Game Boy Advance SP
posted on august 25, 2003, tag: gaming
In 1989, I got a Nintendo Game Boy for Christmas. I loved it in all it's black-and-white, bulky glory. I ended up losing it at some point many years later, as well as all of the games I had for it.
Some 14 years later, two weeks ago, I bought a Game Boy Advance SP. What an amazing toy this is. First all of, the SP has a backlit screen. The biggest problem when the Game Boy Advance came out was its screen. People hated it. You couldn't see it unless you were in perfect light conditions. I know it's true because when I turn off the backlight on the SP I can rarely see anything. If they had only added a backlight, the SP would have been worth the extra thirty dollars (the Advance is 69.99, the SP is 99.99). But that's not all.
The Advance was shaped differently than every other Game Boy before it—horizontally (see website for image). The SP, however, heads back toward the original design of the Game Boy—vertical—but with a twist. It folds at the middle, and fits comfortably in your pocket. Also, they've finally added Lithium-ion rechargeable batteries, so you don't have to keep buying AAs every few times you play. You just plug the little guy in and he's recharged in no time. In fact, the only bad thing about the SP is that you have to buy an adapter to use headphones. Luckily, said adapter is only $4.95.
In the past two weeks I've already become heavily attached to the Game Boy. I've been bringing it with me whenever I know they'll be sitting involved, and I'm loving it. Since the SP is so powerful (32-bit means it's basically a Super Nintendo in your pocket), they've started to port all the great games from the SNES to the Advance systems. And, since most GBA games tend to be less than $30, you can get tons of entertainment out of the device for a pretty cheap rate.
I've recently begun to really get back into video games (I tend to go about 6 months really into gaming again, then 6 months of being less interested), and the GBA SP has been a big part of that. If you're a fan of the Game Boy, but you haven't had once since they weighed a pound and were the size of bricks, you might want to spend some money on the Advance SP—it's really good stuff.
Comments
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Reid on 09/01/2003:
What games have you got? I bought the original Gameboy Advance when it first came out. It's currently gathering dust somewhere due to the frustration of not having a back-light.
Your post has tempted me to splash out on the SP model. So, what games do you recommend? I used to play Tony Hawks 2 pretty much non-stop but I think a new console deserves a few new games.
Garrett on 09/01/2003:
I'm currently playing Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, which is a port from the SNES version (although it includes a new multiplayer game called 'Four Swords'). The first game I bought, and one that I'm planning on finishing at some point (I'm at 98%) is Metroid Fusion, which is a fantastic sequel to the SNES game Super Metroid (still one of the best console games of all time).
I also managed to get my hands on a used version of original Tetris, so that's been useful in filling other times when I don't really want a full game experience. If I can just get my hands on a copy of Bust-A-Move, my puzzle requirements will be fulfilled.
Next on my list of GBA games to acquire is Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3, because the SNES version was fantastic.
There are also some good games coming in the future, including another new Metroid game, a new Mario RPG (called Mario and Luigi) and more.
Ben on 09/02/2003:
Aye, Yoshis Island is top. Got me through a 35 hour Greyhound journey from Chicago to LA on my recent trip there...
I still have a vanilla Advance. Will get me an SP soon.