madwarper said:
The Etrian Odyssey series
Oh man, you beat me to it. That series is freakin' phenomenal!
EO5 (3DS) - Just released in Japan, no date for the West
It just released in Japan and still no release date for North America/Europe?! >: o
GIMME A RELEASE DATE ATLUS! I am all out of EO games to play and I CRAVE dungeon crawling awesomeness on the go! GIMME!
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Anyway, to the OP:
Depends what you're looking for.
3DS:
If you like RPGs and dungeon crawling, I can safely reccomend the ENTIRE Etrian Odyssey series (maybe minus mystery dungeon unless you like that kind of game). The first 2 games have been remade for 3DS and the 4th game is on 3DS, but the 3rd (and IMO the best) game is still only on DS.
If you're looking for an action RPG with a solid challenge and lots of content, the recent monster hunter games are great. I can't speak for Generations, as I'm still not done with #4 (Had to stop for almost a year)
If you want a tactical experience like Valyria Chronicles or something like XCOM, you should totally snag Codename STEAM. It's a fantastic tactical game marred only by a slow opening act (3 mini-tutorial missions, followed by one chapter of 3 introductory misions that are way harder than they need to be due to only having 2 teammates and no sub-weapons. Once you clear that first chapter, though, the game really opens up and gets amazing). That and there's various hard-mode modifiers for missions as well as collectibles and stuff to find. It also seeks inspiration from some surprising places and I like it for that. XD
For lighthearted platforming, I can totally give Kirby Triple Deluxe a thumbs up. It's not the best game in the series (Although it's pretty high up there), but the powers are fun to use, the levels are well made, and there's a lot of stuff to do.
If you want a lighthearted farming/RPG hybrid, rune factory 4 is pretty good. The farming is solid and the RPG aspects are pretty well done. My only complaint is that all the romanceable characters...Feel kinda flat. Doubly so after playing Stardew Valley.
Devil Survivor Overclocked is a FANTASTIC RPG/Tactical hybrid with a demon fusing mechanic that's surprisingly deep. The story is fantastic as well. Nice and condensed. You and your pals are trapped in downtown tokyo with devices that can summon demons, while someone is slowly flooding the area with wild demons. You have 7 days to avert complete disaster, and are put into conflict with demons, angels, corrupt humans, and desperate human nature. There's multiple endings too, that you kinda have to work towards. If you screw a major event up, or side with the wrong people, or deliberately don't help someone in need, endings might get locked out.
Kid Icarus Uprising is...Weird. The control scheme is clunky and weird, and as a Lefty, it forces me to play with just the buttons and analog stick (VERY imprecise) and flick my thumb on the screen to turn the camera. So...Yeah, it's clunky until you finally get used to it. Aside from that, it's got great level design, action, and one of the most hilariously goofy scripts I've seen in a game. There's also plenty to unlock and challenge too. It's really good, but flawed in ways that might completely turn some people off.
And finally, if you want a beat-em-up with TOO much damn content, the Hyrule Dynasty warriors game is alright, even on the regular 3DS (although it's a little slow/clunky there). It's just that there's too much content that's similar. If you're alright with that, it's pretty decent, though.
DS:
It's hard to find, but if you like reto games and want to go on a nostalgia binge for your childhood, Retro Game Challenge is great. It's a collection of 8 faux-NES type games where you have to accomplish small challenges in each one to unlock the next game, and where your goofy partner on the bottom screen will buy magazines for you that have cheat codes, previews, etc in it, which really kindle that old childhood wonder about the games coming out. That and most of the 8 games are pretty fun.
There's also The World Ends with You, which is one of the most unique and awesome RPGs I've ever played. It's a modern RPG about using psychic powers to slay graffitii monsters in a "Reaper's Game" where the hero's life is on the line, and the plot flips and turns in genuinely great ways. The combat is really unique too, with everything being in real-time as you control both your characters at once (You on the bottom screen, using stylus swipes and taps, and your partner up on the top screen, controlled by button presses). It's a little overwhelming, but ultimately a blast. Good luck finding it though. :s It's one of those cult hits that came out years and years ago.
If you want a more traditional RPG, the FF4 remake is also DAMN freakin' solid. They improved a lot of little gameplay issues and introduced more mechanics. And the voiced cutscenes are pretty great too.
And I'll also throw in my vote for Advance wars Days of ruin. This is the best AW game I've played. The story is simultaneously serious and gripping while also frequently dipping back into that Advance Wars sillyness (Seriously, go to the Advice/War Room in EVERY mission even if you don't need advice on that mission. It's outright hilarious every time). And while it DOES introduce CO powers criminally late in the campaign, they're far more balanced and tactical than in any other game in the series.
If you want a good visual novel type exprience, the entire Pheonix Wright series is pretty good, putting you in a fun crime solving lawyer story with memorable characters.
And if you want a visual novel puzzle game, you NEED to play Ghost Trick. The story is outrageously good and the various puzzles involving possessing object in order to undo people's deaths are really clever.
And finally, If you like customizable fighting/shooter/thing hybrids, Custom Robo Arena pretty good. The interest curve is a tiny bit unforgivably slow (the plot only kicks in about day 6-7 when you get attacked by criminals) and the gameplay has to wait until the day AFTER that before you finally get access to new Body Types that allow you to radically shift your playstyle (more than new guns, bombs or pods will). Aside from that gripe, it's fantastic fun and has a pretty robust post-game. (Hint: check the Neobrain parts shop every day even if you have no reason to go all the way there, the new body parts shop there opens without ceremony or warning)
