SNES library vs. GBA library

[Tanooki | 5,113]

Makar: I've never touched boktai so I can't rate it.  The whole light mechanic was a put off to me so I avoided it, much the same why you don't see Yoshi on there.  I did have WW Twisted, found it just too gimmicky and not much fun in practice.  BOF1+2 I didn't think much of, especially the first as it's just too old/stiff clearly where Capcom learned some stuff as BOF2 was an improvement.  Summon Night II I did put on the list, just not the first one.  And Pocky, honestly I kind of forgot about it, but aside from the financial side of it, it's a pretty stock standard multi direction overhead shooter.

I left out slime mori mori because as my notes on there said, if the game will require a translation hack to properly understand or worse yet, even really play it, I excluded it.  I can think of a number of Japanese games I think I'd stuff on there if it didn't require learning another language or hacking it and using an emulator or flash kit.  I wanted to keep the list of games to stock carts if you bought it off the shelf.

 

And Reed has a point if you're downing on Metroid because of the crappy (by age, lack of foresight on having no map, etc) design of the original vs Zero Mission(it's recreation/expansion) and Fusion that's your loss.  I mean I've read up on Boktai, but if you're calling that a top 5 I question things.

 

Gaia: You're welcome.  Like I said I can work on it a bit more, stuff it down to 100 or if need be I can go back and add a lot more but I think a 200 could water it down some.  There are some real interesting games that have some technical marvel of sorts to it I could throw on there (Stuntman, Star-X, etc), and others I feel maybe I forgot to pop in there at the time say like Kingdom Hearts.

[Nintegageo | 583]

People are talking about SNES games on the GBA as though it counts as the GBA's library in this comparison. Does that mean we can count Game Boy games as the SNES due to the Super Game Boy? Some games were even made with the Super Game Boy in mind, do we just consider those games?

I say this only in the spirit o this convo as comparing the two libraries.

[phart010 | 1,779]

16 minutes ago, Nintegageo said:

People are talking about SNES games on the GBA as though it counts as the GBA's library in this comparison. Does that mean we can count Game Boy games as the SNES due to the Super Game Boy? Some games were even made with the Super Game Boy in mind, do we just consider those games?

I say this only in the spirit o this convo as comparing the two libraries.

It’s arguable. There’s often some additional content or minor changes when they port the game to GBA. Like the Mario advance games all have little extras. Contra spirits has some level changes.

Some games were ports from other systems that never had an SNES release (phantasy star collection).

Some games were only available on SNES in Japan and debuted in USA on GBA.

[Reed Rothchild | 9,918]

2 hours ago, Nintegageo said:

People are talking about SNES games on the GBA as though it counts as the GBA's library in this comparison. Does that mean we can count Game Boy games as the SNES due to the Super Game Boy? Some games were even made with the Super Game Boy in mind, do we just consider those games?

I say this only in the spirit o this convo as comparing the two libraries.

It's definitely a grey area that muddles everything.

[Strange | 1,727]

3 hours ago, Nintegageo said:

People are talking about SNES games on the GBA as though it counts as the GBA's library in this comparison. Does that mean we can count Game Boy games as the SNES due to the Super Game Boy? Some games were even made with the Super Game Boy in mind, do we just consider those games?

I say this only in the spirit o this convo as comparing the two libraries.

I see the logic but my vote is no. Those Game Boy games may be able to be played on SNES via an adapter, but were made and sold as Game Boy games originally. Whereas the SNES ports to GBA are on GBA cartridges, have a GBA box, had some element of gameplay altered to fit the GBA (like the scrolling due to the smaller screen, etc.)

It’s like how there’s a Master System adapter for Game Gear. It allows you to play Master System carts on your Game Gear, but I wouldn’t consider all Master System games part of the Game Gear set. But there are ports of Master System games to Game Gear, in a similar vein of SNES to GBA.

Just my opinion(s).

[Makar | 2,062]

18 hours ago, Tanooki said:

Makar: I've never touched boktai so I can't rate it.  The whole light mechanic was a put off to me so I avoided it, much the same why you don't see Yoshi on there.  I did have WW Twisted, found it just too gimmicky and not much fun in practice.  BOF1+2 I didn't think much of, especially the first as it's just too old/stiff clearly where Capcom learned some stuff as BOF2 was an improvement.  Summon Night II I did put on the list, just not the first one.  And Pocky, honestly I kind of forgot about it, but aside from the financial side of it, it's a pretty stock standard multi direction overhead shooter.

I left out slime mori mori because as my notes on there said, if the game will require a translation hack to properly understand or worse yet, even really play it, I excluded it.  I can think of a number of Japanese games I think I'd stuff on there if it didn't require learning another language or hacking it and using an emulator or flash kit.  I wanted to keep the list of games to stock carts if you bought it off the shelf.

 

And Reed has a point if you're downing on Metroid because of the crappy (by age, lack of foresight on having no map, etc) design of the original vs Zero Mission(it's recreation/expansion) and Fusion that's your loss.  I mean I've read up on Boktai, but if you're calling that a top 5 I question things.

 

Gaia: You're welcome.  Like I said I can work on it a bit more, stuff it down to 100 or if need be I can go back and add a lot more but I think a 200 could water it down some.  There are some real interesting games that have some technical marvel of sorts to it I could throw on there (Stuntman, Star-X, etc), and others I feel maybe I forgot to pop in there at the time say like Kingdom Hearts.

You don't need the light sensor to play most of boktai. I played 99% of that game inside my house at night. All you absolutely need sunlight (or a blacklight) for is the very end of the boss battles. I even made a thread about that here 

The games I said "have you looked at" are all games I haven't played either so I have no idea how they are but they look like they could be top 100 contenders. 

I'm not downing metroid. I said it's not my cup of tea but I see why people like it and that I would try metroid fusion. EDIT: I just popped in Metroid fusion for an hour and have already beaten the first boss. Much better than the NES version. Solid game so far. 

That makes sense about japanese games. 

I was just trying to throw out some suggestions. Everyone's opinions differ. There is no definitive list. Everyone's top 100 will be different. I'll go ahead and just shut up now though.

Edited October 29, 2020 by Makar

[Renmauzo | 1,206]

@ Makar: I agree, Boktai is awesome, so is the sequel. It's cool that you're discovering Fusion, and honestly, that's about all a list is good for: names of games one might not have heard of, paid attention to or otherwise considered that you can try and see if it/they're your jam, and maybe discover some magic for the first time.

Bring the suggestions, don't feel like you need to shut up. I'm 110 games in (North American releases), 91 of which I bought new back when the GBA was still current, but those 19 others came from suggestions here and there, and I've still picked up a few titles recently that have been 'new discoveries'.

I really hope you're not feeling like you need to muzzle yourself, 'cause that's not cool.

[Sumez | 3,153]

Last time I replayed Metroid Fusion I told myself to remember to take the game for what it is, and not see it as a "real" metroid game. It's linear, it has huge exposition dumps etc. but so do many great games.
Yet, I actually still had a harder time appreciating it than I did when it came out, especially knowing that Zero Mission (which is great) exists. It really feels like it is built around the classic Metroid structure of exploring, wandering aimlessly, finding secrets, and backtracking all around - but pretty much any attempt at deviating from the given path will just result in a dead end.

It's a fine game, but pretty far from the top of the GBA library IMO. Zero Mission sure is't a Super Metroid either, but it's a massive step up!

Edited October 29, 2020 by Sumez

[Reed Rothchild | 9,918]

Ideally we'd have database tables that at the very least could hold each game, and an aggregate user score.  Pretty easy way to naturally get a top 100.

[Sumez | 3,153]

Also an easy way to turn video game insights into a popularity contest

Another video game forum I've been a part of for nearly 20 years now has a database like that with a rating system. And IMO it's one of its most interesting features, if only just to see what people you are familiar with think of specific games - so I'm not opposed to a system like that. But utilizing it to get anything that resembles a useful "top list" is just completely unrealistic.

[DoctorEncore | 3,691]

21 hours ago, Reed Rothchild said:

Ideally we'd have database tables that at the very least could hold each game, and an aggregate user score.  Pretty easy way to naturally get a top 100.

This would be a pretty cool addition if we eventually get a database up. It would also be pretty fun if the ratings were public (at least optionally) since this is a tight knit community.

[Reed Rothchild | 9,918]

7 hours ago, Sumez said:

Also an easy way to turn video game insights into a popularity contest

Another video game forum I've been a part of for nearly 20 years now has a database like that with a rating system. And IMO it's one of its most interesting features, if only just to see what people you are familiar with think of specific games - so I'm not opposed to a system like that. But utilizing it to get anything that resembles a useful "top list" is just completely unrealistic.

Don't let good be the enemy of perfect

[Tanooki | 5,113]

You know I was thinking of editing that a bit more.  I'm like in the mood for something, but can't seem to pick a game to fixate right now on and I HATE THAT.  That and I've got a stack of gijoe books I got months ago and some stuff on kindle yet to be touched too...blah.

 

I think perhaps if I do edit it here, it would almost make sense to keep the list domestic as it currently rests, but then maybe take another peek at the PAL region stuff and JP too, see what more could get added that could be tolerably played without reading comprehension.

Oh and personally I can't really sit down and play Metroid anymore, at least not without my phone or a print out, or one of my old original guides as the game is just aggravating to no end without a map.  Metroid Fusion I hated the horribly unbalanced damage output for even the lightest of hits in the game comapred to any other title in the franchise so on GBA my vote personally goes to Zero Mission.

[Estil | 1,291]

I was just working on FF5 on the GBA and I'm quite impressed that the graphics are actually better than the SNES version!  The battle backgrounds (like the PS1's FF1/FF2 versions) are neat, like they're a painting!  And of course all the GBA FF's have extra bonus dungeons/superbosses not available in other legit versions.

[Estil | 1,291]

The GBA/GC era (well the first couple years anyway) is in my college days so that is just as if not maybe more nostalgic/'member berries for me as NES/SNES is.  I'm especially impressed with the GBA Everdrive and how it can take a 128 GB sd card and thus have the entire library.

[Grondorr | 50]

On 10/30/2020 at 8:18 PM, Tanooki said:

You know I was thinking of editing that a bit more.  I'm like in the mood for something, but can't seem to pick a game to fixate right now on and I HATE THAT.  That and I've got a stack of gijoe books I got months ago and some stuff on kindle yet to be touched too...blah.

 

I think perhaps if I do edit it here, it would almost make sense to keep the list domestic as it currently rests, but then maybe take another peek at the PAL region stuff and JP too, see what more could get added that could be tolerably played without reading comprehension.

Oh and personally I can't really sit down and play Metroid anymore, at least not without my phone or a print out, or one of my old original guides as the game is just aggravating to no end without a map.  Metroid Fusion I hated the horribly unbalanced damage output for even the lightest of hits in the game comapred to any other title in the franchise so on GBA my vote personally goes to Zero Mission.

Have you played through Minish Cap yet? Once you get into it it's really fun. I don't have a lot of time to game these days, but it's one of the few games that kept pulling me back, and I got to the end.

[Tanooki | 5,113]

Yeah, years ago when it came out, and another attempt that got sidelined in the last few years or so.  I just can't get into it for some reason enough to finish it.  It's not that it's bad, but it just doesn't feel right either.  It's nothing like how I feel Capcom really screwed up the duo on GBC, those suck, overly linear garbage with a high level of back tracking in every dungeon beyond amusement.  It's a total step up for them from those.

Right now after my finds late into last work week I've got a copy of FF Legend and James Bond 007 on my desk I'm eyeing at taking a crack at.

[m0bileGamerGuru | 0]

Ok so at the sake of sounding a little biased (hint, hint my username) I'd like to make an argument for why to go GBA in some certain circumstances.
If you had to choose one system over the other to pick up there are some considerations. One that's been pointed out a few times already, is the fact that when we're comparing SNES original titles to their ported/(usually remake) counterparts on the GBA, the playable screen area. GBA screen is cropped somewhat vertically, which if you're someone who always  plays 2D platformers, SHMUPS, and fighting games, I can see how the GBA might pose a problem if you are currently playing on a home console like a NES or Sega Genesis. The size of the playing area might be too jarring to get over if you're used to having that space and are hardcore into that style of gaming (muscle memory, jumping to very specific spots on the screen, etc). 
If that's the case and you're trying to decide between owning a SNES and a GBA for those titles that the system shares, then you should get the SNES. 

However, if you are someone who isn't a hardcore or competitive 2D platformer or SHMUP player, then the best choice is the GBA for the games that these two systems share. I feel like this is the case because, with a GBA, its a SNES AND more. That's kind of how it was marketed back in the day and you will not miss out on those games that are still locked into that platform to this day. The SNES has a virtual library on the Nintendo Switch and you can enjoy some of the heavy hitters from at least Nintendo and some of Nintendo's first party partners that way. As of the time of this comment, there is no way to do this with a majority of Nintendo's games let alone any third party games for the GBA. (there is still the 3DS eShop but I'm unsure how much longer that store will be around for)

Owning GBA titles allows you to tap into not only some very well done SNES ports, (many of which have special features designed for mobile play like saving more often, adjusted difficulty or arrange modes, different character art and sprites) but also by virtue of the fact that it can play Gameboy DMG and Gameboy Color games, which is a very large library all on its own.

Another great reason to choose the GBA over the SNES comes down to the fact that the GBA can also play NES games as well. The NES Classics Collection/Famicom Mini Series has MANY of Nintendo's heavy hitters from the NES era and some third parties are included as well like from Konami and Capcom. These NES Classics games are mostly straight ports with some minimal features or formatting added in to fit the games on the GBA. Whereas if you went with just a SNES, you'd have to also own a NES (or NES mini depending on your needs) as well in order to take advantage. There's the Switch's virtual console as well but I think that this seriously tips the scales in favor of the GBA if you're looking to keep the system count lower.
Are these ports absolutely 1:1 pixel perfect? No, but they're near as damn it. It was also mentioned by another user that they use the Gameboy Player to play GBA, etc on the big screen. That's usually the way that I play them these days, even though I own a backlit GBA. There's also the GBA Consolizer, which is a mod that converts a AGB-001 GBA into a console with HDMI out and takes in a SNES controller for inputs. Very cool project and definitely what I would recommend if you can get your hands on one as its more portable than a Gamecube.
 
So overall I'd say that unless you're a serious 2D gamer already, get the GBA. :)

[m0bileGamerGuru | 0]

whoops accidentally double posted.

Edited August 6, 2021 by m0bileGamerGuru
accident

[Estil | 1,291]

I still have both games from waaaaay back in my college days...my dearly departed Uncle Jerry got me Metroid Prime for Christmas back in 2002...I still have both to this day

Hard to believe those were only the fourth and fifth games in the entire series...and we only just got the ninth Zelda game (Wind Waker) just two days after my 23rd birthday and just 1.5 months prior to my graduation from UK...wow talk about memories...

Edited August 6, 2021 by Estil

[Inzoreno | 102]

SNES has Chrono Trigger, GBA does not. That's enough to put SNES over GBA for me. 

[Estil | 1,291]

I wasn't so sure about the GBA versions at first but I do like how the FF's on GBA offer super secret bonus dungeons that I don't think you can get on any other version?  Even the GBA versions of the DKC's while significantly graphically weaker than the SNES versions (where's the GBA's supposed "32-bit"???) do offer some neat exclusive bonuses to go for.

[Estil | 1,291]

6 hours ago, Inzoreno said:

SNES has Chrono Trigger, GBA does not. That's enough to put SNES over GBA for me. 

SNES has the full uncensored Tales of Phantasia...all the GBA gets is that watered down censored crap  

[Estil | 1,291]

On 8/6/2021 at 1:35 PM, m0bileGamerGuru said:

Are these ports absolutely 1:1 pixel perfect?

As the GBA resolution is much different in terms of size and shape, it's literally impossible for a GBA port of a SNES to be 1:1 pixel perfect.  Why do you think the NES Classic games (which otherwise would be near exactly ports of NES games) have that weird squished look?

[Estil | 1,291]

On 10/30/2020 at 7:18 PM, Tanooki said:

You know I was thinking of editing that a bit more.  I'm like in the mood for something, but can't seem to pick a game to fixate right now on and I HATE THAT.  That and I've got a stack of gijoe books I got months ago and some stuff on kindle yet to be touched too...blah.

Oh gee welcome to the club...