Happy b-day, DS!

by JC Fletcher { Nov 21st 2008 at 1:20PM }

Wow, has it really been four years since the arrival of the DS (in the US)? We suppose it's not too hard to believe, since the system has evolved from an awkward, gimmicky system anchored by a Nintendo 64 port to one of the most successful and influential consoles of all time. And it doesn't seem to be going away anytime soon, thanks to occasional product refreshes (and an unprecedented, constant rush of brilliant games)

We suggest celebrating the best system ever today by going back and playing some of those launch titles. Feel the Magic: XY/XX is still as weird now as it was then!

Tags: anniversary

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Nick @ Nov 21st 2008 1:47PM

ahhh... I remember getting my first ds (and my only one) and playing that MPH demo for hours on end...

Jesse @ Nov 22nd 2008 9:35AM

Oh me too! Me and my brother both got a DS for Christmas they year they came out. Even though we both got a game or two, we both were more excited about the wireless gameplay and just played against each other all day!

I think since then though, I've only used the wireless between 2 or more people probably less than 10 times and I rarely use the internet connection. Crazy...

Josh @ Nov 21st 2008 1:47PM

Happy Birthday, DS! Even though I waited to date your slimmer cousin, you're still a winner.

Zealot @ Nov 21st 2008 1:53PM

Hah, I have that very box sitting at one end of my DS shelf. Good old launch day Phat. And I have to admit to having echoed the "awkward, gimmicky system anchored by a Nintendo 64 port" part for a good deal of time after the system came out. After tearing through Super Mario 64DS, the ol' Phat was a few clicks away from going on ebay. That is, until I bought things like Trauma Center and Yu-Gi-Oh: Nightmare Troubadour that totally validated the touch screen, and on November 21, 2008 it stands as my favorite system, with a shelfload of games and a lot of fun under my belt.

Great job, Nintendo (but mostly the third-party developers that gave it a chance)!

Mr Khan @ Nov 21st 2008 4:44PM

Oh, aye. I didn't buy a single DS game until the following June and the glorious Kirby Canvas Curse, then it started being fairly regular

Still never surpasses the Nintendo console of the era (either GC or Wii) in terms of games purchased, but its been a helluva ride

Zealot @ Nov 21st 2008 4:58PM

So glorious that I can't even find it used at a decent price, apparently. Nintendo desperately needs reprints of its early first-party (in the sense that they're Nintendo characters) DS releases like Canvas Curse, Super Princess Peach, Metroid Prime Hunters, Yoshi Touch and Go, Mario and Luigi 2, etc.

One helluva ride indeed. Yet I'm the opposite and tend to buy more for Nintendo handhelds than consoles. I had maybe five games for the N64 (rented a lot) and twelve or so for the Gamecube, but at last count I'm nearing 50 GBA games.

aj @ Nov 22nd 2008 2:43AM

A friend of mine was all about the DS, but I was like you and just thought it was a huge gimmick that was doomed to failure. My friend let me borrow his DS, though, and "Trace Memory", which just convinced me I was completely right.

But then I got hold of Fifa 2006. I don't normally like sports games, but Fifa 2006 on the DS was some kind of magic, and my friend and I had these really violent multi-player matches with his brother, and that's what made me cave and buy a DS.

Ultimately, though, I didn't buy a single game after that until Pokemon. Then I went nuts and now my wife and I have 40 games. (She bought herself a DS after watching me play Pokemon.)

Happy birthday, DS.

KaBob799 @ Nov 21st 2008 1:58PM

Wow it took my ds 4 years to start developing slight problems =p

igorponweed @ Nov 21st 2008 2:12PM

*Sigh*, I remeber how happy I was when I opened that box for the first time. It was on Christmas. Funny, I found everything for my DS before I found it. :D

elsng @ Nov 21st 2008 2:23PM

Wow. And to think, on this day four years ago, I bought the best gaming system of my life.

eatxchoui @ Nov 21st 2008 2:38PM

I still can't pass the unicycle part of xy/xx :(

leonus11 @ Nov 21st 2008 3:14PM

happy-b day DS!! best hand-held EVER!! never EVER selling my DS! not even for 1000$!! thats right not even that!!

Mert @ Nov 21st 2008 4:08PM

I'd do that, and then buy a new one.

You still have a DS and $900 to add.

Monodi @ Nov 21st 2008 3:16PM

4 years already? Jesus, I am feeling really old...

Josh @ Nov 21st 2008 3:33PM

Speaking of Feel the Magic, was The Rub Rabbits any good as a sequel? I never got around to buying it...

JBGUY2K @ Nov 21st 2008 6:09PM

Oh man, you don't know what you're missing out on. The music is even better, the games are even weirder, and THERE'S A RIVAL GIRL!! As in, you've got a girl trying to get you(though you sort of shun her) and she's trying to get in the way of you and the girl you want. It's pretty freakin epic, I have to say. I loved that series.

ViRGE @ Nov 21st 2008 3:37PM

It's a shame the DS never found its killer app. Many good games, many many more crappy games, but nothing that can singularly compel you to own a DS.

Nigeria @ Nov 21st 2008 4:30PM

Maybe you haven't discovered a killer app, but I'm sure many others would consider Nintendogs, NSMB, Brain Training, [insert game here] as their choice.

Personally, I wouldn't use terms like killer app anyways. It's too subjective and jargony.

On topic: my DS phat came with Nintendogs and it was fucking awesome, for like a week. Then I got Mario Kart and Sonic Rush and I haven't looked back. This is definitely my favourite system of this generation.