List: Best 30 NDS Games (What do you want on yr shelf)

[Octopod]

Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime - TOSE developed kind of LttP style action-adventure/action-RPG game with fun tank battles.

This was already mentioned. Well, I toss in a vote for it too.

[laurenhiya21]

Most of my DS library is kind of lame unfortunately :/

I can sorta recommend Dragon Quest IX I guess? I haven't put a lot of time into it, but what I played was really good.

I'm a little against Puzzle Quest being on here though... The idea it pretty good, but I felt that the AI was waaay too difficult most of the time. They almost always seemed to know the best move to make.

[dsheinem]

I'm a little against Puzzle Quest being on here though... The idea it pretty good, but I felt that the AI was waaay too difficult most of the time. They almost always seemed to know the best move to make.

There's also an HD port

[ExedExes]

Puzzle Quest - A very novel idea at the time, an RPG with puzzle fight mechanics. Very addicting and fun game.

I don't have a DS but I've played Puzzle Quest on the PC -- I'm sure the DS version is/was just as good.

[ejamer]

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WarioWare DIY: Arguably the best game in the WarioWare series, not because it's more fun than the others, but because this game actually teaches the fundamentals of game design to aspiring young gamers. I think years from now future game designers will look back on this game with the same nostalgia and reverence that digital artists/composers have for Mario Paint.
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Glad to see I'm not the only one who feels this way.

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-The small screen with tinny speakers is a shit way to play a game this aesthetically gorgeous. It deserves a full screen treatment with good speakers, not a tiny screen with gimmicky stylus stuff thrown in.

The bottom line is that if people argued/we decided that Muramasa should be on the Wii list despite a content-added version on the Vita, then it follows that Chrono Trigger deserves to be on the SNES list and not here. The game is just a poor replica of the best way to experience it. I'd rather emulate the original SNES game (or even play the PSN/PS1 version) on the PSP if I really had a jonseing to play it on the go.

I get that the game is cheaper by far and more accessible on the NDS, but Mike suggested price shouldn't be a factor...and I think Chrono Trigger's inclusion would be just that. It would also be taking the place of a much more deserving original game.

First, the SNES game is easy to get in original form via Virtual Console, so the "cheaper and more accessible" argument doesn't entirely fly for NDS.

Second, even though Chrono Trigger looks great for a 16-bit game, comparing the presentation of that SNES game to the hand-drawn graphics in Muramasa seems like a stretch. The argument about whether Muramasa belongs on the Wii list should go in that thread instead of influencing this decision.

(For the record, my opinion was that I wanted Muramasa on a big screen. Vita release was fine as long as it was compatible with Vita TV or whatever it's called, and based on the comments from others that is the case...)

Finally, the PS1 version is clearly the worst way to play this game... so maybe you were just trolling all along?

[turbolegs]

Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer is an incredible port of the SNES original (Fushigi no Dungeon 2: Fūrai no Shiren). I have sunk hours and hours into this one.

[jmbarnes101]

Assuming retail only for this list? Their is some rock solid DSiWare like Mario vs DS: Minis March Again, Metal Torrent, Mighty Flip Champs, and Shantae: Risky's Revenge.

As for retail I'll nominate/plus the following games.
Advance Wars series - either one works
Animal Crossing: Wild World - is their a better game in the series?
Castlevania - I prefer Dawn of Sorrow but any work
Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime - fun but overlooked
Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon - not quite as good as the GBA games but a plus remake of the first game
Hotel Dusk: Room 215 - definitely not for everyone but a well done visual novel type game
Kirby Super Star Ultra - a remake of the SNES game
Kirby: Canvas Curse - my idea of a game making good use of stylus controls
Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass - not my favorite but still enjoyable
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
Mega Man Zero Collection
Metroid Prime Pinball - fun pinball game with a rumble cart
Nanostray - either but I prefer the first game
Okamiden - great sequel
Phoenix Wright: Trials and Tribulations - all three are good but this one actually makes use of the DS
Pokemon Conquest - interesting mashup
Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver - definitive versions of the classic GBC games
Pokemon Ranger: Guardian Signs - preferred version of the three
Professor Layton series - any, all
Retro Game Challenge
Rhythm Heaven - first released game in the US series
Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey
Solatorobo: Red the Hunter
The Legendary Starfy - Enough so that I want to play the other games in the series
Trace Memory - bummed we didn't get the Wii sequel

Honorable Mentions:
Giana Sisters DS
Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventures
Monster Tale

A couple I can't recommend:
Mario Kart DS - after Super Circuit my least favorite Mario Kart game
World Ends With You - just didn't like this game at all
Nintendogs - 3DS version is better

[mjmjr25]

yeah, phsyical only..."on the shelf" and all that...

[Sarge]

Okay, I'm going to get some titles down before reading through the thread, and will comment later on everyone else's choices. I'm sure I'll miss some!

Contra 4
Radiant Historia
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
Dragon Quest IV/V/VI/IX
Final Fantasy III/IV
Okamiden
Zelda: Spirit Tracks / Phantom Hourglass
Castlevania: DoS/PoR/OoE
Retro Game Challenge (definitely this one!)
Kirby: Canvas Curse
Phoenix Wright series
Hotel Dusk
New SMB
Mario Kart DS
Ghost Trick


There are others that are likely worthy, like Strange Journey, The World Ends With You, Trace Memory, and so on, and there are a lot of second-tier RPGs that would probably just fall short of making a top 30.

Also, it shouldn't make the list, but I've got a massive soft spot for Black Sigil. If there's any game that would get me into DS ROM hacking, it's that one, to fix the bugs and rebalance. It's so, so tantalizingly close to being a spectacular game.

EDIT: How the heck did I forget Ghost Trick? I just finished it recently, and it was absolutely fantastic. Definitely top 30 material.

The problem was that game needs analog stick control and on the DS the only way to emulate that was with the touchscreen... not an ideal solution. Playing the game on a 3DS however lets you use the analog circle pad thus alleviating the issue.

I don't think this is actually the case. All the circle pad does is emulate a d-pad. You still don't get the precision back. It might feel a lot better than the d-pad, though!

I eventually got to the point where I could play the game pretty effectively with the d-pad. I tried the nub thing, but I don't know that it ever really worked that well. I got... okay at it. I mean, I beat it, and got all the stars. Luigi can break a lot of levels.

EDIT 2: As pertaining to Chrono Trigger, I lean against it if it knocks another worthy game out of the top 30. I'm not saying it's not a fantastic game, because it is. I mean, it's still my favorite RPG of all time! I just... don't know that it's definitive enough. To me, there are points in favor of either release, but neither towers over the other.

I say this as I argue for Final Fantasy IV. Of course, that's a full-on remake, and while some might consider the PSP version the definitive one (Complete Collection is the only one, right?), but there are so many differences that the DS version is practically a new game. Or at least it feels like it. I enjoyed it a ton, and the same goes for FFIII.

I'm okay with just including one Dragon Quest if we're tight for space. They're all great, but I liked the remakes better than DQIX, although it's unique to the system which gives it bonus points.

[ejamer]

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EDIT: How the heck did I forget Ghost Trick? I just finished it recently, and it was absolutely fantastic. Definitely top 30 material.
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*applauds*

The game is obscure enough that it might not make the list, but not due to any lack in quality. Ghost Trick is very well written, has gorgeous animation, and is just a fun experience. People who haven't tried the game really should make the effort. The only flaws are low replay value and relatively low difficulty - but the game is a delight from start to finish so those flaws are easy to overlook.

(Confession: traded away my copy and regret it, fully intend to buy again.)

I forgot that this game did get a nice iOS release, but since that is digital-only it doesn't replace my interest in having the DS original on my shelf.