• Disney’s Magical Quest: Starring Mickey & Minnie
Release Date: 2002
Genre: Platformer
Players: 1–2 (Link cable)
• Description - This is a GBA remake of Capcom’s Magical Quest, a colorful platformer where Mickey and Minnie explore themed stages and use different costumes to unlock new abilities.
• Co-op Experience - Link play is limited to multiplayer mini-games and extra connected features rather than full story mode co-op.
• Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
Release Date: 2003
Genre: Arena Shooter / Action
Players: 1–2 (Link cable)
• Description - Terminator 3 on GBA is more of a wave-based action shooter where you and a friend survive robot-filled arenas. It kind of feels like Smash TV in concept, even if it does not control quite as well as that comparison would make you hope.
• Co-op Experience - Two players fight together in arena-based combat stages. Both players move independently and work together to eliminate waves of enemies.
• X-Men: Reign of Apocalypse
Release Date: 2001
Genre: Beat ’em Up
Players: 1–2 (Link cable)
• Description - X-Men: Reign of Apocalypse is a side-scrolling beat ’em up with really colorful pixel art and a great comic book presentation. You can play as characters like Wolverine, Cyclops, Storm, and Rogue, and it throws a lot of recognizable enemies and bosses at you.
• Co-op Experience - Two players choose X-Men characters and fight through the stages together. Both players are active on the same screen and battle enemies cooperatively.
• The Sum of All Fears
Release Date: 2002
Genre: Tactical Shooter / Action
Players: 1–2 (Link cable)
• Description - The Sum of All Fears is a strange but interesting game. Even though it is based on the movie, it really plays more like a top-down Rainbow Six-style tactical shooter. You assemble your squad, enter missions, and complete objectives like disabling systems or clearing enemy zones.
• Co-op Experience - Two players work through the missions together from a top-down perspective. Players move independently, engage enemies, and complete mission objectives cooperatively.
• Turok: Evolution
Release Date: 2002
Genre: Run-and-Gun
Players: 1–2 (Link cable)
• Description - Turok: Evolution on GBA is not a first-person shooter like the console games. Instead, it is a side-scrolling run-and-gun with really nice visuals and a lot more personality than you would probably expect. It also mixes in Cabal-style shooting segments to break things up.
• Co-op Experience - Two players move through the levels together on linked systems and are not restricted to a single shared screen. Both players can split up and fight enemies independently.
• Invader
Release Date: 2005
Genre: Shoot ’em Up
Players: 1–2 (Link cable)
• Description - Invader is a Europe-only vertical shoot ’em up that feels like a hidden gem on the system. It has some really nice pixel art, solid boss designs, and a difficulty level that feels much more approachable than a lot of shooters in the genre.
• Co-op Experience - Two players pilot ships together through the vertically scrolling stages. Both players shoot enemies simultaneously and work together through each level and boss fight.
• A Sound of Thunder
Release Date: 2005
Genre: Action / Isometric Shooter
Players: 1–2 (Link cable)
• Description - A Sound of Thunder is a weird little isometric action game that feels a bit like Dino Crisis or Resident Evil turned into a Game Boy Advance shooter. You explore large stages, move through doors, climb ladders, and figure out where to go while fighting off dinosaurs. The pseudo-3D visual style is pretty unique, and even though it is a movie tie-in, it is better than you would probably expect.
• Co-op Experience - This works really well in co-op because each player gets their own screen, so you can split up and search for items separately or regroup when things get dangerous. It gives the game a more exploratory feel than most action-heavy co-op games on the system.
• Altered Beast: Guardian of the Realms
Release Date: 2002
Genre: Action / Beat ’em Up
Players: 1–2 (Link cable)
• Description - Altered Beast: Guardian of the Realms is basically a follow-up to the original Altered Beast formula, with side-scrolling action, enemy brawling, and beast transformations. If you know the original, this is more of that, but with more forms and a little more variety.
• Co-op Experience - Two players fight enemies together.
• Bubble Bobble: Old & New
Release Date: 2003
Genre: Platformer / Arcade Action
Players: 1–2 (Link cable)
• Description - Bubble Bobble: Old & New brings back the classic arcade formula where players trap enemies in bubbles and pop them to clear each stage. It includes both the original style and an updated presentation, but the core gameplay is still all about short stages, enemy patterns, and clean screen clears.
• Co-op Experience - Two players each control a dragon and clear single-screen stages together. Players work side by side to trap enemies in bubbles and pop them before moving on to the next stage.
• Contra Advance: The Alien Wars EX
Release Date: 2002
Genre: Run-and-Gun
Players: 1–2 (Link cable)
• Description - Contra Advance is a portable reworking of Contra III with some changes and extra content mixed in. It still has the fast run-and-gun shooting, big explosions, and classic Contra style level design.
• Co-op Experience - Two players run and shoot through the campaign together on linked systems. Both players progress through the same stages at the same time and fight enemies and bosses cooperatively.
• CT Special Forces
Release Date: 2002
Genre: Run-and-Gun
Players: 1–2 (Link cable)
• Description - CT Special Forces is a military-flavored run-and-gun in the style of Contra or Metal Slug. You blast through side-scrolling stages filled with enemy soldiers, vehicles, and traps.
• Co-op Experience - Two players move through the same stages together while shooting enemies and avoiding hazards. Both players can attack independently and complete the missions cooperatively.
• Disney’s Magical Quest 3 Starring Mickey & Donald
Release Date: 2005
Genre: Platformer
Players: 1–2 (Link cable)
• Description - Magical Quest 3 is one of the better-looking platformers on the system, with Mickey and Donald traveling through bright, colorful worlds using different costumes and abilities.
• Co-op Experience - Two players control Mickey and Donald together through the main stages. Both characters are active at the same time and work through the platforming and enemies cooperatively.
• Dragon Ball GT: Transformation
Release Date: 2005
Genre: Beat ’em Up
Players: 1–2 (Link cable)
• Description - Dragon Ball GT: Transformation is basically a side-scrolling Dragon Ball beat ’em up. You play as characters like Goku, Pan, Trunks, and Uub while fighting through levels filled with enemies and bosses.
• Co-op Experience - Two players can play through the action stages together, though the story scenes are skipped in multiplayer. Both players fight side by side through the levels and bosses.
• Doom II
Release Date: 2002
Genre: First-Person Shooter
Players: 1–2 (Link cable)
• Description - Doom II on the Game Boy Advance is a full portable version of Doom II, complete with maze-like levels, demon blasting, key hunting, and all the chaos you would expect. The visuals are rough, but for the hardware this is still a really cool port.
• Co-op Experience - Two players play through the campaign together over link cable. Both players explore the levels, fight demons, collect keys, and progress through the maps cooperatively.
• Double Dragon Advance
Release Date: 2003
Genre: Beat ’em Up
Players: 1–2 (Link cable)
• Description - Double Dragon Advance is not just a port of the original Double Dragon, it is basically the best version of it. It takes the arcade foundation and expands it with new levels, new weapons, more moves, and better combat.
• Co-op Experience - Two players fight through the full campaign together as Billy and Jimmy Lee. Both players share the same stage and battle through enemies and bosses side by side.
• Final Fight One
Release Date: 2001
Genre: Beat ’em Up
Players: 1–2 (Link cable)
• Description - Final Fight One is a Game Boy Advance remake of the original arcade Final Fight, bringing the classic side-scrolling beat ’em up to handheld with improved content over the original SNES version. You fight your way through Metro City as Cody, Guy, or Haggar, taking on waves of street punks and bosses with punches, throws, and weapons. It stays very close to the arcade game while adding some extra features and unlockables.
• Co-op Experience - Two players can play through the full game together using linked systems. Both players fight through the same stages at the same time and take on enemies and bosses cooperatively.
• Guardian Heroes Advance
Release Date: 2004
Genre: Beat ’em Up
Players: 1–2 (Link cable)
• Description - Guardian Heroes Advance is not quite what people expected from a sequel to the Saturn original, but it still works as its own thing. Instead of the multi-plane combat from the original, this one lets you move around more freely while fighting through colorful stages with enemies, magic, and special attacks.
• Co-op Experience - Two players fight through the campaign together at the same time. Both players share the same stage and battle enemies cooperatively.
