Get GBA on NSO ASAP
If there’s one thing I’ll miss when the Wii U and 3DS eShops finally shut down for good, it’s being able to buy old games from my childhood memories from the virtual console. Nintendo has the richest backstage catalog of any developer in the industry today, but sadly, the only way we might be able to experience some of these games is with Nintendo Switch Online. Don’t get me wrong. I love the service and I think the selection of NES and SNES titles is pretty solid. But considering how much of Nintendo’s history has to do with portables that aren’t currently available on the subscription service, fans are missing out on part of the company and industry’s legacy.
However, that may be changing. Recently, there have been reports online that some notable games have been leaked from Nintendo’s Game Boy Advance emulator. Whether or not this is legal remains to be seen, but if this is the next step for the Nintendo Switch Online service, think I’m excited (certainly more excited than I am about the N64 games that are slowly being added to the Expansion Pass tier). I wanted to share my excitement with the other authors of Destructoid, so I asked them to name the GBA games they would most like to see on NSO if this leak turns out to be legitimate.
Ninja Five
The first GBA game I most want to play on my Nintendo Switch will always be Ninja Five. Developed by Hudson Soft and published by Konami, this action platformer rocketed under the radar in 2003 and was released around the same time Golden Sun: The Lost Age and Castlevania: Aria of Sorrows. Great reviews but dismal sales. The game quietly disappeared from the market as soon as it came out, and it only came back into fashion when people started writing about the best GBA games. Unfortunately, this surge was too small to warrant a second printing of the game, and the price of the original skyrocketed.I haven’t played Ninja Fivebut I’ve wanted to do it for years because it got the love of a lucky few who did manage to give the game a chance to go back in time.
However, here is the problem. Ninja Five is one of the titles listed in the GBA emulator leak, and it and a few others actually make me think this leak might not be legitimate. Because it’s almost too perfect for an obscure but beloved GBA game that costs a fortune to appear on the emulator’s list of compatible games. It’s entirely possible, I admit.After all, NSO has seen Some rather obscure games from the past. But I just don’t think we’re that lucky or that this schedule is that generous. – CJ Anderson
mother 3
No one likes to make mistakes, but if all I’ve heard in the past 5 years about mother 3The opportunity to be taken overseas turned out to be outdated information. If you haven’t heard of this game before, you have a lot to know. First released in Japan 16 years ago, mother 3 It’s a comedy, a tragic story.With heartbreaking deaths, multiple gender-incongruent characters, and an anti-capitalist and anti-TV(!) message, an unchanging version mother 3 It’s sure to make headlines on the Switch Online service in the West. Fans who have been asking for it for years will go nuts. Others will demand a boycott of Nintendo because they are (gasp!) “too sober.”
It’s hard to imagine Nintendo wanting to deal with all these controversies, but I’d be wrong if it meant playing the best RPG of the GBA era on my Switch. – Jonathan Holmes
gun star superhero
An often forgotten gem in treasure catalogues, gun star superhero (also known as Gunstar Future Heroes) was released on the Game Boy Advance in 2005 as a direct sequel to the beloved 1993 Sega Mega Drive classic. Once again, the color-coded Team Gunstar battles the reformed “Empire” tasked with preventing the resurrection of the terror overlord Gold and Silver.
gun star superhero Takes the explosive, pixelated, running chaos of its predecessor and shrunk it down to the small form factor of a handheld console. While an extensive arsenal, creative boss fights and dynamic combat are present and correct, gun star superhero Including funky new moves, fun new characters and bosses, and even a new gender for main character Red – now a girl with a gun.
While highly rated by critics, even winning “Best GBA Game” at E3 2005, gun star superhero Sadly, no sales success has been seen.While it’s hardly a five-star version, this pocket-sized blaster, like the entire gun star hero Franchise, it should be better than languishing in “Where Are They Now?” document. – Chris Moyes
Pokémon Leaf Green
It might be shocking to hear that, but I’m only now starting my Pokémon journey as an adult for the first time after being banned from any games as a kid.My Pokémon-loving friends debated a lot about which game should I start with, but we finally decided green leaves is the best option – and I don’t think there is a better option.
When I played it, I kept imagining myself being 10 years old and embarking on this adventure for the first time, and it rules. It may be a simple game, but it’s very well designed, and I found its game loop engaging, even addicting.
So, even though I’ve been having fun, the only downside is that since I’m playing on a ROM on my friend’s computer, I can only play it when I go to his house.Not only is it convenient to have it on a handheld console, but I think it’s also another great way to emulate the original game green leaves Experience it for yourself, even though I missed that boat fifteen years ago. I’m definitely looking forward to the other games on the leaked list that I haven’t played (there are many of them), but I think if it’s included I’d like to start with this one. – Noel Warner
Wariot 4
hand me a Nintendo Switch Wariot 4 Load it up and I’m going to play it – all. Right then and there. I’ll collect every piece of jewelry and even do baseball mini-games.
This ended up being the first Game Boy Advance game I was able to play, and it blew my mind. Visually, this feels like a giant leap. Heck, look at today’s random screenshots, the crisp, colorful, rough pixel art does a really good job – especially the bosses and Wario transitions. I wish more games looked like this!
Although I haven’t gone back to play all the previous Wario games (to be honest, I probably never will), there is something about Wariot 4 This resonates with me to this day.It has “Wow, this is immediately “Fun” factor, as well as memorable art, animation, and music. Rush into the blocks and weirdos feels good. Although I can play this game on Wii U and 3DS, it deserves a place on Switch as well. –Jordan DeVore
Super Robot Wars: Generations 1 and 2
GBA has a lot of memorable games, but all of them (except maybe final fantasy tactical advance), I want to see the port of Atlus Super Robot Wars OG and OG2. At the time they were so uncertain about its appeal in the West that they opted for the untranslated Super Robot Wars title, even!I like Super Robot Warsbut even after the frankly miraculous overseas release Super Robot Wars 30, my favorite remains the “original generation” titles, which use a variety of game-exclusive characters and designs as stars of their own set.So not a funky excuse for Char from Gundam Hang out with Shinji Evangelion What do you have, I always feel OG The series operates independently under greater pressure, with interesting arcs and interesting characters that don’t rely on the extreme brand recognition that classic mechs get.
Of course, at this point, the ideal would be Bandai Namco enhanced and ported to the PS3 era Super Robot Wars OGSbut if we’re talking about GBA games that exist, and I’d like to see more people play, that’s it. —Josh Tolentino
Astro Boy: Omega Factor
Everything I’ve seen, seen, or read Astro Boy Very disjointed and weird, making it perfect for legendary developer Treasure (great, they’re already on this list gun star superhero). Astro Boy: Omega Factor In 2004, it was an easily overlooked title, and the only reason I picked it out of the bargain bin was its pedigree. It does these thesis by showing off ridiculous attacks, over-the-top gameplay, and tight graphics. Frankly, I think Treasure’s library should always be, uh, precious, so it’s nice to see this cult classic get another chance.
What are the chances that someone will work through all the permits needed to achieve this?as likely as someone trying to repost McDonald’s Adventureshould do, but I saw it and believed it. – Zoe Handley
Boktai: The sun is in your hands
There’s no shortage of good GBA games here, because the GBA is a great little device. It has role-playing games, platform games, and even some of its fighting games are good. But if we’re doing a dream Switch Online lineup, I’d like to see some wiggles.Let our oft-forgotten Hideo Kojima hold a classic Boktai: The sun is in your hands.
Botai Notorious for using detectors to capture sunlight as part of its core mechanism. Like extreme two-screen Nintendo DS games, this makes porting forward a bit of a problem.but Botai Also a fun part of the Game Boy Advance library; it’s an action RPG with some cool mechanics and a fun setting. Sunshine is not only a game feature, but also a legend. I’d love to see this insistence in some newer way at least showcase the unfamiliar experiments in the GBA library. – Eric Van Allen
*****
With so many great games mentioned above, there are many that didn’t, including Drill Bulldozer, golden sunand Kirby and the Magical Mirror. But as Eric said, the GBA is a fantastic device with an excellent library of games across multiple genres, and I can’t wait to slowly roll out the Nintendo Switch Online service. That’s our list. What game would you most like to see?
CJ Anderson
Just what the internet needed: another white guy writing video games.
