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Well, the reasons are many, but the best reason must be the future prospect! I mean the future for the GBA is looking great, but first let's look at the past!
The original 'Gameboy' was launched in 1989 and was received well. Although it was Monochrome, games like Tetris and Mario saw the machine off the shelves and into homes. I think the main reason why it was so popular back then was because of the size. It was, although large compared to it's modern day counterparts, very small for its time and to fit it into a briefcase was as easy as 'taking candy from a baby'... (That is easy right)!
Moving on the large chunk of monochrome screened plastic that was the 'Gameboy' turned into, if i'm not mistaken, the Gameboy Pocket. The slimmed-down, more manageable version of the console was also good although there was still something missing... Colour!
The Gameboy Colour... sounds great doesn't it! But unfortunately, although it was able to display colours, the games were still flat and morbid and in my view, the 'Gameboy' brand name and one other thing saved Nintendo from the '96 - '00 slump that went through. Pokémon.
Who'd have thought these 151 cartoon characters could have brought a multi-billion pound company out of the pool of exertion they were so quickly sinking into? Well, Nintendo, obviously because Pokémon was a hit... maybe because it combination of team-work, strategy, love and war, and battle and opposition all in one game, maybe it was because of the cute faces that the animals encompassed?! Either way, Nintendo were saved and they made enough money to have another go at obtaining their arguably, rightful gaming crown.
Which brings us to now... The Present. The Gameboy Advance has been released the world over and it's seeing great success... and apparently not because of the brand name! The actual specs of the machine are amazing and they've seen the first major overhaul of the console since all those years ago in 1989 when it was first released! The screen, for those of you that don't know, is now 50% bigger than the original with a width of 7.25cm, the height is still the same, but the extra width is ideal for most racing games and side-scrollers!
The GBA sold 1.5-ish million units in Japan in the first month. The US gamers got through 500,000 in the first week and it looks like the UK has run supplies dry! So the GBA is proving to be quite a hit…
And why shouldn’t it be…. It’s sleek design, great graphics… it’s just like playing a top of the range Pocket TV! Amazing. But now… The Future… that word’s great… I love it… it brings excitement and suspense to the atmosphere! A bit like a survival horror… D
But anyway… look at the GBA’s outstanding future… Gamecube link up, Sonic Advance, Mario Kart Super Circuit… the list goes on… and so will the GBA! I can’t wait to get some of the titles scheduled for release this autumn… I want Mario Kart amongst others! But what will the Gameboy Advance actually do for Nintendo… other than make them money from sales? Well, as I said in ‘my’ cloudchaser topic, the GBA will drive a wedge between gamers and the other consoles… Microsoft and Sony will have a problem overcoming the GBA… and if people can see that Nintendo’s gameplay quality is on the up they’re sure to wait for the Gamecube…
Okay, I have a question for you… Out of the following, which would you take for £300?
A) - Microsoft X-Box
B) - Playstation 2
C) - Nintendo Gameboy Advance AND NINTENDO GAMECUBE
You’d have to be stupid to pick anything but the bottom one. Two consoles for the price of one! The Gameboy Advance is backwards compatible with almost, if not all, Gameboy, Gameboy Pocket and Gameboy Colour games, the two will link up and we’re bound to see some sort of game connect ability between the games… remember! Metroid is coming out on both consoles, different versions or not, there is still chance for a link!
All in all having a Gameboy Advance is a good thing… sure you’ll be addicted with in 5 minutes and your grades might drop… you might have a problem with ‘the boss’ but it’s worth it… You don’t have to play it all the time… but its there if you want to! If you don’t have one yet, that’s okay… but don’t dismiss it as any sort of fun and not even consider it… play one first… I have only jut played on today and I’m taken… it’s amazing… and much more than a portable SNES!
Thanks
Game
That's not too much to ask, is it?!