Summer's almost over, which means that many people will be taking that last, long road trip of the season, just to squeeze one last memorable trip in before they have to go back to school or work or whatever. This also means that millions of college students will be taking trips to their dorms. All of this traveling can be long, boring, and exhausting, which is why I'm bringing you the Top 10 Best Games To Play On The Road!

So, you've just passed your third toll road and are heading down Route 66... in the middle of rush hour. This is going to take a while... Why not spend some of that time playing cards? Or backgammon? Or checkers? Or chess? Or by shaking up a soda bottle until it explodes? You can do it all in Clubhouse Games, and you won't even ruin your fancy pleather seats. It's like having a bunch of boardgames in your car... without having a bunch of boardgames in your car! Plus, the single card wireless mode means that you can even beat your little brother at Texas Hold 'em... before just beating him. To a pulp.

So, you don't like boardgames, eh? That's okay, because this list has something for everyone! How do you feel about cutting people open and saving their lives? Cause that's exactly what you'll be doing in Trauma Center: Under the Knife. Besides being fun, challenging, intense, and long, Trauma Center also makes you a certified surgeon, which is great for when your car uncontrollably flies off a cliff. You'll know exactly what to do, I guarantee it! Until that happens, Trauma Center is long and challenging enough to keep you entertained for hours while your dad figures out that he should have taken that left at Albuquerque. Just watch out for those bumps in the road.

This one's great for you aspiring college-goers! Want to get ahead on your schoolwork? Of course you do; it'll leave more time for binge-drinking! Just play either one of the Brain Age games on your way to the campus; you'll be ready for that oh-so useful poli-sci degree in no time! I chose Brain Age 2 because it's newer, and more challenging, but that's nothing against the original. In fact, bring both! Why not? That gives you double the chances to get on the Dean's List. And when you're out of college, it'll keep you entertained when you're not rethinking your life!

Just because you're on the road, doesn't mean you should stop visiting your favorite virtual town! You know, the one where everyone actually respects you? Animal Crossing? Good, we're on the same page! With all the things to do, and the generally relaxing atmosphere, Animal Crossing is great for taking the edge off of those mind-numbing family car trips to museums and what-not. Instead of listening to your dad tell a long, boring story to nowhere, or your little sibling whining about how he wants to go home, why not listen to the sounds of the ocean as you reel in a shark or two? Or weird incoherent animal noises as you talk to a bunny who seems to fancy fossils? Or a UFO as it flies by? These are just some of the simple, everyday pleasures of Animal Crossing, a game where you don't have to win, you just have to live. Ahh...

After relaxing with Animal Crossing, why not enjoy the hectic, hilarious world of the Beanbean kingdom in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga? This is the only GBA game on the list, and for good reason. For one thing, it's frickin' awesome! For another thing, it's far superior to its DS cousin (Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time), and I guarantee you, it'll keep you entertained for much longer as well. And, anyways, isn't it about time you got some use out of that GBA slot on your DS anyway? It's cold, lonely, and it misses you...

If your road trip is filled with a lot of stops at tourist traps, then you're going to want something with a bunch of quick little games, right? That's where WarioWare has always excelled, and his DS entry is no exception. Besides being fun, challenging, and short, WarioWare's unique brand of "microgames" are also often extremely weird and completely hilarious! What better way to ignore the traffic than to help Wario pick his nose? You'll thank me later.

This is another game that you should watch for bumpy roads before playing. But if the roads are as smooth as ice, then you won't regret pulling out Metroid Prime: Hunters. It's frantic, fast paced, and surprisingly solid FPS action can really get your blood pumping, and with great multiplayer action (with or without bots), you'll be entertained for hours on end. Another plus? This is also another great way to settle sibling rivalries. Once you shoot your brother in the head with the Imperialist, he'll stop "not touching you" forever. Or, at least until the car trip home.

Where do I begin? New Super Mario Bros. is the best platformer on the DS, and one of the most solid traditional Mario games ever made, right up there with Super Mario Land 3 and Super Mario World. The single player game alone should keep you entertained all the way through the entire trip, but if it doesn't, there are plenty of solid minigames and multiplayer options as well. Let me put it this way: if I were stranded on a desert island and could only bring one game with me, I would strongly consider New Super Mario Bros. Plus, with entirely button driven controls, there's no need to worry about bumps in the road! You can go crazy with them! Drive off-road if you want, it won't mess up your speed run!

It's Zelda, it's the DS, it's awesome. I shouldn't have to say much about this game. It'll keep you busy, challenged, and entertained for as long as you need. It's a solid adventure game, and with all of the islands and side-quests to discover, you'll never run out of things to do! Plus, if you're looking for something with a shorter amount of play time going into it, you could always tackle the game's main dungeon, which has a time limit. Basically this means that if you don't finish before the first rest-stop, you die! The only problem with this game is that it's so good, you might not want to put it down when you arrive at your destination.

You should've seen this coming. What better game to play on a road trip than a game where you're driving a car? The motion of the car plus the action on screen makes it feel like a motion simulator... kind of. Actually, it feels like a weird, malfunctioning motion simulator that doesn't move the way it should. But that doesn't take away from Mario Kart DS's pure fun and replayability. Sick of Grand Prix mode? Try a battle! Don't like the competition? Try a mission! Want to take on all 32 tracks in a random order non-stop? You can set that up too. Plus, if there's a wireless router in your car, then you can... never mind. All in all, there's no reason I can see that you wouldn't bring Mario Kart on every single car trip you ever go on. So what are you waiting for? Go on a road trip, and bring this game with you. NOW!

Well there you go. I hope my list helps you survive those long, boring car trips. You may notice that I didn't include any PSP games... well, can YOU think of any good ones? I didn't think so. Anyways, I enjoyed making this list, and I hope you didn't completely hate reading it. Thank you, and good night!

List by JamesMcloud91