Invalid characterset or character set not supported The Top 10 DS Acronyms





The Top 10 DS Acronyms
May 13, 2008

March 31, 2007
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Update 2008: CrossworDS - just brilliant! (BTW, I do realise that these examples technically aren't "acronyms", but meh)

ac路ro路nym [ak-ruh-nim] 鈥搉oun 1. a word formed from the initial letters or groups of letters of words in a set phrase or series of words (Dictionary.com; March 2007). A good 2 years and more has passed since my favourite portable system was introduced, and since then I feel that there has been enough wordplay on the DS initials to warrant the compilation of this Top 10 List. These days more and more producers are starting to come up with their own original subtitles, and it is rare to see a new game which uses the art of alphabetism to provide some cheesy header, or simply tack on 'DS' at the end. But who knows? As of the week before Easter 2007, these are the best DS acronyms currently known.

10:Castlevania: "Dawn of Sorrow"
The sequel to Aria of Sorrow sounds just as intriguing, but it doesn't make the slightest sense. For one thing, dawn implies the beginning, which apart from the musical remix this entry is anything but. Secondly another musical term would have carried on the subtitle tradition beautifully, but the run seems to have ended here for the unforseeable future. Nevertheless, it's a great game and it just had to make it to (the bottom of) my list as a shameless plug :P

9:Super Black Bass: "Dynamic Shot" (J)
This is a case of misleading advertising. While it sounds like you're going to have a lot of fun simulating the dynamic experience of real-life fishing with your tiny DS stylus, this al-lure-ing name is probably the best thing going for it. Let's face it, fishing is a sport where the enjoyment comes from taking time off and relaxing with mates or a chilly bin full of beer. Nothing dynamic about playing fisherman on a tiny screen with a pitiful excuse for a rod and line. Still a great title though, albeit false.

8:Bokura no Taiyou: "Django and Sabata" (J)
How much of a Boktai fan are you? This is the Japanese title for Lunar Knights as it is known elsewhere. Originally the leads were the sun gunslinger Django (not the original hero), and the dark warrior Sabata, both their names giving rise to the DS abbreviation. Well this was lost in translation with the switch to Aaron and Lucian respectively. However I think Lunar Knights sounds pretty good on its own even without the fancy acronym, but no offense to Aarons the world over - Django is so much more manly...

7:"MinDStorm"
"Ahahahaha.. no" is what you might think at first, but get this: due out sometime in the middle of 2007, this is purportedly another brain training game which will truly overload your mind with a diverse range of memory, observation, general knowledge and geography-based challenges (IGN, March 2007). It probably won't spin my world, but it may do it for you if you happen to be someone who read the title as 'Min-DS-Torm' and wondered if this was yet another crazy Japanese title!

6:"Dual Screen" - DS Hardware
This is clearly the most obvious example. Back when Nintendo first unveiled their mysterious new handheld console, this term was coined by the gaming public, and a short while later it was officially stated that this was in fact the correct name for it. Simple and clean and it makes sense full stop.

5:"Derek Stiles" - Trauma Center: Under the Knife
The initialism (geez there are a lot of synonyms!) is not found in the title, but within the title character himself. Derek is a young doctor doing his residency at the local hospital, and unbeknownst to him he has the most amazing gift known to medical man. No it's not his healing touch (something to avoid when aiming for those coveted S/XS-ranks), but the power of DS!

4:Zettai Zetsumei Dangerous Jiisan DS: "Dangerous Sensation" (J)
This is one of the most dodgy titles I've seen, especially since I haven't a clue what the main title actually says. Alas this is game for a Nintendo system so no R18 material here. Instead you have a bunch of simple minigames themed around the Japanese Koro Koro comics, and the surprise guest appearance of Rockman EXE. Great title, not-so-great game.

3:Resident Evil: "Deadly Silence"
Another sweet sounding abbreviation used to inform us that this isn't the exact same game we played all those years ago (not far from it though). The zombies are 'deadly' and the lack of music adds some eerie 'silence' to the atmosphere. Ah, the perfect title. And it sounds just as cheesy as the game itself!

2:Tenchu: "Dark Shadow" (J) AKA "Dark Secret"
Tenchu games were an excellent blend of stealth, action and gory signature kills on the home consoles. This DS try-hard doesn't deliver in any of these respects and the developers know it; it truly was a 'dark shadow' of their former glory and when released outside Japan, in was done so in very limited quantities and adopted a new moniker in the hope that it would remain a 'dark secret'. Too bad guys, Arkrex has you exposed and put you right at number 2 on his list!

1:Advance Wars: "Dual Strike"
One of the first wordplays and still the best. Not only does the title sound nice, but it aptly describes the brand new element featured in this latest Advance Wars instalment. You can now command 2 CO's at a time and by building up both their star powers, you can unleash a vicious double-team ability that can skyrocket your battle prowess to the heavens.

Super-duper! Is that what you think of my list? Some of these titles are creative, but many border on saturated cheesiness. There are a couple of others out there, but they have relatively uninteresting backstories, and so I picked the ones which I thought were worth mentioning. There is only so much you can do with 2 letters, and developers seem to have realised this and acronyms don't appear as often anymore. But I'm sure there a few more good ones, so keep the flame alive guys. This art is delightfully simple, but others may consider it dumb and stupid. I hope you enjoyed this Duper-Super list, a filler for what's coming up next...

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