Game Boy Advance

NEW REVIEWS THIS WEEK: 

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Sapph here with my review for Fire Emblem Blazing Sword!

First off, this is the first Fire Emblem game to release in the US since it is very very popular in Japan. This is also the 6th game in the series. Let me just say that this game is so damn awsome! You first play the game as Lyn or Lyndis, a swordsman from Sacae. She is the last one of her tribe after bandits killed the rest of her members. In Lyn’s story you travel the land for her grandfather who is in the country of Araphan. The cool part of her story is that you actually have a non-playable character who is a tactician and you get to name him. I thought that was cool, but it got annoying when the characters told you to move them somewhere, or do something you were gona do anyway! Lyn’s story is more of a tutorial like part 1 of Radiant Dawn, and gives a great intro into this game. The next playthrough of this game is Eliwood’s story which is more of a medium level. Eliwood also uses swords, but unlike Lyn Eliwood uses long blades to fight. Eliwood’s story is a classic fire emblem story. Your on a quest to find a special sword that is the only way to kill a dragon to bring peace to the world. You meet a lot of characters in Eliwood’s story and your objective is to find the Blazing Sword and kill the fire dragon to save the world. Unlike Lyn’s story, there is no hints or tips so you are on your own and you get no help. Also, just like every fire emblem game, if a character dies they don’t come back and if your Lord dies you get game over. The final playthrough of the game which I don’t know a lot about is the story of Hector. He uses Axes and his story is the hardest and is on a hard difficulty. What I love about this game is that Intelligent Systems shows America what this bad-ass RPG has to offer. With a lot of characters, great music, great storyline, and a challenging puzzle-based RPG, Fire Emblem Blazing Sword, and the fire emblem series is a must have for every hardcore nintendo fan! On the Sapph’s scale of gaming, this game clearly deserves a 10 out of 10 and is a masterpiece for generations to come ! Check back later for another GBA review!

-sapphire11

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Sapph here with Fire Emblem Sacred Stones for the GBA!

Fire Emblem Sacred Stones takes place on the continent of Magvel, and is the 7th game in the series. Thousands of years ago, the world was on the brink of destruction by an evil demon and his monsters. The power of the Sacred Stones locked the demon away and peace was brought back to the world until now.  The country of Renais is invaded and taken over by the neighboring country of Grado. The princess of Renais, Erikia, escapes all the madness and travels with the paladin, Seth to neighboring country of Frelia. The first goal in the game is to find Erikia’s older brother Ephraim who has been missing ever since the fall of Renais. The gameplay is the same as other Fire Emblem games for the GBA , but with better graphics. There are many characters to recruit and make shure you level up all your characters equally that way the game is easier for you. After you reunite the two siblings you have the choice of either traveling with Erikia or Ephraim. Both characters are Lords and are both skilled. Erikia uses Swords and Ephraim uses Lances. Erikia’s story is much easier than Ephraim’s and the only difference is the chapter’s location, and when you can get extra characters. The story does change because Grado now wants to destroy all of the sacred stones and King Fado’s(King of Grado) son Leon becomes mad with power and wants to take over Magvel. Leon was a childhood friend of both Erikia and Ephraim and when they hear about this news, they are devastated and want to get him back to normal. Grado does manage to destroy a few stones which unleashes the demon, An Evil Leon, and a lot of monsters for you to battle. Your final mission is to defeat the evil Leon before he destroys the last Sacred Stone and then you defeat the demon whos name is very hard to remember lol! Like I said this Fire Emblem game is the same as the other GBA games when it comes to graphics, gameplay, and everything else you would expect from a Fire Emblem game. Some features I am talking about are as follows: Link Battles with teams you made, extra levels to quickly get some EXP and train characters, and of course battle sheets. After you beat the game on Normal you unlock the Hard difficulty which is really fun and of course hard!  On Sapph’s scale of gaming this game gets a 8.5 out of 10! Check back soon for another great review.

~sapphire11

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Hi, tedizslayer here to review Kirby and the Amazing Mirror!

Sure, the Kirby games that have come out for the consoles over the past few years have really made Kirby become a beloved character. But Kirby and the Amazing Mirror is another game in the series that shouldn’t be overlooked. When some mirror joining two different worlds (or something like that) cracks, it is Kirby’s job to find the broken pieces scattered across Dream Land so that he can get through to battle the evil boss on the other side. However, he is not alone. He gets three clones for companions to help him set out and take on the bosses blocking their path to saving Dream Land. These three other Kirbies act as computers in the game, and are surprisingly helpful in battle. What sets this game apart from the rest is that rather than having an overworld through which you access levels that are all unconnected and separate from each other, everything is joined together and connected. You always start off in the same room and are brought here after boss battles, but each door you take leads to a different place. There are still differently-themed worlds, but they are all connected to form one giant area. You will often find yourself travelling to one room in one world, then taking a door and ending up in a completely different world. This gives the game a much more free feeling, and allows you to play through many levels in a different order than you would otherwise have to. Basically, rather than having a linear order to the levels, you can go where you want to. Of course, you will have to pass through certain areas to reach others. In many rooms there are multiple doors, and often you will need a certain ability to get to one of them (such as fire to burn through metal, or sword to cut through thick ropes). In order to keep you from getting lost all the time and going insane, you have map on the pause screen which shows the different routes you can take and where they will bring you. So, if you know you want to get to a certain area in Mustard Mountain, look at the map and plan which way you will take to get there. You companions always go off on their own and don’t really accomplish anything, but if you ever need them (to help you beat a boss or get past an obstacle that all four of you are needed for), you can call them on your cell phone and they immediately come to wherever you are. When they die, though, they return to the starting room. You only have three calls on your cell phone before recharging it, so use it wisely. Of course, it wouldn’t be a Kirby game without a lot of cool abilities, and there is a great variety for you to choose from. These will help you with enemies, obstacles, and bosses alike, and by the end of the game you will be sure to use all of them. Another great thing that you can do is link up with friends to play multiplayer. Each player takes the place of one of the CPU companion Kirbies, so that there are a total of four Kirbies at once (4 players and 0 CPUS, 2 players and 2 CPUS, etc.). You still can go off on your own ways or band together to go the same route, but either way you are sure to have a blast. For a Game Boy Advance game, Kirby and the Amazing Mirror really has a lot to it. I give it a 9 out of 10. This game is a great game to play either solo or with your friends.

-tedizslayer

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tedizslayer here to review The Legend of Zelda: Minish Cap!

We all know that the console Legends of Zelda are fantastic, but this game goes on to prove that the handheld ones are too. Minish Cap starts off with the evil Vaati stealing and destroying the sacred blade that kept evil out of Hyrule, and then turning Princess Zelda to stone. He quickly vanishes, leaving Hyrule in despair. Playing as Link, you must now set out to restore the sacred blade and take on Vaati. Along the way you meet Exlo, a mysterious talking cap who is able to turn Link tiny so that he can visit villages of the Picori (also known as the Minish), who are tiny creatures that live all throughout out Hyrule. They help you on your quest, and several of the dungeons that you must venture into are even Minish-sized! This means that normal enemies such as Chuchues (those things that look kind of like Wobbuffet) are giant in comparison to you and could even turn out to be major bosses (hint hint). The game has a lot of cool weapons, many interesting puzzles, great action moments, and vast areas to explore. I’ve played it several times through and find that there are still moments when I forget what to do because there’s just so much to it. From bookcases to graveyards to old forges/mines, the game buts big emphasis on exploration. I give it an 8.5. Thanks for reading!

-tedizslayer

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Hey everyone! tedizslayer here to review Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga!

Just like the later Mario and Luigi games, Superstar Saga was a Mario-based RPG that had you controlling both of the Mario Bros. After the evil ruler of the Beanbean Kingdom, Cackletta, steals Princess Peach’s voice and replaces it with destructive words (literally!), Mario and Luigi set out to stop Cackletta and get it back. But what an adventure it turns out to be! From earning fire and electric powers for the brothers to use, to battling a giant angry hermit crab, and even having to jump rope in order for guards to let you pass through their gates, this adventure has you constantly on the run and doing all sorts of crazy activities. There is a lot to explore in the Beanbean kingdom, and you will need to do so in order to move on to each area. Being an RPG, you will go into turn-based battle whenever you come into contact with an enemy, and learn new abilities to be used both in and out of battles as the game progresses. After defeating each enemy, each bro gets experience points, and once you have gained enough of them, you level up (this increases you stats such as Attack, Defense, Speed, etc. of course). The game has a lot of funny moments, and will keep you entertained and wanting more even once it’s over.  Overall, I give Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga a 9 out of 10. Its originality and great adventure make it still fun to play today!

-tedizslayer

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Hey, it’s tedizslayer, and I’m going to review Metal Gear Solid!

Alright, I have to admit that this game isn’t actually on the Game Boy Advance; surprisingly enough, it’s from the Game Boy Color. It doesn’t technically belong here, but after playing through such an amazing game, I just had to write a review on it.

We all know of the amazing Metal Gear Solid games stretching across the PlayStation consoles, but who knew that there was also one for the Game Boy Color? Released several years after the original Metal Gear Solid (for PS1), this wasn’t actually a canon game in the series (meaning its storyline doesn’t entirely tie in with the rest). It’s supposed to be a standalone sequel to the original Metal Gear from the 80’s. As Solid Snake, you must infiltrate Outer Heaven once again in order to reclaim the nuclear weapons that have been stolen from the government by a group of terrorists. You’re basically saving the world from breaking out into nuclear war. But the plot is surprisingly complex for a GBC game. There is a lot of dialogue and even some very basic cutscenes that make for a great telling of this game’s story. Hideo Kojima didn’t seem to think that just because this game was on the GBC didn’t mean that it couldn’t have one of the series-standard phenomenal stories. Composed of 11 separate but consecutive levels (each at LEAST a half hour in length, most of them closer to an hour), the game has an incredibly long story for such an old game. A lot of items and weapons from the original Metal Gear Solid (for PS1) are included in this game, including C4’s, thermal goggles, ID cards, grenades (standard, chaff, and stun), and the series-famous cardboard boxes to hide in. Of course, this game is all about stealth and being undetected, and it works almost flawlessly on the GBC. You are able to move in eight directions, toggle between stranding, crouching, or crawling, and can even lean up against walls and bang on them to distract the enemy. I can’t stress how evolved this felt for a GBC game. There are elements throughout the levels including conveyor belts, security cameras, elevators, and even infrared detectors. All of these will either work for or against you, and will either help you on your way or try to stop you. There’s even a radar in the corner of your screen that shows the room’s layout and dots for enemy soldiers or security cameras! The details like that are what really made me love this game. The guards in the game aren’t exactly geniuses. If they see you, they call in reinforcements and attack, but otherwise they stick to certain patterns and only look in the direction they’re walking in. Don’t think this means that it’s easy to infiltrate their base, though. They often are arranged so that when one isn’t facing the way you need to go, another one is. They tend to quickly look around corners before they turn, and sometimes even turn around in the middle of walking down the hallway to check behind them. You often have to spend a minute or two memorizing their patterns before you can get past them, and even then you can get caught. The standard Alert and Evasion phases from MGS (PS1) are in this installment as well. When guards see you, Alert stays at 100%, but when they don’t see you it decreases until it goes down to Evasion, and then back to normal (this is when the guards forget about you and return to their posts). Of course, you always have guns ready to take out foes, but going the action way doesn’t work well in this game (and rightfully so). You’ll quickly be overwhelmed by enemies and have no choice but to run. Plus, ammo packs are loosely scattered throughout each level; waste all of it in the beginning of the level and you may find yourself with nothing left later. The better option is to silently knock out guards with your fists and sneak past for the several seconds that they’re unconscious on the ground, then get away before they get suspicious and investigate the area. But from all of this that has been said, you get the picture: this game plays amazingly and has tons to offer; it seems impossible that this really is a game for the Game Boy Color because of how much is packed into it. And the graphics aren’t bad, either. To prove this, at one point in the game you have to look for an undercover ally of yours who is dressed as a soldier, but tipped you off that she has long blond hair and a red hat. You have to find her when there aren’t any guards near her and speak to her in private. If you try to talk to the wrong guard, it will set off the alert, and if you kill her by accident (by thinking she’s a regular guard) you’ll have to restart. After exploring the building and searching for her, it is very easy to spot her red cap and blond hair despite the old graphics. This game really pushed the GBC’s graphics past its limits. I could go on for hours about this game, but this will have to do. I can’t stress how much it feels like a game for the GBA or later, but the truth is that it’s for the good old Game Boy Color. It is overshadowed by most of the other games in the series, but it came out to be just as impressive and outstanding as many of them. I give it a 9.5 out of 10. Hideo Kojima loves pushing games and their consoles to the limit, and he certainly did that here.

 

-tedizslayer

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Howdy! tedizslayer here to bring you back to the past with Metroid: Zero Mission!

Metroid: Zero Mission is one of the greatest Metroid games out there. As a remake of the original Metroid, MZM follows Samus on her quest to rid planet Zebes, her former homeworld, of the Metroid species. Along the way she must battle series-famous bosses Ridley, Kraid, and Mother Brain. It truly is one of the best sidescroller-shooter/adventure games out there. You start off with very few abilities (she doesn’t even have morph ball or missiles yet), but quickly begin to pick up new ones and grow more and more powerful. Planet Zebes is divided into several sections which you explore in search of power-ups and the Metroids: the cavernous Brinstar, the dungeons in Kraid, the fiery Ridley, confusing Norfair, and the above-ground Chozodia. After defeating the two guardians of Mother Brain, Kraid and Ridley (by the way, Kraid and Ridley are both the names of the bosses and the names of the places in which they each live) and collecting all of the powerup abilities (plus as many missile and energy packs as you can find), you descend into the final section: Tourian. There you encounter swarms of the Metroids, which team up on you and such away your energy. After defeating all of them in the rooms in which they are hiding, you move on to face Mother Brain, leader of the Space Pirates, who were responsible for the deaths of Samus’s parents, as well as the deaths of the Chozos, who raised Samus after she was orphaned. Samus has vowed to get revenge ever since, and now is her chance. After defeating Mother Brain you escape to your ship and watch as the entire area around where Mother Brain was stationed explodes. That is how the original Metroid ended, but in Metroid: Zero Mission there is a twist. Just as Samus begins to relax she is surrounded by Space Pirates, who were planning an ambush against her; Samus’s ship is shot down, and she finds herself stranded near their ship (which landed on Zebes) without her power suit or ship: you are now playing as Zero Samus, armed with nothing but a stun pistol, and ready to face an army of Space Pirates. LET’S DO THIS! That’s all I’ll say for now, as I don’t want to spoil anything beyond the original Metroid storyline. The game is rather short and can be completed in as few as 2 hours or less, but in order to do that you must be very quick and skip a lot of items along the way; by taking your time and exploring planet Zebes, the game will probably take around 4-6 hours to complete, or shorter depending on how many extra powerups you plan to get. One very cool thing about the game is all of its different endings: depending on factors such as the difficulty setting, the number of powerups you pick up, and the time you complete the game in, there will be one of many different pictures of Samus at the end of the game, in different poses with her Power suit on, off, or sometimes helmet off and suit on, etc. Overall, it is a great game. You get to explore a vast area filled with creatures that want you dead, and take on an army of Space Pirates with a stun pistol. It is one of the best in the series, and I give Metroid: Zero Mission a 9 out of 10. It’s an old game for the Game Boy Advance, so I’m sure that you can find a great deal on this game. Go get yours today!

  

-tedizslayer

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Sapphire11 here and I will be reviewing Pokemon Sapphire Version!

Pokemon Sapphire Version lets you journey through the Hoenn Region with Pokemon from this region. You start your journey in Littleroot town and you go to Prof. Birch to get your starter. The three starters in this game are Treeko (Grass), Mudkip (Water), and Torchic (Fire). Unlike past versions Sapphire version does not have Team Rocket as the bad guys. Instead there are Team Aqua and Team Magma. In this game Team Aqua claim to be the good guys and say Team Magma wants to take over the world. (In Ruby version Team Magma claim they are good and that Team Aqua are bad.) The objective in this game is the same as the other Pokemon versions, but there are different events, different Pokemon, and new features. In Sapphire version your player can make a secret base and decorate it with mats, dolls, and other furniture.  The legendary Pokemon you encounter with in this game are Kyogre, Rayquaza,  and Latias. In Ruby you find Groudon and Latios (but still get Rayquaza). I personally like Kyogre over Groudon and Latios over Latias. The Elite Four are also different and when you do beat the Elite Four you can go get a Beldum (Pre-Evolved form of Metagross) from the Champion, Steven. You also have a choice of two bikes: Acro, and Macro. Acro bike has slow speed, but allows you to do tricks and turn quickly. The Macro bike is all speed, has horrible turning, and can’t do tricks. You will have to use both bikes to go through certain places in the game so make shure you switch bikes when needed. That’s all I have to say since this game is otherwise like other versions. On Sapph’s scale of gaming this game gets a 9 out of 10 and remains to be my second favorite Pokemon version of all time. Until next time,  this is Sapphire11 with another great GBA review!

Note: Pokemon Emerald was released one year later and this game allowed you to get Kyogre, Groudon, and Rayquaza. You also had the choice of catching Latias or Latios, and after you become the champion you can go to the Battle Frontier. The game also had different events and both Team Aqua and Team Magma fights against each other.

-sapphire11

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Hey! tedizslayer here to give you my opinion on Shrek 2.

Sure, Shrek 2 is a game based off of a movie, and those types of games often turn out to be pretty bad. But Shrek 2 is actually a pretty fun game. If you haven’t seen the movie, then I’ll leave the story up to you to figure out, but in a nutshell, Shrek has to travel to Far Far Away to meet Fiona’s parents. The game has you following the general story line of the movie. It is a relatively simple 2-D platformer that has you controlling a variety of characters, including Shrek, Donkey, Puss N Boots, and even the Gingerbread Man. Many obstacles including enemies, traps, and locked doors stand in your way. and each of the different characters have abilities that will allow you to pass through. For example, the Gingerbread Man has very low health, but can jump very high, squeeze through narrow spaces, and can throw candy canes as weapons across the screen. Puss N Boots can climb walls. Donkey can kick objects at enemies or onto platforms, and so on. There are puzzles and mini games throughout the levels, as well as items that will give you an extra kick: fairies let you glide when you jump, clovers act as an extra point of health, and armor makes you invincible but slow-moving and unable to jump. For a simple game based off of a movie, there’s a lot to it, and although some levels can feel repetitive or boring, it’s essentially a fun game. I give it a 7 out of 10. Thanks for reading and please stop back soon!

 

-tedizslayer

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This is tedizslayer, here to present my review on Yoshi’s Island. This game was originally for the Super Nintendo (SNES), and was later remade for the Game Boy Advance. Both versions of the game are very similar.

After Yoshi was first introduced into the Mario series in Super Mario World, his story began to grow. This was led primarily by Yoshi’s Island, a prequel to most of the games in the Mario series, set back when Mario and Luigi were mere babies. As Mario and Luigi are being delivered by a stork to there witing parents, they are suddenly attacked by Kamek and his band of Magikoopas. They want to steal the babies. After successfully nabbing Luigi, the Magikoopas fail to grab Baby Mario, who plummets through the air to the island below. At the same time, Yoshi is taking a stroll along the island, and is flabbergasted (I love saying that word) when Baby Mario suddenly falls out of the sky and lands on his back. After seeing the Magikoopas rush away with Luigi, the Yoshis gather and decide that they must take care of Baby Mario, and find Luigi, so that they can be brought to their parents. They then set off through five worlds in order to rescue Baby Luigi from Bowser’s castle. The game is a lot of fun. You control Yoshi while Baby Mario sits on your back. You can eat and spit out enemies, make and throw eggs, ground pound, and flutter through the air. It is a classic platformer that introduces all types of challenges, anything from balancing on boulders, to riding on moving platforms through caves flowing with lava, to dodging Chain Chomps jumping across your screen. As opposed to having health, you must avoid losing Baby Mario. When you get hit, you have 10-30 seconds to get him back (he will move around the screen while trapped in a bubble, which you have to make contact with in order to get him back), and if you fail to do so within the time limit, the Magikoopas will come and carry him away. Of course you can always lose by falling in a pit or landing in lava, but the game doesn’t really have the standard health implementation found in many other platformers. Overall, Yoshi’s Island is a really fun game. With tons of levels, unforgettable bosses, and challenging courses, it is one of the classic Mario games which should never be forgotten. It deserves a respectable 8.5 out of 10.

 

-tedizslayer 

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Sapphire11 here with my review for Yugioh GX Duel Academy!

Yugioh GX Duel Academy is the first game in the Yugioh card game series that allows players to explore around Duel Academy and challenge other students. Players start off the game by creating a name for your character and talk to almost everyone in Duel Academy. You have a choice of either seeing a tutorial on how to construct your own deck and learn to duel others, or skip the tutorial and just play the game! The object of the game is to become the King of Games by being the best duelist and doing other events in the game. You get a pay check every month and players use their DP (Duel Points) to buy booster packs at the shop. There are many cards to collect and there are many ways to make your deck the best deck. Each month your character has exams in which you have to answer questions, win a timed duel, and also complete the given assignment. An example of an assignment is to beat your opponent by using a lot of trap cards. If you get a very high score overall on your test you can advance to the next dorm. The three dorms are Slifer Red, Ra Yellow, and Obelisk Blue and they are the same dorms that appear in the Yugioh GX TV show! You will have choice to pick which dorm you want to advance to only if you score high on the test. Players can also search for pass codes online to get a card they really want and enter them at the password machine at the store. One element that’s missing from this game that are in other Yugioh games on the GBA is that you do not move your character. Other than that this game is flawless and really gets your brain going. To this day I have never beaten the game since it is really challenging to get the King of Games rank. On Sapp’s Scale of Gaming this game gets a 9.2 out of 10 and it also comes with 3 limited editon holographic cards! Check back soon for yet another GBA review!

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