No love for the GBA

Started by Kwest October 27th, 2010 10:42 AM
  • 1520 views
  • 26 replies
Bath, UK
Seen February 16th, 2011
Posted October 31st, 2010
19 posts
12.6 Years
I've been getting to work on the bus everyday for the past couple of months, this usually takes about 45 minutes, and while it's nice reading/sleeping for that time I nearly wet myself the other day after re-discovering my beloved GBA! Having still not purchased a DS and the only other console I have being the anything but portable Xbox (original) I was overjoyed that I could return to my favourite gen and make thoroughly better use of the time I spend on public transport at the same time.

Alas there were a few hurdles to jump before I could successfully regress to my childhood, batteries being the first. This was actually harder than you might think when you're not spending any money; It would seem that the AA battery is a dying breed after turning the place upside down in search for an appliance that didn't use AAA's instead. However I eventually managed to turf up and old RC Car that had four (covering me for the next lot of batteries too, score) that also surprisingly still had charge!
The next was the fact that upon unearthing the actual GBA the battery cover was nowhere to be found, a problem which I'm sure many of you have had. This however was an easy fix with some lovely bright yellow electrical tape, honestly adding a bit of style in my opinion to the dusty black brick.
And then of course the biggest hurdle, the lack of games. I actually did have one of the Beyblade games gathering dust on my mantle, but playing it I realised why I don't think It'd moved from there since perhaps the day after I bought it. A Pokemon Game was needed!

This however was the saddening part, after being so frugal with batteries and battery case bodging I arrived at Gamestation only to find absolutely no GBA games on display at all.
I worriedly asked the man behind the till if they still had any GBA games, at which point I was presented "Trollz: Hair Affair", not what I had in mind.
Now, it's been a fair while since I've been in a games shop but I didn't expect the entirety of the consoles titles to be off the shelf, I would've thought they would have at least had a few of the truly successful games (such as Pokemon) still hanging around.

Is this the case where you are? Is the really being forgotten about so soon?
And most importantly does anyone know where I can get a hold of a second hand copy of Pokemon R/S/E in the area? D:



Also it be nice to hear if anyone else still passes the time of their journeys on public transport with their GBA's!

Amore

Seen 1 Hour Ago
Posted 1 Hour Ago
5,243 posts
13.7 Years
Well, I scoured the entire metro centre in Newcastle to find LeafGreen, and it set me back a hefty £25 (yet I bet if you traded it in, it'd be worth £1), so I think affording it'll be part of the problem, as they seem to have gone up in price. However, I haven't seen a copy of RSE since, well, I got my copy of Emerald on christmas day. Sorry, but they were either not popular enough, or everybody else wants to keep theirs (I still have mine, and won't let it go until the remakes come out).

So I'd definitely say you need to do a Necro and get on Ebay.
Age 30
Male
Soaring in the sky!
Seen July 5th, 2013
Posted May 26th, 2011
1,696 posts
13.2 Years
I know exactly how you feel!
I've had to put A LOT of effort to acctually find a GBA here, and to my incredible luck (sereously, this was one of the luckiest things that ever happened to me!) I got a Sapphire with it! :D
It takes about 30 minutes to get to my school, and what could possibly be a better way to spend it, then to tap that A button like crazy! :D

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Male
New Zealand
Seen December 23rd, 2016
Posted December 17th, 2016
168 posts
12.8 Years
Try eBay mate.

But beware of people distributing fake copies of the games.

Just read my thread here for more info on that.
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Age 30
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Georgia
Seen May 22nd, 2022
Posted November 29th, 2021
33,354 posts
15.2 Years
This is a rare case, and I'm mad that Klippy is not here for this! But this actually should go in Video Gaming since it's more about the console and games of a more broad spectrum rather than just the Pokemon games of the generation.

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Section Eight
Seen May 19th, 2012
Posted May 18th, 2012
1,069 posts
13 Years
I haven't been showing my GBA anywhere near the amount of love it deserves.

My games, however, are mostly treated like the crap they are...


Anyways. Down here, there's still a huge case of GBA games at Gamestop, and I even picked up a copy of Riviera: The Promised Land. Well worth the $6.

Also, I'm looking for some Fire Emblem games for the GBA. But meh.


And... GBA Pokemon games are horribly overpriced.


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Male
Wales, UK
Seen November 15th, 2010
Posted November 15th, 2010
105 posts
12.7 Years
Still got mine somewhere, I just can't find the bugger. I think it has Advance Wars 2 in it as well. :(

My DS Lite does all the travelling now, but I still have most of the GBA games seeing as they can work on it. Planning on getting rid of some soon though.
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Section Eight
Seen May 19th, 2012
Posted May 18th, 2012
1,069 posts
13 Years
In fairness, it's an old, old system. I'm not surprised the games aren't on the shelf anymore, thta'd be like seeing original Xbox games and gamecube games still taking up self space outside of the pre owned sections. It's sad but the GBA is near obsolete now.
It's funny...

It wasn't until it went obsolete that I started to appreciate how good some of the games were.

Mainly because, now that games are no longer being released, I can pursue some of the gems.


"I don't find my name tasteful next to Shanghai Alice."
-STRATOS99
Bath, UK
Seen February 16th, 2011
Posted October 31st, 2010
19 posts
12.6 Years
Try eBay mate.

But beware of people distributing fake copies of the games.

Just read my thread here for more info on that.
I read your thread earlier actually but wasn't able to add a comment due to it being closed, I just wanted to add that the "The game can be played" message you were seeing looks like a cheeky way of them covering up the "The internal battery has run dry" message, meaning that those carts didn't have an RTC in them either.

In fairness, it's an old, old system. I'm not surprised the games aren't on the shelf anymore, thta'd be like seeing original Xbox games and gamecube games still taking up self space outside of the pre owned sections. It's sad but the GBA is near obsolete now.
But the thing is they didn't even have them in the pre-owned section, I obviously wasn't expecting them to have a 'new' shelf for them, but that "Trollz" game was literally the only one in the shop, and he had to dig it our from behind the counter. :/

It's funny...

It wasn't until it went obsolete that I started to appreciate how good some of the games were.

Mainly because, now that games are no longer being released, I can pursue some of the gems.
This is generally the case for me with all games, and also I think one of the good things that come from having no money! :]
Whilst a system is still in it's prime, because of the way that retail games are released you might have four or five games that you'll want to get come out all at once, totting up to well in the £200-300 price range which just isn't affordable. Not only this but because the releases aren't spaced out many simply get missed among the sea of other games.
I love being able to go to a games shop and discovering a great game that I'd missed previously and getting it for a steal too. ;D


As for the comments on using eBay from various people I'll give it a shot, but I'm not sure if there's a minimum amount I can put into my account. (this would be necessary as currently my balance is somewhere between £0-£1) ^^'
Age 29
Male
Seen March 10th, 2023
Posted August 22nd, 2022
3,482 posts
15 Years
Strange, as my local Gamestation has a huge number of preowned games. Only the other day did I buy a Nintendo 64 game - Yoshi's Story I think it was. And they still have a load of Xbox and GBA games, so yay. Location is probably the thing that seperates ours though. (It even has a Nintendo 64 for sale in the window! Or it did anyway)


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I have no idea anymore
Seen December 12th, 2016
Posted December 12th, 2016
1,007 posts
12.7 Years
I would recommend if you try to get R/S/E game go for Emerald due to the Berry glitch (I think that is the name) that is found in R/S that turns off the internal clock. Its fixable if you can patch it but that requires another GBA (or DS) and Emerald I believe.
Seen September 18th, 2020
Posted February 18th, 2018
7,741 posts
16.6 Years
Unless you find a shop that perchance specialises in 'obsolete' games and systems, then yeah, everything not part of the current generation has no, or few, games a still around for it for sale (that said, PS1 games stuck around for a long time); they simply don't make as much money and aren't any longer being produced. The problem I find however as a PC gamer these days is that of finding even current games that aren't console-exclusives and don't need online activation, or what have they.

And most importantly does anyone know where I can get a hold of a second hand copy of Pokemon R/S/E in the area? D:
Best I can think to do without buying online would be taking to the streets and scouring every relevant shop, if you haven't already.

I would recommend if you try to get R/S/E game go for Emerald due to the Berry glitch (I think that is the name) that is found in R/S that turns off the internal clock. Its fixable if you can patch it but that requires another GBA (or DS) and Emerald I believe.
Apparently one can otherwise send it to Nintendo to get it fixed.
Male
In God's timing, Japan!
Seen July 12th, 2013
Posted July 12th, 2013
473 posts
19.7 Years
Also it be nice to hear if anyone else still passes the time of their journeys on public transport with their GBA's!
You bet I do! I don't have a DS yet either (my top item for Christmas time though), but that's ok, I'm still playing Pokemon Red, and GB games won't play on any DS as I understand it, so my GBA SP is a real blessing. Many times I've played it while on the bus. Lots of fun. :)

Where I am you can still definitely find GB and GBA Pokemon games at used game stores. Even if you couldn't, there was plenty on eBay and Amazon last I checked.
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Male
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Seen February 13th, 2023
Posted January 6th, 2012
549 posts
14.5 Years
I can't find GBA games from Finland, they're too rare. At least I have Pokémon Ruby and Zelda: Minish Cap (bought them from my friend for 13€)! In Finland you can still find a lot of PS2 games from every shop but why can't you find Gamecube or GBA games as you can still play them with new consoles (Wii and DS (+Lite)? I don't have any Gamecube games on my Wii but I want to try games like Super Mario Sunshine, SSBM and Luigi's Mansion.
Oh, I almost forgot! I found Spyro (GBA) for my DS Lite a week ago, not the best game on GBA but at least it's something! (5€)

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Archer

NSW, Australia
Seen January 26th, 2020
Posted January 5th, 2020
3,956 posts
16.6 Years
I almost wish I could get a hacked cart by chance, though...

I'd gamble on eBay, but the odds are too low.
There's no reason you'd want one. The batteries die internally, so you will lose the ability to have time based events, followed by the ability to save, once the flash battery dies.
Strange, as my local Gamestation has a huge number of preowned games. Only the other day did I buy a Nintendo 64 game - Yoshi's Story I think it was. And they still have a load of Xbox and GBA games, so yay. Location is probably the thing that seperates ours though. (It even has a Nintendo 64 for sale in the window! Or it did anyway)
There are quite a few shops that specialise in that. There is a chain here in Australia called GameTraders that sell stuff all the way back to the NES and Sega Master System days. The games aren't all cheap, but they have a massive library.
Age 29
Male
Australia
Seen July 7th, 2013
Posted July 7th, 2013
222 posts
12.7 Years
There are quite a few shops that specialise in that. There is a chain here in Australia called GameTraders that sell stuff all the way back to the NES and Sega Master System days. The games aren't all cheap, but they have a massive library.
yeh, gametraders is good but it can be hard to find some actual games you might want.
Japan's GEO is awesome. They sell heaps of second hand games usually at low prices, and theres stores pretty much anywhere. Although they were a bit price-y (4000 yens each) I really regret not getting Mother 3 and FF VI. :(
also for those who dont want to use ebay or amazon... http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-14-71-6-49-en.html
theres still a few new games but they're mostly from japan. and although they say preowned, it just means that they took it for testing or the wrapping has been damaging, atleast thats what they told me. XD ive bought a few games from them and so i find them reliable but if your looking at old games it can be a bit price-y. :P
Section Eight
Seen May 19th, 2012
Posted May 18th, 2012
1,069 posts
13 Years
There's no reason you'd want one. The batteries die internally, so you will lose the ability to have time based events, followed by the ability to save, once the flash battery dies.
New batteries fix everything, and...

There's a certain bit of novelty in that.


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Age 32
Male
get the mascot involved
Seen May 12th, 2012
Posted April 17th, 2012
1,498 posts
13.8 Years
New batteries fix everything, and...

There's a certain bit of novelty in that.
Especially since those batteries cost .99 plus shipping fees, ha ha.

Not to mention they last a fairly long time, too.