Play Operation - Vietnam (E)(EXiMiUS) Online

Operation - Vietnam on the DS is one of those underrated little war games that actually makes good use of the touchscreen. You're dropped into the jungle with a squad, tapping and dragging to move your guys into cover while enemy patrols pop up unexpectedly. The pixelated graphics somehow make the ambushes feel tense—you'll be carefully flanking a bunker one second, then suddenly scrambling when a sniper pins you down from the trees.

What I like is that it doesn't just throw you into mindless shooting. You actually have to think about positioning, using smoke grenades to cross open fields, or setting up overlapping fields of fire. The controls take a minute to get used to (double-tapping to sprint still trips me up sometimes), but once it clicks, it feels surprisingly tactical for a handheld game. Just don't expect Call of Duty—this is more about methodically clearing villages and avoiding traps than run-and-gun action.

If you've got a soft spot for DS-era strategy games with a bit of jank, this one's worth digging up.