RPGs / Visual Novels / etc. on Nintendo DS?

[MadAngryFrustrated]

Hey, I just recently got my hands on a Nintendo DS, and this is my first piece of hardware made by Nintendo, and I figured this would be a good time to start looking around for gems that I might have missed. I just finished a game called 999, and I enjoyed it (even though the story was silly at points), and this made me lust for more story oriented games.

So, could you suggest any visual novel / RPG games that are above the rest in terms of story?

[John]

Oh man, there is TONS of good stuff on the DS in both RPGs and Adventures/Visual Novels.

First off, I have to link our DS reviews page: http://www.rpgfan.com/reviews-ds.html

Secondly, I have to suggest the following:

Visual Novels

Phoenix Wright 1-3 (and Apollo Justice) - These are on the wacky side, but are some of the best visual novels/adventures available.  They're tense and heartwarming and all sorts of other emotion-y things.

Hotel Dusk: Room 215 - This one falls on the more serious side of the adventure genre, but it's a great title from the now-defunct Cing.  There's a sequel, The Last Window, which was only released in Europe.  Still, the original DS is region free.

Lux-Pain - OK, Lux-Pain is niche even for an adventure game.  It's a science-fiction adventure... and its localization is one of the worst I've ever seen.  There's engrish and typos everywhere.  But what's behind it is really quite good.

Professor Layton & (Insert crap here) - these are much more focused on puzzles than the story, but they're all quite good as long as you don't expect a masterpiece

RPGs

Radiant Historia - This is pretty much the best RPG on the DS.  Reminiscent of Chrono Trigger w/ its timeline/time travel business.

Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes - if you have a PC or Xbox 360, those versions are better balanced, but the original is still a great puzzle/RPG hybrid.

The World Ends With You - Square Enix's sleeper hit, this is one RPG that does a lot with the DS hardware.  Its story is hit-or-miss, but if you like it, you'll REALLY like it.

Dragon Quests IV - VI, Chrono Trigger - Remakes of Super Nintendo Games.  Not much needs to be said about these.

[Dincrest]

Trace Memory.  Definitely Trace Memory.  And Time Hollow wasn't bad either.  And if you're into classic graphic adventures, definitely Broken Sword: Director's Cut.  Broken Sword's one of my all time faves.  And I thought Lifesigns: Surgical Unit was a pretty underrated visual novel too.  It's like Phoenix Right in a doctor's office.  Ghost Trick is also pretty neat.  Theresia might be worth checking out; the story is good (if poorly localized) but the gameplay is a bit unrefined.  And though some people disliked the Touch Detective games, I enjoyed them.  

I would avoid AGAIN.  It's pretty mediocre.  I would also avoid the Jake Hunter titles.  

As far as RPGs go, John mentioned the biggies.  I'd also recommend Solatorobo.  The first half of the game has a pretty standard fare story, but the second half improves a lot.  

[Bytor]

Hotel Dusk: Room 215 & Time Hollow seconded, I had a blast with both of those games

[MadAngryFrustrated]

Thank you for the quick replies!

Radiant Historia and Hotel Dusk definitely captured my interest, and I'm looking forward to trying them out! Especially the glowing review on Radiant Historia sounded very promising.

Also, I had a quick follow-up question:
Since this is both my first handheld and first Nintendo product, are there any handheld exclusives that you feel one should experience? Something that I have not been able to experience on any other platform?

[Tomara]

Since this is both my first handheld and first Nintendo product, are there any handheld exclusives that you feel one should experience? Something that I have not been able to experience on any other platform?

The DS has a lot of exclusive games. Staying within your prefered genres, Trace Memory and Ghost Trick should be obvious choices. Both make very good use of the touch screen. As for RPGs, The World Ends With You is available for iPad/iPhone, but most agree the original DS version is the best. That game is certainly unique. Contact counts too, but that's an aquired taste. Read a few reviews first.

Also, play a Zelda game. Phantom Hourglass is kind of a follow-up to Wind Waker, but story's not all that important, so don't let that hold you back. There's Spirit Tracks too. Also a good game. Like the title suggests it has a neat little train. Many oldtime fans don't like it, saying trains don't fit in with the rest of the Zelda universe, but don't let that bother you.

[cj_iwakura]

999 is definitely the best. The story grabs you by the throat and won't let go.

[insertnamehere]

Since this is both my first handheld and first Nintendo product, are there any handheld exclusives that you feel one should experience? Something that I have not been able to experience on any other platform?

First instinct is to suggest FF 4 Heroes of Light, specifically if you enjoy challenging gameplay, although this is mostly challenging because it has such a simplistic battle system.
If you're into dungeon crawling and want something really challenging, Strange Journey, Etrian Odyssey, The Dark Spire, and Beyond the Yellow Brick Road.

I've also seen positive stuff about a game called Black Sigil, and it reminds me of Suikoden for some reason.
And also that Suikoden "spinoff" but mileage may vary based on popular opinion.

Luminous Arc and Fire Emblem if you like traditional strategy, FF12 Revenant Wings for real-time strategy.

Besides those: Avalon Code, Front Mission, Infinite Space, Mario and Luigi, Pokemon Conquest, Valkyrie Profile DS, Lost Magic, Rhapsody, Summon Night, and Rune Factory.
I took nearly all of those based on these reviews, only played one or two of them.
I was gonna put a link to vndb, but they appear to have no way to sort just by platform.

[Lard]

I would avoid AGAIN.  It's pretty mediocre.  I would also avoid the Jake Hunter titles.  

As far as RPGs go, John mentioned the biggies.  I'd also recommend Solatorobo.  The first half of the game has a pretty standard fare story, but the second half improves a lot.  

Even the Jake Hunter re-release?

Maybe I should give Solotarobo another try. I got to the middle part and put it down. I was bored to tears with it.

[TiamatNM]

maybe give Infinite Space a look it has an awesome story

[Zendervai]

Solatorobo's story structure is kind of strange. The best way to describe it is that it's like CyberConnect2 wanted to make a couple games out of it, but then decided to mash them together, complete with a credits roll halfway through.

[Dincrest]

Lard- The Jake Hunter re-release was a decent apology, but it wasn't anything great as far as visual novels go.

insertnamehere- I enjoyed Black Sigil, but the encounter rate was really off-putting.  I appreciate that it is an indie RPG on the DS and is generally an above average JRPG, but it's not an AAA title.  My review says it all. 

TiamatNM- I can see why Infinite Space gets all the praise that it does (the story is quite good from what I experiences), but I simply couldn't get into it.  I found the game painfully boring to play. 

[Ramza]

If you jump on the Phoenix Wright train, also get Ghost Trick. Fantastic game IMO.

But yeah, 999 is my fav DS game ever.

[Der Jermeister]

Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes

No, don't let this poster con you into playing this overrated piece of shit. It's a trap!

[Taelus]

Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes

No, don't let this poster con you into playing this overrated piece of shit. It's a trap!

Disagree, I just beat the PC version of it, that game is fun as hell.