Gaming Games suggestions, clones and ports

[skagon]

Hello everyone! New guy here, so please be gentle.
Anyway, I've only very recently joined the ranks of Gameboy Advance owners, so I'm still building my "essential games" library.
The main issue is, I'm a retro computers geek, which means I've got a few games common to those platforms, that I can't seem to find for the GBA. Therefore, I'm looking for suggestions on GBA games that I am unaware of, which would be clones, ports, copies or just similar to those.
Here's a short list, which will probably be getting longer the more I think of it.

- Arkanoid
[note: I cannot believe nobody ever ported the original Arkanoid for the Gameboy, but I wouldn't mind something more advanced, like Arkanoid Space Ball, Ultra Ball or even a bit different, like Astropop]
- Pong
[note: I know about the Pong/Asteroids/Yar release which is a port of the ancient original Pong, but I was looking for something more advanced, like perhaps the Cannonball (Java game from Bluette) - if you don't know it, check it out... great game!]
- Qix
[note: I've seen some of the newer clones, like Land Breaker or Fantasia, but why doesn't it exist on GBA?]
- Ataxx (or Hexxagon)
[note: I haven't seen anything like that for the Gameboy, but there are enough for various other platforms]
- Sokoban
[note: Again, I'm talking about a decent GBA port or clone; while the original Gameboy version may exist, I'd like something that takes advantage of the GBA's screen]
- Bejeweled
[note: Not sure if there is such a thing for the GBA; I have "Zooo" but it's not quite the same]
- Dexterity
- Quarth

- Any other game you might think of. As you've noticed, I like puzzle games and action/puzzle.

Here's a list of what I already have:
-Super Bust-a-Move
-Tetris Worlds
-Chuchu Rocket
-Polarium Advance
-Denki Blocks
-Kurukuru Kururin
-Columns Crown
-Pacman (all the usual suspects like Ms Pacman and Pacmania)
-Tang Tang
-Zooo

...and some others, which are more platform than puzzle, like Sabre Wolf and Treasure Planet.
The main issue is that, while the original Gameboy had a lot of ports but also a lot of original great games, a lot of these were never released natively for GBA (like Sokoban, Dexterity or Quarth). Some others never got a port to Gameboy at all (and the most prominent member of that list has to be Arkanoid).
So I'd really appreciate it if you could give me a few pointers!

 

[Bart Lemming]

Most of the older style arcade games have ports or clones on the original Game Boy. By the time the GBA came around most of those games were already done. Still, there are some really cool old school carts on the GBA. One I would heartily recommend would be the Activision Anthology. It was only released in the US but it's easy to find on eBay. It basically contains every Activision game made for the Atari 2600 all in a really nice package (manual scans, achievement patches etc). There's also the Atari collection. That's lots of old Atari titles (surprise, surprise!).

As for individual games; well, there's Manic Miner, the Pacman games, Dropzone, Space Invaders, Galaga: Destination Earth and a whole load of others that I can't think of right now.

If I think of other gems I'll post again.

PS: Welcome to the forum but especially welcome to the GBA!

 

[skagon]

Wow, thank you so much, mate. I was beginning to think that there's no one around!

Funny thing, just today I received a nice package I had ordered States-side: Konami's Arcade Advanced, Atari Anniversary Advance and Midway's Greatest Arcade Hits. I have to say, some of the games are really brilliant.
I've also got a few from the Pacman family, the Space Invaders for the GBA absolutely rocks and Galaga (Namco Museum) is also amazingly addictive. Haven't got the Activision Anthology just yet, even though it's been in my sights for some time now. I'm just waiting in case there's an offer on eBay from within the UK.
I just can't get my head around the fact that there is no Arkanoid for the GBA at all... or Qix, Pong, Bejeweled or Quarth. And I don't mean, a port of the old... but a new adaptation, like the Space Invaders...

At the moment, I've got around 30 carts, I think at some point I'll sit down and make a ranking list or something...

 

[zeello]

you might like Mr. Driller 2... I sure do!

 

[skagon]

Wow, thanks zeello! Another game added to my list of games to get. I checked out some vids of it on the Tube, looks like lots of fun!

 

[cateater1]

Guru logic champ. Pretty nuts but very good. Japan cart.

 

[Joe88]

Bubble Bobble: Old and New

 

[skagon]

Cat: checked it out, looks like a great game... pity it appears to be quite rare, though... looks like I'll have to pay through the nose for that one...
joe: it's already on my "to get" list...

 

[cateater1]

yeah great game, shame it's hard to find and pretty expensive. A partial remake is on the US/JAP dsiware store its called Snapdots, v similar but without the wacky humour which makes the J game fun. But not available in Europe! boo.

 

[Bart Lemming]

The lack of Arkanoid clones on the GBA is a bit strange to me too. There are loads of games for cheap budget companies to rip off and there were a couple of the original Game Boy and the DS. It seem about the only way to play Arkanoid on the GBA is to play one of the homebrews though, sadly, I'd described them as demo standard...

There are lots of pinball games on the GBA. Maybe they were 'the new breakout' of that generation?

 

[FAST6191]

It might be a bit late but I will go anyway
For the record a lot of the things you say do not exist do actually exist as homebrew on the GBA, though Ataxx, Dexterity and Quarth do not seem to feature on the GBA. You may or may not be able to emulate them though. I was never a great fan of Arkanoid/Breakout but http://www.playeradvance.org/forum/showthread.php?t=4039

For straight up game suggestions.... eggo mania. It is quite a lot like some of the ones you have already mentioned and for me sits just behind rampart in the "non tetris tetromino" games list, granted it ends right after that as far as I am concerned.

Continuing with homebrew if you can make it to the DS then your options are even greater.

 

[skagon]

Well, I will agree with Pedro on both accounts. It is strange and the quality of the homebrews isn't up to par. I downloaded the Arkanoid Advance -- even though I had downloaded what was obviously an earlier version only a week or so ago which was unplayable -- and I have to say... close but no cigar. I only played it on the emulator, since I have no EEPROM cartridge (don't know how you call these things) so I don't know if it plays ok on the actual GBA, but on the emulator it was still too fast and jumpy and twitchy. Like Pedro said... demo standard.
I've also tried "Anarkoid" but, whilst that feels smoother and a lot more playable, it's got serious geometry and physics issues and its sprite collision is problematic. I'd suggest the two guys who made them sit down and exchange notes...
Fast, funny thing, "Eggo mania" just arrived in my mailbox this morning. Quite enjoyable, especially once you're used to its logic. Haven't heard of "Rampart" before, though... I'll do a search. Is it the same as the 90s coin-op?
By the way... feel free to point me in the direction of those homebrew ports. Like I said, I'm new here and I have little idea about what's what. I'd also appreciate a pointer to a good tutorial or guide on these programmable cartridges... I tried reading a bit but I'm at a complete loss as to which one is the best and/or most widely supported, what the downsides are, what one has to do in order to make a ROM work, where to get one at a non-ridiculous price... etc.
By the way... I've got a DSi but I barely use it and only have one game for it. Don't know... just like the GBA better... the games feel closer to my "retro" roots.

By the way... thanks for all the suggestions and comments, guys. Really helps, especially when you're a noob like myself.

 

[FAST6191]

Homebrew, GBAtemp's download/sister site in filetrip http://filetrip.net/gba-downloads/homebrew/ and http://pdroms.de/news/gameboyadvance/ (both do well for the DS)
Homebrew was not as well cultivated, mirrored and spread during the GBA era (even the early DS is a bit lacking) so searching further might get you something.

Rampart seems to be something of a forgotten classic, it was crazy popular back when but nobody seems to remake it ever. I can not move for tetris, pong, sokoban and breakout clones/homages/inspired titles but seldom this.

Flash carts/Flash cards is the main term used nowadays to describe devices you write code to so as to run them on devices. We exist between the GBA being current and GBA being retro so basically the only cart still available is the EZ4, not sure where people are getting them these days but realhotstuff is a good bet. That said the EZ4 is a fine cart, not as good as it could have been for the GBA but more than good enough.

 

[DanTheManMS]

-Pacman (all the usual suspects like Ms Pacman and Pacmania)

I owned the physical cartridge to Pac-Man Collection at one point in time and it had 4 good versions of Pac-Man. The classic arcade version, a 3D version, a tetris version, and I forgot the fourth. In any case, give it a try.

 

[skagon]

Thanks, Dan... like I said, I have that. The 3D version you remember is Pacmania. Good cartridge...