I Can't Believe It's GameBoy Advance 3D! | Punching Weight [SSFF]

[@colonelsandwich641]

I actually thought for a moment that the Asterix game was a PS1 game. Seriously.

[@haruhisuzumiya6650]

ColonelSandwich this destroys the doom 2 gba port.

[@AceStarstream]

I thought it was a launch DS title!

[@PeruvianPotato]

@@AceStarstream Asterix and Obelix XXL GBA is actually more visually pleasing than some DS games even going as far as I can compare it to games like Super Mario 64 DS and Club Penguin Elite Penguin Force

[@icravedeath.1200]

​@@haruhisuzumiya6650ey, based haruhi pfp

[@icravedeath.1200]

What deal with satan did they had to make to make it not run like shit.

[@TheLastLineLive]

wow that Asterix and Obelix game is freaking brilliantl looking, if you had said nothing about it being a gba game, I would have swore it was a DS or PS1 game.

[@nameyes8418]

same

[@yukatoshi]

More DS than PS1.

[@Christian-rn1ur]

It controls well, but it definitely punches above it's weight. There's a lot of texture warping and graphical oddities.

[@KRAFTWERK2K6]

The fact that Asterix & Obelix are really unknown in the USA is really really really sad. You guys are missing out some amazing stuff. Not only the original comics but especially the movies. The 90s had some amazing games about them as well on the Sega and Nintendo platforms. Asterix & Obelix and the secret Mission on the Game Gear was incredible.

[@christopher_graffam]

As an American with family from Europe I was one of the lucky few who had access to the Asterix and Obelix comics. I remember spending hours immersed in the enjoyably ludicrous adventures of the last Gallic tribe.

[@marcobazan4187]

I had the asterix and obelix game as a Latino kid before I even knew who they were so I don’t think they’re that unknown here, maybe to younger people yes

[@marcobazan4187]

*not the game on this video but another asterix and obelix gba game I had

[@kylearmenta7138]

I went out of my way to order an original copy of xxl from over seas and since then I've started getting into a&o. Funny that it was searching for obscure retro 3d games that got me into a&o. Lol

[@Icelink256]

Oh wow! That Asterisk & Obelisk game is seriously impressive! That texture distortion makes a lot of sense, since the correction algorithm would slow it down too much, to keep a decent framerate.

[@HPPalmtopTube]

The reason why they distort like that is because they are actually sprites with affine transformations on it. so it's actually a limited "hardware based" texture mapping. Unfortunately an affine transform produces incorrect mappings like the ones you see in the video... The ARM cpu alone is too slow to do everything so it uses the sprite transformation features of the video controller to help... crazy taxi does it all in software only and you can see the difference by far! ;)

[@Nikku4211]

​@@HPPalmtopTubeActually, it's all done in software even in XXL. It's faster than perspective correction even in pure software. The GBA actually cannot render enough affine sprite pixels per line for most 3D games to work, not to mention you only have 32 different affine matrices per screen anyway.

[@baifomet6425]

Woah, that Asterix game blew my mind

[@PikaLink91]

That Asterix and Obelix game looked awesome!

[@catmun5387]

Valez and Dubail were good developers. It's such a shame Velez died in late May this year.

[@CrashFan03]

Damn, that's sad.

[@MikeTheGamerGuy]

Maybe an episode on the 1995 NES port of Super Mario World? The game was made by the Chinese developer Hummer Team who made a NES port of Donkey Kong Country as well. Just an idea if you ever do a "can't believe it's on NES" episode. Great series btw really enjoying it.

[@whoeusbsknsi]

Mike TheGamerGuy holy shit never heard about that

[@mikewolfskin]

Where is the Golden Sun love? To this day I am shocked that game looks so 3D on a GameBoy Advance.

[@xAlexZifko]

the sound and gameplay were also great, and the story was (at least ime) fairly unique.

[@Christian-rn1ur]

It's not really 3D though, just uses some clever mode 7 tricks

[@Lugmillord]

Wow. That Asterix game looks like it's on the DS.

[@mothersbasement]

Oh man, looking forward to seeing driv3r and COP. Portable sandbox games are crazy

[@StopSkeletonsFromFighting]

working on a GTA vs Driver video right now!

[@juanortiz9123]

GEOFF WAS HERE ALL THIS TIME! HOLY SHIET! O.O

[@StopSkeletonsFromFighting]

Huge thanks to everyone who recommended Asterix & Obelix XXL! Keep the suggestions coming!!!!

[@Sannidor]

Smashing Drive for GBA was pretty damn good

[@Pimpeaux]

Here's a few suggestions: The Last Ninja - C64 P'radikus Conflict - NES Starcraft 64 - N64 Fathom - Atari 2600 Pitfall II - Atari 2600

[@nintendofan707]

Resident evil 2 On the N64 is a Pretty interesting version. The full game on One Cart with some extra Goodies. like Full analog control. and duke nukem 3D on the sega Genesis. :3

[@TakaMaru777]

some other games on GBA with effects that impressed me: Colin McRae Rally 2.0 (track deformation, realistic physics, 3D cars that could get damaged and dirty) Lego Drome Racers (kinda looks like Stunt Race FX) KillSwitch (third person cover shooter on GBA) Kelly Slaters Pro Surfer (lots of video effects and 3D character models)

[@DaRkLoRdZoRc]

I'm going to count this as being noticed by senpai.

[@ChaseBanhart]

Catch A Ride was actually one of my favorites on the GBA. It was super fun and all the challenges made for a bunch of content. I can understand why people wouldn't like it though. It does get really difficult!

[@T3hD4rkKn1ght]

Yo Derrick, just wanted to say you offer something I really can't find elsewhere on KZbin. Your pure passion for everything you find interesting in video games perks me up on bad days my man. Thanks for being awesome.

[@DryPsylocibin]

Oh man, this episode was delicious! I loved the GBA so much because it was on the cusp of handhelds limiting possibilities like the GB Color, and those that could handle 3D just fine, like the DS and PSP. Making something possible, but just hard enough seems to bring out the best in some developers. Also interesting to check out is AGB Games, which was later renamed to Pocketeers. They developed a Quake tech demo on the GBA. Unfortunately I don't think the tech got used, but in the end they made some cool-looking Need for Speed games on the system. For another ambitious and quite stunning port to GBA, check out Street Fighter Alpha 3 by Crawfish Interactive.

[@Dongled]

Just Wow....that Asterix title is unbelievably impressive!

[@ThetaStrikeYT]

One game that stills impresses me is Kirby Tilt and Tumble on the GBC. The Fact that the game ran so well blew my mind when I was younger, and it still does.

[@peterw4910]

Hot damn that Asterix game is incredible! They really pushed the GBA to it's limits.

[@deadturtleproduction]

Total honesty, Punching weight might be my favorite segment by any youtuber, ever.

[@StopSkeletonsFromFighting]

wowowowowwowow, thanks!!!

[@deadturtleproduction]

I literally came here to watch this video a second time, and just learned you replied to this comment! Rad!

[@The_Prizessin_der_Verurteilung]

The fact people sell it so short and call it a "beefed up SNES" is criminal. The GBA has games that look like low resolution PlayStation games, the SNES couldn't do anything close to that, even with the SuperFX chip. The stronger consoles of the 4th generation couldn't do that, even with the SEGA CD and Neo Geo CD add-ons.

[@StopSkeletonsFromFighting]

That's more just my bias because that's what it was to me when I first got mine. It had Link to the Past, the sequel to Super Metroid, Final Fight One, so many SNES-era RPGs, even a few master system and NES ports/remakes. From a pure hardware standpoint, it is selling it short. But from just my experience at the time, the GBA was having most of my SNES library on the go.

[@JAGtheTrekkieGEMINI1701]

That GBA Simpson Game looks DOPE

[@JazGalaxy]

holy y crap. that Asterix game looks phenomenal.

[@benzaieTV]

V RALLY man & also SEGA RALLY for GBA :)

[@ThePigeonPack]

I seriously appreciate that you put the covers for the games in the bottom left when you put gameplay footage of a new game. Too many creators just put random footage on screen and you putting the cover really makes me know you're putting care into your stuff.

[@IronHeel]

HVGN to SSFF - you do great work and it's a real pleasure to watch you do you thing(s). Wish you all the best!

[@G_Gr00v3]

What if the Capcom 5 was an episode? After all, I REALLY want to see you cover Killer 7

[@Kapenguin448]

I support that!

[@MarioMario-jt7ld]

agreed!

[@dcashley303]

More people need to give Killer7 a chance, it's an incredible game... I'm wearing a Killer7 t-shirt right now!

[@StopSkeletonsFromFighting]

the original draft of our resident evil 4 re:certified classic script covered most of the capcom 5. so we have a nearly finished script for that video, but it'll be a much larger video!

[@Kapenguin448]

Stop Skeletons From Fighting That sounds fucking amazing. Also, davidevoid, Killer7 is one of my favorite games ever. Where the hell did you get a Killer7 t-shirt?

[@aurorathepuppymoth]

Super Monkey Ball Jr is one of my favorite GBA games. I still remember the day I got it! The game store in the mall was closing down and all the games were on sale, and I bugged mom enough to get it for me.

[@Rubbercookie]

I feel like "COP: The Recruit" is what turned into Driver Renegade on the 3DS

[@TheTinker19]

While not a full game, one thing maybe worth pointing you towards would be the Resident Evil 2 GBA tech demo? Apparently an Italian company called Raylight Studios, mostly as an example of their programming prowess, did an unlicensed port of the beginning of Resident Evil 2 to GBA, fully 3D, even has some voiced narration. It's super short, it only goes up until the basketball court in Leon's campaign, so it's nowhere near the crazy ambition of the cancelled Resident Evil for GBC, but it's still a wild bit of programming. The rom was dumped a couple years ago, so it shouldn't be hard to find.

[@StopSkeletonsFromFighting]

a resident evil 2 episode of punching weight is in the works and it will include the gba tech demo (it was featured briefly in the resident evil 1 episode)

[@trashkonsumer6744]

FINALLY! I found the channel I've been looking for. I kept typing in keywords like "trash game reviews" or "bad game reviews" and never get any satisfying videos.

[@agustinperezburgos6578]

after every SSFF video i have the urge to get all these unknown weird stuff on emulators. So damn awesome channel

[@frankbedbroken]

The Crazy Taxi port reminded me of the Need for Speed Underground port for the GBA, another pretty ambitious 3D rendered port, though it definitely made a lot of sacrifices in the graphics department. Still, I can at least commend them for trying to replicate the game on a portable console. Also, keep up the good work, Derek, I'm really liking this series!

[@ince55ant]

Man, this channel has some quality content. Like i used to watch avgn for weird shit i didnt know about. This has pretty much replaced that and improved upon it by being informative too.

[@jacobkerstetter324]

GB and GBA Fighting games is what I'm throwing in. Love your stuff Derek!

[@Gojiro7]

another great episode Derick :3 if your looking for suggestions then perhaps consider microphone based games like "Life-Line" a PS2 Survival horror game where you tell the protagonist what to do, or "Odama" a gamecube Pinball game where you order troops to carry a bell up the battlefield with the mic.

[@AFnord]

An interesting game to take a look at would be "Alpha Waves" (also known as Continuum). It was the first fully polygonal based 3D platformer, and it was released in 1990! It's not the best looking, nor the best playing, game the world has ever seen, but it beats Super Mario 64 by about 6 years!

[@BlackViperGX]

Nice episode, i really like your work Derek and i have to thank you for your video on EDF 4.1 because now I'm a new fan. EDF! EDF!

[@MichaelCutts7]

I'd like to request Home Alone for the Sega Genesis. It's really fun and includes early examples of weapon crafting, especially on expert mode.

[@StuffWePlay]

I had Super Monkey Ball Junior as a kid, and was shocked by how close it came to the arcade version! Lots of fun, and I somehow still have my original cartridge, too!

[@swissmrkc]

V rally 3.....the best 3d game for GBA.... unreal

[@04dram04]

This is your best series. such are great idea, that im surprised i haven't seen it before. I remember when I was a kid, always trying to find out what games had the best graphics on the system.

[@AishaDracoGryph]

Mr. Gimmick for the NES was a technical marvel, it had multiple extra chips in the cart to do really cool things.

[@kennyblackstone677]

great job with every video so far. you have done an amazing job with your channel and im always going to be here to see what you throw out next. hope ur having an awesome day.

[@toaau4321]

I remember some levels of Rayman3 for GBA were in 3d, but the rest of game is a 2d side scroller platform.

[@EthanParisMills93]

You had me at "Celebration of the weird, ambitious or unnecessary" great series.

[@catholiccontriversy]

I once had Catch a Ride glitch on me where I got crazy amounts of time to get to my destination, and played the same arcade mode game for 30 minutes with like 10 minutes of time left on the clock, and I just stopped because there was no more challenge left.

[@VaderTheWhite]

I didn't realize the full extent of the GBA's ability to do 3D until I learned there were the two Doom ports back when I was in high school. But talking about 3D GBA games made me remember a specific title that I loved as a kid: Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge. It is an in-betweequel to the original N64 titles and it wonderfully recaptures the classic gameplay, but doing from a fixed camera angle (think isometric, except it isn't actually at an angle). I remember playing it all the time. You should also continue talking about retro FPS games as the Doom port video was great (and I wouldn't mind seeing all of the Doom ports on this show).

[@StopSkeletonsFromFighting]

more doom and resident evil episode will be coming!! we just like to switch up the styles a bit. and the gba banjo-kazooie games are on The List

[@GameGameHeaven]

What a darn good episode! Oh and you have to watch The Twelve Tasks of Asterix from 1976. It's an original movie, but in my opinion it's the best Asterix movie. It got a lot of gags and details which you couldn't understand as a kid ('cause ... well, these gags are for adults).

[@GrabShiny]

I swear this is such a brilliant idea. I cannot wait for another one!

[@iconiclocal9279]

Asterix and obelisk is so rare I wanted it since I was a little boi

[@JackWolf10]

Shantae on GBC has some amazing animation, detailed visuals and makes great use of the GBC's colour pallet. The music's not half bad either!

[@CrashFan03]

I'm glad you talked about Simpsons Road Rage's GBA port. That port was a better port of Crazy Taxi to the GBA than Sega's own official port.

[@KawaiiFaceman]

always love to see these GameBoy, GameBoy advance ports

[@montengro234]

Great topic, I've always wanted to see 3D GBA games explained and covered

[@GumikoVT]

You guys should do an episode about games with suprising audio and music on old systems. Like freekstyle on the gba it has a soundrack with a bunch of full songs with vocals.

[@SuperTeeter64]

Really love all your videos. I always learn something new when I think I already knew what all the video would show. It would be great to see more hidden gems on the GB/GBC/GBA. That Monkey Ball game looked really promising. Might be easier playing on a Game Boy Player on the Cube.

[@naliboi93]

Need for Speed games were also really impressive for GBA. Sank hours unlocking everything in Most Wanted. Mazda RX8 had insane acceleration when fully tuned, reaching 200mph in places it had zero business doing so lol.

[@jvhazuki]

OMG I can't believe these Asterix graphics! Just amazing.

[@AfterAnAutopsy]

Can't wait for future episodes with VD-Dev titles. I own C.O.P: The Recruit and I was blown away by what they accomplished on the DS. Sad that their co-founder recently passed away.

[@NeoKad99]

Fernando Velez and Guillaume Dubail also worked on an Amiga game called ''Jim Power in Mutant Planet'', in case anyone cared...

[@AnonymousFrogNG]

Too bad the team is defunct and they are both dead

[@PunishedFelix]

Golden Sun: The Lost Age used polygonal 3D rendered graphics for some of the battle graphics. My buddies at Golden sun hacking community found this out a while back. They're even textured.

[@Level-Mind]

That last game was really impressive. Props to the development team!

[@paulolameiras861]

Asterix looks incredible! Also Doom.

[@ironchef3500]

Another great video Derek, thanks!

[@FreDaN92]

Man I remember getting 007 Nightfire on GBA. That was a interesting port, I don't remember if it's any good though.

[@goog8121]

Nice video m8. Love this series

[@gareldfield8372]

Jet Set Radio was on the Gameboy Advance and from what I remember it used 3D player models.

[@Smashbro2013]

As a kid, I played Crazy Taxi Catch a Ride a ton! I didn't have any home consoles other than my dad's NES at that point so it was the only way I could play the game. Eventually I got a Gamecube and Crazy Taxi was one of the first games I received for it. I haven't played the GBA port in a long time since and based on the footage I probably wouldn't be able to go back to it either.

[@asce780]

You should do some kind of video on the development of Croc: Legend of the Gobbos, and its relationship to the conceptual stages of Mario 64 through Argonaut Games' involvement with Nintendo via developing the super FX chip for them. It's a super fascinating bit of gaming history that I feel like isn't told often or with much detail. You could even dig further into Argonaut's work with 3D graphics at the time to find other interesting material to talk about. They are one of the most overlooked companies around (mostly known for licensed games like Harry Potter and various PS1 Disney titles) for having had such a gigantic hand in the evolution of gaming into the 3D realm.

[@topsdaily_productions]

VDdev are my favourite developer. Their games are amazing and inspiring!!!!

[@danielwilliams3161]

I loved this game, played it all the time, some missions was hard but worth it

[@Giratina493]

Wow, I remember seeing Super Monkey Ball Jr. in stores but ignoring it because I thought a GBA Super Monkey Ball game couldn't possibly recreate the experience of the console games. I need to get my hands on that game now!

[@joev8106]

Mech Platoon for GBA was a base building rts with rpg elements that might be a good pick for this series. It was certainly ambitious

[@ThreeOne33Seven]

I remember picking up a cart of Ecks vs Sever 2 on the GBA for a couple of bucks from a second hand store not knowing what the hell it was. Was blown away by the fact a 3D First Person Shooter was possible on the console!

[@ToshisGarden]

Hey, Skeletons, do you think we could get a little love for the GBA port of Spider-Man 2 and everything it managed to contain in one of your videos? I'm only just now playing through it myself, and just the facts that the opening video for the game is an entire clip from the movie and the fact that the game features both sidescrolling levels AND 3D sections was enough to catch my interest.The game actually seems to really try to capture the essence of the home console versions to a surprising degree insome areas!

[@HipsterBlackMetalOfficial]

How did you not mention the Blue Roses GBA technology. Used in games like Resident Evil 2 prototype for the GBA, Smashing Drive and Street Racing Syndicate.

[@THB192]

How about Faceball 2000, not only one of the only FPS on the original gameboy, but the only gameboy game to support 16 simultaneous players? A perhaps better known technical marvel is Cannon Fodder, which has full-color FMV and fully recorded sound. On the Gameboy Color. Finally, Rescue on Fractalus! was a 3D flight sim with fully rendered landscapes. On the Apple II. Unsurprisingly, this was a Lucasarts game, back when Lucasarts had a monopoly on Computer Graphics talent.

[@StopSkeletonsFromFighting]

faceball 2000 had some many ports, it might merit its own episode. and we've gotten quite a few requests for cannon fodder! and i'll add Rescue on Fractalus to The List!

[@SonataFanatica]

There is a "Road Rash" game for the GBA called "Road Rash: Jailbreak". It's VERY impressive and so much fun! You should cover that one, too! :)

[@NeutralIon]

Another great showcase, Derek. Not gonna lie, I enjoyed the coverage of SMB Jr. The GameCube originals are two of my favourite arcade games ever, and Jr. is certainly no slouch. I don't know if you'll ever consider covering DS games (save that mention of Deadly Silence in your RE review), but two come to mind for suggestions: Metroid Prime Pinball and Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure. One is unnecessary, the other is a delightfully weird mashup of genres, and both are actually pretty great.

[@Georghiou2D]

This is a really good video. subscribed

[@eggsamillion]

Hot Wheels - Stunt Track Challenge is one of the most advanced GBA 3d games I've seen. It keeps a good frame rate and is just really fun, I enjoyed it a lot more then the Mario Kart titles on the GBA and it's my favorite Racing game on that console in general.

[@keiferdo9215]

Hey! On the subject of Punching Weight GBA there was a Bauldr's Gate: Dark Alliance I remember fondly for the GBA

[@mementoa9025]

There's some technical marvels on DS like Nameless Game, Dementium 2, Phantasy Star 0, Super Mario 64 DS, Okamiden, Viewitful Joe Double Trouble and Metroid Prime Hunters which both came out really early in the hardware's lifespan, Silent Hill 1 still looks incredible for a PS1 game, the OG Xbox got ports of freaking Morrowind and Doom 3, Quake 3 Arena and Half Life 1 were **Sort of** playable on the Dreamcast, devs back then did amazing stuff when they didnt focus on just resolutions.

[@KaptainKlassic]

It's insane to see a GBA game with PSone (if not better in many cases) graphics! Great episode!

[@Mistraker]

I finally managed to snag a copy of Asterix and Obelix XXL. It'll be interesting to see it running on original hardware when it finally arrives from France.

[@slash11111]

Very Nice video :) Quake on sega Saturn would be good to analyze for a future episode , it was technically very impressive for the hardware it was running on , and plus it would be cool to look at the quake franchise after your video on Doom :) keep rockin' man

[@didlowman7217]

Azure Dreams for the GBC was an insane task as was LSD on the PS1

[@NightRanma]

Wow, why so harsh on Crazy Taxi: Catch a Ride? I loved that game when it came out. It's not the best admittedly, but it was the best the GBA could handle and I found it amazing that they crammed 2 cities in there. I played Asterix and Obelix XXL when it came out, and it's so gorgeous, it's just a huge shame that they never really did anything with it. They made this beautiful game then all it really has you mash buttons to fight enemies til a door to more enemies unlocks.

[@ArmaBiologica35]

Need For Speed Underground. It featured fully customizable 3D cars, large maps and even licensed music.

[@boriskondratev1704]

Asterix & Obelix looks fantastic!

[@MetagrossOverlordX]

Probably already suggested and fairly well-known, but am I the only one who things Kirby's Dream Land 3, in terms of looks, presentation/UI, and even sound is really god damn amazing for a SNES game?

[@JeremyMcElhone]

Yes the presentation in that game is gorgeous. Imo it was boring to play tho.

[@earthboundretro]

Yup you're the only one

[@MetagrossOverlordX]

rip we tried team

[@StopSkeletonsFromFighting]

dream land 3 looks amazing! gameplay wise, i've always thought it was one of the weaker kirby games but it's definitely a technical marvel. -d

[@WindowsXPFrog]

Wow, that Asterix game is incredible.

[@mr3urious]

Cars Mater-National Championship is another impressive GBA port you should take a look at. The game looks buttery smooth with some very fluid animations going by the gameplay footage. And how could you miss Iridion 3D? It was a GBA launch title developed by Shin'en, a company that really knows how to push the hardware of the systems it develops for. However, rather than use polygons, sprites are scaled in real-time to give off a 3D effect. Shin'en would later go on to develop its spiritual successors, the Nanostray and Nano Assault games.

[@supermariofan772003]

Maybe for a future episode you could include Mayhem in Monsterland. That game really shows off what the C64 is capable of.

[@thepoopfan64]

man i love this series

[@Arexion5293]

The Need for Speed Underground 1, 2 and Most Wanted on GBA were also 3D. They even used goddamn polygon models for the cars.

[@thatgeek8064]

The game boy advance game smashing drive has one of the most beautiful 3d openings ever.

[@bhzoop]

I remember my cousin gave me Crazy Taxi Catch a Ride when I was little and played that like crazy

[@Newtonip]

I can't believe you didn't mention Payback. It's a GTA clone on the GBA but done right unlike the official releases on that platform. It is full 3D and plays like the GTA1 and 2 games with on overhead view.

[@NervousTyler]

I really suggest you do a playthrough of the Asterix games.They are very imaginative 3d brawlers with surprisingly meaty puzzle solving challenges. The PS2 games are a sight to behold, play them and you will not regret it.