GBA Ambassador Games Reviews

For Nintendo 3DS eShop

These are my scores for the 10 free GBA Ambassador Games on 3DS. They are listed from highest to lowest scores and there is a chart listing all of the scores at the bottom. The average review score is also listed at the bottom of the article. Enjoy!

Metroid Fusion: 9.0

Just like with Minish Cap, I wasn’t able to play much of this game before the review so I will post a full review of the game when I have a chance to fully play it, but what I saw from what I did play was quite memorable. The game’s visuals are fantastic, easily the best on the system in my own opinion. I also loved the music and the story felt pretty strong to me told through typical GBA cut-scenes. The gameplay is leagues better than that of most 2D Metroid games, and although I’ve heard the main quest isn’t long, I don’t think that’s exactly necessary thanks to the game’s other outstanding aspects.

TLOZ: The Minish Cap: 9.0

I’m not usually a big advocate of 2-D Zelda adventures, only ever enjoying Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks for Nintendo DS, so it surprised me how much I actually enjoyed Minish Cap. Because of the surplus of games this Holiday season, I wasn’t able to play much of the game in time for this review, but from what I have played I’ve most certainly enjoyed. The game appears to have a good story, characterization (based on the opening), and the music and visuals are fantastic as always with Zelda. The gameplay seems fairly traditional for Zelda with the exception of course of shrinking your size down and some new items. I’m sure the main quest is quite lengthy and intriguing as well. Of course, all of this is mainly speculation so after I’ve finished the game, I’ll likely do a full review on the game and a possible change in score.

Super Mario Advance 3 Yoshi’s Island: 8.5

Although it is not among my favorite Mario games, Yoshi’s Island still impressed me in a lot of ways. Sure, the game doesn’t feel much like a Mario game thanks to the absence of goombas, mushrooms, question blocks instead replaced by egg throwing Yoshi fun. Some of the changes took me a while to get used to especially the fact that you can’t die unless you leave Baby Mario behind for too long, which was especially unique. The level designs aren’t exactly amazing as they are in most Mario platformers, but some other factors make up for it. The visuals look really nice, the music is pure Yoshi, and of course the game itself is still a lot of fun. And although some of the differences from the traditional Mario game are not necessarily good they at least add some variety to the Mario franchise.

Wario Ware Inc. Mega Microgames: 8.0

Although I could do with a bit less mandatory cut-scenes, the core of this game is a heck of a lot of fun. The addictive main gameplay is pure fun though some may not enjoy it because of its quick pace, and each microgame is uniquely designed with fun in mind. There’s a good amount of content included thanks to two-player modes and other bonus games. With crazy levels of oddity and tons of creativity, Wario Ware Mega Microgames is a definite keeper.

Wario Land 4: 8.0

Wario Land 4 keeps with the Wario theme by maintaining its very unusual settings, characters, and gameplay. The game’s visuals and music are adequate and although the gameplay and setting is fairly repetitive it’s all still fairly fun. I love the variety of moves Wario can perform but I found myself forgetting how to accomplish some of them after a while (I forgot the controls) and I also was confused when Wario would catch on fire but not get hurt (I guess it’s a power-up?). Overall Wario Land 4 was a fun enough game that could use some lessons from Mario, but is a fun alternative nonetheless.

Mario Kart Super Circuit: 7.5

Being that this Mario Kart game has aged the worst since its release, it’s no surprise that I didn’t enjoy it nearly as much as other Mario Kart titles. The visuals are terribly outdated, the soundtrack is relatively antique, the controls are cumbersome and sent me crashing a handful of times, and the multiplayer is practically nonexistent. I do appreciate that there are many more tracks than in most Mario Kart games as that is a problem I have had with modern Mario Kart games, and the tracks are fairly well designed for a game ten years old.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong: 7.0

Puzzle games have never pulled me in like other games and this stays the same with Mario vs. Donkey Kong, it’s a good game just not a great one. The puzzles are plentiful and new abilities and obstacles throw in nice variety, but the graphics, music, and story all appear a bit ordinary, and the controls don’t work that well. Plus, I don’t find the game to be all that interesting enough for me to want to play it, and I’d rather assume play Pushmo.

F-Zero Maximum Valocity: 7.0

Honestly I have nothing against F-Zero, but I’ve never found anything to love about the franchise either. As always, the visuals look great and the music is nice and modern, but the thing that has always bothered me about F-Zero is the difficult racing. I drive off the track so often that it’s simply ridiculous. I like the game, but I just wish I was a little bit better at it.

Kirby and the Amazing Mirror: 6.0

Kirby games have never really captured my heart and the same can be said about Kirby’s GBA offering. The visuals are nice and I’m sure there are tons of fans who love the game, but I found my unfamiliarity with Kirby games to be getting in the way of my enjoyment of the game. I constantly became lost and the whole mirror concept confused me and made me feel like I was playing Super Smash Bros. Brawl Subspace Emissary again. Plus the controls just felt off.

Fire Emblem Radiant Dawn: 5.0

I’ve never been a fan of a Japanese style turn-based strategy game, but I honestly didn’t find much to enjoy with Fire Emblem Radiant Dawn. Perhaps the gameplay was ok, but I never really had a chance to find out because of the game’s lackluster visuals, music, overly-complex story, and an incredibly massive amount of text. If the gameplay was good then I’m sorry I never got to experience it.

Scores from worst to best:

Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn	5.0
Kirby and the Amazing Mirror	6.0
F-Zero Maximum Velocity	7.0
Mario vs. Donkey Kong	7.0
Mario Kart Super Circuit	7.5
Wario Land 4	8.0
Wario Ware Inc. Mega Microgames	8.0
Super Mario Advance 3: Yoshi’s Island	8.5
TLOZ: The Minish Cap	9.0
Metroid Fusion	9.0

Total Average of all 10 GBA Ambassador Games: 7.2

Note: Although the average NES Ambassador Games review score is a 7.5 and is higher than the GBA Ambassador average, do not think the NES ones are better. Overall they are better but the GBA lineup has some awesome games such as Metroid Fusion, Minish Cap, and Yoshi’s Island and honestly all ten games are good with the exception of Fire Emblem. I may have been a little harsh with these reviews but after playing games like Skyward Sword and Super Mario 3D Land, it seems like every game is below average.