Which Gameboy Advance carts are worth getting?

[Phil]

Been loving my DS Lite since I got it last month. Plenty of cool games, but since I'm on a budget, I've also been looking at cheaper GBA carts as well. So far I've only picked up a Pac Man collection, and a mech combat game called Super Robot Taisen 2. Both for just $10. Lots of other titles in the bargain bin that've caught my eye, but I have no idea whats good and whats junk.

Any recomendations?

[broodwars]

That depends strongly on your genre preferences. I see you got a Turn-Based Strategy game, so I would recommend both GBA Fire Emblem games. Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga is also a must-play, as is Metroid: Zero Mission.

[Citizen Klaus]

Metroid: Zero Mission.

Signed.

I ignored ZM when it came out, for whatever reason. Picked it up used a few months ago, and promptly wondered what I was thinking back in the day. As far as portable Metroids go, ZM is now my favorite -- plenty of exploration and item collecting, without the hair-tearingly difficult boss battles that occasionally cropped up in Fusion.

[Phil]

I'm pretty varied in my gaming tastes. About the only things I don't care for are fighting, sports (if there are such things for the GBA), and virtual pet type games.

Anime themes are good. Games featuring cute anime girls are double-plus good. :D

I'd also like to take this opportunity to say that I'm really pissed that stores still want $29 for friggin' Super Mario Bros 3. :crazy:

[Citizen Klaus]

Anime themes are a good. Games featuring cute anime girls are double-plus good. :D

I've heard Chobits and Galaxy Angel were both decent, but I've never played either. And hey, the GBA *is* region-free, might as well take advantage of it. ;)

[Nagato-san]

I would recommend that you pick up the first Super Robot Taisen OG game (also for the GBA) if you get a chance.

A couple of others that I recommend:

- Summon Night Sowrdcraft Story 1 & 2 (Gameplay is similar to a "Tales of..." game)
-Advance Wars 1 & 2 (both are strategy games)
- Fire Emblem & FE: The sacred stones (either one is good. Both are strategy games.)
-Final Fight Advance (A pretty good port of Final Fight, pretty cheap price last time I saw it)EDIT: I didn't see the post where you mentioned that you are not into fighting games. Final Fight is a Streets of Rage, Double Dragon style beat'em up game.
- Golden Sun (Not sure how hard it is to find it, but at least the first one is pretty fun. RPG.)
-Sword of Manna (Zelda-esq RPG from Square-Enix. Might be hard to find)

That's about all I can think of that I've personally played. I don't get around to playing the GBA or buying games for it much anymore, so many of my recommendations are older games that might be harder to find.

[Ty]

I just ordered Fire Emblem Sacred Stones after getting back into the original. It will probably be the last GBA game I ever buy.

[Andrew Cunningham]

By far the best game I have is Astro Boy: Omega Factor. A Treasure brawler, the game has a really brilliant structure that ended up making it really a blast to play. I can't get past the second level on Normal mode, so I recommend sticking with Easy.

Yoshi's Island, of course; greatest platformer ever.
Minish Cap, if you can find it.
Klonoa is really fun; sort of a combo puzzle game and platformer, but very tight controls.
And a friend just loaned me something called Ninja Five-Oh (aka Ninja Cop) which is really obscure, apparently, but is way more fun than the simplistic game play should be.

[ADC]

If you can find any of the Castlevania GBA games, buy them. Similarly, if you can find any of the Fire Emblem GBA games, buy them.

If you're not afraid of a challenge, some of the Megaman Zero games are still relatively easy to find.

The Final Fantasy GBA games (1+2, 4, 5, 6) are mostly excellent, though 1+2 have been split up, sexied up, and released on the PSP; and 4 is getting 3D treatment on the DS.

I'll second the Metroid Zero recommendation, but I think Metroid Fusion is the better game. It is, however, a sometimes maddeningly difficult game. But when I tell you that I finished it, you'll know that it's not that hard.

And if you don't get the Super Mario Advance games, then you have no soul. And I don't mean that as in, Pat Boone singing Little Richard songs. I mean that as in, automatic doors don't open for you and you're going to Hell when you die. (I'll save you a seat by the pool. It's heated to 370°K.)

[number9dream]

I rather like the port of Shining Force: Resurrection Of Dark Dragon a remake/port of the first Shining Force game. Rebelstar Tactical Command is also a rather good turn based strategy title. Kuru Kuru Kururin is an interesting little puzzle game and well worth checking out.

[Chloe]

Seconding the Advance Wars, Rebelstar, and Fire Emblem carts. These also look good on your big screen with a Game Boy Player! Sword of Mana is okay, but looks funky, and gets too talky at times for my taste. Five minutes of reading before a boss fight? GEEZ!

Warning: the Rebelstar can be a bitch, as the mission structure can be quite unforgiving. Quite nasty AI, will give you X-COM deja-vu if you've ever played that.

I have a couple of the Golden Sun carts, but they are in my 'to do' pile. :confused: Car Battler Joe is different, and pretty fun. Pokemon Emerald was good too. I have Lunar Legend but haven't played that yet either. :sad:

[broodwars]

The problem with a lot of the GBA software is that most of the good games either have better versions on the DS (i.e. the Castlevania games), or they are ports of old games (the Mario Advances, Zelda: Link to the Past, Final Fantasies 4-6). If you want the better games, play the DS incarnations if you get the system or wait for them to pop up on the Wii's virtual console (if you have one, anyway).

And Metroid Fusion is spectacularly lame, Samus-X aside. It desperately wants to be a better game than it actually is.

[kamillebidan]

Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow, and Dragonball Z: Legacy of Goku II are my favorite GBA games.

[Nyanyaan]

Been loving my DS Lite since I got it last month. Plenty of cool games, but since I'm on a budget, I've also been looking at cheaper GBA carts as well. So far I've only picked up a Pac Man collection, and a mech combat game called Super Robot Taisen 2. Both for just $10. Lots of other titles in the bargain bin that've caught my eye, but I have no idea whats good and whats junk.

Any recomendations?

GBA price points make it a wonderful system to collect good games on the relative cheap. Save the Fire Emblems and anything mentioned in this thread with "Mario" or "Pokemon" in it, damn near everything else is findable (and still quite findable) in the sub $15 and sub $10 each range. Just be aware that as happened with all cartridge based systems, finding ones with box and manual can take considerably more digging.

The fact that a nicer edition of Riviera is avaiable on the PSP does not take a thing away from the GBA version, and that's an under $10 used title.

Castlevania was mentioned and the last GBA Castlevania is part of a single story finished with the first DS CV. All are worth having in a collection.

The Pocky and Rocky with Becky is fun and some other titles worth taking a look for are Lady Sia, Sabrewulf (a Rare -- as in the dev house title), Yggrda Union, Drilldozer and Astro Boy (done by Treasure, who also put out GBA versions of both Guardian and Gunstar Heroes).

[jecca-neko]

And if you don't get the Super Mario Advance games, then you have no soul.

Actually, if you have a Wii and don't mind that they're not portable, I'd recommend buying them for VC instead. It's much cheaper. Like someone else said, I still see Super Mario 3 for GBA going for $30. I have the original Mario and Mario 2 (well, the remade Doki Doki Panic - you know what I mean!) for VC and I think it was a great purchase. If I didn't have Mario 3 and Mario World for GBA already, I would've bought those on VC too.

[jecca-neko]

I rather like the port of Shining Force: Resurrection Of Dark Dragon a remake/port of the first Shining Force game.

Oh, I forgot about that game. Thanks for the reminder. If I can find it for cheaper than the VC price, I might pick it up.

[number9dream]

Yggdra Union is being ported to PSP (as Riviera has been, which you mentioned ofc) but a release outside Japan has yet to be confirmed afaik. Some more info on it here. (http://www.rpgamer.com/news/Q4-2007/100507a.html)

[Phil]

Lots of good tips everyone. Thanks! I think I've seen a few of these titles in the bargain bin at Fred Meyers. But gotta wait til my next paycheck to go shopping. :)

I'm actually a big Final Fantasy fan, but I'd rather hold off for now in case Square decides to do more remakes for the DS.