The PSVita and PSP emulate many consoles well and the GameBoy Advance is no exception. With a fitting control scheme and good performance, playing GBA games on these portables is a joy and that’s why we’re gonna take a look at some titles worthy to play during this holiday season!
Introduction
The GameBoy Advance has been chosen because it’s the most recent Nintendo portable that you can emulate on the PSVita (and PSP). Another reason is that the game library of Nintendo consoles differs quite a bit from that of what Sony consoles offer so emulating the GBA gives you access to more light-hearted titles and many exclusives.
The recommended software to use on the PSP is gPSP and RetroArch/mGBA on the PSVita. That being said, I use gPSP via Adrenaline on my PSVita for the screen filters but that’s just because I like the Advanced AA filter too much and I never got around to setting up RetroArch correctly.
1. The Legend Of Zelda: The Minish Cap
Obviously, no list of GBA games can be complete without mentioning at least one Zelda game. The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap was initially a GBA exclusive Zelda game (but it was later made available on Virtual Console) that has Vaati as its main villain.
With the aid of screen filters, Zelda: The Minish Cap looks really nice on the PSVita 1K thanks to its OLED screen!
In a nutshell, Vaati turned princess Zelda into stone and…. you guessed it, Link has to save the day by defeating Vaati and saving Zelda. This is done by shrinking down in size to the world of the Picori and exploring several areas, all with their unique style and enemies. Other than simply following the main quest, there are also many heart pieces to collect so that the game never quite gets boring.
If you haven’t played a Zelda game before, then this one is a great place to start as it’s not as difficult as earlier Zelda games. Furthermore, emulators have save states so they could save you the frustration of being defeated in more challenging stages 
Recommended for: People who are new to the RPG genre or want an easy RPG to play on the go. As with many RPGs, it’s recommended you download a walkthrough if you’re going somewhere without internet this Christmas season as you may get stuck at certain points.
2. Drill Dozer
Drill Dozer is a pretty fun game if you want to play something different!
Drill Dozer is a lesser known GBA title that has great visuals and gameplay considering the hardware of the GBA. Originally released in 2005(JP)/2006(NA), this game has you playing as Jill in her drill dozer which is a powerful robo-drill that lets you dig holes through virtually everything by pressing the L/R triggers. You may also buy upgrades with in-game currency so that you could drill through stuff faster and have more health.
In this game, you have to retrieve the Red Diamond that a rival gang stole from Jill’s gang and to do this, you have to traverse through 17 well-designed stages and drill through a bunch of enemies. Overall, the game is quite fun even though it is a little short in my opinion.
Recommended for: Those who like action adventure games that are pretty easy, have colourful graphics and aren’t too long. Excellent to play on a moderately long road trip and could be a fun game for younger relatives to play.
3. Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
Castlevania Aria Of Sorrow is a pretty good GBA game that you should surely check out!
If you’re looking for a great Castlevania game to play this Christmas, then look no further as 2003’s Aria of Sorrow fits the bill perfectly. The game has you playing as Soma Cruz, a transfer student in Japan, who manages to end up in Dracula’s castle and wants to get out. This is done by fighting a barrage of enemies with melee weapons and tactical souls (which are pretty fun to play with) in order to learn more about Dracula’s prophecies.
Castlevania: Aria Of Sorrows has pretty good graphics for its time and performs quite well. Difficulty-wise, it isn’t too hard but save states come in handy at times
Recommended for: People who like action side-scrolling platform games with an interesting story line and great gameplay. It’s also great for for those who want to get into the Castlevania series without playing older and more difficult installments in the series first.
Conclusion
If you’ve become tired of your PSP/PSVita, think again because there are hundreds of great games you can emulate which you may have never heard about!
In my opinion, nothing beats physical controls so playing games on smartphones will never be quite as enjoyable as playing them on a dedicated portable console
To get more game ideas, check out last week’s PSP/PS1 game recommendations article!
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