Archive for the ‘GameBoy Advance’ Category
Game Boy Advance: Drill Dozer
March 17th, 2009 by Luke C.
Drill Dozer for the Game Boy Advance is one of those quirky games that I’m always slightly surprised came out in the US.
The star of the game is a pink-haired thief. No sneak-thief she, this girl rides a robot equipped with large drills for arms.
The gameplay is very simple. Your actions are basically limited to walking, jumping, drilling, and occasionally curling up into a little robot ball and dashing a short distance.
While the game controls may be simplistic, the actual gameplay makes good use of the idea of the drill. As you might expect, much of the gameplay involves drilling your way through the levels. Read the rest of this entry…
Posted in GameBoy Advance, Handheld, Nintendo
Game Boy Advance: Yoshi Topsy Turvy
March 13th, 2009 by Sean R.
While very much a standard platformer at heart, Nintendo’s Topsy Turvy adds a new twist in the form of a tilt sensor embedded inside of the cartridge. By tilting your Gameboy Advance from side to side, you’ll unroll carpets, swing wrecking balls, and roll boulders over enemies.
I was expecting Topsy Turvy to be a blast, but it failed to live up to my expectations. One problem is its incomprehensible storyline, which not only slows down the action, but needlessly complicates the entire game. Apparently Yoshi’s Island has somehow been magically trapped inside of a book, and you must defeat a series of “spirits” in order to return the island to normal.
The stages are “mission” based, although most boil down to simply collecting a number of coins or defeating a group of enemies. The tilt control is fun for the first few minutes, but once the novelty wears off, it’s more disorienting than anything else. You may even find yourself feeling woozy after prolonged play.
Topsy Turvy does have it moments, like the stage where you rock the “pirate ship” amusement park ride but all in all, the whole is less than the sum of its parts, making Topsy Turvy one of the least appealing Nintendo titles in recent memory.
Posted in GameBoy Advance, Nintendo, Platformer
Castlevania: Circle of the Moon
January 11th, 2009 by Sean R.
As the first Castlevania title available for the Gameboy Advance, Circle of the Moon is flawed and highly overrated.
Yes, the visuals are quite nice with its gothic scenery and imaginative undead creatures, but the stage designs are a nightmare.
Each has one or more huge open areas with diagonal “stairways” running up each wall. While these central corridors often branch out to other zones, they are awfully repetitious.
After aimlessly hopping around several of these, you’ll find yourself pining for the more linear gameplay of the 8-Bit Nintendo Castlevanias.
Another flaw is the poor control which makes it hard to jump and attack at the same time! Read the rest of this entry…
Posted in GameBoy Advance, Games, Handheld, Reviews
Game Boy Advance: Tekken Advance
December 1st, 2008 by Sean R.
The Tekken series once ruled the realm of fighting games, but lately it has fallen on hard times. I wasn’t expecting much from Tekken Advance, but this game earned my respect. It’s a quality fighter that retains the classic Tekken style despite its 2D graphics.
Actually, it’s very similar to Mortal Kombat for the Game Boy Advanced, but its gameplay is less complicated. The ten familiar characters are large and slightly pixilated, but they move well and can execute most of their classic attacks. The matches tend to be short in duration, thanks to devastating combos that will eat up huge chunks of your life meter. Read the rest of this entry…
Posted in GameBoy Advance, Games, Handheld, Reviews
Game Boy Advance: Metroid Fusion
November 25th, 2008 by Luke C.
Metroid Fusion for the Nintendo Gameboy Advance is a huge (but still handheld) departure from the usual Metroid formula.
The mechanics are largely the same as any other 2D Metroid. You run, you jump, you shoot, you find upgrades hidden in the walls, and so on. The only major change is the ability to grab onto ledges and pull yourself up, which makes the platform game design easier for people challenged by that kind of thing (don’t worry, I’m one of you guys).
What makes Fusion different is that is much more heavy-handed with the story than other Metroids. While most Metroid games simply have Samus crash-land on a planet and start to explore it, Fusion provides a much deeper storyline addressing the ecological impact caused by her and the Space Pirates’ predation on the metroids. Read the rest of this entry…
Posted in GameBoy Advance, Games, Handheld, Reviews
Classic NES Series TV Commercial
November 18th, 2008 by Sean R.
Check out this totally retro TV advertisement for the Nintendo Game Boy Advance SP Classic NES Edition:
I completely forgot this ad had music from the synth pop group Yaz. The song is called “Situation” off their 1982 album “Upstairs At Eric’s”.
There was a time when you couldn’t step into a dance club or a roller skating rink without hearing at least part of this song booming over the sound system.
Anyway, back to playing some retro games on my Game Boy Advance SP NES Edition.
Posted in GameBoy Advance, Handheld, Nintendo, Videos
Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance
November 5th, 2008 by Sean R.
It took some time to win me over, but Harmony of Dissonance for the Game Boy Advance is one of the more enjoyable Castlevania games I’ve experienced.
The graphics are gorgeous as you would expect, and the music is amazing for a portable handheld game console.
You assume the role of a vampire hunter exploring a huge, mysterious castle. Armed with your trusty whip, you’ll acquire all sorts of weapons, spellbooks, and artifacts as you progress. Read the rest of this entry…
Posted in GameBoy Advance, Games, Handheld, Reviews
Game Boy Advance: Classic NES Series
November 1st, 2008 by Sean R.
The Classic NES Series in North America (Famicom Mini Series in Japan and NES Classics in Europe) are a series of Game Boy Advance games that were originally released on the NES/Famicom and Famicom Disk System emulated on the Game Boy Advance.
A special edition GameBoy Advance SP, which has a similar color pattern to a NES controller (along with a Famicom counterpart in Japan), was released to go along with these games.
The color of the cartridges match the color of the original NES carts.
All of these games were released to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Famicom in Japan. Read the rest of this entry…
Posted in GameBoy Advance, Games, Handheld, Nintendo
