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Nintendo officially launches the DS Lite

Sure, the DS Lite in all its bright glory brings out the highlights in the great Touch Generations games like Nintendogs, Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day, True Swing Golf and Magnetica. However, does the DS Lite play the software hardcore gamers want to play?

Not only does DS Lite offer a library of "gamers' games," the new DS form factor and screen brightness make them more fun to play than ever. Casual games are cool, but the DS Lite shines when it comes to more complex games.

First-Person Shooters
First-person shooters have come into their own as a highly popular genre when it comes to console games, and they make a successful leap into the handheld world. Most notably, Metroid Prime Hunters does an exceptional job of bringing the first-person shooter to portable gaming. You use the stylus on the touch screen to aim at targets and watch your enemies get blasted on the top screen. In addition to the main single-player game, Metroid Prime Hunters offers a feature-rich multiplayer experience whether you battle people in arenas over local wireless LAN or battle against anyone around the world through Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection online service. In addition to Metroid Prime Hunters, first-person shooter fans should take a check out the DS debut of the James Bond 007 series, GoldenEye: Rogue Agent from Electronic Arts.

RPGs
A staple of any Nintendo system is its role-playing games. Fans have flocked to Nintendo for years for some of the best RPGs around, and the DS Lite has some strong entries in this category that will have you playing for hours on end. Mario & Luigi return to handheld RPG form with Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, an epic adventure where the Bros. travel back in time to when they were babies. As they fight the Shroobs, you'll pull off special attack combos involving both the Bros. and the baby Bros. The game also features more than 20 hours of gameplay. LostMagic, from Ubisoft, lets you cast magic spells using the stylus as you engage in real-time battles. It's also playable over Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Plenty of other RPGs are on their way, including a slew from RPG masters Square-Enix, including Children of Mana, Final Fantasy III and Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles.

Strategy
Fans of strategy games will recognize two top DS titles: Advance Wars: Dual Strike and Age of Empires: The Age of Kings from Majesco. These turn-based military combat games take full advantage of both the touch screen and dual screen features of the DS, with Advance Wars centered on modern military tactics and Age of Empires focusing on medieval combat and supply concerns. These games offer hours of play that will put your planning skills to the test.

Sims
One of the biggest-selling genres on the DS is one you might not readily expect: simulations. Any good sim game not only lets you control every aspect of a character's life but offers a strong attachment between you and what you've created. Animal Crossing: Wild World has been a runaway success for the DS because it lets you have a life away from your daily grind. You might not be able to go fishing, catch butterflies or easily meet your neighbors, but in your Animal Crossing village, a friendly hello or good catch is at your fingertips. The Sims 2, The Urbz: Sims in the City and the upcoming Harvest Moon DS highlight other great lifestyle sims you should check out.

Classic Franchises
Finally, the DS is the home to several classic video game franchises reborn, and some of them even improved with two screens at their disposal. New Super Mario Bros. is being touted as Mario's return to side-scrolling glory, and Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrows has received acclaim for its incredible gameplay. Sonic Rush pushes everyone's favorite hedgehog to the edge blazing speed over two screens. Resident Evil: Deadly Silence brings the original game back to life with new touch-screen extras.

Add to these games some standout, genre-breaking titles such as Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, Trauma Center: Under the Knife and Lost in Blue and you have an incredible game library ready for you to Lite up. More in Nintendo News Browse all News