Nintendo DS hidden gems?

[ninjainspandex]

I just got one of those R4 flash carts for the DS to try out some obscure hidden gems on the Nintendo DS. Surprised we don't have write ups for the rare/valuable and hidden gems for the Nintendo DS. The little handheld is now a decade old. So let me hear your suggestions on what I should check out. Would love to hear about Imports, so far I have tried Ketsui Death Label, Jump Ultimate Stars, and the translation patch of Fire Emblem 12.

[JoeAwesome]

I just got one of those R4 flash carts for the DS to try out some obscure hidden gems on the Nintendo DS. Surprised we don't have write ups for the rare/valuable and hidden gems for the Nintendo DS. The little handheld is now a decade old. So let me hear your suggestions on what I should check out. Would love to hear about Imports, so far I have tried Ketsui Death Label, Jump Ultimate Stars, and the translation patch of Fire Emblem 12.

The translation of J:US, correct? Rhythm Heaven is great.

[flojocabron]

I have done lots of time on this game.

I also have put it on an R4. Its a european game.

It comes to show you that the classics never die!



You know you've done some of these puzzles in your childhood. But here on the DS its quite nice too.



The minor issue I have with this game is that sometimes the shape doesn't want to rotate when you touch it with your stylus. But you figure it out eventually.

Also, some of the supposed things you assemble make no sense. Is that supposed to be a person? Or an animal?

You have hundreds of puzzles to figure that out.

[SuperAnthony64]

Orcs & Elves
Monster Tale
Fighting Fantasy
I know the series isn't "hidden" but Resident Evil Deadly Silence was great IMO.

I had a lot of fun with these games!

[ninjainspandex]

keep em coming gents!

I'll tell you a few more hidden gems I have found

Infinite Space- A great RPG that takes place in space, awesome if your into Sci-Fi and RPGS

Contra 4- Just classic Contra as you remember, just as hard too.

Legendary Starfy- A great colorful platformer, a bit on the easy side though but still fun. There were 3 other games in the series on the GBA but in Japan only this is the first time it came to the states

Dark Spire- an Old School style Dungeon Crawler, you will enjoy this if you liked the old games from the 80's on the PC

[RyaNtheSlayA]

Get some of that Nervous Brickdown

Arkanoid/Breakout with a healthy dose of WTF

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACP8GRPjWWI

[jmbarnes101]

I second Monster Tale and I'll add a couple of games...
Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure
Freshly Picked Tingle's Rosey Rupeeland
Tingle's Balloon Fight
Ripening Tingle's Balloon Trip of Love

[Betagam7]

The 2 main Tingle games are both fantastic.

I'd say the first one (and the only one to get translated) is actually better than the disappointing Zelda games. It has the same cheery on the outside, oppressive and dark at the core heart as Majora's Mask and sheds some interesting back story on the character and what he actually is.

The second game unfortunately didn't get an English translation but is an old school point and click adventure that draws inspiration from The Wizard of Oz, albeit in a twisted sense.
I actually made decent progress and was enjoying it a lot without understanding a word of it until I came to a puzzle that I couldn't solve through visual logic alone.

Flower Sun and Rain is another very interesting, amusing and frequently disturbing title that features Suda's usual tropes with particular emphasis on meta critique of bad game design. It's a very self aware adventure with groundhog day elements and also has that "everything is bright and cheery" atmosphere that actually casts an air of oppressive lingering menace that's hard to shake. I actually regret selling it when I ditched most of my collection.

[Exhuminator]

Man there are SO MANY GAMES on the DS. No really, there are a lot. It's really hard to try and narrow down which hidden gems are the hiddenest gemiest. For now I'll just limit myself to 10 that I'll actually talk in any depth about. I'm going to just list the first 10 that pop in my head...

Ten "hidden gems" for the DS:

Again - The Eye Of Providence
http://www.againmystery.com/againmystery/index.html
Here's a CiNG murder mystery that I think was given unfairly negative reviews. Granted the presentation is a bit rough around the edges, but this game's heart is in the right place. Think noir detective plot meets Twin Peaks and you're getting the picture. Innovative puzzle solving too employing a psychic ability to see into the past and present simultaneously. I enjoyed it.


Brothers In Arms DS
http://brothersinarmsgame.us.ubi.com/ds/index.htm
GameLoft is a consistently competent developer, and they did a bang up job on BIA for DS. Excellent controls and plenty of mission variety make this a third person shooter worth playing. Really fun and quite impressive given the platform.


Ketsui DEATH LABEL
http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/ketsui/ketsui.htm
If you fancy bullet hell shooters, give this DS one a try. The two screens are used to great effect. I hope you're up to a challenge though, it's not called DEATH LABEL for laughs.


Korg MS-10
http://www.korgds10synthesizer.com/
This is a virtual Korg MS-10 for your DS. If you are into synthesizers and toying around with electronic music, you should find this application delightful. If you enjoy this, there is also the Korg M01D simulator for DS as well: http://www.giantbomb.com/korg-m01/3030-42264/


Last Window - The Secret Of Cape West
http://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Nintend ... 71320.html
A lot of people know about Hotel Dusk, but not a lot of people know that the game got a proper sequel. Last Window is that sequel. While not as consistently amazing as its progenitor, Last Window is still 100% worth playing. Kyle Hyde is a man worth knowing, and his games are some of the most mature well developed adventures ever made.


Lone Wolf
http://www.projectaon.org/staff/frederic/index.php
If you're a fan of the Lone Wolf books, you'd do well to check this project out. It converts 5 of the books into game format to play on your DS.


Soma Bringer
http://www.romhacking.net/translations/1612/
You may have heard of a little game called Xenoblade Chronicles. What you may not know however is that around the same time Monolith Soft brought that to Wii, they also brought Soma Bringer to DS. And Soma Bringer is also an amazing game that Westerners would have clamored for had they had known of its existence. Now due to a great fan translation Westerners can play this great RPG. Think Secret Of Mana meets Diablo and you're starting to see the gameplay.


The Wizard Of Oz - Beyond The Yellow Brick Road
http://www.wizardofozds.com/
I know what you're thinking... The Wizard Of Oz? WTF man? But don't judge this game by its cover. This is actually a really cool JRPG of all things! No, really. Check out the website link under the picture.


Theresia - Dear Emily
http://www.aksysgames.com/games/theresia/
If you fancy horror adventure puzzle games that are as disturbing as they are deadly, give Theresia a try. It's a wholly unique experience that off the top of my head I cannot think of an equivalent analog to, and that's impressive in and of itself.


Unsolved Crimes
http://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/oc ... snkqsdi3by
Despite the terribly generic name, this is a great detective game with lots of clever puzzles and a story that doesn't rely on cliches.

Well hell, a few more honorable mentions:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Traffic_Chaos
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aliens_Infestation
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C.O.P._The_Recruit
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elebits:_T ... i_and_Zero
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/From_the_Abyss
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infinite_Space
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lock%27s_Quest
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miami_Law
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monster_Tale
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon_%28video_game%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rondo_of_Swords
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solatorobo:_Red_the_Hunter
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soul_Bubbles
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dark_Spire
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Legendary_Starfy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treasure_World
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viewtiful_ ... le_Trouble!

BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE

A list of DS English game translations that you can play on your DS if you're the clever type.

Hmm, this thread gives me an idea for a new thread.

[fastbilly1]

Soma Bringer - Japanese only ARPG with a good plot and fun gameplay.
Phantasy Star Zero - Phantasy Star Online, in your pocket, that thanks to Toad King, is still playable online if you have a compatible router.