Developer:Realism

Publisher: SEGA

Year Released: 2002

Though THQ gave the Game Boy Advance rendition the moniker "junior," there was nothing small about this portable product. The series began in the arcades and on the GameCube as a Marble Madness-inspired action game with tons of unlockable features and modes, and for the Game Boy Advance version the UK development studio Realism managed to squeak out every ounce of potential in the GBA's hardware to offer that same fun and frantic experience. The GBA version might not stand the test of time when compared to the rising power of other handhelds, but when it was released Super Monkey Ball Jr. managed to really show off what the system could do, and it's rare to see a third-party developer pour so much effort into so many game modes on the portable system. Though the development studio couldn't survive very long after Super Monkey Ball Jr.'s release, Realism went out with a bang with one of the finest console-to-handheld ports on the GBA.

Developer: Camelot

Publisher: Nintendo

Year Released: 2001

One of the first "hyped" games on the Game Boy Advance, Camelot -- who had been making much of its money with Golf and Tennis games on the Nintendo 64 and Game Boy -- returned to its RPG roots with an original adventure that could give Square's teams a run for their money. This game pushed amazing visuals, a dynamic soundtrack, and a complex story, and even though it focused on the archaic "random turn-based battles" mechanic for half of its gameplay, it was still a fulfilling console-style experience on such a small system. Its sequel, Golden Sun: The Lost Age, tweaked and streamlined a bit, and actually enabled data transfers from the first game in the series...but it was the original release that made the biggest impact for Game Boy Advance gamers.

Developer: Hudson

Publisher:Konami

Year Released: 2003

A bad name with even worse box-art, Ninja Five-O hit the scene with a collective shrug by the gaming population. And then, suddenly, people started playing the game within. It's a completely old-school inspired action design that melds such classics as Capcom's Bionic Commando, Sega's Shinobi, and Namco's Rolling Thunder, and what's more it's incredibly fun and challenging -- a side-scrolling arcade-style game that could only really thrive these days on the 2D-happy Game Boy Advance platform. It's one of the toughest games to find in the used cartridge market; finding it won't make you rich, though. It's only valuable in the "awesome gameplay" sense...and in this case, it's worth its weight in gold.