regarding your first paragraph, i think a good example of how some games feel intrinsically tied to the DS, and overall handheld experience, is pokémon. i feel like the reason why i can never get into pokémon is largely because i never got into it during the time the culture surrounding handheld gaming was still alive, it feels less like im supposed to enjoy it as an RPG and more like im supposed to enjoy it as a social experience, where battling and trading with my friends and classmates is supposed to be the driving force behind finishing the story, training my pokémon, and experiencing the post game content beyond that. that franchise feels like its tied to that experience.
regarding your first paragraph, i think a good example of how some games feel intrinsically tied to the DS, and overall handheld experience, is pokémon. i feel like the reason why i can never get into pokémon is largely because i never got into it during the time the culture surrounding handheld gaming was still alive, it feels less like im supposed to enjoy it as an RPG and more like im supposed to enjoy it as a social experience, where battling and trading with my friends and classmates is supposed to be the driving force behind finishing the story, training my pokémon, and experiencing the post game content beyond that. that franchise feels like its tied to that experience.