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Golden Sun (series)
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Golden Sun (series)
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== Reception == <div style="font-size:90%; float:right; border-left:1em solid white;"> {| class="wikitable" border="1" |+ '''Aggregate review scores''' !Game ![[Metacritic]] ![[Game Rankings]] |- | ''[[Golden Sun]]'' | align="center"| 91%<ref name=mc>{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/gba/goldensun?q=golden%20sun|title=Golden Sun at Metacritic|publisher=gamerankings.com|accessdate=2007-09-25}}</ref> | align="center"| 90%<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamerankings.com/gba/468548-golden-sun/index.html|title=Golden Sun at Gamerankings.com|publisher=gamerankings.com|accessdate=2007-09-25}}</ref> |- | ''[[Golden Sun: The Lost Age]]'' | align="center"| 86%<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/gba/goldensunthelostage?q=The%20Lost%20AGe|title=Golden Sun at Metacritic|publisher=gamerankings.com|accessdate=2007-09-25}}</ref> | align="center"| 87%<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamerankings.com/gba/561356-golden-sun-the-lost-age/index.html|title=Golden Sun at Gamerankings.com|accessdate=2007-09-25}}</ref> |- | ''[[Golden Sun: Dark Dawn]]'' | align="center"| — | align="center"| — |} </div> The series was met with many positive reviews.<ref name="reviews">{{cite web|url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/g/game_boy_advance/golden_sun|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20071001000707/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/g/game_boy_advance/golden_sun|archivedate=2007-10-01|title=Rotten Tomatoes review page|publisher=rottentomatoes.com|accessdate=July 13, 2006}}</ref> Reviewers praised the series' vibrant graphics, high-quality sound, and varied, refined RPG gameplay, with particular optimism on the Djinn-based gameplay system and Battle aspect<ref name="goodreview1">{{cite web|url=http://www.gamerankings.com/gba/468548-golden-sun/index.html IGN Game Rankings review|title=Game Rankings- Golden Sun|publisher=Gamerankings.com|accessdate=July 13, 2006}}</ref> despite the fact that the original two games were limited to the 32-bit cartridge.<ref name=gamespot>{{cite web|date=2001-11-12|author=Torres, Ricardo|url=http://www.gamespot.com/gba/rpg/goldensun/review.html|title=Golden Sun for GBA- gamespot.com|publisher=gamespot.com|accessdate=February 1, 2007}}</ref> ''[[GamePro]]'' raved that ''Golden Sun'' was "A huge, fantastic, creative, and wickedly fun RPG that doesn't seem to care that it's 'just' on a GBA,"<ref name="reviews2">{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/gba/goldensun|title=Metacritic Game Rankings page|publisher=Metacritic.com|accessdate=July 13, 2006}}</ref> while they praised that ''The Lost Age'''s eye-popping magic effects are beautiful even by console standards.<ref name="gamepro">{{cite web|url=http://www.gamepro.com/article/reviews/28950/golden-sun-the-lost-age/|title=Review: Golden Sun: The Lost Age|publisher=[[GamePro]]|accessdate=2008-04-11}}</ref> [[IGN]], meanwhile, praised the plot's intricate structure, saying that it "has been so tightly integrated into every ounce of the adventure... such a rich and deep plot that it's almost easy to get lost if you're not paying attention."<ref name=ignreview>{{cite web|author=Harris, Craig|date=2001-11-09|url=http://gameboy.ign.com/articles/165/165255p1.html|title=IGN ''Golden Sun'' Review|publisher=ign.com|accessdate=February 1, 2007}}</ref> Critics complained that the combat system lacked "smart" combat; if an enemy is killed before other party members attack it, those members switch to defense instead of intelligently attacking the remaining enemies.<ref name="gamepro"/> They also took issue to the long opening sequences in both games that "alienated new players" and "confused them by swamping them with new characters".<ref name="gamespy rev">{{cite web|author=Padilla, Raymond|date=2004-04-26|url=http://archive.gamespy.com/reviews/april03/goldensun2gba/|title=Golden Sun: The Lost Age (GBA)|publisher=[[GameSpy]]|accessdate=2008-04-13}}</ref> In addition, some faulted ''Golden Sun'' for still relying on the traditional "wander around, get into a random battle, win battle, wander around, random battle, etc." theme evident in many role-playing games.<ref name="thunder"/> In 2001, ''Golden Sun'' won the [[Nintendo Power#Nintendo Power Awards|Nintendo Power Award]] for best [[Game Boy Advance]] game of the year. ''Golden Sun'' was ranked 94 on IGN's Readers Choice Top 100 games ever.<ref name="IGN Rankings"/> In 2007, it was named 24th best Game Boy Advance game of all time in [[IGN]]'s feature reflecting on the Game Boy Advance's long lifespan,<ref name="24th">{{cite web|author=Craig Harris|date=2007-03-16|url=http://gameboy.ign.com/articles/772/772284p1.html|title=Top 25 Game Boy Advance Games of All Time|publisher=IGN.com|accessdate=2007-03-18}}</ref> as well as it's Game of the Month for April 2003 because it had "amazing graphics and sound presentation, as well as a quest that lasts for more than thirty hours."<ref>{{citeweb|url=http://gameboy.ign.com/articles/400/400522p1.html|title=IGN:Game of the Month|publisher=IGN|date=2003-04-14|accessdate=2008-07-13}}</ref> Both ''Golden Sun'' and ''The Lost Age'' sold an average of just slightly less than a million each.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3557&Itemid=2&limit=1&limitstart=2|archiveurl=http://www.edge-online.com/features/the-centurys-top-50-handheld-games?page=0,2|archivedate=2009-07-10|title=The Century's Top 50 Handheld Games|publisher=[[Next Generation Magazine]]|accessdate=2008-04-13|date=2006-08-02}}</ref><ref name="sales">{{cite web|date=2004-11-21|archivedate=2004-12-09|accessdate=2008-04-14|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20041209193033/http://www5e.biglobe.ne.jp/~hokora/gbarank.html|url=http://www5e.biglobe.ne.jp/~hokora/gbarank.html|title= Game Boy Advance Software Best Seller Ranking|publisher=biglobe.ne.jp|language=Japanese}}</ref>
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