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Take a look back at Engadget's favorite Game Boy Advance games
On the 20th anniversary of the Game Boy Advance, the Engadget staff looks back at some of its favorite GBA titles.
Mega Man channels Cut Man to deal with Virtual Console prices
Capcom kicked off a sale on games in its Mega Man series through the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U eShops today. The sale coincides with the 27th anniversary of the iconic blue hero as well as the debut of another game on Nintendo's Virtual Console: Mega Man Zero. The Game Boy Advance classic is now available on the Wii U eShop for $7.99. The "Mega Manniversary" sale hacks 50 percent off the price of six Mega Man games until Monday, December 22 at 11:59 a.m. ET (8:59 a.m. PT). On sale are the Game Boy versions of Mega Man 2, Mega Man 3 and Mega Man 4 for 3DS, each down to $1.49. As for Wii U, players can download NES games Mega Man 5 and Mega Man 6 for $2.49 each as well as Mega Man 7 for $3.99. Of course, kids these days may have troubles with these difficult retro platformers. [Image: Capcom]
Fan support could lead to SNES, GBA Remix
"If you build it, they will come" doesn't always apply to game development, as NES Remix director Koichi Hayashida recently illustrated. When asked about the possible inclusion of Super Nintendo, Game Boy or Game Boy Advance games in a future Remix game, Hayashida told IGN that "if there's a big enough outpouring of support for these titles, it's something I'd like to take a look at." Nintendo just launched NES Remix 2, which fared much better than the first game in our review. The first NES Remix arrived in December, though its selection of games was lackluster. Both games approach a collection of classic NES titles in a novel way: by issuing brief mini-game-style challenges. While other Virtual Console platforms like SNES and GBA sound like natural fits for future Remix installments, Hayashida said it still boils down to the question, "Does the marketplace want it or need it?" "If we get a big enough cry for that, with a lot of people saying, 'Hey, we'd love to see more of these perhaps for the SNES, Game Boy or Game Boy Advance,' then it would be something we can take a look at," he added. [Image: Nintendo]
Game Boy Advance titles reach the Wii U's online store
Don't worry if you gave away your Game Boy Advance years ago -- you now have an easy way to indulge your nostalgia for the early 2000s. As promised, Nintendo has released its first batch of GBA Virtual Console games on the Wii U's eShop at a cost of $8 per title. The early roster is small, but instantly recognizable to veterans. Strategy lovers can check out Advance Wars, while Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga and Metroid Fusion are on tap for fans of role-playing games and side-scrolling shooters. And that's just the start of Nintendo's planned launches this month. The studio is releasing Kirby & The Amazing Mirror and WarioWare, Inc. on the 10th; F-Zero, Golden Sun, Super Mario Bros. 3 and Yoshi's Island are on deck for the following weeks. We wouldn't pick up a Wii U solely for the sake of the GBA catalog, but it should give you something to play while you're waiting for more contemporary games.
Nintendo unveils April's GBA Virtual Console games [update: NA, EU, Japan all announced]
Following yesterday's reveal of Advance Wars, we now know the other Game Boy Advance games coming to the Wii U Virtual Console in North America and Europe next month, as well as Japan. They each cost $8 with the exceptions of WarioWare Inc: Mega Microgames, Kirby and the Amazing Mirror, and F-Zero: Maximum Velocity which are all tagged at $7. We've got the full line-up of games and release dates for North America and Europe after the break, but for starters, Advance Wars is joined by Metroid Fusion and Mario & Luigi: Superstar's Saga next week on April 3. Also, praise the Golden Sun! Camelot's revered JRPG is due on April 17. As for Japan, there are a bumper six games due on April 3 including Super Mario Advance 2, the GBA version of Super Mario World, and the Japan-only compilation of Advance Wars 1 and 2. Japan also has a special offer on the GBA games, where if you buy one you can get another at 30 percent off. Update: Nintendo of America announced its line-up and it matches Europe's exactly, with the same games arriving on the same dates. We've updated the post to reflect that. Also, Super Mario Bros. 3 is coming to the Wii U and 3DS on April 17, priced $5. [Image: Nintendo]
Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire music collection now on iTunes
Need help reminiscing over your time in Pokemon Ruby /Sapphire's Hoenn region? If your old cartridge is lost or in storage, you could always turn to Pokemon Ruby & Sapphire: Super Music Collection. The 109-track collection can't be hunted in tangled grass or gloomy caves, but it can be captured on iTunes with $9.99! Uh ... just pretend it's the Safari Zone, and you're throwing loose change instead of rocks. If you're keeping track, Super Music Collections for Pokemon FireRed/LeafGreen, Pokemon X/Y and Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver were released over the past several months. This leaves soundtracks for Pokemon Diamond/Pearl, Pokemon Black/White and Pokemon Black2/White2 off iTunes, all of which are noted as upcoming releases in the Ruby/Sapphire press release. Of course, with Nintendo planning to add GBA games to the Wii U Virtual Console in April and DS games in the works, you could always wait to see if every main Pokemon entry shows up there instead. Other than the 3DS' Pokemon X/Y, of course. [Image: The Pokemon Company]
Nintendo to add more NES remixes, Game Boy Advance titles to Wii U this spring
Unless you still own a GameCube Game Boy Player, it's probably been awhile since you've seen a Game Boy Advance title up on the big screen. Come April, that could change: Nintendo announced today that the Wii U eShop will start carrying GBA classics this spring, starting with Metroid Fusion, Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3 (both of which were 3DS Ambassador bonuses, by the way) and Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. Naturally, Japan's getting a similar pen of classic releases, but its library of pending GBA games includes Mario Advance 2, WarioWare, Golden Sun, F-Zero and Advance Wars -- Japanese gamers were also teased with a price-point: ¥650 a pop (about $6.35). If that's not enough nostalgic news to tide you over, Nintendo did have one more thing to announce. Remember when the company cherry-picked specific moments from a ton of classic NES games and released them in a mini-game bundle a few months back? It's at it again: NES Remix 2 is everything the original downloadable title was, only it's made from a collection of NES classics picked from later in the original Nintendo's life cycle. This means there will be remixed and scripted challenges from games like Punch-Out!!, Super Mario Bros. 3 and Metroid. The new Remix also includes a "new" full-game titled Super Luigi Bros. -- essentially a mirrored version of the NES classic with Mario's younger brother in the starring role. When was the "Year of Luigi" supposed to end again?
Hands-on with Hyperkin's Retron 5: emulating nine classic consoles with help from Android
This year's Electronic Entertainment Expo might be all about the next generation of gaming hardware, but not in Hyperkin's E3 booth: these guys are looking backwards. We dropped by to check out the Retron 5, the outfit's latest machine to traverse the library of older gaming titles. All told, this iteration strolls through half a dozen hardware cycles, offering compatibility for a full nine video game systems. It's more than a simple hardware emulator, however -- this machine offers save states, cheats and visual filters too.
Mother 3 translator offers localized files to Nintendo for free
With the recent announcement that Earthbound will be making its way to Nintendo's Virtual Console service, confirming that the publisher hasn't totally forgotten about the series, Mother 3 translator Clyde Mandelin saw an opportunity to extend an offer to Nintendo. Mandelin recently took to the Mother 3 fan translation blog to express his interest in seeing the Game Boy Advance game officially localized for North American audiences."I realize that localizing a game this size can cost a lot, so if it'll help in even the slightest, I'll gladly offer to let Nintendo use my text translation files for any use at all, completely for free," Mandelin wrote. "I'll even edit the files to fit whatever new standards are necessary (content, formatting, memory size, etc.), completely for free. I'll even retranslate everything from scratch if need be. Just whatever it takes to get an official release out."Mandelin, along with a team of devout Mother 3 fans, launched a patch for the game in 2008 that translates the entire Earthbound sequel to English. Mother 3 was originally developed by Brownie Brown, a Nintendo subsidiary now known as 1-Up Studio."In the end, if localizing Mother 3 should ever come up in a Nintendo business meeting or whatever and someone brings up budget concerns or it costing too much, my hope is that someone will at least mention this offer too, even if it isn't accepted," he added.
GBA's Fire Emblem is a great strategy RPG for beginners
This is a column by Kat Bailey dedicated to the analysis of the once beloved Japanese RPG sub-genre. Tune in every Wednesday for thoughts on white-haired villains, giant robots, Infinity+1 swords, and everything else the wonderful world of JRPGs has to offer. In 2001, Nintendo of America had a decision to make that would have a huge impact on what at the time was one of its least known properties in the U.S.: Fire Emblem.Super Smash Bros. Melee was set for release that fall, and among its cast were Marth and Roy, whom most westerners had never heard of before. Nintendo of America weighed cutting them for a time, but eventually relented and decided to leave them in. In the early going, I had no clue who they were; soon enough, I grew to like them, just like everyone else. The stage was set for Fire Emblem to make a surprise leap to the U.S.
Nintendo completes 3DS Ambassador program, delivers ten GBA games to early adopters
If you've still got the 3DS price drop blues, perhaps a fresh (and final) infusion of free games will help. Early adopters that signed into the Nintendo eShop before August 11th will find ten GameBoy Advance games tacked on to their handheld's purchase history, retrievable via the same clunky redownload system that delivered the 3DS Ambassador program's NES titles. Thankfully, the unintuitive process is relatively simple -- just hop into the eShop's menu, scroll down to "Settings / Other", and select "Your Downloads," to claim your (potentially-exclusive) games. Short of having a 3DS guide us through the Louvre, we can't think of a better use for Nintendo's fledgling handheld.
Gift of the GBA: 3DS Ambassadors can now access another 10 free games
Though we remain disappointed in the dearth of proper 3DS ambassador games -- perhaps one where you solve a gruesome series of murders at an embassy -- Nintendo has at least completed its rewards program for early adopters of the system. The ten free Gameboy Advance games are now available to everyone who connected to the Nintendo eShop before August 12th. Your portable rewards include: Super Mario Advance 3: Yoshi's Island, Mario Kart: Super Circuit, Metroid Fusion, WarioWare Inc. Mega Microgames, Mario vs. Donkey Kong, Wario Land 4, Kirby & The Amazing Mirror, Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones, Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap, and F-Zero: Maximum Velocity. To download the games, sign into the eShop, visit the "Settings" page and pull up your download history. Your 3DS will be under the impression that you've already downloaded them, but just go with it and start re-downloading.
GBA Ambassador games out in UK and Japan this Friday, full list revealed
Japanese and UK 3DS owners have received SpotPass alerts notifying them that the long-awaited Game Boy Advance games for 3DS "Ambassadors" will arrive this Friday. Ten games will be delivered for free to anyone who visited the eShop before the 3DS price drop -- the same people who got ten NES games earlier this year. The full list of GBA games being handed out December 16 includes the following (newly revealed games in bold): Super Mario Advance 3: Yoshi's Island, Mario Kart: Super Circuit, Metroid Fusion, WarioWare Inc. Mega Microgames, Mario vs. Donkey Kong, Wario Land 4, Kirby & The Amazing Mirror, Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones, Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap, and F-Zero: Maximum Velocity. Both the date and the list of games are identical in both territories, so we expect to hear similar news for North America soon.
PSA: Four Swords Anniversary Edition out now worldwide
What, those 10 free NES games aren't tiding you over? Well Nintendo's got another present for you, 3DS owners, with today's free release of The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary Edition. Oh, and this one benefits you too, DSi owners. In addition to the multiplayer-only content, of which the game was exclusively composed on the Game Boy Advance, Four Swords on the 3DS comes with a brand new single-player section. Nintendo's weekly eShop update usually takes place on Thursdays in North America, so it's unclear whether the full update will arrive early today or if Four Swords will launch all by its lonesome (though the latter seems more likely as of now). As the game will only be available for a limited time (from today until Feb. 20, 2012), we can't help but wonder why you're not already downloading it. Get to it! It's free!%Gallery-135084%
Nintendo's 3DS Ambassador Program line-up revealed, games available September 1st
Early 3DS adopters, your smorgasbord of throwback make-goods is now only a day away. Nintendo recently announced via its Twitter account the full line-up of ten Famicom / NES virtual console games headed for the company's Ambassador Program. Owners of the 3D handheld in Japan and North America can look forward to re-acquainting themselves with such 8-bit classics like Metroid, Super Mario Bros., Ice Climber, The Legend of Zelda, Zelda II : The Adventure of Link, Balloon Fight, Donkey Kong Jr., NES Open Tournament Golf, Wrecking Crew and Yoshi. Those golden games of yore will be available to download from the eShop tomorrow, but gamers looking for the GBA goods will have to wait until later this year. Update: Turns out the games are available to download now.
Mini Space Invaders arcade cabinet big on nostalgia, small in size
Always wanted an 80's arcade cabinet for your living room, but the square footage in your studio apartment won't cooperate with your gaming plans? Well, a master mini craftsman has created a seven-inch replica of Space Invaders that can fit on your desktop, coffee table, or bedside stand. It was cobbled together using the guts of a Game Boy Advance, some lilliputian controls, and a custom cabinet coated in shrunken decals that's made of medium density fiberboard. Best of all, thanks to those Nintendo internals, there's an entire arcade's worth of games at your tiny fingertips. Between this and its diminutive Donkey Kong cousin, perhaps mini arcade cabinets are the future of gaming. Video of the little gem in action is after the break.
Free DSiWare Four Swords is the GBA version
Last week during E3, Nintendo generously announced a free release of The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords for DSiWare, playable on both DSi/XL and 3DS. The company didn't clarify, however, whether the game would be the original Four Swords multiplayer game that was packed in with A Link to the Past on GameBoy Advance, the GameCube Four Swords Adventures, or some combination of both. Nintendo confirmed to Joystiq today that the game will in fact be the GBA multiplayer game that was included with LTTP. Clarifying further, we were told "This is separate from the GameCube version," though it's still unclear what updates, if any, will be made to the DSiWare version of Four Swords -- we'd be shocked not to see some redone graphics, and how about some online multiplayer for good measure? It remains to be seen. The free download will be here in September, according to Nintendo's E3 presentation.
The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures coming for free in September
During Nintendo's E3 2011 presser this morning, Super Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto revealed that Nintendo DSi owners will be getting a free copy of The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures. No, we're not really sure how a GameCube game with GameBoy Advance functionality will end up on Nintendo's DSi, but we imagine it'll have the GameCube game on your top DSi screen while the GBA part of the game shows up on the bottom screen. We'll be sure to ask Nintendo for more details as soon as we can.
Game Boy Camcorder mod is a lot of work (and looks totally worth it)
At first glance, the Game Boy Camcorder mod seen above may seem like too much work for too little payoff -- but, for us, the effort is totally validated. It may not fit in your front pocket, but it's a way more interesting camcorder than your pal's boring old Flip.
Gamestop to stop buying GBA systems and games in April
If you've been waiting to snag that copy of Final Fantasy VI Advance from your local Gamestop until its price gets cut, you might want to stop putting off your purchase, as that price is about to go down from $22.99 to "We don't have any copies anymore." According to a number of our tipsters and a handful of retail locations, the store is set to stop accepting Game Boy Advance games and systems as soon as April 2. As Gamestop doesn't really get new copies of Game Boy Advance games in anymore, it seems this measure is the first step in phasing out the handheld. We've got our fingers crossed that this new policy will come with a fire sale on some of our favorite GBA titles, which we've lost while sailing the unforgiving seas of time. By which, of course, we mean we left them in our jeans, and sent them through the washing machine.
