[ MAUKA MAKAI ]
Nintendo's Game Boy Advance is finally here, and has it come a long way! From the original, slimming down to Game Boy Pocket, then bursting into Game Boy Color, the Game Boy has dominated gaming's handheld niche since it first came out in 1989. New Game Boy
Advance proves to
be a handfulVIDEO GAMES
Super Mario battles Wart
Wilma Jandoc
wjandoc@starbulletin.comIts latest version, released in the United States June 11, makes more improvements, proving that good things do come in small packages.
The GBA console and screen are now horizontally aligned. Measuring 5.25 inches by 3 inches, the GBA is slightly larger than the GBC, with a 40 percent wider screen. And at just about an inch thick all the way around, it no longer has the GBC's bulge at the battery compartment.
The GBA's 32-bit system makes it a handheld Super Nintendo. Its graphics show much more detail but still follow the familiar, two-dimensional sprite style.
It also sports a much improved sound, with blips and beeps turned into more well-tuned music. The old two-tone welcome "song" is now a quartet of musical chimes. Unfortunately, the console's mono speaker doesn't do the sound much justice; earphones are suggested.
The GBA can support up to four players with the link cable. Nintendo boasts about Advance games' ability to support four players using just one game cart, but be prepared for slowdown as the cart feeds four consoles. Because of this, some multiplayer games require multiple carts.
On the downside, the GBA's controls are a bit clunky. The A and B buttons and direction pad are the same size as on the GBC but are centrally placed on either side of the screen. It makes for an unstable feeling, with your hands so far apart.
Select and Start buttons are now exclusively on the left side, which can cause fumbling when you want to pause.
The console follows the SNES controller with the addition of L and R shoulder buttons. But unlike the SNES controller, the GBA lacks X and Y buttons. This will most likely lead to a simplifying of any SNES games ported to the GBA.
But the GBA's real flaw is the lack of a backlit screen, which has plagued the Game Boy since its beginning. If you're not playing in direct sunlight or lamplight, you won't able to see much of anything.
Although this saves battery power -- the GBA still uses only two AA batteries -- it is very annoying. Small lights that plug into the extension port are a necessity. If you do go that route, get used to seeing a bright white spot reflected in the screen.
Because the light uses the same port as the link cable, be sure to get a light that has a pass-through, which still allows use of the link cable.
The GBA's AC adapter, sold separately, is in the form of a pack that fits into the battery compartment.
Talking about power, you won't have to worry that your GBA will suddenly conk out on you -- its power light changes from green to red to warn you of low battery power.
The system is backward compatible, meaning it will play older Game Boy games. New carts are half the size of old ones, though, so older games will stick an inch over the top.
Older games played on the GBA will have black bars on both sides to make up for the difference in screen size. But older games can take some advantage of the larger screen: A tap of the L button will stretch the viewing area to fill the entire screen, while the R button will shrink it back to original size.
It seems to have a limited region lockout, so you can also play some Japanese games on your U.S. Game Boy.
The U.S. GBA launched in three colors: Arctic (white), Indigo (purple) and Glacier (translucent blue), with a Fuchsia (pink) version to come in July.
>> Army Men Advance GAME BOY ADVANCE
LAUNCH TITLES
>> Bomberman Tournament
>> Castlevania: Circle of the Moon
>> ChuChu Rocket!
>> Earthworm Jim
>> F-Zero Maximum Velocity
>> Firepro Wrestling
>> GT Advance Championship Racing
>> Iridion 3D
>> Konami Krazy Racers
>> Namco Museum Advance
>> Pinobee: Wings of Adventure
>> Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure
>> Rayman Advance
>> Ready 2 Rumble Round 2
>> Super Dodge Ball Advance
>> Super Mario Advance
>> Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2
>> Top Gear GT Championship
>> Tweety and the Magic Jewels
When making games for new systems, companies love rehashing old games. This proves nostalgic for older gamers, while drawing in newer ones by showing what made the franchise big in the first place. Super Mario battles
Wart over future
of SubconSuper Mario Advance falls somewhere in between.
This launch title for the Game Boy Advance is a revamped version of Super Mario Bros. 2, originally for the regular Nintendo.
In this game, Mario, brother Luigi, Princess Peach and her loyal retainer Toad must save the land of Subcon from Wart, a bubble-spitting toad who hates vegetables.
There are 20 areas altogether, and you choose one of the four characters at the start of each area. The characters have different power and jumping abilities, shown in a meter at the bottom of the screen when you select a character.
The main change is that you can now save the game, with three save slots available.
Other new aspects include giant enemies and vegetables nearly four times the size of regular ones, Ace coins that give extra lives, and a point system that awards points for everything from the coins you grab to the items you pull out of the ground.
A lot of voices have also been added. The characters make exclamations (like Mario's "Here we go!") in almost any situation: when they pick up or throw something, when they power jump, and more.
The sound effects are better -- for example, Phantos now makes constant swooshing noises when he's chasing you -- but Toad's harsh voice is rather frightening.
The bonus slot game at the end of each area is also more difficult. Instead of the wheels stopping on a dime, they now roll to a stop.
But perhaps the worst aspect of the game is its scrolling problems. Your character is usually centered in the screen, but sometimes the screen automatically scrolls forward, leaving you at the edge of the viewing area.
Also bundled in the game cart are the single-player and multiplayer versions of classic Mario Bros., in which you grab coins and bash enemies that crawl out of pipes.
Super Mario Advance touches everything Nintendo wants to show off in the GBA: better music, improved sound effects and more detailed graphics. It may not be anything new, but it still has the innovative aspects that made Mario 2 a great game.
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