Got a GBA for my Bday!

[Iron Draggon]

Finally, I am now the proud owner of a shiny new graphite GBA SP! No games for it yet, but here's my wishlist so far:

Pinball of the Dead
Hardcore Pinball
Pinball Tycoon
Pac-Man Pinball

See a trend here? OK, enough pinball games for sure, but any other recommendations? Racing games? SHMUPS?

I just ordered a Pelican SP Leather Glove to protect it, but can't seem to find a good case that holds the system and all the accessories for it, battery charger, AC adaptor, etc.

Any recommendations for something like that and where to find it? I've looked everywhere online and offline, but all I seem to find is "out of stock" or not what I'm looking for.

I don't want to spend a ton of money on a case and alot of accessories that I don't really need, but I do need a little something for taking it on a trip that I'm planning in Feb.

Also, any recommendations for a good pair of earbuds? I understand that I need a headphone adaptor for that, so is there some kind of bundle that includes both, or do I have to buy them separately? Where can I find the adaptor?

I have been to store after store, but all they seem to have now is PSP, DS, and GBA Micro accessories. The GBA SP section is always either non-existant, or picked bone dry.

Is it just because everyone got all that stuff for Christmas, or are they starting to phase it out? From the looks of the online stores, everything but the system itself is currently unavailable and not even scheduled for a reorder. WTF?

[mikeetler]

I would recommend NOT getting Hardcore Pinball. From what I remember of it, it was absolutely wretched. Horrible physics and very mediocre playfields. Pinball Tycoon wasn't all that great either in the physics but the playfields were a little more enjoyable. If you can find one, Pinball Advance from Zoo Digital was only released in Europe and was pretty good. Not PotD quality, but definitely playable. You might also want to check out the Sonic 2 in 1 cart with Sonic Advance and Sonic Pinball Party. SPP has a Nights themed table that's pretty cool.

If you're in to top down racers, Racing Gears Advance from Orbital Media is excellent. Orbital used the engine that Factor 5 made for their racer Karnaaj Rally, which also isn't bad though not as feature filled as RGA.

For Shmups, you want Iridion II. Don't get the tech demo that was released as Iridion 3D since that could turn you off the sequel. You should be able to score II at most TRU stores for $10 since it's been clearanced there for a while. Steel Empire was released in Europe and is more enjoyable on the GBA then it was on the Genesis. I wasn't too thrilled with Sigma Star Saga but there were a lot of people that did like the shmup/RPG hybrid.

Intec made a night metal case for the system and accessories. I think they were sold exclusively at TRU and they might be hard to track down this time of year.

[Iron Draggon]

Sonic Pinball Party? Dang, adding another pinball game to my wishlist! Will look for Pinball Advance. Sounds very cool!

Got a set of earbuds that don't require an adapter for only $5 shipped. Can't beat that. May have to wait on a carrying case though. At the rate I'm going, I'll have no money left for games! I can always just use a fannypack or something.

[boatofcar]

This is the case that I have:

http://2368758.x4x.biz/

I think it's pretty nice-it holds all my cords and a few games, with a nice padded part for the system.

[Iron Draggon]

Hey, that's pretty cheap! I might get one of those. Thanks!

What about that Mario Pinball Land game? Is it any good?

[hydr0x]

isn't there a gba variant of Pokemon Pinball too??

[mikeetler]

Hey, that's pretty cheap! I might get one of those. Thanks!

What about that Mario Pinball Land game? Is it any good?

Mario Pinball Land is very weak as far as pinball elements. I played it for a while but would never think of picking it up for a quick pin fix. It's more of an adventure game set in a pinball table.

There's a couple of others that I didn't mention that I don't have much experience with, Muppet Pinball Mayhem and Pinball Challenge Deluxe (Europe only). And the previously mentioned Pokemon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire. That should be all the US released pins and most of the non-US Euro ones as well.

[Iron Draggon]

UGH... Maybe I'd better just stick to pinball for now... Too many imports already! Do they play OK without an adapter?

Saw some racing games that sound interesting, but don't know if they're any good or not. Maybe y'all can tell me.

GT Advance
GT Advance 2
GT Advance 3
Top Gear GT Championship
Top Gear Rally

Yeah, I'm a nut for sequels. If I get one game in a series, I have to have them all. So this is more of an overall are they worth it question, or would another series or something be better? I like GT and Rally racing games the best, so these sound like the sort of racing games that I'd probably enjoy alot more than any of the other ones that I've seen so far.

[sirhansirhan]

There's a couple of others that I didn't mention that I don't have much experience with, Muppet Pinball Mayhem and Pinball Challenge Deluxe (Europe only). And the previously mentioned Pokemon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire. That should be all the US released pins and most of the non-US Euro ones as well.

I have Muppet Pinball Mayhem and like it quite a bit. That said, it seems to be one of the rarest GBA games. It took me over a year of looking to find it--it almost never shows up on eBay, and the only GameStop within a 200 mile radius of me that had it in its inventory was 130 miles away. Eventually I found a cart-only copy of it in the wild for $18, which I bought.

[mikeetler]

UGH... Maybe I'd better just stick to pinball for now... Too many imports already! Do they play OK without an adapter?

There's no region lockout on the Game Boy so any game from any country will play fine.

Saw some racing games that sound interesting, but don't know if they're any good or not. Maybe y'all can tell me.

GT Advance
GT Advance 2
GT Advance 3
Top Gear GT Championship
Top Gear Rally

I don't have an opinion on these, just wanted to point out that the first GT Advance does not have a battery or eprom save feature, which really knocks it down quite a bit. The later two have eprom saves, as do the Top Gear games. Personally, I don't care for SNES Mode-7 syle racers which is why I play Racing Gear Advance mostly.

[blissfulnoise]

The best, and probably only, racing game I can really recommend on the GBA is Racing Gears Advance.

Trust me. Track down a copy before it gets too wedged into the aftermarket and it starts going for $40 a pop.

[Slate]

This one is a bit different, but i always enjoy it.

Warioware: Mega Microgame$!.

Don't get any other one of the warioware games until you have tried this one.

[Iron Draggon]

Racing Gears huh? Sounds pretty cool. Adding it to the list.

[Iron Draggon]

Got a really cool GBA Switch n Carry set at Sam's today. It came with a pair of headphones, a car adapter, a link cable, 2 screen protectors, 4 game cases, a game folio that holds 6 games, a case for the GBA, and a larger case to hold it all for only $30. Not a bad deal, even if I didn't need another pair of headphones. Oh well, now I have an extra pair. HEHE

They don't sell them at every Sam's though, so you may not be able to find one. Haven't seen them anywhere else.

Still no games yet though, or at least none delivered yet. I did get Sonic Pinball Party off of ebay for only $15. Hope it becomes a future rarity. I'd rather have it by itself than in a combo pack with another game anyway. Only buying pinball games for now, but will start buying other types of games after my trip. Still can't afford to get everything I want yet.

[goatdan]

For shmups, if you can find R-Type 3, I've been loving that game. Agreed about Iridiron 3D -- I got it after hearing so many great things about 2, and I didn't understand how the series was any good.

If you're looking for RPGs, don't miss Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. It's really a great one, and not too hard to find.

Enjoy!

[mikeetler]

Still no games yet though, or at least none delivered yet. I did get Sonic Pinball Party off of ebay for only $15. Hope it becomes a future rarity. I'd rather have it by itself than in a combo pack with another game anyway. Only buying pinball games for now, but will start buying other types of games after my trip. Still can't afford to get everything I want yet.

SPP was a Target exclusive and they clearanced it after six months or so, so it's definitely good to have on it's own.

[Eternal Champion]

A newcomer to GBA! Cool! Probably a good time, as it's being phased out in favor of DS, and games are still relatively available.

BUT, I feel that the GBA got the shaft. Only 4 years of life, (actually less), before the DS came out. There were some good games, but I don't think anything GREAT, like on the SNES. A lot of ports. It's a powerful little thing, and awesome 2-D games could have been done (originals, not ports). And it's also a shame how later games like Gunstar Super Heroes had such low production runs. Is this the end of old-school 2-D games?

What do you all think?

For shmups, if you can find R-Type 3,

This is a port of the SNES game, right? Beautiful game, but Jesus H. Christ what a CHEAP-ASS game. Cheap hits, cheap obstacles, and having to start back at a checkpoint when you die--CHEAP. Sorry for the rant.

[DigitalSpace]

Here's my recommendations:

Racers:
Need For Speed Underground 2 - Hands-down the best 3D racer on the GBA.
GT Advance 3 - My second favorite 3D racer on the handheld. Unlike the first, it actually has battery save!
Top Gear GT Championship - I specificially like the track editor feature.
Karnaaj Rally - My second favorite 2D racer (the first being Racing Gears Advance). Don't let the lame "prehistoric to t3h extreme!!!1" box art scare you off. Gameplay is similar to Racing Gears.
V-Rally 3 - Amazing graphics for a 3D racer on the handheld. Haven't spent much time with it, but I do like what I've played so far.

As for shmups, Strike Force Hydra is also worth a look if you can find it. As for R-Type III, stick to the SNES version - the company responsible for porting it to the GBA (I can't remember their name at the moment) did a horrible job.

[Iron Draggon]

A newcomer to GBA! Cool! Probably a good time, as it's being phased out in favor of DS, and games are still relatively available.

BUT, I feel that the GBA got the shaft. Only 4 years of life, (actually less), before the DS came out. There were some good games, but I don't think anything GREAT, like on the SNES. A lot of ports. It's a powerful little thing, and awesome 2-D games could have been done (originals, not ports). And it's also a shame how later games like Gunstar Super Heroes had such low production runs. Is this the end of old-school 2-D games?

What do you all think?

For shmups, if you can find R-Type 3,

This is a port of the SNES game, right? Beautiful game, but Jesus H. Christ what a CHEAP-ASS game. Cheap hits, cheap obstacles, and having to start back at a checkpoint when you die--CHEAP. Sorry for the rant.

GBA games do seem to be getting very hard to find now. The only store I've been to so far that has a really decent selection is Fry's. And even they didn't have any of the games that I wanted to get for it right away, although they did have tons of games for it. So all my purchases have been on ebay or amazon so far. They seem to be the best places for finding what you want, especially if you're looking for older titles and trying to catch up like I am. Their prices aren't too bad either, except for supposedly rare games.

[Promophile]

beware, Ebay is LOADED with bootleg GBA games. They go so far as to print up fake boxes and manuals as well. I suggest checking out TRU, they seem to have the best selection of GBA games you can find anywhere.