The 10 best DS games of 2008

The thing with the DS, particularly in 2008, is that while casual observers can't help but notice there is no shortage of games for the lovable system, anyone paying closer attention will realise the quality of the majority of these releases is so low that they would fail to keep the attention of members of the most secluded tribes of the Amazon Rainforest.

That said, there are still numerous developers around the globe willing and able to craft the kind of gaming experiences that would so captivate the same indigenous groups that they would most likely fail to notice their village becoming a victim to deforestation.

Those are the sort of games we've obviously considered for our annual Top 10 of best titles to be savoured on Nintendo's handheld. As ever, we've tried to keep the list reasonably broad with regards to genres as well as come up with a final selection that takes into consideration how time may have affected our perception of the games in question – particularly with regards to those which turned up in the early months of 2008.

Also familiar has been the difficulty in turning away the selection that just failed to make the final ten. Things like Rhythm Heaven, Chrono Trigger, LEGO Indiana Jones, Space Invaders Extreme, TrackMania DS and Soul Bubbles are certainly worth checking out by those who haven't already.

So after much scratching of chins, we've come up with our selection, which you'll find below. Obviously feel free to add any you feel we've missed out in the comments section – together, we'll get the great DS crowds playing the stuff that's worth investing time and money in. Because what are we without dreams, after all?

The ten best DS games of 2008

10. Ninjatown Developer: Venan Publisher: SouthPeak Interactive You may laugh, but much as we try, we can't keep away from Tower Defence type game for too long. And cute and colourful as Ninjatown is – the reason you're laughing, obviously – it's also one of the more astutely and impressively produced examples of the genre we've enjoyed this year. So while you're mocking, we'll sneak another go in and encourage you to do the same – you may like what you find.
9. Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon Developer: Intelligent Systems Publisher: Nintendo Okay, a little on the hardcore side but for many this late 2008 arrival into the DS software catalogue has been a long time coming. And when you're looking at the glorious fusion of Advance Wars and Final Fantasy provided by this classic franchise, we'll happily include ourselves in that group of patient appreciators of strategy-heavy turn-based action. This won't be the natural choice for some but, as our grandmothers use to say, you should look to try everything once.
8. Bleach: The Blade of Fate Developer: Treasure Publisher: Sega Load Bleach into your DS and pretty soon it's slapping you round the face. For one, it's a licensed game (on a popular Japanese anime series) that isn't rubbish. Slap! Recover from that and you'll then notice the combat system, which at first appears absurdly simple, actually hides a devious layer of tactical finesse. Slap! Ouch… er, let's just quickly finish up while we have cheeks left by saying that it's one of the finest handheld beat-'em-ups around, and one of the very, very few on DS. Sla– hey, that's enough of that now. We all get the message.
7. Race Driver: GRID Developer: Firebrand Games Publisher: Codemasters The concept of taking one of the finest racing experiences on home console and attempt to recreate it on the humble DS is the sort of thing you'd come up with in the pub. You know, once well over the limit. But Firebrand Games has managed to do something quite special here, implementing one of the most comprehensive handling systems yet encountered in a DS title. Oh, and it's managed to ensure the game's many other components are more than up to speed, too. Convincing proof that the days of the DS not being able to manage racing games are now well behind us.
6. Advance Wars: Dark Conflict Developer: Intelligent Systems Publisher: Nintendo We've spent so many, many hours with Dark Conflict that we had to double check it hadn't come out prior to 2008. As one of the earliest must-play DS titles of the year, you'd think its over-familiarity would have dented its appeal but the tactical brilliance of Intelligent Systems' creation keeps us coming back for more. In fact, firing it up again for appraisal with regards to this Top 10 has set us off on another campaign. And we're loving every minute of it.
5. Professor Layton and the Curious Village Developer: Level 5 Publisher: Nintendo Yes, it's one great series of puzzles masquerading as a story-driven adventure (and one whose conclusion many players will begin to suspect not too far into proceedings). Yes, a number of the brain teasers stem from an identical concept – they're often simply variations with regards to difficulty. And some won't entirely convince with their 'logic'. But all of the above is missing the point. Professor Layton's charm will still captivate lovers of the genre in a way that few games can.
4. The World Ends With You Developer: Square Enix Publisher: Square Enix Look, it's part shopping sim, part RPG in which the protagonists –hardcore fashionistas – are invisible to Tokyo's inhabitants and can therefore only communicate by reading their thoughts and implanting suggestions. If that's not enough to have you adding The World Ends With You to the shopping cart of your favourite game e-retailer by now, then there's really little hope anything else we type here will convince you to do so.
3. Bangai-O Spirits Developer: Treasure Publisher: D3Publisher Treasure, Treasure, Treasure. There's a reason for that name, you know. Bangai-O Spirits proves it, just as it did when the game was originally released on the N64 some ten years ago. It's a shooter in which each level forms a puzzle that requires as much thought as it does ammunition. We could go on about the tight game mechanics, the joy of the control dynamic, or the near-endless level of depth. Instead, we'll mention Treasure's decision to feature a massive mech as your avatar but then zoom the action out so that it appears as a tiny 'Micro Machinist' onscreen. That's the kind of inspired approach that gets us to fall asleep with a smile on our sweet, sweet faces.
2. Viva Piñata: Pocket Paradise Developer: Rare Publisher: THQ On the format it should always have been on (Microsoft released the franchise on its 360 way before the console had a chance to procure itself the audience the title was mostly aimed at), Viva Piñata is essential entertainment for DS owners. Confused by the title? Don't be. You create a garden with the aim of attracting piñatas – you know, the Mexican sweet-filled paper animals used during celebrations which are usually beaten by over-excited children. Get them to like your garden, get them to stay, get them to bring a friend and you get a new little piñata to entertain. If you're reading this with a raised eyebrow, let's just accept the fact you're unlikely to ever to succumb to this game's brilliance and suggest you move on to the selection below.
1. Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution Developer: Firaxis Publisher: 2K Games You'd think that squeezing a Sid Meier gamer into a Nintendo DS cartridge is probably very much like asking Amy Winehouse to keep off the illegal stuff – pointless. Thankfully, there are more optimistic souls on this planet than us and the result is Civilization Revolution, a remarkable strategy game that – at its most basic – sees you pitting one civilisation against another. Is it any better than the other, already superlative, entries here? Well, it's a vast, incredibly layered and exquisite effort that has kept us busier and more consistently entertained than probably any other DS title in 2008. As such, it tops the pile.