Early version- a lot of these games still need to be reviewed but it was approaching a state where people might get something out of it so it is here for the "early adopter" types.
Following a few discussions here and there the options available for those wanting some card games on the DS came up and warranted a bit more research as there is some serious drivel out there (general rule of thumb- if it says casino, vegas or poker it would be a surprise if it is good). For now homebrew has been largely been left out as has the GBA ( Herg's solitaire being a fine example of GBA and homebrew) but others are quite free to add to the list should something have been overlooked.
There are some 40 odd titles in this initial incarnation and figuring out a way to rate them is hard; some people call the lack of stats a dealbreaker where others would not even notice, some demand wifi where others are fine with local and/or AI and there are many games with the option for deep strategy that might sail right over the one reviewing it and so reviewing any AI to say nothing of the games affording all sorts of house rules and regional variations. There is a kind of lesser games at the bottom of each section thing going on but make of that what you will.
One thing that is almost universally deplored is having to unlock games/modes (usually a trait of the lesser games but not exclusively) so hopefully a list of those can be made and save files generated as necessary.
Names here are more confusing than the R4 cards many will probably end up running on and that is before you even try to figure out what is a region dupe, cutting through it as best we can
Card games the classics/ultimate card games
NA release (Ultimate card games) and European release available.
Telegames released what is usually known as the best card game collection on the GBA in ultimate card games (the other telegames ultimate series being well worth a look and doing well in each of the things they claim to be- puzzle, winter, brain, arcade and word) and announced a sequel on the DS but it did not come out until late 2011. This one did get released in Europe first where it was known as "Card games the classics" and I reviewed it in the release thread. Some noted the lack of Montana solitaire though. If you like card games and want things for the DS this is all but mandatory as even the few titles specifically aimed at a class of card games will have a hard time brushing up against this.
42 all time classics / clubhouse games
The Japanese version (Daredemo asobi taizen, also note there is a second version with wifi) was said to have a couple of differences but for many this was one of the best collections available on the DS which is a title it held through much of the DS lifetime to say nothing of the other titles it held (probably the only title to feature an English version of Shogi). There are now a couple of DSiware releases as well.
18 card games / 18 classic card games
Europe release and NA release.
No word on quality yet but it features several European card games unlike most and the EU version is multi 5 plus Dutch.
100 all time favourites/master all classics
NA release (100 all time favourites) and European release (master all classics)
Ubisoft getting in on the minigame/card game collections (EU release was first).
The big deal
Release thread
Sadly nothing to do with the similarly titled card themed mid 80's BBC series this game is from Midas Interactive who mainly seem to port PS2 games to the PS3 PSN classics system but it features Texas Hold 'Em, Black Jack, Spit, Baccarat, Whist, Higher or Lower, Casino War, Solitaire, Pairs, Five Card Draw some of which are not often seen among the other games in this list (certainly spit and Whist are under represented). Not enough reviews to call it yet but could be worth a look.
50 classic games/classic games
NA release and European release
Third possible release of something Thread
Will have to untangle this one at a later date (even publisher/developer websites are not being that helpful here).
A bit of contention here as to what goes where Emme have a another title named 50 classic games. 3ds game of a similar name supposedly available as well.
At least one of the releases by all accounts is another 42 all time classics a like but one of the better pretenders to the throne.
Touch 'N' Play Collection
NA release and European release
Seriously mixed reports on this one. Pending a more complete list the sales patter lists "Breakout, Snakes and Ladders, Black Jack, Mahjong, Dominoes, Ant Invaders and many more!"
best of card games
Release thread
Some seemed to want to follow Telegames in creating a franchise around the likes of card, board, "brain training" and arcade games but if their arcade games entry is anything to go by they did not follow Telegames in making quality games, the posters on the GBAtemp thread seem back that up as well.
100 classic games
Release thread
Easy Interactive developed this and they deal almost exclusively in what might be dubbed shovelware (as do their publishers for this) but it looks like a higher grade of shovelware and given what else infests this lists from big companies it gets the benefit of a test. In the release thread Vivi lists the games as
1001 touch games
NA release, English only Europe release and Multi 4* European release
*English, Italian, Dutch and French according to GBAtemp's database.
1001 seems to be numbering in the vein of the lucky lucky man carts you find in tourist traps but among the 50 or so games that result are a couple of card games. Amazon reviews are somewhat favourable
Touchmaster series
A former game of the week title it features some entry level solitaire and a few other things. Will be compared against the others although it will probably not stack up well against telegames stuff.
New touch party game
European release thread
Europe seemingly ended up with a localisation of a very early Japanese game in this. Seems to have something of a story to it and only features a handful of games.
Bridge training
Release thread
(Contract) Bridge is something of an anomaly among card games and computerised versions of it usually lack somewhat, probably due to the high computing cost (see the troubles with making a computerised version of Go for an idea of what goes) although the human element is very important. Given our only interaction with bridge at this point is knowing the bridge scoring card as the only card more useless than the jokers comments on the quality will be deferred for when something is known, Amazon reviews are not favourable though.
Greatest casual collection
European release, ADVANsCEne has casual classics down as the same title with the later game being a 1.1 by any other name and pending further analysis (an unenviable task) it will be assumed to be so (same company, same games contained and same artwork for the most part).
It features four games in Minesweeper, Solitaire, mahjong solitaire and Suduko. Just no, get something else and a copy of Puzzle Maniak.
Quest Trio and Jewel Quest titles
The jewel quest and quest trio games are probably not that bad per se but they are not usually as focused on solitaire and try for tiles and jewels game modes at the same time but as they have cards they are here. Region dupes aplenty for both titles and they all seem to mix and match what collections they come with making figuring out what is what a right pain and as such a task for a later date.
NA release for quest Trio
European release
Jewel quest solitaire
Release thread (overload) and Release thread (Solitaire DS)
Did OK back in 2007 and features a lot of modes although the would be sequel. Supposedly what Telegames released to tide people over until Ultimate card games and did OK. Full list pending but sales patter lists "Klondike, FreeCell, Spider, Baker’s Dozen, Yukon, Beleaguered Castle, Forty Thieves, Canfield, and many others.".
Solitaire overload plus/Solitaire, Mahjong and Tangram: 3-in-1
Release thread (Solitaire overload plus) and Release thread (Solitaire, Mahjong and Tangram: 3-in-1)
For the most part this added a few more modes and a bunch of minigames a la some of the 42 all time classics title but being a telegames title it is worth a look none the less.
Solitaire/Eindeloos Patience
European release* and Dutch version
*wrong boxart at time of posting.
Trying to find any info is quite hard at this point for such a generic name. Artwork points to it being one of the better ones though and some more testing is definitely warranted.
Superlite 2500 Tokyo Odaiba Casino is mentioned in Japanese games below, probably the better Casino themed game.
Sega casino
NA release and European release available.
Sega has long made and encouraged casino themed games (some going as far back as the master system) but they made their own these last few years. Was probably the better casino themed game for some time but will need to be evaluated against the competition that now exists for it as there was not a lot when it was released and for some time afterwards.
Pending a full workup
Road to Vegas
GBAtemp release thread
Supposedly something of a themed game with you starting out in the dingy blackpool Casinos and slowly working your way to vegas. Probably not going to beat the Ultimate card games + 42 all time classics combo but might be worth looking at if you like this sort of thing (opinions seemed very mixed).
Golden Nuggest Casino DS
European release and NA release
The real world Casino chain has lent the name to a few games over the years with Majesco handling publishing duties for the GBA and DS ones at least. Although the GBA version was halfway polished the DS version did not do as well and was what one might dub a cash in.
Vegas Casino High 5/ Vegas Casino Nights
European release and NA release
Panned hard just about everywhere this game was mentioned.
Texas hold em poker pack
Europe, French only and NA release of this one.
Pokerdome poker master
One of the few Australia specific releases for the DS and only count of it to provide an English exclusive by our reckoning. French and Dutch versions available.
World series of poker 2008 - battle for the bracelets
NA release and Europe.
Texas hold em poker DS
Europe and NA release of this. Most notable feature being you could turn on a mode where you chose/faked expressions to try to throw off the AI (just like you would in real life).... both the game and the gimmick fell far short.
World Championship Poker- deluxe series
Very early NA release and it eventually wound up with a release of the European persuasion.
*surprisingly there are no card games among the puzzle series although it is definitely worth looking at.
Where the other aimed to be exhaustive (although it probably failed to be) as far as Japanese games go at this point there could well be several games missing and no such claim as far as being a complete list is made. Do mention any that have been missed though.
On "Hanafuda". Hanafuda is to card games what Shogi is to chess which is to say similar basic setup but a fairly different game in the end so questions of whether to include such things arise. Although there are a handful of DS titles featuring them (perhaps most notably 1500 DS spirits vol 5 - Hanafuda and Table game spirits victory) if we went down this path we would also have to start including things like Uno cards, Rummikub (there are a couple of half decent European releases featuring the game) and possibly Arcomage so they are not being included in this initial list. However it should be noted Koi Koi is featured in Club house games/42 all time classics.
Still
Superlite 2500 Tokyo Odaiba Casino
GBAtemp release thread. Game homepage.
Features a version of blackjack, video poker and something else as well as roulette, Sic bo (needs confirmation), slots, "hit and blow" whatever that might be and the ability to dress your would be hostess up. You are probably better off getting a copy of the Blackjack trainer homebrew but it features cards so we note it.
Simple DS series vol 5 - The Trump
Release thread
Looks like a half nice collection of card games.
Simple DS series vol 30 - The table game
Release thread
Another would be 42 all time classics type game but looks like it is worth a look. Features some cards, some shogi, some hanafuda and more.
table game spirits and table game spirits 2
First entry and the sequel*
*seems to be wrong boxart but hopefully that can be sorted.
Hanafuda and some regular card games by the looks of things and possible some less common games if screenshots are anything to go by.
For that matter anything with "table game" in the name probably needs to be looked at for card games.
1500 series vol 6 - trump
Release thread
Can not find a lot right now.
Touch de Rakushou! Pachislo Sengen: Rio de Carnival
Release thread
Most games with Pachi (slot) are fruit machine games but this one does appear to feature a handful of card games.
card game 9
Release thread
Seems to be a combined Hanafuda and regular cards game and might be worth investigating a bit further.
Tennis no Ouji-Sama - Motto Gakuensai no Ouji-Sama - More Sweet Edition?
release thread
ADVANsCEne has cards in gameplay shot for the offline list database so it is here, beyond that no clue other than this is probably closer to dating sim than might be ideal. For a licensed title though the tennis games were probably up there with mario tennis and anime titles have lent their artwork to surprisingly good puzzle games in the past (gundam mahjong on the DS is awesome and gundam/Haro no Puyo Puyo for the GBA is pretty good as well).
Following a few discussions here and there the options available for those wanting some card games on the DS came up and warranted a bit more research as there is some serious drivel out there (general rule of thumb- if it says casino, vegas or poker it would be a surprise if it is good). For now homebrew has been largely been left out as has the GBA ( Herg's solitaire being a fine example of GBA and homebrew) but others are quite free to add to the list should something have been overlooked.
There are some 40 odd titles in this initial incarnation and figuring out a way to rate them is hard; some people call the lack of stats a dealbreaker where others would not even notice, some demand wifi where others are fine with local and/or AI and there are many games with the option for deep strategy that might sail right over the one reviewing it and so reviewing any AI to say nothing of the games affording all sorts of house rules and regional variations. There is a kind of lesser games at the bottom of each section thing going on but make of that what you will.
One thing that is almost universally deplored is having to unlock games/modes (usually a trait of the lesser games but not exclusively) so hopefully a list of those can be made and save files generated as necessary.
Collections and one off titles
Unlike most times you see collection in the name it is not necessarily a bad thing on the DS (indeed some of the single purpose games are pretty dire) and as the name implies they tend to feature several games and versions thereof.Names here are more confusing than the R4 cards many will probably end up running on and that is before you even try to figure out what is a region dupe, cutting through it as best we can
Card games the classics/ultimate card games
NA release (Ultimate card games) and European release available.
Telegames released what is usually known as the best card game collection on the GBA in ultimate card games (the other telegames ultimate series being well worth a look and doing well in each of the things they claim to be- puzzle, winter, brain, arcade and word) and announced a sequel on the DS but it did not come out until late 2011. This one did get released in Europe first where it was known as "Card games the classics" and I reviewed it in the release thread. Some noted the lack of Montana solitaire though. If you like card games and want things for the DS this is all but mandatory as even the few titles specifically aimed at a class of card games will have a hard time brushing up against this.
1) Standard card games (hearts, spades, euchre, Bridge, canasta, gin rummy, cribbage,crazy eights, go fish, Romme and Skat)
2) Casino modes - blackjack, texas hold em, double flop hold em, Omaha, 5 card draw, 7 card stud, Pineapple, Crazy pineapple, video poker.
3) Solitaire- standard/"klondike", freecell, spider, double klondike, Russian Solitaire, Sea towers, forty thieves, Yukon, penguin, Spider one suit, spider two suits, pyramid, golf, Scorpion, Canfield, Aces up, rainbow, Beleaguered Castle, Four Seasons, Calculation.
2) Casino modes - blackjack, texas hold em, double flop hold em, Omaha, 5 card draw, 7 card stud, Pineapple, Crazy pineapple, video poker.
3) Solitaire- standard/"klondike", freecell, spider, double klondike, Russian Solitaire, Sea towers, forty thieves, Yukon, penguin, Spider one suit, spider two suits, pyramid, golf, Scorpion, Canfield, Aces up, rainbow, Beleaguered Castle, Four Seasons, Calculation.
42 all time classics / clubhouse games
The Japanese version (Daredemo asobi taizen, also note there is a second version with wifi) was said to have a couple of differences but for many this was one of the best collections available on the DS which is a title it held through much of the DS lifetime to say nothing of the other titles it held (probably the only title to feature an English version of Shogi). There are now a couple of DSiware releases as well.
Card games: Old Maid, Spit, I Doubt It, Sevens, Memory, Pig, Blackjack, Hearts, President, Rummy, Seven Bridge, Last Card, Last Card Plus, Five Card Draw, Texas hold 'em, Nap, Spades, and Contract Bridge.
Board games: Chinese checkers, Checkers, Dots and Boxes, Hasami shogi, Turncoat, Connect Five, Grid Attack, Backgammon, Chess, Shogi, Field Tactics, and Ludo.
Variety games: Soda Shake, Dominoes, Koi-Koi, and Word Balloon.
Action games: Bowling, Darts, Billiards, Balance, and Takeover.
Single player games: Solitaire, Escape, and Mahjong solitaire.
Board games: Chinese checkers, Checkers, Dots and Boxes, Hasami shogi, Turncoat, Connect Five, Grid Attack, Backgammon, Chess, Shogi, Field Tactics, and Ludo.
Variety games: Soda Shake, Dominoes, Koi-Koi, and Word Balloon.
Action games: Bowling, Darts, Billiards, Balance, and Takeover.
Single player games: Solitaire, Escape, and Mahjong solitaire.
18 card games / 18 classic card games
Europe release and NA release.
No word on quality yet but it features several European card games unlike most and the EU version is multi 5 plus Dutch.
Texas Hold 'Em • Omaha Hold 'Em • Casino Blackjack • Spanish Blackjack • Blackjack • Pontoon • Dutch Eenentwintigen • Rummy • Canasta • German Mau Mau • Dutch Pesten • Bridge • Dutch Klaverjassen • French Belote • German Skat • Freecell • Hearts • Klondike.
100 all time favourites/master all classics
NA release (100 all time favourites) and European release (master all classics)
Ubisoft getting in on the minigame/card game collections (EU release was first).
http://www.amazon.co.uk/review/R1QCXSRPH4TE3K/
The 15 "Classics" games are: flip flop; chess; hearts; blackjack; Texas hold'em poker; bridge; rummy; backgammon; draughts; mancala; dominos; decode; straight 5; go; Chinese checkers.
The 15 "Games Rooms" games are: battlefield; jackpot (one-armed bandit); rush3; roulette; bowling (doesn't handle as well as 42 classics"); shapes; kakuro; straight 4; paddle play; solitaire; soduko; tic-tac-toe (noughts and crosses); table hockey; mines and pool
The 10 "Bonus" games: three throw; code winder; crownfall; tentacle; dicy; beanstalk; tri-match; bi-contract; hunt heart and dance floor.
The 14 unlockable Hard Games are chess; Chinese checkers; backgammon; draughts; mancala; dominos; decode; straight 5; hearts; rummy; go; texas hold'em; bridge and flip flop.
There are an extra 15 bonus games: hide `n' seek; chip smash; pip shot; dot link; code play; trap around; off centre; 4+1; pentagon; crackjack; trick track, horse shoot; royal rush; dot fall; paddle flip; trap suit; dot fall; paddle flip; trap suit; bet set go; tap dance; dish dash and spinner.
When you play a game you can win coins which you can use to "buy" new games from the locked games in the "Extras" section.
The "Extras" section has an "Item Shop" where you can spend those coins you win; a "modify profile"; "sound" (where you can turn off the sfx noises and the lift music; Language and Credits.
Within the "Item Shop" there is a section where you can buy new avatar faces ("Faces"); where you can use your coins to buy harder versions of existing games ("Hard Mode"); and unlockable "Bonus Games".
The 15 "Classics" games are: flip flop; chess; hearts; blackjack; Texas hold'em poker; bridge; rummy; backgammon; draughts; mancala; dominos; decode; straight 5; go; Chinese checkers.
The 15 "Games Rooms" games are: battlefield; jackpot (one-armed bandit); rush3; roulette; bowling (doesn't handle as well as 42 classics"); shapes; kakuro; straight 4; paddle play; solitaire; soduko; tic-tac-toe (noughts and crosses); table hockey; mines and pool
The 10 "Bonus" games: three throw; code winder; crownfall; tentacle; dicy; beanstalk; tri-match; bi-contract; hunt heart and dance floor.
The 14 unlockable Hard Games are chess; Chinese checkers; backgammon; draughts; mancala; dominos; decode; straight 5; hearts; rummy; go; texas hold'em; bridge and flip flop.
There are an extra 15 bonus games: hide `n' seek; chip smash; pip shot; dot link; code play; trap around; off centre; 4+1; pentagon; crackjack; trick track, horse shoot; royal rush; dot fall; paddle flip; trap suit; dot fall; paddle flip; trap suit; bet set go; tap dance; dish dash and spinner.
When you play a game you can win coins which you can use to "buy" new games from the locked games in the "Extras" section.
The "Extras" section has an "Item Shop" where you can spend those coins you win; a "modify profile"; "sound" (where you can turn off the sfx noises and the lift music; Language and Credits.
Within the "Item Shop" there is a section where you can buy new avatar faces ("Faces"); where you can use your coins to buy harder versions of existing games ("Hard Mode"); and unlockable "Bonus Games".
The big deal
Release thread
Sadly nothing to do with the similarly titled card themed mid 80's BBC series this game is from Midas Interactive who mainly seem to port PS2 games to the PS3 PSN classics system but it features Texas Hold 'Em, Black Jack, Spit, Baccarat, Whist, Higher or Lower, Casino War, Solitaire, Pairs, Five Card Draw some of which are not often seen among the other games in this list (certainly spit and Whist are under represented). Not enough reviews to call it yet but could be worth a look.
50 classic games/classic games
NA release and European release
Third possible release of something Thread
Will have to untangle this one at a later date (even publisher/developer websites are not being that helpful here).
A bit of contention here as to what goes where Emme have a another title named 50 classic games. 3ds game of a similar name supposedly available as well.
At least one of the releases by all accounts is another 42 all time classics a like but one of the better pretenders to the throne.
Touch 'N' Play Collection
NA release and European release
Seriously mixed reports on this one. Pending a more complete list the sales patter lists "Breakout, Snakes and Ladders, Black Jack, Mahjong, Dominoes, Ant Invaders and many more!"
best of card games
Release thread
Some seemed to want to follow Telegames in creating a franchise around the likes of card, board, "brain training" and arcade games but if their arcade games entry is anything to go by they did not follow Telegames in making quality games, the posters on the GBAtemp thread seem back that up as well.
100 classic games
Release thread
Easy Interactive developed this and they deal almost exclusively in what might be dubbed shovelware (as do their publishers for this) but it looks like a higher grade of shovelware and given what else infests this lists from big companies it gets the benefit of a test. In the release thread Vivi lists the games as
Full game list:
4 in a Row, 5 in a Row, 8 Queens, 9x9, Add it up, Air Hockey, Arrow, Ataxx, Backgammon, Battle to the Sea, Bingo, Black Jack, Blackjack, Blocks, Blocky, Boule, Bridge, Bubble Fire, Canasta, Card, Combinations, Card Square, Casino Dice, Casino Roulette, Catch the Butterfly, Checkers, Chess, Chinese Checkers, Combine, Dice Combo, Domino, Dots and Boxes, Farkle, Fences, Fisherman! Five Field Kono, Freecell, Gomoku, Gravitat, Harvest, Hearts, House of Fortune, Influence, Kakuro, Klondike 1, Klondike 3, Lock n Roll, Magic Square I, Magic Square II, Magic Square III, Mahjongg 10 Sec, Mahjongg Countdown, Mahjongg Match, Mahjongg Point Race, Mahjongg Standard, Mancala, Match 3, Matchsticks, Mate in 1, Mau Mau, Mazemaster, Memo Pair, Memo Quartet, Memo Trio, Mercury Drops, Minefield I, Minefield II, Minefield III, Mixing Pallet, Music, Nim, Omaha Hold'em, Orbital, PathFinder, Peg Solitaire, Pentalpha, Piper Pipey, Push the Box, Puzzle Pieces, Puzzle Strip, Reversi, Same, Shell Game, Slide Puzzle, Slot Machine, Spot the Difference, Square Puzzle, Sudoku, Superbrain, Symboku, Tangram, Tennis, Tennis Training, Texas Hold'em, Tic Tac Toe, Towers of Hanoi, Trace, Tri Peaks, Way and Weight Puzzle.
4 in a Row, 5 in a Row, 8 Queens, 9x9, Add it up, Air Hockey, Arrow, Ataxx, Backgammon, Battle to the Sea, Bingo, Black Jack, Blackjack, Blocks, Blocky, Boule, Bridge, Bubble Fire, Canasta, Card, Combinations, Card Square, Casino Dice, Casino Roulette, Catch the Butterfly, Checkers, Chess, Chinese Checkers, Combine, Dice Combo, Domino, Dots and Boxes, Farkle, Fences, Fisherman! Five Field Kono, Freecell, Gomoku, Gravitat, Harvest, Hearts, House of Fortune, Influence, Kakuro, Klondike 1, Klondike 3, Lock n Roll, Magic Square I, Magic Square II, Magic Square III, Mahjongg 10 Sec, Mahjongg Countdown, Mahjongg Match, Mahjongg Point Race, Mahjongg Standard, Mancala, Match 3, Matchsticks, Mate in 1, Mau Mau, Mazemaster, Memo Pair, Memo Quartet, Memo Trio, Mercury Drops, Minefield I, Minefield II, Minefield III, Mixing Pallet, Music, Nim, Omaha Hold'em, Orbital, PathFinder, Peg Solitaire, Pentalpha, Piper Pipey, Push the Box, Puzzle Pieces, Puzzle Strip, Reversi, Same, Shell Game, Slide Puzzle, Slot Machine, Spot the Difference, Square Puzzle, Sudoku, Superbrain, Symboku, Tangram, Tennis, Tennis Training, Texas Hold'em, Tic Tac Toe, Towers of Hanoi, Trace, Tri Peaks, Way and Weight Puzzle.
1001 touch games
NA release, English only Europe release and Multi 4* European release
*English, Italian, Dutch and French according to GBAtemp's database.
1001 seems to be numbering in the vein of the lucky lucky man carts you find in tourist traps but among the 50 or so games that result are a couple of card games. Amazon reviews are somewhat favourable
http://www.amazon.com/1001-Touch-Ga...irect?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=0#R31N5CKYB5CZTD
List of games:
...........
>Under "Game Collections" category
=(under action and adventure)=
-crystal caverns (not sure what the equivalent is called, but that game with a looping row of different colored balls to 'shoot and match')
-minigolf madness
-pinball madness
-ultimate racing
-ball buster (that fun 'pong' type of game were you have to keep moving the slider to keep the ball bouncing to 'brake'/'destroy' things, has powerups and some interesting graphic/theme options)
=(under card and board)=
-tri-peaks twist
-mahjong match
-solitaire twist
-spooky spider solitaire
-mahjong bonus
-jailbreak freecell
-egyptian pyramids (only 'card' game I've tried so far and has different 'set-up'/shape options)
-fort yukon solitaire
-forty thieves solitaire
List of games:
...........
>Under "Game Collections" category
=(under action and adventure)=
-crystal caverns (not sure what the equivalent is called, but that game with a looping row of different colored balls to 'shoot and match')
-minigolf madness
-pinball madness
-ultimate racing
-ball buster (that fun 'pong' type of game were you have to keep moving the slider to keep the ball bouncing to 'brake'/'destroy' things, has powerups and some interesting graphic/theme options)
=(under card and board)=
-tri-peaks twist
-mahjong match
-solitaire twist
-spooky spider solitaire
-mahjong bonus
-jailbreak freecell
-egyptian pyramids (only 'card' game I've tried so far and has different 'set-up'/shape options)
-fort yukon solitaire
-forty thieves solitaire
=(under strategy and puzzle)=
-jewel legends ("bejeweled" with different set-up/board options)
-tangram puzzles (nice 'real wood' look... control sensitivity was a bit messed up here as well, but not quite as bad as the below "pentamino puzzles" game)
-wordsearch frenzy
-spot the difference
-diamond mines
-pentamino puzzles (looks like 'tangram' but with different shaped blocks in different colors... Also, it might just be my game, but the touch-sensitivity was really awful here, it would usually flat out refuse to put the block in the spot I wanted-even when the 'clue' said it belonged there!-and it would sometime send the block I was trying to use to different areas of the screen, including ones barely reachable)
-wordsearch classic
-picture puzzle (move the sections of the picture around until it is 'correct')
>Under the "Best Game Hits" category:
=(under action and adventure)=
-balloons and arrows
-pressure pop (a more relaxing version of 'collapse' where there doesn't seem to be a time limit and the next row only moves up when you 'move' which is when you click to remove adjacent blocks of the same color. This actually makes it a bit more of a 'puzzle' than a click-fest because later in the game when the rows are starting to reach the top you will need to think a little on how to best stop this)
-carnival ducks
-Bill's Burgers
-basketball stars
-destroy cubes! ("collapse" but from top and bottom screen)
-ping-pong
-carnival ball catch
-pop the diamond (classic "collapse" again but with tiny diamond shapes)
-bowling
-soccer kick
-donut frenzy ("collapse" but from all four sides)
-missile launch
-soccer
-burst the stars ("collapse" but from the right and left screen)
-Betty's bakery
-super darts
-ice hockey shot
-rock catapult
-circus plates
-bumper cars
-vollyball
=(under card and board)=
-don't step on the mine (mine-sweep kind of game)
-reversi
-poker drop
-checkers
-tic tac toe (not sure how other games do this, but I was slightly disappointed I wasn't able to draw x or o, but not a big deal. Nice 'chalk' graphics)
-sink the ships ("battleship" game)
-blackjack panic
-chess
=(under strategy and puzzle)=
-haunted room (i-spy kind of game)
-simple sudoku (i didn't try any of the sudoku, number, or letter/word games so not sure how they are for those people wanting to play these... sorry)
-pirate's treasure (i-spy kind of game)
-pearl pairs (kind of like 'bejeweled')
-tombs of egypts (i-spy kind of game)
-drop-n-swap classic
-zoo animals (i-spy kind of game)
-sudoku mania
-monster drop (seems to be the same as the above 'drop-n-swap' but different graphics)
-home improvement (i-spy kind of game)
-drop-n-speed (same as drop-n-swap but... faster? ...donno, seems like that)
-undersea adventure (i-spy type again)
-animal sliders (fun 'slide' game but the graphics of the 'animals' are not my personal favorite... shrugs. Also, it might just be my game, but the touch-sensitivity was really wonky here, the rows can be slid both up and down and left and right and it would often do the opposite of what I wanted, or seem to move the row 3 or so away from what I was trying, etc.... rather frustrating for a timed game)
-garage sale (i-spy type again)
-jewel legends ("bejeweled" with different set-up/board options)
-tangram puzzles (nice 'real wood' look... control sensitivity was a bit messed up here as well, but not quite as bad as the below "pentamino puzzles" game)
-wordsearch frenzy
-spot the difference
-diamond mines
-pentamino puzzles (looks like 'tangram' but with different shaped blocks in different colors... Also, it might just be my game, but the touch-sensitivity was really awful here, it would usually flat out refuse to put the block in the spot I wanted-even when the 'clue' said it belonged there!-and it would sometime send the block I was trying to use to different areas of the screen, including ones barely reachable)
-wordsearch classic
-picture puzzle (move the sections of the picture around until it is 'correct')
>Under the "Best Game Hits" category:
=(under action and adventure)=
-balloons and arrows
-pressure pop (a more relaxing version of 'collapse' where there doesn't seem to be a time limit and the next row only moves up when you 'move' which is when you click to remove adjacent blocks of the same color. This actually makes it a bit more of a 'puzzle' than a click-fest because later in the game when the rows are starting to reach the top you will need to think a little on how to best stop this)
-carnival ducks
-Bill's Burgers
-basketball stars
-destroy cubes! ("collapse" but from top and bottom screen)
-ping-pong
-carnival ball catch
-pop the diamond (classic "collapse" again but with tiny diamond shapes)
-bowling
-soccer kick
-donut frenzy ("collapse" but from all four sides)
-missile launch
-soccer
-burst the stars ("collapse" but from the right and left screen)
-Betty's bakery
-super darts
-ice hockey shot
-rock catapult
-circus plates
-bumper cars
-vollyball
=(under card and board)=
-don't step on the mine (mine-sweep kind of game)
-reversi
-poker drop
-checkers
-tic tac toe (not sure how other games do this, but I was slightly disappointed I wasn't able to draw x or o, but not a big deal. Nice 'chalk' graphics)
-sink the ships ("battleship" game)
-blackjack panic
-chess
=(under strategy and puzzle)=
-haunted room (i-spy kind of game)
-simple sudoku (i didn't try any of the sudoku, number, or letter/word games so not sure how they are for those people wanting to play these... sorry)
-pirate's treasure (i-spy kind of game)
-pearl pairs (kind of like 'bejeweled')
-tombs of egypts (i-spy kind of game)
-drop-n-swap classic
-zoo animals (i-spy kind of game)
-sudoku mania
-monster drop (seems to be the same as the above 'drop-n-swap' but different graphics)
-home improvement (i-spy kind of game)
-drop-n-speed (same as drop-n-swap but... faster? ...donno, seems like that)
-undersea adventure (i-spy type again)
-animal sliders (fun 'slide' game but the graphics of the 'animals' are not my personal favorite... shrugs. Also, it might just be my game, but the touch-sensitivity was really wonky here, the rows can be slid both up and down and left and right and it would often do the opposite of what I wanted, or seem to move the row 3 or so away from what I was trying, etc.... rather frustrating for a timed game)
-garage sale (i-spy type again)
Touchmaster series
A former game of the week title it features some entry level solitaire and a few other things. Will be compared against the others although it will probably not stack up well against telegames stuff.
New touch party game
European release thread
Europe seemingly ended up with a localisation of a very early Japanese game in this. Seems to have something of a story to it and only features a handful of games.
Bridge training
Release thread
(Contract) Bridge is something of an anomaly among card games and computerised versions of it usually lack somewhat, probably due to the high computing cost (see the troubles with making a computerised version of Go for an idea of what goes) although the human element is very important. Given our only interaction with bridge at this point is knowing the bridge scoring card as the only card more useless than the jokers comments on the quality will be deferred for when something is known, Amazon reviews are not favourable though.
Greatest casual collection
European release, ADVANsCEne has casual classics down as the same title with the later game being a 1.1 by any other name and pending further analysis (an unenviable task) it will be assumed to be so (same company, same games contained and same artwork for the most part).
It features four games in Minesweeper, Solitaire, mahjong solitaire and Suduko. Just no, get something else and a copy of Puzzle Maniak.
Quest Trio and Jewel Quest titles
The jewel quest and quest trio games are probably not that bad per se but they are not usually as focused on solitaire and try for tiles and jewels game modes at the same time but as they have cards they are here. Region dupes aplenty for both titles and they all seem to mix and match what collections they come with making figuring out what is what a right pain and as such a task for a later date.
NA release for quest Trio
European release
Jewel quest solitaire
Solitaire
Solitaire overload/Solitaire DSRelease thread (overload) and Release thread (Solitaire DS)
Did OK back in 2007 and features a lot of modes although the would be sequel. Supposedly what Telegames released to tide people over until Ultimate card games and did OK. Full list pending but sales patter lists "Klondike, FreeCell, Spider, Baker’s Dozen, Yukon, Beleaguered Castle, Forty Thieves, Canfield, and many others.".
Solitaire overload plus/Solitaire, Mahjong and Tangram: 3-in-1
Release thread (Solitaire overload plus) and Release thread (Solitaire, Mahjong and Tangram: 3-in-1)
For the most part this added a few more modes and a bunch of minigames a la some of the 42 all time classics title but being a telegames title it is worth a look none the less.
707 unique full-featured game variations consisting of:
> 101 Mahjong layouts with 6 selectable tilesets in 2-D or fully zoomable and rotatable 3-D.
> 202 Solitaire games from your favorite families like Klondike, FreeCell, Spider, and many more. Each game has on-screen instructions and customizing options.
> 303 Tangram puzzles of people, animals, and objects. Select a tileset then drag, rotate, or flip the pieces to make them fit within the puzzle shape.
> 101 Picture Puzzles composed of photo-realistic content. Touch the HELP icon at any time to automatically move puzzle pieces when you get stuck.
> 101 Mahjong layouts with 6 selectable tilesets in 2-D or fully zoomable and rotatable 3-D.
> 202 Solitaire games from your favorite families like Klondike, FreeCell, Spider, and many more. Each game has on-screen instructions and customizing options.
> 303 Tangram puzzles of people, animals, and objects. Select a tileset then drag, rotate, or flip the pieces to make them fit within the puzzle shape.
> 101 Picture Puzzles composed of photo-realistic content. Touch the HELP icon at any time to automatically move puzzle pieces when you get stuck.
Solitaire/Eindeloos Patience
European release* and Dutch version
*wrong boxart at time of posting.
Trying to find any info is quite hard at this point for such a generic name. Artwork points to it being one of the better ones though and some more testing is definitely warranted.
Casino
Most of the titles thus far have been Solitaire/patience or Whist family titles or things along those lines but for many card games are almost synonymous with poker (next section) or Casino games (blackjack and such) and the game libraries of most consoles reflect this by having dedicated poker titles and casino games.Superlite 2500 Tokyo Odaiba Casino is mentioned in Japanese games below, probably the better Casino themed game.
Sega casino
NA release and European release available.
Sega has long made and encouraged casino themed games (some going as far back as the master system) but they made their own these last few years. Was probably the better casino themed game for some time but will need to be evaluated against the competition that now exists for it as there was not a lot when it was released and for some time afterwards.
Pending a full workup
SEGA Casino deals out plenty of gambling action for gamers on-the-go with a casino experience that features five games, and six unlockable games. Players can place their bets on Sega Casino's Roulette, Craps, Baccarat, and other unlockable games, including Chuck-a-Luck, Keno, and three Video Poker variants (Jacks or Better, Double Bonus, and Deuces Wild). Card game fans will be able to challenge friends in heated rounds of Black Jack, Texas Hold 'em, and the unlockable 7 Card Poker! Play across three modes, including free mode, wireless multiplayer, and the Casino challenge mode where you strive to turn $1000 into millions!
Road to Vegas
GBAtemp release thread
Supposedly something of a themed game with you starting out in the dingy blackpool Casinos and slowly working your way to vegas. Probably not going to beat the Ultimate card games + 42 all time classics combo but might be worth looking at if you like this sort of thing (opinions seemed very mixed).
Baccarat
Bingo
Blackjack
Blazing aces
Higher or lower
Pontoon
Poker
Jackpot cut
Cardapult
Cash Cadavers
Casino War
Cup ‘n’ Ball
A fish full of dollars
Five card draw
Horse race arcade
Nudging Ninjas
Pairs
Pillaging Pirates
Rocking Reels
Roulette
Solitaire
Solitiles
Spin the Wheel
Spit
Texas Hold'em
Whack a Jackal
Whist
Bingo
Blackjack
Blazing aces
Higher or lower
Pontoon
Poker
Jackpot cut
Cardapult
Cash Cadavers
Casino War
Cup ‘n’ Ball
A fish full of dollars
Five card draw
Horse race arcade
Nudging Ninjas
Pairs
Pillaging Pirates
Rocking Reels
Roulette
Solitaire
Solitiles
Spin the Wheel
Spit
Texas Hold'em
Whack a Jackal
Whist
Golden Nuggest Casino DS
European release and NA release
The real world Casino chain has lent the name to a few games over the years with Majesco handling publishing duties for the GBA and DS ones at least. Although the GBA version was halfway polished the DS version did not do as well and was what one might dub a cash in.
Vegas Casino High 5/ Vegas Casino Nights
European release and NA release
Panned hard just about everywhere this game was mentioned.
Poker
Although we are avoiding categorisation there are a bunch of poker only games in among the mix and some of them have something resembling a novel feature or two although Ultimate card games and/or 42 all time classics probably beats it.Texas hold em poker pack
Europe, French only and NA release of this one.
Pokerdome poker master
One of the few Australia specific releases for the DS and only count of it to provide an English exclusive by our reckoning. French and Dutch versions available.
World series of poker 2008 - battle for the bracelets
NA release and Europe.
Texas hold em poker DS
Europe and NA release of this. Most notable feature being you could turn on a mode where you chose/faked expressions to try to throw off the AI (just like you would in real life).... both the game and the gimmick fell far short.
World Championship Poker- deluxe series
Very early NA release and it eventually wound up with a release of the European persuasion.
Japanese
A few have been mentioned already but Japan has long been home to many top notch puzzle and such games including the Simple series, 1500 DS spirits, puzzle series*, superlite series and similar such "franchises" that specialise in such things. Unlike many other things there is nothing in dire need of translation though as far as card games go that we can see although a couple of them would certainly be a welcome addition and probably not too hard to get a team together for.*surprisingly there are no card games among the puzzle series although it is definitely worth looking at.
Where the other aimed to be exhaustive (although it probably failed to be) as far as Japanese games go at this point there could well be several games missing and no such claim as far as being a complete list is made. Do mention any that have been missed though.
On "Hanafuda". Hanafuda is to card games what Shogi is to chess which is to say similar basic setup but a fairly different game in the end so questions of whether to include such things arise. Although there are a handful of DS titles featuring them (perhaps most notably 1500 DS spirits vol 5 - Hanafuda and Table game spirits victory) if we went down this path we would also have to start including things like Uno cards, Rummikub (there are a couple of half decent European releases featuring the game) and possibly Arcomage so they are not being included in this initial list. However it should be noted Koi Koi is featured in Club house games/42 all time classics.
Still
Superlite 2500 Tokyo Odaiba Casino
GBAtemp release thread. Game homepage.
Features a version of blackjack, video poker and something else as well as roulette, Sic bo (needs confirmation), slots, "hit and blow" whatever that might be and the ability to dress your would be hostess up. You are probably better off getting a copy of the Blackjack trainer homebrew but it features cards so we note it.
Simple DS series vol 5 - The Trump
Release thread
Looks like a half nice collection of card games.
Simple DS series vol 30 - The table game
Release thread
Another would be 42 all time classics type game but looks like it is worth a look. Features some cards, some shogi, some hanafuda and more.
table game spirits and table game spirits 2
First entry and the sequel*
*seems to be wrong boxart but hopefully that can be sorted.
Hanafuda and some regular card games by the looks of things and possible some less common games if screenshots are anything to go by.
For that matter anything with "table game" in the name probably needs to be looked at for card games.
1500 series vol 6 - trump
Release thread
Can not find a lot right now.
Touch de Rakushou! Pachislo Sengen: Rio de Carnival
Release thread
Most games with Pachi (slot) are fruit machine games but this one does appear to feature a handful of card games.
card game 9
Release thread
Seems to be a combined Hanafuda and regular cards game and might be worth investigating a bit further.
Tennis no Ouji-Sama - Motto Gakuensai no Ouji-Sama - More Sweet Edition?
release thread
ADVANsCEne has cards in gameplay shot for the offline list database so it is here, beyond that no clue other than this is probably closer to dating sim than might be ideal. For a licensed title though the tennis games were probably up there with mario tennis and anime titles have lent their artwork to surprisingly good puzzle games in the past (gundam mahjong on the DS is awesome and gundam/Haro no Puyo Puyo for the GBA is pretty good as well).
like a 250 dollar kit back when DDR4 was Intel only