Avalon Code was the other game that I really got into, but heard so little about. Both games were closer to the end of the DS lifespan

ALinkttPresent wrote:

My favorite overlooked game in the DS family is Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Revelation. I know that most gamers know what Dragon Quest is, but I've come to realize that almost no one (in the West) has played VI, which is a shame, because it's one of my favorite games of all time.

I've played almost every Dragon Quest (my favorite is 9 by far) but I have some really good memories with 6. Borrowed it from a friend because at the time I had an uneventful job as a receptionist where I sat at a desk being bored for 4 hours a night. Did nothing every day at work except play that and I loved every second of it.

I quite enjoyed Lego Battles, it's actually a very competent real time strategy game unlike all the other samey Lego action platformers. Warioware DIY is amazing for creative types, it's not the most unknown game ever but it did deserve some more attention. Legendary Starfy was fun, very similar vibes to Kirby. Bomberman Land Touch is probably one of the better entries among the ocean of Bomberman games out there. Rhythm Heaven was just so much fun every time I turned it on.

A few 3DS additions:

• Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars: A really solid TRPG. Think classic Fire Emblem, but with a modern setting, no permadeath, and a variety of unique clear conditions for different maps.
• Corpse Party: A uniquely freaky game thanks to the ambiance, amazing sound design, and creepy backstory that expertly unfolds over the course of the game. 3DS version is the definitive one.
• Disney Magical World: There are two of these games, but the original is my favorite. It's a fun mix of life sim and RPG elements, set against the backdrop of various Disney-themed setting where you interact with various characters from different Disney properties. Performance is a bit chunky, but good fun all the same.
• Fantasy Life: Another cool life sim/JRPG mix, this time with various learnable trades that you can switch between and a soundtrack by FF luminary Nobuo Uematsu.

For NDS...

• Contra 4: Arguably the best Contra game ever made, and among the best games ever developed by WayForward. It feels like a perfect evolution of the gameplay introduced in Contra and Super C. The level design is some of the best seen in a 2D action game. There are a ton of unlockable challenges to beat. Finally, you can unlock a TON of cool stuff: fully functional ports of Contra and Super C; various additional character skins to use in the game; a neat Contra III comic. This is probably my favorite game on the system.
• Advance Wars: Days of Ruin: I feel like this game got ignored due to its startling change in tone, but it really is an excellent game. While it has fewer side modes that Dual Strike, I believe the main campaign is the best in the entire series, and it has a cool post-apocalyptic setting.
• The Dark Spire: Hard to obtain now, but a solid dungeon crawler with a really stark, comic book-inspired aesthetic and very old-school sensibilities. Also incredibly hard. My favorite feature in this is the option to opt for 80s-era PC wire-frame visuals, which makes the game feel authentically retro.

Also, it can be played on a DS, even though it's a GBA game, so maybe this counts? I never see ahybody talking about Warioland 4. I recently picked it up and have been working through it. It's a great game.

I also believe that we are coming to the end of the era of physical media. I have no proof of this, just speculation based on market trends, but I predict that within 20 years no game machines will use physical media of any kind. If you want to play games you will either download them or stream them.

Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales
Weird adventure game that consists of minigames and card battles. Some of the minigames are really challenging when going for gold. Uses touch controls and sometimes even the microphone. I think mic minigames are optional if you just want to beat the game. I could be wrong, though.

Geometry Wars: Galaxies
Shooter game where you aim with your stylus. Shoot and avoid enemies in small arenas to gain points and advance to the next level. Has really good download play options where you can play endless co-op or competitive mode where the other player places enemies on the screen. Really fun game. Got it brand new for 3€ back in the day and couldn't stop until I had finished all stages and gotten the best rank in most of them.

Jam with the Band
A rhythm game that should always be mentioned alongside Elite Beat Agents and Rhythm Heaven. It's the only game in the series that left Japan and even then, only came to Europe. It also came out in 2010, about a year before 3DS came out. It's no wonder it didn't gather much attention. Some people may still recognize its main character, Barbare the Bat, who appeard in Brawl as an assist trophy.

The game is mostly button based, although some instruments use touch screen and you can also sing. Since you are in a band, you play one of the maximum of 8 available instruments in each song. Be it guitar, drums, piano or even an NES sound chip. The starting song selection isn't the greatest but there are some Nintendo themes like Mario, Zelda and F-Zero. The game also features a full song creator so you can create whatever you want with the 60 or so different instruments. Here are some examples: Godot's Theme, Final Fantasy IV Battle, He's a Pirate, Calamari Inkantation (from the 3DS sequel, Daigasso! Band Brothers P)

It's unfortunate I didn't hear about this game until after the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service stopped. Back in the day, you could download free songs that Nintendo added from time to time and also share your own songs with others. Almost forgot to mention that the game supports 8 player multiplayer and it also has download play. And not just some limited download play, you can play any song with your friends even if they don't own the game.

Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes
Heroes of Might & Magic spinoff puzzle strategy game with a full story mode where you control multiple characters from different factions and defeat enemies by matching three or more units of the same type. While it has that match 3 element, it is very different from other match 3 games. There are many different units and strategies you can use to win the match. Download play is unfortunately limited to two different factions that are randomly given to players. Playing against friends is fun regardless and if you don't have a friend who also owns the game on DS, the game was later released on other platforms. Steam has a demo, go ahead and try it.

Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan and Moero! Nekketsu Rhythm Damashii Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan 2
More rhythm games. I think Elite Beat Agents is pretty well known by now so I'll list the other games in the series instead. If you love EBA, you'll have to get these two too. They are Japanese exclusives but you don't need to know any Japanese to enjoy the rhythm gameplay. The story cutscenes are also easy enough to understand for the most part.

Nintendo DS

• Aliens Infestation
• Atelier Annie: Alchemists of Sera Island
• Bangai-O Spirits
• Big Bang Mini
• Bionicle Heroes
• Call of Duty
• Custom Robo Arena
• The Dark Spire
• Dokapon Journey
• Draglade
• Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime
• Elebits: The Adventures of Kai and Zero
• Elite Beat Agents
• Feel the Magic XX/XY
• Fighting Fantasy: The Warlock of the FireTop Mountain
• Final Fantasy Legend (SaGa)
• Front Mission
• Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective
• Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure
• Hotel Dusk: Room 215
• Infinite Space
• Jam with the Band
• Jump Ultimate Stars
• Ketsui Death Label
• Knights in the Nightmare
• The Legend of Kage 2
• The Legendary Starfy
• Little Red Riding Hood’s Zombie BBQ
• Luminous Arc
• Lunar Knights
• Magical Starsign
• Meteos
• Nanashi no Game
• Nanostray
• Nostalgia
• Okaeri! Chibi-Robo! Happy Richie Ōsōji!
• Retro Game Challenge
• Rhythm Heaven
• Rondo of the Swords
• Rune Factory
• Solatorobo: Red the Hunter
• Soma Bringer
• Space Invaders Extreme
• Suikoden Tierkreis
• Summon Night: Twin Age
• Super Robot Taisen OG Saga: Endless Frontier
• Trace Memory
• Umihara Kawase Shun Second Edition Kanzenban
• Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume

Nintendo 3DS

• 7th Dragon III Code: VFD
• Ace Combat Assault Horizon Legacy Plus
• Attack of the Friday Monsters! A Tokyo Tale
• Beyond the Labyrinth
• BoxBoy
• Code Name: S.T.E.A.M
• Code of Princess
• Corpse Party
• Crimson Shroud
• Culdcept Revolt
• Dai Gyakuten Saiban
• Daigasso! Band Brothers P
• Ever Oasis
• E.X. Troopers
• Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars
• Gurumin 3D: A Monstrous Adventure
• Monster Hunter Stories
• Pocket Card Jockey
• Project X Zone
• Rhythm Heaven Megamix
• Rune Factory 4
• Sega 3D Classics Collection
• Shin Megami Tensei Devil Summoner - Soul Hackers
• Stella Glow
• Yumi’s Odd Odyssey

3ds - Xenoblade Chronicles 3D, Monster Hunter 4U, Monster Hunter Generations, Kid Icarus Uprising,
Shin Megami Tensei IV, Dragon VII: Fragments of a Forgotten Past (I didn't get to finish these two games due to my 3ds breaking but through my playthrough I enjoyed them very much, especially SMT IV)

EDIT: On a sidenote, please Square Enix for the love of God localize Dragon Quest Monsters Joker 3!
And Nintendo/Red Entertainment, please give us a sequel to Fossil Fighters on the Switch thats goes back to its roots like the first two!!

NDS = Kurikin Nano Islands Story.

3DS = Akogare Girls Collection games by Nippon Columbia

@Tyranexx Ever Oasis is so great! It definitely does suck that it was released so late in the 3DS lifespan, but here's hoping to an enhanced remake for Switch! The touchscreen wasn't really used for anything that couldn't just be opened with the touch of a button. It was so colorful and lively and so very interesting!