Sword of Mana is pretty damn lame; Seiken Densetsu 3's look but none of its awesome
I'll name games other than the ones you usually hear (Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Final Fantasy, Fire Emblem, Golden Sun, etc)
I've probably played upwards of 100 GBA games.
Castlevania: Circle of the Moon and Aria of Sorrow
Sigma Star Saga is a lot of fun, really underrated
Riviera: The Promised Land; also really good and not as widely played
Mario Golf & Tennis (seriously, they're great games, more similar to Golden Sun than mario sports titles as they're developed by Camelot)
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance; it gets bashed for the less-serious story, but it's actually superior to the PS version.
Breath of Fire: I & 2 are decent if you're in a retro-RPG mood
You should REALLY give Megaman Zero (2 or 3 are the good ones) and Battle Network (1-3); they're suprisingly kick ass games.
And I know I said I wouldn't mention it, but you HAVE to play Metroid Fusion and Zero Mission. Don't listen to the haters claiming Super Metroid was the series' prime.
EDIT: bad word choice ; Don't listen to haters claiming Super Metroid was the series' peak
Crusty VGchartz old timer who sporadically returns & posts. Let's debate nebulous shit and expand our perpectives. Or whatever.