Five overlooked Nintendo DS games you need to play as soon as possible

Don't worry, I'll publish more than "five overlooked games you need to play as soon as possible" posts this year. In fact, I'm working on a handful of reviews as we speak. I also have a slew of "Manual Stimulation" and "Nice Package!" posts waiting to be written.

The above isn't the full extent of what you can expect to see here in the coming weeks and months, of course; I just want everyone to rest assured that (hopefully) interesting content is on the way.

That's not to suggest the post you're reading right now is a total bore. I mean, unless you harbor an irrational hatred for Nintendo's DS handheld.

For those who are at least somewhat curious about that duel-screened system and its extensive catalog of games, you should get at least a slight kick out of this write-up about five Nintendo DS titles I think have been overlooked by the masses.

Daigasso! Band Brothers--I have a feeling I should include this game's 2008 sequel here instead, especially considering that more recent effort earned an English release (as Jam with the Band, although it only saw the light of day in Europe). I'm sticking with the 2004 original, though, because I've spent more time with it and, well, I prefer its cover art. Plus, if you're going to jump into an unknown game series, you should start at the beginning, don't you think? Anyway, don't fret about the first Daigasso! Band Brothers being in Japanese. You don't need to know a lick of that overwhelming language to enjoy this music game. All you need is a DS or 3DS system with a working d-pad and A, B, X and Y buttons--as they're what you use to play Daigasso! Band Brothers. In that respect, this early DS title is a lot like Namco's long-running (and also well worth trying) Taiko no Tatsujin releases, although in Daigasso! Band Brothers you use all sorts of instruments, rather than just drums, to play a vast selection of tunes.

Loopop Cube: Lup Salad--It blows my mind that none of this adorable game's many versions ever left Japan. Yes, this 2008 release, published by the charmingly named Dimple Entertainment, came out 12 years after the original title, developed by Fupac and published by Datam Polystar, was made available to Japanese PlayStation owners. And two years after the game hit the Nintendo DS, Dimple offered PSP fans a port, too. The different iterations aren't identical, mind you--each one offers up slightly unique puzzles, modes and options--but they all basically look and play the same. Speaking of Loopop Cube's gameplay, think one part Puzznic (or Bejeweled) and one part Sokoban. Although, unlike Hiroyuki Imabayashi's box-moving puzzler, Loopop Cube's stages are depicted from the side. That means some light platforming action is thrown into the mix, too. It's all explained in this wonderfully fashioned write-up, so check it out should you ever pick up a copy of this brilliant brain-teaser.

My World, My Way--I was skeptical when my pal Mollie first mentioned this Atlus-published game during a recording of The Nichiest Podcast Ever. Those skeptical feelings remained even after I watched some video footage of it. Still, Mollie's word means a lot to me, so I dutifully tracked down a used copy and put My World, My Way through its paces as part of my #ADecadeofDS series in early 2015. (Read my impressions here.) I walked away from that experience thrilled I'd followed Mollie's sage advice, as My World, My Way is a delightfully weird RPG that mixes traditional turn-based battles with a thoroughly unique world-building component. Also, its protagonist (a bratty princess who wants to be an adventurer) is about as far from typical as you can get--always a plus in my book. By the way, if you prefer the PSP to the DS, and if you can understand Japanese (or you don't mind playing a game you won't understand), developer Global A published an upgraded version of the game for Sony's first handheld in Japan, as Sekai wa Atashi de Mawatteru: Hikari to Yami no Princess, in 2009.

Pop Cutie! Street Fashion Simulation--Hey, I think the aforementioned Mollie turned me on to this oddity, too. Or was it Anne? Regardless, one of those two wonderful ladies deserve the biggest hug I can give them for making me aware of Pop Cutie! Although I wouldn't put this Koei-made title in the same league as Nintendo's similarly themed Style Savvy series, it's still a lot of fun. Just don't go into a playthrough expecting an overly deep experience. It feels very much like a mobile game before mobile games were a thing. (For an explanation, read my #ADecadeofDS post about Pop Cutie!) Don't take that as a negative, as it allows you to pop into and out of this Street Fashion Simulation without a whole lot of fuss--a big positive for someone like me who no longer has the time or energy to regularly spend multiple hours per day on a game. Bonus: even copies of Pop Cutie! are pretty cheap these days.

Zombie Daisuki--Here's another overlooked Nintendo DS title that gives off strong "mobile game" vibes. As was the case with Pop Cutie!, though, I don't use that term to cast aspersions on Zombie Daisuki. This ChunSoft creation isn't perfect--something I made pretty clear in the last post I published about it a couple of years ago--but if you can nab a cheap cart, I say go for it. There's no question Zombie Daisuki looks great, with pixel art that would've been drooled over during the medium's heyday. It also sports an intriguing premise--one which puts you in control of a horde of blue-skinned zombies and then has you sic them on living, breathing human beings. (It's not as horrific as it sounds, I swear. Everything here is presented in a very comical manner.) On the flip side, you may grow tired of Zombie Daisuki repetitive actions--hence my suggestion that you not blow too much to buy it.

See also: five overlooked Famicom, GameBoy, GameBoy Advance, Game Gear, PC Engine and PlayStation games you need to play as soon as possible

A note for the handful of people who'll care: I'm putting my #ADecadeofDS posts on the back burner for a couple of weeks

Don't worry, this doesn't mean I'm leaving my #ADecadeofDS series in the dust. On the contrary, I'm only stepping away from it for a short while so that I can spend some more time with a few of the DS games that have really struck a chord with me over the last month or two.

Specifically, I'd like to experience a bit more of what Awatama, Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales, My World, My Way and Okamiden have to offer.

Once that's out of the way, though, I plan to jump back into the fray by playing Contact, Mr. Driller: Drill Spirits, Pac-Pix and a whole slew of other intriguing DS games.

In the meantime, you may want to read through the #ADecadeofDS posts I've already published--about games like Awatama, Catch! Touch! Yoshi!, Chocobo Tales, Maestro! Jump in Music, Okamiden, Pop Cutie! Street Fashion Simulation, Taiko no Tatsujin DS and Zombie Daisuki.

There's no such thing as too much Zombie Daisuki

Chunsoft's Zombie Daisuki may not have been all I had hoped for given its pedigree, pixel-rific graphics and its focus on the undead, but that doesn't mean I consider it to have been a complete waste of my hard-earned cash.

In fact, despite my rather ho-hum reaction to this import-only DS game (read all about it in my latest #ADecadeofDS post), I'm still pretty darn glad I picked up a copy of it some time ago.

Of course, how could I not feel that way when Zombie Daisuki's packaging is so cute? Seriously, check it out in the photo below:

The little zombie illustrations that parade across the game's cover imagery is awfully adorable, too, as should be obvious from the following snapshot:

Comparably, this game's illustration manual is a wasted opportunity, if you ask me. A few of the zombies from the box art pop up here and there, but for the most part it's your basic DS manual--a lot of text, a good number of screenshots and a select few illustrations or other embellishments. 

If only more designers had skewed things more in favor of the latter elements like they did in the "good old days."

At least it's "story" page (above) shows a few signs of life. Not that I can understand a word of it, mind you--well, aside from "story" and "zombie," I mean--but who cares when the imagery behind it is so whimsical? 

Zombie Daisuki's cart label features the same art--albeit in a slightly altered form. I have to say, I really like how the game's curvy, bubbly logo looks smooshed between the helicopter in the upper-left corner and the farm buildings that sit below it.

Have any of you played this Japanese curiosity? If so, what are your thoughts on it? Or, what are your thoughts on its box art, cart label, manual and more?

See also: my #ADecadeofDS post about Zombie Daisuki

#ADecadeofDS: Zombie Daisuki

Amount of time devoted to this game in the last week--Two hours, 24 minutes.

Most recent boss toppled, location reached or milestone achieved--Honestly, I'm kind of at a loss as to what to say here, as after completing the first "stage" of this Japanese DS game, everything kind of blends and blurs together. I can say, though, that I've beaten 10 or so levels thus far and I've attracted about 27 zombies to my "mob."

Overall comments on the experience--Much like Catch! Touch! Yoshi!, which I wrote about a few weeks ago, Zombie Daisuki is the kind of DS game that, if made today (instead of in 2011), it would be released digitally rather than via retail and it would cost just a couple of dollars.

Which is to say it's a fairly light (in terms of content), pick-up-and-play sort of experience--not unlike a lot of the mobile titles crowding the market these days. That's most evident in its gameplay, which consists of using your stylus first to corral your mob of blue knuckle-draggers and then again to send them careening toward the handful of humans--survivors of this portable game's apocalypse, I guess--and even presents (naturally they're topped with pretty red bows) that populate every pint-sized stage.

The latter are an important part of this DS game, by the way, because they provide you with all sorts of accessories that can be used to bolster the speed, strength and resiliency of your zombie pals, while the former--actually, killing to former--are key to you finishing each level.

Anyway, the survivor-slaughtering and gift-grabbing action that's at the heart of Zombie Daisuki is enjoyable enough--at first--thanks to its slick controls and cute, pixel-based graphics.

The game's audio deserves a nod here, too, as its jaunty, chiptune-y backing tracks keep the proceedings buoyant and fun, as do the silly sound bites--"oh, no!" and "please stop!" among them--that pop up now and then as the undeniably adorable undead rip all-comers to shreds.

Sadly, even when all of these elements are combined, they're not quite enough to keep your attention--or not for long, at least. Which is too bad, as it's a cute little game and I very much wanted to like it based on its pedigree (Chunsoft, hello!), graphics and focus on zombies.

Will I continue to play this game in the coming days, weeks and maybe even months?--I kind of doubt it. I love the aesthetics, and I think the gameplay's nice enough, but both aspects are so repetitive that the overall experience can't be called anything but a bore.

Do I recommend it to others?--If you can find a fairly cheap ($10, tops) copy of it, sure. If not, you're likely to feel like you've wasted your money.

Next up--Pop Cutie! Street Fashion Simulation

See also: previous #ADecadeofDS posts

Photographic proof that my love of the DS has been rekindled, too

I know I've been going on and on and on about the GameBoy as of late, but the ol' brick, as I like to call it, isn't the only system currently pinging my gaming radar. Obviously there's the 3DS, as evidenced by the last few "Shall We Do It?" posts I've published, but there's also the DS.

How else can you explain all of the DS games I've picked up in the last three months, a number of which can be seen in the photos below?



The games included in the photo above, by the way, are (clockwise from the upper-left) Dun-Dam: Dungeons & Dam, Awatama (aka Soul Bubbles), 7th Dragon, Zombie Daisuki, Tomodachi Collection and Tetris DS.

Now, before any of you jump to the conclusion that I'm completely bonkers, most of these DS games were picked up on the cheap. I nabbed Tomodachi Collection, for example, for all of three bucks.



The copy of Noora and the Time Studio (aka Nora to Toki no Kōbō: Kiri no Mori no Majo) seen above and below was a steal, too, at just $12.

Sadly, I haven't played any of these games yet due to the fact that Bravely Default has me by the short and curlies at the moment. I'll start playing at least a couple of them once the above-mentioned RPG releases me from its grasp, though, I swear. But which should I play first?

See also: photos of other recent pick-ups