Pros: Small, lightweight, attractive design. Nice big screen. Great resolution. Great voices. Solid feel.
Cons: The screen is pretty dark. Controls may be too compact. Screen surface is ultra-reflective.
The Bottom Line: If you're a gamer, you really can't do without a Gameboy Advance. It's worth the money in order to gain access to the full Gameboy library of games.
skadar's Full Review: Nintendo Game Boy Advance Console
I actually own one. Read this review if you want to find out what it's like to use a Game Boy Advance, and not simply speculate about what it might be like.
I wandered into Toys R Us earlier today and browsed the video game isle just half-heartedly hoping to find anything GBA related. I figured that they would have been already sold out due to all the advance orders and pre-sales. I was completely ready to accept the fact that I had missed the boat. I didn't pre-order, so I figured I wouldn't be getting my hands on a GBA until the fall.
And then I saw her. A TRU manager-type lady dashing through the video game isle looking all frazzled. I saw in her hand that she had a stack of item tickets for the GBA handware! And then I began to notice all of the people milling around. I didn't know this, but it turns out that TRU was about to begin selling the GBA from a small stock of first-come-first-served GBAs on hand! Wow! The employee returned and installed the small stacks of tickets on the wall. Hmmmm... Right when she disappeared around the corner, I grabbed one for an indigo GBA and headed towards the front of the store. On the way, I grabbed a couple of pre-sale tickets for Super Mario Advance and F-Zero just for the heck of it.
When I got to the register, they took my tickets and told me that they had the games in stock and asked if I wanted them. Hell yeah. So I ended up getting a GBA, Mario Advance, F-Zero, a Worm Light, and a Shoulder bag... all this after I didn't expect to walk out with anything. Heh. It turns out that I got the second one that my TRU had sold.
Anyway... on to what you really want to know... is the Gameboy Advance any good?
Physical:
I really like the asthetic design of the GBA. Like the N64 before it, it's just a slick looking console. Although it is roughly the same shape, it's about 1/3 the size of the old Sega Game Gear. The best thing about the physical design of the GBA has got to be the screen. It is much larger than any previous Gameboy screen, and it has a little bit of a wide-angle aspect to it... which makes side scrollers (a Gameboy staple) that much more enjoyable.
The negatives of the physical design include:
1) Cramped controls. Due to the small stature of the GBA, the controls are understandably compact. But understanding why it must be so doesn't make it any more comfortable. Adult hands may have to endure a painful gaming experience for games that make significant use of the L and R buttons... like F-Zero. It's physically difficult to use the L button and the D-pad at the same time. I suppose I'll just have to get used to it.
2) The screen is quite dark, and very reflective. I can't help but think that the GBA would have been so much better with some kind of anti-glare screen coating. The glass on the screen is mirror-smooth... and it acts just like a mirror. Everything behind you is reflected across Mario's world with total and complete clarity. And unlike the old Game Gear, the GBA screen has no inherent brightness. It is not backlit. In order to really enjoy the console, you must play with an adequate light source behind you.
Graphics:
The graphics are fantastic for a hand held console! That's the bottom line. The resolution is excellent, and there is no ghosting or blurring that was so common with the original Gameboys. Take note that there is no contrast setting like on other Gameboy systems. And there's really no need for it as the screen maintains clarity at all angles as long as you've got a good light source.
Graphics-wise, the GBA is like having a high-res SNES in the palm of your hand.
Sound:
I'll tell you one thing. The voices in Super Mario Advance are excellent! The music is fairly typical, but it sounds good enough. Here's one negative though... the speaker is just barely adequate! Even on maximum volume, you won't bother others around you (except maybe for the repetitive nature of the music). But volume-wise, the GBA is seriously lacking. It's obviously a little better with headphones, but if I had to describe the volume in Spinal Tap terms I'd say that it only goes to about 4.
Compatibility:
I've been playing my Gameboy Advance all day now, and I just tried out some original Gameboy titles like Killer Instinct and Dr. Mario. They play perfectly, and are very clear with no ghosting.
One cool aspect (you'll get the pun in a second) of the GBA is that you can change the aspect ratio of older Gameboy games on the fly with the L and R buttons. You can instantly flip between old-style screen size to full width and back again. Just as a quick test, I found that I liked Killer Instinct much better on full screen... while Dr. Mario played much better in it's normal aspect ratio. It's nice to have this option.
Bottom Line:
Even with it's physical design shortcomings, the GBA is clearly the handheld console to have. The biggest selling point by far for me was its complete backwards compatibility. Before the GBA, the only handheld consoles that I've owned included an original Gameboy, a Sega Game Gear, and, if you want to count it, a Milton Bradley Microvision (if you remember that, then you're old). Lately I felt like I was missing out on a lot of great Gameboy Color games that I just didn't have access to. Well now I do. My next GBA purchases will be the new Zelda additions for Color Gameboy.
Overall, I do recommend the Gameboy Advanced. If you're into gaming, or even if you're loyal to other brands, you're really missing out if you don't have access to the full Gameboy library of games. This console line continues to successfully reject the notion of bigger, flashier, and faster is better. Smaller and simpler can be just as engaging.
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