Remember the Nintendo DS console games that kept you glued to your screen back in the day? They were devastatingly captivating and addicting, weren’t they? You might think that almost twenty two years into the 21st century, there is no way for you to re-experience those bitter sweet nostalgic emotions? Well, you’re so wrong. You can install a dedicated DS emulator onto your favorite modern device and get some cool DS ROMs (games) for it. This will suffice to embark on a trip down memory lane. And just in case your memory of the best DS titles has faded, let’s take a look at what made the DS so successful.
Platform Games
A console is only as good as its games. The Nintendo DS was the best choice for all players, as it could cater to all tasters and gaming predilections. For the platform gamers who love the new-school masterpieces like Cuphead, pay homage and tribute to some old-school classics like Sonic Rush, Sonic Rush Adventures, and Sonic Colors. The new Super Mario Bros breathed the new life into the NES classic. And for those looking to broaden their platform gaming horizons, there’s the Legendary Starfy, a Kirby derivative whose ultra cute underwater adventures are a charming Mario and Sonic alternative.
Cute Classics
The ingeniously titled Nintendogs are just wonderful for dog lovers who are too lazy to walk their real-life pets. Rubbing those virtual canines could ease the stress of even the most stressed out gamer. Sometimes when playing that game, you do end up feeling like Sam Rockwell’s character in Seven Psychopaths.
If you’re looking for a true blue DS classic, there is Animal Crossing: Wild World, a real garden of peace for high-strung gamers. It’s a place to go and get full chill, as nothing can truly get to you when you’re riding with Kapp’n.
Pokémon Games
As their voice recognition software wasn’t and isn’t all that top-notch and before kids were getting severely hurt playing Pokémon Go, there were infinitely safer Pokémon games like the Platinum version, the five-star improvement over Pokémon Silver and Pokémon Pearl.
There are a lot of other Pokémon goldmines on the DS well worth your time. Some of the most popular include Pokémon Black, Pokémon White, Pokémon 2, and Pokémon White 2. And lest you not forget the HeartGold and SoulSilver versions, even though the last two sound like Prince albums, they are Pokémon classics.
New Installments in the Best Franchises
Another set of games that never meant to cause you any sorrow are the Final Fantasy RPGs , FF3 and FF 4. These are Capcom classics that you can play while waiting for them to finish Final Fantasy 16.
And for the truest of true role-playing game aficionados, you can’t talk about RPGs without talking about Zelda. And no Zelda collection is complete without the Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary Edition.
For fans of the bizarre and fans of the movie Being John Malkovich, there is Mario and Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story, where you get inhaled by Bowser and spend time deep inside your archenemy in order to battle a bigger tyrant named Fawful.
If you’re tired of dying every few seconds playing online in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, take it back, way back, to the Call of Duty DS games where you can actually win sometimes.
Fast Food Titles
Finally, you should definitely pay your attention to the rarest game of them all – McDonald’s DS. This game, which was recently resurrected by retro gamers, actually teaches you how to work at McD’s restaurants. This title was designed as an actual training tool for the fast food chain used back in the day. It’s just great for McDonald’s lovers and rare game collectors!
It’s not all sunshine and rainbows, though. For another kind of culinary artist, who wants to have an experience that’s the opposite of fun, you can play handheld games like Cory in the House, where you play as a teenage head chef of the White House and spend all your days looking for lemon sauce!
There were tons of great games released for the now legendary Nintendo DS. And the best way to pay tribute to its immortal classic is to revisit these titles. And you don’t even need a console for that!