"The Best Mini Laptop Ever!"

The GBA SP (Game Boy Advance Special) is a great system. It is the best handheld I have ever played. I don’t think that any of the upcoming systems will match this at all, but it doesn’t really matter because by the time the PSP (Play Station Portable) comes out, the next Game Boy system will be out. For as long as I can remember the Game Boy has dominated all other handheld systems, even though there have been very few, such as the Sega Game Gear. Many people had high expectations for the Game Gear, but it failed miserably. Not long ago they tried to release it again with no improvements, and again, it failed. I understand that these systems are not being made by Sega, such as the Game Gear was, but the only one of the upcoming handhelds that I think even has a chance is the PSP. Anyway, here is what I think of the GBA SP.

Design

It has a great design. It’s just like a mini laptop. It has a great variety of colors available, but, sadly, not for North America yet. There are only three colors available for North America, Platinum, Cobalt Blue, and Jet Black. I like this design a lot because it’s sleek and compact. I hope the next Game Boy system is as good as this, or even better, but that’s hard to imagine.

Controls

The controls to this system are also great. The buttons are a little flat, but I personally like it that way. The control pad is just the right size, as are the buttons. The shoulder buttons (L and R) are also a lot better, because they are a thicker. Another cool feature is that you put in the game cartridges upside down. At first, I thought that putting in the cartridge upside down would be really annoying, but it’s not annoying at all, it’s actually kind of cool. The only problem with this is a minimal one. It is that that game called Kirby pinball or something doesn’t work because it it upside down so it works directly opposite the way it should.

Games

This system has an awesome variety of games. Some of the best games ever created are on this system. It has a lot of great ports from the SNES (Super Nintendo Entertainment System), such as: Super Mario World, Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island, Super Mario World 3, Donkey Kong Country, and a lot of other great ones. It also has some great new games. Some of those are F-Zero, Golden Sun, Golden Sun: The Lost Age, Metriod: Fusion, The Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past/The Four Swords, Pokemon: Ruby, Pokemon: Sapphire, Sonic Advance, Sonic Advance 2, Mega Man: Battle Network 3, Wario Ware, Sonic Pinball Party, and many many more. Although you may feel like you are being forced into buying this handheld because it is pretty much the only one out there, it is probably best that way, because if you where being forced into buying one handheld, you would want it to be this one.

Extra Features

This system has a lot of good features. It has a pretty wide screen, which is really great when you are playing video games. It also has a nice fold out design that makes it a lot more compact and convenient (Besides just looking cool). It has a built in back light that lights up the screen, so you can see even when you are playing in the dark. It has built in Ion-Lithium batteries that are rechargeable. The rechargeable batteries can last for up to 18 hours without the back up light off, and up to 10 hours with the back up light on. These rechargeable batteries are good for about 2 years, then you will have to go somewhere to get some other ones, but that’s long enough for me!

Sound

The sound on this system is about average. It obviously can’t be that good considering that it is a handheld and is very small. But for it’s size and time the sound is pretty good, I have no complaints. Don’t get me wrong, it could be better, but as far as I’m concerned there’s no problem with it.

Graphics

The graphics on this system are spectacular. They are capable of exceeding the graphics of the SNES (Super Nintendo Entertainment System), and even matching the graphics of some of the games on the N64 (Nintendo 64). It is about the equivalent in graphics of the PSX (Play Station 1) considering that the Nintendo 64 had slightly better graphics than the Play Station 1. You really can’t complain with these graphics because they are awesome. That’s about it for graphics.

GBA SP V.S. GBA (Game Boy Advance Special Versus Game Boy Advance)

The GBA SP has a lot of features that the regular GBA doesn’t have, but still, many people argue that they like the original GBA better. The GBA SP has a built in light to back it up. If you want that with the original GBA you will have to buy one of those hook on lights, or buy an after burner. It also has rechargeable batteries that can last from 10-18 hours depending on whether you have the back up light on or not. The batteries in the original GBA cost a lot more, and they also don’t last near as long. The screen is about the same on both systems, but I think it might be slightly wider on the GBA SP. As far as shape and design, I think the GBA SP is a lot better. With the original GBA a common problem is the screen gets scratched a lot. That problem is fixed with the GBA SP, because of its sleek folding design, it will never get the screen scratched at all unless you leave it open. Plus the design is a lot more compact and portable, and besides that, it’s just cooler looking.

Conclusion

This is a great system, and is definitely a landmark in handheld video gaming history. It is better than any handheld that has ever before been seen, and will not be forgotten for a long time. All we can do is hope that the successor to this spectacular piece of machinery will live up to the awesome Game Boy name.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 09/07/03