Game Boy Advance and its 10 most outstanding games
Launched in early 2001, a period marked by the boom in desktop consoles with the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube in the race for generation, the Game Boy Advance, aka GBA, made history. So much so that to this day it is considered by many enthusiasts the best handheld video game ever made. Everything the DS was and what the 3DS and New 3DS are today depended on the sales success of their sympathetic ancestor.
But we’ve already learned in the history of games that a good console doesn’t sell without games. And, to complete the GBA Roms, it had one of the best game libraries ever, second only to the PS2, SNES, and perhaps the DS. Its library featured eight games from the Pokémon franchise, several re-releases from past generations, two Zelda originals, and a total of more than 2500 games. Here you will find the list of the 10 most outstanding titles from all this world of games that passed through the Game Boy Advance roms at TechToRoms.Com.
01 – The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past with Four Swords
Our list starts with nothing less than Zelda. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (SNES) was a milestone for two previous generations becoming one of the greatest SNES titles of all time. On the other hand, Four Swords was an incredible debut for the GBA, as it was the first Zelda to have a multiplayer mode. A big milestone for the time was the fact that a SNES game could run on a portable, let alone come together with a Zelda that could be played by up to four people together.
A Link to the Past With Four Swords brought the possibility to relive all the adventures of Hyrule from the SNES anywhere you wanted. With no news or modifications, the game was simply a re-release, but the fans were very pleased. On the other hand, Four Swords had a simpler plot but gave the series a taste of multiplayer, which would be repeated in Four Swords Adventures for the GameCube.
02 – Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire
As had already become the custom among Nintendo handhelds, if a new handheld appeared, with it came a new generation of pocket monsters. Red & Blue came with the first GameBoy, Gold & Silver with the GameBoy Color and in 2001, the Advance brought along with it none other than Pokémon Ruby & Sapphire (GBA), which quickly became two of the best-selling games for the handheld.
With 386 Pokémon in all (135 of which were new), Ruby & Sapphire brought great news to the series. In addition to a new continent filled with different biomes, the titles introduced concepts into the franchise that would be heavily used in future generations, such as Double Battles, Abilities, Natures, and Pokémon Contests. They were also the first Pokémon games to feature a new evil team other than Team Rocket. On top of that, they presented two at once: Team Aqua & Team Magma. Undoubtedly, a great duo on the GBA list.
03 – Fire Emblem
A major milestone in 2003 was the launch of the strategy RPG that would eventually become a major Nintendo franchise in the West, even becoming a frequent presence in the character-unifying tournament known as Super Smash Bros. This was Fire Emblem (GBA), a game that surprised me at the time with its vast content, impeccable graphics, epic soundtrack, and much more.
With a perfect combination of a great story and precise gameplay, the game was for many the best tactical RPG on the portable, in a field of dispute that even had the veteran Final Fantasy Tactics (GBA) . In addition to the comparisons within its own genre, Fire Emblem established itself as one of the most fun and charming handheld games of the time and made history for being the first in the series to be released in the West.
04 – Final Fantasy VI Advance
Like A Link to The Past, this was one of the greats that passed through the SNES and made history for its exceptional quality. Final Fantasy VI Advance was released in 2007 and brought all the glory of yesteryear to the handheld, allowing players to relive the adventures of Celes in search of the Returners.
The title was the last in a collection of remakes of the franchise that featured Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls (GBA), Final Fantasy IV (GBA), and Final Fantasy V Advance (GBA). The sixth chapter of the franchise and fourth remake released for the portable brought as extras the inclusion of four new Espers (Gilgamesh, Cactuar, Leviathan, and Diablos), in addition to new equipment, a new translation, and an unprecedented dungeon. Undoubtedly a strong name for the notebook’s library.
05 – Golden Sun
One of the biggest surprises of the GBA without a doubt was Golden Sun. A JRPG that didn’t promise anything at launch tried to revive the mood in the genre that was fading since the SNES, a console were titles like Chrono Trigger and Breath of Fire marked an era. The point is that Golden Sun arrived quietly and surprised all expectations, being considered by many the best game of its kind for the laptop.