Home > Consumer Reviews > Nintendo Game Boy Advance Video Game System (Indigo)

Don't get me wrong, I love the GameBoy Advance, but seriously, WHAT WAS NINTENDO THINKING??? What was going through their minds when they decided not to have the GameBoy advance backlit. How would you feel if you bought a cell phone that wasn't backlit and the only way you could get a clear picture was in direct sunlight. I've tried EVERY aftermarket clip on light you can buy but they're not really practical. They are either not bright enough, have horrible glare, or don't light the screen evenly, and the ones that are bright enough are so heavy and bulky your GameBoy is hardly portable. It really annoys the heck out of me!

There is an aftermarket upgrade out there that fixes this problem. It's called the Afterburner and is made by Triton Labs. You must install it inside the GameBoy and it works beautifully. It completely lights up the entire screen with a brilliant, even light. But it's not perfect either. The installation takes about 4 hours and is an EXTREMELY stressful and difficult procedure. I ruined my GameBoy trying to install one.

I suggest buying a GameBoy with an Afterburner pre-installed from a PROFESSIONAL. ...Now I can play my GameBoy in complete darkness and can see every detail. It's awesome. I HAVE SEEN THE LIGHT!!!

Take it from me, a Toys 'R' Us R-Zone veteran, the Gameboy Advance is the gift to give or the thing to buy for yourself. The excitement built around this incredible, 32 bit system is amazing. And, the games for the system are even more incredible. If you are still trying to decide whether to buy it or not, go to Toys 'R' Us today and try Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2. This game shows the true 3-D graphics ability of the system. Words cannot describe the reaction when one plays Tony Hawk 2 for the GBA.

And, if you are trying to decide color, the most popular is Glacier, then Indigo, and the least popular is Arctic.

My daughter received this as a gift. She had an original monochrome Game Boy (GB) that she liked so she asked for the latest version. Game Boy Advance (GBA) is leaps and bounds ahead of the orignal GB and Game Boy Color (GBC) in terms of graphics and the screen size. It is absolutely fun to play the games. However, there a few things in the design I didn't expect from the next generation GB line.

As other reviews have stated, the screen is somewhat dim. There are no controls for brightness or contrast of the display screen like there were on the original GB. I mean, the dimness of the screen isn't what I would call horrible but it would be much easier on the eyes if it were just a bit brighter. You definitely need to play the game near a light source.

Also, the horizonital orientation of the unit takes some getting used to if your accustomed to the GB and GBC units. I think Nintendo should have stuck with a design that more closely resembled the original GB and GBC units.

Even though the screen is a little dim if your trying to decide between a GBC and a GBA, then my recomendation is to go with the GBA. It will play all the other games from the original GB and GBC. Plus, the GBA games are much better with the larger screen and superior graphics.

Game Boy Advance is a great system with one huge, glaring exception: the screen. When I first played GBA, it was in rather dim light. I was shocked that there was no backlight, as the screen was nearly impossible to see. My thinking then was that this is definitely a system to use in bright light only...a rather large drawback. Actually, though, I find the screen hard to see in bright light as well, due to the reflectivity of the screen - it tends to shine bright light back in your face. The screen is bad enough that I've seriously considered taking my GBA back for a refund.

Otherwise, it's a great system. I bought Super Mario 2 for Advance as my first game, and the graphics and sound are better than the original NES game. Plus you have the ability to save your game, network with other players, etc. Battery life is very good. I used mine with rechargable NIMH batteries, and I'd say battery life is at least 10 hours on two AAs...maybe more. With alkalines I don't doubt that you can get the promised 15 hour life.

To sum up, I'd suggest before buying GBA, you head down to your local toy store and see if you can put up with the screen. If it doesn't bother you, you'll love the rest. When Nintendo fixes the screen, it'll be a 5. I might be tempted to wait until then to buy GBA.

This Gameboy system isn't as good as the SP, but it's a nice gift for a first timer. When you buy you should buy at least 2 games so you won't get bored with it. I recommend Pokemon Ruby or Sapphire and Yu-Gi-Oh! The Sacred Cards. It has great graphics, sound and the ability to put smaller Gameboy Advance games in it. If you put a Gameboy Color game in it, it will work fine, but the game will stick up out of the thing you put the games in. I recommend the following games,

Pokemon Silver
Pokemon Gold
Pokemon Leafgreen
Pokemon Firered
Pokemon Crystal
Pokemon Red
Pokemon Yellow
Pokemon Blue
Rocket Power Beach Bandits
Super Mario Bros. 3
Super Mario Bros. 2
Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga
Mario Kart Super Circuit
The Legend of Zelda A Link To The Past The Four Swords
Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championships 2004

If you like this Gameboy you'll love these games!!!!!!!