9 Best Nintendo DS Sports Games

The second Mario & Sonic game moved the crossover from summer to the 2010 Winter Olympics. It was the first official video game of those Games, licensed by the International Olympic Committee. Like the first one, Nintendo published it in Japan and Korea and Sega handled everywhere else. Every playable character from the first game came back, plus four new ones, and the move to snow and ice changed the controls and mechanics on both the Wii and the DS.

It was a critical and commercial success, with 6.53 million copies sold in Europe and the United States. Players still name it among the DS Mario games they remember, mostly for the multiplayer. It is a party game first, and the DS version is the one you could take to the party.

Downhill Jam is the only racing game in the Tony Hawk series, named after the "Downhill Jam" level from Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. Activision published it in 2006 as a timed Nintendo exclusive on the DS, the Game Boy Advance and the Wii. Vicarious Visions made the DS version after adapting almost every earlier Tony Hawk game for the GBA. Only the DS version has a story mode, and it works as a sequel to American Sk8land, since the opening and closing scenes take place at the same skatepark.

The DS version is the best reviewed of the three on Metacritic, ahead of the Wii and PlayStation 2 versions. Players who picked it up say it was a lot more fun than they expected. A whole game of skating downhill sounds like one level stretched thin, and somehow it holds up.

This is where Mario and Sonic first met, the first licensed crossover game with characters from both series. It was the first official video game of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, and the idea was Sega's: it asked Nintendo for permission to include Mario. The Wii version came first and the DS one followed the next year. Both are collections of 24 events, and there are five categories of Olympic trivia with minigames that unlock the answers.

Critics praised the variety of events in both versions but faulted the DS game for not offering the same interaction between players. 1UP's Andrew Fitch liked that the DS version was less physically demanding, so you could play it for long stretches. Fans had waited over 15 years for the two mascots to team up. They got hurdles.

Skate It is the odd one out in the Skate series. It is the only game in the series that leaves out the main character, because it takes place while he is in prison, which Skate 2 explains. The DS version had a second life later on: the iOS version is a direct port of it, released around the same time as Skate 3.

It is the only skateboarding game on this list without Tony Hawk's name on the box, and it finishes just ahead of the first Mario & Sonic game. On the DS the two skating series shared a shelf for a while. Most people grabbed the Tony Hawk game, and the few who tried this one were glad they did.

True Swing Golf is played with the stylus. The longer you slide it across the touch screen, the harder you hit the ball, and you can curve the swing to slice or fade a shot. It came out in Japan and PAL territories in 2005 and in North America in 2006. One course is based on the Phoenix Country Club in Miyazaki, and there are fifteen courses to unlock, the last three being extremely windy versions of the first three, which is a very golf way to make something harder.

Up to four players can play wirelessly with one game card. The Japanese version has an illustrated glossary of golf terms that the Western releases left out. Players recommend it to anyone who likes golf games, and the stylus swing is the reason.

Inazuma Eleven 2 came out in Japan on October 1, 2009, and in Europe on March 16, 2012, published by Nintendo. It comes in two versions, Firestorm and Blizzard. This time the team travels around Japan, recruits new players and digs into the secret behind the Alius Academy. The main hub is the Inazuma Bus, where you restore FP and TP and travel to other regions.

The matches are near identical to the first game. You control your team with the stylus, and running into an opponent starts a command duel. Special moves now get stronger the more you use them. Players often recommend the first two games together, as one long story. A direct sequel, Inazuma Eleven 3, came out in Japan for the DS in 2010.

American Sk8land was the companion to Tony Hawk's American Wasteland and the first Tony Hawk game on the DS, published by Activision in 2005. Vicarious Visions made it, with cel-shaded visuals, the same soundtrack as American Wasteland and many of the same places and characters. It was also the first DS game from a third party to support the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, Nintendo's online service for the DS.

The story follows Mindy, a local skater and aspiring comic artist, as the pros help bring a famous skatepark back to life. Tony ends up buying the park and Mindy gets her comic. Players still pick it as a favorite, one that plays like a proper Tony Hawk game, and say even a few minutes of skating around is fun.

Mark Evans is a talented goalkeeper whose school has no real soccer club, just six other members who barely want to train. When a mysterious forward named Axel Blaze moves to town, Mark sets out to build a team. There are nearly 1000 playable characters to collect, each with their own design, stats and abilities, and only 100 fit in your party at once.

It came out in Japan in August 2008 and in Europe in 2011, published by Nintendo. North America had to wait for an updated 3DS version on the eShop in 2014. Players describe it as a football RPG, and recommend it to anyone who likes both. It finishes well ahead of its own sequel, and the only DS sports game players recommend more is a Mario one.

Square Enix made Mario Hoops 3-on-3, its second Mario game after Super Mario RPG, and the first game where Mario and Final Fantasy characters are playable together. It is the only dedicated basketball game in the Mario series. You move with the D-pad, and every other action, from dribbles to passes to shots, is a stroke or tap on the touch screen. Red Shells and Bob-ombs turn up on court, and the coins you grab count toward the score.

It came out in Japan on July 27, 2006, in North America on September 11, 2006, and in Europe on February 16, 2007. The tournament ladder uses graphics based on the original Super Mario Bros. Players call it a fun little game and one of the best Mario sports games, and they recommend it more than any other DS sports game.