ffta2 definitely won't be pulling me in with its admittedly sweet srpg gravitational pull. square's absolute shyness to return to the original roots of the series just because it's now on the DS has made me veddy sad.

but i guess now that there are 2 FFT entries that involve a school kid with a magical neverending story book make the original the odd man out. ugh. my 40 dollars (really, 40 dollars?) goes to ff4remake.

d.doldrums

I used to play my DS all the time, but lately I haven't touched it. The last thing I played obsessively on it was Professor Layton. I beat all the big titles I was interested in and now there's nothing to play. However, I have been considering the new FFTA and the World Ends With You.

I have noticed the PSP library suddenly has a lot of games that sound interesting. I've been thinking about shelling out for a Japanese import color too, I saw some online that weren't too badly priced. But then I keep talking myself out of it in an attempt to save money. That would involve not only the system, but a memory card, new games, etc. It seems useful though, and I like the multiple features. Plus my laptop is made by Sony so it has a memory stick slot built into it...that'd be convenient. But yes...the money. That stops me.

Oh, and Green-Glad Gamer Dude, there is a Mario rpg on the DS, but it's just that Partners in Time game. It's not quite in the same series but it has some similarity...about as related to Mario RPG as the Paper Mario series.

teraphony

@KM91: The Golden Age was the GBC-GBA era? What crack are you smoking? The two most significant things to happen during that period (despite the myriad of good titles) were:

1) Nintendo finally bringing their hardware up to speed with the NES circa 1985 (GBC).

2) Nintendo inventing the mini-game genre with Wario Ware (GBA).

In the meantime, handheld gaming's two biggest audiences continued to be children and hardcore gamers and the libraries and lack of significant tech advancement largely reflected that. The expansion brought through the DS' accessibility and appeal and the PSP's hardware and multi-functionality have truly opened up the possibilities of portable gaming. Look, I love me some Golden Sun as much as the next guy, but shoot me now if that's supposedly the peak of the medium and it's all downhill from there.

Nightshift Nurse: Mile High Colonic

Nope, not at all. With FFT 2 out, I have many titles to play including older ones I haven't yet. Advance Wars, Mario + Luigi Partners In Time, any Castlevania, Mario Kart, Mario Party, Tetris, Magnetica the list goes on and on. To say that handheld gaming is on the decline is wrong to say, in my opinion it's just the addition of more and more shovelware.

mike566

@thejakeman: still using an old joke that no one finds funny...: I haven't bought a single Square Enix game for the DS yet. I heard a rumor a while ago that they were finally going to make a sequel to Super Mario RPG on the DS, but I haven't heard jack about it since.

Green-clad Gamer Dude

i used my ds and psp daily for quite a while back when i was working for a web agency and travelled to work 1.5 hours each day by train. Since i work at my home office on games now all day for a while i haven´t touched any of em in ages.
I have less time for playing games anyway these days and if i do i´m usually at home or at a mate´s house so then playing on the big screen is way nicer.
Besides all that unlike in Japan, in Germany its quite unusual that gorown ups play portable consoles in the public so you´d always get some strange looks all the time, i wonder who the audience for that guitar hero ds version is which just further underlines the public weirdo look :)
And yeah, i agree to what Stephen said, way less new portable console games out there which interest me these days anyway

tomsamson

@thejakeman: still using an old joke that no one finds funny...: except square enix ds games. lousy bastards think they can charge an extra 10 bucks just because they're square? well they're right, dammit.

thejakeman: still using an old joke that no one finds funny anymore. i have no friends.

@nautnaut: dude, DS games are so cheap. they're impulse buys for me. if they're too much for you, get a job.

thejakeman: still using an old joke that no one finds funny anymore. i have no friends.

FFT:A2 is going to suck away my life. not yours?

thejakeman: still using an old joke that no one finds funny anymore. i have no friends.

I played my DSlite a lot when I first got it. For the past little while though, the only game I played was The Phantom Hourglass. Still haven't beaten it because I only play it once every other week it seems. I've sold practically all of the DS games I owned, which was about 10+ of them. I only have 3 games now. I intend to just hack it and just download the games now...save a lot of money that way, plus I get to test all the games I normally wouldn't have bothered trying because I'd have to buy them if I wanted to do so. For whatever reason, DS games aren't worth owning...Anyway, I just got a PSP recently. For some reason, I will buy games for this instead of hacking it as well. Probably because there are more better games (RPG-wise) for it and I'm one of those types of people who like to own RPGs...I have Crisis Core for it now. It's good. I plan on buying Patapon, LocoRoco, MGS:PO(+), MGA (1+2), Disgaeae, Valkyrie Profile, FFT, Castlevania, Katamari...

nautnaut

@Leanid:
There's still a bit of a difference.

Big Brain Academy = Casual
Any Ubisoft stuffZ game = kiddie

PissedPS3Fan

the ds and psp break so damn easy, but i like them both. i hardly play my ds anymore, and my psp screen broke(shame i hacked it 3.71m33)8(

dipsetboy17

Jimmy Olsen? Isn't he that photographer kid from Superman?

The golden age was between the Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance eras. There are so many awesome games between those two eras. And I probabl;y might have played the handhelds about as much as I played on my consoles.

KM91

@StephenTotilo: Which one? Final Fantasy IV or Rhythm Tengoku?

banana_ridah

FFT:A2 just came out this week, and Etrian Odyssey 2 came out last week. Unless Etrian Odyssey and SRPGs are too HARDCORE for your next-gen sensibilities.

@Jamez: Are we still using the term 'kiddy' these days? I thought we switched to 'casual'.

Leanid

Dungeon Maker for PSP > all

archibaldleech

My PSP is very much alive right now. In fact, I just beat God of War on it. Next stop, Final Fantasy. I can't wait! The graphics on that thing (for a PSP) are so good, and the sound is just amazing. All on a tiny ass little screen. :) Maybe it's just me, but I wish the directional stick thing was a little bigger, because my thumb gets so tired from using it, but I'll live. :)

My DS though has been pretty unplayed. I started Drawn to Life on it, but I'm stuck on the darn fish boss. I'll get back to it some time later... I think. The only time my DS was really alive was when I play Brain Age on it, especially the Sudoku part... and when I played Puzzle Quest, but I beat it. Boy was Puzzle Quest addictive.

Have I played my handheld console less? Not really. The best thing about handhelds is that they are so portable. They all have different advantages. The consoles are played when I'm home, sitting on my chair, where I can play with my friends and really enjoy the sound/graphics. The handhelds are played right before bedtime or when I'm not home and have some time to blow. Both are equally played.

:)

Naia

Lately my DS has been getting less play. I'm hoping FFT:A2 will amend that somewhat but the PSP really seems to be gaining some big hits that interest me. I'm about to abandon the Gameboy altogether because since the Wii went all 'casual' they've kinda moved that philosophy on to the GB and there just isn't anything worth playing anymore.

Sparx

eh, my gaming patterns are cyclical. Two months ago, I was playing my DS exclusively. Since then though, it's been nonstop No More Heroes, Smash Bros., and GTA IV for me.

When the new FFIV gets release, I'm sure that I'll slip back into playing handhelds, and Far Cry 2 and other games come out I'll be into console playing again. Infinite Line's also going to occupy my handheld time for a while when it eventually comes out, so all's well.

At least for me, the Golden Age's still going strong.

NoFunShogun

I picked up my PsP last winter, so I've had a ton of games to play.
I've been playing Disgaea, WTF, Daxter, Puzzle Quest, MGSPO, MGSPO+, MGA, Crisis Core, X-Men Legends II, LocoRoco, and dozens more to go.

Arsenicberyllium

My PSP has been my system of choice for quite a while now.
I have been playing Monster Hunter Freedom 2 since September of last year, and Monster Hunter Portable 2 G since April (my import shop is a little slow). I just got Super Robot Taisen A for PSP as well, and I'm starting to wonder when I'm going to get a chance to play it.
There are a lot of good console titles out right now but with the exception of COD4, nothing has made me put down my handheld. Thank you again Capcom, for giving me excellent reasons to spend my hard earned cash...and time.

Phester

@StephenTotilo: World Destruction is this game that kind of reminds me of the old epic SNES RPGs but somewhat modernized. It's made by the old Xenosaga team but there's not that much more information on it.

Some basic information: [en.wikipedia.org])

Screenshots: [www.rpgamer.com]

I did remember one more DS game as well, Locke's Quest: [kotaku.com]

Nirolak

Yay jimmy gained a super power,time to take a shot

Tom Clancy's Samuraidino

I think we're still in the midst of handheld gaming's Golden Age. But I also believe we're in the midst of a lull right before both Nintendo and Sony make their last major push on both systems. I believe next year's focus is going to be all about each handheld's follow-up or evolution...with announcements and/or support for both current platforms becoming less and less world-beating.

Nightshift Nurse: Mile High Colonic

Yeah, I feel like the handheld gaming has somewhat declined in quality.

As a kid, I used to bring my GBC/GBA onto the bus to play in the morning and afternoon.

And when I went to military school, the GBASP/DS/PSP were my saving grace (Hooray for sneaking in contraband and hiding them!) Played Golden Sun, Mario Land, Dragon Warrior 1-3, Zeldas, Metroids...etc..........

And...I recently got ahold of Dragon Warrior 3 and Zelda: Oracle of Ages. Played alot of that for a bit, but I strangely just...don't bring them along for travel. Rarely will I bring my DS for Big Brain Academy/Animal Crossing/Zelda (which I beat again) anymore....

Maybe it's just my changing schedule now that I'm a college student (though console games are still played more than handheld). Or maybe, as stated, there's just not enough well constructed games hitting the shelves with brute force.

OR....maybe there ARe great games that I've yet to try...and they're just drowning in a sea of crummy games on the shelves of stores, and I just can't see past the fog as well as I used to....

Mesren_Makai

I'm feeling just the opposite, actually. Of course, I'm a Square fan, and there's a lot of gaming I need to catch up with (Chronicles, Revenant Wings, currently playing TWEWY, and soon FFA2).

For me, this really feels like the golden age of handheld gaming in comparison to years previous, and not just because of Square games. There's just so much stuff out there for the DS that is both fun and amazingly innovative (I still think the DS is has the most intuitive games out there) that it's hard for me to see it any other way.

I'd probably feel the same with the PSP if I had one.

phinehas

I'm still playing my DS, mainly because I have some old games I never finished (or that really have no end, like Animal Crossing).

As for Jimmy Olsen, what I actually find funniest is that both Jimmy Olsen and the other driver have the need to explain their intentions fully before actually executing them. Maybe back in the good ol' days, cars were slow enough that you could actually do that.

Stephen, if you were to change your user icon to one of Jimmy Olsen, you would push me over the edge to become your follower. ;D

Neo Deus

Homebrew keeps me occupied when there isn't anything worth buying :P

Playing Still Alive DS, Puzzlemaniak and Powder :)

skaldicpoet9

Yep there is a gaming drought on the portables...I thought it was only for the PSP. I haven't had anything to play for it since GoW:CoO. Hmm I might give Silent Hill a go.

Though with the PSP's sales and push in Japan, I expect there's a lot of projects underway. I really hope Sony announces a couple of big ones that can be played this year...

excaliburps

I have a great collection of games I've been playing on my PSP, yet I still find myself mainly playing tetris (of course homebrew tetris since, for whatever reason, the PSP and PS3 lack tetris). Maybe it's because I never got tired of my brick Gameboy with only tetris.

Looking at future releases though, it looks like a huge drought (for the PSP at least).

Kanik

@Nirolak: I forgot about Sonic. That wasn't bad when I tried it in May. What's World Destruction? Sounds cool.

Maybe I'm just having a hard time coming down from the highs of Patapon and The World Ends With You, my two favorite games on any platform so far this year.

StephenTotilo

@banana_ridah: That's the one upcoming portable game I'm excited about. Hopefully we hear more good stuff at E3. But, let's put it this way, I've been to a couple weeks' worth of pre-E3 judging events and I'm writing what I wrote above.

StephenTotilo

Maybe it's because I just picked up a DS about eight weeks ago, but I've never been having more fun with handhels than I am now. I'm playing my DS much more than my Wii, and with much greater fervor and with better games than I did back in the Game Boy Color or Game Boy Adavance days. It's the best source for traditional platforming, brief play sessions, and it's even been enjoying fabulous support from Square, who released THEIR BEST GAME for it a few months ago. There are quite a few things on the horizon I'm looking forward to picking up, too. Nah, I'm satisfied.

thesycophant

(I apologize if this is a double post, Kotaku logs me out every five minutes and doesn't send half my messages).

There are still a few cool games coming out but they keep getting delayed, and after them there hasn't been much announced. Square Enix seems to be one of the last studios making large scale DS games as well, possibly because they seem to have so much trouble making console ones. However, here are a few titles you might look forward to, depending on your tastes:

DS:
- Sonic Chronicles
- Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia
- Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days
- Dragon Quest IX
- World Destruction

PSP:
- Dissidia: Final Fantasy
- Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep
- Loco Roco 2

But yeah, on the horizon I'm not seeing so much, which either means that handhelds' golden days are over or they're preparing for a generational shift, though the latter seems unlikely.

Nirolak

I do believe the golden age of handhelds is yet to come. Infinite Line has not yet been released.

pylon_trooper

the DS has been pretty lame lately. only thing i see on the hannah montana/EA sims-cratered horizon is the FF4 remake and the upcoming castlevania.

i've grown so estranged from my DS that i am selling most of my library on ebay because i hardly use it anymore. stark contrast from 2005/6 when i carried it around with me all the time.

at least when the PSP gets slow, there's always emulation to fall back on. although the DS always had more charm.

oh wells.

d.doldrums

Have a PSP, used to have a DS. DS I found had too many kiddy games...nothing that would actually satisfy my gaming need or keep boredom at bay enough. The PSP has had a few excellent titles as of late...Crisis Core, Chains of Olympus, Patapon to name a few. But most of the titles I agree...on both consoles, you cannot play them for extended periods of time, if at all.

Jamez

Oh, I should add Rhythm Tengoku Gold for import DS as well.

banana_ridah

Actually, I feel as though portable gaming is hitting its stride. With games like God of War: Chains of Olympus, Crisis Core: FFVII, Ninja Gaiden DS, The World Ends With You, and Space Invaders Extreme, there's no shortage of quality titles. I think both platforms are experiencing a bit of the summer doldrums, but as we move forward, we'll see some truly worthwhile titles emerge.

Personally, I am excited for the Final Fantasy IV remake for DS this July.

banana_ridah

The current crop of PSP games is pretty sucktacular. Hasn't been anything really worth playing since Patapon. I also tend to ignore my DS, just getting my wife the games she asks for.

I would say yes, the golden age of handheld gameing is pretty much over.

PissedPS3Fan

A six armed man on his way to the carnival? Methinks this won't end well for Jimmy.

ForwardInReverse

Yes... More Jimmy Olsen to satisfy my bloodlust...

But yeah, I haven't really touched my DS lately, and other than Etrian Odyssey 2 I doubt I'll get much more for it anytime soon.

Pezdispenser

I was thinking about this exact thing the other day, when I tried to remember the last time I bought a DS game.

Then again, once you have Picross, what else do you need?

dan

Things are s little slow on the ds now, maybe metal slug 7 will make me play ds more...

TOCATL

There's always these natural lulls in gaming, whether it's in the release of games in general, or just the kind that you really can get behind. Happened for me for the DS a while ago, and I think the hardest part is getting back into it once you're out. I haven't used my DS in ages, and not because there haven't been some great games coming out, but because I went so long without having a great game that it just lost its place.

Secret for me usually is to find something in a backlog that I wasn't sure about, missed, or just didn't sound all that great and give it a try. It'll usually keep you busy and amused, if anything else, and at worst it's something to laugh about later as "worst game ever" fodder.

nick.soapdish

i played my gameboy like crazy, on the bus to school id be playing final fantasy legends and earth worm jim.

i love the good ol days, that was the last handheld i own, now im to scared to get one knowing a new model might be just around the corner.

Dakobah

I have a DS and a PSP.

The PSP barely has anything, but a few "must-have" titles (Patapon, LocoRoco and Lumines)

The DS has a ton, but you're right, nothing at all has been released in ages. I really need to get Phoenix Wright 1.

Shimmergeek

@thejakeman: still using an old joke that no one finds funny...: $30+ is not cheap. And I do have a job. Don't be ignorant.

nautnaut

I haven't had a lull in terms of any systems because I compulsively purchase more games than I will ever have time to play. Blessing and a curse I guess.

Upi

I love my DS and PSP both.

The DS in particular has revived a couple of old school genres, like the roguelike RPG and the adventure genre. It's still the only place to find 2d platforming games, and now that none of the next gen systems have a strong RPG library, it's great for that as well.

turkish101

Mr. Totilo, if no one has recommended it yet, I would highly recommend Soul Bubbles for the DS. It's a new touch-screen game where you use the stylus to draw bubbles and blow them through a series of obstacle-filled mazes. It has a very polished graphics and physics engine for the DS hardware and there's a lot of variety in the gameplay.

That said, it still doesn't get a US release until July 1st. It's out in Europe though, and I happen to think it's currently the best game on the console.

Raian1

@banana_ridah: Rhythm Tengoku

StephenTotilo

@Green-clad Gamer Dude: Funny, the rumor I heard was that a port of the N64 Paper Mario was coming to the DS. Either one would suit me just fine.

@teraphony: Trust me, a PSP is more than worth it. Post a message to my account here if you're curious and I can give you my detailed take on the system. But in a nutshell: as someone who's been playing handheld systems for almost twenty years, I can honestly say the PSP is one of the best things to happen to the medium in ages.

Nightshift Nurse: Mile High Colonic

@StephenTotilo: Excellent choice. I'm assuming you, like me, played the piss out of the original GBA game and are eagerly anticipating the sequel.

Now why, oh why, will this game not be localized for the US?

banana_ridah

well, i surely hope we havent past the golden age of handheld gaming.
that would be totally sad news.

my GBA SP and DS was what helped me through my in camp years in the army. and i dont wanna stop now

Professor Layton 2 cant come quick enough !

Mr.Sad

I was just thinking about this the other day. Aside from the upcoming Sonic game on the DS there is nothing else I care about. I even thought about selling my DS but then I remembered all the good times. Unfortunately I've started selling my DS games so I could get money for PS3 games and accessories. In the next year if nothing exciting happens I might just have to get rid of it, it makes me sad every time I see it just sitting there accumulating dust.

Desmondia

I have to say that I agree. Anyone playing the new Final Fantasy Tactics for DS and if so does it break this trend?

Emperor_Guam

I actually finally upgraded from my GBA SP to a PSP and a DS in the last week. So for me the lack of new games isn't a problem since I have a huge back catalog to catch up on.

Cabal17

i tried playing MGS:PO today and i just couldnt do it, it plays like crap compared to MGS4 i hardly touch my DS and the psp just sits in my backpack...

npa191

@Emperor_Guam: FFTA2 is light on the story side. Gameplay is improved over FFTA while also adding in new content. Not all battles require killing everything in sight to win. The difficulty can also be set to hard mode from the start if you want a challenge.

Many wax nostalgic about the political drama of the first FFT. The problem is that 90% of all SRPGs follow suit. Without the story, FFT wouldn't have aged so gracefully.

Velops

where did Jimmy get that suit? it ain't Sears Juniors off the rack.

Evil Tortie's Mom

i play my ds more than i breathe...and stop posting stupid crap

bobdisgea

nothing to be excited about? just wait until october, which is when ketsui ds comes out! ( official site: [www.arika.co.jp] )
i think this will finally replace judgement silversword (for the wonderswan) for my favorite 2d shooter on a handheld

+ Watch video

e_tank

I'm really looking forward to the DS version of Viva Pinata. In fact, it's why I got a DS instead of a PSP.

.endejas.

I am almost exclusively a portable gamer now because I like to have my wife in the room with me; if I am playing a console game, she won't stick around, but if I am playing a portable and the TV is on, she will watch something with me.

I agree with you that the game releases have slowed dramatically, especially for the DS. The last year for the DS has been really slow and the PSP seems to have peaked, but much later. I haven't been playing them less, but I have been going deeper into the backlog of unplayed games and replaying others. I just played Portrait of Ruin in Richiter mode, which was fast and fun, until the end boss. There are a few gems left, but for those of us who were used to several great games coming out all the time, it is definitely a dry spell. If no one is planning on releasing new hardware, they should really start work on some games.

kingofallcosmos

dood, there's a lot of DS games that I want to get my hands on. FFA2, Space Invaders Extreme, FFIV. Those three should provide me with enough portable entertainment for quite some time.

Zyzex_Remix

No backlog?? I have envy. Crisis Core is still in its celophane, Disgaea and FF Tactics are barely touched, Wupeout Pulse I'm only about a quarter way through. The release list looks pretty slim from now on though. If I ever clear my backlog I'll go back to self-ripped PS1 games on my Homebrew machine.

JudgeNutmeg

I don't think that the golden age of handhelds has passed, I just think that the home consoles are really compelling now.

Ptolemy

Give me LocoRoco2 and I will be happy.

boots555

No hope of catching up actually...

PSP:
Space Invaders Extreme
God of War: Chains of Olympus
FFVII: Crisis Core
MGS: Portable Ops Plus
I stopped Patapon so I have plenty left to go.

DS:
The World Ends With You

Looks like a shortish list, but to finish them all before more hits come out? I'd have to be paid to game for a living.

fuchikoma

@Jamez: If you felt the need to play longer stretches on the DS you should have asked. You could have tried the Two Awesome Castlevanias, the Etrian games, Front Mission, New Super Mario Brothers, FFIII, Advance Wars, Any of those SRPGS or Roguelike Dungeon Crawlers, Warhammer, the Harvey Birdma... I mean Phoenix Wright games, and etc... The DS is still a capable system with quality titles yet to come.

I had sold my first PSP the year after it came out because of the lack of quality titles. I picked it back up a few months ago because the # of good games doubled and petered out... I still play both, just DS a little more often thanks to Squenix.

Human Bomb

@e_tank: WOW! that looks like someone playing Ikaruga said the game should be harder.

Human Bomb

It's funny how "critics" are so quick to call a period of gaming a golden age. Considering the medium of video games is still being nailed down, and we don't even have a standard for the technology, how can anyone say that we've reached the golden age? And to whine about no releases is fairly pathetic as well. We just got The World Ends With You, Guitar Hero (granted that may not be your cup of tea), Final Fantasy Tactics A2, we're getting Bangai-O Spirits soon. Most people don't have the luxury of being able to play video games all day and play through everything that comes out within two days. And even if you have already played through all the great games like Hotel Dusk, all the Phoenix Wright games, all the Castlevanias, the Sonic Rushes, all three of those series which released new titles just months ago, there are tons of import games that you can blaze through. Order the Bit Generation games if you haven't played through those, Dotstream is amazing. And, as a last little gripe, I love how hard everybody in the media wants the PSP to be good. You paint pictures to us that the PSP is neck and neck with the DS, even though world wide sales are fairly one sided and anybody with an ounce of taste can see the DS has far and away a better library. I guess that's what happens when everybody predicts the powerhouse to win the war between the two systems. Just do us all a favor, swallow your pride, and let the PSP go. It's an okay system, don't get me wrong, but it's never even been in the same ball park as the DS, it hasn't even been in the same country the game was being played for that matter. And that's okay, just stop heralding it as the second coming. It never locked horns with the DS, it got steamrolled. Please, start being respectable journalists and reporting with some integrity. If you'd like to respond Mr. Totilo, or anybody, my email is al3090@hotmail.com.

32brains