Help me come up with some recommendations for a new DS owner who prefers retro games

My friend Simon, who runs the lovely retro-focused game blog called Red Parsley, recently reached out to me to share the joyful news that he's now the proud owner of a Nintendo DS.

Unsurprisingly, he also asked if I could offer up a few DS game recommendations.

I did just that late last night. Specifically, I said he should consider picking up some or all of the following for various reasons I won't go into here:

9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors
Bangai-O Spirits
Big Bang Mini
Contact
Dragon Quest IX
Hotel Dusk
Kirby Canvas Curse
Mr. Driller: Drill Spirits
My World, My Way
Pac-Pix
Puzzle Bobble DS
Retro Game Challenge
Rhythm Heaven
Soul Bubbles
Taiko no Tatsujin DS
Tetris DS 
The World Ends with You
Yoshi Touch & Go

Although I have a feeling all (or at least some) of the games mentioned above could keep Simon and his new DS busy for a long time to come, I also think it couldn't hurt to send him a few more suggestions.

So, I'm asking all of you: which DS titles would you recommend to someone who is new to Nintendo's first dual-screened system and who tends to prefer games of the "old school" variety? 

Which games allow or require you to hold your DS system sideways like a book?

I've got a problem.

OK, so I've got lots of problems--especially when it comes to this lovely little hobby of mine that some folks refer to as "gaming."

Only one of those problems is relevant to this particular blog post, though, and that would be that I'm currently kind of obsessed with games that allow or even require you to hold your DS system sideways (like a book) while playing them.

The thing is, I can't think of many DS games that fit this description. Obviously Hotel Dusk is one of them, as is its sequel, Last Window.

Aside from that wonderful pair of visual novels, though, the only examples that come to mind are Square Enix's intriguing Sigma Harmonics, Rhythm Tengoku Gold (Rhythm Heaven in North America and Rhythm Paradise in Europe) and the Brain Age games.

Do you fine folks know of any other DS carts that let or force people to play them "book-style"? If so, I'd really appreciate it if you'd share their names in the comments section below.

See also: 'Nice Package! (Last Window: The Secret of Cape West, Nintendo DS)'

I think I'm in love (again)

With whom? Or with what?

Interestingly, both questions are applicable in this case, since I'm both in love with a what (the flute-and-trumpet-centric cover of Rhythm Heaven's "Munchy Monk 2" that can be found below and here) and a who (the adorkable guy who created it).



Don't worry, I'm not seriously considering leaving my husband for this guy (who calls himself The 8-Bit Dreamer, by the way). For the sake of our marriage, though, let's hope he doesn't decide to take things down a notch, so to speak, and cover Rhythm Tengoku's "Bon Odori."

(Via tinycartridge.com)

Rhythm Heaven: My favorite DS game of 2009

Don't tell me: You expected to see the name of another game here, didn't you? Like Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box or Scribblenauts?

Well, I played all of those games (and more) last year, and I certainly enjoyed them, but I don't consider any of them my favorite DS game of 2009. That "honor" goes to a little game known as (or maybe I should say little-known game) Rhythm Heaven.

Why was Rhythm Heaven my favorite DS game of 2009? Let me count the ways:

1) It's weird--Really weird. You participate in a glee club consisting of bald, bow-tie-wearing aliens (well, that's what I think they look like), you play ping pong with someone sporting a boxy, blue head and you pluck hairy beets from a farmer's fertile soil--all while attempting to match the beat of each level's background music.

2) It's difficult--I'm one of those cranky geezers who thinks today's games are too easy. I enjoyed having my ass handed to me while playing Kid Icarus and Metroid back in the day, for God's sake. Which means, of course, that I get a tremendous kick out of playing "Fillbots" and "Freeze Frame" and "Lockstep" (the hardest of Rhythm Heaven's mini-games, in my humble opinion).

3) It's addictive--If you're anything like me, you'll be unable to play "Crop Stomp"and "Love Lizards" and "Munchy Monk" just once. You'll play them over and over and over again. And then you'll play them some more. Why? Because the gameplay and especially the background music worm their way into your brain and turn you into a Rhythm Heaven-loving zombie, that's why.

4) It's fun--Whenever I play Rhythm Heaven, a huge, goofy grin wraps around my face. (Sadly, that accomplishment is less impressive that it sounds--thanks to my big mouth.) Not only that, but I giggle like a little schoolgirl--even when the game is slapping me around like I'm a redheaded stepchild. The sign of an amazingly awesome game, no?

By the way, if you're not averse to playing games in a language you don't understand--and you have the ability to play GameBoy Advance games--pick up a copy (if you can find one) of this title's predecessor, Rhythm Tengoku. I actually prefer it to Rhythm Heaven (called Rhythm Tengoku Gold in Japan), for a number of reasons I won't bore you with right now.