The Game Boy Advance boasts a huge library of games with an impressive number of S-tier entries. The updated graphics, bolder colors, and enhanced capabilities it offered over its predecessor represented a giant leap in the possibilities of handheld gaming, while also marking the end of the true 2D pixilated era.
Because pretty much everything that came out after the GBA used either partial or full 3D graphics, the handheld stands as an almost anachronistic member of its generation, and as such some of the best games released for it never had a clear path to carry forward onto subsequent systems. However, a ton of those games still hold up today, and there are plenty of fans out there who would absolutely love to see them make an appearance in the modern era whether through a remaster or a whole new entry.
8 Astro Boy: Omega Factor
This entry from one of the oldest manga/anime franchises out there was a fairly surprising success for the Game Boy Advance. Astro Boy is not necessarily an IP that’s going to cause American fans to line up in droves on release day, but the game is just plain good and that’s kind of all that matters.
The thrilling pace to this expertly executed side-scroller is not unlike Cuphead, which of course is a big enough success today to have earned an army of fans and even its own Netflix show. There’s no reason why a revamped Astro Boy: Omega Factor couldn’t connect with that very same fanbase. And if they really like it, well then there are three whole shows and 23 volumes of manga to dig into.
7 Advance Wars
Yes, there’s a remaster of the first two Advance Wars games sitting in a warehouse somewhere out there right now, and nobody knows when it’ll see the light of day, but that doesn’t change the fact that there are plenty of fans who would lose it over a brand new entry into the series.
Considering how snugly its format seems like it would fit into an online setting, a new take on these simple but wildly addictive strategy games should be a no-brainer. And even before legitimate online play was feasible for a handheld, Advance Wars just sort of seemed like the kind of game that could become a solid franchise for Nintendo (Andy seems like he’d be a lot more fun on Super Smash Bros. than Wii Fit Trainer, doesn’t he?) and yet it never made it past the Nintendo DS. The series deserves better.
6 Pokemon Fire Red/Leaf Green
A remake of a remake might sound a bit insane, but there’s a method to the madness. Updating the original Pokemon games with bright new colors, better looking graphics, and tons of new content was a masterful yet fairly simple move on Nintendo’s part, so why not just do it twice?
There are plenty of fans out there who have grown up with the Pokemon series and are beginning to note a distinct lack of innovation, an increase in hand-holding, and a general targeting of a much younger demographic in the new Pokemon releases. It’s doubtful that a whole new series dedicated to OG fans is on the menu, but a heartfelt remake of that original journey through Kanto may be enough to sate the restless 30-something masses and then some.
5 Ninja Five-O
Ninja Five-O is one of the more curious titles in Game Boy Advance history. It’s a fairly unusual side-scrolling action game from Konami that got stellar reviews yet didn’t have great sales and wound up becoming one of the rarest games around. Today fans might have to pay a few hundred dollars just for a loose cartridge, and they’d likely have to pay thousands for a mint in box copy.
Because of its exceptional rarity, not too many people have (legally) gotten the chance to play this fun and challenging title. It would be pretty clever (yet unfortunately highly unlikely) of Konami to either come up with a remaster or create a straight-up sequel and package it with the original.
4 Golden Sun
The number of great RPGs made for the Game Boy Advance is truly impressive. Whether they were ports like Breath of Fire 2 and Final Fantasy 6, sequels to popular RPG franchises like Lufia: Ruins of Lore and Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, or just brand-new titles like Golden Sun, this was the ultimate handheld for roleplaying fans.
The original entry of Golden Sun is simply one of the best Game Boy Advance games there are, and its sequel may have been even better, so it’s rather baffling that the series just kind of evaporated after that. JRPGs are still going strong, so why leave this series an eternal Game Boy Advance exclusive?
3 Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
This extremely enjoyable offshoot of Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars doesn’t just throw a Mario skin over the classic JRPG formula and call it a day. It offers a bunch of interesting mechanics blended into the proven Mario RPG gameplay and then adds in a colorful world full of unique characters with a memorable sense of humor.
Mario and his faithful sidekick Luigi’s RPG adventure went on to become a solid series in its own right, with five quality titles and two remakes under its belt before developer AlphaDream declared bankruptcy and effectively pulled the plug on it for good. But although the odds of a modern update have long seemed bleak, Nintendo did file a trademark for Mario & Luigi in January of 2020, leaving the door ever so slightly ajar for a comeback.
2 Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
Capcom has never failed with a Zelda entry, and The Minish Cap is probably their shining achievement, yet it seems as if the developer/franchise pairing and the mini masterpieces they gave birth to are doomed to fade into obscurity as the years go by.
Well, there have been swirling rumors about an Oracle of Ages/Oracle of Seasons remake for a while now, but those are still just rumors as of right now, and there’s been no real talk about dusting the amazing Minish Cap off and blessing fans with a trip down memory lane. It seems like one of the easiest titles for Nintendo to revisit and there’s no doubt they’d rake in a ton of cash with it, so what gives?
1 Dragon Ball Z: The Legacy Of Goku II
There are a ton of Dragon Ball games out there, but very few of them have the simplicity and charm of the Legacy of Goku series. Well, maybe not the original one, but pretty much every problem with that one was cleared up by its two sequels: Legacy of Goku II and Buu’s Fury.
These simple but super fun action RPGs let fans take the reins and live out the entire storyline of Dragon Ball Z in a colorful world of tiny cool-looking sprites. So many games from this franchise try too hard and do too much, but this one kept it incredibly simple and that’s what makes it stand out. It’s easy to imagine that a brand-new version with similar but updated graphics that runs through the entire story of the Dragon Ball franchise simply couldn’t miss.