So here is is, then - the Fire Emblem-less top ten (or at least the first half of it) of DS games which I enjoyed this year. This isn’t meant to be a definitive list of what was unequivocally the best on the console this year - it just represents the ten games I happened to like playing the most on Nintendo’s ludicrously popular handheld.

It’s been a solid but unspectacular year for the DS - this is the first year I can remember where I’ve not spent fortunes importing myriad Japanese titles and early American releases, which means two things. One, that European publishers are getting games to us that bit sooner, but also that it’s not had quite so many must-have games in 2008. There’s been nothing quite up to the standard of Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (though I’d argue that my number one and two picks run it pretty close), but hopefully we’ll see a few more first-party releases next year. We’ve got Mario and Luigi 3 on the way, the DSi should hit the west at some point in 2009 of course, and shortly thereafter we’ll have DSiWare. So it’s exciting times for the little handheld that could, and hopefully next year we’ll see an abundance of excellent portable games.

In the meantime, here are numbers 10 to 6 of my own list. Tomorrow I’ll bring you the top five. Feel free to express disgust, or even - though this is perhaps unlikely - admiration for my picks by commenting below.

10. Viva Pinata: Pocket Paradise

Rare’s papier-mache creatures made their debut on DS this year, and it felt like they’d come home. Pinata is a natural fit for the DS and the tactility of the touchscreen controls (it felt particularly satisfying to whack the evil ones with a spade) coupled with the more pick-up-and-play nature of the game made it arguably superior to the 360 original. Less complex and altogether more accessible, I’m surprised this wasn’t a bigger hit than its modest sales suggest. 

9. Daigasso! Band Bros. DX

Easily beating the slightly disappointing Rhythm Tengoku Gold to the best Japanese import of the year, this sequel to the original Daigasso offered karaoke, guitar-playing and space for 100 download tracks to play along to. Its rhythm-action gameplay is uncompromisingly old-school, but there’s a refreshing purity - and difficulty - to its mechanics that make it irresistible. And if you’ve not played The Final Countdown in multiplayer through the special downloadable Wii Channel, then you’ve missed out on one of the most unexpected musical treats of the year.

8. Advance Wars: Dark Conflict

The best handheld strategy series that’s not Fire Emblem went all emo on us, with a tale of destroyed planets, starvation, death and weird flower diseases. I’m not quite convinced that Advance Wars’ new look quite worked - I kind of miss that Tonka toy chunkiness of the original sprites - but it offered a compellingly dark tale married to that immaculately-balanced gameplay the series is renowned for. It’s probably the best of the two DS games so far, but can’t quite live up to the almost-perfect GBA original.

7.  Space Invaders Extreme

Pretty much the dictionary definition of how to update a classic, this made the thirty-year-old legend hip again. With terrific visuals which combine retro sprites with trippy backdrops, and a thumping techno soundtrack to keep your pulse racing, this offered enough tweaks on the original formula to make Space Invaders feel like a whole new game. An added bonus was that the DS game was superior to the PSP version. Tip: for bonus retro-geek points, import the Japanese original and get hold of a paddle controller, which slides into the GBA cart slot - it’s easily the best way to play.

6. Korg DS-10

Daigasso might be the best music game, but this was the best music maker - an incredible, fully-featured synthesiser which allowed you to create some amazing sounds. Somehow, it managed to sound brilliant even through the DS Lite’s tiny speakers. The Kaoss pad was a particular delight -you could use your stylus used to noodle away over your self-created loops, spitting out farty bass sounds, or tweeter-busting peeps. With intuitive controls, and more knobs to twiddle than Briana Banks’ fluffer, this is essential if you’re in any way musically or creatively inclined.

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Join me tomorrow for numbers 5 to 1. One or two of the entries may well surprise you, but if you’ve not guessed the number one yet, you’ve not been reading this blog long enough.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 16th, 2008 at 4:45 pm by Chris Schilling
Columns & Opinion, DS, Pure Nintendo brilliance, Top 10.