After my family replaced its Radio Shack TRS-80 games (Downland, anyone?) with a brand-spanking new Nintendo Entertainment System back in the 1980s, I think my little brother and I ended up owning maybe a half-dozen games, combined. That’s because rather than spending money to buy a new game, you could just rent it.
Unfortunately for anyone who wants to cut costs and/or try out games before committing, Nintendo DS games are rarely found for rent in movie and game rental shops. I’ve read that it’s just because the cartridges are so dang small, they’d get “lost.” Whatever.
The upside is, there are some places that do rent DS games, including a few online. There are no late fees, but the more you rent, the better deal it is for you.
GameFly is the major player in the DS-rental ballpark. It’s a subscription-based service that works like Netflix: They send a game or games from your queue and you send them back when you’re done to get more. They usually have a promotion going on where the first month is $6.95 or $8.95, or 10 days free. The regular price is $15.95 per month to have one game at a time; if you want two games out it’s $22.95 per month. (Three- and four- game plans are available to members whose accounts have been in good standing for two months.) If you’re a multi-console family, you’ll be able to rent games for Wii, PSP, XBox 360 and several other platforms. GameFly also has Game Boy Advance games, which work on Nintendo DS. You can also buy used games outright from GameFly, or pay to keep a cartridge you like or lost.
A competing service is Gottaplay, where you can rent one game at a time for $12.95 per month or two games for $20.95 per month. A free 10-day offer is available for both those plans. The Extreme Gamer plan offers three games a month for $28.95 per month, and you have to pay for three months in advance. You can also trade in used games for new ones.
Gamerang will rent you one game at a time for $17.95 per month (the first month is $14.95; another special is two months for $40). Have two games out at a time for $24.95 per month, three for $49.95 or four for $59.95. (Those last two require a deposit.)
Renting is a great strategy if you think you’ll blow through Deal or No Deal in a couple of days, aren’t sure the Sims are up your alley or want to dip your toe in a racing game or one of those kids’ games you’ve been eyeing. (Yeah, I saw you looking at Imagine: Interior Designer.)