The ONLY 9 M-Rated GBA Games
“Wolfenstein 3D” (2002)
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The funny thing about “Wolfenstein 3D” is that it did not go down the same route as “DOOM”. Whereas “DOOM” got a T-rating and toned down the carnage a bit, “Wolfenstein 3D” went through no changes aside from a clear visual downgrade. One would expect the Nazi imagery to have been removed, but it was surprisingly kept in. Regardless of how you feel about censorship or the lack thereof in this case, this version of “Wolfenstein 3D” is not the ideal way to play it. The controls are incredibly clunky, and enemies on the other side of the room are barely visible due to the limited number of pixels on the GBA. Just go play the game on PC.
“Max Payne Advance” (2003)
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Not to spoil the list, but “Max Payne Advance” is arguably the best game you’re going to see here. While it does not play exactly like the console version, “Max Payne Advance” tries to compensate by turning the game into an isometric shooter. Yes, you can still pull off bullet time and look like a badass, but combat is comically easy because of what little aiming you have to do. The environments also make it hard to decipher where you have to go sometimes. If you like “Max Payne”, by all means give this game a shot. Otherwise, you can go through life without it.
“Mortal Kombat Advance” (2001)
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So many older games saw great ports on the GBA; “Mortal Kombat” was not one of them. This right here is one of the worst games to have ever come out on the Game Boy Advance. As if it wasn’t bad enough you got one of the worst-looking games on the handheld, it had some of the most abysmal controls for a fighting game and a ridiculously unfair AI that made you want to break the damn console. While it isn’t the lowest-rated game in the franchise (that dishonor belongs to “Special Forces”), this is still a game everyone should stay far away from.
“Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance” (2002)
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Yes, there was another “Mortal Kombat” game made for the GBA, and it was such a shift in quality that it’s almost hard to comprehend. Though not as fast and fluid as its home console counterpart, “Deadly Alliance” for the GBA was excellent in using pseudo-3D graphics for its environments and character models. It isn’t perfect in the technical sense, yet it is lightyears better than whatever the hell we got in “MK Advance”. The only real downside was that the hardware’s limitations forced Midway Games to cut the roster in half.
“Mortal Kombat: Tournament Edition” (2003)
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We won’t spend too much time on this as this was basically the “Pokemon Ruby” to “Deadly Alliance’s” “Sapphire”. It was basically the same exact game with a different roster of characters to choose from including three not featured in any other version of “Deadly Alliance”. In other words, this was the version you wanted if you needed “Mortal Kombat” on the go.
“Dual Blades” (2002)
If you have never heard of this 2D fighter, well, we can’t blame you as neither developer Vivid Image nor publisher Metro3D had put out anything noteworthy during their short lifespans. Though a tad crude in artstyle and animations, “Dual Blades” is a pretty competent fighter. Controls are responsive, the stages are imaginative, and there’s enough depth in the combat for players to make their own playstyles. But what about this is so bad to warrant an M-rating—*show fatality* oh… Yeah, that’s kinda graphic for 2002 standards.
“Payback” (2004)
Hold on a second… Something about this game feels awfully familiar. Is this a rip-off of something? We’ll set aside our feelings for now because visually, “Payback” is kind of impressive in how it looks like a PS1 game someone managed to shove into the GBA. Unfortunately, doing so has resulted in a poorly optimized port with horrid framerates. It also doesn’t take long before the game shows its M-rating in a blaze of glory.
“Serious Sam Advance” (2004)
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For a “Serious Sam” game to fit the franchise’s identity, it has to be crude, juvenile, and ultra-violent in some way. “Serious Sam Advance” only fits the bill halfway. It isn’t gory in the slightest, and the violence isn’t anything beyond the sound of a gunshot and seeing an enemy fall over. But in terms of gameplay, is it worth your time? Mm, not really. The framerate is so choppy that it's borderline unplayable. Even when it’s just you alone in a room, the game chugs. At least they got the goofy font right?
“Grand Theft Auto Advance” (2004)
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Yes, there was a GTA for the GBA. This was the very first time Rockstar took their crime spree series to a handheld, and it didn’t really pan out. Fans of the first two games might like the back-to-basics format, but the vehicles handle poorly and the story feels lackluster. So long as you don’t go in expecting “San Andreas” or “Vice City” levels of story and gameplay, you might like it. In the end, it just doesn’t land anywhere close to the core games.
