all games

I just bought an Onyx SP and a Mario Bros. 3 game yesterday at my local KBToys, and I must say I'm impressed. Many companies have tried to make handhelds before (I hear even Playstation is coming out with one -- jeez), but Nintendo is the only company that is preffered by ACTUAL GAMERS. I mean, sure I'm pretty upset about my old GBA gathering dust somewhere in my personal junkyard, but the GBA really was quite a problem. I mean, after only a week the screen was cracked and smuged, and once it was night out I couldn't see what I was doing. I tried to fix this by buying a Pelican Light/Shield, but the thing kept falling off and leaving a blue tint on my screen. But just when I thought I had lost, here it is -- the SP!!!!

PROS:

Sidelit screen that completly illuminates your gameplay

Clamshell design folds-down, making less annoying, horrible looking scratches on your screen

Rechargable battery saves money on buying batteries

Cool design and colors (Especially Onyx)

CONS:

Screen collects dust quickly for some reason

No headphone jack (which isn't really a problem since the stereo sound of the SP is phenominal)

Smaller L-R buttons

RECOMENDED GAMES:

Zelda: A Link to the Past, The Four Swords
Mario Advance
Mario Bros. 3
Metroid Fusion
Legacy of Goku II
all Tony Hawk games
Final Fantasy Tactics
Draognball Z Taiketsu
Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Sacred Cards
all Golden Sun games

In 2001, Nintendo released its latest Gameboy - the Advance. Two years later, they released the Gameboy Advance SP. How does it measure up? Read on for my pros (good comments) and cons (bad comments) for Game Boy Advance.

PROS:
-System is smaller and easier to carry around than original GBA due to "clamshell" design. The screen size is NOT REDUCED.
-Battery light changes colors (meaning it does a better job showing how your battery power is doing)
-Plays all Gameboy games to date, period. That brings the library to well over a thousand games - THE MOST ON ANY SYSTEM!
-Shaped more like a consular controller than the previous Gameboy systems
-It's 32 bit! That means it's as powerful as the Playstation
-FINALLY, A BACKLIT GAMEBOY! THANK YOU NINTENDO! You can even turn it off to conserve battery power!
-Rechargable battery!

CONS
-The small size is an even bigger pain for adult hands than the original GBA was. Adult gamers, if you want comfort you may want to stick with the clasic GBA.
-It's not an entirely new system, meaning it's kind of pointless buying it if you've got the old GBA
-Old Gameboy games play in it, but they stick out in an annoying fashion
-Most of the "Advance Exclusive" games aren't that good. However, there are a few hidden gems. Among them are Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire and Megaman And Bass. Before you buy any GBA game, READ REVIEWS!
-No contrast control
-No infrared port, like the Gameboy Color had
-Reaching the L and R buttons is an even bigger pain than it was with the original GBA
-Consumers may be sick of having to buy a new Gameboy every other year - I know I am
-Headphone jack must be purchased separately

Despite these shortcomings, Gameboy Advance is an excellent console. It's easily the best and most powerful portable console in the world. However, MAKE SURE YOU BUY THE SP! It's worth the extra cash.

As a grown man, I sometimes hate to admit I'm still a gamer. I play Real-Time Simulations (Command & Conquer etc), flight simulators and shooters. I usually take my SP along when I want to play Chess Master on the plane, or a little bit of Top Gear GT. The backlit screen is awesome and the rechargable battery seems to work fine.