Game Boy video games
If you have had a chance to play the Wii, you already know Nintendo likes to march to its own drummer. The company that caused a sensation with the advent of the Nintendo Entertainment System quickly found its way into the hearts of a generation, innovating all the while with unusual games like Duck Hunt and controllers like the Power Glove. After seeing its fortunes eclipsed in later years by competing companies such as Sega, Nintendo realized it had to return to its roots with more innovative products once again. Out of a renewed commitment to foresight and ferment, the original Game Boy was born.
Gamers of a certain age remember the first Game Boys fondly – monochrome, heavy and prone to breaking, they were nonetheless outlandishly entertaining. This was the platform that made Tetris an international sensation, and later ports of popular franchises from Zelda to Mario earned the company boffo sales. Since the old days, the Game Boy has seen countless updates – color was introduced, then greater speed, then a host of memory and connectivity updates. Today’s Game Boy Advance is the heir to this legacy, one that continues to claim new fans in each generation with its low price point and strong emphasis on fun.
Lara Croft has long been one of the great franchise heroes – sexy, smart and utterly unafraid. The Tomb Raider games are one part Indiana Jones and one part Zelda, offering puzzles, creepy thrills and plenty of story to go around. From platforming to problem solving, the latest title, Tomb Raider: Legend, does not disappoint. Fans of the console version will note that all the challenges remain here, albeit in stripped-down form. What the game lacks in superstar visuals, however, it makes up for in depth and challenge – so much so that many GBA fans call it their favorite game.
WayForward Technologies has released another winner that makes use of everything GBA does best. Its popular Justice League Heroes: The Flash gives you all the speed and courage of the franchise’s iconic hero. Globetrotting adventures thrust you into forests, cities and more, and of course you always have access to that blazing speed. In a pinch without hope? You can even call some of your buddies from the Hall of Justice for a little superhero payback.
Of course there are few franchises on the planet more popular than Final Fantasy, a narrative that has spawned uncountable tie-ins, films and fan fic. The latest version for the GBA, Final Fantasy VI Advance, offers unsurpassed depth, challenge and entertainment – so much so that some players hail it as the finest RPG yet devised for any platform. Although much of the story revisits the original FF3 release from decades passed, everything here is sharpened and refined for the GBA’s unique technologies. You and the gang, aided by the Returners, have regrouped once again to make magic safe for the planet, and that means throwing all your resources behind the defeat of vile Gestahl. Every character is realized here, and the adventure is unremitting. Pack your bags.