Looking for a Nintendo DS game that largely uses the D-Pad, ideas?

I know this is a tall order given my afforementioned hand pain (although it's gotten better lately and I've been happily playing Castlevania), but I'm trying to find a good "change of pace" from most of the games I play or have played in the past on the DS, which have largely been stylus-based. I'm looking for DPad-centric games. Only going to buy 1 for now, but I'd at least like to have one other game to mix it up a bit. Anything is on the table except for Advance Wars (the game on which I crack out sometimes).

Here is what I own.

Electroplankton
Castlevania: DoS
Ouendan
Nintendogs

I'd love to hear recommendations. I can't think of many. And the ones I can think of (Mario Kart, Tony Hawk) I'm unsure of how my hands would handle them. So maybe someone with experience with these games could tell me that. My only point of comparison being Castlevania, which doesn't hurt at all to play. Thanks.

This may be a silly question, since your name is "DSGamer" and all, but do you ever play any non-DS games? You only seem to post in DS threads....

Anyway, I don't know why you're looking for D-pad centric games if you have wrist pain. Those sorts of games will just exacerbate the problem, won't they?I think you're better off sticking to the stylus games.

KaterinLHC wrote:

This may be a silly question, since your name is "DSGamer" and all, but do you ever play any non-DS games? You only seem to post in DS threads....

Anyway, I don't know why you're looking for D-pad centric games if you have wrist pain. Those sorts of games will just exacerbate the problem, won't they?I think you're better off sticking to the stylus games.

Not a silly question at all.

First off I don't play any non-DS games, no. Mostly because even though I've had an XBox and PS2 before I never had time to play them. So I've stuck to portables the last few years. My name would have been GBAGamer a year ago.

Secondly, D-Pad centric games are harder, yes. Depending on the game. But the key for me I've found is repetitive motion, which can be bad regardless. So like I can type fine, just so long as I take breaks, don't hammer alt-tab incessantly all day (we programmers tend do that sometimes, switching between browser and IDE). That's working well.

So variety is a virtue. Thus my desire to have at least a couple games that aren't stylus.

I think you should take a break from gaming. If you're always looking for new ways to avoid hurting your hands, perhaps you should give your hands a rest.

I haven't played it yet, but possibly 'Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time' might fit the bill as to what you're looking for (if the controls are anything similar to the previous game, that is).

I also went through a good chunk of 'Phoenix Wright' using the D-pad, so you could consider that one as well.

Yup, I'd say Mario & Luigi or Advance Wars DS are the two I play that I use the D-Pad the most.

But really, you may be better off getting into reading books as well, and do that while taking breaks from gaming.

YES.

Mario and Luigi.

No stylus usage whatsoever, but a funny and hilarious game.

All I own for my DS is Mario Kart, but it would probably restore you to the 7th hell of hand pain. It sometimes hurts mine, and I don't have problems otherwise. I also love Final Fantasy Tactics Advance and the GBA Metroid games.

...and I owe SommerMatt a thread about how I've finally cracked out GTA:LCS for the PSP and it rocks, but that's unrelated. Just thought of it because we are talking handhelds.

DSGamer I thought you were playing Mario and Luigi: PiT?

1Dgaf wrote:

I think you should take a break from gaming. If you're always looking for new ways to avoid hurting your hands, perhaps you should give your hands a rest.

I'm being careful. That's all. I'm careful in everything. Have to be. I use scissors to open cereal bags (taught to me by my occupational therapist. I wear the braces. I try typing less. I think it's normal to triage everything, including what you play. I could take a break from life, I suppose, but that wouldn't be any fun. I like to be able to still play basketball, I just have to make it once a week. I like to skateboard, I just have to wear wrist guards. And I like to game, but I have to watch how much and what. That's life.

lunabean wrote:

DSGamer I thought you were playing Mario and Luigi: PiT?

I was and maybe it's just me, but I find it kind of bland compared to Superstar Saga. Oh well. I might just hang with it, given my options.

Farscry wrote:

Yup, I'd say Mario & Luigi or Advance Wars DS are the two I play that I use the D-Pad the most.

But really, you may be better off getting into reading books as well, and do that while taking breaks from gaming. ;)

Understood. But I think some of you misunderstand the situation. I talk about gaming/look into what I buy more than I play in some ways. I actually probably play 30 minutes a day, tops. Sometimes I don't play for like 5 days straight (especially after I decided Animal Crossing wasn't for me) or more. I have other hobbies. I'm a computer programmer. So I read big fat computer books often, especially while on the train to work. I read AvantGo (Salon.com, Alternet, Christian Science Monitor) daily on my Palm. I've read the entire Foundation series and Robot series by Asimov (I just got into him) in the last 3 or 4 months. I read comic books, so I get 4 or 5 of those a week.

So I read. A lot. I read the paper every day. The daily here in Portland, plus both weeklies. Cover to cover. So to clarify. I have other hobbies. They dominate my life more than gaming. It's just that when it comes to gaming it's more of a challenge for me to find things to play. I have no problem with my Palm, the newspaper and finding new technologies to learn or books to read (currently reading Pragmatic Version Control with Subversion). I even manage to hit the gym once a week for basketball, etc. So I get out. I do other things more than I game. I just ask about games more because it's harder to find games that I like and that work than it is to find a good book or play basketball.

Woohoo! Another comic reader! I recently re-discovered comic collecting, ratcheting up my geekdom another few notches.

I understand better where you're coming from after that post now, so my advice on reading was unneeded (I thought you were gaming on the whole commute for example, figured you could throw reading in there but didn't realize how much you already do).

Hopefully your gaming options on the DS will increase in the near future as more titles are released, especially ones with short play sessions or that allow save-anywhere/anytime.

One title I should mention that can be played either with the D-Pad or the stylus that I've been getting addicted to is the Yu-Gi-Oh Nightmare Troubadour game. I dig card games anyway, and this is way cheaper in the long run than buying a bunch of cards, plus less messy (and I can play either on my own or with fellow gamers). It's not quite as great of a game design as, say, Magic or the LotR card game, but it's still quite fun (and the AI is surprisingly adept so far).

Might I be nosy and inquire as to what happened with your hands/wrists? I have severe arthritis, but current medication keeps it well under control, or else my hands are so bad I can barely hold a pen and write anything.

DSGamer, have you looked into any of the 3rd party and japanese stylus holders? They are much bigger like an oversized pen one would give a child, I found one for nintendogs by pure luck at a local EB and it helps relieve some stylus tensing for me.
P.s. How is Ouendan? I really want to buy it off you ^_^

Good lord Ganguro. That avatar is wrong on many levels. So...where did you get it?

#1 - Ouendan is never getting sold. It's the reason I own a DS.

#2 - Yes, I'm a comic fan. Have been so for years and years. Although I too got out of it for a while and just got back in about 3 years ago. I read Y: The Last Man (can be found in trades, THE best comic out there), various DC Comics like JLA, Supergirl and I read Runaways. Fun stuff. Plus I've read pretty much every modern Green Lantern trade and I just randomly go buy new trades at Powell's here in Portland, sell the old ones, rinse and repeat.

#3 - Haven't looked into the stylus holders. Is it like a bigger stylus or something? Could help. It really isn't the gaming. I had the problem before gaming. The carpal tunnel, tendonitis, etc. is caused by a number of things. Overuse in computing (I'm a computer programmer, network engineer and I write quite a bit as well in my free time), gaming and even simple stuff. Like I mentioned earlier, I learned via my occupational therapist that there are little things we do every day (little pinching, twisting motions, opening a bag of cereal, etc.) that don't help in the grand scheme of things either. I believe it's mostly from computing, but I also played college football and used to get pinched nerves in my shoulders. So you just never know.

Hey, DSG, Farscry, I've been dying to have a comics discussion here on GWJ sometime! Only thing is, I just got back into them last year (I was a HUGE collector back in middle and high schools), and I've decided to only buy trade paperbacks. For one thing, I can read and store them more comfortably. Also, it really helps me not give in to my addictive collector's personality and have to buy everything. A store here in town has a huge selection of trades and graphic novels, so I'm pretty set up.

The down side is, I'm probably 6 months behind the rest of the world on Y:The Last Man, etc., at any given time. If anyone starts any comics threads, please mark them as to whether they have spoilers.

I just discovered a great series last week - I was browsing the store and came across something called Rising Stars by J. Michael Stracyzinski. I took a chance on the first trade, and it blew me away! I'm going back this weekend to get the rest to read on an upcoming trip.

I also read Y, Astonishing X-Men, Ex Machina, 100 Bullets, Exiles...and more, but those are pretty much my favorites. One recent great read was Wanted, and I enjoyed The Hood as well.

Hey, I was noticing all the comic fans swarming, and I really wanted to get a whole thread going on this. Hope I'm not stepping on your toes, DS.

DSGamer here is what I was talking about.

IMAGE(http://image1.play-asia.com/350/PA.38447.002.jpg)

http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-...

Jolly Bill wrote:

Hey, I was noticing all the comic fans swarming, and I really wanted to get a whole thread going on this. Hope I'm not stepping on your toes, DS.

Not at all. And thanks for the pick of the stylus, Ganguro.