The top five unexpectedly awesome DS games of 2008

As a counterpart to my earlier list of disappointing Wii games, I’ve put together a year-end list of the best unexpected surprises on Nintendo’s handheld. Like the last list, these aren’t just notable games – they’re titles that weren’t looking so hot (or they arrived under the radar), and they turned out to be awesome. See gamers? Happy endings are possible.

Keep these puppies in mind for holiday shopping – everybody loves a good handheld game in their stocking.