Tag: Gba
Poll Box Art Brawl - Duel: Mario Party Advance
A portable party
Hey everyone, welcome to this week's edition of Box Art Brawl! Last time, we saw three 3DS covers go head-to-head as we matched up the regional variants for Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask. Despite having all those options, it was Europe that walked away with a commanding win after taking 56% of the vote. North America...
News Nintendo Expands Switch Online's GBA Library With Two More Titles
Two F-Zero games race onto the service next week
Nintendo has announced it will expand the Switch Online service with two more Game Boy Advance titles on 11th October 2024. Speed demons can look forward F-Zero: GP Legend and the Japan-only title F-Zero Climax. To play these titles you will need to have access to the higher 'Expansion Pack' tier...
Poll Box Art Brawl: Donkey Kong Country (GBA)
The Diddy one
We are back, back, back with another edition of Box Art Brawl! Last time, we matched up two different covers for Contra 4 on the DS, and it wasn't even close. The North American variant walked comfortably away with the win, taking 76% of the vote and leaving Japan with the remaining 24%. Oof. This week, we're swinging it back a...
News Pokémon Emerald ROM Hack Contains Redrawn Sprites From 130 Artists
Gotta redraw 'em all
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Pokémon Emerald for the GBA, 130 artists have collabrated on a project to redraw the sprites for all 386 Pokémon included in the game (thanks, gamesradar). Not only that, but the revised sprites have been implmented into a fully playable ROM hack called Pokémon Emerald: Respirited, so you...
News Sonic Team Would "Love" To Remaster The Advance Series, Says Takashi Iizuka
But there are no plans for it at the moment
Like most Sonic fans, we here at Nintendo Life love the GBA's 'Advance' Series. We have fond memories of playing through the Advance trilogy (and even the tangentially related fighting RPG and pinball spinoffs) in the early 2000s, but bar the SonicN N-Gage port and a Virtual Console release in Japan, we...
Anniversary Pokémon FireRed And LeafGreen Turn 20 Years Old In The US
Fans would love to see them return
Try not to get too excited, but the official Pokémon social media account has this week acknowledged North America's 20th anniversary of Pokémon FireRed Version and LeafGreen Version. These Game Boy Advance titles originally released in September 2004 in this region, and were remakes of the original Pokémon...
News Konami Reveals More Game Boy Titles For Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection
Coming to Switch in 2024
In case you missed it, earlier this year Konami announced the Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection for the Nintendo Switch. At the start of this month, it also launched a new social media account for this collection and other Yu-Gi-Oh! themed 'retro games'. Now in another update, Konami has revealed more of the games coming to...
News Yu-Gi-Oh! Launches Retro Games Social Media Account For 'Early Days Collection'
It will also cover other "retro themed products"
Yu-Gi-Oh! is reviving its past with an official 'Yu-Gi-Oh! Retro Games' account launching on the social media platform 'X' today. This account will cover all things related to retro Yu-Gi-Oh! including the long-running trading card game as well as the upcoming Early Days Collection, which has been...
Poll Box Art Brawl: Duel - Astro Boy: Omega Factor
Let's Rocket!
We are back, back, back for another edition of Box Art Brawl! Last week, we took a look at a trio of Contra: Hard Corps covers for the Sega Genesis / Mega Drive. Despite three rather sweet designs (by our eye), the vote wasn't even close. You lovely lot crowned the North American variant the clear winner with 64% of the vote, leaving...
Guide Every Nintendo Switch Online Game Boy Advance (GBA) Game Ranked
All the GBA games, ranked by you
Updated with Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team. Remember, this is a dynamic, reader-ranked list based on each game's User Rating in our database. The order is therefore subject to real-time change as those ratings fluctuate. Enjoy! Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack subscribers have instant access to a...
Poll Box Art Brawl: Zelda: A Link To The Past And Four Swords (GBA)
Portable magic
Welcome back to another edition Box Art Brawl! Last time, we were back with the Mega Man franchise to look at Mega Man Zero 3, the, uh, third entry in the Zero sub-series for GBA. As expected, the beautiful Japanese design won by a landslide, scoring 73% of the vote. The US variant bagged 17%, while the ghastly European design...
Review Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team (GBA) - Robust Roguelike Rescuing
Pokécrawler: Red
This review was originally published in February 2016. We're updating and republishing it to mark the game's arrival in the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack GBA library. It's also worth noting that a 2020 Switch remake of Red/Blue Rescue Team exists: Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX. As well as the regular series...
News Nintendo Expands Switch Online's GBA Library With Pokémon
Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team is now available
Update [Fri 9th Aug, 2024 02:05 BST]: Following last week's announcement, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team is now available to Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscribers. To access this game, you'll need to have the Game Boy Advance app installed on your system. Nintendo has also released a...
Poll Box Art Brawl: Mega Man Zero 3
Third time's a charm
Welcome back to another edition Box Art Brawl! Last week's bout saw us chucking Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow for the Nintendo DS into the ring. The designs for this one were pretty similar, all told, but Europe ultimately lost out with its lack of supporting characters and, uh, copious stickers. North America and Japan bagged an...
News Xeno Crisis Scores A "Physical And Digital" GBA Release, Pre-Orders Live
Includes a "free ROM download"
Well, here's something you don't see every day! The arena shooter Xeno Crisis, which launched on the Switch eShop in 2019 (and has already been released on multiple retro platforms), is getting a "physical and digital" release for the Game Boy Advance in Q4 2024. Pr
Random Hideo Kojima Highlights The 21st Anniversary Of 'Boktai' On GBA
No sunlight that day, apparently
It's been a whopping 21 years since Boktai: The Sun is in Your Hand launched in Japan on 17th July 2003, and one person commemorating the anniversary is none other than producer and designer Hideo Kojima. Posting on social media, the auteur recalled that it was "raining hard" on the game's release day. This might be...
News Alternative Titles For Pokémon Ruby And Sapphire Reportedly Discovered
No, not Pokémon: Too Much Water
Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire launched over two decades ago on the Game Boy Advance, but according to a couple of Pokémon fans, the third-gen titles may have been called something completely different during development. As highlighted by farore.gba and wobb on social media (thanks, VGC), after looking through data...
Feature Legendary Starfy 101 - A Brief History Of TOSE's Adorable Platforming Star
Now playable on Nintendo Switch
With all three GBA Starfy games — which were originally released only in Japan — now available to play on Switch with a Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack subscription, we're updating and republishing this brief introduction to the little star which originally went live a whopping 15 years ago. Enjoy! Since...
News Nintendo Expands Switch Online's GBA Library With Three More Titles
"Starfy dives onto Nintendo Switch"
Nintendo has today released a brand new update for its Switch Online Game Boy Advance library. It adds a trio of colourful action games starring Starfy, who you might know from the DS title The Legendary Starfy. These three GBA games, developed by Tose, were previously exclusive to Japan. Densetsu no Starfy was...
Random Super Mario 64 GBA Project Adds Stars And "Wider" Limbs For Mario
"They're easier to see at low resolution"
Last month, we covered a story here on Nintendo Life about a coder named Joshua Barretto who decided to do a custom rewrite of Super Mario 64 for Nintendo's 32-bit handheld, the Game Boy Advance. If you weren't already impressed with this technical feat, this palm-sized project has now shared a new update...
News WayForward Is Reviving Its GBA Game 'Sigma Star Saga' For Modern Platforms
The "fan-favorite shmup/RPG" returns in 2025
WayForward shared some surprise news at its Anime Expo panel this year - announcing the Game Boy Advance sci-fi adventure title Sigma Star Saga would be making a return on "modern platforms" in 2025. This 2005/06 "fan-favorite shmup/RPG" will also be made available as a Game Boy Advance reproduction...
Poll Box Art Brawl - DK: King Of Swing
B-A-N-A-N-A-S
We are back, back, back with another edition of Box Art Brawl! Before we swing into this week's match-up, let's take a look at what went down last time when we looked at two regional covers for Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. Despite a duo of swanky designs being on display, it was Europe and North America's dark, moodier cover that...
Random Coder Creates Super Mario 64 For The GBA, And It's Looking Excellent
How..?!
Remember when you first caught a glimpse of Super Mario 64 running on the Nintendo DS and how utterly mindblowing it was at the time? It's easy to forget just how far handheld gaming has come in the years since, but seeing one of the greatest platformers of all time come to life on such a humble piece of hardware was truly something else...
Random You Can Now Control Your Switch With A GBA, If You Like
Authentic NSO experience
Sometimes, when you want to play a retro game, nothing but the original controller will do. Super Mario World with an SNES pad, Mega Man 2 with a NES pad, Zelda: Ocarina of Time with an N64 pad... They just feel better, right? Well, if you're partial to playing a few GBA games via the Nintendo Switch Online (NSO) service,...
News Nintendo Expands Switch Online's Game Boy Advance Library
Another F-Zero game joins Nintendo's paid service
Update [Fri 29th Mar, 2024 02:00 GMT]: In case you missed it earlier this week, today marks the arrival of F-Zero Maximum Velocity on the Switch Online + Expansion Pack GBA service. Japan has also received this game. To play it, you'll need to update your GBA app on Switch. You'll also need to have...
Feature "The Odds Seemed Just Astronomical" - Reviving Lost Media With Shantae Advance
"Decisions made by younger me created a ton of headaches for modern me"
It's not often that a developer gets to revisit a chapter of their past and pick up where they left off on a project two decades prior, but the revival of Shantae Advance in the form of Risky Revolution has given WayForward creative director Matt Bozon just that opportunity...
News Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution GBA Limited Run Pre-Orders Now Live
Update: Get yours now
Update [Fri 23rd Feb, 2024 17:00 GMT]: Pre-orders for the physical GBA versions of Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution are now available, courtesy of Limited Run Games. Don't forget, these are only available until 7th April 2024. We've got all of the deta
Soapbox I Hated Metroid: Zero Mission At First, Until I Loved It
We all make mistakes
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, to celebrate Metroid: Zero Mission's 20th anniversary on 9th February 2024, Ollie looks back on his initial experience with the game, and why first impressions can't always be...
News Konami Announces Yu-Gi-Oh! Classic Collection For Switch, Launching This Year
Update: Confirmed for the West
Update: Konami has confirmed that Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection is coming to the West. Here's a rundown of what to expect from the developer: Duel back in time with the Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection Revealed at the “Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters: The Legend of Duelist QUARTER CENTURY” special event in Tokyo,...
News Cult GBA RPG 'Riviera: The Promised Land' Is Getting An HD Remaster
Update: Switch and Japanese release date confirmed
Update [Wed 31st Jan, 2024 13:30 GMT]: According to the latest issue of Famitsu, Riviera: The Promised Land will be launching on Switch on 28th February 2024 in Japan (via Gematsu & Ryokutya2089). A Western release is still yet to be confirmed. It seems that the upcoming port of the GBA and...
Anniversary Pokémon FireRed And LeafGreen Are 20 Years Old Today
Can you Diglett?
Get your appropriate ageing GIF at the ready (Matt Damon in Saving Private Ryan, the Tenth Doctor, that Titanic one — the choice is yours) because we have to break it to you that Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen are now 20 years old. While we let that sink in, let's run through some facts. Released on the Game Boy Advance on 29th...
Feature 21 Game Boy Advance Games We'd Love To See Added To Nintendo Switch Online
GBA gems we'd dig on Switch
With Golden Sun and The Lost Age making their arrival on Nintendo Switch Online, we've given this list a bit of a spruce up and added a few more dream titles to the service. Plus, we've got a cheeky little poll at the end of the article too — so make sure you vote and let us know what you want to see on NSO. The Game...
Poll Box Art Brawl - Duel: Rayman Advance
Legendary
Ready for another clash of the covers? Welcome to this week's edition of Box Art Brawl! Before we introduce today's fighters, let's take a look at the last match-up. It was a big'un as we matched four different covers for the OG Metroid against each other. While there was a good split in the votes, the North American Classic Series option...
Soapbox After Years Of Lengthy RPG Tutorials, Golden Sun Feels Fresher Than Ever
You could say it's an Adept
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, Alana reflects on playing Golden Sun in 2024, and how it allows players to figure things out for themselves rather than relying on tutorials. Warning — minor early game...
Review Golden Sun: The Lost Age - More Of The Same, Which Is No Bad Thing
The return of the prodigal sun
This review originally went live in 2014, and we're updating and republishing it to celebrate the game's arrival in Switch's Game Boy Advance library via the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack. Back in 2001 (2002 in Europe) some players were left feeling short-changed when Golden Sun reached its abrupt ending...
Review Golden Sun - A Radiant RPG, Once It Gets Going
Magic hands make light work
This review originally went live in 2014, and we're updating and republishing it to celebrate the game's arrival in Switch's Game Boy Advance library via the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack. Golden Sun expands on proven genre archetypes to deliver an experience that both pays tribute to and refines the classic...
Guide Should I Play Golden Sun Before The Lost Age?
Where will the sun rise first?
Golden Sun and Golden Sun: The Lost Age, Camelot's cult-favourite GBA RPGs, are available to play on Nintendo Switch right now via the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscription. Released back in 2001 and 2002, these two turn-based RPGs are often considered among the best games on the handheld. And now, with...
News Nintendo Expands Switch Online's GBA Library With Two RPG Classics
Golden Sun and Golden Sun: The Lost Age out now
Update [Wed 17th Jan, 2024 01:05 GMT]: Golden Sun and Golden Sun: The Lost Age are now officially available to Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscribers. Enjoy! Original article [Fri 12th Jan, 2024 01:05 GMT]: Next week on 17th January 2024, Switch Online + Expansion Pack members will be able to...
Gallery Here's Another Look At Golden Sun For The Switch Online Expansion Pack
Joining the paid service next week
Next week on 17th January, Nintendo will transport players back to the Game Boy Advance era with the magnificent RPGs Golden Sun and Golden Sun: The Lost Age. Both of these titles made their debut in the early 2000s and were also previously released on the Wii U eShop. Now, they'll arrive on the Switch, so how...
Soapbox 20 Years Later, Why Do We Still Not Have A New Sonic Battle?
Bare Knuckles
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, on the 20th anniversary of Sonic's last fighting game, Paul looks back and wonders why Sonic hasn't in two decades... In the early- to mid-2000s, Nintendo handhelds were home to many...
Poll Box Art Brawl - Duel: Batman: Vengeance (GBA)
The match-up Gotham deserves
It's time to dive into another edition of Box Art Brawl — welcome back, everybody! Before we dive into this week's caped covers, let's first take a look at what happened last time. We went waaay back to compare the box art for Donkey Kong on the NES, and boy, was it a close one. The North American cover just secured...
Review Kirby & The Amazing Mirror - Messy With Metroid Influences, Better With Buddies
Oh, Kirby, you blowhard...
This review, penned by Philip J Reed — our much-missed friend and Nintendo Life contributor — was originally published in January 2012. We're updating and republishing it to mark the game's arrival in the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack GBA library. We have to hand this much to
News Nintendo Expands Switch Online's Game Boy Advance Library
Kirby & The Amazing Mirror returns
Update [Fri 29th Sep, 2023 02:15 BST]: Nintendo's latest Switch Online update for the GBA library is now officially live. This will bump the application up to Version 1.4.0 and adds Kirby & The Amazing Mirror to the collection. Japan has received the same game. Original article [Fri 22nd Sep, 2023 03:05...
Poll Box Art Brawl - Duel: Kirby & The Amazing Mirror
Deep breath
It's time to witness a clash of the covers as we dive into another edition of Box Art Brawl. Before we hop into the ring with this week's competition, however, let's quickly recap what happened last time. It was a match-up against two different pieces of cover art for the GBA's Mario vs. Donkey Kong — which had been playing on our...
Poll Box Art Brawl - Duel: Mario Vs. Donkey Kong
Box Art Vs. Box Art
Hello one and all, and welcome to another edition of Box Art Brawl. Before we check out this week's competitors, let's take a look at how we fared last time. We took a look at New Super Mario Bros. on the Nintendo DS, the first entry in the polarising platforming sub-series. It was actually a fairly close battle, but in the end,...
Feature How Summer Holidays And Childhood Nostalgia Revolutionised Pokémon
20 years of Ruby & Sapphire
In 2003, Pokémon was at a bit of a crossroads. The first two sets of entries in its canon — Game Boy debuts Red and Blue, followed by sequels Gold and Silver — had cemented the series as one of the biggest of all time in gaming, defining millennial pop culture. With the arrival of Nintendo’s new handheld, the Game...
News Three New Game Boy Advance Posters Are Now Available From My Nintendo Store (Europe)
For the price of some Platinum Points (and postage)
Nintendo has today added a fresh batch of posters to the My Nintendo Store, this time focusing on the games of the GBA. This trio features key art from three of the console's very best titles — Mario Kart Super Circuit, The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap and Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga...
Review Fire Emblem - The Blazing Blade Is Still As Sharp As Ever
So much to love Lyndis game
This review originally went live in 2015, and we're updating and republishing it to mark the game's arrival in the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack GBA library. Before Fire Emblem: Awakening kicked off 2013 (the Year of Luigi, you'll recall) with a bang, there was a great deal of concern at Nintendo regarding its...
News Nintendo Expands Switch Online's GBA Library With Fire Emblem
The Blazing Blade returns
Update [Fri 23rd Jun, 2023 02:05 BST]: It's been an incredibly exciting week in the world of Nintendo with all sorts of new game announcements at the latest Direct presentation, and now to top it off, we've got the release of Fire Emblem on the Switch Online service. To access this one, you'll need to have subscribed to...
News My Nintendo Celebrates Super Mario GBA Coming To Switch Online
Grab these wallpapers while you can
Following last week's release of three Super Mario games for the Switch Online GBA service, Nintendo has now released some brand new wallpapers for desktop and mobile devices. This item is available on My Nintendo in the US and will set you back 50 Platinum Points. As you can see, it's got a picture of the...
