Nintendo has made some amazing consoles that have dominated markets across the globe. However, the sales pale in comparison to their line of handhelds. The Game Boy started it all and proved that good video games could be made to rival console experiences. The Pokemon series is one example even though it was indeed later.
The release of the DS started a new revolution within Nintendo that continued with the 3DS as it too supported two screens. Now, as popular as the DS line of systems was, there were quite a few series that died during this generation. Because the releases are so close together, the PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii are included within this idea of generations. Let’s try to remember what history has forgotten.
8 Dark Void
Dark Void began as a cover-shooter on the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC. It was like the film, The Rocketeer, except with aliens trying to take over in place of Nazis. It also had some Uncharted energy thanks to Nolan North lending his voice to the main character. A DSiWare and PC spinoff was seemingly released out of nowhere. It was a Metroidvania with NES-style graphics and by all accounts, it was better than the main game. Sadly it’s hard to access now, even on PC, but dedicated fans know where to look.
7 Elite Beat Agents
Elite Beat Agents is the name Western fans know this rhythm game series as. In Japan, it’s known as the Ouendan series. Elite Beat Agents is loosely based on that first game but so many things were changed in localization, like the music, that Elite Beat Agents is more like a sequel. After that game, Japan got its own sequel and it was never released overseas. Even though this bizarre rhythm game series was short-lived, fans will remember and treasure it always.
6 Feel The Magic: XY/XX
Feel the Magic: XY/XX is another rhythm-based game although its collection of mini-games might have more in common with the WarioWare series rather than Elite Beat Agents. It was a launch game for the DS, following a series of oddly timed romantic challenges.
One of the stranger mini-games involved getting goldfish out of a man’s stomach via touch controls. There was a sequel released, The Rub Rabbits, although it was truly a prequel. These two games were great for showing off the DS’s touch capabilities but they aren’t too memorable beyond technical showpieces.
5 Izuna: Legend Of The Unemployed Ninja
Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja is a lengthy name for a roguelike. It played similarly to the Mystery Dungeon series wherein players would jump into dungeons as a female ninja in training. It was a classic roguelike in that not a lot carried over between runs. It was successful enough, even in its niche fandom, to get one sequel on DS. There are better roguelikes out there now, but this series is still a quaint reminder of how far this genre has come.
4 Pokemon Ranger
Pokemon Ranger surprisingly only had a life cycle on the DS. Players controlled rangers instead of trainers whose goal was to also capture Pokemon but in a more rescue-like capacity. If a Pokemon was in danger, the rangers would come in to save the day. If a bad Pokemon, like Charizard, was terrorizing the land, rangers were sent in for those jobs too. Fighting Pokemon mostly amounted to drawing circles around them which would initiate a capture ring. There were two sequels, but beyond those games, this spinoff series remains ultimately forgotten.
3 Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor is a tactical RPG spinoff from the series. It still featured teenagers summoning familiar demons, like Jack Frost, to fight for them. The battles were grid-based, like classic tactical RPGs but attacking an enemy on the map would prompt a more traditional turn-based battle with weakness boosts and everything.
There was one sequel followed by both games getting reworked for the 3DS. There was also an anime series that spun off of these games as well, which was interesting but not as good as getting a third game.
2 Trauma Center
Trauma Center: Under the Knife is the first game in another Atlus series, like Shin Megami Tensei, although it is quite different. It was part light novel as a story concerning doctors and patients took the central stage. The gameplay involved a series of mini-games wherein players had to operate on people from treating wounds to dealing with heart issues. It was like a more anime version of Grey’s Anatomy. There were five games overall that spanned across the DS and Wii libraries.
1 Viva Pinata
Viva Pinata started as an Xbox 360 exclusive series which was made by Rare. It was sort of like Pokemon crossed with Animal Crossing as it was a series of simulations involving taking care of sentient pinatas. The series was popular enough that it even got a 3D cartoon series. The final game in this series, Viva Pinata: Pocket Paradise, was released on the DS. This is not the only franchise that would start on the Xbox 360 and end on the DS. Blue Dragon is another great example and it got two DS games.