An RPG Bonanza: The DS Hits the Motherlode - Part 2: A Case of Sequelitis

Welcome back fellow RPG enthusiasts to another edition of RPG bonanza. Last week we looked at the many ports and remakes for the Nintendo DS, with many of the titles originally hailing from the Super Nintendo era. Of course, you might have already played those games (to death) and are looking for something a little fresher. We’ve got you covered. This week, we’re looking at the many sequels and spin-offs from established franchises available on the DS.

A continuation of the Dragon Warrior Monsters series from the gameboy era, Joker is a fun monster-raising game in the vein of pokemon with players battling monsters, capturing them, and even fusing them together for brand new ones. The game has some of the best 3D graphics for the genre and a charming musical score. While there isn’t much in the way of story to this game and there’s plenty of level grinding to be had, the game is an enjoyable play that deserves checking out.

A sequel to the original Crystal Chronicles on the Gamecube, Echoes of Time is a much more enjoyable foray into multi-player gaming with no needless delegating one character to carry around a crystal chalice (if you’ve played the original you’ll know what I’m talking about). The game is light on story and its villain is easy to spot a mile away but despite that, you’d be hard pressed not to continue playing with the enjoyable gameplay, excellent graphics, and fun multi-player mayhem to be found.

One of the few sequels to a Final Fantasy title (other than Final Fantasy X-2 which was awful), Revenant Wings is a direct sequel to FF12 with much of the cast returning for a whole new adventure. While the game has changed gears from a turn-based RPG to a strategy-RPG, the game is much more successful than the ill-conceived X-2. With a charming cast, enjoyable story, and enough Final Fantasy fan service to choke a chocobo, Revenant Wings is a fine game worthy of the Final Fantasy title.

Don’t let the new mission-based format fool you, this is Kingdom Hearts at heart (pardon the pun) with some truly excellent graphics, a well produced soundtrack, and interesting story-line. Even though the story tends to drag due to the mission based nature of the game as well as being repetitive at times, 358/2 Days is a fine game to sink your role-playing teeth into with many of your disney favorites making an appearance such as Aladdin, Beast, Jack Skellington, and more.

The third entry in the Mario and Luigi RPG franchise, Bowser’s Inside Story is a love letter to everyone’s favorite princess-kidnapping, fire-breathing, spike-shelled baddie. While the plumber brothers do get some face time, shrinking down into Bowser’s insides, this is Bowser’s game through and through. With one of the best battle systems of any RPG on the DS as well as an excellently written and humorous story to boot, Bowser’s Inside Story is not only the best of the franchise but also one of the best role-playing games for the system. If you enjoy this game, also be sure to check out its predecessor Partners in Time, also for the DS.

The MMORPG craze hits the DS in the form of PZ0, a dungeon-crawling RPG with the ability to play with other players over wi-fi. The game certainly won’t win any awards for its very loose story but the excellent graphics engine, enjoyable and addictive gameplay, and sheer fun of playing with others online will surely make up for it. It should be noted that unlike Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time, you don’t absolutely have to have a friend code to play with other people. So if you’re like me and have no friends with a DS (sniffle) then you’ll surely find someone to play with anonymously.

Another fine tuning to the Pokemon franchise, not much is entirely new in Platinum so if you’ve played a pokemon game before, you’re not going to be blown away by some new revelation. Despite that fact, Platinum is just as addictive as its forbearers with plenty of pokemon to catch, trainers to defeat, and gym leaders to overthrow all in the name of badge collecting. If you’re looking for some serious bang for your buck, this game is it.

One of the best RPG’s for the DS, Devil Survivor takes a similar change of direction like Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings and goes from a traditional turn-based game to a strategy-RPG. Don’t let that scare you away though as the game still has plenty of monster raising, fusing, and battling to be had. With a dark and more adult plot than most RPG’s for the system, this is a game that’s sure to be enjoyed by older audiences and rightfully so with its higher-than-norm difficulty . If you’re looking for a solid RPG to get into with a great story, addictive gameplay, and an enjoyable cast, Devil Survivor is the answer to your demonic prayers.

If you can get past the super-deformed characters and utterly abysmal voice acting (which warrants muting the volume), you’ll find a game worth investing time in. Sure the game isn’t as good as past Suikoden titles but the game still proves worthy of the franchise name with an entertaining story, excellent graphics, plenty of anime cut-scenes, and the return of the 108 starbearers (characters you can recruit).

I’ve already reviewed this game so I’ll keep this short. If you like boobs, you’ll like this game. If you don’t, there’s still plenty to enjoy about this game with its very entertaining combat, light story, and quirky cast of characters.

Another game that has been reviewed. This game, like some others on the list, takes a turn from traditional gameplay to strategy-RPG gameplay with general success. Whether you’ll enjoy this new genre change is debatable but one thing is certain, on your first playthrough, be sure to sacrifice a party member with your plume. The plume is essentially an item that kills one of your party members but in doing so, allows you to gain game-saving abilities that will often prove to be a lifesaver while on future missions. So, if you find yourself turned off by the extreme difficulty (like I was at first), stack the odds more in your favor by sacrificing one of your teammates.

That’s it for this week, stay tuned next week for the next entry in our ongoing look at the RPG’s of the DS entitled: And Now For Something Completely Different…