Be Excellent To Each Other

Recent fun had with both Soul Bubbles and Track & Field has made me consider that I have probably missed lots of DS goodness over the last six months or so that I barely touched the thing.

So, what are you all playing on it?

The DS release list has been pretty horrible of late. I haven't actually bought a DS game for yonks - last one was probably Geometry Wars Galaxies. In fact, the only time I really play my DS any more is on my lunch-break at work, where I've been playing the time trials in Mario Kart DS. It's a bit of a shame because it used to be my most played system by far, but lots of lovely 360 and Wii games means that DS games have been pushed to the bottom of my priority list.

Probably the next purchase I'll make is Bangai-O Spirits when it comes out. Contra 4 and Track and Field are on my "Whenever I've got spare cash and no other games I want to buy" list, but they're probably going to be on it for a while, unless I get myself a better paying job or something.

Space Invaders Extreme has just come out over here. Quite lovely.

Indeed Space Invaders Extreme is one of the best games on the DS period. (And I say that despite having hated Space Invaders my entire life).

Also Professor Layton is excellent.

Illust Logic is also really, really superb.

Soul Bubbles is really wonderful in small doses, and has a brilliant start up screen. A commuter game for sure.

Trauma Center 2 and Civ Revolution are near too (though, I won't be getting TC2 yet as I need to start/finish the Wii version.

The World Ends With You, aka '...'

Midnight Party Pack has a stonking version of Arkanoid, a very decent pool game, a very decent Poker game and a very nice little slightly story driven casino card game thing with Solitare, Freecell, Golf etc.

If Yahtzee's review is even remotely connected with the truth, I'd hate this.

Shiren is excellent.

Professor Layton is indeed awesome puzzley fun.

Indeed, and if you have played it, then this video about it is better than it has any right to be.

Not that it's life changing or anything.

There's definately been a drought of good DS games recently, and I think most of them have already been mentioned.

Pic-Pic is a very good Logic Puzzle title (with 3 different games) that should appeal if you like Slitherlink, Picross etc.

Also, for import shoot-em-up fans, Metal Slug 7 is due out on the 17th (July) in Japan, and looks pretty tasty from this typically subtle Japanese trailer :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bpCBXJT ... re=related

(edit : Nanostray 2 is a fairly decent shooter too - certainly better than the first game - there's none of that "push the touch-screen to select weapons" nonsense this time).

Top-Spin 3 is apparently very good too, thanks to a stable framerate that actually makes it playable (unlike Top-Spin 2, which was basically broken).

Thirded. I've picked this up for the PSP, and it's ten times more fun that I'd expected it to be. If nothing else, it's the only handheld game I can remember aside from Lumines where I actively want to listen to the in-game music.

i've playted a bit of prof. layton, but not that much more these days, i want to get pic pic as stu really liked it (become a sub, read the review! etc)

haven't done that much train time these days, so not much ds

Really? I thought I remembered him savaging it on the board itself for some piddly reason. Glad he got over whatever it was. (I only remember the thinking "Oh for fucks sake" bit)

Final Fantasy Tactics A2 - Not sure if it's out over here yet.
Basically much the same as the GBA version - So I love it.

Advance Wars: Days of Ruin - Is rather splendid too.

Saw it in a branch of Game yesterday, so yes it is.

Whoa! I didn't know there was a Trauma Center 2! And it's already out in the US?

Garoovy!

That must've been something else. I remember him bigging it up as soon as he played it.

Ah I misread, I thought you said he "bigged up" layton, not picpic.

powerpro kun is coming in an english version! yeah!

Sweet!

Currently playing Etrian Odyssey and Rune Factory. With the possibility of buying The world ends with you and FF Tactics 2 when I'm done with these.

Of the two, Rune Factory is probably the most fun, seeing as it's essentially an RPG version of Harvest Moon with monsters to tame instead of livestock. You can still farm and that but the focus is more on dungeons and combat as well as farming.

It doesn't seem to have a UK release as of yet which is a real shame.

Indeed, I really like Rune Factory, but my L & R buttons don't work on myDS so I can't really play it.

A Wii version has been announced and it looks gorgeous.

Metal Slug 7 is available to "buy" on "Japanese import", apparently.

Has Professor Layton had a uk release yet, or is it import only at the moment?

And if you use a "screwdriver" to open up the "cartridge's" "case" then you can swap some "chips" around to make it 100% English language.

That doesn't make any sense, does it? Oh well. Back to Civilization Revolution. CIV REV CIV REV CIV REV!

For Etrian Odyssey, it's a good idea to read some of the stuff on GameFAQs, if only to avoid pissing your skill points away into worthless skills and having to take a 10 level drop to reassign them all.

Most notably, that Defender isn't that great if you already have a Medic with maxed out Immunize (and I am NEVER without a Medic), but also that Landsknects with Axes are worthless after the Ronin becomes available.