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Editorials   "Kudos" and "Oh No's": The GBA
- By Mike Schneider

So now, it’s been a good two or so weeks since the GameBoy Advance has been released stateside. The beastly handheld as outsold the behemoth PS2, broke sales records in the UK, and has other significant achievements. It has received significant press from newspapers, print publications, and other media outlets. I’m not about to analyze whether its achievements are justified, but rather point out what I’ve been pleased and disappointed with thus far.

Kudos: The Graphics

Well duh, as if you were reading this and expecting me to say that the graphics suck. Game after game that I’ve played, I’m continually impressed. I’d say that the graphics, on the whole, are more impressive than the SNES, and in some cases more so than first-generation Playstation games. Tony Hawk, Castlevania, and Iridion 3D are three stellar examples that showcase some extremely high quality visuals – and just think, this is only the first gen, imagine what will happen when developers really come to terms with the GBA’s processing tools.

Oh No: The shoulder buttons
They’re a problem. I’m not going to harp on them being not comfortably accessible, since it really depends on how large your hands are. However, they aren’t springy at all and it is difficult to tell whether you are pressing the button down or not. Although the only time I’ve really felt this impact at all so far is while playing Army Men and having the occasional strafing issue, I can foresee some difficulties in the future – namely, first person shooters. If that right shoulder button is used for aiming or strafing, not knowing whether you have that button down far enough is a great gameplay hindrance.

Kudos: Battery Life
How many people would have expected the GBA – a more technically demanding handheld than the GBC – would also allow for those energizer batteries to truly keep going and going and going far better than its predecessor? I didn’t. An excellent surprise, the engineers at Nintendo are truly in need of some praise for the fact that we’re able to get 12-15 hours of playtime out of one set of batteries. You’d have to be going on one long trip to need a backup pair of batteries.

Oh No: Brightness:
If only there was a way to change the contrast of the screen. Nearly every GBA game available thus far is too dark – so much so that you’ll likely have some difficulties playing the handheld inside your house unless you’ve got a lamp inches away from you. Moreover, it’s a shame since when you’re outside or somewhere that’s bright enough for you to fully see what’s happening on the screen, you realize just what you were missing out on playing it in a less than 100% fully lit room. It’s insane that a gamer should be expected to shell out even more money to buy a lighting device – gamers should be able to view the screen how it was meant to be viewed right from the get-go.

Kudos: Plays Like a Console:
I have to admit that before the GameBoy Advance, I’ve never really cared for handhelds. Maybe it’s because of the wider screen, the better graphics, or what not. All these contribute to it feeling like a console, on top of the fact that most of the games available are ports of console games. In any case, it has lured me, the console enthusiast, into the realm of the handhelds.


Oh No: Plays Like a Console:
However, with all these ports, there comes a problem: handheld gaming is about portability – of which, this fact seems to have gotten lost a little bit. Many of the launch titles require you to have an ample amount of time available in order to get into them. Army Men’s levels are a good 20 minutes apiece. Earthworm Jim forces you to beat the game in one sitting. Iridion 3D and Army Men both force you to write down passwords if you want to continue – hardly something that helps a unit that is supposed to be portable. Portability means two things: Ease. Quickness. Some improvements could be made in delivering these two things.

Kudos: The Games
Enough of them play great and are genuinely new experiences. Games sell systems. The future looks even brighter. Enough said.