Hail to the King.
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00:00The Game Boy Advance is officially considered retro. There are plenty of people out there
00:04that have never played it or simply have forgotten about it. But let's give the
00:07system its due. It's in the top 10 best-selling video game consoles of all time.
00:12And when you have a great console, you need some great games. Here are the best of what
00:16Nintendo's handheld department were doing in the 2000s. I'm Sy for WhatCulture.com,
00:21and these are the 20 best Game Boy Advance games of all time.
00:2520. Mario Kart Super Circuit
00:28The GBA, despite being the console that kept Nintendo raking in the cash when the GameCube
00:32floundered, started off quite weakly. Its launch lineup was pretty poor and the new
00:37entry in the system-selling series Pokemon was nearly two years away.
00:41The first big eye-catching moment for the console was Mario Kart Super Circuit. The
00:46title has colourful courses which are so good that they were updated and put into
00:49future instalments like the brilliantly weird Cheese Land. That's just one example from a
00:54roster with quite a lot of personality that also includes a haunted pier, a world made of toys,
00:59and a park that contains an erupting volcano. Mario Kart Super Circuit is fully deserving
01:04of being called one of the best GBA games of all time. It gave us Mario Kart on the go,
01:09and yeah, it's not all that impressive by today's standards, but the idea of
01:12playing the series portably in 2001 was mesmerising.
01:1619. Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories
01:19Chain of Memories looks like a weird spin-off, but if you play Kingdom Hearts for the story,
01:23it's integral. Of course, with the existence of Kingdom Hearts Re-Chain of Memories,
01:27a remake of this title for modern platforms, you don't need to take your GBA out to experience
01:32this but it's an interesting novelty worth a look all the same. The card-based battling
01:36gameplay here is the most strategic the series has ever gotten and it's fun building up your
01:41deck and trying out different strategies against your enemies. It isn't perfect though,
01:45the biggest problem is that the story is very similar to the original game as you spend Kingdom
01:49Hearts Chain of Memories in Sora's memories of that game. However, the new elements it does add
01:55tie perfectly into Kingdom Hearts 2 and players who skipped out on Chain of Memories were left
01:59quite confused because of it.
02:0118. Super Mario World Super Mario Advance 2
02:05Nintendo love their re-releases and in an industry that is begging for more video game
02:09preservation, we have to applaud them when they do it right. Although they probably could have
02:13spent more time working on the naming scheme of the Super Mario Advance series, Super Mario
02:18Advance is a remaster of Super Mario Bros 2, Super Mario World Super Mario Advance 2 is a
02:23port of the SNES game, there's also Yoshi's Island Super Mario Advance 3 which is of course
02:28a remaster of Super Mario World 2 Yoshi's Island and finally there is Super Mario Advance 4,
02:33Super Mario Bros 3, Wolverhampton 0.
02:36Are you confused yet? Well, switch your brain off, pick up your GBA and simply enjoy one of
02:40the platforming genre's finest. Super Mario World is one of the best games ever made and
02:45so a faithful adaptation of that on the go simply cannot be ignored. Additionally,
02:49it separates itself from the SNES original by including Luigi as a playable character in one
02:54player mode, complete with his own unique attributes like Super Mario Bros 2. Pretty neat.
02:5917. WarioWare Inc Mega Micro Games
03:02The origin of the WarioWare series, Mega Micro Games is still one of the best entries all these
03:07years later. The story of the game is simple yet perfect for a character like Wario. Wario realizes
03:13that video games can make a lot of money and so he decides to get his friends to make them for him.
03:18In the end, he attempts to run away with all the cash because Wario is actually pretty similar to
03:22real-life video game company executives, letting his employees do all the work, only to run off
03:27with the riches. WarioWare isn't something you go into for the story though, it's the small bursts
03:32of amazing gameplay. The title consists of a collection of over 200 incredibly weird micro
03:37games which exude charm and make the game a struggle to put down. If you want some pure,
03:41uncompromised fun, you can do much worse than this. And if you really want to pick
03:45somebody's virtual nose, well, this might be all you've got actually.
03:4916. Sonic Advance 2
03:51Sonic Advance 2 is part of the Sonic Advance series because many games on the GBA had to
03:55have the word Advance in the title so that we didn't forget what system we were playing.
03:59These underrated 2D side-scrolling titles were the perfect place to go for any Sonic
04:04fan who was just tired of seeing what the series was doing on home consoles at the time.
04:08And who would have thought that Sonic would thrive on a Nintendo system like this?
04:12Sonic Advance 2 is a pure Sonic experience, no fuss and no muss. The gameplay mixes some
04:17surprisingly fast moments considering the hardware with platforming to stop it from
04:21becoming totally mindless. It inches out ahead of its siblings simply based on its
04:25excellent level design. There's also the introduction of the now long-standing,
04:29worst-named Sonic character Cream the Rabbit, who offers a beginner difficulty for those
04:34coming to the series for the first time.
04:3715. Golden Sun
04:38When you think of classic fantasy JRPGs, Golden Sun may not be the first that comes to mind,
04:43but it really should. It doesn't do much new that's going to rock the world,
04:47instead concentrating on really refining traditional JRPG tropes to the nth degree.
04:52The idea of using magic not only in battle but to interact with the environment isn't
04:56uncommon in JRPGs, but Golden Sun ramps that up to 11. Exploration is just as important
05:02in the game as combat is. Speaking of which, the turn-based battles are baked to perfection
05:07and make great use of the GBA's overall visual capabilities. Utilising the four elements,
05:12the game has a host of cool-looking spells and summons as well as a killer soundtrack.
05:18Golden Sun is just a really solid JRPG and definitely worth your time.
05:2314. Wario Land 4
05:25The Wario Land series is overshadowed by the WarioWare games. Whilst both franchises are
05:31great and the WarioWare series is definitely more creative, the Wario Land games are as good
05:35as they are underappreciated. Wario Land 4 lacks the carefree fun of Wario Land 2 and 3,
05:41as you can actually die in this game as opposed to the two previous entries,
05:45but it's still a fun platformer that rewards experimentation and exploration.
05:49The game takes place in the Golden Pyramid, a place filled with portals to other worlds,
05:53each containing a myriad of treasures to collect. Wario Land 4 is just a lot of fun to play through
05:58and perfectly suited to the GBA. We might not have gotten an original mainline Mario entry on
06:03the system, but Wario was willing and capable to take his rival's place and give us the best
06:08original pure 2D platformer on the handheld. 13. Pokemon Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald
06:14Generation 3 is a real line in the sand for Pokemon. This is where a lot of the classic
06:18fans really jumped off the pokey train, especially as it feels like a big leap away from gold and
06:23silver. However, it's also a childhood classic for many. Instead of dusting a few new Pokemon
06:29into the mix like gold and silver did, Ruby and Sapphire resets everything with an entirely new
06:33line-up. Classics do appear in the post-game at least, and both Mons new and old look lovely in
06:39full colour on the GBA. The game's location, Hoenn, has a more tropical feel than most regions
06:44in the Pokemon world, and while some review outlets claim it has too much water, that water
06:48hides interesting locales such as an abandoned ship and the extremely rare Mirage Island,
06:53something that led to many playground rumours throughout the world. The games later got a
06:57third version called Pokemon Emerald, which adds the battle frontier to make this the definitive
07:02version of Hoenn. 12. Advance Wars
07:05The Game Boy Advance was the place where many franchises that weren't released outside of
07:09Japan finally got shipped off to the West. It happened to Fire Emblem, we'll get there,
07:13and it happened to Advance Wars, which is a part of the Wars series, a franchise with the worst
07:18naming convention ever. At first glance, it's hard to know that Famicom Wars, Advance Wars,
07:22and Battalion Wars are all part of the same series. The word Wars is too common in gaming
07:27to make it the only way of distinguishing a game in your franchise, ergo my favourite entry is Star
07:32Wars Battlefront. See, Nintendo, see what you did! In Advance Wars, you follow the conflicts between
07:37the four countries Orange Star, Blue Moon, Green Earth, and Yellow Comet, but there's of course
07:42something happening behind the scenes. You fight these battles with a really solid turn-based
07:46strategy system set in a modern setting. This is unique enough, as other games in the genre are
07:51typically medieval fantasy. There's plenty of variation with unit types, making it an addictive
07:56and charming little conflict simulator. 11. Super Mario Advance 4 – Super Mario
08:01Bros 3 Even if you prefer Super Mario World over
08:05Super Mario Bros 3, its GBA remaster absolutely deserves a high ranking due to the huge array of
08:11extra levels, all included via the e-reader. To get the levels, you needed the e-reader,
08:16and specific Super Mario Advance 4 – Super Mario Bros 3 cards. Sadly, American gamers never saw the
08:21full release of these cards, and in Europe, they never came at all. Unless you're a wealthy Japanese
08:26man who loved Mario in the early 2000s, it's unlikely you've experienced all of these levels
08:30legitimately on the Game Boy Advance. Which is a shame, as the levels take mechanics from all other
08:352D Mario games that were released at the time, and use them within Super Mario Bros 3 to make
08:40some of the most imaginative levels in the franchise. It's almost like a proto-Super Mario
08:45maker, in a way. Oh, and once you're finished with those levels, legitimately or otherwise,
08:49you've still got an amazing port of the excellent Super Mario Bros 3 to play through.
08:5310. Fire Emblem This was the first time Westerners got a
08:57taste of Fire Emblem. The game's full title is technically Fire Emblem – The Blazing Blade,
09:01but Nintendo dropped the subtitle to make it clear to Western gamers that this was a perfectly good
09:06starting point for a new audience. It has compelling characters, an interesting story
09:10that is relatively constrained in comparison to later entries, and the combat here is simple,
09:15yet engaging. Interestingly, this entry is a prequel to Fire Emblem – The Binding Blade.
09:20That game stars Roy, who, because of his inclusion in Super Smash Bros Melee,
09:23is one of the most recognisable characters in the series. So it's strange that the Binding
09:27Blade wasn't localised, but this game, which stars Roy's dad, was. All the same,
09:32there's been very few Fire Emblem games since Blazing Blade that have only released locally.
09:36As such, it goes to show the success of the franchise's first foray into the West,
09:40which began an upward trajectory that has made it one of Nintendo's biggest franchises
09:45over the world. 9. Pokemon FireRed & LeafGreen
09:49The GBA has a lot of remakes and ports – Kirby, Nightmare on Dreamland, Final Fantasy 4, 5 & 6,
09:55Advance, and the myriad of other games that are on this list – but the most recognisable one
09:59is arguably Pokemon FireRed & LeafGreen, remakes of Pokemon Red & Green, or in the West, Red & Blue.
10:06Pokemon FireRed & LeafGreen are easily the most definitive versions of Generation 1 that you're
10:11going to get. Even with the games getting another pair of remakes in a Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee
10:16variety for the Nintendo Switch, FireRed & LeafGreen are just a more pure version of
10:20that original formula. There's the right amount of nostalgia and refresh in the pair of monster
10:25battlers. All of Red & Blue's bugs have been removed, the games are better balanced, and the
10:29game adds in combat mechanics from Ruby & Sapphire. FireRed & LeafGreen doesn't end when you're
10:34champion either, as you can travel to the Sevii Islands to continue the story and catch Pokemon
10:40from Generation 2 & 3. When you decide to revisit Kanto for the 100th time, honestly,
10:45these are your best options. 8. Harvest Moon Friends of Mineral Town
10:50Whilst most of the Harvest Moon games are worth your time, Friends of Mineral Town is one of the
10:54best in the series. Whilst not the first portable entry, it's the one that at the time stood
10:59toe-to-toe with its home console counterparts. In fact, this game might just be better.
11:03There's a reason that Friends of Mineral Town got a remake with Story of Seasons,
11:07Friends of Mineral Town, as it's arguably the most beloved entry in the series.
11:11You play as an unnamed boy who becomes friends with a kindly old man who gives you a farm in
11:16his will. You don't find out about this until half a year after the man died, though, so the
11:20farm isn't in great shape when you start. When was someone going to tell you that you
11:24now own a farm? The mayor only tells you because you leave home to come visit.
11:28Friends of Mineral Town and its follow-up re-release, which lets you play as a girl,
11:32are arguably still the most streamlined and satisfying Harvest Moon experiences.
11:367. The Legend of Zelda The Minish Cap
11:39Timing can be everything, and The Legend of Zelda The Minish Cap is a victim of poor
11:43circumstance. This Capcom-crafted Zelda experience released just weeks before the Nintendo DS dropped,
11:48and so attention was firmly elsewhere. It's pretty sad, really, as Minish Cap is one of the
11:53most creative entries in the series. The gimmick of shrinking Link down and exploring little
11:57environments never gets old. Seriously, we need more games to do this.
12:01But even regardless of this, Minish Cap still provides a classic Zelda adventure on the go.
12:06The game introduces the adorable Minish to the series, Ezlo, who is one of the most underrated
12:10characters in the franchise, and new mechanics like the Kinstones. It's also the second game
12:15on the timeline included with Hyrule Historia, so for those who care about the deep Zelda lore,
12:20like why Link wears a green hat, then this game is pretty important.
12:246. Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga Mario has a long legacy of RPGs,
12:29which is a bit weird for a character who usually stars in games where the story is as simple as it
12:34can get. The princess has been kidnapped, go rescue her, be back in time for tea. The majority
12:38of these RPGs have charming worlds, lovable characters and fun stories, for example, Mario
12:43& Luigi Superstar Saga. In Superstar Saga, you play as the titular brothers and journey through
12:48the Bean Bean Kingdom to defeat the evil Fawful and Cackletter, who feels like a character who
12:54is named basically as a dare. Cackletter, really? Aside from the lovely story and characters,
12:59it's a basic yet compelling turn-based combat system where you must time your button presses
13:03to your attacks to maximise damage, much like its Mario RPG predecessors. It works incredibly well
13:09on the little purple handheld, and the Mario & Luigi series became a cult-hit franchise because
13:14of it. 5. Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
13:17Even people who don't normally enjoy turn-based strategy games like Final Fantasy Tactics,
13:21that's how good it is, and so its follow-up had a hell of a big pair of boots to fill.
13:26Final Fantasy Tactics Advance follows a group of real-world school friends as they are transported
13:30into the fantasy world of Ivalice. Tactics Advance has all the charm of the best Final
13:35Fantasy games, with the added bonus of its amazing grid-based tactical combat. The gameplay is
13:40arguably much deeper and more thoughtful than anything the Final Fantasy series had to offer
13:44when this came out, proving that the series could excel in different directions. Oh, and it even
13:49teaches its combat with a snowball fight, which is the best way to teach any combat system,
13:54just ask The Last of Us Part 2. Tactics Advance, for diehard FF fans, usually ranks pretty highly,
13:59and it's hard not to see why. It marries the GBA's pick-up-and-play style with a truly
14:04compelling combat system, showing that handheld games could be every bit as deep as home console
14:08releases. 4. Metroid Fusion
14:11Metroid Fusion is amazing. Whilst it's not as good as its predecessor Super Metroid,
14:16little is, Fusion manages to be a game worthy of the Metroid 4 status. After getting infected by
14:22the X-Parasite, Samus gets cured by cells from the little baby Metroid that she rescued in Metroid
14:272, which in turn makes her part Metroid. Truly, she became what she vowed to destroy. The X-Parasite
14:34has managed to mimic Samus, however, creating SA-X, an evil entity who will stalk you throughout the
14:40game. Metroid Fusion manages to be a compellingly creepy horror title on the Game Boy Advance. That
14:45doesn't seem possible, and yet, here it is. Metroid Fusion is definitely more linear than
14:50other entries, which is an easy criticism to make. However, it doesn't mean that the game's tone and
14:54plot aren't worth celebrating. Fusion is a more deliberately delivered story and experience than
14:59the open exploration of other Metroid titles. It also has some of the most refined gameplay
15:04in the entire series, taking what worked from Super Metroid and giving you even more.
15:093. Castlevania Aria of Sorrow All three Game Boy Advance
15:13Castlevania games are great. In fact, despite Symphony of the Night being the point of
15:17reinvention for the franchise, its true re-emergence took place on the GBA. This is
15:21where the Metroidvania portion of the series really kicked off hard with three solid back-to-back-to-back
15:26titles. However, Aria of Sorrow just beats out the other two games due to its introduction of
15:31the fan-favourite character, Soma Cruz, and the tactical soul system. The system encourages you
15:36to kill every enemy you see, as they'll all have cool abilities that they can pass onto you. This
15:41became a staple of the series, of course, but it all started here in Aria. The setting is also
15:46something worth noting. Unlike other Castlevania games, this one takes place in the future. You
15:50think that would stop this from feeling like a Castlevania game, but in reality, it gives Aria
15:54of Sorrow a unique identity, whilst not preventing it from feeling at home in the series. As the
15:59final Castlevania title on the system before jumping to the DS, Aria really shines as an
16:04example of the franchise's growth. 2. Metroid Zero Mission
16:08The original Metroid was revolutionary when it came out, but it's hard to go back to it today.
16:13Metroid is filled with archaic design choices, or lack thereof, which makes it near impossible to
16:17beat unless you have as much time as a kid in the late 80s or have a guide. Because of this,
16:22it makes sense that they ended up really updating the game down the line. Let's get the one major
16:26criticism of Zero Mission out of the way. Yes, it is super linear and also quite hand-holdy.
16:32The thing is, it's so fun to play that you'll stop caring about that pretty quickly.
16:35Exploration is still there, just maybe not as much as there is in something like
16:39Super, still the best game in the entire series, Metroid. It is, however, one of the most fun
16:43games in the entire franchise, introducing new moves that Samus wishes she had in the original
16:48Metroid. Metroid Zero Mission is so good that it pretty much outright replaces the original
16:53version these days. Whilst we can all look back and appreciate what the 1986 NES classic gave us,
16:58Zero Mission is the version that people should actually play.
17:011. Mother 3 Released exclusively in Japan in 2006,
17:05fan demand for Mother 3 across the world has been loud and consistent enough at times that
17:10Nintendo have been forced to answer it, even going so far as to make jokes about it themselves,
17:15but never actually deliver it. Thankfully, devoted fans have made English patches for
17:19emulation, but all the same, Mother 3 might be the most obvious cash-left-on-the-table
17:23move Nintendo have ever made, simply based on the hype alone. Additionally, it's also really good.
17:29The game refines everything about the SNES classic Earthbound, adding in new elements
17:33like rhythm-based attacks to its turn-based battles, which works well because the soundtrack
17:38is also a masterstroke on its own. But Mother 3's biggest achievement is the strength of the
17:43story it tells. It follows Lucas as he explores the Nowhere Island in an effort to take down the
17:47pig army, find his brother and stop a dragon who slumbers below the islands from waking on the
17:52wrong side of the bed. That's the simple version, of course, as Mother 3 really goes a lot of places
17:58and plumbs some really effective emotional depths. Never thought you'd cry at a GBA game? Well,
18:03Mother 3 will do its darnedest. Critics and gamers alike call Mother 3 the perfect
18:07Game Boy Advance title, so how could it be anything other than number one?
18:11If you watched this video, most likely you're a Nintendo fan, so why not check out more of
18:15our content based on the big N. Here's a list of the 10 most brutally difficult NES games ever.
18:20Other than that, don't forget to leave a comment down below. This list is all subjective,
18:24so I'd personally love to hear what your favourite Game Boy Advance games are.
18:27Don't forget to like this video, subscribe, head over to whatculture.com for more content
18:31every day. I've been Sy for What Culture, and have a good week.