March 16, 2007 -
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Even though it's coming to an end, the system had a fantastic run. More than five years on top, and several hundred games from both first and third parties. And even if the story's over for the Game Boy Advance, its legacy lives on stealthily in the Nintendo DS with the dual-screen's ability to play every single one of the games made for the GBA platform.
And now that the Game Boy Advance library has pretty much been capped off this year, unless the system will see the rare must-have title in 2007, we can confidently lay out the greatest games ever to grace the portable system. And that's what this list is all about.
Even if you might not agree with each game's specific placement within the top 25, we'll bet you'll be hard pressed to deny these titles' inclusion within the best games for the Game Boy Advance.
Developer: Realism
Publisher: SEGA
Year Released: 2002
Though THQ gave the Game Boy Advance rendition the moniker "junior," there was nothing small about this portable product. The series began in the arcades and on the GameCube as a Marble Madness-inspired action game with tons of unlockable features and modes, and for the Game Boy Advance version the UK development studio Realism managed to squeak out every ounce of potential in the GBA's hardware to offer that same fun and frantic experience. The GBA version might not stand the test of time when compared to the rising power of other handhelds, but when it was released Super Monkey Ball Jr. managed to really show off what the system could do, and it's rare to see a third-party developer pour so much effort into so many game modes on the portable system. Though the development studio couldn't survive very long after Super Monkey Ball Jr.'s release, Realism went out with a bang with one of the finest console-to-handheld ports on the GBA.
Developer: Camelot
Publisher: Nintendo
Year Released: 2001
One of the first "hyped" games on the Game Boy Advance, Camelot -- who had been making much of its money with Golf and Tennis games on the Nintendo 64 and Game Boy -- returned to its RPG roots with an original adventure that could give Square's teams a run for their money. This game pushed amazing visuals, a dynamic soundtrack, and a complex story, and even though it focused on the archaic "random turn-based battles" mechanic for half of its gameplay, it was still a fulfilling console-style experience on such a small system. Its sequel, Golden Sun: The Lost Age, tweaked and streamlined a bit, and actually enabled data transfers from the first game in the series...but it was the original release that made the biggest impact for Game Boy Advance gamers.
Developer: Hudson
Publisher: Konami
Year Released: 2003
A bad name with even worse box-art, Ninja Five-O hit the scene with a collective shrug by the gaming population. And then, suddenly, people started playing the game within. It's a completely old-school inspired action design that melds such classics as Capcom's Bionic Commando, Sega's Shinobi, and Namco's Rolling Thunder, and what's more it's incredibly fun and challenging -- a side-scrolling arcade-style game that could only really thrive these days on the 2D-happy Game Boy Advance platform. It's one of the toughest games to find in the used cartridge market; finding it won't make you rich, though. It's only valuable in the "awesome gameplay" sense...and in this case, it's worth its weight in gold.
Developer: NST
Publisher: Nintendo
Year Released: 2004
Way back in the black and white Game Boy days Nintendo updated its classic Donkey Kong arcade design with a contemporary design that fleshed out the barrel-jumping, hammer-whacking mechanics into a huge assortment of full-screen puzzle games. That concept was the basis for this NST-developed production. The added power of the Game Boy Advance not just enhanced the visuals, but the team managed to squeeze in a bunch of new puzzle ideas in the update. It's a great game that fits the Game Boy Advance's pick-up-and-play environment since players could whip out the system, solve a puzzle, and put it away for later.
Developer: Marvelous
Publisher: Natsume
Year Released: 2003
You would think that hoeing the fields, milking the cows, and other menial tasks would make for an unbelievably boring videogame experience, but Natsume's Harvest Moon series manages to suck gamers into its economic-focused gameplay. "Addictive as crack" would not be a strong enough term for this game, and the Game Boy Advance version works extraordinarily well because you can take the experience with you. The goal is to live a full life on the farm, and you'll find hours upon hours just drifting away as you try to reach that mark. If you'd rather play as a girl, Natsume released Harvest Moon: More Friends of Mineral Town with slight tweaks to the translation and gameplay, and it was also a foundation for the Nintendo DS version of Harvest Moon, but its the original game that made the big splash.
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