Golden Sun: The Lost Age (2003)

Genre: Role-playing | Players: 1-2 | Developer: Camelot

The Lost Age picks up where the last game left off, but you now play from the perspective of Felix whom you had been chasing in the first game. They now journey to light the remaining elemental lighthouses and restore the ancient force of Alchemy.

Gameplay is mostly unchanged from the first installment. Standard RPG fare enhanced with equip-able Djinn familiars. There are a few tweaks in that now there are equip-able items that can change your class, you can mix different elements of Djinn for new summons in addition to the old summons and this installment is quite a bit more non-linear. The previous game let you revisit locations and do some events out of order, but this one is even more so. There are also certain game elements that change if you transfer your completed game data from the first game via either a link cable or a password taken from the first game cartridge. It isn't necessary to finish the game, but it can give some bonuses like extra items and some new scenarios depending on your actions as the first protagonist, Isaac. It is also the only way to get all Djinn. The battle mode is also still available via the link cable.

Puzzles, animation and exploration are all ramped up with new spells and locations to visit and then revisit with new spells to unlock hidden areas. The game also falls on the easy side, but less so than the first game. It also moves at a slower pace which can be grating at times. It takes a good way into the adventure just to get your 4th party member. There are new enemies, but like the first there are a limited number and new enemies are often just recolored sprites of the original enemies. Even the new main villains are just similar stand-ins for the first game's lost ones. Just as good as the first with some new tweaks.

Buyer's Guide:
This one carries a higher price than most for some reason. Used copies can be had for $15-25. New copies can go much higher. From $25 to $100.

4 The "spear-wielding, desert tribe in need of a witch doctor" section might come off a bit racist out of 5

Metroid Fusion (2002)

Genre: Action-adventure | Players: 1 | Developer: Nintendo

Metroid Fusion sees Samus infected during a mission protecting scientists by a parasite called X. To save her life, the infected parts of her suit are surgically removed and she is injected with a vaccine made from a culture of metroid cells which also happen to be the X parasite's natural predator. The parasite has thrived since Samus herself has all but eradicated the metroid population. Now she is sent on her first mission since the incident to investigate an explosion at the lab where her infected suit was sent.

Developed by the same team behind the classic Super Metroid for SNES, Fusion is also of top quality. Controls are smoothed out and using the shoulder buttons for things like diagonal aiming and toggling between weapons makes combat much more fluid now that you don't have to stop and switch. Enemies are standard fare from other metroid games with the added caveat that they are actually the X mimicking the wildlife. Killing them turns the parasite into it's natural form which Samus can use to restore health and weapons since the metroid vaccine has immunized her to their parasitic nature. Samus has lost all of her abilities since the last game (As she always does), but they can be restored by downloading upgrades from HQ or absorbing large parasites that come from defeating bosses.

The game is less open than it's predecessors since there is actually a minor focus on story, but you can still just fuck off and explore for power-ups and hidden areas if you want. Some complained about adding back-story to Samus, but I think it was rather well done and humanized her a bit. You can also use the link cable accessory to connect with both Metroid Prime and Metroid: Zero Mission to unlock bonus content. All the classic Metroid you expect with smoother controls and pretty new graphics.

Buyer's Guide:

Available used on the GBA for anywhere between 5 and 30 bucks depending on the seller. Also available on the Virtual Channel to 3DS owners.

4 She should learn to keep spare upgrades in a closet or something out of 5