This is my favorite video game of all time. Hands down. While later games in the series are better and have more depth, the first game is just so raw and visceral. It had a weight to the fighting that other games didn’t have while still feeling fluid and well-balanced. This translated well to home consoles on the Genesis, SNES, and even MS-DOS, despite their own flaws. Even the Game Gear version did well. However, I don’t know what I’m seeing on the Game Boy. I don’t think it’s the lack of power in the system, as the Master System and Game Gear versions are 8-bit and still play really well. The Game Boy version is just so bad. I can look past the visuals. They look pretty okay despite being a monochrome color. What isn’t excusable is the cut character. Johnny Cage isn’t present at all. Why bother if you can’t include the already small roster?
That’s not the worst part. The controls are also forgivable, as the Game Gear and Master System also only have two buttons to work with, which they manage. Holding away or towards the punch or kick button will do things like roundhouse kicks or sweeps. The special moves are also intact, including the fatalities. There are also many cut-scene stages. We only get The Pit, The Courtyard, and Goro’s Lair. All of the stages could have been included, I’m sure. This is only a 256-kb game, which is unacceptable when 8-MB cartridges were available. They could have put all of the content here. But, again, that’s not the worst part about the game.
It’s just downright unplayable. The characters feel like they’re fighting in molasses; animations take 2-3 seconds to complete; and there’s just a serious delay in everything. The health bars are terribly done; there’s no blood, no gore, and no Test-Your-Might either. The game is severely butchered and cut back for no reason. The manual is more interesting than the game itself. It’s written in the form of a comic book with great illustrations. That’s pretty sad.
There’s almost no redeeming value in this game other than for collectors. There are much better versions, let alone 8-bit versions, out there. This is by far the worst version of the game ever made, and I feel bad for anyone who paid full price for this game back in the day. Maybe a Game Boy Color version could have come around and done better, but it never happened. While the game looks the part and the character sprites are decent, the sluggish and unresponsive gameplay just doesn’t work. It’s too bad because the control layout works fine and is used on other 8-bit systems as well. I can only recommend this out of pure curiosity and nothing more.
The Game Gear was a system that was revolutionary at the time and really tried to do some brave stuff compared to the Game Boy. First off, it was competing with the Game Boy. Sega really thought they could deliver a different system to appeal to their already hardcore audience, and they kind of did. Sega succeeded in making a good handheld system, but with many flaws, some of which the Game Boy didn’t have to deal with.
First off, the handheld’s orientation is what handhelds will eventually end up becoming. The horizontal length that Atari set as standard with the Lynx, Sega took off with, and it just became the standard. Sega’s ‘tude branding leaked out onto the Game Gear, and their leading IPs pushed the system. Sonic the Hedgehog was great on the handheld, as were other Sega DNA-style games. Sonic Pinball,Streets of Rage, Ax Battler, The Lion King, and many others This felt like a Sega handheld. Sadly, it was 8-bit and not 16-bit like its older brother. Despite coming out two years after the Game Boy, the only leading technology they had was a backlit screen, and barely at that.
The Game Gear screen is notoriously bad. While it is backlit, it’s also blurry and just doesn’t look that great. You still need to be in a dimly lit room, but you can at least see the screen. Props to Sega for beating out Nintendo on that front. Because of this, the system chewed through six AA batteries. Yeah, I’m not joking. The battery life was maybe 4 hours, all because of this screen. The internal hardware was the same as the Sega Master System, so it was competing for that 8-bit handheld crown. It’s nothing technically impressive outside of that screen, and those with bigger hands will appreciate the chonkiness of this beast.
In today’s world, the Game Gear is a much harder system to use and play as it has leaky capacitors, which usually destroy the sound. You will find many Game Gears with low volume issues, and many people will just chuck these. You can also install a McWill LCD mod, but these aren’t drop-ins and are much more expensive than Game Boy drop-in LCDs. There is a new mod by Retrosix that uses a new screen PCB with a drop-in LCD, but it still isn’t a drop solution. However, just like any older handheld, this is a must-have mod at minimum for playing a Game Gear today.
We judge older systems based on their libraries, and the Game Gear has a surprisingly robust library for those who like the Sega DNA from the 90s. Games like Sonic the Hedgehog, Mortal Kombat, Paperboy, The Simpsons, Ax Battler, Gunstar Heroes, Puyo Puyo, Streets of Rage, Wonder Boy, Castle of Illusion, Ristar, and many more may sound familiar to you. If you love the Master System or Genesis, then this handheld is a must-have for you. If you don’t care for those systems, you aren’t going to find much difference here in handheld form. Sega really marketed the Game Gear as a portable console experience rather than a separate handheld experience like Nintendo did. The games sound and play really well, and any fan of Sega couldn’t ask for anything better in portable form.
With that said, the system has a lot of faults, including full-on hardware faults that we suffer from today. Unlike the Game Boys, you can still enjoy those today without any mods, but the Game Gear really needs a screen upgrade. That CFL tube in the system drains batteries, and you actually improve battery life with a modern upgrade. There were various accessories, such as battery packs and TV tuners, for the system, but most of those are obsolete these days and won’t work. There are also two different models of the Game Gear. The original model from Sega and then a budget release from Majesco. These models have rounder front shells and make modding the system more difficult.
The GameBoy Color wasn’t something I had growing up. My parents couldn’t afford one. I had the DMB GameBoy, but that was it until the GBA SP came out. I did play some of my classmates’ GBC in school here and there and did experience Pokemon Blue a few times, but my GBC experience has mostly been as an adult, and mostly in the last few years. See, the GBA SP could play GameBoy games, but I always felt they were “old and dumb” being 8-bit titles. I had very little money growing up, and I didn’t want to waste it on older titles. I only owned a single GBC game, and it was The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX, which I never finished.
Fast forward over a decade later, and I appreciate the system a lot more. While I have a modded GBC with a modern backlit LCD, RGB buttons, and USB-C charging, I still remember what the system was like as stock. One thing that kept me from wanting one was the lack of a backlight. The GameBoy Lite had a backlight; why couldn’t the GBC? I understand it was a budget system as the hardware inside was dirt cheap to produce at this point, but come on, Nintendo! You still needed a flashlight or had to play with a flashlight under the blankets. This makes playing today nearly impossible and unbearable with all of the modern LCD display technologies we have. Some like this and get a more nostalgic feeling from it, but I didn’t play my original DMB Gameboy much because of this when I got it for my 7th birthday back in 1997.
Not much else is improved over the original model. The Gameboy Pocket had already been released at this point, but it did feel lighter and was slimmer than the original model. However, the screen was smaller at 2.3″ compared to the DMG’s 2.6″, but it was in color, so there was a trade-off. It did have more RAM, which was needed for the wider color palette, and the sound was slightly improved, but we still had the same 10-year-old processor. We got square wave channels, which made the system less “bleepy” than the original model, but not by much. The only other I/O was an infrared receiver, which could be used to beam digital data across to other consoles. The battery life was also cut by 1/3 due to the color screen.
Some might say there are more drawbacks and improvements, but just the color alone was incredible. Many later DMB games were released with GBC compatibility, and later, hundreds of GBC-only games were released. The system still feels great to play to this day. It’s clearly the best Gameboy to have, as it can play original games with a slightly better screen. However, if you own both, the slightly larger screen for the original games might be preferred. It’s all down to personal taste, to be honest. We mostly judge these older systems on their libraries, and the Gameboy and GBC libraries are some of the best. Classics like Tetris, Wario Land II, Pokemon, Metal Gear Solid, Super Mario Land, and many more are engrained in millions of people’s minds. As for the original hardware, the only setback is that screen. I wish it had more improvements, and it feels like it could have had more, but at this point, the GBA was probably deep in R&D and only a few years away.
If you get one today, I suggest getting an LCD upgrade at the bare minimum. USB-C and any other mods are optional and not really needed because the system has great battery life already. You can do the mod yourself or buy one custom-built from many shops online. There are so many aftermarket shells, buttons, silicone pads, and even sound mods for these handhelds that have blown up over the last 5 years. It will get to a point where you will have trouble finding someone with an unmodded Gameboy.
Many people use video game reviews to determine how to spend their hard-earned dollars. While as an adult I don’t take this as seriously and I now make my own money, I am more forgiving of games that aren’t perfect. As kids or teens, we have limited money and are usually picked through gaming magazines to determine if that one game was worth the money because we only get a few a year. For me, it was only during Christmas that my parents bought games. I mostly rented mine throughout my childhood and teen years. Even for rentals, I was picky, as I didn’t want to be stuck on my weekend with a dud of a game. Even a 7/10 or 3.5/5 would be considered a waste of time. This was the last generation in which AAA title after AAA title would be considered fantastic, and with so many exclusives, it was hard to keep up with. The HD era of gaming would see budgets balloon to insane heights, and game releases would slow down as a result.
In my eyes, 7/10 or 3.5/5 games are mostly ignored. These aren’t always considered hidden gems, either. Some are, but some are just considered forgettable. Not awful or good, but just passes under everyone’s radar. These aren’t the “so bad it’s good” games either. A few of these games have cult followings; a few I had only heard of while compiling this list, and some I played myself growing up. I compiled this list from Metacritic with games between 74 and 70. I feel that’s the true blue 7 range. 79- and 78-rated games usually only have about 25% of the critics giving them a 7 to bring an otherwise 8 score down some. These games are at least rated by half the critics as 7/10. While I know many people don’t listen to critics, and some might feel this game should be rated higher or lower, this is subjective. Like it or not, critic reviews drive sales, and it may be the reason why you might find a few games on this list you’ve never heard of, thought were talked about worse than you remember, or something along those lines.
Chili Con Carnage – 2007
While not as good as the PS2 entry, playing this frantic shooter was marred by clumsy controls and a poor camera, but it isn’t horrible. It does feel dated and formulaic even at the time of release, however. This would be the final game in the series.
Every Extend Extra – 2006
While visually pretty and fun at first, the game doesn’t have enough content or gameplay elements to keep you busy for very long. If you like Geometry Wars or other bite-sized shooters that don’t do much other than throw challenging enemies at you, then this is for you.
Most Recent Entry: E4: Every Extend Extra Extreme – 2007 (X360)
ClaDun x2 – 2011
You have to really love old-school 16-bit JRPGs to like this game. The story is mostly absent, but the game offers fun RPG elements with cute pixel art. Pretty simple. It also doesn’t do anything new compared to its predecessor.
Most Recent Entry: ClaDun Returns: This is Sengoku! – 2017 (PS4, VITA, PC)
FlatOut: Head On – 2008
Compared to being too close to Burnout, FlatOut does offer a smattering of content and a great sense of speed. It may be simple and might get boring for some, but it’s one of the better racers on the system.
Most Recent Entry: Fl4tOut: Total Insanity – 2017 (PC, PS4, XONE)
Patapon 3 – 2011
The third and final game in the series was met with less fanfare than before. The game focused less on what made Pataponspecial and more on new features. It was starting to stray from what people liked so much. It’s still not a bad game, and if you’ve never played the series, you will be in for tons of charm and beautiful graphics.
Darkstalkers Chronicle: The Chaos Tower – 2004
A fantastic launch title marred by the PSP D-Pad. Many felt the classic game was hindered by this and required third-party solutions to go over the D-Pad. If you play this on the Vita, it’s a bit better. It’s still a good-looking and solid fighter in the system. Especially for being the first-ever PSP fighter available.
Most Recent Entry: Darkstalkers: Resurrection – 2013 (PS3, X360)
Need for Speed Underground Rivals – 2005 Need for Speed: Most Wanted 5-1-0 – 2005
If you’re okay with an uneven framerate, awkward controls, and rubberband AI, then Rivals is for you. Bringing the franchise to the PSP was expected, but it was only the first outing on the system. Most Wanted looked great and had a good sense of speed, but lacked variety in race types and overall content.
Most Recent Entry: Need for Speed Unbound – 2022 (PC, PS5, XSX)
Fat Princess: Fistful of Cake – 2010
A great addition to the PS3 version with great multiplayer. Sadly, the levels weren’t as big, and the single-player AI wasn’t that fun. I remember playing this and losing a lot because of how bad the AI was. It’s still a fun title on the system.
Most Recent Entry: Fat Princess Adventures – 2015 (PS4)
Dungeon Siege: Throne of Agony – 2006
The best dungeon crawler on the system at the time, and sadly, none of them ever achieved greatness. This one was fun and did everything you’d like, albeit in the simplest form. Dungeon-crawling fans would still find over a dozen hours of fun content here.
Most Recent Entry: Dungeon Siege III – 2011 (PC, PS3, X360)
Power Stone Collection – 2006
A serviceable port of the Dreamcast games. Sadly, there was no online play, which really irked gamers, and it was a straight-up port. No extras, no new visuals, nothing. If you loved the originals, this is all you’ve got. Sadly, it was the last entry in the series.
SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo 3 – 2010
This is the best game in the PSP trilogy, and if you only play one game, play this one. While the series didn’t evolve much from the PS2 games, it was still the best online shooter for the system. Improved controls, visuals, and overall design. It’s one of the best shooters in the system, period.
Most Recent Entry: SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy SEALs – 2011 (PS3)
One of the most anticipated games on the system, and many gave up after a few years. This was one of the most exciting games I could imagine on the system. It was rumored to be a launch title and then kept getting pushed back more and more due to the focus of Gran Turismo 5. It was finally released, but it felt like, “Here, take what we have so far. That’s all you’re getting,” she said, and she gave up. The game looks phenomenal and runs well, but it lacks a career mode. The biggest disappointment of the game was a huge blow. Many didn’t even bother picking it up because of that. It had arcade-style modes with a racing sim.
Most Recent Entry: Gran Turismo 7 – 2022 (PS4, PS5)
Star Ocean: First Departure – 2008
Westerners didn’t get the first SNES outing, so it was brought back on the PSP. Sadly, it feels dated and may only appeal to diehard fans or those who love 16-bit JRPGs. There weren’t any extras or improvements outside of some 3D-generated backdrops.
Most Recent Entry: Star Ocean: The Divine Force – 2022 (PC, NS, PS4, PS5, XONE, XSX)
Infected – 2005
Despite the interesting concept of infecting other players online, it was incredibly repetitive and not worth the $40 asking price. This was among the first generation of PSP titles to be released, so it also didn’t look that good either. It’s fast-paced arcade fun for a couple of hours, and that’s about it.
PQ2: Practical Intelligence Quotient – 2007
Part of the Intelligent Cube line of games by Professor Koyasu and the final game in the series, test your IQ with hundreds of puzzles. The game feels nostalgic, especially to those who are fans of his games, but the presentation is really lacking and makes no excuse for a more modern system.
Summon Night 5 – 2015
This was released for the PSP in 2015, if you can believe it. It’s one of the last games to ever be released in the West on the system. The story is great, so that’s good for those who want that in their SRPGs, but the combat is tedious and there’s no exploration. It’s just one battle after another, with a story in between.
Most Recent Entry: Summon Night 6: Lost Borders – 2016 (PS4, VITA)
Bomberman – 2006
Despite playing like your typical Bomberman, there’s not much here. It’s a port of an older arcade game with no extras and only local wireless play. Online functionality could have gone a long way, and maybe some updated visuals If you like classic Bomberman, look no further.
Most Recent Entry: Amazing Bomberman – 2022 (MAC, iOS)
What Did I Do to Deserve This, My Lord?! 2 – 2010
A great sequel with a fun sense of dark humor, but the steep learning curve wasn’t dialed back from the first game. If you love 16-bit-looking arcade titles that require a lot of dedication to master, then this is for you.
Pursuit Force: Extreme Justice – 2008
A bombastic scripted arcade title full of high-speed chases and explosions This is a solid series on the PSP, but it never got a lot of love, and this would be it. There’s improvement here; the visuals are better, and the story is entertaining if simple, but it’s over before you know it with no real replay value.
Namco Museum Battle Collection – 2005
A great collection of games for a decent price. Taking these on the go without being dumbed down was a first, and the PSP was a great handheld to have these on. There weren’t many extras, and the staying power would depend on how much you loved 8-bit games.
Most Recent Entry: Namco Museum Archives Vol. 2 – 2020 (PC, NS, PS4, XONE)
Yggdra Union: We’ll Never Fight Alone – 2008
A port of the GBA game and part of the loosely connected Dept. Heaven series from Atlus. This was, sadly, just a straight-up port. There were no enhancements or features added. While it is the best way to play thanks to the voice acting that was added, the strategy is simple, so this isn’t for hardcore SRPG fans.
Hammerin’ Hero – 2009
A fun rhythm-style platformer that wasn’t too difficult Sadly, control issues marred the game, and it would be the last one in the series. It’s still really cute and has a lot of charm.
Gun: Showdown – 2006
A surprising reworking of the game specifically for the PSP. The open world is cut for large areas, bite-sized missions, and fun multiplayer offerings. It’s not perfect, as it looks rather ugly and has some control issues, but overall, it’s the closest to a portable Red Dead Redemption we’ll ever get.
LocoRoco: Midnight Carnival – 2009
Being the third outing on the PSP, everyone was kind of done with this series. It was still charming, but that had fully worn off on most people by now. It was also a download-only title, so it went under a lot of people’s radar.
Most Recent Entry: LocoRoco: Remastered – 2017 (PS4)
Being the last and final game in the series, it’s surprising how little has changed. It has the classic sense of speed and gameplay, but the boring missions and plain visuals don’t help. This is mostly for diehard fans.
Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron – 2007
It’s awesome that this series came to the PSP at all. Sadly, the game looks pretty ugly and has a short single-player campaign. These games are best played online, and the servers are long dead. If you can get some friends together, it’s a blast.
Most Recent Entry: Star Wars Battlefront II – 2017 (PC, PS4, XONE)
Capcom Classic Collection Remixed – 2006
Many complained about the D-Pad not working well for this game, and the blue screen (the original PSP-1000 model had it pretty bad) made the game unenjoyable for some. If you can play it on a newer PSP model or even the Vita, then you will have a better time.
Mostly an irrelevant entry today, the game had repetitive missions and hadn’t advanced the series at all. It was great for diehard fans, but the barrier to entry was still really high. Still, multiplayer was where it was at. The game did suffer from long load times as well.
A fun and charming puzzle game void of personality The puzzles are really challenging, and the game is easy to learn, but some puzzles may cause you to throw your PSP. This was an early puzzle offering that, sadly, only got one sequel.
Most Recent Entry: Tokobot Plus: Mysteries of the Karakuri – 2006 (PS2)
Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero? – 2009
You couldn’t be a PSP owner without hearing about this game. This was considered one of the hardest platformers ever made at the time. Everyone also ate up the humor, which is still great today. While the series has improved and still lives on today, this first entry was either loved or hated, just like Dark Souls. You loved masochist games or just didn’t.
Most Recent Entry: Prinny 2: Dawn of the Operation Panties, Dood! – 2020 (NS)
Kingdom of Paradise – 2005
Don’t come for the story. The game also looks pretty generic, but the combat is fun, and it was an early title for the system. One of the only RPGs at the time. It’s not the best on the system, but it’s unique, and sadly, it never got a sequel.
Ultimate Ghosts ‘n Goblins – 2006
Fans of the series will love to know that this is still hard as balls, but there were difficulty settings added for newcomers as well. It’s great to go through this on easier difficulties to learn the levels and then ramp it up. It didn’t advance the series at all, but it’s still a lot of fun.
Most Recent Entry: Ghosts ‘n Goblins: Resurrection – 2021 (PC, NS, PS4, XONE)
SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Tactical Strike – 2007
The black sheep of the series A slower, more strategic approach makes sense in handheld form with limited controls. This plays kind of like Full Spectrum Warrior. Strategy fans had another series to get into, while long-term fans loathed the slower approach and lack of direct control. It’s a great game that could have been better with refinement in further sequels. Sadly, it didn’t sell very well.
Most Recent Entry: SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy SEALs – 2011 (PS3)
Medal of Honor Heroes – 2006
At this point in time, everyone was tired of the WWII FPS craze. Heroes didn’t advance the series at all and, in fact, dialed it back by giving us linear and short missions to complete. It was a very short game but had awesome online multiplayer, which was quite popular at the time. It also looked really good. Just don’t expect anything ground-breaking for the genre or series.
Most Recent Entry: Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond – 2020 (PC)
Ace Combat: Joint Assault – 2010
It’s Ace Combat, all right, and it’s mostly safe and sometimes boring for the wrong type of person. If you want your plane sim on the go, then look no further. Just don’t expect it to innovate or excite.
Believe it or not, the entire series started here. This Monster Hunter clone is best played with others, but it doesn’t offer much new in the genre. If the anime or manga appeals to you, then go for it. Fans of Monster Hunter might not find enough freshness here.
Most Recent Entry: God Eater 3 – 2018 (PC, PS4, NS)
One of the most anticipated games on the system and the last big AAA title ever released for it. It was also one of the biggest disappointments. Long-time Parasite Eve fans were expecting an atmospheric horror title, but what we got was a frantic, repetitive, and chaotic shooter. It’s pretty to look at, but the story is confusing and the gameplay requires patience. It’s not for everyone.
Kenka Bancho: Badass Rumble – 2009
This weird and zany Japanese beat ’em up had lots of humor and looked decent, but the combat was slow and it was really short. If you liked God Hand, you will like this game. Just expect some clunking in all its systems.
Dungeon Maker: Hunting Ground – 2007
Don’t come into this expecting excitement. You create your own loot dungeon, pick your mobs, and go in and smash everything down. It’s plain and dry, and it might be dull for anyone who isn’t heavily into JRPGs. Also, don’t expect any kind of interesting story. It’s a unique game, but it won’t be for everyone.
Most Recent Entry: Master of the Monster Lair – 2008 (DS)
GripShift – 2005
A unique twist of Super Monkey Ballmeets stunt cars The insane trial and error needed is a love-or-hate-it situation. If you hate those kinds of puzzles, you will detest this game. It’s fast-paced, looks good, and has been ported to newer systems over time.
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Heroes – 2007
A fun fighter on the PSP without needing to be a Naruto fan You also only need one copy of the game to play with others. It’s not very deep, and it may not hold your attention for long, but it’s fine.
Most Recent Entry: Naruto X Boruto Ninja Tribes – 2020 (AND, iOS)
Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai – 2006
Not very deep or as flashy, but with a large roster and a friend, you were sure to have a good time. Non-DBZfans may not find much here, but it at least got the feeling right.
Most Recent Entry: Dragon Ball: The Breakers – 2022 (PC, NS, PS4, XONE)
Mortal Kombat: Unchained – 2006
The port of Deception had a lot of hype around it. It included all of the content, and nothing was cut except a single fight style for every character. What we did get was a lazy port. Compressed audio, muddy visuals, and no online play. Yeah, the biggest blow to this game was the lack of online play that the PS2 version had. It’s still a solid 3D fighter, but if you didn’t like this era of MK games, it won’t change your mind.
Wild West games blew up in the mid-2000s. Games like Read Dead Revolver and Call of Juarez really pushed the genre forward. Gun was a highly anticipated open-world game that was being watched by Grand Theft Auto fans. I remember reading about this game in magazines leading up to its release and being disappointed with how linear and simple it was. You play Colt White, who is just living day-to-day life with his father, Ned White, when he dies, and you get sent on a mission to avenge him, which leads to a road of greed and death. The story is really simple and short. It’s honestly very one-dimensional, but the voice acting is solid, with major actors like Tom Skerret and Ron Perlman.
The majority of the game is made up of shooting. As the title implies, guns are the main focus of the game. You have an array of weapon types, such as six-shooters, lever-action rifles, sniper rifles (bolt-action), melee, throwables, and bows. You slowly unlock these weapons as you play the story, and you can also upgrade them at the shopkeep. You can acquire more gold by finding it in the wild or completing side missions. Side missions are the second bulk of the game, ranging from bounties to poker games and, overall, just shooting up more bad guys. There’s no variation in mission type outside of the names. In the end, you’re either killing someone or rescuing a horse.
Horseback riding is a major gameplay element here, and it’s done surprisingly well for the time. They’re treated kind of like cars in the GTA. They have health meters, which are also tied to stamina. Overwork your horse, and it will die. You can trample enemies with the horse, which is great for clearing out large groups, and they are needed to travel between the two towns. This is one disappointment I have with the game. It’s surprisingly linear, and the open-endedness is an illusion. This is just one large map full of brown dust, canyons, a couple of rivers, and a meadow. The game is very dull and void of any life, unlike GTA, which feels vibrant and constantly moving. There’s just the wind and twanging background music playing. The towns may have three or four people walking around, and there are no interiors to speak of. It’s indeed a very empty world.
I highly recommend just blowing through the story mode in the 4-5 hours it takes and forgoing most upgrades. Despite having this shop system, it is pretty much pointless. Sure, it helps to have more damage or quicker reloads, but the quickdraw allows you to kind of cheat and constantly use it as long as you’re killing enemies to refill it. Empty the meter. Shoot about five enemies and empty it again. I never really saw the need for most of the upgrades. This will alleviate the pain of completing these dull side missions.
The shooting in Gun is mostly stiff and awkward. It’s not amazing. There is a sticky auto-aim, and you can aim down your sights with rifles, but the camera zooms too far in, and you can’t follow anyone up close. Stealth is pretty much pointless outside of a single-story mission because enemies can somehow see and hear you from a mile away. The explosives were surprisingly useless as well. Enemies can stand just in front of or behind an explosion, and they aren’t affected. This is really terrible. There are some missions that have you mount a cannon and hit everything dead on. There is no splash damage for explosions in this game. It makes no sense.
Overall, the game is very linear, ugly, and pretty repetitive. The side missions don’t add any variation, the upgrade system can be skipped entirely, and the open world is void of life. The only redeeming value of this game is its great voice acting, many cut-scenes, and short length. The story isn’t even anything noteworthy either, and the same goes for the characters. With their short length, they have no time to expand or grow on us. We get no backstory. Just the here-and-now, and that means nothing when characters die. I would only recommend this game if you’re itching for a Western game and need to go back in time, but this game really did not live up to the hype upon release.
Many people use video game reviews to determine how to spend their hard-earned dollars. While as an adult I don’t take this as seriously and I now make my own money I am more forgiving of games that aren’t perfect. As kids or teens, we have limited money and are usually picked through gaming magazines to determine if that one game was worth the money because we only got a few a year. For me, it was only during Christmas time that my parents bought games. I mostly rented mine throughout my childhood and teen years. Even for rentals, I was picky as I didn’t want to be stuck on my weekend with a dud of a game. Even a 7/10 or 3.5/5 would be considered a waste of time. This was the last generation in which AAA title after AAA title would be considered fantastic and with so many exclusives it was hard to keep up with. The HD era of gaming would see budgets balloon to insane heights and game releases slowed down as a result.
In my eyes, 7/10 or 3.5/5 games are mostly ignored. These aren’t always considered hidden gems either. Some are, but some are just considered forgettable. Not awful or good, but just passes under everyone’s radar. These aren’t the “so bad it’s good” games either. A few of these games have cult followings; a few I had only heard of while compiling this list and some I played myself growing up. I compiled this list from Metacritic with games between 74-70. I feel that’s the true blue 7 range. 79 and 78-rated games usually only have about 25% of the critics giving it a 7 to bring an otherwise 8 score down some. These games are at least rated by half the critics as 7/10. While I know many people don’t listen to critics and some might feel this game should be rated higher or lower is subjective. Like it or not, critic reviews drive sales and it may be the reason why you might find a few games on this list you’ve never heard of, thought was talked about worse than you remember, or something along those lines
Marble Saga: Kororinpa – 2009
The second and final game in the Kororinpa series, Marble Sagaadds enough that is new to make it feel worthwhile. It’s really addictive and fun despite the bland visuals. It has plenty of modes and a level editor as well.
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz – 2006
The game doesn’t evolve much here. The mini-games grow tiresome and most of the overall content can get on your nerves, but the multiple control options really help.
Most Recent Entry: Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania – 2021 (NS, PS4, PS5, XONE, XSX, PC)
The Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces – 2010
Motion controls were well done here, but in the end, the missions aren’t very exciting. It’s a good-looking arcade-like dogfighter on Wii, but don’t expect anything exciting.
Naruto: Clash of the Ninja Revolution 2 – 2008 Naruto Shippuden: Clash of the Ninja Revolution III – 2009
Simplistic gameplay really hampered the experience here, and the story is lame, but the online play really bolstered the longevity of the game and added challenge.
Most Recent Entry: Naruto X Boruto Ninja Tribes – 2020 (AND, iOS)
Lit – 2009
A unique horror game that used the Wii remote like a flashlight. The shadow puzzles were fun, but the game is forgettable due to a lack of a compelling story or world.
Dive: The Medes Islands Secret – 2009
A good-looking platformer that was mostly generic feeling and average. While it was fun and wasn’t bad in any way it just didn’t provide anything to stand out.
Just Dance 2 – 2010
The series was birthed on the Wii. The second major outing didn’t approve of the first very much. It’s exactly the same as before with a new song selection and slightly better visuals. The series has lived on to this day.
Most Recent Entry: Just Dance 2022 – 2021 (NS, PS4, XONE, PS5, XSX)
SSX Blur – 2007
The series made it to the Wii with motion controls and all but was hampered by cutesy visuals that clashed with the signature look and dumbed-down gameplay. The control scheme also had a steep learning curve. The series would eventually die out with a final reboot in 2012.
Most Recent Entry: SSX – 2012 (PS3, X360)
WarioWare D.I.Y. Showcase – 2010
To be accompanied by the DS game, Showcasewas the classic WarioWare gameplay, but didn’t have enough content to keep people coming back for more. The connectivity to the DS was great and added some small replay value at least.
Most Recent Entry: WarioWare: Get It Together! – 2021 (NS)
The second and final offering on the Wii it went out with a fizzle and splat. The series was growing stale at this point only changing one thing for the good and screwing up something else. The boards felt like you were too often at the mercy of chance and the content was lacking.
Most Recent Entry: Mario Party Superstars – 2021 (NS)
Pandora’s Tower – 2013
This game has a pretty nice cult following. It’s a beautiful and unique game on the system that pushed it to its limits. It’s often compared to Shadow of the Colossus and Castlevania. A little bit of each. It just has really repetitive combat and there’s lots of it.
Rayman Raving Rabbids: TV Party – 2008
The penultimate release of this weird series that no one asked for. While the Rabbids are always fun to see on screen their games are just smatterings of mini-games and slapstick humor. This game uses the Balance Board on top of the Wii remote to make you do dancing numbers. It gets old quickly and is most fun with other people around.
Most Recent Entry: Rabbids Go Home – 2009 (PC)
Animal Crossing: City Folk – 2008
Wow, wait! An Animal Crossing game?! Well yeah. The series was pretty much not doing much around this time. Not much changed from the GameCube version and many long-time fans complained about this. You can skip this game in the series and not miss anything. It’s a great jumping-on point for newcomers, however.
Most Recent Entry: Animal Crossing: New Horizons – 2020 (NS)
Art Style: Cubello – 2008
The Art Styleseries was short-lived but pretty popular with puzzle fans. This game was considered unique and easy to pick up and play but became too complex and difficult too quickly.
Most Recent Entry: Art Style: Rotozoa – 2010 (WII)
Disney’s Epic Mickey – 2010
Warren Specter’s (Deus Ex, The Sims) colossal failure stemmed from poor controls and an awful camera. Diehard Disney fans were able to look past this, and if you do too, there’s a genuinely good game under all of this. The sequel was so desperate to turn things around that it moved away from its Wii exclusivity.
Most Recent Entry: Disney’s Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two – 2012 (WII, VITA, PS3, WIIU, PC, X360)
Fast – Racing League – 2011
The surprise Wipeout meets F-Zero game came out of nowhere and surprised many racing fans. It looked good and had a great sense of speed but flew under everyone’s radar. The series then launched on later systems garnering more coverage and love from fans.
Most Recent Entry: Fast RMX – 2017 (NS)
Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party – 2007
Pick one DDR game and you’ve played them all. Unless you want new songs there’s no reason to buy anything else. The series never changed up the dance mat, and this game had a small amount of content and didn’t change the formula up much. It was business as usual here.
Most Recent Entry: Dance Dance Revolution II – 2011 (WII)
Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles – My Life As A Dark Lord – 2009
The Crystal Chronicles series hasn’t received much praise after its GameCube outing. The Wiiware versions were fun tower defense games but had a lot of paid DLC that could have been included. This game is considered one of the best in its genre for the system.
Most Recent Entry: Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles – Remastered Edition – 2020 (AND, iOS, PS4, NS)
Talk about a ho-hum launch title. While Excite Truck had a great sense of speed and looked decent enough, the track design was very generic feeling and there was a serious lack of content including online play.
Most Recent Entry: ExciteBots: Trick Racing – 2009 (WII, WIIU)
Chick Chick Boom – 2010
A really fun party game that was praised for its visuals and fun factor, but didn’t have much overall content. It’s also best played with other people leaving solo players alienated.
Endless Ocean – 2007
Praised for its bravery in trying to create a living breathing encyclopedia, but lambasted for having zero gameplay and frustrating controls. It’s worth playing if you just want to relax and enjoy the sights. The series would get one more entry before calling lights out.
Most Recent Entry: Endless Ocean: Blue World – 2009 (WII)
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games – 2009
No game in the series is bad, but they are very simple and don’t provide enough to come back to. Many issues were addressed from the first outing, but the game is overall too simple and easy to challenge adults.
Most Recent Entry: Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games: Tokyo 2020 – 2019 (NS)
Deadly Creatures – 2009
A super weird game that surprised everyone with how good it was. It featured AAA actors for some reason too. The creatures themselves were realistically created and felt like their real-life counterparts. This adventure game got really hard though. I personally rented this and loved it. With a bigger budget a sequel could have been awesome, but alas this game didn’t sell well.
Shaun White Snowboarding: World Stage – 2009
Trying to capture that Tony Hawk magic Shaun White rode on the coattails of the legendary skater for years. With a quick succession of releases using motion controls the games were serviceable, but low effort. World Stage used the Balance Board and had clumsy controls, but was fun nonetheless.
Most Recent Entry: Shaun White Skateboarding – 2010 (PS3, X360, WII, PC)
Mushroom Men: The Spore Wars – 2008
Mushroom Men was a series I hoped would get better. There is a lot of potential here and it’s one of the most visually striking games on the system. Sadly, it feels dated and gets really repetitive. One last try squeaked by on PC to never be seen again.
Most Recent Entry: Mushroom Men: Truffle Trouble – 2015 (PC)
Dr. Mario Online RX – 2008
A remake of the SNES game RXonly brought online play to the table. It’s the same gameplay without any interesting modes and won’t hold your attention for long. If you have any other version you don’t need this. Especially since the servers are shut down.
Most Recent Entry: Dr. Mario World – 2019 (AND, iOS)
Super Swing Golf – 2006 Super Swing Golf Season 2 – 2007
I loved PangYa on PSP. It was one of the best golf games on the system. The series is clearly aiming toward the Hot Shots Golf crowd with cutesy visuals. However, the was little content to keep people coming back despite being one of the first golf games on the system.
Most Recent Entry: PangYa: Fantasy Golf – 2008 (PSP)
Shiren The Wanderer – 2010
This roguelike looked great and had potential at every turn, but just felt a bit too repetitive and formulaic to be remarkable. It’s still a visually unique game for the system. A sequel eventually bore fruit to equally mediocre results.
Most Recent Entry: Shiren the Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice Fate – 2020 (NS, PC)
Spectrobes: Origins – 2009
The final game in the short-running series. This seemingly lifeless and generic action game is actually rather good. It’s a monster collecting game with decent visuals on the Wii and is great fun despite the lack of any challenge.
Driift Mania – 2009
A fun call back to 16-bit top-down racers, but the lack of solo content really hurt here. The game was designed with multiplayer in mind. Many also didn’t care for its generic-looking visuals either. However, it controlled well and had a good sense of speed.
The Munchables – 2009
A fun game with cute visuals, but this time the game does have some challenges. It gets repetitive fairly quickly, but many felt the game was worth pushing through. The controls also needed some work.
Magnetica Twist – 2008
A fun puzzle game if not ugly. This Zumaclone was hampered by poor controls and no online play despite the price point. If you can get a hold of this game you’ll have a lot of fun at least.
Let’s Tap – 2009
One thing that was common with unique Wii games that were experimented with is the fact that these games always came to packed light on content.Let’s Tap only has four mini-games and a visualizer and must be played with others to fully enjoy. The whacky nature of the whole thing makes this one of the most interesting games on the Wii.
The Kore Gang – 2011
A fun and lighthearted platformer with zany characters. Switching between them allows some form of variety, but the overall experience is let down by a short run time and some fiddly controls.
NASCAR Kart Racing – 2009
A surprisingly good game despite the license. The game has great controls and a fun track design but has no online play and the visuals are really dated. The online part might not matter anymore so it’s probably even better.
Most Recent Entry: NASCAR Rivals – 2022 (NS)
Jett Rocket – 2010
A fun and addictive game but gets repetitive fast and lacks any depth. It’s also very short clocking in at just a few hours, but it’s a fun time at least with quality design choices.
Most Recent Entry: Jett Rocket II: The Wrath of Taikai – 2013 (3DS)
Excitebike: World Rally – 2009
This did a good job of updating the original NES classic but had no local multiplayer which was a real shame. However, it didn’t advance the formula much if at all and that brought it down some.
Most Recent Entry: Excitebots: Trick Racing – 2009 (WII, WIIU)
Pearl Harbor Trilogy – 1941: Red Sun Rising – 2010
Considered one of the better dog fighters on Wii, the game was praised for great controls and mission variety but was insanely challenging. This wasn’t a pick-up-and-play arcade game at all.
Super Mario All-Stars: 25th Anniversary Edition – 2010
Yes, these are good ports and play exactly like you remember them…but that’s it! No fancy extras, no remake of any kind, no HD remaster, just the same NES and SNES games slapped onto a disc. It felt like overpriced Wiiware.
Most Recent Entry: Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury – 2021 (NS)
Many people use video game reviews to determine how to spend their hard-earned dollars. While as an adult I don’t take this as seriously and I now make my own money I am more forgiving of games that aren’t perfect. As kids or teens, we have limited money and are usually picked through gaming magazines to determine if that one game was worth the money because we only got a few a year. For me, it was only during Christmas time that my parents bought games. I mostly rented mine throughout my childhood and teen years. Even for rentals, I was picky as I didn’t want to be stuck on my weekend with a dud of a game. Even a 7/10 or 3.5/5 would be considered a waste of time. This was the last generation in which AAA title after AAA title would be considered fantastic and with so many exclusives it was hard to keep up with. The HD era of gaming would see budgets balloon to insane heights and game releases slowed down as a result.
In my eyes, 7/10 or 3.5/5 games are mostly ignored. These aren’t always considered hidden gems either. Some are, but some are just considered forgettable. Not awful or good, but just passes under everyone’s radar. These aren’t the “so bad it’s good” games either. A few of these games have cult followings; a few I had only heard of while compiling this list and some I played myself growing up. I compiled this list from Metacritic with games between 74-70. I feel that’s the true blue 7 range. 79 and 78-rated games usually only have about 25% of the critics giving it a 7 to bring an otherwise 8 score down some. These games are at least rated by half the critics as 7/10. While I know many people don’t listen to critics and some might feel this game should be rated higher or lower is subjective. Like it or not, critic reviews drive sales and it may be the reason why you might find a few games on this list you’ve never heard of, thought was talked about worse than you remember, or something along those lines
Calling All Cars! – 2007
This was David Jaffe’s (Twisted Metal, God of War) pet project. It got a lot of attention because it had been a few years since anyone had heard from the man. While it offered cute cell-shaded car combat it offered little in content.
Star Ocean: The Last Hope International – 2010
The game came over to PS3 hoping to garner more sales, but the small extras weren’t enough to win fans over. It still sold poorly and had more competition on Sony’s system with far more JRPGs to offer.
Most Recent Entry: Star Ocean: The Divine Force – 2022 (PC, PS5, XSX, PS4, XONE)
Disgaea D2: A Brighter Darkness – 2013
Compared to Disgaea 4 as not as original or innovative and not returning older beloved characters. It was very by the numbers and felt like a bob-standard game.
The final game in the long-running series. Just dipping its toes in the next-gen world it was killed off due to poor sales. It wasn’t praised as high as previous games despite its great visuals. The physics felt off and that’s not surprising. Perhaps if Psygnosis had more time they could perfect it and keep the series going.
Atelier Totori: The Adventurer or Arland – 2011 Atelier Ayesha: The Alchemist of Dusk – 2013
Praised for advancing the gameplay and overall battle system, but criticized heavily for an anime-trope-riddled story and dated visuals. Fans of the series ate it up, and it continues to live on strong today. Ayesha was praised for the graphical upgrade and story, but had some mundane and repetitive questing that let it down.
Most Recent Entry: Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream – 2022 (PC, PS4)
The Guided Fate Paradox – 2013
The unique blend of randomly generated dungeons and rogue-lite RPG elements was praised, but the game moves at a snail’s pace and has outdated visuals and a forgettable story. It would try one more time before being canceled.
Most Recent Entry: The Awaneked Fate Ultimatum – 2014 (PS3)
Katamari Forever – 2009
A return to form at a fault. The game didn’t advance the series much and it was business as usual for the little prince. Fans may like more of the same, but it was a great starting point for newcomers. Many also questioned the price point as the PS2 original was released for $20.
After growing a cult following sales for the game increased as of late. Especially with the PS3 store sunsetting soon. The game is incredibly unique and has that PlayStation feeling to it, but was disregarded for its dated visuals and lack of polish.
Tumble – 2010
One of the most unique uses of the PlayStation Move controller, Tumble was well regarded for this. The precise movements just worked. However, it’s the simple presentation and the repetitive nature of its puzzles brought it down some.
The House of the Dead 4 – 2012
Praised for using the Move controllers well, and being a good arcade port, it didn’t offer anything new and featured very dated visuals. Fans of the series or genre won’t care there. It did add some charm to it.
Most Recent Entry: The House of the Dead: Remake – 2022 (PC, NS, PS4, XONE)
LittleBigPlanet Karting – 2012
Probably one of the better Mario Kart clones out there, LBP Kartingkept the series’ charm and tried to be its own thing. However, players felt the game was Mod Nation Racers with an LBPskin and the creation mode was still complex and required too much patience.
Most Recent Entry: Sackboy: A Big Adventure – 2020 (PC, PS4, PS5)
Savage Moon – 2009
A creepy alien version of Pixel Junk Monsters is what this game was compared to. It didn’t have the same charm as that series and was more RTS than tower defense. It just felt too generic to rise above but was decent enough for fans of either genre to pick up.
Funky Lab Rat – 2010
A fun use of the Move mixed with a platformer puzzler. It had a generic presentation that didn’t look all that great and was geared toward younger gamers, but the great use of motion controls won people over.
Gravity Crash – 2009
A fun game of fighting against inertia. The bright neon colors were welcomed, but the overly simple nature, frustrating difficulty, and lack of modes held it back some.
Most Recent Entry: Gravity Crash: Ultra – 2014 (VITA)
Derrick the Deathfin – 2012
Fun visuals aside, the game was too short and had very simple gameplay. If you think the game looks interesting that should be enough to play it, but overall mostly forgettable.
Trash Panic – 2009
This is by all means one of the more unique games on the system. It’s a puzzler that becomes addictive for a short time and then the constant frustrations will push you away.
LocoRoco Cocoreccho! – 2007
This is one of Sony’s most adored series. The cute visuals, charming singing, and unique gameplay became one of the biggest favorites on PSP. The charm doesn’t translate on consoles as well, especially for a game that’s really short and was considered more of an interactive screensaver. If you love the series you probably need to get this then.
Most Recent Entry: LocoRoco: Remastered – 2017 (PS4)
rain – 2013
This is considered a “must buy before the PS3 store closes” game. It’s very unique, relaxing, and interesting, but has some control quirks and is over way too soon.
Papo & Yo – 2012
I remember the hype built up around this game. Many liked the world that was built and the story, but the gameplay made no sense inside it. Still worth trying out.
Wonderbook: Book of Spells – 2012
This is one of the most hyped-up Move games. I remember the long E3 presentation for this. It has charming visuals and uses the Move well, but it has almost no challenge and is geared toward kids. Imaginations are not included.
Tales of Xilia 2 – 2014
While many loved the story and characters as well as the interesting combat mechanics, the game barrowed too much from its predecessor and felt a little too familiar. It also had some very dated visuals.
Most Recent Entry: Tales of Arise – 2021 (PC, PS4, PS5, XONE, XSX)
PAIN – 2007
This was the Goat Simulator of the day. I remember everyone playing this and streaming it. It was dumb fun with a lot of DLC, but outside of wonky physics, there wasn’t a real goal or loop that kept you coming back.
Jo-Jo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle – 2014
You need to really be into the source material to enjoy this game. With a fun cast of characters and a pretty good fighting system, it lacked content and was plagued with microtransaction controversy.
Most Recent Entry: Jo-Jo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R – 2022 (PC, PS4, PS5, NS, XONE, XSX)
Top Darts – 2010
A darts game using the Move sounded like a good idea, but the lack of online play really hurt this game’s sales and potential. It had couch co-op, but at least had great motion detection to keep players engaged. It was later ported to Vita with little attention.
EyePet – 2009 EyePet: Move Edition – 2010
This creepy animal was made fun of quite a bit during its E3 showing. This launched with the Move and was praised for its inventive use of augmented reality, but also felt too simple
Most Recent Entry: EyePet Adventures – 2011 (PSP)
Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One – 2011
Probably the lowest point in the series, but by no means a bad one. This four-player co-op alienated the fans of the single players mainline series, and it was more of an arcade-like adventure and pretty easy too.
A remake of the 90s arcade title that didn’t bring much new to the series. It’s a pretty fun arcade racer that looks decent but lacks any content. It was knocked down for its steep price as well.
Piyotama – 2007
A cute and charming puzzle game that was later ported to Sony’s handhelds. For what it lacked in content and variety it made up for with sheer addictive gameplay.
Sorcery – 2012
I remember the hype this game had. People thought that the Move would finally have its killer app. The Move was on its last legs, and in fact, the entire motion control craze only lasted about two years. Between 2010-2012 was the height of this craze as Sony and Microsoft had both thrown their chips into the mix. While the game was touted for its smooth integration of the Move it lacked in depth and replay value.
Tekken Revolution – 2013
While the core game was intact this was geared toward novice fighters and people just getting into the series. It’s stripped down and simplified to the point that veterans scoffed at it. It was a free-to-play model that ultimately failed in the end.
Most Recent Entry: Tekken 7 – 2017 (PS4, XONE, PC)
A visual masterpiece, David Cage and his team are able to eke out every ounce of power of the consoles his games land on. Despite the technical marvel and fantastic acting, the game falls flat with a confusing story and long stretches of boring gameplay. It was later remastered for newer systems.
Rainbow Moon – 2012
A good-looking and deep strategy title that feels flat with its story and characters. The game also had some crazy difficulty spikes that hindered many gamers.
Elefunk – 2008
A charming puzzler but steeped in trial and error and frustrations around every corner. If you don’t mind restarting puzzles a lot than this weird puzzle game is for you.
I honestly don’t know where to begin. Bravely Default was one of the most anticipated JRPGs in years. I remember everyone playing the demo, and progress would carry over into the main game. It’s good at luring you into a false sense of familiarity. You might think this is a typical JRPG with only the need to balance physical and magical attacks. There are over a dozen jobs in this game, and they are crucial to getting through the many, and I mean many, dozens of bosses. Bravely Default is mostly a boss rush game with a few dungeons put in between to level you up.
The game starts out like any other typical JRPG. You have to solve a worldwide calamity; you are in a small town; you can visit shops; and you learn the ropes of the game. The main bulk of combat lies in Braving and defaulting, which allow you to borrow or save up turns. This is the key strategy in this entire game, and it takes trial and error to really learn when to do each of these during boss fights. You can bank up to three turns or borrow up to three. If you borrow turns in the negative, you forfeit those many turns moving forward. This is great if you’re powerful and want to get the battle over with or need to heal everyone fast. In combination with the right jobs and equipment, you can overpower many foes. Half of the jobs are locked away behind optional “asterisk” bosses, while some are acquired during the story. The jobs are well balanced, ranging between offensive and defensive types, with supporting roles as well. The downside to so many jobs is the trial and error of knowing what jobs are best for what bosses. There are 14 levels per job, and they don’t level up super fast. You learn more job abilities as you level up as well.
It’s important to balance your party. You don’t want all offensive characters to support you unless you’re insanely powerful. The goal of the first third of the game is to awaken four elemental crystals with four guardians you have to beat to get to them. These dungeons are full of red chests with items and equipment, but some dungeons and areas have locked blue chests that can’t be accessed until toward the end of the game. They contain some of the best equipment. There are save points usually before each major boss, and you can visit many towns to rest and buy magic, armor, weapons, accessories, and other items. The game consists of a large map that slowly opens up to you, and eventually, you get a ship that can travel the entire map.
Now, I have to address the infamous final third act. These are chapters 5-8. Without spoiling anything, you have to endure these chapters to see the true ending. You can skip this repetitive nightmare by breaking a crystal (I don’t want to spoil more) and ending the game there. I sucked it up and endured cleansing the same crystals 20 times (literally 20) to see this ending. This is one of those things that makes me really want JRPGs. We could have just gotten a cutscene explaining what happens during these acts instead of literally repeating the same dungeons and bosses 20 freaking times. It was insanely boring, and I wound up listening to music to distract me from the frustration. A lot of gamers will most likely just quit the game here or end it early with a false ending.
On top of these repetitive chapters, you can also repeat the optional “asterisk” bosses multiple times to level up your jobs. If you missed these asterisks during the first four chapters, you can get these jobs later on, but the bosses are level with you. The benefit of getting them as they come up early on is that you can level past them and make the fights easier. If you already have all the jobs, you can just use these bosses to grind XP. There are some options to ease the burden a bit, which helped a lot. You can actually turn random battles off or increase them. This is great for exploring a dungeon fully and then leveling up near a save or near the entrance. I really loved this feature and used it a lot. You can also reduce the difficulty to easy at any time or increase it. These options help push JRPGs into a more modern feel and setting.
With all of that said, the graphics are pretty, and the music is great if repetitive. The same world map and dungeon songs will repeat a lot, but they aren’t bad songs. The English voice acting is horrendous, so I suggest the Japanese audio, and the story, while it does have a nice twist in the third act, isn’t worth the extra dozen or so hours it will take to get through that third act to get the true ending. It’s awful, boring, frustrating, tedious, and just plain not fun, and I can’t forgive the game for this. No matter how good the rest of the game might be or how unique the combat is, this third act is abhorrent and an obvious excuse to pad game time. I really hate—I mean, hate—JRPGs that do this. It doesn’t add anything to the game that a cutscene couldn’t solve. Shame on Square Enix for this.
On a side note, there is some StreetPass integration. You can pass buddies off to each other to summon during battles for extra help. You also have a village you can build to forge some of the better equipment in the game, and this requires more helpers to reduce the countdown timer. I never really used these features much, and if you don’t use StreetPass, you’re going to miss out on some content.
Overall, I’m not the biggest JRPG fan, so others will like this more than I did, but that third act is unforgivable. I also felt there were too many jobs, and the game’s difficulty was through the roof. Towards the end of the game, you need to be close to the 9,999 damage limit to finish the game. To really finish this game and see everything that’s here, you will most likely need to hit the 99-level max at some point. This is an insanely hardcore JRPG, and casual Final Fantasy fans will probably quit during chapter 2, like I did when the game was first released. You will need to sink a good 100 hours just to see everything in the game, including the bonus final dungeon that grants you the best stuff in the game to finish off the optional boss. While the graphics, music, and overall aesthetic of the game are pleasing, this is a hate-it-or-love-it type of game.
Many people use video game reviews to determine how to spend their hard-earned dollars. While as an adult I don’t take this as seriously and I now make my own money I am more forgiving of games that aren’t perfect. As kids or teens, we have limited money and are usually picked through gaming magazines to determine if that one game was worth the money because we only got a few a year. For me, it was only during Christmas time that my parents bought games. I mostly rented mine throughout my childhood and teen years. Even for rentals, I was picky as I didn’t want to be stuck on my weekend with a dud of a game. Even a 7/10 or 3.5/5 would be considered a waste of time. This was the last generation in which AAA title after AAA title would be considered fantastic and with so many exclusives it was hard to keep up with. The HD era of gaming would see budgets balloon to insane heights and game releases slowed down as a result.
In my eyes, 7/10 or 3.5/5 games are mostly ignored. These aren’t always considered hidden gems either. Some are, but some are just considered forgettable. Not awful or good, but just passes under everyone’s radar. These aren’t the “so bad it’s good” games either. A few of these games have cult followings; a few I had only heard of while compiling this list and some I played myself growing up. I compiled this list from Metacritic with games between 74-70. I feel that’s the true blue 7 range. 79 and 78-rated games usually only have about 25% of the critics giving it a 7 to bring an otherwise 8 score down some. These games are at least rated by half the critics as 7/10. While I know many people don’t listen to critics and some might feel this game should be rated higher or lower is subjective. Like it or not, critic reviews drive sales and it may be the reason why you might find a few games on this list you’ve never heard of, thought was talked about worse than you remember, or something along those lines
Dead Rising 2: Case West – 2010
An exclusive standalone title bringing back Frank West. It was too little too late as the second game wasn’t a big enough improvement for most people. I personally don’t care for this series but die-hard fans at this one up.
Most Recent Entry: Dead Rising 4 – 2016 (PC, XONE)
Capsized – 2013
This indie title was well-liked for its visuals and atmosphere as well as old-school challenge, but its combat and exploration were a bit one-note and didn’t hold most people’s attention for long
Ridge Racer 6 – 2005
A console launch title that was met with a lot of hype. It was just average. There were better arcade racers at the time and it didn’t advance the series enough to be groundbreaking. For a console launch title, it also didn’t show off the power of the 360 at the time like it did with the PSP.
Most Recent Entry: Ridge Racer: Draw and Drift – 2016 (iOS, AND)
Kinectimals – 2010
One of the most hyped Xbox 360 games to date. This was shown off during the Kinect unveil at E3 and people went nuts. It’s probably the best Kinect game out there and while it was praised for its imagination and whimsy it didn’t have much gameplay or content to keep you coming back.
Comic Jumper: The Adventures of Captain Smiley – 2010
Comic Jumper was praised for innovative gameplay and fun characters, but lacked depth and became very repetitive. It felt like an older Xbox game at best.
Dance Dance Revolution Universe – 2007
A competent yet underwhelming debut on next-gen consoles. The graphics were sub-par and there was no addition of custom soundtracks which many stated was a missed opportunity. It was just more DDR on Xbox 360.
Most Recent Entry: Dance Dance Revolution II – 2011 (WII)
Your Shape: Fitness Evolved – 2010
The short-lived series made its mark at the launch of the Kinect and many praised it for using the device well, but underneath was simply a workout simulator and nothing more.
Most Recent Entry: Your Shape: Fitness Evolved 2013 – 2012 (WIIU)
Jetpac Refueled – 2006
A cheap reimagining of the classic Atari game. It worked well enough, but if you aren’t a fan of high-score games then this wasn’t for you. It didn’t do anything to evolve the series enough.
Motocross Madness – 2013
The final game in the long-running series. Its console debut, and reboot, featured cute avatar characters, and looked good, but had very little content outside of multiplayer.
NBA Baller Beats – 2012
Not to be confused with Midway’s NBA Baller series. It was an ambitious title and probably one of the most unique for the Kinect. You used a real-life basketball and dribbled to a rhythm game. It was great for practicing and a good workout, but hindered the visuals and content department. People also complained of needing said basketball and a hard surface. Anyone living with downstairs neighbors was also left out.
Most Recent Entry: NBA 2K23 – 2022 (PC, XONE, PS4, PS5, XSX, NS)
Hybrid – 2012
Even if you wanted to play this game you can’t. It was online only with no bots and isn’t for purchase any longer. Now it’s just a relic and time capsule. The game was praised for doing interesting things, but was priced too high, had no offline play, and had weird controls.
Small Arms – 2006
An early title that launched with Xbox LIVE Arcade. This four player brawler had a charming roster and fun combat but didn’t offer much in terms of longevity or depth. It’s still available today to play on Xbox One.
Raiden Fighters Aces – 2009
For a budget retail title, it offered three Raiden games that hardcore fans would love. Other than that the game was questioned for being double the price of most LIVE Arcade games and only including three.
Most Recent Entry: Raiden IV x MIKADO remix – 2021 (NS)
Zumba Fitness Rush – 2012
Fitness games were everywhere for the Kinect and motion devices. It was an unstoppable plague. Zumba Fitness was considered one of the better ones, but each version lacked a variety of content.
Most Recent Entry: Zumba: Burn It Up! – 2019 (NS)
Kinect: Disneyland Adventures – 2011
Of course, this was going to happen. Riding the apex of the Kinect’s popularity you can take a trip down a virtual Disneyland. The game was praised for capturing the magic of the theme park but lacked content or challenge.
Scene It? Lights, Camera, Action – 2007
Trivia games have always had their audience and Scene It?burned up and fizzled out fast. This one was exclusive on Xbox 360 for some reason and was critiqued for having trivia that only 20 something’s (who are in their 30s now) would get and understand. It wasn’t great for family night.
Most Recent Entry: Scene It?: Movie Night – 2011 (X360, PS3)
Kinect Sports – 2010
The most popular Kinect game, it launched with the device, and it was a direct rival to Wii Sports. It didn’t have the same charm sadly. While the games were fun the motion controls didn’t register accurately and it lacked overall content. The series would try one last time on the Xbox One before fading out of existence.
Most Recent Entry: Kinect Sports: Rivals – 2014 (XONE)
Crimson Alliance – 2011
Praised for its bright visuals and fun take on the Diablo formula, but was really short and didn’t offer much in terms of content. It was also best played with other people as the AI wasn’t very good.
Omega Five – 2008
A fun yet shallow side scrolling shooter. It looked really good as well with lots of nice effects, but it didn’t have a unique hook or visual style and in the end, many people lost interest.
Race Pro – 2009
A racing sim that was praised for its realism but lacked content and felt too similar to the PC racing sims. It just couldn’t compete with the likes of Forzaand Project Gotham Racing.
Amped 3 – 2005
A system launch title and originally Microsoft’s answer to SSX Amped had its following and crowd. Amped 3 was well…amped up to launch and was one of the better-selling games. Despite this, the game lacked content despite looking next-gen, but it looked bland and didn’t have much flair or style to it. It played like a generic snowboarding game. The series would end here.
Gel: Set & Match – 2009
An original puzzle game indeed, but it just felt like it wasn’t enough or didn’t reach its full potential. It wasn’t super accessible and also not challenging enough at the same time.
Star Ocean: The Last Hope – 2009
Xbox 360 exclusive JRPGs weren’t plentiful and none of them were stellar. Many kept playing them until FFXIII would surface, but Star Ocean hasn’t been a good franchise in over a decade. The Last Hope was full of long drawn out cut scenes, an uninteresting story, and gameplay that was boring and average. However, regular JRPG lovers will find enough to like here. It would later released on PS3 with little fanfare.
Most Recent Entry: Star Ocean: The Divine Force – 2022 (PC, PS4, XONE, XSX, PS5)
Phantom Breaker: Battlegrounds – 2013
This is a hardcore beat ’em up similar to Castle Crashers, however, it’s not as accessible. Some claimed it was too complicated, and some said it had gameplay mechanics that weren’t the best. Overall, if you like this genre there’s something here for you. It’s also getting a new game this year.
Most Recent Entry: Phantom Breaker: Omnia – 2022 (PC, NS, XONE, PS4)
South Park: Let’s Go Tower Defense Play! – 2009
Considered the best South Park game at the time, but that’s not a big shoe to fill. You either needed to be a South Park fan or love tower defense to enjoy this. It offered very little variety and not much outside of multiplayer.
Most Recent Entry: South Park: The Fractured But Whole – 2017 (PC, PS4, XONE, NS)
Axel & Pixel – 2009
A great looking original point-and-click adventure that was praised for being brave enough to bring this genre back, but the story wasn’t interesting enough to garnish sales for a sequel. If you love the genre and haven’t played this then you’re in for a visual treat.
Hexic 2 – 2007
A new game by Tetris creator Alex Pajitnov is exciting. Hexic 2‘s Xbox 360 exclusivity wasn’t a surprise, but it wasn’t much more than the original. The first Hexic game was the first ever LIVE Arcade game I played as it came with my system bundled in. I never bothered with the sequel, but my sister was obsessed with this game. Many complained the game cost too much for how little it offered.
The Splatters – 2012
A unique and fun physics based puzzle game, but players felt the game was too hard, unfair, and overall rough around the edges. It’s still fun for puzzle fans as there’s nothing else like it.
Nike+ Kinect Training – 2012
Nike threw their hat into the Kinect ring a little too late and what we got was a pure training simulator with almost no game. It wasn’t fun, it was very serious and didn’t have the best motion detection setup. If you had one training sim for your Kinect you had them all.
Meteos Wars – 2008
The DS phenomenon came to Xbox 360 but was hampered by an overly aggressive AI and no online play. Despite the name, you’d mistake this for an online only game. While the core gameplay was intact, it didn’t have a lot to offer. This would be the final nail in the series’ coffin.
Lips – 2008 Lips: Number One Hits – 2009
If the name wasn’t dumb enough the karaoke genre was overflowing with shovelware at this point. Despite this one-off game for the 360 being decent as a simulator. It wasn’t really a game. You just sing to the words like any other game with no modes or actual fun.
Fruit Ninja Kinect – 2011
Does anyone remember Fruit Ninja? It was a smartphone phenomenon. It also got a giant arcade version which I actually got to play. While this is one of the better Kinect games it was way overpriced and this hurt sales and reviews. It had about the same content as the smartphone versions at nearly full retail price. It’s a great title to own if you have one collecting dust somewhere.
Most Recent Entry: Fruit Ninja 2 – 2020 (AND, iOS)
Easy Golf: Course Architect – 2008
This was a more high-profile indie game that was made by the community. It looked simple, but played well enough and had a robust course editor. It was best played online. However, the rather ugly visuals and UI hampered the experience a bit.
Chromehounds – 2006
If the cover isn’t the most generic thing you’ve ever seen it doesn’t end there. The game didn’t look up to snuff for the era, but offered a robust customization suite with great online play, but lacked everywhere else. It’s a decent mech game that was exclusive to the system but quickly forgotten about.
Crackdown 2 – 2010
The first Crackdown was loads of fun and felt original. Sadly, due to the surprising popularity, the sequel was greenlit too fast and we got more of the same which wasn’t really a good thing for an open world game. It felt like an expansion if you can say that. The series never reached the heights of the original.
Most Recent Entry: Crackdown 3 – 2019 (PC, XONE)
Bubble Bobble Neo! – 2009
Another arcade version of Bubble Bobble. Nothing new or innovative and incredibly hard, but if you love arcade games then this is for you. At this point in time, any form of Bubble Bobble was heeded with groans as it was a series Taito had beaten into the ground at this point.
A hyped up exclusive that got attention everywhere. It was first looked down upon due to its dated visuals which didn’t look next-gen. It was also a slower paced strategy title that would automatically neuter sales. In the end, the game had fun multiplayer, but was really repetitive. It would have done better as a PC title.
Bomberman Live: Battlefest – 2010
Better than the abysmal 360 exclusive, but plays it too safe to set itself apart from other games. The online play was a good addition, and the visuals are charming, but that’s about it.
Most Recent Entry: Amazing Bomberman – 2022 (MAC, iOS)
Full Auto – 2006
A very short lived series and a not-so-surprising Sega exclusive on Xbox. This was a generic feeling car battler at its core despite the high octane thrills and average track design.
Most Recent Entry: Full Auto 2: Battlelines – 2007 (PSP, PS3)
Haunt – 2012
This Kinect title was late to the game, but provided a charming haunted house to travel through. Ultimately it was over in a few hours and didn’t have much gameplay or depth to keep you coming back.
Ticket to Ride – 2008
There wasn’t anything inherently wrong with the game. It was for hardcore boardgame players really. It had a dry presentation and was simple to learn but hard to master. I feel if it had flashier visuals it would have appealed to more people.
Many people use video game reviews to determine how to spend their hard-earned dollars. While as an adult I don’t take this as seriously and I now make my own money I am more forgiving of games that aren’t perfect. As kids or teens, we have limited money and are usually picked through gaming magazines to determine if that one game was worth the money because we only got a few a year. For me, it was only during Christmas time that my parents bought games. I mostly rented mine throughout my childhood and teen years. Even for rentals, I was picky as I didn’t want to be stuck on my weekend with a dud of a game. Even a 7/10 or 3.5/5 would be considered a waste of time. This was the last generation in which AAA title after AAA title would be considered fantastic and with so many exclusives it was hard to keep up with. The HD era of gaming would see budgets balloon to insane heights and game releases slowed down as a result.
In my eyes, 7/10 or 3.5/5 games are mostly ignored. These aren’t always considered hidden gems either. Some are, but some are just considered forgettable. Not awful or good, but just passes under everyone’s radar. These aren’t the “so bad it’s good” games either. A few of these games have cult followings; a few I had only heard of while compiling this list and some I played myself growing up. I compiled this list from Metacritic with games between 74-70. I feel that’s the true blue 7 range. 79 and 78-rated games usually only have about 25% of the critics giving it a 7 to bring an otherwise 8 score down some. These games are at least rated by half the critics as 7/10. While I know many people don’t listen to critics and some might feel this game should be rated higher or lower is subjective. Like it or not, critic reviews drive sales and it may be the reason why you might find a few games on this list you’ve never heard of, thought was talked about worse than you remember, or something along those lines
Dr. Mario / Puzzle League– 2005
The game is addictive fun. Both games are something you can pick up and play for a few minutes or hours. However, the presentation was rather bland and there wasn’t a lot of content. Your reliance on the formula is what kept you coming back.
Most Recent Entry: Dr. Mario World – 2019 (AND, iOS)
Classic NES Series: Zelda II: The Adventure of Link – 2004 Classic NES Series: Castlevania – 2004
TheClassic NES Series on GBA are highly collectible but necessary. Did we really need these games as full physical releases in 2004? Probably not. While the Wiiware store was yet to come, the only other way to play these was through the original consoles or emulators. While the ports are fine, they are just that. There aren’t any extra features or enhancements.
GT Advance 3: Pro Concept Racing – 2003
The third and final game in the racing sim series on GBA. It was an incredibly impressive third outing with even better visuals, smooth framerate, and great physics. The downside was the lack of content. At this point, you can play any of the three games and it would be hard to spot the difference.
Spyro: Season of Ice – 2001 Spyro: Attack of the Rhynocs – 2003
The Spyro Season games were a great attempt to put the purple dragon in a top-down isometric adventure and still capture the charm of the PS1 classics. It did a great job of this but felt a bit tedious and repetitive. Season of Flame would improve on some features a year later. Attack of the Rynocs removed the platforming and made the game more of an RPG which worked for the most part but felt like a step backward.
A fun and cute puzzle game that gets the job done, but isn’t very addictive and can be really frustrating. A lot of people loved the visuals but didn’t stick around very long to see it through until the end.
Driver 2 Advance – 2002
Trying to make an open-world game on the GBA is pretty much impossible.Driver 2 looks good and has decent missions, but the performance is spotty and it just doesn’t know what it wants to be most of the time. It’s still a decent 3D title on the system.
Most Recent Entry: Driver: Speedboat Paradise – 2015 (AND, iOS)
Lady Sia – 2001
While the gameplay and platforming might be pretty average, the game looks great which is why it got as much attention as it did. Sadly, the sales didn’t pan out, but this is one of the most unique-looking games on the system.
It’s Mr. Pants – 2005
Another unique-looking game for the system with a questionable title. The puzzle elements are very trial and error which brings the experience down some, but the game is better than the sum of its parts. Puzzle fans will get a kick out of this one.
Blender Bros. – 2002
A cute and charming platformer that has a cult following. The gameplay itself might feel too easy at times, but overall gets the job done. Despite the great art direction, the game was also really short. It was later released on Steam in 2020.
Dragon Ball Z: Supersonic Warriors – 2004
Another half-decent DBZ fighting game. This was the first and only outing on the GBA. It looked great but had very simple controls and a fighting system. It was best played with another person. The direct sequel would be released on DS.
A good-looking WWE game that got the job done with simple controls. There wasn’t much content either, but it was a good entry for wrastlin’ fans on the go.
Most Recent Entry: WWE 2K Battlegrounds – 2020 (NS, PS4, XONE, PC)
Fire Pro Wrestling 2 – 2002
While it’s considered the best wrestling game on the GBA it didn’t add much from the original game. It still had a large roster and a fun gameplay system, but that was about it.
Most Recent Entry: Fire Pro Wrestling World – 2017 (PC, PS4)
Sword of Mana – 2003
This was one of only three games I ever bought new for my GBA as a young teen. I picked this up because I wanted a long game to play on my GBA that would take a while to finish. Thankfully, for me at least, the game was rather easy and had a decent length. It looked good and had great music, but many criticized the game for being too simple and easy compared to the SNES game.
Most Recent Entry: Echoes of Mana – 2022 (AND, iOS)
Shaman King: Master of Spirits 2 – 2005
The final game in the GBA franchise, Master of Spirits 2 looked great and had solid gameplay, but for newcomers, it threw you into the middle of the story without any explanation. It was also not well-liked for how repetitive it was. This was mostly for fans of the anime.
Yu-Gi-Oh!: Worldwide Edition – Stairway to the Destined Duel – 2003
It may not look like much and has a steep learning curve, but it has longevity and strategy that will keep you busy. You also really need to like the source material to even bother here. This isn’t for the casual card dueling fan.
The GBA got an exclusive Flash game which is cool and it got the concept right. The Flash‘s combat is very fast-paced, but it’s very average and by the numbers beat ’em up.
Most Recent Entry: Justice League VR: The Complete Experience – 2017 (PC, PS4)
Hamtaro: Ham Ham Heartbreak – 2003
Do you remember the Hamtaro anime? I sure do, and it was popular with the nerdy girls at school. The games actually aren’t all that bad. They’re cute, and fun, and have nice visuals that complement the show. This game just has a lot of trial and error that irked some players. The series stuck to just the handhelds and would come to an end in 2008.
Most Recent Entry: Hi! Hamtaro: Little Hamsters Big Adventures – Ham-Ham Challenge – 2008 (DS)
Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever – 2002
The weird choice of putting a movie license exclusively on the GBA is what gives this series a cult following. 3D FPS games on the GBA are a novelty and not much as improved in this sequel. It was praised for the great gunplay and controls, but the muddy visuals brought it down a few pegs.
While it wasn’t a true 3D platformer the isometric gameplay hindered the gameplay overall. I personally found the level design to be confusing and poorly laid out, but it kept the series’ charm we’ve all grown to love. I also found the visuals a bit buddy and so did others.
If you want a deep strategy game on the go this one is great. However, due to the heavy anime-themed story you need to like that or the source material at the very least to enjoy this. The series is incredibly popular and lives on to this day.
Most Recent Entry: Super Robot Wars 30 – 2021 (PC, PS4, NS)
Defender of the Crown – 2002
A rework of the original 80’s PC game. It’s a good strategy game, but you will have to stomach the boring visuals to get through it. It was a good port but didn’t bring anything new from the original and excluded multiplayer which is a real shame here.
Most Recent Entry: Defender of the Crown: Heroes Live Forever – 2007 (PC)
Wings – 2003
Another classic PC game ported to GBA. It looked good and the dog fights were fun, but it lacked variety and felt repetitive after a short time. It’s still a very unique game on the system.
The Scorpion King: Sword of Orsiris – 2002
While the movie is infamous for its terrible effects and acting, the GBA game is actually a rather good platformer. It was just critiqued for being overtly hard and not having a good checkpoint system.
Aero the Acro-Bat – 2002
A fun platformer that was ported from the 16-bit era of consoles. It does the job well but is too simple and short providing little replay value.
CT Special Forces – 2004
This series has a cult following due to having three solid entries on the GBA and being quite good for what is it. It’s mindless platforming fun with pretty much no story, but it works. It would get one final FPS game in 2005 and then disappear.
Most Recent Entry: Special Forces: Nemesis Strike – 2005 (PS2, PC, Xbox)
Shrek: Hassle the Castle – 2002
Yep, I’m just as surprised as you are. A good Shrek game?! Apparently, this one had multiple difficulty levels so kids and avid gamers could play it with some challenge. It had charming visuals and played well. Overall, you need to be a Shrek fan to really like this, but it’s there. The series struggled to provide a single decent game and ended with a mobile game a few years back.
Most Recent Entry: Shrek Sugar Fever – 2017 (AND, iOS)
Phalanx – 2001
A port of the SNES game with good results. It was simple yet very difficult and it irked players in this regard. If you love your SNES side-scrolling shooters then this should be a fun one for you.
Game & Watch Gallery 4 – 2002
The final game in the long-running series. At this point, it felt like it was being milked to death or could have been a complete collection. The games are solid fun, but you either love these or hate them. They are simple pick-up and play high-score games with a single goal. Many felt it was too dated for the GBA and for the price point.
Rampage: Puzzle Attack – 2001
A fun puzzle game despite the license, however the lack of battery backup saves and addictive gameplay means you will have fun but get bored after a while.
Most Recent Entry: Rampage: Total Destruction – 2006 (GC, PS2, Wii)
Zone of the Enders: The Fist of Mars – 2002
Going from an action game to a slower strategy game is risky, but it had to be done on the system’s limited hardware. Fist of Mars had some good strategy elements, plus it looked pretty good but didn’t offer multiplayer to extend replay value.
Most Recent Entry: Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner – MVRS – 2018 (PS4, PC)
Ultimate Muscle: The Kinnikuman Legacy – The Path of the Superhero – 2003
This bizarre Saturday morning cartoon wrestling game was quirky and hilarious despite its simple design. Thankfully the multiplayer kept people coming back for more, but the lack of depth kept it from shooting to the stars.
Contra Advance: The Alien Wars EX – 2002
The Contra series has had so many ups and downs. It’s insane. While the SNES port plays and looks good on the system, the hardware itself would bring the overall experience down. The zoomed-in view makes the game even harder than it needs to be and an overall lack of extra content.
Most Recent Entry: Contra Returns – 2021 (AND, iOS)
Wing Commander: Prophecy – 2003
A surprising port of the PC game, Prophecy played surprisingly well but suffered from poor controls and muddy visuals. Many applauded the effort, and it didn’t go to waste. A space sim on the GBA is a daunting task.
Turbo Turtle Adventure – 2002
The GBA was no stranger to puzzle games, and this weird one didn’t stand out. It had some fun elements and addictive nature, but the trial and error really got to people and brought the experience down some.
DK: King of Swing – 2005
While not the only DKgame on GBA it was the only unique one. Using the shoulder buttons to swing across vines rather than run was pretty fun. Its downside was its own control gimmick. The game became frustrating fast and many would need a lot of patience to finish it.
Most Recent Entry: Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars – 2015 (3DS, WIIU)
Gekido Advance: Kintar’s Revenge – 2003
A lot of people love this game. It’s one of the few fighting games on the system, but it doesn’t come from a larger franchise. It’s considered one of the best-looking games on the system and plays really well. Sadly, it lacks content and modes.
Sega Arcade Gallery – 2003
Yeah, you can play these on other consoles with better iterations of them, but for the GBA these were four of Sega’s most popular arcade games. They played and ran very well, but that was it. It was just four short arcade games with nothing else to keep you coming back.
Columns Crown – 2002
This was Sega’s last attempt at a unique game in the series without it being a port. The cutesy anime-style graphics won people over, but it didn’t change the overall gameplay formula much. It just felt like a coat of new paint.
CIMA: The Enemy – 2003
Despite the generic-sounding name, this was a good attempt from Natsume to bring a turn-based RPG to the system. It was well-liked but it suffered from a wonky interface and complicated controls.
ESPM Final Round Golf 2002 – 2001
The one and only ESPN-branded golfing game. It was a good attempt at the GBA however it wasn’t very challenging and lacked content compared to the Tiger Woods games.
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Try multiplayer. A lot of fun !