The Best of the Nintendo DS – Staff Opinions!
As our celebration of the Nintendo DS’ 10th birthday draws to a close, the Nintendo Everything staff got together to discuss the games we thought defined the console for us. You’ve probably noticed all the DS-centric listicles we’ve been posting over the last few weeks, but these were all user-voted so we didn’t exactly have much control over the games that made the list. So with that in mind we’re adding in our opinions on everything from the best soundtracks to the most disappointing titles, including a few games that didn’t make the original lists.
Each of the staff members contributing has their own unique gaming tastes and just so you know exactly who to argue with in the comments section, the guys who you’ll be hearing from in this article are:
Name: Brian
Site Role: The Leader of the Bunch, You Know Him Well
Name: Patrick
Site Role: Famicolumnist, Bought Too Many DS Games
Name: Austin
Site Role: Buster of Eggs, Veteran of the Review Crew
Name: Kirara
Site Role: The Radiant Reporter, Amiibo Aficionado
Brian says… Okamiden!
Can I go with Okamiden? There might be a prettier game that I’m forgetting about, but I was very pleased with what Capcom was able to accomplish with this DS game. It’s only natural that Okamiden isn’t as beautiful as its predecessor, which was a console release. Still, I thought that Capcom managed to bring over the unique look pretty well. Okamiden doesn’t quite match the stylized, ink-painted graphics as Okami, but the cel-shaded visuals still look nice. Seeing the Guardian Saplings (and the surrounding area) spring to life remains a visual treat!
Patrick says… Solatorobo!
It makes sense that the DS game with the best visuals would come at the end of the console’s life cycle. CyberConnect2’s Solatorobo sported gorgeous backgrounds, interesting mechanical designs and some of the most detailed 3D graphics on the DS. Remove it from the console’s tiny resolution (which some people have accomplished through emulation) and it looks spectacular. Topping off the whole package were a series of animated cutscenes by studio Madhouse. The colourful visuals made Solatorobo’s setting stand out – even if it was essentially the same as Miyazaki’s Laputa: Castle in the Sky only with way more anthropomorphic animals.
Kirara says… Super Robot Taisen OG Saga: Endless Frontier
The character design is truly what struck me about this game, aside from the fact that the title of the game is insanely long. There are separate design ideas that combine to give the characters a bold look. The male protagonist, Haken, a 23 year old bounty/relic hunter has a slightly futuristic if not cowboyesque look to him which looks a bit cliche, but with the combination of rich bright colors and deep dark hues he comes across as a debonair scoundrel the ladies love to follow. The detail given to his weapons and costume lend an air of chivalrous knight as well, which is what made him such a fun character. Out of the three female protagonists my favorite is Kaguya Nanbu, the 18 year old princess who joins the story on a right of passage of sorts. Everything about her from her overall anime inspired looks to even her special attacks and weapon is embroiled in such history and lore that you cant help but want to know more about her. Her amazing sword, a single deep-edged longsword named Goushiki Zankanto, is probably my favourite thing about her.
Brian says… AlphaBounce!
It’s been awhile since I last played AlphaBounce. From what I remember though, it was extremely addicting. AlphaBounce is unique twist on the brick-breaking formula. It’s set in space, it has a massive amount of levels (apparently over 25 million), and there are even some RPG elements to the experience. You can equip different envelopes, balls, and more. These new items are made available by clearing the various levels. There are also several brick variations to mix up the experience. After clearing a level in AlphaBounce, I’d tell myself “Alright, I’ll play just one more.” Of course, that usually didn’t happen, and I’d usually end up playing through a bunch more levels.
Patrick says… Shantae: Risky’s Revenge!
Given my lack of experience with the DSiWare platform, this was really just a decision between Shantae and Pictobits – a NES-themed puzzle game that’s impossible for me to play with my colour-blindness. Shantae it is! It’s a short but sweet platformer with heaps of secrets to uncover, transformations to use and some of the best visuals and music on the system. Kind of a boring choice since it already topped the reader-voted list, but that’s WayForward’s fault for making such a great game.
