It’s hard to believe that the Nintendo DS, the second best-selling game console of all time, is 15 years old this week. For some people, it was the innovative successor to the long-lived Game Boy family of handhelds. For others, it was their very first handheld as a child.
Regardless of how old you were when the DS came out, it undoubtedly had many games that defined its era. It introduced many features that characterized Nintendo consoles for years to come, such as dual screens, a touchscreen, online capabilities, and more.
The best games took advantage of many (if not all) of these new features. Here’s our list of 10 of the best DS games to honor its 15th anniversary.
Nintendogs
When the DS was at its peak, it felt like everyone had Nintendogs. The premise was simple: adopt a dog, train it, and play with it. It appealed to a wide range of players, drawing in a brand new audience of casual gamers.
It wasn’t the first virtual pet simulator, but it absolutely defined the genre. Between three versions of the game, players could choose from 18 breeds (each with variations in size, color, and personality) and unlock new toys and supplies.
For kids, it was a great way to prove responsibility for taking care of a pet since you had to remember to feed, wash, and walk the dogs every day. For adults, it was a fun way to relax without dealing with the less glorious sides of pet ownership.
Nintendogs made great use of the DS hardware, including the touchscreen for petting and washing, microphone for training with commands, and Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection for playing with friends’ dogs. It’s no surprise that Nintendogs became the second best selling DS game.
Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day!
Like Nintendogs, Brain Age took the casual consumer market by storm. The premise was attractive to a wide range of players with the notion of making you “smarter” by completing mental exercises for a few minutes each day.
There were several exercises, such as Sudoku puzzles, Stroop tests, math questions, and reading passages, all designed to keep the brain actively thinking. The game would periodically tell you what your “brain age” was based on how well you performed.
The game may not have actually made you smarter; there was a lot of criticism about the methods used. How would counting to 100 as fast as you can make you smarter, anyway? It seemed more likely to make you better at those specific tasks, not smarter as a whole. Still, they were fun exercises to keep you mentally sharp, and overall it was a defining game for the DS era.
Pokemon HeartGold & SoulSilver
Of all the Pokemon games that released on the DS, HeartGold and SoulSilver might be the most beloved. They were remakes of the second generation games Gold and Silver with plenty of new features and quality of life changes.
In fact, many of the additions in this remake are features that fans have been begging Game Freak to bring back to the series ever since. Pokemon following the player in the overworld, for example, had been a wildly popular request until it was brought back for the Let’s Go titles (and subsequently abandoned once again in Sword and Shield).
HeartGold and SoulSilver used the DS’s Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection to interact with other players of not only the same game but also with players of Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum, which had released a few years prior. The game was bundled with a Pokewalker pedometer, which interacted with the game through the DS’s infrared technology.
Because of all of the improvements from the original games, HeartGold and SoulSilver were viewed as remakes done right, and arguably the best Pokemon game to date.
New Super Mario Bros.
This game was the first in the “New” Super Mario Bros. series, and it succeeded in its goal of balancing the classic Mario formula with a fresh platforming experience.
New Super Mario Bros. improved the series by combining 2D side-scrolling elements with 3D renderings, creating a “2.5D” effect that didn’t have to rely on tile-based movement. This allowed for new types of puzzles and platforming designs. It was the first new traditional 2D Super Mario of the 21st century, returning to its roots while introducing a unique graphic style and gameplay elements with the touchscreen.
The tried-and-true formula made it a must-have for all DS owners, seeing as it was the #1 best selling DS game and even the 11th best selling game of all time. Its success paved the way for future titles in the series on the Wii, Wii U, 3DS, and Switch.
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
Phantom Hourglass was the first of two Zelda games for the DS and was a direct sequel to Wind Waker on the GameCube. It was one of the most innovative Zelda titles by creatively using the DS’s new hardware features.
Thanks to the “dual screen” functionality, navigating was made much easier due to the map being displayed on the top screen. This was super handy for sailing between islands. Controlling Link with a stylus may have been a little awkward, but it allowed for movement in all directions for the first time in a handheld Zelda game.
Puzzles in dungeons and the overworld took advantage of the DS’s hardware by using the touchscreen and even the microphone by blowing into it. For the second time in the series there was a multiplayer mode, this time taking advantage of the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection and Download Play.
It’s debatable whether Phantom Hourglass or its sequel Spirit Tracks is the better game, but there’s no doubt that the former set the stage by trying a variety of new things.
Mario Kart DS
Mario Kart DS may not have shaken up the formula of the series in a dramatic way, but it didn’t have to. It had everything that a good Mario Kart game should have.
Mario Kart DS included all of the modes you’d expect: grand prix, time trial, versus, battle, and even a mission mode (which has been absent in all titles since). Two new items, Bullet Bill and Blooper, were introduced and have become staples of the series.
Two screens make so much sense for Mario Kart. The top screen showed the player’s kart and character, while the bottom screen showed the standings and map, alerting player of other karts and upcoming hazards.
It was the first Mario Kart game to include online features thanks to the DS’s Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, and this felt so right for the series. Players could now show off their racing skills against people from all over the world. It’s not hard to see why this game was an important milestone for the Mario Kart franchise.
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars
I’ll admit, Grand Theft Auto isn’t what first comes to mind when I think of the DS era. Yet Chinatown Wars deserves a place on this list for a few reasons.
Prior to Chinatown Wars, there were two GTA games on the Game Boy Color and even an exclusive game on the Game Boy Advance. So a new entry on Nintendo’s latest handheld made sense.
Like other GTA games, Chinatown Wars allowed the player to navigate an open world environment by following the main story or deviating from it to complete subplots and side quests.
It used the DS hardware to its full advantage with a rotating camera, touchscreen capability, and microphone elements. Thanks to the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, it also included online features like chatting, trading items, and sharing stats with other players.
Chinatown Wars was met with great success: it is the highest rated DS game on Metacritic. I can’t help but wonder then why there hasn’t been more GTA games on Nintendo consoles.
Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story
As the third game in the Mario & Luigi series, Bowser’s Inside Story follows a unique plot in which the two brothers are sucked into Bowser’s body.
The game blended both puzzles and RPG elements and made great use of the dual screen set up. Bowser was generally on the top screen with Mario and Luigi on the bottom screen so that the player could seamlessly watch and control them when needed.
It’s too bad that the developers of Bowser’s Inside Story filed for bankruptcy in October because it was considered by many to be one of the best games in the Mario & Luigi series and is the best selling Mario RPG to date. Its success paved the way for the 3DS remake nearly 10 years later.
Elite Beat Agents
There were several notable rhythm games on the DS, but Elite Beat Agents stands out from the rest. It was the successor to Ouendan, a game that was released only in Japan.
Due to the surprisingly high rate of imports, a Western port was considered but ultimately decided against due to the game’s Japanese music and cultural references.
So instead it was decided that Elite Beat Agents would be developed, following the same gameplay style as Ouendan. Players used the DS touchscreen to tap along with the music to keep a beat while the story progressed on the top screen. The scene at the top would change depending on how well or how poorly you were doing.
All of the songs in Elite Beat Agents were covers, from popular 2000s hits like Avril Lavigne’s Sk8er Boi and Destiny Child’s Survivor to older classics like the Jackson 5’s ABC.
The simplicity of the gameplay, familiarity of the songs, and the story’s charm and humor made it a popular choice for all types of consumers.
Animal Crossing: Wild World
Wild World was the second Animal Crossing game and the first on a handheld. While it didn’t do anything dramatic to shake up the series, it added a great amount of quality of life improvements thanks to DS functions.
One of the biggest was that it was the first Animal Crossing game to use Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection to visit other peoples’ towns, naturally adding a social element to the game.
The DS’s touchscreen streamlined many functions, such as writing letters, managing inventory, drawing constellations, and designing clothing items.
It’s hard to imagine Animal Crossing without those features, but Wild World was the one to set the stage for future games. There is no doubt that the upcoming New Horizons will take inspiration from many of the things that Wild World was the first to do.
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