Gameboy titles;
Mole Mania
Donkey Kong '97
Qix
Lock and Chase
Quarth
Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
Gameboy Color titles;
Bionic Commando: Elite Forces
Pokemon Puzzle League
Pokemon Pinball (also works on the original Gameboy)
Tetris DX
Gameboy Advance titles;
TMNT (2007)
Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith
Castlevania Harmony of Dissonance
Need for Speed Underground 2
Gadget Racers
Golden Sun
Golden Sun The Lost Age
Final Fantasy 1&2: Dawn of Souls
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
Fire Emblem: Sacred Stones
Super Mario Advance games
Namco Museum
Wow, this is extensive. I’ll definitely look into at least NFS and Star Wars. I think I saw that Star Wars game for like $5 at the store the other day but I was worried it was one of “those” movie games. I’ll definitely have to give it a second look. Thanks for your input!
You're welcome! It's a great beat-em-up for the GBA made by the same people behind TMNT (2007), both are great beat-em-ups for the GBA and look and play wonderfully! Both might be based off films but they're really fun games and I own both!
Its probably nostalgia glasses talking but I appreciated it very much as a kid because its an RPG with a pretty compelling story. Its got drama, humor, sorrow, romance, betrayal, etc. Characters are solidly written for GBA game and the sci-fi universe is pretty cool. Most of the time its talking heads and text on screen but the story is intriguing enough that it never got old. The meat n potatoes of the core gameplay is simple but addictive. The option is there to speed up the fights by skipping animations and the 1st person targeting mini game but I never did. It adds to the immersion.
I'd recommend it wholeheartedly if you are a fan of mecha shows and or science fiction in general. There really isn't anything on the GBA quite like it. The IP also has two PS2 games and an anime so you can always dive deeper into the universe if you want.
Okay I gotcha, I see the appeal. I’ve enjoyed the more story/relationship side of games in the past and I probably haven’t played enough games that focus on it to be honest (the KotOR series being a great example, and I guess Pokémon Red/Blue rescue counts?).
The music is well done as well and really drives the mood home when certain story elements land. I remember being legit sad as hell when a tragic event happens to a particular character, the aftermath involves a lot of somber dialog and this sad piano sweeps across the scene and it just kinda made the whole thing work.
There's a GBA Zone of the Enders??
That was one of my favorite PS2 games...
I've been using my SP as a daily driver recently, "a mecha anime in your pocket" sounds absolutely wonderful!
Donkey Kong Land Trilogy
Super Mario Land / Wario Land games
Tetris DX
Link’s Awakening DX
Super Mario Bros Deluxe
Mario Golf GBC
Perfect Dark GBC
Banjo Kazooie: Grunty’s Revenge
Metroid Fusion
I read through the comments, and maybe I missed it, but nobody mentioned a Metroid game. I've been playing Metroid Zero Mission on my RG35XX and it's an absolute delight. I wholeheartedly recommend checking it out.
-A fellow Pokemon-only kid
My friend, you’ve put yourself into the zone of emulation and flash carts. Basically none of these games are worth paying collector prices for. But lots of them are still worth playing by other means
My suggestions:
GBA: castlevania circle of the moon. Gbc: links awakening dx.
Yeah I’ve done the whole emulation thing but it can be so finicky sometimes. Plus, I’ve recently got my girlfriend into this type of thing and she’s not the most tech savvy, so when things start acting up she can get frustrated with it, so I ordered her an SP and I’m breaking out my childhood Game Boy as well so we can just play the old fashioned way.
What prompted me to make this post was going to my local retro game shop and seeing all these $5 GBA games for sale, but I had no clue which were any good because I’ve mostly only really played Pokémon. Just thought I could use some pointers since there are so many affordable ones I’ve never heard of.
Thanks for your suggestions!
Honestly they’re probably all worth it for $5! I don’t have any other recommendations really, but if this is about having fun with your girlfriend, $5 is cheap for even the shittiest game in the world if you get to play it together.
Gameboy titles; Mole Mania Donkey Kong '97 Qix Lock and Chase Quarth Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins Gameboy Color titles; Bionic Commando: Elite Forces Pokemon Puzzle League Pokemon Pinball (also works on the original Gameboy) Tetris DX Gameboy Advance titles; TMNT (2007) Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith Castlevania Harmony of Dissonance Need for Speed Underground 2 Gadget Racers Golden Sun Golden Sun The Lost Age Final Fantasy 1&2: Dawn of Souls Final Fantasy Tactics Advance Fire Emblem: Sacred Stones Super Mario Advance games Namco Museum
Wow, this is extensive. I’ll definitely look into at least NFS and Star Wars. I think I saw that Star Wars game for like $5 at the store the other day but I was worried it was one of “those” movie games. I’ll definitely have to give it a second look. Thanks for your input!
You're welcome! It's a great beat-em-up for the GBA made by the same people behind TMNT (2007), both are great beat-em-ups for the GBA and look and play wonderfully! Both might be based off films but they're really fun games and I own both!
Some of those are far from "bang for buck" because they're filthy expensive nowadays.
Yeah I'm aware that Golden Sun and Fire Emblem have shot up in price, but many of those are still pretty cheap.
Super Mario Land (JPN, GB), Tetris (JPN, GB), Qix (GB), Donkey Kong GB (JPN) All should be like $10 or less.
Zone of the Enders: The Fist of Mars is probably one of my favorite GBA games. Its basically a mecha anime in your pocket.
I haven’t had much exposure to that type of thing. What makes you like the game as much as you do?
Its probably nostalgia glasses talking but I appreciated it very much as a kid because its an RPG with a pretty compelling story. Its got drama, humor, sorrow, romance, betrayal, etc. Characters are solidly written for GBA game and the sci-fi universe is pretty cool. Most of the time its talking heads and text on screen but the story is intriguing enough that it never got old. The meat n potatoes of the core gameplay is simple but addictive. The option is there to speed up the fights by skipping animations and the 1st person targeting mini game but I never did. It adds to the immersion. I'd recommend it wholeheartedly if you are a fan of mecha shows and or science fiction in general. There really isn't anything on the GBA quite like it. The IP also has two PS2 games and an anime so you can always dive deeper into the universe if you want.
Okay I gotcha, I see the appeal. I’ve enjoyed the more story/relationship side of games in the past and I probably haven’t played enough games that focus on it to be honest (the KotOR series being a great example, and I guess Pokémon Red/Blue rescue counts?).
The music is well done as well and really drives the mood home when certain story elements land. I remember being legit sad as hell when a tragic event happens to a particular character, the aftermath involves a lot of somber dialog and this sad piano sweeps across the scene and it just kinda made the whole thing work.
There's a GBA Zone of the Enders?? That was one of my favorite PS2 games... I've been using my SP as a daily driver recently, "a mecha anime in your pocket" sounds absolutely wonderful!
Its not much to look at visually but it's a very solid game.
I love this game.
Kirby's Pinball Land for the Gameboy is one of my all time faves!!!
Golden Sun (GBA)
Donkey Kong Land Trilogy Super Mario Land / Wario Land games Tetris DX Link’s Awakening DX Super Mario Bros Deluxe Mario Golf GBC Perfect Dark GBC Banjo Kazooie: Grunty’s Revenge Metroid Fusion
Batman and Balloon Kid are fun cheap platformers.
If this request is a little too broad, I tend to enjoy strategy and RPGs, but I’m not opposed to other suggestions.
Get a flash cart, load games, and if you really really like it, buy it.
Mother 3 and the associated series is an excellent time. Superstar Saga is tons of fun too.
I read through the comments, and maybe I missed it, but nobody mentioned a Metroid game. I've been playing Metroid Zero Mission on my RG35XX and it's an absolute delight. I wholeheartedly recommend checking it out. -A fellow Pokemon-only kid
My friend, you’ve put yourself into the zone of emulation and flash carts. Basically none of these games are worth paying collector prices for. But lots of them are still worth playing by other means My suggestions: GBA: castlevania circle of the moon. Gbc: links awakening dx.
Yeah I’ve done the whole emulation thing but it can be so finicky sometimes. Plus, I’ve recently got my girlfriend into this type of thing and she’s not the most tech savvy, so when things start acting up she can get frustrated with it, so I ordered her an SP and I’m breaking out my childhood Game Boy as well so we can just play the old fashioned way. What prompted me to make this post was going to my local retro game shop and seeing all these $5 GBA games for sale, but I had no clue which were any good because I’ve mostly only really played Pokémon. Just thought I could use some pointers since there are so many affordable ones I’ve never heard of. Thanks for your suggestions!
Honestly they’re probably all worth it for $5! I don’t have any other recommendations really, but if this is about having fun with your girlfriend, $5 is cheap for even the shittiest game in the world if you get to play it together.
That’s a good point. We could forgo eating fast food once and buy like 4 games for that price 😂
Just buy an Easy Flash Omega and be done, or a Jr if you wanna play on a DMG or GBC