Strange | 1,727 Posted October 11, 2020 Share Posted October 11, 2020 I was thinking about this the other day and I wonder what the community here thinks: You often hear the opinion that the SNES is the greatest console of all time, and it’s got a great resume: Super Mario World, Link to the Past, Super Metroid, Yoshi’s Island, Final Fantasy II + III, and many more. You often hear comparisons made between the SNES and the GBA, but we all know SNES is king... right? GBA has Super Mario Bros. 2 and 3 (the touched ups versions from All Stars), Super Mario World, Yoshi’s Island, Final Fantasy 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6, some argue Metroid Zero Mission and Fusion are better than Super. What’s your opinion? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloves | 12,078 Administrator · Posted October 11, 2020 Share Posted October 11, 2020 Lists a bunch of original snes games, among the greatest games of all time. Follows it with a list of GBA games that were ported to it from other systems, half of which originated on the snes. Bro you answered your own question. 3 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoctorEncore | 3,691 Posted October 11, 2020 Share Posted October 11, 2020 The GBA library is massive and contains a ridiculous number of quality titles, so I think it's a reasonable question to ask. In fact, if the GBA was a home console rather than a portable device, it could reasonably be the favorite. But I feel like these arguments are heavily biased towards the consoles and the portable devices are a different category. Until the Switch that is... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strange | 1,727 Posted October 11, 2020 Author Share Posted October 11, 2020 (edited) 11 minutes ago, Gloves said: Lists a bunch of original snes games, among the greatest games of all time. Follows it with a list of GBA games that were ported to it from other systems, half of which originated on the snes. Bro you answered your own question. More to show how similar the libraries really are and a call to examine the rest of the library, 3rd party, etc. But... Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald, the various GBA Castlevanias, Golden Sun, Boktai, FF Tactics, Wario Land 4, Mario Sports series, Mario vs. DK, Mario and Luigi Super Star Saga, etc. Edited October 11, 2020 by The Strangest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reed Rothchild | 9,816 Editorials Team · Posted October 11, 2020 Share Posted October 11, 2020 Kinda hard to compare. One has a bunch of history's greatest games in their original incarnation. Another is able to piggyback on said games, while adding some very good originals on top of them. While also getting a much broader range of translations, whereas many of the best SNES games were left in Japan. Of course the GBA games are also hamstrung by the dumb decision to omit X and Y... I suspect if you lined the libraries up against one another, and compared the top 300 titles, the GBA would have a very strong case for winning. Propped up by SNES ports. If you include the SFC titles it's probably in the SNES's favor. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Estil | 1,288 Posted October 11, 2020 Share Posted October 11, 2020 2 hours ago, DoctorEncore said: The GBA library is massive and contains a ridiculous number of quality titles, so I think it's a reasonable question to ask. In fact, if the GBA was a home console rather than a portable device, it could reasonably be the favorite. But I feel like these arguments are heavily biased towards the consoles and the portable devices are a different category. Until the Switch that is... The GBA is a home console...or at least it can be with the GC/Game Boy Player. Believe it or not I have a GC hooked up for only that purpose (as I have a GC ready Wii). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jono1874 | 144 Posted October 11, 2020 Share Posted October 11, 2020 I grew up with both, but I think I've probably spent more time with GBA. From my experience, the SNES ports are hit or miss. The Mario Advance series is not great considering the stages in those games were not designed with the lower resolution GBA screen in mind. Not to mention, half of that series is technically ports of NES games that were also ported to SNES. The GBA Final Fantasy games aren't particularly good either if you're a fan of the sound tracks. The Link to the Past port is pretty good though. Basically, I can definitively say that I'd rather play the SNES versions of anything on GBA if possible. The GBA really shines with it's exclusives though. Mario Kart Super Circuit, Pokemon Leaf Green, Harvest Moon, Mega Man Zero and Battle Network, Mario and Luigi, Metroid Fusion/Zero Mission, Warioware, and others are all classics and I'd rather play those over their SNES prequels. The GBA also had Sonic games, 1 to 1 ports of NES games, and was portable. When I was a kid, the GBA was cool because it did a little bit of everything. Now, it's a Panel De Pon machine. That's okay though, because I absolutely love Panel De Pon. Contrast this with SNES, which despite being the second console I ever owned after NES, never ever managed to capture me in the same way GBA and NES did. Its not that it doesnt have great games, (Donkey Kong Country 2 and Super Metroid are amazing) I just vastly prefer the NES if I am gonna play a console game. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Estil | 1,288 Posted October 12, 2020 Share Posted October 12, 2020 The GBA FF's do include new super secret bonus dungeons and superbosses...so there's that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RegularGuyGamer | 2,031 Posted October 12, 2020 Share Posted October 12, 2020 8 hours ago, The Strangest said: More to show how similar the libraries really are and a call to examine the rest of the library, 3rd party, etc. But... Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald, the various GBA Castlevanias, Golden Sun, Boktai, FF Tactics, Wario Land 4, Mario Sports series, Mario vs. DK, Mario and Luigi Super Star Saga, etc. Breath of fire, lufia, golden sun, double dragon, final fight, street fighter alpha, hell sonic advance. The list really does go on. It's impressive how packed the GBA was with content and how short of a run it had. I never felt like the DS picked up where the GBA left off properly. Don't get me wrong, I love the DS but it didn't have the same sort feel the GBA had with all the throwback content. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phart010 | 1,757 Posted October 12, 2020 Share Posted October 12, 2020 What ever happened with the Hyperkin Retron Jr? Seemed like they had it ready for production in the beginning of the year... seems to have gone quiet.. Did Nintendo shut it down? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanooki | 5,028 Posted October 12, 2020 Share Posted October 12, 2020 Eh I think the lead off showing the cross over of the SNES games to the GBA isn't to the harm of the GBA where it can be dismissed as something that needed that to succeed. If an honest eye is opened to the library, it's just showing that it's an extension of what is possible to enjoy which include some of those SNES greats as a choice. Had they never been made, not a single one, and not just the Nintendo and Square-Enix stuff, but also Capcom (Aladdin, the 3 Mickey games, etc) and others who brought up specifically SNES stuff too, it wouldn't make a difference. If anything, perhaps due to sheer numbers it would be unfair, but maybe not? What if we removed 500 pieces of fluff, the dumb licensed garbage and kid stuff on a magnitude the SNES never saw, but the good AAA, A and B tier stuff. I think a solid case could be made that the SNES may have been the king of the consoles, but the GBA would be the king from over the seas in handheld land. The GBA had the potential to match and exceed what the SNES did on every potential level other than the limitations of its own resolution, and the lack of dedicated complete audio hardware of its own (though it was no slouch when coded properly for it.) Sure I could get into some game listing off of stuff by genre pissing match but why bother, someone else can do that tedious work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reed Rothchild | 9,816 Editorials Team · Posted October 12, 2020 Share Posted October 12, 2020 We just need someone to play through the entire library of GBA games and then rank them so we know how many of them are good. Preferably someone who can be appreciative of any and all genres. Any takers? 1 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostLevel83 | 87 Posted October 12, 2020 Share Posted October 12, 2020 23 hours ago, DoctorEncore said: The GBA library is massive and contains a ridiculous number of quality titles, so I think it's a reasonable question to ask. In fact, if the GBA was a home console rather than a portable device, it could reasonably be the favorite. But I feel like these arguments are heavily biased towards the consoles and the portable devices are a different category. Until the Switch that is... My first thought after reading the initial post was that GBA was more akin to what the Switch is today. GBA is like the little brother to the Super NES. Both from a great family. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaia Gensouki | 1,079 Posted October 12, 2020 Share Posted October 12, 2020 51 minutes ago, Reed Rothchild said: We just need someone to play through the entire library of GBA games and then rank them so we know how many of them are good. Preferably someone who can be appreciative of any and all genres. Any takers? Well, you've got all the SNES ports down, so that should be a piece of cake for you, right? I personally loved the GBA back in the day as it first introduced me to so many games and series. There were also lots of ports of games that never made it to Europe before, so that was especially great. On the other hand I really don't like going back to the GBA since it's not backlit and the colors of many games are completely washed out. And other games were made too easy. It also suffered from too few buttons. Sure, you can play it on a GC, but it's a bit of a hassle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DefaultGen | 5,668 Posted October 12, 2020 Share Posted October 12, 2020 I'd rather play the original versions than the zoomed-in GBA versions of SNES games. Not that the ports are bad or anything, but if I'm picking the best versions of games like Mario, Zelda, Metroid, I'm going with the console versions. GBA has so many original games the SNES ports barely matter though since it has it's own Mario, Zelda, and Metroid games. Both are super good, I'd just probably just lean SNES because it's a console. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RegularGuyGamer | 2,031 Posted October 12, 2020 Share Posted October 12, 2020 (edited) 6 minutes ago, DefaultGen said: because it's home a console. Fixed it for ya I do believe the future generations who grew up playing Switch will look back at the history of gaming with less of a divide between home consoles and handhelds. Especially if Nintendo continues the hybrid from here on. Edited October 12, 2020 by RegularGuyGamer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DefaultGen | 5,668 Posted October 12, 2020 Share Posted October 12, 2020 (edited) 3 minutes ago, RegularGuyGamer said: Fixed it for ya I do believe the future generations who grew up playing Switch will look back at the history of gaming with less of a divide between home consoles and handhelds. Especially if Nintendo continues the hybrid from here on. Because I play it on my couch with a big fat SNES d-pad instead of through the microscopic OG GBA d-pad or the flat SP d-pad! And don't tell me to jump through hoops with some Gamecube Hori controller. Edited October 12, 2020 by DefaultGen 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Splain | 2,665 Editorials Team · Posted October 12, 2020 Share Posted October 12, 2020 Is a console its hardware or its software? When people play Robotron on the Tiger Game.com, do they say that Robotron is a terrible game? When people play Gamecube games on Dolphin on their PC, do they praise the PC game library? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sumez | 3,109 Posted October 13, 2020 Share Posted October 13, 2020 The GBA had way too short a run, unfortunately. I think the time it came out was incredibly exciting, because everything had gone 3D and at the time 2D graphics as a "style" was still considered old/retro/nostalgic rather than just being a viable approach. Getting a brand new platform with dedicated 2D hardware was a godsend as a fan of the "16 bit" generation, and I was looking forward to seeing brand new titles with a similar approach, and at least we managed to get a little of it. Early in its life cycle, most of the prominent games were ports from SNES, and by the time it started getting better original titles, the DS was already on the doorstep, so I think that really affected the library it ended up with. It did end up with a good selection of quality original titles, but I think the GBA lacks a lot in the beneath the surface/below the radar stuff. It's almost impossible to find "hidden gems" on the platform (anyone will tell you Drill Dozer or Ninja Cop, but that's almost the extent of it). Meanwhile the SNES/SFC is a bottomless treasure trove full of excitinig stuff to dig up, almost no matter how deep you go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Makar | 2,062 Posted October 13, 2020 Share Posted October 13, 2020 Since we're comparing libraries and not console vs handheld, GBA gets my vote between these 2. As others have said, many of the golden age SNES games were ported to the GBA. GBA also gave us Pokemon, mega man battle network, boktai, advance wars, fire emblem and lots of other solid titles I haven't played yet but people say are good (yggdra union, golden sun, Astro boy to name a few). Now if you want the true GOAT library, that's the DS (until the switch inevitably dethrones the DS). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reed Rothchild | 9,816 Editorials Team · Posted October 13, 2020 Share Posted October 13, 2020 9 hours ago, Sumez said: The GBA had way too short a run, unfortunately. I think the time it came out was incredibly exciting, because everything had gone 3D and at the time 2D graphics as a "style" was still considered old/retro/nostalgic rather than just being a viable approach. Getting a brand new platform with dedicated 2D hardware was a godsend as a fan of the "16 bit" generation, and I was looking forward to seeing brand new titles with a similar approach, and at least we managed to get a little of it. Early in its life cycle, most of the prominent games were ports from SNES, and by the time it started getting better original titles, the DS was already on the doorstep, so I think that really affected the library it ended up with. It did end up with a good selection of quality original titles, but I think the GBA lacks a lot in the beneath the surface/below the radar stuff. It's almost impossible to find "hidden gems" on the platform (anyone will tell you Drill Dozer or Ninja Cop, but that's almost the extent of it). Meanwhile the SNES/SFC is a bottomless treasure trove full of excitinig stuff to dig up, almost no matter how deep you go. Winner. People always compare libraries when they've played 10-20 titles. To really have the proper perspective you need to have put in a lot of time with a lot of games. How many people can say if Car Battler Joe is better than Metal Marines? How many of us have played through both Knight of Lodis and Let Us Cling Together? How many people have mastered On the Ball and Polarium? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloves | 12,078 Administrator · Posted October 13, 2020 Share Posted October 13, 2020 3 minutes ago, Reed Rothchild said: How many people can say if Car Battler Joe is better than Metal Marines? We're comparing car battle games to RTS now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Estil | 1,288 Posted October 13, 2020 Share Posted October 13, 2020 9 hours ago, Sumez said: The GBA had way too short a run, unfortunately. How do you figure? 2001-2007 sounds like a pretty decent run to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MegaMan52 | 2,516 Posted October 13, 2020 Share Posted October 13, 2020 Original GBA games: Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, Mario Kart: Super Circuit, Sonic Advance trilogy, Legend of Zelda: Minish Cap, Metroid Fusion, Wario Land 4, DK: King of Swing, Kirby & the Amazing Mirror, Star X, Kuru Kuru Kururin, Duke Nukem Advance, TMNT 2007 (the GBA actually got the best version), Polarium Advance, and others. Ports: I actually like the GBA version of Yoshi's Island a little more than the SNES version. It is a more faithful port than the other games in the Mario Advance series (playing it on the Game Boy Player with a Hori Digital controller brought back memories of me playing the SNES version), Baby Mario doesn't sound as annoying, and it has six extra levels. Also, some of the music in the GBA version of Mega Man & Bass sounds better than the SNES version in my opinion (especially Astro Man's stage and the boss music). However, I'd prefer playing A Link to the Past and Donkey Kong County on the SNES. I think i like the GBA's library slightly more, but not by a whole lot. Both libraries are great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MegaMan52 | 2,516 Posted October 13, 2020 Share Posted October 13, 2020 (edited) 13 minutes ago, Estil said: How do you figure? 2001-2007 sounds like a pretty decent run to me. It was supported in America until 2008, with Samurai Deeper Kyo. Edited October 13, 2020 by MegaMan52 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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