Nintendo DS

Nintendo DS

If you would like the games in alphabetical order, simply click the arrow next to Title. Same goes with everything else.

• (Got no DS option) /v/'s recommended emulators for the Nintendo DS are DeSmume and No$Gba, you can find the latest versions on 4chan's /rs/, and several more apps in this thread[1], including frontends, skins, and a program to fix the crackling audio in New Super Mario Bros and others.
• (Got a DS or have cash option) Buy a DS (If you can), get FlashCart and go nuts!
• Notice: DSI and DSI XL have no GBA slot and higher anti-piracy software so when buying your handheld please choose wisely.

For notable upcoming games for the DS, check this page: *here*

The List

Box Art	Title	Genre	Description
	Avalon Code	RPG	An action RPG where you manipulate the "code" of things to change their characteristics. Has very nice 3D graphics (for the DS, that is).
	A Witch's Tale	RPG	You accidentally unleash one of the most evil witches into the world when you open a guarded book. OOOPS! So instead of being killed by the vampire guarding the book, he instead decides to go on adventures with you to save the world from her evil. Basic RPG combat, but the designs are cute.
	Atelier Annie: Alchemists of Sera Island	RPG / Sim	You play an extremely lazy girl who's family decides to send her to an island to enter an alchemy contest. Lots of character interaction and a good system for alchemy and combat.
	Chrono Trigger DS	RPG	The best version of one of the best RPGs of all time. Includes extra dungeons, a new ending, and all the cutscenes from the PS1 version. Also new modes, a monster battlan' minigame, optional touch-screen interface, plus tons of other extras. Time to show Lavos who's boss again and again. Even the translation has been updated!
	Contact	RPG	A surreal and unique RPG experience on the DS. Severely underrated and suggested to those looking for something different. Has many secrets, with even more post-game. Actually from the man behind the Shining Soul series for GBA, and NOT Suda 51. (Proof Here).
	The Dark Spire	RPG	Extremely difficult first person dungeon crawler with the option to turn on wire frame graphics to make it like an early 80's RPG (awesomeness). Be prepared to do some grinding. Generally goes for around 10$ ($5, if you're lucky), comes with a nice cardboard case and a free soundtrack.
	Digimon World: Dawn/Dusk	RPG	An alright Digimon game, with all the monster collecting as usual. If you're tired of Pokémon, give this a whirl.
	Dragon Quest IV	RPG	A remake of the NES title with the improvements the Playstation version received. Also has a new script, but for some reason party chat was removed. You control different characters in different chapters, and they all band together in the last (which is longer than all the others combined.)
	Dragon Quest V	RPG	Another Dragon Quest remake, this time of one that never left Japan. It features upgrades that the PS2 version received, plus several new ones, and a new translation (with party chat being restored). You can use monsters in your party (which can be decked out with gear in addition to learning skills and magic ). The excellent story will make you cry bitch tears.
	Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker	RPG	Solid gameplay, very good 3D, and has online functions. Monsters' skill sets are customized similar to Dragon Quest 8's, which grants bonuses, magic, and abilities respective to the types of skill sets you level up. Monsters can also be equipped with gear. A pretty good intro to DQM, despite not matching the 1+2's depth.
	Etrian Odyssey 2	RPG	Brutal first person dungeon crawling. Offers tons of character customization. Unfortunately, certain classes are almost necessary to get past the early levels. Be prepared for FOE FOE FOE FOE FOE FOE FOE FOE FOE FOE FOE FOE
	Final Fantasy IV DS	RPG	A fully 3D remake of the SNES game. Includes decent voice-acted cut scenes and a new ability system designed to offer a modicum of customization in the least-customizable FF game to date. Also of note is the increased difficulty over previous ports of the game. Arguably, the best version of FF4 currently available.
	Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time	RPG	The latest in the Crystal Chronicles spin-off series. The DS and Wii versions are the same (as in literally the same game with the exact same graphics), though the DS one is played online more than the Wii one on /v/.
	Glory of Heracles	RPG	The first of the Greek-themed RPG series to make it overseas, and an excellent entry. Takes elements from previous GoH games and adds new ones. It features OPTIONAL touch-screen power boosts to your skills and magic (think Mario RPG). An intriguing adventure done by an ace team of old-schoolers. Recommended to buy as it's worth every Drachma and goes fairly cheap, too. A bit easy, but features some post-game content to extend play-time.
	Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days	RPG / Action	An extension of the Kingdom Hearts series on the Nintendo DS. Takes a very few concepts from Chain of Memories, but plays like the traditional KH formula. Also has a mission mode that lets you play with a number of different characters, including Donald, Goofy, and Mickey. Unsurprisingly, there are massive yaoi undertones. Hope you like sea salt ice cream.
	Kaiju Busters	RPG / Adventure	The DS version of Monster Hunter. Stays true to the formula of using giant weapons to fight huge monsters, but uses monsters from old Japanese monster movies. The game is entirely in moonspeak, and the chances of a patch are low, but the language barrier isn't ovewhelming. Actually has 3 player local co-op.
	Knights in the Nightmare	RPG	The third in the "Dept. heaven' saga (along with Riviera and Yggdra Union). Do you like Bullet hell, annoying voices, incredible music, RPGs and Atlus? Yes you do. A really good game with lots of story, lots of characters and a XBOX HUEG tutorial.
	Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story	RPG	The third entry of the series, Bowser's Inside Story is arguably the best of the series. If you hated Partners in Time for its obnoxious babies, lack of Fawful, irritating controls, complete linearity, or just not being as good as Superstar Saga, you will love this game. Be warned pirates, this game sports mean anti-piracy.
	Mega Man Star Force	RPG	The spiritual successor to Battle Network. While it's definitely not as good as Battle Network, it's still worth a play if you liked them. Stay the fuck away from 2 though - unless you're fucking masochist. 3 happens to be fucking amazing.
	Phantasy Star Zero	RPG	Phantasy Star Online's awesome little brother. Character creation has huge customization opportunities. Has online play, which is a blast with a group.
	Pokémon Diamond and Pearl	RPG	The first Pokémon main games on Nintendo DS. Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, taking place in a whole new Region, Sinnoh, introduce more than 100 new monsters. Using Nintendo DS's Wi-Fi, it makes them the first Pokémon games to feature online battles and trades.
	Pokémon Platinum	RPG	Gotta catch 'em all, just like the three previous generations. The updated version of Diamond and Pearl, it includes a greater variety of Pokémon native to Sinnoh, graphical updates and a deeper storyline, as well as revamped gyms and battles brought up from 'snail' speed to 'turtle' speed. Includes tons of stuff to do over Wi-Fi and once the game is finished.
	Sands of Destruction	RPG	Funny and charming JRPG reminiscent of PS1 era JRPGS, especially Xenogears (in gameplay). This time you're destroying the world rather than saving it. The musics are really good.
	Soma Bringer	RPG	Diablo with animu characters. Very customizable with many options as to how to build your character. Full translation patch (aside from the glossary you'll never use), look on GBATemp.
	Suikoden Tierkreis	RPG	A spin-off of the Suikoden series. You're able to recruit up to 108 members for your party. Looks pretty, but VA is sketchy (theprotagonistsoundslikehehad20cansofredbull).
	Summon Night: Twin Age	RPG	A simple little RPG in the style of the old Mana games. Not very challenging, but it might just be what you're looking for if you want something relaxing with cute graphics.
	Super Robot Taisen OG Saga	RPG	Atlus Monolith Soft game where you play a Space cowboy surrounded by tits. Other than the gratuitous fan service, there is a pretty good battle system.Also has KOS-MOS from Xenosaga and that's always nice.
	Tales of Innocence	RPG	A full 3D Tales on DS, huzzah. Battle system is similar to Abyss's, letting you move around freely. Translation patch is currently in the works, ETA is summer 2009. check this
	Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume	RPG	A spin-off of the Valkyrie Profile series in the form of an SRPG with the usual gameplay integrated in. Not as great as the originals, but still fun. It also has an original storyline where you aren't necessarily the good guy.
	The World Ends with You	RPG	Using a rather daunting dual-screen battle system, this action-RPG manages to be appeal to the trendy and the weeaboo at the same time. Might want to get some screen protectors, because fighting will get scratches all over. Crisp 2D graphics and interesting music tracks draw you into the game, and the battles keep you there. Level up your 'pins' like Materia in FF7. Also includes stat modification through fashion accessories and food digestion. Even though that sounds horrible on paper, it works.
	Xenosaga I + II	RPG	A retelling of the first two episodes of the Xenosaga trilogy for the PS2. The Episode II portion of the game, originally told through Jr.'s perspective, now focuses on Shion. Features new content and some parts of the script that were originally cut from Episode II. It should be noted the entire game uses the battle system from Episode I. It was only released in Nipponland, but an English translation patch is being worked on here.
	Fighting Fantasy: The Warlock of Firetop Mountain	FPS / RPG	A First-Person dungeon crawling RPG that mainstream reviewers hated because it was too hard. Based on the gamebook of the same name. Has 3D environments, 2D enemies, MPH controls and tons of loot. Protip: Pick a class and stick with it.
	Another Code (Trace Memory)	Point and Click Adventure	Another short, but fun adventure game. Usual point and click designs are present throwing in some puzzles to make use of the DS's features. Sequel is on Wii as Another Code: R – A Journey into Lost Memories
	Broken Sword - Shadow of the Templars	Point and Click Adventure	A port of the PC version. Features extra puzzles and some other gameplay changes. Story has been updated but there are some odditys in the programming.
	Hotel Dusk: Room 215	Point and Click Adventure	Explore the eerie Hotel Dusk while unraveling the mystery behind it. Fantastic atmosphere, great characters and a nice art style make this a must play.
	Miles Edgeworth: Ace Attorney Investigations	Point and Click Adventure	You know what this game has? Franziska. You know what this game doesn't have? Magic. Any questions? Of course not. While this is a very nice game on itself, it really shines with it's meta-humor so be sure to play the other games first (aka all THREE Phoenix Wright titles, and Apollo Justice). Step back, I'm gonna try LOGIC!
	Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney	Point and Click Adventure	The first in the series. Take control of Phoenix Wright while you object like the motherfucking fist of the north star. Has an extra case exclusive to the DS version, which is great. Probably the best game of them all.
	Phoenix Wright: Justice For All	Point and Click Adventure	Second in the series, and while considered the weakest (along with Apollo Justice), the fuckwin final case makes up for it. The thing with this game is: it's weakest case is the worst case in the series, but it's best case is the best in the series, so it really pays off. Plus Franziska.
	Phoenix Wright: Trials and Tribulations	Point and Click Adventure	Phoenix's final game before he steps down, and it is one hell of a ride. The final case is mind blowing, and who can really hate the ever-manly Godot?
	Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney	Point and Click Adventure	A revamp of the series, with a new protagonist. While considered one of the weakest in the series, it's still pretty rockin' (literally). Includes DS exclusive features from PW1's extra case.
	Theresia	Point and Click Adventure / Survival Horror	A first person survival horror game full of tons of traps and puzzles. The puzzles are a bit on the easy side, but the amount of traps that are placed just about everywhere levels it out. The way the game lays out the plot makes it very unpredictable, and the visuals are beautiful.
	Time Hollow	Point and Click Adventure / Visual Novel	You receive a pen that lets you fuck with the past, including preventing accidents. However, just like every other "tamper with the past" plot, everything starts going haywire. A great game, but fairly short.
	Dementium: The Ward	Survival Horror / FPS	A survival horror game for the Nintendo DS. Surprisingly scary if you wear headphones and don't mind mediocre graphics. The gameplay is pretty slow-paced, but the atmosphere is chilling.
	Moon	Survival Horror / FPS	Made by Renegade Kid, who made Dementium. This game is the team's second attempt at making a DS FPS/Horror game. This time, it's on the moon, hence the title. Responsive touch-screen controls, good looking environments and graphics, and fun boss fights. It's kind of on the short side, and never really TOO scary, but it's worth picking up. An improvement over Dementium.
	Advance Wars: Days of Ruin	Strategy / TBS	Takes a large change of pace from the previous games, opting for a grimdark atmosphere and setting. Widely considered the most balanced Advance Wars game to date. 2nd of the DS Advance wars, Dark conflict in Europe, with differnt translation.
	Advance Wars: Dual Strike	Strategy / TBS	Offers dual COs, which leads to insanely cheap and broken combinations. Despite this, it's still a great game with a fun Campaign and even more COs to use. First of the DS Advance Wars.
	Blue Dragon Plus	Strategy / RPG / RTS	Very fun real-time strategy the employs the DS stylus, Blue Dragon Plus offers plenty of gameplay with a consistent difficulty curve that keeps you entertained. An actual sequel to Blue Dragon story-wise, so if you care about story, don't play this till' you finish the first. Has a bad reputation critically, but it's actually good, so fuck the magazines.
	Robocalypse	RTS	Watch this trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPxPazuOhfo If that doesn't make you want to play the game, then you you're lying, you never watched the trailer. Funny dialogue, great story, and easy to learn controls. The game is a bit on the easy side and a little short, but it does have a hard mode to make up for it. if link doens't work remove the 'if' at the end*
	Disgaea DS	Strategy / RPG	A port of the PS2 version. Offers less available units and not as much voice acting, but also includes a couple of bonus characters (Plenair being one). If you can't get the PSP version, this is acceptable.
	Final Fantasy Tactics A2	Strategy / RPG	The sequel to the GBA game; BUT, laws can no longer make missions unwinnable, and jail has been removed. The worst part of breaking the law is being unable to revive allies until the end of battle. Side-quests are much more varied and really carry the weight of the game through their stories. More classes, more races, more abilities. Shitload of content to keep you busy. Make sure not to stick to the main quest.
	Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon	Strategy / RPG	A remake of the original Fire Emblem. You know, the one with Marth. Features online play and the usual Fire Emblem jazz. If you've played any Fire Emblem game before, you know exactly what to expect. One new addition is that you can change the characters' classes...which might sound like too much of a deviation from tradition, but it works well.
	Front Mission DS	Strategy / RPG	A remake of the SNES title that never left Japan. Has a bunch of improvements and extras over the original, including secret missions and areas.
	Hero's Saga Laevatein Tactics	Strategy / RPG	A strategy game whith a fun battle system. Also all the characters are spanish.
	Lock's Quest	Strategy / Defense	Fun little tower defense game, perfectly suited for the DS. Also has multiplayer.
	Ninjatown	Strategy / Defense	The other great tower defense game for the DS. Round, cute character designs and somewhat amusing characters. Sort of challenging unless you're going for A-ranks on everything, which is hard as hell.
	Luminous Arc 2	Strategy / RPG	Boasts some nice improvements over the original that make it worth playing. The first one has a great story but downgraded graphics and gameplay. This game has lots of fanservice and takes about 200 hours to reach 100%.
	Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes	Strategy / RPG / Puzzle	Capybara, who made Critter Crunch for iPhone and PS3, took the Might & Magic franchise, gave it anime-inspired art, and SOMEHOW mixed a turn-based strategy RPG battle system with a match-3 puzzle mechanic. AND IT TURNED OUT AWESOME. Battles take some thinking to win, and the gameplay is probably some of the most original found in SRPGs.
	Rondo of Swords	Strategy / RPG	Like a mix of Shining Force and Fire Emblem, Rondo of Swords is about prince Serdic and his allies who must reclaim his throne from enemy forces. The story is decent, but can get pretty twisted depending on your key decisions. The combat involves making a path, striking thru multiple enemies, and getting boosts from allies. Battles are fuck hard, but that's why you can retreat (when allowed to) to review your tactics and even send out allies to train and get supplies.
	Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor	Strategy / RPG	Challenging game with over a hundred demons to recruit into your part. Tons of character customization, but boss battles are ragequit inducing. Very very generic battles system, ugly ass sprites, even for DS standards.
	Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow	Action / Adventure	The first DS Castlevania and direct sequel to the last GBA game, Aria of Sorrow. Introduces the somewhat annoying animu style, but keeps the great Castlevania feeling. Lots of replay value, in fact replaying it is more fun than the first time around.
	Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin	Action / Adventure	This game is pretty good. Features a concentration on teamwork and team-up skills. Also has a lot of extra characters and a balls-to-the-wall hard mode. Protip: NEVER SELL ANYTHING unless you can get more of it. 2nd of the DS games and the most "classic" Castlevania experience of the three DS games (save for the animu style).
	Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia	Action / Adventure	Konami's latest Metroidvania. Ditches the dual character system from Portrait of Ruin for a glyph system. Challenging game that features a VERY hard level cap one mode. Starts VERY linear, but as expected, there's lots to do and explore later on. Play as a STUPID DISCIPLE! Third of the DS games.
	Chibi-Robo! Park Patrol	Action / Adventure	A very overlooked and underrated title, it's the sequel to the Gamecube sleeper hit. You basically grow flowers while fending off enemies. It's better than it sounds, trust me. Not released in Europe. sequel is currently Japan only.
	Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime	Action / Adventure	You play as a Slime from Dragon quest, trying to save other slimes who have been kidnapped. Great gameplay that has Zelda-like exploration and a number of boss battles take place in giant tanks. The story is cute, and non-serious.
	GTA: Chinatown Wars	Action / Adventure	Uses a top-down perspective similar to early GTA games. Looks pretty and plays extremely smoothly. Don't expect it to go easy on the story just because it's on the DS. Ported to PSP with 'better' graphics but is amazingly poor.
	The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass	Action / Adventure	The cel-shaded Link returns in new, pixely form on the DS. The controls work well and the graphics are good for the DS, but it isn't one of the better Zelda titles. If you can get past the forced stealth, unkillable enemies and arbitrary time limits in the dungeon you have to make your way through every time you beat a dungeon, you'll be able to enjoy it. Also it's a direct continuation to Wind Waker so, if you never played that one, brace for some spoilers.
	The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks	Action / Adventure	Epic sequel to Phantom Hourglass that improves on the rather dull formula from Phantom Hourglass. Puzzles are some of the most solid in the 2D game series and are actually challenging. The formula is the same as Phantom Hourglass, but all of the flaws from Phantom Hourglass have been removed from this game and/or refined in some way. It's still very linear in travel, but if you can get over that it's a solid experience with seriously likable characters, one of the best final boss fights in the series, some of the best music in the series, and some really cool puzzles.
	Lunar Knights	Action / Adventure	A fun, somewhat clunky action spinoff of the Boktai series. Works off an in-game system rather than real solar sensors, which is sort of a bummer. but you can use the sensors from a copy of one of the original Boktai carts if you insert it in the GBA slot.
	Metroid Prime Hunters	Action / Adventure	An FPS that handles fairly decently. Controls sort of need some getting used to, otherwise online multiplayer is pretty fun unbalanced decent. Sequel is rumored to be in the works.
	Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword	Action / Adventure	Looks very nice, and the controls are spot on most of the time. You hold your DS sideways to play, which is always fun.
	Resident Evil Deadly Silence	Action / Adventure	A port of the Playstation original. Features updated controls and a new game mode. Graphics, sound and even fmv are mostly the same.
	Freshly Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland	Action / Adventure	A quirky game where you take control of everyone's favorite little faggot, Tingle. Everything runs off rupees; combat, the goal of the game, everything. This was released in Japan and Europe, but not the U.S obviously because of general American up-tightness towards sex issues.
	Legacy of Ys: Books I & II	Action / Adventure	The Ys series has a cult status here in America. Gameplay is similar to Zelda whereas story feels old-school Final Fantasy-ish. This package has both of the first two games, although, it's noted that the 3D backgrounds are a little ugly. People often recommend the Turbo CD version or the PSP ports over the DS ones. Does come with an extra area and boss, however. Also comes with fancy packaging and a soundtrack.
	Bomberman 2	Puzzle	Ditches the minigame system of the Touch! games in favour of a traditional Bomberman experience, which also has a ton of customization options (this affects your stats and skills). Also has online multiplayer, which is always a plus.This game was only released in Japan and Europe for some reason.
	Coropata	Puzzle	The Incredible Machine featuring a loli. Over 100 different puzzles in which you must provide means for the autonomous Himawari to reach her destination. Entirely in moonspeak, but it's not like the plot is important. Menus are simple to navigate.
	Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure	Puzzle / Platformer	A hybrid platformer/puzzler that fucking owns. The top screen is a standard platformer, while the bottom is a puzzle game that ties neatly to the gameplay. Plus, it features a stereotypical British man. Just icing on the cake. Bully! Don't be turned off by the fact it's made by EA though.
	Meteos	Puzzle	Sakurai's puzzle brainchild. Plays like Tetris Attack on crack, which is, not surprisingly, fucking awesome. Fire those bastards into space!
	Mr. Driller: Drill Spirits	Puzzle	Doesn't really make much use of the DS's features, but hey, who needs 'em. Still a great game that's easy to play, but hard to master.US version is missing a extra character, so get the European version.
	Picross DS	Puzzle	A bunch of Picross puzzles on your DS. Everyone likes picross puzzles. Be on the lookout for Rittai Picross, a 3D version of Picross.
	Planet Puzzle League	Puzzle	Puzzle League's great gameplay coupled with the DS's touch-screen and online multiplayer make for a fantastic version of an old classic.There's also a 1-player version for DSiWare, which is good if you don't like carrying extra cards around.
	Professor Layton and the Curious Village	Puzzle	Lots of brain teasers and logic puzzles to wrap your head around, plus an enjoyable storyline and quirky characters. This reminds me of a puzzle...
	Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box	Puzzle	Continues the story after the first Layton. Still awesome and look, professor! I found a puzzle! Only one puzzle requires the mic, and it's the last one!
	Puyo Puyo! 15th Anniversary and Puyo Puyo 7	Puzzle	Includes classic and Fever modes along with a bunch of gimmick ones. A great package unless you really hate the aesthetics of the Fever series. An English patch is available, and it calls Satan "Satan" instead of "Dark Prince." Puyo Puyo 7 has a few more characters, a new mode of play (Mini/Huge Mode), and a more active online community. Get your ass beat down by moon people or huge weeaboos. It can also play using the classic modes found in 15th Anniversary. A full translation patch is available here, if you care about the riveting storyline or can't figure out how to navigate the menus.
	Soul Bubbles	Puzzle / Action	Not totally unlike LostWinds on the Wii. In this game, you control a 'spirit herder', someone who saves lost souls by guiding them to salvation (ie: the end of each level). To do this, you collect them in a bubble, and blow the bubble to the end. There are power ups in the form of masks which do various new maneuvers, like trimming the environment for safe passage, or splitting the bubble into smaller bubbles for example. This game is very, very relaxing. If you live in North America, you can only get this game at Toys R Us stores, oddly, but it's priced at 9.99$, so don't hesitate.
	Space Bust-A-Move	Puzzle	Fans of the Bust-A-Move franchise will appreciate this entry on the DS, far better than the earlier Bust-A-Move DS simply for not requiring touch-controls.The game even features boss fights that aren't just two-player CPU battles, ain't that something?
	Tetris DS	Puzzle	You all know how this works by now, you faggots. Play through tons of 8-bit Nintendo-themed worlds in the main endless mode. Play through twists on the Tetris formula in others. There's even a Balloon Fight-themed touchscreen mode! Hell yes, this could very well be mankind's greatest achievement.
	WarioWare Touched!	Puzzle/Minigame	Wacky microgames. If you've played WarioWare before, you know what to expect. Utilizes the touchscreen for most of the microgame sets, but for one set in particular the DS' mic is used.
	Daigasso Band Brothers DX	Music / Rhythm	Play a wide variety of songs with a bunch of instruments. Nearly 4000 songs to play via download. You can't download them on a flash cart, instead you need to find saves with songs pre-loaded.
	Elite Beat Agents	Music / Rhythm	Tap beats in tune with the music while men in suits dance in the background to help people get by. Help a retired baseball player fight a fire golem, inspire Leonardo Da Vinci to draw the Mona Lisa, save the world from aliens. Way more awesome than it sounds. AGENTS ARE GO!
	Kira Kira Pop Princess	Music / Rhythm	Loli rhythman, dancan, and dressan up. Most manly game ever. What more do you want? An undub to get rid of the terrible English voices? Here Original Japanese title was Pinky Street Kira Kira Music Hour. There's also a sequel that lets you use the rival girl from this game.
	Maestro! Jump in Music	Music / Rhythm	You follow Presto, your happy-go-lucky bird protagonist, on hunt for all the music notes in the world, having been nicked by the big baddy in the bizarre opening movie. Your goal is to help him overcome the various obstacles in his path, using your stylus to pluck strings and hit monsters. You can even sing along with the mic (don't worry, it's optional).  OH SOLE MIOOO.
	Lego Rock Band	Music / Rhythm	Basically Rock Band: Unplugged for the DS.
	Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan / Moero! Nekketsu Rhythm Damashii Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan 2	Music / Rhythm	Same idea as Elite Beat Agents, except instead of American pop/rock you get J-pop and J-rock instead. Near-Gurren Lagann levels of HOTBLOODEDNESS to be found. The sequel allows you to choose which cheering squad to play as (sort of). OUENDAN! Obviously, Japanese only, but if you played Elite Beat Agents, you won't have a problem.
	Pop Town	Music / Rhythm	The sequel to Pop Princess, as mentioned above. Has a hard mode. Original Japanese title is Pinky Street Kira Kira Music Night.
	Rhythm Heaven	Music / Rhythm	The sequel to the (Japan only) GBA cult classic. Basically a bunch of rhythm based minigames. Yes, you do scream looking like a retard in some of them. Highly addictive.
	Taiko no Tatsujin DS 1 and 2	Music / Rhythm	IT'S LIKE I'M REALLY A DRUMMER! It's in Japanese. Also check out the sequel for more songs and stuff to do.
	Bangai-O Spirits	Shoot 'Em Up	A sequel to the Dreamcast classic. While it doesn't live up to the original, it's still a great game on its own right. Features a shitton of levels and its own level editor. This game will make your ds lag.
	Big Bang Mini	Shoot 'Em Up	90 levels, multiplayer, looks pretty nice plus the interesting touchscreen gameplay makes for a great shmup.
	Contra 4	Shoot 'Em Up	Balls to the wall hard, just like Contra should be. Some were concerned that it wouldn't live up to the other titles of the series, seeing as it wasn't developed by a Konami 1st party. Luckily, the 3rd party that tackled it really fucking loves the Contra series, so it turned out great. After the first playthrough a challenge mode is unlocked. that's when the game really gets awesome, a reward is granted for every four challenges you beat.
	Geometry Wars Galaxies	Shoot 'Em Up	When you turn on this game, you better be fucking ready. Expect colours, particles, killer shapes, and a huge fucking multiplier. Adds a nice RPG element where you level up a drone to save your ass, like a true bro. Remember to use a fucking screen protector on your lower screen because the game will fuck it up if you don't. Can link with the Wii version to unlock the final levels.
	Little Red Riding Hood Zombie BBQ	Shoot 'Em Up	It's a fun, typical shmup, but bosses are taken from fairy tales and shit, except zombified and horror themed (?). It can be rage inducing hard at times. Update: You lucky European DSi owners can get the full game on DSiware for just 800 points.
	Metal Slug 7	Shoot 'Em Up	It's what you'd expect from a Metal Slug game, right down to the RAWKET LAWN CHAIR. Not the strongest in the series, though still worth a shot. The art is just as smooth as other entries, but because of the DS' resolution it had to be scaled down, which makes it look kind of weird. There is a combat school mode that alows you to become awesome and befriend the moe drill instructor. Update: A remake with adhoc multiplayed is rumored to be coming soon to PSP.
	Nanostray 2	Shoot 'Em Up	Addresses the original's content problems by offering multiple schemes, allowing for a much better experience.
	Space Invaders Extreme	Shoot 'Em Up	EXTR3ME SPACE INVADERS FUCK YEAH11! Basically Space Invaders, but set to a rhythm.
	Space Invaders Extreme 2	Shoot 'Em Up	The slightly improved sequel to Space Invaders Extreme.
	Ketsui Death Label	Shoot 'Em Up	Boss Rush version of the popular shooter by Cave. Loads of difficulties and a weird ass multiplayer. It's got some weird Japanese humor on it if you can understand moonspeak. Probably the most intense handheld shmup.
	Animal Crossing: Wild World	Sim	It's Animal Crossing. Nothing too out of the blue. Move to a town inhabited by friendly anthros (it's not nearly as furry as it sounds). Work off the debt of your house (it's not nearly as boring or tedious as it sounds)! Now with DS-specific features, like stylus control and the option to design clothing by drawing on the touchscreen!
	Harvest Moon: Sunshine Islands	Sim	Great control improvements on the previous installments with the option of choosing to play with the stylus OR the gamepad.  Same great Harvest Moon gameplay with characters introduced in the previous game.
	Magician's Quest: Mysterious Times	Sim	Also known as Enchanted Folk and the School of Wizardry. Animal Crossing clone with Harry Potter mixed in. What's not to like?
	Princess Debut	Sim / Rhythm / Dating	You get to live the dream and be the little girl. In addition, you're also a princess. The ball will be held soon, and it's up to you to find yourself a dance partner/love interest. Dancing is done through stylus movements ala EBA, with difficulty depending on the song style. Find cute outfits, new songs, and possibly your true love in the manliest game of all time.
	Rune Factory 1 & 2	Sim	Harvest Moon with RPG elements. Surprisingly fun and addictive. Also check out the sequel if you liked this, pretty much the same.
	Trauma Center: Under the Knife 1 & 2	Sim	Operate on mutant viruses. Plot is wacky and over the top, Gameplay is excellent and some of the best use of the DS's touch screen. The sequel is just as good. Sequel/spinoff/remakes are also on Wii.
	Bleach: Dark Souls	Fighting	A surprisingly solid fighter, even if you don't watch/like Bleach. Lots of characters to choose from, online play and a card power-up system (that's optional if you don't like them). Made by Treasure!!!
	Jump! Ultimate Stars	Fighting	A Smash-Bros-esque fighter with a fuckton of animu characters (unfortunately, though, only JUMP!-exclusive ones) and cameos. Has online play, but everyone uses cheat codes. Full translation available.
	River City Super Sports Challenge	Fighting / Sports	A remix of the extreme sports game, Crash 'n the Boys, its prequel, and Nekketsu Kakutou Densetsu (an arena styled fighting game). Not too many details are known yet, but if this website is any indication, it should be fucking fun. (Just turn your volume down before watching the trailer or your ears will bleed from the trailer girl's voice.)
	Mario Kart DS	Racing	The Mario Kart everyone loves, Blue Shells and all. Lots of tracks and online is fun (if you don't mind the snaking). Best Mario Kart!
	Boing! Docomodake DS	Platformer / Puzzle	Despite the name, this was indeed released out west. A very cute and addictive platformer with interesting puzzle-solving elements starring a mushroom. Fun fact: This game is actually an advertisement, because the character Docomodake is the mascot for NTT Docomo cell phone services. There's no in-game ads or phone references though, so don't worry.
	Giana Sisters DS	Platformer	Take the Amiga cult classic and add a shitload of new levels, music and spritework. Because of shitty publishers, this game has only been released in Germany and Australia. The brothers would be history otherwise. Still a total rip-off but still good.The difficulty is nowhere near the original though, so everybody can enjoy this.
	Kirby Squeak Squad	Platformer	The most traditional Kirby DS title, and incidentally the weakest. It follows the standard "suck shit up for abilities" system. A fun game, even if the touchscreen feature is sort of annoying. Called Kirby Mouse Attack in Europe for some reason (because Squeak Squad shortens to S.S., and Nintendo wants to sell to Germans too).
	Kirby Canvas Curse	Platformer	Tries something completely different. Instead of sucking things up and platforming like usual, you draw paths for Kirby to roll on. The game is touch-screen only.
	Kirby Superstar Ultra	Platformer	A remake of the SNES classic with some new content. New game modes, slightly updated visuals and new FMVs. A must have for any Kirby fan.
	N+	Platformer	A port of the popular (and free) flash game. Features a map editor and sharer and multiplayer modes. Also on Xbox 360 Arcade.
	New Super Mario Bros	Platformer	A Mario Bros game with nice, crisp graphics and the great gameplay you'd expect. A bit on the easy side, but most Mario games have never been known for their crushing difficulty. Sequel/spinoff is on Wii, also good.
	Retro Game Challenge	Minigame Collection	Are you an oldfag? Do you want to know what they mean by "the good old days of gaming"? Then look no further than RGC, which aims to duplicate the feel of gaming in the 80's. Unlock various minigames (including a full RPG!), peruse gaming magazines for tips, talk about the The Wizard and the Power Glove, and revel in in the 8-Bit heydays of gaming, complete with Engrish. Even though it's short and rather easy, give this blast to the past a try. There is also a japanese only sequel which is far more awesome because it has SNES and GBC games, but you'll only be able to play it by looking up guides since it features very text-heavy games.
	Scribblenauts	Platformer/Puzzle	Get the Starite.  How do you get the Starite?  By summoning nearly anything (no living people, nothing vulgar, nothing licensed) with your handy dandy notebook.  Fun for everyone for at least an hour, after that it depends on whether you're the sort who'll solve everything with MIND CONTROL DEVICE and LASSO or someone who'll try for new things.  Good for playing in short bursts. Surprisingly full of existing memes.
	Super Mario 64 DS	Platformer	It's a port of Super Mario 64, but lets you play as Yoshi, Mario, Wario and Luigi (read: mostly Luigi). Each has their own specialties and abilities as well. Has 150 stars, oh and some mini-games and multiplayer.
	Sonic Rush / Adventure	Platformer	2D Sonic games similar to the Advance series. Rush Adventure is a bit weaker than Rush, especially where music is concerned, but it has a number of mini-levels that provide some decent challenges. Both made by Dimps.
	Tingle's Balloon Fight DS/チンクルの バルーンファイトDS	Platformer/Arcade/Fighting	If you've ever played Balloon Fight, you know what to expect. Balloon Fight is Nintendo's version of Joust and is arguably better. This version features backgrounds remind you of Wind Waker, and your main character is of course Tingle. Multiplayer (2-4) in this game is a BLAST, especially if you're just looking to waste some quick time, and Balloon Trip mode is surprisingly addicting. This was only released in Japan for their Club Nintendo, but even so, it's not particularly hard to find.
	Umihara Kawase Shun Second Edition Kanzenban	Platformer/Puzzle	Use a rubbery fishing line to get through physics-based puzzle platforming levels of ball-busting difficulty. Contains both the SNES (which is on the recommended SNES games page) and PS games, brand new levels, an extras gallery and it's not a buggy piece of shit like the PSP port. More importantly, Umihara has the biggest chest of any obscure vidya female. For some reason this game has it's own imageboard.
	Yoshi's Island DS	Platformer	Keeps the same gameplay that made the original Yoshi's Island so great. The blind spot between the two screens can get annoying at times, though. Compared to the original, this sequel has worse music and animation, which is a little odd considering the DS' power over the SNES, but then again it wasn't made by Nintendo. Still a fun romp if you're into Yoshi.

Nintendo DSiWare

The DSiware hasn't started out the strongest, but there's some great stuff to check out there if you're a DSi user.

The List

Screenshot	Title	Genre	Description
	American Popstar: Road to Celebrity	Sim/RPG/Rhythm	Yeah, I recommended it. Plays like a raising RPG (Digimon, Princess Maker, Sims, etc.) without the sexual content, a rhythm game, and has visual novel and customization aspects. Uses DS features quite well, such as the mic to record a song, and buttons and the touchscreen for performances. The story isn't too shabby either. The only negatives are the lack of songs, you can't take any action back (auto-saving takes place after all of them). Other than that, it's worth a shot (if you're man enough).
	AiRace Tunnel	Flying/Dodging (?)	AiRace is an arcade-styled game where you navigate your jet through tunnels full of narrow passages and obstacles. The concept is not unlike OutRun, where you aren't "racing", but you are trying to maneuver to get a low time and high score. Pretty decent for 200 points. Protip: The stylus controls suck ass. Switch to D-pad+Buttons ASAP.
	Animal Puzzle Adventure	Puzzle	Lead animals to barns (?) with the D-pad. Each animal moves in unison, so you have to make them in the proper formation, using stage elements, to clear the stage. This game does not fuck around, as it's much harder than it lets on. It's like the Duke Nukem of girly animu animal puzzle games (makes much more sense in context). Fuck year.
	Army Defender	Arcade/Shmup/Defense	Like a mix between Space Invaders, a typical tower defense, and a dash of Ikaruga. Ration your shots, because you might hit your supply planes (which give dual-color hitting weapons) and your score multipliers are highly important. Points fill a gauge that lets you literally unleash the fucking fury on every enemy onscreen. It also nabs post-round rewards such as cannon upgrades, extra fury usages, and continues.
	Aquia	Puzzle	A curious underwater themed puzzler that involves sliding and matching tiles from different sides. There's a few different modes to play and different cursors to use as well. Each different cursor changes how you'll be sliding tiles around. There's quite a bit of variety to be found here.
	Base 10	Puzzle	A curious math game. Involves you connecting numbers in order to form 10. There's different modes here as well. Although the challenge mode is more interesting. Originaly a bitGenerations GBA game.
	Bird & Beans/Pyoro	Puzzle/Action	That critter minigame from the first Warioware. Eat (shoot in 2) falling seeds to prevent them from breaking your bridge and bonking you. Has an alternate version with different point rules that really change things up, so it's like you're getting two games in one.
	Bomberman Blitz	Puzzle(?)/Bomberman(?)	Multiplayer Bomberman action that lets you take on wireless competitors locally or go wi-fi and take on the world. Features that same frantic gameplay tied to the Bomberman name. For 500 points, it's pretty much a steal.
	Boxlife	Puzzle	Cut and paste tiles together in order to make cube patterns. Once the pattern is folded into a box, You move on to the next. The challenge in one mode is to make as many boxes out of preset patterns as possible. The other mode involves an endurance against infinite box patterns. This mode lets you get some items to customize your box world.
	Castle of Magic	Platformer	This game takes aspects from several successful platformers and utilizes them quite well. A neat optional feature lets you snap pics using the DSi camera at booths in stages and get powerups based on the prominent color of the pic. It's abit on the short and easy side, which makes it great for beginners to platforming and a nice nostalgic breeze through for veteran retro-buffs.
	Dragon's Lair	Adventure (?)	Dirk the Daring is back and ready to take on Dragon's Lair once more. This revolves around picking actions to do and responding to various elements in game. This has punishing difficulty, but also hilarious death sequences. The resolution quality took a slight hit in the port, but it's still as close as can be. Best of all, unlike say, the iPhone version, there's ZERO load times.
	Dragon Quest Wars	Strategy	Select a group of 4 monsters from 6 (duplicates optional). Each one has different abilities and properties. The interaction of physical and magical skills, along with reactions, really puts a lot of strategy in this seemingly simple title. Has a short tutorial mode, but the real meat is the Wi-Fi, which lets you battle people from all over the place, and wireless, which lets you take on people locally. Both run extremely smooth. Bears slight resemblances to Advance Wars, but plays a bit differently.
	Flipnote Studio	Drawing App	Make drawings and animations, watch animations of other people online, upload your own stuff as well (requires a computer for a few more functions), or if nothing more, write a some handy notes for yourself. A bit basic, but it's free and gets the job done quite well.It just depends on how much effort you put into it. Compare THIS to well... this
	Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again!	Puzzle	More streamlined than the first DS release, but it's mostly for the best. It's also more accessible to left handed people now. Plays similar to Lemmings, except you touch objects and obstacles to keep your Mini-Marios safe as they reach the exit. The base game has about 100 levels, but has a construction mode to upload, download (up to about 120), and play customized stages for free. One of the DSi's best offerings. Surprisingly fun and accessible, even to those who aren't into this sort of genre. If you bought the original release on DS, you get shop channel points back.
	Mighty Flip Champs!	Dual Screen Puzzle	Made by the company who made Shantae and LIT. This is about flipping between different screens in order to reach an exit. You can't jump, which might appeal to fans of Solomon's Key and Fire n' Ice. It's hard to grasp without visuals, so here's a video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocJ8Az0M7bU
	Paperplane	Puzzle/Flight	That paper plane minigame from the first Warioware. Starts easy, but gets challenging to keep up for a while. Good for chilling out or when you want something quick to take on. Features 3 different modes: Endless (shoot for a high score) , Time Attack (shoot for a low time), and race (which lets you race using a single DSi, pretty tricky, but it works).
	Photo Dojo	Fighting (casual)	At 200 points, you can't expect much depth out of this. However, if you're looking for plain goofy fun in this would-be successor to Smash Bros' simple play-control, look no further. Add yourself and/or others as fighters, use different photos as backgrounds, record your voices to call your attacks, and put in damn near whatever you want as projectiles.
	PiCTOBiTS	Puzzle	Touch based puzzler involving falling rows, squares, and columns of different colors and using respective pictobits to clear them out. This eventually forms pictures on the top screen, thus beating the stage. Has remixes of old NES game songs from a cool retro band, YMCK, while you play. You can also use coins you get in-game to buy the songs to jam out to or buy "dark" stages, which are damn tough extra puzzles to take on. Highly recommended for old-schoolers, puzzle buffs, and retro fans alike.
	Pinball Pulse: The Ancients Beckon	Pinball	This Ancient Greek-themed pinball game is about as close to real pinball as you can get. The physics are spot on, there are LED displays, and scoring events that take place. Sadly, like a real machine, there's only one table. On the bright side, this was made by the team that worked on Metroid Prime: Pinball, which assures you're getting a quality pinball title.
	Pop Island	Capture the Flag	Cute little block critters play capture the flag on a variety of maps. Different characters have different attributes, such as the penguin, who surfs speedily on water, but slows to a crawl on land. Use firecrackers to knock a rival far away and make it drop its flag (if it's holding one). For local multiplayer, you can send at demo version to a friend if they don't have it and take them on.
	Precipice	Adventure/Puzzle	Takes some elements from Intelligence Qube (overcoming cubes and bombs, along with your decreasing playfield) and tower climbing games. It also has a decreasing energy meter to add challenge (think Adventure Island).  Much harder than it lets on at first.
	Rayman	Platformer	It's Rayman, and it's out on the DSiWare store RIGHT NOW for 800 points. Do you not have it already after reading this sentence? THEN GET IT NOW, IT'S FUCKING RAYMAN. (Updates include a touchscreen map, time challenge bonuses, and a checkpoint surprise. Smile!) Updated port of the GBA version with better music and better res for more onscreen.
	Spotto!	Puzzle	Nintendo and IS made a new badass manly duck puzzle game. Spotto kills ghosts by lobbing bombs in their mouths, exploding them to bits. You aim by spinning a touch-screen wheel, with surprisingly precise results. The setting is a haunted mansion full of floating stuff to bounce your bombs, so get your math on. 50 puzzles, a hard mode, and a challenge mode, all for 200 points.
	Zengage	Puzzle	Sliding puzzles that involve matching colors. Think along the lines of a Rubik's cube, but with more variety in final solutions.

Nintendo DS Homebrew

Chances are, you're from /v/, you like DS, you have a flashcart.

So load up with some homebrew, it can be pretty worth while.

The List

Screenshot	Title	Genre	Description
	Moonshell	Media Player	Turns your DS into a media player, supports music in MP3/OGG/MOD/SPC/MDX (no PCM)/GBS/HES/NSF/XM/MIDI/WMA/low bit rate AAC audio. Supports video in DPG format (use dpgenc.exe to make DPG video files) Supports text files and image files too.
	Licks Media Player	Media Player	Turns your DS into a working iPod? Sure, why not? Yes you can actually play music on a psuedo-Pod
	LemmingsDS	Game Port	It's Lemmings, on your DS. Need I say more? Includes all the levels of the original Lemmings and Oh No More Lemmings, as well as a couple extra ones. Also accepts custom levels and music. Plays very well.
	Blue's Clues: The Game DSorganize	Organiser application	Now your DS can be a handy dandy notebook organizer! A must have for many DS owners. Includes a rudimentary web browser.
	DS Reader	E-book reader	Read your E-books and Text files on your Nintendo DS. Supports custom font files
	Nes DS	NES Emulator	Play most NES games on your DS flawlessly, supports savestates, rewind, fast forward.
	Lameboy	Gameboy/Color Emulator	Play most Gameboy/Color games on your DS flawlessly, supports savestates, scaling (with a filter), speed up (to about 2x), and a ton of options. You can even use the DS rumble pack with Pokémon Pinball!
	NeoDS	Neo Geo Emulator	Lets you play Neo Geo games on your DS, surprisingly well! You'll need to convert your Neo Geo games into a .neo format for the emulator though.
	SNEmulDS	SNES Emulator	The best SNES emulator for the DS (but that's not saying a lot) Some games are buggy, some totally unplayable, sound glitches, graphical glitches galore, but you can actually play a few games on this at a good speed with no problems. Be sure to check the compatibility list over here.
	jEnesisDS	Genesis Emulator	A Genesis/Megadrive emulator for the DS. Plays games very well with limited vertical scaling. Don't complain about the lack of horizontal scaling, you can at adjust the screen using L/R or "follow D-pad" in the options.
	ApprenticeMinusDS	Master System+Game Gear Emulator	Master System+Game Gear on the go without a Nomad or spare AA batteries. Features rewind and save states. Most games work perfectly, but a few don't or work with some minor glitches. This is included with newest jEnesisDS versions, which it compliments well. Sadly lacks FM music support.
	Pocket Physics	Sandbox	A miniature homebrew version of Crayon Physics, draw shapes which are subject to gravity and physics. Unlike Crayon Physics, there are no objectives, so go nuts and be creative.
	Phidias	Paint Application	Turn your DS into a canvas! Supports brushes, saving and loading of bitmaps, blurring, and smudging.
	Colors	Paint Application	Another great art application, based on modern painting techniques
	Brix DS	Puzzle game	A clone of a flash game that works pretty well on the DS. Made by a french guy. You have to click on the gray blocks to make them disappear and keep the TNT from touching the ground after they're all gone.
	OpenTyrian DS	Game Port	A ported version of opentyrian, which on it's own is a port of one of the greatest classics in PC sidescrollers, Tyrian
	TouhouDS	Shoot 'Em Up	A handheld version of the popular japanese shmup series.  Still in the works, but looks promising.
	DS Doom	Game Port	It's Doom. Runs at a good framerate, and plays the commercial and fanmade WADs. Fully working sound (in stereo) but no music.
	Quake DS	Game Port	It's Quake. Runs at a good framerate, and supports mods. Runs better if you have a RAM pack. Plus, it supports online multiplayer.