Holiday Gift Guide 2010: Nintendo DS

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The Nintendo DS has long been the go-to device for handheld gaming. It may get some competition from the PSP, but the DS is the best selling handheld system this generation, following in the footsteps of the Game Boy line of handhelds. The DS already has a rather large install base, but whether you’re looking for gift ideas for the person that already has a DS, or you’re looking to purchase a DS for someone this holiday season, our DS gift guide will have you covered.

Sonic Colors – $29.95

If you’ve been following our gift guides, you’ve probably already heard a fair amount about Sonic Colors. Sonic has never really had a difficult time in the realm of 2D, so it only makes sense that handhelds are the perfect home for him.

Sonic Colors on the DS scored just as well as its home console big brother, and with Sonic’s track record, that is definitely a good thing. Perhaps this will be the game that turns things around for everyone’s favorite hedgehog? Pick up this game this holiday season and you can tell your grand kids that you were there when a good Sonic game was finally released.

Super Scribblenauts – $29.99

The follow-up to 2009’s hit DS game Scribblenauts, Super Scribblenauts delivers more of the same quirky puzzle-solving as the first, asking players to use adjectives in order to figure out the puzzles that lay before them. Super Scribblenauts is the perfect game for anyone who liked the first, and serves as an excellent tool for children learning vocabulary in school. If you’ve got someone in your life who likes to flaunt a broad vocabulary, get them this game and it will keep them occupied for hours on end.

Professor Layton and the Unwound Future – $29.99

The Professor Layton series has continually been a hit ever since the first game, Professor Layton and the Curious Village, landed on the DS back in 2008. The latest entry in the series, Unwound Future, finds the protagonists Professor Layton and Luke traveling through time to find a group of scientists that vanished when a time-traveling experiment went wrong. With plenty of addictive puzzles to solve throughout the story, Professor Layton and the Unwound Future will give puzzle fans plenty to do.

Call of Duty: Black Ops – $29.99

Personally, I’m surprised that I’m putting a first-person shooter on this list of DS games, but while the quintessential Black Ops experience might be on the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC, the DS version makes a quite capable companion. First-person shooters on handhelds don’t typically do well critically, but Black Ops held its own with the odds stacked against it. If the gamer you’re buying for enjoyed Black Ops on the console, you might want to get them this for Christmas, they’ll be surprised by how good it looks and how well it plays.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong Mini-Land Mayhem! – $29.99

The newest game in the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series finds Donkey Kong playing the role of the bad guy once again, capturing Pauline when the amusement park he visits runs out of mini-Pauline dolls to give away. Yeah, it does sound like a dumb reason to get pissed off, but this is Donkey Kong we’re talking about. In an attempt to save Pauline, Mario unleashes his mini-Mario dolls (which have made appearances in the past two Mario vs. Donkey Kong titles) to help, tasked with guiding them through various stages in the amusement park. This is a great twist on the classic Donkey Kong game, so if you know anyone who is a fan of the arcade classic, this is the game for them.

Lufia: Curse of the Sinistrals – $29.99

The DS is known for having some great RPGs, picking up where the SNES left off, it seems. Lufia: Curse of the Sinistrals is one of those great RPGs. It’s a re-imagining of the SNES game Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals, and it comes with its share of changes. For instance, turn-based combat has been ditched in favor of a more action-RPG feel, something that many RPG gamers expect these days. With Lufia: Curse of the Sinistrals, there’s no convoluted story to sift through at the beginning, either, just four Gods who proclaim that Armageddon is near and the departure of the hero, Maxim, who plans to stop them. This is the game to get for RPG fans that prefer fast-paced action to taking turns with the bad guy.

New Super Mario Bros. – $34.99

New Super Mario Bros. was released on the DS way back in 2006, but like all Mario games, it retains a degree of timelessness. New Super Mario Bros. finds Mario once again chasing Bowser and his ilk across multiple, dangerous worlds, all for a princess who can never seem to keep herself out of trouble. New Super Mario Bros. was met with high critical acclaim when it was released, so if you know someone who happened to miss this one the first time around, pick it up for them this year.

Golden Sun: Dark Dawn – $34.99

Another game on our list that will appeal to fans of RPGs, Golden Sun: Dark Dawn picks up 30 years after the first two Golden Sun games, and is the first Golden Sun game in six years. That’s a long time to wait if you’re a fan of the series, but according to the critics, the wait was worth it. The game has garnered an amount of critical acclaim, with some critics saying it’s the best RPG on the DS this year. It’s more in the vein of traditional RPGs than the other RPG on this list, Lufia: Curse of the Sinistrals, but old-fashioned doesn’t necessarily mean bad, especially in this case. RPG fans will be excited to open either this or Lufia on Christmas day, of that you can be sure.

Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver – $39.99

Yeah, I know it’s Pokemon. But like it or not, Pokemon is still huge and for those who like the game, it doesn’t get much better that this. HeartGold and SoulSilver are both remakes of the second generation Pokemon games Gold and Silver, which originally appeared on the Game Boy. HeartGold and SoulSilver take the classic Pokemon games into the current generation, revamping them with new graphics, touch screen compatibility, and, most importantly, it makes the old Pokemon compatible with the newer Pokemon games like Diamond and Pearl. If the DS gamer in your life is a Pokemon fan, this is a no-brainer, as some critics are claiming these are the best Pokemon games on the DS.

Nintendo DSi XL Special Edition – $179.99

If you’re in the market for a DS this year, this is the one to get. In celebration of Mario’s 25^th anniversary, Nintendo have released this special edition red DSi XL bundle. The DSi itself comes pre-loaded with three games, Brain Age Express: Math, Brain Age Express: Arts & Letters, and Photo Clock. The DSi XL also comes bundled with a copy of Mario Kart DS, a game that was met with universal acclaim upon its release. All in all, this is the best DSi bundle to date, but if you’re interest, snatch one up quick. Once they’re gone, they’re gone forever.

There you go, our DS Holiday Gift Guide for 2010. The games in this guide are vastly different, but will appeal to almost any DS owner out there, and the DSi XL Special Edition bundle makes a great gift for anyone who has yet to enter the world of Nintendo DS!

Note: All prices taken from amazon.com listings. Prices will vary depending on availability and store.