Greatest Game Boy Advance Games

Mario Tennis: Power Tour

It should really come as no surprise that one of the most popular titles found on the Game Boy Advance features everyone favourite pudgy plumber. Mario Tennis: Power Tour brings many familiar faces, including Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, and Donkey Kong, as well as a few new (somewhat generic) characters as well. The gameplay is much like you'd expect from a Mario sports title, with fast and furious action coupled with a few cartoony blasts for good measure. The Power Shots add an interesting spin on the game, with Bowser, for example, rocketing the ball across in a large flame.

While the single game mode may be great for a brief gaming session, the developers have also thrown in an RPG-like story mode that allows you to upgrade your custom character as you see fit, earn new and more powerful shots at the training center, and challenge your peers as you ascend the ranks at the Academy.

Metal Slug Advance

I'll admit, I've always been a fan of the old-fashioned side scrolling action game. Whether it's a beat 'em up like Final Fight or one that involves guns like Contra (which immediately brings the unforgettable Konami code to mind), I just couldn't get enough of them. One of the more recent franchises that's been making big splashes, in the arcades especially, is Metal Gear. Well, because the graphics are rather simple (equivalent to the 16-bit power of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES)), this game translates quite well onto the Game Boy Advance. You go through the usual set of stages capped by a boss character at the end of each, grab upgraded weapons like a rocket launcher for a set amount of ammo, and even jump into tanks temporarily for some drive-right-over-your-enemies kind of fun. If you loved Contra growing up, you will feel right at home with Metal Slug Advance.

F-Zero: GP Legend

I never did get a chance to try out the F-Zero title for the Nintendo GameCube, but I do remember playing the original on the SNES. Being able to drive at outrageous speeds in super futuristic vehicles has quite the appeal, and with the more contemporary cartoon snatching up an audience every Saturday morning, they decided to port it over as a video game for the GBA. While it may not be the flashiest racer on the market, nor do you get to toy with licenced Ferraris and such, the sensation of speed is definitely here. White knuckle action coupled with a good variety of tracks (and a turbo boost to boot) leads to a great game called F-Zero: GP Legend.

Mario Kart Super Circuit

Can't get enough high speed action? Want to see Mario and his friends back in yet another sporty title? Then look no further than Mario Kart Super Circuit. Veterans of the Mario Kart series -- with its foundation in the Super Nintendo, and later with the hugely popular Mario Kart 64 and Double Dash varieties -- will find themselves right at home among the string of bananas, green and red shells, invincibility stars, and boosting mushrooms. There are twenty tracks in all, categorized into five different "Cups" of increasing difficulty. Like previous offerings, you can also choose how fast the karts can go, based on 50CC, 100CC, and 150CC engines.