GBA

GAME BOY ADVANCE
(June 13, 2001-2004)

The next generation of Game boy

"Well, well, well it's another Game boy!" Every few years, it seems, Nintendo will release a new Game boy to the market to keep the name 'Game Boy' alive. So is this system worth the price? Here's my opinion. This Game boy here features a strong new 32-bit processor oppose to the older outdated 8-bit model, two extra top buttons (you can even change the screen size of the screen of your older GB games to make them easier to see) for more complex games that need more buttons, and a wider screen when compared to the older Game boy Color. It will still play all the older black and white game boy titles and the game boy color ones too plus it will also now play newer games specially made for the Game Boy Advance like CastleVania: Aria of Sorrow, and Super Mario Advance.

Although these game boy here can not produce 3D polygons like other 32-bit systems like the Playstation and Sega Saturn (remember the Saturn?), but it does have the 'Mode 7' effects of the Super Nintendo for some scaling and rotation graphics on the system and that's still better than nothing. Also some companies are also trying to make polygons on the GBA like in the games StarX and Super Monkey Ball Jr.

Despite all the good news about this system the GBA's screen is still not backlit much like the old Game boys, making it hard to see at times in certain places like almost anywhere outside and certain indoor with weak lighting too which is very annoying especially with very dark games like CastleVania Circle of the Moon. The screen can get so bad it almost acts like a mirror. I also wish there was an option to adjust the brightest too like on the older Game boy’s but again we get screwed on that deal. Another problem is that some of newer games don't look too 32-bit like Nintendo's Super Mario Advance (it looks just like that old Super Mario All Stars game on SNES) and Army Men Advance just looks like crap (and plays like crap too) period. I also found the sound quality was not up to par with other systems like the old Super Nintendo from 10 years ago and many games sound no different than Game Boy Color games. On the subject of the new GBA games, most of them are now 10 bucks more expensive than the Game boy Color games out there so you better be prepared to shell out more money.

Despite some problems the GBA already has some great games like CastleVania: Circle Of The Moon (almost as cool has the amazing Playstation title), the Tony Hawk games which play great even in 2D, and the Super Mario titles are really addictive too. Plus the GBA's future looks great with tons of support from big companies. Don't forget the GBA is fully compatible with older Game Boy and Game boy Color titles and that's over 1,200 games to pick from! The system is a fairly smart buy with you like the original Game boy and you want a bit more.

Overall GBA rating: 69/100
Find the Gameboy Advance on eBay here!

Game Boy Advance Accessories:
E - Reader ( September 16, 2002)

The Ereader may be the most innovative device to come out of the year 2002!? Why? With this little baby, players now have the chance to play games from Nintendo's golden age: the legendary Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) era right on their Game boy Advance. So, is this Ereader the coolest device ever released for the popular Game boy or is the Ereader too time consuming for its own good? You be the judge.

You can forget about those bulky gray cartridges from the past, the Ereader down loads game data from new Nintendo game cards. These new e-cards are not only pocket sized but there are also super thin so they are easy to carry around. Another cool thing about these cards is the price; the games are only a mere 5.99 at the moment, compare that to the usual 50 bucks you have to pay for the Game boy Advance games. Unfortunately, this card dot reading system isn't perfect. The scanning process can be a long one as many games require 9 to 10 slides before you can get a particle program to start plus if you scan too fast it won't read the card which can be very annoying. I'm also worried about future NES games that have much more memory (games like the huge 4meg Dragon Warrior IV) than these first generation titles (the original Donkey Kong is barely a meg), does this means we'll have to slide 20 to 30 cards before we can start a game like when the first Zelda finally comes out?

The Ereader can also Save one of your down loaded games to the system so you don't have to rescan the cards of one of your favourites, a nice feature but it will not save your high scores unfortunately plus I don't know if a game like Zelda will Save to the Ereader or not so the Save function may not be all it's cracked up to be. The features don't stop there because some the Ereader cards are also compatible with the Nintendo Game Cube game Animal Crossing. If you have a Game boy to Game Cube adapter then the data you get from an Animal Crossing card can be loaded to the Animal Crossing game to help skyrocket the game's already impressive replay value.

Bottomline: The power of Ereader remands non tested so far, especially with its current line up of games, I don't know if people are got to go for simple games like Urban Champion and Ice Climbers, eh? The Ereader is also a bit pricey at 64.99 and the cards have to be well taken care of too, so you better be sure you're ready to commit to these retro style games before you invest in this device or you may be wasting your time. If Nintendo wants to sell these Ereaders, they better get some killer NES games like Life Force, Mega Man, Tetris, and many others to help build some interest. I personally want to play my all time favourite NES game: The Guardian Legend on the go and maybe we can finally get Gradius II over here too! "How bout it Nintendo?"

Ereader Reviews > >

GBA to Game Cube Link
With these link cables players can download data from certain compatible Game boy games to compatible on the Nintendo Game cube. The link cable can also turn you GBA into a Game Cube Controller minus a few buttons. Here are just some of the GBA games that are compatible with this link cable are:
Metroid Fusion
Sonic Advance
Sonic Advance 2
Splinter Cell

A good reason to buy a Cube is the option to play them on the TV thanks to the GB Player.

Go to the Gameboy Advance Reviews > >