"Light fantastic."

The handheld market has a long and winding history, with Nintendo dominating the competition in every point of its existence. Sure, we all loved the Game Gear, the Neo Geo Pocket, and the Atari Lynx, but as old-fashioned as the Game Boy was, it still managed to attract the most interest due to its fun-on-the-go approach with enjoyable titles. Yet time was starting to pass the Game Boy by. While competitors were quick to rush to the world of handheld color, the Game Boy was still outputting black and white, and if you were lucky, a shade of gray. Even with the release of the Game Boy Color, the system was capable of producing little more than retro-quality visuals, oftentimes difficult to even make out on that miniscule screen. In enters the Game Boy Advance. Not only was Nintendo finally ready to exceed its competitors in the visual department, but they were ready to produce an impressive game library with tons of creative accessories to sap the consumer of all their dough. If that were not enough, the Game Boy Advance has had a number of different models produced, each of which is worth a look.

The Game Boy Advance has had a whopping three iterations since its debut. Unlike the previous Game Boy systems which were shaped vertically with the screen above the buttons, the first and most simplistic model goes for a horizontal shape, with the screen in the center and the buttons on either side. In turn, this makes the handheld slip into anybody's grip quite nicely, with one's palms wrapping around where the buttons are located. Grip-wise, the original model remains the most comfortable. However, it has its share of shortcomings in comparison to the latter models, all involving the screen. Most notably, it lacks an LCD backlit screen. Additionally, the screen scratches rather easily and cannot be protected very well, either. The second model, the Game Boy Advance SP, features numerous cosmetic changes. While it goes back to the style of featuring the screen above the buttons, it can be folded into one nice, clean square. It features an incredible backlit screen, finally pushing the Game Boy brand into the visible territory. In addition, the batteries are not meant to be replaced all the time, but rather must be recharged with the charger the system comes packaged with. This is extremely cost-friendly for those of us who were sick of seeking out new batteries every 15 hours.

Released toward the latter half of the Game Boy Advance's lifespan, the third model – Game Boy Micro – takes portability to a brand new level. It goes back to the horizontal grip of the original model, except a whole lot smaller. Like the SP model, the Micro features an LCD screen with a vibrant picture that takes up most of the system. While the system still easily fits into one's grip and the picture is surprisingly apparent, it's somewhat of a strain on the viewer's eyes. If you like extreme portability, the Micro still is not a bad choice, though if you wanted my honest opinion, the Game Boy Advance SP is probably superior to the other two models due to being so well-rounded and well-manufactured. Speaking of the system's visuals, they are about on-par with that of the Super Nintendo, albeit a tad washed out in places. Most games handle numerous sprites without any slowdown, so that's always a plus. The audio output is much crisper than in previous Game Boy systems, although a bit of fuzziness is still noticeable due to the small speakers.

Being finally able to produce 16-bit games, the Game Boy Advance is essentially a portable Super Nintendo. And it shows with its game library. Many of its games are Super Nintendo ports, including the main Mario platform titles, the Donkey Kong Country series, A Link to the Past, the old Final Fantasies, and so forth. But the library extends beyond merely ports and remakes, thankfully enough. For those fans of first-party Nintendo goodness, some of the finer titles include the Fire Emblem and Advance Wars series for strategy fans, the Golden Sun and Pokemon series for RPG gamers, the Kirby titles for platform fanatics, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, Metroid Fusion and Zero Mission, The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap, Mario Kart: Super Circuit, and, if you just like random insanity, make sure to check out the WarioWare series. There are plenty of impressive third-party efforts on the system, as well. Castlevania puts out some of its more competent efforts in years, and with Square back on Nintendo's bandwagon, titles like Final Fantasy Tactics Advance are certainly worth checking out. Naturally, all the bases are covered for fans of practically any genre.

A heap-load of accessories are available to purchase for the Game Boy Advance. The system was released during a period of time where, for some reason or another, Nintendo was obsessed with creating gimmicks and add-ons for all their systems. One of the more notable extras is the Game Boy Player. A Gamecube is necessary for this device, and when you insert a Game Boy Advance cartridge into the gadget, it will enable you to play these otherwise handheld games on your television! The e-Reader is a neat little accessory that unfortunately gained little support outside Japan. Bar codes on cards could be swiped through the reader and read in order to play a certain game or view information. While Japan got lots of neat little mini-games, all Westerners got was a few NES classics that have been released a bazillion times before, and some Animal Crossing and Pokemon cards which were fun to collect, but not to swipe. Perhaps the biggest flop in the accessory department is connectivity, which Nintendo insisted on shoving down gamers' throats for some odd reason. Certain games can be connected between the Game Boy Advance and the Gamecube via a connectivity cable, but most of the games that use this gimmick are cheap gimmicks in themselves.

As a final breath of the “Game Boy” name, the Game Boy Advance is worthy of being considered the true final swan song for 2-D games. Though the Nintendo DS is in full swing with its glamorous grainy 3-D style, the seemingly primitive ways of the Game Boy will not be forgotten any time soon, especially with its ability to play Game Boy Advance titles. With three different models, a gigantic game library, and a massive heap of accessories, the Game Boy Advance has “variety” all covered. Some of the add-ons feel cheap and unnecessary, but the core system is solid and has numerous capabilities. Though strictly a portable device (if you exclude the Game Boy player, anyways), the system has enough quality to it to be just as enjoyable as a console. Though one may be tempted to purchase a DS in order to play both systems' titles, a lot of Game Boy Advance titles simply feel better on the handheld they were intended to be played on. Whether it's the original model, the SP, or the Micro, the Game Boy Advance is truly a step-up from its predecessors.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/22/08

Game Release: Game Boy Advance Hardware (US, 06/11/01)