Next step should be the Castlevania games (Portrait over Dawn), Trauma Center, & FFIII. A lot of people like Phoenix Wright, so that one might be pretty good too.

Well I'm not really a Castlevania fan. And once you've played one FF you've played them all right? Trauma center and Phoenix wright sound good though. I did buy Animal Crossing though.

Trauma Center is a great game and a fantastic use of the DS's unique abilities. It can get rather hard, but a little challenge never hurt anyone. As for FFIII, if you have that attitude, getting the game probably isn't such a good idea. FFIII is very much an NES era game with a fresh coat of paint.

FF question was really a question! I've only played 7 and got bored with 8 40 minutes into it, never to pick it up again.

It depends on what you didn't like about prior FFs. This game is completely turn-based (no ATB). The Job/Class system allows for a lot of customization with characters, but it's easy enough to keep them powerful yet not clones of each other. Since the original game is so old, expect to do quite a bit of mundane fetch quests. But also be prepared for the absolute best graphics I've ever seen the DS do!