i'm gonna be going on a trip this week for one week and the plane rides are usually long and boring. i'd love to take a DS game with me to play on the ride, but i'm not quite up to date with the DS library (the last game i purcahsed with SoulSilver, and before that GTA Chinatown Wars)  
 
i'm looking for a lengthy DS game, preferably a good RPG (i have not played an RPG in forever) since it seems DS RPGs are solid. it doesn't have to be an RPG but it can be a good game that i can pass the time with.  
 
i looked at Strange Journey but after asking a couple people, they said it would be much better if i played other SMT games in the series, but it's also a solid purchase so i don't know about that one. Picross 3D is great supposedly but i know nothing of it.  
 
what game should i buy for my trip?  
 
edit: by the way.. i'm not a big RPG person at all but i'm really craving to play a good one. 

There are other SMT games for the DS? I don't remember any unless they're referring to any other games regardless of platform. Anyway, there's lots of great RPGs for the DS as you might know and SMT: Strange Journey looks pretty solid. Picross 3D is really more suited to shorter journeys so I don't think you should get that for now (but get it anyway sometime.) I\m no expert on the DS I'm afraid so someone like AgentJ, Halinel or oldschool might be better to answer your question.

Hm..I suppose there's Chrono Trigger and a couple of Final Fantasy games.

Elite Beat Agent games, or a final fantasy re-release.

I've never played another SMT game besides persona and I had miles of fun with strange journey, so I dunno what your friends were talking about.
 
of course it is also super depressing so take that as you will

Like people said, Chrono Trigger. Also, Bowser's Inside Story, it's really good.

Disgea - You could put over 300 hours into this game and not even be half way done with the content. I'm at just over 200 now.

While it's not the longest game in the world, but Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story is a fantastic and simple RPG.

I'll drop a vote for picross 3d or even picross ds if youve never played it, they eat time very quickly. The puzzles are short, but they really have that 'just one more' quality. Infinate Space is good, or FF Tactics

Chrono Trigger is lame :( Get any of the two Professor Layton games, Picross 3D or Trauma Center. Phantom Hourglass is also kinda cool. There's also stuff like Disgaea DS or Knights in the Nightmare.

" Chrono Trigger is lame :( Get any of the two Professor Layton games, Picross 3D or Trauma Center. Phantom Hourglass is also kinda cool. There's also stuff like Disgaea DS or Knights in the Nightmare. "

I've heard this is pretty good for a trip... might wanna save it for your bathroom trips though.
 
 

The World Ends WIth You is one of my favourite DS games.
 
You might be able to pick up some of the Phoenix Wright games on the cheap. They're worth playing if you haven't checked them out already.

You might be able to pick up some of the Phoenix Wright games on the cheap. They're worth playing if you haven't checked them out already. "

" @Steve_C said:

You might be able to pick up some of the Phoenix Wright games on the cheap. They're worth playing if you haven't checked them out already. "

oh man! i completely forgot about those games! i should buy those! "

" @AjayRaz said:

" @Steve_C said:

You might be able to pick up some of the Phoenix Wright games on the cheap. They're worth playing if you haven't checked them out already. "

oh man! i completely forgot about those games! i should buy those! "

I've only played the first two, though I have the third waiting to be played after my exams. They're pretty brilliant. You end up getting really sucked in at times and the music gets amazing too. The only annoyance i've found is when i've occassionally hit a brick wall with how to advance during the court sequences.  It's not immediately obvious, and so I end up going through trying to present every piece of evidence and having to restart the game too until the game lets me advance. The process of trial and error can take a while and gets frustrating. Other than that it's good through and through. "

" @AjayRaz:  I can't remember the length, but I know they're not short. The initial case is never very long as they're always an introduction, but they get progressively longer and the later cases can really drag on (in a good way). You might think you're finished on a case, but then plot twist happens and you've got another hour or two before you wrap things up. They're easily longer than 10 hours, and probably closer to around 20 at a guess.
 
Regarding the order, you have Phoenix Wright, PW: Justice for All, and PW: Trials and Tribulations which is the main trilogy. Then there's Apollo Justice and the Miles Edgeworth spin-off.  For now i'd just stick to the first three games, playing them in order. "

Well good luck hunting them down. I'm tired and my bed beckons. Good night!

Etrian Odyssey is great if you grew up on old school RPGs and aren't afraid to get your ass kicked once in a while.

Phoenix Wright games are also great, but skip Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth. It's a step in the wrong direction.

Definitely Picross 3D if you like puzzles at all. It's fun. The QL can tell you all you need to know about it.

I would say the Professor Layton games,but to me they work best in 10-20 minute bursts, where you can get in, solve a few puzzles, and get out. I really liked Henry Hatsworth, but it's a hard son of a bitch, be forewarned. Otherwise, the usual suspects are in order: Mario Kart, Zelda, Metroid, etc.

I grabbed the DS version of Dawn of Discovery off the shelf here at work early last month. I played it on all our trips to and from New York, Seattle, Irvine, and Las Vegas. It's city-building, so it's not for everyone, but the campaign does a great job of teaching you.

If you are able to play games while in a moving vehicle, I applaud you. That gets me carsick within minutes.

Yes, Picross 3D is a good choice.

I will also have to go with the first 3 Phoenix Wright games.
  Those seem perfect for a trip, each game takes about 20 or so hours to complete the first time through.
 
My favorite DS game ever is The World Ends With You, kind of a rough start, but once it gets going it's amazing.

" I grabbed the DS version of Dawn of Discovery off the shelf here at work early last month. I played it on all our trips to and from New York, Seattle, Irvine, and Las Vegas. It's city-building, so it's not for everyone, but the campaign does a great job of teaching you. "

Watch the quicklook for the Wii version of the first Phoenix Wright game, its basically the same version.
Also, dont miss the Picross 3D QL.
That should make you decide.

For the love of god Ajay, go for Picross 3D. You get quite a lot of really, really good puzzle action (I believe it comes with 369 out of the box, plus free DLC) for $20 and the tutorials do a really good job at getting you familiarized with the universal mechanics and strategies you'll be using to solve every puzzle. I might be somewhat biased since I've loved the Picross formula since finally playing a homebrewed version last year, but really, it's a fantastic puzzle game for both long and short stretches, being both cerebral without being unfair. Plus, the presentation is just charming. If I'd beaten more of the game already, I'd have a review up by now, but seriously, just go for that one if it's between that and Phoenix Wright. I love those games, too, but being the linear adventure games that they are, you're not going to get nearly as much bang for your buck money or time-wise in comparison to something like Picross.

+1 on of the Professor Layton games and Bowser's Inside Story. Also maybe one of the Castlevanias?

You MUST get Phoenix Wright series, Apollo Justice and Miles Edgeworth. Absolute must play for any DS owner.

You must consider Advance Wars - either one, but Dual Strike is better.  The main story does eat up a lot of time and you have so many maps, enemies and CO's to work with.  You shouldn't be disappointed. 
 
Civilisation Revolution is a really solid RTS, but so Age of Empires: Age of Kings.  They have done an excellent job shrinking them down.
 
As for RPG, don't discount Dragon Quest V (or IV) and Final Fantasy IV (and III).  They are still great games and the DS versions are excellent.

I've got a couple of games for you. 
 
Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story. It's a great RPG, and one of my favorites of all time if you can believe that. I'm nearing the end of it now, and I'm at about 14 hours, it'll probably end up at about 17, so it's a good length. I have a short attention span with games, and it's the kind of game I can't put down. The pacing is perfect, the characters are funny and interesting, the story is alright, and over all a prefect game for a long trip. I can't recommend it enough. 
 
Picross 3D. I will be picking up this game for my twelve hour car ride to NY this weekend. I can't wait, I love Picross. You really need to play it to fully get how good it is, so if you have a Wii, there is a demo available on the Nintendo Channel, so go try that out. Plus, only $20!

 Plus, only $20! "

" You MUST get Phoenix Wright series, Apollo Justice and Miles Edgeworth. Absolute must play for any DS owner. "

There's a thread in the DS forums for quality games. Why don't you just use that?

  Kirby: Canvas Curse is a great DS game, although it could be hard to find now.

Puzzle Quest

" Puzzle Quest "