A generation-defining handheld. What's the best DS game??
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00:00The Nintendo DS family are the second best-selling game consoles of all time,
00:04so when we say everybody owned a DS, we're really barely exaggerating.
00:09The best thing about the multiple models is that they all give you access to a
00:12wide variety of amazing Nintendo DS games from all kinds of genres. Some,
00:17believe it or not, are even more entertaining than PictoChat,
00:20and if you can't get on board with that, let me run through the list.
00:23I'm Jess from WhatCulture and here are the 20 best Nintendo DS games of all time.
00:28Number 20, Sonic Rush. While everyone was busy laughing at 3D Sonic as he made a fool of
00:33himself over and over again, 2D Sonic was actually starring in some excellent
00:37adventures on portable systems. The excellent Dimps who made the great Sonic Advance trilogy
00:42continued their streak of amazing Sonic games on the DS with the excellent Sonic Rush.
00:47Sonic Rush has you controlling Sonic and Blaze as you attempt to stop Dr. Eggman,
00:52no surprises there, and his alternate dimensional version,
00:55whose name I don't really want to say, but you get it.
00:58Sonic Rush adds the boost ability from the 3D games, which works surprisingly well in 2D.
01:04Using this, Sonic Rush emphasizes speed more so than arguably any other Sonic game.
01:09It has its pros and cons, the biggest pro being that it feels amazing to go so fast,
01:14while the biggest con is that the level design can be a tad basic at times.
01:18Nonetheless, this is easily one of the best games on the DS and is a must play for any Sonic fans.
01:23The game is also composed by Twitter famous legendary video game composer Hideki Naganuma.
01:29You know, the guy who's obsessed with Big Chunkus and Cat Girls. That one.
01:33Number 19, WarioWare Touched
01:35Whilst the Nintendo DS family has no shortage of WarioWare games, with WarioWare Snapped for DSi
01:41and the excellent WarioWare DIY which allows you to make your own microgames,
01:46the top DS WarioWare game is easily WarioWare Touched.
01:49For those who haven't played a WarioWare game,
01:52the WarioWare series involves you completing minigames in a short amount of time with little instruction.
01:57It's rapid fun that you won't be able to put down.
01:59WarioWare Touched is just a really solid WarioWare game,
02:02coming with 180 microgames separated across 9 separate stages.
02:07Each of these stages also contains a boss fight which are fun final challenges.
02:11The short narratives that are established to justify the 9 stages are also a lot of fun.
02:15The cast of the WarioWare series is great and it's a shame that it really appear in Mario games.
02:20They're way more interesting than 99% of Mario characters.
02:24The game makes use of the DS, especially its touch capabilities, hence the name WarioWare Touched.
02:29It's just a great time. All the WarioWare games are good, but this is one of the best.
02:34Number 18, The Legend of Zelda Phantom Hourglass
02:37After a bunch of edgy teenagers complained about the art style of Wind Waker
02:41because they wanted Zelda to be cool and dark instead of just a good game,
02:45the more cartoony Zelda games had to go into hiding on Nintendo's handheld systems.
02:49A direct sequel to Wind Waker, The Legend of Zelda Phantom Hourglass
02:53feels a lot like a portable version of that game.
02:55It has the sailing that Wind Waker is known for,
02:58a lot of the same characters and the same art style.
03:00Although this is the DS, so don't get your hopes up too high when it comes to its visuals.
03:04The biggest problem with the game is the Temple of the Ocean King.
03:07The Temple of the Ocean King is a dungeon where you have to constantly wait
03:10to avoid getting killed by immortal enemies.
03:13You have to do it quickly as you're timed
03:15and you have to revisit the dungeon multiple times throughout the game.
03:18Other than that, it's a great Zelda title that instills the sense of adventure
03:22that the series is known for. It's one of the best DS games.
03:26Just prepare yourself for the worst dungeon in the entire series.
03:29Number 17, Kirby Superstar Ultra
03:31Kirby Superstar Ultra is definitely one of the best remakes on the DS.
03:35It takes the best Kirby game, Kirby Superstar,
03:38and makes it even better by adding a ton of new games
03:40and making them all look a bit more pretty.
03:42Kirby Superstar was already home to numerous separate short Kirby games,
03:46but Kirby Superstar Ultra adds even more.
03:49Spring Breeze, a game from the original which was essentially a remake of Kirby's Dream Land,
03:53is given a harder version with Revenge of the King.
03:55Meta Knightmare Ultra allows you to play through the pre-existing games as Meta Knight,
04:00all connected to make one big game.
04:02Helper to Hero allows you to play as one of 20 characters
04:05as you fight against 14 different bosses.
04:07Finally, Kirby Superstar Ultra adds The True Arena,
04:10a final challenge in a game that beforehand had very little difficulty in it.
04:14If that wasn't enough, the game also adds three new sub-games,
04:18because apparently Kirby Superstar Ultra wants to take up literally all of your life.
04:22Number 16, Advance Wars, Dual Strike
04:26Advance Wars is one of the most underappreciated franchises Nintendo has ever published.
04:30It seems to be something that most Nintendo fans are at least vaguely aware of,
04:34but most of them haven't even thought of playing a game in the series.
04:37Luckily for anybody who wants to get into the franchise, if you own a DS,
04:41one of the best Advance Wars games exists on the system, Advance Wars Dual Strike.
04:46Wait, never mind, like most DS games, it's ridiculously expensive.
04:49You should probably just wait for Advance Wars 1 plus 2 reboot camp for Switch,
04:54that'll probably be alright.
04:55Anyway, Advance Wars Dual Strike is a great entry in the series,
04:58even if you have to sell your kidney to afford to play it.
05:01The game puts you in control of Jake and Rachel of the Orange Star Army,
05:04as you fight against the Black Hole Army.
05:07It's a turn-based strategy game where you need to navigate a map,
05:09killing the troops of the enemy army, and it's a lot of fun.
05:12Advance Wars Dual Strike and the wider Advance Wars series definitely isn't for everybody,
05:17but if you like strategy games, you'll most likely love it.
05:19Number 15, Animal Crossing Wild World
05:22Animal Crossing always seemed like a good fit for handhelds.
05:25It's a series where you're encouraged to return daily for small periods of time,
05:29something that definitely works better on something you can take around with you.
05:32If you look at the portable Animal Crossing games in comparison to the home console versions,
05:37that's made even clearer.
05:38New Horizons sold 32.63 million,
05:42New Leap sold 12.93 million,
05:44and this game sold 11.75 million,
05:47while the original GameCube game only sold 2.71 million,
05:51and the Wii game City Folk only sold 4.32 million.
05:55Animal Crossing clearly belongs on handheld,
05:57and Animal Crossing Wild World was the first game in the series to truly demonstrate that.
06:02Animal Crossing Wild World isn't much different than the original game,
06:05and it doesn't really need to be.
06:06It was a way for people to play Animal Crossing on the go.
06:09Nobody really expected it to be a huge shake-up of the Animal Crossing formula.
06:13Yeah, there's no point going back to this game with both Animal Crossing New Horizons
06:17and Animal Crossing New Leaf existing now,
06:20but it's still easily one of the best DS games and brought joy to a lot of people.
06:24Number 14, New Super Mario Brothers
06:26We've seen it time after time,
06:28a great game is retroactively ruined
06:30because its developers decided to throw it into the photocopier
06:33and give us numerous near-identical games.
06:36New Super Mario Brothers is one of the best 2D Mario games ever made.
06:40It's just a shame that its legacy was completely ruined
06:43by the rest of the New Super Mario Brothers series.
06:45New Super Mario Brothers feels like the logical next step for 2D Mario
06:49after Super Mario Brothers World.
06:51It introduces new power-ups like the blue shell,
06:53which allow you to slide along the ground,
06:55the mini mushroom, which serves as an interesting take on power-ups
06:58essentially being a power down which you need to access certain secrets,
07:02thus giving you a nice risk-reward system,
07:04and then there's the mega mushroom which allows you to grow giant
07:07and cause mayhem throughout the Mushroom Kingdom.
07:10New Super Mario Brothers has the most creative bosses out of any 2D Mario game
07:14as they're giant versions of pre-existing Mario enemies
07:17instead of the usual Koopalings.
07:19Yeah, it isn't as good as the likes of Super Mario Brothers 3 or Super Mario World,
07:23but it's closer in quality to those games than you might expect.
07:26Number 13, Super Scribblenauts
07:28Super Scribblenauts is a game where you can make anything.
07:31While the original Scribblenauts was also a great DS game,
07:34Super Scribblenauts introduces adjectives, making it automatically better.
07:38Not only can you now create any object you want,
07:41you can also add characteristics to it.
07:43The aim of Super Scribblenauts is to solve problems
07:46throughout 120 different levels using your god-like power.
07:49It's a lot of fun thinking of creative solutions to the puzzles put in front of you.
07:53The series was improved later on with Scribblenauts Unlimited,
07:56which set the missions in open worlds,
07:58but that's not on the DS, so it's not eligible for this list.
08:01Super Scribblenauts is just as impressive,
08:03having to create models for practically every object known to man,
08:07which couldn't have been an easy job for the developers, but is phenomenal for us.
08:10Number 12, Mario & Luigi Bowser's Inside Story
08:14Who would have thought that a game about getting bored by Bowser
08:17would end up being one of the best Mario RPGs ever made?
08:20In Mario & Luigi Bowser's Inside Story,
08:23a giant Bowser accidentally swallows Mario and Luigi.
08:26At this point in the game, you control both Mario and Luigi
08:29as they explore Bowser's insides,
08:31and Bowser himself as he explores the Mushroom Kingdom.
08:34Interestingly, what you do as Bowser
08:36can affect what happens to Mario and Luigi, and vice versa.
08:40Bowser is easily one of the best Mario characters,
08:42so getting to control him in anything but a sports game is great.
08:46Whilst the Mario & Luigi series has always had interesting locations to explore,
08:50the inside of Bowser is definitely one of the best.
08:52I mean, where else could you fight Goombule?
08:54Weird amalgamations of Goombas and Amoeba.
08:57Speaking of which, give us Goombule for Smash.
08:59The game was later remade for the Nintendo 3DS
09:01with Mario & Luigi Bowser's Inside Story and Bowser Jr.'s Journey.
09:06Whilst not a bad remake, there's one problem.
09:08You can already play the original Mario & Luigi Bowser's Inside Story on the 3DS,
09:13as the system is backwards compatible with the Nintendo DS.
09:16Number 11, Tetris DS
09:18Yes, Tetris DS is one of the best DS games ever made.
09:22Did we stutter?
09:23Tetris is an addictive puzzle game that anyone can understand.
09:26The thing is, at this point in time, we all own at least 10 different versions of Tetris.
09:30A Tetris game is going to need to do something special to warrant a purchase.
09:34What about numerous different modes which celebrate the legacy of Nintendo?
09:38There's a marathon mode where you have to get through all 20 Nintendo-themed levels,
09:42and after you beat that, you can unlock endless mode.
09:45Mission mode gives you a variety of missions to complete,
09:47which is a nice change of pace from regular old Tetris,
09:50and there are enough missions to keep you busy.
09:52Push mode is a competitive mode where you must push your opponent's floor upwards so they lose.
09:57Touch mode is Tetris with the stylus.
09:59Catch mode involves you catching falling Tetris pieces,
10:02and Puzzle mode involves you selecting the tetriminos
10:05needed to clear out predetermined unfinished lines.
10:08Each mode is a lot of fun and helps make this one one of the best versions of Tetris ever.
10:12Number 10, Super Mario 64 DS
10:15Developed to demonstrate the power of the Nintendo DS,
10:18Super Mario 64 DS was astounding at the time of its release.
10:22It solidified the idea that the DS was essentially a portable N64.
10:26To many people, Super Mario 64 DS was the first time they saw a 3D game on a handheld,
10:32and it was mind-blowing.
10:33Many problems do exist here that didn't in the original game,
10:36but it introduces enough improvements that Super Mario 64 DS
10:40is many people's preferred way of playing the game.
10:43It's not ideal playing a game that was clearly designed to utilize an analog stick with a d-pad,
10:47but the game has four playable characters to make up for it.
10:50Not only that, it adds a ton of fun minigames,
10:53new levels, and new stars in the pre-existing levels.
10:55If only Nintendo could mix Super Mario 64 DS with the original version
11:00to make the definitive Super Mario 64 experience,
11:03then all would be right with the world.
11:04Number 9, The Legend of Zelda Spirit Tracks
11:07Who would have thought The Legend of Zelda and trains would mesh so well?
11:10One is a series that at its best encourages exploration,
11:14and one is literally on a one-way track with a pre-fixed destination.
11:18The Legend of Zelda Spirit Tracks uses the train as a way to get link
11:21between numerous smaller areas that he can explore,
11:24something that suits handheld gaming really well.
11:26The train gameplay isn't exactly as compelling as the regular Zelda gameplay,
11:30but it's fun enough.
11:31The fact that the train is customizable is also a nice little touch.
11:35You're spending so much time on the train that it's nice to be able to design it
11:38to look appealing to you, even if the customization is slightly limited.
11:42While the game is named after riding a train, that's not the highlight of Spirit Tracks.
11:46The highlight is Princess Zelda.
11:48You'll be spending more time with Zelda here than in any of the other Legend of Zelda games,
11:53and she's a great character in Spirit Tracks.
11:55She's probably the best companion in the series,
11:58although when her competition is Navi and Fi, it's not that hard.
12:01Number 8, Pokemon Black 2 and Pokemon White 2
12:04Pokemon was ever-present on the Nintendo DS.
12:07We got two whole Pokemon generations on the handheld alongside numerous spin-offs.
12:11While Pokemon Diamond and Pearl are great games,
12:14Pokemon Platinum's even better, and Pokemon Black and White are some of the best in the series.
12:18It's Pokemon Black 2 and Pokemon White 2 which really shine.
12:22Pokemon Black 2 and White 2 took everything that worked in the original Pokemon Black and White
12:27and removed what didn't.
12:28The game's region no longer hides all the non-generative 5 Pokemon in the post-game.
12:33You can now find Pokemon from Generation 1 all the way to 5 all over the region.
12:37The region's size has also been expanded, so there's even more to explore,
12:41and there's more post-game than most Pokemon games combined.
12:44The story isn't as good as the original,
12:46but it's still one of the best ever told in the main series games,
12:50touching on topics such as a Pokemon's free will.
12:52Pokemon Black 2 and White 2 definitely feel like a last hurrah for Game Freak,
12:57since after that, the series' quality definitely dropped.
13:00Number 7, Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney Trials and Tribulations
13:04The original Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney trilogy were Game Boy Advance games,
13:08only released in Japan before being improved in every way for the DS and given to us overseas.
13:13The entire original trilogy for the Nintendo DS are great,
13:17but this particular one is easily the best.
13:19In the Ace Attorney series, you play as a defense attorney,
13:22trying to prove that a bunch of cartoony people are innocent
13:25by finding evidence to use in the courtroom.
13:27Yeah, it's not exactly an accurate defense attorney simulator.
13:30In the original three games, you mostly play as defense attorney Phoenix Wright,
13:35yet in this particular game, you also get to play as Phoenix Wright's mentor, Mia Fey.
13:40Trials and Tribulations serves as a great conclusion to the original trilogy,
13:44and it gives us insight into Phoenix Wright's past,
13:46which makes him an even more compelling character.
13:49All the five cases you'll take on are excellent,
13:51and while some are better than others, they're still some of the best in the series.
13:54Number 6, Mario Kart DS
13:56Since each Mario Kart game improves upon what came before,
14:00there's not a lot of reason to go back to the older ones,
14:03though there are a few exceptions to that rule.
14:05And one of them is Mario Kart DS.
14:07Mario Kart DS has a few features you can only get there,
14:10creating your own kart emblem, but also its missions.
14:13It is absolutely the peak of single-player Mario Kart because of these missions.
14:18There are six sets, and each set has eight levels and a boss fight.
14:21Some of them are just races, but a few of them are actual fights,
14:24where you need to use your kart and power-ups as weapons.
14:27There are 16 new tracks and 16 returning tracks,
14:30including fan-favorite courses like Waluigi Pinball and Tick Tock Clock.
14:33Mario Kart DS also introduces the character of Rob to the series,
14:37this being the first time a non-Mario character has been in a Mario Kart game.
14:42And you thought Endgame was a huge crossover.
14:44Number 5, Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow
14:46If you wanted a good Castlevania game during the 2000s,
14:49your best bet was to look on the Nintendo handhelds.
14:52And if you did, you'd likely find the amazing Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow.
14:56This one is a direct sequel to Aria of Sorrow.
14:59You play as Soma Cruz, a super-powered high school student,
15:02because 90% of everything made in Japan takes place in a high school.
15:06The game takes place in the future because this isn't your grandpa's Castlevania.
15:09Just like Aria of Sorrow, the main gimmick is Soma's ability
15:13to take powers from enemies that he defeats.
15:15A new addition is the magical seal system,
15:17where you'll use the touchscreen to create seals to trap bosses.
15:21Because it wouldn't be a DS game without some tacked-on touchscreen use.
15:24It's just a really solid Castlevania game
15:27that desperately needs to be bundled into a collection,
15:29since it currently costs an arm and a leg to purchase.
15:33Unfortunately, given it's looking like the next Castlevania collection
15:36will focus on the Game Boy Advance games, we might be waiting a while.
15:39Number 4, The World Ends With You
15:42Taking place in a hyper-stylized version of Shibuya, starring Neku Sakuraba,
15:46a kid who dresses up weird even for a world where everybody dresses weird,
15:49The World Ends With You is the best JRPG on the Nintendo DS.
15:53Yes, we said it.
15:54The story centers on the Reaper's Game,
15:56a game where those who died can participate to be rewarded in the afterlife
16:01or be given a second chance at life.
16:03Neku and his partner must team up to beat each day's mission within the Reaper's Game.
16:07It's both a story worth experiencing for yourself and ridiculously complex,
16:11so you're going to want to keep a notepad on hand.
16:14It's very obvious that Kingdom Hearts creator Tetsuya Nomura worked on this.
16:18The gameplay is super interesting.
16:19You control both Neku and his partner simultaneously, each on a different screen.
16:24It sounds super complex, but you'll quickly learn how to do it.
16:27Number 3, Castlevania Order of Ecclesia
16:30Castlevania Order of Ecclesia is peak Metroidvania Castlevania,
16:34arguably even better than Symphony of the Night.
16:37Order of Ecclesia allows you to explore numerous different locations as opposed to one giant map.
16:42It still has the exploration you're looking for in these kind of games,
16:45but it's got the addition of the variety that the level-based Castlevania games brought to the table.
16:50Another notable aspect of Order of Ecclesia is that it features the first female Castlevania
16:55protagonist, Shanoa, who is one of the coolest main characters in the series.
16:59The system to take enemies' abilities from earlier Castlevania games has been expanded
17:04with the glyph system. These are your weapons and magical abilities, and the fact that you
17:08can equip multiple at a time allows for dual wielding and the ability to combine glyphs
17:13together. It's a much more in-depth system than anything you've seen before and allows
17:17you to truly play how you want to. Order of Ecclesia also has a beautiful gothic-inspired
17:22look which makes the game look distinct. It's such a shame that like most DS games,
17:27it's ridiculously expensive. Please Konami, stop making pachinko for two seconds and
17:31give us Order of Ecclesia on Modern Systems, we're begging you.
17:34Number 2, Professor Layton and The Lost Future
17:37Detective games that feature a man who is reminded of puzzles by literally everything,
17:42and some kid he hangs out with, the Professor Layton series are some of the most charming games
17:46ever made. Okay, the actual mysteries don't end up making much sense even when the game
17:50explains them to you, but that kinda doesn't matter when the characters are so likable and
17:54there's so many brain teasers that'll keep you busy and make you feel smart. While the entire
17:59trilogy are amazing games, it's Professor Layton and The Lost Future, or Unwound Future if you're
18:04American, which is easily the best. This one serves as a great conclusion to Professor Layton's
18:09story, with the games that came out afterwards mostly being prequels. We won't spoil anything,
18:14but if you don't cry at the end, you might not have a heart.
18:16Number 1, Pokemon HeartGold and Pokemon SoulSilver
18:20These games are peak Pokemon. Remakes of the Generation 2 games Pokemon Gold and Silver,
18:26HeartGold and SoulSilver are still yet to be topped. The games have two separate regions
18:30to explore, making them easily the largest Pokemon games. Your Pokemon can walk behind
18:35you, letting you connect to them more than any other game, and as remakes, they improve upon
18:39everything wrong with the excellent Generation 2 games, not that there was much that was wrong
18:43with them. No longer are the games buggy, no longer is Kanto barely populated, no longer does
18:48the game have the graphics of a Game Boy game, although that can't exactly be blamed on Gold
18:53and Silver. The game's story is also a bit more fleshed out, and there's more post-game added to
18:57the already huge post-game. The game also came with the PokeWalker, a way to walk with your
19:02Pokemon in real life, way before Pokemon Go did it. The PokeWalker, for some reason, was one of
19:07the most accurate pedometers at its time of release. How do you try to make a fun accessory
19:11for your monster capturing game, and then accidentally make one of the best pedometers
19:15on the market? We don't know, but we're not complaining.