Gift ideas for wife Gameboy/Gameboy Advance

Axman

VP of Extreme Liberty
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My wife found the Gameboy Advance SP I gave her forever ago, and her birthday's coming up, so I thought I'd get her some games to play with. Can be original or Advance, since it plays both.

My memory's all kinds of fuzzy about that generation of games and I only every played JRPGs back then anyway, so does anyone remember what games girls played back then?
 
those^^^, kirby, mario kart, pokemons, yoshi games, mario world, barbie princess...
 
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I just ordered Jurassic Park (OG GB), Tetris Worlds, and Super Mario Advance.

Also Phantasy Star Collection but you all know that one's pretty much for me.

This isn't a final list, I'll happily buy more games for her. This birthday is on easy mode.
 
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Metroid Prime?
Metroid Fusion. Dont think Prime was released on GBA.
 
+1 for a custom cartridge
Or the Ty games, crash bandicoot games, Mario, or guitar hero.
 
For a woman I'd actually look at the OG Final Fantasy Adventure in all seriousness, IIRC it was retitled Sword of Mana for the GBA as it's actually the first of the Mana series. It's an action RPG and the sound track (as with all Mana series sound tracks) still gets hauntingly beautiful at times. It's true to the Mana series and FF series in it's layout and working. It's not overly complex or hard (it's outright easy really), though there are a couple areas you can get lost as all hell in but looking online will fix that. The cast of characters are loveable and while generic as all hell doesn't fall flat and they all have some appeal, unlike other FF series where there are always the ones you hate to have on screen. It's a fun romp and for women the princess/girl is not a goal to get but actually saves your ass most of the game through the heal ability. The ending if you don't know the twist is utterly tragic and sweet at the same time (the girl you have been protecting through it is the mana seed and must die to form the new mana tree which was her mother which got murdered and you only figure this out at the end through her suicide but she's totally happy with it and so are you). Right up till the end it doesn't play itself seriously with monster snowmen, shit talking vampire counts, chocobos, dwarves that take you on crazy rides, and more. It's sold as an RPG but it plays out like an action game and has" fast saves " (there is a save option, abuse it) so don't worry about any of that you can put it down at any moment and jump back in.

Like anything Mana the artwork is all beautiful but doesn't cross into being too cute, it's sort of anime but doesn't cross into animu. It's about 20 for a "used" that is probably fake, about 60 for a used that is probably legit. Sealed or still in the hard plastic anti theft from a store is hundreds.

+1 for a custom cartridge
Or the Ty games, crash bandicoot games, Mario, or guitar hero.

It's like none of you ever met a woman. A custom cart will not do a damn thing because it's fake and they know it, doesn't matter what technical wizardry you put in it. The cost or technical prowess of the item matters less than it's authenticity and the fact that you put the time into thinking about what she likes and what she would enjoy.
Anything flashy or ROM-based won't do, it's gotta be a real, tangible thing. It's not about the games, it's about the gift.

You guys have met women, right?

This is a man who is not an incel and gets it. Also for bonus points go get an etsy or genuine mana figure for one of the games, bundle both the OG Final Fantasy Adventure in it with Sword of Mana so it's both in one shot. You can get replacement boxes and manuals on the cheap if you need to but old ones that are abused and have "character" are cheap to get. Measure it out and box all that crap in plastic box from Amazon and then use clear double sided time to hold them downin it after you plastic seal the items. Wrap it in white paper (which represents Squares box art) and tie a green (for the gameboy version) ribbon around it one way and a blue (for the GBA version) around it the other. Buy a bonsai plant (or whatever) to represent the Tree of Mana, leave it on the table as you cook dinner and she'll figure it all out and be happy you put some throught and effort into it.

This is not hard! Don't pull "honey I made you a ROM flash cart happy birthday!" shit.
 
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Buy a bonsai plant (or whatever) to represent the Tree of Mana, leave it on the table as you cook dinner and she'll figure it all out and be happy you put some throught and effort into it.

This is not hard! Don't pull "honey I made you a ROM flash cart happy birthday!" shit.

Plants and flowers = dependencies, but good idea about the boxes.

Also, yeah, ROM flash cart is a good idea, and I will possibly do it, but more for a "I'm sorry I didn't go to your office friend's gay second wedding" sorta thing. Or "Hey, I know you did all that nightime shopping with wine so hard you had to call in sick," *poof* nostalgia video games.

It's a good idea. But not birthday material.
 
Plants and flowers = dependencies, but good idea about the boxes.

Also, yeah, ROM flash cart is a good idea, and I will possibly do it, but more for a "I'm sorry I didn't go to your office friend's gay second wedding" sorta thing. Or "Hey, I know you did all that nightime shopping with wine so hard you had to call in sick," *poof* nostalgia video games.

It's a good idea. But not birthday material.

It's a plant not a kitten or puppy so no it's not, and it would fit in with the theme. You don't have to pick the game I picked. You can totally do an OG Metroid release for the gameboy advance and an OG Metroid 2 return of Samus toss in an Amibo even if you don't have a switch and then box it it up and use different wrapping papper and ribbons! Fuck toss in a pair of Metroid socks for shits and giggles box it up the way I said and then when she opens it up loudly claim "I got myself something too to celebrate you!". Trust me she'll laugh her ass off that you bought yourself socks for her birthday. Bonus points if you rig your iPhone/alexa to play the Metroid theme while she opens it.

And that's the thing. Once you hit a point in life the money is not the issue. It's showing you know, care, it's something real, and booking a laugh or a cry into it. Also that you spent like five seconds of effort into it.

My last "portable purchase" for my lady was Final Fantasy Tactics Advance with a stuffed Chocobo and yellow roses to go with the Chocobo. Gave her lemonade instead of wine because also yellow. She's a tiny little thing but had a good laugh and then when the lemon cake came out burst out laughing and then we broke out the real dinner and drinks. It's not hard to show a woman you care and put some minimal effort into the whole show.

Just don't show up with a ROM cart, complain about the lack of boobs and ass in MK and then say blow job time. It's hard to fuck up a birthday, if you care.
 
It's a plant not a kitten or puppy so no it's not, and it would fit in with the theme.

Yeah, you weren't there when I had to plunger all the orchids down the garbage disposal because we had to move; she doesn't want plants anymore, and sometimes, when her clients send her flowers (she's a teacher, parents buy teachers dumb shit) I just relabel them, give them to my father-in-law, and he does our dishes now. Plants are an exchange currency for me, not a primary one.

FF:TA is actually why she has the GBA in the first place. We worked together at the same place and she stole it from me just for that game.

Also, she accidentally opened up my mail with the Jurassic Park cart in it, and she was so happy/sorry she bought me FFVII and FFIX off my wishlist.

Comin' up Millhouse, I will tell you all how I fuck this up in the coming weeks.
 
Yeah, you weren't there when I had to plunger all the orchids down the garbage disposal because we had to move; she doesn't want plants anymore, and sometimes, when her clients send her flowers (she's a teacher, parents buy teachers dumb shit) I just relabel them, give them to my father-in-law, and he does our dishes now. Plants are an exchange currency for me, not a primary one.

FF:TA is actually why she has the GBA in the first place. We worked together at the same place and she stole it from me just for that game.

Also, she accidentally opened up my mail with the Jurassic Park cart in it, and she was so happy/sorry she bought me FFVII and FFIX off my wishlist.

Comin' up Millhouse, I will tell you all how I fuck this up in the coming weeks.

Garbage disposal! That's rough! I took out our aloe plant.

FFVII and FFIX seems to me you have a PS1 if you want a great "play with woman" type thing for this that just screams class and since she liked FFTA the Lunars are great games and real collectors items. Won't come cheap but if you like that sort of stuff from that era they hit hard.
 

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