GBA game suggestions?

[ddockery]

I just found out I will be spending a week in the hospital, so I'm allowing myself to blow some cash on some GBA games. Here's what I have so far:

Konami Advanced Arcade
Namco Museum
Zelda Oracles of Ages and Seasons
Tetris Worlds
Sega Smashpack - VERY disappointing
Mario Advance 2 & 3
Mario Kart
Final Fight
Doom
Wolfenstein
Wario
Iridion
Gradius Galaxies

And I'm considering getting:
Zelda link to the Past
Metroid Fusion
Pinball of the Dead
Super Puzzle Fighter 2
Super Bust a Move - if I can find it!
Defender of the Crown - I loved this on the C64
Atari Classics - again IF I can find it!
Contra
Altered Beast - not so sure about this one, anyone played it???

Any suggestions for a good game I'm overlooking? Anyone know where to score Bust a Move or Atari Classics (or whatever it's called) ???

[Gunstarhero]

Toys R Us has FORTRESS for $9.99, its a good strategy game in the spirit of Rampart. Build a castle using Tetris pieces and plant weapons to fire on the other players castle. I like it.

Pinball of the Dead is good. Contra is on my get soon list, since its supposed to be like the SNES version.

I have Advance Wars and this is the best game I got right now, especially since I'm a Panzer General II fanatic, this is the closest thing to that on portable.

I also picked up WINGS, which is the closest thing so far to a Warbirds(LYNX) game for the GBA. I really enjoy the one player game, its got variety. There are First Person Dogfight missions, but there are also some isometric view levels which are pretty cool where you either strafe enemy soldiers with machine guns, or you drop bombs on enemy hangars and planes on the ground. The story is excellent too which really helps you get into the game more, plus the game takes place during WWI so that is pretty cool too I think. Ah well hope this helps.

[lionforce]

Well I can vouch for the following games and they are definitely worth picking up IMO

Zelda link to the Past
Metroid Fusion
Contra
Altered Beast

I picked up Defender of The Crown but havent had a chance to play it yet, hope this helps and I wish you a speedy recovery, get well soon :)

[Daniel Thomas]

You're just in luck. I updated my site about five minutes ago, and added a pile of Gameboy Advance reviews. You should definitely check them out. Just click on the link to my website below, and take it from there.

and I still have to write something for the 'Videogame Classics' tonight. Joy.

[RetroYoungen]

I would have to highly recommend Super Dodgeball Advance. Great little title, as fun as anything I've ever played. Also, check out Golden Sun for a good RPG title, either that or Breath of Fire II.

Get good soon! :)

[WiseSalesman]

I only have two games in my collection so far, but they are

Advance Wars - Wonderful game. I guarantee that you could play this nonstop during your hospital stay and still not beat it. The only problem I have with this game however is one that is probably specific to ME, I get bored, in strategy and RPG games, of ordering and watching my troops fight, and eventually I want to eb the one doing the fighting, so I can only play two/three battles per sitting before I have to play something else.

Castlevania: Circle of the Moon - If you liked SOTN, or if you haven't played it, I reccomend this game highly. It will keep you busy for quite some time, the gameplay is rock solid, and there's this exploration/collection feel to it, which is almost borrowed from the metroid games that is amazingly addictive.

I'll warn against metroid fusion in this particular case, specifically because you're looking to occupy your down time, and I beat metroid fusion in one day when I borrowed it from a friend. It can be bested in under three hours of gameplay time.

[bargora]

I also would recommend The Pinball of the Dead and Advance Wars (even though it's not on your list). Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo is great fun on the PSX or Saturn, so I imagine it would be cool on the GBA as well, although it's really better to play against a hu-man player than against the CPU. Although the CPU doesn't gloat nearly as much as my relatives do when they (occasionally) win.

Hope your recovery is quick and complete!

[ddockery]

Wow, thanks for all of the suggestions. So far I found Altered Beast for 9.99 at KB and grabbed He-Man there too since I just like the series, even though I know the game will blow. Also ordered Defender of the Crown for 9.99 from Best Buy. Others on the way so far are Super Puzzle Fighter and Wings (had never heard of it!) and I'm hoping to win Super Bust a Move and maybe Space Invaders tonight.

Seriously, does anyone know where to pick up an Atari Aniiversary pack? One on eBay has 2 days left and already broke $40... that's a bit pricey.

Also, for those of you that might be curious, I'm going into the hospital to have part of my intestines removed due to Crohn's disease. After a LOT of BS, this is pretty much the last option, and I'm actually looking forward to it at this point. Again, thanks for all of your suggestions, I really appreciate it.

[Drexel923]

Also, for those of you that might be curious, I'm going into the hospital to have part of my intestines removed due to Crohn's disease. After a LOT of BS, this is pretty much the last option, and I'm actually looking forward to it at this point. Again, thanks for all of your suggestions, I really appreciate it.

Well good luck with your operation and I hope you recover as soon as possible.

I would second the recommendation for Golden Sun. If you like RPG's this game is great. Just make sure you play the first one before the second one. Castlevania and Metroid are also good.

[Gunstarhero]

ddockery wrote:

Wow, thanks for all of the suggestions. So far I found Altered Beast for 9.99 at KB and grabbed He-Man there too since I just like the series, even though I know the game will blow.

Hey, I seen that He-Man game at TRU, and I was interested but I didnt know a thing about it so I passed it by. Maybe you could let us know if it's any good, same with Altered Beast. From what I seen by the screens, it didn't look like classic Altered Beast to me. Get well soon!

[Eternal Champion]

Well, Metroid Fusion isn't the hardest game out there, but it is a damn good game, whether you're a Metroid fan or not. Great story and gameplay. If you rip through it, so what? It'll be a blast.
How can you even hesitate on Zelda LttP?? NO question.
Bionic Commando Elite Forces may or may not work on GBA, it has a save glitch--you can't continue from a saved game, you have to play without saving. Sounds like you'll have the time. I haven't played the Mega Man games, but they look cool...
Good luck!

[ddockery]

I was only hesitating on Zelda because I'm trying not to spend too much, and I do have the SNES game already.

As for Bionic Commando, I have it already, buyt my problem is totally different than you describe. I can save a restart all day, but after I beat the 3rd area, it won't let me into the 4th. It freezes every time.

[hamburgler]

Metroid fusion,Zelda Four swords,Advance wars,super dodgeball advance,Castlevania COTM,Golden sun,Sonic advance,Tactics ogre,Bonk's adventure(for original GB),Bonk's revenge(for original GB)

[DarkSoul]

I agree with everyone else that any Castlevania GBA game is a great choice, and the EB at my mall always has tons of used copies of COTM. Golden Sun would be a good replacement for Zelda (considering that you already have the SNES version), but I do warn you that as RPGs go, this one is a little heavy on "cut scene" type dialog. You may find yourself watching other people talk for LONG periods of time sometimes... but, I still think it's a great game, don't get me wrong.

I haven't gotten any myself yet, but I really enjoyed the 3 Tony Hawk games that are out on GBA (2, 3, and 4.. I'm not used to 4 since it wasn't on the Dreamcast, but 2 and 3 played remarkably like the 'real' versions).

Everyone else in the world loves Advance Wars. If you like turn based squad type combat, maybe you will too. I didn't, but, well, that's what makes the world go round. Me not liking things. If I liked everything, we'd stop spinning and all shoot into space. With locusts.

[ddockery]

I didn't think I'd like Advnce Wars, but I just borrowed my roomate's copy and it's great. Since it's a little cheaper, it's on the buy list now for sure. I guess an upside to the surgery is that it gave me a good excuse to pump up my GBA collection.

[nesman85]

i just got mega man and bass and i like it a lot. its incredibly difficult though, it will take a lot of practice to beat the whole game (i'm playing as mega man also, i hear that its easier as bass).

[zektor]

Chu Chu Rocket is great on the system, and has nearly worn my GBA out from my g/f mainly. I used to play the game tons on the DC, so I'm pretty much done with it. Well, maybe I'll go a few rounds on the GBA anyway :) The game on the system is virtually the same as the DC version. Great puzzle game...one of the best I have played in years.

[ManekiNeko]

Eh, the He-Man game doesn't blow. It's not fantastic, but it's better than it could have been. Imagine a dumbed down version of Diablo and you get the general idea. You probably would have been better off with Lord of the Rings: Two Towers, though... I know someone who bought it last month and he's STILL addicted to the game. Just don't confuse it with Fellowship of the Ring, which was absolutely horrible and loaded with more bugs than Timon and Pumbaa's breakfast omelets.
Here's a game you may not have considered... Ninja Five-Oh by Konami. It's a fun cross between Shinobi and Bionic Commando. I didn't expect much from this one but it more than exceeded my expectations, despite the somewhat bland graphics. If you spent much of the 80's in an arcade or sitting in front of an NES, you owe it to yourself to pick this one up... the gameplay will bring back those fond memories.

JR

P.S. Here's my big list of Game Boy Advance reviews... I hope it's of some assistance.

http://grblitz.overclocked.org/advance.htm

[Eternal Champion]

As for Bionic Commando [Elite Forces], I have it already, buyt my problem is totally different than you describe. I can save a restart all day, but after I beat the 3rd area, it won't let me into the 4th. It freezes every time.

But it is in fact the very same problem! You CANNOT save EVER, and you CANNOT start from a saved game.
If you play the game without saving EVER, it'll be fine. So the freeze glitch [always when you try to enter an area--it freezes on the "Tools" menu] is associated with saving. Also, if you play through the game and don't save until, say, Area 6, the glitch will happen anytime after that. SAVING = BAD. Apparently, you can play all the way through to Area 18 THEN SAVE. I haven't gotten that far yet.

Believe me, I've gone through HELL with this cart just to come to this conclusion, that I have to live with not being able to save. [I've been playing it on GBC, so it's not a GBA/compatibility issue]
I sent it to Nintendo TWICE. The first time they didn't do anything to the cart but replaced my GBC!?!?! @_@ They couldn't do anything, and the cart is apparently too old to replace. [The Nintendo rep told me to "look for a different cart online"!! :/ ] Once I started playing a brand new game from the beginning and NEVER saving, I could keep going--I've gotten half-way through the game. Again, JUST DON'T SAVE!! Look at it this way: just like the original NES game--No saving, no password.

By the way, a most sincere "best of luck" to you on your surgery... Liking the band Glassjaw I've read much about vocalist Daryl Palumbo's struggles with Crohn's. I hope this works out for you.

[ddockery]

Ah, NOW I understand the problem, or at least think I do. I assume that since this seems to be a cart problem the GB Player won't help, and I definitely am not good enough to get through it without saving. Hell, I barely cleared level 3. Time to try out a decent emu for this I guess.

[tynstar]

Phantsy Star Collection
Super Dodge Ball Advance

[supaevil]

I can tell you i have been searching for the atari game pack for a month but nobody had it. I went back to toys r us to pick up fortress for ten bones and there was the atari pack it wasnt there last time when i got car battler joe and virtua tennis for ten. So i scooped those two up i thought the atari pack saved your scores but when i turn the gba sp off the scores are erased am i doing something wrong the games on the pack are great asteroids with vector graphics missle command centipede battlezone my least favorite but cool vectore graphics break out and tempest. I saw bust a move at circuit city it was 30 bucks there. Anyone know of the neo geo pocket had an internal light because i might want to collect that but only if it had an internal light got to love my nomad.

[ddockery]

Well, here's what I ended up with, just for anyone that's curious:
Zelda - I couldn't resist
Advance Wars - roommate got me hooked
Golden Sun - I never seem to have time for RPGs, this time I will
Space Invaders - can't resist the classics
Wings - I had never heard of this, but love this type of game
Super Bust a Move - love the series
Contra - ditto
Metroid - couldn't resist
Monkey Ball Jr - Forgot about this one, but the 2 GCN titles are great
Pinball of the Dead - Sega, Dead people, and Pinball!
Altered Beast - looked decent and really cheap
He-Man - it was $10
Super Puzzle Fighter 2 - just a great game

Now if all of that doesn't keep me busy, I'm in trouble.

[WiseSalesman]

indeed sir, and good luck with your surgery.

excellent game picks too.