I'm not sure what's going on, but it seems to me the DS which has many innovative and original games, also has very limited production runs!  Here's a list of some DS games which are now hard to find and possibly OOP, or in the least neither EBgames nor Gamestop carries them for some reason (why is that?):

Pheonix Wright (supposedly they reprinted it, can't seem to find it anywhere myself)

Lost in Blue (awesome game! not too hard to find but EBgames and Gamestop don't carry it anymore)

Trauma Center (it's by Atlus, what can you expect!)

Rub Rabbits (along with Feel the Magic, this title has all but disappeared)

Still, I must say that the DS is the most fun I've had with a console in a LONG time!  Lost in Blue is currently the game of my choice.  It's not perfect, and the music isn't spectacular, but the gameplay is very creative, well thought out, and SO much fun!  Also the storyline while simple, is very nicely developed.  When this title goes OOP (if it isn't yet), expect its cost to go up up and away

cheers,

-avatar!

Well, I can't speak for certain, but let's look at the DS, first. What we have here is an almost experimental system in terms of game design. I don't think that any of the companies that made these short-packed games thought that they'd do well enough to justify a large production run, so they purposefuly made each of these titles in very small amounts. I think that they are testing the water, seeing if it is warm enough to warrant making another batch.

Trauma Center and Phoenix Wright, especially. I mean, developing a game where you cut people open and defend people in court, respectively, are risky endeavours, and then to release these outside of Japan . . . that must have taken some big cajones to begin with.

Capcom's Phoenix Wright has picked up more mainstream attention down here in Canada. What used to be sold out everywhere, with private collectors selling their copies for nearly $100, now has begun to be more accessible. The price has dropped to about $45 if you can find it in store (which is still slightly tricky), while stores that cater more to enthusiasts (like Calgary's own Trader) is offering brand new units at roughly $50.

I can't speak for Lost on Blue, or The Rub Rabbits (um, how on Earth did I miss that one? When did it come out?), but I know that Trauma Center and Feel the Magic aren't that rare anymore down here. Might be tricky, but nowhere nearly as annoying to find as Phoenix Wright once was.

On a side note, Avatar!, did you want me to search around for any of these DS titles (if you don't already have them)?

I agree with Idolores. "Innovative" oftentimes means "quirky," although I can't say anything about the games you list because I haven't played them myself. But the premises sound, well, quirky, and you're never sure how such games will go over with the gaming population. So releasing such games is a big risk and I can understand why they'd make small production runs.

That said, it *is* rather annoying when you get wind of a cool but under-the-radar game and end up trading an arm and a leg to get it. Heh...I wonder if Blockbuster and other rental places are having a higher incident of thefts of those particular games...

http://www.ncsxshop.com/cgi-bin/shop/NTR-P-AGYE.html

I really appreciate the offer!  Right now, I have all the titles I need (except for Rub Rabbits

cheers,

-avatar!

Cool, thanks for the link!  I'm actually not familiar with this store, I take it they are reliable?  By the way, Lost in Blue & Feel the Magic are sold out!

cheers,

-avatar!

Yep ncsx are totally reliable. Highly recommended.

Yeah, NCSX is actually one of the oldest and most reputable import shops around, as far as I know.  They go waaay back.  I've had nothing but good experiences with them.

Random note: they do quite good work on system mods too.  They're the ones who did my Saturn and I had been planning on having them do my Gamecube until I managed to get a good deal on a Tales of Symphonia green model from Japan.

Yes, NCSX is tops.  To add to what Qui Gon said, they will also replace dead batteries in cart games if you need that service.

Very cool...
I know you can buy special tools (wrenches) to unscrew cartridges and replace batteries.  I've never had to do this myself, but I wonder how difficult it is, and is it easy to damage a cartridge that way?  I imagine it's fairly a routine procedure, but perhaps I'm mistaken?  Of course these days, everything goes onto a memory card, which is much nicer  

cheers,

-avatar!

I take it back.  GBA games still use batteries (I believe), and DS games too (is that right)?

cheers,

-avatar!

DS games are so small.  I'd hate to open one up to replace a battery.  And it appears you may have to ruin the title sticker to do so.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought DS games used flash memory for saves?  I had heard the same goes for certain, more recent GBA titles, like the Castlevania Double Pack, Drill Dozer, and the Player's Choice titles.  Smart move; anything to cut down on already-high cart production costs.

Angela is correct.

If you have a recently released GBA game that uses a battery, you may have a pirated cart. :o  They all use flash RAM last I checked.  Same for DS games.

You know, I always thought replacing the batteries would be easy to replace, but it involves soldering, something I'm unwilling to do as it's a process that fried my original Playstation. 

Very cool!
Flash memory is preferable over battery.  Excellent...

-avatar!