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My personal top 10: Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor, The world ends with you, Mario Kart DS, New Super Mario Bros, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, Pokemon Black, Tetris DS, Resident Evil: Deadly Silence (started this recently, wasted all my ink like a fool first time)
- Gavin Lane
- Editor
- Last Window: The Secret of Cape West (DS) A sequel to graphic adventure game Hotel Dusk: Room 215, the pace of Last Window: The Secret of Cape West is a lot slower than similar games on the DS, and one that requires time and patience to get through.
- Pokémon Conquest (DS) Pokémon Conquest is a game that no one asked for, but many will enjoy — fans of either series will be drawn in by the familiar and be taught to love what’s new.
- Meteos (DS) A tile-matching game from producer Tetsuya Mizuguchi, the developer behind such memorising titles as Rez, Lumines and, more recently, Tetris Effect, Meteos was an early puzzle hit in the life of the DS and a is good enough to stand proudly in the company of the very best in the genre.
- Final Fantasy IV (DS) This is the game which introduced the Active Time Battle system to the series, and the one Westerners first knew as Final Fantasy II on the SNES.
- Overview
- Best Nintendo DS games
- Best Nintendo DS games: FAQs
Best
By Vic Hood
Contributions from
Emma Boyle, Henry St Leger, Malindy Hetfeld
last updated 6 February 2024
The best Nintendo DS games still showcase what made the console so innovative during its time
Kirby Super Star Ultra
One of Kirby's most beloved adventures, refined Kirby Super Star was formerly a SNES game, a platformer with such colorful worlds and exciting powers for the little guy that a DS remake made sense. On the handheld console, it's an incredibly charming and fun little game to pick up when you need a slice of nostalgia, and with the Nintendo Switch hosting a handful of modern Kirby adaptations, unfortunately, Kirby Super Star still lacks on the system. It isn't the first outing on the DS for Kirby, but it's an example of a classic receiving a great remake that enhances the original playing experience. Hopefully, we get to see the game make its way onto Nintendo's most recent system but at least we can still enjoy its offerings on DS for the time being.
Animal Crossing: Wild World
One of the best Animal Crossing settings Animal Crossing: Wild World was the first step to a more social Animal Crossing experience. While Animal Crossing: New Horizons is clearly the game that offers the most interaction between players these days, not everyone is a friend of the current island setting. Going back to the cozy villages of Wild World is just the thing, then, especially because there are some villagers, quests, and festivities that New Horizons never adopted. Wild World is one of the best Nintendo DS games because, as with all of them, it successfully improves on the formula and gives players a good time all throughout the year. There's always something to do; from decorating your home to collecting new items to just lounging with your favorite villagers.
Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors
The best visual novel escape room thriller around For all those looking to get into visual novels, the DS has a great selection, and one of the best Nintendo DS games in that category is Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors, commonly abbreviated to 999. If you’ve ever heard people gush about writer Kotaro Uchikoshi, 999 is one of the reasons why. It's also one of the games that usually comes to people's minds when we're thinking about the trend of Battle Royale-type stories in games, long before it was a shooter subgenre. 999 is a mystery on a cruise ship, consisting of ‘novel’ sections where you get to follow the story and make branching decisions, and ‘escape’ sections where you puzzle your way through an escape room. 999’s story builds with every playthrough, and each new revelation comes with truly mind-bending twists – a true “you have to see it to believe it” kind of game.
What's the most popular DS console?
Nintendo DS, 2DS, 3DS, DSi... Nintendo didn't really help its case when it named its DS generation consoles. It's clear, however, that the 3DS was a lot more popular than the DS, outselling double the amount of the previous console within eight months of launch. From today's point of view, the 3DS's large library of well-loved games (check our list of best 3DS games) and its backward compatibility with DS games make it the better option if you're looking to buy one.
- Vic Hood
- Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars. There’s just something hilariously fun about all the games in the GTA franchise, and Chinatown Wars was no different.
- Mario Kart DS. Mario Kart DS brought all the fun of the classic Mario Kart right to the palm of your hands. The third best-selling DS game, this version came with brand-new karts, new unlockable characters, and the ability to battle friends on WiFi.
- Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver. Bringing players back to the Johto region from Gold and Silver on the Game Boy, this installment in the Pokémon franchise introduces new graphics, more unique environments, and a new Pokéwalker accessory which players can use to bring their favorite Pokémon anywhere.
- Chrono Trigger. As one of the best SNES games ever created, Chrono Trigger is also one of the most impressive RPGs in gaming history. Although the SNES version is incredibly expensive today, Chrono Trigger DS is much more affordable.
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- kelsey.raynor@vg247.com
- Guides Writer
- Animal Crossing: Wild World. Released: 2005. Developer: Nintendo. Animal Crossing took the (wild) world by storm when the series came to Nintendo Switch at the height of the Covid pandemic, and with good reason.
- Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars. Released: 2009. Developer: Rockstar Games. Nintendo, and many of the games on its systems, are typically family friendly. I present to you Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, which is perhaps about as mature as it can get on the NDS.
- Mario Kart DS. Released: 2005. Developer: Nintendo. Mario Kart DS was the fifth instalment in the racing series, and it was rather forward-thinking at the time, too.
- The World Ends With You. Released: 2008. Developer: Jupiter. The World Ends With You takes place in Shibuya, one of Tokyo’s most famous shopping districts, and it looks just as cool as you’d expect.
Mar 22, 2024 · Perhaps its popularity has something to do with its fantastically diverse library – honestly, this list of the 25 best Nintendo DS games only scratches the surface, and with many of us still...
Mar 10, 2022 · The Nintendo DS combined innovative hardware with video games that were uniquely suited to the handheld console. These are our picks for the must-have titles for any DS collector.
