Pokemon Spin-off DS games; how are they?

[Togath]

While looking through local stores collections of DS games, i noticed a few Pokemon spin-off series that I'd been pondering trying.
The two main ones I was wondering about were the Pokemon Ranger Series, and the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon series, since both seemed to have kept going well, and I'd also considered Pokemon Conquest, since it seemed like an interesting idea from what I read about it on Wikipedia.

[Sajiri]

I personally love the mystery dungeon games (not so sure about the new one, havent tried it). The dungeons can get a bit repetitive, but the story is always very sweet (I admit, I cry at the end of them each time even when I know what happens).

Ranger is pretty good. The first one's capture mechanics can be kind of difficult (particularly legendaries) just because you cant break a loop. I enjoy ranger alot but its not as replayable as MD to me

[Aotrs Commander]

I've played both the first Ranger and first Mystery Dungeon. Neither held my interest for very long - admittedly, the former because I bought it to have something to play on my brand-spanking new DS before Diamond and Pearl came out, and then never looked at it again when they did. Mystery Dungeon I found to be too repetative game-play wise to get very far into it and after I apparently lost all my items (must have died or something) I sort of shrugged and gave up.

That said, I don't think they were bad games as such - I do have a nasty tendancy to acrue more games than I ever play all the way through anyway (I have five Pokemon games from Gen IV to V I've not "finished" (i.e. beaten the league) and more JRPGs on DS, PSP and PS2 at half-finished than I can shake a stick at; even PC games, which have a higher probability of getting played through, can sometimes lie fallow for years before they get completed...)

[Maryring]

Love PMD.

Love Ranger.

Love Conquest.

Love them all.

That succinct enough for you? :smalltongue:

[Mewtarthio]

Holy Magikarp, there's a Pokemon game where you play as a warlord battling Oda Nobunaga? How have I not heard of this?

[Gaelbert]

Pokemon Conquest is amazing. The tactical elements aren't particularly advanced (but it doesn't sound like you're looking for that), but I definitely put way too many hours into that one.

[Togath]

I'll probably give all three a go then.
I actually did go and get one of the Pokemon ranger games(since it was cheap at the store I happened to be at, though I don't know which [numerical] one it is, whichever "guardian signs" is), and have been enjoying it(the boss battles are surprisingly fun)

[Sajiri]

Guardian signs was the newest one I think. It goes Pkmn Ranger- Shadows of Almia (or something like that)- Guardian Signs

Mystery Dungeon is Red+Blue-Time+Darkness (then these two had a later version which was Sky which added some extra stuff to the game)- then whatever the newest two were called, as far as I know though the new one only lets you choose between 5 pkmn to play as, the unova starters, axew and...pikachu? I assume it was pikachu.

The others allowed any starter from all the generations (to whatever generation it was upto when that game was released) and then some others like eevee, vulpix, munchlax, skitty, etc

Personally of all the ranger and MD games, MD: Explorers of Sky was my favourite....now I want to play it again

[Togath]

Aye, I was planning to start with explorer's of the sky.. once I find a copy anyway(looks like I'll need to order it online.. even most of the used game shops near where I live don't seem to carry the series very often[heck, few of the stores, not just used game shops, even have just the newest one])