Topic: GBA Retro Reviews

Do Metroid Fusion, just got it yesterday and is awesome!

Already done.

Metroid Fusion is good, but not as good as Super Metroid, imo. :3

The key difference I've noticed, so far, is that Fusion is much more linear. Could be good or bad I guess... I kept getting lost in Super Metroid though.

Well, to each his own.

I wouldn't want anything too open-ended on a small portable system. Super Metroid is better, sure, but Fusion is good considering the platform.

I want reviews for Pokémon Emerald (if it hasn't already been done) and at least one of the Mega Man Battle Network games.

Wario Land 4 is my top favorite GBA game, and one of my all time favorite platformers. I'd love to see a review of that, Zelda: Minish Cap, and Metroid Fusion.

Fusion could've surpassed Super Metroid, but for some stupid reason Nintendo thought it would be fun to have "trick walls" that look exactly like real walls. You had to shoot every square inch of every screen to find your way around. Super Metroid had a bit of this, but it was far more scarce and you could usually tell which walls you had to shoot. Fusion was also fairly repetitive. I didn't mind it being linear, but the repetitiveness brought it down a couple notches.

A review of Wario Land 4 would be nice. Same for Mario vs. Donkey Kong.

Ah! The Game Boy Advance. It was the main portable system when I was in highschool and I have a lot of great memories related to this system and I still occasionally buy secondhand games for it. I remember getting the GBA SP around its launch in 2003, which is still the greatest Game Boy they ever created. Some of my best memories:

• The joy of not only catching Feebas, but also evolving it into Milotic in Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald and reliving the classic first adventure in Pokémon FireRed & LeafGreen.
• Exploring the detailed alien worlds of Metroid Fusion and Metroid: Zero Mission.
• The classic NES and SNES goodness of the Super Mario Advance series.
• Delving into Hyrule's treacherous dungeons of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past/Four Swords and The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap.
• The gorgeously detailed worlds and fluid animations of Rayman 3.
• Putting lots effort and patience in getting all courses and characters in Konami Krazy Racers and Mario Kart: Super Circuit
• Copying the abilities of your swallowed foes and the jaw-dropping backgrounds in Kirby: Nightmare in Dreamland or Kirby and the Amazing Mirror.
• The heart-pounding concentration needed to get through the courses in Kurukuru Kururin.

There are probably much more great GBA moments that I forgot about. What a great system it was, also because you could play the old GB and GBC cartridges. Too bad the GB Micro did not support that, though. The SP is still the best for that reason.

So... when should we be expecting the first review? GBA rocks.

I must say, as much as I enjoy the GB/GBC era, the GBA was an incredible timeframe. It was like having a portable SNES. So many nice games came out.

I'm a sucker for the WarioWare games. I hope to see reviews of them.

Nice! I only own 21 GBA games and I'm looking forward to read your reviews and find some hidden gems.

Sad that nobody mentioned Ninja Five-0 so far. Truly an under-appreciated gem for anyone who enjoys old-school action games. It's tough, but fair... and has a great grappling hook system.

There really are a ton of incredible GBA games that seem to be nearly forgotten now though. Zelda: Minish Cap was amazing, just like Wario Land 4 and Scurge: Hive and the Metroid games and Castlevania games and Super Monkey Ball Jr and Chu Chu Rocket and WarioWare and Ultimate Card Games and... well the list goes on for a long time.

Can't wait to see what you guys choose to play and review.

Have you ever checked out the list of "hidden gems" on the Racketboy website? They've got a pretty huge list of good games - not all of which are really hidden, but they are worth considering. A quick Google would probably take you there if interested.

Minish Cap review, please! This is such an underrated game!