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DS Ports - Part I

Posted April 12th 2004 by Dan Biersdorf.

Another handheld means another wave of new games coming into the palms of consumers, and in that bunch is surely going to be ones we played before. Not like it matters though, with the only arguable killer app for the DS currently being Super Mario 64 DS, a port of the original platformer for the N64. But can we blame Nintendo? Of course not, it's the easiest way for a company to make a quick buck. Throughout the history of the handheld market we have been bombarded with an army of ports from previous systems, the Super Mario Advance series for the Game Boy Advance, even Pac-Man and Chips Challenge for the Atari Lynx - there's nothing we can do about it, they're coming.

Yet not matter how hard you try, companies always seem to bring back those games you never wanted to play in the first place; the games that made you ask, "What happened?" Regardless of whether you want to see the Nintendo DS as an innovation, developers and publishers are going to continue to bring back past titles. So we've composed a little list of "wanted ports" of our own, with titles that we felt would make a great transition from their previous console to the DS handheld.

GoldenEye 007 (Nintendo 64) - Dan Biersdorf

Somewhat of an obvious wouldn't you say? The game that goes down in history as what boomed the console FPS craze was straight from the masterminds at Rare. The game featured almost scene-by-scene movie action and had a multiplayer mode that was unforgettable. Yet as the genre advanced the game only lagged, enemy bots were added into the gameplay, LAN play popped up and now even online play – something the DS offers in a single package. Don't you think its time the game got a facelift? We do. With the variety of new technological feats the Nintendo DS has provided, it would only be right to utilize them to work with our beloved GoldenEye. Imagine 16 players in the Temple, a wireless co-op mode, or even downloadable maps and missions.

What are the chances?

With all the licensing mumbo-jumbo it's hard to keep track of how this all could be worked out. Remember Rare developed the game, but Nintendo published it, and now EA Games owns the James Bond license until 2011; there would have to be a large agreement between all three to get this game in the works. But it can be done, yet with Microsoft owning Rare and all chances are slim.

Mario Paint (Super Nintendo) - Kenny Lee

The all-in-one complete talent package. I'm not referring to the Mario Artist line of 64DD Japan-only games. I mean the original SNES Mario Paint, a title that pushed ingenuity to its greatest heights by giving gamers free reign with how they wanted to express themselves. Of course it wasn't exactly unrestrictive, with nine frame animations and songs composed of dog barks, yet it was a fantastic attempt at giving you creative control. It was not without Nintendo's charm either, with interesting themes, a mini-game, and an interface that made things easy. I have an audio mixer, a paint program, and a GIF animator right here on my computer, but I can't imagine ever bothering to figure them out.

Mario Paint is a perfect example of what is possible in the world of the DS. For one thing, Nintendo no longer has to provide you with a mouse, since all functionality comes right in the box. And I guess there's no point on discussing the advantages of a stylus over a mouse. Additionally, with the wireless capabilities of the handheld, sending and receiving media from friends would be a snap. While the system does lack video or picture capture, its embedded microphone in the very least has the audio aspect covered. Who knows, maybe now you can make songs through your own attempt at dog barking.

What are the chances?

It almost seems like the Nintendo DS was made for Mario Paint. Its features complement the wide array of tools that Mario Paint requires, and with the touch screen you can create art not possible on the SNES original. The question remains how well this would work on the tiny screen of the DS, and what Nintendo could possibly do with the second display. Seeing how the company was willing to shell out versions of Paint Studio and Talent Studio at a time when the N64 was dead, I don't see how hard it would be to get something like that running on a system that's just beginning.

Splinter Cell, Splinter Cell 2: Pandora Tomorrow (GameCube) - Jason Price

You're all thinking it, I'm just stating the obvious. It's been one of the biggest multi-platform games of the current console generation and it's no stretch of the imagination to think that this blockbuster series could make its way to the Big N's latest, greatest gadget. Heck, the DS already looks like some spiffy new spy-toy, it might as well play host to a top-of-the-line stealth game like Splinter Cell. Just imagine navigating Sam Fisher through his spy-tastic world on the DS's top screen while using the bottom touch pad as a kind of espionage Swiss Army knife that serves as a combination of inventory, map, gadget use (lock picking and such), and whatever else a super spy might need when getting his groove on. It's almost enough to make James Bond jealous.

What are the Chances?

Of a direct port of the original Splinter Cell or Pandora Tomorrow? Fairly good. But the DS is more likely to see, instead, the next iteration of the Splinter Cell franchise. Though it may be too late in the game's development cycle to have a DS version of Chaos Theory (the third one), you can almost bet on seeing the next Splinter Cell living out its glory days on the DS.

Star Fox 64 (Nintendo 64) - James Freeman

As the first video game on any system ever to utilize a rumble function with the controller, Star Fox 64 already has a reputation of innovation that would make it fit right at home on the Nintendo DS. Of course, the rumble function is absent on the latest handheld console, but there is still plenty of reason to believe a Star Fox 64 port would be fun and, better yet, completely plausible.

No flight games have yet been announced for the DS, so the niche is just waiting to be filled. Although no specifically beneficial function comes to mind with the touch screen while playing Star Fox 64 on the DS, another system feature does: the microphone. How intensely fun would it be to give voice commands to Slippy and Falco, instructing them to flank the enemy on the left while the player can attack from behind? Nintendo has dabbled in technology like this with Hey You, Pikachu!, but Star Fox 64 would be a perfect game to utilize voice commands to enhance gameplay and offer a totally new way to control and play an undeniably classic game. If Nintendo could simply up the ante in the multiplayer arenas from Star Fox 64 by actually making them interesting (like they appear to be in the upcoming Star Fox Assault from Namco for GameCube) and throwing in the option to play head-to-head in 16-player Arwing deathmatches, Star Fox 64 for the Nintendo DS would, in all honesty, be one seriously badass game.

What are the Chances?

Unlike the horrible Star Fox Adventures, Star Fox 64 was developed in-house by Nintendo, making it much easier than most games to receive the go ahead to port to the Nintendo DS. The hype Star Fox Assault continues to generate for the GameCube testifies to the leverage power Star Fox still has in the minds of gamers. The ball is in Nintendo's court with this one; we can only hope it decides to bring us a clever, portable update to such a brilliant game.

Worms Armageddon (Nintendo 64) - Dan Biersdorf

The very under appreciated not to mention underselling game for the N64, is still recognized as one of the best Worms games to date. The concept of the game is based around strategically moving your army of worms in a battle across various settings and being the last man standing. By using banana bombs, explosive grannies, and a wide array of other highly volatile weaponry, you have to give everything you've got to take down your opponent. The very simple but highly addictive gameplay is one that hasn't been seen in quite some time. With the more recent disappointing Worms 3D, the franchise hasn't reached the peak it once had with Armageddon and continues to fall. Although with the helpful touch screen control system, what better time to re-release it than now? By using the lower screen to have an overview of the stage, locations of enemies and more, you could even choose, control and attack at ease. Add in a mix of wireless multiplayer and you've got a barrel of fun.

What are the chances?

Maybe the odds of a port making its way to the public are unlikely, you can be sure a Worms game will be in the works for the DS in some kind of form. If the N-Gage can manage a Worms title of its own then trust me, the Nintendo DS can as well. Hopefully Team17 and whoever publishes the game (with Acclaim 6 feet under and all) can settle on the best in the series, the fan favorite Worms Armageddon.