RF Generation Message Board

In the last few months we've taken a look at a few more obscure systems in the Saturn and the TG16, as well as one of the first mainstream home consoles in the Atari 2600. For October, the Nintendo fans from the beginning of the year can rejoin us as we take a look at the...

[img width=640 height=480]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7d/Nintendo-Game-Boy-Advance-Purple-FL.jpg/1024px-Nintendo-Game-Boy-Advance-Purple-FL.jpg[/img]

Basically a portable Super NES, the Game Boy Advance was released in 2001, and spanned nearly 10 years. It's library is famous for some NES re-releases, Super NES ports, but also infamous for its amount of shovelware.

So lets sift through the best of what the system has to offer-

Participants:

EZ Racer*
Crabmaster2000*
Disposed Hero*
MetalFro*
blcklblskt*
Normatron*

If you have participated before, anyone is welcome. Here's a reminder how to participate-

1. Make an ordered list of whatever games are your favorites for the system being covered that month.

-Make your list about what games you think are the best that system has to offer, NOT necessarily the most important. (For example, Super Mario Bros. is one of the most influential games in VG history, but not many would call it a better game than SMB3)

-Also, your list needs to be limited to games you have personally played. Don't include a game just because you've heard it's good, include a game because you know it's good.

-For a few of the games, try to include a few thoughts on why that particular game made your list. That way, those not as familiar with the game can see why it's one they should put on their radar.

2. Personal Message EZ Racer with your ordered list.

Just put "Top 20 games for the (whatever system we're covering that month)" in the subject line. Throughout the month, I will be compiling the results, and release a full list based on votes sent in. I will be putting extra weight on games voted for the top of the lists, so please make sure that your games are listed in numeric order. The reasoning behind a private vote is so that each member's vote can be their own, not influenced by what they think others would want.

The voting cutoff each month will be the last day of the month at 11:59 EST.

Please stick to NA and PAL releases, later in the year we'll do some lists for Japan exclusives.

Looking forward to seeing everyone's thoughts on a vast library of games.

This should be a really fun with and with such a HUGE library I'm sure we'll have a lot of pretty diverse lists. Outside of the like the top 3 I think we'll all be all over the place.

I'm hoping I'll be able to participate in this one. I haven't played as much GBA as I would like, so I'll have to see if I can come up with 20.

I will participate but I'm sure I won't have a list of 20.  I've only played a handful of GBA games.

Would love to join as well. I haven't played many GBA games either.

This should be an interesting one as the GBA has such a diverse library. I've got my top 5 already, but the rest are going to be a lot harder

I'm going to have to drop out.  I only own 15 GBA games and I've only played 3 of them.  I don't think that would be enough to warrant a list from me.

Hmm, another one I'm less familiar with, but I might try and participate.

Just throwing it out there for everyone who feels like they'll come up a little short. If your list is only 15 games (or whatever number), send the list of 15 games and I'll adjust the scoring to make it work. I'm sure that if we have several people submit a list that's less than 20, we'll still end up with at least 20 games that score well and can make a final list out of.

I'm in! The GBA was the first handheld I remember buying at launch and is likely the handheld I've spent the most time playing with. Looking forward to seeing this top 20!

Reminder to get those lists in soon. Mines almost ready

We've had a few lists turned in, but would love to see a final push to get more participation. I know there's plenty of love for the system.

Cutting it close, but I just submitted my list. Only 15 games and quite a few of them are ports, and no comments from me this time, but it's done.

Start watching for the release info, this one could get some interesting comments and reaction the way it played out. I'll have the single vote also-rans up soon.

Very intriguing

Totally got super busy at the end of the month and forgot to complete and submit my list.  I look forward to what ya'll chose. Like @disposedhero, mine were mostly ports

Time for some single vote games-


One 20th place vote


Dragon Ball GT Transformation

Super Ghouls and Ghosts


One 19th place vote


Dragon Ball Z: Legacy of Goku

Iridion II- " Iridion 3D was a fancy GBA tech demo, but this is the real deal. Quality shmup action with impressive graphics, a full story mode, and solid gameplay."


One 18th place vote


Pokemon Fire Red


One 17th place vote

SimCity 2000


One 16th place vote

Final Fantasy Tactics Advance

Megaman and Bass

Kirby Nightmare in Dreamland


One 15th place vote

Metal Slug Advance

Super Dodgeball Advance


One 14th place vote

Classic NES: Dr. Mario

Golden Sun- "Perhaps one the first RPGs I spent a considerable amount of time with, the story, graphics and gameplay all had me hooked."

Super Mario Advance 3: Yoshi's Island- "Again, this is just Yoshi's Island, but is that a bad thing?"


One 13th place vote


Mr. Driller 2

Boktai: The Sun is in Your Hands


Lots more to come...

More single vote also-rans:


One 12th place vote


Astro Boy Omega Factor

Mega Man Battle Network



One 11th place vote


Final Fight One

Klonoa: Empire of Dreams

Super Street Fighter II: Turbo Revival- "My mom didn't want me playing Super Street Fighter II Turbo on the SNES, but this title came out enough years later that she was fine with me purchasing this game. Consequently, I have only a little experience with the SNES title, but this version is an excellent game in my opinion. The game played fluidly, looked great, and has a huge roster. There are also quite a few extra modes that were fun when I played it."



One 9th place vote


Double Dragon Advance

Mega Man Zero

WarioWare, Inc. Mega Microgame$- "The first of many ridiculous and ridiculously fun minigame collections that had my brothers and I continually replaying this title."



One 7th place vote


Mario vs Donkey Kong

Super Mario Advance- "Once again, it's just Super Mario Bros 2, but this adds elements beyond the All-Stars makeover, and elevates the experience beyond just a simple glow-up."



One 6th place vote


Super Robot Taisen: Original Generation 2



One 5th place vote


Sega Arcade Gallery- "Four great arcade ports stuffed into one package, with a few arguably better than their Genesis counterparts. Admittedly, I got this mainly for the Outrun port, and it exceeded expectations."

Mega Man Battle Network 3- "My brother and I put countless hours into White and Blue. The mix of real-time action with the added strategy of building out a chip library made this game very fun. I also remember these titles having quite a lot of post-game content that I don't think we ever fully beat."



One 3rd place vote


Mega Man Battle Network 6

Alright, so here's the rest of the also-rans, the multi-votes-


Sword of Mana (#20, #13)


Super Robot Taisen: Original Generation (#19, #14)


Super Mario Advance 3: Yoshi's Island (#16, #12)

"Again, this is just Yoshi's Island, but is that a bad thing?"


Mega Man Zero 2 (#15, #12)


Mario Kart: Super Circuit (#17, #11)

"This takes the look and feel of the SNES original game, and makes enough improvement to make it feel like a much tighter experience."

"A solid racing game, but it has always felt just a bit off to me when compared to the other games of the franchise. The controls seem a little loose, and while there are some memorable environments, the track layouts feel a bit cookie cutter in nature. Compared to most racing games, it's a title of solid quality. But most of the time we don't lump the Mario Karts in as 'most racing games'."



And that takes care of it. It was interesting to me that only 59 games got a vote. Even with only six submissions, that's low. (Compare it to last month when 70 games got a vote with the same number of participants) That said, several games got multiple votes, but it was enough to put most of them in the top 20 or just outside.

Here's what my list ended up like:

20. Metroid Fusion
19. Super Robot Taisen Original Generation
18. F-Zero Maximum Velocity
17. F-Zero GP Legend
16. Kirby Nightmare in Dream Land
15. Castlevania Aria of Sorrow
14. Classic NES Dr. Mario
13. Mr. Driller 2
12. Astro Boy Omega Factor
11. Klonoa Empire of Dreams
10. Ninja Five-O
9. Advance Wars
8. Wario Land 4
7. Mario vs Donkey Kong
6. Super Robot Taisen Original Generation 2
5. Final Fantasy VI
4. Legend of Zelda Link to the Past
3. Fire Emblem Sacred Stones
2. Metroid Zero Mission
1. Fire Emblem

Here is my list:

1.) Fire Emblem - The Sacred Stones
2.) Metroid Fusion
3.) Fire Emblem
4.) Metroid: Zero Mission
5.) Mega Man Battle Network 3
6.) Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2
7.) Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
8.) The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
9.) WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$!
10.) Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
11.) Super Street Fighter II: Turbo Revival
12.) Drill Dozer
13.) Wario Land 4
14.) Golden Sun
15.) Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising
16.) Castlevania: Circle of the Moon
17.) The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
18.) Pokemon FireRed
19.) Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls
20.) Sword of Mana

One of the surprises of Nintendo's E3. Advance Wars 1 & 2 Reboot Camp is a remake of two GBA games that rated very highly on our lists. Anyone else excited?

I'll give them another shot for sure. They didn't resonate with me back in the day, but I appreciate strategy games a lot more now.

Dude, so excited. Also pretty stoked for the new Metroid game. I really didn't think Nintendo would annouce so many high profile games for release this year, but apparently they are set on making my entire entertainment budget Switch-centric.  Looks like Yo-Yai Watch 3 will have to wait until next year.