Last of my “Girl Gamer Recommends”
series, the portable games! The only portable game systems I have are
the Nintendo DS and 3DS so sorry for any PSP players out there (or
are there any...)! I can't say enough about how much I LOVE my 3DS. I
love the extremely wide range of games that are available, from just
about every genre imaginable. I really love the way Nintendo
incorporated Miis into the 3DS, and the Street Pass feature and
mini-games are awesome! The 3D feature isn't at all distracting
because you can adjust it for yourself, or turn it off entirely. I've
never had a problem with their webstore, and (again) they offer a
seriously large selection of down-loadable games there too! I might
have to get a new one though because I recently saw this on Tumblr!!
Being the Nintendo, hardcore Mario fan that I am, I am REALLY
tempted!!! >_<
Also, I don't think many people know this, but
Nintendo has a really fun loyalty program. In almost all of the
Nintendo games you buy, inside is a flyer about Club Nintendo. By
registering your game and filling out a short survey about it, you
not only get to give your feedback directly where it matters, but you
also earn points that you can redeem for some amazing official
Nintendo merchandise. So far Husband and I have scored a cute
messenger bag and a 3DS case that looks like Mario's hat! Too cute!!
I actually have a ton of DS games, so
many that it took quite a long time for me to find the perfect case
for them. I kept having these guys in specialty game stores telling
me that I “only really need to take like three games with me.”
Um, no. I like to have as many as possible!! The case I have now is
from Hori and it holds up to 24 DS games (or 23 and one SD memory
card). It's also pink and needs to be deco-ed desperately. See my
associates link to the right to get your own on Amazon!
Since I do have so many games though,
I'm only going to talk about a couple... All of the ones I regularly
play, and some that deserve a special shoutout.
New Super Mario Bros.: Seriously, did
you think I wasn't going to start with this one? Love it love it love
it. Nintendo has really recaptured the feeling of the original game
with these latest incarnations and they just get better and better.
As long as they keep doing it right, I'm going to keep giving them my
money. The nice thing about this portable version are the different
options for save points. Once you've beaten the game fully through
you can save anywhere you like, but before that you have to get to
certain save points (which can be a drag if you're an adult with
places to be) but never fear, simply closing your DS will put it into
sleep mode and automatically save your place. Man I love this system
so much.
Super Mario Bros.: Downloaded for free
as a loyalty perk for buying the 3DS before the price drop, this is
the game that I play the most. Almost constantly. Of course I would.
With the exception of a few bugs that are not present in the original
game, this is the real deal. It even controls the same way. So if
you're looking to play the classic and don't happen to have a spare
Nintendo around, this is the next best thing.
MarioKart DS: This game actually came
with Husband's special edition red DS, but I've since stolen it. It
plays really faithfully like the other editions of MarioKart and it's
fun on the go. I also love racing against Husband over the Wi-Fi
connection!
The Legendary Starfy: Husband actually
bought the Japanese version of this game at an anime convention, and
proceeded to become VERY popular with the ladies. -_- Lots of, “Oh,
that's so cute, what are you playing?” “The little star has
costumes!!” “*Squeeee!*” I have to admit though, it IS really
cute and Husband eventually bought me my own (US/English) copy. It's
a basic platformer, with the exception that as a starfish, you spend
most of the time in the water. The controls are spot on though, just
different, and even out of the water Starfy controls just as well.
And yes, you do collect silly costumes for the little star to wear. I
like it when he's dressed like a shrimp.
Gabrielle's Ghostly Groove 3D: This is
my latest pick-up after Husband learned about it on GayGamer. (It's
an amazing site that covers all the games no one else wants to bother
with, but we want to play!) It's a rhythm game that's simple and easy
to pick up, but the real fun is in collecting all of the different
outfits, badges, hair accessories, etc. The story and characters are
really adorable too.
Tetris DS: This was initially Husband's
game, but I eventually adopted it and play it more now than he does.
If you like Tetris, this is fun to play on the go and there are a lot
of different variations on the classic game to try out.
PuzzleQuest: Again, this was Husband's
game first. He would play it endlessly, but he would ask me for help
with some of the skill puzzles. When I found myself not giving it
back to him once I was done with that specific puzzle... well I think
that's a good sign that I should just play it for myself. It combines
a role playing game and essentially another version of Bejeweled, but
that really doesn't describe how fun the game really is. <a href="http://penny-arcade.com/comic/2007/03/28">(Though this comic from Penny Arcade does.)</a>
Princess Debut: This was the first
“dating sim” I ever played and it was really really fun. Though I
did spend a lot of time on the phone with Husband at work yelling,
“But what should I choose!! I don't want to be alone!!” Luckily,
I don't think you CAN end up alone. It's very fanciful and a
wonderful escape. I've been thinking about starting a new game again.
The only reason I didn't start a new game right away was because I
got the ending that I had really really wanted the first time! XD
Style Savvy: Get ready... This was
Husband's game first. Actually we have two copies now. This is a sim
game where you run a fashion retail store. It's totally addictive.
You design your character, your store, what types of clothes to
carry, go shopping to stock your store, help customers, compete in
fashion shows.... ENDLESS GOOD TIMES. The very very very very very
best part is that you can connect over the Wi-Fi with other players
and shop in their stores to get limited edition or out of stock
items. Husband and I have a BALL playing this! Also, once I was on a
plane and was REALLY sad I didn't have my copy with me because a
little girl was playing in the aisle across from me and I wanted to
shout, “OMG STYLE SAVVY! WE SHOULD CONNECT!” which, you know, as
a grown woman isn't weird at all and totally wouldn't have weirded
out her mom or anything.... ha ha... At least it wasn't Husband, he
would have REALLY freaked out that poor lady. Lol!!
My Japanese Coach: I bought this to
continue to brush up on my language studies. I really love the way
that this game lets you take a placement test before dropping you in
to something that's either too easy or too hard. The interface is
also really fun, you move geographically through Japan as you
complete lessons and features my favorite place on Earth: Puroland!
There are also helpful tools included such as a dictionary for both
words and phrases. I've actually found it really useful!
Special Mentions:
BrainAge: Husband got this for me when
I first got my DS and I liked playing the brain teasers, but mostly I
used it to play Sudoku. Now that I have Sudoku on my phone and my
iPad and in books, I don't use it as much.
Professor Layton Series (The Curious
Village, The Diabolical Box): I really really really want to like
these games. I really love mystery games, but if Professor Layton is
so smart, then why do I have to solve all these stupid puzzles? And
what is wrong with these people that they can't even be remotely
helpful? I think I really just need to sit down and watch the
Professor Layton movie and let someone else play the games.
Phoenix Wright: I had the first of
these games and I really liked it, but again I was bogged down with
all the useless stabbing at scenes to find just the right thing in
just the right spot. It was also constantly frustrating when I would
know the answer and would still struggle to find the exact way that
the game wanted it presented. The characters were awesome, as were
the stories though... I just think I need to leave these mystery
games to someone else.
And that's that! Hopefully someone out
there has found something new to try our or maybe reminded of an old
favorite. Happy gaming everyone, I have a Princess to save in another
castle!!
