DS Recommendations?

[merricontrari]

(I apologize in advance if is out of place or not allowed.)

I recently got a gift card (to a major retail store) that I'd like to use to get a new DS game.
I obviously already have both Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks. I also have all 3 Professor Layton games, and Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story. (So that should tell you my taste in games.)

I am interested in MarioKart DS and in Drawn to Life - DtL looks interesting and MarioKart is always fun. Has anyone played these (I'm sure you have)? Is DtL as fun as it looks? How do the controls for MarioKart work?

And of course I welcome any other suggestions for games you may have.

 

[Hylian Knight]

I'm not sure of the proper order in the Mario&Luigi series but M&L: Partner's in Time is good If you liked Bowser's Inside Story.
You already have the DS LoZ games.

 

[SuperGanondorf]

Drawn to Life was enjoyable, but it wasn't as deep as most platformers. It's good fun, but it doesn't last particularly long. Mario Kart DS is also a blast, but it doesn't compare to the Wii and Gamecube versions.

If you liked Professor Layton, I couldn't recommend Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney enough. You play as a lawyer (if you haven't walked away already, stay with me, as it is far better than it sounds) who must take on a series of murder cases. These murder cases are much more bizarre than typical ones, though. You must cross-examine witnesses and examine crime scenes in order to solve the case and prove the killer guilty. The characters are deep and entertaining, the music is probably some of the best in gaming, and the story is absolutely brilliantly written. It also bears some similarities to PL; the way the story unravels, as well as the quirky characters. They are actually making a PL-PW crossover right now, to be released on the 3DS.

You can find Capcom's official site here. I couldn't recommend it more, and it will last quite a long time.

Other recommendations: If you like strategy, Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon is an excellent and addicting choice. Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time, the predecessor of Bowser's Inside Story, was also good, although not as good as Bowser's. Final Fantasy III also is great. But Phoenix Wright cannot steer you wrong.

 

[Hylian Hobbit]

Honestly, Pokemon Heart Gold and Soul Silver were pretty damn good if you liked the originals. I loved Gold and Silver as a kid, and it was kinda cool reviating them again on the DS in the new style. If you hate Pokemon if a blazing passion, don't bother. But if you're willing to give it a chance, go for it man.

You already, have PH and SS, so that's out... I know i'm forgetting something, but i can't think of it. >_<. It'll come to me soon. =P

 

[knowlee]

Hmm, I haven't played Drawn to Life or MarioKart DS or even really remotely known anything about them except for the basic concept of the game in order to tell you my opinion on them. My apologies.

But as far as game recommendations go I do have a few. Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days is a DS title that I'd recommend getting. It's one of my favorite games in the KH series and tells what happens to Roxas during his days as a Organization XIII member. Also, another Kingdom Hearts game that is slated to come out on the DS soon (I think next month in January 2011), which is Kingdom Hearts Re:Coded. Of course since it hasn't come out yet I'm not sure of how good it is, but from what I've heard it's going to be awesome.

Another one, which of course I have yet to play and I want to really really badly, that I have heard good things about is Scribblenauts. It's made by the same people who made Drawn to Life and in that game basically you go through levels and have to obtain certain things(can't remember what these things are for the life of me) in order to beat the level. But in order to obtain those you have to type in an object that you want to use to get that thing. And that object can be anything from a sword to a bed (literally).

 

[Nayrinarore]

it seems like you like role playing games. you should go with "Chrono Trigger". unarguably one of the best RPGs ever made, originally for SNES, re-done for DS. amazing story. aMAZING. awesome gameplay. my favorite game of all time. by far. try it out.

 

[fredthehylian]

I can safely say, I have disliked a whole lot of games on the DS, so I have very few recommendations.
If you are a fan of JRPGs (or just RPGs in general) check out any of the Dragon Quest games (they have 4, 7, 8, and 9) or Chrono Trigger. They have great stories from what I've read of them, and the gameplay is pure customisable rpg fun.
This one's a must have; WarioWare: Do-It-Yourself (commonly abbreviated as DIY.) If you ever intend to get into game design, or composing music for games, I recommend this. It has a very advanced, yet easy to use system to make games, and a Mario Paint-ish music making program. The only thing that's problematic is that you can't have chords if you want a harmony and bass.
If you have DSiWare (which I know so few of you appreciate) Cave Story and the Oregon Trail are there. Who wouldn't want two PC classics on the go? Reviewing them would take up most of the space on the thread, so I'll have to be succinct.
Cave Story- Great story, great challenge, great music, and most of all, it has the same classic gameplay as the old Metroids and Megamans. It also doesn't try to shove its nostalgia-value in your face with quotes like "All your base are belong to us," or "Sorry Mario, but our princess is in another castle." No sir. It merely does what it's supposed to do; be a good game.
Oregon Trail- What hasn't been said about the Oregon Trail that I could say right now? Educational games aren't always bad, and this game goes to prove it. We already know about the hardships of the Oregon Trail, so it's not educational for us, but it still brings back the classic gameplay of being a pioneer.

Other than that, there's Kirby Super Star Ultra, which is a superior port to the original, and even a fantastic multiplayer. Good ol' Kirby has every one of his best known abilities (minus UFO) and uses them to plow through more than 5-6 modes, including a special mode where you play each story consecutively... as Meta Knight. Even better, you can play through a multiplayer story with your buddy and take out King Dedede, Meta Knight, and Marx together.

 

[merricontrari]

Thanks everybody! I wrote down your suggestions and am gonna check them out a little further in just a second.
Just a few comments:

@knowlee - I have some friends who are into KH, and somehow I didn't know that 358/2 was on the DS. It always sounds great when they talk about it, so it's now high on the list. I guess I don't need to have played any other KH games?

As for the M&L game, well I'm kindof ambivalent about the Bowser game. It was good but I am not exactly wild about it. So I don't think I want to try the Partners in Time game, especially since SuperGanondorf said that BIS was the better of the two.

@Hylian Hobbit - I have not ever played any Pokemon games (I was a couple years "too old" for it when it first hit America), but I'm not necessarily opposed to it. The pokemon are cute. I'm hesitant because of the battle format though. The battle thing is part of why I don't really like Paper Mario. But I'm gonna check it out.

Thanks so much everybody! Keep the suggestions coming, if there are any others out there