So I have a DS, but so far I've done little other than play GBA Pokemon games on it. The only DS game I have is Trace Memory, which I think is awesome. I read a shitty IGN review and the boob who did it thought it was only "passable" I guess because it doesn't have monsters to kill or something. I don't know, I'm not sure how the cavemen who write IGN reviews think, but I guess this just means if your opinion is the same as IGN's about everything don't bother talking to me. Anyway, I want more great games like Trace Memory, but since I don't really follow games anymore, I don't know where to start.

I'm thinking of getting the new Super Mario Bros, that looked pretty cool. Other than that, no idea. The kinds of games I like these days are usually ones that are very "pick up and play." I don't have the patience for any Final Fantasy style RPGs, for example. If it's a storyline dialogue-heavy game it's gotta be something like Trace Memory where you're immersed, none of that running around in circles leveling up crap. In fact the only running around in circles leveling up type game I'm willing to play anymore is Pokemon. So don't recommend Pokemon Diamond/Pearl 'cause I've already got Diamond on reserve.

Anyway, hit me with some fun games that are super cool and not of the SUPER EPIC BADASS CUT SCENE GAME variety. Also on that note, how is Puzzle Quest? It sounds very cool and not too epic RPGish.

Phoenix Wright for click at stuff type game like Trace Memories.

The New Super Mario Bros. is pretty fun! Mario Kart DS is pretty great too but a lot of its fun comes from online play (which we never really did on the forums ;-; ).

That's about all I can think of.

Is Mario Kart for DS a lot like the GBA one? I liked that. I didn't like the GC one so much though.

EDIT: New question I just thought of! How are the non-main series Pokemon games for DS? Any good or just cash-ins?

I haven't played any of the non-main series Pokemon games, but, they don't look that great to me and a lot of people seem to agree with me. However, I think Ranger might be okay-ish? You'll have to ask Wattson.

Games, i gathered from your description, that you'd like:
Hotel Dusk
Phoenix Wright

These are games i'd recommend to anyone:
Jump! Ultimate Stars (Probably have to import)
Custom Robo Arena

Of course, i've never played trace memories, so i'm not sure what it's like.

I haven't played either personally, but Phoenix Wright and Hotel Dusk are both unique DS games along the Trace Memories route (Hotel Dusk is actually made by the people who made Trace Memories, actually).

Mario Kart DS is most like Mario Kart 64 gameplay-wise, but it's a 'best of' compilation of tracks - it's got tracks from the SNES, 64, GC and GBA games, as well as a bunch of new ones.

I've got Puzzle Quest on my PSP, and I think it's addictively fun. The 'battle' system is Bejewelled; depending on what colour gems you 'match', you either gain mana or damage the enemy. I know that sounds pretty crap, but it gets really deep when you're trying to chain together attacks.

New Super Mario Bros. is also excellent, although that's more of a 'normal' game, and although this may sound weird, Nintendogs is also crazy fun. For someone like me who can't have pets in their townhouse, it's almost the next best thing.

Awesome. I am almost definitely going to get Hotel Dusk in that case.

Yeah, it's pretty good. For some reason my game wouldn't save though, so i stopped playing it, but from where i got up to it was good. (You get to do puzzles =D, meaning children's picture puzzles heh)

Okay, so I've been playing some more Trace Memory, and holy crap this game is awesome. You have to like stuff that's slow paced and just kind of has a smell the roses type feel to it. The art is just so great. I love the way all the characters are drawn, which is a rarity for me in modern animation. The story doesn't pretend to be anything more epic than it is, it's just a simple mystery with an adorable young girl as a protagonist, which is basically the best thing ever. It's very linear and so far hasn't been very challenging at all, but I don't really mind the easiness, because the atmosphere is so great. This is an example of a game that actually manages to feel serious and cool without being annoying because it's taking itself too seriously—even though the story deals with dark things like death and amnesia, it never loses the sense of enjoyment you get from playing a young, inquisitive, emotional teenage girl and it is never written to appeal to meatheads who think a cool character is one who uses more elipses than words.

Trace Memory = A+. If there is more of this from the same team, I'm super excited. I can't believe I waited this long to get into DS.

I would highly recommend Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow. I have also heard nothing but good things about Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin. Both are of the 'pick up and play' variety of games and while they have a leveling system, you'll be at a comfortable level to beat most of the game bosses just by killing whatever lies in your way.

Yeah, if you dig the Castlevania series the DS ones are definitely top notch

Weirdly enough, I am like the only person who didn't actually like Symphony of the Night that much, and thus I've never been very interested in any of the GBA or DS ones.

I loved Castlevania 2 on NES and all the other ones are just kinda neat games that I can't be bothered with.

Pokemon Ranger is okay. I would not recommend it if you have to pay over $10-15 for it, though. I mean, I had fun playing it. It was repetitive, I knew the storyline was horrendously bad (and took itself seriously, to boot), but whateve rman. I found it hard to put down, at times, but I was also playing through mainly just so I can get a Manaphy and not to enjoy the game. I guess my biggest gripe is that it's way too short... apparently there were like 4 extra missions I didn't do, but I beat it in 6-10 hours, which at this point for me is not enough to warrant a full price purchase when other stellar games are on the market.
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, however, is soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo bad.

Speaking of stellar games, I have to recommend Jump! Ultimate Stars to you, since you're a big Smash Bros fan. It's like that, with a more customizable "character" (deck, in this case, but it has nothing to do with cards really). The biggest problem is, of course, importing it and the language barrier, but there are decent translation guides for it and it's a fighting game so it isn't too complex. Then again, I have been taking Japanese for four years, so I can some of it and am not completley lost. Definitley one of hte

Oh, and on the subject of short games that I don't think are worth it: I regret spending every $ I did on New Super Mario Bros. I just wasn't impressed at all. I mean, it's kinda fun, but it just doesn't feel right. I dunno. I guess a lot of people really like it, but I'm not one of them.

If you have any questions about any specific game of the really popular ones I probably have some sort of opinion on it, if you're interested. ;)

Well, if you're into puzzle games, get Tetris DS, but don't pay more than US$9.95 for it because the main game is too damn short (the main game ends after you scored 200 lines. After that you will unlock a endless mode which is pretty much useless because the game becomes ass unplayable after you score 200 lines anyway). The other puzzles on it are mediocore, but personally I'd get it for the online challange modes (I was a TetriNET addict back in the late 90s).

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, however, is soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo bad.

I've never played any of Chun Soft's Mystery Dungeon games, but I always thought they looked neat. What's so bad about this one?

I definitley recommend Lost In Blue. (http://uk.gamespot.com/ds/adventure/survivalkids/review.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=gssummary&tag=summary;review) It does get tedious in places but the game does have some very nice redeeming qualities.

I would definitely recommend trying out the DS version of Mario 64 as well, if you're a fan of the Mario games and don't already own the Nintendo 64 version =)

Mario 64 DS = no analogue schtick = RAPE!
and rape is bad in this case!

Contact is pretty fun. It is a little short but I had a fun time playing it till the end.

I've never played any of Chun Soft's Mystery Dungeon games, but I always thought they looked neat. What's so bad about this one?

Well I've never played any of them before this, but the gameplay is just really, really tedious and boring, and controls are so awkward and bad it just wasn't fun. I really, really wanted to like it, and I wanted to get farther into it, but halfway through the SECOND dungeon I was so bored of it I just had to stop.

Hmm. That's a shame, I was really hoping to like that game. =(

I'll probably still try it if I find it at a really low price.

Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow, and Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin. You won't find a better duo of games on the handheld.

I liked the project rub games they were always quite fun

Play Animal Crossing: Wild World please.

I agree with a lot of the stuff that has already been recommended (Hotel Dusk, New Super Mario Bros, Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow).

I'm not sure how much you like Super Mario RPG or Paper Mario, but Mario and Luigi Partners in Time is a very good RPG-lite. It's very pick up and play, and not just a bunch of menus in fighting. No random battles, so no running around in circles to level. I liked it a lot.

Megaman ZX if you're a fan of the Megaman series is very good. Lots of running and shooting and slashing and stuff. Classic 2d action.

If you do plan on checking out a Castlevania game, which it doesn't sound like you're too interested in, check out Dawn of Sorrow over Portrait of Ruin. It is so much better.

About the Pokemon spinoff's: I've heard some decent things about Pokemon Trozei if you are in to puzzle games. I have played Mystery Dungeon and can agree with Wattson about it's atrociousness. The reason it sucks is because the fighting in the game is basically walking close to the enemy and pressing the a button over and over again. It's pure garbage.

I'm glad to see someone thinks as highly of Trace Memory as I do.

Anyway, like everyone else has said, Hotel Dusk is your best bet for more of the same, albeit more polished. Phoenix Wright is also top-notch stuff that should be right up your alley. If our tastes continue to be similar, you'll probably be somewhat annoyed by Lost in Blue, but Animal Crossing could be right up your alley.

any Mario game will keep your face glued to the dual screen till pass out from to much light wave exposure.other than that contact is alright. i still havent got to far though. and for pick up and play... wario ware "touched".

I picked up a DS recently (ie. today), and I haven't heard a whole lot about various DS or even GBA games. I'm pretty out of the loop with this sort of thing, and this is the first handheld console I've had since a Gameboy (not even in color :( )

I imagine my tastes differ a bit from TK, but I'm still open to most suggestions. And if anything, free bump for TK.


On a side note, I was going to reserve either Diamond or Pearl but the Target I went to was out of the free ... styli. I figure if I'm going to go out of my way to reserve it, I better get my free bulky stylus >:O

Well, like i said before. I'd recommend to anyone, Custom Robo Arena and Jump! Ultimate Stars. It'd take you months upon months of regular play to unlock everything on Jump! Quite literally, it's got more stuff than you'll ever use, with over 100 characters (although some characters are just variations of that character) and hundreds of... watcha-ma-callems... someone who's played jump, help me out here. What are all the character, ability, buff things called? cards? frames? eh, whatever. Still so much content i'll promise you, you'll never use it all. Really worth the money, but you'll have to import.

On a side note, I was going to reserve either Diamond or Pearl but the Target I went to was out of the free ... styli. I figure if I'm going to go out of my way to reserve it, I better get my free bulky stylus >:O

I think the stylus at least at gamestop is given out the day the game comes out instead of when you preorder. That's how it's usually done from my understanding, but I forgot to ask.

I better get my bulky stylus with dialga on the back or I'll be so mad!

I haven't even pre-ordered it because I expect them to have plenty.

Of course I may get bored tomorrow and reserve one of them, but I'm still not sure if I want Palkia or Dialga. Still not sure. I'm not sure I want to use Pachirisu anymore, either. He seems a bit too weak. Perhaps Luxray could replace him.

It sucks because even though I pre-ordered a copy I probably won't get a bulky stylus :(.

I think the stylus at least at gamestop is given out the day the game comes out instead of when you preorder. That's how it's usually done from my understanding, but I forgot to ask.

I better get my bulky stylus with dialga on the back or I'll be so mad!

they gave it to me right away when I preordered at TRU. Really guys though, it is useless. You might as well just get a clickey pen and use it unclicked.

I bought Puzzle Quest yesterday. I'm really liking it so far and recommend it highly to people who think that a mix between Final Fantasy Tactics and Bejeweled would be pretty neat.

Trauma Center is pretty fantastic

That's not how you sell TK on a game. This is how you do it.

Trauma Center has cute nurses.

ARE THEY CUTE NURSES WITH GREEN HAIR

ONE IS!