The Top Five Budget DS Titles: Big Value, Low Price

Short on cash but still want a new game for your Nintendo DS? We here at Portable Video Gamer feel your pain and we’ve got your back. With so many great titles being released every month, some gems tend to fade behind new releases until their prices are inevitably dropped and they wind up in the ‘bargain’ bin. Sometimes games are meant to be budget titles from release date; some of them are bad, clearly demonstrating why the price is low, but others are excellent games that have simply been overlooked by the mainstream. We have searched around and compiled a list of the best budget titles that should be easy to find at your local game store for under $20. Consider grabbing one of these titles to help you keep your DS on and your wallet full.

1. Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow - $19.99

One of the best DS games was recently re-released under the ‘Konami’s Best’ line, bringing down the game’s price and delivering more copies of the previously-hard-to-find title. Chosen by many as the best Castlevania game, Dawn of Sorrow offers top-of-the-line 2D action with a deep ‘Tactical Soul’ system, lots of items and spells to collect, and excellent level and enemy designs. The game offers the main quest, a Julius Mode spin-off, a Hard Mode, a Boss Rush Mode, and multi-card multiplayer capabilities. With so much value at such a low price, anyone still lacking this title in their collection cannot pass this up.

2. Sonic Rush - $19.99
Sonic slams the DS with an old-school 2D fast side-scroller. Sonic Rush stays true to the old and successful Sonic formula while adding some neat new features that complement the action well. The game offers a single-player quest with two playable characters, filled with many levels to explore and enemies to defeat, as well as occasional boss fights. Multiplayer single-card races are fun, too. Excellent designs, very fast and smooth graphics, and great music make the experience even better. If you’re looking for classic fast-paced Sonic action, look no further.

3. Metroid Prime Pinball - $19.99

Pinball action for your Nintendo DS. Control Samus as you blast your way through many different tables filled with classic pinball machinery such as ramps and bumpers, as well as new special elements familiar to the franchise, such as enemies and even bosses. Have a good time playing the single-player mode, but arguably the game’s best features are found in multiplayer; single-card download play for up to eight players on a high-score challenge which is fun and addictive. The game includes a Nintendo DS Rumble Pack [the old rumble pack is compatible with the DS lite, even if it sticks out a bit -- Ed.] to keep you in the action, which is a pretty neat feature if you don’t mind the rumble pack’s sound. For $19.99, this game offers great pinball mechanics and lots of fun, especially in multiplayer.

4. Age of Empires: The Age of Kings - $19.99

The DS installment of the popular Advance Wars series is pretty hard to come by these days. Fortunately, another great strategy game for the dual-screened system is available for a low price. Age of Empires for DS is a turn-based strategy game featuring different factions such as the Mongols, Britons and Franks. Set on the Medieval Ages, you play different campaigns and missions with in-game storylines and many different unit types to recruit. The game’s campaigns will last you a long time and provide a good challenge, and you can also play matches against the CPU, friends with a copy of the game, or anyone up for a pass-the-DS match. Intriguing strategy action, lots of value, and a great challenge make this game worth the price.

5. Brain Age - $19.99

Nintendo’s first US release of brain training games started out slow but has become very popular since its April 2006 release. Using the unique features of the DS, Brain Age works your brain in different categories, such as memory, math calculations, syllable counting and reading speed, amongst others. You can keep track of your improvements as you practice these tasks on a daily basis, while the game gives your brain an ‘age’ which determines how active your prefrontal cortex is. The game also features over 100 Sudoku puzzles with very intuitive and easy-to-use touch screen controls, and you can test your skills against other DS owners via single-card download play for math skills comparisons. Solid design and great value, especially with Sudoku, make this game a great buy for the low price.

Many other budget titles are easy to recommend even though they didn’t make our top-five list. Here’s a rundown of a few of them:

Big Brain Academy: More brain training, with a more free-play approach than Brain Age and new ways to give your brain a work-out.
QuickSpot: Simple gameplay; find the difference between the two pictures. Fun and addictive while it lasts. Includes single-card download play to see who can find the difference the fastest.
Break ‘Em All: A nice brick-breaker, Arkanoid-style puzzle game with lots of levels and fun gameplay.
Zoo Keeper: Bejeweled-style puzzle game with addictive gameplay and great single-card multiplayer action.
Trace Memory: A good but short adventure game with challenging puzzles and a rich story.

We hope that our suggestions help save some of these budget-priced but quality games from bargain-bin hell. Next time you are cruising the sales rack at your local game store, consider giving one of these titles the good home that it deserves. Remember; don’t judge a game by its price!

Digg This