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Best GBA platformers?

Pikma said:
I dunno but this thread reminded me about GBA SRPGs and OMG GBA is like my favorite system ever just for this, Onimusha Tactics, Fire Emblems, Final Fantasy Tactics, Advance Wars, Tactics Ogre, It's just sad that I played all of them for literally thousands of hours and can't get much more out of them anymore, I want more SRPGs. :(
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Rebelstar: Tactical Command?
 
Oh, almost forgot this bad girl:

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Was pretty fun, with the two character switch-out system, both having slightly different mechanics.

Show was gdlk though.
 
Rm88~ said:
Since I recently bought a GB Micro I'm interested in re-discovering GBA's library, for some reason I largely ignored in comparison with other systems. Currently playing Super Mario Advance, which is pretty much the SNES version of SMB2 and I love it. I may buy the other Mario Advance games, but since I just went through NSMB2 and now SMA I'd like to play something different. Some platformers I want to buy:

Klonoa 2: Dream Champ Tournament
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Love Klonoa. Already found this game online.
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I have this. It was my first Klonoa game and it was a solid game all around although I found it quite hard at times. It's really more of a puzzle game than a platformer. Pretty good game.
 
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I enjoyed this game a lot, I got it for my Micro too. Great visuals and Metroid-esque exploration but the actual jump mechanics could be a little frustrating at times.


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Nobody seems to have commented on it, you wondered if The Lost Vikings was worth playing, and that is clear YES. It's quite frankly a brilliant and fun game. It's much more puzzle than a platformer, and I wouldn't compare it to Lemmings at all. But the point of the game is that there are three vikings, with their own unique skills, that suddenly is abjucted by an alien spaceship. Confused with what happened, they need to find a way to escape. You have to take advantage of the vikings' skills to get each of them to the exit at the end of every level.

It's good good graphics, good music, and great gameplay. That is, I base this only on the Amiga version. The PS1 got a sequel, The Lost Vikings 2, but I never got to play that. I believe the GBA version is based on the Amiga game, and is well worth playing. A forgotten classic to say the least.
 
CTRL+F, "metroid", 8 results.

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Can't beat that game... unless you are MegaMan Zero, which had awesome gameplay, cool upgrades and snappy controls.
 
With Nintendo's plan to release GBA games on the Wii U Virtual Console, I sure hope they release the Castlevania games. That and Metroid Fusion, Zero Mission.
 
Considering that GBA on WiiU's Virtual Console was just announced, I feel like this thread would be better served as a "Best of GBA" thread in preparation of that. And it seems that other posters agree with me by posting games outside the specified genre.
 
Terrell said:
Considering that GBA on WiiU's Virtual Console was just announced, I feel like this thread would be better served as a "Best of GBA" thread in preparation of that. And it seems that other posters agree with me by posting games outside the specified genre.
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Bad idea. If you frame this thread as a primer for the Wii U VC then you're only setting people up to be disappointed when half the listed games never arrive.
 
@MUWANdo said:
Bad idea. If you frame this thread as a primer for the Wii U VC then you're only setting people up to be disappointed when half the listed games never arrive.
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Yeah, we'll probably get all of the Super Mario Advance and NES classics instead. :(
 
Leynos said:
I might as well just post my GBA collection, as it is mostly platformers or similar games. I've removed those that don't fit (like Pokemon Pinball, Zelda: Minish Cap, etc.)

Advance Guardian Heroes
Astro Boy: Omega Factor
Castlevania: Circle of the Moon
Crash Bandicoot 2: N-Tranced
Crash Bandicoot: The Huge Adventure
Drill Dozer
Gunstar Super Heroes
Klonoa 2: Dream Champs Tournament
Lady Sia
Metal Slug Advance
Metroid Fusion
Metroid Zero Mission
Rayman 3
Rayman Advance
Sonic Advance & Sonic Pinball Party Combo
Super Mario Advance 3: Yoshi's Island
Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3
Super Mario Advance: Super Mario Bros. 2
The Legend Of Spyro: The Eternal Night
Wario Land 4
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What this guys say; but I bolded the ones that I have played and think are at least good.

To that, I would also like to add Kirby & The Amazing Mirror.

Oh yeah, there is also the Classic NES series on the GBA with games such as the Super Mario Bros., Donkey Kong, etc.
 
Its about Platformers right? Can we really say MMZ is a Platformer (Upgrade System,Metroidvania Style etc)?

If so i would say the best one is MMZ.
 
Ringman said:
Mega Man Zero is insanely good.
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The entire series is fantastic, and peaks at MM Zero 3, probably. I own all four GBA carts.

For anyone interested in Mega Man Zero that also has a DS, get the Mega Man Zero Collection. I haven't bought it but I imagine it's an awesome buy. Only $24 on Amazon!

And yeah, Mega Man Zero is an action/platformer like all of the Mega Man games. It counts.
 
Pikma said:
Yeah, we'll probably get all of the Super Mario Advance and NES classics instead. :(
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That worked in the context of the GBA. It doesn't really work on Wii U since it already has/will have those ports through VC. I'd be extremely surprised if we'd see something like this.

To use an example, Nintendo didn't sell super Mario All Stars or the enhanced SNES port of Super Mario Bros. on the Wii's Virtual Console.

With that in mind, I do think Metroid: Zero Mission is a likely candidate for VC considering it's much more than an almost straight port like the aforementioned.

Didn't play much GBA so only came in to say Wario Land 4, but that one's been named, rightfully so!
 
I see Dream Champ Tournament mentioned, but there's also Klonoa: Empire of Dreams for the GBA as well. I think it's still relatively cheap, too. Unless you're going for boxed copies, of course.
 
Lady Sia was fun, and Drill Dozer is one of my favorite games on the platform. Even features GameCube controller rumble if you play on a game boy player
 
Dragon Ball: Advance Adventure is loads of fun even if you're not familiar w/ the source material. If you a Dragon Ball fan, it's even better!
 
Blender Bros. was a pretty fun GBA platformer, you were some cutesy dog thing and you had the standard spin/float ablilities but the twist was that you could bring a "Mini Bro" into each area and use their special ability to get through the level, you could also evolve them into stronger forms kind of like Pokemon. Haven't played it in a long time but I had a blast with it.

Sabre Wulf was really awesome too, and I still play it. It actually had a similar hook - you can collect a bunch of wacky animals and use their powers to traverse levels (a bear that bounces you up, a golem that smacks enemies, etc.). Probably Rare's best GBA effort.
 
Rare had several platformers on the Game Boy Advance, all of which were pretty good.

-Donkey Kong Country
-Donkey Kong Country 2
-Donkey Kong Country 3

They're not just remakes either. Each one has additional content and reworked overworlds. There were these two as well:

-Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge
-Sabrewulf

Grunty's Revenge is an original game and takes place in between Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie. It's a true platformer in the vein of the other two. Really good game. Then Sabrewulf is a remake of the old Spectrum classic, which also includes a lot of new content and features as well.

A couple of good Nintendo games is of course Metroid Zero Mission, a remake of the original with new content and Metroid Fusion, an original Metroid that is actually the final game in the series' current timeline.
 
They've been mentioned already, but Wario Land 4 and Drill Dozer are the two best original platformers on the system by a long shot.
 
As good as the GBA was, platformers weren't really its strong suit (nor was it for any other console during that period for whatever reason). I'm talking about original platformers, not SNES remakes.
 
Tiny Toons: Scary Dreams. It wasn't released in America, and it's a bit of a pricey purchase now, but it's a damn good Treasure game.
 
StayDead said:
Kirby and the Amazing Mirror.

Great game if not one of the best Kirby games.
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Glad to see there are people here who love it just as much as I do. I think it's definitely the best Kirby game no question but I usually see people hate on it because they dislike the map design which I thought was amazing.

Drill Dozer is my other favorite GBA platformer. It's amazing how much you can do with a single mechanic.
 
Uncle Rupee said:
They've been mentioned already, but Wario Land 4 and Drill Dozer are the two best original platformers on the system by a long shot.
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Not only that, they can also be had for criminally cheap prices.

A couple of weeks ago, I picked up a copy of Drill Dozer (still sealed) for $10 shipped and Wario land 4 for $5. All off of ebay.

And then I bought a copy of Ninja Five-O for $65. Hah. So worth it though.

Balb said:
As good as the GBA was, platformers weren't really its strong suit (nor was it for any other console during that period for whatever reason). I'm talking about original platformers, not SNES remakes.
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Have you even been reading the thread? Most people have been listing original GBA games, not remakes. There's a ton of hidden gems on the GBA.
 
Vaati said:
Glad to see there are people here who love it just as much as I do. I think it's definitely the best Kirby game no question but I usually see people hate on it because they dislike the map design which I thought was amazing.

Drill Dozer is my other favorite GBA platformer. It's amazing how much you can do with a single mechanic.
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I think they disliked how a giant interconnected world would often confuse them.
Another reason why The Great Maze in Brawl is disliked.
 
Holy damn, this thread is making me miss the great pixel and colorful styles of those gba games.

Definitely recommend sonic advance there
 
Astro Boy: Omega Factor is my all-time favorite GBA game. Sorry, Aria of Sorrow. Ya know I still love ya, Metroid. We still cool, Wario Ware. Nah, though, only one king. Astro Boy is top notch shit, pixelated platforming(/beat'em'up/shoot'em'up) perfection, homie.
 
Yoshis Island has 6 new - and fun - levels!

Also, Yoshis Universal Gravitation is criminally underrated. Really fun platformer with small puzzle-like levels.
 
Why is nobody mentioning the first Klonoa game? I prefer it to the second one. Though both don't hold a candle to Moonlight Museum.
 
Ninja Five-O is also a really good one. It's like the love child of Shinobi and Bionic Commando, with maybe Metroidvania standing in the doorway saying, "Room for one more?"
 
AwShucks said:
Ninja Five-O is one of the best purchases I have ever made. I was so happy I found it many years ago.

Castlevania Circle of the Moon is the worst. Harmony of Dissonance and Aria of Sorrow are they way to go. Too bad all the good Castlevania games are stupid expensive
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No...just no. Harmony is the lesser of the group...but all are excellent.
 
Oh man, this thread turned out awesome. Thanks, guys! I did a quick update on the OP with most of the recommendations and more pics.

About The Lost Viking being a "Lemmings-like", yeah, not really accurate, seems more like the newer Mario vs. DK games.
 
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