Advanced speciality (Nintendo Game Boy Advance)

Member Name: Dringostarr

Product:	Nintendo Game Boy Advance
Date:	29/02/04 (244 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Sexy, Fantastic line up, no scratches, no more batteries but more fun

Disadvantages: Pricey, No headphone socket?, Can it stand against the PSP?

The Gameboy Advance was awful. The original Gameboy and the multiple versions that followed were simple and effective systems. True you had to look at third parties for worm lights (to play the games in the dark), battery packs and cases (to avoid nasty scratches on the screen), but it was still a nice looking and playing piece of kit. For the new millenium meanwhile Nintendo needed to add more buttons and introduce the Gameboy to a new generation.

Sadly it all went wrong; the system was so poorly marketed that Nintendo only managed to strengthen their kiddy image. The design was so awful that the screen not only didn't work in the dark but in the day as well and the position of the speaker meant the sound was inaudible. For the first time since 1989 Nintendo needed to update the Gameboy properly and they had fluffed it. Had Nintendo lost it?

Well no, in fact less than 2 years later Nintendo introduced a special version of the GBA. The GBA Special Project (SP), a system that had lost all it's childish appeal and replaced it with a more adult, sexy look. It was a machine that fixed not only the problems created by the GBA but fixed those the Gameboy series had been suffering since 1989.

The Ion re-chargeable battery that has been built into the machine means you will never need to spend money on batteries ever again. The inclusion of a lit screen means you can have people watch you play without them "getting in your light" and also allowed you to play in the dark. The speaker had returned to a central position, no longer covered by your hand and the clamshell added further portability plus protection for that frequently scratched screen.

Nintendo had done it again. The SP is genius, the Gameboy no longer suffers any major flaws and can no longer be called a "children's system". Sadly the SP still lacks perfection, you need an adapter to use headphones on the machine which is a disappointment and the
L and R buttons are not as easy to use as the original GBA... not to mention how steep the price is.

But these are minor flaws. The software line up feature major classics from the SNES era including Mario World and A link to the past. All new original titles such as Advance Wars, Mario and Luigi, Golden Sun and Wario Ware. And the only system that still creates 2D versions of Metroid, Sonic, Mario Kart, F Zero and Kirby. It is like the SNES/Megadrive era never left.

That's not to say there isn't more modern ideas here. Jet Set Radio, Crazy Taxi, Doom, Super Monkey Ball and Ecks Vs. Sever are all wonderful 3D achievements and that's not to mention the frankly Phenomenal Pokemon. The SP is also backward compatible with every GB game ever made since 1989 and that is one hell of a lotta games. Throw in a connectivity feature for the Gamecube and you truly have the pinnacle of a handheld gaming marvel. So what are you waiting for? Choose your colour and watch the good times roll. Gaming has never been this good.

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