Tactical roleplaying game fans are also in luck. In addition to the aforementioned Final Fantasy Tactics A2, the DS is home to such offerings as Disgaea DS, the Luminous Arc series, Hoshigami: Ruining Blue Earth, and Rondo of Swords, as well as a number of turn-based strategy titles like Advance Wars and Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution, which may appeal to RPG fans. Luminous Arc and Hoshig
ami are fairly standard strategy RPGs and are recommended for fans of the genre.
Rondo of Swords features an innovative combat system in which players select a character, and then use the stylus to draw a line through allies and enemies. This allows that character to receive stat bonuses and other bonuses from friends, while attacking more than one opponent per turn. It is an interesting novelty; however the game itself just isn’t very good.
The true gem here is Disgaea DS, a port of the classic PlayStation 2 title that tells the tale of demon prince Laharl as he attempts to regain the throne of the Netherworld with the help of a motley crew of associates and some exploding penguins who say "Dood!" a lot. It sounds weird, but it is one of the funniest games ever made -- not to mention one of the deepest, as it has multiple endings, sports a New Game + feature, and even allows dedicated players to train characters to levels well into the thousands!
In truth, most gamers should be able to find at least one Nintendo DS RPG that appeals to them.
Fans of Nintendo’s venerable Pokemon series have the Diamond & Pearl versions of the standard game, as well as the more action-oriented Pokemon Ranger and its upcoming sequel, and three different Pokemon Mystery Dungeon titles. Speaking of Mystery Dungeon-style games, fans of those unforgiving turn-based dungeon crawlers (which usually carry harsh punishments for failure) should also check out the two Izuna games and Sega’s remake of Shiren the Wanderer.
Old school fans might want to look into the Etrian Odyssey series, which are definitely reminiscent of titles like Wizardry. Many will be turned off by their intense difficulty, but allowing players to use the touch screen to make maps is a great idea. Even gamers who more often enjoy mascot-centered platformers will likely want to check out Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time and Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood.
The wealth and variety of roleplaying titles currently available on the Nintendo DS is staggering, and things only get better, as many marquee RPGs were released at the end of 2008 and the first half of 2009. In November 2008, Square Enix brought their classic Super NES RPG Chrono Trigger to the handheld system, complete with its intriguing time-travelling storyline and its groundbreaking (for its era, anyway) New Game + feature. Furthermore, the RPG giant is readying several other titles, including a Kingdom Hearts title and Dragon Quest V. Nintendo is promising to deliver a brand new Mario & Luigi game, as well as Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon, a remake of the very first title in the series, sometime in 2009.
As if that wasn’t enough, the DS also received an entry in the formerly Xbox 360 exclusive Blue Dragon series in early 2009 as well as the promising Infinite Space, a sci-fi RPG from Sega with a heavy focus on ship creation, in early 2009.