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GBA games without "Only For Game Boy Advance"?
- Thread starter Mellahan
- Start date
Wowfunhappy
Member
I always assumed this message was a sort of continuation of the GBC.
What I mean is: Some GBC games would also run on the original Gameboy, but in black and white. Games that were only for the GBC were labeled as "Only for Gameboy Color" to avoid confusion.
The Gameboy Advanced was, of course, an entirely new system, so there was no cross-compatibility for the new titles. But since there was a history of some GBC games being playable on older hardware, Nintendo just pasted the "Only for Gameboy Advance" line on everything.
This is all 100% speculation on my part, but that's what I've always assumed.
What I mean is: Some GBC games would also run on the original Gameboy, but in black and white. Games that were only for the GBC were labeled as "Only for Gameboy Color" to avoid confusion.
The Gameboy Advanced was, of course, an entirely new system, so there was no cross-compatibility for the new titles. But since there was a history of some GBC games being playable on older hardware, Nintendo just pasted the "Only for Gameboy Advance" line on everything.
This is all 100% speculation on my part, but that's what I've always assumed.
MatthewB92
Member
Thought how i always thought of it.
likely the core reason. in terms of calling out exclusivity, it could be argued there was no other version of THAT PARTICULAR game on any other (contemporary) system
OnionPowder
Member
Jokes on them I play my GBA on my DS
DownGrader
Member
You are right.
"Only For"
The "Only For" symbol appears on games that are compatible with the Game Boy Advance and Game Boy Advance SP. Games with this symbol will only play on these systems (although they will also work on Nintendo DS and Nintendo DS Lite in single-player mode). They will not work on any other Game Boy systems.
http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/buyers_guide.jsp
Sure, things can get confusing when the identical symbol is used on GameCube boxes to differentiate exclusive games from multiplatform ones.
Jon Carter
Member
Seems pretty easy to understand. That cart will only play on Game Boy Advance systems. There were no multiplats on the GBA. It would have had to be on the market at the same time as the SNES to get anything resembling a multiplat. Just because there's a game called V-Rally 3 on both GBA and PS2 doesn't mean the GBA version isn't exclusive. It's a completely different game.
DownGrader
Member
Huh...
El Pescado
Member
Maybe that game works in a GameBoy Color! Someone test it out, quick!
You can scroll through here and find quite a few.
http://www.ign.com/articles/2001/11/08/game-boy-advance-us-game-box-art
Or you can waste an hour and watch this...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fdeOd6j3f8
http://www.ign.com/articles/2001/11/08/game-boy-advance-us-game-box-art
Or you can waste an hour and watch this...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fdeOd6j3f8
Flame Lord
Member
I feel like I've seen at least one without it, couldn't tell you which one though.
Edit: Here's one.
Edit: Here's one.
Found while looking for this.
lol
GrantDaNasty
Member
Time to buy a copy and sue Nintendo for not warning me that it wouldn't work on my OG GB/GBC system!
All the ones there without it have "rate pending" ... weird
The ones without it I think aren't the finalized box art. If you search for Kao the Kangaroo on Google for instance you can find the boxart with it's ESRB rating(which the image in that article lacks) and the "Only For" logo.
sixteen-bit
Member
i want to say that was because the GBC was still on the market
funny enough GBC titles that say "Only for GBC" work on GBA
you see the same thing when GBA games were playable on DS and DSL, lol
funny enough GBC titles that say "Only for GBC" work on GBA
you see the same thing when GBA games were playable on DS and DSL, lol
Graphics Horse
Member
Bionicle Heroes.
Bratz The Movie.
Charlotte's Web
Knack of the Titans
Most games from 2006/2007 probably.
Silly they were still releasing them with that after the DS came out.
Bratz The Movie.
Charlotte's Web
Knack of the Titans
Most games from 2006/2007 probably.
Silly they were still releasing them with that after the DS came out.
I noticed that too, but the youtube video I linked has some (I only jump skimmed it for a few seconds).
This one apparently comes with and without it, maybe one is a bootleg?
Well I'll be. I kind of assumed all had the only for on them but I guess my memory fails me
Weren't the GBA versions of some games ported to DS and some of the phones on the market? That's obviously not going to apply to the majority of the library, but still.
Disgusting.
I noticed that too, but the youtube video I linked has some (I only jump skimmed it for a few seconds).
This one apparently comes with and without it, maybe one is a bootleg?
The lower one is almost certainly a bootleg. They likely grabbed stock art and pasted the original cover in, but unlike the original the hand does not extend onto the silver side, which should be without the "only for". It also lacks the publisher's logo in the bottom right hand and the top color looks like it should be yellow not blue, which is likely because they used a piece of available art and then it wraps around.
EDIT:
Yup, the boxart on IGN is without the "Only for" and has the hand extending past the brushed-steel left side on IGN, which I trust has official artwork:
DownGrader
Member
LOL, this thread took a turn to "Let's remember all late-life GBA shovelware and movie tie-ins"
Nice catch! This reminds me of times when I had to separate original Nintendo DS games from bootlegs... looking at t's in Nintendo logo, checking the boxes etc.
Nice catch! This reminds me of times when I had to separate original Nintendo DS games from bootlegs... looking at t's in Nintendo logo, checking the boxes etc.
Rapscallion
Member
I don't think that last MegaMan Battle Network game had it on it. Could be wrong.
hmmm let me check...
nintendo pls
This is incredible.
Also, as a SpiderMan avatar user I would be very careful with my PSN login info.
Sometimes when they said "Only For" they noted that they were only referring to portable systems (I believe they stated it in legal speak somewhere in the manual or on the box).
If you really want to find a way, you can say damn near any game is "ONLY FOR" a certain system...
Duane Cunningham
Member
Maybe the ones that lack it are latter day GBA games that came out post-DS?
I don't think so cause DS was late 2004 while GBA still saw releases through 2008. It had more years on the market post-DS than pre. @_@
sixteen-bit
Member
Not necessarily. FF6 has it, and that was a 2007 release.
Graphics Horse
Member
Wow.
The Game Boy Micro was really stupidly named, didn't play Game Boy games and most of the ones it did play said they were only for something with another name.
The lower one is almost certainly a bootleg. They likely grabbed stock art and pasted the original cover in, but unlike the original the hand does not extend onto the silver side, which should be without the "only for". It also lacks the publisher's logo in the bottom right hand and the top color looks like it should be yellow not blue, which is likely because they used a piece of available art and then it wraps around.
EDIT:
Yup, the boxart on IGN is without the "Only for" and has the hand extending past the brushed-steel left side on IGN, which I trust has official artwork:
Too be fair, there does appear to be box art (amazon listing) where the hand doesn't extend past the GBA banner. I think the missing WB logo is a bigger sign of it being a bootleg, but who would bootleg this game? Is it rare or something?
stan423321
Member
I can sort of confirm counterfeiters counterfeiting everything. The post-Soviet bloc trade group which was bootlegging NES stuff throwed in Color Dreams stuff onto their multicarts. Why? Uh, I don't know.
These appear to have all been released close to or after the launch of the DS which was backwards compatible with the GBA, so that's probably why the 'Only for GBA' sign is not on there. Nintendo needed to make sure people knew that they could be played on multiple devices at that time frame.
EDIT: nevermind... I see other games post 2004 have the 'only for' tag.
Sub_Level
wants to fuck an Asian grill.
I noticed that too, but the youtube video I linked has some (I only jump skimmed it for a few seconds).
Why is the exterminator the bad guy? He is just doing his fucking job.
This is European and none of those had the tag.I feel like I've seen at least one without it, couldn't tell you which one though.
Edit: Here's one.