Like any self-respecting, hardcore gamer I imported my long before they were available in the UK. Consequently it spent an entire year sitting on a shelf gathering dust and, for some inexplicable reason, pink scratches. However, this year has been good to the DS bringing several solid titles into the mix, most of which the will never be able to touch. Just like any console, however, the DS is host to a fair amount of mediocrity - usually in the form of very poorly realised cross-platform titles. EA, I'm looking at you.

In this article I have chosen to focus on the better titles, the ones you should be buying this either for yourself or that special someone; Kart, Rush, Goldeneye and Nintendogs.

Sonic Rush

The critics have heralded it as "the best sonic game" and they're not far wrong. I've been playing Sonic for as long as I can remember - in fact I still pick up and play Sonic 1, 2, 3, Sonic and Knuckles and Sonic on the GP2X when I have time to burn, and Sonic Rush is one of the first Sonic titles I've seen which sticks to the winning 2D formula but still manages to blend in some solid 3D graphics without going over the top. Sonic Rush hits the three Fs spot on: fast, furious and frustrating.

What made the classic Sonic games as addictive as crack was the simple fact that they were fiendishly difficult in places. The difficulty came from the incredibly rapid switches from blisteringly fast speed to jumping, swinging and dodging puzzles - Sonic Rush summons the perfect blend.

3D distracts from the feel of classic titles, the very feel those of us old enough to have pangs of nostalgia for Sonic want to re-create. Games like Sonic are very solid titles, but they're not the classics. Sonic Rush implements 3D boss battles which limit Sonic to a 2D plane of movement, eliminating the difficulty of navigating a true 3D environment whilst keeping the graphical benefit of the added dimension, overall the battles work beautifully and are a welcome evolution of the traditional 2D boss romps of classic Sonic titles.

Nintendogs

A.K.A. Puppy Times, Nintendogs is essentially the culmination of several years of Tamagotchi evolution. We've come from a shapeless, soulless, yet hugely addictive blob to fully interactive beautifully rendered puppies. Admittedly, the DS is an awful lot clunkier than the sleek, always-on Tamogotchi it's also a lot less intrusive and a lot more complex. You can, for example, name your puppies and call them by name, whistle for them to come, pet them, play tug of war and so much more.

Nintendogs is one of those typical games that doesn't get that much recognition amongst your average group of "hardcore" gamers. Or, at least, not those who consider themselves to be hardcore gamers - not that it matters when the DS itself is targeted at a much broader, more open minded audience. Nintendogs is the sort of solid title you would expect on a Nintnedo platform, it's sure to be plenty of fun for anyone who enjoyed the Tamogotchi, and anyone else besides. The only other title that comes close is Dogz(Dogs) which has never had the DS touch screen or microphone to extend the level of interaction.

Mario Kart

No Nintendo console would be complete without Mario Kart, the game that has consistently excelled through all its incarnations and may even top Mario Party as "the game to play" with friends or family.

The trouble with Mario Kart on the DS is the lack of 4 controllers, sure we can't expect 4 players to get together in front of a handheld console and play which is exactly why Nintendo have included not only download-and-play for groups of friends with DS consoles handy, but world-wide WiFi play... something that is almost spooky on a portable.

Not all is rosy, however, as the download-and-play is unfortunately slightly restricted - giving downloaders no choice of kart. This is something that irks me, I'm a firm believer that the single cartridge sharing of a DS game should never be crippled in order to motivate other players to buy the game.

Multiplayer online however, is fantastic, easy to set up, incredible fun and even tracks win/loss statistics. I can't help but feel somewhat silly playing on a portable, online, at home when I have several online enabled games consoles and PCs handy. Still, Nintendo have every right to boast this feature, and they do; with all the Mario Kart DS I've seen focusing heavily on the worldwide option.

Goldeneye

We all knew it was coming. Rare's awesome Nintendo 64 classic Goldeneye had any self-respecting gamer sitting around with three friends or members for hours on end wearing the controllers down to useless plastic nubs. I can't remember playing a single console before Goldeneye, and I can't imagine ever wanting to play another, the N64 controllers were made for it, and the sheer simplicity and accessibility of the multiplayer penned Goldeneye into my nostalgia list for eternity.

Goldeneye on the DS isn't quite the same as the N64 classic. The multiplayer is somewhat lacking although no attempt has been made to scramble download-and-play in order to sell a few extra copies. The single player, however, is excellent; with grenades, rocket launchers, railguns, sniper rifles and a host of enhanced capabilities available through your characters cybernetic eye it's great fun. Dual wielding has even been tossed into the mix, letting you lug two hefty sub-machineguns or your favourite combination of single handed weapons.

You can shoot, lob grenades or snipe whilst sliding down zip lines, blast Osprey with rocket launchers, send enemies flying with shotguns, shoot unsuspecting baddies with the mag-rail through walls or just rush in with two guns blazing... in fact, it's the closest thing to I've seen on a handheld and even though it lacks vehicles and scarily intelligent A.I. it's an incredibly solid FPS made all the better by the awkward-to-use but rewarding DS touch screen control.

In the end...

Well, that's it. You've heard the low down on four DS titles I consider a must buy. There is something here for everyone I'd wager and it's up to you to decide which one(s) to buy yourself or for that special someone this Christmas. Rest assured, though, these are the best of the best and the PSP won't be touching a single one of them. It's game like this, folks, that have kept Nintendo are very much at the top of the handheld hierarchy.

By Philip Howard