Pocket Power: The 15 Best Nintendo DS Games

Image via Complex Original

Year: 2006

Hunters did a great job capturing some of what was fun about Retro's Metroid Prime games on the Gamecube, and it was a great proof-of-concept for first-person shooter games that used the stylus and touchscreen for camera controls.

The multiplayer was fun as well. Here's hoping Retro turns its attentions back to Metroid at some point—or at least that someone at Nintendo does. And let's all keep pretending Other M didn't happen, too. It's for the best.

Year: 2009

The Mario & Luigi series is one branch of the games that evolved from the original Mario RPG, Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. The other branch, Paper Mario, usually gets all the love.

But when was the last time Paper Mario shrunk the plumbing duo down and sent them inside Bowser's body, Fantastic Voyage style? Exactly.

Year: 2005

There were several good Castlevania games on the DS. Portrait of Ruin was clever like Super Mario 64; Order of Ecclesia was also great, despite its lame title.

But Dawn of Sorrow stands out as the best, mainly for its great level design. If you're a Castlevania fan then it's a must-play in the long-running series.

Year: 2008

Chrono Trigger is one of the best-loved RPGs ever made—and the DS port is one of the best versions of it. How could it not make it onto a list of the best DS games?

The time travel adventure is a classic from the Super Nintendo era, but it holds up really well today. Just make sure you get a good ending!

Year: 2008

Final Fantasy IV is another of the DS's many great RPGs, and another great classic RPG ported to and/or remade on the dual-screened Nintendo handheld.

It's one of the best Final Fantasy games, and they did a great job giving it a new, 3D coat of paint. With the new graphics and other additions and improvements, fans and newcomers alike praised this remake.

Year: 2008

The World Ends With You was an absolutely brilliant and surprisingly fresh take on what by 2008 had become a rather stale genre: the JRPG. There were a lot of remakes and ports coming out, and it was awesome to get something not only new, but great.

It had a really compelling story and required you to put a lot of work in to get any answers, and it took full advantage of the DS's two screens by having you fight simultaneously with one character on each display.

Year: 2005

Nintendo got a lot of mileage out of its core characters on the DS, and Kirby was no exception. Mass Attack was also great, but the earlier Canvas Curse was one of the first games that proved that Nintendo's brand of touchscreen gaming could work really well.

You used the stylus to help move Kirby around on the bottom screen, and it was a blast.

Year: 2011

The DS was winding down by 2011, but Radiant Historia came out in the U.S. in the system's twilight months and blew a lot of JRPG fans away. It gets compared to Chrono Trigger a lot, and rightfully so.

It's got a meandering plot and a really interesting time travel mechanic that lets you play scenes out of order and take knowledge and items into the past and future with you. The combat is really unique as well.

Year: 2007

Spirit Tracks was an interesting take on Zelda—it did give Link a train, after all. But Phantom Hourglass gets points for being the first to continue the legacy of Wind Waker, something fans weren't exactly expecting.

It had its flaws—like the dungeon you had to repeat multiple times—but overall Phantom Hourglass was still a great Zelda game.

Year: 2005

Mario Kart DS was a great take on the Mario Kart formula. Granted, it's a familiar formula by now, but if you're a Nintendo fan you can't really go wrong here.

It was great to have a map on the bottom screen while you played, and although the DS wasn't the most powerful handheld hardware the game looked great.

Year: 2005

Who cares that the DS version of Phoenix Wright was a port of a Game Boy Advance game from 2001? It took a long time for this series to catch on outside of Japan, but it was worth it.

And with touch screen controls and extra content the DS versions of the ace attorney's exploits were the best.

Year: 2009

Chinatown Wars was the first GTA game since the originals to go top-down for the perspective, but it mixed that old school point of view with the series' now-signature humor and high production values.

The result was a game that defied everyone's expectations and is ultimately one of the best in the series. Every Grand Theft Auto game is more or less amazing, so that's saying something.

Year: 2011

Some will argue that this spot should have gone to Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, or even Diamond, Pearl and Platinum. Black & White ultimately is not a favorite generation among fans.

But as the last entries on the DS that weren't remakes, they moved the series along in important ways. And people are still playing online multiplayer in Black and White.

Year: 2006

New Super Mario Bros. was the reason many people bought a DS in the first place. As the first 2D Mario platformer in 15 years, it was a really big deal when it came out.

Luckily it wasn't just hype, and New Super Mario Bros. was a great return to form for the plumber. There have been tons of sequels now, but the original still holds a place.

Year: 2010

Picross 3D may be one of the most addictive games on any platform, ever. It looks like a simple, harmless puzzle game, but do not be deceived: it's almost impossible to put down.

There's a little bit of math and a little bit of pattern recognition involved, but the main thing to know about carving shapes from all those numbered blocks is that it's easy to learn and difficult to master—the recipe for perfect video games.