Myself, I use the control pad when possible. Moving around with he stylus just feels weird. And in Puzzle Quest, I'm actually pissed off that there isn't a touch pad control, because I always touch a circle thingy a little to the left, and end up switching the circle I want to switch with the circle to the left, which I don't want to switch, and make an illegal move.

It takes about ten minutes (ok, maybe less, five minutes) to calibrate my touch screen, and I end up touching those damn boxes with plus signs in them for over 150 times before the DS finally says my screen has been calibrated, and the the stylus is always not calibrated by a teeny bit, and I end up making illegal moves all over again.

The un-calibrated-ness is always only by a little bit, I can still play games like EBA perfectly fine, but Puzzle Quest has such small circles that it messes me up.

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I almost said "D-pad, ABSOLUTELY." But it really does depend on the game. For example, I wouldn't want to play a touchscreen-only Tetris, but imagine using the D-pad on Trauma Center: Under the Knife. My problem is when developers decide to force their game to fit the novel control scheme just for the sake of "innovation:" I'm going to get Phantom Hourglass, but the control scheme looks like it's going to be completely awful. It's an example of deciding that they HAVE to use these amazing new things just to keep things "fresh" and "exciting," and if you ask me, it's more like sacrificing your loyal supporters for the sake of attracting a few "non-gamers."

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Having no screen calibration problem as described above, my control scheme preference really is a matter of in-game feeling. In fact, using my DS mostly during the commute, I tend to prefer games that use the classical controls or with touch screen controls over large objects or screen zones (i.e. Zoo Keeper). Playing Puzzle Quest, which have touch screen controls over quite small objects, I've had occasional false moves because of bumps in the train ride, and I would slow down my playing over bumpy parts of the trip.

One game instance where I favored the use of the classical controls over the offered touch controls is Advance Wars DS. Though controlling medium-size screen objects, the touch controls where a bit less precise, resulting in occasional (but very frustrating) wrong choices of not attacking after selecting a unit. Having played AW2 on the GBA, the classical controls were very natural and more comfortable for me.

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Tamriel:

On Advance Wars, I feel the same way. I started out using the stylus because in theory, it made sense coming from Civ and Starcraft type games, a mouse-like input would be best. After a couple of misplaced units and worse yet, putting the unit on 'wait' without actually doing anything, I switched over to traditional controls.


On a connected note, my advice for Advance Wars DS-2, PLEASE MAKE AN UNDO OPTION. If not for all times, at least WHEN YOU 'WAIT' A UNIT WITHOUT HAVING ACTED ON THE UNIT AT ALL.

kthx. :)

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I prefer the stylus for some things and the D-Pad for others. To say that one is outright better is just closed-minded. It really depends on the game.

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d-pad and buttons for me.

SG

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Well done stylus controls are the way to go. I'm not a big fan of when the two control schemes are combined though.

Pokemon drove me nuts because I was constantly putting away and taking out my stylus, and MPH's control scheme made my hand cramp up.

Animal Crossing, Final Fantasy III, Mario vs DK 2, and even Phoenix Wright have my favorite controls for the DS.

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Man I wish there were more touch screen goodness for Pokemon. I mean really the battle controls are great and I can usually manage just with my left hand while surfing but it takes a lot of work outside of it. Also the casino game is improved, freaking Porygon!, but touch would have helped.

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DPAD 95% of the time. Easily how I prefer it.

But... some games need it. Elite Beat Agents! and Kirby...and Trauma Center.

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It depends on the game. Lately I've been having some arguments with some friends over which control type is best for Picross DS. I favor buttons, mainly because they highlight the selected row/column. :¬)

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I try and use the touch screen whenever possible and I like it, don't get me wrong, but I can't deny that (if the option's there) playing with the d-pad and buttons is just so much more comfortable and feels far more natural. These "new ways to play" are all well and good, but buttons are still best in my opinion. In fact I think all my favourite DS games are the ones that don't actually use the touch screen.

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@Chris:
Don't worry, the touchscreen controls for Phantom Hourglass are fantastic. I know it sounds bad in theory, but in practice its one of the best uses of touch screen control on the DS.

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If I can use the stylus instead, then I definitely will. Unless its some botched application. (Super Mario 64 DS, looking right at you. Those were the most poorly designed stylus controls I've ever seen. Ever.) Meteos is sure fun, though.

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I try to use the d-pad whenever possible since I prefer not to scratch up the screen protectors (yes, that's what they are for, but still), but otherwise, I like using the stylus. In Hotel Dusk, I would switch from stylus to d-pad when moving Kyle around. On the other hand, it'd be too weird for games that rely on the stylus, which makes sense since that's the "selling point" of the DS anyway.

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