User Reviews (1 - 11 of 17)

Show these reviews first:

Highest Rated
Lowest Rated Newest
Oldest Most Helpful
Least Helpful

Great, but not perfect...

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: July 14, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I'll make this short for those of you who don't like reading long, uniteresting reviews.

The graphics and sound are incredible for a handheld system. It took virtually no time to get used to the orientation of the controls. The system is well-built, sturdy, yet very lightweight. The cartridge size is, incredibly, half of the area of an orignal Game Boy game. Don't let that fool you- they cram quite an amount of power in these tiny catridges. I bought the system two weeks ago, and I'm still running it on the batteries that originally came with the system. Unlike the original "gray monster" Game Boy, this only takes two AA batteries, and uses energy very efficiently.

My only complaint is the screen. While it's a great size, it's very hard to see unless you're in good light. The original Game Boy had a brightness control wheel, whereas the GBA does not. Even more of a problem than the lighting situation is the glare. If your light source is coming from behind you, your face is reflected in the screen, blocking any light. If I want to play this laying down, I have to tilt the unit sideways so light directly strikes the screen. Unfortunately, there are no decent lighting devices out for the GBA at the time that this review was written.

To sum it up, you get what you pay for. Having owned a Sega Game Gear, I would never buy another portable with a backlight. It costs too much, and you have to replace the batteries weekly even if you play it moderately.

Unusable in its current state - screen is CRAP

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: July 07, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I got one of these expecting to love it.

I want to love it. I really do.

The games look great - in magazines and on display units with televisions attached.

The one thing that keeps this fantastic device from reaching its full potential is the absolutely LOUSY screen. It's not just hard to see the screen in average light - it's IMPOSSIBLE. You'll be lucky to distinguish shapes, let alone colors.

You really do need to be sitting in noon-day sun to make out anything on the scren. You can try using any of the five-billion third-party add-on lights (Nintendo: hop on the CLUE train!) but those will only throw glare onto the screen, giving you yet another obstruction to work around. Playing in the sun introduces near-blinding glare onto the highly reflective screen.

Without some type of internal lighting solution, this thing is doomed. Of course, Nintendo will sell millions because it's a "Game Boy," but that won't stop kids from complaining to their parents about not being able to see the screen.

In all fairness, the games are EXCELLENT. The system is *extremely* powerful for a handheld device. The only flaw to this system is that you can't see what's going on. At all. In any lighing conditions.

If you'd still like to get the benefits of the Game Boy Advance "experience," your best bet is to get your hands on a Game Boy Advance emulator so that you can play (and see!) the games on your PC.

Nintendo claims that including an internal light in the GBA itself would bring the battery life down to three or four hours and increase the price of the unit. To this I say "So what!?"

I'd be willing to pay the extra money and buy the rechargable battery pack (released by Nintendo themselves!) if it meant I could see the games I'm playing.

Here's hoping that Nintendo releases a back-lit version of the Game Boy Advance - and soon!

Tick Tock time is running out

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: June 28, 2001
Author: Amazon User

...Boy! oh Boy, whas it worth it this handheld ROCKS! I have heard lot's of complaints about the glare being so bad, well at certain angles it might be hard to see, most of the time in most light it's just fine. It's not worth not getting a GBA just because of the glare. So for all you people who have a chance to get a GBA take it while you have it.

You best SEE it before you buy....

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 7 / 14
Date: June 20, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Yes, I fell for all the hype and purchased a Nintendo Gameboy Advance. I have an actual unit sitting next to me as I type this – so this review is based on hands-on game play, not just a restatement of Nintendo... In short, the Gameboy Advance is definitely the worst waste of money I’ve made in my entire life.

The advance games are very good, and backward compatibility seems to be excellent. The sound is very decent coming from such a cheap little speaker, and you feel like you playing mini-versions of the console games. So what’s not to like? The screen.

I have this peculiar desire to actually SEE the games that I play on a gaming system. Yes, that might sound like a rather extreme demand to place on electronic gaming equipment, but I’m kinda weird that way.

Well, the folks at Nintendo obviously do not think that seeing is all that important a part of game play. The Gameboy Advance has the most horrid screen that I’ve ever come across on any type of hand-held device, whether it be a PDA, game system or calculator. It is absolutely revolting.

Unless you live in sunny Hawaii, and like playing with your Gameboy outdoors at lunch time, you are going to be in for a shock. The screen, except for in extremely bright light, is impossible to see. Not hard to see, impossible to see...

And when you do find something that gives off enough light, (like the noon day sun, for instance...) then you have to deal with the ultra-high glare screen that Nintendo thoughtfully put on this unit. Very handy if you ever need a mirror. It’s always nice to be able to see your face while you are playing Super Mario.

If you think the dinky little worm light is going to save the day, guess again. All it is capable of doing is creating a small, white disk on the screen designed to shine in your eyes while attempting to play the game. I guess you could consider it a handicap for advanced players. It’s more worthless than the Gameboy Advance itself.

I’ve never been so disappointed with a purchase. If you think you might want to buy one of these, go off to a store and get a hands-on demonstration. You’ll see for yourself what I’m talking about... very poor excuse of electronic entertainment.

If I could, I would give it –5 stars.

One word to describe the GBA : art

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: June 18, 2001
Author: Amazon User

The Game Boy Advance is now out and it is waiting for every snotty nosed pokemon fan to buy one but this thing is not a toy it is a sophisticated peice of hardware that only deserves the hands of a master i've played 4 out of 5 of the game boy's maneifestation's first the One that started it all the Game Boy then i moved on to play Game Boy Color and while for a short while i played a game boy Pocket that belonged to a friend and now i have played The Game Boy Advance and it Ko'ed me after the first 10 minutes i could not beilevie it check this little sucker out and it will fall in love with your hands

Wow!! Handheld has reached a whole new level

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: June 16, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I don't know why you are reading this review. If you have gotten this far, I am sure you are already planning to buy one. But let me break down my opinion on the GBA. To my credit, I am 23 and an avid video game player (aka a nerd) so my opinion should help you out:

First- How is it different from the original GB, you ask? It has the power of a Super Nintendo and in some cases the power of a Playstation (both PS and GBA have 32-bit CPU). It can't handle CGI or full animated sequences, PS did that through the CD-ROM drive (that goes for background music as well). It's basically almost 3 times more powerful than a regular GB.

GBAs appearence: It's actually a bit smaller and lighter than than the GB color. It's screen is a bit larger (it's got a widescreen look to it).

Games: So far the two games I have played (Super Mario Brothers and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2) are superb. The games are great, a way vast improvement from the GB's games.

Flaws??? Well, only a couple. You can't compare this to any other platforms accept the other handhelds, so don't expect the GBA to perform like your PS2 or DC (and in many cases, your PS1). Handhelds, in my opinion aren't really meant to played similar to the PS2 or DC. It's to kill time when you don't have access to your PS2 or DC. The GBA may break that mold. I found myself playing the GBA for hours (while I did have access to my PS2 and DC). Plus, if you are an older player and only want the quality of your PS2 or DC (or even your N64), then don't bother with the GBA. Plus, if you are like me, your hands are too big to seem to play the GBA. I found my long fingers in the wierdest positions trying to play this thing. I even purchased a slightly fatter controller for my PS2 because I think the regular PS2 controllers are sort of small. I was guessing the GBA was geared toward kids, but I found it enjoyable. If you are like me and like to play games between plane and bus trips, then this is for you. If you are looking for the greatest handheld game, this is for you. If you have money to burn and you love video games, this is for you. If are between the ages of 10 - 15, then definatily get one. The 4 stars (and not 5) is because I hoped it would have been more grander. I hope this doesn't turn into a GB that just looks prettier, like the PS2 from the PS in many cases.

Good games to bad you can't see them.

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 7 / 11
Date: June 15, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Be warned the screen is horrible. I would not be surprised if they change it soon. First off it is not backlight and is a reflective screen. You can't even play this thing indoors under lots of light and outside it's washed out. To say the least I'm very disappointed and returned my machine. With this screen Stevie Wonder will see just as much as you will.

good game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 5
Date: June 14, 2001
Author: Amazon User

The games are good the system is good everything is excellent. The only thing is that you can't use old acceseries with the new gameboy that is bad

this is the best handheld!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: June 13, 2001
Author: Amazon User

This is the best handheld ever. Some of the games on Game Boy Advance are even as good as PlayStation. Like Tony Hawks Pro Skater 2. I only played one game for Game Boy Advance which was Super Mario Advance. But I've seen screen shots from other games like Tony Hawks Pro Skater, and GT Advance Championship. The feel of the Game Boy Advance is almost perfect. The L and R buttons are really soft, you barely need to apply any pressure to them to press them. Some people might think that it costs a lot for a handheld. I think its worth it and I'm getting one. I think you should get one too or else you're going to miss out on a lot....

portable peice

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 2 / 5
Date: June 12, 2001
Author: Amazon User

It cracked on devlivery and was missing my Tony hawks pro skater 2. I was so mad, game boy advance gets a third degree BURN!

Review Page: 1 2 Next 

Actions