Don't tell anyone I'm posting this, but...

[Tom Chick]

For a really dopey reason (see #4 below), I went and got a GameBoy Advance. Don't tell anyone, because I already feel silly enough making a living writing about computer games. The last thing I need is people knowing that I'm spending hours hunched over a kid size Nintendo with my tongue sticking out of the corner of my mouth, doing body English with something that looks like a tricorder. I wouldn't be caught dead in public playing the stupid little thing, but I really am enjoying it for a couple of reasons:

1) Ogre Tactics -- Hey, it's an RPG without quests, puzzles, and filler like that. You just go from combat to combat and develop your characters (like Front Mission 3, which I shouldn't have been so hard on). I wouldn't have liked it so much if it wasn't such a keen little tactical system with some nice surprises in terms of character development (I don't mean this is the literary sense, of course). It's vaguely disturbing that the characters all look like little pixies. They remind me of these dolls my ex-girlfriend used to have. I just wish the game would, in the words of Denzel Washington's character from Training Day, "man the fuck up".

2) Pinball of the Dead -- Pinball! And the physics aren't at all bad, at least as far as I can tell on this little thing. And zombies. And me trying to beat my high score. And me recognizing bosses and soundbites from Typing of the Dead. And pinball. Three tables of it. Pinball. Zombies. Pinball! Genius! Pure genius!

3) Castelvania -- It reminds me of when I first got a regular Gameboy way back when and played some Gargoyle's Adventure thing. I was having a great time with Castlevania, but now I'm stuck on a boss and the game has ground to a screeching halt. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted.

4) Okay, I got the Gameboy Advance because I was looking for a hand-held CCG (that stands for "collectible card game" for those of you who don't know, but considering there's an entire thread -- that makes no sense to me, BTW -- about the Top Five Science Fiction Books of All Time, I can't imagine anyone on this board isn't enough of a geek to know what CCG stands for). I got this Yu-Gi-Oh thing, which is a nice CCG system, fluidly played on the Gameboy. But the card sorting makes it im-FUCKING-possible to build decks, which is half the point of a goddamn CCG. So I email Dave Long, who knows about all things console, to ask for his advice. But before he can reply, I get impatient and figure, fuck it, I'm going to try the other Gameboy CCG.

When I go to get it, there's a bunch of kids in front of the Gameboy section. They're, I dunno, twelve years old or so. They're cutting up and making fun of the different Gameboy games, mainly stuff like this Mary Kate and Ashley game and Legos stuff. There's three of them. They're loud and boisterous and I have to get by them to get my game. Will they make fun of it? I'm not sure. I go for it.

"'Scuse me, dudes," I say, careful not to enunciate too much because I want to sound cool. I reach in front of them and grab the Dragon Ball Z CCG for the GameBoy Advance.

"What's that?" one of them asks.

I pussy out. "Oh, it's not for me. It's for my little brother. Do you know if it's any good?"

They laugh and cut up and talk about how Dragon Ball Z is for little kids. Which shows how much they know. I still can't figure it out and I turn 36 next month. I found out it's based on an actual paper CCG, but it's such a faithful port that it features all sorts of inscrutable rules, byzantine mechanics, and cramped artwork, all so it can be true to the paper version. You're screwed if you haven't played it before. Not only that, but the game moves so S-L-O-W-L-Y that it takes for-GODDMAN-ever to finish a game. At least the deck building is fairly simple.

5) No, nevermind the numbers, I'm done with them. My question to anyone who's actually read this far, which they must have done because they own a GameBoy Advance, is this: Are there any other games I should get? Don't tell me about Advance Wars, I already know about it; I'm over Panzer General, so I'm not really interested in a sci-fi version. Although it does have a skirmish mode, doesn't it? Should I get it for that?

Is there anything else an old jaded guy like me would be interested in? I'd hate to think I would have missed Pinball of the Dead because it's on a GameBoy. Are there any other gems like that out there?

Oh, and I've already got my Afterburner kit ordered.

-Tom

P.S. Remember, don't tell anyone about all this.

P.P.S. Sorry to Murph for all the cussing.

[Mark Asher]

Advance Wars isn't really science fiction. It uses more conventional weapons. It's just not a historical wargame. It's an anime wargame.

[Erik]

I don't have any advice on what to play, but more or less perfect GBA emulators and the ROMS for pretty much every game are readily available on this very Internet. That way, when somebody else gives you some recommendations, you can try before you buy. Allright, I do have some advice: whatever the newest Wario game is called is pretty awesome.

Also, the best handheld CCG is Card Fighters Clash for the neo geo pocket. Also available in the emulated non-pocket size.

[Jupiter Jones]

1. The RPG Golden Sun is supposed to be fantatsic
2. I really really really enjoy Namco Museum for the GBA (Galaga of course)
3. Sue me, but the version of Crash Bandicoot for the GBA is fun as well.

I'v found the best place to play is (drum roll) on the toilet. The light is perfect. However, the leg cramps might kill you.

-Jupe

[balut]

Well, Mega Man Battle Network 2 is sort of an RPG with CCG overtones, in that you collect "battle chips" to use when fighting viruses on the Internet. Think of an anime wrapper around the Tron concept, with CCG attack programs at your disposal. Fun, but a lot of tedious RPG backtracking to get things done.

- Balut

[Wholly Schmidt]

I really enjoyed Golden Sun, but I'm lousy at explaining what I like in RPG's so I don't really know if it's your type of thing. For reference, I like Final Fantasy III, X, Phantasy Star IV, Chrono Trigger, and no other RPG Japan has ever released (in the strict RPG stereotype).

I found Tony Hawk (2, haven't tried 3) to be quite worth my time, but I'm a bit of a sucker for all things Tony Hawk. To many I'm sure it's just a kinda neat tech demo of the kinda-3D the GBA can pull off; the controls can be daunting.

Advance Wars Advance Wars Advance Wars. I know you don't want it, but I can't not recommend it. Sorry.

I've also got the Mario Advances (Mario 2 and Super Mario World) because I never owned a NES or SNES. If you did, you probably don't really care about these games.

The same thing goes for Super Mario Kart. It's a lot of fun, but not terribly different from the SNES version. Linked play is nice if you happen to have buddies with GBA's and the game, but it's hard to imagine a setting where four men huddled around connected tricorders is acceptable. If you've got four people around who want to play games, you've probably got more practical options on the big consoles. Maybe if it was wireless I could get away with it in class...

Oh, and Chu-Chu Rocket. I liked it on the Dreamcast, and I like it in my pants.

[Lee Johnson]

I'v found the best place to play is (drum roll) on the toilet. The light is perfect. However, the leg cramps might kill you.
It's not the cramps that get you, it's toppling over when you stand up because BOTH LEGS have fallen asleep! I cut off so much leg circulation playing the Advance Wars campaign, I thought I was going to do permanent damage to my muscles. :?

[Lee Johnson]

Oh, BTW: If you're looking for another CCG to play on your GBA, the Pokémon CCG for the Game Boy Color isn't bad. I had a lot of fun with it, and of course, it still runs on the GBA, even if the cartridge does stick out of the top of the unit. :)

[DennyA]

Tom, get Advance Wars. The Panzer General connection is overstated by PC game fans trying to get their buddies to try it. The only real similaries are that they're both turn-based and include tanks. Trust me, it's a blast.

[Anonymous]

Mario Tennis for the GBC is pretty schweet,if you like games like that.I don't think you're a big fan of the old arcade stuff,Tom,but I second the recommendation of Namco Museum with Galaga-not because of Galaga,but because it also has Dig-Dug(and Ms. Pac-Man,if you like that).

I think Super Mario World is great,but I didn't really play it on the SNES....

[wumpus]

1) Pinball of the Dead is awesome because it has "of the Dead" in the title, and because a pinball game with zombies is just so over the top in a MonsterVision kind of way. But as a actuall pinball game.. eh. It's kinda mediocre.

Speaking of "of the dead". That reminds me. Multiplayer PC Typing Of The Dead: Best. Multiplayer. Experience. Ever. Shame on Bauman for not even bringing it up in his review. I'm taking away that gold star I had next to his name for the Black and White review.

We were laughing so hard we could barely type. It's kinda hard to describe, but they put a lot of effort into making the multiplayer work, and it's sublime. I can guarantee you've never played anything quite like it.

2) Buy Advance Wars or I'll have Jeff Lackey's kids come over to your house and kick your ass.

[Murph]

P.P.S. Sorry to Murph for all the cussing.

What? I'm one of Shoot Club's biggest fans! Why on earth would you think...I mean...What?

'Cause, you know...Nobody else cusses around here.

Newsflash: My wife cusses. I'm not offended.

I just don't get that but...whatever. After Wumpus's poll, you really think a few bad words are going to bother me? :)

[Anonymous]

Super Shouls and Ghosts R is highly recommended. Not only does it contain the original SNES Super Ghouls and Ghosts minus the slowdown, it has an Arranged mode with several all new levels, branchine routes, and remixed level layouts and bosses.

It's also incredibly hard. It's back from the days when people didn't worry about the firing stance of a Navy SEAL as he discharges his superlight SK-47 - no sir, a tiny knight could chuck an infinite supply of lances while wearing underwear and all was right in the world.

Other GBA titles I recommend: Mario Kart Super Circuit (super fruity, but horribly addictive), and Advance Wars. AW is only vaguely like Panzer General excepting a few basic mechanical similarities - it's very much a great portable time-waster.

Golden Sun sucks. It's pretty and has great music, but the puzzles suck and the plot is as dull as humanly imaginable. Get a GBC copy of Dragon Warrior 3 and enjoy some truly old-school RPG goodness. Get the two recent GB Zelda titles (Orace of Seasons and Oracle of Ages), too.

[Doug Erickson]

Above post written by me; can't be buggered to log in. Arrrr.

Erik would want you to get the GBA Final Fight, which is a damn fine port. Super Street Fighter 2 Revival's not bad, either, although it has a nasty bug.

[Jason McCullough]

Super Shouls and Ghosts R is highly recommended. Not only does it contain the original SNES Super Ghouls and Ghosts minus the slowdown, it has an Arranged mode with several all new levels, branchine routes, and remixed level layouts and bosses.

It's also incredibly hard. It's back from the days when people didn't worry about the firing stance of a Navy SEAL as he discharges his superlight SK-47 - no sir, a tiny knight could chuck an infinite supply of lances while wearing underwear and all was right in the world.


Our nation has gone awry in game design. :(

[Bub, Andrew]

One of the joys of the GBA is the old SNES ports. I'm saying this because I was a Genesis man myself, so I missed them the first time around and I'm starting to think of that era as a real "golden age of gaming". MarioWorld 2, MarioKart are great fun. I wish some of the others would come out more quickly. The Genesis ports don't fare as well, imo, particularly Earthworm Jim and, imo, Sonic. Both are missing frames and the darkness at the edges of the screen result in crouching enemies/hidden death. Well, ok, I couldn't actually tell if they were crouching but the death was hidden.

Then again I could be biased against the Genesis ports because I have a Sega Nomad with which to play those...

Personally I don't understand why people play RPGs on the GBA. But that's a personal aversion to spending hours playing something in-depth in a crouched light-seeking position with my hands in the shape of claws. (I agree with Tom about not wanting to play with the GBA outside the house - even when I was on Public Transport in SF I was a people watcher, I never wanted to sit there among the masses going BEEP BOP BOOP)

[Tom Ohle]

I'm enjoying Matt Hoffman's Pro BMX--granted, it's pretty much the same as Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. Sadly, I'm playing Jackie Chan Adventures right now... sort of a Double Dragon ripoff. Easier, though.

[GregB]

I cast my vote for Advance Wars as well. I brought this and Golden Sun on a cross country plane trip. I barely played GS because Advance Wars was so addictive. The difficulty ramps up nicely and they slowly introduce new units and concepts as the campaign progresses.

[wumpus]

Both are missing frames and the darkness at the edges of the screen result in crouching enemies/hidden death
Painful. Make it stop. Please.

[voltaic]

Super Dodgeball Advance is great. Namco museum is also really good except they friggin' made Dig Dug so that it scrolls vertically. What a pisser. So I spend my time in Galaga instead.

[Tom Chick]

All right, all right, I guess I'm going to have to get frickin' Advance Wars after all. Maybe Tony Hawk 3 as well, although I suck royally at all the versions I've ever played.

As for a platformer, since I'm giving up on Castlevania because I can't figure out how to beat the goddamn necromancer (and he's only the second boss!), would Warioland be the next best choice? Doug scared me away from the Ghouls and Ghosts port. Besides, I don't really want to revisit the SNES (so MarioSuperReCapLandWorld is also not very appealing to me).

My Afterburner came in today. I haven't soldered anything since modding a Playstation years ago. I'm a little scared. There's all this stuff about cutting plastic and not getting dust on stuff. Gulp.

And remember, don't tell anyone I'm playing a GameBoy Advance.

-Tom

[RichardC]

One of the joys of the GBA is the old SNES ports. I'm saying this because I was a Genesis man myself, so I missed them the first time around and I'm starting to think of that era as a real "golden age of gaming"

One of the worst things about the GBA is the old SNES ports. I'm saying this because I was a SNES man myself, so I played them all to death the first time around, and I'm starting to think of this era as a real "opportunity for Nintendo to stab my eyes out with a fork soaked in lemon juice."

Nah, not a flame at your post (I wait until I have more than one post for that ;-)) but it sums things up nicely. I have so little time for my GBA any more, even though I've now found a lightbulb powerful enough to illuminate it. Beyond the occasional really good game like Advance Wars or Golden Sun it seems that almost all the good stuff is a port of something that I played £40 a few years ago and am now supposed to spend another £30 in rose-tinted glasses tax to play them again. I was hoping to see a console with the power of the SNES and portability of Gameboy - not just a pocket SNES. And of course, where it's not a SNES port, it's a PC port - Bitmap Brothers, Broken Sword and such - that I've also already played. I've finished all the ones I own, and can't see any exciting cartridges on the shelves of good ol' Blighty to capture my interest now. Sigh...

[Tyjenks]

Super Dodgeball Advance is great. .

aHH...memories. I remember playing Super Dodgeball on the NES or SNES. I played that to death.

In the GBA version are there opponents on your side of the court around the edges? There was nothing better than running, jumping, then passing it to somone behind your opponents and then slamming them in the back of the head. Then grabbing the ball again and knocking him out of the game while he was stunned and watching his little ghost/soul/angel drift upwards off the screen. Ahh...pure, simple gameplay that was hours of fun.

BTW, A company I think called IRD1 is making a PS2 version. It seems like the team is made up of some of the original creators. I may have just dreamt that up, though.

*EDIT*
http://www.ird1.com/dbwc/

[Supertanker]

aHH...memories. I remember playing Super Dodgeball on the NES or SNES. I played that to death.

My two favorite games on the NES were Super Dodgeball and River City Ransom. I still have it in the garage so I can play those once in a while.

[Tyjenks]

Of course, I played the arcade version first back in the Arcade's Golden Age.

Dodgeball World Chaos for the PS2 website:

http://www.ird1.com/dbwc/

Not much info there, yet.

[Dave Long]

The arcade version is still the best IMO. I poured quarters into that machine.

On a related arcade note, I played Soul Calibur II today for the first time at a local arcade. It's a great sequel, lots of new moves, characters, etc. But it's nothing like when you first saw Soul Calibur on the Dreamcast. DC Soul Calibur is clearly a milestone in gaming. The smooth animation, the gorgeous looks and the excellent play will forever mark that point in gaming history.

--Dave

[Brooks Peck]

Yeah, I also have it on good authority (Blaise) that the Pokemon CCG (NOT the plain old Pokemon games) on the GB is damn fun.

Sure, it's Pokemon, but you've come this far already. If anyone catches you playing it, say someone really attractive who you'd like to impress, tell them you do it as a service for brain damaged kids in the hospital, helping them get past the hard parts.

[Tom Chick]

Damn, Pokemon? Pokemon? Jeeze, you guys are just getting me to do this so that when I give in, you can laugh and say really loud 'hey everyone, look, Tom is playing Pokemon!'.

Brooks, does Blaise actually have Pokemon for the GameBoy Color? And what about the rest of you guys? Is Pokemon really a good CCG? Or are Brooks and Lee just pulling my leg?

Pokemon? Pokemon? Next thing you know I'll be watching The Simpsons...

-Tom

[Chris Johnson]

Tom Chick disses Deus Ex but becomes engrossed in Pokemon - now that is priceless :D

[RichardC]

Damn, Pokemon? Pokemon? Jeeze, you guys are just getting me to do this so that when I give in, you can laugh and say really loud 'hey everyone, look, Tom is playing Pokemon!'.

Brooks, does Blaise actually have Pokemon for the GameBoy Color? And what about the rest of you guys? Is Pokemon really a good CCG? Or are Brooks and Lee just pulling my leg?

Pokemon? Pokemon? Next thing you know I'll be watching The Simpsons...

-Tom

The CCG is fun. It's very quick to play, has plenty of alternate tactics, plus a duelling machine that randomly generates your opposition for quick games. It also saves when you switch off the machine, so you can continue games if disturbed.

The only problem is that it's really, REALLY easy. The AI's not great, but more importantly almost all of your opponents congregate in elemental clubs - so you know when you're going to need water, when you'll need psychics and so on. It's only when you get to the dueling machine that it becomes a really good time-killer, unless you know other players. Also, it doesn't have many cards - only the original batch and a couple of bonuses.

[Lee Johnson]

Also, it doesn't have many cards - only the original batch and a couple of bonuses.
Speaking as one who surveyed the vertiginous learning curve of Magic: The Gathering and ran away screaming, I consider this a selling point. In this case, I also think that "not many cards" is a relative description--there seemed to be plenty of cards when I was playing the Pokémon CCG on my GBC.

[RichardC]

There were plenty, certainly, but by the end I'd already collected the majority of them from the number of opponents, not leaving a huge amount to try and uncover. The game part is very, very short - something more akin to the actual Pokemon game, only with card battling, would have fitted my particular bill much better.

[sellthekids]

to say that what i enjoy most on the GBA are Street Fighter II, Defender, and Tempest? they ARE really good ports, in a miniture form....