Inazuma Eleven (DS)

Inazuma Eleven DS is a role-playing game blended with football. Set in the modern world, it follows the journey of teenage goalkeeper and team captain Mark Evans as he tries to assemble the best team possible to represent his high school in an upcoming youth tournament. The Inazuma Eleven DS series started in Japan in 2008 and now comprises of three games; it has also a cartoon series.

Football matches are played with the stylus which is used to select and move players. Some recruits are determined by the scenario, but the major appeal of the game is the ability to scout and recruit over 1000 characters from other teams in order to create the ultimate team (the team's name is left to the player's imagination). Each player has unique statistics and at least one special move which can be used in matches which loosely follow the rules of football but include fantasy moves; for instance one character can shoot a ball turned into a fireball, etc. Users can also take on others in multiplayer matches.

Inazuma Eleven DS is in fact quite close to the Pokémon series in its concept. The user controls a main character and travels around the game's world in order to progress into an entertaining and linear story.

During matches, the user has partial control over his team. With the stylus, the user determines trajectories that their players must take. By tapping on the screen, the user gives direction to where they wants the ball to be delivered.

There are two types of matches; full teams battling on a standard size pitch over "90 minutes" (about 10 minutes of play in real time) and trigger smaller matches which are usually 3-on-3 challenges which last only a minute and require the player to perform a specific task, such as scoring or not allowing a goal.