Topic: GBA Ambassador Games Edition

[Kairon]

3DS Ambassadors got 10 free GBA games from Nintendo, but are they all worth recommending?

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/recommendations/28837

When Nintendo dropped the price of the 3DS by $80, the company also announced that gamers who had already bought and registered the hardware would get twenty free downloadable virtual console games by way of amends. Nintendo World Report already looked over the ten NES virtual console games 3DS Ambassadors got, and in December Nintendo finished off the set by releasing the ten promised GBA titles for download.

But before we see whether these games hold up enough to earn our recommendations, a gaming public service announcement:

When running these GBA VC games, the 3DS automatically stretches the graphics across the top screen. While this enlarges the viewing area, it's pretty evident that this is not the resolution that the games were meant to be played at. But you're in luck: hold down either the start or select buttons when you launch the game from the 3DS menu, and the game will launch in its original and undistorted, albeit smaller, resolution!

[TJ Spyke]

I am sorry, but I could not disagree more on Mario Kart: SC being recommended for everyone. I would be hesitant to even recommend it for fans. The controls are terrible and too loose, graphics not that good, and the retro tracks not handled well. Easily the worst Mario Kart game and one of the few duds in the GBA ambassador list.

[BranDonk Kong]

It's a good thing no one listens to you or agrees with you. MKSC has a Metacritic average of 93 and on Gamerankings a 92 - hardly what anyone would consider a dud.

[TJ Spyke]

That was at the time, lots of games age poorly. And even on Connectivity, they admitted the game is not for everyone and I am not the only one that thinks it is the worst Mario Kart game.

[xcwarrior]

To add to the debate above, Mario Kart: SC is the best MK game of the series. Why you ask? The try again feature in 1P mode and no blue shell like it is now. That auto jumps it to the top, not factoring in multiplayer.

I haven't gotten through all the GBA games, but I would probably agree everything but Wario Ware Micromachines. I blew throgh the game but had about as much fan as I do at work most days. 5 second garbage mini games are what led to the mini game gluttony on Wii. Bleh.

[StrawHousePig]

Super Circuit doesn't cut it. It was crippled back then but now after several releases with control that surpasses it it's really only for Fans.

Love Wario Ware. The multi-player games in it are nothing short of ingenious. I say Everyone.

Fire Emblem is great RPG/RTS fun, but I have too hard a time losing any allies. I want them to all survive, but that is proving beyond my capability.

Didn't play Kirby, Metroid or Yoshi, but Wario Land has definitely proved to be still worthwhile.

I'm surrently playing Skyward Sword so I don't want to start Minish Cap yet. No idea how it's aged but I'll be jumping on it soon enough.

Though I must gripe about not being able to put the system to sleep and freeze the game state of the GBA VC. Why was this not possible??? 

[oohhboy]

I can't believe F-Zero got a recommended for fans. I love F-Zero and I hate Maximum Velocity. It has aged terribly, and I am not talking about the graphics. The controls or the lack of "control" make it near playable without ridiculous amount of throttle abuse.

The controls are smooth and allow you to use the L and R bumpers for precision turning.

Who the hell wrote this?! Who the hell approved this? Utter lies. Even in the podcast the bumpers are said to be near useless, there is nothing smooth about the controls. The cars handle like jelly sliding on an air hockey table. That's not even getting into the AI which has cars made of Osmium with none of the inertia when it comes to taking corners. Only the most hand breaking amount of obsessiveness can make this game playable.

I have never outright rejected a review from NWR before, this a first. It's like you played a completely different game. The music a neutral nitpick issue at worse compared to the control and AI problems.

[ejamer]

I think the ratings given are good, but personally would downgrade both Mario Kart and F-Zero.


Mario Kart Super Circuit won't appeal to everyone because the controls are different from other games in the series (not bad, but definitely different) and it's much more skill-based than what is now considered "normal" for Mario Kart. That said, it's a solid game considering the hardware, an excellent single-player racer for old-school gamers, and a game that I really enjoy playing again. Too bad that multiplayer modes are currently disabled - I am still hopeful that Nintendo will change that in the future as they've already said that NES games will have multiplayer added eventually.


Sadly, F-Zero: Maximum Velocity hasn't held up as well as Super Circuit. Even upon release (and yes, I owned the game at launch) it was a disappointing game with incredibly cheap AI and weak gameplay.  Races devolve into puzzle-like matches where the biggest challenge is not to read-end the endless stream of cars you are lapping while waiting for the right place to use your boost.  A tight limit on the number of racers on-screen at any one time, computer racers that steer as if they were on rails, and plenty of rubber-banding to ensure any slip-up is punished all combine to make this entry in the series very forgettable.  While it made a nice early showpiece for the speed and power of the GBA system, years later there is little to go back for.


But hey, everyone has their own opinions, right?