"The future of handheld gaming."

Gameboy. The little handheld from Nintendo practically started the handheld gaming industry, and through numerous revisions and updates, we now have the definitive version of the Gameboy. Gameboy Advance.

System Design - 7/10.
Pros -
The Gameboy Advance is the perfect size for anyone. It is just small enough to fit in your pocket, but big enough to accommodate all it's buttons and a larger screen. The B and A buttons are in exactly the right spot, and the pad is tight and responsive. Best of all, it looks cool! The 3 initial colors were not liked by everyone (I'm really happy with my Indigo one), but Nintendo intends to remedy the situation by issuing new colors of model in the upcoming months. Battery longevity is also something Nintendo wanted to improve, and they have done it, allowing nearly 15 hours of gameplay on a mere 2 AA batteries.

Cons -
The L and R buttons are difficult to get used to, especially since you need almost push on the side of the button to activate it. The select and start buttons are in an awkward position, next to the d-pad.

Video - 9/10
Pros -
The screen has been expanded by 50% over previous Gameboy models, and it vastly improves the system as a whole. The Gameboy Advance can disply nearly 500 colors on screen at once, and the resolution is excellent. Games are crisp and colorful, and scroll smoothly. Many sprites are able to be displayed at once, and with the 32-bit processor, limited 3D is available for the programmers to use (similar to the mode 7 effect implemented on the Super NES.) GBA can also scroll and rotate backgrounds and sprites, and in the case of THPS2, very weak polygonal engines can be created (500 polys per character.)

Cons -
The screen is VERY dark. This thing is just downright hard to see. It works excellently outdoors, or in a well lit room, but with out a secondary light source, you can forget playing this in low lit areas. Double the amount of light necessary for Castlevania: CotM. A backlit screen would have improved this, but battery life would have decreased greatly, and cost and weight would have both risen. More powerful 3D capabilities would have been nice to see.

Sound - 9.5/10
Pros -
Nintendo really wanted to make sure the GBA sounded good, and they pulled it off nicely, especially considering the cartridge format. The sound is leaps and bounds above GB and GBC, and rivals the sound sampling available on Nintendo 64. A digital sound PCM chip was used, and it is very apparent that extra time was taken in making the GBA sound great.

Cons -
Without a pair of headphones, the speaker can be a bit ''tinny,'' and some of the sound sampling can sound rather fuzzy at times.

Gameplay - 10/10
Pros -
Nintendo wanted to ensure that multiplayer matches could become a reality with the system, and their heavy suggestions to gaming companies about implementing multiplayer support reflect that. Also, unlike the GB and GBC, some games can be played with up to 4 players with only one cartridge. Another great aspect is the backwards compatibility with all previous GB and GBC games - you can play them on the GBA. Nintendo also plan to implement the GBA for use with the Gamecube, as a secondary controller or private screen.

Cons -
The ''stretched aspect'' ratio available for regular Gameboy games is awkward, but we can't really complain, as a regular aspect ration is provided, and this is merely and extra. Also, it would have been nice to be able to play full games over multilink with only one cartridge, but current data transfer speeds affordable to a mass market simply are not powerful enough to accommodate this.

All in all, the Gameboy Advance is an excellent machine. Pick up a light and a pair of headphones, and you'll be gaming away for hours. With tons of Super NES conversions on the way, as well as some PSX and N64 (!) conversions coming too, you would be crazy not to get a GBA. The price is right, the game library is immense, and the thing is stylin'. So do yourself a favor - prepare for the next evolution in handheld gaming and pick up a Gameboy Advance.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 06/13/01, Updated 06/13/01