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[NOTE: Watch the whole video before reading the description!]



After giving it some thought, I think the Nintendo DS may be a worthy candidate for my all-time favourite system. You can play it wherever you like, the touch screen control scheme is intuitive, it has so many great games that support it, especially some IPs that could've only been popular because of this system, and serves as a platform for visual novels, as well as very unexpected but welcome ports, like Super Mario 64, The Phoenix Wright Series, Chrono Trigger, and so on. And while the MIDI audio limitations stick out, I don't really have a problem with it, because it often makes the soundtracks on this system catchy as well as appealing. So I decided to make a special out of it, from some of the most popular franchises on the system.

ZERO ESCAPE: 9 HOURS, 9 PERSONS, 9 DOORS ~ DIGITAL ROOT
- DEVELOPED BY: Chunsoft
- PUBLISHED BY: Spike (Japan) / Aksys Games (America)
- COMPOSED BY: Shinji Hosoe
- WHERE MUSIC PLAYS:
[EVENT] - Snake reads the Braille letter to the rest of the party.

- DESCRIPTION:
If you subscribed to Klagmar, you'd probably know that this is one of his favourite games ever. And after playing the game myself out of this curiosity, I can see why. Like I said, the DS had its fair share of visual novels. Which I guess were most popular on this system because it felt closer to reading an actual novel (Although I have to wonder why no developers of these visual novels thought to make the game so that we would have to hold the DS sideways. Y'know, like an actual book. Oh well. Maybe people weren't fond of that idea). And this game is probably one of the best of its genre. A gripping story, unique and colourful characters and a tense atmosphere. The atmosphere is especially heavy during these scenes where basically a lot of things in the plot are discussed amongst the characters. You really feel like you're one of the people on the boat, conversing with people you don't know and might not trust in a claustrophobic and gradually sinking boat.

ACE ATTORNEY INVESTIGATIONS: MILES EDGEWORTH ~ CONFRONTATION (PRESTO 2009)
- DEVELOPED BY: Capcom
- PUBLISHED BY: Capcom / THQ (Australia)
- COMPOSED BY: Noriyuki Iwadare / Yasuko Yamada
- WHERE MUSIC PLAYS:

- DESCRIPTION:
I actually didn't know this series were ports from the GBA before looking it up. And I don't think a lot of people knew either because these games really are the definitive versions of the franchise. When it came down to finally making new games in the franchise made for this system, Capcom decided to throw a curveball and have you play as two different characters, Apollo Justice and Miles Edgeworth, you former adversary who is now apparently a detective in this game. Unfortunately I haven't played this game yet, or Apollo Justice for that matter, but I swear I will get to it soon. After all, the soundtracks of both games are done by one of my favourite composers, Noriyuki Iwadare. Now that's a good sign!

TRAUMA CENTRE: UNDER THE KNIFE 2 ~ SEVERING THE CHAINS OF FATE
- DEVELOPED BY: Atlus / Vanguard
- PUBLISHED BY: Atlus
- COMPOSED BY: Manabu Namiki / Noriyuki Kamikura
- WHERE MUSIC PLAYS:
[FINAL BOSS] - ????????

- DESCRIPTION:
I know I said I wouldn't upload any boss music until Golden VGM #476, but I'll make an exception for this amazingly catchy piece. Even though I haven't actually played a Trauma Centre game on the DS, I have played Second Opinion, and I think that's enough to get an opinion on the series as a whole (see what I did there? :3). It's unsettling and stressful, but that's pretty much what being a doctor is like, so this series nails that front. As for the song, well, it may feel a bit out-of-place for this series (I mean, it soudns more like a final boss theme from a Kirby game), but I just can't resist catchy music. Catchy orchestral music. My favourite combination. And besides, for DS audio standards, this sounds pretty damn good.

ADVANCE WARS: DUAL STRIKE ~ COURAGE!
- DEVELOPED BY: Intelligent Systems
- PUBLISHED BY: Nintendo
- COMPOSED BY: Yoshito Hirano / Kenji Yamamoto
- WHERE MUSIC PLAYS:
[MENU] - Campaign ~ Mission Select

- DESCRIPTION:
And now, I saved the best for last. Advance Wars: Dual Strike is a game I cannot play (because I suck badly at strategy games), but my god is this soundtrack outstanding. It's catchy, it's lively and it gives the game its own perfect sense of atmosphere and charm. You have no idea how much I wanted to put this song in particular on my list. If it was available much sooner, it would be uploaded into this list far sooner than you'd expect. Every time I hear it, I actually want to salute, that's how good of a song it is!
And with so many more fantastic (albeit short) tracks to choose from, this is most definitely my favourite soundtrack on the DS.

[By the way, sorry if the image in the video looks crummy. I'm really swamped with other work, and I think I'm going through an art block right now so bare with me.]