[DS] Your Nintendo DS Library

What games does your DS library consist of?

In order for this NOT to be spam... I'm placing the following rules in place:

1) Colour code the games (This time around, lets group them by colours instead of alphabetical)
Great! A Must Have!
Good Game
Average Game
Poor Game
Don't Even Bother

2) Give a description of the game, pros, cons, beefs, what could've been better. Doesn't have to be an essay, but it has to be more than one sentence of "omg lol".

3) Your rating.

Good:
Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow
This has to be one of my favourite Castlevania games, YET. The only beef I have with this game, is the "stylus" parts, it feels as if that was thrown in just to use the touchpad. Nothing is better than MAP on the top screen and ACTION on the bottom. No more pausing!
Rating: 4.5/5

Deleted:
phoenix wright
um that pokemon game with those um pokemon
that game with shaq

If any posts are made this time, that do not follow these rules, I will have them deleted from the thread.

Mario Kart DS - For obvious reasons.
WarioWare:Touched! - A fun little game that you can play for seconds or hours.
Super Mario 64 DS - If you've played the original, there really isn't much extra to see here.
Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time - Really suprised how addicting this game was. Favorite game on the DS right now.
Animal Crossing: Wild World - A good concept, but so boring. Highly overrated.

Puyo Pop Fever DS - A lot better than everyone thinks. It's much improved in terms of difficulty with the AI over the GC version, and there's single-cart 4-player and 8-player! How much frantic chain shout action is that now? Although if you hate the falling block genre or kawaii characters then it might as well be a blue for you.

That's it. Here's my opinion on the game's I used to have (notorious for trading in):

Warioware Touched - no ADD afflicted child should ever be without this. Keep trying to beat your own scores after you unlock everything, since the games are always random and you only get better each time you play it.
Mario Kart DS - I've never been a fan of racing but Mario Kart has always been the exception with it's eclectic item range.
Animal Crossing: Wild World - Fun if you like to micromanage your town and have the time to visit every day. I got frustrated when red turnips take 2 weeks to grow and I couldn't visit my town everyday or even make it up by time travelling since I had not played for 2 weeks.
Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time - A neat followup to the awesome Superstar Saga. Space out your playing though; once you beat Partners in Time, you're done, period.
Zoo Keeper - Despite the simplicity, and the fact that there's an online version, there is something terribly satisfying about making a gigantic chain that causes the louder beeps and boops. Although it's equally as frustrating to have "no more moves" pop up.
Meteos - The music and constant barrage of sound effects are the reason you'll keep playing along with the number of unlockables. It's a unique take on the puzzle genre too with the rocket fuel concept and gravity effects. Musical fun for your ears and strategic fun for your mind. Ignore anyone who says scribbling on the screen is the same as thinking out your moves. I mean, you're not having fun if you do that!
Nintendogs - overrated. They're cute, but they only have so much cute actions that they'll naturally do (I don't mean the tricks) Another game requiring micromanagement. Your dogs will stop listening to you if you haven't tended to them for a while, and it takes a while to build that trust again.

Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan - Just fucking buy it already.

Daigasso! Band Brothers - Rarely do you see a game which allows you to use various instruments, and actually integrates your playing into the song. Without your playing, the sound doesn't sound right. It's very innovative as a whole.

Electroplankton - Soothing, relaxing game that you'll be playing when you're sick of dying in every other game you have. Not for everyone because people are unintentionally fucktards who can't understand a simple concept.

Sonic Rush DS - Fast action, EXCELLENT soundtrack and replayability.

Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow - I might be overrating it a bit since I just finished it, but I think this is one of the best games I've ever played. I haven't even played the secondary quests yet, just the first one. It's absolutely stellar in every way. I'm resisting the urge to put it back in and just play it all again right now.

Mario Kart: DS - The best game of its kind, period. Just a few shortcomings in the setup of the wireless and nothing else. Superb game. Whether or not you like this type of game is up for debate, but it still should be recognized as one of the best games ever. Certainly the best handheld game of all time.

Meteos - Fantastic puzzle game, though I've been finding it hard to find a point. This is defintely a must-buy, but I don't know if I would think that same thing after Tetris DS comes out. We'll see.

Advance Wars: Dual Strike - This is my first Advance Wars game, and it's fun. But I'm just not getting the challenge I want, not yet at least. This game kind of took a back seat to my others, so I haven't explored it very far, but a number of battles in and it just seems so aimless. This will be what I'm playing until I grab a copy of Hunters, so we'll see what I think of it as I play it more.

Kirby Canvas Curse - A fun little game, if not repetitious. I liked getting through the game, but I'm not seeing a huge sustainability past that. I'm not incredibly eager to keep going to unlock everything, which is what made this game just good for me. Still, worth having.

Animal Crossing: Wild World - I loved the original AC...for the first month or so. Same thing here. After a while, I just couldn't keep up anymore, or, as I should say, I didn't want to keep up anymore. I got to a point where I didn't care if I had every goddamn fish or if my friends gave me ranch furniture. But it was good for a ton of hours for a month. Hopefully, it will give me another month of fun. Average for lack of staying power, however.

Nintendogs: Best Friends - Yeah, I got the teal DS with the added-in Nintendogs. I almost want to give this an incomplete. Everytime I've played it, I had a lot of fun, but being that I have 2 dogs and live with people, I can't exactly sit there barking at my DS and telling it to sit without driving my dogs crazy. I've just had trouble finding a place where I feel comfortable talking to this game.

Trauma Center: Under the Knife - I've downgraded this one a bit since the last time I updated my list pretty much because of Kirby. The real draw to Trauma Center is that it came up with a fun, inventive way to use the touch screen. I find that Kirby not only was a better game, but it used the touch screen in a more interesting way. So, while Trauma Center is a fun game, it's not great.


Next on deck for me are Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, Metroid Prime: Hunters, and Tetris DS.

Advance Wars: Dual Strike - Much better than the first two. I hated the first, for reference.
Animal Crossing: Wild World - The definitive DS game so far.
Asphalt: Urban GT - Stay away unless you're desperate.
Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow - From what I've played, really really good.
Feel the Magic: XY/XX - It was great until rub rabbits (see The Rub Rabbits).
Kirby Canvas Curse - Not bad.
Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time - Super Mario RPG is still the best.
Mario Kart DS - One of the best Mario Karts, and online!
Mr. Driller Drill Spirits - At first I hated it but then I got used to it, and it's not bad. Lacks single-cart capability.
Nintendogs: Chihuahua & Friends - I love puppies.
Polarium - Meh.
Super Mario 64 DS - A worthy update.
The Rub Rabbits - Fantastic sequel to Feel the Magic. I'd say must-own but I realize a lot of people aren't into the whole minigame thing. But there's nothing quite like breaking the ice with girls by asking them to make babies with you!
Wario Ware Touched! - I got 999 in Zoo, that was pretty cool.
Yoshi Touch & Go - Mehhhhh.

Edit: The color coding system system is awful. You should change it to green being the highest and red being the worst; if you know a little about human perception you'll know that the area between green and yellow is the most visually attractive, so our eyes will dart there first (in theory). And this thread is relatively new, too.

Super Mario 64 DS - Great, since I never played the N64 version.
Kirby Canvas Curse - One of the most addictive adventure games I've played in a really long time on any platform.
Meteos - A fast-paced, addictive puzzle game that got me hooked for about a month.
Nintendogs: Dachshund & Friends - It was very fun, but living in a college apartment and wanting to keep some dignity limited by playing time. I did clock in hundreds of hours nevertheless.
Jump Superstars - I haven't played through this a lot yet, but it's been fun.
Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan - Perhaps the best game on the DS to date. Awesome.
Mario Kart DS - They call me winner.

Super Mario 64 DS- A well done port with some cool additions.
Wario Ware- Touched!- Short but sweet. The microphone games were a dissapointment, too gimmicky.
Nintendogs- Lab and Friends- If this was full price I wouldn't have gotten it, but still decent use of the technology.
Advance Wars- Dual Strike- Great strategy for a handheld. The soundtrack blew my expectations on what the DS could do as well.
Mario Kart DS- A Mario Kart game with options? Never!

Originally Posted by Dyne

Edit: The color coding system system is awful. You should change it to green being the highest and red being the worst; if you know a little about human perception you'll know that the area between green and yellow is the most visually attractive, so our eyes will dart there first (in theory). And this thread is relatively new, too.

I'd have to agree, the current color system is weird. I also think that people should give the games a rating if they're going to give their opinion about it.

Originally Posted by Newbie1234

I also think that people should give the games a rating if they're going to give their opinion about it.

Why? Ratings bring in an unneccesary flame war about which game is better and which isn't etc, even more redundant given that many different games can't really be compared. The main problem is that so many people ignore the main essay or critique and go straight to the score. If there was a magazine/ web site that reviewed games without a rating at the end, I'd buy/ read it.

As for all of my games:

Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan! - Best DS Game for now. Humor, music, and absolute fun, all in one fine package. And to convince those who doubt, made by the creators of Gitaroo-Man. It's also an import game, but there's almost no need to read when you play it. Super Import Friendly!

Advance Wars: Dual Strike - Also a great game. There is a lot to do and the campaign is really fun. The War Room adds a lot of replay value, and it is pretty damn tough too. If you like turn-based strategy, this is for you.

Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow - Easily the best Castlevania game to come in recent years. This game is almost like a handheld SotN. It's an awesome game and in my opinion, is as good as SotN, if not better.

Bleach DS - This is quite simply, a beautiful DS fighter. This proves that the DS is quite capable of 2D fighters, even with the limiting D-Pad and buttons. I'm guessing it's close to where the Anime/Manga is at right now, but I don't know as I don't really follow anime/mangas in general. With the release of this game, GGDS is probably going to be rendered obselete. I might as well add that the game is an IMPORT, so if you do choose to get it, it's not out anywhere but Japan.

Sonic Rush - A short, but sweet experience. Fast, Frantic action. Insane speed. Whatever. I love this game because it just oozes with style. It's like a perfect combination of Sonic and Jet Set Radio, without the tagging.

Mario Kart DS - An incredible title. This game (obviously) is the first online title (along with Tony Hawk) and it's amazingly fun. Well, it's fun when people don't snake and whatnot. Multicart play, really, is where its at.

Metroid Prime Pinball - A pretty cool title. It's pretty fun and doesn't necessisarily spoil anything. Especially if you know nothing of MP. I haven't beaten MP, but I've already beat this game. And I don't feel like I know what MP is about. The only problem, IMO, is the amount of tables, but I don't really know, because this is practically my first pinball game.

Animal Crossing: Wild World - A really fun game. Think of it as The Sims, but not as serious. I dunno, maybe not, that's probably not a good comparison.

Meteos - A crazy fun title. I got bored with it after about 2 months though. It's a great game, but I think you would need at least someone else to go against for it to be a lot better.

Yu-Gi-Oh: Nightmare Troubadour - It's a pretty good game, especially for a Yu-Gi-Oh one. It's a lot nicer now that the game actually tells you how to play and it plays by the tournament rules. The only glaring flaw is the amount of cards. Sure 1000 seems like a lot, but many cards are excluded, limiting actual deck construction options. And this game has horrible text translation. Almost like Konami used Babelfish. Oh and I might also add that it's probably only a game for Yu-Gi-Oh fans. Like me...of the card game anyway.

Kirby: Canvas Curse - I dunno about this game. I think I'm the only person that got really bored when playing it. I don't mean to offend anyone, but I just can't play this. I see the potential, but it just doesn't catch my attention. I should actually try to spend more time with this...

Super Mario 64 DS - Damn, I've had this game for almost a year and a half now. I played this game for almost a year. Luckily, Meteos came along and finally took the place of my DS cart slot. Not a bad game though.

As for my brothers' games:

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - This is one damn gem. It is one of the best games ever. I first thought that this was gonna be some crappy game. Yes, I thought it would be crappy. I didn't care for it, and then I decided to take it for a spin. Boy, after playing this game, I totally cannot wait for the next one. I actually played this game three days straight, because it's so engrossing (or whatever). It's an awesome game that you should get. Especially because it's a short print game.

Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time - The only problem I have with this game is that it's pretty short with little to no extras. Other than that, this game is excellent.

Trauma Center: Under the Knife - This is almost like Phoenix Wright. An awesome game. The only real difference here is that the story doesn't hook you as much as PW and that the game is pretty damn unforgiving. Well, at least it's tough for me. I suck at these games...

Nintendogs - I can't really say much about this, it seems cool enough, what with the reviews and all. I haven't played this at all.

Nanostray - I believe I'm the only one that doesn't really like this game. It's like a old-school shooter, but it totally fails as one. The graphics are incredible. The music is nice. But the gameplay, kinda sucks. If it weren't for the touch-screen weapon switching and the Trapezoid-plane-thingy, this might have been a better game. Not to mention the pretty crappy multiplayer. I guess it is a pretty outstanding job, however, considering there are about five people total in the Shin'en company.

Yoshi Touch & Go - It's okay. Nothing that special. Boring after a while. Like, 1 run through of each mode. =/

And my sister's ONE game:

Feel The Magic XY/XX - This game was a pretty cool game. Though, you'd probably only play this game about once and then quit. Great Idea though.

I think that's it. If I remember something, I'll probably repost or edit this one. I guess I should add that we also have 3 copies of Mario Kart DS and Animal Crossing: Wild World, for connectivity purposes. Add to that Metroid Prime: Hunters in the next couple weeks.

Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan!
What is it? Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan! is a music game. The goal of the game is to tap circles that appear on the screen in the rhythm of the music. What you're basically doing is cheerleading for people who are trying to do something hard (win elections, make great pots, win over the love of their dreams).

Buy it: It's one of the best games on the DS. Incredible fun, awesome music, hilarious animated-manga style storylines, replay value up the wahoo, and if you know someone else with the game, it's also one of the best multiplayer games on the machine.

Don't buy it: If you don't like mainstream J-rock, you might not like the music, I suppose.

Animal Crossing: Wild World
What is it? The sequel to Animal Crossing on the Gamecube. There's not really a set goal, it's just kind of like day-to-day life, but cuter! You live in a town with a bunch of other animals, and try to make your room look nice, help your animal friends out, etc.

Buy it: I have seen many people say this is little more than Animal Crossing+WiFi capabilities, but those must've not played for very long, because this game has so much more to offer. Lots of events, much more varied conversation from the animals, a huge increase of things to collect, and more rooms make for a much more endurable experience.

Don't buy it: It can be boring if you don't like to do menial chores in a cutesy world, basically. It's not exactly action-packed.

Meteos
What is it? A puzzle game. It's very different from your average puzzle game though, as there are plenty of elements influencing the game. Your goal is basically to launch blocks out to the top screen. Depending on which "planet" (or level) you're on, the parameters of the game, such as gravity, launch speed, drop speed, etc. can change radically.

Buy it: It's one of my all time favourite puzzlers, and I'm a puzzle nut. It can be frantic, with loads of blocks raining down on your screen. If you can handle it, it's a great feeling. It's also got some of the best gameplay as far as making use of the DS touch screen is concerned--not only is this game perfect for the DS, it would also be completely impossible to play it on any other console.

Don't buy it: Graphically meagre and the music can be annoying (although I personally like it). Not for people who don't like frantic puzzle games.

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
What is it? Your name is Phoenix Wright, and you are a defending attorney for people who have been accused of murder. That may not sound too appealing, but due to the justice system being, well, pretty broken, it's actually quite intense and the graphics are funny.

Buy it: It's basically an adventure game! The game kind of plays like you're in the middle of an anime. There's a lot of gameplay fun to be had if you're into that kind of stuff, and it certainly seems to be one of the more rare gems on the DS.

Don't buy it: It's hard to find. Also, if you don't like linearity, this game is about as linear as they come.

Catch Touch Yoshi
What is it? Although it looks like a platformer, it is actually more like an arcade game. The goal of the game is to guide Yoshi to the end of level (or, in Endless mode, as far as possible) by drawing cloud paths and capturing/shooting bad guys.

Buy it: This is the first DS game I had and although it seems that many people were disappointed, I was actually pleasantly surprised. I had no idea what to expect from the DS, and I wasn't expecting much. And this game was so much fun that I started to see Nintendo's point.

Don't buy it: It's not a platformer, don't be fooled. It's an arcade side-scroller game where the goal is to score as many points as possible, not to reach the ending of the game.

Electroplankton
What is it? A quirky title that is more suited for relaxation than anything, you don't really have a set goal other than to have fun with the various games in there. Each game produces different sounds and is controlled in different ways, and you can play around with it and have it generate all kinds of stuff.

Buy it: It's a pretty great title for someone interested in interactive music, and some of the games are just very relaxing to play when you've had a long day and don't want to be bothered by challenges or enemies or goals.

Don't buy it: It's aimless and I imagine people can get bored of it pretty easily.

Daigasso Band Brothers
What is it? Another music game, this one gives you a lot of control over the composition--you can even make your own songs in the composition tool.

Buy it: Lovely stuff if you're into music.

Don't buy it: Not so great for people who aren't.

Sonic Rush
What is it? It's Sonic. Classic platform game, not much I can say about it really.

Buy it: It's one of the best Sonics in ages (since Sonic 2). The level design is absolutely brilliant, and the music's darn sweet.

Don't buy it: Platformers are a carcass of a game type.

Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow
What is it? Another Castlevania in the new style. I don't know what I can say about this... Metroid-style platform game with vampires and stuff.

Buy it: It's one of the better instalments in the game, and the use of the dual screen is (although minimal) VERY useful. Also, the Julius Mode is a lot of fun for us old folks that remember the classic Castlevanias. The music also kicks arse.

Don't buy it: It's another one of those games, and it's pretty easy to boot.

Jump SuperStars
What is it? It's a brawling/fighting type game in the style of Super Smash Brothers, but with Jump characters (Dragonball Z, Bleach, Death Note...). You can make your own "deck", which looks like a manga page, and then use it in the game. You can select your character/powerups on the touch screen.

Buy it: It's a lovely game, especially multiplayer, and there's so much to unlock and customise that you won't get bored too soon.

Don't buy it: The AI is pretty awful. Aside from the levels where you can't be hit at all it's all pretty easy. And it was never translated into English so you can't play it without a guide (or working knowledge of Japanese).

Nintendogs
What is it? It's a raising game, you get a puppy which you must feed, teach tricks, go for walks with, train, and enter into various contests.

Buy it: It's the title that established the DS in Japan as the handheld system to have. Girls love this game. It's very hard to resist the cuteness of the puppies, who really behave as puppies should.

Don't buy it: It takes a lot of time, and it's kind of sad if you get tired of the game. But there's only so much to do in the game, really.

Another Code: Twin Memories
What is it? An adventure game--you're a young girl who ends up wrapped in a mystery, with her dad and a ghost boy.

Buy it: With lots of different puzzles that make excellent use of the DS hardware, and a surprisingly compelling story, this was one of the first-generation games that gave us a glimpse of what an adventure game on the DS could achieve.

Don't buy it: However, it's very, very short. If you're a bit of puzzle/adventure game buff, it's beatable in one or two sittings. This is really a shame.

Polarium
What is it? A puzzle game, the goal is to clear lines by making them either completely black or completely white.

Buy it: This game is utterly original, and it's a great idea.

Don't buy it: Unfortunately once you finish the puzzles (there's 100 of them, but it's over rather quickly), there's not much else to do in the game (although you can load in custom player-made ones with a code, it's not quite the same for some reason). The "Tetris" like mode seems like a brilliant idea, but it's far too limited to work. Really a missed opportunity.

Pac Pix
What is it? Ghosts are running amok in books! You have to draw Pac Mans with your magical pen to gobble them up again. Later on you get to draw all kinds of things, such as bombs and stuff.

Buy it: Seeing your crudely-drawn Pac Man chomp off and eat some ghosts is inexplicably satisfying. There's just something about that that really made me giddy when it happened.

Don't buy it: There's really not much to this game. It's more of a tech demo than anything (and that's how it started, so that makes sense). I'm not sure if they could've done anything more with it, really, it's a rather limited concept.


*Phew*

I also have a few more games that I worked on the music for, but I am in no position to judge them. (They are: Sims 2 DS, Narnia, Shrek Super Slam, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and Burnout DS.)

Originally Posted by watkinzez

Why? Ratings bring in an unneccesary flame war about which game is better and which isn't etc, even more redundant given that many different games can't really be compared. The main problem is that so many people ignore the main essay or critique and go straight to the score. If there was a magazine/ web site that reviewed games without a rating at the end, I'd buy/ read it.

There is already a rating system with the colors. Numbers are just more clear.

Originally Posted by Newbie1234

There is already a rating system with the colors. Numbers are just more clear.

And therefore, also, unnecessary.

Originally Posted by Newbie1234

There is already a rating system with the colors. Numbers are just more clear.

That would apply to, oh, people who are color blind. That's it?