Nintendo DS party games?

September 25, 2006 6:14 PM

I bought a Nintendo DS on the weekend when I finally found a copy of Bomberman DS. Can anyone recommend other party (multiplayer) titles?

I'm a huge fan of Bomberman because of its large number of simultaneous players, the DS version supporting eight (the Saturn version supports 10!).

I'm looking for other fun DS games that support at least half a dozen simultaneous players and only need one copy of the game. Can anyone either point to some cool games like this, or to a searchable database of DS games that would let me specify a minimum number of simultaneous players and a multiplayer mode that only needs one copy of the game?

posted by krisjohn to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (15 answers total)

I think Mario Kart supports 1-cart multiplayer but the loading times are a drag. Also check out the multiplayer in New Super Mario. The main game is fun but the minigames are a blast when playing multiplayer.
posted by neilkod at 6:31 PM on September 25, 2006

Well, for starters, Tetris DS supports play for up to ten DSs with only one card.

Also, Metroid Prime: Hunters supports up to four players with one card.
posted by hoboynow at 6:39 PM on September 25, 2006

Never before have I had so much fun solving sentence based math problems with my friends.

Yes.
posted by furtive at 6:43 PM on September 25, 2006

Oh, and the party games on New Super Mario Bros DS are a hoot!
posted by furtive at 6:45 PM on September 25, 2006

For a more complete listing of games that support multiplayer of all kinds, try this list from Nintendo, of all places.
posted by hoboynow at 6:46 PM on September 25, 2006

I mean, this list. You can, of course, also filter this database in a whole bunch of ways, including by number of players supported.
posted by hoboynow at 6:49 PM on September 25, 2006

Nope, I was right the first time! Need something from furtive's link.
posted by hoboynow at 6:52 PM on September 25, 2006

Another version of Bomberman (Bomberman Land Touch!) comes out in a couple months (11/14), and will have online play over the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Kind of lousy timing since you just got the first one, but still definitely worth looking forward to.

I second Tetris for the online mode. Mario Kart less so, because most of the people playing now are experts. If you can play with others locally, the VS mode in New Super Mario Bros. is a riot. (As in, expect frantic shouting, broken windows and maybe an overturned car.)
posted by metaly at 7:20 PM on September 25, 2006

Oh, crap, my first link was supposed to be for Big Brain Academy. Guess who loses most often between me and my friends?
posted by furtive at 7:49 PM on September 25, 2006

My vote goes to Puyo Puyo Fever/Puyo Pop Fever. Ten players on a single cartridge with no gameplay-related restrictions for the downloading players. That, and, if you can find it, it's basically dirt cheap nowadays (if you can find a copy at your local EB or Gamestop, it's $15).
posted by DoctorFedora at 9:06 PM on September 25, 2006 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thanks to everyone. Some notes follow:

hoboynow: That database is unfortunately crappy for the stuff I'm trying to find out. Note that DoctorFedora says that Puyo Pop Fever is a single-pak multiplayer game, but it doesn't come up in the list of single-pak multiplayer games. I fear that many other titles also do not have their multiplayer details entered correctly.

But to you and metaly I say thanks for the Tetris suggestion.

And to DoctorFedora, I'll definately check out Puyo Pop Fever.
posted by krisjohn at 10:14 PM on September 25, 2006

My favorite multiplayer games are Tetris, Mario Kart, and Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan which is going to be released outside of Japan soon under a different name.
posted by toddst at 9:38 AM on September 26, 2006

Meteos is a great and VERY VERY fast puzzle game. Up to 4 people can play with just one copy of the game.
posted by Vorteks at 12:54 PM on September 26, 2006

I posted this in another DS thread, but it bears repeating: the version of Ouendan that's being sent to the States (and elsewhere) is not the same game as the Japanese original. Same mechanics, but different music, animated cutscenes, plot, and so forth. I played it for a bit at the San Diego Comic Con, and while it's still a lot of fun, it just doesn't have the same pure delightful craziness of the original.

I totally recommend importing it. The language barrier isn't, really, and I don't know anyone who's tried it and hasn't loved it. (Provided you aren't for some reason opposed to insane and inexplicable Japanese humor.)

Here's a link, though you could probably find another import shop online that isn't currently out of stock.
posted by rifflesby at 1:52 PM on September 26, 2006

Best answer: The latest issue of Nintendo Power had a feature article with a list of all of the DS games that have multiplayer and tell you whether it requires more than one card or not, and what kind of download play is available (multiplayer mini-game, multiplayer main game, demo of the single player game, etc). It's a pretty comprehensive list. If you see the issue of Nintendo Power on the newsstands with Final Fantasy III on the cover, pick it up (or at least peruse it while you're in the store) and it should be able to tell you what options you have.
posted by ckolderup at 8:08 AM on September 28, 2006 [1 favorite]