Joystiq's DS buyer's guide: readers respond [update 1]
by Ross Miller 
{ Jun 14th 2006 at 3:55PM }
On Monday, we recommended a few titles for those who just picked up a new DS Lite (or for anyone who has a DS phat, it does not matter). Our readers responded, suggested, and critiqued, and here is what you wanted we missed on our previous mini-guide:- Trauma Center: Under the Knife (average score: 81%) That we left this off must have been the gravest error, given the overwhelming feedback. You play as a surgeon as you hone your skills on different patients. Reader Kai Cherry said the game "will make you sweat, curse and scream 'don't die! Nooooo' as much as any shooter would."
- Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan! (average score: 88%) Its US counterpart, Elite Beat Agents (not a remake of the original), will be arriving soon, but you can import now if you are impatient (all DS portables are region-free, so they can play Japanese games). Ianc02 called the game "simple and brilliant and not as easy as you think."
- Advance Wars Dual Strike (average score: 90%) We mentioned the title in passing, as an honorable mention, but that was a mistake on our part. Dual Strike is another update for the fantastic Advance Wars series, and it feels like a perfect fit with the DS controls.
- WarioWare: Touched! (average score: 81%) It seems the 3 most unique games (Phoenix Wright, Trauma Center, WarioWare) all averaged the same score of 81% -- coincidence, trend, or conspiracy? This version of WarioWare will not win over people who hate the series, but will satisfy those with a craving for the bizarre and frantic.
[update 1: clarified the relation between Osu! and Elite Beat Agents; also, sorry to confuse about the WarioWare price -- I mixed up Twisted and Touched]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
idioteraser @ Jun 14th 2006 4:07PM
Ouendan isn't being released in the states. What Elite Beat Agents is a brand new game with a whole new story, characters and songs.
It's a good choice since localization would have been disastrous in regards to the songs.
J B Cougar @ Jun 14th 2006 4:08PM
Ok, and now try doing this on the "hard" difficulty setting: Name as many games of equal quality for the PSP.
James @ Jun 14th 2006 4:26PM
Thought there was something a little wrong when I didn't see Advanced Wars up there. I decided to order this as well, couldn't resist after playing the previous versions. Thanks for some more great recommendations Joystiq!
AJ @ Jun 14th 2006 4:28PM
When you think about it, the average gamer only has about 15 to 20 games for their system. The fact that you can't rent DS games from the local blockbuster doesn't help, but the fact that you can pick up a large handful of quality DS titles so early in it's life is a sure sign of a good system... I figure if I can get about a half-hour of enjoyment for every dollar I spend on a game, then it's worth my money. And I doubt it will be hard to get 65 hours of enjoyment out of my DS lite.
AJ @ Jun 14th 2006 4:31PM
One more thing... Where can you get Wario Ware for $20? Everywhere I look it's still full price.
jabbertrack @ Jun 14th 2006 4:34PM
J B Cougar:
Way to get us back on track for console wars man... whew I thought for a second the Joystiq comment section was going downhill with all the on-topic posts and lack of fanboy-isms
But seriously... I didn't have the DS Phat, and $139 plus tax was burning a hole in my pocket... so I figured what the heck! I love my PSP... use it NIGHTLY for RSS audio and a Simpsons episode here and there. As well as casual email checking etc.
You're right in your point... that the PSP has a very limited games selection... but what does it have to do with my search for quality DS games?
You guys sure about Dual Strike? I played it for 30 mins a while ago on a friends DS and having loved 1 and 2... Dual Strike was bleh~
Do I need to give it another shot? I hated the stylus use... is there a way to play without it?
Tim @ Jun 14th 2006 4:38PM
This might not be a must-have, but World Championship Poker is only $6 at Circuit City: http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:XuRe-vh0fLsJ:cgi.ebay.com/drilco-tool-joint-identifier-like-new_W0QQitemZ7581561469QQcategoryZ36349QQcmdZViewItem+drilco+joint+identifier&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=1&client=firefox-a
It got a 7/10 on IGN, so to me it is well worth the $6.
polly @ Jun 14th 2006 4:42PM
Still no Electroplankton?
Imp @ Jun 14th 2006 4:47PM
No Phoenix Write?!
OBJECTION
Wes @ Jun 14th 2006 5:00PM
@2:
well, at least the PSP gets the king of all cosmos! bring Katamari to the DS, damn you!
imagine rolling things up with the stylus, i can hardly contain myself.
Matt Dusza @ Jun 14th 2006 5:11PM
Advance wars DS is $25 bucks at sears. great game at a great price. go pick one up
ogvor @ Jun 14th 2006 5:23PM
I'm glad you mad this update as the the Two games I purchased with my new DS Lite (alos got Brain age for free) where Truama Center (a very accurate quote by the way) and Advanced Wars: Dual Strike. I'm interested in New Super Mario Bors. though.
ogvor @ Jun 14th 2006 5:26PM
sry for the dbl post but JB Cougar, I haven't used the stylus once for Advanced was becuase it just isn't a very good game with it. Just play it like the GBA games, excpet with the added funcunality of tow screens and a few more buttons.
Amos @ Jun 14th 2006 5:26PM
Yet again, I make mt own honorable mention of Bust-A-Move DS. Awsome and classic puzzler that I've whittled away countless hours of my life on. More fun than the almighty 'Meteos' IMO, and onl $20 ^_^.
Ianc02 @ Jun 14th 2006 5:46PM
Hell i like Ouenden so much i facilitated myself the full list of MP3s on a disc. I have got some fairly strange looks and queries from individuals when they have heard the songs. WTF is that Ian? Oh thats Ouenden. What? Look here. Shows the game. Proud to say a few onlookers have purchased DS' because of this. Damn you Nintendo, wheres my cut?
Trauma centre, Phoenix wright, Electroplankton, Warioware, the Kawashima dude; all fantastic examples, proving this new fresh software sits alongside their more traditional counterparts.
Dave @ Jun 14th 2006 5:52PM
I wish more people knew about Bleach for the DS, it is really one of the best fighters on the system, and with wifi it has extream replay value. Yes it is an import, but worth every penny.
idioteraser @ Jun 14th 2006 5:58PM
You can use the d-pad to move the units and navigate menus. The stylus is an alternate method. Later missions use both screens and it becomes more strategic especially when you switch between two COs or more during a mission with their different strengths, weaknesses. As well as the dual strike ability coming into play.
A number of games the stylus is an alternate input to the buttons and d-pad. Older people would be more comfortable with the stylus since they would be taking more time to do moves.
All you have to do to look for cheap DS games is used obviously and various online merchants including any cheapass gamer deals.
You can rent DS games at Gamefly.
J B Cougar @ Jun 14th 2006 6:00PM
Called me out. Awesome skillz man! Here's your mario shaped cookie. Frosted with the sarcasm only an anonymous internet forum can provide.
Anway, the fact you didn't like some of the games listed probably means they suck. You win.
"But seriously... I didn't have the DS Phat, and $139 plus tax was burning a hole in my pocket... so I figured what the heck! I love my PSP... use it NIGHTLY for RSS audio and a Simpsons episode here and there. As well as casual email checking etc."
Congrats again! Maybe you and the other four people who do this can meet up sometime. PSP has wireless, so why not make it a Starbucks?
And Dual Strike stylus use? It's better to not use it. So, in closing, let's not take our little handhelds so seriously. People might start to think casual e-mail checking is all we do with our time!
idioteraser @ Jun 14th 2006 6:00PM
Btw the Ouendan songs are by cover bands not the original artists of those J-pop songs. Same thing occurs in elite beat agents.
striderhayasa @ Jun 14th 2006 6:18PM
@ jabbertrack, yeah you can play without the stylus in Advanced Wars. I played through the first and second but I agree that the third was kinda "meh". It's not bad at all but it's just more of the same. I have to disagree with the stylus control. It took some getting used to but I liked it after awhile.
My biggest complaint with Advanced Wars DS (and I pissed and moaned to Nintendo about it too) is that the game looks like it could have been done on the GBA. Sure you get the dual screen action and stylus control but it still feels like a GBA game. Advanced Wars DS needed more new weapons and vehicles. The stealth bomber and air craft carrier is cool and all but jeez, can I get some new recon vehicles or some new ground troops? How about some more varied terrain or better troop carriers?
I still don't know why Bleach and Jump Superstars didn't get an honorable mention. I know they're imports but Osu! made it on the list.
what gives guys....?
Derek @ Jun 14th 2006 6:19PM
I'm going to second that Bust-A-Move DS comment. Good translation of one of my favorite games of all time.
bl13 @ Jun 14th 2006 6:30PM
I'm not sure why everyone seems to think the PSP game library is a barren wasteland. If you check GameSpot or Metacritic you'll see there's just as many PSP games with scores of 80 or above. Granted a lot of them are racing/sports titles, but hey even the nintendogs count as 3 titles.
I've always thought PSP's biggest downfall is it's horrible battery life.
Pedrocas @ Jun 14th 2006 6:36PM
How is sonic still not in there? One of the best of DS...
striderhayasa @ Jun 14th 2006 6:48PM
true that @ Pedrocas. Sonic on DS is one of the best sonics ever made. I'm surprised it's not on there too.
@ Bl13, I guess my biggest problem with the PSP library is that it consists of too many ports and not enough original content. I could overlook all of the PSps shortcomings if there were games on the PSP that you simply can't get anywhere else. That's not the case most of the time. GTA, Madden, Burnout, Need for Speed...these are games that may be good in terms of execution but really doesn't add much to the series as a whole. PSP still needs a killer app exclusive. Maybe one came out and I missed it. I'm not sure. Correct me if I'm wrong.
DS just has games that really take advantage of the dual/touch screen (s) and in many cases, can't be reproduced on any other console or portable.
James @ Jun 14th 2006 6:57PM
Yeah Bust-a-move comes with the bundle I ordered from Target. Hopefully Bomberman is good also.
bl13 @ Jun 14th 2006 7:05PM
striderhayasa, you're correct. Originality is something PSP sorely lacks, although I do consider Daxter and Wipeout Pure to be significant entries in their respective franchises. I've always felt PSP is geared toward people that want to play their PS2 games on the go, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it's just not going to win over many new fans.
I've never had a handheld gaming system actually, although a black DS Lite is going to be very tempting.
Adam @ Jun 14th 2006 9:53PM
And I still don't see Tetris DS
me @ Jun 15th 2006 2:56AM
Touch! Kirby is a much better stylus-only game than Warioware.
plagiarize @ Jun 15th 2006 8:36AM
@idioteraser... you're right for every song but the one by Road of Major which is the original version. don't let 'they're covers' put you off anymore than 'they're covers' should put you off guitar hero though... the covers are brilliantly done and I hope the same standard for Elite Beat Agents.
as for anyone still skeptical about Elite Beat Agents, I played the two song demo at E3, and while the music wasn't quite as good, it was better than i was expecting, and the bonus is that the comic strips are in English. the text is hilarious. wish i could fully appreciate the text in Ouendan now.
still, good job Joystiq. every DS owner needs Ouendan.
idioteraser @ Jun 15th 2006 11:20AM
I never said the covers were bad. Just responding to those that claimed to like Ouendan but said they weren't getting Elite Beat Agents since the songs were covers.
If the cover sounds good then I am for it in the game. It's funny but I had to explain what a cover song or band was to my mom because she has taking a liking to Johnny Cash who has done some cover songs of artists such as Nine Inch Nails and Depech Mode. I have no idea on how my mom was obvilious to Depech Mode song Personal Jesus considering how much Radio and TV play it got back when it came out.
ezin @ Jun 15th 2006 5:49PM
Anyone who hasn't seen Ouendan in action should really take a look a one of the many videos of it in action on the web.
http://media.ds.ign.com/media/746/746980/vid_1198861.html
or the full list here:
http://media.ds.ign.com/media/746/746980/vids_1.html
Still waiting for mine to arrive in the mail though. :(