Most underrated GBA games?

PleasantOne

PleasantOne

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With all the posting about Drill Dozer (which I picked up at BB for $10, thanks guys)... I'm wondering what other games for GBA you all think are highly underrated... and what makes them so great?

Ash
 
I don't know if it's underrated, but it isn't too well known. Hajime no Ippo: The Fighting is the best GBA boxing game, period. It's based on the anime (sometimes known as Fighting Spirit in the US) and developed by Treasure. Import only, but is well worth.
 
Astro boy is a great action game with rpg elements, cool bosses and it can be challenging at times, and you have to beat it twice to see the whole story.
 
[quote name='js1']Astro boy is a great action game with rpg elements, cool bosses and it can be challenging at times, and you have to beat it twice to see the whole story.[/quote]Beat me to it.
 
I got a game and i forgot what it was called but it was a racing twisted metal story rpg game with you in a car running trash or something. It was really fun. I cant remember the name for the life of me.
 
[quote name='Pylis']Wade Hixton's Counter Punch! Great Mike Tyson's Punch-out!! clone.[/QUOTE]
That makes me sad. I had heard about the game, and being a huge Punch-Out fan had to have it. Unfortunately I didn't have any money at the time. I forgot what I had done. Probably spent it all on porn... Anyway, when I went to go get it the next week, the last copy was gone. And I haven't seen it in a store since >.<

I second Riviera. Fun game, and quite impressive technically for a GBA game. Had good quality voice clips, and really nice spell graphics.
 
[quote name='nachzeher']NInja Five-O. One of the best side scrolling/stealth/action/ninja game ever.[/QUOTE]

Hell yeah!
 
[quote name='Rei no Otaku']That makes me sad. I had heard about the game, and being a huge Punch-Out fan had to have it. Unfortunately I didn't have any money at the time. I forgot what I had done. Probably spent it all on porn... Anyway, when I went to go get it the next week, the last copy was gone. And I haven't seen it in a store since >.
 
I got a game and i forgot what it was called but it was a racing twisted metal story rpg game with you in a car running trash or something. It was really fun. I cant remember the name for the life of me.
Click to expand...



The name is Car Battler Joe. And I second ninja Five-O.
 
[quote name='GodOfTheMind1369']The name is Car Battler Joe. And I second ninja Five-O.[/QUOTE]


Car Battler Joe was pretty good, but in the end a little too easy and broken. Good game though.
 
[quote name='PleasantOne']Porn... tsk tsk... see? that stuff is evil :shame:

Seriously... Did you only want it NIB? Cause if not, you should try Gamestop... I just looked it up and about 4 stores within a 10 mile radius of me have it... so I imagine you'd probably be able to snag it somewhere close to you, as well?

Ash[/QUOTE]
Nope. I searched for it on the site, and there's none near me.
 
[quote name='Rei no Otaku']Nope. I searched for it on the site, and there's none near me.[/quote]

Yeah, I did as well. The only copy around me is about 40 miles away. :hot:
 
[quote name='yukine']Yeah, I did as well. The only copy around me is about 40 miles away. :hot:[/QUOTE]

Time for an Inventory Transfer!!!
 
I'm still trying to find a copy of Ninja Five-O. I'm starting to think they only printed 10 copies of this game. :mad:

Also, another recommendation for Astroboy for the GBA. Definitely one of the better side scrollers I've played. Skip the PS2 version though, I heard that one was pretty bad.
 
I wont called Drill Dozer underrated. I mean people has been saying how good the game is since the week it came out.
 
[quote name='62t']I wont called Drill Dozer underrated. I mean people has been saying how good the game is since the week it came out.[/QUOTE]

I believe it's meant in terms of mainstream acclaim. It should be a chart topper but consumers don't know it exists and since it isn;t part of a familiar franchise it needs more push behind it.

A lot of the others are games with very small production runs and hard to find. Drill Dozer had good supply and the prominent publisher a GBA game could possibly enjoy but Nintendo dropped the ball.
 
[quote name='Rei no Otaku']Nope. I searched for it on the site, and there's none near me.[/quote]

Don't know when I'll next be at one of the GS's that had it, but I'd be happy to try and pick you up one when I am, just LMK :)

[quote name='epobris']I believe it's meant in terms of mainstream acclaim. It should be a chart topper but consumers don't know it exists and since it isn;t part of a familiar franchise it needs more push behind it. [/quote]

Yup, this is what I meant. I have some credit from the trade 3 deal, so I'm looking for some unique titles to pick up. Wish I could find that Ninja Five-0... if anyone lives in Cheyenne, WY, the GS site says their store has a copy of it, so heads up ;)
 
I'm still on the hunt for Ninja Five O!

I'll go on a limb and say that Double Dragon Advance is the best beat em up I've ever played, and River City Ransom Ex Advance is 2nd best. RCR can be found at EB/GS for around 15 dollars I think. I highly doubt these ever sold well.

I really enjoy Dokapon alot too. It's a basic dungeon crawler with Rock/Paper/Sisscors gameplay. Snagged it from the original CC sale. I remember Mario Tennis dropping in price really quick, and that's a damn good game, very addicting.
 
[quote name='Supercake']I'm still on the hunt for Ninja Five O!

I'll go on a limb and say that Double Dragon Advance is the best beat em up I've ever played,
[/QUOTE]


I was about to make this exact same post!

--Someone trade me Ninja Five-o (CML for lots of quality stuff)

--Double Dragon Advance is freaking awesome!

--Final Fight One is also pretty fun. You can unlock Alpha 3 cody and guy an there are new dialogue scenes which are pretty funny. it's only $7 at EB/GS taboot.
 
Castlevania Circle of the Moon. The game caught a ton of crap for the light problems, but it really is a solid game. It's got some of the best music ever for the GBA too.

I'll also toss out Mario Party Advanced. As a collection of mini games, it's really solid. Plus some of the unlockable gadgets are a lot of fun to use.
 
One game I never hear much about (but I absolutely loved) is Warioland 4. Came out early in the GBA's life. It got kinda washed over with the WarioWare games.

It is a crapload of fun and a great platformer. It was rated appropriately but it is definately underappreciated.
 
Throw in another vote for Riviera. I bought it because it was a somewhat rare Atlus game, ended up playing through it in two days and thought it was wonderful. Admittedly, it's not for every taste with the limited inventory and lack of free roaming movement but I enjoyed every minute of it.
 
I agree about Riviera. it was a great way to do a portable RPG-- a long game, but very rewarding and fun all the way through. I loved the whole "search point" system.
 
-Car Battler Joe
-The Pinball Of The Dead - one of the best Sega titles of the post-Dreamcast era.
-Hardcore Pinball - don't let the budget look of the box art fool you - if you enjoy pinball sims, you'll have fun with this one.
-Strike Force Hydra - a vertical shmup that's a little on the easy side, but enjoyable nonetheless.
-Rayman 3 - A solid platformer that lives up to the standards of the Rayman series. Try to get the Rayman 10th Anniversary double pack if you can - it contains this and Rayman Advance (which is a port of the first Rayman).

I decided to throw racing titles into a separate category, so here's what's worth a look in that department:
-GT Advance 3 - the definitive game in the series.
-Karnaaj Rally - similar to Racing Gears Advance and Rock N' Roll Racing. Was largely ignored due to the stupid name and hilariously tacky box art.
-Konami Krazy Racers - Mario Kart clone with Konami characters
-Need For Speed Underground 2 - the best 3D racer on the GBA imo. It's a shame that the DS NFS games aren't anywhere near as good as this was.
-Top Gear GT Championship - It can get a little repetitive after a while, but it's still a fun racer that gives the GT Advance series a run for its money.
-V-Rally 3 - Solid controls and top-notch graphics make this a fun rally racer. I've heard good things about Colin McRae 2.0 as well, but I haven't been able to find a copy, and therefore haven't played it for myself.
 
I would either go with Megaman Zero or Ninja Five-O. Both brutally challenging games (atleast in Zero if you want the good rankings) and both underated. MMZero got alittle more exposure though, so a slight edge to Ninja Five-O probably.
 
CT Special Forces.

like Metal Slug? You'll like this then.

2D side scroller that is a total homage to Metal Slug. But in somes ways its even better than Metal Slug. Came and went a coulple years ago, and the only copy I ever saw in the store I bought. Well worth it if you can find it.
 
I picked up this game yesterday called 'Mr. Driller 2' and I cant stop playing it! Sort of a puzzle game meets bouler dash. You drill down thru colored blocks which fall down and creat chain reactions, and you try to not get squished. You also need to collect air or you will run out and die. Very fun!
 
I think the two Iridion games, with the Majesco handicap, are some of the prettiest and best vertical shooters on the system. Also Medal of Honor: Infiltrator is you can find it is a very fun third person take on the franchise. The spider-man games with the exception of the horrid Ultimate were great old school spidy platformers. And lastly Altered Beast and Driver 3, the latter of which looked incredible on the GBA.
 
I had to revive this thread as I play through Super Army War. I picked it up mostly because it was an Atlus game, but I'm finding it to be a great deal more fun than I expected. It's a combination of the old Choplifter game with a hint of strategy.
 
I don't think that any system has so many hidden gems as the GBA. It's got loads of titles that are fun as heck, but have the dumbest titles/boxart ever. Ninja Five-O? Karnajj Rally? Super Army War? Even RCR advance had horrible boxart. It's a real shame. Racing Gears Advance (another dumbass title) was really good too. Like an updated RC Pro am.
 
[quote name='jerfgoke']I had to revive this thread as I play through Super Army War. I picked it up mostly because it was an Atlus game, but I'm finding it to be a great deal more fun than I expected. It's a combination of the old Choplifter game with a hint of strategy.[/quote]

Ya know I had this in my hand the other day and I thought "This reminds me of Choplifter' which was one of my favorite games ever, but I figured it was all strategy and I put it back down. Your saying this is like an action title with light strat elements?
 
I'm another fan of Double Dragon Advance. I gave it a 9 when I wrote for Game Informer, and still love it to this day. It's twice as long as the original, with some new levels giving the nod to The Matrix. You can even play two-player by yourself, alternating between characters. It's crazy.

Honestly, I didn't get into Ninja 5-0 as much as I hoped I would. Not sure why; it's good, but not awesome.

I agree with Follandboy that Fire Pro Wrestling is a great series. It's got deep gameplay and tons of characters.

For my own picks, I'll go with:
Sigma Star Saga - the only shmup/RPG hybrid I know of. Not the best of both worlds, but still goes well together.

Shining Force - I thought it'd be a generic port that didn't stand the test of time, but lo and behold I put a good 60+ hours into it.

The Blizzard Classics - Both Blackthorne and Rock & Roll Racing were awesome on consoles, and still rock on GBA.

Kuru Kuru Kururin - Had to go all import for this one. It's a crazy puzzle game where you play a rotating stick going through a maze. More info here, though I own the in-English European release.
 
I think these would apply i haven't heard them talked about much and there both awesome
"Shining Soul 1-2" A top down RPG that lets you do the fighting rather than just selecting an attack and watching and also has a great "?" items looting system
"Summon Night 1-2" Another RPG that lets you do the fighting but this one when you enter a battle changes to a side view fight mode and also rather than looting weapons you loot materials to craft your own weapons
Both(or well all four if you get the originals and sequels of each) are great games that i don't think are to well known
 
[quote name='Purple Flames']Riviera: The Promised Land is a great RPG with a unique battle system, but it wasn't very well-recieved.[/QUOTE]

Yggdra Union and Riviera were both remade for PSP though, with full voicing (Rie Kugimiya in Riviera:whee:). Don't think either is well received, but understandable because they very niche titles. Mentioned Yggdra cause they belong in the same series, along with Knights in the Nightmare, which I got for my birthday but haven't touched.

My favorite TRPG/SRPG is still Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, and I've played a ton of them. Played FFTA 3 times through and then some, and couldn't finish FFTA2. Only like FFTA more than FFT because of the new jobs/races.
 
old thread is old. That being said

Daisenryaku GBA - I really love this series
Dancing Sword: Senkou - Really cool unkown beat'em up
Gekido - The console version sucked ass but the GBA version was quite a bit of fun
Lady Sia - Cool platformer
Saber Wulf - Sequel to one of the greatest C64 games ever (and frankly, one of Rare's best games period)
Turbo Turtle Adventure - yeah, the screenshots doesn't make it look hot but its a really fun game, especially if you dug the Frogger adventure games. One of the best dollars I've spent on a GBA game at a garage sale
Mech Platoon - An RTS for the GBA...and it worked
 
Konami Arcade Classics was rather fun. Having the Konami code do something random for each game gave it some extra replay value.
 
The Klonoa games on the GBA (Empire of Dreams and Dream Champ Tournament) are both a lot more puzzle heavy than their console brethren, and both excellent.

Also, I'm not sure how "underrated" this is, but I really enjoyed Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories. I understand why some people knock it, but it's never trying to be the real sequel to Kingdom Hearts, and the battles and card-based system are fun and engaging.
 
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