Any good 2d shooters for GBA?

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biggoronspaceship

CAG Veteran
Are there any good shooters for GBA that you guys would recommend? Stuff such R-Type and the like. I just picked up Sigma Star Saga for 10 bucks at gamestop and I'm debating on whether or not to keep it since I'm not too sure how the whole RPG mixed with 2d shooter idea is gonna work.
 
Unfortunately, the GBA was deprived of shmups. Gradius Galaxies is the only good one that comes to mind.
There was a Phalanx remake I heard was okay, but stay away from the sloppy R-Type 3 remake.
I didn't care much for Sigma Star Saga. Its heart was in the right place, though.
 
Im a sucker for this genre on the GBA also - IMHO, here's the best 2-D shooters on the system...

Gunstar Super Heroes
CT Special Forces (1 & 2)
Metal Slug Advance
Astro Boy: Omega Factor
Contra Advance
Phalanx
Gradius Galaxies
Iridion II
Super Army War

Medal of Honor Infiltrator and Max Payne are good too but aren't classic 2-D - more like that funky isometric style you see in Boktai/Lunar Knights

I agree with Ace Harding - Stay away from R-Type on the GBA. Just Terrible.

There's also another Metal Slug (remake of Metal Slug 1 I think) that some places still have listed as coming out this month - whether it really will or not, who knows.
 
Lilo and Stitch is quite good. It does have its Contra/Metal Slug basis.

Sigma Star Saga sucked. I'm sorry. It did. The characters, EVERY ONE OF THEM, seemed to be competing to see who could be the biggest asshole. The gunplay was tedious except for the boss levels. The all-too-frequent random battles made the pacing of exploration unbearable and even made the boss levels hard to enjoy.

Metal Slug Advance is quite good.

I cannot say enough good things about Medal of Honor Infiltrator though. It is top-down, Commando style shooting, and is a COMPLETE blast. Easily, I'd say it is the best GBA shooter. Bar none.

Astro Boy is a brawler in the vein of Treasure Guardian Heroes style.
 
^Well I guess that answers my question if Sigma Star was worth it for $10!

I was going to say Classic Nes Series: Xevious, but I have never played it on the GBA and have been wondering if it was worth?

I liked Space Harrier on Sega Arcade Gallery.
 
Theres a gba shmup called 'Strike Force Hydra'. Its pretty decent if a little simplistic. The best part is its only like $10 new.
 
[quote name='Puffa469']Theres a gba shmup called 'Strike Force Hydra'. Its pretty decent if a little simplistic. The best part is its only like $10 new.[/quote]

Glad someone beat me to bringing that one up. It goes for $3 used at GameStop/EB and it's pretty cheap at GameCrazy too.

Xevious Classic NES Series goes for either $2 or $3 used at GameStop. EB was trying to clear out new copies for around the same price about a year ago.

I also recommend Iridion II (not to be confused with the awful Iridion 3D) and Gradius Galaxies. If you missed out on Phalanx on the SNES, the GBA port is worth a look - the only thing missing is the hick with the banjo on the SNES box and label art. :lol:

And as a bonus, here's some original GB and GBC shmups worth hunting down:

R-Type DX (GBC)
Project S-11 (GBC)
Nemesis (GB)
Gradius: The Interstellar Assault (GB)

There's also a port of 1942 on the GBC, but that depends on how much you like 1942. Too bad Capcom didn't port 1943 as well.
 
I'll second (or third) Iridion II and Strike Force Hydra. Strike Force Hydra seems to be a bit hard to find new anymore, though.
 
Not sure if you'd count them as shooters, but the only two good games like that I've played are Metal Slug Advance and Gunstar Super Heroes.
 
Astro Boy: Omega Factor is a must have, though it's more like a side-scrolling shooter, or run-and-gun. For a shmup, Iridion II for sure.
 
[quote name='biggoronspaceship']Thanks for the suggestions guys. Just snagged Contra advance and Gunstar Super Heroes at a local game store, looking forward to playing them.[/quote]

Man Ive been looking for Contra Advance for what seems like ages! =(
 
Oh yeah, how is Contra Advance? I didn't like the overhead levels in Contra 3 (so I'm glad those are gone), but if you were choosing between buying Contra Advance or Contra 3, which would you go with?
 
[quote name='DigitalSpace']Steel Empire is indeed awesome. I have it on the Genesis. It's a shame that the GBA port didn't get a US release.[/quote]

Ahhhhh, thank you. I didnt realize it was an import. This explains why a) Ive never heard of the game, and b) why I didnt see it when I searched retailers for it yesterday. lol
 
[quote name='DigitalSpace']Steel Empire is indeed awesome. I have it on the Genesis. It's a shame that the GBA port didn't get a US release.[/QUOTE]

Looks like it got a UK release so at least there's an english version out there somewhere. I might have to track this down if possible.
 
[quote name='Chacrana']Oh yeah, how is Contra Advance? I didn't like the overhead levels in Contra 3 (so I'm glad those are gone), but if you were choosing between buying Contra Advance or Contra 3, which would you go with?[/QUOTE]

Contra 3, by far. Most reviewers complained about the changes made to the core mechanics, such as the fact you can no longer carry more than one weapon, and the elimination of the screen clearing "super bombs", which upped the games difficulty from the challenging-yet-doable original to throw-your-gba-across-the-room frustration levels. No one was sad to see the overhead stages go, though, and I agree - they seemed more like a "Mode 7" tech demo than revolutionary gameplay. The same goes for other "change of pace" stages from earlier Contras, such as the base levels in the original, or the Commando-style overhead sections in Super Contra (arcade) and Super C (NES).
 
If you can find Namco Museum at CC it costs less than $5 and has maybe the best 2D shooter ever in Galaga on it.
 
[quote name='The Crotch']Sigma Star Saga was an awesome game dragged down a bit by too many random battles. Just make sure you check out Gamefaqs to avoid the bug(s?) that pop up later on in the game.[/quote]

Ooh! Does the story pick up towards the end? Do we get to see who won the "I'm the biggest asshole" competition? Do I finally get to stab that purple skank in the face?
 
Yea gunstar heros is onsale for 10 dollars at tru, then if there is still that 5 dollar of games then thats a good deal.
 
[quote name='The Crotch']Depends. How far did you get?
[/quote]
I beat the first planet and got halfway through the second one. That's about it.

Wait, the king of the purple dudes? I thought they were gonna go all
the true villains are us humans
because, you know, that has NEVER EVER EVER been done in EVERY OTHER FRIGGEN MEDIUM EVER.

Plus, they were definitely leading that way.
 
Does contra advance have saves when u pass a level? I have the contra Gameboy game and it only lets u continue no saves and my son is upset.
 
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