By Anonymous on Monday, November 12, 2001 - 05:13 pm:
I've shied away from the pocket gaming scene because I always had the impression that the games weren't worth playing for the most part. A few playable ones lost in a sea of Mary Kate and Ashley-type shit. But it seems like the Game Boy Advance has some really tempting titles, notably Advance Wars and Mario Kart. Has anyone picked one up yet? Are you happy with it? I'm very tempted to take the leap, but I'm worried that I'll have regrets...
By Bub (Bub) on Monday, November 12, 2001 - 05:35 pm:
The lighting issue is paramount. The lights available are of mixed quality, so, only get one if you plan on playing next to a lamp.
Doom, for example, is all but unplayable. Sadly. But I'm surprised at how much I love Super Street Fighter.
-Andrew
By Alan Au (Itsatrap) on Monday, November 12, 2001 - 07:57 pm:
Battery-life be damned, I'm holding out for a backlit model! *sigh*
- Alan
By Hooraj on Monday, November 12, 2001 - 08:24 pm:
I'll disagree on Doom being unplayable (the worst of the "too dark" games is Castlevania), but you do need a sunny or well-lighted room for best results to see the screen well for any game. It isn't really that bad and doesn't require a room lit with the power of a thousand suns. For lights, I'd recommend the new Pelican Lightshield Advance (uses a white light (halogen?) and its own AAA battery source) or the Spylight Protector (similar qualities, but bulkier and with a magnifier). With either light, you'll be made to play in the shade. Advance Wars and Mario Kart are two of the brighter games that do well even in dimmer settings. I've been fine playing the GBA on overnight plane flights with only the overhead lamp. The games are somewhat pricey, but you can find good deals at the Marts and Target. Don't expect it to really compete with your PC or home console, but for on the go gaming, it is a big step up from the Gameboy Color in quality so far.
By BobM on Tuesday, November 13, 2001 - 09:07 am:
Check www.portablemonopoly.com
Scroll down to the photos of the guy's GBA mods in action.
By Brian Rubin (Veloxi) on Tuesday, November 13, 2001 - 12:52 pm:
Hopefully he'll be selling these soon, I've been keeping my eye on this for months...
By Lee Johnson (Lee_johnson) on Tuesday, November 13, 2001 - 01:11 pm:
Advance Wars, Tony Hawk 2, Mario Kart. Yum!
By Anonymous on Wednesday, November 14, 2001 - 01:11 pm:
Actually, I am kind of looking for something to compensate for lack of consoles (being overseas for a few months), and I've heard that there are no region limits on the GBA, so I figured I might give it a try. I'm hoping it can tide me over until I get back in the states next year and play the huge backlog of games (and check out all the new consoles) that will have accumulated in the meantime. Thanks for your impressions...