Amazon.com Product Description

The Game Boy platform (which includes the original unit, the Game Boy Pocket, and the Game Boy Color) came to market when most video game consoles had a life expectancy of just a few years. More than a decade later, the system is still going strong. How did the Game Boy successfully compete--and in some cases bury--an onslaught of faster, more powerful handheld and home console systems? Let us count the ways: affordability, a huge library of games that consistently made the most of the hardware's limitations, smart power management that extended battery life, and uncluttered controls. But perhaps it was the system's ultraportable design that allowed devotees to play video games around their schedule, making it the must-have system for kids and adults alike.

Now the Game Boy Advance (or GBA as people are already calling it) comes to us with power that would have been unthinkable back in the day. The portable's 32-bit RISC CPU runs circles around the former's 8-bit workhorse, allowing it to process program instructions much faster. What that means to everyday gamers is more intricate visuals, more simultaneous movement on the screen, and better sound. In fact, the often-annoying beeps and boops of old-school Game Boy titles are being replaced with digitized stereo sound. The extra processing muscle also means you can even network up to four Game Boy Advance units together, via the communication cable, for multiplayer fun off of one shared cartridge. Only two Game Boy Color units could link together, and each unit had to have its own copy of the game.

What's not being replaced, however, is the wide selection of Game Boy games. Because the Game Boy Advance system is backward-compatible, it will play its own line of colorful games--including such launch titles as Super Mario Advance, F-Zero: Maximum Velocity, Army Men Advance, High Heat Major League Baseball 2002, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, and Ready 2 Rumble Boxing: Round 2--as well as all of the monochrome and color games that have already been released for the previous Game Boy systems (nearly 500 in total). Players can view the older games in their smaller, originally square dimensions, or, with the touch of the shoulder button, expand the game to fit the GBA's larger screen. We tried enlarging the screen on a Game Boy Color edition of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 and found that Mr. Hawk was much easier to see.

When you first pick up the system, you'll be amazed at how lightweight it is. At fewer than 5 ounces and a little larger than a deck of playing cards, the system easily fits into a shirt pocket without any sag. The GBA's wider shape fits better into a wider range of hands. The former design too often pushed the left and right thumb knuckles together during gameplay. The new layout should be comfortable for all ages, and the center screen orientation makes it easy to see.

Game Boy Color owners will find the GBA's larger screen somewhat darker than they're used to, but that's because the screen is outfitted with antiglare technology. Like the old Game Boy Color, the color LCD is not backlit, so you need pretty good light to play by. Unlike that system, though, you won't be craning your neck and tilting the unit to see around the hot-spot reflection of the light bulb in your screen.

But you'll also notice the graphics. Sporting what's basically a redesigned SNES technology, you'll see things on the GBA that the big consoles do, such as scaling (making objects larger or smaller) and rotation effects--technological advances that will affect the look of everything from crossing a finish line to throwing a touchdown pass to crawling through a dungeon.

Some might argue that Nintendo could have tried to put even more power into this Game Boy Advance. After all, the 32-bit video game had its heyday more than five years ago. Perhaps, but after handling this new handheld, we're inclined to think that Nintendo wisely struck a balance between size, price, and power consumption. And considering how well the old 8-bit system weathered the decade's technological storms, we think the Game Boy Advance is here to stay, and we're glad. --Porter B. Hall

Unit Specifications

• CPU: 32-bit RISC CPU with embedded memory
• Screen: 2.9-inch reflective TFT color LCD
• Display Size: 1.6 by 2.4 inches (40.8 by 61.2 mm)
• Resolution: 38,000 pixels in a wide-screen aspect ratio (10,000 per square inch)
• Colors: 512 simultaneous colors from a palette of 32,768
• Size: 3.2 by 5.6 by 1 inch (82 by 144.5 by 24.5 mm)
• Weight: Approximately 5 ounces (140 grams)
• Power Supply: 2 AA alkaline batteries
• Battery Life: Approximately 15 hours continuous play

Features

• Platform: Game Boy Advance
• Includes Pokémon Crystal for GBA & GBC

Reviews (367)

Very Good
I used to own a game boy color, but i updated to a gba, for the better sound and graphics. I found that the ONLY downside is that it has no backlight. I am going to buy a gba light and sheild asap to fix that, and i will reveiw it too. I am just starting to collect games, as i only have one, but i am hoping it will be a long time before i get bored and get a gba sp. the price is good, but if you really want a good experience, and you have the money, get a Nintendo DS. My brother has one, and he enjoys it. The downside to a DS is they only have 3 or 4 good games out.

Good...........but outdated sad but true
The game boy advance is definetly better than a game boy color.Bigger screen, smaller game consoles, and better grafics.Why only 3 stars.Well, this system just can't compare to the new psp or nintendo ds.If you want a cheap gaming console, this might be the way to go. It is inexpensive and has lots of games.If you however don't mind spending a little (or a lot) more money than you should propably go with the psp if you are older or the nintendo ds if you are like under 12. Like I said this was worth it like 3 or 4 years ago but just like the game boy color before it, this system is getting old.

hello
this game boy sucks it close and it has horible graphics.you should get the nintendo ds

Great System after 3 years
I am here to say that I am not too big on the whole SP idea. I bought a Platinum SP about 2 years ago when they first hit shelves and I can't honestly say it was the greatest purchase I made. If you ever have time to kill, go on Ebay and compare what you can get a Regular Model for to what you pay for a SP. There is no comparison, for lack of a better word I'd have to say looking back on it that the SP was overhyped and priced. The controls give a sick feeling of clausterphobia and the light is something useful only to those that take long trips day-in and day-out. I recently was able to purchase a 3rd GBA system on ebay for the jaw-dropping price of $35.00, and the real shocker was that the system was BRAND NEW. The original GBA model had the SP beat in so many ways it is hard to look back on it and think what a mistake I made for ever buying the SP. This system is the complete deal, I wouldn't pay the listing price of $70.00 for it, but if you find a bargain like I did, go for it. The graphics are crisp and it too is small enough to just slip in a pocket, I wouldn't recomend storing it in a pocket because of the scratches it may cause. The light is the only thing that the SP has over the standard system. I personally believe that the GBA regular has better battery life than an SP. I am playing Zelda Minish Cap on a system that came out 3 yrs ago and is still running strong. Over the past years I've played it, I've played some of the best games on any console such as Metroid Zero Mission and Fusion, not to mention the Castlevania series which in my opinion ranks as one the best series for any system to date. With games like these becoming harder to find, it sure would be nice to find more regular GBA's on a store shelf...

Steller Handheld with steller line ups
Put it simply...this is a great edition to the nintendo franchise.Advance has a great line up of games like
Metroid Zero Mission
Advance Wars
The Mario Games and Zelda games.Awesome must have handheld for this year, and if you don't already have it get SP then!

4.9 out of 5...A great hand held to own.. ... Read more

Product Description

While planning the perfect vacation on Dinosaur Island, things go awry for Mario and Luigi when they learn that Princess Peach has been kidnapped again by the ever-diabolical Bowser. Being chivalrous plumbers, Mario and Luigi set out on a massive adventure to rescue their long-time friend. To reach their goal, they'll have to crush Bowser's evil Koopalings and solve some of the most challenging puzzles they've ever faced. ... Read more

Features

• Platform: Game Boy Advance
• ESRB Rating: Everyone
• Genre: Action/Adventure

Reviews (251)

Polishing a classic
There's pretty much a debate on the best Super Mario game: Super Mario 3, Super Mario World or Yoshi's Island(but you control Yoshi instead). Some might say Mario 64 but the lack of gameplay moves doesn't hold a candle to the many gameplay mechanics each one of the 3 provide. So we delve into one of them: Super Mario World.

Story: What little story there is. As usual, Princess Peach gets kidnapped(I swear that b**** needs bodyguards or take up karate or something). So it's up to Mario to save the day as he traverses worlds in caves, the chocolate level, underwater and in the air.

Graphics: This is Super Nintendo graphics so granted these aren't stunning anymore. But it does have a nice vibrancy to it and the variety of the levels adds some nice changes to the scenery without being too repetitive.

Sound/Music: I often call Nintendo good support music. Besides the Mario theme, nothing is really hummable yet it doesn't feel out of place. They added some voices for Mario and Luigi which as usual get annoying.

Gameplay: I remember playing this on the SNES and I was so happy I cleared all 96 stages, got the Star Road finished, the secret areas and everything. Now I have to do it again, ugh. All the levels are here with some minor tweaks.

It was this one I believe they introduced one of Mario's famous sidekicks: Yoshi, the green dinosaur who likes to eat anything and s**t it out and makes eggs that he can fling at people(only in Yoshi's Island and maybe some others). He also turned into a different colored Yoshi depending on what he ate. So red turtles gave him abilities to shoot fireballs while one enabled him to fly and another gave a slight earthquake quality when he bounced.

Mario 3 wins in turns of transforming Mario. In 3, he had the tanooki suit(that raccoon), the frog suit, that shoe, not to mention the fire flower and the leaf, capable of making him fly. With this one he gets the fire flower and the feather, giving him a yellow Superman cape where he can fly. It's different than the leaf cause that just made him soar straight up while here you can fly across. He can glide down by just holding the button while in 3 you had to repeatedly hit it.

The Mario Advance ports are great for us old school gamers who remembers playing Chrono Trigger, Uniracers and Final Fantasy III(officially VI but that's another story). Don't forget about Mario 3 and Yoshi's Island too.

This is an old classic, but it cannot overshadow Mario Bro 3
The game is good and then some. There is so much to do, you may never do it all.
The story is that Peach is not in the witness protection program and gets kidnapped once again. You and Luigi must save her.
On the map you can alternate between Luigi and Mario just by a press of a button. All in all, it does not matter. The game is no harder or easier. Luigi has a better jump but is slower than Mario.
In the levels your goal is to get to the end without dying. The twist in this game is that any red dot on the map means there is more than one exit. And many of them are hard to find. Upon finding them, you are able to gain access to a different path on the map.
This is a must. You will see dotted lines everywhere in a certain color. What you must do is find a certain special exit and you get to go to a block palace. They will fill in the lines with blocks that match the colors. Now these blocks give you access to new places and sometimes save your life.
Running around in the levels, you get four different powerups and they vary from mushroom to stars. If you had Mario before, you know what they do. The new addition is Yoshi. He can add an extra hit to your life and eat enemies and more! Plus, by special exits, you can go to star world. Beating a level there the right way will give you access to a new yoshi. Some will turn enemies eaten into fire while others can fly when they have any enemy in their mouth. They appear at random
The bosses can be brutal. Each boss either has three or four hits. You must find the special way to beat them. This will be easy, but causes you to keep readjusting throughout the game.
You may never do everything.
You need help to do everything. So buy a strategy guide.

Best Game EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!
For a gamer like me, that is, someone who likes basic yet chalenging games, this is a must.Its fun never wears away, because there's always something new to do.Play either as Mario, who is fast but a bad jumper, or Luigi who jumps far and high.I love this game!!!!!!!!

My all time favorite Mario game.
This game is the greatest Mario game I have ever played. All the Mario's seem to have gone down hill to me since this 4th installment. But now that this classic SNES game has been revived and upgraded to the GBA, its back, and even better then ever!

There is a few differences between this and the SNES version, but they just make this version better!!! Theres a few new halfway markers, theres 5 Yoshi coins to collect on each stage, and when your found them all you get princess coins... but everything is still there and just as much fun as ever. I only wish I could program some add ons into it somehow.

Super Mario, Super Good
Super Mario world is the best gameboy game I have ever played!
The levels are hard, but no so hard that you stay on one level for a month. Some of the levels, are a bit frustrating though. Some examples would be the "big green goop balls",The boos, and the big boo who are in some ghost houses. They are impossible to defeat and you cannot touch them without losing your special ability or life! Also,there are some enemys not mentioned on the "Denizens of Dinosoar Land" paper, like the "skeleton birds". I think the music for this game is good, but others might say it's cheesy. It's fun to ride "Mr. Dinosoar"a.k.a Yoshi, but the controls are hard to learn for him, and regular Mario/Luigi. It might be easier for some people, because I am a person who likes to not read instruction booklets. Some of the graphics are funny, like when you do a run jump your belly comes forward, and if you collect a certain item you inflate like a balloon, and when Luigi jumps, h wiggles his feet! You can "cheat" on certain levels by using a cape to fly across the sky of the level, avoiding most enemies. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

The Game Boy platform (which includes the original unit, the Game Boy Pocket, and the Game Boy Color) came to market when most video game consoles had a life expectancy of just a few years. More than a decade later, the system is still going strong. How did the Game Boy successfully compete--and in some cases bury--an onslaught of faster, more powerful handheld and home console systems? Let us count the ways: affordability, a huge library of games that consistently made the most of the hardware's limitations, smart power management that extended battery life, and uncluttered controls. But perhaps it was the system's ultraportable design that allowed devotees to play video games around their schedule, making it the must-have system for kids and adults alike.

Now the Game Boy Advance (or GBA as people are already calling it) comes to us with power that would have been unthinkable back in the day. The portable's 32-bit RISC CPU runs circles around the former's 8-bit workhorse, allowing it to process program instructions much faster. What that means to everyday gamers is more intricate visuals, more simultaneous movement on the screen, and better sound. In fact, the often-annoying beeps and boops of old-school Game Boy titles are being replaced with digitized stereo sound. The extra processing muscle also means you can even network up to four Game Boy Advance units together, via the communication cable, for multiplayer fun off of one shared cartridge. Only two Game Boy Color units could link together, and each unit had to have its own copy of the game.

What's not being replaced, however, is the wide selection of Game Boy games. Because the Game Boy Advance system is backward-compatible, it will play its own line of colorful games--including such launch titles as Super Mario Advance, F-Zero: Maximum Velocity, Army Men Advance, High Heat Major League Baseball 2002, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, and Ready 2 Rumble Boxing: Round 2--as well as all of the monochrome and color games that have already been released for the previous Game Boy systems (nearly 500 in total). Players can view the older games in their smaller, originally square dimensions, or, with the touch of the shoulder button, expand the game to fit the GBA's larger screen. We tried enlarging the screen on a Game Boy Color edition of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 and found that Mr. Hawk was much easier to see.

When you first pick up the system, you'll be amazed at how lightweight it is. At fewer than 5 ounces and a little larger than a deck of playing cards, the system easily fits into a shirt pocket without any sag. The GBA's wider shape fits better into a wider range of hands. The former design too often pushed the left and right thumb knuckles together during gameplay. The new layout should be comfortable for all ages, and the center screen orientation makes it easy to see.

Game Boy Color owners will find the GBA's larger screen somewhat darker than they're used to, but that's because the screen is outfitted with antiglare technology. Like the old Game Boy Color, the color LCD is not backlit, so you need pretty good light to play by. Unlike that system, though, you won't be craning your neck and tilting the unit to see around the hot-spot reflection of the light bulb in your screen.

But you'll also notice the graphics. Sporting what's basically a redesigned SNES technology, you'll see things on the GBA that the big consoles do, such as scaling (making objects larger or smaller) and rotation effects--technological advances that will affect the look of everything from crossing a finish line to throwing a touchdown pass to crawling through a dungeon.

Some might argue that Nintendo could have tried to put even more power into this Game Boy Advance. After all, the 32-bit video game had its heyday more than five years ago. Perhaps, but after handling this new handheld, we're inclined to think that Nintendo wisely struck a balance between size, price, and power consumption. And considering how well the old 8-bit system weathered the decade's technological storms, we think the Game Boy Advance is here to stay, and we're glad. --Porter B. Hall

Unit Specifications

• CPU: 32-bit RISC CPU with embedded memory
• Screen: 2.9-inch reflective TFT color LCD
• Display Size: 1.6 by 2.4 inches (40.8 by 61.2 mm)
• Resolution: 38,000 pixels in a wide-screen aspect ratio (10,000 per square inch)
• Colors: 512 simultaneous colors from a palette of 32,768
• Size: 3.2 by 5.6 by 1 inch (82 by 144.5 by 24.5 mm)
• Weight: Approximately 5 ounces (140 grams)
• Power Supply: 2 AA alkaline batteries
• Battery Life: Approximately 15 hours continuous play

Features

• Platform: Game Boy Advance
• Includes Pokémon Crystal for GBA & GBC

Reviews (367)

Very Good
I used to own a game boy color, but i updated to a gba, for the better sound and graphics. I found that the ONLY downside is that it has no backlight. I am going to buy a gba light and sheild asap to fix that, and i will reveiw it too. I am just starting to collect games, as i only have one, but i am hoping it will be a long time before i get bored and get a gba sp. the price is good, but if you really want a good experience, and you have the money, get a Nintendo DS. My brother has one, and he enjoys it. The downside to a DS is they only have 3 or 4 good games out.

Good...........but outdated sad but true
The game boy advance is definetly better than a game boy color.Bigger screen, smaller game consoles, and better grafics.Why only 3 stars.Well, this system just can't compare to the new psp or nintendo ds.If you want a cheap gaming console, this might be the way to go. It is inexpensive and has lots of games.If you however don't mind spending a little (or a lot) more money than you should propably go with the psp if you are older or the nintendo ds if you are like under 12. Like I said this was worth it like 3 or 4 years ago but just like the game boy color before it, this system is getting old.

hello
this game boy sucks it close and it has horible graphics.you should get the nintendo ds

Great System after 3 years
I am here to say that I am not too big on the whole SP idea. I bought a Platinum SP about 2 years ago when they first hit shelves and I can't honestly say it was the greatest purchase I made. If you ever have time to kill, go on Ebay and compare what you can get a Regular Model for to what you pay for a SP. There is no comparison, for lack of a better word I'd have to say looking back on it that the SP was overhyped and priced. The controls give a sick feeling of clausterphobia and the light is something useful only to those that take long trips day-in and day-out. I recently was able to purchase a 3rd GBA system on ebay for the jaw-dropping price of $35.00, and the real shocker was that the system was BRAND NEW. The original GBA model had the SP beat in so many ways it is hard to look back on it and think what a mistake I made for ever buying the SP. This system is the complete deal, I wouldn't pay the listing price of $70.00 for it, but if you find a bargain like I did, go for it. The graphics are crisp and it too is small enough to just slip in a pocket, I wouldn't recomend storing it in a pocket because of the scratches it may cause. The light is the only thing that the SP has over the standard system. I personally believe that the GBA regular has better battery life than an SP. I am playing Zelda Minish Cap on a system that came out 3 yrs ago and is still running strong. Over the past years I've played it, I've played some of the best games on any console such as Metroid Zero Mission and Fusion, not to mention the Castlevania series which in my opinion ranks as one the best series for any system to date. With games like these becoming harder to find, it sure would be nice to find more regular GBA's on a store shelf...

Steller Handheld with steller line ups
Put it simply...this is a great edition to the nintendo franchise.Advance has a great line up of games like
Metroid Zero Mission
Advance Wars
The Mario Games and Zelda games.Awesome must have handheld for this year, and if you don't already have it get SP then!

4.9 out of 5...A great hand held to own.. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Chessmaster is a good introduction to the rules of chess, as wellas a useful tool for experienced players looking to improve their games. Asplayers continue, they'll learn more advanced strategies and tactics while theirskill levels increase. The game also features a tutorial mode to acclimate newchess players to the basics of the game; 150 famous recorded games; sixopponents; 10 chess sets; scalable gameplay for chess players of all skilllevels; and a two-player mode via the Game Boy Advance link cable. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Great for what it is.
Cons: the menus could be a bit more intuitive, and it does play at a high level for someone who isn't a pretty serious chess player (even the weakest players on the weakest setting).

Pros: challenging to good players and people trying to improve their game.I'm not beating it very often, but I am getting rid of bad playing habits.Once you get used to the menus, there really is a lot to this program:different AI opponents with various playing styles, tutorial stuff, and a few hundred classic games to review along with some chess history, and it saves your game if you need to put it down.

I also like playing chess on my GBA and can get in a couple of games a day just by carrying it in my pocket and taking it out when I'm not doing anything (waiting in line).Also nice to have a chess computer that I know isn't going to break.

Good little chess game
I like this game but there is room for improvement. First, the AI is really tough--even the lowest level opponents are probably too tough for the casual gamer. Second, the chess tutor section is pretty poorly done, in my opinion. Good points about the game include the graphics and the play control. It also lets you redo all the moves of a game, which is good for learning.

It needs a manual or game guide
Fun but hard to figure out how to get to earn chess sets. It needs an instruction manual

The GBA chess game for serious enthusiasts.
Chessmaster for the GBA is a better choice for real enthusiasts
than Virtual Kasparov.It was released several months later, and its obvious than Kasparov and its obvious that this game fixed some of the shortcomings.

Some very important features this game includes:
A true save feature instead of Kasparov's antiquated password system.
Ability to undo moves.Helpful for when you want to experiment strategies or simply make a silly mistake.
150 classic matches from real masters.its takes a few seconds to load, but gives a fantastic lesson in strategy as a game actually unfolds.
Ability to choose different pieces.A bunch of them are useless (like dog theme pieces) but several are excellent to play with and give nice options.
Tutorials on moves, strategies and notation.I find the notation tutorial to be especailly helpful for players who want to learn more detailed strategies from books and other sources.Great job including this!

I do agree with some of the other comments ofr this game..the difficulty is a bit high for novice players or children who aren't the next Bobby Fischer, but for enthusiasts who want a chess challenge at thier fingertips this is great.There isalso a comment that selecting pieces takes several clicks to register.I never encountered this problem, the game plays just fine.

A strong Chess program for the GBA
I have both Virtual Kasparov (VK) and ChessMaster (CM).I wish I could combine the best features of both.

First off, CM plays at a much higher level.Whereas most of the VK personalities make occasional blunders, very few of those in CM do.This means that you really have to earn your wins against CM.Youngsters and novices (below say 1300 ELO) are likely to get walloped by most of the CM characters.
Also on the plus side:CM reports the moves in standard algebraic notation (VK does not) and allows infinite undo and redo.CM also contains a large library of famous games for review.
On the minus side, as the previous reviewer comments, I find I frequently have to press the arrow keys several times before CM acknowledges my move (and then frequently shoots past the piece I'm trying to pick up).This is quite annoying.
Also, CM does not automatically record the board position (VK does, which is useful when your batteries suddenly run out).CM also expects only a single user (VK records board positions and preferences for up to three different users).
Choose CM if you're a strong chessplayer or are looking for a real challenge.Choose VK for youngsters or novices. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Game & Watch portable games were before the time of Game Boy, but are available again in both classic and updated versions in this Game & Watch Gallery 4 anthology for Game Boy Advance and previous installments for Game Boy Color. This anthology contains remakes of Donkey Kong 3, Mario Cement Factory, Rainshower, Boxing, and Fire Attack. Players can choose to play the games in an emulation of the original monochrome LCD display or in updated color versions designed for the GBA. ... Read more

Reviews (21)

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MARIO!!!!!!
WOW!! This is a good game and has a looooooot of games!!!! I like this game!!!

good game
I don't own this game,but i have played it before and I'd say a 4 out of 5 stars,sure you start out as easy but as you advance,u unlock more games new and old and harder settings such as meduim,hard and if you think you can handle it,super hard...yes there are four settings instead of one.

I personally love the little sounds and music this game has to offer,and a game gets harder as you progress.

If you think this game is for kiddies...then I'd have to say your wrong ;)

Ripofffor the old folks who played it and are now rich
This is just a money ripper aimed at kids from the 80's who have played these.Some of them are now rich, feel nostalgic about their childhood, and must get this game.The ones don't have much money still buy it by only eating once a day for about a week.

I liked it.........For a while
I will admit that I enjoyed this game for around a week or so. The gameplay was repititous, and took alot more time than I would take to finish the levels. I still play it on and off, although I paid $40 for the dang thing(wish I would have checked amazon.com before making that splurge)

Just got this game !!!
I really loved the Game and Watch of the yesteryears.So it was exciting that they have this for the Gameboy.But the only thing is that I don't know how to save the high scores or get the stars to unlock the other games.The instruction of the game tells me that all I have to do is to press start during the game and to turn off the unit.Nothing happens.
I don't know if I bought a defective game or something.
Please help. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

The Game Boy platform (which includes the original unit, the Game Boy Pocket, and the Game Boy Color) came to market when most video game consoles had a life expectancy of just a few years. More than a decade later, the system is still going strong. How did the Game Boy successfully compete--and in some cases bury--an onslaught of faster, more powerful handheld and home console systems? Let us count the ways: affordability, a huge library of games that consistently made the most of the hardware's limitations, smart power management that extended battery life, and uncluttered controls. But perhaps it was the system's ultraportable design that allowed devotees to play video games around their schedules, making it the must-have system for kids and adults alike.

Now the Game Boy Advance (or GBA as people are already calling it) comes to us with power that would have been unthinkable back in the day. The portable's 32-bit RISC CPU runs circles around the former's 8-bit workhorse, allowing it to process program instructions much faster. What that means to everyday gamers is more intricate visuals, more simultaneous movement on the screen, and better sound. In fact, the often-annoying beeps and boops of old-school Game Boy titles are being replaced with digitized stereo sound. The extra processing muscle also means you can even network up to four Game Boy Advance units together, via the communication cable, for multiplayer fun off of one shared cartridge. Only two Game Boy Color units could link together, and each unit had to have its own copy of the game.

What's not being replaced, however, is the wide selection of Game Boy games. Because the Game Boy Advance system is backward-compatible, it will play its own line of colorful games--including such launch titles as Super Mario Advance, F-Zero: Maximum Velocity, Army Men Advance, High Heat Major League Baseball 2002, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, and Ready 2 Rumble Boxing: Round 2--as well as all of the monochrome and color games that have already been released for the previous Game Boy systems (nearly 500 in total). Players can view the older games in their smaller, originally square dimensions, or, with the touch of the shoulder button, expand the game to fit the GBA's larger screen. We tried enlarging the screen on a Game Boy Color edition of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 and found that Mr. Hawk was much easier to see.

When you first pick up the system, you'll be amazed at how lightweight it is. At fewer than 5 ounces and a little larger than a deck of playing cards, the system easily fits into a shirt pocket without any sag. The GBA's wider shape fits better into a wider range of hands. The former design too often pushed the left and right thumb knuckles together during gameplay. The new layout should be comfortable for all ages, and the center screen orientation makes it easy to see.

Game Boy Color owners will find the GBA's larger screen somewhat darker than they're used to, but that's because the screen is outfitted with antiglare technology. Like the old Game Boy Color, the color LCD is not backlit, so you need pretty good light to play by. Unlike that system, though, you won't be craning your neck and tilting the unit to see around the hot-spot reflection of the light bulb in your screen.

But you'll also notice the graphics. Sporting what's basically a redesigned SNES technology, you'll see things on the GBA that the big consoles do, such as scaling (making objects larger or smaller) and rotation effects--technological advances that will affect the look of everything from crossing a finish line to throwing a touchdown pass to crawling through a dungeon.

Some might argue that Nintendo could have tried to put even more power into this Game Boy Advance. After all, the 32-bit video game had its heyday more than five years ago. Perhaps, but after handling this new handheld, we're inclined to think that Nintendo wisely struck a balance between size, price, and power consumption. And considering how well the old 8-bit system weathered the decade's technological storms, we think the Game Boy Advance is here to stay, and we're glad. --Porter B. Hall

Unit Specifications

• CPU: 32-bit RISC CPU with embedded memory
• Screen: 2.9-inch reflective TFT color LCD
• Display Size: 1.6 by 2.4 inches (40.8 by 61.2 mm)
• Resolution: 38,000 pixels in a widescreen aspect ratio (10,000 per square inch)
• Colors: 512 simultaneous colors from a palette of 32,768
• Size: 3.2 by 5.6 by 1 inch (82 by 144.5 by 24.5 mm)
• Weight: Approximately 5 ounces (140 grams)
• Power Supply: 2 AA alkaline batteries
• Battery Life: Approximately 15 hours continuous play

Reviews (367)

Very Good
I used to own a game boy color, but i updated to a gba, for the better sound and graphics. I found that the ONLY downside is that it has no backlight. I am going to buy a gba light and sheild asap to fix that, and i will reveiw it too. I am just starting to collect games, as i only have one, but i am hoping it will be a long time before i get bored and get a gba sp. the price is good, but if you really want a good experience, and you have the money, get a Nintendo DS. My brother has one, and he enjoys it. The downside to a DS is they only have 3 or 4 good games out.

Good...........but outdated sad but true
The game boy advance is definetly better than a game boy color.Bigger screen, smaller game consoles, and better grafics.Why only 3 stars.Well, this system just can't compare to the new psp or nintendo ds.If you want a cheap gaming console, this might be the way to go. It is inexpensive and has lots of games.If you however don't mind spending a little (or a lot) more money than you should propably go with the psp if you are older or the nintendo ds if you are like under 12. Like I said this was worth it like 3 or 4 years ago but just like the game boy color before it, this system is getting old.

hello
this game boy sucks it close and it has horible graphics.you should get the nintendo ds

Great System after 3 years
I am here to say that I am not too big on the whole SP idea. I bought a Platinum SP about 2 years ago when they first hit shelves and I can't honestly say it was the greatest purchase I made. If you ever have time to kill, go on Ebay and compare what you can get a Regular Model for to what you pay for a SP. There is no comparison, for lack of a better word I'd have to say looking back on it that the SP was overhyped and priced. The controls give a sick feeling of clausterphobia and the light is something useful only to those that take long trips day-in and day-out. I recently was able to purchase a 3rd GBA system on ebay for the jaw-dropping price of $35.00, and the real shocker was that the system was BRAND NEW. The original GBA model had the SP beat in so many ways it is hard to look back on it and think what a mistake I made for ever buying the SP. This system is the complete deal, I wouldn't pay the listing price of $70.00 for it, but if you find a bargain like I did, go for it. The graphics are crisp and it too is small enough to just slip in a pocket, I wouldn't recomend storing it in a pocket because of the scratches it may cause. The light is the only thing that the SP has over the standard system. I personally believe that the GBA regular has better battery life than an SP. I am playing Zelda Minish Cap on a system that came out 3 yrs ago and is still running strong. Over the past years I've played it, I've played some of the best games on any console such as Metroid Zero Mission and Fusion, not to mention the Castlevania series which in my opinion ranks as one the best series for any system to date. With games like these becoming harder to find, it sure would be nice to find more regular GBA's on a store shelf...

Steller Handheld with steller line ups
Put it simply...this is a great edition to the nintendo franchise.Advance has a great line up of games like
Metroid Zero Mission
Advance Wars
The Mario Games and Zelda games.Awesome must have handheld for this year, and if you don't already have it get SP then!

4.9 out of 5...A great hand held to own.. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

In Star Wars Episode II: The New Droid Army the Clone Wars are raging, and the Jedi Council has gotten word that a dangerous new battle droid has been seen on Tatooine. The Council has sent young Jedi Anakin Skywalker to investigate.

This game has two important things going for it: the graphics--with 3-D polygons, smooth animation, and vibrant colors--are top-notch, and the sound effects, including snippets of music from the movies, are impressive for the GBA’s tiny speaker. Hearing the hum of the lightsaber, the twang of laser shots, and--perhaps most impressive--the creepy guffaws of the Tusken Raiders brought a tear to my eye.

But while the sights and sounds of The New Droid Army are impressive, the gameplay is a mixed bag. As young Anakin, you run around, slicing up stuff with your lightsaber. And then you slice some more, and then a bit more. You do have certain Force powers that add to gameplay (moving quickly, jumping really high, becoming invisible, healing wounds, etc.), but not enough to completely relieve the tedium. The biggest flaw though is the lack of character interaction. While you will often need to talk with people to gather information, not all people can talk, so most characters are merely window-dressing. Worse, there is no battery save option in the game. This is a good-looking game that falls well short of classic status. --Bryan Karsh

Pros:

• Great graphics and sound
• Fun cutscenes
• Useful Force powers

• No health packs
• Can’t interact with all characters
• Password save

Reviews (20)

Ok, I guess...
This game is fun for a day or two, but then it gets old after a while. There are no healh pack thingys and why the heck do you have to remember passwords? Why can't you just save the game? Plus, there is no change in scenerey. Everywhere you go it's just the same as everywhere else you have gone. And why is so hard to kill one simple battle droid. Dang, Anakin can't fight worth a flip on this game.

JaredBob

Good Game
It was an exciting game, a little easy, but, it has great replay value.I've beat it three times, and it's awesome each time.This was always a great game.A little difficult the first try, but it's got great replay value.I always thought of it as a good Game Boy game, as it was my first and only GBA game.I stick to GameCube, now.Harder, funner.Well, adiós.

This Game is Way to Easy
This game is extremely easy and wasn't entertaing. I am a teenage girl and i'm not a huge starwars fan but I do like some of the movies. All you do is lightsaber ur way through levels and it doesn't get any harder as you progress. My brother purchased this game he's 8 but he loved it. Maybe I shouldn't have expected much from this game?

star wars
Its a very fun game.
If you play on it for agers yoou get bord

Super!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This game was totally amasing. It's better than the Clone Wars. You learn more force powers though out the game! You can regain your health,you can block shots with your lightsaber,and it's got really good replay value. You should buy it. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

This is a special limited-edition, platinum-colored Game Boy Advance console.

When you first pick up the Game Boy Advance system, you'll be amazed at how little it weighs. At fewer than 5 ounces and a little larger than a deck of playing cards, the system easily fits into a shirt pocket without any sag. The GBA's wider shape fits better into a wider range of hands. The former design too often pushed the left and right thumb knuckles together during gameplay. The new layout is comfortable for all ages, and the center screen orientation makes it easy to see.

Game Boy Color owners will find the GBA's larger screen somewhat darker than they're used to, but that's because the screen is outfitted with antiglare technology. Like the old Game Boy Color, the color LCD is not backlit, so you need pretty good light to play by. Unlike that system, though, you won't be craning your neck and tilting the unit to see around the hot-spot reflection of the light bulb in your screen.

But you'll also notice the graphics. Sporting what's basically a redesigned SNES technology, you'll see things on the GBA that you see on big consoles, such as scaling (making objects larger or smaller) and rotation effects--technological advances that will affect the look of everything from crossing a finish line to throwing a touchdown pass to crawling through a dungeon. ... Read more

Reviews (47)

Gameboy Rules!
First of all,I want to make it clear that I'm not giving this 5 stars because it's platinum but because it's gameboy.I would have given it 5 stars if it was blue,too.The point is that I just love gameboy.I have a GBC too and I still love it as much as I love my GBA.If anyone was ever going to get a game console,I'd reccomend a GBA.

WOW
this was a realy cool hand held system especially if your playing Golden Sun 1 & 2

Game Boy Advance Review
This is the greatest handheld system over. The game are cool because they come all other consoles too. I mean like there making the PS2 hit Grand Theft Auto 3 for GBA, Super Monkey Ball Jr. from Gamecube,and ect. It has a 32-bit processor and GBC only has a 8-bit processor. There are some sick accessories now so you can turn it into a tv, digital camera, mp3 player, radio, and more. You have to get this. The top 10 games are * Super Monkey Ball jr. * Tony Hawk Pro Skater 4 * Golden Sun * Mega Man Battle Network 2 * Zelda:A link to the past * Crash Banticoot: The Huge Adventure * Crash Banticoot 2: N-Tranced * Shaun Palmer's Pro Snowboarder * Spider-Man : The Movie * Mat-Hoffman's Pro BMX You have to get this thing now. p.s. Game Boy Advance SP is coming March '03 so you might want to wait for that. I hope you really invest in a GBA and a light you won't be sorry.

GBA Limited Addition Platnium
I love the GBA, and am amazed at all the cool things that are available for the GBA. At times I wish the graphics were better like that of the the Playstation 2. But you know the deal, want in one hand and ____ in the other. Ha!
seriously the GBA is truly great and the Platnium is a really good looking color, not so generic like that of the see through kind.
Only problems are finding the best light and screen protectors.
I got some screen protectors that are adhesive when applied it had a ton of scratches on itright out of the package.
And the Flood light eats batteries like you wouldn't believe.
The GBA is great because you can carry it anywhere ya want camping, long car rides to the beach. This smal investment in pleasure turns into a television to see your favorite shows, and turns into a digital camera so you can send pics to all your friends via email. It can't ggety any cooler than that.
Games for the GBA seem like there really geared to kids, but some are cool for adults, hey there are plenty of people in their late twenties who are still a kid at heart, but I think they should make a few geared towards us grown ups.
I think they should also make the Simms a GBA game aswell as a very realistic pin ball game that actualy looks like the real kind you play at the pizza joint, that would be cool.

GBA TOP RATES
GBA IS THE MOST INTERESTING HAND HELD GAME OF ALL TIMES. IT HAS GREAT COLOR AND LOADS OF NEW AND EXCITING GAMES THAT YOU CAN PLAY ON IT INCLUDING OLD NINTENDO GAMES. IT ALSO HAS GREAT EXTRAS THAT YOU CAN ADD ON TO IT TO MAKE YOUR GAME PLAY EVEN BETTER, GET GBA BECAUSE IF YOU DONT YOUR'RE MISSING OUT ON TONS OF FUN. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Although the game will seem very familiar to Sonic fans, SonicAdvance is an entirely new creation that's been built from the ground up.The gameplay, graphics, and sound borrow from the classic Sonic games on theGenesis and are successfully translated to the Game Boy Advance. The game'ssingle-player modes are relatively short 2-D platform rounds--each run takes twoto three hours--but replay value is added through the game's various characters.Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy each have different abilities that make gettingthrough the game a unique experience.

The real star here is the game's link capabilities. The Chao Garden allows youto raise your little critters and upload them to the GameCube via the link cable andSonic Adventure 2:Battle. Having one cartridge lets up to four GBA players compete in oneminigame. Gamers can play two additional minigames if each player owns acartridge. Although the single-player game is quite good, the link options givethe title tremendous value.

The only notable problem stems from the series itself: There are still entirelytoo many cheap deaths resulting from the title's high-speed gameplay. You'llfind yourself zipping along a level only to be hit by an obstacle you had littlechance of seeing, let alone avoiding. Ultimately, the only way to get past thesehazards is to memorize where they are. This minor flaw doesn't detract from thegame's excellent value, though. Sonic Advance offers a very goodsingle-player game and some of the best link options of any GBA title.--Raymond M. Padilla

Pros:

• Classic Sonic gameplay
• Outstanding link options
• Four characters add to replay value

• Classic Sonic cheap deaths
• Single-player runs are short

Reviews (158)

What's the big deal?
What's the big deal with this game? It's not fun at all. It's way too fast. I mean, Sonic Adventure 2: Battle was fast, but not like this. In this game, you can't even see where you're going. And there's no explanation for anything. I was expecting a cool action/platformer with a few story segments. Instead, I was dropped straight into the first level with no explanation, and there was no break-up between levels, boss battles, and worlds. I was just so confused. It moved so fast that my eyes hurt, and I didn't understand it. It was a big fat waste of money.

Sonic Advance rocks!!!
Sonic advance is a great Game. If you Like action Games or The Classic NES series Gameboy Advance Games, you should get this Game. I've played Sonic Advance 3, but the original Game is alot better. You can choose from Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy Rose. I also own Pokemon Leafgreen And Classic NES series Pacman. Sonic Advance rocks!!!

i got it!
remember me?im taht perky girl who made that review that i got it on ebay and such and such.well now i have it!tails and knux are my favoorite.its also pretty chalenging,so fun is at the top of its rate.its educational cause u get 2 raise a chao and thats like raising a kid.(u can buy it a tv)its durable cause when u keep it in your gba it doesnt break.o yeah in the final zone its real easy.play online at www.arcadepod.com and get practice.at the last dude,stay far back.when he moves,jump.light,duck.ball,stay calm,then dodge.hand,when it moves jump,run and attack him.the end is cute.hope u like it!

still waiting....
my friend,natasha,brought a sonic advance game to our locker room.i saw her play and it was SOOOOOOOO cool.sonic is my all-time fave character,so i played him first.it was ok,yet i felt like something was missing.I WASNT IN THE SONIC SPEED THINGY(...).(i kept jumping)then i played tails(i flew across),knux(...cool...),and amy(i kept using the mallet,then i pressed pause,and it was like i was crushing the pause thing).I saw it on ebay and bid for it.(drum roll....)i got it!now im waiting for it to come from hong kong and soooo...youve heard my amazing story..now go buy!!!!Pros:Fast,fleet,and fun.Its fun to play over and over again.Different guys,different moves.Cons:there are no cons Speed:5/5Replay 5/5 Fun 4/5Overall:10/5 (....)

Sonic on a Nintendo system? Is the world ending?
At the dawn of the twenty-first century, Sega shocked their long time fans. The company aborted production of its (relatively-new) Dreamcast console, and decided to become a third party exclusively. This meant the unthinkable would be happening - Yes, the Sonic The Hedgehog series was going to be on Nintendo systems! And a traditional-style Sonic game got released on the Game Boy Advance not long after. Read on for my review of Sonic Advance.

PROS:
-THE GAME PLAYS EXACTLY LIKE ITS SEGA GENESIS COUNTERPARTS. If you played the old Sonic games on the Genesis, you're going to feel right at home with this game.
-IT'S A TOTALLY NEW GAME. This game isn't just a port of one of the old Genesis games, but rather a new game of the old stylings. This series was long overdue for a revival!
-YOU HAVE A CHOICE OF FOUR CHARACTERS. Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy are all selectable. Having multiple characters gives the replay value a huge boost.
-EACH CHARACTER HAS HIS OR HER OWN STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES. Sonic has his classic dash move, Tails can perform a "helicopter" styled descent with his tails, Knuckles has his classic "glide and grab walls" move, and Amy can whack the bad guys with her mallet.

CONS:
-THE ONLY THING REALLY WRONG WITH THE GAME IS THAT IT DOESN'T REALLY BRING ANYTHING NEW TO THE SERIES. To put it simply, if you didn't like any of the older Sonic games, there's not going to be anything new here that will win you over.

OVERALL:

Old-school Sega Genesis gamers are going to feel right at home with this game, and should purchase it without hesitation. The Sonic series (the side-scrolling games in it, anyway) were long overdue for a revival - and here Nintendo gives them one. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Roll up your sleeves, get out your detective's notebook, grab your magnifying glass, and step into the world of Nancy Drew by solving your very own mystery. In Message in a Haunted Mansion, Nancy has flown to San Francisco to help out an old family friend who is turning a beautiful but dilapidated Victorian house into a bed-and-breakfast. Nancy gets set to help with the renovation and is told about the strange goings-on and "accidents." Always eager to solve a mystery, Nancy is determined to uncover the cause of the problems plaguing the renovation of the old mansion (some believe that the mansion is haunted). The game features realistic characters--each with a secret to hide--a multistory mansion, and lots of hidden crannies to explore. ... Read more

Reviews (18)

It wasn't as good as others
nancy drew... is genius! but having the computer games was good enough. now its for gameboy and it just wasn't as exciting as a lot of the computer nancy drew games. overall i'd say, from a 13 year old, this game, buy it for your computer.

COOL!!!!
THIS GAME IS AWESOME!!!IT'S NANCY DREW LIKE YOU'VE NEVER SEEN HER BEFORE!!SNOOP ALAROUND THE MANSION,TALK WITH ALL THE SUSPECTS,UNCOVER THE SECRET OF PAST IN THE MANSION,AND DISCOVER WHOSE CAUSING ALL THE 'ACCIDENTS'.THIS IS ONE OF THOSE GAMES THAT KEEPS YOU ON YOUR TOES!!!

A Fantastic Game
My daughter who is 11yrs old never gets a chance to play on the Playstation, due to her older brother always hogging it up.So I looked into getting something for her and Nancy Drew has opened up a whole new world for her and me. It started out being her adventure and turned out to be mine as well. She loves the games and the challenges it gave her.We have done all of the Nancy Drew Series, including the new one Island of Deception.I can't wait for the next one.We highly recommend getting the whole series for any little girl looking for serious challenges.Be sure to have your pen & paper ready for clues!

All PC Nancy Drew Titles
My 11yr. old and I play for hours on these Nancy Drew mystery games. They can require you to put on your thinking cap but they have sites that give helpful hints if needed. My son enjoys these games and even gets his sister (7) involved. I highly encourage any child to play and master these games. You can save at any point in the game so you can leave and come back whenever you like. They also have a very historical educational quality to them.

it was good but not as good as the computer games
the games was good, but very hard to play.you had to finish a chapter before you could save and if you did anything in the chapter that was ahead of its time and quit, when you typed in the password it wouldn't be done, so you would have to do it all over again.overall it was a good game but i would reccomend playing it on the computer instead!!!!!!!!!!!! ... Read more

Product Description

Disney Interactive (2565901) Lilo and Stitch GBA ... Read more

Features

• Platform: Game Boy Advance
• ESRB Rating: Everyone
• Genre: Action/Adventure

Reviews (13)

Pretty Nice Game
Okay, when I started playing Lilo and Stitch and saw that you had to kill the aliens with your gun, I thought: 'Peh. Another leap-and-dodge-em game.' But eventually I got interested in it and nearly passed the first level. (Geez, I haven't even passed level 1 yet!) I had to go online to get passwords for some of the other levels cuz I was getting sick of playing level 1 over...and over...and over...
Unfortunately, the game's storyline is nothing like the movie unlike the PC game. In GBA Lilo and Stitch you have to stop Dr. Pestus and these mousquito guys. Gameplay is slightly difficult. Reccommended for ages 9+.

Extremely cool shooter
First off, let me begin by saying that "Lilo and Stitch" was not strictly a childrens movie. In fact, some of the family issues in the movie were quite heavy. So its nice to finally see a Disney game that isn't geared towards small children and caters to the adult fanbase. The Gameboy Advance game is reminiscent of Metal Slug. Its a heavy duty shooter that will really keep you on your toes. Theres alot going on in this game and make no mistake, this game is TOUGH! But the challenge it presents is a good thing. This is a game where the graphics, animation and gameplay are so well thought out your money will be well spent. Lots and lots of shooting action here. Definitely one of the better Gameboy Advance games and well worth a look.

SHAME!!!!
This is a child's movie!There should NOT be KILLING!!There are plenty of *OLDER* kid killing games on the market without Disney selling out!

ANYTHING with Stitch is great!
Come ON people, anyone giving this game a bad review is insane, that or they are just assuming a game boy game is going to be as good as a PS2 game or an X-Box game. For Game Boy this game was great, and if you look up the codes and get far in the game, its twice as fun!

i'll see u in heck,lilo and stitch....by Dr. Doppler
this game is not very fun at all.
i loved the movie,and i hated this game.(odd,isn't it?)
i instead reccomand treasure planet (PS2) if you are looking
for a good based-on-a-movie game. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Do you have good rhythm? Mary-Kate and Ashley have organized a girls night out filled with hip fashion and some hip-hop dance moves. First, you've got to have the right look to get into the club: select from the twins' wardrobe of clothes, shoes, and accessories. Then it's time to dance the night away. Like other popular music games, Girls Night Out will challenge you to repeat a series of key-press patterns to the game's music. Dance well and you'll unlock new dance moves, new songs, and even clothes. You can also rock the house by playing DJ for the club. The game lets you create and save your own music mixes from techno, house, and disco clips. ... Read more

Reviews (20)

So Fun!!!
This is my favorite video game! You get to mix your own cds, change the girls outfits, have them dance and so much more! Don't do level hard-extreme because it's impossible to do.

Great Fun!
Girls Night Out is a really fun game! You get to chose Mary -Kate or Ashley for your dancer, and your set of difficulty. You have a closet where you can chose the clothes you want the player to wear, [shoes, pants, shorts, shirts, and even hats,] and you can even change the color of the clothes, from red to black! You unlock clothes, songs, [the songs last about one to two minutes and don't have words] dance moves, and sounds! The game also has this thing called Jam, where you can kinda make your own song with the songs ans sounds that you unlocked!
To be honest, this game is really fun! And really, after you buy it, you will be glad you bought it.

I loved this game
This game is all about girls of course. I am a huge FAN OF DANCING. And Britney Spears i have her dancing game to i don't like itas much as i love GIRLS NIGHT OUT. So go out and buy this game u will be glAD you did

This game rocks!!
You should definetly get this! You can dress them up, with close you unlocked, make music videos, create a remix to songs, can practice your moves and try them on the dance floor!!When your done with all the levels, you'll see your charecter danceing to a song called London Triump. They makke this game so it's not for babies but not so hard!! Trust me. This game is COOL!!!

Oh dear
This game isn't up to standards. I enjoy some of there acting but there games are just rubbish. If you want a real game try super mario or sonic advance but this is lame. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

This is a great game for rookies, champs, and bored kids!
This game is fun, exciting, and easy to learn how to play. I got this for Christmas last year, and I still love to play.Trust me, I have a very short attention span and a complex mind and found this game great.

Pros:
*cool monsters to raise
*tournaments to win
*many secret breeds to unlock
*many tasks to accomplish
*lots of monsters to pick from
*challenging for pro gamers
*enjoyable for untalented gamers
*rules aren't confusing
*good graphics

Cons:
*people talk a lot
*monsters only have 4-5 year life spans

This game is varied so that a variety of people can enjoy.At first it is Ahhh,uhhh, okay.Then once you understand, it becomes great fun.

I had this game in fifth grade and my friend and I shared so much laughter and good memories.This is a good game for anyone, so try it.

This is a great game for rookies, champs, and bored kids!
This game is fun, exciting, and easy to learn how to play. I got this for Christmas last year, and I still love to play.Trust me, I have a very short attention span and a complex mind and found this game great.

Pros:
*cool monsters to raise
*tournaments to win
*many secret breeds to unlock
*many tasks to accomplish
*lots of monsters to pick from
*challenging for pro gamers
*enjoyable for untalented gamers
*rules aren't confusing
*good graphics

Cons:
*people talk a lot
*monsters only have 4-5 year life spans

This game is varied so that a variety of people can enjoy.At first it is Ahhh,uhhh, okay.Then once you understand, it becomes great fun.

I had this game in fifth grade and my friend and I shared so much laughter and good memories.This is a good game for anyone, so try it.

Good but repetative
I played both Monster Rancher Advance I & II.Certainly, it is neat to enter random sequences of letters and numbers to generate new monsters.The story is reasonable strong although slow paces.Unfortunately, I found the game tedious after a while.The challenge of training monsters wears thin after about the 1ooth time.It is particularly frustrating when your monster is forced into retirement just before completing a battle that would advance the story.Also, the time frame is somewhat unrealistic, I figure that my game lasted about 100 years or so (within the game).Each monster lasts roughly 4 years and it took me about 25-30 monsters to complete the game. Although monsters age your character and other characters in the game do not.I played this through to the climatic battle, and while that was cool I'm not sure it was enough pay-off.If you like doing the same thing hundreds of times, this game is for you.If you like a good story and can tolerate doing the same thing over and over, you might enjoy it too.

The PERFECT game!
I've played Monster Rancher 3 (for Ps2), and I think this game is better because 1. Regenerating monsters is easier, 2. You can go exploring, 3. It's easier to earn sertain monsters (Dragon, Durahan, etc.),and 4. Monsters don't die, they can retire or turn into coaches, so you can train your other monsters more effectively.

On the other hand, on Monster Rancher 3 1. food is cheaper, 2. You can battle your rivals more often,and 3. you can train in different places.

They're both good games, but you don't need to use other games to regenerate monsters on MRA 2, and you can take it anywhere.That's good enough for me.

Monster Rancher Advance 2
The agme starts out with good game play, but after a while you lose the needed story line. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Three months have passed since the Internet crime organizationWorld Three was defeated by Lan and his virus-busting pal, MegaMan.exe. Just as the world begins to feel safe, a new threat rears itsdigital head: an evil Internet syndicate called the Net-Mafia Gospel.Will Lan and Mega Man be up to this new challenge?

The gameplay of Mega Man: Battle Network 2 is almost identicalto the first game--it'san isometric RPG with a kickin' battle system. You spend half the timein the "real world" as Lan, and the other half in the Internet as theantivirus program Mega Man.exe. Solving puzzles and getting power-ups(and, of course, fighting baddies) are the core of this game.

The crowning glory of Mega Man: Battle Network 2 is its battlesystem. The arcade-style battles are still in real time, but there aresome significant changes since the first game. Mega Man doesn'tautomatically regain his health after a battle--he needs to findspecial chips to fully recover. Also, there are now four battle stylesfrom which Mega Man can choose (heat, aqua, wood, or electricity)depending on the type of chips he collects. These chip types affectMega Man's effectiveness against different enemies. The battle screenshave also changed; unique terrains now make battles more varied. Andnow there are more than 200 chips to collect!

The plot in Mega Man: Battle Network was a little shallow, andseemed geared toward a younger crowd. While Battle Network 2 isalso rated E, it has a darker, fuller story--and with an enemy like theNet-Mafia Gospel (which has to be the coolest gang name I've everheard), the story becomes a compelling enhancement to the game.

Mega Man: Battle Network 2 comes through with some refreshingrefinements to all the good features of the original game, making it amust-have for any Mega Man or RPG fan. --Bryan Karsh

Pros:

• Mega Man changes appearance depending on which battle style headopts
• Players trade chips via link cable, or fight a friend for theminstead!

Cons:

• The story may be confusing if you haven't played the first game

Reviews (61)

better than $$1,000,000
i totally love this game its awesome i really like this game heatguts ,aquaguts and electguts rocks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! this game is better than megaman battle net work 1 and 3 and 4 blue moon id pay 50 bucks for this game cause its plain awesome megaman fans buy this gameyoull like it i did i give it20 starsthe graphics look 3-d kinda the storyline is great so isthe gameplay and the battles and bosses and how the custom navi look this game is cool im a 11 year old gamer and a megaman fan

It is...acceptable*TA-DOM*
No for real folks,this game is really fun,I was just playing around!now,I played this game shortly after I played MMBN1(mega man battle network part 1),and I thought it was great,The story starts with Lan and megaman.EXE,Lan just had to run to school because he was late(again).When he gets there his friend Dex tells him about this thing called'the square'so Lan and megaman.exe go to the square and become City nettbattler.then later on they find out about this new net mob called'Gospel'.As you can see so far from the story,this game is COOL!!!PROS:New battle chips,great new story,'style change'(gives mega man new powers),and new subchips!(power ups)CONS:The game gets really hard after you beat this one part in the game about Shadowman.Ya see that people,I can only think of one thing bad about the game!this game is a good buy but don't pay too much for it,I mean its good...but its SHORT,VERY SHORT...

ALL ABOUT MY FAVORITE GAME
I must say when i got theses game i was shaking. In this megaman adventure u get to have a style change. EVEN the bad guys r kool except airman. U even get to have way more battle chips then in megamanbn1. What mostly suks about these game is that u don't get to vs sharkman or woodman or even skullman. But in megamanbn2 u get to vs snakeman shadowman gateman and... i told u enough navis. U even get to go 2 netopia. it seems that bad navis is every where. The coolest navie of all time is bass. even though he was fake.

MegaMan Battle Network 2 Rocks
This is a very good game.When I first played it was at school on my friends gameboy advance sp. It might be the only MegaMan game I have played, but it is still an !!!!!AWESOME!!!!! game. I suggest you to buy this !!!!!AWESOME!!!!! game and have alot fun playing this game.

greatest game ever
this was one of the best games capcom has ever come out with. it's different from any game i've ever seen. i play megaman games alot and was geting tired of the same levels, bosses, enemys, and expecialy the two-d field. then i got this game and so far it's my favorite megaman game ever. it's a cross between final fantasy style and free style, my favorite types. so thats why i gave this game five stars ... Read more