Poll: Should I buy a DS?

[ISawAFish]

So the other day my ol' 360 that ive been using for about 3 years finally broke on me, not red ringed, it's aahhh... it's beyond repair :/. It fell of the cabinet and smashed all over the ground. Well today I noticed that leaves as a gamer without any way to possibly play games. So the thought came into my mind to get a handheld device, I dont want a PSP but ive always half wanted a DS. I used to love playing my GB colour and advanced but i mainly just played pokemon games. So i've been thinking that I might invest in a DS, but the only games im really interested in are pokemon games. Im open to other games if there any good but i dont really see myself getting into a lot of those games. Also ive been saving money up to add stuff to my drum kit so buying a DS would take a big chunk out of the money i have saved for that.
So what do you think i should do escapist? Should i get a DS? Should I get the 3DS? Or should I wait and save up for the new 360's?
And no I'm not buying a PC

 

[Jfswift]

Pokemon Pearl and Black are pretty cool. Hey, if you buy a DS just get an old first gen. They run all the newer games and they're dirt cheap. *Make* sure you get the charger though because they're a bear to locate for the first gen but if you have that you're good to go.

 

[DeadlyYellow]

I'd say a DS Lite. It gives you access to the wide library of the DS and the GBA.

 

[emeraldrafael]

If you just get a DS Lite with accessories (Charger really) it wont run you that much. You be able to play GB colour games, but GBA games run fine.

I find mine to be a lot of fun, and its preetty good. It was one of the red and black brain age ones and is still working. Also has really good games that are out now.

 

[ISawAFish]

Are there many games for the DS that could keep you entertained for a while? I'm so used to playing RPG's and playing for at least 3 hours at a time. I understand im not gonna be playing the DS for 3 hours straight but are there some fairly lenghty games?

 

[Rad Party God]

Well... buy a PC!!! =D=D=D... no?... well...

Seriously though, right now a DS is quite cheap to get, I got mine when the DSi was the shit and the other models got discounted, I got my DS Lite at $150 more or less and I still don't regret getting it.

I think that my love for the NDS got cemented when everyone at my work brought their NDS just to play a bit of Mario Kart DS with a single copy of the game, my copy of the game. Also, Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story may be the very best NDS game I've ever played.

If you get an NDS, just make sure to at least get one of these games:

-New Super Mario Bros. (best platformer on the system)
-Mario Kart DS (best racing game and the best portable Mario Kart ever created)
-Meteos (super addictive and hyper kinetic puzzle game, it feels like the Smash Bros. of puzzles, great for multiplayer, works with a single copy)
-Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story (one of the best RPGs the system has to offer and the best of the Mario & Luigi games)
-Any Pokémon for DS (3 generations of Pokémon, that makes 7 games on a single system and all of them are great)
-Final Fantasy Tactics A-2 (there are a lot of Final Fantasy games for the DS and many of them are great, but Tactics, for me, it's the best)
-Chrono Trigger (timeless classic, one of the, if not the best JRPG ever created)
-Orcs & Elves (this game may not have a deep story and it may have ugly graphics, even for DS standards, but it's a fun dungeon crawler)
-Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Jurney (think of it like Pokémon on crack, in first person perspective and much, much darker)
-Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor (plays similar to Final Fantasy Tactics, but with a better story and more Pokémon on crack and eBay)

There are many more great DS titles, but these are my personal favorites.

 

[Uber Waddles]

DS Original and DSLite are the only ones capable of playing GBA Games, and cannot play GBColor games at all.

As for the 3DS, thats entirely up to you. As a huge nintendo fan, I think it was an insult with the starting lineup for the 3DS. But the games that will come later I think should be interesting.

Anyways, the DS is like the GBA. Its got quite a few gems, under a mountain of shit. The DS Pokemon games are great. And the DS does have a few gems on it. Ill be honest, after I got my 360 I kinda put my DS down for a while, but it was not a bad system. You just have to be smart with your purchases: there are a LOT of shitty DS games out there.

You can pick up a DS cheaply now, unless you want a 3DS. And they have some pretty awesome games. I say go for it.

 

[Johnnyallstar]

Depends on what games you want to play. If you want a DS buy a DS. If you want the next gen Xbox, save up and wait. If you want both, well... devise an overly complex machine which will randomly tell you which system to buy.

 

[Rotting Corpse]

I think you should get a 3DS...later. Like when the price drops a little and the ocarina of time remake and Mario comes out. At least that's what I'm going to do, you can do whatever the hell you want.

I got to play a 3DS earlier today at Wondercon. I am sold. I'm not going to sit here and say OMG IT'S AMZING!!1! but I will say that the tech in it is really cool. I am surprised to hear myself say that, used properly, it can add something to a game.

 

[Blood Countess]

go with the normal DS. I bet a couple years down the road the 3ds will be a thing of the past myself since the 3d tech will go stale in time but then your call

 

[blue heartless]

You should buy a tech repair kit and fix it. Not only will you have your XBox back but you will have picked up a new trade skill.

Seriously, maybe you want to get a DSLite if you're itching for one. Buy it used, try it out. No like? Return for store credit (for that new XBox you had your eye on). No harm done. There are quite a few games that are real gems.

 

[mjc0961]

Sounds like there isn't much on the DS that you want to play. So I say just save up for a new 360, and once you get it, try to put it someplace where it's not going to fall over again.

 

[Littlee300]

go with the normal DS. I bet a couple years down the road the 3ds will be a thing of the past myself since the 3d tech will go stale in time but then your call

Yeah, but will 3DS games also be able to be played on a regular DS?

 

[ISawAFish]

When you buy a DS Lite does it with a charger or do you have to buy it separately

 

[madwarper]

Every Nintendo handheld, since GBA iirc, has has an internal rechargeable battery.

captcha: include, everagea
Everagea? Never heard of it. However, if you're getting any DS, then you MUST include Etrain Odyssey 1, 2 and 3.

 

[ten.to.ten]

I'd say a DS Lite. It gives you access to the wide library of the DS and the GBA.

I agree. The DS has a huge range of good games and it's definitely a console worth getting, there isn't going to be much worthwhile on the 3DS for a while and playing regular DS games on the 3DS isn't as good as playing them on a DS Lite because the 3DS's higher resolution makes the games look blurry.

 

[Cowabungaa]

As many others already, I'd say get a DS Lite. It gives you access to two huge game libraries, both of the DS and the GBA. Both have tons of amazing games in their libraries.

If you can't keep a large console from falling, just think of how pissed you will be when you drop your DS : (

Oh don't worry, a DS is made by Nintendo, and Nintendo hardware is hardcoar.

I prefer my super old one. Has a longer battery life. Don't give a fuck about the size.

It's not just size, it's more about ergonomics. And fact is, the first DS wasn't very ergonomical.

If you like the smaller DS Lite then go ahead but its a bit of a waste of money because for like an extra $20 you can get a DSi.

But you can't play GBA games on a DSi.

 

[CrankyStorming]

If you like the smaller DS Lite then go ahead but its a bit of a waste of money because for like an extra $20 you can get a DSi.

But you can't play GBA games on a DSi.

There are maybe one or two GBA games that actually warrant getting the older model(namely Kirby's Amazing Mirror and the Sonic Advance games), everything else is just SNES remakes you can already download pretty download on every store.

I'd probably get a 3DS now, if you can afford one now, so that you don't feel left out if you hold back like I am. Paper Mario will still be released whether you buy it this month or October. And that way, since the 3DS games that matter will take a bit longer, you can use the time to catch up on what the DS Classic as I will call it has to offer.

I'd start with any of the Dragon Quest games. There are four of them(with no. 9 being the most engaging and the biggest tear-jerker by some margin), and they are compelling and full of wit. While there is some grind, you'll barely notice it, the challenge comes more from exploring what the mechanics can do for you than simple numerics, like every game Atlus ever put in a prohibitively expensive cardboard box(seriously, what did they ever do to deserve the attention and love they get?).

From there, pretty much Level 5's complete back-catalogue should be enough to keep you satisfied, this includes the Professor Layton games and a number of titles that aren't in English yet.