Top 20 Nintendo DS Homebrew Revealed!
Over the last two months I’ve collected hundreds of votes from Nintendo DS homebrew fans from around the world. It’s now time to reveal who everyone has been voting for and get a snapshot of the world’s favourite DS Homebrew. You can see all the votes cast by checking the comments on the DS Homebrew voting post, or just take a look at the results below along with some interviews with the developers and leave a comment to voice your opinion.
20. CrackAttack
Why do you think CrackAttack is so popular?
It’s a simple casual game, you can start it, play for 2 minutes or you
can become a CrackAttack addicted and play for hours.
How long did it take you to make?
Just one week-end, let’s say … 24 hours.
What projects are you working on now?
My thesis, Monday i’ll have my presentation!
And … i’ve some good ideas, but don’t want to spoil any thing 
Do you have plans to take CrackAttack any further?
I’d love to take CrackAttack further, but without a team i cannot do all
by myself. I’m a programmer, i need a graphics artist and a sound
artist. Maybe if i find someone who want’s to make up a team i’ll add
multiplayer support.
Which homebrew would you most like to have made?
I’m proud of all my homebrew, some are better some are worse.
My latest work are better, the one i made when i was learning not, but i
love all of them. They took me to the place where i’m now.
Any other news or anything else you’d like to add?
Just thank you Adam for this contest, this interview and my
congratulation to all winners!
Ho wait, another thing, just take a look at my site
donotjava.netsons.org there a new DS game called SeekAndRecharge.
It’s a puzzle game with 100 base levels, 3 more from a player, you can
make your own. I think it’s funny but hard the first time you play.
Just make a post if you have some suggestion.
19. Game Melody Oratorio
Why do you think Game Melody Oratorio is so popular?
I think it’s popular because it mixes music and video games, with a touch of nostalgia and a real-world benefit. It’s straight-forward and you can immediately understand it and have fun.
How long did it take you to make?
A week, if I remember correctly.
What projects are you working on now?
Nothing at the moment, having spent the last few months making “Japanese Hiragana & Katakana Review”, “Nintendo Adventure Books: Monster Mix-Up DS” and “The Legend of Zelda – Molblin’s Magic Spear DS”
Do you have plans to take Game Melody Oratorio any further?
There is a “Game Melody Oratorio Volume 2″ available, which adds more melodies and other additions. There are no plans to go beyond that.
Which homebrew would you most like to have made?
Anything that uses 3D graphics. Working exclusively in 2D, I admire anyone who can make 3D homebrew as I know how difficult it can be.
Any other news or anything else you’d like to add?
It’s an honour that Game Melody Oratorio has been voted for and enjoyed by people other than myself and my friends.
18. Marble
Why do you think this Marble is so popular?
Hmm, maybe because of its integrated 3D level editor, which is kind of
unique in its genre. I made this editor as a complete part of this
project, and it took me nearly half the time of the marble development
to make it.
How long did it take you to make?
I started Marble as a school project initially, which lasted for 3
months. The first prototype of the game was made during this time,
with a rough physic and 3D engine. Then I worked on it on a second
school project, for another 5 months, and I completely rewrote the
physic engine and enhanced the 3D engine. I also made the editor
during this time, which was my main focus.
What projects are you working on now?
As I’m now a professional developer, I don’t have many time left to
make homebrews at home. I’ve now almost left the DS scene, and I’m
going towards iPhone/iPod touch development, as I’m working on those
machines at work.
Do you have plans to take Marble any further?
I really wanted to finish Marble and release it as a complete game,
but unfortunately I did not have to finish it, and now I’m not coding
for the DS anymore… I’ll release the sources someday when I’ll find
some time to clean it.
Which homebrew would you most like to have made?
StillAliveDS is one the most amazing homebrew the DS has ever saw. I
followed T4ils when the development started, and had the idea to reuse
the 3D engine of marble to do a DS version of portal some time before,
but I dropped it.
Any other news or anything else you’d like to add?
Code while you still have the time as students, after the work,
girlfriend, cat, etc will eat all your free time!! 
17. GameUp
Why do you think this GameUp is so popular?
It’s simple: the homebrew scene of the Nintendo DS is enormous and, sometimes,
the Net is quite dispersive. GameUP helps both inexperienced and expert users
to find, in few seconds, all the best not-commercial software of the scene,
thanks to the simplicity of use and to the rapidity of research provided by the
categories in wich the homebrews are divided according to the kind they belong
to.
How long did it take you to make?
I don’t know exactly but it was around 2 months.
What projects are you working on now?
Especially, in the last time my attention is concentrated on my last work
released, TheSMSCenter. It is an utility allowing you to send SMS to any mobile
phone number from the DS (WiFi connection needed). The service is TOTALLY FREE,
but it’s necessary to create a personal acount on the official website
(http://smscenter.supercard.fr). By now, this homebrew is able to send SMS to
Italian and French mobile number only, but soon it’ll be possible to use it
even in other Nations. TheSMSCenter has also a bullettin board, TheWall, on
wich all the users can send public messages to all the community (for more info
read the “About&HowTo” section on http://smscenter.supercard.fr).
Do you have plans to take GameUp any further?
Yes, of course.
Which homebrew would you most like to have made?
I really don’t know. I like all of my homebrews: OsUp was my first work on DS,
so there is a particular emotional bond with it; SkinUP and GameUP gave me more
popularity and they had great sucess; TheSMSCenter is something totally
innovative in the homebrew scene and with its first 331 registered users in
less than 2 weeks, it augurs well. ^__^
Any other news or anything else you’d like to add?
Just remember that my projects are ever in develop, so…stay tuned!
16. 5nake
15. Animanitee
14. Ace Attorney DS: Casemaker
Ace Attorney DS: Casemaker Website
Why do you think this Ace Attorney DS: Casemaker is so popular?
There have been many popular Ace Attorney casemakers done for the PC in the past. I found it strange that there was never one made for the Nintendo DS. There is a rather large Ace Attorney fanbase throughout the internet, that could also be easily attributed to its popularity.
How long did it take you to make?
It took about 3 weeks for me to finish the engine. The resources (sprites/music) took about 2 weeks to compile and convert into DS-compatible file formats.
What projects are you working on now?
I just entered Operation Libra, an escape-the-room game, into Neoflash summer competition, and am currently fixing any glitches found by the testers. I’ve also started two games, one using the Ace Attorney DS casemaker engine called Ace Attorney : Titus Bail, and one futuristic Fire Emblem-esque game, revolving around a scientific experiment and the victims created from it, named Melancholika. Any updates on these games can be found on my blog http://B12CORE.blogspot.com
Do you have plans to take Ace Attorney DS: Casemaker any further?
Yes I do, I plan on perfecting the engine as soon as I can to demonstrate its functionality to users that may wish to use it to create their own Ace Attorney fan-games.
Which homebrew would you most like to have made?
I don’t make full use of my flashcard anymore so I don’t really have any opinions over the DS homebrew scene in general.
Any other news or anything else you’d like to add?
If you’d like to check up more information about Ace Attorney DS, you can check out the information thread at http://forums.court-records.net/games/ace-attorney-nintendo-casemaker-t13370.html
13. DSision 2
Why do you think DSision is so popular?
I think most people like DSision for the same reason I do. It looks better than the official menus made by the flash cart manufacturers. Most of the comments I recieve are from people telling me how great it looks and how they have set it as their default menu on their cart.
How long did it take you to make?
It took quite a few months to get it to where it is now. There were a few setbacks during that time and a couple of re-writes, but most of the issues were worked out.
What projects are you working on now?
I’m currently working on a game featuring a wizard. I usually don’t finish projects, so you might never see it 
, but there is a chance.
Do you have plans to take DSision any further?
I’m not completely happy with it, but it would probably take a complete re-write to get it how I want it.
Which homebrew would you most like to have made?
Thats a tough question to answer, most of the homebrew I see makes me happy that someone made it, but I guess out of all the homebrew I’ve seen for the DS… maybe LemmingsDS or maybe QuirkDS.
12. Legion
Why do you think this Legion is so popular?
Well, I don’t think Legion really is that popular.
How long did it take you to make?
About 9 months if I recall correctly. Of course, we didn’t work on it for 9 months straight, it was very intermittent, but I think about 9 months elapsed between the beginning and the end of the project.
What projects are you working on now?
Lobo and I are working on two projects : DawnSeekers and Arsenal. Dawnseekers is a full 3D first person shooter for the DS (some info here : http://smealum.net/?p=59 ), and Arsenal is a dual screen 3D space shoot em up (old demo here : http://smealum.net/shmup/efsshmup_180609.nds and mockup here : http://smealum.net/arsenal/mockup.jpg ).
Do you have plans to take Legion any further?
Not really; the game is finished, it’s exactly what we wanted it to be, so there’s no need for us to work on it anymore.
Which homebrew would you most like to have made?
I’d have liked to make a proper version of an old project of mine, EI0. Lobo made great graphics for it, but at the time my coding skills just weren’t good enough for the project to succeed. The final version is super buggy, incomplete and unstable; i wish it hadn’t failed so miserably.
Any other news or anything else you’d like to add?
I haven’t worked on DawnSeekers or Arsenal in a while, so i really have no idea when either of them will be released (i mean a full version, since demo versions of both games are already available).
11. Brix DS
Why do you think Brix DS is so popular?
I really don’t know if Brix DS is popular… If it is, maybe it is due to the very (very) simple gameplay (just need to touch the bricks) and also because it is a physics based game (everybody likes physics based games –if not everybody, I am -> Always throwing things away while playing HL² 
).
How long did it take you to make?
About three months for the first version. But you know what homebrew programing is: one day you code for hours and the next week you don’t add a single line in your code…
What projects are you working on now?
I’m working on a new physics based game. But this time, the user will be able to control the elements (kind of drag&drop). The game engine is ready, just need to add menus and the multiple levels that I have drawn on paper.
Do you have plans to take Brix DS any further?
Not yet, but it does not take a lot of time to add levels: so if any ideas comes to me, it is not impossible to see a new Brix DS version.
Which homebrew would you most like to have made?
I’ll say Tetatt DS because it is the one that I’ve played the most. Perfect gameplay and awesome musics !
Any other news or anything else you’d like to add?
Thank you for this compo and thanks to all the people who supported for Brix DS 
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