Hey, That's Not the Real Pikachu...

It's been nearly a decade since the Pokemon craze was at its peak in the U.S., but despite the cards and endless amount of toys essentially fading out in popularity, the games still continue to sell like hot cakes. And hey, why not? Most of them are quality releases that provide a good amount of entertainment. Game pirates and hackers have noticed this over the years, too, and decided that they wanted a piece of Nintendo's pie. So what do they do? They create (rather shoddy) software of their own and throw in Pikachu and friends or they take forgotten releases of the past and replace the characters with ones from the Pokemon series.

Perhaps the most well-known bootleg is Pokemon: Chaos Black Version, which has been clogging up eBay listings for a couple of years now. According to fans this is basically the same game as Fire Red only with a few new Pokemon, events, and characters.

Others are far worse in quality. In fact, the back of the box for Pokemon Arcoiris Version is a hoot in its self. Here is an example of some of the fantastic grammar provided by the foreign bootleggers:

"The pokemon ARCOIRIS VERSION new games, The region where POKEMON first took root and exploded into into a major phenomenon,and the latest titles stuff in tons of exciting new features".

With a quality description like that, I can only imagine what the game itself plays like...

Oh, and in case you're wondering, the game pictured above in the top left is Pokemon Adventure, which supposedly plays like an old-school Sonic the Hedgehog title - only it stars one of Pikachu's crack babies .

The GBA Titles That Deserve the 'Players' Choice' Honor

It was rather swell news for Nintendo fans last year when the big N finally rolled out a line of GBA Players’ Choice titles. Despite sufficient sales of the games that made it to the line after being re-branded, we’ve yet to see any new Players’ Choice GBA titles since last fall's re-releases of Pokemon Fire Red and Leaf Green.

However, whether we’ll see any new games added to the line this year or not, we all know the possible ones will be predictable, typical chart-topping Nintendo-published fare starring the usual suspects of popular Nintendo characters (Mario, Link, Pikachu, etc). Why doesn’t Nintendo take a risk and re-release some fantastic but overlooked titles through the years that found their way onto the highly-successful portable? Here are the titles that definitely deserve to bear the Player’s Choice name but unfortunately won’t any time soon…

Shining Soul II

This highly playable, addictive hack n’ slash RPG is the closest game to capture the spirit and playability of Diablo II on a portable system. Nicely designed dungeons, great anime-influenced art and fun multiplayer action make this the handheld hack n’ slash to beat. I’m just hoping for a third entry in the series…

Rayman 3

Yeah, so it doesn’t star a pudgy plumber, but Rayman 3 for the GBA is a true gem of a platformer. Cleverly designed levels and a charming main character make it worth a try, and you’ll be amazed the first time you see this one in motion… the beautiful 2D visuals are a sight to behold and this may be the best looking game to ever grace the Gameboy Advance.

Lunar Legend

I like me a good portable role-playing game, and in the field of RPG’s on the GBA, Lunar Legend is in a class of its own. Although it’s brief (for an RPG – experienced players will plow through this in less than twenty hours) and somewhat simple, the storyline is one that you’ll want to follow all the way through. It’s just too bad that the handheld follow-up on the DS, Lunar Dragon Song, turned out to such a massive disappointment.

The King of Fighters EX2: Howling Blood

The GBA version of Street Fighter Alpha 3 was definitely a quality port, but I’d take this one over that seeing as this is an original release. Exclusive to the GBA, KOF: EX2 Howling Blood rocked Nintendo’s portable with solid controls, nice visuals and of course, that classic game play that the KOF series if known for.

WarioWare, Inc: Mega Microgame$

Sure, this one’s published by Nintendo, but unlike most of the Nintendo produced titles on the GBA it didn’t sell by the truckloads. That is unfortunate, however, as this is one of the most enjoyable original releases on the GBA. The second-long mini-games kept me glued to be my GBA for quite some time and they will bring out the soda-loving, sugar-addicted ADD kid in you.

Sonic Advance 2

Sonic Advance is not exactly something I’d consider “overlooked” as it was a high-seller for the system for weeks, but it’s such a great title that it deserves to be on the Players’ Choice line. When Sonic Advance 2 hit stores I, and many others, hailed it as the best Sonic title in years. Although it’s not quite as replayable and enjoyable as a good ol’ Mario adventure, Sonic Advance 2 is a damn fine game nonetheless.

Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town

Last, but certainly not least (as I consider this to be the best title listed here) comes a title you’d never knew you would love so much until you gave it a try yourself. Yup, a farming simulation. Harvesting crops and taking care of animals may seem boring on paper, but once you give this one a try you’ll be sucked in for months. Warning: Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town is highly addictive and is a must-play for someone who is willing to try something unique.