Why The Nintendo DS Is My Favorite Console

The Nintendo DS is a system that I grew up with, continued to play throughout my life casually, and prop open nowadays whenever I have a spare moment. One way or another, it constantly manages to be a part of my life and lately, I've been thinking about it a lot. I've been playing it a lot, and have ultimately come to the conclusion that it's my favorite console full-stop. There's so much to love about it, so why not talk about all of that in video format? From Mario to Sonic, to Pokemon, to Scribblenauts, the DS has it all, and we're gonna talk about it all!
Thumbnail art: x.com/yumpoplala
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FOOTAGE CREDITS
(in alphabetical order)
999/Mario Kart DS/TWEWY - World of Longplays
/ @worldoflongplays
Drawn to Life - SuperIanGamer
/ @superiangamer302
Ghost Trick - Indie Club
/ @indieclubgameplayro
Kirby Super Star Ultra - Nintendo Utopia
/ @nintendoutopia
Kirby Super Star Ultra (Minigames) - RetroArchive
/ @retroarchive
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story - KoopaKungFu
/ @koopakungfu
Mario & Luigi: Partners In Time - Noire Blue
/ @noireblue
Mario Party DS - NintendoCentral
/ @nintendocentral
MM Starforce DX - Rockman HQ
/ @rockmanhq
MM Zero Collection - Patrick So
/ @warblefly41
MMZX Advent - MegaQuint
/ @megaquint
MMBN5 - Rockmanslayer 00
/ @rockmanslayer00
New Super Mario Bros. - Longplay Library
/ @longplay.library
New Super Mario Bros. (VS Mode) - Nilly896
/ @nillymii
New Super Mario Bros. (Minigames) - YTSunny
/ @ytsunnys
Pokemon Platinum/SoulSilver/White/White 2 - Hawlo
/ @hawlo
Pokemon Ranger Shadows of Almia - Thomas J. Ashwell
/ @thomasjashwell
Puyo Puyo 15th - Rubycored
/ @rubycored
Super Mario 64 - Longplay Archive
/ @longplayarchive
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MUSIC CREDITS
(in order of appearance)
Pictochat (SSBB)
• PictoChat - Super Smas...
File Select (Mario 64)
• Super Mario 64 Soundtr...
What U Need is Remix (Sonic Rush)
• What U Need is Remix -...
Main Theme (Mario 64)
• Super Mario 64 Soundtr...
Dire, Dire Docks (Mario 64)
• Super Mario 64 Soundtr...
VS Mode Overworld (New Super Mario Bros.)
• Overworld (Vs. Mode) -...
Jeh Jeh Rocket Blazy Mix (Sonic Rush)
• Jeh Jeh Rocket (Blazy ...
What U Need Blazy Mix (Sonic Rush)
• What U Need (Blazy Mix...
Plant Kingdom Act 1&2 Mix (Sonic Rush Adventure)
• Plant Kingdom (Act 1&2...
Tropical Resort Act 2 (Sonic Colors)
• Tropical Resort (Act 2...
Stardust Speedway Good Future (Sonic CD JP)
• Sonic CD Stardust Sp...
Collision Chaos Bad Future (Sonic CD JP)
• Sonic CD Collision Cha...
Crystal Fields and Mystery Paradise (Kirby Super Star)
• Crystal Fields and Mys...
Grape Garden (Kirby Super Star)
• Grape Garden - Kirby S...
Delfino Square (Mario Kart DS)
• Video
Oki Doki!! (Mario & Luigi: BIS)
• Oki Doki!! - Mario & L...
En-trance Code (Mega Man ZX Tunes)
• Mega Man ZX Tunes OST ...
Sandgem Town Day (Pokemon D/P/Pt)
• Video
Lake (Pokemon D/P/Pt)
• Lake - Pokémon Diamond...
Route 47/48 (Pokemon HG/SS)
• Pokemon HeartGold and ...
National Park (Pokemon HG/SS)
• Pokemon HeartGold and ...
Route 4 Spring (Pokemon B/W)
• Route 4 (Spring) - Pok...
Looking for a Visitor (Puyo Puyo 15th)
• Puyo Puyo 15th Anniver...
AWAKENING (Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective)
• AWAKENING
Quarternary Game (999)
• 9 Hours 9 Persons 9 Do...
Long Dream (TWEWY)
• Long Dream - The World...
Make or Break (TWEWY)
• Make or Break - The Wo...
Transformation (TWEWY)
• The World Ends With Yo...
Sinjoh Ruins (Pokemon HG/SS)
• Pokemon HeartGold and ...
Twister (TWEWY)
• ツイスター (Twister) - The ...

[@ZaffreRevolution]

thank you for watching! poured my heart and soul into this one, and would love to hear what you all thought about the video in the comments! i'll see you next time with much shorter videos because they can't all be movies. unless...?

[@MasonRodriguez-l5n]

“Heart” and “soul” are vary specific words for a video that talked about heart gold and soul silver

[@Vulpas]

Long is good, it's a nice background video.

[@sukamadik5983]

Nintendo games can be played 15 years after launch without any nostalgia towards them and still feel great to play. Not many gaming developers/publishers can pull that off.

[@ZaffreRevolution]

@@sukamadik5983 classics for a reason!

[@rossruss6901]

The moment I saw TWEWY in the thumbnail, I had to give this video a try. Ngl this video was great. Also thank you for mentioning Starfy.

[@mindofone]

I really want to play TWEWY but I don’t know whether to play the DS version or Switch. I have access to both but I’ve heard the combat is better DS despite the content of Final Remix being on Switch. Is the DS version better?

[@rossruss6901]

@@mindofone I prefer the DS version. Mostly because the original gameplay of it is so unique to it, which the Switch version doesn't fully catch. Some pins are also changed in the Switch version of the game like pins that need you to speak or blow into the mic no longer needing so and the switch version feels a little easier. So it comes down to this, if you prefer unique gameplay or the extra story added in the switch version. So I'd say get the DS version.

[@ZaffreRevolution]

i knew i was commissioning the right character lol

[@RaxonXVI]

I see best girl Shiki I click that simple

[@silkdust8069]

Common twewy W

[@ArbitraryZer0101]

Lmao same

[@Ghostly-00]

What's she from?

[@RaxonXVI]

@@Ghostly-00 a masterpiece of a game called the world ends with you

[@senpaisazon4859]

@@RaxonXVI Masterpiece is an understatement 🤝🔥

[@JediMB]

To this day, "Calling" from The World Ends With You is still my phone's ringtone. Yet I didn't actually finish the game. I remember doing a lot of unnecessary fashion grinding, until something happened and I just stopped playing. I believe I was in the final "chapter" of the story, though.

[@maxwassermann3171]

The DS isn't my favourite system, but it had some of the best games I ever played on it, especially The World Ends With You and the Phoenix Wright trilogy.

[@Brianycus]

The DS was the best console ever. You really did have everything you wanted in that Console. Pokemon of all kind, be it Mystery Dungeon,Rangers, and the mainline. You had Mario & Luigi Partners in Time AND Bowser's Inside Story, the best of the best of the series. The Worlds Ends With You? That's what brought me into full on RPGS because of how awesome that game was as well as the remakes of Final Fantasy III and IV. Sonic Rush was so much fun and energetic too, intrudcing us to Blaze. And KIrby had Superstar Ultra and Squeak Squad too. Truly, the DS gave us EVERYTHING.

[@Ozzianman]

*It even had CoD Zombies through Black Ops DS and an online arena shooter with voice chat through Metroid Prime!*

[@FlareFoot57]

It's wild how good the Ds catalog is and how well those games hold up to this day. I began my revisit of the DS with my adult lenses and adult money a couple years ago, checking out games I grew up with and games I never got around to. Those DS Castlevania games are insanely good. The console's capabilities/limitations also made for some really interesting visuals, being hybrids of 2D sprite perfection and 3D assets. Even the low-poly fully 3D stuff is super charming to look at, particularly Dragon Ball Origins.

[@ZaffreRevolution]

visuals played a bit role into my enjoyment as well. it felt very similar to the 6th generation of home consoles with the limited 3d capabilities on top of stellar pixel art, and much like those home consoles, i adore that art style

[@orangeslash1667]

@@ZaffreRevolution There's also the Castlevania games on DS.

[@DrezziiiTV]

I think 999 might be exactly what I’m looking for in a DS game right now. You’ve convinced me to try it out. 🙏🏼

[@CocoBytes64]

Loved the video! I didn’t grow up owning a ds but I definitely grew up around them for sure! Friends on the school bus, lunch table, visiting relatives etc. I was always fascinated by them and was still happy to play it when I finally got one from a friend as a teenager! He even through in heart gold which I consider myself so lucky to experience, it was insane to finally have a game to link up to battle revolution and see the mons in 3D! To this day I’m still going through the ds games I didn’t get a chance to play on my modded 3ds. This really was nintendos best handheld!

[@apukami3643]

Inserts "its been 8000 years" pokemon meme. Glad you back

[@ZaffreRevolution]

@@apukami3643 hey it hasn't been thaaaat long since the last video, we're getting better slowly but surely

[@bowloflentils]

Great video 👍 The DS is one of my favorite game consoles and watching this video really brought back a lot of nostalgic memories.

[@acebreaker7]

The DS will forever hold special memories for me for both multi/singleplayer games. Holds some of my favorite games of all time being Kirby Superstar ultra and Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Explorers of Sky

[@ZaffreRevolution]

@@acebreaker7 super star ultra is such a fire game. it just is kirby incarnate, and the mystery dungeon games look great

[@Lumine_Zero]

I've been indulging in many older games and untouched franchises for years due to my young age, but no matter how far I go towards that path, I will always hold a special place in my heart for the DS and 3DS systems. Even today I still find games from the DS library that I never played before that manage to make me fall in love with the console even more. Watching this vid helped me remember those times, the times that helped me get into gaming as a whole. Thank you for shedding light on the best handheld system ever made (as well as the best game on the best handheld, TWEWY is a freakin' JAM and remains my favorite game of all time).

[@ThirdPillarDS]

One hell of a journey with the dual-screen wonder! There's like... close to 3,500 games that released on the DS in its lifecycle so don't feel too bad that you missed a few key titles. The DS was truly a system for everyone, from all walks of life.

[@Lilylaina]

I love TWEWY so much. I played it when it first released and still listen to the soundtrack now. I dreamed of visiting Shibuya and was finally able to a few years ago - I made sure to visit some of the locations from the game, like the 104 (109) building and the Hachiko statue.

[@TailsGt1]

Player Expression mentioned, we move. 😎 I appreciated how personal this video got. Feel that is something missing in the landscape where everything needs to have a objectivity and orderly structure. It was messy and devoid of that aspect (for the better). Reminded me of the days when I was growing up with the system. So many fantastic games released during this era that I both played and have yet to play (Don't worry, TWEWY is on that list still). Glad you're taking your time with videos, Mr. Revolution. Quality shows. 💖

[@ZaffreRevolution]

so glad to hear that, thank you for saying that. messy, personal videos are what made me want to get started in the first place so i'm glad to see they still have a place on the platform

[@heahay]

I have the exact same opinion on drawn to life! I had it rented as a kid , so it was never completed. So many good memories :)

[@ThatGuyOnTheSpectrum]

Banger video dude reminded me all the DS games I played and still play to this day and made me love certain genres like roguelikes and JRpgs.

[@youreyesarebleeding1368]

Man, this video brought back some memories of games that I haven't thought about in like 15 years. Your parents had good taste by getting you SM64 DS and Sonic Rush that christmas. Those were two of my favorite games as well. I also liked DK Jungle Climber, the Mario & Luigi games were my introduction to RPGs, Yoshi's Island DS, Kirby Mass attack, Mario & Sonic at the Winter Olympic games 2010. I even played "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Defiance" on my DS... not so sure that one would hold up to scrutiny today, so I probably won't play that one again and will just continue to wear the rose tinted nostalgia glasses :D

[@tyrellmcnary1703]

When Tales of Arise came out I was on your channel everyday waiting for your review. Glad your back at it

[@n1ck_real]

then nintendo ds was a great console. i remember one of my cousins had an extra one and we were playing mario kart ds and mario party A LOT during my childhood. download play was the best feature to ever exist in a nintendo console. of course i didnt grew up with the pokemon games as much (except like firered) but my cousin was extremely invested into it. he owns both gen 5 games black n white and black n white 2 along with heartgold and soulsilver the gen 2 remakes. of course as i started growing up i was getting invested into emulators since i never really owned a ds and started discovering a ton of games by myself. not to mention that i might get a 3ds for christams to get a proper experience out of those games. it just sometimes doesnt really feel natural to play those games on a pc or a phone if you know what i mean! honestly, i really enjoyed your video man. i might not have experienced the full NDS nostalgia but it was really fun to watch.

[@slsvassmith6378]

Maaaaan it’s always great to have you back! Loved the vid as usual and I can’t wait to see more like this

[@IsaacCosmic]

I had this white cartridge with a micro SD(or whatever was similar 18 years ago) in it called TTDS. It had 45 games pre-installed and I have no idea where my mom got it. It gave me a chance to play so many games I never would have as a kid like SonicDash Adventure, 2 different Final Fantasy games, Pokemon Dash. And even some heavy hitters my parents wouldn’t have shelled out money to buy me like Pokemon Explorers of Darkness and Mario Kart DS. I still have it, I just need a DS Lite or original for it to work. Haven’t played it in maybe 14 years

[@CuteAndFunnyFan]

Nice to see a sonic rush adventure fan

[@ZaffreRevolution]

yeah that game rules, super underrated

[@HybridAngelZero]

New Zephre video let's go!! The DS really is an amazing system, and as a 90s kid, for me, I always felt like it really kept the spirit of the PS1/Saturn/Dremacast alive, and also my love of pixel characters on 3D backgrounds. Of course, for me, I played a LOT of RPGs on the thing, Final Fantasy III, Solatorobo, Super Robot Taisen, the Dragon Quest games and many more, it basically kept me fed through the notorious Dark Age of the PS360. Sonic Rush was a hugely important game for me, as well, though I never did end up picking up its sequels... but I did end up picking up Sonic Chronicles... -_- Of course, Pokemon was a big part of my DS life, though at that point I was mostly playing it alone. Most people I grew up with dropped the series after Gold and Silver, and younger friends from work etc had zero interest in the DS, as this was the peak of the "Nintendo is for babies" mentality. The puzzled looks I would get when I said I was into gaming but didn't like CoD xD And of course TWEWY was huge, and still is one of my all time favorite games. Oh, and one last thing, don't think your opinion is somehow less valid for being one of the younger people in the gaming KZbin sphere. Your viewpoint is so valid, and you and some other reviewers and your age range have helped me give a second chance to games I had outright dismissed or didn't even think to look into, and I appreciate it so much! The gaming world needs more diverse perspective and opinions, and yours is super valuable!

[@FinnishDuck15]

It's a mark of a great video when one of your favorite games (Ghost Trick) jumpscares you in the latter half of it lmao I can't actually remember much about my early days with the DS, but it was my first handheld. I remember watching a family friend of ours playing Emerald on his GBA (and even trying it myself a little), and wanting it for myself really bad (also helped by me already being into the anime at that point). Then I found out about the DS and at the time recently released Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, and so I scrounged up all the money I had saved up from birthdays and such and tried buying one for myself. This is where my memory gets a little hazy, because I think I wasn't able to buy the console + the game myself after all, but I think my mother pitched in and we were able to buy it (and I think we also ended up getting Mario Kart DS alongside Diamond as well, but we might've also gotten it later so not sure). Anyways, I didn't actually get into a good bit of the DS's library until MUCH later, a lot of my games on the console back then were mostly just Pokémon lol. It wasn't until I got into Ace Attorney (and discovered emulation I guess) that I started learning just how much there was to this wonderful little handheld, and I've come to appreciate it more ever since. I think I do slightly prefer the 3DS nowadays, if only because it can play both DS and 3DS games, but the DS still holds a special place in my heart nonetheless. Great video, Zaffre! This vid kinda felt like one Scott the Woz's console retrospective videos, but way more personal, and I think I like it more for that. The live-action bits were also a nice touch too! PS: I recommend reading the Pokémon manga past the first two arcs if you have the time! Ruby/Sapphire is pretty much tied with Gold/Silver as my favorite so far, so I recommend giving that a read at the very least.

[@ZaffreRevolution]

@@FinnishDuck15 thanks for sharing your story man, it's been really cool reading all of these. and i'm glad you enjoyed the video, the scott comparison is some high praise. wanted to surprise you with me playing ghost trick :P but yeah that game kicked ass, it's one of my favorites on the system. it's also convincing me to bite the bullet on ace attorney but we'll see how long until that comes to pass

[@calico3202]

I will forever rave on about Solatorobo - a game i found because back when i was a kid, i pirated DS games like nobody's business thanks to the R4 cartridge i had. It's a super unknown title due to physical copies being rare to nonexistent outside of japan it seems. The story is set in a world of dog and cat people living on islands in the sky and you get around by airship (or your trusty heavy lifting/flying hybrid robot suit). Each place and chracter has so much personality, the controls are simple but fun and everything is just--- so full of charm! It's up on the pedestal with TWEWY and Ghost Trick, my forever kings on the console, and i wish more people even knew it existed

[@therealeugenius]

Nice one. I love the DS and especially the Castlevania games made for it. Would love to see a follow up video for the 3DS!

[@S_crook]

'The World Ends With You' was my favorite game for the DS. And I was so excited when Neo TWEWY came out for the switch, both amazing

[@Danominator]

I subscribed 10 minutes in. You have a great passion for the games you've played and it shows!

[@nomnom2407]

I owe so much to this console. Had it not been for it, none of the franchise I'm a part of today would've been in my life. It was also the ONLY console I had, so there's some bias still present (ps5 + switch < ds baby). Also had it not been for my younger cousin letting me play his ds games, I wouldn't have been where I am now.

[@AuroraSundew]

I would love to see a 3ds retrospective video. I love hearing you talk, and you share a lot of my good childhood memories, that being "The World Ends With You" being the best game for the original DS catalogue. It's one of my favorite games, but if I had to say anything about this video, is that I really think you should give the "Mystery Dungeon" games another go, as I think they are some of the best told pokemon stories out there~ I think you'd have a lot of fun with the story, even if the gameplay is mid by your enjoyment standards~

[@mr_bropo]

I need that 3DS video from u ASAP! This was awesome!!

[@PandaWilliams-ol5vt]

as someone whose a huge fan of the zero escape series i just wanna say the third title is absolutely worth your time. it does get a lot of hate, and some of it is deserved just with a couple characters, but it is still great. is also by far the scariest and darkest of the series

[@DragonGuy112]

Another great video Zaffre! DS's greater library had eluded me for quite some time since most of the games we had for the system were Pokémon games, but I always wanted to get more games for it than those. But eventually through Ace Attorney and partially Professor Layton, I started to get a better idea of how vast the game library actually was. Hell, there are still DS games I want to play long after getting all the games I "needed", like the Dragon Quest and Castlevania games on the system, Hotel Dusk and its sequel, the Kirby games... man, DS has a lot of cool games.

[@PkmnMasterNeb]

I love the DS. Being a child at the end of the GBA/beginning of the DS era, I was blessed to get a DS Lite. I played so many amazing GBA and DS games and sadly traded most of them away for newer tech. Some of the only games I kept (luckily for my bank account) were Pokémon games. Pokémon has always been my favorite franchise since playing Sapphire on the SP that my cousin gave me as a hand me down. The DS era of Pokémon is my personal favorite as well. Though I started with RSE, it’s undeniable that the DS games are superior. My personal favorite, since I was a young teen when I first played them, are BW2. Just a masterclass of pixel art, narrative, and region design. I’m so happy to see that people are finally giving them the love they deserve. I remember most of my family and friends skipped gen V because they grew out of Pokémon.

[@CroggyCentral]

My first two games were Pokémon Diamond and Kirby Squeak Squad, and I’m surprised more people don’t talk about Squeak Squad, it’s still one of my favourite games of all time!

[@eccentric_creampuff4983]

OH MY GOD. FINALLY SOMEONE WHO REMEMBERS STARFY

[@shotenno]

My favorite DS game is another code, basically a Puzzle game like 999, it uses the DS too its fullest, puzzles can be a simple slide puzzle to extreme out of the Box thinking by utilizing stuff you normally wouldn't think normally, and its really cozy, i love the music, the feel, and the Perfectly paced story with a mystery that is basically having a basic expectation of how it goes and you get blue balled, twice! Its also not a long game, it took me 6 hours on a first place through, i beat it on a second playthrough in a day with two sessions, please play it

[@psych_zuki]

Shiki mentioned 👀 If you're looking to play the other Pokemon Ranger games, the first one is pretty difficult in the way that you have to draw the circles around the Pokemon without lifting the stylus. Definitely good to play after you play one of the other ones And I'm glad to hear a defender of the TWEWY Final Remix controls. Honestly, I like to think of it as using your TV as a large scale touch screen. I totally get you on people not taking your word due to being younger. It's not that we're less refined because we experienced less than the rest, but we're far more adaptable to things that are different from the norm

[@ZaffreRevolution]

@@psych_zuki that's a good way of putting final remix's control scheme. i've played through final remix twice and even during that first playthrough sticking to level 1 on hard as soon as i could, like, the game controls well. no matter which version of twewy you play there's a learning curve and i thought we all knew that lol

[@MoonSpiritChannel]

This is how you make the best handheld console out there: quality. I knew this was gonna be a banger, and I'm not disappointed to see TWENY, 999, and Ghost Trick. But I will say this handheld has many overlooked games. Henry Hatsworth is a great platformer/puzzler hybrid, there are also many metroidvanias that are meant to be found, and Chrono Trigger's DS port was a more definitive way to play the classic!

[@DerEchteLinke]

Animal Crossing: Wild World and GTA: Chinatown Wars, definitly play those. Yeah, I had and still have a wide range of genres that I like.

[@Sam36192]

I've been on a Nintendo DS craze for over a month now, I have a small light blue DSi and I found both of my sisters old blue DS Phats buried in their closets along with some games I was looking for that one of them used to have (Mario Hoops 3-on-3, Kirby Squeak Squad, Yoshi's Island DS, Super Princess Peach). I've also been ordering some other DS games for fairly cheap prices that I haven't played before (Zelda Phantom Hourglass for example, I had a carrying case themed after it but never owned the actual game until recently lol)

[@tanookiplayer]

The DS is so cool. I had the old blue version of the DS back in 2005 with Nintendogs & Kirby & the Power Paintbrush & I remember spending a lot of time on the console. I don't have my DS or Nintendogs but I've still got my original copy of Kirby, Metroid Prime Hunters & WarioWare Touched! ever since I got them as well as Shadow Dragon. The World Ends With You is something I still love ever since I played it back at uni & yeah the controls had a learning curve but once you get into the groove it's amazing. I don't know what this revisionist history happened some people said during Final Remix's release. Great video & now its making me feel putting on my 3DS on & carry on with Hotel Dusk.

[@ZaffreRevolution]

@@tanookiplayer i had the black and blue one too T_T twewy really is the best and encapsulates why i love the system, glad everyone here is in agreement on how great it is. it's funny how two games is usually the start for the system it seems haha

[@GentlemanGamer94]

Fantastic video! 😁 I loved being taken on the journey of the experiences you've had with the system. It brought me back to my own childhood, and how the system introduced me to so many of my favorite games and series of all time. My childhood friend ended up getting me into Kingdom Hearts and Fire Emblem through lending me 358/2 days and Shadow Dragon. I loved bonding with family and friends over Pokemon Heartgold and Soulsilver. My favorite DS memories though come from the games I got into somewhat randomly. I got into Ace Attorney and VNs in general by buying a copy of the second game on a whim at GameStop. Because an IGN best of ranking had "The World Ends With You" on it, I gave the game a shot, shared it with a friend it quickly became a favorite of all time for both of us. I could go on with the anecdotes, but sufficed to say... Man, the DS was special. 🙂

[@ZaffreRevolution]

still need to get around to playing the ds fire emblem games! while i didn't really enjoy the kh games on the system, 358 days' mission mode was a banger idea that i wish would come back someday

[@GentlemanGamer94]

@@ZaffreRevolution Makes sense why the DS KH weren't your thing! After playing Birth by Sleep, DDD and the mainline games, I find the DS entries hard to go back to As a kid, 358/2 Days and Re Coded were my first KH games before moving onto the rest of the series, I didn't mind how limited the combat was! I just had fun with it for what it was and really enjoyed Roxas' story! And like you say, I hope we get mission mode back again sometime! 🙂

[@GentlemanGamer94]

Hope you enjoy the DS games when you get around to them! While I prefer later games on the series like Awakening and Echoes or earlier games like Path of Radiance or Sacred Stones, the DS games are still charming to me for what they are!

[@Beelzeblob.]

Oh man. Just a few years before, Christmas, my brother and I had opened all our gifts but our stockings. They were so heavy, oddly heavy. My god they bought us gba sp's. In the stocking. To this day I've not been that surprised by a Christmas gift lol The ds though. My personal favourite is the 3ds, only because I incluse ds titles with it. But the ds and it's peak in handheld gaming at the time cemented it as one of the best systems in history for me. First time I cried playing a video game, first time I raged, first time I fell in love with a soundtrack. Even if I skipped the ds and found it now. I wholeheartedly believe I'd feel the same.

[@AbbohBoh]

Great vid but there's a few glaring omissions: Hotel Dusk and its sequel Last Window (though the latter was only localized in Europe), which sport both a great art style and take advantage of the DS hardware in ingenious ways, and the Sonic Collection which if I'm not mistaken was pretty much the first time it was possible to play the entire original trilogy on the go in a non-sucky way.

[@SteinsGoat]

It’s as if I wrote this video lmao your opinions are on point with the ds

[@707strait]

Yeah still have a DS Polar White and when you factor in the GBA slot, the DS library is off the map. DS Lite is probably my favorite handheld ever. Fun video, cheers

[@AeroDragon2]

Seeing this makes me so happy because I had a ton of fun with my DS and the library over the years. Mario 64 DS was also my first experience with Mario 64 in general, I adored New Super Mario Bros. and Mario Kart and need I bring up how Pokémon has shaped my life?

[@ZaffreRevolution]

@@AeroDragon2 mario and pokemon had some great titles on the system, particularly the latter. i truly feel like this was the series' golden era

[@NipplesTheEnchilada2323]

28:38 I also went to a local tourney that used Battle Revolution, it was at a Gamestop, and the prize was the copy of Battle Revolution used in the tourney. I also didn't win, but it was fun nonetheless.

[@hellishangst]

POKEMON RANGER MENTION. YELLS. It was MY intro in Pokemon followed by Platinum!!! I have SO much love for ranger, especially Guardian Signs. Guardian Signs is a game I had replayed SO much and 100%ing it as much as possible for me!

[@silveramyknux241]

Ngl, my dad found Pokémon Platnum on eBay, right around we got out of quarantine from the pandemic. Which was at the time when the Pokémon games were starting to increase in prices. I think I might’ve been the one who found the game on eBay for a good price, but I can’t remember.

[@noah_ignis]

Yo whats up Zaffre back with a new video and its on one of my favorite handhelds of all time i know its going to be peak. The DS had some of my favorite games on there being Sonic Rush Adventure being a underrated game with lots of content compared to the first Rush game and it improved on the boss fights. Pokemon was so peak on the DS and Kirby Super Star Ultra was my first Kirby game ever and it stuck with me since. A lot of great JRPGs like the world ends with you and even Chrono trigger were great i still love this console to this day

[@ZaffreRevolution]

i can definitely see why jrpg's are said to be made for handheld gaming, it's nice to pick up a game and complete a dungeon or grind real quick, then close it to come back later. also pokemon will never be as good again, they really put everything into the ds games it's crazy how much content they have

[@noah_ignis]

@@ZaffreRevolution and I suggest giving the StarForce games another shot because the characters are so darn good especially StarForce 3 Black Ace which is my favorite MegaMan game

[@Zolerian]

Just by seeing Eri in the thumbnail, I knew this would be a good video. It is good seeing someone agreeing about what the best DS game is.

[@pralyuris5936]

You really don't get to comment on Gen 4 Pokémon if you haven't touched Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Explorers of Sky, the peak of the entire franchise

[@obsidianchao]

Still own my OG DS Phat from launch. Still works GREAT.

[@dmas7749]

i played TWEWY before it was in KH, so it was actually crazy seeing them in the game

[@admiralAlfonso9001]

Half way through and this video is great, I subbed because of the Skies of Arcadia video and am enjoying your other videos and I’d love to try the DS games shown in the video so far (I only have 4 right now) Also yes Pokémon Adventures is peak Pokémon

[@ZaffreRevolution]

@@admiralAlfonso9001 ayyy glad to see you stick around, that video was super fun to make as well. happy you've been enjoying the video so far

[@PelvicGaming]

Had to stop the video due to Shadow slander. ):< Welcome back...I guess. :P

[@ZaffreRevolution]

@@PelvicGaming BAHAHAHAHA had to sneak the diss in

[@harvken9332]

Im 12 and i only got my dsi like a week ago but its so fun playing games like ace attorney and nsmb ds are so fun to play on og hardware instead of emulating on my phone. I also bring my dsi everywhere and I have a friend with a 2ds

[@ninetozero920]

999 and TWEWY (along with Professor Layton and Rhythm Heaven) are my FAVORITE GAMES of ALL TIME

[@soundclock2939]

Mario 64 DS still slaps and is the definitive edition to me. Ive been fighting that war since I was seven.

[@miketorre9271]

This video is amazing!!!!! You sir get a new subscriber and a like!!!! Can’t wait for more content like this.

[@ZaffreRevolution]

@@miketorre9271 been loving seeing all the new faces. welcome!

[@thechannel7409]

Stole a ds in a GameStop back in the day and I’ve loved it ever since

[@ZaffreRevolution]

@@thechannel7409 wait a minute

[@lucrativelucas2655]

because its the objectively most innovative and fun handhelds ever next question

[@tommymaxey2665]

DS was so amazing. I still do not think we understand how big it was. I mean going from the GBA and playing super nintendo games on a handheld 10 years after the homeconsole system came out. Then going to DS and bring able to play(depends on your definition of play though) mario 64 on the go anywhere. Especially on the first ds model. But like 150+ million units. Everyone had a ds and it was awesome. I liked it when we had to buy separate electronic devices. So we had a ds for games, mp3 player for music, and a flip phone for a phone(but don't you dare use any minutes because your mother will kill you if you go over the limit). Instead of all of it being on a smart phone which breaks if you drop it on carpet slight above 4 ft. Im in the same boat as you though. When someone says DS i immediately go to the DS lite model. Yeah the DSi was cool, i never had one, but i liked my old gba games. I remember getting my ds. My mom got some used ones from another family we kinda knew. I had a fire red DS lite and a few games. I got Sonic Rush and How to train your dragon. I loved my ds for the first 5 days after christmas then it stopped playing ds games. Upon further inspection by older me the ds connections pins were corroded to hell and ruined all my og ds games. So even when i got a 3ds my ds games still didnt work. My brother got a black one(his could of been new because his actually work) and got new super mario bros. I remember my neighbors got ds too. I would go over to their house and i would play new super mario bros multiplayer with my neighbor. They had different games than us like mario party DS. Man thats a good and underrated game. Minigames are fun and its a mario party game with a good single player(crazy). Missed out on pokemon so im kinda pissed about that. Mainly becauss a copy of Heart Gold is $100 now. I remember getting a scholatic magazine from school and i somehow convinced my mom to buy me a game off of it. So yeah im old enough to remember buying a game from a magazine/catalog and getting it in the mail. Jeez i feel like a pioneer who remember using a Sears catalog. The ds multiplayer was good. Local was great, im not sure how internet was because i never did that as a kid. Having the ability to play multiplayer games without your friend owning the game was a major nintendo W. How many times have you wanted to play any mp game with your friend only for him not to own it. Download play was so cool. Just a little demo like version and next thing you know your friend is asking his mom for the game. Also pictochat was funny. I wish i could used it at a sleep over with my friends. I should do that now with my friends. Take their phones from them and give them a ds and have that be our form of communication at a sleepover in our 20s. But yeah the DS was fucking awesome. It was a great time for gaming and the ds was peak handheld gaming. We just had internet but every game still needed to be shipped whole. Local wireless multiplayer worked flawlessly. And the system it self was amazing. Durable, sleek, and the battery life was amazing. Also Metorid Prime Hunters is fucking awesome. How they got this game to work on the ds was insane. It looks insane and plays so well. Nintendo was on some different stuff during the time

[@Jack-nj9pi]

Always love veterans showing the ds love is hands down the best portable system ever next to the psp and ill die on that hill especially if u mod it and play with those extra features and get access to all those cool hacked gems like mario kart and pokemon. Like come one being able to play mario party with just one card with 4 friends was a game changer as a young kid. I love this system

[@tydog_22]

6:43 DBZ Dokkan Battle mentioned POG

[@johanmotta1897]

I recommend "Battles of Prince of Persia" and "The Nameless Game 1/2" (Psycological horror) 😊

[@TheAlexgallardo2000]

God I used to take my DS everywhere ! He was my baby Mario party/Bros/kart were my entire childhood 😭😭😭

[@BardockSkywalker]

Hey, Zaffre. It's been a while Also, holy shit that 1980s/1990s art of Shiki looks soooo good! Who made it?

[@ZaffreRevolution]

@@BardockSkywalker link to the artist in the description! she's incredibly talented

[@BardockSkywalker]

@@ZaffreRevolution Cool

[@franciscobutte]

After the 3DS dedicated handheld games disappeared. On the Switch you play home console games on portable mode.

[@Vulpas]

DS was the best handheld console, GBA is more nostalgic to me and a close 2nd, but it was mind-blowingly good. It was the first system I bought with on my own as a teen. Hotel Dusk is the best DS game.

[@docbaker3333]

The Nintendo DS was easily the console that helped me fall in love with Gaming along side the Wii and the PS3

[@saurodinus9812]

A fellow man of culture that knows the greatness of the DS

[@Soruigi]

Another Zaffre classic! The DS fucking rocks, glad to see you appreciate as much, if not more, than me!

[@ZaffreRevolution]

@@Soruigi you know we can't be missin around here! what are some of your favorite ds games?

[@Soruigi]

@@ZaffreRevolution You mentioned all the big games I played, especially Pokemon Black/White, Kirby Super Star Ultra, and 999! And you gave the Ace Attorney Trilogy a shout out, so I appreciate that. I think the only ones you missed were Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky, Rhythm Heaven, and the Layton series! But I can't blame you, the DS is just so full of bangers

[@paulogabriel4893]

999 AND TWEWY MENTIONED

[@MagillanicaLouM]

Absolutely is up there, even beyond my own nostalgia for it. Is one of the prime examples of the medium flexing what it and only it can do alone and being the birthplace of many whack video gamey ass video games. Stands out more looking back and that it came out right before mainstream gaming devolved into the beginnings of "gritty, blockbuster" craze that's a huge blight in the industry now. Thankfully not all of the industry, but an unfortunately noticeable chunk. Though hopefully it's coming to an end soon.

[@ZaffreRevolution]

yeah there's definitely some shovelware on the system but there's even more games with tons of passion poured into them. a lot of my favorite developers brought their a-game

[@CombatFireArmsGP]

YES! Do that 3DS video!

[@saucepan3]

Commenting for the algorithm. Great video zaffre!

[@ZaffreRevolution]

appreciate that, we gotta conquer this algorithm beaat

[@benabercrombie558]

Had to pause the video when you said you haven't played the mystery dungeon games. Bro, you gotta play exploers in the Sky. Best pokemon game ever made imo. It's also got a pretty long story, too. Also, the Spectrobes games are bangers, too. As well as Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology. There's too many to count. Lol

[@Roguerobin4]

W video. But you do realize, I gotta demand you play Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky. I aint gonna lie and say it tops this list, but I am gonna say its peak gaming if you enjoy story and characters.

[@breloopharos1919]

You a gamer if you even know what The World Ends With You even is. If anyone wants to play that game, I recommend using an actual DS/something similar, it just hits different when using 2 screens.

[@mgamobilegamingamature8684]

Like you my love for Pokémon was mainly the anime and manga sadly tho I never got into the main Pokémon games I played the spin off mystery dungeon explorers of darkness as my first Pokémon game

[@erikfurudi975]

Zero Escape games are a very solid series of visual novels I prefer Ryukishi07 as a writer but Kotaro Uchikoshi is still a great name in the genre

[@ninjaoshawott1498]

Please do a 3DS video too this video about the DS was very entertaining to me!

[@ZaffreRevolution]

@@ninjaoshawott1498 i'd definitely like to at some point! this video took a long ass time to make though so it'd take a minute, and i'm still enjoying my time with this console so maybe sometime next year! gotta make sure it's even better than this one

[@ninjaoshawott1498]

@@ZaffreRevolution All good take your time for making the vid!

[@dzansuljanovic7741]

The thing with the new control scheme is that it's too easy on touchscreen and not thematic to the game at all, I literally don't care if I'm playing with shiki josh or beat my strategy will always be the same. People come back to the confusing twewy gameplay cause it just made sense here

[@Ivan210bluboi]

Sonic Rush is really good. My favourite one honestly.

[@rinarina6247]

Grew up in the DS/3DS era as well. I honestly would rather be using a DS to call and use apps than an iphone.

[@silkdust8069]

"Pirate pokemon platinum" absolutely based

[@matthewbrookeart]

If u like Archie sonic you should try the uk fleetway sonic the comic, the first few aren’t great but they get good really fast and the art is incredible especially the Richard elson drawn issues. You can find em online I’m sure.

[@haychew]

Came for TWEWY, wasn't disappointed. ♥

[@quas3728]

I loved fossil fighters from ds. also kirby super star ultra and rocket slime

[@pumpkintron8969]

Rush adventure needs more praise 🔥

[@DctrBread]

dont feel bad about not playing mario 64 on n64 first, that shit was mad expensive

[@paperweight8420]

TWEWY mentioned!!

[@SparkstarScope]

>notice Star Force segment >skip to it >"It didn't click with me because I hated how restricted it felt compared to Battle Network" >"so THANK GOD there was one on the DS!" >hit dislike, change video At least make an ATTEMPT to talk about it instead of featuring it in the video just to badmouth with the usual "BN but three dee!!!!" shtick. Or give it another shot. idk. Anything BUT that.

[@ZaffreRevolution]

@@SparkstarScope i also said that i thought this when i was a kid and said i'd give it a fair shot but i guess you skipped that part too lmao

[@Starscream32-d3w]

Nintendo ds is really is best gaming console ever I still have in hand and it still work as always :) the game i been playing is Kirby squeak squad that game is so fun and relaxing ☺️