Since I’ve written pieces on My Favorite Games for my top favorite console of all time, the NES, as well as the SNES, Nintendo 64, and
Game Boy, I figured it’s time to dig a little deeper with another system whose
games I really enjoyed: the Game Boy Advance. The Game Boy Advance launched
back in 2001, only a few scant years after the Game Boy Color came out in 1998.
As a personal aside, I feel that Nintendo should have
released the GBC in like 1996 (considering the original Game Boy came out in
1989). So even though that handheld system sold well, I think they really did
gamers and themselves a disservice, by waiting so long to release an “upgraded”
Game Boy. However, with the Game Boy Advance, it was a truly upgraded system,
packing “32 bit” power, and full color (much more robust) graphics, something
far more akin to the Super Nintendo. Not only that, but the GBA, while still
featuring the simple Game Boy d-pad and A and B Button controls, also added two
additional buttons, the L and R shoulder buttons (similar to a SNES or N64
controller). And honestly, while some games (specifically fighting games)
called for more buttons, that A/B/L/R layout was a nice, and comfortable, setup
for the majority of GBA titles.
Now the GBA and I had an odd history, mainly due to the fact
that, full disclosure, I never owned one myself. There were times that I
intended to get one of my own, especially the sleek “SP” model. But I never
wanted to spend the money at the time, and then I eventually got myself a DS
Lite, which plays GBA games anyway.
So the GBA and I have an interesting
relationship, because while I never owned the system myself, I still managed to
play a fair deal of GBA games, either through friends, or through the miracle
of emulation. But either way, I still experienced the system, and more
specifically several of its games, enough that I feel qualified to make a “Top
Favorite GBA Games” list, and do so earnestly. In fact, I don’t mind saying
that there are at least a couple of GBA games, that would be contenders to make
it into my Top 40 or Top 50 games of all time. One in particular, I think I
would put in my Top 25, easily.
So without further adieu, let’s get to the games.
*********************
1 – Game:
Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance, Publisher: Konami, Originally Released:
2002
This is an entry into the storied Castlevania series, which
it must be said gets a good amount of undue flack from certain gamers and “game
journalists”. In particular, while the game was (in my opinion) much better,
and certainly much more balanced and fair, than the first GBA Castlevania game
(Circle of the Moon), the game has received a lot of criticism for its sound.
While the graphics in Harmony of Dissonance were overall quite good, in fact
quite close to the infamous Symphony of the Night on Playstation, the music
specifically, many felt was of a lesser quality. To be blunt, while the music
certainly doesn’t rank among the top CV soundtracks (a series known for great
music), I will also go on record as saying that it’s perfectly fine, and in no
way distracts from, or detracts from, the overall game experience.
But soundtrack aside, I honestly don’t think there is a
single element of this game that anyone has a legitimate gripe about. In point
of fact, I will go so far as to make the bold statement, that at least in this
man’s estimation, Harmony of Dissonance is one of THE best Castlevania games
ever made. It’s certainly in my personal Top 3, alongside Super Castlevania IV
and Symphony of the Night. HoD has SO much good going for it, including a few
things that I think arguably improve upon the legendary Symphony of the Night.
For one thing, you play as Juste, the grandson of Simon
Belmont, hero of Castlevania 1, 2, and 4. And as someone who will always have a
fondness for Simon as a character, among all the Castlevania heroes, I’ve just
always thought that was pretty cool. Moreover, that would also make Juste the
father (or grandfather) of Richter Belmont, hero of the popular (yet somewhat obscure)
Rondo of Blood. That family line has just always fascinated me. But as for the
game itself, it looks great, and plays extremely tight and smooth. In fact the
overall layout, presentation and gameplay, as far as I’m concerned, are the
closest thing we’ll likely ever get to a straight up “Symphony of the Night 2”,
as for this man’s money, of all the “Metroidvania” entries that have followed
in SotN’s lofty footsteps, HoD comes the closest to that epic experience.
As for reasons that HoD is arguably superior to SotN, for
one thing, they brought back the whip flail ability from Super Castlevania IV,
EXACTLY as it was in that game. For those unfamiliar, CV4 introduced the
ability (which later entries nonsensically eschewed) to both hold your whip out
in front of you, as a shield to minor enemies and projectiles, and to flail it
about, either in front of you, at an angle, or even in circular motions. You
can also whip, in some fashion or other, in eight directions, giving you a far
greater deal of flexibility in combat, versus the classic Castlevania “whip
straight ahead” attack. That alone is worth its weight in gold.
 |
| One of many cool Magic Book attacks. |
But HoD also introduces the (to me) SUPER awesome “Magic
Book” system, mystic tomes you can find in the game, that when turned on (like
relics), change your basic subweapons into various, and often powerful and
quite useful, magic attacks. There are 6 subweapons you can find in HoD,
including the new Sacred Fist attack, which was never used in another game. And
there are 5 (Fire, Ice, Wind, Earth, and Summons) Magic Books to collect, which ultimately gives
you about 30 different, distinct magic attacks. That’s pretty insane! And
again, as far as I know, this awesome feature isn’t in any other Castlevania
game.
The game has so much going for it, a giant (two sided)
castle to explore, epic boss encounters, and being able to unlock characters
Maxim in the regular game and an 8-bit version of Simon Belmont in the Boss
Rush mode. As if THAT weren’t enough, in addition to all of that, probably THE most underrated thing that HoD adds to the mix, a
feature I’m pretty sure was for some insane reason ONLY included in this game,
is the ability to not only back dash, as in SotN, but also FORWARD dash! To
some, this seems like no big deal, an extraneous inclusion. But let me be the
one to state, emphatically: it’s not. It isn’t necessary, no, but it IS a major
“quality of life” improvement, just as the whip flail was, and once you master
the timing, there is a whole new level of strategy added to fighting enemies,
and even certain bosses. If you have the timing down, you can back dash to
evade an attack, forward dash to hit the enemy, and then back dash back out of
their reach again. Not to mention the convenience of being able to forward dash
to your heart's content, effectively allowing you to RUN in a Castlevania game,
a series known for relatively slow movement (especially in the early outings).
All of that, plus a compelling and interesting
story, and as previously stated, an overall game experience that really does
feel worthy of being a “Symphony of the Night 2”, and to me, you’ve got a near-perfect
game. In a perfect world, along with a remake to Castlevania Legends (an
obscure Game Boy game that introduced us to the matriarch of the Vampire
Killing Belmont clan, Sonia), Konami would have someone give Harmony of
Dissonance the “remaster” treatment, bring the 2D sprite graphics fully in line
with, if not better than SotN, and of course redoing the music, giving it the
orchestrated treatment that SotN enjoyed. That would be a dream. But even
without that fancy, Hamony of Dissonance, as it is, is a genuinely great
Castlevania game, one of the best, and absolutely one of the most criminally
underrated. It’s the most time I spent, and most fun I had, playing a GBA game,
thus it is also my Top Favorite GBA game of all time (similar to how Symphony
of the Night is my favorite PS1 game).
2 – Game: Kirby:
Nightmare in Dream Land, Publisher: Nintendo, Originally Released: 2002
While there are multiple strong choices, the game that is
most likely my #2 Top Favorite GBA game, would be Kirby: Nightmare in Dream
Land. It’s an excellently done remake of my favorite Kirby game of all time,
Kirby’s Adventure on NES, which itself happens to be in my Top 3 Favorite Games
of All Time, behind only Super Mario Bros. 3 and Mega Man 2. I prefer the 8-bit
original over this remake, but the remake is incredibly well done, with
colorful and detailed graphics, on par with Kirby Super Star on SNES, and a
somewhat redone version of the classic NES soundtrack.
As far as I recall offhand, I’m pretty sure that for the most part the game is
a pretty straightforward remake, with all of the same levels, and powers, as
Adventure. They did, however, change all of the bonus games, one of the cooler
features from Adventure. In the new bonus games, as with the originals, you compete
in little challenges, trying to earn extra lives. In the NES game, the bonus
games were a Quick Draw shootout, a Kirby crane game, and an Eating Contest,
where you have to avoid eating bombs. In Nightmare, instead you have a special
race challenge, basically a game of bomb Hot Potato, and a version of the SNES
Super Star incarnation of Quick Draw, which has you taking part in Samurai
twitch battles, instead of a gun fight. Personally, I would have preferred they
just remake the NES bonus games, as I like them better. But these new ones are
still fine.
 |
| The awesome Meta Knight. |
The other, and probably coolest new feature of this version
of the game, is that once you beat the game, and beat the unlockable Extra
Mode, you can unlock the ability to play as Kirby’s rival, the mysterious
swordsman Meta Knight. This was the first, and still best, game to allow you to
play that badass character.
Overall, while again, I personally prefer the
NES Kirby’s Adventure to this, and I would highly recommend anyone interested
should play the NES original, even if they have played or plan on playing this
game, this is still a really great GBA game, one of the very best. Like several
other GBA games, they really packed it with content, in an era before any
extras became relegated to making you pay extra to get them as downloadable
content. You really got your bang for your buck with many GBA games, and the
system in general, which is part of why I like it. If you love Kirby, or have
never played a single Kirby game, while I still recommend you go play Kirby’s
Adventure on NES, I would also highly recommend this as a great GBA experience.
3 – Final Fantasy:
Dawn of Souls, Publisher: Squaresoft, Originally Released: 2004
To be clear right off the bat, I am specifically
listing/referring to this GBA remake of the original Final Fantasy game, FF1.
The cart also contains a remake of the Japan-only Famicom game Final Fantasy 2
(not to be confused with my beloved Final Fantasy IV, which was called FF2 in
the US since we didn’t get the original 2 and 3 on NES), but in all honesty I
have yet to play that game much. I will someday, but for now, this cart’s
placement on this list is strictly because of my fondness for, and experience
playing this specific version of FF1.
To go back in time a bit, as I’ve related when talking about
FF2/4, one of my Top Favorite SNES Games of all time (and my favorite rpg,
period), the first “jrpg” (Japanese Role Playing Game) experience I ever had,
outside of a PC action-rpg called Sorcerian, was FF1 on the NES. I don’t even
fully recall how I came to own it, as I had certainly never rented it. I also
don’t fully recall if I owned FF1 before I saw hours of “FF2” on SNES played at
a friend’s house, or before. But either way, I came to own a copy of FF1, as
well as the awesome Nintendo Power strategy guide for it, which was an immense,
invaluable help, as if you’re unfamiliar, the original NES version of Final
Fantasy, is hard as goddamn nails. But, in spite of that, I enjoyed playing
through it, and somehow I even managed to beat it, one of the gaming triumphs
of my pre-teen years.
To be blunt, Final Fantasy 2/4 on Super Nintendo, was SUCH
an upgrade in every single way, even over the Famicom FF3 (which honestly
wasn’t that much of an upgrade over FF1), from gameplay, to (actual)
characters, to story, to a bigger, more epic adventure, the amazing soundtrack,
you name it. But while I arguably like Final Fantasy 3/6, and perhaps even FF5,
more than this original game, I will always have a soft spot and major
nostalgia for the NES FF1, because it was “my first”, and in spite of its at
times brutal difficulty and extremely necessary MAJOR level grinding, I still
really enjoyed myself with it.
There was a remake of FF1 on the Sony Playstation, called
“Final Fantasy Origins”, which is a decent version. But I really like this GBA
version of the game more, and while I am very fond of the NES game, I
personally consider this the superior, “definitive” version of Final Fantasy.
It has many improvements and “quality of life” tweaks, such as implementing the
modern MP (magic points) system, instead of only being able to use a certain
level spell a limited number of times (until you use a tent/cabin again, if I’m
remembering right). That alone is worth its weight in Gil. They also included
the ability to pretty much save anywhere on the game map, which is super
useful. They eliminated the quirk in the original game, where if you target an
enemy that is killed, your character will still attack that spot, hitting
nothing and wasting a valuable turn. And while some treat it as a negative, I
think the fact that they in general made the game more balanced, and not nearly
as brutal, you don’t have to grind AS much if you don’t want to, etc., to be a
major positive. It makes the game more of a joy to play, than at times being a
chore, which the original FF1 experience could definitely be.
As I often find myself saying, I think experiencing the original FF1 on NES, in
that “true” form, is a must for any Final Fantasy or rpg fan. But if you ask me
which is the best way to experience the first Fantasy game, I would point you
to this “Dawn of Souls” GBA version, without hesitation. It’s a simple, but fun
ride, and worth the time.
4 – Metroid: Zero
Mission, Publisher: Nintendo, Originally Released: 2004
With Super Metroid (aka Metroid 3) being in my personal Top
5 Favorite SNES Games, I definitely have a love for the Metroid series in
general. Though while I liked the Prime games (especially Prime 3 on the
Nintendo Wii), I will always prefer the classic 2D, sprite based graphics, side
scrolling Metroid experience. The GBA actually received a brand new, exclusive
2D Metroid of its very own, in 2002, in the form of Metroid Fusion (aka Metroid
4). In fact 2002 was somewhat “The Return of Metroid”, as the Nintendo Gamecube
also got a new 3D side-story game in Metroid Prime, and the two games even had
some inter-system connectivity features.
Fusion was a good
game, with great graphics, and some interesting new mechanics, though I also
felt it had too linear a nature (where the series is usually pretty “open
world” and exploration based), and I had mixed feelings about the greater focus
on story. Metroid was always more of an experience, than a plot unfolding, and
the lack of dialogue or story bits (except for a small ending), was part of the
series charm. It lent itself to the unique, somewhat bleak, isolated feel of
the games.
But while Fusion was enjoyable, and a new 2D Metroid was
absolutely welcome after nearly a decade, it wasn’t GREAT, at least to me.
Thankfully, in 2004, ten years after the release of the epic Super Metroid,
what was actually originally suggested to be a GBA port of that very game,
wound up instead being a remake of the original NES game, titled Metroid: Zero
Mission. This was, in point of fact, from a bittersweet future perspective, the
last Metroid game to be developed by Nintendo themselves, as all future entries
in the series (as well as the Prime series that was also going on), have been
made by outside studios, with very mixed results. But Zero Mission, was an
absolute gem.
Essentially reimagining Samus’ original adventure on the
planet Zebes, while it stuck fairly closely to the original game experience, it
also added certain features and improvements that Super Metroid had given us,
like save points, a map, additional items, some new enemies, and even a brand
new post-game area, wherein you played a vulnerable Samus without her famous
armor suit. Zero Mission also gave you the option of choosing different
difficulty settings, and in general played more like Super Metroid. Personally,
unlike some folks, I view the original Metroid as a masterpiece, that is tough
and vague, yes, but that’s how video games were, they were trial and error, you
had to figure things out for yourself, take the time and effort to maybe DRAW
your own map of the game world, and in general you just had to “get good” to
beat the game. The original Metroid is a great game, that I’m very fond of, and
it was honestly very ahead of its time, setting the template for what Super
Metroid and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night would later expand what people
now refer to as the “Metroidvania” style of game.
That said, I do think that for the most part, the additions
and inclusions to Zero Mission, are improvements to the classic Metroid
experience. And while, as ever, I would definitely tell people to play the
original Metroid, to experience it for themselves as it was,, I would also
definitely tell people to check out Zero Mission, as to me it’s arguably the 2nd
best entry in the series, behind Super.
5 – Mario Kart: Super
Circuit, Publisher: Nintendo, Originally Released: 2001
I’ve liked the Mario Kart series since a friend first
brought Super Mario Kart on SNES over to my house, one afternoon probably back
in 1996. Then of course, Mario Kart 64 came along, which was godly when it
first arrived in 1997 on the Nintendo 64, and it was a game that my friends and
I put hours and hours into. For years, we would still bust out the 64, and
Mario Kart and Goldeneye, to play multiplayer, almost every year on New Years
Eve, and sometimes my birthday. To this day, as I’ve related before, Mario Kart
64 is one of my favorite racers of all time, and certainly my very favorite
Mario Kart of all time.
That said, Super Circuit on the GBA is a strange and
wonderful creature. It is the only MK game to date, outside of the obscure
arcade game Mario Kart GP, to have been developed by a studio outside of
Nintendo themselves. In this case, it was made by Intelligent Systems, a
developer most known for strategy games like the Fire Emblem and Advance Wars
series. Because the Game Boy Advance was clearly not on the same hardware level
as the N64, it couldn’t replicate the Mario Kart experience as a straight sequel
to MK64. So instead, they cleverly made it something of a hybrid game, a cross
between the “Mode 7” pseudo-3D look and gameplay of the SNES original, mixed
with somewhat prerendered racer and item sprites, and specific items and other
elements, from the N64 hit.
The end result, is a quirky and fun little game, that still
existed in an era when companies sometimes actually tried to stuff games full
of content, to give you more value for your money (unlike today, where they
give you a bare-bones game and nickel and dime you for extra content they
trickle out). The game features the same exact racers from Mario Kart 64 (Mario,
Luigi, Peach, Toad, Yoshi, Donkey Kong, Wario, and Bowser), leaving out poor
Koopa Troopa from the SNES game. The game doesn’t feature certain items from
the 64 game, such as the Golden Mushroom, as the more limited and flat Mode 7
style tracks, just aren’t a good fit for spamming speed boosts over and over,
or at least that was the excuse. The game plays pretty much exactly like Super
Mario Kart, not MK64, and while I prefer the feel and experience of the 64
game, it still makes for fun and responsive racing. The game features single
player Grand Prix and Time Trial modes, as well as “Quick Run”, which lets you
play individual courses, with neat features like toggling items, etc. There
are, of course, also multiplayer modes, like racing and battle, if you could
connect your GBA to a friends’.
Super Circuit isn’t my favorite Mario Kart by any stretch, that’s MK64 by a
wide margin. But it’s definitely up there, and it’s absolutely one of the best
games on the system.
6 – Super Mario
Advance, Publisher: Nintendo, Originally Released: 2001
I have related in the past, how I had an interesting history
with OUR (aka the superior) Super Mario Bros. 2 on NES. When I originally
rented it, I actually didn’t like it very much, because it was too different,
it “wasn’t Mario” to me. I probably didn’t think it was a bad game, but I
wasn’t in the mind-frame to really enjoy it, because I was expecting more of
SMB1 or my beloved SMB3. A friend later got me a copy as a present for my 12th
birthday, and now owning it, I gave it a chance and really spent time with it.
And in the end, I wound up enjoying it a lot, for what it was, not what it
wasn’t.
I love Super Mario Bros. 2 nowadays, and appreciate it for
its quirky and unique nature. There were people, for years, that acted as if it
was somehow a crime that the US didn’t get “the real Mario 2”, what we would
later call “SMB: The Lost Levels”, received in the SNES remake collection Super
Mario All-Stars. But in all blunt honesty, while the “real” Japanese SMB2 isn’t
a BAD game, in my opinion it isn’t all that good, either. Shigeru Miyamoto
wasn’t very involved with it, at the time working on The Legend of Zelda, and
the Japanese game “Doki Doki Panic”, that would get turned into OUR Mario 2.
The “Lost Levels” game, is basically just more SMB1, this time harder. It’s
functionally the first Super Mario Bros. hack, or more specifically, the first
“Kaizo Mario” (hacks that are made to be super challenging). I think we got the
“real”, and better, Super Mario Bros. 2, so I’m glad, in retrospect, that we
got what is, frankly, the better playing, more interesting, and more fun Mario
game.
As for the Game Boy Advance remake, known as Super Mario
Advance, it is a neat little gem. On the one hand, you could argue that it was
partially lazy and uninspired, as it was essentially a rehash of what had
already been created with the SNES All-Stars remake of SMB2. It does, after
all, reuse basically the same redone graphics and sound assets from that game.
However, it also adds enough new elements, I think, to make it stand out on its
own. For one thing, they for whatever reason added giant sprites, certain items
or enemies that would just inexplicably be super-sized, which added a new level
of bizarre to the already dreamlike nature of SMB2. They also added a new boss,
Robirdo, a robot Birdo, who isn’t really all that different from real Birdo,
but it’s a weird addition, and replaces what was a re-used Mouser boss. Though
one could also argue there’s too many Birdo encounters. The one addition I
could do without, are voice samples for the four main characters, basically the
same kind of voice samples you’d find in Mario Kart.
All in all, Super Mario Advance isn’t a great remake, but
it’s good, and it’s fun. I think they could have put in more effort, and gone
the extra mile, basically making an all new Sub-Con adventure, with new stages,
etc. Or, one of my long-held private “dream game” ideas, basically a SMB2 type
adventure in Subcon, but this time playing my beloved Shy Guy enemy. I don’t
quite know why, but Goombas and Shy Guys, two of the most basic and weakest
enemies from the entire Mario series, have always held a very special place in
my heart. Especially Shy Guys. Mario Advance isn’t all it could have been, but
it’s still a worthwhile package, and one I put time into playing.
7 – Street Fighter
Alpha 3, Publisher: Capcom, Originally Released: 2002
While OG Street Fighter 2 (I never got as much into Super)
is my favorite fighter of all time, and my preferred SF experience, I also came
to be a pretty big fan of the Street Fighter Alpha (known as SF Zero in Japan)
side series. The Alpha games take place in between the fairly obscure original
Street Fighter game, and the legendary Street Fighter 2, story-wise. I like the
way the Alpha games play, and their sprites (for the most part) and play-style
were lifted directly into the “Versus” games (X-Men vs. Street Fighter, Marvel
vs. Capcom, etc). Meaning, for instance, that those games, like the Alpha
games, feature the much-cooler, longer haired Ponytail Ken, versus the Odd-Looking-Haircut Ken from SF2, as well as his flaming, somewhat stronger
uppercuts than Ryu, etc.
SFA3 was a solid cap to the series, with by far the highest number of playable characters, even finally including Street
Fighter 2 favorites like Vega, Blanka and Guile. However, the one major
mis-step they made, trying to idiotically tie in to the garbage PS2 game “Final
Fight: Streetwise”, was that they included the hero Cody from Final Fight, but
completely ruined him, by making him an escaped convict, complete with
stereotypical (and outdated) striped prison suit, and handcuffs. So he not only
looks stupid, but he plays totally different from his bad ass FF self. I’ve
always hated that, and I always will.
But as for this GBA port? While it has several missing
stages, and voice samples (blamed on cart limitations, but I think it was just
them being lazy), it is still a very solid port for Game boy Advance, featuring
not only ALL of the arcade characters, but three additional fighters, exclusive
to this version (at the time). Very similar to what was accomplished with
Street Fighter Alpha 2 on the SNES (though IMO it should have been ported to
N64 instead), they still managed to get a pretty impressive version of the
arcade game onto weaker hardware. The graphics still look pretty spiffy, the
music isn’t as good as the arcade by any stretch, but it’s still a decent
(albeit very “Game Boy-y”), and while the system only has 4 buttons (instead of
the arcade or SNES’ 6), it still plays very well for what it is. Ultimately,
much like my beloved SNES version of Final Fight, this game isn’t what it could
have been with more effort, but it’s still pretty damn good for what it is.
8 – Double Dragon
Advance, Publisher: Atlus, Originally Released: 2003
The Double Dragon games have never been tops to me, among
the realm of Beat ‘Em Ups, as there are SUCH better ones, like X-Men or Teenage
Mutant Ninja Turtles by Konami, Undercover Cops or Ninja Baseball Bat Man by
Irem, or the many masterpieces by the KINGS of the genre Capcom, such as Final
Fight, Knights of the Round, Captain Commando, or the arcade Dungeons &
Dragons games. But that said, Double Dragon is largely (and rightly) seen as
basically being the grandfather of Beat ‘Em Up games, and especially on the
NES, they’re still damn fun. The arcade versions of 1 & 2 are classics, but
are also pretty clunky and VERY hard. The arcade version of Double Dragon 3,
honestly, is pretty abysmal. But the NES versions of each, while not as good
graphically, are in pretty much every other way superior games. Even DD3 on
NES, the least of the trilogy, is still an OK game, and MUCH better than its
arcade counterpart. The NES versions are so beloved and well regarded, that
there was even a game released awhile back called “Double Dragon 4” (ignoring
crappy sequels from the 90s), which was graphically and stylistically based
directly on the first two NES games.
With Double Dragon Advance, while it is at its core a remake
of the original Double Dragon, it is also kind of a mixture of DD1 and DD2. It
has elements from DD2, but more specifically, it also includes elements from
the superior NES versions of DD1 and DD2, including moves, enemies, and even
stages based on those games. As such, the game features more stages than the
arcade or NES ports of DD1, and it also includes some new enemies, bosses, and
even a couple new moves in your ass-kicking arsenal.
You still play the martial artist brothers, Billy and Jimmy
Lee, and you’re still trying to save the city, and Billy’s girlfriend Maria,
from the evil Shadow Warriors gang. The graphics are definitely based more on
the arcade game than the NES, with a more “realistic” look, but they’re also
pretty well done. The sound and music are crisp, featuring redone versions of
beloved tunes from DD1 and DD2, and the game features pretty smooth and
satisfying gameplay. And with the added content, it has more going it for,
arguably, than the NES original. For my money, DD2 on NES is the best in the
series, but Double Dragon Advance is a really good entry in the franchise, and
also one of the best GBA games out there. If you never have, definitely do
yourself a favor and play DD1 and DD2 on NES, but DDA is also well worth giving
a whirl.
********************
Those are my Top 8 GBA games, as they are the ones I spent
the most time with, and for the most part enjoyed the most. The Game Boy
Advance in general, is a very good system, and again, I personally consider it
to be Nintendo’s last GREAT, and truly classic, console. It has a wealth of
games, and that “16-bit” type aesthetic on the go, really can’t be beat. There
are many other GBA games worth mentioning, let alone playing, so I’ll leave you
with a list of some of my personal “Honorable Mentions”.
GBA Honorable
Mentions:
Super Ghouls n Ghosts
Konami Krazy Racers
Lady Sia
Final Fight One
Kirby and the Amazing Mirror
Metroid Fusion
Mario & Luigi
Castlevania: Circle of the Moon
Bubble Bobble: Old & New
Klonoa: Empire of Dreams
Rayman Advance
Mario Pinball
Metal Slug Advance
Final Fantasy 4/5/6
Pac-Man World 1 & 2
X-Men: Reign of Apocalypse
Super Puzzle Fighter 2 Turbo
Super Bust-a-Move
