Nintendo DS turns 20 (Nov. 21st, 2004, North America). Favorite games on the platform?

Man, I remember when I was in Middle School. Game Informer and Nintendo Power, both of which I had in my school library were promoting it. A friend of mine had theirs before I got my own, and the amount of times I would play that Metroid Prime Hunters Demo, alongside GBA games, before getting better DS games.

Who'd have thought at a time a weird looking two screen platform would have such an effect years later? Even back in the day, the press was dooming Nintendo handhelds because Sony stepped in the ring, having kicked the N64 and GCN's ass.

To that, I ask, which are your favorite DS games? Mine are:

-Dragon Ball: Origins

No, I didn't misplace a word, confusing it with a Bioware dark-fantasy RPG as that came a year-or-two after. In fact, this Zelda-style action adventure set in the great Akira Toriyama's quirky Earth, inspired by Chinese fiction such as Journey to the West, and Hong Kong martial arts films from Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan, turns out to be one of the best in the Dragon Ball franchise. And was evidence that Dragon Ball didn't need to be a fighting game all the damn time.

-Mario Kart DS

While it has been done better in a lot of aspects as of Mario Kart 8, but the amount of content, even in single player, still stands the hell out from the rest. And it bums me out that Nintendo didn't go all out with it again (SEGA however did with the first two Sonic & All-Stars Racers though). Plus, it was the first in the series to go online.

-Pokemon: HeartGold/SoulSilver

What is already my favorite Pokemon gen got a much needed remake. Nothing more to say.

-The Urbz: Sims in the City

It was a launch title and considered underwhelming because it was a straight port from the GBA version with more content, but as I played it later, and I LOVED Bustin Out on GBA, it was actually a superior game. DS version even has a bonus chapter. I miss when EA was varied with this IP. Granted, they are re-releasing MySims (their attempt to capitalize on Animal Crossing fans... in hindsight I wonder why as Sims outsells Animal Crossing by god knows how much), so who knows if they'll revisit these again as they were unique titles in the Sims series.

-Sonic Rush

Man, back in the mid-2000s post-Dreamcast era, the press kept hammering in gamers heads that Sonic either "lost his way" or, in the case of IGN "the series was never good". But I maintain that Sonic Rush was a fantastic sidescroller for the platform.

Honorable mentions: Bleach: Dark Souls (the OG Dark Souls...), Ultimate Mortal Kombat, Civilization: Revolution, Animal Crossing: Wild World, Kirby: Super Star Ultra, LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga

What are your choices?

It is flawed with various pairs being overpowered as hell, but the best advance wars in my opinion.

Obviously the 3DS version is better than this one, but this is an IP that is always in the top ranks of my franchises i would like to see a comeback.

My favorite game on the platform by far is Etrian Odessey. I just love that game so much. I 1-3 on Steam now! Wahoo!

Didn’t get around to getting nearly as many games for the DS as I had wanted but the few I did get were quite good.

- Dragon Quest VI

- Dragon Quest IX

- Mario Kart DS

- Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story

- Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword

- Pokemon Black

The DS was an amazing handheld system.

New Super Mario Bros and Grand Theft Auto Chinatown Wars were my top list games on the DS.

The DS was revolutionary. I remember back then how gamers were dismissing the touchscreen controls as just another Nintendo "gimmick"... yet it revolutionized handheld gaming as we know it. It's the ancestor of all the touchscreen-based handheld/mobile games as we know it.

Not to mention it was the first mass-market touchscreen device to reach the masses, three years before the iPhone. The DS was the first time a large mass audience had used a portable touchscreen device of any kind. In that regard, it's an important milestone in tech history.

I happen to be playing Pokemon black right now...

Metroid Prime Hunters, AC Wild World, Mario 64, Picto chat.... lotsa fond memories w/ that system

Always wanted to try DB origins.

Played this fan translated. I used to really love FE games pre 3DS.

Personally don't like the NDS its shit jrpg machine quality wise but then again jrpg rarely comes to PS3 so I had to buy and play on it. I do like the 3DS a lot tho.

Back when I didn't have internet in my room (those blessed days) I used to play Ace Attorney before going to sleep.

DS was sweet. Some of my favorites:

Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow
Mario Kart DS
Elite Beat Agents
Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
New Super Mario Bros.
GTA: Chinatown Wars
Animal Crossing: Wild World
Meteos

HG/SS remain peak Pokemon titles.

Not gonna lie, I got a lot of quick fix fun with games like Cooking Mama and Trauma Center.

I heard LoZ Phantom Hourglass wasn't like by many but I had good fun with it. Never did get far into Spirit Tracks. Probably biggest series I played through was the Ace Attorney games.

DS is a RPG heaven. So many great games.

Great system. Time files...

Get outta here. The DS it not 20 years old. It's only....dear god 😑.

I remember travelling to a demo booth before the systems launch just to give it a try. Got up at stupid o clock in the morning to catch a train...on the weekend! Worth it? Yeah.....yeah it was.

I also remember selling a whole load of my stuff to be able to get the original system....including my copy of Metroid prime for the GC. Very silly of me. Thankfully I managed to buy it back later. Man that thing was janky as hell. It looked like a prototype. It probably was a prototype 😋. Screens were crap. Build quality was a bit questionable. But at least GBA carts still fitted in properly.

Then the DSLite came and god dam that was a nice system. One of the very few occasions where i have essentially bought the same system twice, just for some minor upgrades. The black was so inky black that it looks like light couldn't escape it's surface. Much better screens. Smaller, nicer to hold. Just....yum. I never bothered with the DSi. Seemed like a pointless upgrade from the Lite (Even though it was more of an upgrade in reality).

Fav games: The world ends with you, Mario Kart DS, Metroid Prime Hunters (The bots in that had a strangely Quake MP vibe), advance wars, GTA China Town wars, and Warioware stand out. Funnily enough I never played any of the Pokemon games on it. The 2 Zelda games were, sadly, very disappointing. Overall though loads of great games. I think i still have a bunch lying around.

I don't have a DS any more as I have a New 3DS XL. But I still have a bunch of DS games...er...somewhere.

hunters was great.........tho was hard, wonder what lundy thought of it......