DS Gaming Pickup

[Unbeliever]

Just picked up a DS Lite (pink, but I don't care) with one game: Nintendogs. I wasn't planning on purchasing another mobile gaming device, but it was pure impulse for $15.00. Of course it was at a Thrift Store, so I can't complain about the price at all. The game is...well, uhm...not one I usually would pick, but it's a start, if I want to pursue collecting for it.

 

My question is: Where's a good place to get used DS games? I'm sure Ebay is an option, but where do you locally get your DS games? I know Gamestop sells them still, but they seem rather pricey (or it could be just me). Any other sources you use? I'm sure here would be another option to purchase games as well.

 

I REALLY wasn't planning on getting a DS Lite. No, really, it wasn't even on my radar!

[Amstari]

I got a Gameboy Advance on eBay back in 2002 or 2003 when there was still a lot of listing without photos. This is what I got:

 

The good Nintendo games tend to retain their value forever, and DS games are still compatible with the 3DS, so it hard to find them cheap. The DS Lite can also play Gameboy Advance games too.

 

I recommend getting an R4 card: http://www.r4ds-ds.com/

 

The R4 will let you play "backups" of games, but you can also get emulators, including Atari 2600 and Gameboy, and homebrew software.

 

 

 

 

[Unbeliever]

Thanks, Amstari. Is your Gameboy Advance in good shape still? I love the compact DS Lite that I got, and it's in fairly good shape. Once in awhile the Thrift Store will have DS games, but so far nothing really has interested me. I'm looking for games such as Animal Crossing Wild World, Mario Games, Zelda games, and perhaps a Pokemon game or two. Since the Xbox One game I really want won't be out until March, I could focus on this for a bit.

[Metal Jesus]

Fake DS games are all over Ebay...so be aware of that...

[Unbeliever]

Good to know, Metal Jesus. I usually do not shop on Ebay for stuff. My wife, on the other hand.....

[TPA5]

The DS is one of my favourite systems of all time. There are a pile of kickass games for it, but here's a few I enjoy:

 

Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride (Great RPG, remake of the SNES version)

Hotel Dusk (Awesome visual novel with a cool art style. Great film-noir/mystery setting)

Harvest Moon (If you haven't played a HM game yet, the one for DS is great fun)

Okamiden (Great adventure game with some cool gimmicks)

Metroid: Hunters (I'll be honest, even though I'm a huge Metroid fan I did not like the way this game controlled that much. Still, it's a really good experience on the DS)

Scibblenauts (A really fun puzzle game)

Super Princess Peach (Very fun platformer that focuses on a character that isn't the protagonist enough)

Wario Ware: Touched! (This game is like crack on the DS. You just want to "play one more" minigame)

 

 

Those are just a few of the ones I like. Check out Metal Jesus' DS videos on YouTube for some other great game suggestions and where to get started.

[Unbeliever]

Great advice, folks....thank you. I seem to be going through some sort of "gaming slump" where I look at my consoles (Xbox One, Xbox 360) and just sigh. I'm still playing, mind you, but nowhere near as much as I used to. I guess 50 was the magical number to delegate gaming as a "sometimes" hobby, but I still want to get games periodically. I'm thinking more of just slowing down and getting games at a much-reduced pace. I remember how much I enjoyed my original DS and the games that I had, so I think I'm trying to rekindle that feeling.

 

Thanks TPA5, for the suggestions. I owned SPP and did find it a wonderful, colorful platformer. Scribblenauts was also enjoyable, so I'll put those on my radar for a future purchase. What about Animal Crossing: Wild World? I've had it, but it's been a loooooooong time since and I think I'd like an Animal Crossing title on the DS Lite.

Edited October 5, 2016 by Unbeliever

[Amstari]

Thanks, Amstari. Is your Gameboy Advance in good shape still?

 

Unfortunately I sold it with some other Gameboy Advance stuff, including a GBA SP with a backlit screen. Although I've got a DS (original phat model) and DS Lite I do regret selling the GBA, especially the backlit one.

 

Animal Crossing Wild World is great except for that annoying Mr.Resetti!

 

If you like puzzles the Professor Layton games are good on the DS.

[Unbeliever]

Aw, too bad about the GBA stuff being sold, but I've done that countless times over the past decade (at least). My collection today (if I would have kept everything) would have been massive. I'm not sure that would have been a good thing or a bad thing, but the gamer in me says, "good thing".

 

I'm not sure WHERE I'm going with the DS Lite at this point. As I said, it was an impulse buy, and one I really hadn't intended on doing. But it might also be a good opportunity to gather some games I used to have when my DS buying was in full swing. The one system that I play regularly is my Atari 2600, my Xbox One is a distant second. Next month, I'll grab a game or two for the DS and see where I go with it.

[AceHart]

Unclaimed Baggage in Scottsboro, AL is an excellent source for DS games. Err, that is if you're near Scottsboro, which Plainfield clearly is not... But if you're ever in the neighborhood...

[krslam]

I still find DS games with regularity at local thrifts and garage sales, and there's a fair amount on craigslist locally as well. In addition to some of the earlier suggestions, I'll give a plug to the Advance Wars and Fire Emblem DS games as being among my faves.

[Unbeliever]

Unclaimed Baggage in Scottsboro, AL is an excellent source for DS games. Err, that is if you're near Scottsboro, which Plainfield clearly is not... But if you're ever in the neighborhood...

Well, thank you, AceHart, but I'm not sure I'll ever be in Scottsboro. Where I work has the thrift store I mentioned, and from time to time, games come in so it's a source for potential collecting/playing.

 

What are the DS units retailing for these days (out of curiosity), the lite ones in particular? From my experience, even the older game systems from Nintendo maintain some sort of "undead" (in honor of Halloween!) existence forever and ever. I know the Mario, Zelda, and Metroid games retain a high price point, and sometimes higher depending on the title in question.

[Shawn]

As already suggested, get yourself an R4 card. They are dirt cheap and open up tons of possibilities for emulation and more. Makes your DS that much more fun

[Unbeliever]

Yep, it's on my radar, but for now I'm going to build up a "core" of games for it, then expand to other titles I might have missed the first time around. I'm thinking:

 

Animal Crossing: Wild World

New Super Mario Brothers

Chrono Trigger

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass

Pokemon SoulSilver

Mario Kart DS

Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story

 

That's just a start, of course. I don't think I'm going to worry about "complete" games, as they might be a bit harder to try and get.

[Agamemnon2]

Congrats on the pickup. I too own a pink DS Lite, though in my case, I changed the case for a knockoff one from ebay (dark blue, left the buttons, screen frames and so on pink), which is an option if the color gets on your eyes after a while. It's not terribly difficult, you need a triwing screwdriver and steady hands, though.

 

I'd also recommend Puzzle Quest, I've found it the perfect kind of simple timesink for bus rides for example.

Edited October 14, 2016 by Agamemnon2

[Eltigro]

Heh, I too have a pink DS Lite. The hinge has a small crack, but other than that it's fine. I originally picked it up second hand as a gift for my daughter, but ended up getting her a new pink DSi instead and I kept the DS Lite to play GBA games on.

[Jess Ragan]

http://www.jjgames.com

 

I've ordered from these guys once or twice, although the PSP, not the DS, was my personal preference. Bookman's in Arizona is a pretty good place to go for used games of all stripes, but that's, uh, some distance away!

[Unbeliever]

Jess Ragan, thanks for the link. I've bookmarked it for future reference. I don't think I really appreciated the DS/DS Lite as much as I do now versus "back then" when it was new on the market. Seems my fondness for "old things" is getting more intense. Be that as it may, I'm enjoying the "one" title I have for it until the opportunity strikes to acquire more games.

 

It will be nice that I can do a side collection of Gba games at the same time. It won't be my priority, but once in awhile I'll grab one of those, too. I'm not sure I'm ready for a cross-country trip to pick up games...so I'll try JJ's when I get a chance.

 

Puzzle Quest I have never played, thus that's one I'll want down the line. So many good games...I really didn't think about it too deeply but if you shove the "shovelware" aside, there's a plethora of DS games that should be worth getting.