Actually, some of the best games or applications I've purchased this year were on the DS:
"CoD: World At War" - This is a TOUGH game, and it shows a nice FPS side to the system. I like the improvements over "CoD4: Modern Warfare" like an Iron Sight control bar instead of double-tapping the screen, and collision detection issues being better, with a loooong Campaign, achievement system, and unlockables all over the place this one gets my Hand-Held Game of the Year I think. There's still time to knock it out of first, but I doubt it'll happen.
"My Japanese Coach" - I don't care if this isn't Rosetta Stone (a comprehensive computer language course that costs hundreds of dollars), I don't care if it doesn't teach me EVERY subtle nuance of a very complex language, and I really don't care what you think of learning games. This is teaching me something I didn't know before and it's fun to do. Add to that the ability to record yourself and ACCURATELY play it back against the instructor's pronounciation and I think you have a very good learning tool.
"Personal Trainer: Cooking" - See the above comments about "Japanese Coach", but in this case it got me off my butt and cooking instead of eating processed foods or ordering out. You can visit different countries and get step-by-step instructions, tips, and even SHOPPING LISTS to guide you to a better way of nutrition... there's even a hands-free voice command mode so that you can page through the recipe without having to touch the DS... brilliant, fun, and it's changing the quality of my life in small ways for the better!
I'm having a lot of fun with all of these titles even though two of them really aren't technically games... it makes me very optimistic for the future of the platform not only as a gaming device but outside of gaming too (a transition iPhones and others desperately want to manage in the opposite direction).
Did you see that there really IS a "My Quiting Smoking Coach", though? No kiddin'. I don't want to pre-judge, but quiting smoking was the hardest boss battle of my life... I dunno if a DS is going to be strong enough to get that monkey off one's back! Still, if it even helps just ONE person quit... Right?
:)
I love my DS!!!
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