In response to a forum thread which is gaining momentum within UFO, I thought I'd put together a list of recommended DS games. These are of any genre and persuasion be it casual or core but all have one thing in common - they're awesome and worth a look:

Firstly has to be New Super Mario Bros. It's a return to form with great 2D platforming and deceptively simplistic level design. Same old story here - save the Princess - but who cares when it's a Mario game? There are new abilities like the great giganto (clearly not it's real name) mushroom turning Mario into Godzilla like proportions. Contrasting this is a mini-making mushroom shrinking said plumber. It does dick about with the jumping physics making them far more floaty than desired but has it's bonuses since being so small helps you get to those secret levels scattered around the game...



Keeping with Mario the multi-million selling Mario Kart is another game that nearly every DS owner flirts with. Like the Wii version, Mario Kart DS takes the best tracks from all previous games in the franchise and adds it own in for good measure. The best way to play this title is with a group of like minded arcade racing fans wi-fi-ing it up either in the same room or across the world. I personally find the handling of the karts a little slippery and the Nintendo is yet to recreate the brilliance of the SNES's power slides but it's close and entertaining none the less.

 

Read on to see what other gems can be found...

 

Soul Bubbles is often ignored and thought of as too cutesy for core gamers. The box art and art style doesn't do the game any favours in winning over this audience but in terms of gamplay, it shouldn't be missed. The idea is to transport lost souls to a sacred block where they ascend into the after life. To do this you encase them in bubbles and blow them across the naturally treacherous levels. Blowing os done by drawing lines with the stylus - the bigger the line, the bigger the puff. The puzzles have been criticised for being too easy at times but considering this game can be picked up for around £10, you can't go too wrong.

A competent 3rd person shooter and again, fairly cheap bargain is Brothers in Arms DS. Ported to the iPhone earlier this year, BiA works better on the DS for one reason - the stylus. On the iPhone you use your finger to move the gun site whereas the DS uses the slimmer stylus letting you see where exactly you're dragging your fire to. This is very much a point to point shooting gallery but by all means allows you to run and gun if you feel that way inclined. It never set the world alight with it's ground breaking gameplay but it's bite -sized missions are perfect for a handheld.

Back when Square Enix were still SquareSoft and Enix, the two RPG powerhouses were creating separate games with similar outcomes. Square had it's Final Fantasy games whereas Enix had the Dragon Quest series. Both had epic storylines, both pissed you off with random battles and both had the lovable mascots - the Chocobo (from Final Fantasy) and Slime (from Dragon Quest). It's very fair to say if you like FF games then you'll like DQ games too. A number of DQ games are available for the DS, two of which fit the classic JRPG mould like a glove; Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen and Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride. The 3rd is Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime and follows a Slime who must rescue his friends and townfolk from an evil invader. It's less of a JRPG and more of an action adventure title with JRPG elements. All 3 games are great fun and vary highly in price so shop around. You can easily find DQ:V for around £10 online...

If you want to mix up a bit of puzzling with platforming then Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure is the game for you. The top screen plays out your platforming while the bottom holds a ever ascending pile of different colour blocks. Your task is to balance the two style as you play. The platforming pauses while you slide blocks from left to right, matching colours of 3 or more but the blocks continue to move upwards regardless of whether you're playing with them. Matching blocks is essential to the platforming game as it unlocks more health, abilities and kills enemies. The game has shockingly had little hype but it so much fun and should be owned by all. If the utterly posh charm of Henry himself doesn't win you over, maybe the ability to turn into a giant robot will...

A game the uses the stylus the 'right' way has to be Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword. That's not the only reason to pick up this title as it truly is a perfect portable Ninja Gaiden game. You hold the DS like a book and use only the stylus as your weaponry and one button - any button - to block. Slicing the stylus over enemies acts like running a sword through them while tapping throws shurikens at them. Movement is controlled by tapping a location and the character will move there. Enemies are tough but fun to fight and bosses are grand and challenging. The only criticism is how the game unlocks a new difficulty when completed. The problem is that this difficulty is what the game should have been all along. Yes the opponents put up a good fight but making them that little bit harder would have prolonged the game that little bit more.

These are just a few of the games I could recommend and will hopefully make another one soon detailing why you should consider Viva Pinata, Sonic Chronicles, Heroes of Mana, Dementium: The Ward, Final Fantasy Ring of Fates, Etrian Odyssey, Magical Starsign, Yu-Gi-Oh and Elite Beat Agents. Until then I hope one of the titles above will keep you entertained.