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NWR Interactive => TalkBack => Topic started by: NWR_Neal on June 12, 2011, 02:23:02 AM

Title: Happy 10th Anniversary, Game Boy Advance!
Post by: NWR_Neal on June 12, 2011, 02:23:02 AM

10 years ago today, the GBA launched in the United States.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/26767

On June 11, 2001, the Game Boy Advance hit stores in North America.

The system launched with 17 games, including Super Mario Advance, F-Zero: Maximum Velocity, and Castlevania: Circle of the Moon.

Next week, Nintendo World Report will celebrate the system's release, starting with a reveal of the staff's Top 10 Game Boy Advance games.

The GBA also hold special significance to NWR because our review policy, which has remained largely the same through the years, was first put to use during the system's launch. Super Mario Advance was the first review the site ever published, so we'll be highlighting those early reviews and more from the Game Boy Advance's library.

Title: Re: Happy 10th Anniversary, Game Boy Advance!
Post by: TurdFurgy on June 12, 2011, 12:51:53 PM
Wow, ten years already? I'll have to play it some today. 
Title: Re: Happy 10th Anniversary, Game Boy Advance!
Post by: Oblivion on June 12, 2011, 01:06:39 PM
I still have my launch GBA from when I was 7. Half working, though, thanks to food poisoning back when I was 10. X(
Title: Re: Happy 10th Anniversary, Game Boy Advance!
Post by: Shaymin on June 12, 2011, 01:38:54 PM
I'll always have a special spot in my heart for the GBA since it's where I finally got to beat FFVI. Also, Drill Dozer.
Title: Re: Happy 10th Anniversary, Game Boy Advance!
Post by: KeyBilly on June 12, 2011, 03:22:26 PM
It would be great if Nintendo released some of the best GBA titles on the 3DS VC to celebrate, even if they don't plan to incorporate the GBA regularly for a while.
Title: Re: Happy 10th Anniversary, Game Boy Advance!
Post by: leahsdad on June 12, 2011, 06:02:11 PM
Quote
I still have my launch GBA from when I was 7

Yeah, I likewise still have my launch GBA from when I was....23.  Argh.

Quote
It would be great if Nintendo released some of the best GBA titles on the 3DS VC to celebrate, even if they don't plan to incorporate the GBA regularly for a while.

I hope so too.
Title: Re: Happy 10th Anniversary, Game Boy Advance!
Post by: AV on June 12, 2011, 06:38:59 PM
Feels like forever ago because I had so many of them.


1. USA Blue
2. Japan Black and I turned down the 'secret contrast' switch to help it look better
3. Japan black with Afterburner installed
4. GBA SP with backlight


I don't have any of them left but I still have my DS Lite so the few games I own are still playable. I remember 'renting' castlevania and not enjoying it because of the darkness. I remember getting the worm light and playing Zelda Oracle ages. I remember playing mario bros in mario advance for about an hour hoping to see and ending and gave up at level 64 or something.


I actually had friends with GBA's and we got around and played some Zelda Four Swords Adventures on Gamecube and some Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles. Final Fantasy was more tedious than fun because it ate up so much time, and Zelda was a fucken blast !


GBA was my first Nintendo portable that I owned and bought with MY money.  :cool;
Title: Re: Happy 10th Anniversary, Game Boy Advance!
Post by: Kytim89 on June 12, 2011, 08:33:19 PM
I remember playing Final Fantasy Tactics Advance on my GBA until it stopped recording time at 999 hours and 99 minutes. It still recorded my saves, but the time clock would not progress beyong those numbers. I thought about mailing it to Sqaure or Nintendo Power and get my face in a magazine in or something. This really showed commitment on my part, but unfortunatly my copy of the game was stolen and I hope to one day do it over once the game makes it to 3DS Virtual Console.
Title: Re: Happy 10th Anniversary, Game Boy Advance!
Post by: LeafySun on June 12, 2011, 09:22:28 PM
Dang 10 years I still have my 3 GBAs and a GBC might as well finish Zelda a Link to the past GBA could call my friend to help me finish four swords ( we love it ).
Title: Re: Happy 10th Anniversary, Game Boy Advance!
Post by: Ian Sane on June 13, 2011, 01:52:13 PM
So I was still a teenager when the GBA came out.  On one hand that makes me feel very old but it also makes me feel pretty young because it wasn't THAT long ago.

2001 was the year I started my career and first started to really have money.  The GBA was the first system I ever bought at launch.  Well I didn't actually get it at launch.  I got it a few days after completely on a whim after work one day.  I got the Glacier Blue one with two games: F-Zero and Fire Pro Wrestling.  Fire Pro was a BIG deal to me.  I had heard about it as this holy grail of wrestling games that was exclusive to Japan.  Now it was finally in North America!  The GBA for me was very much the Fire Pro machine and it remained so until the superior Fire Pro Wrestling Returns came out on the PS2.

I remember setting up a lamp at the dinner table to get the ideal lighting.  That was a serious oversight on Nintendo's part.  The lack of a backlight was okay for the GBC but really failed once you go to the graphic detail of the GBA.  The GB Player ended up being my saving grace and was what kept the GBA alive for me.  The fact that this was never offered for the DS is probably a big reason why I never warmed up to it.

The GBA was also my first Game Boy so I also associate titles like the Zelda Oracle games with it.  Being able to play those was a big incentive to get a GBA in the first place.

Shortly after I got my GBA I visited a friend's house, pretty much to show it off.  This was a friend from high school who I remain friends with today.  He was the first of our group of friends to move out of his parents' place so going to his house represented freedom.  We had cars, jobs, money and a place to hang.  Later my friend moved from Langley to Vancouver which while still close enough to visit regularly it wasn't like before when we were in the same town.  It was nice to just pop on by every weekend or even bump into him in town coincidently.  In retrospect 2001 was a really great year and I likely have not had a better year since.  It's cool that the GBA launch (and the Gamecube one as well) all tie in with those memories.
Title: Re: Happy 10th Anniversary, Game Boy Advance!
Post by: UltimatePartyBear on June 13, 2011, 04:51:01 PM
I was 23 then, but I didn't buy one until the SP was released.  When was that?  I'll shift my celebration to match.