Nintendo DS Price Drop on August 21

[mannerbot]

Apparently the DS is getting a price drop to $130 as there is a Metroid Prime: Hunters bundle planned for $150, so I figure this is as good a time as any to finally pick one up. I know there are plenty of DS junkies here, so I need help with picking out some nice titles.

Right now I plan to pick up:
- Kirby Canvas Curse
- Mr. Driller DS
- Advance Wars DS
- Animal Crossing DS

The last two are not yet released, but seeing as they are the main reason I want to get a DS and people will probably recommend them, I felt like they should be included. I know there are plenty of other quality titles to choose from, but I'd like an idea of what people here consider to be the cream of the crop.

It doesn't have to be all positive, though. There was a bit of a buzz over Pac-Pix iirc, but that seems to have fizzled away after its release. That Meteos flash-game isn't quite the same as the game, but I've heard that the core gameplay is the same and I don't think I'd enjoy it much.

Finally, two specific titles I'd like more info on are Jump Superstars and Electroplankton. Does anyone own either of these titles? Jump Superstars seems to be a favorite of DS owners, and Electroplankton just looks weird enough for me to be interested.

Sadly, I have a dial-up connection at home so downloading gameplay videos is tedious at best, so even comments on what you've seen in movies may be helpful. Any suggestions or thoughts will be appreciated.

[iatneH]

I got a DS back in January, with Feel The Magic. It entertained me for about a week or two.
Then sometime in February I got Asphalt: Urban GT. For some reason I played it a lot for a while, and then it became the second game I ever sold in my whole life. Not a very good record going for Nintendo's "awesome" new handheld.
I held onto mine waiting for Nanostray, which I now hate but can't sell it because, well, it's the DS' token shooter for the time being.

I'm only waiting for Castlevania now, and I wouldn't be surprised if it's the last game I buy for the remainder of the DS' lifespan.

And please excuse me if I sound bitter, Nintendo's really been dropping the ball with all their "innovation" and forcing their oddball features into games that could be better without them, or even worse, outright forbidding games that can't use these features (i.e. most anything that would suit my personal tastes).

[UnscathedFlyingObject]

F*ck, just got one for 148. Wells, 18 bucks difference isn't that much.

Edit: You can't say "cream-of-the-crop" without mentioning Castlevania DS. What sacrilege. CDS is going to be the game to own when it comes out. I know it because Aria of Sorrow is gold (tie for best Castletroid with SoTN). SoTN may be prettier and sound better, but the soul system + better balance bump Aria a couple of notches up.

I'm expecting CDS > SoTN, except for music.

Edit 2: I picked up Nanostray and Meteos. Both good games.

[Neon]

Mr. Driller Ace for GBA...ridiculously good.

[mannerbot]

ientaH: Yeah, my two favorite genres are going to be pretty much nonexistent on the DS. But so what? Variety is the spice of life. I'm not sure I'd like to play Strikers 1945 on a handheld anyway. And about Nanostray? It's made by Shin'en. I know better than to buy it.

UFO: Can't you get the price adjusted at the store? Most places around here will do it within 15 days I think. And yeah, I'll probably get Castlevania DSbut I've actually never played a Castlevania before.

Neon: CAN YOU READ MAN I SAID DS GAMES
I imagine Drill Spirits will be a great introduction to Mr. Driller for me, though. At worst, it will still be better than a poorly emulated Mr. Driller.

[ThirdStrike]

PRICE DROP IS PROBALLY FOR NINTENDOGS BYTCH!!!!!

[UnscathedFlyingObject]

UFO: Can't you get the price adjusted at the store? Most places around here will do it within 15 days I think. And yeah, I'll probably get Castlevania DSbut I've actually never played a Castlevania before.

I got my dirty hands all over it before I read this post and it's a independently owned store. They have a strict "no exchange, no refund:" policy. It's a pisser, but I'll live.

I'd recommend you get ahold of Aria of Sorrow and play it first since CDS will definitely spoil it for you. Yeah, I know you said DS games. But--

[BrianC]

If you want Mr. Driller Drill Spirits, go for the Japanese or European versions. Play-Asia has the Japanese Drill Spirits for 30 dollars. The Japanese and EU versions have single cartridge multiplayer and a Drillstone mode (a mode where the air runs out by 1 when you hit blocks. It has special power ups too). I think it's lame how the US Drill Spirits doesn't even have single cart multi (it has multi cart multiplayer, though).

Edit: here's the play-asia link for Mr. Driller Drill Spirits. http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-9g- ... 0-cyy.html

[Elixir]

I had a DS. Here's what happened.

I bought it along with Super Mario DS, which was pixellated to hell but still reasonably playable. The actual game didn't get much play, however, my mother did enjoy the Luigi games.

I then bought a few GBA games, which are still sitting around. After two-three weeks I was bored, and I realized that purchasing a new-generation handheld just for GBA games is pointless.

Still, I wanted Sonic DS. IS IT OUT? NO. God, I have no clue when that's coming out, however I'm not going to bother waiting for it.

I returned it, bought an xbox, and it was the best move I've ever done.

However, I must admit that my selection is games is very fussy. Mr. Driller doesn't appeal to me - back in 1999 or around there, I bought it for the PSX. Returned it like, the second day? You dig through layers that can squish you, and it's so rapid that you can't match blocks above you properly.

Advance Wars isn't my thing. Kirby's Canvas Cruise isn't going to replace the Kirby I know from Dreamland. Animal Crossing, if I really wanted, I could get for Gamecube.

Really, DS isn't popular in the southern hemisphere, PSP is just released, and N-Gage flopped like an obedient dog. All handhelds have cons over pros - stick to the handheld in your pants.

[Neon]

Neon: CAN YOU READ MAN I SAID DS GAMES Razz

But you didn't play Driller Ace till I told you about it, did you?

You're welcome.

[PFG 9000]

This is good news for me, as I've been planning on picking one up when Castlevania: DoS comes out. Maybe I'll pick one up early with Metroid Prime Hunters bundled in. And I'll certainly get Nanostray.

[PaCrappa]

However, I must admit that my selection is games is very fussy. Mr. Driller doesn't appeal to me - back in 1999 or around there, I bought it for the PSX. Returned it like, the second day? You dig through layers that can squish you, and it's so rapid that you can't match blocks above you properly.

CLASSIC! That is classic. I've seen it a thousand times and I'm sure to see it a thousand times more. It contributes nicely to my theory that anyone who doesn't like Driller simply doesn't understand.

I love the DS. I thought I'd hate it because I generally hate anything gimmicky. But after playing Yoshi, Kirby, Pac Pix and Meteos I was thoroughly and completely won over. However the price of the hardware is going to have to drop well below $130 before I can be bothered to purchase one. I like the sound of about $50.

My list of must buys:

Kirby
Yoshi
Driller
Wario
Pac-Pix
Mystical Ninja
Meteos
DIG-DUG

Pa

[FatCobra]

I got the DS because I needed an SP replacement, and decided what the hell, I'll make the upgrade. Sure, buying it for just GBA games is a bit silly, but boy, they sure do look great on the DS's bright screens! (They blow the SP's screen out of the water).

I also got Meteos, which I have been playing nonstop. I am waiting for the new Castlevania and Mariokart.

The price drop probably has to do with the release of Nintendogs (which I am debating about getting, I'm a dog lover, but our apartment complex doesn't allow pets, and playing a sandbox game can be a nice break from destroying space aliens and slaying monsters).

How does Mario 64 DS handle without an analog stick. It must be pretty wonkey with that D-Pad.

[captain ahar]

castlevania pisses me off, if it weren't coming out i would probably sell my ds. the only thing i play on it anymore are gba games. and it blows that once solar striker, nemesis and mercenary force, no on-the-go play for me. i still gotta try and find a cheap sp somewheres...

[Vexorg]

Since I don't think anyone else here has brought up Electroplankton yet, I'll offer a few thoughts. I picked it up from the local import shop a few months ago along with Meteos, and although Meteos has been played far more, I've got Electroplankton in my DS right now, and still play it relatively often. It's really something I would classify as more of a toy tham a game, and It's definitely a bit of an acquired taste, but I happen to quite enjoy it. It's a good one to pop in and mess with for a while when you need to wind down.

There's definitely a good number of upcoming DS titles I'm interested in, but I was giving some thought to heading over to the import shop and picking up a copy of Osu! Takendae! Ouendan! sometime, since it sounds just weird enough to be quite entertaining. Anyone seen that one yet?

[mannerbot]

DIG-DUG

That's a given, dude.

[mannerbot]

Vexorg: I was at my cousin's house yesterday and I saw the Gamespot footage of Electroplankton. To be honest, I'm not so impressed with it even though the trailer I saw a while ago interested me. I think I really just wanted the game for its box art... I might change my mind once it gets a domestic release, though (November 11?).

[dave4shmups]

Has anyone heard about a price drop in the GBA? I'm thinking there might be one when the GBA Mini comes out, but I don't know when that will be.

[Vexorg]

I'm guessing you'd have to actually mess with it to find out whether or not you'd be interested in it. There are some of the items that just aren't all that interesting (Rec-Rec and Volvoice come to mind) but the ones that are done well you can spend hours messing with. Overall, I think it's worth picking up, but there were some things that could have been done better (it would have been nice for there to be some way to save.) I don't know if the US version is going to include anything any different from the Japanese version (the game is very import friendly, it's certainly not taking them six months to localize it) but I'd say it's probably worth picking up at some point.

[Vexorg]

DIG-DUG

That's a given, dude.

Not only that, but a US release has just been announced. There's videos now too, including an appearance by the Solvalou:

http://ds.ign.com/articles/642/642461p1.html

[UnscathedFlyingObject]

http://dlx.gamespot.com/ds/castlevania/ ... 31172.html
New vid of Castlevania DS. F*cking amazing. They show like four bosses (no story) ***BEWARE SPOILERS***