Now, let me set a bit of a back story on this one. I used to have a Gameboy SP, and I played the little machine so much I thought the buttons were going to fall off. Then, shortly after the release of the original DS, I sold it and purchased the DS. I was immediately unhappy with the swap. The original DS was a large and clunky machine, and most games relied heavily on the use of all the controls, as well as the stylus.
The combination of the controls and the bulk of the machine made it very hard for me to use. Games I should have loved, such as Metroid, were virtually un-playable. Eventually, it got traded in and forgotten about.
I moved to the PSP, and I was reminded how good portable gaming could be. I honestly thought nothing could top this little powerhouse. I watched the release of the DS Lite, and DSi both, all while playing away on the PSP, blissfully unaware of what I was missing.
There was, however, always one glaring problem with the PSP. That problem was the selection of casual games. Now, don't get me wrong, I"m a hardcore gamer, and love a deep and involving storyline. However, sometimes I just simply don't have the time to lay down an hour or so between saves. I really needed a system that I could whip out, play for 15 minutes or so, and not have to pay much attention to.
Queue this Thursday, and some time on Craigslist. I was sitting in a truck stop in Johnson Creek, WI, and located a local guy selling a black DS Lite, cheap. He was willing to meet me at the truck stop, and the deal was done. The system came with a copy of Mariokart DS, and was purchased for a whopping $50. I figured even if I didn't like it, my son would.
I spent about 15 minutes playing Mariokart DS, before I was hooked. The problems I had with my first DS were all gone! The size was perfect, the game barely used the stylus, and it was a great time-waster!
Since I picked it up, I've made a couple trips to local gaming stores, and picked up copies of Super Mario DS, and Super Mario 64 DS. Both of these titles are fantastic, and reviews will be following in the coming days.
Seriously, though, why couldn't this have been the original console?
