15 Hidden Gems On The Nintendo DS And 3DS
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15 Hidden Gems On The Nintendo DS And 3DS
The Nintendo DS and 3DS are two legendary systems that have some great games, here are ten you might have missed. The was released in 2004. Since its release, there have been a huge variety of newer models including the Nintendo DS Lite, Nintendo DSi, and even the various models. Each of these handheld consoles is known for having a very unique design with two different screens, one of which is a touchscreen that the player can interact with to perform various different functions within different games. Although this line of consoles is known for a variety of games the Animal Crossing: New Leaf and a variety of different Pokémon games that can be played on the consoles, there are also quite a few excellent games on the platform that never got quite as popular as these did. Since Nintendo has mostly moved their handheld focus to the Nintendo Switch, a lot of DS and 3DS games, all of which can be played on the newest 3DS and 2DS XL models, have become pretty affordable now. Updated February 27th, 2021 by Thomas Bowen: While it's getting rarer for a game to be trapped on a dead system these days, there are still quite a few great DS and 3DS titles that can only be enjoyed on the original hardware. There are more still, that, while available elsewhere, offer a very compelling reason to pick up one of these classic handhelds on the cheap. Whether you already own a 3DS and are looking for your next game to play or are simply curious about what you might be missing out on, these are just some of the many hidden gems that are available for the DS and 3DS. THEGAMER VIDEO OF THE DAY Shinobi 3D
Sega's Shinobi series has been around for more than three decades now, having first appeared in arcades way back in 1987. There are now 13 games in total, with the latest one being Shinobi 3D for the Nintendo 3DS. Some might argue, that it's also the series' best. The game was one of the better looking games for the system at the time of its released and played like a dream. While the visuals may now look a bit dated though, the hack and slash combat remains just as enjoyable as ever and the story every bit as captivating. There is even a selection of half decent mini games thrown in there too just for good measure. Theatrhythm Final Fantasy
Theatrhythm Final Fantasy and its sequel, Curtain Call, combine the incredible music of Final Fantasy with the rhythm based gameplay of games like Guitar Hero and Rock band to great effect. Like many games for the 3DS, they definitely look a little rough around the edges, but the gameplay and sound quality are exactly what you'd expect from a Square Enix game. Players are able to form a party of four characters from the first 13 games in the series and must use them to battle enemies by timing their button presses just right. Many of the series' best tracks are included, with the sequel even allowing players to download additional characters and songs as DLC. If you enjoyed Cadence of Hyrule or are a big Final Fantasy fan, you really do owe it to yourself to check out the Theatrhythm games. Dragon Quest Heroes Rocket Slime
While plenty of people played the mainline Dragon Quest games for the DS, the Heroes titles passed a lot of players by. This was largely due to their limited marketing and perceived niche appeal, but these simple little adventure games are actually very enjoyable when approached with the right attitude. Dragon Quest Heroes Rocket Slime is probably the pick of the bunch and plays more like a fast-paced action game than an RPG. Believe it or not, but the game is all the better for it. A well crafted RPG is a fine thing and all, but sometimes it can be nice to just focus on good, clean fun; and that's exactly what Rocket Slime is. Ever Oasis
Developed by the same studio that is responsible for many of the ports and remakes of classic Zelda titles, Grezzo's Ever Oasis actually plays a lot like a Legend of Mana game. Whether or not that's a good thing will perhaps depend on the player, but most will probably enjoy this well-presented title. It's quite a bit easier than other RPG games of this ilk, but this needn't necessarily be seen as a bad thing. For one thing, it allows players to focus more on the game's engrossing story and also eliminates the need for grinding as the end game approaches. It might not be the best RPG for the 3DS, but it's not too far behind the likes of Bravely Default and Dragon Quest VIII. Okamiden
Serving as a spiritual successor to Clover Studio's fantastic action adventure Okami, Okamiden does a great job of utilizing the 3DS' touch screen capabilities. The Celestial Brush now feels like the godly weapon that it was always intended to be and using it to solve puzzles or defeat enemies is a great deal of fun. Visually, the game doesn't hold up quite as well as some of the other titles for the system, although those who are able to look past this will find a lot to love about this innovative handheld game. Those who can't risk missing out on one of the most magical titles in the DS' rich catalog of games. Grand Theft Auto Chinatown Wars
Only and given an M rating. This makes all the games that were rated with such a high rating pretty interesting to take a look at. One of them is a game from a surprising franchise that not many people would have expected to see on a Nintendo DS console: Grand Theft Auto. GTA: Chinatown Wars was released in 2009 and was a callback to the top-down GTA games that were released in the early days of the franchise. Considering this is ranked as one of the best Nintendo DS games ever by its score, it may seem strange to call it a hidden gem. But, it was still overlooked by a lot of the gaming world and is definitely worth checking out. Nine Hours Nine Persons Nine Doors
The Nintendo DS is well-known for having a variety of visual novels and puzzle games on the console. One great example of the genre is a game called Nine Hours Nine Persons Nine Doors. This game was released in 2009 and puts the player in the shoes of one of nine people that were kidnapped and forced to play a deadly game. This visual novel has the player solve a variety of puzzles and make their way through the game in order to try to figure out who put them all together and how they can make it out alive before time runs out. Sprung
Visual novels . Some are really serious and intense while others are a little more on the humorous side. Sprung is definitely a game that falls into that second category. In the game, the character controls either Brett or Becky, a pair of friends who are on a vacation with all their friends to a mountain ski resort. The player has to complete a variety of tasks and puzzles to advance through the game. The puzzles involve everything from figuring out how to escape from bad dates to waiting on tables to make some extra cash. The World Ends With You
The World Ends With You is an action-roleplaying game that was originally released on the Nintendo DS in 2007. It received a re-release on the Nintendo Switch in 2018, helping to raise its popularity some, but it's still definitely a game that has largely flown under the radar of many gamers. This game is set in modern-day Shibuya, a district in Tokyo. The game is known for its unique art style and for the really engaging battle mechanics that are used in the game. Despite also being released on the Nintendo Switch, the DS version is still unique because of the dual screens on the console. Corpse Party
Corpse Party is a terrifying visual novel and the first game in visual novels. It was created in 1996 and has been released and re-released on a variety of different platforms over the years. The game follows a group of students in Japan who unknowingly do a dark, magical ritual that locks them in a bizarre world, filled with puzzles and ghosts and all kinds of scary things. The game has the player control these characters and try to get out of the school alive before it's too late. Tokyo Beatdown
Tokyo Beatdown was released in 2008 and is a side-scrolling beat 'em up-style game. It was only released on the Nintendo DS, unlike some other games on this list that got ports to other consoles. This game takes place in Yaesu and focuses on a group of "Beat Cops." These police officers have an unconventional and, as their name might suggest, violent way of dealing with criminals. In the game, the player controls these Beat Cops as they go after the criminals. Hotel Dusk Room 215
Another visual novel, Hotel Dusk: Room 215 is a game that was released on the Nintendo DS in 2007. This game is one of only a few that supports the Nintendo DS Rumble Pak, meaning that it's become a special one for collectors, but one that largely flew under the radar for other gamers. The game follows a former detective in Los Angeles who travels to a hotel room in order to solve an unusual mystery. The game uses the DS touch screen in order to let the player interact with their surroundings to find clues and solve the mystery. Elite Beat Agents
Elite Beat Agents is a music game in which the player uses the touch screen at specific moments in order to complete dance moves and complete sections of the game. The game relies on timing and precision and is a really unique game as far as the mechanics go. This game was released in 2006 and was received positively by game critics and was nominated for and won a number of game awards in the year that it was released. Despite this, it suffered from low sales and is definitely a hidden gem on the DS. Picross DS
Picross DS is a puzzle game that was released on the Nintendo DS in 2007. A lot of the games released on this console because of the fact that the handheld nature made it really easy for players to take it with them and play these brain teasers while out and about. This game is one in which players would mark squares on the board as either "empty" or "full" and eventually, solving the puzzle of that board would reveal a picture through the different patterns of blocks marked. Ivy The Kiwi
Ivy the Kiwi? is a platforming game that was released in the Nintendo DS in 2010. This game has also been released on other platforms like iOS, but the touch screen controls definitely make the DS version the most fun to play. This game is unique because the player doesn't actually control the main character, a baby bird trying to make its way home to its mother. Instead, the player's job is to try to get the bird home safely by guiding it through the world over and through a variety of obstacles.