Here is a list of my top 10 GBA games (that I own). This list only includes games released in the U.S. (sorry Mother 1 2 fans). Two other games that I also kind of like (but didn't quite make the list) are Sonic Advance 3 and Frogger's Adventures: Temple of the Frog.
The seventh game in the Fire Emblem saga became the first game ever released outside Japan, and this game takes the cake for being my all time favorite GBA game. In fact, this game is probably in my top 3 games ever. I've played it so much that I have just about done everything possible in it. Anyway, I picked up this game by first renting it from Blockbuster, and I was addicted. The cool little sprites. The amazing battle animations. And to top it all off, characters and a story that surpass any other Fire Emblem game to date (that I've played, at least). Last but not least, let's not forget the frustration. Anyone who has played this game will understand the frustration of trying to get through each level without losing any characters and gathering chests or saving villages.
Ahh...my first Kirby game. If Nintendo did one thing right, it was the advertising for this game. Somehow, I managed to pick up this game, and I was addicted to it. For starters, I think this game has some of the best "classic" Kirby music, and unlike Kirby & the Amazing Mirror (another GBA Kirby game), this game doesn't have an utterly confusing map system. One of the best features of this game over any other Kirby handheld games I've played is the wonderful co-op feature. Up to four players can link together and play through the adventure. And progress made while playing together is saved on the files for all players. No other Kirby game since has had such an awesome co-op mode.
It was really hard for me to decide whether to have Sonic Advance take spot number 2 over the next game on my list, but you can see where it ended up. Anyway, Sonic Advance is my favorite 2D Sonic games. I generally like the level designs, the music is great (with some nice updates to some classic Sonic tunes), and the overall feel of the game just screams "Sonic" to me. Sonic Advance 2 and 3 were okay, but the original beats both of them in my view. The other games in the Sonic Advance series have a bad combination of characters moving too fast and too many hidden bottomless pits. Another cool part of Sonic Advance (and also Sonic Advance 2) is the Tiny Chao Garden. By itself, it can be fun for awhile, but the Tiny Chao Garden really becomes useful when connecting the game to Sonic Adventure 2: Battle or Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut on the Gamecube. You can then move Chao around and raise them on the go (which is much faster for raising stats than on the Gamecube).
At present, I would say only Wind Waker and Four Swords Adventures beat this game out in terms on the my favorite Zelda games. This game is a ton of fun, being able to explore the well-designed world both at regular and "minish" size. The game also has an interesting story, which ties back into Four Swords/Four Swords Adventures. My only real complaint about this game is the way the "final" boss battle is handled (which is why I still haven't technically beaten this game).
While not as good as the original Fire Emblem game released for the GBA in the U.S., Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones is a wonderful game that is still better than the future Fire Emblems. While the story and characters could have been better, the game keeps the wonderful graphical style from the previous GBA Fire Emblem games and also adds an awesome "map" mode that lets you keep playing after you beat the main game.
Kirby & The Amazing Mirror is another solid GBA Kirby game. This game keeps a lot of what was enjoyable from Kirby: Nightmare in Dreamland, which helps make it fun. Unfortunately, they added a confusing map system, which makes it hard to complete the game with a 100% rating. There is still 4 player co-op in the game, but it doesn't save on everyone's game pak like Kirby: Nightmare in Dreamland.
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past/Four Swords combines a classic Zelda game with an enjoyable multiplayer adventure. Although I find A Link to the Past incredibly frustrating at times (and I am still far from beating it), it has a wonderful "Zelda feel" to it that keeps me occasionally coming back for more. The Four Swords co-op multiplayer mode was also a lot of fun, and it was taken to an incredible new level with Four Swords Adventures on the Gamecube.
Pokemon had to show up sometime. While the GBA Pokemon games are outshined by pretty much any other generation of Pokemon games, FireRed was still a solid game that captured a lot of what I enjoyed from the original Pokemon games. Even though the Sevii Islands aren't as great as they could have been, they are still a nice addition with some neat features.
Next up is another Pokemon game: Pokemon Ruby. Out of the main series of Pokemon games, this is probably my least favorite (partly due to the Pokemon of the 3rd generation, partly due to the really tall and narrow text). However, it is still a Pokemon game with many of the familiar and enjoyable mechanics.
Finishing off the list is Sonic Advance 2. A sequel to the original Sonic Advance, this game keeps many of the same mechanics of the original Sonic Advance (including the Tiny Chao Garden). What is both fortunate and unfortunate is that this game also made Sonic and his pals move a lot faster. Combining this with the level design (which has a lot more "hidden" bottomless bits) makes this game frustrating at times. However, Sonic Advance 2 is still pretty solid and provides a enjoyable experience for Sonic fans.
