A great game but you need to have lots of time and patience because once you start you won't be able to stop!

That Ryan kid is an idiot, he syas it is too much like pokemon, well thats like saying every RPG is like pokemon. In fact I've never seen an RPG less like pokemon. The gameplay for this game was incredible, the puzzles were challenging, the battles didn't get boring and had a great story line. The graphics were amazing for the GBA and the Djinni summons looked amazing. I am really glad there is going to be a new one on DS and I'll be one of the first to buy it. Also, this game had some of the best music ever, Final Fantasy doesn't even compare to this game.… Expand

I have played the Tales of the World series, the Final Fantasy series and Dragon's Quest series, but none of them came close to comparison with the Golden Sun series.
A memorable storyline and cast alongside impressive soundtracks for the period of release and a story crafted with pure perfection makes this one of the greatest Game Boy Advance games to exist. The same goes for its sequel.

Awesome game, truly one of the best rpgs on any system.

The main thing you have to remember about this game is the fact that it has 2 parts. The whole game consists of 2 cartridges. So as some would say "the first one was short and stupid" clearly have not played them back to back. There's enough hidden Djinni, Artifact weapons, and Djinn combos, you have some of the same control as final fantasy 7. The integration of the 2 parties in the Lost Age, and the story development was second to none. It's one of those games that make you hate the bad guys, then love them.… Expand

This is the best RPG on the GBA so far. It's a long quest mixed with wonderful characters, puzzles and great battles. The only slight downside is the story isn't at the quality of the Final Fantasy games.

It's a perfect game. I think it is the best RPG on the the GBA so far.

I love this game! Too bad I still haven't finished it....

Golden Sun is fantastic.

Best game ever on gba and addicting play it again.

Best RPG for GBA sofar. I would call this a console type Puzzle RPG :)

Ryan is a total idiot this game rocked.

I'm spanish, and this game is the best in the world, and Golden Sun: the lost age, too is the best game!!!!

This is an absolutely great game, and even better when played along side with Golden Sun: The Lost Age. Definately go out and buy it if you haven't already!

Easily the best rpg to hit a handheld game system. The game is a true showcase title in graphics and sound. There is room for improvement though. Sometimes conversations are too lengthy and it's not possible to immediately skip the whole conversation. Also, during fight sequences your characters do not by default go to the next enemy if the one you targeted for the character to kill is killled by another one of your party mbr's. Other than that it's a worthy title to have in your GBA collection.… Collapse

I was getting really tired of crappy RPG's for the advance. All this changed when i picked up this game used. The rating I want to give it is a 13 out of 10 but thats not possible. And to whoever gave this a 9 the reason why it doesnt atoumatic target is for the random number generated drops.

Golden Sun was the best game I've ever played. The graphics were beautiful. The battle system was unbelievable. The songs were addicting. The characters were unforgettable, and the storyline was phenomenal. Golden Sun I and II combined the old-style rpgs with a wonderful new twist, giving it a very unique appearance and game play. I love these two games; however, I would highly suggest playing I before II. Most of the storyline will be lost if someone just jumps into II without knowing the first one. If you don't have Golden Sun, go out and get it! Unless you dislike rpgs, this will be a wonderful game. ^^ Just gotta wait for the third one...… Expand

Zack (shown here) should get further in games before making comments. You can go back, and you'll want too. An amazing Game. "Zack O. gave it a 3: I dont see wjhat is so special about this game !!! it was boring and stupid, and the rpg action was repetative. all the djinn crap was too corny and complicated, and once you get past the mogall forset, you cant go back to get things that you may have missed!!!! a total waste of cash"… Expand

The best game ever...i m not joking. i ve never seen a better RPG.

easily the best game ever created on the GBA console, great story line, challenging puzzles and great graphics too.

This game is the true experience opf RPG. It embodies all of the aspects which make a gem of gameplay. The battle system adds a new twist on the typical RPG battle, without causing the player to become frustrated. The 3D graphics were ahead of their time, and made playing it that much more enjoyable, and the sound was well composed and set the ambiance for many of the game's cutscenes. It is one of the _truly_ good GBA games still on the market.… Expand

Great game. Great as it was long and quite easy. Good graphics and anybody that gives this gmae below 10 points mus hav difficulty playing the game so sayin it that it suks. =.=

I was one of the people eagerly anticipating the initial release of this game. As luck would have it, I had no money at the time. A month and seven wal-marts later (it was that hard to find), I got the game. Since then, I have beaten it at least 6 times, each time at least as good as the last. This game deserves the 10 I give it, and I don't give 10's. At all. Ever. That's how good I think this game is.… Expand

It's not the absolute BEST RPG I've ever played, but it's definitely up there. The graphics are pretty impressive for a 2001 game, and the game is straightfoward, but unique enough to stay interesting from start to finish. The only reason I'm not giving it a 10 is because of the fact that sometimes the game, in my opinion, doesn't give you enough information about what to are supposed to do. I spent forever stuck in Venus Lighthouse because I hadn't found the Carry Stone yet. But still, overall, a good RPG. I will definitely be playing the sequel.… Expand

No game is better than Golden Sun, not even Tony Hawk.

One of the best RPG games in the world.

This game is so freaking awesome it is inexplainable so good....can't stop playing the summons are good final fantasy 7 & 8 and legend of legaia mixed together but it has a very good and unique gameplay.

This game got me into RPG's; something I never thought would happen. It is very hard to put this game down!

Best......Game.......Ever!!!

Dunno just felt like it.

This game is so awesome! I'm trying to get a cheat book.

This is the greatest RPG ever created for a Nintendo game console. It left me crying out for MORE, MORE, MORE! I'm working on getting GS2.

This is the best game I have ever played. The graphics are amazing and the battle summons are marvellous. If you like RPG's BUY THIS GAME!!!

Looks like most people agree on this as the best rpg for gameboy advance. As do i. :) It kept me going. After finishing the first i immediatley played the losta ages. And now i am finished and lost. There has to come a sequel. And i prefer it to be pn the advance... :)

The most amazng game ive ever played in my life.

This game, with the sequil (The Lost Age), make for one of the greatest GBA games on the market. With increasingly powerful monsters, a great storyline, and a little bit of confusion, GOLDEN SUN provides a new gaming experience for novices and experts alike.

The absolute greatest game ever made, having excellent graphics, music, story, characters, and gameplay. The puzzles can be incredibly hard, but they are very rewarding to complete.

Golden Sun is an awesome game with great graphics considering the limitations of the GBA and quite possibly the second best game for the sytem after the sequel.

If i could give this game higher than a 10 i would. One of THE best games I have EVER played period. This game has left a legacy on gaming and would be in the hall of fame for games if there was one. Exceptional.

Easily the best rpg ever created and so easy to understand. I just could'nt put it down. for a gba game its got some pretty decent graphics and the gameplay is awesome. still waiting for the 3rd installment of it, i hope they make it.

The best RPG for all handhelds, including the best graphics, best story and best music

I feel bad that Michael D can't recognize awesomeness when he see's it. Story and gameplay for this game is better than a majority of Final Fantasy games. Also, we waste time on this garbage to see people like you recommend and mention crappier games.

It's been too long since I have come across such a quality RPG. Life is beautiful when you are playing a good RPG.

An awesome game with amazing graphics and an easy to follow storyline.

This game was awesome! The scenery and battles were beautifully designed. It had the perfect balance of every aspect. The characters ( especially Ivan ) were the best ever. I actually felt like I was a part of the adventure.

this game is sooo great but it is too bad that there is no golden sun 3.

I don't use my gba (game boy advance) to much, but this game is addicting. Battle scheme to plot it has you hanging. Even with the side quest. I keep going...This is a must play!!!

Best game ever, hope there's a #3 soon. anyone who thinks the game sucks, sucks!

Wonderful seriously. But the ending could have been better.

It was really fun and some of the characters were cute, I thought it was challenging but fun.

Best RPG I've ever played, and I've played the big console titles like Final Fantasy VI, X, and XII. It's unfortunate that there aren't more RPGs made like this. The Mode 7 battle system works really well, too... I would never expect to see a graphics engine of such high quality on the GBA.

Its very rarely I would score a game 10 but if any game deserves it, Golden sun does. As has been said by many other people it is on of the best RPGs ever created, beautifully crafted excellence. I was completely bored with turned based rpgs for many years until I turned this little beauty on. Its a mixture of the puzzles of Zelda and the fighting of final fantasy. Its the little details that make it rise above the rest, the fact that you get random battles less in areas you've already traveled, or the huge combinations of djinn powers possible. Some of the puzzles are fiendish, but fair. The size and detail in the game is nothing short of incredible for a game on a gameboy (and im saying this in 2008 !). Nothing before matched it for sheer quality and nothing has matched it since (except of course, golden sun 2) Just buy this and number 2, and pray for Golden Sun 3 on DS.… Expand

This was my first game i ever bought for GBA and also my first RPG and it rocked so bad i love this game i heard the 3rd one is going to be on GameCube.

This game is one of the ultimate rpg's it has almost everything you desire in a rpg with a few exceptions like the battle where you have no choice but lose and the extreamly long cut scenes and talking.

Easily the best portable RPG ever, and arguably one of the best RPGs on any system, ever.

Awww yeah. Beat it again for the 6th time. Greatest GBA RPG ever. From the story to the spells to the environments it's great. The puzzles are kinda easy. They start getting annoying when you're trying to solve something and you run into a monster battle, but that's just being picky. When you beat the game you can use your saved data with Lost Age, so that's cool too. Be warned though, make sure you finish everything in the game (Crossbone Isle) before beating the final boss otherwise you won't be able to go back and finish them.… Expand

Greatest series ever created! So much fun playing and replaying this game, from the story to the music, it is magical. This game is completely flawless.

One of the most original games I've played for the gba and the best Rpg to come out in the year 2002. (it came out in 2002 in the uk , 2001 in the us.) Go to ebay and buy it!

Ps i'm new to metacritic and i'm just reviewing some of my favourite games7

this game was amazing.

One of greates RPG's ever made. Misterious, Alternative and just great. I can't describe this game in words... It's just a MUST PLAY Game! Everyone should have played this game. Great Graphics too. They only **** up Golden Sun DS .

Simply put... this game is amazing. The story, the characters, the emotion involved all stand out in this RPG. I first played this game as a child many years ago. I'm now a college graduate and I still enjoy the game to this day. The thing that I love the most about the Golden Sun series is the story involved. As you play the game, the lives of these characters unravel before your eyes. Emotion can also be involved while playing. Heartbreak from a character's loss of family to determination in hopes of a better future of the world; it's all woven within this game. Aside from the story, the gameplay is actually great! As usual with any RPG, you get random battles in dungeons and on the world maps and you progress more and more in levels and skills until you are strong enough to take on your foes without fail. There are a large amount of items and gear in the game to keep players occupied with upgrading.

There is a collection aspect to the game involving these creatures called Djinns. These creatures boost the abilities and power of the characters in which they are attached to. They can be swapped between characters to allow for further combinations of abilities. As characters use the Djinns in battle, powerful summons can be used to take out foes once a certain number of Djinns have been used in combat. These summons are learned or found throughout the game.

The graphics in this game are fantastic for a gameboy advance title. Everything from the environments to the battles to the summoning cutscenes are all great to look at while playing. I remember when this game was first released. I was in awe at some of the graphical effects in this game. The music in the game is some of the best I have ever heard in a portable title. I find myself just sitting in a particular battle or environment just to listen to the music and themes that play. There is a special mode that allows you to listen to all of the music in the game when you enter the arena mode at the title screen (look it up to find out how to find it). The point is that you may love the music so much that you will want to just listen to it at times.

Overall, this game is a classic in my opinion. The quality of this game is obvious. I can only hope for a remake of this title one day with modern-style graphics. It could possibly become more appealing to those who don't like Golden Sun in its current state...… Expand