Having just bought Mario & Luigi three days ago, I'm inclined to agree that it needs more exposure.

Also, Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja. Provided you can get used to the Rogue-like game mechanics (like losing your inventory if you die), it's a really addictive dungeon crawler that's sucked up a good deal of my time.

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I would vote for Advance Wars -- sure, it's been heaped praise by those who've played it, but since it was released in the dark days before the Lite came out, not many have actually played it.

I also think Feel The Magic was a pretty good game to pick up -- I think I got mine for about $5 new. At that price, it was certainly worth it, but it just won't last too long for you though.

Whatever happened with the DK King Of Swing sequel for the DS? The original one was underrated, IMO -- so, it's not too surprising the sequel would be as well...

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Metroid Prime Pinball. I'm really glad I picked this up (used for $12 or so at GameStop). You can tell a ton of work went into the game - it's beautiful, first of all, and it manages to seamlessly incorporate Metroid elements into the (awesome) pinball simulation. It's way too easy to lose hours and hours to this game.

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Burnout Legends! And Metroid prime pinball!

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Lost in Blue 2 was quite literally, underrated. The reviews all were really low. Yeah, the game is crazy hard until you figure out how to play it, but once you understand the mechanics of keeping your kids fed, there is nothing quite like the feeling you get when you unlock some new area or discover a shortcut.

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Mario and Luigi was amazing, but also amazingly short. The most underrated game i ever did see was Electroplankton, end of.

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Kirby Canvas Curse. Hands down.

And the Mario and Castlevania games, it's easily the best platformer on the DS. I'd even contend that it's better than the Castlevania games, second only to NSMB in platformers. There are only a couple games that utilize the stylus better than Canvas Curse, and the was it is used in this Kirby adventure is both unique and innovative.

While the game did get rave reviews (gamerankings lists it at #6 on the DS) there is generally no buzz on the game whatsoever. There are plenty of great games for the DS that are flying under the radar -- Contact, Sonic Rush, Rocket Slime -- but none are as fun as Kirby Canvas Curse, and almost no game is as innovative. It is without a doubt the most underrated, underappreciated game for the DS.

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I'm sure there are several others that deserve more attention, but here are some titles that to me don't get enough appreciation:

Mario and Luigi Partners in Time. It was a great game, full of humor and very enjoyable. Filled the RPG void in my collection perfectly at the time.

Age of Empires: The Age of Kings. I hardly ever hear people mention this game, yet it needs to be up there with the likes of Advance Wars. Great game with good balance, fairly lengthy campaign, and awesome replay value. I play with the empire maps more than anything else. However it is missing a bit, no online was a big bummer, especially since this game came out after the service was launched. And no map editor is a bit of a gripe for me as well, but I can live without it.


With all due respect,
Fox

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Magical Starsign!

Just don't buy it at a store or they will make fun of you till the end of time. Try ebay.

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My favorite DS game is Partners in Time, so I agree with you there. It is very, very funny.

I just finished Magical Starsign last night and I'm surprised it isn't recommended more often when people ask for rpgs to play on the DS. It's not like the DS is swimming in rpgs. Do boys think it's too girly looking? Does it look like Nintendo tried too hard to make it appeal to girls, scaring off the boys?

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Personally, I didn't like MAL:PiT at all. I LOVED Superstar Saga for GBA, but this game was just totally weak.
It took me around 10-12 hours to beat. That is just flat out horrible for a sequel to a 25-30 hour game. For me, a great RPG has to be 25-30 hours minimum. For some that's a bit harsh and it's just too much time, but that's what suits me best.

That being said, though, IMO, the most underrated game is....
Daigasso Band Brothers.
I understand it's an import, but other imports (ouendan) are hot in the gaming community. I felt that DBB was a lot more deep and fun than Ouendan. You actually played the music, there were 30ish tracks (twice as many as ouendan), plus you could create up to 10 more with a VERY in depth editor.

I'm also surprised that I've seen no articles about this game on DS fanboy or joystiq, and when I searched for it in the archives, only like 2 posts came up...

It's really a great game, probably my favorite DS game that I own.

Advance Wars was pretty underrated, as well. As someone has said already, it's hyped by people who played it....but that's a small amount of people!

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Freedom Wings.

This game, if found in the used bin, is a worthwhile diversion for a couple of days. It could have been a lot better, but if you just rush through the campaign without too much investment, it's actually quite fun.

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Hey DKong do you have the GBA expansion pak "Request Selection" for Band Bros.? If not you NEED it. It has "Ashley's Theme" from WarioWare: Touched!, and the penguin slide music from Mario 64, plus this one song which I never remember the name of but was some huge hit that gets stuck in your head for hours oh rap there it is again.

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I really do want to try Lost in Blue 2, but I'll have to extract myself from the depths of Puzzle Quest to do so. The only time it's been out of my DS lately is for Game Night. Looks like I may need to pick up Magical Starsign, too....

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Underrated:

Touch Detetctive. It's better than that yawnfest Hotel Dusk: Room Zzzzzzz.

Bomberman Land Touch!: I pulled this out at a party. You can play 8-player local with one cart. With the revenge mode on, it was fantastic. I had people entertained for hours.

Rebelstar: Tactical Alliance. A GBA SRPG from the makers of freakin' X-Com?! Why didn't you people pick this up in droves? It's a GBA game, yes, but you can put it in your DS!

And, I'm sorry, but Freedom Wings was 10 flavors of awful in 1 package. You had collision detection on NOTHING. Flying was a pain in the butt, as was shooting. I'd like to see a competent developer take a whack at a flight sim-RPG, but I will recommend Freedom Wings DS to nobody.

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Rubang B, yeah, I have the GBA pack. I got it and the game for a terrible price, though...so I kinda regret it.
My biggest issue with the expansion pack is that your scores aren't saved....so that's not that cool.

But yeah, with that it brings the song count up to 60, but then your total price would be like around $80 for it, which is why I really can't recommend it.

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"True Swing Golf":

This has been my favorite 'casual' DS title so far. I just love it. I got it at best buy for $10. I couldn't beleive they had to liquidate it. I highly recommend it. And i wasn't a fan of golf before playing this game.

You really get the feeling that how well you swipe the stylus affects the ball's tragectory as if you were actually swinging. WAY better than even the Wii golf games.

Anyone else loving "True Swing Golf" ?

Ryan.

P.S I agree with #7 that Kirby Canvas Curse, was underhyped.

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