What GBA Games Should Come to the Wii U Virtual Console April 8, 2014

Last week, the first Game Boy Advance games were released on the Nintendo Wii U, offering gamers the chance to play an entire generation of classic handheld titles for the first time in ten years. With games like Metroid: Fusion, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, and Advance Wars among the first games released through the service, Nintendo is stepping up their game convincing people to buy the Wii U by offering more of the best games from their back catalog on a platform they desperately need people to adopt.

So what games from the GBA’s strong back catalog should Nintendo release next for the Wii U? Here are some of my ideas. Metroid: Fusion and Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga have already gotten released through the service so I’m not going to include them on the list. Rest assured, if they had not already been announced and released, they would be on this list. I also won’t include the GBA version of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, as the SNES version of that game has already been released through the Wii U VC, and it’s exclusive multiplayer expansion Legend of Zelda: Four Swords was already ported to the Nintendo 3DS and released as a free download some time ago. I’m also not going to include straight up remakes or ports on the GBA, as Nintendo can just as easily port the original games to the Wii U.

Without further ado, here are some GBA games I would like to see on the Wii U.

Pokémon Emerald – The third game in the same generation that included Pokémon Ruby and Pokémon Sapphire, Pokémon Emerald is considered to be the perfect game of the third generation Pokémon games. With a new story, new protagonist, and the power of the GBA behind it, the Pokémon world looked better than we had ever seen it before. In fact, the game’s graphics looked so good, Nintendo used the game’s engine to remake the first generation games, but I’ll get to them in a bit.

Metroid: Zero Mission – Nintendo’s handheld remake of the first Metroid game was ironically the final game made by the team who created the original Metroid.  It was a very successful release, with a lot of critics praising the updated graphics and new locations, while still retaining the original feel of Metroid.  The original Metroid (NES) has always been a staple of Nintendo’s Virtual Console platforms.  As far as I know, Nintendo has released it on every platform with a Virtual Console to date, but Zero Mission’s enhanced graphics and gameplay makes the original game much more accessible.

Mother 3 – The long awaited sequel to the SNES cult classic EarthBound was released to a Japanese only audience on the Game Boy Advance.  For years, gamers have clamored and petitioned Nintendo head honchos to translate this game and bring it to the United States.  Sadly, the game launched in Japan shortly before the GBA was replaced by the Nintendo DS, and in my opinion, Nintendo probably decided that the time and money to properly translate the game for a western audience would not be worth it with the Nintendo DS launch on the horizon.  In defiance, a group of hackers released an entire translation script for the game, and implored everyone to import the game and use it.  Now with the GBA Virtual Console on the Wii U, there’s a real chance this game could get released here.  Perhaps with the incredible sales of Bravely Default, Japanese game developers are starting to take notice that there is an incredible market here in the States for their games.  The hackers who translated the original game are offering their entire script to Nintendo to use completely free of charge.

Pokémon FireRed & Pokémon LeafGreen – Around the same time Nintendo was developing Pokémon Emerald on the GBA, Nintendo also remade their original Generation 1 Pokémon games, Pokémon Red and Pokémon Green, using the Generation 3 Pokémon engine.  When the Pokémon games launched on the GBA, the Pokémon World had never looked better.  All the classic gameplay from the original two games were brought back, along with some new bug filled game areas.  The graphics were crisp, the art style was vibrant, and all the original 150 Pokémon were ready to be caught and traded to help you complete your Generation 3 game’s Pokedex.

Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap – Ever wondered how Link got his hat?  Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap not only set the story for the Four Swords Saga, but it was also an origin story for the entire Legend of Zelda universe…well, that is up until The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword was released.  Seriously though, who doesn’t want to play a new Legend of Zelda game on their Wii U controller?

Final Fantasy Tactics Advance – The Final Fantasy Tactics series is probably most known for having one of the most sought after games on the original Playstation, but there was a Final Fantasy Tactics game released on the GBA, and many critics consider it to be one of the best games on the system.  I mean what’s not to like?  The game’s developers were able to bring over the gameplay which made the original PS1 title so much fun, and it would be a great addition to the Wii U Virtual Console.

So that’s my list, but I want to hear what you guys have to say! Post a comment and tell me which GBA games you want to see on the Wii U Virtual Console.

Now please being in a GameCube Virtual Console!