A hot Summer for the Nintendo DS

Over three years ago, Nintendo released the Nintendo DS, an innovative handheld system utilizing two screens, as well as a touch-based interface. The system was immediately a hit, catering to children, diehard Nintendo fans, and casual adult gamers. Nintendo obviously struck gold.

Three years later, the system is selling as quick as ever, and there seems to be no indications of sales slowing. In fact, Nintendo sold more DS in 2007 than any other year! It just shows that a system can succeed on seemingly basic technology, as long as it has great games to continually draw in consumers. And this summer's lineup is sure to excite.

2008 started off strong with titles such as Advance Wars: Days of Ruin, Professor Layton, Apollo Justice, and The World Ends With You. Each of these games are prime examples of games that can sell a system, as each are incredibly deep and fun to play.

But even those titles aren't as exciting as the upcoming releases this summer. And, unsurprisingly, most of the anticipated summer titles are coming from Square Enix, who seems to have taken an extreme liking to the Nintendo DS.

In June we will be treated to Final Fantasy Tactics Advance 2. The game is once again set in Ivalice, the same location of the previous game. Along with the jobs found in the original, there are more jobs at your disposal, such as the Yojimbo, Raptor, and Bastard (yes, that is in fact a job). The game is set to release on June 24.

July will host a couple of standout titles as well. The second DS version of Trauma Center, Trauma Center: Under The Knife 2, is set to release on July 1. On July 22, an updated version of Final Fantasy IV will be released. Along with upgraded 3D graphics, the game will feature touch based controls and a few new features.

And in September we will get our hands on two RPGs that aren't Final Fantasy. The first is the Sonic the Hedgehog RPG in the works by Bioware, the people behind Jade Empire and KOTOR. The second is Dragon Quest IX, the latest entry in the Dragon Quest series. Although the series usually takes its roots on the Playstation 2 or other consoles, this iteration will be released solely on the Nintendo DS.

So there you have it. 5 titles that are sure to be nothing short of sensational. It's going to be a great summer for the DS.