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GBA Hardware
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Written by: Hybrid
What can I say? It's the first real "advance" in Gameboy since
it came out 11 years ago. First we got a clearer screen and smaller size,
then we got color, now we have an entirely different system. GBA can play
almost all the original gameboy and GBC games (I'm not sure if Gameboy
Camera will work on it). Sadly, there is still no backlight for the screen.
If Nintendo was so concerned about battery consumption, they could of
just put in a light with a dimmer switch. Many people buy a light for
it anyway. Whatever, this doesn't ruin the whole GBA experience.
The handheld is a tiny big longer than GBC but it's also a little thinner.
You'll have no trouble fitting this into a standard pocket, but playing
it is another story. This thing is great for people under the age of 10
with smaller hands, but others like me with larger hands find it a little
more difficult to play. Hell, I don't even have the largest of hands,
but it still gets uncomfortable playing a game that uses L and R a lot.
However, it does feel better than GBC. You can always buy a cheap add
on for better comfort.
So what makes GBA so..advanced? Basically it has 2 more buttons, 50% larger
screen, and more than twice as powerful as GBC. There's also a couple
features you can pull off by pressing certain buttons. If you press start
and select while the system is loading, you will hear a sound from Super
Mario World; then pressing another button you will hear a confirmation
sound. There is absolutely no point to this, but it's neato. A more useful
feature is pressing start, select, A, and B while playing a game and does
a "soft reset" bringing you to the title screen. This is for
people too lazy to switch the system on and off. As for battery consumption,
it's a little better too. Instead of guessing when your power is running
out and looking for the red light to go dim, the color of the light goes
from green to red, to blinking red: change the batteries now!
Should you buy a GBA? If you are ever bored on a road trip or the power
went out...and its really bright outside...then buying a GBA is a good
idea. Some places will let you trade in your GBC for a GBA game. Right
now, about half the games are on better systems or are remakes from older
consoles. For $100, it's a good deal. Eventually you will be able to play
online with your handheld and there are already some games out where you
can link up to 4 players. Mario Advance Battle mode is a notable one.
This year is going to be the greatest year for gaming since...well a long
time. With Gamecube, Xbox, MGS2, and a bunch of other games on respective
systems, you may want to save your money for later this year. But if you
know somebody else with one, I'd have to recommend buying one with a link
cable.
Add-ons
Here are some things I would personally recommend buying with your GBA:
- Link cable: Choose Nintendo or 3rd party, I try to buy 1st party whenever
possible. - Light: You are going to need a light. They're not very expensive and
they help play games in the dark or just dim light. I got a glowguard
by Interact...don't get this thing. The lightshield by Pelican has a
dimmer switch, metal gear, and doesn't while you play so you don't die!
And it only cost 2 bucks more! steeep. - Power charger: Batteries die fast. Get one for about the price of
4 packs.
Gameplay:
Graphics:
Sound:
Value:
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Final Score: 0. (out of 5)