5 Reasons why the death of the GBA is gamings greatest loss...

[Logan Westbrook]

I'm currently gaming MGS4 on my brand new PS3 ... I'm so hooked on that game that I probably won't complete GTA4 in the forseeable future so quite honestly there is nothing further from my mind than the GBA. I'll probably mourn one of the many, many Game Overs in MGS4 more than the GBA.

Nice to see people contributing to threads.

Although I don't agree with you Jaguar, I think you make a good case. I came to the GBA very late in it's life, and only had a few games for it. It was definitely a fun little machine, but I've been more consistently impressed with my DS.

 

[Zak Frost]

I did like the Game Boy Advance, but the general public didn't want to spend money on games that were(seen as) inferior, but the death of the GBA is not what we should mourn, it is the death of the entire "Game Boy" franchise, that is what you are describing here, and I did mourn that back about a year ago when I heard they were not going to make another Game Boy system, though I was not surprised, after the amazing success of the DS. What's left are all the good memories, a Game Boy Color was my first game system ever. I'll never forget the Game Boys because of that, good night sweet prince, may your dreams be filled with money and stock value.
A moment of silence for the the lost systems.


Game Boy line of systems
April 21, 1989-2008

 

[JaguarWong]

but I've been more consistently impressed with my DS.

I never meant to get on the DS' case - I will own one at some point.
The thing that keeps stopping me is the price - people pay around 50 quid for a BROKEN DS lite on Ebay, you can't get a new one anywhere for less than 85 notes including postage.
I think that's ridiculous for a handheld.

Especially one that doesn't fit in your pocket ;-)

 

[Shajinn]

Actually I also noticed that the GBA had an unusually high amount of high quality games, but I think the DS is still too young to judge it (at least the games, the hardware is, I agree, god damn huge... how the hell am I supposed to play during class with that thing?).

 

[Logan Westbrook]

Really? I don't think £85 is that bad.

 

[Zak Frost]

Color me stupid, I heard a false report, another statement(from Wiki):
Nintendo president Satoru Iwata had this to say on the rumored demise of the Game Boy brand: "No, it's not true after all. What we are repeatedly saying is that for whichever platform, we are always conducting research and development for the new system, be it the Game Boy, or new console or whatever. And what we just told the reporter was that in thinking about the current situation where we are enjoying great sales with the DS and that we are now trying to launch the Wii, it's unthinkable for us to launch any new platform for the handheld system, including the new version of the GBA... Perhaps they misunderstood a part of this story, but as far as the handheld market is concerned [right now] we really want to focus on more sales of the DS; that's all."
Sorry for going by one report I heard. But that's positive news for the thread. The Game Boy line isn't dead. Maybe no one else thought this, and I'm just an idiot.

 

[JaguarWong]

Really? I don't think £85 is that bad.

You could double it and buy a 360.

But I guess that to me it seems a lot to spend on a machine that has maybe 5 or 10 games that I want to play - even as awesome as those games look.


And Zak Frost that was about 2 years ago, I think the dude was just covering bases.

 

[Zak Frost]

And Zak Frost that was about 2 years ago, I think the dude was just covering bases.

You're right, I didn't realize it was 2 years ago. That sucks.

 

[HSIAMetalKing]

The only reason I would lament the GBA's passing would be because some DS titles try too hard to make use of the dual-screen and stylus. GBA games had a certain charm for being simple, but I won't miss it. Like my grandma, it was fun while it was alive and thriving, but now that it's dead I really don't think about it too much.

 

[shaboinkin]

I agree, god damn huge... how the hell am I supposed to play during class with that thing?).

yes, thats something i can agree on. Its so hard to stuff it under your desk without the teacher noticing you are looking at your crotch.
after MacGyvering a few things around, i was able to play mario kart with some kid that sat next to me all class period in spanish.
but thats when i had the bigger one. The lite is a bit better when it came to that, but still, those dual screens...

 

[CodeChrono]

GBA really isn't dead for me. I have and SP and DS. I still play my SP for all the GBA games (which are now really cheap, thankfully).

 

[Flunk]

The GBA was one of the longest-lived consoles ever made. It had a good run, now you just have to let it go. I really think that these new high-power consoles are the reason for the lack of quality titles these days. Something like the Advance or the old SNES spawned a lot more creative and interesting games than any of newer ones.

Well, no problem. My Advance SP still works fine and it have never had a reason to "upgrade" to a DS or PSP.

 

[Pecoros7]

The GBA took me home to the days of the NES and SNES. It brought back old favorites without having to spice them up with new FMVs or enhanced graphics. It served as a reminder that 2D graphics were still viable. It retained all of the charm of the "old school" gaming platforms and delivered it in a small, portable package. It gave old franchises like Castelavnia new life while their new 3D counterparts floundered (ESPECIALLY Caslevania). The original design of the GBA had its faults, but the SP redesign was almot perfect. To me, it was what gaming was SUPPOSED to be.

I enjoy my DS. The technical improvements offer some new ways to enjoy the old classics. Having an extra screen is particularly helpful for games with large, difficult to navigate maps or games that are data intensive, such as Pokemon. The touchscreen has added a level of depth and enjoyability to some titles. Still, there tends to be a problem with over use of the touchscreen. In some cases, the effort to include every faccet of the console detracts from the gameplay. Having to draw some silly doodle to defeat a boss in Castlevania simply pointless. Often, the touchscreen integration requires taping or spinning, actions implemented equally well with buttons or analogue sticks. Its ability to display 3D graphics will only encourage developers to move away from the rich, detailed sprites that gave so many games their charm. I fear that gams that did not survive the 3D conversion will lose their hand held haven.

The DS can offer us the same charm the GBA. If developers are willing to focus on playing to the strengths a hand held has over their big brothers on our TV tables, then the technical improvements of the DS can serve to augmant that classic gaming feel that mny of us are looking for. My fear, however, is that hand helds will do as the consoles have done; forsake classic gameplay for flashy graphics and gimicky features.

 

[TheGreenManalishi]

Thing is, when the DS was introduced, Nintendo said it would be something different, not a successor to the GBA, but by adding that backwards compatibility, the need to progress with the GB line must have become a nonexistant priority, which is a crying shame when some of the games are so right. The way Zero Mission plays is so smooth and natural, compared to Fusion which is somewhat clunky in comparison. This shows that they had got the GBA right, but even in the past few years of it's life, it was being ignored, probably for the development of the DS and its attempt at 3D. Stick to sprites.
What would be perfect was if they re-did the SP, foldaway and all, but with the better screen that doesn't give everything a blue hue (i.e a DS lite screen), a better D-pad and better shoulder buttons, and some new games like a 2D mario or metroid or a zelda, something big to push sales.

 

[Jessiah]

As long as they keep remaking my favorite old RPG's on media that doesn't take all day to switch between my menu screen and play screen I really don't care what system I play it on.

I love my PSP and the emulation is absolutely incredible. It's one of the reasons I bought the thing. I don't even use it to watch movies, mostly because I prefer to watch movies on a larger screen. But all gaming aspects meet my expectations.

The GBA was sweet. But so was the Super Nintendo, even more so I'd say than the GBA. After a long, and very successful run, you should let the great consoles/handhelds rest. They've earned it.

 

[shatnershaman]

Hmm the GBA micro and sp fit great in a pocket but what about the games? Nice blocky carts while I've got 20 psp, 700 NES, 15 GBA and 4 N64 games on my memory stick in my PSP so... sure its more portable if you only got 1 game or 2.

 

[poleboy]

As a system, the DS can do everything the GBA could and more. You can argue that GBA games were better, but if you look at ALL games released for the GBA and DS, I guarantee you will find an equal amount of crap for both consoles. The GBA simply has a bigger selection of both good and bad, because it's been on the market much longer than the DS.
Besides, the DS is completely new territory for Nintendo (handheld 3D graphics), and new territory for EVERYONE in some respects (such as touch-screen based games). Of course it will be awkward for a while. The GBA is the epitomy of a development that started in the late 80's with the Game Boy, the DS is something quite new.

 

[shatnershaman]

As a system, the DS can do everything the GBA could and more. You can argue that GBA games were better, but if you look at ALL games released for the GBA and DS, I The GBA is the epitomy of a development that started in the late 80's with the Game Boy, the DS is something quite new.

And the PSP?

 

[Logan Westbrook]

The PSP is just a more successful Atari Lynx isn't it?

 

[poleboy]

And the PSP?

If you read the part of my post you didn't quote for some reason, you'll see that I mention the "new" thing about DS is the touch screen, while handheld 3D is only new to Nintendo.