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> Results: Classic GBA & NES Series
Format For Printing | Tell A Friend | Digg | Slashdot | del.icio.us Scroll down for our Kid Factor. From popular remakes of 20-year-old songs to the best-selling ﾓIndiana Jonesﾔ DVD box set to the return of clothes with ﾖ dare we say it ﾖ color, the 1980s are cool once again. OK, save maybe for a ﾓFlock of Seagullsﾔ haircut and acid wash jeans. Japanese gaming giants Nintendo has also gone ﾓretroﾔ with a classic version of its 15-year-old Game Boy machine and a collection of original Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) titles from the mid-ﾑ80s. The ﾓClassic NES Limited Editionﾔ Game Boy Advance SP ($99.99) resembles the first television console launched in the U.S. by Nintendo in 1985, which quickly rose to success with games such as ﾓThe Legend of Zelda,ﾔ ﾓDonkey Kongﾔ and ﾓSuper Mario Bros.ﾔ Designed to strike a nostalgic chord with 30- and 40-somethings, this new Game Boy looks similar to the NES machine with its black and grey colors and two bright red A and B buttons to control the action. The font used for the words ﾓStartﾔ and ﾓSelect,ﾔ hanging above their respective buttons, is also the same used for the original NES. To put gaming technology advancements into perspective, this portable Game Boy Advance SP is a 32-bit machine, compared to the NES which was an 8-bit television console. The ﾓClassic NESﾔ Game Boy is bundled with a rechargeable battery and AC adapter. It can play all existing Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance titles. But what about the classic games? To compliment this retro hardware, Nintendo has also launched eight classic NES games that were originally available on the 19-year-old platform. Each are available for $19.99 and are rated ﾓEveryoneﾔ by the Entertainment Software Rating Board. The following is a brief look at four of them: * In ﾓDonkey Kong,ﾔ a plumber-turned-adventurer must jump over barrels, climb ladders and evade fiery enemies to rescue Pauline from the grip of a giant ape. The game looks and sounds just like the original, but veteran players may recall the NES version left out the challenging ﾓpie factoryﾔ stage from the 1981 arcade version, so itﾒs not on this new Game Boy title either. (3.5 stars out of 5) * ﾓThe Legend of Zeldaﾔ introduces a young hero named Link who sets off on an adventure to save Princess Zelda from an evil warlock. Through combat, puzzle-solving and item collection, our determined protagonist wades through eight dungeons to solve the single-player quest. Crude graphics aside, ﾓZeldaﾔ translates well onto the Game Boy (4.5 stars out of 5) * ﾓExcitebikeﾔ is a side-scrolling motorcycle racing game that lets players race against computer-controlled riders across five unique tracks. Both buttons are used to accelerate, but the secondary turbo charge must be used sparingly as it can cause the bike to overheat. Players can also use the track editor to design and race over their own creations. (3.5 stars out of 5) * ﾓSuper Mario Bros.ﾔ was one of the most popular console titles in the ﾑ80s and it holds up well as a pocket-sized diversion. As Mario, players must fight all kinds of baddies, collect coins and explore subterranean worlds to reach the end of this 64-level ﾓplatformerﾔ game. For the two player option, a Game Boy Advance Game Link cable is required, sold separately. (4.0 stars out of 5) * ﾓBombermanﾔ (4 out of 5) * "Ice Climberﾔ (2 out of 5) * ﾓPac-Manﾔ (5 out of 5) * ﾓXevious: The Avenger. (3.5 out of 5) Kid Factor: These games are great for kids. It's what most GamerParents cut their teeth on and sharing it with the little ones is rewarding for both parent and child. Or, if your child rejects the simplicity of these games, it can be heart-crushing. If nostalgia's your game, then you can't go wrong. GamerDad's Note: GamerDad feels that the following games are overpriced. The GBA has wonderful arcade compilations that give gamers 5-7 games for the same price as a single one of these costs. I'm not in favor of gouging the market and that's what I feel Nintendo is doing here. That said, this review stands on it's own and I stand behind my reviewer's scoring and opinions. I just wanted to express my disapproval at a $20 price point for 20+ year old software. Despite the high score these games have recieved, I have decided not to award the GamerDad Seal of Approval because of the price - value discrepency. SCORE: 5 of 5 (for the Classic GBA) Format For Printing | Tell A Friend | Digg | Slashdot | del.icio.us Home > Review Archive > Video Games > Results: Classic GBA & NES Series |
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