I never thought that a GTA game would be in handheld format. We had the original two games on the GBA, but that was kind of expected. Chinatown Wars is a brand new hand-tailored experience for the DS and later shoehorned onto the PSP. There are touch-screen controls, a whole new interface, and mini-games galore. This game feels like what GTA 3 would have been if it hadn’t gone full 3D. You get the over-the-top perspective, but everything is still in 3D. The game looks really good for a DS game and feels like a unique GTA experience.
The story is your typical GTA gangster revenge story. You play as Huang, whose father was murdered for an ancient sword that was passed down to mark the next mob boss leader. Huang flies to Liberty City to avenge his father’s death, get to the bottom of the Triad and gang squabbling, and get that sword back to help his uncle move to the top. The story is full of deceit, betrayal, deception, and revenge and is mostly uninteresting. It doesn’t have the charisma, flair, or flavor that the console versions have, mostly due to the lack of voice acting. The story is told through stills and text, which makes sense on the DS, but definitely doesn’t give the characters any well-being. Many of the mob members are stereotypical drug and sex addicts, power-hungry, stupid, and Huang can’t trust anyone. The story has around 50 missions, and they play out similar to the console version.
The main interface is custom for the DS. You get a PDA-style screen that you can touch. The map is displayed here as well as your radio stations, throwables, and weapon switching, and the menu in the PDA will show your trade info, emails, settings, stats, etc. It’s very intuitive and just makes sense. New story missions are given via red emails. These will also give you a shortcut to place a waypoint on the map leading to that new story. There are a lot of quality-of-life things like this thrown in. The GPS map has shortcuts for everything you need, from odd jobs to your safehouses. You can also order ammo and weapons from Ammu-Nation on the PDA as well. They show up at your house, and you get an email telling you when it’s ready.
Running around the world of Liberty City feels lively because of the limitations put in place. You can run and jack cars, drive off and kill everyone on the road, and gain your infamous wanted stars. Stars can be dropped by making police cars crash, which will help lower your wanted meter faster. I did feel there were way too many cops around in this game. It seemed every 5–10 cars was a cop car or a pig walking around. I was constantly caught carjacking or running over someone, and I was always running into cop cars. This felt way overdone in this game. Driving around Liberty City does feel great. The game never slows down, and the ambient sound effects of the original radio tunes (they’re instrumental and not licensed due to space limitations on the DS carts) make it feel like a living and breathing GTA game on the go.
Missions are varied, but some elements of missions can get quite annoying, causing multiple deaths and restarts. The auto-lock-on feature for shooting isn’t that great. You don’t always lock on to the closest enemy or an enemy at all. This caused many deaths when I locked onto a car instead of a person shooting at me. You can roll around and dodge people, but many times I was stuck without a weapon and would have to order something from Ammu-Nation, go to my safehouse, wait, pick it up, and go back and restart the mission. Thankfully, you can trip skip if you get to a certain point in longer missions, which saves you time, and you can skip cutscenes. A lot of mini-games surround missions, such as tapping the screen to break locks, mini-games to use cranes, plant bombs, scratch cards, tattoing, and many others. These were a lot of fun, and I was always looking forward to the next one. However, trying to jack a car and being stuck in a mini-game of hot starting it for the 100th time got old and would make me get busted as you can’t back out of it. Most missions vary from shooting, following, and chasing, and some put you on turrets or throw bombs out of a car. Overall, the mission variety is awesome, and I never got bored.
The biggest setback in the game is the new feature of drug dealing. You can use your PDA to see the drug turf map for who buys and sells what. This is required to actually make money for weapons and sometimes even start missions. Some missions require a certain drug type or a large amount of cash. This means setting a GPS waypoint for a dealer who sells said drug and buying some from them. You need to make large profits, so it’s best to wait for an email when a dealer is selling at a discount and then turn around and sell it. This takes a lot of time—driving around and waiting around, however. Buying and selling drugs at market value won’t get you anywhere. Odd jobs can give you a few bucks, but they don’t pay out enough. This really slows the game down and hampers an otherwise fast-paced game.
When it comes to visuals, the game really shines on the DS. There are small, subtle things, like street lights turning off when you hit the poles. Weather patterns such as lightning strikes casting shadows on the ground, sparks, fire effects, and even being able to close the driver door if it’s still open while driving (let go of the accelerator and Huang will close the door). These small changes help make this a high-quality DS experience and set it above the rest in terms of production values. Chinatown Wars may have a forgettable story and characters, some control issues when shooting, some frustrating missions, and a drug dealing mechanic that hinders more than helps, but overall the game is miles above what I thought a portable GTA game could be and in some ways feels better than the PSP GTA games.
While the main next-gen console version of the game is considered to be an all-time classic and helped revolutionize the online FPS genre, the lower-powered hardware versions were completely different games. While they share the same name, you wouldn’t know these were Call of Duty games if you played them and no one told you.
Modern Warfare for the DS loosely follows the plot of the main game but instead takes liberty with its own unique levels and design choices. Obviously, we are working with barely better-than-PS1-level hardware here. n-Space really had to be creative and make entirely new games, mostly “themed” around the franchise. The game is still in first-person view, and you can switch between two different weapons. By default, you always start out with a pistol and another firearm. You can pick up weapons with the touch screen (a hand icon) and use that as your main weapon will not have any extra ammo available when you run out unless you die. When you die, you start out with your default weapons again and lose whatever you picked up, but your ammo is refilled. Weapons in this game feel decent, but the slowdown from the DS being pushed too hard (especially when enemies pop in) makes aiming a bit sluggish and janky.
Aiming with the touch screen feels fine. Using the D-pad or face buttons to strafe isn’t an issue either, but using the R or L button to fire can give you massive hand cramps even with larger DS systems. Most everything is controlled by the touch screen. Double-tap to bring up the ADS (Aim Down Sights), switch to grenades, and tap the weapon icon to reload. There are a few quality of life things that n-space did think of, such as when you reload, you go back to ADS if you are in that mode already, and spriting pulls you out of ADS mode. My issue with ADS is that while it’s more accurate, there’s a delay in bringing it up on screen, and that delay can cost you your life. When enemies pop in and the slowdown happens, it won’t respond to my double-taps fast enough, and I would constantly bring up the ADS and back out a few times caused by the delay. It’s not game-breaking, but very annoying.
There are two mini-games when setting explosives and defusing bombs. I found the pipe puzzles annoying, and following the wires to defuse bombs isn’t really fun or challenging. These were just thrown in here to make use of the touch screen. Honestly, who wants to solve puzzles while playing Call of Duty? It’s weird and just doesn’t fit. It really breaks the flow of combat. The enemy AI is also pretty dumb. Enemies just stand there and shoot at you; don’t take cover or move out of the way. This is literally an on-rails shooting gallery and is insanely linear. Levels are way too long, and some objectives have unfair checkpoint placements or none at all. Objectives range from collecting something to planting a bomb or just shooting everything in sight. I found the scripted mounted machine gun levels pretty fun, but the AC-130 level (similar to the console version) is awful and boring. You can barely make out any enemies, and you can’t use larger weapons against smaller enemies. There are only a couple of buildings to blow up, and you just mow down dozens of enemies over and over again in almost complete silence. It was a bad level, for sure.
The visuals are decent for what the system can do. They are definitely sterile and boring to look at, with no artistic flair. The game tried capturing the hyper-realism of the consoles, and the DS just can’t quite do this. It’s a very brown and beige-looking game. There’s no personality put into this game. It feels like a copy-and-paste FPS that you could attach any name to. Multiplayer is the same as single-player, but with another person. It’s not very exciting, and your friends will get bored fast. I appreciate n-space for trying to capture the excitement of the console versions on the limited hardware, but it needs something else. Better enemy AI, less linear-feeling levels, more interesting scripted levels, and fewer storyboard-cut scenes. It’s a great first start, but it has a lot of work before it becomes a staple DS shooter.
These two portables were a huge part of my early teen years. I pre-ordered the PSP when I was 14 years old. I used my allowance saved up for 6 months to slap down that $250. I hadn’t been that excited about a piece of hardware in my life. I made a wallpaper (see below) for it, prepped files to transfer to the measly 32MB memory card, and even picked out a case ahead of time. The Nintendo DS was more of an afterthought. I never got excited about it due to the less powerful hardware and the heavily criticized touch screen. People thought it would be full of gimmicky games and lack the essence of what made the Game Boy so great. I’ve owned both of these systems for many years now and have played a good majority of their libraries. I want to break down the categories into hardware, revisions, software, and then various game genres. Most people just pick the best-selling games and compare them, but the systems go deeper than that. Some genres were stronger on one system over another due to their button layout and unique hardware. I am honestly tired of these comparisons. The DS had Zelda, and the PSP had God of War. It’s so much more than that.
Looks/Shelf Appeal
Sony PSP
This is the first thing that you will notice before even picking up the system, so it makes sense, right? What system had the more attractive box, better pack-ins, and overall looks? This matters more than people think, especially for the casual gamer who doesn’t do extensive research beforehand or the non-gamers who make a spontaneous purchase.
The PSP overall had a much larger box than the DS. It even showed right up front what it included. You get a hand strap, a 32MB Memory Stick Pro Duo for game saves, a UMD demo sampler, wired earbuds with a remote, a soft case, a cleaning cloth, and the system itself. For $250, you saw right there that you got some value for all that money. Not only that, but the PSP itself was plastered on the front for all to see. The XMB showed a music, video, game, and photo symbol, so you knew this thing could do multimedia. This was the last of the Sonys of the ’90s where everything they created had value and they showed right up front what you were getting to entice buyers, and it worked.
Unboxing the system felt premium, and holding that sleek handheld was an experience I will never forget. It was sleek and slim, looked futuristic, had great build quality, and was comfortable in the hand. It was one of the best gaming unboxings of all time, and nothing has topped that since.
Nintendo DS
The Nintendo DS wasn’t super appealing at first glance. The touch screen and the prominent stylus made you think it was a PDA of some sort (PDAs were still a thing back then), so it was confusing. Was it a game system or a personal organizer? The casual observer would be confused. The dual screens didn’t help either, further pushing the PDA look. There was no video game shown on the front, and the drab gray box was lifeless. There were no pack-ins with the DS either. While it was $100 cheaper than the PSP, that sure made it appealing, but you didn’t get anything with it.
When you actually unboxed the system, it was bulky and kind of ugly, and the screens weren’t very bright. A far cry from Sony’s bright LCD on the PSP, however, there was no ghosting on the DS like there was with the PSP-1000 model. The speakers sounded good, and it had wifi as well, but another appealing factor was the backward compatibility with GameBoy Advance titles. This also acted as a peripheral port. Great for rumble packs and anything else you could imagine going in there.
Software
Sony PSP
The PSP was the first handheld to be a full multimedia station. This was before smartphones took off, so it was a very popular option for people wanting an MP3, video, photo, and gaming machine all in their pocket. It was fiddly with the videos, as they had to be encoded in MP4. The PSP could also play WMA and MP3 files, but not FLAC or WAV. While the PSP could also display photos, it seemed pointless without having a camera. While one would come later, it was of terrible quality and nothing close to what the first iPhone had. All of this multimedia stuff was great, but it came at a cost. Memory Stick Pro Duos were very expensive in larger capacities. The one it came with was meant only for game saves and DLC. If you wanted to do anything else, you needed to get a 64-MB one or higher. Forget sticks that were 1GB. These cost hundreds of dollars and took a couple of years before coming down to an affordable price. This was Sony’s way of future-proofing the system, but it wasn’t appealing to early adopters. I remember my first large memory card was 512 MB, and that cost $70 just one year later.
This was essentially where the XMB was born. What we got on the PS3 and PS4, and even a little bit on the PS5. Many Sony Blu-Ray players also used this menu system. It was simple and easy to figure out. Sony would later add comic support, web browsing (which was awful and slow), RSS feeds, and digital TV in Japan. It tried to do it all, but it couldn’t do it all very well. It helped show off the power of the PSP.
Nintendo DS
What you see is what you get. This is all there was to the DS’s software. This single screen You could go into the options and set your birthday for certain games to recognize, but that’s about it. There was a simple calendar and an analog clock. Pictochat was your only app, and you could choose which game slot to play on DS Download Play, but that’s it. The DS didn’t focus on anything else but the games, and for the price, you expected that. I was surprised the DS had a menu system at all because of how simplistic the overall design was. There was no need for more expensive memory cards, as all games were saved on the game card.
Online Capabilities
Sony PSP
This was in the early 2000s. Everything was online or needed to be. The PSP had this in mind right out of the gate with what Sony called “Infrastructure” play, or online play. Many launch titles had it, but they also had “Ad-Hoc” play, which was wireless local multiplayer. Some games had the ability to play online locally with one UMD, which was awesome, but very few games support this. Playing online was as simple as connecting to an access point, but this became impossible when later routers implemented WPA2 WiFi security, which the PSP did not support. Being able to use a web browser was neat. Does anyone remember the hidden one in Wipeout Pure? Downloading DLC on a handheld was also really cool. You could later download comics and RSS feeds, which were ahead of their time. Only smartphones were doing this. However, in the end, it was up to the game to support online play. Sadly, neither system supported a friends list, clans, rankings, or anything like that.
Nintendo DS
Surprisingly, the DS was capable of the same online play as the PSP, but mostly local wireless was implemented. You could play with up to four players off of one cart if the developers allowed it and even beam demos to your friends. This was utilized more than the PSP, and very few games had online play. The DS suffered from the same security incompatibility as the PSP later on but also had a feature the PSP didn’t have: DS Download Play. You could go to game stores and download demos of games, which was really cool. Sadly, due to the lack of a storage option, you could not download or obtain DLC in any way unless it was in the cart and unlocked by connecting to a server. Overall, the online capabilities of the DS were barely there.
Hardware/Features
Sony PSP
The PSP is technically superior in pretty much every way. A faster CPU and GPU, more RAM, a bigger screen, an external wifi switch, a larger physical media capacity, and a few more options. However, the CPU was underclocked for a good year to 222 MHz to save battery life until God of War: Chains of Olympus came out to overclock it to the full 333 MHz. A firmware update was required to even do this, which shipped with the game. While the media capacity was larger, a UMD was 1.8 GB compared to a DS cart’s 512MB max capacity. That’s three times larger. This allowed for richer worlds, more content, and better visuals overall. The downside to this was spinning media on a battery. The UMD sucked the battery’s life down, and thus games later in the system’s life opted for data installs as the prices of memory cards came down.
The physical design of the PSP, while beautiful and ergonomic, was also fragile. The system got dust under the plastic lens easily, the LCD could easily crack (I cracked mine only a few months in from just being in my pocket), the UMD drive failed, and while the battery was removable, it had a fairly low capacity, only giving users around 3–4 hours. The LCD also had serious ghosting issues, but many didn’t notice this as LCD screens were still expensive. While the PSP did a noble job on its first outing, it had some serious flaws that were later addressed in newer models.
Nintendo DS
The DS had lower-powered hardware, but the battery lasted much longer. Getting nearly 8–10 hours on a single charge There was no spinning media to worry about or a large power-hungry screen. The DS did have smaller screens, and while they were clear, the backlight wasn’t that great on the first model. The touch screen was also prone to scratching. So in the screen department, it didn’t do so well. The DS didn’t have a sleep mode like the PSP did. The game had to support going to sleep so you could close the DS up. The DS was built better and felt sturdy; however, the hinge was a weak point. The stylus was also prone to getting lost, and when that’s gone, you can’t play any games at all. A loseable core piece of hardware is a downside.
In the end, they both have their strengths and weaknesses. The DS has lower-powered hardware, but the touchscreen forces gameplay innovation and creativity. The PSP looks sleek, but it is really fragile, and the spinning media suckers up the battery. You also need expensive proprietary memory cards. With the PSP’s largest strength being processing power, the DS just edges out everything else.
Revisions
Revision 1
Sony PSP-2000
Handhelds are notorious for hardware revisions. Some give better processing power, but they are, in the end, built to cost and are meant to be cheaper to produce. Both systems had many revisions with pros and cons. For starters, the PSP’s revision of the PSP-2000, or “Slim and Lite,” reduced the screen ghosting by a lot but made the PSP feel lighter and too cheap. It felt more plastic-like and had fewer metal parts inside. It came in many more colors and bundles, but it also didn’t come with anything like a value pack. This was just a core model. Sadly, the storage option wasn’t addressed, and the battery was surprisingly shrunk down, so you got less battery life. The only addition was video output, which was nice but made no sense. However, Sony doubled the RAM for faster loading times and better web browsing. The D-pad was also slightly improved. That was probably the second-greatest addition, next to the better screen. It was a modest revision, but nothing spectacular, and didn’t focus on the system’s biggest weaknesses.
Nintendo DS Lite
Nintendo released a strikingly slimmer Nintendo DS Lite. This thing was very sleek and gave off PSP vibes with how slim it was. Like the PSP-2000, not much was addressed. The biggest complaints were the size and chunkiness of the original model, and that was taken care of. Brighter screens, a longer-lasting battery, and a longer stylus were added, so nearly every issue with the original model was fixed. This is the perfect DS to get if you want GBA compatibility.
In the end, the PSP didn’t address enough of its bigger issues and added features that didn’t enhance the overall experience. While the DS Lite didn’t add anything new, it focused on improvement.
Revision 2
Sony PSP-3000
The PSP-3000 was Sony’s last full-size revision. It had even fewer improvements over the 2000 model, only adding the best screen yet with a half-reduced pixel response time, more brightness, and a better contrast ratio. However, the parts were cheapened even more, and it almost feels like a toy at this point. The component video was added to the video output, which is nice, I guess. I never understood hooking a handheld up to a TV. It kind of defeats the purpose, and it looks ugly. That was it. The lens on the screen reduced glare, but overall, it was a severely cost-reduced model, and that was clearly the goal. By now, the PSP was at its peak and was quickly dropping in sales.
Nintendo DSi
This is where Nintendo took a step back. They removed the GBA slot, which rendered all DS accessories useless and had no backward compatibility. Instead, they added two cameras, which were awful and pointless. I would have rather kept the GBA slot. We did get a more powerful CPU for the DSi and a new home screen. The doubled CPU power was nice and helped with DS games that suffered a slowdown on the previous models. We also got a four-fold increase in RAM and 256MB of internal storage for the DSiWare games, plus an SD card slot. While the GBA slot was taken away, we did get an actual advancement in the software and hardware side of things, unlike the PSP. The last downside was shorter battery life due to the larger screens, increased CPU speed, and better wifi card.
Revision 3
Sony PSP GO
This was Sony’s final outing, and it was a drastic change. They wanted to really push the PlayStation Store by making a digital-only handheld. That’s great and all, but what about all that physical media out there? They promised a program that would allow you to download a digital game if you had the physical one, but there was no way to prove this and prevent piracy. In the end, you had to re-buy everything, and this killed sales. They also introduced a new, more expensive, and harder-to-find proprietary storage that came in smaller sizes than memory stick pro duos. The memory stick micro, or M2, card maxed out at 32GB. Despite this serious downside, the new compact slide-out design was reminiscent of phones back in the day and was a huge hit with fans. Again, there’s a downside to this. The 4.3″ screen was reduced to 3.8″.
While Bluetooth was added to connect a PS3 controller to a TV, Sony continued to alienate previous owners by making the cable proprietary and removing USB support. This was to support the official dock as the PSP could act as an analog clock, MP3 player, and video player; however, this was too late. While it’s a super sleek handheld, and the 16GB of internal storage is a good start, it’s not enough. There should have easily been 32GB of internal storage and SD card support. But Sony’s rampant, frothing-at-the-mouth drive to deter piracy killed the sales of their system.
Nintendo DSi XL
This is probably the best version of the DS to get overall. It sadly doesn’t improve anything outside of larger screens and better battery life. If you want bigger screens, get this. If you want smaller screens, get a DSi. I owned one at one point and loved the larger 3.25″ screens. The system feels heavier but is still sleek and well-built. I can’t give this one to Nintendo this time due to how little they changed anything. At least Sony tried to redesign the entire PSP despite its many setbacks.
Physical Games
Action
Sony PSP
The power of the PSP was suited for action games. Lots of explosions, fun combat, and the analog nub helped with this. Sadly, the lack of a second stick meant camera control was left to the computer or other buttons. Action games were plentiful on the PSP, with a lot of bestsellers. Most of Sony’s AAA titles were in this category. While not all of them were knocked out of the park, many showed off the power of the PSP, which set it apart from the DS at least in that way.
Some notable games are God of War, Syphon Filter, Pursuit Force, Grand Theft Auto, Jak & Daxter, Ratchet & Clank,Ace Combat, Assassin’s Creed, Call of Duty, Brothers in Arms, Coded Arms, Monster Hunter, God Eater, Killzone, Manhunt, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, Medal of Honor, Metal Gear Solid, Prince of Persia, and the list goes on. These were massive franchises, and most had the PSPs’ backs. If you want to play action games, there is no shortage on the PSP.
Nintendo DS
The DS did have some action games, but the lack of analog control and the stylus made it difficult to port games or stick with known franchises on the system. There weren’t many 3D action games, as the system was best for 2D platformers and RPGs. We did get a few noteworthy titles such as Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, Dementium, Moon, Metroid Prime: Hunters, Call of Duty, Brothers in Arms, Ninja Gaiden, Contra, Okamiden, and LEGO, and that about sums up 3D action titles on the DS. It was slim pickings, and only a few of these titles were amazing.
Racing
Sony PSP
Due to the PSP’s 3D capabilities, racing games were huge on the system. If you were a racing fan, this was the system for you. Nearly every major franchise landed on the system. ATV, MX, Burnout, Juiced, Need for Speed, Ridge Racer, Flatout, Split/Second, TOCA Race Driver, Gran Turismo, Wipeout, Outrun, Test Drive, Midnight Club, MotorStorm, Sega Rally, MotoGP, F1, WRC, NASCAR, Hot Wheels, Micro Machines, you name it. Not all of these were fantastic titles, but a lot of them looked good and felt great on the handheld.
Nintendo DS
The DS didn’t lack any racing games, but due to the weaker 3D abilities of the system, racing games weren’t the first stop for the system. Mario Kart probably dominated that genre alone, but there were some third-party franchises as well. Burnout, Need for Speed, Asphalt, GRID, Sonic Racing, Trackmania, Racer Driver, Moto Racer, Dirt, Juiced, Ridge Racer, Diddy Kong, and a few others While some of these franchises were also on the PSP, they were far superior. Some developers created all-new experiences on the DS over the PSP, so they were their own unique games, but the ports weren’t very good and felt slow and boring. While there are a few solid titles on the DS, they’re not the go-to genre for this system or its strength.
RPG
Sony PSP
The PSP was a strong system full of JRPGs. Not many Western ones made it to the system, with the biggest being The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion, which was canceled. Many franchises, nearly all of the popular ones, made it onto the system in both 3D and 2D. Remakes, remasters, and one-shots made it onto the system as well. Series like Star Ocean, Final Fantasy, Persona, Kingdom Hearts, Valkyrie Profile, Ys, Lunar, The Legend of Heroes, Crimson Gem Saga, Class of Heroes, Brave Story, Phantasy Star, Dungeon Siege, Untold Legends, Growlanser, Tales of the World, Blade Dancer, and many others If you notice, a lot of these are lesser-known series, and Final Fantasy dominates the system. There were more RPGs released only in Japan that the West never got. Thankfully, some have been translated by fans.
Nintendo DS
The DS was clearly the strongest winter in the RPG department. While it didn’t see hardly any Western RPGs, JRPGs dominated the system and were one of its strong suits. 2D RPGs and even 3D isometric ones were popular, with pretty much every franchise backing the system. Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, Mario & Luigi, Pokemon, Dragon Quest, Radiant Historia, Shin Megami Tensei,Lunar Knights, Nostalgia, Etrian Odyssey, Chrono Trigger, Lufia, Golden Sun, Rune Factory, Suikoden, Sonic, Luminous Arc, Phantasy Star, Avalon Code, Digimon, and the list goes on. As you can probably tell, Pokemon alone would win this category. But you had Shin Megami Tenseigames that weren’t Persona. Unique Final Fantasy games that weren’t remakes or ports. Quite a few one-shot exclusives. Dragon Quest never made it to the PSP, and neither did Suikoden. There’s so much variety here that any JRPG fan will love the DS in this category.
Puzzle
Sony PSP
Puzzle games are great in any portable form, and every handheld has a good amount of them. The PSP was no exception, with the puzzle-rhythm hybrid Lumines being the first on the system. The PSP has a ton of original puzzle games and ports. Some of them are wholly fantastic. Games like Echochrome, Lumines, Crush, Exit, Practical Intelligence Quotient, Downstream Panic, Mercury, and others were great games that fit the widescreen of the PSP. There were also a lot of bad puzzle games on the PSP, and sadly, more than good ones.
Nintendo DS
The touch screen was just screaming for puzzle games. You can physically manipulate them outside of buttons, and it gave the genre a chance to add another dimension. There were so many puzzle games on the DS that it drowned out the PSP in comparison.Brain Age, Big Brain Academy, Picross, Meteos, Tetris, Planet Puzzle League, Professor Layton, Henry Hatsworth, Scribblenauts, Peggle, Touchmaster, Polarium, Crosswords, Clubhouse Games, and the list goes on. There weren’t just traditional puzzle games, but word games as well. Sudoku, Crosswords, and many others allow you to write answers. That’s more than the PSP could do. This is a situation where the genre fits the system better.
Platformer
Sony PSP
The PSP has a hardware advantage here. The system isn’t just stuck with 2D platformers. 3D ones were common on the system, but then another hardware fault bit it in the ass. The lack of a second analog nub means no camera control. This became a widespread problem in the system. 3D platformers were frustrated endeavors, and the DS’ lower-powered hardware suddenly could shine because of this. Games like Death Jr., Daxter, Ratchet & Clank, Pac-Man World, Jak & Daxter, Crash Bandicoot, Toy Story, and many others were decent to middling. 3D platformers would have been a huge leg up for the PSP if it just had another analog nub. That’s not to say 2D platformers never made it to the system. Games likeLittleBigPlanet,Mega Man, Prinny, Ghost & Goblins, N+, Castlevania, and many others made it to the system and performed better, but there just weren’t a lot of them. The PSP isn’t anything to sniff at when it comes to platformers, but nothing truly stood out.
Nintendo DS
With the power of Nintendo’s already strong platformer games and a lot of third-party series, the DS really did shine. It didn’t have to worry about clumsy 3D controls either. Games like New Super Mario Bros., Super Mario 64, Super Princess Peach, Sonic, Kirby, Mega Man,Spider-Man, Castlevania, Wario, The Legendary Starfy, Yoshi, Contra, Aliens, and many others Super Mario 64 was one of the rare 3D platformers, but it worked well thanks to being tailored for the system. It might kind of feel like there’s cheating here because Nintendo has such a strong presence in the platformer genre, but what’s here is here. While the PSP may have had a larger variety of platformers, the DS had a much stronger sense of quality.
Sports
Sony PSP
With the advantage of 3D and not needing to really use a camera, the sports genre had an advantage here. Sony had their own sports series, plus third-party companies like EA and 2K could throw theirs on here as well. Games like NBA 2K, NBA Street, NFL Street, Tiger Woods, Pangya, Madden, FIFA, Fight Night, Hot Shots, Tony Hawk, WWE, NHL, Virtua Tennis, NBA Live, Pro Evolution Soccer, Football Manager, The Bigs, and the list goes on There was a massive pouring of sports games on the system of nearly every genre. While a lot of them aren’t very good, there is at least one decent title in every series on the system.
Nintendo DS
The DS was interesting when it came to sports titles. Developers had to be creative to put their series on this system due to the lack of 3D horsepower. Series like Tony Hawk were better on the DS (outside of Underground 2 Remix) because of the creativity needed. You also had series like Tiger Woods that used the touch screen in unique ways. There were many other series on the DS as well, like FIFA and Madden, but they weren’t really any good. Nintendo had its own sports series like Mario Hoops, Mario & Sonic, and True Swing Golf, but again, nothing special. Many series were one-and-done on here, like WWE, Skate, Real Soccer, and some others that just didn’t perform well. The DS was a real mixed bag in the sports arena, with only a few standout titles. This is where the lack of 3D power hurt, despite the unique controls.
Rhythm
Sony PSP
Rhythm games during this era weren’t very popular on handhelds in the West. They exploded in the East, and you usually had to import them if you wanted the best the systems had to offer. This was mostly the case with the PSP. There was Rock Band Unplugged and Lumines in the West, but Japan, China, and Korea got the likes of Hatsune Miku: Project Diva, DJ Max Portable, K-On, andPop’n Music. The PSP’s widescreen format was great for rhythm games as it allowed a wide playfield, and the number of buttons worked out great. The power of the system also allowed for music videos to play in the background, which most rhythm games did.
Nintendo DS
The DS may not have had the powerful hardware or widescreen format, but the touch screen provided a more physical and unique interaction for rhythm games that matched the arcade. Games like Elite Beat Agents, Ontomarama, Rhythm Heaven, Lego Rock Band, Guitar Hero, and many more There was a much larger Western following thanks to the touch screen, but many of the rhythm games lacked content due to the cartridge’s small size and no way to download DLC. A lot of the DS rhythm games were more experimental, and thus many didn’t review them as well as the PSP rhythm games. Guitar Hero was fine, but the grip controller cramped your hands. There were also more consistent franchises on the PSP with yearly releases, but the downside was needing to import.
Fighting
Sony PSP
The power of the PSP allowed for great 3D fighters, and many jumped ship from their console cousins. Franchises like Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter, Tekken,Dragon Ball Z, BlazBlue, Soul Calibur, and many more made it onto the PSP. At least one entry in every major fighting franchise made it over, and most were original titles. That’s not to say the majority reviewed well. Most of the 3D fighters reviewed received middling scores, and this was mainly due to the PSP’s not-so-ideal D-pad for fighting games. Despite the less-than-desirable average score, they made it onto the system nonetheless, and many gamers ate them up.
Nintendo DS
The DS had some major franchises make it over, like Mortal Kombat, Guilty Gear, Dragon Ball Z,Bleach, and Naruto, but it wasn’t as vast as the PSP. The DS was even less ideal for fighting games due to a lack of analog input, and the DS’ D-pad wasn’t much better. Some games added a touchscreen swipe system, but these just never felt the same. Sadly, the lack of power meant 3D fighters suffered, and 2D fighters looked squished on the small screen.
Conclusion
Well, despite this seeming like a competition, each system has its strengths and weaknesses, and some might work better for what you want than others. Some may only play RPGs on handhelds, so the DS would be the best system for you. Some may want more multimedia features, so the PSP would be the way to go. While in the comparisons, the PSP seems to have a stronger library, it only seems that way at first. A lot of PSP games didn’t review as well as DS games on average. The lack of first-party support with Sony not releasing as many games as Nintendo did on the DS and the DS’ lack of power and unique controls forced developers to make games from the ground up. The PSP received a lot worse PS2 ports and movie tie-ins than the DS did. The PSP’s power was also a crutch that many developers leaned heavily on, and it didn’t pay off most of the time. Each system is worthy of your collection, but this contrast and comparison may help those who are on the fence in one area or another.
Many people use video game reviews to determine how to spend their hard-earned dollars. While as an adult I don’t take this as seriously and I now make my own money I am more forgiving of games that aren’t perfect. As kids or teens, we have limited money and are usually picked through gaming magazines to determine if that one game was worth the money because we only got a few a year. For me, it was only during Christmas time that my parents bought games. I mostly rented mine throughout my childhood and teen years. Even for rentals, I was picky as I didn’t want to be stuck on my weekend with a dud of a game. Even a 7/10 or 3.5/5 would be considered a waste of time. This was the last generation in which AAA title after AAA title would be considered fantastic and with so many exclusives it was hard to keep up with. The HD era of gaming would see budgets balloon to insane heights and game releases slowed down as a result.
In my eyes, 7/10 or 3.5/5 games are mostly ignored. These aren’t always considered hidden gems either. Some are, but some are just considered forgettable. Not awful or good, but just passes under everyone’s radar. These aren’t the “so bad it’s good” games either. A few of these games have cult followings; a few I had only heard of while compiling this list and some I played myself growing up. I compiled this list from Metacritic with games between 74-70. I feel that’s the true blue 7 range. 79 and 78-rated games usually only have about 25% of the critics giving it a 7 to bring an otherwise 8 score down some. These games are at least rated by half the critics as 7/10. While I know many people don’t listen to critics and some might feel this game should be rated higher or lower is subjective. Like it or not, critic reviews drive sales and it may be the reason why you might find a few games on this list you’ve never heard of, thought was talked about worse than you remember, or something along those lines
Pokemon Trozei! – 2005
A fun matching puzzle game, but lacked any modes and overall content. The graphics were also really simple despite looking at the part. The issue is that the game gets old really fast. It’s not as addictive as other puzzlers of its ilk.
Most Recent Entry: Pokemon Shuffle – 2015 (AND, iOS, 3DS)
This a great jumping-in point for new players as this new set of games are almost identical to the first game. You just get more of the same, and that’s not always bad. The original game was praised for blending soccer with RPG elements, but the soccer part wasn’t all that great. It’s still a unique series to check out.
This is considered the worst game in the series, but that’s saying a lot. The story alone is worth playing, but the game can feel overly complex at times and the AI is pretty bad.
Most Recent Entry: Valkyrie Elysium – 2022 (PS4, PS5, PC)
99Bullets – 2011
Well-liked for blending two genres well, but lacked content and was a little on the hard side. It’s still a very unique vertical shooter and felt like a good diversion from the anime-based shooters at the time.
Zoonies – Escape from Makatu – 2011
A cute and fun albeit forgettable platformer. The game also had some control issues and was really short, but at least it felt at home eon DSiWare.
Meteos: Disney Magic – 2007
More of the same with a Disney skin. The changes didn’t improve the game, but instead just made it different. If you love Meteos this one is worth picking up. It’s sad this series was so short-lived.
Most Recent Entry: Meteos Wars – 2008 (X360)
Big Brain Academy – 2005
A good improvement to the series and the puzzles get harder are you continue to play adding replay value. However, the overall content is a bit lacking and is only fun in short bursts.
Most Recent Entry: Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain – 2021 (NS)
Drone Tactics – 2008
Yes, it’s an Atlus game so that means there are some big fans of this game. While the strategy is fun and the game looks slick, the storyline is childish and pretty stupid. Many rolled their eyes at the story and skipped past it just to get to the meat of the game. In any RPG that’s not a good thing, but the gameplay is good enough to justify this.
Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood – 2008
This game doesn’t need any introduction to Sonicfans or those avid in their DS lore. Bioware of all people made this game and it was incredibly hyped. A dark and mature Sonic RPG? What’s not to love? The game is way too simple. There are no deep gameplay elements or RPG things in here. It was clearly geared towards younger children despite the great visuals and unique twist on the series.
Most Recent Entry: Sonic Frontiers – 2022 (PC, PS4, XONE, PS5, XSX, NS)
Bomberman Land Touch 2! – 2008
Bomberman tried the Mario Party approach and didn’t quite hit it off. The game was way too simple and there wasn’t much depth to the title. However, there was a lot of content and the use of the touch screen was well implemented.
Most Recent Entry: Amazing Bomberman – 2022 (X360)
Custom Robo Arena – 2007
A decent RPG if not mundane and formulaic. The story is boring and the quests aren’t all that great, but fans of the series or just anime RPGs, in general, might find some value here. This would be the third and final game in the series.
New International Track & Field – 2008
A remake of the original game with cutesy big-headed characters. Some said the game should have been on a console as the dual screens made the game feel off, but some preferred it. It at least had online play at the time which was nice. This would sadly be the final game in the long-running series.
Puchi Puchi Virus – 2009
A solid puzzle game that was different from the rest. While it did grow stale after a while and didn’t have the staying power of Meteos or Tetris it was different at least. The bright colors were nice and it had some character.
Luminous Arc – 2007 Luminous Arc 2 – 2008
This is a great game for casual gamers who want to dip their toes in the SRPG genre. While it looks good and has some good writing, the game isn’t very deep and can be too easy for vets of the genre.
Yoshi Touch & Go – 2005
A fantastic tech demo during the system’s launch, but that was about it. The game was really short and mostly focused on showing off the touch screen and other features. It’s still worth a pick-up to remind you just how unique and fun the DS really is.
Most Recent Entry: Yoshi’s Crafted World – 2019 (NS)
Viewtiful Joe: Double Trouble! – 2005
While not the best use of the dual screens, and there’s no lefty mode, the game still looks great, but the action is mediocre compared to the console brethren. If you love the series you will like what’s here, but just know that it’s also rather short. This would sadly be the final game in the short-lived series.
Many criticized the game for not adding anything and being merely an emulated port. It was solid and ran well, but also had online play, but good luck finding anyone at the time. Included was the awesome Puzzle Fighter from Mortal Kombat: Deception which I personally really liked and spent more time playing than the fighting part itself. The special moves on the touch screen are nice and you can track your W/L ratio. It doesn’t utilize the touchscreen in innovative ways, but it didn’t need to.
A fun and unique puzzle game if not bland in presentation. The story was considered silly and pointless, but the puzzles were addictive and that’s what matters the most.
Polarium – 2005
While a boring presentation and bland visuals might put you to sleep puzzle fans will find some joy here. The puzzles are rather hard, but not worth going back to. There is a puzzle maker that you can beam to friends though. There was a sequel later released on GBA of all systems.
These are considered the most newbie-friendly games at the time of release, but many will still get lost in the story without deep knowledge of the game’s anime lore. It captured the card game very well and had a rebuild of the entire series at this point in time. That was all well and good, but the steep learning curve for non-fans turned many away.
There’s nothing really wrong with this game. It’s a bit grind-heavy, sure, but the Diablo-esque combat and interesting quests made for a fun adventure. It just didn’t really stand out from the crowd much. It’s an Atlus series, so it has a lot of fans. The series would come to an end in 2016.
Most Recent Entry: Summon Night 6: Lost Borders – 2016 (PS4, VITA)
Super Robot Taisen OG Saga: Endless Frontier – 2009
Good writing, if mostly pervy talk, but good nonetheless, and an easy yet addictive combat system won’t fans over. It’s not the best game in the series, but it’s a more relaxing and fun game rather than serious.
Most Recent Entry: Super Robot Wars 30 – 2021 (PC, PS4, NS)
Glory Days 2 – 2007
A unique game for the system but the small screens make playing a bit annoying. While nothing exceptionally amazing it does what it seeks out to do well enough.
Most Recent Entry: Glory Days: Tactical Defense – 2011 (DS)
Dragon Ball Z: Attack of the Saiyans – 2009
A well made if formulaic JRPG in the DBZ universe. Many praised the visuals and interesting story…for fans. Yeah, you probably won’t want to bother unless you’re a fan of the show.
Most Recent Entry: Dragon Ball: The Breakers – 2022 (PC, NS, PS4, XONE)
Contact – 2006
It’s an Atlus game. Yeah, Atlus had some very mediocre games on the DS, but they get credit for trying something new. Contact is one of those. Praised for its humor and interesting story, but had boring combat and exploration. You either love it or hate it.
Brothers in Arms DS – 2007
While given props for being an incredibly good-looking DS game and keeping the core BiA action intact, the game was rather short and over before you knew it. It had some online play, but barely. Sadly, the series never saw a true sequel.
Most Recent Entry: Brothers in Arms 3: Sons of War – 2014 (AND, iOS)
Harvest Moon: Frantic Farming – 2009
While not perfect, the puzzle gameplay is a nice change of pace for the series. While some of the puzzles felt like they had to be completed a certain way, any puzzle fan could get into this regardless of their Harvest Moon affinity.
Most Recent Entry: Doraemon: Story of Seasons – Friends of the Great Kingdom – 2022 (PS5, NS, PC)
Front Mission – 2007
A remake of the SNES classic, this is a deep and involved game that requires patience and a love for either mechs or the SRPG genre. This game turned many fans of the genre away for its complexity and sometimes dry presentation, but it still has a few layers of fun.
I personally love this series. It’s not perfect and has some pretty bad level design, and can be really frustrating, but the engine Renegade Kid designed is gorgeous. A 60FPS shooter on this system looks amazing. It’s also one of the best horror games on the system. It was later remastered on the 3DS which is probably the best version.
Most Recent Entry: Dementium: Remastered – 2015 (3DS)
Theme Park – 2007
A straight port of the 1994 classic, but that’s all it was. Nothing new was added or changed, and the game is overly complicated sometimes which would turn off casual sim fans. If you have the patience for the small screen and complex gameplay then you will have fun.
Most Recent Entry: Theme Park – 2011 (AND, iOS)
Mario Party DS – 2007
I remember when this game came out. Everyone was hyped for it but was let down by the board design despite the stylus and touch screen bringing a new dynamic to mini-games. The single-player was also really disappointing and was best played with friends. This is the one and only Mario Party game on DS.
Most Recent Entry: Mario Party Superstars – 2021 (NS)
Boing! Docomodake DS – 2009
A cute and quirky DS game that came over from Japan. The downside is the extreme amount of trial and error to get through the game. If you can stomach that then this is one really unique game that flew under everyone’s radar.
Go! Go! Kokopolo: Harmonius Forest Revenge – 2011
Considered one of the best DSiWare games on the system, the fresh characters and fun charm of the game were well-liked, but the brutal difficulty turned many away. It would get one more sequel on 3DS before being forgotten.
Most Recent Entry: Go! Go! Kokopolo 3D: Space Recipe for Disaster – 2017 (3DS)
Nostalgia – 2009
The name says it all. This game is for those who grew up with SNES or PS1 JRPGs. With that in mind, the game doesn’t add anything to the genre and is pretty formulaic. The story is good but takes a long time to get going, but with patience and nostalgia on your side fans will love it.
Pac-Pix – 2005 Pac ‘n Roll – 2005
A fun and unique early title for the system, but the interface and gimmicky controls got old after a while and only the most patient or diehard fans would complete the game. It’s still completely unique to the DS ecosystem. Pac-Pix was a fun scribbling game that let your drawings come to life. Very simple, but a great tech demo for the DS.
Guitar Hero: On Tour – 2008 Guitar Hero: On Tour Decades – 2008 Guitar Hero: On Tour Modern Hits – 2009
I remember getting the first Guitar Hero game for DS with the hand grip keys attached to the GBA slot of the DS. It worked really well, but anyone who didn’t have child-size hands would get serious cramps. You were also locked out of the game if you had a DSi which nixed the GBA slot. The great addition to this game was being able to play with friends with a single cart.
Most Recent Entry: Guitar Hero Live – 2015 (XONE, PS4, PS3, iOS, X360, WIIU)
Jam Sessions – 2007
More of a learning tool than a game. Well, yeah. That’s where it stops. There’s not much of a game here. It also didn’t teach you how to play guitar like an expert but got the basics across. The DS was a unique system that allowed learning software like this.
Most Recent Entry: Jam Sessions 2 – 2009 (DS)
DodoGo! Robo – 2011
The smaller package didn’t improve upon the sequels but just felt like an expansion or DLC. The puzzles were punishing but satisfying once conquered. The game also lacked any nice presentation looking dull in most spots.
Electroplankton – 2006
A fun and unique take on art and music but lacked a save feature which really irked players back in the day. It offered something new every time you booted up the game and felt like a piece of interactive art.
Moon – 2009
Moon was an underrated FPS game on DS that used Renegade Kid’s engine. It was smooth, fun, and had a great atmosphere. It was later remastered for the 3DS.
Most Recent Entry: Moon Chronicles – 2014 (3DS)
Kirby: Squeak Squad – 2006
A fun game if formulaic when it comes to Kirby games. It didn’t do anything new and was really easy and only offered forgettable mini-games. Mainline fans will still find something here to like.
Most Recent Entry: Kirby’s Dream Buffet – 2022 (NS)
Nanostray – 2005
The short-lived series was well-liked by shmup fans. The game was fun, but very short and didn’t do anything particularly fantastic with the genre. It’s still a great addition to your library if you’re a fan of these types of games.
Most Recent Entry: Nano Assault – 2011 (3DS)
Phantasy Star 0 – 2009
A decent take on the series in portable form. The game offered online play and fantastic grinding with friends, but the single-player experience wasn’t as interesting. While it was fun and you could do it the series is meant to be played online. Just be prepared to do a lot of grinding.
Most Recent Entry: Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis – 2020 (PC)
TouchMaster – 2007
This was a fun set of “car ride” games, but not every game would be suitable for everyone. You would pick your favorites and never touch the rest. It feels like you got ripped off. Thankfully the series would improve.
Most Recent Entry: TouchMaster Connect – 2010 (DS)
Ontamarama – 2007
One of the best rhythm games on the DS, but everyone kept putting it up against Elite Beat Agents at the time. It’s by no means bad but does feel sort of generic in comparison. It’s not zany or whacky, but just a fun anime-style rhythm game.
Draglade – 2007
Another Atlus game on the list. Draglade is a unique mix of rhythm action and fighting, but the story is silly, there’s not much depth or challenge, and it’s over before you know it. It’s still a fun anime-style game.
Birds & Beans – 2009
A small $2 game that doesn’t utilize any of the DS’ features is brave, but it worked here. It’s a fun and frantic arcade game with no shame about what it offers.
Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light – 2010
If you’re dying to jump back into the world of FFXIIthen look no further. This is a by-the-numbers JRPG with simple combat and a simple plot, but sometimes that’s okay.
Most Recent Entry: Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin – 2022 (PC, PS4, PS5, XONE, XSX)
Space Bust-A-Move – 2009
If you liked more of what the series has offered then look no further. The formula hasn’t changed in over a decade, but it’s still a lot of fun with unlockables and a space theme.
Most Recent Entry: Bust-A-Move: Journey – 2017 (AND, iOS)
Avalon Code – 2009
The Book of Prophecy is a unique gameplay mechanic that allows you to capture things and manipulate their attributes. The UI and interface are a mess, and the game requires a lot of hours behind it to fully enjoy the game. The complexity is well worth overcoming for the unique gameplay mechanic.
Digimon World DS – 2006
The series struggled to find its own identity outside of Pokemon. While the farming idea was fresh and the capture method was different it was a new start for the series, but not quite enough. It’s still a solid handheld entry.
While teaching you about marine conservation this puzzle game was cute looking and fairly good for the cheap price point. It won’t blow you away, but it was a fun offering for all ages.
Resident Evil: Deadly Silence – 2006
This remake using the DS controls works just fine, but it doesn’t offer anything new. The game itself feels dated despite how perfectly fun it was at the time. If you are tired of the original game don’t bother. However, this is a good jumping in point for those who want a more modern update.
Most Recent Entry: Resident Evil Re:Verse – 2022 (PC)
Spectrobes: Beyond the Portals – 2008
The poor man’s Pokemon, or Digimon for that matter. While the monster trainer part was fine it wasn’t very deep and too simple for anyone familiar with other games in the genre. It’s still worth a look if you’re tired of said games.
Most Recent Entry: Spectrobes: Origins – 2009 (WII)
Gunpey DS – 2006
This puzzle game series was short-lived at the time, and while it was easy to learn but hard to master the overall difficulty wasn’t that high and you could easily achieve high ranks without a sweat. It’s still a cute-looking and fun game. This would sadly be the final game in the series.
Nervous Brickdown – 2007
A fun and stylish Breakout clone, but it doesn’t do anything new with the genre. The mini-games are fun, but they feel constrained to the gameplay element of bouncing a ball around and it hinders it a bit.
Cooking Mama 2: Dinner With Friends – 2007
The series was feeling stale at this point, but no game is incredibly awful as long as the unique controls work. These games are addictive and fun, but short-lived and don’t vary much between sequels.
Most Recent Entry: Cooking Mama: Cuisine! – 2022 (AND, iOS)
Trace Memory – 2005
An early DS title that used the stylus well and looked great. This touch-and-click adventure was praised for its story, but the slow pace, short run time, and lack of action put some people off.
Most Recent Entry: Another Code: R – A Journey into Lost Memories – 2009 (WII)
100 Classic Books – 2010
This may not be relevant these days, but before the rise of e-readers, the DS was thought to be a great option for reading books. While the backlight might be harsh on the eyes this is more of a piece of software and there’s no game here. 100 classic books on one cartridge could keep you busy for months or even years. It actually sold quite well, especially in the UK.
Photo Dojo – 2010
The DSi was the first handheld with a built-in camera. This, of course, sparked the start of augmented reality games, and while the cameras were of poor quality this game did a good job of injecting you and your friends into the game with zany mini-games.
The Legend of Kage 2 – 2008
A direct sequel to the classic side-scrolling platformer. The game didn’t offer much of new gameplay elements but still was hard as nails. This was a lot of people’s complaints. No difficulty setting and unless you loved old-school side scrollers you wouldn’t find anything worthwhile here.
Neves – 2007
While the design isn’t anything original this shape puzzle game gets the job done. It’s incredibly basic in presentation and if you don’t like this type of puzzle game you won’t enjoy it. It’s for a specific crowd.
Sonic Classic Collection – 2010
This is just a bog standard collection that we’ve seen before. It also doesn’t run super well on the system. Poor emulation aside if you have to have a classic Sonic game on your DS it’s not the worst thing.
Most Recent Entry: Sonic Frontiers – 2022 (PC, NS, PS4, PS5, XONE, XSX)
Fossil Fighters – 2009
It doesn’t look amazing or have any interesting story or characters, but it’s down right fun and has good combat. There are also a lot of things to do. Some may find it a bit too easy, but fun is fun.
Most Recent Entry: Fossil Fighters: Frontier – 2014 (3DS)
Atelier Annie: Alchemists of Sera Island – 2009
The one and only Atelier game on the DS. Annie is more of a city builder and less of an RPG. It also has a comedic story that’s very whimsical and fun. If you’re a fan of the RPG elements in the game then this may not be for you.
Most Recent Entry: Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream – 2022 (PC, PS4)
Metal Slug 7 – 2008
A surprising DS exclusive. It’s Metal Slug without any enhancements or advancement of the formula. It’s the same old Metal Slug we’ve either grown to love or tired of. The smaller screen thankfully doesn’t make it a chore to play and it runs really well.
Most Recent Entry: – 2009 ()
Dragon Ball: Origins 2 – 2010
If you loved the original you will like this one. Just be in for some unfixed controls and slowdown. It’s a fun RPG for fans of the series and you will be in for a good time despite its simplicity.
Most Recent Entry: Dragon Ball: The Breakers – 2022 (PC, NS, PS4, XONE)
Garfield’s Nightmare – 2007
Great visuals and level design help this game along quite a bit for older gamers. However, the pre-teen range this game shoots for shows. It’s easy and simple, but can be relaxing and lightweight for older gamers.
Most Recent Entry: Garfield Kart: Furious Racing – 2019 (MAC, PC, NS, PS4, XONE)
Mr. Driller: Drill Spirits – 2004
If you love Mr. Driller then this is for you. It’s also a good jumping-in point for new players. If you are tired of the series and want something new then this isn’t for you. It’s the same old game built for touch screens. That’s about it.
Most Recent Entry: Mr. Driller: Drill Land – 2020 (PC, NS, PS4, PS5, XONE, XSX)
Beat City – 2010
A simple but fun rhythm game. If you’re tired of the bigger hits on the DS then this might be for you. It’s really short, and doesn’t have much replay value, but could be a fun evening with cute graphics.
Art Style: AQUIA – 2009
The Art Style series was popular due to its simple design and minimalistic looks. Aquia mixes Tetris with Bejeweled and while it does a decent job it’s very simple and won’t hold your attention as long as other puzzle games on the system.
Most Recent Entry: Art Style: Rotozoa – 2010 (WII)
Professor Layton is a series I have been curious about but could never get into. When this game came out, I rented it from GameFly and sent it back the same day. It was frustrating right off the bat, and I couldn’t solve a single puzzle by myself. These are probably some of the toughest puzzles you will ever come across in a game. I don’t mean regular puzzles in a 3D space, but full-on college-level logic puzzles. Math questions, pattern recognition, optical illusions—they’re all insanely tough. You do some slider puzzles, the occasional jigsaw, and process of elimination questions. The game is insanely hard, and you will need a walkthrough for this one.
The base of the game plays out like a point-and-click adventure. You enter the town of St. Mystere to find the elusive Golden Apple and acquire its wealth. In the meantime, you are confronted by the townsfolk, who strangely present you with puzzles at every turn. There are 120 puzzles in the main game, with 15 unlocked as Layton’s challenges. There are an additional 25 puzzles available as weekly downloads, but the service has since shut down. These can be unlocked with cheat codes, as they are in the game code. Layton’s Challenges are unlocked by finding pieces to every puzzle. One is sorting items in either Layton’s or Luke’s room, and their reaction is a hint as to whether it belongs to them or not. Another is assembling a gizmo and finding all the pieces to a jigsaw puzzle. These are found by solving optional hidden puzzles outside of the story ones.
You can tap around on the screen for coins that are used to unlock hints, and you will need as many as you need. You tap on the village folk to advance the story or solve their puzzles. If you missed any optional puzzles in a given chapter, they are returned to the puzzle room, so you don’t have to worry about not finding them. These don’t include optional hidden puzzles found by tapping around the screen, however. You can get through the story and solve all of these later, at your leisure. You do get objectives at the top of the screen. Usually to go to a certain area or talk to a specific character. There are some really good-looking, full-motion anime cut scenes peppered throughout the game with full voice acting. It has low-quality audio due to the limited size of the DS carts, but it still looks good.
The game isn’t hard in terms of exploration. You’re limited to maybe a couple dozen screens over the course of the story, and it’s laid out in such a way that you will memorize where everything is pretty fast. The story itself is cute and charming, predictable and forgettable, but it works within the game’s world. Layton and Luke are great characters with depth, and their personalities shine through here. I just wish the puzzles weren’t so damn hard. There is no difficulty ramping, and there are no mini-games for breaks. It’s just 120 puzzles that I either knew the answer to and doubted myself about, didn’t understand the puzzle until I saw the logic behind the answer, was always off by one number, or almost had something. Most of these puzzles are well designed in terms of cleverness; a lot of the time the answer is right in front of you in the form of trick questions, but only those who are avid logic puzzle solvers will truly enjoy this game.
With a walkthrough, I did solve all 120 puzzles, and maybe 20 of those I solved on my own. It’s that damn hard, and it’s a surprise as this game seems marketed toward children, and I’m sure many bought it and had no clue what to do. These are college-level puzzles that only serious brainiacs can solve. Sadly, you’re locked behind the puzzle and can’t advance. There’s no way to pay your way out or see the solution. You get three hints, and a lot of them don’t help much. You just need to know that these are real puzzles that are serious. There is a scoring system in the form of Pacarats, but these mean nothing and don’t unlock anything. It’s really just a score. Every time you fail a puzzle, the potential score you can get for that puzzle drops. So, don’t worry about this system too much.
Overall, I liked the art and characters; the story was cute; and when I did solve a puzzle on my own, it was satisfying, but the majority were just way too hard. There are no mini-games, breaks of any kind, or anything else to change up the gameplay. Sure, the puzzles themselves have different uses for the touch screen. Write in stuff and use the touch screen as a notepad to solve math problems or trace patterns, but other than that, it’s just used to tap around the screen on static images. I’m hoping future games dial the difficulty way down and save the hard stuff for the optional challenges.
Brain Age was an incredibly popular game for the DS. It was the system’s Wii Sports. Everyone, young and old, got a DS just to play this game. The portrait-style mode plus the need to only play for a few minutes a day were great for casual gamers. While this is seen regularly on mobile phones these days, it was a new concept in 2006. Instead of expanding on that game more, Nintendo thought it was a good idea to make another game that’s just the testing part, and you can do it all day if you want. Sure, that’s great, but it needs to have a lot of content due to the gimmick being taken away.
You’re going to notice this just 30 minutes into playing. You set up your profile (not as robust as Brain Age either), and you take your first test. You are tested in five different categories to see how much your brain weighs. Thinking, Memorizing, Analyzing, computing, and Identifying. Each category has three mini-games that are mostly similar. The memorization category has you matching things from the top screen or playing a form of Simon Says. Thinking has you drawing lines to solve fast puzzles; analyzing has you doing similar tasks, such as solving math problems. There are other mini-games, such as counting currency as fast as you can and picking the one with the highest amount. They’re simple problems, but the game loses the charm of the Brain Age games quickly. No portrait mode, less handwriting, no use of the mic, and the analysis of your brain seems silly and trivial. It doesn’t feel like a brain-training exercise.
That’s also quite a shame because this could be the WarioWare of thinking games, and it could work. With only 15 mini-games, the content feels old fast, and the puzzles are dry and not very fun. I felt like I was taking an entrance exam due to the lack of pizazz and flashiness that dress up these kinds of games. Sadly, there aren’t even any other modes besides verses and practice. It feels like a demo or a portion of a much larger game. The difficulty is adjusted on the fly as you play. Answer correctly, and harder questions appear, but fail, and they get easier again. While you can’t memorize answers due to their randomness, you can at least get better at these tasks over time.
The presentation is also lacking. It looks colorful but is dull and boring. There are minimal sound effects and music, and it feels like an early mobile game, to be quite honest. I can’t see this being fun for kids, and adults will grow tired of it quickly. The best part about this game is multiplayer, as these kinds of games are best played with others. However, solo players will grow bored in about an hour. The staying power that made Brain Age games so great is gone here. Anyone who paid full price for this game would probably be upset due to only having a couple hours of gameplay, if that. At the end of the day, what you’re left with is a brain-teasing sampler with fun multiplayer.
The DS was made for rhythm games. The touch screen is a perfect way to implement fun new ideas, as physical interaction with music is usually a good mix. Ontamarama tries this with cute visuals and the touch screen combined with buttons. Sadly, it doesn’t pan out quite how the developers wanted. The game is just too distracting and causes artificial inflation in difficulty when the actual rhythm part never gets very hard.
The combination of using the face buttons and the touch screen isn’t designed very well here. You have to tap the Ontamas that pop up on the touch screen to fill the buttons scrolling across the bar. Using just directional buttons to trigger the actual note This just doesn’t work. While you tap the creatures, you can’t keep your eye on the scrolling bar either. Slower notes work fine, and you will notice this during the first few songs of the story mode. However, adding other things like needing to double tap notes, drawing circles around groups of Ontamas, and avoiding black Onatamas that lower your performance is just too much.
Eventually, songs get so infuriating because this combo is just not working out. The songs aren’t hard themselves; if only I could keep an eye on both things. There is also stuff happening on the top screen that I can’t even look at for a second. I also felt the circle drawing wasn’t forgiving enough. If you draw the circle too big, it won’t register, and the same is true for too small. Often times, I just barely made it through the song before failing. There’s no way practice can make this game better unless you memorize each button placement and note, and that’s a good way to master a rhythm game. It should be about mastering the mechanics and having your reflexes honed.
It would be kind of worth it if the songs were good. These are just loud clashes of instruments that don’t sound good. There are no catchy beats or tunes. It’s just generic-sounding music that just sounds like awful noise. If the music was really good, then trying to master this frustrating system might be worth it. Now, I’m not saying the game is horrible. It’s a unique take on the genre, and the developers really tried to do something new. When it works, it’s a lot of fun. The visuals are cute, but the story is complete nonsense and silly. Sadly, there are only about a dozen tracks, so once you beat Story Mode, that’s pretty much it.
I can see how this game didn’t sell well and failed. It isn’t the near perfection of Elite Beat Agents with its licensed music or Guitar Hero with its unique peripherals. The DS didn’t have a fantastic run of rhythm games, but they were all unique and tried something new, and I can appreciate that. I feel that if you really want to scratch a rhythm itch, pick this up for a challenge, but don’t play it for the music.
Match-three puzzle games are a weakness for me. As long as there are some good visuals and addictive gameplay, I’m hooked. Meteos is a unique take on this, as the game lets you drag blocks anywhere in their column, and you can match three horizontally or vertically. This allows the game to drop blocks at a breakneck pace. You need to strategize and line up blocks, but that’s not all. To clear them, the matched blocks launch themselves and all blocks above them into the air. Continue matching blocks below that set, and it will exit the screen and clear.
Of course, there are some items that help you clear the stage, such as a giant hammer and bombs, but if the game is going too slow for you, there’s a speed-up dial as well. The main mission mode has three different stages. In each one, you have to work your way to the final boss, Meteo. Each and every planet has a different tile set and way to clear blocks. One planet required matching two sets nearby in order to get the blocks to launch. Some planets will launch every set all the way up in exchange for making the entire round faster. This is a simple concept, but it’s hard to master. Match-three games like this always require strategy, but I found that some luck comes into play here. I would restart one round nearly a dozen times only to win really quickly thanks to blocks falling in a certain pattern that allowed me to keep my screen clear.
Every time you defeat a boss, it’s really satisfying. The fast pace of needing to look ahead and make sure blocks are always lined up gets tough, but you learn over time. I wish you had power-ups like in some games like this, but what’s here is fine. There are a couple more modes, such as an endless mode and a custom mode. Modes are ideal for games like this that don’t have a ton of missions, like Puzzle Quest. However, I really do feel a more robust mission mode would have been better. After about an hour, I wanted to stop. The game is only fun in short bursts due to its arcade-like nature. While the game can be addictive at times when you actually win, it can also be exhausting because of the fast pace and luck-based nature of each match.
For an early DS title, the game looks good. There are some nice effects and lots of colors, and the touch screen responds well to the small blocks. I did find some tilesets hard on the eyes, but I eventually got used to them. Overall, Meteos is a fun puzzle game on the system and takes the genre in new directions despite the lack of a more robust mission mode.
I’m not really big on gaming headsets, as I don’t need to use them often as I have my own place, but when I do, I want something amazing—something that can deliver the quality and power of large speakers inside some cans. After having the Razer Man O’ War for about 18 months, I switched over to some wired headphones and moved brands. Why Kingston? Well, the reviews are great, and it’s plug and play, which may sound iffy to some, but it works out well in the end.
Some people want fancy software, RGB lighting, and crazy controls, but Kingston went a different route here. Most PC headsets are not compatible with a console, but these are thanks to a proprietary USB 7.1 audio card built into the cable with Dolby. Now the downside is that these are only stereo headphones with the 3.5mm jack adapter, but they still sound amazing. The USB port has a three-part equalizer for flat, bass boost, and vocal. For gaming and movies, you can activate the Dolby 7.1 surround sound with just a button, allowing the headphones to control everything without the need for any software.
The mic is completely removable, which is a nice feature, and it works just as you would expect. There’s a button to mute the mic on the control box, but for consoles, you will need to remove it completely to mute it through the hardware. Outside of these features, the headset itself is extremely comfortable and feels like a cloud sitting on your head. Instead of adjustable bands, we get a tension-sensitive soft band under a hard outer band. This means the band adjusts to your head shape easily without any fiddling. The ear cups are super soft, and no sound escapes. Since these are wired headphones, I had to figure out where to clip the control box, which wound up going on my keyboard cable to keep it nearby so I could access the controls easily. The cord behind that is rather long, which is needed for console use.
Here’s the big question: How does 7.1 audio sound in games and movies? Well, it works surprisingly well. The built-in sound card does a good job decoding the audio and making it sound incredible. I could hear gunshots behind me, people talking next to me, and explosions that sounded epic and amazing. Games with 7.1 options sound even better and more realistic, but sadly, there aren’t many games with this built-in.
With that said, the HyperX Revolver S is a solid wired headset without the flash and fancy software accompanying most headsets these days. They are extremely comfortable, give an amazing sound output that is crisp and clear, and also have great 7.1 audio capabilities. There are a few minor gripes, like the control box being in a weird spot on the cable, only three equalizer settings, and missing software for those who like to fine-tune, but what’s here works surprisingly well straight out of the box and is plug-and-play. This is a versatile headset for any gamer, but sadly, the 7.1 only works through USB, and the 3.5mm jack is strictly stereo. For the price point, you get bang for your buck that you won’t get with most other headsets.
I can count on two hands the number of JRPGs I have actually finished from start to finish. I’m not a completionist with these games, as they are long-winded, difficult, and usually very complicated and complex. The Golden Sun is no exception. It starts out as a light-hearted, easy-going JRPG, but then things turn around quickly once you get into the meat of the game.
That’s not to say Dark Dawn is bad at all, but it’s the only Golden Sun game I’ve actually played. I dabbled in the first game a bit but never got through it. The first things that got me hooked on Dark Dawn were the visuals, some of the best on the system, and the deep combat system. Golden Sun isn’t just about attacks and magic powers. The lore uses elements of the earth to create psynergy that each hero can harness and unleash, which you will use more than regular attacks. Djinni are little creatures that you can equip to enhance stats, add new synergy powers, and summon giant creatures. The combat system requires quite a bit of strategy, and you can’t ignore this Djinn system. You must go around collecting at least half of them, or you will never be able to finish the game. This is part of where my issues started to set in.
While combat is deep, complex, and quite fun, the exploration part of Golden Sun is just as deep. Every dungeon is full of puzzles that require you to use your psynergy powers to pull blocks, grow vines, smash rocks, and slap stuff around. You unlock these powers as you acquire new party members and go along in the game. The game is actually quite large, spanning a huge map and a couple dozen dungeons, which is quite a lot for a handheld title. Once you get a third through, you unlock your ship, which allows you to access the rest of this world. There are many towns to explore, people to talk to, and weapons and armor to acquire. I never had an issue always having the most powerful stuff, as the game is generous with money during battles. I also found this was the easiest game to level up in, but more on that later.
So, while the first few dungeons were easy and just the right amount of hard to figure out, they became obscure, downright confusing, and labyrinthine later on. I actually needed a walkthrough for the last half of the game. I had no idea where to go or what to do, and the game requires certain objects to be obtained before you can even continue the story. I would never have known this without a walkthrough. When I got to the final boss, I actually had to level up 20 whole levels to beat him because I didn’t acquire all the Djinn in the game. I had to compensate with much higher base stats, even though I had the most powerful weapons and armor in the game. Thankfully, in the final dungeon, the enemies are really easy, and I could level up every two battles, which is something I’ve never seen in a JRPG. The 20-level climb took only about 2 hours, which is fast compared to most.
How about the story? Well, there’s a lot of lore here, and I appreciated all of it, but it’s just really forgettable and not all that interesting. You start out trying to find a bird feather to power a flying machine you broke, and then you end up saving the world? The dialog and writing are extremely cheesy and cliche, and I just wanted everyone to shut up. The characters are nice, but once again, forgettable. I had higher hopes for the story in this series, the lore, and everything else, but it’s just not very fulfilling.
Overall, Dark Dawn is still one of the best games on the DS and one of the best-looking. The graphics are fantastic, with clean texture, high-res models, and so much detail. The game is just brimming with variety and beautiful locales. I can only recommend this game to the hardest of hardcore JRPG players. The game is so complex and full of optional bosses, hidden weapons, and armor that it won’t appeal to most players. It’s fun and pretty straightforward until about 10 hours in, when it gets complex and overwhelming.
Great post tthankyou