[General Discussion] End of an Era -Impressions and Best Games-

Well, within the next few months, the last few games for the Gameboy Advance will be released. Probably, the last, great game people are looking foward to is Final Fantasy VI. Despite that game though, the amount of games to look forward to (or just coming out in general) is nil.

Hence, I thought it might be useful to make a thread concern ing the system.

The system itself was rather amazing...somewhere between a Playstation and a SNES graphics-wise and soundwise, but small enough that it could easily fit inside your bookbag, or as could be seen in the Micro, your pocket. The library of games was a healthy mix of remade (or at least ported) classics consisting of both NES and SNES games, as well as the first time some games were brought over to the states (Tales of Phantasia for instance), to a slew of new games, both innovative, and just simpily a lot of fun.

I feel that given the fact that the system's lifespan is reaching it's end, and save for (again) Final Fantasy VI, few if any games are coming out that have gamers on end, that one can now give a list of "must-play/must-have" games. I will give my list of the top five and the reasons why, but I encourage others to do the same because 1) I am sure to miss some games, 2) there are some games (Final Fantasy V, Rydia, etc) that I have yet to play that have made some waves and 3) There are surely more great games than the five I mention due to differences in taste.

Here are mine:

1.) Fire Pro Wrestling 2 (Japanese Version preferable) - Okay, so I am a wrestling fan. Get over it. Nonetheless, this game by Spike was a WELL MADE 2-D wrestling game. While it was missing some things like chairs and bulbs from Pro Wrestling D, it still provided a heck of a lot to the player regarding types of matches, roster (although they were renamed to varios aliases), and a wonderfully huge move set. Add in some random factors like criticals and you got a wonderful little wrestling game that EASILY tops any of the WWE GBA games. Oh yes, while I have not played it much due to it being in another language, the Japanese version of FPW2 has a wonderful "general manager" like section, that was an early (but well made) predecessor to that in the latter Smackdown! games.

2.) Zelda - THe Minish Cap - THis game has some distinguishable above all other RPGs for me. It is the first RPG I have beaten in seven years (since, ironically, Zelda for the N64). Yes, I played Xenogears, Wild Arms 2, Suikoden 2, Golden Sun, and a slew of other games, but none of them could fully catch my interest to the point that I played it to the end. The game is fairly challenging, although how to beat a boss or solve a puzzle will eventually become apparent. The selection of items is a nice combination of both old and new, as are the types of enemies. The storyline is decent, and gameplay rocks. If you are having trouble lately with getting into a game and staying with it, try this game. It's fun, and as stated above, it is "small enough" to sit right inside of your bag (well, that's holding your GBA anyway!).

3.) CastleVania - Aria of Sorrow - I am not an avid CV player. Yes, I played CV SOTN, and enjoyed it thoroughly (although I did not beat it). However this game has a wonderful mix of spells/abilities, as well as a good balance between being fun and challenging. The storyline is fairly decent as well. While others may hate the Soul System, I think it's rather nice and just adds a new flavor to the CV series.

4.) Megaman Battle Network 1/3/6 - I did not play 2, 4 or 5. Word has it that 2 is the best. Nonetheless, I played some of one, some of three, and a good bit of six. All wonderfully made games! This is not a typically megaman game. There is no scrolling back and forth like in the past. Nonetheless, the game is well made, with a good combination of strategy, and fun. The controls were well made too, as you bounced on the grid and can add a sense of timing (racing in, nailing an enemy with an attack and racing out)

5.) FIre Emblem - So, I had a choice between this and Advance Wars. I took a stab at this (not to say I won't play Advance Wars...I will!). The game is pretty darn fun! While it resembles that of early day RPGs/simulation/strategy RPGS, that can't be helped because anything else would not make it what it is. One thing I really like about this game is how UNforgiving it is if you don't listen to the advice you are given or use good strategy. A good example is sending a "Pegasus Knight" (my mind is blanking but I think that's the name of the class against a spearman when warned explicitedly NOT to. What happens? Yep, good-bye Pegasus knight and hello reset button! A good game that forces you to think moves out CAREFULLY as not to have all your heroes wiped out.

So those are my five. Again, there are many, MANY other games. Thoughts? Questions? Arguments?!

Jam it back in, in the dark.