11 out of 11 people found this review helpful.
Finally! Something to do on long road trips with the family!
Date of Review: Aug 20, 2001
The Bottom Line: This system is a fun alternative to regular board games etc and makes a great gift for anyone, although I think that kids aged 8-20 may like it the most.
I've had a gameboy original forever. It's a big clunky gray thing with hard-to-see graphics and a VERY easily scratched screen. A year or so ago I kept seeing ads for a gameboy color, so I packed away my old gameboy and used up all my babysitting money to buy one. I'm very pleased with my decision.
In the beginning I was unsure if I REALLY wanted the G.B.C. I have shopper-idis where I buy everything under the sun even if I'll only like it for a couple of hours. It's a curse, I know. But I used a bit of caution with this baby, $80 was a lot of money to shell out. After expirementing with a friends G.B.C I realized that the system was a great deal. It had nice, vivid colors, better graphics, and was sleek and compact. It also only used two batteries, unlike my original gameboy which gobbled up four. I also liked the fact that I could 'colorfy' my original gameboy games on the newer system. I was hooked.
I have to admit that some of the colors are awful, like the atomic purple. It is a clearish-purple color and lets you see all the wires inside of the system. Interesting to look at, but too distracting. There was an ugly teal that I passed up, a too bright yellow, a pink (no questions asked there, I hate that color), a kiwi green that was nice, but a bit too bright, and finally a grape purple, which was perfect.
There are tons of games for the G.B.C, but I have to warn you, they are really expensive. We're talking about thirty dollars for a good game, at least where I live. So I've managed to live with some of my original gameboy games, a gameboy camera(fun, fun, fun) and the speically made for color gameboy Super Mario Deluxe. Mario is a really good game and its colors and graphics show up better then original gameboy games. So if you have the money to burn buy lots of Color gameboy games because they work the greatest on the system.
If I had to say one thing that I hate most about the system is the fact that you need a lamp or sunshine really close in order to play. If you have dimmed light it is IMPOSSIBLE to play well. But, as long as you have sufficent light nearby it shouldn't be any problem.
Mostly I use my G.B.C on long trips to visit relatives who live five hours away. It makes the ride go faster when you are playing a game, and with the G.B.C you don't have to worry about game pieces flying across the car when you have to slam on the brakes or make a sharp turn. My aunt got G.B.Cs for her two older children and has told me that airplane and car trips are much quieter now.
The G.B.C looks like a game controller with a screen on top. It has a button with four arrow keys, an A and B button, and a START and SELECT button on its lower half. On the top it has a screen and a little power meter. The sides hold a volume turner, an earphone jack, and a power button. It is very simple to use, you just grab it with both hands and you play. Anybody can learn how to play.
These systems are a great way to pass time when you are on a trip somewhere or just lazing around the house with nothing better to do.
I really don't think that the Gameboy advance is that better then this system, it has a little bit better graphics and a slightly bigger screen though. It is bigger to carry around, so you have to take that into consideration.
