All week, we've been sharing our favorite games with you, as well as snippets of our personalities outside the fanboy sphere. Now you know that some of us weren't really huge handheld fans before the DS, that at least one of us is terribly silly, and most of us seem to dig cats, in some way or another. But forget the trivial details -- how do our favorite games stack up against the critical darlings? We offer this side-by-side comparison to wrap up Fanboy Favorites week, and we hope you've enjoyed this closer look at not only the DS Fanboy staff, but some of the best that the DS has to offer.
5. Meteos
Metascore: 88
Who chose it: JC, Dave (Andrew, as honorable mention)
Q Entertainment pushed puzzle games into a new age, and we're all winners because of it. This game quickly became one of the reasons to own a DS, but even so, we're not surprised to find it here at the bottom of the critic's top five, because Meteos has as many haters as it does fans. It may be a love-it-or-hate-it proposition, but most people can at least agree that this game helped show off what the stylus can do.
4. New Super Mario Bros.
Metascore: 89
Who chose it: Eric
Sometimes, a new spin on an old classic doesn't just work, it blows everything away -- and that's New Super Mario Bros. The plumbing pair has picked up a lot of awards and recognition for this title, and the game has boasted some incredible sales numbers. NSMB even continues to show up on bestseller lists -- even though the game was released last May. Now that's staying power.
3. Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow
Metascore: 89
Who chose it: Dave, Andrew (both as honorable mention)
There was a lot of Castlevania love among the staff's favorites, which is unsurprising, considering the vast oceans of coverage we've given the franchise -- and all of it deserved. Both of the Castlevania appearances on the DS have been stellar, and different enough to appeal to a wider range of gamers than most franchise offerings.
2. Advance Wars: Dual Strike
Metascore: 90
Who chose it: Andrew (and Alisha's husband interrupts to add it as well!)
Hailed by many as one of the best strategy games, and often named as the reason why everyone wants more strategy games on the DS ... and yet, it is so rarely mentioned. As we were discussing our lists, this title came up a few times, and there were a lot of "Yeeeaaaahhhh" sounds followed by long silences. Advance Wars is truly an amazing title, and a showcase of what the stylus can bring to gaming, and no list of the best games would be complete without it. Unfortunately, it just couldn't break past our love of puzzles, vampires, and Phoenix Wright.
1. Mario Kart DS
Metascore: 91
Who chose it: Andrew, Eric (Alisha, as honorable mention)
Unsurprisingly, Mario Kart DS is the king of the road, and it showed up a lot in our lists as well. This is one of Nintendo's most dependable franchises from the Mushroom Kingdom, and the DS version does it proud. MKDS has everything a great game needs: it's pretty, the gameplay is top-notch, and oh, hey, it's online! This has always been a staff and reader favorite, much-played during our weekly Game Nights.
So there you have it -- our favorites and the critics' choices, with more overlapping that we might have expected. Despite having a wide range of tastes and preferences, we managed to give the best of the DS a lot of love. But better still, we got a chance to highlight the fact that the DS truly does seem to have a lot to love, no matter what kind of gamer you are.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
4-20-2007 @ 8:08PM
LH:Spectre (GT) said...
...
No MPH eh?
YOU CALL YOURSELVES DS FANBOYS!?
*Snaps DS*
*Brain Explodes*
... ...
Reply
4-20-2007 @ 8:12PM
Ibrahim said...
Yay, two of my four DS games are the top two. Also, I got a homebrew device (R4) and DSOrganize's homebrew database has official demos (don't know how he got them, but its cool) and I played Meteos and it is insane. I kind of want to get it, except I'm not really into the whole puzzle game thing. Besides that, I'm focused on saving up for a cheap/decent gaming pc and a Wii right now, so I don't have money to spare from my limited tutoring income. Otherwise, I would totally get Meteos although when I played the demo it was so hard. How do you know when you're winning?
Reply
4-20-2007 @ 8:15PM
Ibrahim said...
@1: They took those straight off the top 5 at metacritic, btw so it's not really their choice. Clicking the read link is good.
Reply
4-20-2007 @ 8:40PM
leetdood said...
Why the hell isn't Phoenix Wright on this list? Everyone I know who has a DS loves Phoenix Wright.
...it's certainly more deserving of a spot than Meteos.
Reply
4-20-2007 @ 10:13PM
lazykite said...
yah! when i was disiding what to get...PSP or DS...
ds just kept coming out on top.
iv only recharged my ds like 3 times in the last 3 months.....talk about long battery life.
when i got METEROS for $24 dollers new....i played it far too much and loads of fun. great game!
i dont really have many games for ds but i do have JAPANASE DICTONARY. which is great! =D
i really wont to get R4, so i can use my ds as a MP3 player and for other applications.
go the ds!
Reply
4-20-2007 @ 10:36PM
Naruhodou said...
@4
Wha??!?! I love Phoenix Wright and all, but Meteos is a very solid game. I figure critics were turned off by Phoenix Wright's gameplay. It's more of a well-written, humorous story than a game and if you can't get into the characters, you'll probably dislike the series.
Reply
4-20-2007 @ 11:43PM
JC Fletcher said...
"Not in the top 5" doesn't necessarily mean "not a good game".
Example: Elite Beat Agents isn't on the critics' list and it's the BEST GAME ON THE NINTENDO DS.
Reply
4-21-2007 @ 1:02AM
Xian! said...
I'm about to raise some hackles and I apologize.
For a long time I resisted the temptation to buy Mario Kart DS. I figured it couldn't be much of an upgrade from Mario Kart on the GBA. Recently I caved and bought it. And I was right. While the graphics are better and the level design more varied because of the hardware, I just can't love it. It's too limited. It's... *gulp*... just okay.
For example, what's with the total lack of options? The different kart designs are great, but I expect a racing game to allow me to change the number of laps, toggle the adaptive item generation (bad items when ahead, good items when behind; why not random?) and disable the catch-up feature (perhaps under a single heading called "handicap"?). This game has zero basic options.
I think it received such high review scores because at the time it really was the best game on the DS. This is no longer the case. 91 is too high. I think the score needs to come down to... 79 or 80.
I will admit, however, that I can't play over Wifi, and this probably makes all the difference. As a wifi-less game, it barely creeps above average.
And I'm really going to invoke Alisha's wrath with this one (sorry!), but if Charles is reading... Castlevania (only Dawn of Sorrow so far) is all right. It has kept my attention, but hasn't captured my heart. The graphics are good (but could have been better), the variety of enemies is very impressive, but the overall gameplay hasn't changed much since the NES original. Not mediocre, but not superb either.
I shall now hold up a basket to catch the fruit about to be thrown at me.
Reply
4-21-2007 @ 4:47AM
Hung said...
5. Elite Beat Agent
4. Mario Kart
3. Pheonix Wright
2. Trauma Center
1. Advance Wars
Reply
4-21-2007 @ 3:59PM
Frip said...
"overall gameplay hasn't changed much since the NES original"
This is the most criminally false statement I have ever read.
Reply
4-21-2007 @ 4:54PM
Xian! said...
Sorry Frip, but it's still just walking around, hopping up ledges, and hitting things, over and over again. Of course, that can be said of a ton of games--which is all the worse for Castlevania. The gameplay is downright repetitive.
Understand that the last Castlevania I played was the NES original, so the series has no momentum with me. When DSFanboy recently announced a Castlevania sale on Amazon, I and a couple other fanboys wondered aloud whether it was time to see what the fuss was about. Did Castlevania deserve the constant 'OMFG AWESOME' accolades, or was it just fanboy fluffery?
And finishing Dawn of Sorrow, I can say that it's an all right game, good length, great variety of enemies/weapons/environments, but short on story, DS-capable graphics, puzzles (I can pass through mirrors? Cool! Oh wait, there's only three mirrors in the whole game), and unable to shake a sense of mediocrity throughout. Sorry, I just wasn't impressed. I'm glad you like it, though.
Reply
4-23-2007 @ 5:41AM
Gerard said...
Castlevania hasn't evolved much in gameplay, even from the original Vampire Killer on the MSX. But still, it's quite a game.
But the lack of shooters is saddening. No Nemesis/Gradius? R-Type? Pulstar?
Reply
4-23-2007 @ 2:25PM
notsonic said...
new super mario brothers has to be the worst title in the franchise, and on this list.
super princess peach is a much better game.
Reply