Best Nintendo DS Games

When the Nintendo DS was first released, no one was sure how well it would sell. The first few games trickled out and didn't really impress anyone. But then developers got their acts together and let loose some original and damn entertaining games, making it the number one handheld system. That's right, all the doubters and anti-DS trolls can now quiver in fear. The DS has one of the most unique gaming libraries of any handheld system, and here we've collected the five best games you're required by law (or should be) to run out and buy.

Kirby: Canvas Curse

• Type: Action game

An early title for the DS, this is the first action platform game where Kirby doesn't suck. Instead, he rolls. A really mean witch has turned Dreamland into a painting and robbed Kirby of his limbs. Now all he can do is roll, but fortunately you have a magic wand, called a "stylus". Use this "stylus" to draw paths on the screen to guide Kirby through each stage. Canvas Curse is a long game with lots of varied stages and tons of unlockable extras. If you didn't pick this game up, you'd better do it now before we start laughing at you.

Mario Kart DS

• Type: Action racing game || Mario Kart DS Review
  

Yes, you knew it would be here. Mario Kart DS is an excellent installment in the Mario Kart series, but it's also a really good game on its own. One of the first titles to take advantage of Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, we finally had a fun racing game for the DS (no thanks to Ridge Racer). The usual banana peel tossing, turtle shell lobbing action is here, but there's lots of new items and tracks to keep you busy. Sure, it doesn't quite match to the 3D splendor of Mario Kart 64, but the game is an amazing title that everyone should own. Now.

Meteos

• Type: Action puzzle game
  

A very early entry on the DS, Meteos is quite simply insane. No quiet strategizing or silent plotting, you're always slapping the stylus around the touch screen with your heart pounding out of your chest. The idea of Meteos is that a planet has exploded and is sending colored shards of itself onto neighboring worlds. Fortunately, the aliens discover a clever way of getting rid of the garbage -- lining them up in colored groups of three. Doing so creates a rocket that lifts all blocks sitting above into the sky. The physics of the game are astounding and the blocks fall just like a real meteor shower. Meteos is an extremely challenging game that will make you sweat bullets.

Metroid Prime: Hunters

• Type: Action shooter || Metroid Prime: Hunters Review
  

First person shooters aren't everyone's cup of rosemary tea, but Metroid Prime: Hunters is something a little different. The game is really two games in one, as it includes a single player adventure styled in the classic Metroid flavor, but it also has an extremely robust multiplayer mode that utilizes Nintendo's Wi-Fi connection service. Take your hunting skills online and battle against opponents from around the world, then settle back for a mysterious journey through the Alimbic system by yourself. Hunters is the picture of perfection for adventure and action games (though the controls take some adjusting to) and should be the first box on your Nintendo DS games shelf.

Nintendogs

• Type: Non-game; simulation || Nintendogs Review
  

Are you laughing? Good, because that means you're missing out on what was possibly the most revolutionary game of 2005: Nintendogs. The "game" is really just a puppy simulation, though it isn't really a simulation or a game at all. Instead, you get a little puppy, then take care of it every day. Take him for walks, buy the good dog food, then go throw a frisbee in the park. When you're feeling feisty, try one of the several competitions with hefty cash prizes. The pooches are lovingly rendered and have their own unique personalities. Once you try Nintendogs, you won't want to do anything else. If you have a real dog, don't forget to feed her as well.

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