First Nintendo Portable

[teralens]

To get going with Nintendo, can a person spend about $150 on a system and a compelling RPG game?
What system and game(s) might you suggest? I hope for a beginner's RPG.

[Joel]

I suggest a Gamecube with The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker... around $100.

[teralens]

However, I wanted a portable. At $150, do I have to look at the GBA SP?

[JackAxe]

You can get the SP's used for under $50, or new for $80. The other option is a DS, which new is $150 and I've seen it used for $130.

Now here's something you'll need to consider before buying a SP, or DS, I've listed their pros and cons;

SP:
Pros -
-Can play GBA, GC, and GB games.
-Can link to a GameCube for games like Crystal Chronicles
-Can link to another GBA for multiplayer link games.
-The unit is small.

Cons-
Screen isn't as nice as the DS, since it doesn't use a real backlight. But it is still a good screen.

DS
Pros-
-Can play all GBA and DS games.
-Has 2 screens, both of which have a true backlight and GBA games and DS games look great on it. The bottom screen is a touch screen, it can be used for options and as a mouse, so for games like RPGs as an example, the DS will be the best portable IMO.
-Has built in WiFi for wireless multiplay. Later this year, it will be free over the internet. You can link up to 16 peeps, and some games will allow you to do that with just one cart.
-Will be compatible with the Nintendo Revolution when it is released.


Cons-
-Can not play GB and GC games, without going through a flash cart and emulation.
-GBA, GB, GC, and GameCube link games are not supported with the DS.

-What I'm about to mention isn't a con for me, but the DS is larger then a SP.


Even though the DS can not play the older Gameboy games without first taking some extra steps, and will cost a bit more, I would still recomend it over the SP for the long haul. As I rambled about a little bit, for RPG games it will truly be the best portable out there. The second screen is great when it is properly supported, and there are a ton of DS RPGs in the works. But for now you can play all the great GBA RPG games like me, but on a nicer screen. The WiFi option is also great. :)

http://www.nintendo.com/systemsds

I would recommend Zelda the Minish Cap as your first game;
http://www.zelda.com/universe/game/minish/

Then of course, I recommend all of the other Zeldas. :) Right now I'm playing Fire Emblem, which is a GBA RGP Strategy game on my DS, I also recommend that one later on. It's a game that would truly benifiet from the second screen though.

And just so you know, Nintendo will be releasing different colors of DSs this summer, along with a GBA Micro later this fall.

<]=)

[zackepceo]

I would recommend the Nintendo DS and Final Fantasy 1 & 2 : Dawn Of Souls. Final Fantasy 3 (the one that was never released in the USA) has been announced for the Nintendo DS, and I'm hoping that they will remake Final Fantasy 6 for the DS. Now that's a fantastic game!
Golden Sun was a good first-gen GBA RPG, but I never played the sequel. Also announced for the Nintendo DS is Xenosaga. I've heard that Xenosaga on the PS2 was pretty bad, but that Xenogears was good. It looks like this game will be more Xenogears than Xenosaga.

If you want to take a break from RPGs, I highly suggest looking at Electroplankton and Wario Ware Touched!. Polarium looks like another good game I'd like to buy, but I haven't played it yet. Katamari Damacy DS is bound to be a veeery good battery drainer from playing it so long.

[JackAxe]

I never played the sequel of Golden Sun either. I really liked the first one, but almost didn't play it because of its 2 hour intro. (Kidding, it just felt like it was that long.) The "To Be Continued" didn't set right with me and that's one of the reasons I haven't picked up the second one.

What was the Final Fantasy on the GB? Was that FF1? If so, I played that one.

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[zackepceo]

The first true 'final fantasy' on the game boy is Final Fantasy 1 & 2 : Dawn of Souls or something. There were much earlier Final Fantasy Mystic Quest games that were similar but nothing like Final Fantasy.

[JackAxe]

Ahhh, so I've played FF1 and 2 and didn't even realize it.

I really liked Dragon's Quest for GC, but the save feature was so jacked up, that I accidently erased one of my games while playing it. I'll have to start over again someday.

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[teralens]

Do you use Game FAQs for those RPGs? On _Zelda_ RPGs would I have to go two-fisted with the Nintendo DS in one hand and my Clie' with the game FAQ in the other?
Call me childish. The Game FAQ for Zelda Minish Cap looks scary. I feel headed for _Nintendogs_ and _Harvest Moon_ unless someone can identify another beginner's RPG.

[JackAxe]

Yep, I'll use FAQs off and on, but only when I get really stuck. I'll also cross check them for game like Zelda to help find any odd heart container that I might have missed earlier in the game, and this would be right before the last boss. For Minish Cap this was good, becaus it let me know I should save after the credits, so that I could aquire some bonus items after beating the game.

But no worries about Zelda, the FAQ just lets you know there's lots of things to be done, but it's all fun. Nintendo/Capcom really design these titles well, so that anyone can pick it up and play. Zelda is the type of game that doesn't throw you in and leave you hanging, you'll hlave plenty of help as needed throughout the entire game. :)

Anyways, I'm having Zelda withdrawl for my portable. I can't wait for the Four Swords DS to be released. :)

[Rampax]

RPGs have been having a bad stretch. Next to Zelda, there is virtually no good RPGs that came out in the past 2 years

[JackAxe]

Yeah, there seems to have been a dip lately. I'm glad for the DS though, it seems to have lit the RPG fire, so things whould really start to pick up.

But in the mean time, there's Fire Emblem. Well sorta, it's a great strategy game with some RPG elements. :)

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[teralens]

I found the Game Boy Advance at an Amazon.com vendor for less than $60.
I like the category of Games That Do Not Require GameFAQs.

[JackAxe]

The FAQs are optional, even Harvest Moon has a walkthrough. :p

Behold, and it's long: :D
http://www.neoseeker.com/resourcelink.html?rlid=96151&rid=89307

Trust me, Nintendo designs their games to that an old fart like me can get into them, or a kid. So they make things pretty easy to understand. Just dive in and get the Minish Cap. It's one of the easiest Zeldas I've played, but was very enjoyable. :)

But anyways, coooool on the purchase. WHich color did you get?

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[teralens]

The GBA SP has the side-lighted display, and now that is the one that I want. Tomorrow I'll shop for an onyx GBA SP.

For GBA SP, someone told me about the upcoming _Sims 2_ and _Sims Expansion Pak_

[JackAxe]

I have Sims Urbz on my DS, it uses the bottom touch screen, which is nice. The game is very addicting and a great way to kill some time. The SP is nice, because of its size and it has the longest battery life. But the screen on the DS is a truly backlit, and provides an amazing display for GBA games, the best to date. It also has a real headphone jack. There will also be an Onyx DS out shortly. Sorry, just trying to squeeze in more praise for the it, since it is worth the extra mula over a SP. :D

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[Joel]

Doh! I didn't see the word "portable"... In any case, I'd go with a GBA SP.

[teralens]

I may put a hold on a Nintendo purchase until they get bluetooth, outlining, reader and editing applications in addition to playful and compelling games.

[zackepceo]

What and what? If you want all that, get a PDA. Nintendo doesn't make convergence devices, they make gaming machines.

[strider_mt2k]

The GBA SP is right for the price range and there are LOTS of new and used games out there for it.

Good luck and enjoy your gaming! :D

[JackAxe]

:eek: Definately buy a PDA then. Although, PDA games suck in general, it's sad, but true. :(

But, there is hope: Nintendo did licenses the "Palm OS," so you can expect the DS to have most of what you're asking for in the near future. Don't expect to see bluetooth on any Nintendo device, unless things change, it would only drive up cost. The DS has WiFi as mentioned, it also has an app called "Organizer Plus" coming out.

http://www.themodgods.com/2005/02/nintendo-v-pocket-makes-ds-pda.htm

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[Ezikial Anta]

Right on - Plus V-Pocket is the registered trademark that is supposedly Nintendo's version of the PalmOS

[JackAxe]

I wonder what Nintendo will do for storage, and syncing? I suppose they can use a majority of the DS cart for storage, since Palm OS isn't that big, and WiFi to link to the computer. I hoping they release it with a GBA flash cart though. I noticed that the DS boxes all have a slot for a GBA cart, so I was thinking they might do some type of combo cart thing later on.

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[zackepceo]

Releasing the Palm OS cart on the GBA cart is a good idea because:
There's enough room for a USB port on the cart
There's enough room for flash memory
The DS doesn't have to use a DS cart to load DS programming

[Ezikial Anta]

Buttttttttt doesnt the DS card hold much more data? I dunno if the Big N would exactly come out and endorce those flash carts... (Though they might as well... I mean, those people make a lot off the flash carts and now Nintendo can make that money... If they released their own... and it is competition, driving the price down... Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh)

[JackAxe]

I'm assuming cost is the only reason Nintendo is using a 128 MB chip for their DS card. But beyond that, there is no reason why Nintendo couldn't match a SD card in size. I'm not willing to spend a $100 to $200 on a game though, even if it used 2 GB of storage.

Nintendo has done soo many things to shut down flash carts, so if they supported it, they would be hypocrites. :) But I wonder what's going on behind Nintendos doors, since they would need flash storage for a Palm OS?

I agree, it makes more sense to just release PALM on a GBA cart, then the DS slot will always be free for games, and like you mentioned, they alreay have that USB thing, or even a SD card slot. I supposes Nintendo could release its own Magic Gate type SDIO card thingy, to try and prevent game piracy.

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