GBA Might Be the Greatest System Ever!
Written By: Roger Taylor

5. GBA is a solid leap forward in technology.

Unlike every other Nintendo console ever made, GBA is actually much better technologically than anything else on the market. With many GBA games that already look as good as first generation Saturn and Playstation titles, this is one powerful console. And in typical Nintendo fashion, GBA will feature lots of innovation, like the ability to hook up to the GameCube for multiplayer. Not only that, but you can play multiplayer games while only owning one copy of most games via the link cable. That way, you and your friends won’t have to all purchase the same game.

4. You’ll be able to hold onto this for a long time.

Nintendo has a stranglehold on the handheld market, and GBA should only further cement that hold. Because of that, Nintendo won’t need to release a new system five years from now like they do in the home console market. The Game Boy lasted 10 years, and there is no reason to think that GBA won’t last nearly that long.

3. It’s very inexpensive.

The GBA will launch in Japan for around 10,000 yen (about $100). Systems usually drop in price when they come stateside, so you can expect Advance to debut here at around $80. That is only slightly more than the Game Boy Color sells for now. In addition, batteries are supposed to last up to 15 hours (best case scenario) in the GBA. That’s a considerably longer battery life than any other handheld system to date, so you should save money on batteries too. And with games probably priced at a reasonable $30 or less, you will end up spending much less for the same amount of fun that you’d get with an expensive home console setup.

2. It will be supported by almost every developer of consequence.

Nintendo released the launch list only a few days ago, and there have already been more than 35 games announced for the system. Konami, Capcom and Kemco are among the first to announce GBA support. Expect many more publishers to do the same in the coming weeks. Since the Advance will have no serious competition, anyone interested in developing for a handheld will have only one system to develop for. This also means that, since developers can’t turn to a system with a more mature image, like they can with home consoles, you will be seeing lots of more mature games on the GBA.

1. GBA will fuse old-school gaming with new technology.

If you have fond memories of the days when gaming was simpler, and most games were 2D, you will love the GBA. Because of how difficult it is to make 3D environments on a small screen (and on a simple 32-bit system), expect nearly every game on the GBA to be 2-Dimensional. That means that there will be lots and lots of SNES to GBA conversions, which is great news for hardcore gamers. In fact, a 2D Mario platformer and even a new 2D Castlevania game are in the works right now. There are even SNES-like RPGs, like Golden Sun, in development. If you are anything like me, you believe that the Super Nintendo was the greatest gaming console in history. The GBA, with its simple controller and stellar 2D graphics, is basically a handheld SNES. So much for reminiscing… with the GBA, the past is the future.

All comments, questions and suggestions are welcome. Send them to jonas42@vgf.com.