GameCentral readers name their favourite handheld games and consoles, from Pokémon and Phoenix Wright to Gravity Rush.
The subject for this weeks Hot Topic was suggested by reader Onibee and inspired by the 3DS slowly coming to the end of its life. You could name any game from any format, including dedicated portables, as well as smartphone games, and Switch titles.
Plenty of people mentioned using the Switch in handheld mode but hardly anyone nominated mobile games, with the majority going for DS and 3DS classics, as well as indie games on the PS Vita.
Portable perfection
Theres only one possible answer for best handheld game as far as Im concerned: Advance Wars on the Game Boy Advance. There arent many games that I think could legitimately be considered perfect, but Advance Wars is one of that elite number, in that everything it does is impossible to improve upon. As has been proven by every subsequent sequel attempting to add additional content that just ends up damaging the precarious balance of the units and commanders.
It was the first Game Boy Advance game I ever got, and I remember being amazed that this tiny little cart could contain a flawless campaign, addictive pass-the-console multiplayer, and a powerful map editor. It would certainly be one of my desert island games. (Hmm… future Hot Topic?)
Talking about it just makes me want to play it again.
Sparky the Yak
Moving court
I love the Ace Attorney series, which I believe started on the Game Boy Advance although we only saw it in the West from the DS onwards. Its a crazy Japanese series about being a lawyer and is kind of an adventure game but focused on the stories and madcap characters. Its sill but you also really get to love the people, the heroes and villains, and Ive been a fan ever since the first one.
Shouting objection and figuring out the clues is not like any other game Ive played and it feels to me like the sort of thing that wouldnt have ever existed on a home console. It is coming to the Switch in a remastered edition, but I dont think itll be the same. Although itll be interesting to see if it works and if there is a future for the franchise there.
I worry about this with a lot of old DS and 3DS games though, where they not only suit the portable format but the smaller budget that was needed to make the game work on it. A Switch game is still pretty expensive to make I would assume and weve already missed out on a lot of Ace Attorney spin-offs because they wouldnt have been profitable enough to translate.
The Bishop
Original fan
Ive never really known how to feel about the success of Monster Hunter: World (okay, Im really happy) because Ive been a fan of Monster Hunter ever since the PSP games. The PSP is thought of as a bit of a failure in the West but it was actually hugely successful in Japan and largely thanks to Monster Hunter.
The success of World is interesting though as it shows that it was never really the gameplay that was the problem (World is very similar to the 3DS games and they werent that big here either) but the style of co-op. In Japan everyone would meet up socially and play it but because there was no online that never happened in the West and Monster Hunter on your own really isnt that much fun.
I still hope they do portable versions in the future though as it definitely works like that and its still more fun to play with someone sitting next to you than just in cyberspace.
Mook
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Over the years
I think Ive probably owned more portable consoles over the years than home ones, although thats probably as much due to Nintendos knack of releasing new versions as anything else. I never resented them though and portable games are still amongst my favourite gaming experiences ever.
From Tetris and Pokémon on the Game Boy to Advance Wars and Astro Boy: Omega Factory on the Game Boy Advance to Soul Bubbles and Bangai-O on DS and Luigis Mansion 2 and Fire Emblem: Awakening on the 3DS Ive loved Nintendos portable through the ages.
I have owned the PSP and PS Vita as well but while theyre good for indie games theyve so few exclusive games that it never even seemed like fair competition.
As for my absolute favourite, its hard to say. The DS is definitely my favourite console of all time and I could name a hundred other great games, including Ace Attorney, the touchscreen Zeldas, Rhythm Paradise, Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey, Trauma Center, WarioWare, Ghost Trick, and Contra 4.
The top of the pile has got to be Ouendan 1 and 2 and sister game Elite Beat Agents. Theres something about their mix of music, visuals, and gameplay that keeps me coming back again and again. Theyre so silly and yet the sad songs really do bring a tear to my eye. And theres not many games you can say that about whether theyre portable or not.
Gazza
Permanent exclusive
TxK on PS Vita is my jam. I love that game and for legal reasons I dont think youll ever be able to get it anywhere else. Which is a real shame because the officially licensed Tempest 4000 isnt anywhere nearly as good. I mean, all Tempest games are good but TxK I genuinely feel might be the best arcade game of all time.
But the PS Vita was filled with great indie games like that (which was a good job because it didnt have any support from Sony) and some of my other favourites included Guacamelee, FEZ, Spelunky, Hotline Miami, Virtues Last Reward, and Rogue Legacy.
The Switch has obvious taken over this role nowadays but thats fine as it does it at least as well. But for a while there a portable-only console had the best line-up of original and innovative games anywhere. Ill kind of miss those days, even if it is obvious why theyre over.
Carlton
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