Sunday, September 14, 2014

Is that a gaming console in your pocket?..Ep 6

The turning of the century brought with it a sea of promises:  Airplanes falling out of the sky, bank accounts being wiped by computer viruses, social collapse, civil unrest, World War III, Skynet (again), and the most terrifying of all, a boy from West Philadelphia – born and raised – wanted to party like it was still 1999. The Willenium had arrived. Once it did, though, we simply realized we’d woken up to yet another day. Our robot overlords deemed it unnecessary to enslave us..yet.


Despite the let down and lack of apocalyptic events in 2000 – I voted radioactive mutants –, on June 11, 2001 North America got its hands on a device that made millions of gamers glad the world hadn’t ended a year before. With graphical capabilities that rivaled the SNES, a button layout that felt natural and efficient, and a continuing library of games that have always been the cornerstone of Nintendo’s handheld repertoire, gamers on the move were introduced to the next big thing; The Game Boy Advance!







Ep 6: [Insert blasphemous Revelations reference here.]




So you might be wondering why I’m doing another piece on the Game Boy. After all, I’ve already I’ve already outlined Nintendo’s Game Boy family. Well, in my eyes, the GBA deserves its own special write up. Here we saw a handheld that truly lived up to the “home gaming on the go” achievement so long sought after. With this incarnation, Nintendo hit the mark in a big way. What had often been a vague imitation of home console gaming, one which was limited by the technology available at the time, the GBA while not on par with the polygons and anti-aliasing, was a home console in your hands. With a continued expansion of Nintendo’s excellent first party library and an open acknowledgement of gaming years past, the Game Boy Advance revitalized the handheld market in a truly meaningful way.


I remember my first experience with the GBA. Now – and it pains me to admit this – at 15 years old I was less worried about the video game world as I was about getting one of the junior year girls in school. I know, I know, it is a crime against humanity. I’m just as ashamed, but in the interest of journalistic integrity I feel it pertinent to be honest with you, audience. All half a dozen of you deserve that.


Anyway, I had a long ride to school each morning and one of the guys on the route was as much an obsessed gamer as I had once been. One day he produced from his backpack something that I can honestly say is the reason why I have these series of articles. Handing me his Game Boy Advance and a copy of Castlevania that morning sparked back into life the fire that had cooled after my teenage hormones had erupted. There it was in my hands. I was holding a bona fide SNES, on the bus, 15 miles from my house and TV! It was then that I felt the shame of walking away from such a dear friend as video games.


The first rumblings of a new handheld from Nintendo were heard through Electronic Gaming Monthly way back in 95’. Rumors of something dubbed Project Atlantis stirred among the gaming insider community. Supposed to be the next step in gaming, it was said this little handheld would feature an LCD screen, system-to-system connectivity, and graphical abilities far beyond Nintendo’s previous devices. The industry was buzzing…Then we got the Game Boy Color. A collective, “WTF!?” was heard from gamers and the industry alike. What had all that talk about evolution been? Where was that awesome LCD and SNES quality graphics? And though the Game Boy Color was just as popular as its predecessors, in the back of the minds of gamers, the whisper of evolution continued.


In 2001 that whisper became a roar of triumph. The GBA was released to the wilds and gamers clambered over each other to get a piece of the action. Featuring a vibrant LCD screen, outstanding graphics, and eventually the blockbusters that were Pokémon LeafGreen/FireRed, the GBA was destined for as much a successful run as the rest of the Game Boy family. This while using only two AA batteries and providing as much as 15 hours of game time! Of course, let’s not forget the accessories. Along with its own share of third party peripherals, the GBA was eventually armed with a wireless adapter that, though released so late as to not catch on in a meaningful way, had the ability to network up to 40 systems at once! GameCube linking, an e-Reader, the ability to play cartoons and video, and of course backwards compatibility all worked to make the GBA what brought me – and likely many other gamers who’d lost their way – back into the fold. Handheld gaming and the GBA in particular saved my soul from eternal damnation. Well, maybe not that extreme, but at the time it seemed like it.


Ah, but now we get to the really fun stuff! In 2003, Nintendo followed up their GBA with a redesigned, ultra-efficient, frontlit (then backlit in 2005) screen having, nostalgia inducing masterpiece: The Game Boy Advance SP! Far from a simple redesign, the SP brought with it not just a new clamshell design, but bolstered features and something handhelds had been in desperate need of for years. The SP had an internal, rechargeable battery. Gone were the days of buying jumbo packs of Energizers. This was a huge convenience that was welcomed by gamers. Not just rechargeable, on top of it this battery also offered 10 hours of gaming with the lit screen on – another fantastic feature in its own right – and a whopping 18 hours of standard play.


Of course, what game system is anything without excellent games? Along with the continuation of handheld staples the GBA also saw releases of revamped and upscaled versions of classic game series. Metroid, Sonic, Final Fantasy, The Legend of Zelda; all had rereleases on the GBA. Graphical capabilities had met or surpassed the titles’ original releases and new features, levels, and gameplay all added to the feel of modern day classics. Though it continued a trend of Nintendo regulars being the dominant force, it didn’t matter that we were playing our 50th version of Mario Bros. The gameplay, the system, the feel of it all made these series shine in a way they never had on any handhelds prior. Say what you will, but damn if Nintendo doesn’t know how to release a first party title that blows everyone away!


But, as is the case, everything comes to its inevitable end. In 2008, Nintendo discontinued the GBA. Save for the Game Boy Micro – yeah…that isn’t getting its own article, folks – the Game Boy Advance was officially the last console to be given the Game Boy name. The family had come to its close and while the curtain fell on a pedigree like no other, the Nintendo Game Boy left the world on a high note. It will forever be known as the greatest example of handheld gaming and every gamer alive today owes at least a little something to what is the finest dynasty video games have ever seen.


Keep on gaming, folks.



*Fun Fact: The Game Boy Advance was released with case and buttons that mimicked the original NES console. It was my favorite…





That’s all. K, bye.

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