Gameboy / Gameboy Advance Suggestions

[kinger8938]

Just picked up a modified GBA with a front lit screen and a copy of Mario kart.

Anyone have any love for the system? I had one at the time but only played the obvious games like Pokemon and metroid etc

Game prices seem to be higher than I expected so maybe people are catching on to they system again?

 

[almoststew1990]

Honestly I've had the most fun with less well known games, which are still dirt cheap. Like Serious Sam, Doom, Driver 2, GT3, THPS3/4, even Harry frickin Potter games. I don't play very "seriously". I do have a few Pokemon games and zelda minish cap but i feel pressured to enjoy them as they are more expensive!

 

[kinger8938]

Honestly I've had the most fun with less well known games, which are still dirt cheap. Like Serious Sam, Doom, Driver 2, GT3, THPS3/4, even Harry frickin Potter games. I don't play very "seriously". I do have a few Pokemon games and zelda minish cap but i feel pressured to enjoy them as they are more expensive!

I was wondering what Doom was like?
Yeah prices for the main stream games seem to be higher than I expected tbh. I have ordered Golden Sun, a RPG I remember really enjoying. I hear Tony hawks is surprisingly well done on the system?

 

[almoststew1990]

It's average - if you've played it on PC at all then the control style will seem familiar (d pad = fwd/back/rotate left/rotate right; L/R strafe left and right); if not, they'll seem terrible! It is a slow game in terms of fps and I had fun for a couple of hours before moving on. That's sort of how I do my GBA gaming (I go to a local game shop near me and pick a couple of games up for £2 - £5 each and offload the ones that aren't clicking).

THPS takes some getting used to as it is isometric and is no substitute for the 'real thing' or even the PSP versions. If you played the PS2 games to death like me then that helps as you will have some memory of the levels! But again, it is fun for a good few hours. I didn't trade my THPS3 and 4 back in though, I play them every few weeks.

 

[pingwing]

It's a console with so much potential, jealous of the front lit screen on that one!

Mate of mine has been raving about doom on it, mostly on his micro though. I've got Chu Chu rocket, which is exactly as fun as the dc version.

Only main problem of it is the carts use tri-wing screws and are a pain to get off to change the cart batteries (no Pokemon for me yet)

 

[x-st]

Mother 3 immediately springs to mind as something I enjoyed. As was Zelda The Minish Cap, Castlevania Aria of Sorrow and Metroid Fusion. Didn't like Tactics Advance at all, with a flawed judge system ruining the fun and a story that wasn't to my taste but the FF VI Advance version is very well regarded too.

 

[kinger8938]

It's a console with so much potential, jealous of the front lit screen on that one!

Mate of mine has been raving about doom on it, mostly on his micro though. I've got Chu Chu rocket, which is exactly as fun as the dc version.

Only main problem of it is the carts use tri-wing screws and are a pain to get off to change the cart batteries (no Pokemon for me yet)

Ahh yes I was wondering what to expect in regards to being able to save etc

I really want to play Pokemon but don't know if I want to pay the Pokemon tax just to own a copy right now. Will wait to find a good deal I think!

The Light is really nice, found the system and game for £25 on a Facebook listing! The girl had a white one too but apparently the light flickers every now and then and I wasn't really sure what it would take to fix so I went with this one instead. Sort of wonder if I should have bought them both and had a mess about with it

Mother 3 immediately springs to mind as something I enjoyed. As was Zelda The Minish Cap, Castlevania Aria of Sorrow and Metroid Fusion. Didn't like Tactics Advance at all, with a flawed judge system ruining the fun and a story that wasn't to my taste but the FF VI Advance version is very well regarded too.

I've heard mother 3 is supposed to be amazing. Would live to play FF6 too but it's getting pricey

Are the Mario Ports any good? Am I right in thinking all the Mario Advance games are just ports of the console versions? If so ive never really played them and have always wanted to, so this could be a good chance if they are decent versions

 

[Matt Van Dam]

The 3 Castlevania games are considered to be some of the best in the series, but likely to fetch a high price nowadays.

Final Fight is an excellent version, Doom ranks very highly. Lots of great RPGs if that is your thing. Advance Wars is a classic.

 

[almoststew1990]

@kinger8938 if you just want to play some pokemon, get "leaf green" or "something red" versions. EBay has lots of cheap, er, reproductions which are advertised as such. I got mine for a £6 and it has been fine (also don't have to worry about batteries). It doesn't bother me in the slightest knowing that it isn't the real thing.

 

[ttaskmaster]

Just picked up a modified GBA with a front lit screen

You mean modded to have a backlit screen, surely?
Frontlit ones were naff.

As for the system itself, I found it uncomfortable and preferred the GBA SP for both hand comfort and the clamshell form factor.
However, with the right setup, the GBA will play GB, GBC, GBA and even NES games. I played a lot of Mario 2 on the NES and it runs great on the GBA.

I was wondering what Doom was like?

I played it on PC, so I'm used to M&KB WASD. I find the strafing on the shoulder buttons pretty awkward. It runs well enough, but really the screen is too small for a game like this.

 

[kinger8938]

You mean modded to have a backlit screen, surely?
Frontlit ones were naff.

As for the system itself, I found it uncomfortable and preferred the GBA SP for both hand comfort and the clamshell form factor.
However, with the right setup, the GBA will play GB, GBC, GBA and even NES games. I played a lot of Mario 2 on the NES and it runs great on the GBA.


I played it on PC, so I'm used to M&KB WASD. I find the strafing on the shoulder buttons pretty awkward. It runs well enough, but really the screen is too small for a game like this.

Pretty sure it's front lit the backlight ones are expensive unless done by ourselves but I haven't a clue where to start so £25 seemed a fair price for a lit screen on the original GBA as opposite to yourself, I find the original is easier on the hands, though I do love the SP too

 

[kinger8938]

@kinger8938 if you just want to play some pokemon, get "leaf green" or "something red" versions. EBay has lots of cheap, er, reproductions which are advertised as such. I got mine for a £6 and it has been fine (also don't have to worry about batteries). It doesn't bother me in the slightest knowing that it isn't the real thing.

Thanks funnily enough I've just been pointed to a local sale by a friend again on Facebook and they are selling me sapphire for £7 and say it is genuine, nostalgia

 

[ttaskmaster]

Pretty sure it's front lit

If it's quite dark and you can see the lights up the inside of the screen, then yeah
So what's the modded bit, then?

the backlight ones are expensive unless done by ourselves but I haven't a clue where to start so £25 seemed a fair price for a lit screen on the original GBA

eBay and many crossed fingers, basically.
From a quick bit of reading, it seems fairly straightforward. Annoyingly, it's the SP screen mod that's a fiddly PITA.

as opposite to yourself, I find the original is easier on the hands, though I do love the SP too

It's just the right thumb. Same on the DS - I have to have it bent quite tight in order to reach the A+B buttons, but I can stretch out comfortably with the SP for some reason.

 

[kinger8938]

If it's quite dark and you can see the lights up the inside of the screen, then yeah
So what's the modded bit, then?

Just having the light in general is what I meant by modded as the original GBA didn't have any sort of screen lighting outside if 3rd party things like the magnifying glass lenses I bet we all had

 

[ttaskmaster]

Just having the light in general is what I meant by modded as the original GBA didn't have any sort of screen lighting

Never knew that. I always thought they started out frontlit like the SPs.
Well, you can get and install nice bright backlit screens easy enough, nowadays. It'd almost be rude not to!

 

[kinger8938]

Never knew that. I always thought they started out frontlit like the SPs.
Well, you can get and install nice bright backlit screens easy enough, nowadays. It'd almost be rude not to!

Ahh no worries! You had me double checking

But yeah one of the main selling points of the SP was the lit screen as it was a big game changer compared to angling the standard one just right under a lamp
I'm certainly keen on looking in to a back lit so screen if I get on well with the system. Also kind of want a GBA player for my gamecube but the prices are getting silly

Picked up Sapphire for £7 and Mario Advance 2 (Mario world port) for £8. I think Sapphire was a good deal but Mario seems about the going rate.

Battery is gone in Pokemon though but it only affects clock related functions, saving seems fine. Will look into changing it

 

[spoffle]

The Megaman Battle Network series is great.

 

[ttaskmaster]

But yeah one of the main selling points of the SP was the lit screen as it was a big game changer compared to angling the standard one just right under a lamp

Other handhelds had backlit screens long before the SP came out with its crappy frontlit one, though. It's only once they released the backlit AGS-101 type that it was worthwhile. I have an AGS-001 and it's vurtually unplayable in the daytime, especially with darker games like Tomb Raider... and in a pitch black room, it's only a couple of steps on the right side of tolerable. That's why AGS101 SPs still sell for well over a hundred quid.

I'm certainly keen on looking in to a back lit so screen if I get on well with the system.

You can do a basic swap - need to check whether you have a 32 pin or 40 pin ribbon cable - but there are some cool mods which include brightness control features as well!

 

[kinger8938]

Other handhelds had backlit screens long before the SP came out with its crappy frontlit one, though. It's only once they released the backlit AGS-101 type that it was worthwhile. I have an AGS-001 and it's vurtually unplayable in the daytime, especially with darker games like Tomb Raider... and in a pitch black room, it's only a couple of steps on the right side of tolerable. That's why AGS101 SPs still sell for well over a hundred quid.


You can do a basic swap - need to check whether you have a 32 pin or 40 pin ribbon cable - but there are some cool mods which include brightness control features as well!

Thanks. I do then sort of wonder if it's just easier to get a DS Lite with a GBA slot as I imagine they are back lit too? They can't play games before GBA Though

 

[ttaskmaster]

Thanks. I do then sort of wonder if it's just easier to get a DS Lite with a GBA slot as I imagine they are back lit too? They can't play games before GBA Though

I was considering a DS Lite, mainly for the 18-hour battery life. I couldn't decide between that or the GBA SP... so I bought both!
Yes, the DSL is backlit, with four levels and the lowest is still far brighter than the standard frontlit GBAs. I do find the thumb-button problem with it, though.

Also, while it cannot fit any cartridges earlier than GBA, there are other options... I'm not allowed to speak about them here, though!!