Top Five GBA Games Nintendo Should Bring to the Nintendo 3DS

Nintendo has announced plans to drop the $249.99 price tag on the Nintendo 3DS to a much more affordable $169.99. Those who went out and purchased the 3DS on day one have probably been feeling a mild amount of buyer's remorse thus far, and with news of an $80 price drop hitting less than five months after the handheld's launch, some early adopters were probably feeling a bit betrayed.

Nintendo knew this and that's why they've announced plans to give those who have already jumped on the 3DS bandwagon a small gift in the form of 20 free games.

The 20 game peace offering is called the 'Nintendo Ambassador' program, and it will give 3DS owners — who have accessed the eShop — 10 NES games and 10 Game Boy Advance games free of charge. Sure, the NES games are all instantly recognizable classics, and some will even feature multiplayer, but it's the GBA titles that are getting the most attention. Nintendo took the liberty of announcing half of the free games that will be available this past week, and two more games just today. The List is pretty solid and it includes: Metroid Fusion, Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3, Mario Kart Super Circuit, WarioWare Inc.: Microgame$, Mario vs. Donkey Kong, Kirby & The Amazing Mirror, and Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3.

Since Nintendo conveniently forgot to announce the other three games, we've taken the liberty of filling out a list of the five Game Boy Advance games, any of which we'd love to see Nintendo include in its Nintendo Ambassador program — or just made available on the Virtual Console for free. There are quite a few phenomenal games that appeared on the now obsolete handheld, but we've managed to sift through all of them to deliver our top five GBA games that should appear on the Nintendo 3DS.

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Game and Watch Gallery 4 3DS Virtual Console

Game and Watch Gallery 4 could very well be the most controversial game on this list, but it absolutely deserves a spot as number five. The original Game and Watch Gallery just recently became available on the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console, and it has already consumed several hours of my life. The game itself features a variety of mini-games that originated from Nintendo's pre-Game Boy Game and Watch handhelds, but they've received a significant graphical upgrade — plus Mario and Co. have gotten in on the madness.

The fourth Game and Watch Gallery features a total of 20 games when everything has been unlocked, and that makes for an extremely meaty title. Most of the games in the GWG4 are ridiculously addictive, and the sheer challenge that the game creates makes every title in the series hard to put down. If all of that isn't enough then Nintendo fans will be delighted to know that The Legend of Zelda's very own Link makes a playable cameo as Game and Watch Gallery 4's final unlock.

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Super Mario World on the 3DS Virtual Console

Nintendo is a big fan of revamps and re-releases, and that trend has carried over to the Nintendo 3DS with The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D and the upcoming Star Fox 64 3D. That's why it only makes sense that Nintendo should re-release a re-release in the form of Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2. Many believe that Super Mario World is one of the best Mario titles ever made, and the awesomeness of the game certainly doesn't lessen when it's thrown on one of Nintendo's handhelds.

Super Mario World was one of the best games Nintendo ever released — period. The gameplay is enjoyable, there is a solid amount of content, and last (but certainly not least) it's a classic Super Mario game, and we all know that only heartless ne'er-do-wells wouldn't enjoy a free copy for their 3DS. Having the option to once again carry the classic title around in your pocket sounds like an absolutely stellar idea, and the sooner it happens the better.

What are you waiting for? Go on and check out the last three Game Boy Advance games we suggest Nintendo should give to 3DS owners...

Advance Wars on the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console

One of the best turn-based strategy games ever released, Advance Wars absolutely deserves its spot on our list. The game's plot begins with one of the main protagonists, named Andy, getting accused of starting a war with several other colonies. He must clear his name to end the war and once again make peace with the other factions - and this is accomplished by destroying everything and everyone that dares to cross the Orange Star army's path.

There are several different commanders to choose from in Advance Wars, and each of the three main protagonists have their own different advantages and disadvantages. Choosing a different protagonist also changes the dialogue between characters that occurs in the actual story, better yet it can even change-up the entire layout of a level, so decisions really do have an impact.

The objective of Advance Wars is to destroy the opposing army, and that is done by either hunting down and killing every last troop - or simply capturing the enemy's headquarters. The only thing Nintendo would have to tweak would be multiplayer, so that friends could buckle down with Advance Wars on their Nintendo 3DS and revisit some much appreciated nostalgia — and that last part should apply to all GBA Virtual Console releases.

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Pokemon Emerald on the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console

A Pokemon game was bound to show up on the list at some point, but deciding which one to include was a rigorous task in and of itself. In the end it came down to which game I hadn't played for the longest amount of time, and those games were Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire — combine those two and you've got Pokemon Emerald.

Pokemon Emerald features the best of both worlds from Ruby and Sapphire, and the trilogy of games added many new elements that have since become a staple of the franchise. Double Battles and contests were first given a test drive on the Game Boy Advance titles, and they've both remained standout features in every game since — although the contests have changed quite a bit. That said, if Pokemon Emerald does become available then Nintendo has got to implement a way to transfer Pokemon over from the GBA classic on to Pokemon Black and White.

There are rumors that Nintendo is working on a remake for these games for the Nintendo 3DS, and if that is indeed the case then it doesn't make much sense to release Emerald on the Virtual Console. However, that doesn't mean they can't please fans by releasing Pokemon Fire Red or Leaf Green.

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The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap on the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console

Surprise! Wait, you knew? Awww.

The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap is thought by many to be the best Game Boy Advance game ever made, and while the accuracy of that statement is up for debate, there is no denying that Minish Cap is a great title. The story for the game is pretty traditional, Zelda gets kidnapped and Link must save her, but oddly enough it's not Ganon doing the kidnapping this time. Vaati is the main antagonist in this portable installment of The Legend of Zelda, and he's every bit as evil as Ganon — the dude even turned his master, Ozlo, into Link's stylish hat.

The game was actually developed by Capcom and it plays similarly to any of the previous portable Zelda games, so there's really not much to complain about. It also continues the graphical legacy that began with Wind Waker, so fans of the cell-shaded art style will appreciate the overall charm of The Minish Cap. Nintendo needs to add this to the 3DS' Virtual Console, be it part of the 'Nintendo Ambassador' program or simply made available for purchase, because The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap is a great game that should be experienced by all.

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There are so many Game Boy Advance games that would make wonderful additions to the Nintendo 3DS, and I hope that Nintendo goes out of their way in order to add more than just 10 games from the classic handheld. Some games that deserve honorable mention are: F-Zero: Maximum Velocity, Donkey Kong CountryWario Land 4, and Mario & Luigi: Superstar Sega. Any of those games would also be welcome additions to the Nintendo 3DS, and would certainly help raise digital sales and customer satisfaction.

The ball is in your court now Nintendo. What's it going to be?

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What are your top five Game Boy Advance games that you'd like to see make a downloadable appearance on the 3DS? What did you think of our list?