Aside from a few heavy hitters like Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword and Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, there’s not much action going on this month on the DS. Putting aside the obvious B-list titles, there are some new franchises that have potential, but they emit a “try before you buy” kind of aura. Titles that might fall under the radar but are worth looking at are Nanostray 2, SEGA Superstars Tennis, Insectiside, and the out-of-nowhere history-sim, Anno 1701: Dawn of Discovery.

Since I can’t possibly write about every single DS game, consider looking into these games this March.

Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword - (March 28) While Ninja Gaiden 2 will take most of the spotlight, Dragon Sword also looks like it will do quite nicely. To prove that all handheld ports of popular games aren’t totally bad, Dragon Sword mixes up magic and combat in a different style of gameplay, and it can all be controlled with the stylus. And with its nicely pre-rendered backgrounds, the game is also as graphically impressive as its big brother.

Ninja Reflex - (March 4) Ah, another game where you can be a ninja, although in a more trimmed-down package. Though it won’t win any awards for originality, Ninja Reflex provides a series of mini-games mostly meant to test your reflexes and speed. All the dojo-themed events are based around quick maneuvers combining both the stylus and buttons. But six is a small number of mini-games, so hopefully the games themselves will have enough depth to keep you busy for hours.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates - (March 11) Unlike the Gamecube predecessor, Ring of Fates is an FF action-RPG that promises a full, rich single player experience. Multiplayer is also getting some improvements in its 4-player Wi-Fi game. There are again many character classes to choose from, and no one has to carry that annoying chalice again.

Nanostray 2 - (March 11) Another hardcore scrolling 2D shooter is coming our way, with new ways to shoot, blast, and score your way into victory. Co-op play is also available, handy for taking out the extra hard bosses. A particularly nice feature is that the drone weapons you collect are controllable with your stylus.

SEGA Superstars Tennis - (March 18) This game should play just like its console brethren, meaning it is a good attempt to follow Nintendo’s suit of putting its mascot characters in a tennis game, and throwing a whole bunch of Sega-related trappings in it. You can control with either the buttons or the stylus in a variety of court styles and unique game modes. And it fills up the mascot tennis niche well, since there’s no Mario Tennis for the portable system.

Anno 1701: Dawn of Discovery - (March 4) When you already have a SimCity game for the DS, and flashier strategy games like Advance Wars: Days of Ruin, you might wonder what type of person Anno 1701 is for. Well, it’s a PC-based title focused on the Western age of exploration, which actually has made a good transition to the DS. You can settle, build, and discover new lands alone or against three other people via Wi-Fi.