What does everyone think of GBA?

Is anyone impressed with it?  Are you satisfied with it?  Are you disappointed in it?  Express your feelings about how you feel about the GBA.

I like it, but I think it\'s a bit underpowered now. I also am starting to dislike the screen. I liked it at first, but Tony Hawk and Castlevania are insanely dark. It won\'t last as long as the original Gameboy, that\'s for sure. All in all, I give it 7.5 out of 10.

Nintendo went cheapo in this one. First off SONY or MS could have made a more powerful portable device. Also you guys, if gameboy advance were to be a true 3d system, you would need a hell of better SCREEN.

Coulda, woulda, shoulda...  What could be will always be better, but at least what we actually have is damn impressive.

I got my kicks with SMB, but now my attention is shifting to F-Zero.  The graphics on this game really let me appreciate the step up from the previous Gameboys.

BTW, for those of you with light problems, spend another ten bucks and buy a worm light.  If you stretch it right, the glare will be just off the top of the screen, but the screen itself will still be lit all around.  I know it works because I just got done playing F-Zero in what would otherwise have been total darkness.

As for the future, I\'m waiting to get my hands on Castlevania.  If nothing else, the GBA is a great peice of fun until Gamecube comes out, at which point it will turn into a controller/VMU of some sort, apparently...

-Eik

My only complaint, no back lighting.... also, buttons a little close. Everything else is perfect.

Coulda, woulda, shoulda... What could be will always be better, but at least what we actually have is damn impressive.

Yes I understand, but so far the gamecube is nothing impressive to me. I f were to ever buy a handheld it would have to have  a kickass screen, 3d gpu, and good buttons.

Originally posted by TheOgodlyThing
I f were to ever buy a handheld it would have to have  a kickass screen, 3d gpu, and good buttons.

Don\'t forget a truckload of batteries.

[Living-In-Clip]

Originally posted by TheOgodlyThing


Yes I understand, but so far the gamecube is nothing impressive to me. I f were to ever buy a handheld it would have to have  a kickass screen, 3d gpu, and good buttons.

It would suck batteries and also cost the price of a normal console.. Gee...




Personally, I love my GBA. I agree with Aaron, that it will not last as long as the original GB. But still, I enjoy it right now, and to me that is what counts.

I give it an 8 out of 10.
I wish the screen didn\'t scratch so easy.

Before I state what I love about the system, I will mention the one and only complaint I have.

The screen . . . cover! Not the screen itself. I have lighting, which amazingly accommodates the screen just fine, so darkness is not my problem.

No, I hate the Cheap-O-Screen-Cover they used this time. Mine came with these little verticle\'esque scratches all over it. After checking around, I\'ve found allot of people have the same complaint. You can only see them if the on screen graphics are dark and you\'re under a direct light source. Now I have to see if Ninetendo will send me a new cover, or if I\'ll have to buy one for the $4.99 they\'re charging.

Anyway, with that out of the way . . .

I love the GBA, hands down. This is the first system I\'ve bought, since the PSX in 1997, that has completely lived up to my personal expectations the day I bought it.

The system itself is great, but the games really shine. Graphically, they\'re superior to most SuperNes titles I\'ve had experience with over the years. But, graphics don\'t make a game. Castlevania, for example, is a huge platformer. Think in terms of Super Metroid, the way the automap works, and its relation to that world, size-wise; Castlevania is vast in the same way.

The game play is there too. The easiest way I can convey what I\'m trying to say, without writing a three page article, is these don\'t feel like portable games. What you expected from the SuperNes, in terms of game play, deep vibrant sound effects/music and ingenuity, expect from GBA titles.

IMHO, the only thing holding this system back in any way, leaving out the backlight issue, is the lack of a four button layout. But, from what I\'ve played thus far, they can work around it.

Frodo

There you go, my attempt a quick review.

The idea would of been great 3 years ago, but in my opinion, it is a step down of what Nintendo could of done.

Once again, Nintendo thrives little on innovation.

-  The battery issue could of easily been resolved with the use of Lithiums.  They are cheap ($10 - $15) and lasts a long time; and plus they are rechargable and it could save consumers a lot of money in the long run.

-  The system is deriving off of games(most of them) that are rehashes of prior SNES titles.  I have not found one new innovative title that I would like.  Nintendo seriously needs to sign Treasure (arguably the most innovative 2D developer) and/or deliver some new, original, bold contents of their own that will break the boundary of 2D gaming and bring it to new heights.  I am personally sick of seeing the same thing I have been playing for the last ten years.

-  No backlight is a big deal to me considering almost every system prior to this one has had one and every Sega system does have it.  Again, the whole battery issue could of easily been resolved with the use of Lithiums and/or an advance battery pack and not age old double As.

-  2D gaming is dead.  Three years ago this idea would of been grand when 3D gaming was new and limited.  Nowadays, we are seeing some major improvements in term of gameplay, framerate, and control.  Some 3D games have already equal and/or surpass the best 2D games in terms of gameplay.  Things are different now and the average consumers would prefer 3D gameplay over old traditional 2D.  There is a small company that has already created a portable graphics chip that has the power of a DreamCast.  Nintendo should of opt with that chip instead and move the portable generation one step ahead rather than keep it at a standstill.  What a shame!

P.S.  I seriously think Nintendo could lose the portable war if a company as big as Sony or Microsoft decides to come in and take it.  They could use that new graphics chip (as powerful as the DC) and have Square develope exclusively(since Nintendo won\'t let them on the GBA) for them.  A 3D handheld system on the level of a DC will definitely be a lot more enticing than an age-old 2D game system that looks just like my SNES.

Well this is all my opinion of course.  In the end I will probably end up getting the GBA regardless.

I agree I think the system is alittle under power considering we had to wait 10 years for the next gameboy.

[Living-In-Clip]

Originally posted by Tshirts
The idea would of been great 3 years ago, but in my opinion, it is a step down of what Nintendo could of done.


-  The system is deriving off of games(most of them) that are rehashes of prior SNES titles.  I have not found one new innovative title that I would like.  Nintendo seriously needs to sign Treasure (arguably the most innovative 2D developer) and/or deliver some new, original, bold contents of their own that will break the boundary of 2D gaming and bring it to new heights.  I am personally sick of seeing the same thing I have been playing for the last ten years.


-  2D gaming is dead.  Three years ago this idea would of been grand when 3D gaming was new and limited.  Nowadays, we are seeing some major improvements in term of gameplay, framerate, and control.  Some 3D games have already equal and/or surpass the best 2D games in terms of gameplay.  Things are different now and the average consumers would prefer 3D gameplay over old traditional 2D.  There is a small company that has already created a portable graphics chip that has the power of a DreamCast.  Nintendo should of opt with that chip instead and move the portable generation one step ahead rather than keep it at a standstill.  What a shame!

P.S.  I seriously think Nintendo could lose the portable war if a company as big as Sony or Microsoft decides to come in and take it.  They could use that new graphics chip (as powerful as the DC) and have Square develope exclusively(since Nintendo won\'t let them on the GBA) for them.  A 3D handheld system on the level of a DC will definitely be a lot more enticing than an age-old 2D game system that looks just like my SNES.

Well this is all my opinion of course.  In the end I will probably end up getting the GBA regardless.

1: It is gettin\' new titles also. There is nothing wrong with rehashing some of the best games ever and selling them for the portable market. Infact, it makes perfect buisness sense and alot of people love the idea. Still, there is new titles comin\' for it.

2: 2D may be close to dead, but not because its limited or not fun. It is dead, because people got this notion that 3D would have to be better then 2D. Yet, I have never seen a 3D game like CastleVania:COTM . And if there has been, I truly doubt that pulled it off succesfully. 3D and 2D in a perfect world could live in harmony. Both serve their own purpose. Obviously, you will not see a 2D game, like MGS2:SOL. But, at the same time, I don\'t think you will be seeing a 3D game on the same calibur as Yoshi\'s Island or CastleVania. They both have their disadvantages and advantages. 3D\'s biggest disadvantage is camera angles and so forth. 2D is just looked upon as "old".

3: Nintendo has a "monoply" (term used loosely) on the handheld market and enough base support that it wouldn\'t make a difference. Square has supported the WonderSwan or whatever the hell it is. Yet, it barely made a dent in the Japanese market and wouldn\'t even make a "spec" in the American market. Its a simple matter of people associate handhelds with Nintendo. That is what happens when you dominate a market for 12 + years.

Not to mention that if you want a handheld on the same level as the DC, I hope you are ready for a few things.

• Battery power. If the handheld is havin\' to do DC graphics and so on,it is goin\' to drain batteries.
• Outrageous price. You cannot have a handheld with DC specs or even close without havin\' to charge out of the ass for it.
• 3D games,eh? You\'ll need a larger screen. Raise the price more and the size of the handheld.
• More buttons. More buttons equal more cramped space, unless you make the handheld even BIGGER (its not becomin\' to portable now, is it?)
  
  

With current technology, there is no way a company can offer DC or even Psone power in a handheld, without sufferin\'. You can invent the chips and so forth, but it is still not a viable option.

Damn I got to this thread too late. Nothing more I can really say that L-I-C and Gohan didn\'t already cover.

For those that want a 3D portable and say 2D is dead... was the PSX your first console? Seems like it. The only things lacking from the GBA to make it perfect would be a backlit screen and 4 buttons (not counting the top ones) .. Too bad for those of you that can\'t appreciate 2D goodness. CV is a gem, and alone worth the purchase of a GBA.

The system is deriving off of games(most of them) that are rehashes of prior SNES titles

The GBA just launched and has great games. So a ton of them are rehashes, so what? Nintendo is just showing some of the capabilities of the GBA, such as easy SNES-ports. Give it some time, I\'m sure you\'ll see great and unique games.


Ok, so maybe I had more to say than I thought. That is all, for now.

- dm
- the trick is to keep breathiing.

If any body can make a portable GPU that can push some polys it\'s NVIDIA.

Yeah, I stumbled back way too late . . .

Okay, trying to keep from reiterating the extremely thorough rebuttals from Gohan, L-I-C and datamage, I shall try to address an issue not yet voiced.

How far is to far? What I mean is, simply, how far should portable sytems be taken?
Let\'s for the moment forget battery, cost, size and weight issues and consider the following.

Portable systems are fun because generally
they\'ve offered a gaming experience somewhat less intrusive and time consuming than home console units. In so doing, these games were more portable. Now, with the GBA, that gap is beginning to close, as already these first gen titles, Castlevania for example, prove to be massive platformers, rivialing in size and complexity those of only a few years ago.

Assuming portable games were to advance, no pun intended, to the level suggested by a few of the people in this thread, would the gap between portable and console units still be definable? And if not, would that be a good thing?

Would it be good for the undustry, if one could go out and purchase a portable which could offer a like experience to an expensive non-portable console? And, would the portable still be, in and of itself, a portable?

Where would it end? As the fine veil which distinguishes the markets lifts, and the two technologies become more alike, both in what they offer and what they cost, what would that do to the market? Things would certainly change, that\'s for certain. But, would the changes be for the better? Or would the sudden shift in the power struggle result in a new console war? A war between console and portable.

This is just one of my random mussing\'s, and I perhaps overstate the issue more that I ought. But I think I\'ve made my point quite nicely even if I added a flare of drama to it.

I enjoy my portabes, especially my GBA, because they offer me a quality gaming session which differs from the experience I come away with after playing my PS2 or other home consoles. Not to imply the gaming is less fun or complex, it just offers me something different, which I can enjoy in a different way, at a different pace.

I don\'t personally want portables which are the equivalent to the Dreamcast. I feel that would detract from the charm, the essence of what portable gaming is about. For me, a portable SuperNes with tweaked graphics and sound processing is a dream come true. Eventually, yes, there will have to be an upgrade. But I think portables should always remain less powerful than the current competing hardware.

In any case, these are just my personal opinions and don\'t reflect the views of others. But its how I feel, and I felt it was relevant enough to be brought into the mix.

Frodo