Top 10 Budget DS Games to Buy Other People or Yourself, or, a Cyber-Monday Video Game Guide to the DS

You've got friends, children, people, and they need video games. They've probably got a DS, but you honestly don't know what they hell to buy them. Maybe your on a budget and don't want to waste a chunk of change for a crap game. This list is in no particular order, because I've tried to offer a variety of genres for everyone.

These are the games that define the DS.



#10 Final Fantasy III

You really can't go wrong with Final Fantasy III. The commercials for this game really showed off the power of the DS, and made this Famicom classic come to life. Everyone was waiting for Final Fantasy III to come out, and about 5 of my friends bought it on launch day. I was the first one to complete the game--3 months later. This adventure will always be remembered by anyone who conquers the crystal tower, and is a must-have for the DS. It's been out for years, so you can find it cheap.





#9 Contra 4

I remember the E3 announcement for Contra 4: gamers were stunned. A new golden age in retro releases and rehashes was beginning, and Contra 4 helped get us there! Contra 4 is sidescrolling action perfected, and if your buddy has the cart multiplayer mode can be a blast.

#8 Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow (and, sure, the others)

My personal favorite Castlevania, and one of the games that convinced me to buy a DS. Metroidvania gameplay is perfected, and a few stylus gimmicks keep things fresh. This of this game as Symphony of the Night on crack, and you're approaching Dawn of Sorrow. You can summon Death's Scythes, swarms of demonic locusts, and fire a 9mm handgun and rocket launch ALL AT THE SAME TIME. Need I say more? It's got more modes and difficulties than you'll know what to do with; well over 50 hours to complete everything.




#7 Sonic Rush

Another early DS game, and not a bad entry in the Sonic series. Unlike some of the more recent flops, Sonic Rush holds up as a Sonic game, and manages to be worthy of Genesis comparison. For those who are tired of Sonic 1, 2, and 3, Sonic Rush would be a much better option than Sonic 4 of Sonic Unleashed or Sonic Colors.





#6 Dragon Quest 9

Not a port; this is a full-fledged original entry in the Dragon Quest series. RPG fans will appreciate the standard JRPG grind fest and explorative adventure. Some people hate it, others love. Personally, I lament the loss of what this game could have been: an online action RPG--until fans backlashed and the game was redesigned. They listened to the fans, but I wish they hadn't. DQXI is a solid entry, and great fun on the DS.





#5 Chrono Trigger

A timeless classic. Considered by many to be the greatest game of all time. Either you've already got an opinion on Chrono Trigger, or you need to play this game. The DS version is far superior to the Playstation port; this game is recommended to all! I've seen this game for 5 bucks at stores, so you've got to be able to find it.




#4 Kirby Canvas Curse

A game that uses the stylus with style. Either all gimmick or no gimmick, Kirby Canvas Curse is still the best Kirby game on the Nintendo DS, and, in my opinion, the best Kirby game of all time if we don't count Super Smash Brothers Brawl. This one might be a little more rare, but if you see this game this holiday season, you might want to grab it for a gamer.








#3 Retro Game Challenge

If 8-Bit City were a video game, it would be something like Retro Game Challenge. Actually, if 8-Bit City were a game, it would be Star Quest. Expectantly, Star Quest and Retro Game Challenge feature a similar mechanic: games within the games; except in Retro Game Challenge you get magazines and new cart as you grow up as a young kid playing the Famicom. It's stranger than that, but this game is without a doubt one of the best on the DS, and reason enough to buy a used DS Lite or something.






#2 Meteos

The best puzzler around, and it's for the Nintendo DS. Meteos is half space shooter, half puzzle game, and all action. You need twitch reflexes and pattern recognition skills for this one. Improve your mind, play Meteos!






#1 Contact

The most underrated game for the DS, Contact went barely noticed. It still enjoys a cult following, and you can probably find it haunting a Gamestop this year. Contact breaks the forth wall, and recognizes that the player is playing the game and communicating with space aliens via a device called the Nintendo DS. It gets weirder from that, as you possess a boy from another dimension and turn him into a killing machine, all to help a dubious 8-Bit scientist. Contact engages the player directly, you can't help but love this game. If you're buying someone a gift for the DS, make it Contact--this might be the last year you'll be able to find this rare gem. It's sure to be worth quite a bit in the future, and will likely be sought after by collectors as an essential piece of the DS library.

Did You Make Contact?

Contact is one of the most underrated games of this generation. For example, Nintendo Power gave it a 6.5, but can you really expect them to rank a unique title that wasn't published or developed by Nintendo? GameSpot.com gave it a 6.7. 1up.com/EGM gave it a B+ (that's their new rating system, I think they gave it around an "8" in the magazine... ) I'm not sure why most mainstream reviewers didn't appreciate this complex and enjoyable game.

The battle system is similar to World of Warcraft (which you probably don't play or you wouldn't have time to be reading this post) or Final Fantasy 12 minus the gambits and fancy colors. It has a subtle job system, with 8 or 9 jobs that do different things (magic, knife expert, strong attacker, etc).

A major problem with the game, however, is the MP system. You have 5 magic points, and they only refill after you kill monsters. Basically, you never have that much magic at your disposal. The gameplay is still solid, but this one major gripe can't be ignored.

There are plenty of secrets and sidequests, but the game won't tell you where they are. the player really has to just find them, but, nonetheless, the game combinds a unique linear quality with a haphazard openess that really works well. There are plenty of sidequests. The game boast a ridiculous amount of items, and collecting them all would be a major challenge (granted there is no reward for this task, but its nice to have the option of having all of those items). This makes the game seem very spacious and roomy while playing the game normally. This will also ensure that every game will be different.

This is further developed with a variety of stats. Every action alters your stats. Kill a shopkeeper, and you become a little more evil. Kill a monster, and you become more good. Sometimes, killing good enemies will be the easiest, and most direct, way to victory... This balance make the game very interesting to play. You can even get a girlfriend based on your alignment, items, and other stats.

The music is just as good as you might expect it to be. It's extremely catchy, and very well-composed. One song, in particular (the airbase) has one of (if not) the best song ever, in a video game.

The best part of the game is that you are not the boy on the bottom screne, but his puppetmaster. Using the Professor (usually on the top screen)'s help and the use of a device known as the Nintendo DS, you control Terry in order to recover power cells stolen from the Professor. The game brings you inside other video games, and games within those games as well. It will make you question the very nature of gaming itself with a brutal final monolouge that rivals the greatest writers in history, okay you're not buying it, and I got a little carried away, but Contact seriously has those things (sort of) and magic stickers, and a cow more powerful than the final boss (only after you beat the game), and tons of weapons and items, etc.

It's a shame Contact didn't get as much attention as it should have. Maybe gamers know, however, because on launch day I drove to 7 stores in town that had sold out in the last 30 minutes before final finding the last copy at an EBgames. I really think this will be the definitive cult classic of the DS, something of a Lufia II or Legacy of the Wizard for the DS.

So, I ask you: Did you make Contact? If so leave your Friend Code in reply section, I never got around to exploring the multiplayer aspect, and it looks interesting. You unlock a strange new island (WiFi Island) with NPCs of your friends. These automaton programs give you extra, powerful, items. It could have been better, but I was happy to see the inclusion of some multiplayer, and it even adds a decent degree of interest to the single player campaign. Hopefully, we'll be able to make Contact on the DS again, if they ever release a Contact 2.