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One of the great features of the new Nintendo 3DS is its backwards compatibility, which allows the playing of original Nintendo DS games on the new system. With the 3DS now in our hands (you have picked one up right?), and development of DS games likely winding down to just a trickle, now’s a great time to look back at some of the best DS games that saw release for Nintendo’s first stylus-toting handheld.
These are just some of the games that deserve to make the transition to the 3DS with you, or deserve to be picked up even today if you missed out on them the first time. With so many outstanding games released over the DS’s lifespan though, this is by no means an exhaustive list. Note that the 3DS’s 3D effect does not work with DS games.
 | New Super Mario Bros$34.99 $19.95 |
New Super Mario Bros. is the second best selling, non-bundled game of all time for a reason; it’s classic gameplay is simple, yet extremely creative, fun, and challenging. This new version of the classic series does everything right. It retains enough familiarity with the older 2D games in the series, while adding in just enough new quirks to keep things fresh and fun. The core gameplay involves the usual Mario manoeuvrings of running, jumping, and foe stomping. Several old and new powerups exist to help Mario out in times of need. And special moves have been added to help uncover some of the game’s most challenging secrets. New Super Mario Bros. is a must for every gamer, and will help tide you over until the 3DS sees its first major Mario release.
 | Mario Kart DS$39.99 $18.49 |
Mario Kart 3DS is in the works for later this year, but until that glorious day comes, you can’t go wrong playing the death out of the DS version. No matter how many versions of this game I play, they never get old (and I’ve played them all). The incredibly ingenious and challenging track designs, non-stop action, and great multiplayer modes are the hallmarks of all Mario Kart games, and are present and accounted for here as well. Hitting your friends with a red shell just never gets old.
 | Pokemon - White Version$34.99 $27.49 |
The newest additions to the incredibly popular Pokemon franchise were released on the DS just before the 3DS itself was released, making them the perfect introduction to DS games on the 3DS. Pokemon White and Black come stuffed with hundreds of Pokemon to capture, and some intriguing new battle modes to spice up the otherwise traditional monster catching mayhem, all of which takes place in a vast and exciting new realm. Slightly improved graphics and sounds round out the package. Do you have what it takes to catch em all?
 | The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks$39.99 $13.45 |
Spirit Tracks is the latest Zelda game, and despite some criticisms of its train travelling system, offers up all the great Zelda action we all know and love. Spirit Tracks offers a new companion in the Phantom, who can help Link dispatch his foes. Similar to the Etrian Odyssey games, players can make notes on the interactive map with their stylus, highlighting explored areas, or places of note. Several new items also serve to make the gameplay and puzzle solving as creative and challenging as ever.
 | Chrono Trigger$19.99 $17.76 |
This classic RPG was originally released for the Super Nintendo way back in 1995, in a rare collaboration between some of the top minds from the Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy series (years later they would actually merge into one company, but at the time they were separate and considered fierce rivals). Chrono Trigger tells the time travelling story of Crono and company, as they uncover the future destruction of the world from a menace that has existed since the dawn of humanity. An outstanding soundtrack by Yasunori Mitsuda, captivating character designs by Akira Toriyama, and 2D graphics that still charm to this day, as well as an enchanting storyline are at the heart of this game, which itself has a place in the hearts of many gamers around the world.
 | Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars$19.99 $11.99 |
If you thought you’d never see a Grand Theft Auto game on a Nintendo system, you thought wrong. And if you thought GTA would be toned down for its NDS release, you also thought wrong. And if you thought this game would be good, then you also…er, I mean you’d actually be right in that case. GTA Chinatown Wars is set in the Liberty City of GTA IV, and comes fully loaded with everything the franchise is now so legendary for. You have pedestrians roaming around, radio stations to listen to, a massive city to explore, tons of missions to complete, hidden items to find, and bad (fun) things to get into. There’s even an awesome drug dealing feature. If you want a handheld fix of GTA, this is it.
 | Golden Sun: Dark Dawn$34.99 $12.01 |
Golden Sun Dark/Dawn is one of the most recent DS releases, and is a great new addition to the series which originally started out on the Gameboy Advance. The series is praised for its incredibly inventive Psynergy system, which not only defines which abilities are usable in battle, but also in the field as well. This system allows for a great deal of character customization, and works hand in hand with the outstanding puzzles found on the various maps, many of which can be quite tricky. The graphics are extremely colourful and the battle animations are exceptionally fluid. If you are a fan of the older versions or like RPG’s in general, you should check this one out.
 | Retro Game Challenge$19.99 $11.98 |
If you’ve never heard of Atari, let alone played on one, this may not be the game for you. What Retro Game Challenge is, is an irreverent look back at gaming’s past, with several classic-styled games, all of which are original, but hearken back lovingly to the 8-bit era of gaming. In addition to these games and the challenges that come along with them and ultimately unlock them for full play, there are also dozens of magazines which provide you with cheat codes for the different games, as well as news stories which recount events both real and imagined throughout gaming’s early history.
 | Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies$34.99 $8.49 |
If you love classic RPG’s, you’ll love probably love Dragon Quest IX. The first handheld version of the classic RPG series retains many of the features which have made it a fixture on the Japanese sales charts for years and years, while adding a few new twists to the formula. One of the biggest changes is the addition of multiplayer capability, as well as a quest system more akin to western style RPG’s, a big departure for what was always a staunchly JRPG styled series. Yet the changes work, and DQ 9 melds those changes with its traditional turn-based battle system, quirky storytelling, and classical music, to create a great fusion of east and west, old and new.
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