Runner-up: Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga
What?! A Mario game for the GameBoy Advance that isn’t a port?! Well twist my nipples and call me Darlene! Uh, forget I just said that. But still, it’s damn hard not to get all riled up about a completely original Mario title that such a joy to play. It harkens back to those glorious days of old, when games like Super Mario World and Super Mario RPG touched our hearts and captured our imaginations. If famed producer Shigeru Miyamoto could only release one or two of these types of games a year, the world would be a much better place for us gamers.
Runner-up: Fire Emblem
Nintendo’s Fire Emblem series has been going strong for years in the land of the rising sun, but the cat has finally managed to claw free from the bag. With the release of Fire Emblem for the GameBoy Advance, everyone outside of Japan now has a chance to see why this series is the real deal. A straightforward, yet satisfyingly deep battle system, that rivals even the mighty Advance Wars, propels this into the upper echelon of GBA titles currently available. Arguably the most remarkable feature of Fire Emblem is the fact that fallen generals are lost forever when slain on the battlefield. Combine that with a save system that saves after every move and you have a game that can be brutal, but always remains fun.
3rd place: Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising
Our fearless leader Philip praised the original Advance Wars as one of the best titles available on the GBA, and the tradition continues with Advance Wars 2. The sequel keeps the gameplay of the first title and adds in even more units and a tutorial to die for, so even if you didn’t get into the first game, you should have no problem getting into Advance Wars 2 and falling in love with it.
2nd place: Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
FFTA, as a whole, is a fantastic GBA game and an almost perfect sequel to what has largely been claimed at the PlayStation One’s best RPG by scores of sources. The gameplay in the title is overwhelmingly robust and full of depth that other games in the genre such as Onimusha Tactics and Tactics Ogre can’t even touch. Top it off with fantastic graphics and fairly deep character development and you’ve got yourself the best RPG on the GBA.
1st place: Wario Ware
Wario Ware is one of those titles that completely shocked all of the staff here at Thunderbolt. It’s incredibly amazing how addicting the gameplay in this title is, simply because each game is only five beautifully designed seconds long. No other title released this year for the GBA could come even close to touching Wario Ware simply because of how fun and enjoyable the game is.
Onto our multiplayer award...
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