The best RPGs on PC can deliver hundreds of hours of adventure. Since tabletop RPGs first started getting the digital treatment, the genre has grown into an intimidating, massive beast. Many of the best RPGs you can play on PC are of the action variety, hailing from the explosive years of 3D RPGs like Oblivion. More recently, classic style RPGs like Pillars of Eternity with closer ties to their tabletop roots have seen a resurgence in popularity. Our list of the best RPGs on PC have something to scratch your roleplay itch whether you prefer fast-paced swordplay or more methodical turn-based games.
So without further ado, let’s go through the top 10 best RPGs for the Gameboy Color! #10 - Survival Kids This is an extremely unique RPG that combines action and survival mechanics splendidly well. Boards > Gaming > Nintendo Lobby > What are the best rpg's for gba?. Just gba not gbc or ds. Still, in the end, Zelda is obviously influenced by RPG games, so it almost does qualify. You can't chance classes, but Riviera: The Promised Land has to be one of the best RPG's that I've ever played. So without further ado, let’s go through the top 10 best RPGs for the Gameboy Color! #10 - Survival Kids This is an extremely unique RPG that combines action and survival mechanics splendidly well. After 15 years, a cancelled Game Boy RPG finds life on PC. As Karneges admits it's not in the best of shape. Unlike the few RPGs that were released on the Game Boy Color, Infinity’s.
Best of the Best
Wario Land 3. Each level housed treasure to collect, but in true adventure game fashion, some couldnt be reached without a bit of backtracking or clever use of Warios newfound immortality. This unique execution of power-ups and exploration, two well-worn aspects of 2D games, helped make Wario Land 3 one of the best games on GBC.
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The RPG genre is tough to boil down: by the most literal definition, every game is a role-playing game. This list represents our best definition of the canonical RPG—games that likely emphasize story; that let you inhabit a customizable character through skill points, inventory, and dialogue decisions; that include complex, controllable relationships with companions or non-playable characters. Drawing these kinds of lines helps us provide a better service to you, we hope—though we've made some exceptions where we think it's worth it.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
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Release date: 2015 | Developer: CD Projekt Red | Humble Store, Steam
Many of the best RPGs focus on tales of lone, wandering adventurers, but few if any pull it off it with such artistry as The Witcher 3. That artistry is most apparent in the setting itself, which is so packed with breathtaking sunsets and wind-tossed groves of trees that, months later, I still find myself opting to go to destinations on foot rather than taking the fast travel points.
But the true strength of The Witcher 3 is that it populates these memorable landscapes with NPCs doling out humble but memorable quests (by the dozen) that help create one of the most human RPG experiences on the market. In decaying wayside towns, the witcher Geralt might find impoverished elves struggling in the face of local racism; elsewhere, he might help a self-styled baron reunite with his long-estranged daughter. These quests deftly navigate moral issues without being heavy-handed or offering obvious solutions
Through it all, much as in The Witcher 2, Geralt usually plays the role of just another character on this troubled world's stage. In the process, this tale of monster slaying and inter-dimensional raiders becomes strangely and poignantly relatable.
Divinity: Original Sin 2
Release date: 2017 | Developer: Larian Studios | Steam, GOG
Outside of tabletop games, there are few RPGs that boast the liberating openness of Larian's humongous quest for godhood. If you think you should be able to do something, you probably can, even it it's kidnapping a merchant by using a teleportation spell and then setting fire to him with his own blood. Almost every skill has some alternative and surprising use, sometimes more than one, whether you're in our out of combat.
You can enjoy this game of madcap experimentation and tactical combat with up to three friends, to boot, and that's where things start to get really interesting because you're not forced to work together or even stay in the same part of the world. Indeed, there are plenty of reasons to work against each other. The player is always in the driving seat, and with four players, collisions are inevitable. Just remember: if you freeze your friends and then start poisoning them, at least apologize after.
Pillars of Eternity
Release date: 2015 | Developer: Obsidian Entertainment | Humble Store, Steam
There's very little about Pillars of Eternity that's actually innovative; in fact, its whole Kickstarter-funded existence is based on appealing to the nostalgia for aging Infinity Engine CRPGs like Baldur's Gate II. That usually matters little, though, since Pillars of Eternity pulls it off so damned well.
The graphics lean a little too heavily on the 1990s, but the writing itself is masterful. Obsidian Entertainment uses it to weave a wonderful (if bleak and usually humorless) narrative that brilliantly touches on everything from religious conflicts to social struggles. It doesn't hurt that Obsidian infused almost every step of the world with its own story and smidge of lore, and a new patch introduced hours of additional voice work that make the experience even more enjoyable.
It's also brutally difficult in parts, and even its easier modes demand a dance of pausing and barking out orders to multiple party members that many contemporary of the best RPGs shy from. That's not such a bad thing, though, as Pillars of Eternity is a stark testament that such unforgiving designs still have widespread appeal in this age of accessibility.
Outward
Release date: 2019 | Developer: Nine Dots Studio| Steam
Outward immediately disposes of the self-centered savior complex that we've become cozy with in so many action RPGs. While other heroes dispense of bandit camps before lunch and save the world in time for dinner, Outward sits you down and reminds you that no, you can't just go out and slay wolves with no training. The types of fights that RPGs typically treat as tutorial fodder are genuine accomplishments in Outward.
To make matters worse, or better, in our opinion, Outward constantly auto-saves your game. Your mistakes are permanent and death can't be sidestepped by loading a recent save. In a cruel marriage between Dark Souls and Minecraft, you're likely to be knocked down a peg every time you die, often left retracing your steps to find lost gear and left missing progress you'd so jealously hoarded.
Yet another treat is Outward's magic system in which you're forced to irreversibly trade some of your total health points for magical aptitude. Spells are hard-won and costly investments that make casting even a simple fireball a luxury.
Outward's split-screen co-op, even online, is another unorthodox twist that brings new challenges and new laughs to the concept of becoming a hero. Skill tree mu season 6 episodio 3 mg.
Sunless Sea
Release date: 2015 | Developer: Failbetter Games | Humble Store, Steam
There's nowhere like the Unterzee. Sunless Sea's foreboding underground ocean is an abyss full of horrors and threats to the sanity of the crews that sail upon it. In your vulnerable little steamboat, you have to navigate these waters, trading, fighting and going on bizarre adventures on islands filled with giant mushrooms or rodents engaged in a civil war.
It's often strikingly pretty, but text drives Sunless Sea. Like Failbetter Games' browser-based Fallen London, it's drenched in beautifully written quests, dialogue and descriptions. And it's not restricted to gothic horror, though there's plenty of it. Your journey across the black waters is just as likely to be whimsical and silly. Always, though, there's something sinister lurking nearby. Something not quite right.
South Park: The Stick of Truth
Release date: 2014 | Developer: Obsidian | Humble Store, Steam
This really shouldn’t have worked. Most licensed games are bad on their own, but a role-playing game based on a crudely animated, foul-mouthed television show should be downright awful. Stick of Truth beats the odds, thanks to the way Obsidian applied the South Park license to some clever RPG tropes—party members are recruited through a Facebook-like interface, a quest sends you to retrieve “Mr. Slave’s Package,” status effects include being “grossed out,” etc. It’s not the deepest RPG on this list, but it’s one of the most immediately fun entries, and makes for a great introduction to the genre.
Anachronox
Release date: 2001 | Developer: Ion Storm Dallas | Humble Store, Steam
Former id Software designer Tom Hall had a vision for his first, and only, Ion Storm game. He wanted to make a turn-based RPG, like Final Fantasy, but with a distinctly Western voice. It’s that tone that makes Anachronox so brilliant: few other games of any genre have dialogue as funny as Sly Boots’ negotiation with a sock-chewing mutant warlord, and no other game we’ve played lets you add an entire planet to your party.
Ion Storm built the game on a heavily modified version of the Quake 2 engine, and it’s never looked like a normal game. But even today, the blocky character models still have personality, and the facial animations are surprisingly effective. Sly’s look of resignation as he’s thrown out of his own office window is brilliant, and he carries it with him throughout the adventure. The development cycle was plagued with issues and the final product rushed, but playing Anachronox now still feels like a revelation. It’s hard not to wonder what Hall’s planned sequels could have achieved.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance
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Release date: 2018 | Developer: Warhorse Studios | Steam, GOG
In this historical RPG set in the muddy fields of Bohemia, 1403, you play as a peasant called Henry who gets swept up in a war for his homeland. It's a detailed RPG, with a deep sword fighting system, hunger and thirst systems, crafting and more than a dozen equipment slots to fill with meticulously modeled gear inspired by the raiments of the time. It's also surprisingly open-ended. If you want to wander into the woods and pick mushrooms for meagre coin then off you go, just be careful of bandits as you explore the pretty rural locales.
It's by no means perfect—there are plenty of bugs and wonky moments—but this is an RPG in the Elder Scrolls vein. A few bugs can be excused when the wider experience is this atmospheric.
Grim Dawn
Release date: 2016 | Developer: Crate Entertainment | Humble Store, Steam
If you’ve rinsed Diablo 2 for every magical trinket and are looking for a modern fix, here is your game. Grim Dawn is a gritty, well-made action RPG with strong classes and a pretty world full of monsters to slay in their droves. It’s the distant brooding son of Titan Quest, sharing some designers and mechanics with that fine 2006 Greek myth ARPG. Like its cousin, Grim Dawn lets you pick two classes and share your upgrade points between two skill trees. This hybrid progression system creates plenty of scope for theorycrafting, and the skills are exciting to use—an essential prerequisite for games that rely so heavily on combat encounters.
The story isn’t bad either, for an ARPG. Don’t expect twisting plots and decisions with consequences—this is very much a game about single-handedly destroying armies—but there is a neat faction reputation system that spawns harder mobs and villainous nemesis heroes as you become more hated by the criminals, cults and monsters that rule the wilderness. The local demons and warlords that terrorize each portion of the world are well sketched out in the scrolling text NPC dialogue and found journals. Ultimately, it’s about the monster-smashing and sweet loot, though, and Grim Dawn delivers on both effectively.
Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age
Release date: 2018 | Developer: Square Enix | Steam
The smartest Final Fantasy game finally got a PC port in 2018. The game can't render the sort of streaming open worlds we're used to these days, but the art still looks great, and the gambit system is still one of the most fun party development systems in RPG history. Gambits let you program party members with a hierarchy of commands that they automatically follow in fights. You're free to build any character in any direction you wish. You can turn the street urchin Vaan into a broadsword-wielding combat specialist or a elemental wizard. The port even includes a fast-forward mode that make the grinding painless.
Legend of Grimrock 2
Release date: 2014 | Developer: Almost Human Games | Humble Store, Steam
We loved the original Legend of Grimrock and the way it embraced the old Dungeon Master model of making your party—mostly a collection of stats—explore the world one square at a time. The one drawback is that it was too literal of a dungeon crawler. The enemies might change, but for the most part you kept trudging down what seemed like the same series of corridors until the game's end.
The sequel, though, focuses on both the dank dungeons and the bright, open world above, resulting in a nostalgic romp that's immensely enjoyable and filled with even deadlier enemies and more challenging puzzles. As with the first outing, much of its power springs from the element of surprise. One moment you'll be merrily hacking through enemies with ease, and the next you might find yourself face-to-face with an unkillable demon. And then you'll run, and you discover that there are sometimes almost as many thrills in flight as in the fight.
Undertale
Release date: 2015 | Developer: tobyfox | Humble Store, Steam
Play only the first 20 minutes, and Undertale might seem like yet another JRPG tribute game, all inside jokes about Earthbound and Final Fantasy coated with bright sugary humor and endearingly ugly graphics. But take it as a whole (and find out that it isn't all bright and sugary after all), and it's an inventive, heartfelt game. It's a little unsettling how slyly it watches us, remembering little things and using our preconceptions about RPGs to surprise and mortify and comfort. More than a tribute to RPGs, it’s a tribute to RPG fans and an exploration of our relationship with games.
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Undertale certainly sticks out among all these cRPGs, but looking past its bullet hell-style combat and disregard for things like leveling and skill trees, it's got what counts: great storytelling and respect for player decisions.
Tyranny
Release date: 2016 | Developer: Obsidian Entertainment | Humble Store, Steam
It isn't quite the accomplishment of its cousin, Pillars of Eternity, but Tyranny's premise sets it apart from other RPGs. Playing as an agent of evil could've been expressed with pure, bland sadism, but instead Tyranny focuses on the coldness of bureaucracy and ideological positioning.
As a 'Fatebinder' faithful to conqueror Kyros the Overlord—yep, sounds evil—you're tasked with mediating talks between her bickering armies and engaging with rebels who fight despite obvious doom, choosing when to sympathize with them and when to eradicate them, most of the time striking a nasty compromise that balances cruelty and political positioning. The latter is achieved through a complex reputation system that, unlike many other morality meters, allows fear and loyalty to coexist with companions and factions.
As with Pillars, Tyranny's pauseable realtime combat and isometric fantasy world are a throwback to classic cRPGs, but not as a vehicle for nostalgia—it feels more like the genre had simply been hibernating, waiting for the right time to reemerge with all the creativity it had before.
Path of Exile
Release date: 2013 | Developer: Grinding Gear Games | Official site
This excellent free-to-play action RPG is heaven for players that enjoy stewing over builds to construct the most effective killing machine possible. It’s not the most glamorous ARPG, but it has extraordinary depth of progression and an excellent free-to-play model that relies on cosmetics rather than game-altering upgrades. It may look muddy and indistinct, and the combat doesn’t feel as good as Diablo 3, but if you enjoy number crunching this is one of the brainiest RPGs around.
Path of Exile’s scary complexity becomes apparent the moment you arrive on your character’s level-up screen, which . As you plough through enemies and level up, you travel across this huge board, tailoring your character a little with each upgrade. Gear customization is equally detailed. Path of Exile borrows Final Fantasy VII’s concept of connected gem slots. Every piece of armor has an arrangement of slots that take magic gems. These gems confer stat bonuses and bonus adjacency effects when set in the right formations. Ideally you’ll want to build synergies between your gemmed-up gear and leveling choices to create the most powerful warrior you can. Doing so requires plenty of planning, but it’s an engrossing slow-burn challenge.
Darkest Dungeon
Release date: 2016 | Developer: Red Hook Studios | Humble Store, Steam
You might begin Darkest Dungeon as you would an XCOM campaign: assembling a team of warriors that you've thoughtfully named, decorated, and upgraded for battle. How naive! Inevitably, your favorite highwayman gets syphilis. Your healer turns masochistic, and actually begins damaging herself each turn. Your plague doctor gets greedy, and begins siphoning loot during each dungeon run. A few hours into the campaign, your precious heroes become deeply flawed tools that you either need to learn how to work with, or use until they break, and replace like disposable batteries.
With Lovecraft's hell as your workplace, Darkest Dungeon is about learning how to become a brutal and effective middle manager. Your heroes will be slaughtered by fishmen, cultists, demons, and foul pigmen as you push through decaying halls, but more will return to camp with tortured minds or other maladies. Do you spend piles of gold to care for them, or put those resources toward your ultimate goal?
Darkest Dungeon is a brilliant cohesion of art, sound, writing, and design. The colorful, hand-drawn horrors pop from the screen, showing their influence but never feeling derivative. It's a hard game, but once you understand that everyone is expendable—even the vestal with kleptomania you love so much—Darkest Dungeon's brutality becomes a fantastic story-generator more than a frustration. 'Overconfidence is a slow and insidious killer,' as its narrator reminds.
Mount & Blade: Warband
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Release date: 2009 | Developer: TaleWorlds | Humble Store, Steam
There are few games that get medieval combat right, and fewer still that add a strategic, army-building component. Fostering an army of farmers into warriors is great, but we love that Mount & Blade gives us the agency to be a hero figure on the battlefield and shape the outcome of a battle ourselves with our marksmanship or fast riding. The metagame of alliance-making, marriage, looting, and economics underpinning these battles makes Warband a satisfying game of gathering goods, enemies, and friendship. Even when the base game wears thin, Mount & Blade’s mods and multiplayer give you more to do, with some even moving the action to a galaxy far, far away.
Neverwinter Nights 2
Release date: 2003 |Developer: Obsidian Entertainment | GOG
We loved BioWare's original Neverwinter Nights from 2002 (and especially its expansions), but as a single-player experience, Neverwinter Nights 2 was in a class all of its own. Whereas the original had a fairly weak main campaign that mainly seemed aimed at showing what the DM kit was capable of, Obsidian Entertainment managed to equal and arguably outdo BioWare's storytelling prowess in the sequel when it took over the helm.
The whole affair brimmed with humor, and companions such as the raucous dwarf Khelgar Ironfist still have few rivals in personality nine years later. And the quality just kept coming. Shades of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past reveal themselves in the masterful Shadow of the Betrayer expansion's focus on two halves of the same world, but Obsidian skillfully uses that familiar framework to deliver an unforgettable commentary on religion.
Gothic 2
Release date: 2002 | Developer: Piranha Bytes | Humble Store, Steam
Few games are as staunchly open-world—and unforgiving—as Gothic 2. The first time we played it, we left town in the wrong direction and immediately met monsters many levels higher than us, and died horribly. Lesson learned.
It sounds like Gothic 2 is too punishing, but we love the way it forces us to learn our way through its world. Enemies don’t scale with your level, as they do in the Elder Scrolls series, and you’ll have to pay close attention to quest text and NPCs to find your path. Once you do—and overcome the awkward controls—there’s a huge, sprawling RPG at your fingertips, and while you may have felt weak and powerless at the beginning, you’ll be a true badass by the end.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Release date: 2012 | Developer: Bethesda Softworks | Humble Store, Steam (Special Edition)
Pick a direction and run. You’re almost guaranteed to discover some small adventure, some small chunk of world that will engage you. It’s that content density that makes Skyrim constantly rewarding. A visit to the Mage’s Guild will turn into an area-spanning search for knowledge. A random chat with an NPC will lead you to a far-off dungeon, searching for a legendary relic. You could be picking berries on the side of a mountain and discover a dragon. Oops, accidental dragon fight.
And if you somehow exhaust all of Bethesda’s content, rest assured that modders have more waiting for you in Steam Workshop—that lively community has kept Skyrim in the Steam top 100 since its release, and given us endless ways to adventure through a great world. Some on the PC Gamer team keep a modded-up Skyrim install handy, just in case they feel like adventure. That’s some high praise.
Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire
Release date: 2018 | Developer: Obsidian Entertainment | Steam
The sequel to the marvellous Pillars of Eternity ventures to the archipelago of Deadfire. You, and your party of adventurers, need to pursue a rampaging god, but to reach it you first you need to learn to sail the high seas aboard The Defiant. On the ocean you can explore and can plunder enemy vessels for loot, which you can then use to upgrade your ship. When you dock at a port the game switches back to classic top-down cRPG view and you're treated to elaborate and beautifully rendered locations.
Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss
Release date: 1992 | Developer: Blue Sky Productions (aka Looking Glass Studios) | GOG
Designer Paul Neurath originally conceived of a dungeon simulator that would turn traditional role-playing conventions on their head. Called Underworld, he and his team, the future Looking Glass Studios, built a game that rewarded real-world thinking to solve puzzles and please NPCs. Ultima developer Origin Systems was so impressed by the three-dimensional engine (you could look up and down!) and first-person combat that it bought the rights to the game, and suddenly the Avatar was trapped in the Stygian Abyss instead of some faceless schmuck.
Characters that are normally enemies are friends in Underworld, and we love that you may not be able to tell. Attacking a goblin might be a bad move, because he’s just as likely to be your friend. The first time we popped popcorn with a campfire and an ear of corn, we knew we weren’t in any old dungeon crawler. Underworld was a technological marvel in 1992, but while the graphics are dated, the feeling of exploring the Stygian Abyss is just as exciting today.
Divinity: Original Sin
Release date: 2014 | Developer: Larian Studios | Humble Store, Steam
Divinity was a Kickstarter success story that still somehow took us by surprise. Unlike most RPGs, it’s designed with co-op in mind—you even control two protagonists in the single-player version, roleplaying different motivations through conversations. Larian designed encounters thinking that someone could always disagree, or ruin things for you, or even kill the NPC you need to talk to—meaning that quests have to be solvable in unorthodox ways.
The writing in Divinity is consistently top-notch. Sure, sometimes you’ll have to destroy a goblin riding a giant mechanical robot, or talk to a dog to solve a quest. But that dog may have a heartbreaking story for you, and maybe you’ll cry just a little bit like we did. Larian commits to Divinity’s world, and that commitment pays off. This is the kind of freeform, epic, party-based RPG we haven’t had since the days of Ultima, and it’s exactly what we love from an RPG.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2
Release date: 2005 | Developer: Obsidian | Humble Store, Steam
While BioWare’s first KOTOR is a Star Wars classic, KOTOR 2 takes the franchise in a bolder direction. Instead of focusing on the Light or Dark sides of the Force, the Jedi Exile of Obsidian’s sequel deals in shades of gray. Alliances are made, then broken, then remade in the aftermath. Choices you think are good just turn out to betray other characters. The end result is possibly the most nuanced take on The Force in the entire Star Wars Expanded Universe, and definitely its most complex villains.
Like many Obsidian early games, KOTOR 2’s truncated development meant that whole areas had to be cut out. A fan-made mod restores much of that content, including a droid planet, and fixes lots of outstanding bugs, showing yet again that PC gamers will work hard to maintain their favorite games.
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines
Release date: 2004 | Developer: Troika | Humble Store, Steam
It’s all about atmosphere—from the goth clubs where you meet contacts, to the back alleys where you scavenge for rat blood, to the haunted Ocean House Hotel (one of the best quests in the game). Bloodlines’ ambitious use of White Wolf’s Vampire universe means it looks and feels different from the other sword and sorcery games on this list.
Unfortunately, that signature Troika ambition also means lots of bugs and some mechanics that just don’t mesh well. The endgame includes some particularly sloggy dungeons, but no other game truly drops you into a Vampire world. This is truly a cult classic of an RPG, and the fanbase has been patching and improving the game ever since release.
Vampire: The Masquerade—Bloodlines 2 is currently in development. Read everything we know about it in preparation for what could be another addition to this list in 2020.
Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls
Release date: 2014 | Developer: Blizzard | Battle.net
Let’s face it: the real-money auction house was a bad idea, one of a few in the original Diablo 3 release. Blizzard nixed the cash auctions right before Reaper of Souls’ release, but it’s the addition of Adventure Mode that turned the game around from disappointing sequel to crowning achievement for the series. Instead of rehashing the game’s acts, Adventure Mode’s task-based milestones and randomized areas make the game feel fresh for much longer. It’s a standout mode, and it’d be hard to imagine playing Diablo 3 any other way.
But RoS added another feature that changes the way we love our action RPGs: guild support. Having friends to talk to as you grind through a dungeon, even if they’re not with you, makes the game far less lonesome, and it’s that kind of small touch that justifies Blizzard’s always-online philosophy. Adding all this to the already-tremendous feeling of wiping out hordes of baddies with a well-timed ability change, RoS is the defining action RPG for us. It’s a game we’ll be playing for a long, long time.
Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura
Release date: 2001 |Developer: Troika Games | GOG
Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura was astoundingly buggy when it came out, and many of its battles were as laughably imbalanced as its title. Patches and mods have alleviated some of that pain over the years, but even then they weren't powerful enough to hide what a great mix of fantasy and steampunkery thrived under its surface. As we said in our enthusiastic review in 2001, 'If you can’t find something to love about this game, dump your computer in the garbage right now.'
That assessment holds up. Arcanum was dark 'n' gritty before some such tendencies became all the rage, and its character creator allowed players to create everything from gnome gamblers who brandish self-explanatory Tesla-guns to outcast orcs lugging along rusty maces. Toss in non-linear progression and multiple solutions for quests, and you've got a winner that holds up 14 years later.
Fallout: New Vegas
Release date: 2010 | Developer: Obsidian | Humble Store, Steam (Ultimate Edition)
While Fallout 3 was successful, it was a different beast entirely from Interplay’s classics. Obsidian’s take on the franchise moves the action back to the West Coast, and reintroduces elements such as reputation and faction power struggles. Obsidian expands on nearly every aspect of Bethesda’s take, making the game less about good or evil, and more about who you should trust. It also adds much of the humor that we loved from the classic games: How can you not appreciate a game that gives you a nuclear grenade launcher?
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New Vegas’ “Hardcore” mode makes survival in the wasteland more interesting, limiting the power of RadAway and Health Stims. It makes the game harder, but also more rewarding. If that’s not your thing, there are plenty of additional mods and tweaks available, including game director Josh Sawyer’s own balance-tweak mod. What we love the most about New Vegas is how it adds the Fallout feeling back into Bethesda's first-person RPG framework.
Dark Souls 3
Release date: 2016 | Developer: From Software | Humble Store, Steam
Name any similar-looking RPG made in the past five years, and chances are good Dark Souls will be named as an inspiration for its design. Still, Dark Souls 3 proves that no one does it quite so well as From Software. The spark of originality that was so compelling in Dark Souls 1 isn't quite as apparent here, the second sequel in just five years, but what remains is an impeccably designed combat-heavy RPG. It's far more responsive than its predecessors, demanding faster action and reaction without sacrificing the deliberate play Dark Souls popularized. Button mashing will get you nowhere but dead.
Dark Souls 3 is the most approachable in the series thanks to frequent warp points, simplified online co-op and beautiful (and hideous) art that beckons you to explore every nook and corner. No game series manages to reward you so profoundly for scrutinizing its lore and unfurling its secrets, and Dark Souls 3's faster, tighter controls and animation make it the most fun Souls game to play.
The Witcher 2
Release date: 2011 | Developer: CD Projekt Red | Humble Store, Steam
The epic scale of The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings is remarkable, but it's the power of choice in an unrelentingly ugly world that makes it unforgettable. Moral ambiguity has never been so powerfully presented: the decisions you make actually matter, and the outcomes are often unforeseeable and rarely as good as you'd hope.
One of the most impressive things about The Witcher 2 is the way it blends two very distinct experiences. Early in the game, Geralt must make a choice that will take him down one of two separate paths, each offering a completely different perspective on the game's events. If you want to see it all, you'll have to play it twice—and there's more than enough to make it a worthwhile effort.
You might expect all your toil and trouble to eventually lead to a just and happy ending for all, but it won't. Geralt isn't a hero; he's really not much more than a bystander, trying to protect what little he has from the chaos that surrounds him. His quest is entirely personal, driven forward by a colorful, occasionally bizarre and surprisingly believable cast of characters that really brings the game alive. Geralt works alone, but he feels more like 'one among many' than the savior-protagonists of other party-based RPGs.
It's a fantastic and well-told tale, layered over very solid mechanical underpinnings: A flexible character development system, glorious eye candy, intense combat and more than enough secondary content to camouflage its very linear nature. It's dark, it's dirty, it's sometimes flat-out depressing—and it's brilliant.
Dragon Age: Origins
Release date: 2009 | Developer: BioWare | Steam, Origin
Capturing that old Baldur’s Gate feel was goal number one for Dragon Age, and it comes pretty close. Ferelden evokes much of the Forgotten Realms without feeling like a rehash, and your relationship with your team has that old BioWare magic. The darkspawn feel like the kind of world-consuming threat that demands our attention, even if most of them are faceless hunks of evil for us to cut down. We love how Dragon Age treats magic in its world, in particular the quests that force us to choose how to best handle abominations, the result of a renegade mage succombing to demonic possession.
But it’s the combat that feels most familiar, and most fun: the satisfying tactical depth of pausing your combat, issuing orders, and reacting to the results works like a modern Infinity Engine game should. It’s sad that BioWare will never make an RPG like this again—Dragon Age 2 was too streamlined, and Inquisition’s more open world—so in many ways, this is the last hurrah for the old BioWare, and a fitting end for its classic design.
System Shock 2
Release date: 1999 | Developer: Irrational Games | GOG
Lonely. That’s the defining emotion of Irrational’s debut game. You’ll hear audio logs from fascinating characters, many of whom are struggling to survive in a battle against the bio-terror creatures called the Many. But you won’t meet those people, because they didn’t make it.
That loneliness is key because Shock 2 is all about taking things away from you. Ammo? Check: you’ll probably waste those on an assault droid when you should have saved them for later. Hypos? Yep. Think twice before you walk into that radiated room. But the biggest thing Irrational takes away, right at the halfway mark of the game, is hope. It’s the reveal of insane AI Shodan that turns your expectations on their head, and it’s one of our favorite moments in gaming.
Irrational made games where the environment is the central character, and here, that character is the Von Braun. It creaks and moans as you pad quietly down its corridors. Every door you open yelps. Its security systems attack you as if you hurt their feelings. Staying on the good side of this character is hard, but Shock 2’s leveling system of earning experience points through exploration balances the risks and rewards. Some play through with all guns blazing, but the psionics skills balance well with combat, and Tech skills open new areas later in the game. There’s a lot of balance to be found in what on the surface looks like a streamlined action RPG skill system.
Ultima VII: The Black Gate
Release date: 1992 | Developer: Origin Systems | GOG
The Guardian was one of the most terrifying things our young minds had ever encountered. His massive stone face emerging from the screen, with his actual, real-life voice taunting us, both tempting us to play more and horrifying us.
It was a technological marvel at the time, but Ultima 7 stands the test of time because of the interactivity of Britannia. Most anything could be picked up or talked to, and as we painted a portraits of ourselves in the game, we wondered if we’d ever finish the game’s plot. But Ultima’s story sucks you in, starting first with a double homicide to solve and expanding into a religious battle for Britannia’s soul. Black Gate’s dialogue design still hold up today, and inspired Divinity: Original Sin a great deal—particularly the way it handles new converts to the world’s competing religion. This is without a doubt the best installment of one of the most legendary RPG franchises ever.
Deus Ex
Release date: 2000 | Developer: Ion Storm Austin | GOG
Do you want to run in the firefight, guns blazing, or do you want to sneak around and flank? Do you want to snipe? Or maybe you want to hack some terminals and get droid reinforcement? Or, what if you talked to that NPC guard over there and convince his team to take a lunch break? Deus Ex’s world is so freeform that the choices seem endless.
While it looks like a shooter, Deus Ex is all about role-playing elements. Fire a gun you’re not skilled in and your aim won’t matter—you’ll most likely miss. The leveling system rewards experimentation, and some of the later upgrades make your Denton feel like a superhero. Even the weapons you use can be modified and “leveled up,” turning a standard issue pistol into an unstoppable killing tool. The attention to detail here is perfect, and no one element of the game ever truly feels forced.
Deus Ex’s world is built to reward exploring every dark alley and ventilation system, because you never know where you’ll find a new clue. And there are a lot of clues—every note you find or sign you see seems to hint at some new conspiracy, and we love how the alliances in the game feel constantly in flux. The NPCs you meet are just believable enough to make this conspiracy-laden world feel lived-in. Human Revolution looks better, but this is the smarter, more open-ended game.
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
Release date: 2002 | Developer: Bethesda Game Studios | Humble Store, Steam
The release of Fallout 4 demonstrated that some cracks are starting to appear in Bethesda's usually reliable open world model, but that model seemed earthshaking back when Morrowind hit literal shelves way back in 2002. There was a magic in knowing you could tromp all over the island of Vvardenfell without even encountering a loading screen save upon entering buildings, and in seeing that the NPC population seemed to have lives beyond their interactions with you.
Plenty of other games have achieved similar effects in the years since, but the wonder of Morrowind is that it still holds up all these years later—even more so than its technically superior successor Oblivion. A lot of that appeal springs from the delicious surrealism of Vvardenfell itself, where racist elves hang out in twisty mushrooms like smurfs in an acid dream, and where the more traditional castles of occupying foreigners clash with the landscape like pueblos in Scandinavia. The AI might often seem primitive by today's standards, but the stories the tell often rival those in prettier contemporary RPGs.
It thrives still, thanks in part to its own strengths and a dedicated modding community that creates countless new adventures and keeps it looking more modern than it actually is (even going so far as to port the entirety of Morrowind into newer game engines).
Mass Effect 2
Release date: 2010 | Developer: BioWare | Steam, Origin
BioWare’s first Mass Effect felt like a KOTOR clone, and not in a good way. The universe was a place we wanted to live, but there were too many systems and menus to dig through to get there. Still, it terrified us to hear that BioWare had streamed back so much and put more emphasis on the shooting mechanics. Turns out, it was for the better: Mass Effect 2 trims just enough fat to let you focus on what matters: the optional Loyalty missions for your team.
Instead of an exercise in galactic exploration, Mass Effect 2 plays out like a sci-fi Ocean's Eleven or Dirty Dozen. Recruiting a team to take on the Collectors puts the focus on small, interesting stories. Each Loyalty mission gives you insight into your companions’ motivations, making every member of the Normandy's crew an unusually deep character. Once you've grown to know and love them, the endgame suicide run is one of the tensest final missions ever. It's rare for a game to spend more time on character arcs than its central driving narrative, but Mass Effect 2 pulls it off. This is some of the best writing in BioWare's history.
Dark Souls: Prepare To Die Edition
Release date: 2011 | Developer: From Software | Humble Store, Steam
Yes, Dark Souls breaks a cardinal rule of RPGs: you can beat it without leveling. But only if you’re really good, and only if you understand its systems perfectly—that its crafting system matters, that certain items can be obtained only by fulfilling obfuscated quests. In a genre where systems are king, Dark Souls reigns because it’s all about systems. Just learning how each stat affects your character’s build is a process deeper than most D&D-themed RPGs, but it’s ultimately just as rewarding.
So is discovering the rich lore of Lordran, which is told through cryptic conversations and subtle environmental clues. The depth of Dark Souls' world carries over into exploration, too. Everything is connected brilliantly, and secrets and shortcuts—including massive hidden areas and features—await the most dedicated adventurers. Dark Souls' summoning system is also unlike anything else in RPGs, but you can unplug and beat the whole game solo, or learn to love being invaded and fighting off another player. Don’t let the rumored difficulty keep you away from one of our favorite RPGs.
Fallout 2
Release date: 1998 | Developer: Black Isle Studios | GOG
The original Fallout was a huge success for Interplay, but it’s not as big of a world as you’d expect. The sequel expands that world considerably, and adds more moral ambiguity to a game where right and wrong are already hard to tell apart. Playing as a tribal villager instead of a native Vault dweller gives you a different world perspective—you’re not as naive to the world and its dangers, which makes it all the darker when you start twisting people’s expectations and motivations.
The search for the Garden of Eden Creation Kit (GECK) fits the warped 1950s feel of the wasteland more than the macguffin of a water chip in the first game. And it’s nice to not have such a time limit hanging over your head: you can take your time and get to know the people of the wastes, instead of rushing to an abandoned vault. If you’ve never played the classic series, we recommend you start here, and then the original.
Baldur’s Gate 2
Release date: 2000 | Developer: BioWare | GOG (Enhanced Edition)
One problem with AD&D is that low-level characters are pretty boring. Baldur’s Gate 2 solves that problem by letting you carry over your party from the first game, or start fresh with level 7 characters. It makes a huge difference: instead of wimpy fighters and frail wizards, you get powerful, useful spells and warriors that can take a punch.
It also helps that the scope of Amn is enormous, with more quests and content than most other comparable RPGs. BioWare’s Infinity Engine handles the quests and the combat perfectly, highlighting the game’s focus on strategy and tactics in combat. It’s hard to imagine controlling a six-person party without pausing and giving orders, and any newer game that relies on real-time decisions makes us long for the Infinity Engine.
Yes, this is where RPG romances come from, but the courtships never feel contrived here, and BG2 still has some of the most memorable companions of any game. If for some reason you’ve never played a table-top RPG, Baldur’s Gate 2 captures the sword-and-sorcery experience almost perfectly. If you have the original version, you can easily mod it to run at modern resolutions, or you can try the Extended Edition that also includes new content.
Check out everything we know about the upcoming Baldur's Gate 3 being developed by Larian. Given that the studio is the creator of two other entries to this list, we have high hopes for the unexpected third entry to the series.
Planescape: Torment
Release date: 1999 | Developer: Black Isle Studios | GOG
There is no other story in gaming like the Nameless One’s. His is a tale of redemption in the face of countless sins, a tale of not knowing who you are until you become the person you’re trying to be. The tattoos the Nameless One wears are marks to remind him of who he is, who he was, and who he wants to be.
That open-endedness is central to what makes Planescape: Torment so captivating. At a literal level, you spend the game trying to discover who the Nameless One is, but your actions also help to define him. It’s one of many RPG tropes that Black Isle sought to subvert—others include the fact that rats are actually worthy foes, humans are often worse than undead, and you don’t have to fight in most cases. Most importantly, that your goal is not to save the world, as in countless other RPGs. You simply need to figure out who you are.
The Nameless One’s companions are some of the best written, most enjoyable NPCs ever coded. Most have been affected by your past incarnations: pyromaniac mage Ignus was once your apprentice, though it’s more impressive that he’s constantly on fire. Or Dak'kon, who swore an oath of loyalty to you, even though you’re not sure why. Others are just interesting, well-rounded characters: Fall-From-Grace is a succubus cleric who prays to no god and, though a creature of evil, wants to do no harm. The best is Morte, a floating skull whose sarcastic wit is sharper than his bite attacks (skulls can’t equip swords, of course).
These characters would be odd in any normal high fantasy world, but Torment uses the Planescape AD&D campaign setting, the strangest world TSR ever designed. And so it’s fitting that Torment is light on conflict and heavy on story—though when combat does erupt, BioWare’s Infinity Engine handles as well as in the Baldur’s Gate series. This is the one role-playing game we’d recommend to anyone interested in the genre, a game that best represents what we love about RPGs.
Arx Fatalis
Release date: 2002 | Developer: Arkane Studios | GOG
Arkane’s goal with its first game was to create a dungeon experience as detailed as Ultima Underworld, right down to the magic system, which required you to memorize runes and draw them in the air with your mouse. Stealth is critical, as is the crafting system that takes Underworld’s “everything is important” ethos and expands it. Arx is slow and deliberate, forcing you to consider encounters from different angles: should you use force on the snake women, or sneak past and avoid conflict?
Many of the design seeds that show up later in Arkane’s Dishonored are planted here, but there are a lot of old fashioned mechanics we’d love to see more of. The mouse gesture magic system seems awkward to use, but we love tracing a rune and watching our foes crumble in the aftermath. We’d love to see Arkane revisit the dungeons again, bringing what it’s learned from making Dishonored (and the sublime melee combat from Dark Messiah of Might & Magic) to an Arx Fatalis sequel.
Usually, when you get a new-to-you console, you can usually find or remember the major games to check out. But what happens when you need something different to play? This is where the “Hidden Gems” come in.
Read More About My Criteria For Hidden Gems
See All The Hidden Gems Articles
Platformers
Obvious Choices:
Super Mario Advance Series, Sonic Advance Series, Rayman Series, Donkey Kong Country Series, Crash Bandicoot Series, Spyro the Dragon Series, Kirby Series,
Super Mario Advance Series, Sonic Advance Series, Rayman Series, Donkey Kong Country Series, Crash Bandicoot Series, Spyro the Dragon Series, Kirby Series,
Featured Game: Wario Land 4
Not since Super Mario Bros. have I been so filled with wonder and excitement when I discover a new secret or accidentally stumble across a new room. Remember how it felt the first time you found a Warp Zone or jumped and a block appeared out of thin air in the original Super Mario? That’s exactly the way I felt while playing each and every level in Warioland 4. Some secrets are so well hidden that it takes blind luck to find them. In one level I was just running around areas I had already been through when I was about to slam into a rock wall. I pushed the other direction to slow down, but to no avail I went crashing into it, or at least that was what I was expecting. Instead, the wall simply dissolved into thin air and I entered a secret chamber where a huge diamond was hiding. Mine for the taking! Other levels have those trademark Nintendo hints that let you know there’s something just out of your reach. After much exploring you may finally figure out the puzzle, but sometimes it will remain a mystery until a second or third time through….
Not since Super Mario Bros. have I been so filled with wonder and excitement when I discover a new secret or accidentally stumble across a new room. Remember how it felt the first time you found a Warp Zone or jumped and a block appeared out of thin air in the original Super Mario? That’s exactly the way I felt while playing each and every level in Warioland 4. Some secrets are so well hidden that it takes blind luck to find them. In one level I was just running around areas I had already been through when I was about to slam into a rock wall. I pushed the other direction to slow down, but to no avail I went crashing into it, or at least that was what I was expecting. Instead, the wall simply dissolved into thin air and I entered a secret chamber where a huge diamond was hiding. Mine for the taking! Other levels have those trademark Nintendo hints that let you know there’s something just out of your reach. After much exploring you may finally figure out the puzzle, but sometimes it will remain a mystery until a second or third time through….
Graphically the game looks fantastic. The game is insanely colorful and the sprites are well animated. Wario himself has many different incarnations throughout the game, but you can always tell it’s him thanks to the wonderful artwork and trademark features of the big guy. The graphics are very sharp and clean looking on all of the levels, but most important of all the screen is fairly bright so you don’t have to have floodlights on to see the action. The game is loaded with parallax scrolling, sprite scaling, and other graphic touches to show off the GBA’s power as well. In many instances some of the backgrounds reminded me a bit of Super Metroid. Maybe it’s just the art direction, but I’d be interested to hear if anyone else feels the same way. Perhaps some of the same people worked on both games? Needless to say the graphics are superb and the many different areas of the game all look great.
The sound is a real surprise. It’s actually the first thing that I noticed about the game since in the introduction you’ll hear vocals in the soundtrack. Granted, it’s not the best voice ever heard in a game, but it’s really cool to hear vocals in a soundtrack on a Game Boy system. Other stages have vocals in the background music as well, and while they’re usually in Japanese, it somehow fits the game perfectly. Hidden in each stage is a CD that you can find to listen to the background music anytime you like. Wario’s trademark laughing is back, but it does sound a bit different from the awesome Mario Kart 64 voice. Perhaps they used a different voice, or maybe the sound chip in the GBA just couldn’t do the job well. Whatever the case, it sounds good enough and isn’t as overbearing as those found in Mario Advance.
When all is said and done, this game simply rocks. Nintendo has struck gold again with Warioland 4. It’s so much fun to play and is yet another 2D game on the GBA that is a must-have. If you have never before played a Warioland game, this is still a perfect place to start. After trying it out I guarantee that you’ll be checking out the older versions on Game Boy Color to see what you’ve been missing over the past 8 years. If you crave some great 2D action, look no further, Warioland 4 stands far and above any other platformer on the system. Go out and buy it, you won’t be disappointed.”
Gaming Age’s Review of Wario Land 4
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Gaming Age’s Review of Wario Land 4
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More Great Games:
Klonoa: Empire of Dreams(eBay)
Klonoa 2: Dream Champ Tournament(eBay)
Kim Possible 2: Drakken’s Demise(eBay)
Klonoa: Empire of Dreams(eBay)
Klonoa 2: Dream Champ Tournament(eBay)
Kim Possible 2: Drakken’s Demise(eBay)
Action Platformers
Obvious Choices:
Metroid Series, Megaman Series, Gunstar Super Heroes, Metal Slug Series, Castlevania Series, Super Ghouls ‘n Ghosts
Metroid Series, Megaman Series, Gunstar Super Heroes, Metal Slug Series, Castlevania Series, Super Ghouls ‘n Ghosts
Featured Game: Astro Boy: Omega Factor
“Everyone, regardless of age, simply must own and play Astro Boy: Omega Factor–because it is one of the best action games on the Game Boy Advance. Sega has teamed up with Treasure, the same development house responsible for past cult hits such as Gunstar Heroes, Dynamite Headdy, and Ikaruga to create what is essentially a celebration not just of Astro Boy creator Osamu Tezuka’s life’s work, but also of everything that makes the side-scrolling action genre so timeless and great.
“Everyone, regardless of age, simply must own and play Astro Boy: Omega Factor–because it is one of the best action games on the Game Boy Advance. Sega has teamed up with Treasure, the same development house responsible for past cult hits such as Gunstar Heroes, Dynamite Headdy, and Ikaruga to create what is essentially a celebration not just of Astro Boy creator Osamu Tezuka’s life’s work, but also of everything that makes the side-scrolling action genre so timeless and great.
The Treasure-inspired influences are unmistakable. Astro can beat up enemies using his fists, but the many individual waves of enemies within each level encourage the frequent and gratuitous use of his pyrotechnically gorgeous finger laser, arm cannon, and machine gun special attacks. The arm cannon, for instance, is as tall as Astro Boy and spans the entire screen. Best of all, you only need to perform a couple of kung fu combos to recharge Astro’s stock of special attacks. Roughly half of the game’s 43 levels have a boss battle, another Treasure trademark. Some bosses are behemoths that stand multiple screens high and attack with a variety of different weapons. Others are smaller, but have multiple transformations and attack patterns. Just to shake things up a little, there are also flying stages scattered here and there. These stages play out like a traditional shoot-’em-up, with Astro dodging lasers and taking on wave after wave of flying robots using his finger laser and special attacks…
Omega Factor is a delight for the senses. The levels show a great amount of depth and detail, partly because there’s a lot going on in the cities in the background and also because the multiple layers of parallax and line scrolling make it seem like there’s a whole environment out there besides just what’s in the foreground….
All game systems have two or three games that ultimately define the particular genre they represent on that platform. Thus far, the GBA’s must-have action games have included titles from the Super Mario, Metroid, and Castlevania series. Now you can add Astro Boy: Omega Factor to that short list. You’ll need to go through most of the game’s 43 levels twice in order to find all the characters and unlock the best ending, but even after you accomplish that feat, this is the kind of game that you’ll pick up regularly just to play a level and kill some time.”
GameSpot’s Review of Astro Boy: Omega Factor
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GameSpot’s Review of Astro Boy: Omega Factor
Find Astro Boy: Omega Factor on eBay
Featured Game: Drill Dozer
“It would seem that everything possible has been done with 2D platformers. The people at Game Freak, however, have come up with a few mechanics that defy what a sidescroller usually presents. In fact, the title probably does things differently than what one might expect from a game about drilling…
“It would seem that everything possible has been done with 2D platformers. The people at Game Freak, however, have come up with a few mechanics that defy what a sidescroller usually presents. In fact, the title probably does things differently than what one might expect from a game about drilling…
Drill Dozer is inventive in unexpected ways. The standard walking and jumping is present as always, but using the Dozer to suspend Jill above a chasm, then drill her way across, is something that is even more surprising than it sounds. Drilling one direction into a block or baddie, then abruptly shifting into reverse can send Jill flying backwards and remove a timed block, which reappears after a set interval.
These are just a couple of off-the-wall additions that have been made to the traditional genre. Boss fights are equally inventive, as each requires Zelda-like levels of brainpower to defeat. One signature fight has Jill playing hot-potato with a police officer’s missiles, which must also be drilled in the correct direction depending on color…
Game Freak has come up with another solid-gold piece of portable software. Nintendo might do well to suggest the company work on more console and handheld projects outside the Pokemon franchise, as Drill Dozer surpassed expectations. In fact, the game is so inventive and absorbing that it might just justify that GB Micro purchase– unless you get the Famicom version, because that really justifies itself, doesn’t it?”
Nintendojo’s Review of Drill Dozer
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Nintendojo’s Review of Drill Dozer
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Featured Game: Disney’s Lilo & Stitch
“When you see a game based on a Disney animated film sitting on the shelf, you?re likely to think that it?s for the kindergarten set. Lilo & Stitch might change your mind. This title features surprisingly solid gameplay reminiscent of SNK?s Metal Slug series.When Lilo?the warm-hearted Hawaiian girl who adopts the alien mutant, Stitch, as a pet?is kidnapped by space aliens, it?s up to Stitch to rescue her. Players switch between the two characters, solving puzzles with the unarmed Lilo and going on a shooting spree with the Rambo-like Stitch. The responsive controls enable you to maneuver through the lush environments easily. You don?t have to kill everything on the screen?evading your enemy works just as well but isn?t as satisfying.
“When you see a game based on a Disney animated film sitting on the shelf, you?re likely to think that it?s for the kindergarten set. Lilo & Stitch might change your mind. This title features surprisingly solid gameplay reminiscent of SNK?s Metal Slug series.When Lilo?the warm-hearted Hawaiian girl who adopts the alien mutant, Stitch, as a pet?is kidnapped by space aliens, it?s up to Stitch to rescue her. Players switch between the two characters, solving puzzles with the unarmed Lilo and going on a shooting spree with the Rambo-like Stitch. The responsive controls enable you to maneuver through the lush environments easily. You don?t have to kill everything on the screen?evading your enemy works just as well but isn?t as satisfying.
The game does a great job of transferring Disney?s animation feel to the (very) small screen. The interactive parts on the backgrounds aren?t obvious, which makes environments fun to explore. The music has that classic Casio keyboard sound, but it isn?t distracting and fits the mood.”
Gamepro’s Review of Lilo & Stich
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Gamepro’s Review of Lilo & Stich
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Action
Obvious Choices:
Spiderman: The Movie, Medal of Honor: Infiltrator, Jet Grind Radio, Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell
Spiderman: The Movie, Medal of Honor: Infiltrator, Jet Grind Radio, Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell
Featured Game: Ninja Five-O
“Ninja Five-O (known as Ninja Cop in some circles) puts players in the role of a Ninja-gone-detective, Joe Osugi. His task is to stop a terrorist group that has been influenced by the evil forces of the Mad Masks, items that were previously locked away by the distant forefathers of the Ninja. As Joe, players don’t do a whole lot of detective work; it’s just part of the game’s storyline. Instead, players put Joe Osugi’s ninja skills to use to take out the terrorist threat and rescue hostages, eventually attempting to fall the leaders that have been put under the influence of the Mad Masks.
“Ninja Five-O (known as Ninja Cop in some circles) puts players in the role of a Ninja-gone-detective, Joe Osugi. His task is to stop a terrorist group that has been influenced by the evil forces of the Mad Masks, items that were previously locked away by the distant forefathers of the Ninja. As Joe, players don’t do a whole lot of detective work; it’s just part of the game’s storyline. Instead, players put Joe Osugi’s ninja skills to use to take out the terrorist threat and rescue hostages, eventually attempting to fall the leaders that have been put under the influence of the Mad Masks.
Bionic Commando is clearly the game’s main inspiration, as many of the level challenges require players to make use of Joe’s grappling hook; players will have to swing from platform to platform to get around the areas. But what’s more, players will have to pump, swing, and leap up to get the Ninja up to higher platforms; this technique is very different than Bionic Commando, which allowed players to simply pull up to the higher ledge with the grapple arm. In Ninja Five-O, this required grapple-swing technique adds so much to the level designs, and it looks so damn cool when you pull it off like it’s second nature.
But Bionic Commando is only part of the game’s inspiration. Hudson also rightfully lifted gameplay ideas from Revenge of Shinobi and Shadow Dancer, easily some of the most recognizable ninja action games ever released… But even though the game’s pretty much an amalgamation of existing old-school game ideas, it’s a combination that really works. And the designers have crafted 20 levels that are extremely challenging, but not frustratingly so. Players have only one life to clear out the entire level, and it will take a few times through to figure out the best plan of attack; all the levels are rigidly designed, with the same enemies, power-ups, and keys in exactly the same location every time. Players will have to learn the specific attacks of each of the colored enemies in order to succeed; so, every level essentially has a “pattern” to follow, but it still requires a lot of skill to get to the end of each area. The designers take advantage of the level layouts by also including a Time Trial mode for each level that’s been completed; the game will record the best times to cartridge, with each level having a “qualifying” time to accomplish.
Ninja Five-O is a surprisingly great game that almost came out of nowhere; Konami released this game as quiet as can be, with relatively no previous hype. The game harkens back to the days of Ninja arcade games, and even though it borrows its gameplay elements from previous designs, it’s not a me-too Game boy Advance game. Since it’s an original game with no license or previous title to bank on, chances are it’ll be one of those games that’ll just sit on store shelves…which is a shame because this is an exciting, fun and challenging action game that shouldn’t be missed.”
IGN’s Review of Ninja Five-O
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IGN’s Review of Ninja Five-O
Find Ninja Five-O on eBay
More Great Games:
Blackthorne(eBay)
Scurge: Hive(eBay)
Bionicle Heroes(eBay)
Sabre Wulf(eBay)
Blackthorne(eBay)
Scurge: Hive(eBay)
Bionicle Heroes(eBay)
Sabre Wulf(eBay)
Adventure
Featured Game: Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars
“It’s a tough proposition to take an old PS One game and hope to revitalize it. The point-and-click genre doesn’t even register a heartbeat anymore, so bringing an old game from that genre to GBA is a risk. Though the standard point-and-click interface has been altered to allow direct character control and icon-based selections, the operation is essentially the same. So, the question is, can a game like this survive in today’s market? Survive, yes, but thrive? Not likely. Fortunately BAM and Revolution Software have managed to pull off an engrossing story with Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars. While the genre won’t likely be resurrected by this title, it will at least get a solid bang before it possibly disappears for good.
“It’s a tough proposition to take an old PS One game and hope to revitalize it. The point-and-click genre doesn’t even register a heartbeat anymore, so bringing an old game from that genre to GBA is a risk. Though the standard point-and-click interface has been altered to allow direct character control and icon-based selections, the operation is essentially the same. So, the question is, can a game like this survive in today’s market? Survive, yes, but thrive? Not likely. Fortunately BAM and Revolution Software have managed to pull off an engrossing story with Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars. While the genre won’t likely be resurrected by this title, it will at least get a solid bang before it possibly disappears for good.
Broken Sword makes great use of the GBA color palette. Every scene is rich in color and dazzling eye candy. Hand drawn and colored, there are some locales that will actually have you gawking. And the scenery isn’t static. There are birds flapping their wings, cars passing on the street, and pedestrians working in the background. Though some of the characters seem a bit stiff in their movements, your eyes will be too busy appreciating the environments to notice. With so many characters and such a long story, it’s important for characters to stand out visually as individuals. And they do in Broken Sword. Someone you meet early on is easily recognized eight hours into the game. All around the visuals are a treat, which makes up in some small way for the gameplay limitations. In the handheld world, it’s easy to just expect arcade-like bings and bops for sound. But Broken Sword goes beyond that, offering a solid score that carries throughout the game. Mixed in are the sounds of the city, random chirps from birds, and even the rumble of an explosion.
Broken Sword may not be your game. It’s there for those who love a good story and some attractive surroundings. It’s not difficult or particularly challenging, but it will absolutely hook you. The only thing compelling you to continue the game is your own desire to know what is going on and how the story will end. There’s some nice humor thrown in and the dialogue is surprisingly fresh at times. However, if you are more into action games, platformers, or standard RPGs, this may not be for you. This game is about as old-school PC as you can get, which I found refreshing. Who knows, you may too.”
IGN’s Review of Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars
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IGN’s Review of Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars
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Racing
Obvious Choices:
F-Zero Series, Need For Speed Series, GT Advance Series, Mario Kart Super Circuit, Colin McRae Rally 2.0, Moto Racer Advance
F-Zero Series, Need For Speed Series, GT Advance Series, Mario Kart Super Circuit, Colin McRae Rally 2.0, Moto Racer Advance
Featured Game: Racing Gears Advance
“The day Codemasters shipped out the original Micro Machines for the Nintendo Entertainment System was the day I fell madly in love with top-down racing games. Similar games in the genre have come and gone before and since then, but it was Micro Machines that really brought the magic to the forefront of arcade-style racing. Orbital Media’s clearly on the same wavelength, as the company’s first game out of the gate, Racing Gears Advance, takes the same energetic approach to arcade racing. The development team has offered up a great looking, tight controlling, and extremely creative GBA racer that brings back a lot of those old Micro Machines feeling, something that hasn’t felt since the release of Paragon 5’s Karnaaj Rally and Micro Machines shipped on the system….
“The day Codemasters shipped out the original Micro Machines for the Nintendo Entertainment System was the day I fell madly in love with top-down racing games. Similar games in the genre have come and gone before and since then, but it was Micro Machines that really brought the magic to the forefront of arcade-style racing. Orbital Media’s clearly on the same wavelength, as the company’s first game out of the gate, Racing Gears Advance, takes the same energetic approach to arcade racing. The development team has offered up a great looking, tight controlling, and extremely creative GBA racer that brings back a lot of those old Micro Machines feeling, something that hasn’t felt since the release of Paragon 5’s Karnaaj Rally and Micro Machines shipped on the system….
The racing action takes place in a fixed camera position over the track, scrolling with your vehicle as you zoom over the terrain. Unlike Karnaaj Rally and Micro Machines, the perspective chosen for Racing Gears Advance is slightly more angled than a harsh straight-down viewpoint. This enables the graphic artists to provide a somewhat 3D appearance to its 2D artwork, and Orbital Media took advantage of this opportunity in a big way. The beautifully rendered track designs are incredibly creative because each one not only offer paths that go every which way — including crossing over and under themselves — but also hide some pretty nifty shortcuts that aren’t always obvious to find or utilize. The engine offers only a basic scrolling environment, but it utilizes sprite techniques that allow for a huge amount of rotation positions for absolutely tight control. And if a vehicle happens to duck behind a tree or into a tunnel and disappear from the player’s sight, the game offers a handy guide “arrow” to show exactly where the car is and what direction its heading.
The actual racing and handling is also expertly pulled off on the Game Boy Advance. Steering is very precise, and it’s enhanced with a control mechanic that gives players the ability to pull off much tighter powerslides simply by release-tapping the accelerator within a curve. Each of the twelve cars in the game are closely matched up in actual performance from the start. The differences between them are somewhat minor in handling, but major when you realize that each vehicle has a unique special ability; the Corvette, for example, can boost from zero to maximum from a dead stop, whereas the Dodge Super-8 (similar to the Magnum) can snag money away from other drivers if you bump into them. The performance issues come into play after each race where you’ll have to manage the race earnings by repairing the vehicle and purchasing upgrades and weaponry. It’s here that the game offers up a nice bit of strategy, since you’ll have to balance how that money gets spread out all over your vehicle — are you an offensive or defensive driver, or do you simply want the fastest, tightest handling vehicle on the road?”
IGN’s Review of Racing Gears Advance
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IGN’s Review of Racing Gears Advance
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More Great Games:
Karnaaj Rally(eBay)
Rock ‘n Roll Racing(eBay)
Karnaaj Rally(eBay)
Rock ‘n Roll Racing(eBay)
Fighting
Obvious Choices:
Street Fighter Series, Mortal Kombat Series, Tekken Advance, King of Fighters EX Neo-Blood
Street Fighter Series, Mortal Kombat Series, Tekken Advance, King of Fighters EX Neo-Blood
Featured Game: Sonic Battle
“Sonic Battle isn’t going to win any awards for depth in its fighting engine…Street Fighter II this is not. The controls have been kept simple for a quick and dirty battle experience that’s light on moves but heavy on combo-striking action. There’s only one main attack button, but like Super Smash Bros., using it in combination with the directional pad will enable different strikes. Combo this with the shoulder button for special moves, both on the ground and in the air, and the potential for multiple hits against multiple enemies increases significantly. And there’s a line-up of more than nine characters in Sonic Battle, each with their own special attacks, so there’s plenty of opportunity for customized fighting in this GBA game.Even with the “keep it simple and maniacal” fighting engine, Sonic Battle is a satisfyingly deep and engrossing gaming experience on the Game Boy Advance. Before each battle players alter their attacks based upon aerial, ground, and defense moves, choosing how each of these attacks is weighed in battle. This choice determines which moves can be performed during a fight, so balancing it one way will force players to attack and defend significantly different than another way. There are five different ways to configure your character during battle. Players can also choose to play in different rules: earn a set number of KOs, or win with the most KOs in an amount of time, or in a survival match with the last man (or hedgehog) standing as the winner.
“Sonic Battle isn’t going to win any awards for depth in its fighting engine…Street Fighter II this is not. The controls have been kept simple for a quick and dirty battle experience that’s light on moves but heavy on combo-striking action. There’s only one main attack button, but like Super Smash Bros., using it in combination with the directional pad will enable different strikes. Combo this with the shoulder button for special moves, both on the ground and in the air, and the potential for multiple hits against multiple enemies increases significantly. And there’s a line-up of more than nine characters in Sonic Battle, each with their own special attacks, so there’s plenty of opportunity for customized fighting in this GBA game.Even with the “keep it simple and maniacal” fighting engine, Sonic Battle is a satisfyingly deep and engrossing gaming experience on the Game Boy Advance. Before each battle players alter their attacks based upon aerial, ground, and defense moves, choosing how each of these attacks is weighed in battle. This choice determines which moves can be performed during a fight, so balancing it one way will force players to attack and defend significantly different than another way. There are five different ways to configure your character during battle. Players can also choose to play in different rules: earn a set number of KOs, or win with the most KOs in an amount of time, or in a survival match with the last man (or hedgehog) standing as the winner.
Much of the depth is all in the Story Mode where players work their way through a plot to rescue a new Sonic character: a Chaos Emerald-powered robot called, what else, Emerl (“BAM!”) By fighting through the different scenarios, you’ll earn special abilities from the many different enemies, which are then stored inside Emerl. Now here’s where it gets cool: Emerl is completely customizable. With the earned abilities players can create their own fighter to suit their own battle techniques. There are more than a hundred different moves to collect and choose from, and players can even battle their own Emerl against another’s Emerl via the game’s multiplayer link-up features. This customization feature keeps the lasting play high because it encourages many plays through to get all of the available techniques for your collection…and the cartridge can hold three different customizations to switch up the action quickly.”
IGN’s Review of Sonic Battle
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IGN’s Review of Sonic Battle
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Beatemup
Obvious Choices:
Final Fight One, River City Ransom EX
Final Fight One, River City Ransom EX
Featured Game: TMNT
“TMNT on the GBA doesn’t slow the tempo with silly puzzles or frustrating platform-jumping sections. Instead, it’s a pure, fast-paced brawler that lets you go wild beating on bad guys and bosses with a healthy variety of exaggerated martial arts moves. And, thanks to the eye-popping graphics and catchy audio, the game is as much fun to see and hear as it is to play…
“TMNT on the GBA doesn’t slow the tempo with silly puzzles or frustrating platform-jumping sections. Instead, it’s a pure, fast-paced brawler that lets you go wild beating on bad guys and bosses with a healthy variety of exaggerated martial arts moves. And, thanks to the eye-popping graphics and catchy audio, the game is as much fun to see and hear as it is to play…
For each of the seven lengthy missions that make up TMNT for the GBA, you select a turtle to play as, pick a helper to call in for co-op attacks, and then work your way through the 2D environment by moving to the right and beating up the bad guys that constantly appear. Enemies come in the form of generic thugs, robots, and various Foot Clan members. Basic enemies have two or three different attacks, do a good job of sticking and moving, and generally take a half dozen hits to dispatch. None of the bosses have as much personality as Bebop, Rocksteady, and Shredder from the old days, but you’ll come to remember them just the same thanks to their flashy attacks and memorable behavior patterns that cause every battle to take a while.
Meanwhile, the whole combat engine is steeped in variety. Different attacks happen when you press the attack button multiple times, hold up or down while attacking, or attack while jumping. Enemies can be bounced into the air and juggled for additional hits, and you can rack up insane combos by jockeying between multiple enemies. The combo counter routinely shows 20 or more hits during intense scenes. While you beat up your opponents, a meter in the upper-right corner of the screen gradually fills. When it’s full, you can summon another turtle to unleash a swarm of attacks on nearby enemies. If you summon your bro when there aren’t any enemies visible, he’ll leave behind a plate of food that will totally replenish your health meter. That’s the key to getting through some levels without losing a life every time the screen stops to produce two or three successive waves of enemies. Further contributing to the game’s lively nature, you can pick up and use the bats and swords that certain enemies leave behind, and also smash objects in the environment that contain health items or produce lead pipes and concrete slabs that you can use as makeshift weapons. The turtles also gain experience and become stronger as you play the game, which is a nice touch.
TMNT on the Game Boy Advance is a rousing beat-’em-up and a shining example of a movie-based game done right. The fisticuffs are fun, the presentation is sharp, and the story stays true to the comics and the recent movie without coming across as contrived. It won’t take you hours and hours to finish the game for the first time, but the whole experience is so sweet that you’ll want to do it all over again every now and then.”
Gamespot’s Review of TMNT
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Gamespot’s Review of TMNT
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More Great Games:
Bruce Lee: Return of the Legend(eBay)
Bruce Lee: Return of the Legend(eBay)
Shmups
Obvious Choices:
Desert Strike Advance, Space Invaders, Gradius Galaxies
Desert Strike Advance, Space Invaders, Gradius Galaxies
Featured Game: Iridion II
“The most obvious difference between Iridion 3D and Iridion II is that the perspective has been tilted and pulled back so that the game more closely resembles traditional vertically scrolling shoot-’em-ups. While this change does mean that enemy ships are smaller in size, the trade-off is that the developers have put more detail into everything that’s shown onscreen. Enemy ships have wings and engines that flap and flare as they fly toward you. The gradual scaling effect is much more believable than it was in the first game, due to the wider variety of angles and roll maneuvers that each ship exhibits. The environment also plays a larger role in Iridion II–there are scaffold structures you need to avoid, rotating gates that you have to shoot open, and mines that explode if you fly too close to them. In some stages, there are gigantic motherships that occupy most of the screen, forcing you to skirt past them while dodging their gun turrets and exhaust vents…
“The most obvious difference between Iridion 3D and Iridion II is that the perspective has been tilted and pulled back so that the game more closely resembles traditional vertically scrolling shoot-’em-ups. While this change does mean that enemy ships are smaller in size, the trade-off is that the developers have put more detail into everything that’s shown onscreen. Enemy ships have wings and engines that flap and flare as they fly toward you. The gradual scaling effect is much more believable than it was in the first game, due to the wider variety of angles and roll maneuvers that each ship exhibits. The environment also plays a larger role in Iridion II–there are scaffold structures you need to avoid, rotating gates that you have to shoot open, and mines that explode if you fly too close to them. In some stages, there are gigantic motherships that occupy most of the screen, forcing you to skirt past them while dodging their gun turrets and exhaust vents…
Just as Iridion 3D borrowed its design from games like Star Fox and Space Harrier, Iridion II isn’t altogether unique in how it plays–the comparisons to many of the classic shooters available for the Super NES and Genesis are inescapable. You control a lone ship set against an army of invading spacecraft. These enemies fly into view at the top of the screen, fire off their bullets, and typically perform some evasive maneuver as they fly out of view at the bottom of the screen. Your task is to dodge the bullets and destroy as many ships as possible. Midway throughout each level, and again at the end, you’ll have to face off against large boss vessels. Your ship comes equipped with a modest shield that can protect it from a few bullets or a direct collision with one of the tinier vessels. Green pods scattered throughout each stage give you the opportunity to upgrade the six different weapons attached to your ship. Each weapon can be upgraded three times, although most players will probably stick to the traditional lasers or homing bullets–both because they’re familiar and because they’re powerful enough to stay competitive with the other weapons.
Although Iridion II isn’t groundbreaking with respect to how it plays, it does bring many of the tried-and-true concepts of shoot-’em-ups together in a way that the first Iridion game failed to do. The pods that attach to your ship when you upgrade your weapons can block the majority of smaller bullets from reaching and depleting your energy shield. Each boss has a variety of movement patterns and attacks that force you to move to all areas of the screen. Your ship comes equipped with the ability to fire a supershot, which you perform by charging one of your weapons for a brief period, as well as the capacity to carry three powerful bombs that can clear the screen of enemies. If you play in the arcade mode, you can earn bonus multipliers that significantly improve your score. Iridion II isn’t as difficult or unfair as the majority of shoot-’em-ups, but the sheer size and layout of each level nearly make up for this subjective lack of challenge. Most levels feel as though they’re a bit too drawn out, but that also gives you the opportunity to appreciate the layout and design of the architecture moving toward you.”
GameSpot’s Review of Iridion II
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GameSpot’s Review of Iridion II
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Action RPG
Obvious Choices:
Legend of Zelda Series, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, Sword of Mana, Shining Soul, Dragon Ball Z: The Legacy of Goku II, Mega Man Battle Network Series, Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance
Legend of Zelda Series, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, Sword of Mana, Shining Soul, Dragon Ball Z: The Legacy of Goku II, Mega Man Battle Network Series, Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance
Featured Game: Boktai: The Sun is in Your Hand
“It’s impossible to discuss Boktai: The Sun is in Your Hand without mentioning the game’s very gimmicky solar sensor. However, contrary to some expectations, Boktai is a complete and satisfying game that could hardly be called a gimmick. The sun sensor is actually very cleverly integrated into many aspects of the gameplay, and it ends up adding more to the experience than it takes away.
“It’s impossible to discuss Boktai: The Sun is in Your Hand without mentioning the game’s very gimmicky solar sensor. However, contrary to some expectations, Boktai is a complete and satisfying game that could hardly be called a gimmick. The sun sensor is actually very cleverly integrated into many aspects of the gameplay, and it ends up adding more to the experience than it takes away.
Boktai has a strong story focusing on the struggle between the powers of the Sun and of the Dark. The Moon also plays a mysterious role as the third major force. Each of these sides has various representatives, and your character is one of them. As the Solar Child, you must save the world from the Dark forces, led by a group of immortal beings who are turning the world’s creatures into undead. The story is surprisingly interesting and manages to balance its serious overall tone with various whimsical elements, including a floating sunflower who serves as your character’s guide. Though the main character is often referred to as a vampire hunter, the cast of villains is actually quite diverse…
The only real drawback of Boktai’s dependence on sunlight is how it affects scheduling. If you work or go to school all day long, chances are that you’ll have crappy or no sunlight by the time you get home to play games. It can become difficult to find time to play this game, which will drive you nuts once you get into the story and want to play as much as possible. The fact that you will be motivated to play is a testament to the solid, satisfying gameplay, which is impressive and compelling no matter what you think of the sun sensor. If you ever get any game time before sunset, and if you aren’t turned off by the heavy-handed emphasis on puzzles, Boktai is an excellent purchase for your GBA.”
Nintendo World Report’s Review of Boktai
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Nintendo World Report’s Review of Boktai
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Simulation RPG
Obvious Choices:
Harvest Moon Series
Harvest Moon Series
Featured Game: Car Battler Joe
“This is… Car Battler Joe for the Game Boy Advance — a sim/RPG hybrid featuring a topic that interests me — cars. Driving is one of my favorite genres of video game, and with games such as Sega GT, I could spend hours in my garage tweaking and modding my cars. It feels great to turn a stock Toyota Trueno into a lean, mean, racing machine. But sometimes racing games can get repetitive, such as racing the same tracks over and over with little motivation except for victories, money, new cars/car parts, etc. So how cool would it be to have a combination RPG and driving sim?The “caRPG” is not a new concept. Final Lap Twin on the TurboGrafX-16 had an RPG mode that followed a storyline where battles were actually races done in Formula-1 style cars. Racing Lagoon for the import PlayStation was a Squaresoft RPG set in the world of street racing in urban Japan. And Namco’s Ridge Racer R4 had a story mode in it, but it was a racing game through and through. Car Battler Joe is unique in that it’s not a racing RPG but rather a car combat RPG. So, since I never got to play Final Lap Twin or Racing Lagoon, Car Battler Joe is truly the first caRPG I ever got to play.
“This is… Car Battler Joe for the Game Boy Advance — a sim/RPG hybrid featuring a topic that interests me — cars. Driving is one of my favorite genres of video game, and with games such as Sega GT, I could spend hours in my garage tweaking and modding my cars. It feels great to turn a stock Toyota Trueno into a lean, mean, racing machine. But sometimes racing games can get repetitive, such as racing the same tracks over and over with little motivation except for victories, money, new cars/car parts, etc. So how cool would it be to have a combination RPG and driving sim?The “caRPG” is not a new concept. Final Lap Twin on the TurboGrafX-16 had an RPG mode that followed a storyline where battles were actually races done in Formula-1 style cars. Racing Lagoon for the import PlayStation was a Squaresoft RPG set in the world of street racing in urban Japan. And Namco’s Ridge Racer R4 had a story mode in it, but it was a racing game through and through. Car Battler Joe is unique in that it’s not a racing RPG but rather a car combat RPG. So, since I never got to play Final Lap Twin or Racing Lagoon, Car Battler Joe is truly the first caRPG I ever got to play.
So how does Car Battler Joe fare? It fares surprisingly well, actually. I found the game’s sim elements addictively fun and the RPG story, though somewhat hackneyed, was not a throwaway plot either. While the game is primarily gameplay driven, as are such games as Pokemon, there is a decent story worth following. I spent a lot of extra time in driving mode and in the garage tweaking up cars like crazy, as the available options in the game are staggering. Don’t be fooled by the game’s cutesy appearance; even you gear heads may find something to enjoy, though the car tweaking elements are more simplistic than those in a full-on racing sim. The cardinal rule for sim RPGs is that if you can’t get into the game’s sim elements, then it will seem blasé to you, and Car Battler Joe is no exception…
In the end, Car Battler Joe is a fun game and definitely worth a shot to anyone looking for an RPG that breaks the mold and does something unique. Certainly the game has its flaws, but its charm and heart definitely won me over. Even though I’ve conceivably done everything there is to do in this game, I still come back to it regularly for more. Sadly, good as this game is, the higher-profile RPGs already on the system or coming out for it will eclipse this title and it will not get the recognition it deserves. Car Battler Joe has shown that a car combat RPG can work, and I hope to see this subgenre of RPG expanded upon in the future.”
RPGFan’s Review of Car Battler Joe
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In the end, Car Battler Joe is a fun game and definitely worth a shot to anyone looking for an RPG that breaks the mold and does something unique. Certainly the game has its flaws, but its charm and heart definitely won me over. Even though I’ve conceivably done everything there is to do in this game, I still come back to it regularly for more. Sadly, good as this game is, the higher-profile RPGs already on the system or coming out for it will eclipse this title and it will not get the recognition it deserves. Car Battler Joe has shown that a car combat RPG can work, and I hope to see this subgenre of RPG expanded upon in the future.”
RPGFan’s Review of Car Battler Joe
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Traditional RPG
Obvious Choices:
Golden Sun Series, Final Fantasy Games, Pokemon Series, Breath of Fire Series, Tales of Phantasia
Golden Sun Series, Final Fantasy Games, Pokemon Series, Breath of Fire Series, Tales of Phantasia
Featured Game: Sigma Star Saga
“Sigma Star Saga can best be compared to the 8-bit NES game The Guardian Legend, in that it features on-foot exploration segments as well as spaceship shooter segments. For those who are unfamiliar with The Guardian Legend, think of Sigma Star Saga as Legend of Zelda meets Gradius. From what I understand, a healthy portion of RPG fans out there are also fans of intense shooters so an RPG/shooter hybrid does not seem all that far fetched. In any case, Sigma Star Saga is an ambitious title that has a lot to live up to, especially given how good Shantae was in the eyes of critics and players alike. So, does Sigma Star Saga live up to those lofty expectations? We’re about to find out…
As mentioned before, the game features both on-foot exploration and side-scrolling shooter segments. The on-foot segments work as with any action RPG. Walk around, destroy monsters, and solve puzzles to get from one place to the next. Exploration is aided by the area maps in the menu. Your main weapon is a puny Earth pistol with crummy range. Later on you can get various Krill accessories to use during these segments, such as the Krill Puck – which can destroy some obstacles and work as a ricochet weapon – and the Girl Wings that allow you to fly over small gaps, to name just two. These accessories are essential to gaining access to places on the various planets you could not get to before. You will have plenty of opportunities to revisit the various planets and explore the newly accessible areas, some of which have no bearing on the plot. Oh yeah, the game often doesn’t tell you how to use the accessories. While all are pretty self-explanatory, you need to refer to the instruction manual to use the Krill Boots properly. Monsters in these walking segments do not yield experience points. They only yield health packs and smart bombs. Experience is gained during the shooter segments.
“Sigma Star Saga can best be compared to the 8-bit NES game The Guardian Legend, in that it features on-foot exploration segments as well as spaceship shooter segments. For those who are unfamiliar with The Guardian Legend, think of Sigma Star Saga as Legend of Zelda meets Gradius. From what I understand, a healthy portion of RPG fans out there are also fans of intense shooters so an RPG/shooter hybrid does not seem all that far fetched. In any case, Sigma Star Saga is an ambitious title that has a lot to live up to, especially given how good Shantae was in the eyes of critics and players alike. So, does Sigma Star Saga live up to those lofty expectations? We’re about to find out…
As mentioned before, the game features both on-foot exploration and side-scrolling shooter segments. The on-foot segments work as with any action RPG. Walk around, destroy monsters, and solve puzzles to get from one place to the next. Exploration is aided by the area maps in the menu. Your main weapon is a puny Earth pistol with crummy range. Later on you can get various Krill accessories to use during these segments, such as the Krill Puck – which can destroy some obstacles and work as a ricochet weapon – and the Girl Wings that allow you to fly over small gaps, to name just two. These accessories are essential to gaining access to places on the various planets you could not get to before. You will have plenty of opportunities to revisit the various planets and explore the newly accessible areas, some of which have no bearing on the plot. Oh yeah, the game often doesn’t tell you how to use the accessories. While all are pretty self-explanatory, you need to refer to the instruction manual to use the Krill Boots properly. Monsters in these walking segments do not yield experience points. They only yield health packs and smart bombs. Experience is gained during the shooter segments.
The shooter stages occur as random encounters and as boss stages. During planetary exploration, Krill starships patrol around the planet. Since they can’t do evasive combat maneuvers on their own, they summon the nearest pilot, via the symbiote, to fly them. This is how the game explains the random encounters. During a random encounter, there is a target counter and once you kill that number of enemies, the battle is over and you’re zapped back to where you were exploring on foot. It is during these shooter battles that downed enemies leave behind little orbs of experience for you to collect. Higher levels mean higher attack and defense for any ship you happen to fly. In addition, leveling up refills your life meter. This is great to keep in mind as health packs cannot be obtained during shooter segments…
It’s difficult to recommend this game, because it is aimed at a very specific niche. But I will say that if you dislike shooters or aren’t very skilled at them, definitely try before you buy. Even veteran shooter fans will surely see the “Game Over” screen a few times. But if you fit into that niche who both love RPGs and shooters, then definitely give Sigma Star Saga a try.”
RPGFan’s Review of Sigma Star Saga
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RPGFan’s Review of Sigma Star Saga
Find Sigma Star Saga on eBay
More Great Games:
Summon Night: Swordcraft Story(eBay)
Summon Night: Swordcraft Story 2(eBay)
Riviera: The Promised Land(eBay)
Lunar Legend(eBay)
Summon Night: Swordcraft Story(eBay)
Summon Night: Swordcraft Story 2(eBay)
Riviera: The Promised Land(eBay)
Lunar Legend(eBay)
Strategy
Obvious Choices:
Advance Wars Series, Fire Emblem Series, Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis , Shining Force: Resurrection of the Dark Dragon
Advance Wars Series, Fire Emblem Series, Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis , Shining Force: Resurrection of the Dark Dragon
Gbc Rpg List
Featured Game: Yggdra Union
“Yggdra Union from superb developer Sting could be described as the lovechild of the Saturn’s seminal Dragon Force and the super-popular Advance Wars series, but to leave it at that would be doing both game and developers a disservice. Not only has Sting captured the essence of what makes those two games great, they’ve added their own unique spin to create something freshly original while being familiar enough for fans of the genre to jump right in. Suffice it to say, Sting has shown a formidable knack for not only creating solid games, but solid games that are able to leave their own unique mark…
“Yggdra Union from superb developer Sting could be described as the lovechild of the Saturn’s seminal Dragon Force and the super-popular Advance Wars series, but to leave it at that would be doing both game and developers a disservice. Not only has Sting captured the essence of what makes those two games great, they’ve added their own unique spin to create something freshly original while being familiar enough for fans of the genre to jump right in. Suffice it to say, Sting has shown a formidable knack for not only creating solid games, but solid games that are able to leave their own unique mark…
Although I’m personally a great fan of card-based fantasy games, the system in Yggdra Union shows more promise than it actually delivers on. Many of the cards are quite limited in functionality, with certain conditions that must be met before use. I tended to choose the same five or six cards over and over because they were applicable in many situations, giving the most flexibility. If the developers had loosened up the rules governing how these cards were used and made them more useful in general circumstances, this mechanic alone would have hit the game out of the park. The other addition, the unions, is just as original but more successful than the cards.
In stark contrast to other games of its ilk, Yggdra Union only permits one character to attack each turn. Although it seems grossly unfair when faced with steep opposition, “unions” are specific formations that can easily even the odds or turn the tide. By placing characters along certain lines (vertical and horizontal for females, diagonal for males) it’s possible to have every ally on the field take part in a massive melee. More than any other factor, effectively utilizing these unions through a mix of careful observation and mental calculation will turn certain defeat into ringing victory.
Yggdra Union is actually quite a package, when all is said and done. It’s no easy feat to invigorate a genre that has remained fairly set in its ways for the last few generations, let alone do it with the imagination and energy present here. Take into account that Sting has worked their magic on the Game Boy Advance, and their achievement is even more impressive. Although there are a few rough edges like the card system taking a few missteps or having to re-do a long chapter due to a last-minute loss at the end, it’s impossible to deny that the people behind Yggdra Union are extremely talented and infuse an amazing amount of heart and passion into what they do.”
Game Critic’s Review of Yggdra Union
Find Yggdra Union on eBay
Game Critic’s Review of Yggdra Union
Find Yggdra Union on eBay
More Great Games:
Zone of the Enders: The Fist of Mars(eBay)
Defender of the Crown(eBay)
Chessmaster(eBay)
Rebelstar: Tactical Command(eBay)
Zone of the Enders: The Fist of Mars(eBay)
Defender of the Crown(eBay)
Chessmaster(eBay)
Rebelstar: Tactical Command(eBay)
Puzzle Action
Obvious Choices:
Super Monkey Ball Jr., Mario vs. Donkey Kong, The Lost Vikings , Bubble Bobble: Old and New, DK: King of Swing
Super Monkey Ball Jr., Mario vs. Donkey Kong, The Lost Vikings , Bubble Bobble: Old and New, DK: King of Swing
Featured Game: Turbo Turtle Adventure
“If you’ve ever played Kirby’s Tilt ‘n Tumble, Marble Madness, Super Monkey Ball, or Spindizzy, you’ll understand the concept of Turbo Turtle Adventure. Swedish developer Iridon has taken the roll-around-a-maze concept and added a cute, shell-backed critter into lead role for this Majesco-published GBA title. The game doesn’t offer a whole lot of surprises beyond the formula fully established way early in the adventure, but it does has a nice, addictive quality and the design suits the handheld market well…
“If you’ve ever played Kirby’s Tilt ‘n Tumble, Marble Madness, Super Monkey Ball, or Spindizzy, you’ll understand the concept of Turbo Turtle Adventure. Swedish developer Iridon has taken the roll-around-a-maze concept and added a cute, shell-backed critter into lead role for this Majesco-published GBA title. The game doesn’t offer a whole lot of surprises beyond the formula fully established way early in the adventure, but it does has a nice, addictive quality and the design suits the handheld market well…
The game has a lot of levels, including several hidden ones that can only be obtained if you find an alternate gate. That’s a whole lot of gameplay in Turbo Turtle Adventure, but don’t expect any real surprises along the way…most of the levels, including the secret ones, feature all of the same elements. There aren’t any really unique extras later in the game beyond bigger and more elaborate puzzle challenges.
I’ve always been a fan of the marble-rolling game genre, and Turbo Turtle Adventure is a solid first attempt at the idea on the GBA. There are a lot of levels in this puzzle title, but the trial-and-error gameplay makes it a different, not quite as intense breed than the Marble Madness / Super Monkey Ball action design. Turbo Turtle Adventure isn’t an instant classic on the GBA, but it is a good handheld game for players looking for a basic, pick-up-and-play title that offers a decent challenge all the way through.”
IGN’s Review of Turbo Turtle Adventure
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IGN’s Review of Turbo Turtle Adventure
Find Turbo Turtle Adventure on eBay
More Great Games:
Hot Potato(eBay)
Boulder Dash EX(eBay)
Hot Potato(eBay)
Boulder Dash EX(eBay)
Puzzle
Obvious Choices:
Super Puzzle Fighter II, Dr. Mario & Puzzle League, Super Bust-A-Move, Puyo Pop, Chu Chu Rocket(eBay)
Super Puzzle Fighter II, Dr. Mario & Puzzle League, Super Bust-A-Move, Puyo Pop, Chu Chu Rocket(eBay)
Featured Game: Kuru Kuru Kururin
“Nintendo’s spinning-stick puzzle game, Kuru Kuru Kururin, demands equal portions of brainpower and dexterity. Its premise is rather simple. You control a stick that spins at a constant speed, and you must maneuver this spinning stick through tightly designed mazes without touching the walls of the maze. Expert timing is of prime importance, as some passages can be taken only when your stick is at the proper angle. The resulting game is a fast-paced puzzler that keeps you on your toes.Like most puzzle games, Kuru Kuru Kururin makes an attempt at a storyline, but the story doesn’t have any impact on the game whatsoever. It seems that your spinning stick is actually a little hovercraft with a large spinning rotor. The pilot of the craft is a small duck, who is out to save a collection of recently kidnapped ducklings, which are positioned in various spots around the levels. Picking up the birds and other icons in the levels lets you customize your stick’s color and appearance. This is handy for the multiplayer mode, as it gives your stick a little personality…
“Nintendo’s spinning-stick puzzle game, Kuru Kuru Kururin, demands equal portions of brainpower and dexterity. Its premise is rather simple. You control a stick that spins at a constant speed, and you must maneuver this spinning stick through tightly designed mazes without touching the walls of the maze. Expert timing is of prime importance, as some passages can be taken only when your stick is at the proper angle. The resulting game is a fast-paced puzzler that keeps you on your toes.Like most puzzle games, Kuru Kuru Kururin makes an attempt at a storyline, but the story doesn’t have any impact on the game whatsoever. It seems that your spinning stick is actually a little hovercraft with a large spinning rotor. The pilot of the craft is a small duck, who is out to save a collection of recently kidnapped ducklings, which are positioned in various spots around the levels. Picking up the birds and other icons in the levels lets you customize your stick’s color and appearance. This is handy for the multiplayer mode, as it gives your stick a little personality…
Kuru Kuru Kururin may technically fall into the same category as stinkers like Irritating Stick for the PlayStation, but the game works really well on Nintendo’s new handheld, delivering a quick-moving puzzle game that is excellent at filling up small periods of free time with its short, level-based nature. As one of the few Japanese GBA games that hasn’t yet been announced for US release as of this writing, Kuru Kuru Kururin makes a pretty good choice for players looking to import games they wouldn’t otherwise see.”
GameSpot’s Review of Kuru Kuru Kururin
Find Kuru Kuru Kururin on eBay
GameSpot’s Review of Kuru Kuru Kururin
Find Kuru Kuru Kururin on eBay
More Great Games:
It’s Mr. Pants(eBay)
Denki Blocks!(eBay)
Rampage Puzzle Attack(eBay)
Ultimate Brain Games(eBay)
Gem Smashers(eBay)
Egg Mania(eBay)
It’s Mr. Pants(eBay)
Denki Blocks!(eBay)
Rampage Puzzle Attack(eBay)
Ultimate Brain Games(eBay)
Gem Smashers(eBay)
Egg Mania(eBay)
Other
Best Gbc Emulator
Obvious Choices:
Wario Ware, Inc: Mega Microgame$, Wario Ware Twisted!, Sonic Pinball Party, Pokemon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire
Wario Ware, Inc: Mega Microgame$, Wario Ware Twisted!, Sonic Pinball Party, Pokemon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire
Best Rpg Games For Chromebook
Featured Game: Pinball of the Dead
“Love pinball? Hate zombies? Then you owe it to yourself and to the nation to invest in the latest member of Sega?s ?of the Dead? franchise. Say what you will about the concept (no, it?s not quite as magically absurd as Typing of the Dead?but it?s close), this is the best instance of video game flipper mashing since Pok?mon Pinball on the GBC. Pinball of the Dead boasts three diverse, worthwhile, scrolling multi-tiered tables with clear objectives, bizarre targets, and perfectly meaningless names like ?Movement? and ?Wondering.? The physics are spot-on, and your ball is easy to follow. The graphics (unimpressive bosses aside) are clean, detailed, and animated with flashing unlife. The sound effects are great with lots of odd voice samples from the series, and the soundtrack represents modern zombie rock?s finest hour. A few things to moan low about, however: There are no ?collectibles? to shoot for (like Pok?mon Pinball?s Pok?dex), and each table features the same set of rather uninspired boss bonus stages. Otherwise, this is a beautiful, natural marriage of zombies and pinball that no man has the right to question.”
GamePro’s Review of Pinball of the Dead
Find Pinball of the Dead on eBay
“Love pinball? Hate zombies? Then you owe it to yourself and to the nation to invest in the latest member of Sega?s ?of the Dead? franchise. Say what you will about the concept (no, it?s not quite as magically absurd as Typing of the Dead?but it?s close), this is the best instance of video game flipper mashing since Pok?mon Pinball on the GBC. Pinball of the Dead boasts three diverse, worthwhile, scrolling multi-tiered tables with clear objectives, bizarre targets, and perfectly meaningless names like ?Movement? and ?Wondering.? The physics are spot-on, and your ball is easy to follow. The graphics (unimpressive bosses aside) are clean, detailed, and animated with flashing unlife. The sound effects are great with lots of odd voice samples from the series, and the soundtrack represents modern zombie rock?s finest hour. A few things to moan low about, however: There are no ?collectibles? to shoot for (like Pok?mon Pinball?s Pok?dex), and each table features the same set of rather uninspired boss bonus stages. Otherwise, this is a beautiful, natural marriage of zombies and pinball that no man has the right to question.”
GamePro’s Review of Pinball of the Dead
Find Pinball of the Dead on eBay
Best Rpg Games For Gameboy Advance
More Great Games:
Boxing Fever(eBay)
Ultimate Card Games
Muppet Pinball Mayhem(eBay)
Boxing Fever(eBay)
Ultimate Card Games
Muppet Pinball Mayhem(eBay)