By: Nintendo

As I was trying to figure out what to write for my first review, I began to think about my first time. You know, that very special moment in a guy?s life. Ah yes, it?s all coming back to me. The year was 1985 and I had my hands all over that Game & Watch Mario?s Cement Factory. I still get a little emotional when I think back to the very first video game I ever played. I?m getting a little ?verklempt?.

Actually, I think I?ll save that Linda Richmond stuff for a future Coffee Talk-esque review that I have lined up.

Why did I start my review that way? I don?t have a clue. I guess it just struck me that I?ve been playing Nintendo?s handheld games and consoles longer than I had originally thought. Mario?s Cement Factory and other brilliant Game & Watch handhelds opened the floodgates to what was to come. I had the original bulky, grey and eggplant coloured Game Boy and still have the smaller Colour version. However, they pale in comparison to the Game Boy?s latest incarnation.

I?ve now played my Game Boy Advance for 2 weeks, logging over 20 hours, and it amazes me still to how great this system is.

So to begin with, I?ll get my only gripe out of the way: lack of backlighting. It seems as if Nintendo, in all of their wisdom, believes that seeing what your playing is not that important. The Game Gear, though it took 6 AA batteries (!!!), had backlighting. That was nearly a decade ago. And to make matters more troubling, Nintendo is not even making a light to go with the system. However, the old GBC light can be used on this system, and it does an adequate job of lighting most, but not all, of the screen. Without a light though, you?ll be doing a lot of tilting, usually resulting in the system being further away from you than you would like and the operator looking like an idiot.

With that out of the way, this definitely ranks as one of the best consoles ever made. When compared to the GBC, the GBA is a bit smaller, has a better CPU (32bit compared to 8bit), a larger screen, two extra buttons and a longer battery life. What?s more impressive is the size of cartridges. They are half the size of the GB games and can hold an impressive amount of information. Wait for my reviews of Tony Hawk?s Pro Skater 2 and Fire Pro Wrestling and you?ll know what I mean.

On the subject of cartridges, the GBA is backwards compatible. To do this, older games are cropped down to the original size they were meant to be played on. The only awkward part is the games stick out a full inch from the system, but if that?s the cost of playing Tetris and Mario Golf, do you think I give a rat?s ass? No. Needless to say, this is a nice touch on Nintendo?s part for its devoted GB fans.

The GBA can also be hooked up to 3 other systems for multi-player games and certain games can do this only using one cartridge. It can even be hooked up to the GBC and is compatible with the old Link Cable. I?ve yet to use this feature on my GBA, but if it is anything like the GBC, it should run very smoothly.

To quote the back of the GBA box: ?On specially designed games, Game Boy Advance can be connected directly to the NINTENDO GAMECUBE for use as an additional game screen and controller!? I?m not really too sure what to expect from this, but it does whet my appetite. The GBA actually came out a month earlier than originally planed. So if Nintendo doesn?t pull a 64 and mess up the launch of the GameCube, owners of GBA might buy Nintendo?s new system come November.

With 17 launch titles, there?s something for everyone. And at $140 for the system and $45-$60 for games, you will get your money?s worth. This is definitely a great way to pass some of those lazy, hazy, effed up days of summer.

JBo
King