consoles

First off, I would like to say this is the absolute best handheld video game system ever. Nintendo has done a great job putting impressive technology into a small package once again. I love the new features over the game boy color, including the much larger screen and better graphics, the addition of should buttons, and the power indication LED changes from green to red when the battery gets low. Also, it is backwards compatible, meaning it can play older game boy/color cartridges too. The graphics are simply amazing. Some games look better than SNES. There are very few things that I don't like, but they take no fun out of the gaming experience. The screen should have been backlit, because most add-on light accessories produce a terrible glare on the screen. My other subtle complaint is that the older game boy color and game boy cartridges stick out of the back of the unit a little bit. Overall this is a very great little gaming system perfect for any age.

My daughter received this as a gift. She had an original monochrome Game Boy (GB) that she liked so she asked for the latest version. Game Boy Advance (GBA) is leaps and bounds ahead of the orignal GB and Game Boy Color (GBC) in terms of graphics and the screen size. It is absolutely fun to play the games. However, there a few things in the design I didn't expect from the next generation GB line.

As other reviews have stated, the screen is somewhat dim. There are no controls for brightness or contrast of the display screen like there were on the original GB. I mean, the dimness of the screen isn't what I would call horrible but it would be much easier on the eyes if it were just a bit brighter. You definitely need to play the game near a light source.

Also, the horizonital orientation of the unit takes some getting used to if your accustomed to the GB and GBC units. I think Nintendo should have stuck with a design that more closely resembled the original GB and GBC units.

Even though the screen is a little dim if your trying to decide between a GBC and a GBA, then my recomendation is to go with the GBA. It will play all the other games from the original GB and GBC. Plus, the GBA games are much better with the larger screen and superior graphics.

I've had this GBA for a few years now, and I'm glad I got it. Though you are better off getting the SP model since it has a backlit screen and rechargeable battery, this basic model is nice too. It runs on 2 AA batteries, and doesn't drain them (regardless of brand) as bad as the Game Boy Color did.

What you're getting is basically a handheld SNES/PSone. The GBA has mighty fine graphics for such a tiny system, just check out Iridon 3D. It's a terrible game, but has fantastic graphics (especially for a launch title). And the widescreen helps in some cases. When playing GB/GBC games on it, just tap the 'L' button and you'll go from fullscreen to widescreen. But a really cool feature is that all GBA games are compatible with all GBA systems. You can import x game from x country, and it'll play on your system. Go buy the Japanese release of Bubble Bobble for it and go nuts.

There are a lot of good games you should go for:

-Sonic Advance 1-3
-Super Mario Bros. Advance 1-4
-Metroid Fusion
-MegaMan Zero
-Donkey Kong Country
-The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
-Breath of Fire 1+2
-Advance Wars
-any of the Pokemon games
-Boktai
-Wario Ware
-Golden Sun (only for rpg virgins though. Read my review of that for the full story)
-Klonoa: Empire of Dreams
-Spyro the Dragon
-Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land
-MegaMan and Bass
-MegaMan Anniversary Collection (all the old GB MegaMan games)
-Mario Kart Super Circuit
-any of the 3 Castlevanias

The reason I'm giving this 4 stars is because most of the "must have" games are just ports from other systems. All the Marios, Zeldas, Donkey Kong Country, etc. have been done before. The GBA needs more exclusive games that are of the same quality as the ones I mentioned. Mario & Donkey Kong doesn't really set the standard for what Nintendo was once known for.

There isn't a whole lot to say about this nifty little system. Anyone who knows anything about gaming knows that the Game Boy incarnations have always done well and provided countless hours of entertainment. But you could do a heck of a lot worse than a pink GBA. Though for some reason, Amazon doesn't seem to have any in stock. Is it discontinued now? Oh well, you're bound to find pleanty at just about any store that carries gaming goods.