A lot of people complain that the Vita had no games. We know it’s not true. My hundreds-strong collection is proof. But there’s no denying that it could have used some high profile games to push sales. One portable system that had that in spades was the Gameboy Advance. Despite being from two generations prior, the GBA library had some unmissable gems in its catalog. A few of those on the Vita, and the story might have been different. So, Which Gameboy Advance Games Should Have Been on the Vita? Let’s find out? (NOTE: I’m excluding Nintendo-owned IPs from this list)
Golden Sun
Collecting retro video games is not an easy thing to get into. You can usually get into a new system for cheap, only to find out the games you really want to play will cost you a pretty penny. There are ways of mitigating the costs associated with game collecting, of course. We’ve shared quite a few on here. There’s also plenty of fun to be had regardless of the system you choose. For example, placing a bet on Ladbrokes Casino and playing a game on Vita are both great sources of entertainment. However, there’s limitations to how and where you can enjoy some gems. Camelot’s Golden Sun series burned twice as bright, for half as long. On the Vita, there are a billion Final Fantasy games, but no Golden Sun to be found. In fact, there are very few systems which have been graced by this franchise.
While the Vita isn’t lacking in RPGs (and to me, the Neptunia series is actually quite near the top), Golden Sun has a huge following. It’s easy to see why, too: the quality is exceptional. The writing in particular is fantastic, and the combat is deep and rewarding. There’s not much wrong with Golden Sun, and Vita fans would have lapped it up.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2
Easily one of the most impressive conversions ever done, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 on the GBA didn’t mess around. It did not try (as many of its contemporaries did) to fake that it was a direct port. This would have seen the game fail.
What THPS2 did was bring the feeling of playing a Tony Hawk game to the GBA while taking the hardware’s limitations into consideration. The result is a masterpiece in gameplay and mechanics. There are very few skating games on the Vita, and Pro Skater 2 would have killed it there, dude!
Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
Considering Konami’s franchise absolutely dominated the Metroidvania (of course) genre for decades, it’s mind-blowing that Sony did not bring it over to the Vita. Again, side-scrolling action RPGs were not uncommon on the Vita, but we lacked a major franchise to push consoles.
The Gameboy Advance had three (!) Castlevania exclusive games, including one at launch. And when Aria of Sorrow came along, it swept up. Konami was supposedly considering bringing over Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate to the Vita, but decided against it. IGN hated it, fans loved it. What else is new? At least someone cared.
Contra Advance: The Alien Wars EX
Ah, yes. Contra. I adore the franchise, and have fond memories of playing it growing up. The NES classics in particular hold a piece of my heart and they forever will. But this is another franchise, like Golden Sun above, whose games seldom grace a system.
The Alien Wars EX is an updated version of Contra 3 for the SNES. A lot of people hated it. I like it. While Contra 4 on the DS is perhaps a bit stronger and more updated still, any Contra game would have sold millions on the Vita. And would have helped the Vita sell millions of units, too.
So, According to You, Which Gameboy Advance Games Should Have Been on the Vita?
You’ve seen mine, now show me yours. What do you think about my list? Which titles have I missed? IN your opinion, which games should have made it to the Vita? Let me know!
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