Which always befuddles me. I can't keep up with anything newer than five years or so.

To make a long story short, my dad was so grateful for my spending an entire day reformatting his computer and getting it running again after some sort of mega-virus attack (thanks again for the help, Tea) that he gave me a $25 giftcard to GameStop. That was incredibly kind and thoughtful of him, but I have no idea what to get there. My computers only run older games, and although they still sell PS2 and GameCube games, I've pretty much cleaned out everything in an hour's radius worth having. My fallback would be diving into their PS2 bins for forgotten treasures.

However, I have a Nintendo DS, I just have very little idea what to get for it. I'm very fond of ARPG's, western RPG's (NOT JRPG's), platformers (if they're good) and Metroidvania type games. I don't do anything that's twitch-based with the stylus because my hands shake involuntarily and I keep doing things like throwing my little Prince of Persia character off a cliff when I mean to make him walk forwards.

So, anyone have any thoughts? Suggestions? It's funny, I'd use it to get Diablo II, but I literally just picked it up xD

Have you played Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney? Interested in Pokemon Black/White?

If your DS can run GBA games... I suggest taking a look for those.

Apparently they're starting to clearance those games out. There's the system's Metroidvania (Aria of Sorrow is the bestest ever), both GBA Metroids, Double Dragon Advance, the Shaman King Master of Spirits 1 + 2 (Metroidvania games by Konami)...

Umm, DS is chock full of games:

Pokemon Black or White (gen V)
Pokemon SoulSilver/HeartGold (gen IV)
Pokemon Pearl/Diamond/Platinum (gen IV, but out of these definitely get Platinum)

All the many Pokemon Ranger games (Guardian Signs was the latest)
All the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon games (was Explorers of Sky the latest?)

Final Fantasy III and VII are on DS now

Blue Dragon (kind of JRPG teenagers save the world, kind of stuff)
Dragon Quest IX and VI (VI just came out)

Professor Layton games are supposed to be phenomenal

Multitudes of puzzle games and offbeat stuff like Cooking Mama (read reviews to find good ones, they are loaded with crap too)

Etrian Odyssey I, II, and III (rpgs which are technically japanese, I think, but are more like the old Bard's Tale types of games, incredibly hard, will wipe your party frequently)

Kingdom Hearts (I assume these need no introduction, since you have a PS2), there are 2 installments on DS

There's at least one, modern Metroid game, maybe more

Several Harvest Moon games, though I hear only one is really good

If I were you, I'd take a browse over at Amazon.com, user reviews are halfway decent, if you use that and Metacritic (check their top 100 DS games list) you should be able to settle on some ideal picks:)

Yeah, text-based game, however there is some fancy DS stuff in the fifth chapter of the game. Great characters and hilarious dialog, and very fun courtroom gameplay wherein you present evidence you have that conflicts with statements from the people you're questioning. The plot is excellent too, with true development throughout the course of the game, things building on past experiences and often culminating in huge revelations, fun stuff. You do have to want to read though.

Make sure you get the Master of Spirits games. Do NOT, I repeat, DO NOT get the Legacy of the Spirits games, as those are Pokemon clones.

There is Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow, Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin, and dungeon crawlers Orcs & Elves and Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey.

Do you enjoy turn-based games? Age of Empires Kings and Mythologies were two games i enjoyed. Civ Revolution and Anno 1701 are also decent and they should all be dirt cheap too.

Castlevania:Order of Ecclesia was great at reminding me how shit i am at games nowadays, a cracking game but tough.

Rune Factory has simple enough real time combat and farming.

Quite a few adventure games for the DS, never played it but Hotel Dusk looked quite good.
I don't think i have played a western rpg on the DS. I think Black Sigil might be one though, you may wanna check the reviews.

RE: PS2 games, if you see Dark Chronicle you should snap it up. You take photographs and bash creatures with big spanners, among other things. A PS2 highlight.

The only turn based one I tried was Settlers - at least, I think it was turnbased, I spent half an hour before returning the game since I couldn't even figure out what I was doing.

Order of Ecclesia was awesome.

I own and love Rune Factory, I was seriously considering trying to get the sequel which apparently improved the combat.

Black Sigil looks INCREDIBLE, I have been looking for a copy for months in our GameStops.

Dark Chronicle is known as Dark Cloud 2 here (recognized it immediately from 'take photographs' and 'hit things with a spanner') - I love it dearly, used to play it all the time. I don't recall a game called "Shin Megami Tensei" - I'll have to check that out, thanks! This actually sounds interesting enough to try - I really appreciate the tip!

I would second the recommendations of Etrian Odyssey and Phoenix Wright.

Black Sigil is a JRPG... you said you don't like JRPGs. *confusion*

EDIT: Yes I know it's a Canadian game, but it's very much a JRPG in the same way a Japanese studio could make a WRPG.

Chrono Trigger is one of my favorite games of all time, and Black Sigil's battle system was heavily inspired by it. Also, the story itself, from all the reviews I've read, is very Western with a dark antihero. I'm one of the few that finds the plots more distasteful than the gameplay in most JRPG's. (One too many spiky-haired angst-ridden youths with mysterious parents and important destinies).

Ah, fair enough. I tend to take WRPG and JRPG to describe the gameplay rather than the story/characters but I see now what you meant. Etrian Odyssey has none of that bollocks so I can continue to recommend it. =D
Have you played all 3 DS Castlevanias? What about the GBA ones?

I own one of the three GBA Castlevanias and two of the three DS Castlevanias. I love them. I was going to get the Metroid game for the DS (I was led to the Castlevania series through hearing the term "metroidvania" after declaring my fondness for Metroid) until I discovered it's some sort of bizarre 3D shooter.

Yeah, given that Metroidvania type games have been confined to handhelds for a while now I was sad to see that Nintendo decided not to make a proper Metroid game for the DS.

This article makes me cry:

http://www.destructoid.com/metroid-other-m-was-almost-an-on-rails-game-updated--166611.phtml

If you read the update at the bottom, he wanted to make it 2.5D sidescrolling and Team Ninja made him change his mind. =(