Topic: DS Recommendations Thread

The GBA ones.

But for DS I'd suggest Portrait of Ruin since Order of Ecclesia is apparently really difficult and Dawn of Sorrow is a direct sequel to Aria of Sorrow on the GBA.

Yeah, I was gonna say Portrait of Ruin for the same reason. But if you can, grab the GBA games at some point. They're great.

I'm not sure if I sucked or if Circle of the Moon is just a needlessly difficult, grind-y game. Because I never liked that game. The other 2 are great at least. Harmony of Dissonance is probably the easiest of the three GBA games...I think.

Circle of the Moon wasn't that hard for me, but it definitely was difficult, which is why I liked it more than 90% of Metroidvanias.

You have 150 DS games? Wow that's an accomplishment, have you actually played every single one though? Well that's hardly likely, but I own like 34 and it's not like I've completed every single one, but most of them I've either completed or played enough of/ need coming back to, to be completed.
But anyway you mentioned Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2, That is a great game, pick it up I know I have, I got it pretty cheap too, at only $25 NZD (that's fairly cheap for a DS game, almost bargain bin) I've already spent nearly 60+ hours already battling and synthesizing my party of monsters to nearly becoming +5 (meaning I can level grind past Lvl 50).
Is Draglade any good guys? saw it in an EB games bargain bin for under $20, I looked at a review for it on IGN, but it was fairly low (as IGN usually rates). It's a fairly obscure DS game here, especially since it was an import I think.

@kkslider5552000 and @Mickeymac I'll probably go with Order of Ecclesia, since i like a good challange plus i just find it more appealing. I'm planing to pick up the GBA games as well, it's just that the DS games are cheaper and easier to come by.

It's a bit overkill, really, but there you go. No, I haven't played them all - in fact, there's only a handful I've played any great amount so far, but I have finished several. However, I figure I'll have my DS and games around forever, so I'll get around to them in years to come (I've mentioned in other threads that I think my games purchasing will slow down, if not effectively stop, in the next few years for a number of reasons, so my backlog won't increase any great amount). I'm just trying to get the games I want before they're prohibitively expensive, which happens a lot now the collector's market has grown in the last decade or so.

I only recently finished my PhD thesis as well, and didn't have a lot of time to play games while I was finishing that up. Now I'm done I've got my nights back again, and so will be able to find time to play games again and hopefully start finishing off my collection. I'm currently in the middle of Custom Robo Arena, and recently 100% finished Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes, so I'm on my way!

By the way, I'd recommend both games to anybody wondering about them. M&M:CoH was excellent, I powered through that in a couple of weeks or maybe less. CRA has an amazingly lame story, and really cheaply done 'RPG' mode, but the guts of the game - the robot battling - is great and allows a lot of room for customisation and strategy.

Thanks for the DQM:J2 recommendation. I can't remember what it was in particular, but something that was mentioned in several reviews ended up making me think I might not love it. If I spot it cheap I'll pick it up though!

What games would you recommend to an arcade/puzzle game fan.
I don't really like games with a big story or games that take you on 50 hour adventures.
I just like the sort of games you can just jump straight into, like pick up 'n' play style.
I think electroplankton actually looks pretty cool, but i'm not sure if i would enjoy it. I like music, but i'm not sure if is it the sort of game that would keep me amused in the back of a car on a long road trip, for example.

Meteos. Definitely, definitely Meteos.

@MrArcade: I'm a big fan of puzzle games and I know a couple of games you could try.

Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes, really good game with puzzle elements. One of my favorite DS games and I think it's my most played DS game on my 3DS. It also includes local multiplayer (also single-card mode). I played this a lot with my brother before, at least one match per day for one month and then we haven't played as much but it's still great fun. It's a shame you can only use two different characters in single-card mode.

Professor Layton series. Lots of puzzles, great animations and good story. Should keep you busy for some time.

Ace Attorney series. Clearing murder cases using your head to solve all the puzzles along the way and convince judge that your client is innocent. Heavily text-based game.

Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective. Just picked this up a while ago and it was really great game although a bit short. Really good story, memorable characters, good gameplay and awesome character animations. I don't know if I should call it a puzzle game but it the genre doesn't really matter. It's just so good.

Geometry Wars: Galaxies is a good arcade game. I picked it up for 3€ and I'm really happy I bought it.

@Late and by extension @MrArcade Geometry Wars is the only game you can "Jump into" and has a "Pick up and play" factor. Maybe M&M, too, but I found I enjoyed the story mode more than the quick mode. The other ones are story-heavy as well...

@Late
When i say puzzle games i mean like block puzzles, more along the lines of Tetris and Bejeweled. Prof. Layton kinda bores me. But thanks for the recommendations anyways, may check out geometry wars.
@Mickeymac
I just watched a youtube video of this game and i have to say it looks really interesting. Will probably give it a go if i see it cheap, thanks.
Still wondering about electroplankton though...

Electroplankton isn't really a "game". There's no levels, points or goals in a traditional sense.

It's a neat little program (I've only played around with it briefly) but read some reviews to get a bit of an idea of what to expect. I'd wager that you won't find it fulfilling your puzzle urges though.

Have you heard about the Puzzle Quest series? It's a Bejeweled-style matching game mixed in with an RPG shell. Quite intriguing, and something a little different. (There's a Puzzle Quest Galactrix that I don't know much about, but 1 and 2 are RPG style games).

I dont really like RPG style games. But i actually like the sound of electroplankton. I wasnt specifically looking for a puzzle game, just a game that i can pick up, play, and put down again without having to worry about finishing something when i need to stop playing. With electroplankton, i wouldnt have to wait and save my game first, i could just turn it straigh off, at least i dont think you actually have to save anything. But thanks for your suggestions anyways

Do you have a DSi? You could always get the main game on DSiWare for cheap to try it out.

I do have a DSi, but i'm gonna sell it on ebay soon anway. I also have a 3DS though, so i suppose i could try one on the eshop. I've heard that Varvoice is the worst one, i read the individual reviews, and i think id like the rest. Still, downloading them all would work out as £16.20 (minus Varvoice) so i should probably look for it cheaper on the internet.

Good luck. Electroplancton actualy goes for a lot in the States.

This is true, although I think it might be coming down in price (I've noticed that with a few games, actually - perhaps as a result of the 3DS coming on the market?).

I managed to snag a CIB, almost like new (a few scratches on the plastic of the case) copy for $40 from eBay. Admittedly, that was one of the cheaper ones, but it's a far cry from the $60+ it was going for a while ago.

...but you could've gotten the entire game on DSiWare for 2000 points.

Good thing i live in England then:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/B000CI8EXA/ref=sr_1_...