_______ ______. .________ __________ ________/ __/ _/ __|_______/____|____ \/ /_______/ / __/_. / / / \ / /\ \/ \ /__________| /__________/ / /____/____/_________/ / /________| <-/-rS!-------\________/--------------------\________/-----+ ___________/_______________ ________ | _/ / / \ _ \ ________|____ \ | The Console / /\ / / / / /_/ / / / | Scene Charts! /______/\ /\________/____\ / /__________/ | \_/ \__/__________|<-------------+ Gameboy Advance Console World Charts for December 1 - December 31, 2001 Issue Number 7, Released January 5th, 2002 Staff: ennay & loaded Featuring Guest Commentary by: soutlaw / Lightforce .- Introduction ------------------------------------------------------------. No the charts aren't cancelled (YET) I've just been a little lazy and the holiday season was a great excuse to delay the release of Console World. The month of December was certainly memorable for most sceners. The FBI raided on student dorms which took down most of the scene's top FTP sites, but fortunately GBA clearly wasn't even a priority for the feds. This did have an effect on many siteops taking down their sites or becoming even more private (I applaud this action). This month's guest host is soutlaw / Lightforce. He's been recommended by a few of you guys out there and he seems to always be around when I need to clear some stuff up. I've also included a collection of GBA intros & trainer menus which were given to me by 'ntsc' I think it's really nice and I believe it includes the work from every major release group that have created anything. Enough jibber jabber, let the charts BEGIN! - ennay The Game Boy Advance has survived its first Christmas, and after the disruptions of December 11th, its good to see things returning back to normal, at least in the handheld scene. In fact, the GBA scene was able to thrive since, with many major and great releases. December was certainly not the month for releases in Europe and USA, but there were many excellent titles in the land of the rising sun. While Eurasia had some big titles from the orient, both Mode7 and Venom were able to grab noteworthy games in the United States. There were several other active groups worth mentioning, and their performance is listed below. Sorry for this late edition, but hopefully you can enjoy it anyway! loaded/Eurasia soutlaw / Lightforce : I've enjoyed reading this chart for months and this month I'm happy to be adding my 2 cents. Thanks to ennay for the chance to do this :) RULES & POINTS -------------- -1 Point - DUPE: Released a game, but only after another group already beat you? -1 point then. DUPE TRAINER: A Late Trainer with the same or less options. BROKEN: If you release a game/trainer/crack that doesn't work, -1 time! +0 Points - BETA: Beta releases are cool to check out, but they are not the real deal. No points are given or taken for these. TERRITORY DUPE: If a game is released in Europe first and contains English, then a following USA release is considered a territory dupe. If a game is released in the USA first, and it releases later in Europe with no additional languages, it is also considered a territory dupe. Games that have additional game features/levels/etc. added are void from territory dupe rules. Only Roms that contain differences when file compared fit into the territory dupe category, if a Rom is the exact same in 2 territories, it fits into the -1 dupe category. Territory dupes receive 0 points. FIX: A non-protection related fix for a released game gets 0 points. EEPROM FIX: A fix for games containing EEPROM saves, to allow the game to run without EEPROM saving on the current GBA copiers. These get 1 point for now, they will get 0 once flash-carts featuring EEPROM saving become more mainstream. +1 Point - TRAINER: Any selectable trainer including a menu receives 1 point. MULTI: A European Multi Language release of a previously available US title. FOREIGN: A German/French/Spanish/Etc. release of a previously available English title. TOOL: A tool for the PC that is useful for Gameboy Advance purposes gets 1 point. +2 Points - AVERAGE JAPANESE: An average Japanese game. Most RPGs, Mahjong titles, Slot games, Sims, Adventures, etc. will be put into this category. These receive 2 points. FOREIGN WORLD FIRST: If a German/French/Spanish/Etc. game is out before the English version, it gets 2 points. CRACK: A crack for a protected/non-working game gets you 2 points. +3 Points - ENGLISH WORLD FIRST: The first release of a game in English. This is generally the first release of the game available, either in Europe or the USA. These receive 3 points. QUALITY FOREIGN: A quality foreign title that is either highly awaited or playable will receive 3 points. Generally games from major companies due out for release later in English will fit into this category. Most action games, fighting games, etc. will also fall under this category. TRANSLATION: Translating a non-English game to English = 3 points. The points reflect the major amount of work this requires! +4 Points - MAJOR: Usually the best/most-anticipated game of the month. .- Charts for the Month of December 2001 ---------------------------------. . A . R . R . O . G . A . N . C . E . .-------------------------------------------- Arrogance -------------------- Date Game Name / Company Info Pts N o t e s --------------------------------------------------------------------------- December 20 Advance Wars - Nintendo EUR/64 +1 MULTI4 -- Total Points - 01 Comments: ennay: European release of a previously available USA title. Not much else to say. loaded: Not a terrible release for the foreign sceners out there.. soutlaw: Nothing much to say about this, multi dupe. ___/\____/\_________ /\ ________ \__ ___/ __/\__ /__/ \__\ _ /poyZ __ _/ / | __/ / / _/ \_ _/ _/_ __ \\_\\ _____| _____/_____\__/\__/__\ \ //_// .----\/----|/----------------------\ /------ Cezar ------------------------ Date Game Name / Company \/ Info Pts N o t e s --------------------------------------------------------------------------- December 06 Gakkou o Tsukurou!! Advance - Victor JPN/64 +2 Monster Farm Advance - Tecmo JPN/64 +1 TERR. DUPE December 07 Namco Museum - Namco JPN/32 +0 TERR. DUPE December 12 Columns Crown - Sega JPN/64 +1 TERR. DUPE December 13 Jikkyou World Soccer Pocket - Konami JPN/64 +1 TERR. DUPE December 20 YuGiOh! Duel Monsters 6 Exp. 2 - Konami JPN/128 +2 December 27 EZ-Talk 3 - KeyNet JPN/64 +2 EZ-Talk 4 - KeyNet JPN/64 +2 -- Total Points - 11 Comments: ennay: The lesser quality Japanese titles keep pouring in from Cezar, plenty of territory dupes are thrown into the mix. I personally haven't tried any of the games above, but don't let that stop you from doing the same. loaded: Cezar and all of its antics strike back with a multitude of Japanese titles that many otaku's may enjoy. Certain territory dupes receive points due to the presence of Japanese, while Namco Museum was entirely in English, so it receives none. For the interested, the previous EZ-Talk releases were oversized to Cezar's embarassment, however their YuGiOh release this month does indeed present the scene with the first 128 Megabit game. soutlaw: Cezar comes through with what looks like the stuff Eurasia wouldn't bother with. These games may be interesting to rom collectors and people who speak japanese. MTX!____.--._)\____ .-. ____/(___:.___ .--/ _ | | \___ \/ _ \/ ___/___]/ _ \--. | / __| l | _/ \___ \ / \ | `-\____ \_____|_\_ \__|__/ ____/___\ |__/-' .------\(---------\(-----)/---------`-'----- Eurasia ----------------------- Date Game Name / Company Info Pts N o t e s --------------------------------------------------------------------------- December 05 Advance Rally - MTO Inc. JPN/64 +3 Magical Vacation - Nintendo JPN/64 +2 December 07 World Advance Soccer - Hands On JPN/64 +3 December 11 Super Mario Advance 2 - Nintendo JPN/64 +4 G.O.T.M.! December 12 Battle Network RockMan EXE 2 - Capcom JPN/64 +2 December 18 Muscle Ranking Miracle Conquer - Konami JPN/64 +2 Sonic Advance - Sega JPN/64 +3 December 19 Breath of Fire 2 - Capcom JPN/32 +2 DQ Torneko's Adventure 2 Advance - Enix JPN/64 +2 Super Mario Advance 2 +7 - Nintendo JPN/IPS +1 Tekken Advance - Namco JPN/64 +3 December 20 ESPN X-Games Snowboarding 2002 - Konami JPN/32 +3 Flame of Recca - Konami JPN/64 +3 December 24 Flame of Recca +7 - Konami JPN/IPS +1 -- Total Points - 34 Comments: ennay: As expected Eurasia dominates the Japanese scene. Some really nice majors include Tekken, Sonic and Super Mario Advance 2 (Which we all agreed should be the Game of the Month). The game is simply amazing especially considering its about 10 years old. I've also had a few complaints about some of their releases as not deserving the 3 points for a 'quality' release from November's charts as well as December's releases. Flame of Recca is a nice little fighter and is playable in story mode if you care to bypass the plenty of Japanese text screens. loaded: Japan was the territory of the month, and Eurasia managed to maintain its dominance by grabbing nearly every worthwhile Japanese title. Interestingly, even though every release from Eurasia was from Japan (a swing from November) they were still able to release the most games in English. Any and all of the playable titles in Eurasia's lineup are worth checking out, but Sonic, Tekken, and Mario Advance 2 are can't miss. Mario Advance 2 was voted the Game of the Month, but who can argue with one of the greatest platformers of all time. soutlaw: Almost every game I played this month was released by Eurasia. It seems that they really have a lock on getting all the major jap titles. Tekken was a lot better than I excpected it to be, the graphics are some of the best I've seen on GBA so far and the music is really true to the originals. Eurasia also got the highly anticipated Sonic Adventure, which is another great game. This version (of course) is far superior to the GameGear and NGPC versions i've played. It plays a lot like some of the early Genesis versions, and I'm glad Sega didn't mess up this classic series. Super Mario Advance 2 is also a great game although I've already played it death on my SNES years ago, it was fun to go back and play it again. An all-round great month for Eurasia, I hope they continue the good work. _______ -poyZ! __ ___\______________\ __/ __ /_/\ _\ \_ _ / _ \ /_/\ .---\_\/-/______/___/___/_________\-\_\/---. .--`------------------/-----------------------'-- Independent -------------- Date Game Name / Company Info Pts N o t e s --------------------------------------------------------------------------- December 05 Super Bust-A-Move - Ubi Soft USA/32 +0 TERR. DUPE December 07 Ecks Vs. Sever - BAM! Entertainment EUR/64 +0 TERR. DUPE December 14 American Bass Challenge - Ubi Soft USA/32 +3 December 15 EEPROM To SRAM Patcher v1.0.0.1 TOOL +1 December 19 Zoids Saga - Tomy JPN/64 +2 December 25 Angelic Layer - Epoch JPN/64 +2 December 27 Sansara Saga 1x2 - Pack In JPN/64 +2 -- Total Points - 10 Comments: ennay: Plenty of CRAP from the independents, the only valid USA release was American Bass Challenge. A nice tool from Dady Cool which fixes the battery save problem for SMA2. There were also a bunch of useless 'rom dumps' of that cheating device which we won't even bother mentioning. loaded: I've only discovered two items of interest in this collection, perhaps the American Bass Challenge title and the EEPROM patcher which allows great titles like Mario Advance 2 to be enjoyed on the crappy copiers that most individuals own. The rest is either unplayable Japanese titles or language dupes. soutlaw: The independents bring us a bunch of web repacks, jap crap and one USA world first. Thank God for the eeprom patcher though, I was desperate to play SMA2. ___ _ ___ _____ _____ / /__\/__/ _/____ / /___ / /----+(\S! / \_ / / / _/+ + _____________/___/____/____/____\ ---------. _____ _____ _____ ___ __ : / _/ _ /_/_ // _/____/_/___lIGHTfORCE' _/ // _/ / \ _\ / 2 o o 1 ___\ _____\__\____\ ____________\--------------- Lightforce ---------------- Date Game Name / Company Info Pts N o t e s --------------------------------------------------------------------------- December 07 Shaun Palmer Snowboarder - Activision GER/64 +1 December 12 Flintstones: Trouble in Bedrock - Crave USA/32 -1 BROKEN Flintstones: Trouble in Bedrock - Crave USA/32 +3 REPACK -- Total Points - 03 Comments: ennay: December wasn't LFC's strongest month, they managed to fix their bad dump of Flintstones which is a good thing. I'm sure these guys will do a lot better in 2002. loaded: After several great appearances in months past, Lightforce slowed a great deal with only one USA title. Sadly, Flintstones' first release was corrupt, but a repack was quickly released to correct the mistake. We'll have to see if Lightforce rebounds, but I'd definitely put my money on it. soutlaw: Heh, always test flash before releasing. In December LFC was not as active in the GBA scene as we were in November. I think we'll see more good things out of LFC in 2002. MEGAD .-------------------------------------------- Megad ------------------------ Date Game Name / Company Info Pts N o t e s --------------------------------------------------------------------------- December 25 King of Fighters EX Neo Blood - SNK JPN/64 +3 OVERDUMP -- Total Points - 03 Comments: ennay: It's actually a quality game released by a group other than Eurasia! I was quite suprised to see this one and the game itself is pretty nice. Now only if Marvelous can get permission to port SNK's other great games to the GBA (Metal Slug on your GBA, drool). It will be interesting to see if MEGAD can give Eurasia some competition for the better Japanese stuff in the future. Some people doubt it. Who knows... loaded: A new group emmerges with a great title, SNK fighting at its greatest. Will they stick around or go by the wayside like Inferno? Only time will tell... soutlaw: Another use for rpf's very leet file resizer. This is a pretty solid fighting game, not on the level of SSF2 or Tekken, but still a nice version of KOF. ___ __ ____ ____ ._______ ____ ____ / ' \_/__ \ _ \| ____ \/ . \_/__ \ _/ \/ \ \___// \ \_ / . \_|--<_ \___/ \____||___/______\__\____\__|___/____/_____\- Menace ----------------------- Date Game Name / Company Info Pts N o t e s --------------------------------------------------------------------------- December 03 Army Men: Operation Green - 3DO USA/32 +3 December 05 Columns Crown - Sega EUR/64 +3 -- Total Points - 06 Comments: ennay: Although Menace hasn't been the powerhouse they once were on the GBC front, these guys still manage to release some quality stuff. My respect to these guys for what they've contributed and will continue to contribute. loaded: Two titles early in the month made many wonder if Menace decided to move in for competition, but they disappeared nearly as quickly they appeared. Columns is a Sega classic, and for the puzzle fanatics, a title that must be checked out. soutlaw: Why did Sega turn Columns into a game for little girls? Still, a pretty good game and makes for a good time killer. ._ - M O D E 7 - ______ _________ | /\__ ____________ __\ | _ ____\__ / / \/ _/ _ \ .|___\_ \/ // // \ / \ / // | |/ _____/____/ . ____|\/|___\______/\_______\_______/-rtx! _| Mode 7 ---------------------- Date Game Name / Company Info Pts N o t e s --------------------------------------------------------------------------- December 03 Driven - BAM! Entertainment USA/32 +3 December 05 International Karate Advance +4 - S3 EUR/IPS +1 GROUP 1ST December 07 Planet Monsters - Titus USA/32 +3 December 12 Breath of Fire - Capcom USA/32 +3 -- Total Points - 10 Comments: ennay: December wasn't too great for Mode7 on the USA front. Breath of Fire was probably the most anticipated USA title of the month. And we've seen the first trainer in this group's existence. loaded: Mode7 continued to do well in the USA, with the major title, Breath of Fire. Its great that there is now a classic RPG for the GBA, but if only we could get Square to re-release some of its masterpieces on the GBA, we would be in heaven.. hmm. On a more pleasant note, Mode7 released its first trainer this time around. I personally enjoyed the unique style of its menu. Nice work. soutlaw: Mode7 always seems to grab the most wanted USA GBA titles, and this month is no different. I really need to sit down and play BoF for a while, from the few minutes I've played it, it looks pretty decent. Also, last month Mode7 showed us they can make trainers too, and a nice game to start with, Int. Karate. ___ __ __ __ ____ /__/ / / / / / /_ / / \ /_/ /_ / \ /_ / .-------------------------------------------- Rocket ----------------------- Date Game Name / Company Info Pts N o t e s --------------------------------------------------------------------------- December 04 Mat Hoffman's Bro BMX - Activision EUR/32 +1 MULTI2 December 05 Jackie Chan Adventures - Activision FRE/32 +1 December 13 MegaMan Battle Network - Capcom EUR/64 +0 TERR. DUPE December 23 Kao the Kangaroo - Titus EUR/32 +1 MULTI6 -- Total Points - 03 Comments: ennay: More useless stuff. loaded: A new European group appears with a few multi-language titles for the collectors and foreign sceners out there. soutlaw: Woo, Jackie Chan in French. TEAM GAY .-------------------------------------------- Team Gay --------------------- Date Game Name / Company Info Pts N o t e s --------------------------------------------------------------------------- December 19 Bay Blade - Hudson Soft JPN/64 +2 -- Total Points - 02 Comments: ennay: Read the comment for Rocket. loaded: A web repack of the game of the year. Woohoo! soutlaw: Another jap game i haven't played. _\____ /\_/\____/\_____/\_____ /\__/_ \ |/ / ___/ \ / _ \_ \/ _/ poyZ __ _\ / / __/\ \_ _/ / | \/ |__ __ \\_\\_\ __/_______\ /_\ _____|__||_ |_//_// .------\/----------\/---\/----------\|------- Venom ------------------------ Date Game Name / Company Info Pts N o t e s --------------------------------------------------------------------------- December 03 Dokapon Monster Hunter +6 - ATA USA/IPS +1 Tom & Jerry: The Magic Ring +4 - NewKid USA/IPS +1 December 05 Army Men: Operation Green +4 - 3DO USA/IPS +1 December 06 Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2 +3 - Acclaim USA/IPS +1 Prehistoric Man - Titus EUR/32 +3 MULTI6/FINAL Thunderbirds International Rescue - SCI EUR/64 +3 December 07 Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX +5 - Activision USA/IPS +1 December 08 Razor Freestyle Scooter +8 - Crave USA/IPS +1 December 12 Thunderbirds Int. Rescue +3 - SCI EUR/IPS +1 December 13 Mortal Kombat Advance - Midway USA/64 +3 December 14 Mortal Kombat Advance +5 - Midway USA/IPS +1 December 19 Cruis'n Velocity +4 - Midway USA/IPS +1 Tekken Advance +4 - Namco JPN/IPS +1 December 20 Flintstones Trouble Bedrock +6 - Crave USA/IPS +1 December 21 Sonic Advance +5 - Sega JPN/IPS +1 December 25 King of Fighters EX +9 - SNK JPN/IPS +1 -- Total Points - 22 Comments: ennay: What a busy month for Venom, they've dominated the trainer scene in December. I think this is the first time these guys have had more trainers than game releases in their GBA history. I could be wrong though. Mortal Kombat was a bit disappointing, the controls are terrible and I was expecting a lot better effort for this port. It's still a nice release anyways. Somehow, I doubt 2002 will be any different for this well established GBA group. loaded: With a few titles, including the noteworthy MK rendition, and a shitload of trainers, Venom proved that a strong showing can be had even with the lack of titles in the USA and Europe. I cannot judge the trainers since I really haven't tested them, but by the looks of it, if you get stuck in a recent title, there's probably a trainer out there for it. soutlaw: Wow, the coders at Venom have been really busy. I use the Sonic Advance and KoF trainers when I play those 2 games. The Sonic trainer elminates any (alledged) problems with saving and the KoF trainer unlocks 2 extra characters in the game. Too bad Mortal Kombat was only slightly better than the GBC versions of the game. Prehistorik Man is a really nice title, I'm not sure what the difference is between this one and the RPF release (aside from a few bytes diff), but maybe someone wants to play the final version. Another very solid month from Venom. .- Group Totals & Summary -------------------------------------------------. Rank Group Points 1. Eurasia 34 2. Venom 22 3. Cezar 11 4a. Independent 10 4b. Mode 7 10 6. Menace 06 7a. Lightforce 03 7b. Megad 03 7c. Rocket 03 9. Team Gay 02 11. Arrogance 01 - Eurasia wins the charts again, for the third consecutive month. - Venom maintains third or better for the fourth consecutive month. - After a several month stint, Quartex has vanished.. for good? .- All Time Rankings & Points ---------------------------------------------. Points Previous All This +/- Total = Time Rank Group Month Points Points 1. Eurasia 35 + 194 = 229 2. Mode 7 10 + 131 = 141 3. Venom 22 + 58 = 80 4. Lightforce 03 + 44 = 47 5. Capital 0 + 32 = 32 6. Cezar 11 + 19 = 30 7. Rapid Fire 0 + 28 = 28 8. Quartex 0 + 21 = 21 9. Independent 10 + 10 = 20 10. Menace 6 + 12 = 18 11. The Corporation 0 + 12 = 12 12. Paracox 0 + 9 = 9 13. Network International Ltd. 0 + 6 = 6 14. Perversion 0 + 5 = 5 15.a High Society 0 + 4 = 4 15.b Inferno 0 + 4 = 4 17.a Megad 3 + 0 = 3 17.b Rocket 3 + 0 = 3 19.a Nintendo Backup Crew 0 + 2 = 2 19.b Team Gay 2 + 0 = 2 21.a Absence 0 + 1 = 1 21.b Anthrox 0 + 1 = 1 21.c Arrogance 1 + 0 = 1 21.d Gameboy Lamers 0 + 1 = 1 21.e Paradox 0 + 1 = 1 21.f Most Ugly Gameboy Sceners 0 + 1 = 1 21.g Subport 0 + 1 = 1 28.a -Q 0 + 0 = 0 28.b Shitforce 0 + 0 = 0 30.a -P 0 - 1 = -1 30.b Milkmen 0 - 1 = -1 32. Lost 0 - 2 = -2 .- Conclusion -------------------------------------------------------------. ennay: I was seriously thinking about cancelling these charts for REAL this time around. I've just seen too much CRAP / REDUMPS of releases that have been out for weeks and even months, I mean, if you're going to do a redump, at least do it within a week of the fucking retail release. Fucking emu lamers think they can cry and bitch while doing nothing productive. I know you dorks won't ever go away, so Console World will choose to ignore your lame actions. As for releases, December had it's share of amazing titles and the notable ones include Super Mario Advance 2, Tekken Advance, Sonic and US version of Breath of Fire. loaded: December brought some of the most sought-after titles and they didn't disapoint. There's plenty of great titles to play in nearly every genre, which certainly make the post-Christmas drought of games not terribly unbearable. With two great platformers (Sonic and Mario), four fighters (KOF, Tekken, MK, & Recca), several racers (Driven, Advance Rally), and an RPG (BoF), December certainly had a strong showing. Now that 2001 has concluded, it will be interesting to see what this new year will bring for the handheld. Not much is expected in January, but hopefully there will be some great titles on the horizon in a month. In any case, see you then! soutlaw: December was a great month for my favorite handheld. It looks like USA/EUR get Christmas games in November and JAP gets the Christmas games in December. A lot of excellent games from Japan and continued excellence from the top GBA groups. .- Greetings & What We're Playing Currently -------------------------------. ennay - Currently Playing: - Final Fantasy X / PS2 - One of the greatest FF's ever made. I definitely rank this one up there with FF6 and FF7. Now that I've gotten a taste of the voice acting, I don't think I can ever go back to text only RPG's. - Bust A Move / GBA - This one is unofficial, unlicensed product from Russ Prince which is ALOT better than the one that is commercially available for the GBA. It's based on the original Puzzle Bobble in the arcade and it a 95% exact port from the arcade. (It even features LINK play). Grab this FREE title from Subport. Greets to: Everyone who was encouraged me to continue on with the charts, you guys are the ones I'm doing this for. Especially to jus, loaded, soutlaw, cg, ds and the countless others. THANK YOU. loaded - Currently Playing: - Super Mario Advance 2 / GBA - I recently completed all 96 levels of this classic, and I must say that I enjoyed every nostalgic minute of it. I've yet to find any new hidden features, but even without any, it still remains one of my favorite titles of all time. Highly recommended. - Luigi's Mansion / GCN - With $109 Million in the bag and Mario saved, a friend and I mastered this unique title. One of the freshest titles I've played in a while. If only I could figure out a way to get some of that damn money I sucked up.. hmm.. Greets to: Everyone involved in the Game Boy Advance scene, especially those in Eurasia, my supporters (if there are any!), and of course ennay for his diligent work on these charts. :) Soutlaw - Currently Playing: - Kloana 2: Lunatea's Veil PS2 - Tekken, SMA2, PocketNes and a bunch of other GBA and GBC games. Greets to: All my friends who make up the LiGHTFORCE team. Also, greets to my friends in Venom, Kalisto, Mode7 and everyone else in the scene. @BEGIN_FILE_ID.DIZ ------------------------------------------ Console World GBA Charts Number 7 For the month of December 2001, released on January 5th, 2002. ------------------------------------------ @END_FILE_ID.DIZ .--------------------------------------------------------------------------.