Cause the DS, while incredibly popular, didn't make a lot of noise. So many great game come out and people were busy comparing the sub-HD games.
I nominate Contra 4 and Legend of Kage 2.
-
Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.
Your favorite Nintendo DS "hidden gems"?
- Thread starter Lant_War
- Start date
Cause the DS, while incredibly popular, didn't make a lot of noise. So many great game come out and people were busy comparing the sub-HD games.
I nominate Contra 4 and Legend of Kage 2.
Don't know if this qualities as "hidden gem" but it's not a game I'd see mentioned too often, which is a shame.
No. I hate the 3ds the most. Especially after the best thing ever the ds.
Not sure if it's a hidden gem but my favorite game is DQ heroes: Rocket Slime
Definitely Pic Pic
Also Hudson's Illust Logic+Colorful Logic aka Color Picross:
\
Soul Bubbles is amazeballs:
Maestro: Jump in Music:
Last Window is great too, if you enjoyed Hotel Dusk:
I .... Someone mentioned both soul bubbles and Maestro????!!!!!
I don't know what to do here it is the first time I am not the first person to mention maestro in a day thread. I must be getting old
Oh no it's still purchasaeable! Maybe not so much on a DSi, but DSiWare games still live on through the 3DS eshop.
Man Last Window was the only game I've ever imported, I was just looking for more Hotel Dusk. It's a shame about Cing and how they just weren't looking to fund those kind of adventure stories but I appreciate that they existed.Last Window is great too, if you enjoyed Hotel Dusk:
I liked maybe the desert area. The rest of it was a cluster and mostly a dull one. Whatever positives it managed to achieve were strongly filtered due to the Suikoden branding.
It's a better take on the Suikoden IV villain though.
Last edited:
Viva Piñata: Pocket Paradise. It's incredible how Rare managed to pack so much into that game with the limited hardware.
I'm going to be basic and say Elite Beat Agents - I don't think it's exactly a hidden gem (big marketing push in the US), but it didn't get anywhere near the attention it deserved.
Did anyone ever play that Looney Tunes knock-off of it? I always wondered how it held up. I looked at some clips on YouTube, and it doesn't seem to do much with the formula.
Did anyone ever play that Looney Tunes knock-off of it? I always wondered how it held up. I looked at some clips on YouTube, and it doesn't seem to do much with the formula.
Good one! And i do remember the graphics to be quite phenomenal given the platform.
an amazing sports game, with a really fun dribble / movement mechanic using the stylus. and really robust local multiplayer
Pokemon Conquest.
I know, I know, it's Pokemon, but no one ever talks about it. I've spent more time playing it than any other Pokémon game in the last fifteen years. Made by the guys who make Nobunaga's Ambition games, so it is basically Pokemon strategy with a weird samurai/old Japan feel to it. Bizarre in many ways but utterly engrossing.
I know, I know, it's Pokemon, but no one ever talks about it. I've spent more time playing it than any other Pokémon game in the last fifteen years. Made by the guys who make Nobunaga's Ambition games, so it is basically Pokemon strategy with a weird samurai/old Japan feel to it. Bizarre in many ways but utterly engrossing.
Came in the bring this one up. It's my favourite game of that whole generation. It took me years to understand that it's basically a pseudo-MOBA.
Hear hear. Investigations 2 is my favourite entry in the franchise, and has so much to offer to series' fans. It's a real shame it came out so late in the DS' life. I was hoping they'd maybe do a localisation of the mobile port, but that never came to fruition either.
This was the game that made me learn Shu Takumi's name, and why I'll pay attention to whatever he puts out. I wonder what he's working on right now actually.Ghost Trick
Sakuranotes
An amazing game, one of the most bizarre, smart and touching stories I've encountered in video games. Directed by Akira Ueda (director of Michigan and Contact), with scenario by Kazushige Nojima (one of his best work, on par with FF7 and Last Ranker) and music by Nobuo Uematsu.
An amazing game, one of the most bizarre, smart and touching stories I've encountered in video games. Directed by Akira Ueda (director of Michigan and Contact), with scenario by Kazushige Nojima (one of his best work, on par with FF7 and Last Ranker) and music by Nobuo Uematsu.
Sooo many.
Trace Memory/Hotel Dusk/Last Window
Ace Attorney series
Ouendan/EBA series
999
Dragon Quest IV/V/VI
Retro Game Challenge
Ghost Trick
Rhythm Heaven
Jake Hunter
And much more.
Trace Memory/Hotel Dusk/Last Window
Ace Attorney series
Ouendan/EBA series
999
Dragon Quest IV/V/VI
Retro Game Challenge
Ghost Trick
Rhythm Heaven
Jake Hunter
And much more.
I feel like I'm the only person in the world who liked LostMagic. It was a Taito RTS-lite where you directed your own team against the enemy units but also used magic spells that you drew on the bottom screen. The pathfinding sucked but the creativity of using spells for blockades, buffs, and attacks was really fun since you could combine the different shapes to make unique spells. It was also a super early online enabled title though I never got to try it.
I was super disappointed the Wii sequel did not get localized.
I was super disappointed the Wii sequel did not get localized.
They made an anime style Wizard of Oz JRPG for the DS that used trackball like controls and it was pretty pretty good!
Feel the Magic and it's sequel The Rub Rabbits are great. Early DS was a weird period where devs didn't really know what to make of the touch screen and it lead to some good weird games like those.
There was a pretty by the numbers rpg called Nostalgia that is probably not as good as I remember.
There was a pretty by the numbers rpg called Nostalgia that is probably not as good as I remember.
Yeah! Great game. Often overlooked.
Ugh. Would love to have played this. Ueda also worked on some kind of space themed RPG for DS but that didn't come out at all.
I'm gonna say Dragon Quest IX's post game.
A load of people dismissed the game because "no story or characters", "it's just a multiplayer game, give me a true DQ", but everything after the credits is phenomenal, and one of the best JRPG experiences you can find.
A load of people dismissed the game because "no story or characters", "it's just a multiplayer game, give me a true DQ", but everything after the credits is phenomenal, and one of the best JRPG experiences you can find.
Yep, that was supposed to be it. Ueda's a great guy, all the old Love de Lic folks are. I miss seeing more games from Kenichi Nishi, Taro Kudo, Yoshiro Kimura...
Most of these are probably pretty well known games but here is my family's take:
For my wife it is Super Princess Peach, that is her most fav game ever! I love it because at the time seeing Mario characters (Goombas etc) animated again in beautiful 2D graphics was really nice! Remember this was before the resurgence of 2D stuff so we hadn't seen them in a long while.
I'm gonna say Retro Game Challenge, what an awesome idea for a game! Really fun.
My brother would say Jump Superstars, he played that game so much. Learned of so many anime guys because of it and ended up watching their shows and becoming fans. Still to this day we're wondering why they can't just make this sort of game again instead of the junk they're putting out.
Finally my Dad would say Magical Starsign! I dunno how or why he even started playing this game but he did and really liked it lol.
Bonus: I'm also going to say Mario Hoops 3 on 3, yea its a Mario game but not one ever talks about it. Has a weird as control scheme and is something I don't think I would like going it but once I got the hang of it I was hooked!
Bonus bonus: My wife would also like to add Peggle because I said I don't think Professor Layton games are 'hidden'. :P
For my wife it is Super Princess Peach, that is her most fav game ever! I love it because at the time seeing Mario characters (Goombas etc) animated again in beautiful 2D graphics was really nice! Remember this was before the resurgence of 2D stuff so we hadn't seen them in a long while.
I'm gonna say Retro Game Challenge, what an awesome idea for a game! Really fun.
My brother would say Jump Superstars, he played that game so much. Learned of so many anime guys because of it and ended up watching their shows and becoming fans. Still to this day we're wondering why they can't just make this sort of game again instead of the junk they're putting out.
Finally my Dad would say Magical Starsign! I dunno how or why he even started playing this game but he did and really liked it lol.
Bonus: I'm also going to say Mario Hoops 3 on 3, yea its a Mario game but not one ever talks about it. Has a weird as control scheme and is something I don't think I would like going it but once I got the hang of it I was hooked!
Bonus bonus: My wife would also like to add Peggle because I said I don't think Professor Layton games are 'hidden'. :P
Great Ace Attorney (historical Ace Attorney spin off games) that aren't getting localized! :(
Lotta love for Henry Hatsworth and Infinite Space makes me really happy.
To add one of my one, Avalon Code was an interesting RPG that tries to do its own thing with its book mechanic, where you basically smack everyone and everything with it to make a magical compendium. It gives you the usual stats/info etc, but lets you modify things within it too based on a number of parameters. You can do nasic stuff like upgrading weapons, but also changing personalities of people or monster stats to solve quests or make things easier or harder for you.
It's a solid 7/10 game otherwise, but nice that it tried something to stand on its own two feet.
To add one of my one, Avalon Code was an interesting RPG that tries to do its own thing with its book mechanic, where you basically smack everyone and everything with it to make a magical compendium. It gives you the usual stats/info etc, but lets you modify things within it too based on a number of parameters. You can do nasic stuff like upgrading weapons, but also changing personalities of people or monster stats to solve quests or make things easier or harder for you.
It's a solid 7/10 game otherwise, but nice that it tried something to stand on its own two feet.
Kimura's been putting them out fairly rapidly over the last year or two: Brave Yamada-kun, Million Onion Hotel and most recently Black Bird.
Seeing a lot of games in this thread I wouldn't really consider "hidden" lol.
I would say Rondo of Swords. SRPG with a very interesting "run through" mechanic for fighting (basically you don't attack an enemt as such, you choose a path and any enemy on that path takes damage).
There was also a knockback mechanic, so sometimes you'd get pushed back instead of running through, which could leave you in a lot of trouble.
It also has a meaningful choice a fair way into the game which creates two story branches.
cool game
The Touch Detective P&C's are great too
I would say Rondo of Swords. SRPG with a very interesting "run through" mechanic for fighting (basically you don't attack an enemt as such, you choose a path and any enemy on that path takes damage).
There was also a knockback mechanic, so sometimes you'd get pushed back instead of running through, which could leave you in a lot of trouble.
It also has a meaningful choice a fair way into the game which creates two story branches.
cool game
The Touch Detective P&C's are great too
Last edited:
Last Window is great too, if you enjoyed Hotel Dusk:
Want to play that game so bad, buy I sold my 3DS by them.
I jumped off my seat when I saw his spirit in
smash ultimate
One Piece: Gigant Battle was really good. It's probably one of the best fighting games on the original DS. Nobody talks about this game, because it was never released in the US and even in the EU nobody seemed to have played it, since the sequel was released only in Japan. :(
Infinite space was an awesome rpg. Never heard of it when I got to play it and boy what a ride it was.
Damn! I had no idea. All of these went under my radar. Will check 'em out, thanks!
No problem!
Yamada-kun was a mobile service game that was recently discontinued, I don't remember if they made an offline version or not but the English versions were called Dandy Dungeon & Dandy Dungeon 2, they might still be available if you're lucky.
Million Onion Hotel is a single-purchase mobile game that's still active.
Black Bird just came out on Switch & PC at the end of last year.
Apologies if these have been mentioned already, but I pick Soma Bringer (by Monolith Soft), Nanashi no Game (The Ring, but it's an 8-bit game instead of a video tape) and its sequel, Nanashi no Game: Me.
Besides those, Smash Ultimate brought ASH: Archaic Sealed Heat (Mistwalker game) to my attention recently. It looks interesting, but I haven't played it yet.
Besides those, Smash Ultimate brought ASH: Archaic Sealed Heat (Mistwalker game) to my attention recently. It looks interesting, but I haven't played it yet.
It's similar in a "they're both space opera" way but Infinite Space has much less homoerotic undertone and not nearly as complex political motivations for the conflict. But I would be very surprised if the fleet combat sequences weren't inspired heavily by LotGH. It's one of the best games on the system.
Radiant Historia is the best Nintendo DS game and also the best JRPG you never played.
It got a 3DS port recently if you are interested.
Pls buy, thx.
It got a 3DS port recently if you are interested.
Pls buy, thx.
The best twist is that the final plot twist is the only plot twist not communicated. The entire game is just plot twist after plot twist and I was still unprepared for that. So yeah, its definitely recommended.
Another game I would think is a great hidden gem is Honeycomb Beat:
Great unique puzzle gameplay with a nice amount of levels.
Yeah I don't know how 'hidden' Radiant Historia is at this point, but it's a damn tragedy that it isn't one of the most well-known DS games because of just how sheerly good it is.
The true Chrono Trigger successor, and no one batted a damn eye
The true Chrono Trigger successor, and no one batted a damn eye