Nintendo DS Games Best Played on Wii U
I've been looking for an excuse to not sell my Wii U and so I have been playing a lot of DS games on the Wii U lately, and I've noticed that while it can play most DS games, not all games are great to play on the Wii U. I've started making a list of games that have really stood out as great choices to play on the Wii U. The type of games that would have gotten attention and praise if they were released on the eshop. I feel like I've opened up a whole new world. The Nintendo DS on the Wii U feels like a game console from an alternative universe, it feels like what I imagine the Nintendo Playstation might have been.
Some games don't play well not because of emulation issues but because they are designed too much for the DS's form factor. Games like the Dragon Quest games, Dragonball Origins, Choboco Tales, these games all use the touch screen for the main action, or they assume you can see both screens at once, which doesn't translate well to the Wii U. But the games that do translate well? They translate extremely well, and I've listed some below.
Criteria:
Must not use the gamepad screen as the main screen.
Must not split the game between two screens.
Must look good on the TV
The gamepad must be used in a way that makes playing the game on the Wii U compelling.
The game itself must be compelling enough that a Wii U release would have been well recieved.
Chrono Trigger
Everything aside from Dialogue and the main game is on the gamepad screen, meaning you can enjoy the great pixel art without any of the HUD elements getting in the way. This makes for a more immersive experience. The DS version has all of the additional features the modern release has, making this one of the best ways to play this game. Playing JRPGs with the gamepad like this is incredibly satisfying.
Dragonball Z: Attack of the Saiyans
Monolith Soft developed DBZ JRPG with TONS of soul. Give they later developed the Xenoblade games and got bought by Nintendo outright, this gem is perfect choice for the Wii U VC. The pixel art looks crisp on an HDTV, with the battle UI, map and other information on the gamepad screen. The animations are extremely well done, on par with games like Metal Slug in my opinion. All of these things make the Wii U the best place to play this.
Metal Slug 7
Metal Slug 7 is the only Metal Slug game not released on console or arcade, locked to the Nintendo DS. While the gamepad screen isn't used for much beyond a simple map, Metal Slug 7 is best played on Wii U because it's high paced, twitch reaction game play and gorgeous pixel art are much better enjoyed on a TV. This is one of my favorite DS games already, but on the Wii U it's even better
Flower, Sun, and Rain: Murder and Mystery in Paradise
Suda 51 game originally released on PS2, no english translation exists for that version. Was rereleased on the DS in 2009 in english. The game has highly stylized low poly graphics and extremely stylish menus and these help the game look good on the TV. Main action is on the TV, menus and text on the gamepad screen. If this game was released on the Virtual Console I think it would have gotten a lot of attention.
The Legendary Starfy
This game looks absolutely stunning on an HD TV, the low fidelty 3D of the DS mixes extremely well with pixel art. Reminds me of games like Tomba on PSone. Gamepad is used for everything that isn't the main action, which is exactly how it should be. Honestly one of the most beautiful games you can play on the Wii U.