The Game Boy Advance put the power of the Super Nintendo, arguably one of the greatest video game consoles ever created, in the palm of your hands. Although small in size, Game Boy Advance cartridges housed some of the best experiences from that beloved era of gaming such as A Link to the Past, Super Mario World, Donkey Kong Country and Final Fantasy VI along with brand new classics like Advance Wars, Golden Sun and Drill Dozer. The Game Boy Advance was the one video game system that introduced this writer to likes of Castlevania, Metroid and Fire Emblem, easily some of my favourite video game franchises. In honour of the Game Boy's silver anniversary and the launch of the Game Boy Advance Virtual Console on Wii U, I would like to share my Top 5 Game Boy Advance games. For this Top 5, I will be excluding any Super Nintendo port because they can overshadow the original titles released for the Game Boy Advance which deserve the recognition. Enjoy the Top 5 and hopefully Nintendo will bring some of these titles to the Virtual Console for all to enjoy.
Over the years, Capcom has developed various different iterations of the Blue Bomber from a robot-hunting mercenary to a living computer AI. Each iteration focuses on a different aspect of game design such as the infusion of an overarching story in the X series to the RPG elements of the Battle Network series. The best iteration of Mega Man in this writer's opinion is Mega Man Zero for the Game Boy Advance. Introduced as a character in the X series, Zero finally got the top billing that he was originally meant to receive in Mega Man X with Mega Man Zero. 100 years after the events of Mega Man X, Zero is awakened to help the Reploid resistance in their fight against his former friend X and the Neo Arcadian army. While the story of Mega Man Zero spans four games, it is the first game that set the gold standard for the series with excellent action-platforming, fast-paced combat, challenging yet rewarding difficulty and heart-pumping music. For those who missed out on Mega Man Zero on Game Boy Advance, the Mega Man Zero Collection for the Nintendo DS is a perfect way to experience this series in its entirety.
No one ever though Mario and RPG mechanics would ever be a good combination. In actuality, Nintendo's iconic plumber is more than well-suited for the RPG genre as proven by both Super Mario RPG and Paper Mario. Inspired by Mario's previous ventures into RPGs, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga took Mario RPGs in a different direction by limiting your party to just two characters-- Mario and Luigi. The battles were ultimately turn-based, but involve much more input than your regular RPG. Mario and Luigi always need to be on their toes at all times as they can cause more damage or even outright avoid attacks with a perfectly timed button press. Exploring the overworld in Superstar Saga was not limited by gravity as Mario and Luigi could platform their way through areas to further the story and find hidden items. The Mario Bros. repertoire of special moves and items like hammers and propeller jump allowed them to solve puzzles interspersed throughout the game. Along with the gameplay, the love for Superstar Saga comes from its signature humour which ranges from Luigi dressing up as Princess Peach to allude the main villains to all the hilarious results of missing button presses to initiate Bros. Attacks. While the series has only got better with each entry, Superstar Saga still stands as one of the best RPGs on the Game Boy Advance.
Before the Game Boy Advance, portable Castlevania games were among the worst entries in the series. With the power of the Game Boy Advance and later the Nintendo DS, Konami reversed the stigma firmly placed on portable Castlevanias for the better. Their quality easily outclassed every console Castlevania following Symphony of the Night. In fact, each portable entry has added their own additions to the Metroidvania formula introduced in Symphony of the Night such as Circle of the Moon's Dual Set-up System or the two interchangeable versions of Dracula's Castle in Harmony of Dissonance. Among the three Castlevania games on the Game Boy Advance, Aria of Sorrow is the best. Set in 2035, you play as Soma Cruz, the reincarnation of Dracula, as he stumbles upon Dracula's Castle hidden within a solar eclipse. Trapped in Dracula's Castle, Soma must use his abilities as Dracula's vessel to escape before transforming into the iconic vampire. Aria of Sorrow refines the same action-platforming and RPG mechanics used in the other Castlevania games for the Game Boy Advance to perfection. What differentiates Aria of Sorrow from other entires in the series is the Tactical Soul system. Instead of interchanging a select number of sub-weapons, Soma is able to absorb the souls of fallen enemies to acquire new attacks, summonable familiars, stat boosts and abilities which open up new areas to explore. Equipping different combinations of souls allows you to create your own unique Soma with the attacks and abilities you want to use. With the poor direction Castlevania has taken in recent years, Aria of Sorrow is a shining example of how great this franchise can be.
Fire Emblem is a series with a long and storied history. Sadly that long and storied history was exclusive to Japan until 2003. The first Fire Emblem to reach North American shores is one of the best tactical strategy games on any game system. Following the adventures of Eliwood, Hector and Lynn, three lords from the continent of Elibe, Fire Emblem tasks players with taking an army of allies to stop the evil forces of the Black Fang and their pursuit to unleash the powers of the Dragon Gate on the world. Fire Emblem's greatest strength came from the gameplay which has one managing the strengths and weaknesses of weapons and magic, the durability of items, character stats and the range of allies and enemies to overcome insurmountable odds. At the game's best, it feels like playing a game of chess with medieval knights and wizards as your chess pieces. Along with introducing North American audiences to the core mechanics of the series, Fire Emblem introduced players to its most signature feature-- the permanent death of ally units. This feature caused plenty of chapter restarts from yours truly, but it made you feel connected to your units in a way no other tactical strategy game has done before. No longer were these units expendable pawns; they were living, breathing characters that you cared for and grew attached to over the course of the game. Their loss packed much more weight than losing a unit in a game like Advance Wars or Starcraft. This emotional weight along with excellent game mechanics made Fire Emblem a defining experience for the strategy genre in general.
Out of all the experiences available on the Game Boy Advance, one stands taller than the rest. This experience comes from gaming's favourite bounty hunter, Samus Aran. Actually, it is the remake of her first adventure to Planet Zebes in the original Metroid. Metroid may be an iconic achievement in video game design and development, but certain aspects of the game, namely the graphics and the unguided structure of the game, have not stood the test of time. Zero Mission took the original Metroid and upgraded the gameplay, graphics, level design, music and story to the masterful quality of Super Metroid. Zero Mission made Metroid better in every conceivable way and that was not the only thing it did. Zero Mission expanded on the original story of Metroid. No longer was defeating Mother Brain the final thing Samus did on Planet Zebes. In trying to leave Zebes, Samus is shot down by Space Pirates and stripped down to her Zero Suit. With no power to fight regular enemies, the game changes from your standard 2D action-platformer to a compelling 2D stealth game as Samus tracks down a brand new Power Suit in order to finally escape the clutches of Zebes. This incredible twist gave the final act of Metroid a greater sense of danger and vulnerability than fighting off countless waves of metroids. Hands down, Metroid: Zero Mission is the definitive version of a classic which preserves it against the negative effects of Father Time.
