The Dual-Screen Golden Age
The Nintendo DS was the company’s sixth handheld gaming system, which absolutely dominated the early 2000s. The Nintendo DS is the best-selling handheld game console of all time, and the second best-selling video game console of all time. So it makes sense that over 3,000 DS games were released across the world— some more popular than others. Have you played every game on this list?
1. New Super Mario Bros.
New Super Mario Bros was released in May 2006, and its success is believed to have contributed to the revival of the 2D platforming genre. Despite it being considered a very easy game, it’s still the best-selling game for the Nintendo DS.
2. Nintendogs
Nintendogs was a real-time pet simulation game that came out in 2005. The game allowed you to name your pet, teach it tricks, clean it, feed it, and walk it, and made good use out of the Nintendo DS microphone. The game was originally released in three different versions, but it also had two special releases in later years.
3. Mario Kart DS
The DS’s version of Mario Kart first came out in November 2005. It was the first Mario Kart game to have a Nintendo Wi-Fi connection, meaning the first time you could beat your friends without having to play on the same system.
4. Brain Age
Brain Age was a selection of mini-games that were designed to help improve your mind. But did you know that it was actually based on the work of a Japanese neuroscientist? Dr. Ryuta Kawashima based these games on their ability to improve and combat mental aging.
5. Pokémon Diamond and Pearl
Pokémon Diamond and Pearl were the first main series Pokémon games released for Nintendo DS. These two games follow your standard Pokémon training adventure, but included Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection and added 107 new Pokémon to the world.
6. Animal Crossing: Wild World
Animal Crossing: Wild World was the second game in the Animal Crossing series. Like the first game, it featured real-time synchronization, but also included Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, which let you visit your friends or other players via online play.
7. Big Brain Academy
Big Brain Academy was very similar to Brain Age, as it also dealt with improving your mental skills. However, this game featured Dr. Lobe, who was the “headmaster” of the academy, instead of a giant floating head.
8. Professor Layton and the Curious Village
The Professor Layton series was a Zelda-esque puzzle adventure game set in the Victorian Era. This particular game had you looking for a Golden Apple, a mysterious heirloom left by a Baron in the fictional village of St. Mystere.
Tim Bartel from Cologne, Germany on Wikimedia
9. Rhythm Heaven
Rhythm Heaven is a music-based game that requires players to complete rhythm-based levels. Each level had its own set of rules, and the game required the DS to be held vertically to play. Rhythm Heaven had 50 different levels and also contained a minigame.
10. The Legend Of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
Phantom Hourglass was the 14th installment in the Legend of Zelda series, and is considered a direct sequel to Wind Waker. Playing as Link, you were required to travel to different islands by boat to save your friend, Tetra.
1. The Legendary Starfy
In this platformer game, you play as Starfy, the prince of Pufftop Palace. You awake to find a rabbit dealing with amnesia, leading you into your adventure to help him find pieces of his lost memory. The game is very similar to the Kirby franchise, and most levels are based primarily underwater.
2. Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective
Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective was a puzzle adventure game that required players to help an amnesiac ghost recover his identity. The game was published by Capcom and was headed by the creator of the Ace Attorney franchise. The game launched for DS in 2010.
3. Big Bang Mini
Released in 2009, the game Big Bang Mini was relatively simple. You shoot fireworks from the bottom screen to the enemies at the top of the screen, and avoid being hit by debris that comes falling back down. The game has over 100 levels and even includes multiplayer functionality.
4. Contact
Contact is a fourth-wall-breaking role-playing game that came out back in 2006. After crash landing on a strange planet, a Professor must work with a young boy named Terry to try and get home. The game includes the player as a separate character from Terry, and recognizes that the player controls his actions.
5. Magician’s Quest: Mysterious Times
Magician’s Quest was a combination of fantasy-adventure and life-simulation gameplay. In it, you must attend your magic academy classes, learn spellcasting, and build relationships with the other students. Fans of this game say it’s like a combination of Harry Potter and Animal Crossing.
6. Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime
Rocket Slime was a spin-off of the main Dragon Quest series. In this game, you play as a slime named Rocket. Players must control Rocket around the town of Boingburg and the world at large, fighting against enemies to save his town.
7. Infinite Space
Infinite Space follows the story of a young man named Yuri, who is dealing with an ever-expanding empire and a larger alien threat. The game is role-play-based, having you take on Yuri’s role as captain of a growing space fleet. You’re required to battle enemies, travel between planets, and collect blueprints that will upgrade your ship.
Daniele Levis Pelusi on Unsplash
8. Elite Beat Agents
This rhythm-based video game was released in 2006 as the international counterpart to the Japanese rhythm game Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan. The game required players to tap and drag on the DS touch screen in time to the rhythm, while the Elite Beat Agents cheered you on.
9. Mario Hoops 3-on-3
This sports game first came out in 2006, and is the first game where Mario and Final Fantasy characters appear together. The objective of the game is simple: win your 3-on-3 game. Mario Hoops 3-on-3 is the only basketball-specific Mario game to ever be released.
10. Avalon Code
Avalon Code was a combination of fantasy, action, and role-playing that was first released for DS in 2008. The game required players to use an “elemental code” to affect and manipulate the world around them using the Book of Prophecy. The book was the central focus of the plot and the gameplay.
