I'm getting a DS Lite next month and have some catching up to do. Here is a list of the games I want to pick up (eventually) and check out. I know Phoenix Wright is nigh impossible to come by, but I'll find a copy; I always do.

Anyway, here's the list. I omitted Mario Kart DS because I don't like Mario Kart. Yes, seriously.

Brain Age
Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow
Feel the Magic XY/XX
Mario & Luigi Partners in Time
Meteos
Metroid Prime Hunters
Metroid Prime Pinball
Nanostray
New Super Mario Bros
Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney
Polarium
Rub Rabbits!
Tetris DS
Trauma Center: Under the Knife
Wario Ware Touched!

Can anyone give me some other recommendations, or post your thoughts on what I already listed? I'm definitely going to pick up New SMB and Meteos regardless, and probably Tetris DS as well. Thanks in advance!

add to the list Kirby Canvas Course, Advance Wars, Animal Crossing Wild Wild World, Nintendogs(either one), Electroplankton(if you like creativity), Super Mario 64(having this game on the go is awesome), and Yoshi's Touch & Go if you dont mind finishing game in 6 minutes(sort of arcade style - you're playing to get the greatest score posibble).
DS has great library.

ncsx.com will be restocking this item in late May.  Capcom USA is ordering more game cards to be made.

Advance Wars Dual Strike
Kirby Canvas Curse (good use of the stylus)

For DS, I'd recommend the following:

-Animal Crossing
-Brain Age
-Castlevania: DoS
-Mario Kart
-Phoenix Wright
-Super Princess Peach
-Wario Ware

Those're probably the best of what's available now, though New Super Mario will be out next week and Big Brain Academy is in early June.

Then there's Mario & Luigi 2.  The gameplay is really good, but the story and world structure are huge letdowns after the first one.  Tetris DS is also pretty cool, but if you have to pick between it and Brain Age, I'd go with Brain Age.

As a side note, I would strongly recommend against Super Mario 64 DS as it just doesn't play well on the DS at all.

You already have a good list, however the one game you're definitley missing is

Lost in Blue

it's a unique and very addictive game!  It's not as hyped as some other games have been, but it's superb.  It gets my highest recommendation.

cheers,

-avatar!

I've only played a handful of DS titles; all I recommend is Advance Wars Dual Strike, Mario & Luigi Partners in Time, and Tetris DS.  Since I found them really cheap online, I ordered Dig Dug and Mr Driller.  I also intend on picking up New Super Mario Bros and eventually Super Princess Peach.  I may pick up Phoenix Wright if I have cash whenever NCSX gets more in... otherwise, that's it for me.

Sonic Rush also comes highly recommended.  It's one heck of a thrill-ride of an action-platformer, very enjoyable, and plays closely to the main Sonic games of yore.

And sometimes, I tire of this personal on-going crusade, but no DS collection should be complete without Ouendan.  It's an import, yes, but I sincerely feel it's one of the best imports you could ever buy.  My review, and in stock at Play Asia.  Do the right thing.  Go Ouendan.

EDIT: In addition, it's been fun following this now 700+ post thread over at N-GAF since the game's release last July.  Its topic name really does speak for itself.

I like Lost in Blue as well...and if nothing else, DO get Meteos. It's crack.

-Joshua

Well I guess I'll tell you about every game I've had. Got my DS with WW:T!, Yoshi's Touch and Go, and Mario 64. WW:T! was great fun for a while, but it wore itself out fairly easily. I haven't played one of the console versions, but I imagine having multiple people play is what makes that series so fun. The control scheme in Mario 64 felt very awkward to me and I couldn't get more than 10 mins into it before I decided I wasn't going to finish it. YT&G was basically a minigame, and not a very fun one at that. I eventually sold off all of those.

My next game was Kirby: CC which I loved to pieces, even though it ended pretty quickly (maybe 'cause I was playing it nonstop?). You can spend a lot of time on this one unlocking stuff, but some of it is HARD to do. The integration of the stylus here is wonderful.

Next was Meteos which was great. All the different planets provide endless variety and unlocking everything is gonna take you a while, but it'll be fun the whole time!

I think I got Castlevania: DoS next, which I also loved 'cause I'm a huge fan of the Metroidvania type games. Didn't quite live up to SotN, but it's good nonetheless. As usual I got every last bit I could out of these, down to the last soul. Why do these always run out so fast :'(

Advance Wars: Dual Strike came next. This can be a HUGE timesink if you really get into it like I did. Easily room for 100+ hours of gameplay. There's sooo much stuff to unlock, and if you've got a friend with a DS multiplay is wonderful (Although they need a copy too).

The most recent game I got was ... [edit because I just read you don't like Mario Kart ].

Well, that's all I got so far. I think the last 4 titles I mentioned are all AAA and definitely worth your time. I've kept em all to this day. I need to get my hands on Ouendan!!

I ended up getting the system that came with Mario Kart DS and Peach to start off. I picked up Feel the Magic and Lost Magic (which I haven't opened yet) the other day.

Peach is perhaps a tad easy for what it is, but it's still quality platforming. I expect more from New SMB, but this one definitely has its' moments. No acceleration still doesn't feel right...

I've actually spent the most time with Mario Kart DS, surprisingly, because it's a great way to spend 10 minutes at a time, doing a cup run or a time trial. I'm enjoying it far more than Mario Kart: DD.

Feel the Magic is a cool way to get used to the touch screen, as it seems to be all mini-games. The best one, oddly enough, is the calculator one with the parachuters. Can't say I'm a fan of the candle-blowing one. Great sense of humor and music in this one.

I got Lost Magic because the idea of casting spells in real time using the touch screen was appealing, but I haven't had time to sit down and take a couple hours getting over the inevitable learning curve. I'll post impressions once I get into it a bit.

Thanks for all of your recommendations, everyone! I'm definitely going to check out Kirby Canvas Course and maybe I'll give Mario Kart a shot, as well. I haven't heard anything bad about MK, so it's at least worth a shot... maybe I can get over my anti-Karting.

I am definitely going to buy Meteos and Feel the Magic, and I'm going to import Ouendan! sometime after I get my DS Lite. I'll try out Sonic Rush and Lost in Blue when I have the chance, too.

I found a sealed copy of Trauma Center the other night (last copy), so I picked it up. It looks innovative enough to be worth the money. Worse comes to worse? I'll sell it.

Man. I am really late to the party. I'm going to be gaming with my DS for hours on end when I pick it up next month. Thanks again for the insight!

Personally I feel you're getting weaker games going for Meteos and Feel the Magic but that's just me. I feel Meteos is broken - it is the puzzle game equivalent of a button-mashing fighting game. You can get through it with no skill whatsoever. Feel the Magic, well, I just reckon the games in it are weak in comparison with Wario Ware and even the mini games in Super Mario 64 DS. That's just me.

Phoenix Wright, Ouendan, Lost in Blue, Mario Kart, Castlevania and the Metroids are all far stronger in my opinion. That's just me...

For the first part, I agree with Jay.  As for Mario Kart, I personally only like the Mario Kart games for the multiplayer which is why I got rid of it.

Well, on MK:DS...which I've been playing the most lately...the multiplayer can be quite annoying. I'd say 75%+ of my initially 4-player races end up with fewer than that by the last map. Tons of people disconnect which takes a lot of fun out. Sometimes they even disco before the race starts if they see your record & think they can't beat you. Since I don't like to play with fewer than 3 opponents (to begin with at least), this makes me have to redo the whole thing. This being a big problem 'cause the wifi is VERY finicky. Sometimes I will have 3 dots blinking and then they will all go blank. It can take 10 mins just to get a wifi race going sometimes.