When browsing through the various console sections at the local Best Buy, a gamer is likely to pass up the Nintendo DS, chalking it up to child's play given the exorbitant amount of games based on children's movies for the system. And after all, who can really trust the credibility of a handheld that comes in PINK? However, this fangirl is about to tell you exactly why the DS is the most multi-faceted system available on the market, and one of the best investments you can make with your hard earned gaming allowance.

To me, the Nintendo DS (and when I say that, I mean my DS Lite) is like my Ipod. My ipod has a number of playlists with vastly different samplings of music that I can tune into to perfectly compliment my mood or my day. The same is true for the NDS. Never before have I seen such a wide array of tastes and subject matter in gaming on a single system. A game to fit every single mood. And like the ipod of course, the NDS's extreme portability allows me to take my fun anywhere I go.

The DS itsself
Let's look at a few of the DS's finer points. First, the touchscreen. Many of the games out for the system employ the touchscreen to some degree or another... whether it be for operating on people, cooking, catching fish or shooting. It's extremely innovative for a handheld gaming system. Next we have the wifi capabilities. In a wifi hotspot, you can take your ds online and play with other people from anywhere in the world! Which also ties in with it's download and play ability. If you wanna go VS against someone in a game that you have but they don't, they have the option of downloading it (temporarily of course) from you, allowing two players to play the same game off a single cartridge. Also, it's backwards compatible, allowing you to continue playing all of your favorite GBA titles. The unit itsself is lightweight, extremely portable, and comes in a wide array of designs and colors to fit almost anyone's tastes.

In fact, last Christmas they released a few special edition lites, must haves for any hardcore DS fan. Upon hearing the news, I drove to my local EB Games, barely stopped the car as I tuck and rolled out onto the pavement, and ninja'd my way into the building. I had barely managed to say the words "new zelda ds lite" before I was denied. Already sold out and backordered. True sign of a ds junkie: willing to drop another 130 bucks on something they already have, just in a different color.

Here is an image of two of the special edition lites: The nintendogs and zelda ones. In addition to those, there are a few more, including a white storm trooper one.



Yeah, but the psp is hackable???
Did anyone say the NDS wasn't??? But you didn't get this link from me: http://www.nintendo-ds-roms.com/

The Games
With my DS on the go anywhere, I can take the adventure with me. Sometimes while riding the bus to work I am Link, destroying the evil in Phantom Hourglass and saving the princess. Next, if the mood strikes, I am called into the ER in Trauma Center, using my stylus as my scapel in order to remove the patient's tumor. If I know I am going to be a while and I want something a little more relaxed and toned down, I put in The New York Times Crossword Puzzles and try to complete a puzzle. Speaking of puzzles, there are also a number of other games and brain teasers, including the newest title Professor Layton and the Curious Village. I have yet to get off the island as a castaway in Lost in Blue (2) but I managed to survive this long using my stylus to spear fish with a weapon I made myself. Occationally I will pop in to see how the neighbors are doing in Animal Crossing Wild World or to take the dog for a walk in Nintendogs. Zombie hunting? Yeah, I do that too in Dementium: the Ward and Resident Evil. I can also choose to join my comrads on the front lines in Brothers in Arms and Call of Duty 4. I've gotten several gold medals for my cooking in Cooking Mama and even run my own restuarant in Diner Dash. In my spare time, I can even brush up on my french with My French Coach. First and foremost though, I am a pokemon trainer in Pokemon Diamond, preparing my team to battle other trainers around the world.

With so many options of gameplay, it's no wonder the DS has attracted such a wide array of gamers to it. If you want the most bang for your buck when it comes to gaming, the nintendo DS will not let you down.



Dementium: The Ward


Call of Duty 4


Animal Crossing: Wild World


Pokemon DS


Trauma Center: Life in the ER


Lost in Blue


New York Times Crossword Puzzles


Cooking Mama



-Navie