Recommend some GBA games!

  • Thread starter Jedi2016
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Jedi2016

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I got to thinking about this yesterday, that I have a GBA laying around here somewhere, collecting dust.

But, since Nintendo has all but forgotten the system ever existed, since the release of the "not-going-to-replace-the-GBA" DS, it's hard to find info on it anymore. IGN, for example, has merged all their Game Boy stuff into the DS section, and the whole thing is all DS-this and DS-that... The GBA gets no love. :(

Anyway, so who better to ask than my fellow gamers?

I'm mainly into action games when it comes to handhelds. Pick-up-and-play games. Or, more accurately, Play-while-on-the-pot games.. LOL. Nothing too in-depth, simply because I have all these high-end consoles for the big games, and don't feel like sitting on my couch playing Zelda in Teeny-Weeny-Eyestrain-O-Vision.

I could go down and look at games in the stores.. but it's hard to tell which ones suck. And the GBA was full of games that suck. But I also know there are a fair number of gems out there for it, and I'd like to partake while it's still possible to actually buy the games locally without having to go to Ebay.. hehe.
 
Hmm, a game I used to kill time in my boring physics class was Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. It does have a larger over all storyline, but each battle is about 10-20 minutes in length, depending on how you play. Plus it has the save at any time feature with resume when you boot back up.

Other than that, the Metroid and Castlevania games have gotten alot of play from me, along with some variation of Tetris. I haven't picked up anything recent for my GBA, but Gradius was a fun space shooter game, if not insanely hard as well... And Pokemon Ruby was fun.
 
You can't go wrong with the Sega Arcade Gallery, which has rather-well-ported versions of Super Hang-On, After Burner, Out Run and Space Harrier. Gradius Galaxies is also good (while it lasts), as is the quintessential WarioWare, and the Sonic Advance games are great for those looking for a fresh old-school Sonic game.
 
What kind of GBA? I ask because there are games that I hate to play on the SP, and games that I hate to play on an original GBA.
 
Advance Wars 2 on the GBA is fantastic, but it is a little too indepth for 'on-pan' playing - it's one of those games that just eats time. It is a must own for anyone with a GBA though.
 
Columns Crown and Super Puzzle Fighter 2 Turbo are good if you like puzzle games. Otherwise if you don't like RPGs you are pretty much restricted to either kiddy games or platform games.
 
There were first person shooters spread out all over the GBA's life span. As well as quirky, pick up and play random games like Monkey Ball Jr. and Wario Ware.

It would still be helpful to know what kind of GBA, though.
 
Most of the side-scrolling Mario titles are addictive, but so are the Pokemon titles (albeit probably too addictive). I also enjoyed much of the RPG's they had on offer including Fire Emblem, Spyro and Crash Bandicoot. Games such as GT-Advance also look good, but Advance Wars 2 (as stated before) perhaps dominates over everything else.
 
Doom 2. Ecks vs. Sever. Wario Ware. Pac Man Collection. Arcade Advanced. Astro Boy: Omega Factor. Super Gunstar Heroes. Rock n' Roll Racing. Mario Kart: Super Circuit. Sega Smash Pack. Metal Slug Advance.
Not Monkey Ball Jr. Not F-Zero. None of the GT: Advance games except the 3rd one. Not Spider Man. Stay the hell away from Sonic: Genesis. These are all good games (barring Genesis), but they all play terribly on the SP.

This is ignoring platformers.
 
Pokemon, Final Fantasy Tactics Advanced, Metroid Fusion, Advanced Wars 2.
 
As much as I do love Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, it is the antithesis of "nothing too in-depth." Advance Wars and Pokemon aren't much better.
 
I was kinda upset that the advance died so quickly.. lifespan was like 4 years where as the original gameboy I had before that lasted like 14 years...

I would recommend any of the Tony Hawks games... I have 2 and 3 and they are amazing! Also V-Rally 3 has some of the best 3D driving graphics on the console!

Robin
 
Has anyone played Rebelstar: Tactical Command? Is it any good? I loved playing Laser Squad on the Amiga, (and the earlier X:com games but they got too detailed for me,) and this seems to be a sequel of sorts.
 

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