DS and GBA must plays?

[Arvandor]

I'm pretty sure I've gone through most of the best of these two systems, including some odd ones like that one Japanese mecha game with the awesome touch pad controls, but you never know when you can stumble across something amazing. I've been wasting a fair bit of time on my DS lately, and I'm hoping to find something fresh to keep myself amused =)

[Ruldra]

GBA:
Advance Wars series
Fire Emblem series
Double Dragon Advance
Sonic Advance 2

DS:
Izuna series (if you're into roguelikes)
Advance Wars: Days of Ruin

[trap15]

OOOOOUUUUUUEEEEEEEEEEEENNNNNNDDDDDDDDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNN

No but really, get Ouendan (and/or Elite Beat Agents). So good.

[CMoon]

All those Atlus games on the DS.

[BIL]

I'm considering a GBA player purely for Double Dragon Advance. Definitive Technos Japan brawler, made by ex-members and lovingly incorporating all the better points of their earlier beaters (brutal moves, lethal surroundings) while refining out the bad (annoying inputs, clumsy controls). Lots of fun, punishing moves with no irritating inputs.

[dannnnn]

GBA
Advance Wars
Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising
Astro Boy: Omega Factor
Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
Castlevania: Circle of the Moon
Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance
Fire Emblem
Fire Emblem: Fuuin no Tsurugi (fan translation)
Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones
Golden Sun
Golden Sun: The Lost Age
Kuru Kuru Kururin
Kururin Paradise
The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
Mario Kart: Super Circuit
Mega Man Zero series
Metroid Fusion
Metroid: Zero Mission
Ninja Cop (Ninja Five-O)
Rhythm Tengoku
Wario Land 4
WarioWare: Twisted!

[KAI]

All those Atlus games on the DS.

Including RPGs? some of them suck.


Space Invaders Extreme 2
ARCANOID DS
999: 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors
Kumatanchi
Gyakuten Saiban series
Rockman ZX
Rockman ZXA
Ontamarama

[CMoon]

Including RPGs? some of them suck.

That's just like, your opinion, man.

[KAI]

An opinion of someone who played hundreds of RPGs. Those Devil Survivor games are slow-paced and boring as fuck.

[BulletMagnet]

Dropping my obligatory Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure mention.

Another one I liked a lot more than I expected is Soul Bubbles - more for relaxing than hardcore arcade runs (though there is an optional time attack element), but still more than worth the couple of bucks you can get it for.

[Ed Oscuro]

I'm considering a GBA player purely for Double Dragon Advance. Definitive Technos Japan brawler, made by ex-members and lovingly incorporating all the better points of their earlier beaters (brutal moves, lethal surroundings) while refining out the bad (annoying inputs, clumsy controls). Lots of fun, punishing moves with no irritating inputs.

I got this game a while back and it never really grabbed me

Also, that will of course probably require getting a fancy Hori joypad at the least...the GBA Player with the original GameCube pad was functional for all GBA games but the final boss fight of Metroid Fusion in particular was really punishing to play that way.

[BIL]

Oh yeah, I do plan on getting a Hori pad. Do you like any of the earlier Technos beaters? I could never go back to them after DDA.

[Ed Oscuro]

Eh, not really

Well, maybe Combatribes and Shadow Force...I'm too much of a scrub to do anything but enjoy the graphics in that genre, so far

[ChainsawGuitarSP]

Since everyone thinks it's so cool to ignore them: Mega Man Battle Network and Starforce series. All of them are incredibly good, probably the most consistent quality among Capcom's works.

[CMoon]

'Boring as fuck' reissues for those who missed them the first time:

[Obiwanshinobi]

Dr. Mario & Panel de Pon (a.k.a. Dr. Mario & Puzzle League)

Ninja Five-O (a.k.a. Ninja Cop)

Super Monkey Ball Jr.

Not played much, but liked - Bruce Lee: Return of the Legend.

I'm playing and I like, but on DS it would be painstakingly incomplete - Bomberman Tournament.

[Mortificator]

Double Dragon Advance is the culmination of Technos brawling, but I still like playing the original arcade Kunio and the NES Double Dragon II. I also see some potential in The Combatribes and River City Ransom EX, though I'll have to play them more before I can judge.

Most of those aren't GBA or DS games. It would make more sense for these "Tell me what to like!" threads to be broken down by genre instead of platform.

[drauch]

Is the Combatribes advance a different game, or just a port? Because I wouldn't consider the original Combatribes a classic at all...

[Koa Zo]

Advance Guardian Heroes is often disparaged because it didn't meet people's expectations, yet I find it to be one of the most enjoyable games I've played on GBA.

Shining Soul II is very very good.

[KAI]

Meteos.

[O. Van Bruce]

No one mentioning Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey and The world Ends With You



Also, you need MAXIMUM autism to enjoy fully the Etrian Odissey games. They are fun but the amount of grinding can get boring.

[Specineff]

No mention of Order Of Ecclesia, heathens?

[Lordstar]

Since everyone thinks it's so cool to ignore them: Mega Man Battle Network and Starforce series. All of them are incredibly good, probably the most consistent quality among Capcom's works.

I really enjoyed playing them as stand along games. No one ever played them who was local to me though

[Vexorg]

Meteos.

Seconded. Oh, and if you can manage to find a copy, I'd put Electroplankton on the list too... Not really a game, but still interesting to mess with.

[Necronopticous]

MOTHER3

[louisg]

Polarium!

[genecyst]

gba:
gekido advance is one of the best brawlers on gba i think.
kuru kuru kururin games are the simplest and most addictive puzzle on the system.
another great puzzle is gem smasher.
happy panechu rocks too.
gunstar heroes is a well remade classic.

ds:
bangai-o spirit
rgb ds

[Bananamatic]

Super Robot Taisen OG/OG2/J for GBA

[Eaglet]

SMT: Strange Journey for DS

[ZellSF]

Tom Clancy's EndWar for DS:

Think Military Madness/Nectaris. Not quite as good, but close. Definitely worth the five dollars or so it will cost you (I'm 25 hours into it).

Of course if you have a PSP you're probably better off with that version. Yeah I'm about the only person who will ever recommend this as everyone else hated it because it wasn't Advance Wars.

Also, that will of course probably require getting a fancy Hori joypad at the least...the GBA Player with the original GameCube pad was functional for all GBA games but the final boss fight of Metroid Fusion in particular was really punishing to play that way.

GBA link cable is cheaper and gives you perfect controls for GBA games. Well as close as you can get with that GBA Player input lag.

Thirding (?) Kuru Kuru Kururin and its sequel. Best reason to get a GBA.