / Yahtzee / Battleship (4 board games in one cart) Fun with groups that also have a DS, but load times are slow if everyone doesn’t have the cartridge.
- Mario and Luigi : Partners in Time (rpg/action) This one is hard to get back into when you leave it alone for too long, but that’s okay if you accept that fact. It’s more RPG than action, but fun.
Gameboy Advance favorites (old platform, not DS, but compatible) :
- Legend Of Zelda: A Link to the Past (action/rpg) – Overhead fun heavy on action, less on RPG
- All the Super Mario Advance games (all the old favorites, sadly on separate carts)
I go to Metacritic to learn about games. You can sort by score, see all-time best scores, yada yada yada.
There’s more to like and describe about the DS. I mentioned games that are fun with friends, and that’s thanks to built-in WiFi. I could go on shilling for Nintendo, but I’ll just keep playing and hope they keep making simple, fun, videogames.
17 responses to “Nintendo DS”
Hey Chris
I totally agree. The DS has me playing videogames again; I am way too into this absurd little contraption (I recently bought a lite, the first time in 10 years I’ve owned two iterations of the same system). I still can’t believe it when I’m talking to my friend on it over VOIP before getting crushed in hunters. You should try castlevania, it’s brilliant fun. Any titles you’re looking forward to?
Sure. There’s a few Kevin:
The new Zelda DS (Something Hourglass) looks superfun.
Also:
– DK King of Swing
– Yoshi’s Island 2
– Chibi-Robo Park Patrol
– Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2
– Club House Games (card games including: Old Maid, Spit, I Doubt It, Sevens, Memory, Pig, Blackjack, Hearts, Rummy, Last Card, Last Card Plus, President, Five Card Draw, Texas Hold Em, Nap, Spades, Contact Bridge, Hasami Shogi, Turncoat, Chinese Checkers, Checkers, Dots & Boxes, Backgammon, Chess, Connect Five, Grid Attack, Koi-Koi, Soda Shake, Dominoes, Bowling, Darts, Billiards, Balance, Take Over, Solitaire, Escape, and Mahjong Solitaire)
yeah, I’m not a gamer either, but the DS and Wii look interesting. After years of Nintendo not seeming to have any direction, they seemed to have found a nitch with relatively games for non gamers that are tons of fun. I only have a PS2 now, but my wife loves Mario, so I may have to pick up a DS.
mr. e: you should pick up two – I promise you’ll be at least as into the console as your wife, and the DS really shines with multiplayer LAN gameplay. I’ve bought two DSes this year, and each one was the best purchase I’d made in ages.
Chris: yeah, i’m looking forward to the phantom hourglass (am i the only one who liked wind waker??) and i’m really looking forward to contact, yggdrasil labyrinth and the FFIII redux. also (for the GBA): mother 3 (localize it!) and gunstar heroes (when i get my hands on it). I’m actually a little annoyed that the DS – the perfect RPG platform – has so few great titles from the genre. But that all changes soon….
and yeah, yoshi’s island 2 is the best news ever.
question: are you going to get a wii? I’m conflicted; I was resigned to being a part-time portable player, but after E3 the system looks really promising….
Let’s hear it for adults getting back into video games!
Totally looking forward to the Wii, Kevin.
The reasons are plenty:
Old school nintendo emulation : Not sure how the pricing and “portability” of the old games will be (like, if I buy something _yet again_, can they store it for me on their servers for when the next console comes around?
A few launch titles : The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess & Metroid Prime 3 sound like entertaining things out the bat. And I too loved Wind Walker (I thought it was beautiful but perhaps a bit too sail-y).
Tempted to see what Rayman will be all about.
Backwards compatibility : I still enjoy ‘Cube games.
Am I thrilled about waving a controller in the air for the new games? I have no idea.
Will I buy a Wii at launch? Maybe I’ll wait til Christmas after reading some initial reviews and hopefully playing a demo in the stores.
Yes, the emulation is very important. I’m excited to play old favs like chrono trigger and earthbound. I’m also very happy that some Sega titles will be available for download, and I’m holding my breath to see if Dragon Force will be available. What old-school titles are you looking forward to?
As for the Wii’s new titles, I’m most excited by Metriod 3. It’s gotten some lukewarm previews but I think it looks gorgeous, and if you watch the films carefully, there’s been a subtle reworking of the art direction, making everything look a little more macross/mecha influenced: enemy ships, character designs – it just looks new and great.
Have you noticed the absence of Pikmin titles for the DS and the Wi? It seems like the perfect franchise for these new UIs.
As for wii controls: I’m hoping that – like the DS – developers will figure it out, and use conventional controls when appropriate. some games are pefect with the stylus, and i hope the same flexibility will be there with the wii. I’m still wary, though.
Did you figure out how to unlock worlds 4 and 7 yet? WITHOUT CHEATING OR GUIDES!
I’ve unlocked world 7 electro, but I can’t seem to get “small” to get to 4.
It’s the reason I keep playing.
Go to world 5 to get the small mushroom. Exit immediately and go to world 2. Then kick the bosses ass!
I am two stages away from the end of level castle in world 7 but no new paths are opening up despite completing the stages many times. A path was opened to a stage below, then once that was completed another path was opened up and to the left, to an already completed stage. No path is opening to the right. Does anyone know what to do?
I need help downloading Super Mario Advance. I know I have to go to gba rom but i’m not sure what option to pick in this category.
WHats with world 6-1…how do I Get through this…there’s no where to go?
i am on the second stage(7-2) of world 7 and i can’t pass it because i don’t know how. every door i go in leads me back to where i started from. so if anyone can help me out as to what i am doing wrong, please email me at the above address. thanks in advance
cannot get through world 6 1 nintendo ds keep running out of time stuck between the walls please help.
You mention Club House Games is good for mahjong solitaire on DS. Cheers for the tip – always looking for more ways to play mahjong.
REf nintendo ds we’ve got 42 all time classic games and on the mahjong solitaire can’t complete level 10, it runs out of time sometimes after 5 mins sometimes after 30 seconds saying no more moves, why is this and how can I complete it?
Can’t wait for Nintendo DSi !!!!