Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Most Overlooked DS Games - Part Three

It's time again to un-overlook various DS games in the platform's extensive library. The DS is very much the Playstation 2 of its generation with all genres covered. The following games listed could have been overlooked by my gaming peers, consumers, and/or fellow reviewers. If you'd like to be caught up to speed on past installments, check out the following parts:

Part 1

Part 2


With that out of the way, let's get into the next five DS games that get the honor of being inducted into the Most Overlooked!

Super Princess Peach

One could say that Super Princess Peach was the appetizer to New Super Mario Bros. It came out the February before NSMB's release, and it had plenty of platforming goodness to share. The game featured Peach who could use the power of emotions to access new areas and beat bad bosses. She could cry tears that could get beanstalks to grow allowing her to reach higher heights or stomp in a furious anger, leveling all baddies in her way. While on the easy side, Super Princess Peach is a charming little game with fun platforming and a great soundtrack, too.


Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime

Just reviewed yesterday, Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime puts you in command of Rocket, a little slime who is charged with the task of rescuing all 100 of the townspeople of Boingburg. If scouring the seven lands for fellow slimes isn't your thing, perhaps the colossal tank battles are more up your alley. With about ten hours to single-player content, multiplayer tank battles, and plenty of cuteness, Rocket Slime is a great adventure oozing with saccharine sweetness.


Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker

But maybe Pokemon-styled monster catching, collecting, and battling is more your thing. Enter the 3D world of Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker where capturing and collecting monsters from the Dragon Quest series is all the rage. Collect over 200 different monsters with different abilities and skills, take part in Wi-Fi play as you battle players from around the world, or finish off the 30 hour single-player campaign in this content-heavy game. If Pokemon doesn't do it for you, perhaps Dragon Quest Monsters will.


Contra 4

Are you ready to have your ass handed to you by a DS game? Then pick up a copy of Contra 4. Made by the development studio behind Shantae, Contra 4 features nine levels of progressively more difficult stages, two-screened areas, diabolical bosses to blast away to smithereens, and more power-ups than you can shake a flame-thrower at. As stated before, this game can be crazily difficult, so easily-frustrated gamers need not apply. Contra veterans will love all the bonus content the game has including a museum filled with past Contra games.


Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword

Another game from a series that can put your butt through the wringer, Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword features an intuitive control system where you slash and slice enemies with your stylus. The game is played in a storybook style position with the DS held on its side. If the sheer amount of enemies doesn't kill you, the crafty bosses surely will. Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword unfortunately failed to set the world on fire sales-wise, but that doesn't stop the game from being a blast to play.

Have any suggestions for future installments for DS, PSP, Wii, PS3, or 360? Feel free to post a comment to let me know.

4 comments:

Mofax said...

This series is awesome. May I recommend you cover Bangai-O Spirits next? That game is easily one of the best games I have ever played in my whole life; if you can ever find a copy I highly recommend you pick it up. Also try:
- GTA: Chinatown Wars, which, while being GTA, sold like crap on the DS and I feel is gets absolutely no credit for being as awesome as it is. Also please try the
- Freshly-Picked: Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland was only released in Europe and Japan, but it is awesomely weird. It can be compared to what the Wario Land series is to the main 2D Marios; just vaugely familiar enough to be feasibly in the same universe, but at the same time completely different in its own way. It barely reminds me of Zelda, but the focus on money and harsh capitalism makes for a bizarre and unique experience.
- Big Bang Mini is one of the most unique top-down shooters I have ever played, and the plethora of extras after the main game gives it long legs. Very very fun.
- I have barely started playing it, but Rune Factory 2 is awesome. It's like Harvest Moon but with real RPG mechanics. I would definitely say it's overlooked.

Wow. I freaking love the DS. I have no problem calling it the best video game system since the SNES, if not maybe better than that. All the DS needs is a 2D Metroid follow-up to Metroid Fusion and it will be the best gaming system of all time.

Unknown said...

Great suggestions, Mofax.

I actually have a few of those in store for future installments!

Thanks for the comment!

Proxy said...

What exactly is your criteria for a game being "overlooked"?

Contra 4 and Ninja Gaiden? Seriously? Two hugely popular franchises and you think that they were overlooked? Not to mention many consider Contra 4 to be one of the best in the series. Perhaps they were overlooked in Syberia or wherever else the rock you live under is located, but for the rest of the world we know all about these games.

Unknown said...

Yeah, they only sold like shit on the DS. That's my criteria.