What's your favorite game ever made for a handheld system?
- Thread starter TheBored23
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If i were to base my answer on the numbers of hours sunk into one game, Advance Wars without a doubt.
Ooh this is a fun question and, genuinely, I'm not sure. I'm gonna stumble through my favorites for each console and then try and pick one at the end.
GAME BOY
Really no question here. I was pretty young during the Game Boy and Game Boy color days, so I barely even remember playing too many games on it. Still, I remember my first time playing Pokemon vividly. So many memories are tied to playing this thing, where I played it, and how I talked about it to my friends and family. It's still one of the few times, thanks to the game itself and who I was at the time, I achieved a real "journey into the unknown" experience. I didn't even mind when I needed my brother to help me because it felt REAL. I love this silly game.
GBA
This game probably doesn't hold up and I DON'T CARE. My memories of it are so fond I still look back at Topsy-Turvy with magic and wonder. I always loved Yoshi, and the weird faux-3D(?) artstyle in this game really did it for me and tilting the system to affect the world felt like the most incredible phenomenon at the time.
PSP
The combat in this thing hooked me and all I wanted to do was play fights over and over again. Maybe I was crazy, but 1 on 1 fights had this sense of drama and urgency. It was all about knowing the movesets and conducting reads. Pulling stuff off felt like going straight up galaxy brain and I was constantly experimenting with different characters trying to find my perfect match.
Still bummed about how the PS4 game turned out.
Nintendo DS
One of the best literal titles in games ever and really just a masterpiece from beginning to end. There are few games so perfectly designed for the system they were on and this is easily one of them. The style, the music, the creative swings between the world and its characters-- I really love this game.
Nintendo 3DS
I really liked a lot of games on 3DS. Kid Icarus Uprising was fun, but the story didn't grab me as much as it did many others. Animal Crossing New Leaf is my favorite game in that series to date, but I wanted even more ambition than that game provided. 3D Land and A Link Between Worlds are both amazing, but I gotta give my 3DS award to the Pokemon game that got me BACK IN. I adored Sun and Moon. Between the Pokemon Ride system, Totem Pokemon, the way gyms were changed and even the designs of a lot of the new Pokemon themselves, there was a lot that stood out here that really made me fall in love with Pokemon again.
Vita
It's a toss-up between Danganronpa and Persona 4 Golden. I'll give Danganronpa the edge since Persona 4 Golden is like half a port. This was my first visual novel and it was an amazing and wild ride. Danganronpa would, in later titles, get away from what I thought made the first game so great, but I have a soft spot for the entire franchise. There was a time when this game took the place of the book I was reading before bed. I would tell my friends that I felt like I was binging my favorite tv show every night, haha!
Switch
My love for ARMS will never die.
Looking at this list, as boring as it is, I guess Pokemon Blue wins! Persona 4 Golden and Danganronpa are right up there though.
Edit: thinking about it a bit more, P4G might be the one if that counts lol.
GAME BOY
Really no question here. I was pretty young during the Game Boy and Game Boy color days, so I barely even remember playing too many games on it. Still, I remember my first time playing Pokemon vividly. So many memories are tied to playing this thing, where I played it, and how I talked about it to my friends and family. It's still one of the few times, thanks to the game itself and who I was at the time, I achieved a real "journey into the unknown" experience. I didn't even mind when I needed my brother to help me because it felt REAL. I love this silly game.
GBA
This game probably doesn't hold up and I DON'T CARE. My memories of it are so fond I still look back at Topsy-Turvy with magic and wonder. I always loved Yoshi, and the weird faux-3D(?) artstyle in this game really did it for me and tilting the system to affect the world felt like the most incredible phenomenon at the time.
PSP
The combat in this thing hooked me and all I wanted to do was play fights over and over again. Maybe I was crazy, but 1 on 1 fights had this sense of drama and urgency. It was all about knowing the movesets and conducting reads. Pulling stuff off felt like going straight up galaxy brain and I was constantly experimenting with different characters trying to find my perfect match.
Still bummed about how the PS4 game turned out.
Nintendo DS
One of the best literal titles in games ever and really just a masterpiece from beginning to end. There are few games so perfectly designed for the system they were on and this is easily one of them. The style, the music, the creative swings between the world and its characters-- I really love this game.
Nintendo 3DS
I really liked a lot of games on 3DS. Kid Icarus Uprising was fun, but the story didn't grab me as much as it did many others. Animal Crossing New Leaf is my favorite game in that series to date, but I wanted even more ambition than that game provided. 3D Land and A Link Between Worlds are both amazing, but I gotta give my 3DS award to the Pokemon game that got me BACK IN. I adored Sun and Moon. Between the Pokemon Ride system, Totem Pokemon, the way gyms were changed and even the designs of a lot of the new Pokemon themselves, there was a lot that stood out here that really made me fall in love with Pokemon again.
Vita
It's a toss-up between Danganronpa and Persona 4 Golden. I'll give Danganronpa the edge since Persona 4 Golden is like half a port. This was my first visual novel and it was an amazing and wild ride. Danganronpa would, in later titles, get away from what I thought made the first game so great, but I have a soft spot for the entire franchise. There was a time when this game took the place of the book I was reading before bed. I would tell my friends that I felt like I was binging my favorite tv show every night, haha!
Switch
My love for ARMS will never die.
Looking at this list, as boring as it is, I guess Pokemon Blue wins! Persona 4 Golden and Danganronpa are right up there though.
Edit: thinking about it a bit more, P4G might be the one if that counts lol.
I got nothing. Edit: Marvel Future Fight. My favorite phone game, made for phones, not a port. Looked better than Marvel Heroes to me art wise. It had less polygons but it was well done.
I loved a port though, Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3. I didn't have the handheld version, but I loved the PS3 game.
I loved a port though, Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3. I didn't have the handheld version, but I loved the PS3 game.
Game Boy: Pokemon Crystal
GBA: Pokemon Emerald
DS: Super Mario 64 DS
PSP: X-Men Legends II
3DS: Super Mario 3D Land
PS Vita: Jak and Daxter Trilogy
Switch: Super Mario Odyssey
GBA: Pokemon Emerald
DS: Super Mario 64 DS
PSP: X-Men Legends II
3DS: Super Mario 3D Land
PS Vita: Jak and Daxter Trilogy
Switch: Super Mario Odyssey
Pokemon Platinum, the peak of the franchise. Sinnoh is the most fully realized, sprawling region and the game feels like the complete package in a way no other game in the franchise has since. The mechanics are polished with things like physical/special split that give it a strong advantage over older entries. It's one of my favorite games period.
Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia.
I could not put my DS down. Finished it 3 times. For me the best Castlevania ever made. Even better than Sotn.
Honorable mentions:
Fire Emblem Awakening
Animal Crossing New Leaf
Despite all its flaws I still liked it a lot.
Followed by other Pokemon games, Ouendan and A Link Between Worlds.
All of my favourite games are handheld games..
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky is #1 for me by quite a long way, it's my favourite game ever. Dragon Quest V's DS release in 2nd, PMD Blue Rescue Team, Emerald and B2/W2 following them.
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky is #1 for me by quite a long way, it's my favourite game ever. Dragon Quest V's DS release in 2nd, PMD Blue Rescue Team, Emerald and B2/W2 following them.
Link's Awakening easily, in my top 5 games of all time, and the second best Zelda. It's atmosphere, well done twist, charming cast of characters and great dungeons+inventive item use encapsulate all that is amazing about the series. Koizumi the GOAT, whose talents as a storyteller were wasted on Mario.
Golden Sun and Pokemon Emerald would come second and third for me. I do have quite a number of handheld games that I haven't played that could certainly contend for 2nd and 3rd spots like Radiant Historia, which I will eventually get to playing....
Golden Sun and Pokemon Emerald would come second and third for me. I do have quite a number of handheld games that I haven't played that could certainly contend for 2nd and 3rd spots like Radiant Historia, which I will eventually get to playing....
Final Fantasy Tactics: Advance. It was the first FF game I liked and introduced me to the tactics genre. Plus I was like 8 so I thought the story was a really cool idea with the kids being sucked into an alternate fantasy world through a mysterious book.
Including Switch, it's definitely Breath of the Wild. Excluding Switch, it's probably Donkey Kong '94.
Tearaway.
The game was PERFECT for the Vita. The PS4 version was nice, but far from the genius that the Vita version was.
I had a big ass smile on my face from start to finish, discovering every new location with glee, following that little messenger (played Atoi on Vita and Iota on PS4) with the curiosity of a child, and felt teary at the end.
For anyone thinking of giving Tearaway a go, and not knowing which version to choose: if you can get your hands on a Vita for a few hours, definitely play that one.
The game was PERFECT for the Vita. The PS4 version was nice, but far from the genius that the Vita version was.
I had a big ass smile on my face from start to finish, discovering every new location with glee, following that little messenger (played Atoi on Vita and Iota on PS4) with the curiosity of a child, and felt teary at the end.
For anyone thinking of giving Tearaway a go, and not knowing which version to choose: if you can get your hands on a Vita for a few hours, definitely play that one.
pokemon blue, mostly because of nostalgia
i won't call the game good, but any other answer would be a lie for me
i won't call the game good, but any other answer would be a lie for me
Links Awakening (GB) or Monster Hunter 4 (3DS) for me.
For a wider shortlist, perhaps:
Megaman V (GB)
Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia (DS)
Ys: Memories of Celceta (Vita)
Advance Wars: Dark Conflict (DS)
Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes (DS)
Jeanne D'arc (PSP)
Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones (GBA)
Monster Hunter Generations (3DS)
Can't wait for the LA remake. What I love about the 2D Zeldas is that they packed with weirdness, little oddities on every screen.
For a wider shortlist, perhaps:
Megaman V (GB)
Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia (DS)
Ys: Memories of Celceta (Vita)
Advance Wars: Dark Conflict (DS)
Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes (DS)
Jeanne D'arc (PSP)
Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones (GBA)
Monster Hunter Generations (3DS)
Can't wait for the LA remake. What I love about the 2D Zeldas is that they packed with weirdness, little oddities on every screen.
Every morning on my way to work, I would get my coffee and then hang out outside in my car to hop on their wi-fi so that I could grab my DQVC stuff. I took that game everywhere. Such good memories! :)
Breath of the Wild, certainly. Discounting Switch games, I'll give it to either The World Ends With You or Pheonix Wright: Ace Attorney - Trials and Tribulations.
Mother 3 probably. A worthy sequel to one of the most unique and thoughtful rpg's ever made, it's really quite a special game and kinda razy that the game is as good as it is. Itoi should really write more stories for videogames, Mother or not.
/edit: actually Link's Awakening probably gets it. Mother 3's a good second place.
/edit: actually Link's Awakening probably gets it. Mother 3's a good second place.
Winner: Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII.
God I loved that game, Thundaga broke it so easily. 😂 Would LOVE if they either remastered it or made a good chunk of it playable in FFVII: Remake. Doubt they will, best we'll get is some cutscenes alluding to it.
Runner Up: Custom Robo Arena
Custom Robo was probably my favorite game on the GC as a kid, getting a new version on my DS was basically a dream come true. I just wish this series hadn't died, I want more!
God I loved that game, Thundaga broke it so easily. 😂 Would LOVE if they either remastered it or made a good chunk of it playable in FFVII: Remake. Doubt they will, best we'll get is some cutscenes alluding to it.
Runner Up: Custom Robo Arena
Custom Robo was probably my favorite game on the GC as a kid, getting a new version on my DS was basically a dream come true. I just wish this series hadn't died, I want more!
