Gaming Report: NDS X

my first NDS. This ol' man's been through a lot

Here we go again, another gaming report during the most hellish week of the semester. Actually just typing these words on my incredibly worn out laptop keyboard is making me uncomfortable because what I really should be doing right now is programming.

OK! Let's proceed with this week's Gaming Report!

I read an article on Kotaku last week about the Nintendo DS turning 10. WOW. I feel really old right now (I'm just 18 by the way, but eternally 16 because it is sweet...yeah). I can't remember when exactly I got my first NDS but I'm pretty sure it was during my 4th grade in elementary - a time when I still believed I could go Super Saiyan (now I believe I can make Shadow Clones). What I do remember is that I went down with a fever due to extreme excitement the week before the package my dad sent was picked up by my mom. Fortunately, due to some cybernetic miracles my headache went away once I had a good long stare at the majestic box of the Nintendo DS. And from that moment on my social/people skills started to plummet deeper than the Mariana Trench. But enough of me. Let's talk (or type interrelated words called sentences) about the Nintendo DS (and still a little bit of me)!

The DS in Nintendo DS stands for 'Dual Screen', but before it became its official name the DS was short for 'Developers' System' obviously used during the early stages of the handheld's development (source: you know where to look). I was still oblivious of the existence of this thing called the "Internet" back then, and my only source of gaming info was from a now defunct magazine called GamesMaster. Their feature article about the Nintendo DS introduced me to a whole new generation of gaming that took a huge leap from the Game Boy Advance SP - well for one there are two screens. That was the only gaming console I knew at the time that had two screens so it had to be good.

Super Mario 64 DS and Metroid Prime Hunters: The First Hunt were included in the box. The Prime Hunters included introduced me to FPS (if I am correct?) and I didn't like it. I like Samus though, she's hella hot and amazing. Anyway, the demo was just a short one stage gameplay that I struggled with thanks to the controls. It was pretty hard getting comfortable when you're left handed.

But then I turned my attention to Super Mario 64 DS. That game was one of the best I've played in the handheld - well provided I only played a handful of games until I went full Nintendo fanboy again with the 3DS. Now speaking of Best Games in the DS, it's about time we got to the main point of this gaming report which is...

MY TOP 5 NINTENDO DS GAMES

C'mon, I know most of you guys expected this. 

Anyway, I only included one game per franchise because that's how it should really be to avoid this ranking being a top something of one particular franchise only. Also, please take note that my DS library is really small for a top 10, but there are enough good games in it for a top 5.

So, ready?

5. Nintendogs: Chihuahua and Friends

fun fact: they won't die

Nintendogs was one of the most overhpyed games for the console mainly because it is one perfect example of a DS game which utilizes all of the handheld's new features. Want to blow a bubble? Use the Mic. Want to call your pet? Use the Mic! Want your pet to do a trick? Use.the.Mic!! Want to pet your pet? Use the touchscreen!...Basically, Nintendogs is a game which uses all the new features of the console but seemed to have forgotten about the old ones like the face buttons, and the D-Pad. Still, I enjoyed it mainly because it was a new experience for me - virtual pets. Yes I know there was Tamagotchi before Nintendogs, gimme a break I never owned one.  While Nintendogs isn't really a thrilling game it definitely isn't a dull one. There are plenty of stuff to do such as keeping your immortal dog healthy, imparting some real world dog tricks to the virtual mutt, and...well basically that's it. Despite the entertaining pet-care simulation, the only motivation I really got to keep playing the game was money, and how do we get money? Aside from finding rare junk that Secondhand Shops are willing to buy for large ka-ching, joining competitions is the way to go - competitions that are fun and frustrating at the same time. The reward money for placing in the top 3 per competition isn't all that big, but once all these stack up I'm free to buy whatever expensive nonsense the game had to offer.

I spammed my house with Cavalier K.C. Spaniels because they're the cutest in the game, the Huskies follow closely but they're small and less cool than their real life counterpart.

High Points: It's a game where you nurture and raise immortal canines! What's not to love? The game has a way of motivating  you to keep playing such as picking up rare gifts when taking ol' doggy for a walk. But based on my experience, you really need to walk a whole lot to get some interesting and fun items.

Low Points: The game lives up on repetition with the illusion of progress thanks to expensive items, room designs, and occasionally unlocking new breeds.

4. Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin

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It's a feature-rich Castlevania title that managed to surpass the already extensive combat system of Dawn of Sorrow. With Jonathan and Charlotte, the game introduced the Dual Combat System forcing some strategic maneuvering in some areas, and giving some of the most enjoyable boss fights in the Castlevania series. Read more about what I think about Portrait of Ruin here.

High Points: Combat System, Wind's Quests, Portraits

Low Points: Story didn't take advantage of strengthening the events of the Battle of 1999

It was really easy

The second half of the game's portraits were just powered version of the first half

3. Pokemon Diamond

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I've spent a great amount of my childhood playing Pokemon games starting with one of the first versions, Pokemon Blue. Everything went uphill from my adventure then discovering plenty of new stuff and in-game mechanics with each new version, but it wasn't until my adventure in the Sinnoh region when I reached the peak of my Pokemon adventures. Diamond and Pearl introduced a new era to Pokemon gaming pretty much in the same way Ruby and Sapphire did when they succeeded Gold and Silver - they were filled with tons of new features from the revamped battle screen layout to the smart use of the touchscreen as the Poketch. Exploration was also a plus factor for me here because it played along well with the progression of the story. Travelling to and from one of the three lakes, and scaling Mt. Coronet didn't felt tedious at all (alright, maybe a little). And of course there are the brand new Pokemons! (even if I never really bothered catching much).

High Points: Plenty of post-game goodies/legendaries up for grabs

My first real solo adventure in Pokemon

Low Points: Team Galactic. No, really. I think Team Galactic is the most uninspired team in all of the Pokemon games. Cyrus even looks like a bored zombie.

2. The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass

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Despite my being a hardcore fan of the Zelda franchise, I started off really late with Phantom Hourglass being the first Zelda game that I finished. Prior to playing this though, I've already played (but still not finished) Minish Cap and A Link to the Past. Jumping generations of Zelda titles on to Phantom Hourglass left me wondering about the control scheme because you almost always use the touchscreen for everything in the game including moving Link. It was fun and unique in a way but it kinda takes away a lot of the action featured in the previous titles because all you do is swipe, flick, rotate, and point on the screen. It was way too simplified for a game that should have been filled with harder challenges, puzzle solving and boss fights. Despite the lack of action, Phantom Hourglass hits the jackpot with exploration. Sailing the seas and blasting immortal seagulls were really fun and there were plenty of things to do even when I was just sailing around. The only thing I really hated in this game's exploration was, drum roll please, The Temple of the Ocean King. That part of the game really, really, reaaaaaallly stretched out for far too long and continuous revisits starting from the very top was aaaaaaaghhhhh. Anyway, Temple of the Ocean King aside I really enjoyed all the other places Link and Linebeck visits, and the story picking up from where Wind Waker left off , brought itself up quite nicely.

High Points: Exploration

Plenty of side quests

Story

Low Points: Control scheme

Temple of the Ocean King really gets annoying even before the second half of the game kicks in

1. Super Mario 64 DS

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Ah yes, the very first game that I played on the DS and most likely the only game I spent more than a hundred hours on collecting stars, chasing bunnies, pounding the ground, and thrashing Bowser by way of the tail. Super Mario 64 DS gave me a heck of a long adventure across 15 worlds with 7 objectives each, each with their unique ways of obtaining a star. It's incredible how large the entire SM64DS universe is when all the paintings are taken into consideration. Some paintings have themes like Desert, Sky, Haunted House, while some play like incredibly large obstacle courses - either way they're all fun to play in whether just to explore or collect a star. The fact that there are plenty of courses makes it difficult to get bored to any one of those giving off a high replay value.

Paired with this incredibly long adventure was challenge. There are plenty of things to do in a single course, also plenty of things to kill you. Some courses needs you to be patient, while some needs you to be fast paced, some objectives needs a specific character to be used, or a specific area to be found. 

High Points: Completing the game actually takes time while still keeping the challenge. The rewards acquired are also worth it.

Bowser in the Sky

15 worlds with 7 main objectives each, and their all really fun to complete
Hidden Stars really encourage you to search every corner of each paintings as well as the castle

Low Points: The first part of the game starts of really slow (not hating on Yoshi, here...ok maybe I am)

The first and second Bowser fights were not as much as what the third had in store

And so that's my ranking for the DS. I still have some games that I really liked but didn't place on the list simply because they have outlived their 'replayability' like Megaman Starforce and Naruto Path of the Ninja 2. Anyway, again a happy belated birthday to the Nintendo DS! Now let's blow her a cake! Eh? How? USE.THE.MIC!!