Will the DS be the king of RPG's this gen?

the PSP also have upcoming rpgs worth to try like 3rd birthday, kingdom hearts birth by sleep and FFXIII Agito...but so far they are still in development but it's worth the wait

too bad i don't have a DS to play those new rpgs :(
 
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I would suggest buying a DS only if you are going to be away from a gaming computer for long periods of time.

I've brought my DS underway with me a lot but I could still get bored out of my mind from it - even with great games like GTA: Chinatown Wars, Chrono Trigger, some various mario games and whatnot... My division had* a lot of hardcore gamers and we decided that just as man cannot live on bread alone, a gamer cannot live on handhelds alone.

*I speak in past tense because I'm on terminal leave. Yay, freedom!
 
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I've taken a look at these DS titles, and they're all very Japanese in style and approach.

I can't enjoy games in that style, because it turns me off and I simply don't get the appeal of children with spikey hair and horrible dialogue running around fighting demons and puberty at the same time.
 
What's the battery life like on the DS? Have a flight to Australia coming up & was thinking of investing in a DS.
 
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Here are a few thoughts:
- If you are closed minded to other experiences aside from traditional PC RPG's, don't get the DS - you might have to endure some whining, but in the hundreds of DS titles I have found nothing worse than the whiny angsty teen-types of Final Fantasy VII. If you can endure that, you will have no issue with the DS games.
- The DS has games in practically every genre - however I completely agree with JDR13 that hardcore PC-centric games that many of us love above all are not represented. Of course, nor are they represented very well on consoles.
- Battery life is ~10 - 20 hours for the DS, ~4-6 hours on the PSP.
- I would never think of a DS as a sole platform ... but the combination of PC & DS is better than anything else possible!
- Worth buying? Without hesitation - some of the best adventure games (e.g. Hotel Dusk on the DS is better than just about any non-TellTale point & click adventure on the PC in recent years), jRPG's, 'classic' cRPG's (Etrian Odyssey, Dark Spire, Mazes of Fate), strategy-RPG's, turn-based strategy, and on and on ..
 
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Interesting. I'll keep that in mind. Where would I find a good list of must-buy games (other than the suggestions on this thread?) I noticed that the DSi is supposed to have a web browser as well, presumably over WiFi. Can you do that stuff with the others? Are there any other major differences between the models?
 
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Prime Junta said:
Interesting. I'll keep that in mind. Where would I find a good list of must-buy games (other than the suggestions on this thread?) I noticed that the DSi is supposed to have a web browser as well, presumably over WiFi. Can you do that stuff with the others? Are there any other major differences between the models?
Click to expand...

Well .. there are the articles I've written here - though I am behind on this year and have a massive unfinished one I keep adding to ... will get it going as soon as I finish this massive project I'm embroiled in right now.

The DSi has a whole software launch platform, with dual cameras like the first ones that were on cell phones (i.e. crappy VGA level) that are functional and now feature Facebook integration. There is a mediocre web browser as well, and SD card capability (also SDHC). The DSiWare store has some games, but honestly I've not been overwhelmed yet.

There are three models:
- DS - original, called the 'Phat' (not to be confused with Phat Larry)
- DS Lite - smaller, sleeker, better screens, GBA cart sticks out
- DSi - new, no GBA slot

Here are a couple of comparison shots:

ds_compare01_s.jpg

media
 
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Thanks. I noticed my local Gadgets-R-Us has the DSi for 189 euros and the DS Lite for 149; I just think the DSi might be worth the extra price, because of the browser -- even if it's a mediocre one. Hmm...
 
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Prime Junta said:
Thanks. I noticed my local Gadgets-R-Us has the DSi for 189 euros and the DS Lite for 149; I just think the DSi might be worth the extra price, because of the browser -- even if it's a mediocre one. Hmm...
Click to expand...

In the US they just had a sale on the DS Lite for <$100 (normally ~$129 now), whereas the DSi sells for ~$170.

As for the DSi Browser - I find it better than on any normal cell phone I've used, and better than the PSP, but not as good as the iPhone. One issue is network speed - I've not done a formal test, but played around with my laptop, netbook, PSP and DSi in terms of load and render ... the laptop obviously fastest, netbook slower, and the DSi & PSP about the same overall.
 
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txa1265 said:
The DSi has a whole software launch platform, with dual cameras like the first ones that were on cell phones (i.e. crappy VGA level) that are functional and now feature Facebook integration. There is a mediocre web browser as well, and SD card capability (also SDHC). The DSiWare store has some games, but honestly I've not been overwhelmed yet.
Click to expand...

Are those the only differences? Looking just for something to use on a plane so have no interest in photos or browsing, but obviously if there's a more limited selection of games that's more of an issue.

I did actually rummage through all your Whole Game in my Hand threads a few weeks ago, the ones sitting in my buy later bit on amazon are:
  • Final Fantasy XII
  • The World Ends with You
  • Dragon Quest
  • Chrono Trigger (the only expensive one)
  • Orcs & Elves
  • Final Fantasy Tactics A2

Couldn't seem to find Dark Spire of Mazes of Fate.

Are there any real classics I've missed?
 
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DSi has also bigger screen, faster one of processors and 4x more RAM. Though that's all useless today there might be in future games that use this processor and RAM.

Anyway I own classic ("Phat" as txa says) and can't complain about anything :)

If I was to buy NDS today, I think I'd buy DSi, but that's your choice.
 
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Konjad said:
DSi has also bigger screen, faster one of processors and 4x more RAM. Though that's all useless today there might be in future games that use this processor and RAM.

Anyway I own classic ("Phat" as txa says) and can't complain about anything :)

If I was to buy NDS today, I think I'd buy DSi, but that's your choice.
Click to expand...

I'm unlikely to be a crazy hardcore user, and looking around I can get an ex display DS Lite for about half the price of a new Dsi . . . . and I'm probably going to be playing games that have already been out for long enough to be quite cheap . . .

How much bigger is the screen?
 
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txa1265 said:
3.25" vs. 3" ... here is a side-by-side
Click to expand...

Mike, you're a star :)

I think I'll stick with the DS lite then, if I find I actually play it enthusiastically I can always upgrade.

Out of interest, what's been your absolute all time favourite DS game?
 
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The other reason to go with the DS Lite - the GBA slot. There are loads of GBA RPG's and other great games, and things like Guitar Hero DS and the Rumble Pack use that slot. Personally I don't care, but my kids love the Guitar Hero DS games enough that it might be an issue.

Favorite game ... that is a tough one ... I have probably played over 200 DS games at this point ...
 
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Gack. Choices.

Oh well, I'll let it simmer; doesn't look like it's going anywhere in a hurry, and I doubt the prices are going *up.*

Thanks, txa, you've been very helpful.
 
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Arhu said:
How much more massive can those articles be? :eek:
Click to expand...

It has been a busy DS release year - I will have to break them up again.

Korplem said:
The one handheld that I loved was my PDA. I had a dos emulator on it and plenty of old pc games from HotU. I would recommend that over a DS/PSP anyday.
Click to expand...

I still play loads on my Dell Axim x51v! Have Riven (Myst 2), Broken Sword, Call of Duty 2, and loads more on there now ... and yeah, it runs DOSBox great as wel!
 
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