New DS/DS Classic?

[Gorgondantess]

3 days ago I realized, in a fit of strangely excellent memory, that it was the 1-year anniversary of my DS failing. (Specifically, I spilled a bunch of yoghurt all over it, washed it off thinking "hey, it's Nintendo, I dropped my GBA in a pool and it worked fine), and naturally it never worked again.)
I still had the poor thing, and decided to celebrate its anniversary in the only applicable manner: smashing it to bits with a sledgehammer.
Sadly, however, this has put me in the mood for portable gaming, and finally finishing pokemon: Heart Gold.
So, I have a few questions: first of all, do the classic DS's still work very well? A friend of mine told me that I should only buy DS lite, but a game store near my house has a (used) classic DS on sale for only 60 USD, and even though it'll be a downgrade from my sexy black and red DS, well, at least it works... but does it? How long do these things usually last?
That being said, any DS games I should pick up, as I'll have some store credit at that shop anyways (from selling all my 360 games- xbox got RRoD for the 4th time, I just got sick of it and said screw it.)
My current lineup and opinions on each are:

Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow (Really, really good.)
Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia (LOVE IT. Definitely my favorite DS game.)
Pokemon: Diamond (I thought the series couldn't possibly get worse after Ruby/Sapphire. I was wrong. Oh well, it's still a pokemon game. I'd like to get my hands on a DS just to look over my PC and my 40-something strong super-duper team.:smallbiggrin:)
Pokemon: Heart Gold (Well, Gold/Silver were my favorite pokemon games, but my discovery of EVs and the optimizer in me agonizing over them kinda ruined it for me.)
Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon (I love Fire Emblem, but relative to the rest of the series, this game is just bad. The combat's still there, the Fire Emblem-ness is still there, but everything else is totally lacking.)
Disgaea DS (I've tried to love this game, I really have, as I've always enjoyed tactical RPGs, and it's somewhat reminiscent of the GBA game Riviera, which I greatly enjoyed, but I never got beyond a resounding "meh".:smallsigh:)

That being said: anything good out? I've been looking at Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor (always wanted to dip my feet into that game) and maybe Radiant Historia. As a note, though, Final Fantasy has always bored me to tears, and I've heard that these games are very unique, which is good... but if they're unique within the Final Fantasy/stock JRPG paradigm, well, I'm just not going to bother.
Worst comes to worst, I'll just have to find myself a copy of Shiren the Wanderer (go-go roguelike! Speaking of which, any games like that?)

[Cogwheel]

Etrian Odyssey, though I've only played 3 so far. Excellent RPG.

[Lord Seth]

If the loss of backwards compatibility and the price aren't a problem for you, I'd suggest getting a 3DS. It'll run your DS games and any 3DS games you're interested in (granted, there aren't that many interested ones right now, but as it'll be Nintendo's new handheld, you'll be ready for any games that do interest you).

[Gorgondantess]

If the loss of backwards compatibility and the price aren't a problem for you, I'd suggest getting a 3DS. It'll run your DS games and any 3DS games you're interested in (granted, there aren't that many interested ones right now, but as it'll be Nintendo's new handheld, you'll be ready for any games that do interest you).

Price is a huge issue. In fact, it is the only issue. If it weren't for price, I would've just gone out and gotten a new, identical DS the day my old one died.
Also, I DO want to be able to play all my GBA games.
So: aside from an aesthetic and cumbersome-ness sense, are the classic DS's any worse than DS lite? And if yes, how so?

[Gaelbert]

Price is a huge issue. In fact, it is the only issue. If it weren't for price, I would've just gone out and gotten a new, identical DS the day my old one died.
Also, I DO want to be able to play all my GBA games.
So: aside from an aesthetic and cumbersome-ness sense, are the classic DS's any worse than DS lite? And if yes, how so?

They're not really that much worse. Just make sure the touch pad works fine, I've seen problems with old DSs with beat up touch pads.

[Gorgondantess]

They're not really that much worse. Just make sure the touch pad works fine, I've seen problems with old DSs with beat up touch pads.

Ah, excellent. Any control issues? You press a button, it doesn't go through? Most of the games I play don't use the touchpad anyways. Are they as durable/reliable as the DS lite?

[Gaelbert]

I've found them to be as durable, maybe a little more so. My lite's R button is spotty, and I haven't had any problems with shoulder buttons on the classic. Really, the only improvement from the classic to lite is the reduced bulk and better backlight. Neither of those are important enough to spend more money.

[Ogremindes]

The screens on a DS Lite are so much brighter than the original DS. Apart from that there's no functional difference I'm aware of.

[ShinyRocks]

I still have my DS Phat. It still works perfectly.

For me, anyway, the GBA slot is such a huge selling point, if only for the chance to get Gen III Pokemon across to Gen IV (and then V if I can get my hands on a second DS).

[Mando Knight]

The Lite also has an improved battery life. The darkest setting for the Lite is about as bright as the original when lit, but has about the same battery life as the original does without the light.

[Zevox]

Ah, excellent. Any control issues? You press a button, it doesn't go through? Most of the games I play don't use the touchpad anyways. Are they as durable/reliable as the DS lite?
Heavily used DS systems seem to have a tendency to develop problems with their shoulder buttons, with them either working only sometimes or just not working anymore at all. Happened with my original DS and eventually prompted me to buy a DS Lite to replace it, and I've seen people online mention it has happened to their Lites as well. So, would depend on just how used the DS in question is.


That being said: anything good out? I've been looking at Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor (always wanted to dip my feet into that game) and maybe Radiant Historia. As a note, though, Final Fantasy has always bored me to tears, and I've heard that these games are very unique, which is good... but if they're unique within the Final Fantasy/stock JRPG paradigm, well, I'm just not going to bother.
Depends on what exactly you don't like about Final Fantasy. Honestly, it has less in common with other JRPGs than people seem to assume - I'm a JRPG fan myself, but haven't been impressed with what I've played of the Final Fantasy series yet (though granted I haven't tried the most popular games from it, 6 and 7). It is, for reasons I cannot discern, the most popular JRPG series outside Japan, but it really isn't the prototypical JRPG series.

Zevox

[Mando Knight]

Final Fantasy IV is fairly good. I don't know what you don't like about jRPGs, though, so I can't comment on that. In the same vein, I recommend Dragon Quest. The remake of V is hard to get, but it's considered one of the best installments of the series. VI was finally released internationally last month via its DS remake, and IX is (I think) one of the best RPGs out there. On the other hand, you won't like Dragon Quest if you can't tolerate Akira Toriyama's (the creator of Dragonball) artwork: he did the character design for the entire series.

[Gorgondantess]

Eh, I just found any and all of the FF games rather bland. Running around and killing things in a simplistic, generic turn-based combat. Yawn. For the record, I've played 4-6. Pokemon gets a by because it's freaking Pokemon. And the customizable team is awesome, that too.

[Cute_Riolu]

I'm not sure if anyone else suggested it (I'm half-asleep at the moment), but The World Ends With You is a must for DS games.

[The Dark Fiddler]

first of all, do the classic DS's still work very well?

I switched a while ago from my old DS Phat to a used Lite because I cracked the screen heading to school one day. The shoulder buttons were a bit worn out, but that was the only problem, and after four years of use that's pretty damn good. My Lite, bought some time last year, already has a cracked hinge meaning my screen is either fully open or fully closed, and flops between them at the slightest provocation, as well as shoulder buttons as worn as my Phat. I can't give any facts, but that's my own personal experience.



That being said: anything good out? I've been looking at Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor...


I would like to say that this is probably a good idea, if you already know you like the genre. The game can get a bit hard at parts (I don't think there was a single boss I could beat at my first try until I went after the extra endings with the New Game+), but it's really not that bad. The gameplay is pretty solid, except for a few missed translations in ability descriptions (one ability says it nullifies all damage >50, when it's actually <50, which makes a huge difference), and that story is pretty good all around.

Pokemon Black and White, of course, since you're a fan of Pokemon. Not really much to say here, you know?

If you can find it cheap at your store, Elite Beat Agents is one of those games everybody should try if given the chance. It is definitely one of my favorites, and is the funnest rhythm game I've ever played. It's quirky and ridiculous, but that's not your cup of tea. I found my copy for $6, though, so if you can get a similar price to that, it'd almost be a crime not to try.


I'm not sure if anyone else suggested it (I'm half-asleep at the moment), but The World Ends With You is a must for DS games.

I'd also like to suggest this game, but with a warning that the control scheme takes a lot of getting used to. Even near the end of the game, I just let the computer control my ally on the top screen (since you control two people simultaneously, in real time), and some of the controls for the touch screen are wonky (I could never activate "scratch" pins...). It's a fun game that gave me the same feeling as Devil Survivor, for some reason (possibly the race against the clock thing), but the controls could possibly be a deal breaker.

[Gorgondantess]

What fun I've had today.
So, I go to the game store, trade in all my old xbox stuff (including the crappy old broken xbox for a nice 15 USD) and a few other things, I total about 80 USD in store credit. Whaddya know, they still have the normal DS, but they also have a DS lite for 80 USD! So I get that.
I get home, the R-button doesn't work.
Of course.
Run back to the game store, I get my money back. Don't really want to get another used DS, as it'll probably break soon enough... and something catches my eye. The Pokemon White DS bundle. Awesome, I fork out another 100 USD and just buy that, getting a nice, new, durable DS and pokemon white in the process. Neato! Everything is turning out OK!
I get home, and it's a DSi. Okay, cool, and... no GBA slot.
*headdesk*

[dromer]

first of all, do the classic DS's still work very well?

My DS phat silver that I bought the December of '04 still works perfectly. I guess its because of the screen protectors. I only get around 7-8 hours per charge, though.

[AtlanteanTroll]

Run back to the game store, I get my money back. Don't really want to get another used DS, as it'll probably break soon enough... and something catches my eye. The Pokemon White DS bundle. Awesome, I fork out another 100 USD and just buy that, getting a nice, new, durable DS and pokemon white in the process. Neato! Everything is turning out OK!
I get home, and it's a DSi. Okay, cool, and... no GBA slot.
*headdesk*

Hold on to it. DS Lite is the last incarnation of the DS to have GBA compatability.

[Lord Seth]

I'd also like to suggest this game, but with a warning that the control scheme takes a lot of getting used to. Even near the end of the game, I just let the computer control my ally on the top screen (since you control two people simultaneously, in real time), and some of the controls for the touch screen are wonky (I could never activate "scratch" pins...). It's a fun game that gave me the same feeling as Devil Survivor, for some reason (possibly the race against the clock thing), but the controls could possibly be a deal breaker.The controls really aren't that hard. Just set it so the computer takes over immediately when you stop, then only pay attention to the top screen when you have to. The only time I ever went full on manual was against the bonus boss in the bonus chapter (because, at least with the strategy I used, having the AI control the top screen *at all* can really mess you up).

[Bad Situation]

If you're still looking for games at some point consider the following:

Ghost Trick
Any Shin Megami Tensei game (there are a few I would avoid, but they aren't so bad)
Ace Attorney
Radiant Historia
Disgaea DS

[Starwulf]

Haven't read all the posts, but I would highly recommend the Rune Factory: A fantasy harvest moon series(there are 3 for the DS, then 1 for the wii, and one out in japan for the ps3). Great game series, I'm currently on the 2nd, and having a blast ^^