Thelaunch line-upfor a new game console is very important to a successful start, even if most launch line-ups aren’t actually very good. For the Gameboy Advance, the follow-up to theclassic Gameboy, it’s North American launch had the advantage of coming a couple of months after the Japanese release, meaning that is had more than a few games available on the launch date.
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The handheld was home to many great games over its lifetime and even a couple right out the gate. Nintendo has a strong track record when it comes to launch games on its systems and the Gameboy Advance is no exception.
10Super Dodge Ball Advance (79)
Oddball sports games are pretty typical for Nintendo consoles so it makes sense that the Gameboy Advance launched with one.Super Dodge Ball Advancewas a spinoff from theSuper Dodge Ballseries developed by Atlus. The game didn’t feature the characters from the main series but instead had a wide variety of teams from all over the world including Holland Angels and Canadian Foxes. The game has a ton of super throws and features an in-depth tournament mode making for a pretty solid dodgeball game.
9Namco Museum (79)
The easiest way to make sure you have games on your new console is to bundle a bunch of old ones together. TheNamco Museumslaps together six Namco games includingPac-manandDig Dug.The collection scored pretty well because it puts some classics together in a single box. The downside to the Gameboy Advance version is that it didn’t retain high scores when powered off, which is a pretty big feature to be missing on old arcade games.
8Fire Pro Wrestling (80)
The 2D wrestling series that doesn’t have licensing from any major wrestling confederation is considered as the best around by fans of the sport. The series features a complex timing-based grappling system that is far more in-depth than some of the button mashing heavy other wrestling games. The game also allows for character creation, even in the early versions of the game allowing for as many wrestlers as you would like. The Gameboy Advance version is a great entry since the 2D sprites fit right in on the handheld console.
7GT Advance Championship Racing (82)
In a time beforeForza MotorsportandGran Turismo,the world of racing video games was wide open for a game to come from pretty much anywhere. The Japanese developedGT Advance Championship Racingfeatured 48 cars and 32 courses, ranging from dirt to pavement. The game also had multiplayer functionality with the link cable.
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The game did, however, receive criticism in its release outside of Japan since that version had a save system and the North American and European versions had a password system instead. Outside of that hiccup, the game was a solid racing title.
6Super Mario Advance (84)
Continuing the time-honored tradition of just releasing old games,Super Mario Advanceis a remake ofSuper Mario Bros. 2andMario Bros.based on theSuper Mario All-Starsversion with some added additions. The game features upgraded graphics and audio, alongside additions such as the Yoshi challenge, which lets players replay levels in search of Yoshi eggs and a scoring system. Even withSuper Mario Bros. 2not being the most popular of the series, it’s still a very good game and a great version of that. Eventually, the rest of the series came to the Gameboy Advance in the form of sequels.
5Chu Chu Rocket (84)
A puzzle game about leading mice to a rocket to save them from cats might not sound like a great game, butChu Chu Rocketis an excellent puzzle game. Developed by the Sonic Team for the Dreamcast, the game is best known for being the first game with online capabilities on the Dreamcast and the first Sega game to appear on a Nintendo platform. The Gameboy Advance version of the game does not have online capabilities but did work the game link. Sonic Team also picked out nearly 2,500 player-created puzzles from the Dreamcast version to include on the cartridge for the GBA port.
4Rayman Advance (84)
A port of the originalRayman,the Gameboy Advance version features slightly lower quality graphics and some gameplay elements were removed due to the limited power of the handheld console, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a great game.
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The game also is missing music tracks as well. While it might seem that most of the notes here are that it’s a lesser version of the original game, which is true but that doesn’t mean that this version wasn’t still good and that it didn’t make for a solid launch game.
3F-Zero: Maximum Velocity (86)
If you want to feel really old the Gameboy Advance was so long ago that Nintendo actually made anF-Zerogame for the system and it came out on launch day. The main Grand Prix series consisted of four series named after chess pieces, “Pawn,” “Knight,” “Bishop,” and “Queen.” The game also has a two-player mode using the game link. It an odd twist though, the game takes place 25 years after the otherF-Zerogames, so it doesn’t feature the main roster of characters, including Captain Falcon himself.
2Castlevania: Circle of the Moon (91)
Another game in theCastlevaniaseries,Circle of the Moonfeature Nathan Graves as the main character, who must fight and traverse his way through Dracula’s castle. The game features the 2D art style and nonlinear gameplay that the series is known for, as well as including some RPG like elements, including hit points and magic points.
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The main new feature for this game is the Dual Set-Up system, which involves combining different magic cards found throughout the game, allowing for a variety of magic abilities.
1Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 (95)
One of the greatest skateboarding games ever made,Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2for the GBA was very different from the Playstation version, featuring 2D graphics and limited control options but instead of being a worse version it was just different. The game was still incredible on handheld’s and the port was more like a brand new game than a port. Even with the limitations of the GBA and not being able to have 3D graphics, this version of the game is still one of the best skateboarding games around.
