Get that GBA on NSO ASAP
If there’s one thing I’ll miss when Wii U and 3DS eShops finally closed for good, it can actually buy old games I remember from my childhood from the Virtual Console. Nintendo has the richest back catalog of any developer in the industry today, and it’s a shame that going forward, the only way we’ll be able to experience some of these titles is with Nintendo Switch Online. Do not misunderstand me. I like the service and I think the selection of NES and SNES titles is pretty solid. But considering how much Nintendo’s history is tied to mobile devices that aren’t currently available on the subscription service, fans are missing out on part of the company’s and industry’s legacy.
However, that may be changing. Recently, Reports surfaced online that Nintendo’s emulator for the Game Boy Advance was leaked with a handful of notable titles leaking along with it. Whether this is legal or not remains to be seen, but if this is the next for the Nintendo Switch Online service, consider me very excited (I’m definitely a lot more excited than other games). N64, it’s slowly adding to the Expansion Pass tier). I wanted to share my excitement with the rest of the writers here at Destructoid, so I asked them to name the GBA title they’d most like to see appear on NSO if this leak proves to be valid. France.
Ninja Five-O
The number one GBA game I want to play on my Nintendo Switch will always be Ninja Five-O. Developed by Hudson Soft and published by Konami, the action platformer that flew under observation in 2003, released at the same time as Golden Sun: The Lost Age and Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow. Reviews are great but sales are dismal. The game quietly disappeared from the market when it came out, only to return to popularity when people started writing articles about the best GBA games. Unfortunately, that increase was too small to warrant a second print of the game, and the prices of the original copies have skyrocketed. i have never played Ninja Five-Obut I’ve wanted to do it for years because of all the love it got from a lucky few who managed to give the game a chance once again.
This is the benefit, though. Ninja Five-O is one of the list headline in GBA Emulator leak, and it, along with several others, really makes me think this leak might not be legit. Because it’s almost too perfect for a little-known GBA game that pays a lot of money to buy these days to appear in the list of compatible games for this emulator. I admit it’s entirely possible. After all, NSO has seen some games were pretty obscure before. But I don’t think we’re that lucky or this timeline is so generous. – CJ Andriessen
Mother 3
No one likes to be wrong, but I’d love it if it’s all I’ve heard 5 years back Mother 3the opportunity to be taken abroad turned out to be outdated information. If you haven’t heard of this game before, you have a lot to catch up. First released in Japan 16 years ago, Mother 3 It’s a funny, tragic story. With heartbreaking deaths, many gender-incongruous characters, and anti-capitalist and anti-television (!) an unchanged release of Mother 3 on the West’s Switch Online service is sure to attract a lot of attention. Fans have been asking for it for years will go bananas. Others will demand a boycott of Nintendo for (gasp!) “Too sane”.
It’s hard to imagine Nintendo wanting to settle all of these controversies, but then again, I’d love to be wrong if that means having to play the best RPG of the GBA era on my Switch. – Jonathan Holmes
Superhero Gunstar
A forgotten gem in the Treasures category, Superhero Gunstar (also known as Future Heroes of Gunstar) was released on the Game Boy Advance in 2005 and is a direct sequel to the beloved Sega Mega Drive classic of 1993. Once again, the Gunstar Color-coded Team joins the battle against ” Empire” has been reformed, with the task of preventing the resurrection of the fearsome lord, Golden Silver.
Superhero Gunstar takes the gun-blasted, pixelated, run ‘n’ chaos of its predecessor and scales it down to the compact form of a handheld console. While the rich arsenal, innovative boss battles and dynamic combat are all present and precise, Superhero Gunstar includes exciting new maneuvers, fun new characters and bosses, and even a new gender for protagonist Red – now a girl with a gun.
Although critically acclaimed, even winning “Best GBA Game” at E3 2005, Superhero Gunstar sadly, did not see successful sales. And while it’s hardly a five-star release, this mini blaster is, like the whole thing Hero Gunstar franchises, deserve better than languishing in “Where are they now?” file. – Chris Moyse
Pokémon LeafGreen
This may come as a shock to hear, but I’m currently starting my Pokémon journey for the first time as an adult after I was banned from playing any games as a kid. There was a lot of debate among my Pokémon-loving friends about which game I should start with, but in the end we decided that Green leaf is the best option – and I don’t think there can be a better option.
As I was playing it, I kept imagining myself at 10 years old, going on this adventure for the first time, and it had rules. It may be a simple game, but it’s so well designed, I find its play loop engaging, engaging even.
So with so much fun I’m having, the only downside is that since I’m playing it on ROM on my friend’s computer, I can only play it when I get to him. Having it on a handheld console would not only be convenient, but I think it would also be another great way to emulate the original. Green leaf experience for myself, even if I missed that boat fifteen years ago. I’m definitely looking forward to other games on the leaked list that I haven’t played (among them many), but I think I’ll want to start with this one if it’s included. – Noelle Warner
Wario Land 4
Give me a Nintendo Switch with Wario Land 4 loaded on it and I’ll play – it’s all the same. Right now right now. I will collect every gem and even make little baseball game.
This was the first Game Boy Advance game I was able to play, and it blew my mind. Visually, it looks like a big leap. Oops, looking through today’s random screenshots, the sharp, colorful pixel art looks like a goddamn foe well rendered – especially the bosses and Wario transformations. I wish there were more games like this!
While I haven’t come back to play them all yet Wario games (and I probably never will, if I’m honest), there’s something about Wario Land 4 that resonates with me to this day. It says “Well, this is right away There’s a fun element to it, as well as memorable art, animation, and music. Plunge into the blocks and the weirdos just felt right. And while I can access the game on the Wii U and 3DS, it also deserves a spot on the Switch. – Jordan Devore
Taisen Super Robot: Original Generation 1 & 2
GBA has had a lot of great games that are unforgettable but all of them (except maybe Final Fantasy Tactics Advance), I want to see the ports of Atlus’ Super Robot Wars OG and OG2. Back then they weren’t sure about its appeal in the west so they used the untranslated phrase Super Robot Taisen title, even! I love Super Robot Warbut even after magically released overseas Super robot war 30, my favorite is still the “Original Generation” title, which uses the game’s exclusive characters and designs as the stars of their own setting. So instead of a funny excuse to have Char from Gundam hang out with Shinji since Evangelion and what-have-you, I always feel that OG the series has worked under more pressure to stand on its own, with interesting arcs and fun characters that don’t rely on the overwhelming brand recognition that a classic movement gives you.
Of course, at this point, the ideal situation would be for Bandai Namco to upgrade and get through the PS3 era. Super Robot Wars OGSbut if we are talking about GBA games that exist and I would like to see more players, here are the games. – Josh Tolentino
Astro Boy: Omega Element
Everything I’ve Seen, Watched, or Read Related to Astro boy extremely disjointed and eerie, making it a perfect fit for the legendary developer’s Treasure (awesome, they’ve been included on this list with Superhero Gunstar). Astro Boy: Omega Element was an easily overlooked title in 2004, and the only reason I picked it out of the bargain box was its pedigree. It matches those papers by showcasing absurd attacks, over-the-top gameplay, and tight graphics. Honestly, I think Treasure’s library has always been treasured, so it would be great to see this hit classic given another chance.
What are the chances that someone will work through all the permits needed to make this happen? About the possibility that someone will attempt a re-release McDonald’s Treasure Land Adventurethat should be done, but I’ll believe it when I see it. – Zoey Handley
Boktai: The sun in your hand
There’s no shortage of excellent GBA games that could go on here as the GBA is a pretty cool little device. It has RPGs, puzzles, and even some of its fighting games that aren’t bad at all. But if we were working on a dream Switch Online lineup, I’d love to see some swings for the fence. Let’s take a look at the forgotten Hideo Kojima handheld classic Boktai: The sun in your hand.
Boktai infamously used a detector to capture sunlight as part of its core mechanics. Like so much Nintendo DS dual screen game extremely, which makes it more of a conundrum going forward. But Boktai also an interesting part of the Game Boy Advance’s library; it’s an action RPG with some cool mechanics and an engaging setting. Sunlight is not only a game feature, but also lore. I’d like to see this persist in some way updated to at least introduce weird experiments in GBA’s library. – Eric Van Allen
*****
Lots of great games named above and lots of others that failed, including Drill, Yellow sunand Kirby and the Amazing Mirror. But as Eric says, the GBA is a pretty cool device with a solid library of great games across multiple genres that I can’t wait to roll out so slowly on the Nintendo Switch Online service. That’s our list. What game do you want to see appear most?
CJ Andriessen
Just what the Internet needed: another white guy writing about video games.
