THE NINTENDO GAMEBOY, KIDS STUFF: RIGHT? – Article
Articles
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by Ray Ivey |
THE NINTENDO GAMEBOY, KID’S STUFF: RIGHT? |
What Use of Handheld?
Like many of you, I used to utterly ignore the gaming giant’s miniature game console. When not ignoring it, I scoffed at it. When not scoffing, I patronizingly considered it a child’s toy on which to play dusty old arcade games like Tetris or (even worse) inscrutable Japanese games like Pokemon that only children could understand.
I had all the gaming I possibly needed on my PC, right? How could I ever need another gaming platform? Well, I mean, how could I need anything besides my PC and my PlayStation2.
Six months later: Well . . . how could I conceivably need anything more than my PC, my PlayStation2, my XBox, and my GameCube?
By the time I had also acquired an old NES, SNES and N64, it was time to admit that I had developed a decidedly ecumenical approach to gaming consoles. Which was a good thing. I now enjoy a greater variety of games than I ever have. With the consoles, I can even play games that are much older than what I can play on my PC, which is great for someone like me who loves to explore classics from the past.
My New Best Friend
I have also become, at last, a passionate fan of the GameBoy Advance. In fact, I assume I am the oldest person in North America that carries around a GameBoy. It pretty much goes wherever I go.
To be nerd specific, it’s not merely a GameBoy that I tote around as my constant companion . It’s a GameBoy Advance S.P. in fetching silvertone. Having first ignored and then resisted the entire concept of handheld gaming for years, I have now become a pocket console supergeek. Why?
First, just a tiny bit of background for the Handheld Uninitiated. The GameBoy is now fifteen years old and is by far the most successful gaming console of any kind in the history of computer games. Its 1989 launch was given a great boost by Nintento’s canny decision to bundle with it a little game you may have heard of called Tetris. Since then, through various iterations (Super GameBoy, Color GameBoy, GameBoy Pocket, GameBoy Color, GameBoy Advance, and GameBoy Advance SP), the Little Handheld That Could hasn’t slowed down for a second.
Let Me Count the Ways
So what turned me into such a shill for this peppy little device? Three things:
1. VISIBILITY.
The GameBoy Advance SP, released in 2001, was the first version of the system to FINALLY, THANK YOU JESUS, have a backlight. Before the SP all playing sessions on the system were hampered by irritating visibility problems. Of course, you could purchase a third-party light, but they were annoying as well. Finding just the right amount of light at just the right angle became more challenging than the games themselves. At last there’s a GameBoy that you can play in the anywhere, even in the dark!
2. CONTENT, CONTENT, CONTENT.
I don’t care what kind of games you like, you can find them on the GameBoy. First of all, all GameBoy systems are fully backwards compatible, so you can pop in a GameBoy cartridge from 1991 and it’ll play on your new system. Second, there have been innumerable ports of classic old NES, SNES, Saturn, and other consoles onto the GBA. Finally, the console attracts the attention of many of the best game developers in the business.
Now, you might be thinking, “I’m a graphics whore. Playing really, really pretty games is very important to me.” Ironically, the graphics limitations of the GameBoy actually enhance the games. Now, don’t get me wrong, many developers are doing lovely visual things with GBA titles. But they know their graphics will never have the sexy sizzle of the latest PC or Xbox title.
The happy result is that the developers realize that, since their games can’t look as good as other consoles, they’d better have gameplay up the wazoo! This translates into a world of games that are simply incredibly fun to play.
3. PORTABILITY.
Okay, I know this one is obvious. But it’s still the great strength of the system.
I’m a contractor, so I’m often working at remote sites, and this can mean lots of eating alone in restaurants. No, don’t feel sorry for me. Not anymore. With my trusty GBA in hand, lunch alone can be a diverting and entertaining experience!
I don’t like to fly. I’ve learned that, MUCH better than a mere book, playing a game distracts me beautifully and almost completely from all of those puzzling and ominous noises I don’t want to hear during the flight. A couple of battles and I look up and Hey! It’s LaGuardia!
My GBA can also get me into fun conversations in public. The other night while I was eating at the bar at a P.F. Chang’s, the couple next to me leaned over and asked, “Okay, so what is that thing, Mini Me’s laptop?” Sometimes, while hunched over my GBA in a restaurant and furiously focusing on some cool onscreen endeavor, the kid from the next table, overcome by curiosity, will come over and demand to know what game I’m playing.
With my GBA in hand, I can sneak in gaming sessions on a lunch break, in a boring taxi ride, waiting in line at the Post Office, etc. In fact, I think this is the single biggest draw the handheld has for me: That delicious feeling that I’m sort of getting away with something.
Recommendations
So you think you might be interested in taking a dip into the wonderful world of handheld gaming but need a little guidance?
First of all, don’t buy any GBA except the SP. The backlight is KEY. And it’s less than $80 at Amazon.
Second, if you are a GameCube owner, consider also acquiring a handy doodad called THE GAMEBOY PLAYER. It’s an easy-to-use device that lets you use the GameCube to play your GameBoy games on your television! This can be very helpful when you’re starting a new GB game. Get a feel for the graphics and the gameplay, then when you pop the cartridge back into your GameBoy you’ll have a visual shorthand that makes playing the game easier.
And what games should you try? Well, I hardly know where to start, there’s such an embarrassment of riches to choose from.
Like side-scrolling action? Try any of the Metroid or Castlevania titles.
Like Mario? Try Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, or any number of great old Mario games that have been ported to the GBA.
Like RPGs? Try the Golden Sun or Breath of Fire series or Sword of Mana. Or even Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance or Eye of the Beholder.
Like Zelda games? There are a whole pile of Zelda games, both old and new, available.
Like Platformers? Try any of the Spyro or Crash Bandicoot games.
Like Strategy? It doesn’t get much better than Advance Wars.
Or how about my pet genre, strategy RPGs? Load up Final Fantasy Tactics Advance or Fire Emblem and watch the hours fly by.
And let’s not forget about Adventure! There’s good choices here, too, from Bionicle, to Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars, Harry Potter, Déjà vu, and Shadowgate (and Nancy Drew/Haunted Mansion & The Fish Files – ed).
Finally
Notice I haven’t talked about the two large elephants sitting in two corners of the room: The looming, much-discussed, much-debated, and highly-anticipated showdown between the new, two-screen Nintendo GameBoy DS and the sexy Sony PSP. My feeling is, let’s wait and see how everything shakes out. What I do know is that the DS will still be backwards compatible with all GameBoy Advance games (but NOT pre-GBA GameBoy games).
I also haven’t discussed things like phone games or the Nokia. As usual, I must plead personal bias here, for two reasons: 1. I need my cell phone to make phone calls. I don’t need it to take pictures, play games, or predict the weather. Plus, the screens are even smaller than the GameBoy, and my tired old eyes are only human!
But the bottom line is, I recommend you consider giving the mighty GameBoy a tumble. How good are the games on it? Well, here’s the best way I can demonstrate their allure: It’s not at all uncommon, even when I’m safe at home in my gaming haven, with all of my above-mentioned gaming consoles old and new, to spend the evening playing a compelling GBA title. When a game is so good you’d rather play it on a three-inch screen than play the latest sexy XBox or PC title, that’s some seriously yummy gaming, my friends.
