A Game Boy Advance SP, specifically. Yes, welcome to 2003! I have finally arrived, and let me tell you — it’s a pretty rad year. Shame I missed it the first time around.
This may be a little weird, but I’ve never owned a handheld console in my life. Ever. I once played Link’s Awakening on someone else’s Game Boy back in the ’90s, but that’s about the extent of my handheld experience.
I was always a Nintendo kid. We had an NES since before I can remember; maybe since before I was born. I remember going to the store with my mother in ’92, I think, to pick up a SNES for my brother. In ’98 — a couple years behind the curve, I suppose — it was my turn to have a console of my own. That console was an N64. I was eleven, and all Christmas day I played nothing but Ocarina of Time.
Still, no handhelds to speak of. Most of my friends back then had the old brick Game Boys. Today, my friends all seem to have DSs.
So now I’m 25 and I finally went down to the local used game store and picked up a GBA on a whim. Of course, I didn’t really think ahead, so I spent the first few days just admiring its shiny surfaces and sleek design. I flipped the power switch back and forth. I turned it on to hear the little GBA jingle and logo appear. I turned it off to watch the lines of color fade from the screen.
I didn’t have any games.
Thankfully, a friend was kind enough to assemble a Game Boy starter’s kit of sorts for me. I have dubbed it the Big Bag o’ Games: Metroid Fusion, Minish Cap, both the Oracles games, (I skipped on the handheld Marios because), Golden Sun and the sequel, some Castlevanias I forget the names of, and a few others. No Pokemon, but don’t fret; someone’s sending me his copy of Pokemon Blue.
I’ve been carrying this little device around with me and let me tell you…
If on-the-run gaming is just something that’s always been part of your life, I’m not sure you realize how amazing this thing is. I thought my laptop was a mobile gaming device. HA. You need a table — or a lap, at least — for that. You need a power supply if you plan on playing for more than an hour or two. And it ain’t pocket-sized; that’s for sure.
With a Game Boy, I can play games anywhere. The gravity of this is still sinking in. I turn it on everywhere I go, just for the novelty of it. My mind is blown, and all I have to say is…
Okay — what other games do I need? I missed out on over a decade of gaming here, so what are your recommendations? I need them all!
(This is an accurate depiction of me right now:)
I try to avoid handheld games, especially games on my tablet – I know they will ensnare me with their awesomeness and sap away the time I have for writing my great novel.
Oh dear. I probably should have thought about that before I took the dive. Should I be writing? …yes, but what about all these games!!
I remember getting my first Gameboy Advance waaay back when! Handhelds are just so amazing with their convenience and portability. (Though I’ll admit that lately I’ve been getting sucked into those casual mobile games instead of my DS!)
As for great GBA games… I can personally vouch for the Pokemon and Kirby games. If you’re a Kingdom Hearts fan, KH: Chain of Memories has an intriguing battle system. I have friends who swear by Fire Emblem and Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. It looks like you’ve already got yourself hours of blissful gaming ahead of you! Happy gaming 🙂
Ooh, I forgot about Kirby and Fire Emblem. Fire Emblem is kind of a scary series, though, since it’s so big and I don’t really know where to start. Same with Kingdom Hearts. Do I need to play the original first before Chain of Memories?
Anyway, thanks for the tips. Definitely going to try tracking down some of these.