These are the things that continue to win me over as well. Stuff like this is just not possible on any other game system and even other touch screen devices like PDAs have never thought to do some of the incredible things Nintendo is doing with the DS. Nintendogs and ElectroPlankton are both titles I would love to own. I'm looking forward to them a lot more than other straightforward games like Mario Kart.

I'm not reall all that excited for Mario Kart. It'll be Mario Kart, possibly online. Well ok...

But these others, like the ones I keep posting about, those are my reasons to own the DS.

Have you guys seen the footage from the GDC show casing the DS? Some of the things they showed really caught my interest and made me laugh. More importantly it was the first time I could really see what Nintendo is trying to do with the DS. Truely inovative stuff there.

I wouldn't say I've done a 180 on the device, but it def. has caught much more of my attention.

I was really down on this device when I bought one at launch. My doubts and frustrations are pretty clear in early parts of this thread. Mario 64 was decent, but had me really just thinking of the DS as a mediocre portable N64. Other bad titles like Madden, Sprung, Ridge Racer and Tiger Woods hurt my opinion as well. However, games like Wario Ware, Feel the Magic and Zoo Keeper have helped to change my mind about what this system could do and the advantages it could have over any other gaming system. Some of the stuff on the horizon like Nintendogs, Polarium and Electroplankton are really turning the DS into the system I'm probably going to enjoy the most over the next year or two. Other stuff like Castlevania and FF III will be great to have, but its going to be the unique stuff that I will be looking forward to the most.

These two games have caught my eye as exactly what I love about left-of-mainstream game design and why I'm so happy with the DS:

http://electroplankton.com/

http://planetmeteos.com/

Has anyone played the new Yoshi touch and go? It got good marks, but doesn't look as innovative as the other titles Nintendo has coming. Any impressions?

One of my co-workers tried it, and Pokemon Dash yesterday for a while. He preferred Pokemon Dash. I will try them tonight and see, neither was on my *to buy* list, and from previews I have seen I think I would like Yoshi better.

Pokemon Dash got skewered on ign.com yesterday. The best thing they could say about it was something like it wasn't an entirely horrible experience.

Can't comment on Pokemon Dash since I haven't played it, but Yoshi Touch & Go is a lot of fun. I tend to buy DS games that you can play for 15 minutes at a time, say on a train ride or while sitting in a waiting room. That's the sort of game this is. As several reviews have said, there aren't really a series of levels like in Yoshi's Island. It's more like an old school arcade game where you keep playing to top the high score. The mechanics of the game are well done, and the level of challenge is surprisingly high since you have to pay attention to a bunch of things that are happening on both of the screens all at once. If you're up for that sort of experience, you'll probably enjoy it, but people expecting a full-blown adventure game will definitely be disappointed. I think that's why you're seeing a wide range of reviews - some very low and some very high. Different people had different expectations about this game.

That sounds like a perfect game type for my tastes in portable games. I like the "waste 15 minutes here and there" type of games for handhelds. I will have to check it out. What's the retail price on this game?

For some reason GameStop appears to be charging $35, but EB, Best Buy, and Circuit City all have it for $30.

One neat feature that I forgot to mention is that there are four modes of play, but you have to unlock two of them by beating the default high scores on the initial two modes. I got a high score in Score Mode pretty quickly, but Marathon Mode is a little harder, and I still haven't beaten the initial high score on that one or the Time Mode that I unlocked. You definitely get a "just one more try" feeling with this game.

What's the battery life on the DS?

8-10 hours.

I have Yoshi also, and I'm loving it. It's a perfect game for a handheld system, and fits me perfectly as well. I'd reccomend it to anyone with a DS.

At first I was dissapointed with Yoshi, and then I figured out you can blow in the mic, and 'kill' the enemies by drawing a circle around them! Now i'm addicted! Pokemon Dash isn't bad either.

Tried the Yoshi game a couple of times and really don't like it. I'm not even going to bother with Pokemon Dash. Still waiting for Polarium and Puyo Puyo.

Considering picking up Yoshi (and maybe even Dash) this weekend, since Fry's has it on sale for 25... worth it at that price? I haven't bought a DS game since Mr Driller (though I have been playing FF 1 and 2 and Zelda)

Yoshi Touch and Go is the best kind of old school: challenging gameplay with no tacked-on story or collect-a-thon nonsense. It's a perfect "pick up and play" game.

What kind of scores are people getting? I've only played for a couple hours and am not too good yet:

Score Attack - 322
Marathon - 4257

Ah, but I already have a Nintendo-DS-pick-up-and-play-game-that-I-haven't-finished-yet-because-I-suck-at-it called Mr. Driller. Though I guess it doesn't use the features of the DS quite as well. Is there wireless (one-cart) multiplayer? (not that I have any friends that have a DS, but it's a cool concept)

Yes. Buy it now. No excuses.

I got Wario Ware Touched and Zookeeper today. Zookeeper I had played on the web - just as addictive, AND you can start swapping again before the last swap is taken off the screen (took me ~10 levels to realize this).

Wario Ware is AWESOME. It is very easy, though, I have yet to lose a level after the first three. Wario Ware Games Inc was a lot harder. But this is tons of fun and certainly a put down/pick up kind of game. I'm loving it. I'm taking it to work tonight.

If this was discussed, sorry, but I haven't kept up with the whole thread. I noticed in another thread Ubisoft has "Lunar Genesis" coming out for the DS. Is this related to the Lunar series or just a similar title?

It took me two days of playing before I realized that you could swap during a past swap, makes the game easier once you realize this. Also I am glad I am not the only one playing my DS at work, I hide it and make it look like I am writing something.

I found this at DSCentral:

Ubisoft released a list of upcoming titles heading out their doors this year, among them was a game titled Lunar Genesis. Some sleuths over at Lunar-NET jumped on the ball and contacted Ubisoft for more info. According to this article, Lunar Genesis will be a completely new title in the Lunar role playing series. Hopefully more information will leak from Ubisoft soon.

Tidbits from the new issue of Nintendo Power:

DS will connect to online with GameSpy soon

Comiing soon as well:
DS Katamari Damacy
DS 007: Rogue Agent by EA
DS Age Of Empires II: Age of Kings

Holy God.

Any screenshots of the three games?

EDIT:

Here is a bad quality shot from the NP issue I found at GameFAQs: