Kotaku: Gameboy Advance

Nintendo Launching Game Boy Advance and NES Games for eShop

Brian Ashcraft — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 04:30:00 EDT

Until now, the Nintendo 3DS's eShop has only offered Game Boy and Game Boy Color games. Soon, that will change. More »

Remembering the Little Game Boy That Could, But Only Just

Mike Fahey — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 11:20:00 EDT

Commenter GiantBoyDetective seems like an off person to be picking up the tiny little Game Boy Advance Nintendo completely killed with the release of the DS, but he's pretty huge, so we'll let him have his say in today's Speak Up on Kotaku. Let's suggest some GBA games! More »

Ten Years Ago Today, The Last Game Boy Was Born

Luke Plunkett — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 00:00:00 EDT

On March 21, 2001, stores in Japan began selling the first units of the Game Boy Advance. There are few sentences that can better describe how far video games have come in the past decade than that. More »

The Zelda Games That Weren't Really "Zelda" Games

Luke Plunkett — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 00:00:00 EST

If you want to get canonical, Skyward Sword will be the 14th game in the Legend of Zelda series. But it's not the 14th Zelda game ever made. Not when you count these spin-off games! More »

Why Is Nintendo Doing 3D Now?

Brian Ashcraft — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 04:00:00 EDT

In 1995, Nintendo released the Virtual Boy, a 3D gaming peripheral that made people vomit. It was yanked from the market, and Time called it one of the worst inventions ever. Yet, Nintendo has returned again with 3D. Why? More »

At Least The Zune HD Can Play Game Boy Titles

Mike Fahey — Sat, 15 May 2010 12:00:00 EDT

Microsoft's support for the Zune HD as a game playing device has been pretty abysmal. Luckily there are hackers, one of which has the beginnings of a serviceable Game Boy Advance emulator working on the device. More »

Darth Vader Contemplates One More Round Of Advance Wars

Luke Plunkett — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 00:30:00 EDT

As seen on 20x200. More »

Advance Wars: The Board Game!

Luke Plunkett — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 02:30:00 EDT

Nintendo's turn-based wargame Advance Wars works well as a video game. But as a board game? Yeah, looks like it works pretty well as a board game, too. More »

Nintendo 3DS Is A New Hardware Series

Brian Ashcraft — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 05:00:00 EDT

Whether it be the DS Lite or the DSi, Nintendo has released a spate of Nintendo DS hardware spin-offs in the last few years. The Nintendo 3DS is not a spin-off. It's worth pointing out, you know. More »

Nintendo DS Outsells Game Boy Advance In The U.S.

Michael McWhertor — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 20:00:18 EST

Nintendo had a very happy holiday in the United States, shattering sales records by selling more than 7 million hardware units in December 2009 between the Wii and Nintendo DS. But Nintendo has a few more records to brag about. More »

No, The Game Boy Advance Is Not Dead

Luke Plunkett — Tue, 19 May 2009 00:30:00 EDT

With the Nintendo DS now the undisputed heavyweight champion of the handheld gaming space, we got to wondering: what's become of the humble Game Boy Advance? Is it dead? More »

A Eulogy For The Game Boy Advance

Michael McWhertor — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 18:20:02 EDT

The arrival of the Nintendo DSi in North America, Europe and Australia brings about the first Nintendo handheld in nearly eight years that doesn't support Game Boy Advance games. Who wants to reflect? More »

February's Top-Selling Games, Accessories By Platform

Luke Plunkett — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 04:30:00 EDT

You've devoured, then processed the lists detailing the top-selling games and consoles for February. But do you want to know the best-selling games by platform? Or the games that didn't quite make the top 10? More »

Are People Still Buying The Game Boy Advance?

Brian Ashcraft — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 06:00:00 EST

Not really. But that doesn't stop Nintendo from releasing Game Boy Advance hardware and software sales data. More »

Developer Would Like DS Mother 3 For Fans Abroad

Brian Ashcraft — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 03:00:00 EST

GameBoy Advance Mother 3 sadly never got a Western release. That doesn't mean it couldn't possibly get a DS release. More »

Interview With A Mother 3 Fan Translator

Michael McWhertor — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 20:20:18 EST

Who do you have to thank for that fan-translated Mother 3 patch that made the Game Boy Advance release all English-y? Clyde 'Tomato' Mandelin for one, part of the DIY Mother 3 localization team. More »

Mother 3 English Language Patch Hitting This Week

Brian Ashcraft — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 08:00:00 EDT

Nintendo of America hasn't localized Mother 3 (Earthbound 3). A shame, because the game is fantastic. Good thing that a fan-made Mother 3 translation patch is hitting this week. As game site Phantom Leap points out, it'll on computers via GBA emulators or on handhelds via flash carts. If you're interested in reading a big, meaty review, check out this Insert Credit review from a few years back. Nintendo of America really should've localized this game. Mother 3 Fan Translation [via Phantom Leap] More »

Kirby's Back And Not As Pissed In Kirby Super Star Ultra's Box Art

Michael McWhertor — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 20:00:38 EDT

One might think that HAL Laboratory's puffy pink protagonist Kirby has not a care in the world, that his disposition, due to his pinkness, would be beatific. Not so, according to virtually every video game box art appearance Kirby has made for the better part of the past decade. After Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, the spherical mascot went from tickled pink to pissed. The transformations from pleased as punch to enraged were most noticeable in Kirby's journeys to America, going from happy go lucky to in a lather in games like Kirby Squeak Squad. Kirby Super Star Ultra changes all that, as Kirby's gay old times are back, with nary a furrowed brow to be seen. If you'd like to fondly remember Kirby's more bitter box art outings, hit the jump. More »

The GBA And GameCube...Still...Function!

Luke Plunkett — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 06:30:00 EDT

The Game Boy Advance and GameCube. Relics of Nintendo's early 21st century efforts. Purple, plastic-looking consoles that, for all their strengths, were the company's flagship devices during the "dark days". With the Wii and DS on the scene nowadays, and printing all kinds of cash money, they're dead machines, yes? Gone, no further need for them, thanks for the memories, right? WRONG. They LIVE. Nintendo's quarterly earnings show that, while they're hardly raking in the big bucks, both consoles are still selling units and still making money well into 2008. While nobody in Japan, Europe, Asia or Australia bought a new GameCube between April and June, somewhere, somehow, 40,000 Americans did. As for the GBA, well, none were sold in the US, but globally, 180,000 of them found new homes. 180,000! If you ever wonder why Nintendo have never publicly proclaimed the death of the little handheld, that's probably why. More »

A Great and Most Pointless GBA Accessory

Michael McWhertor — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 20:20:00 EDT

Reader Brian, inspired by the pointlessness of these cardboard PSP arcade cabinet stands, wanted to share a similar project he'd worked on many years ago. His stab at completely unnecessary miniature arcade cabinets is definitely of questionable value—and usability, since the shoulder buttons are inaccessible—but of much higher quality and far, far cooler. More »

Target Is Cruel To Advance Wars Fans

Michael McWhertor — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 19:40:47 EST

Good news and bad news from the retail front. The recently released and uncharacteristically edgy Advance Wars: Days of Ruin is sold out at at least one Target store, which is a good thing for sales. The bad news? Target is suggesting to unsuspecting gamers—or God forbid, their parents, friends and loved ones—that an acceptable substitution for the game is the Game Boy Advance version of High School Musical. Proof that Target is run by sadists. More »

Want To Play Your GBA With A DDR Pad? Of Course You Do

Michael McWhertor — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 21:40:00 EST

Fulfilling your life long dream of playing Pac-Man on the Game Boy Advance using nothing but your feet is within your grasp. Thanks to the folks at Instructables, who provide a step-by-step tutorial on how to hack together such a contraption, fat kids everywhere will be able to combine their two favorite things: eating (dots) and shedding pounds by frantic shuffling. They call this a "win-win." More »

Elf Bowling: The Movie... The What?

Michael McWhertor — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 19:40:57 EDT

Our coverage of the Elf Bowling series is admittedly quite light, but I'm sure most of you have at least cursory awareness of the PC, Nintendo DS and Game Boy Advance games. If not, I believe the Wikipedia description "In Elf Bowling, Santa gets revenge on his striking elf employees by using them as bowling pins" is fairly succinct. More »

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

Michael McWhertor — Fri, 18 May 2007 17:40:00 EDT

If you've been following my UPS shipments this week, you'll know what I'm up to (Odin Sphere and Moero! Nekketsu Rhythm Damashii Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan 2), but what I didn't tell you about were a pair of additional imports that also landed at McWhertor Manor. More »

Rhythm Tengoku Gets Rare GBA To Arcade Port

Michael McWhertor — Wed, 09 May 2007 20:20:36 EDT

Sega and Nintendo are bringing Rhythm Tengoku, the Nintendo R&D1-developed rhythm game that appeared on the Game Boy Advance last summer, to Japanese arcades. The import-only title, designed by the WarioWare team, has been revealed as an arcade release and looks to sport improved graphics but retain the proven beat matching gameplay. More »

Miyamoto Signed GBA Fetches Over $2K

Michael McWhertor — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 18:40:20 EDT

How much would you pay for a Game Boy Advance with Shigeru Miyamoto's autograph? If the answer is $2,157.86, then you probably just won out as the high bidder on this limited edition Legend of Zelda themed GBA SP, sporting Miyamoto's cartoony sig. More »

Nintendo DS, God of War II Top March Sales Charts, PS3 Trails GBA [Updated]

Michael McWhertor — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 22:20:31 EDT

NPD released their monthly sales figures for the month of March today which saw the Nintendo DS topping the hardware chart and Sony Computer Entertainment's God of War II taking the number one spot in software sales. More »

Pac-Man Vs. Takes On DS

Michael McWhertor — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 17:40:53 EDT

Another day, another Namco Museum, right? Wrong! This one is marginally different! Namco Bandai Games announced today that they're bringing yet another Namco Museum to store shelves this summer, this time for the Nintendo DS. More »

Here's Hoping Your Gameboy Becomes a Robot

egauger — Sat, 27 May 2006 17:40:00 EDT

Charmed Labs has come out with a homebrew GameBoy Advance insertable called the Xport 2.0. The naked widget plugs into the cartridge slot of the Game Boy Advance and: More »

Mother 3 Japanese TV Ad

Brian Ashcraft — Mon, 10 Apr 2006 10:22:55 EDT

The lovely Kou Shibasaki gets all emotional in an ad for the Game Boy Advance title Mother 3. I dig Shibasaki. I dig Mother. But, this dreary commercial in which she talks about the RPG's emotional power is the pits. More »

Cube Raider

kotaku.com — Mon, 03 Apr 2006 21:40:00 EDT

Lara Croft is making her busty Nintendo console debut this fall. While previous Tomb Raider games have developed for or ported to the Game Boy Advance and Game Boy Color, this marks the first time the series will hit any of Nintendo's consoles. While this means that diehard Nintendo fans missed out on the original Tomb Raider, they've also missed out on the middling-to-awful crap that's come out since. Will the GameCube break the Curse of Tomb Raider? Only time, and eventually money, will tell. More »

Top Spin 2 Hits Shelves

kotaku.com — Thu, 30 Mar 2006 21:40:00 EST

Take Two announced today that the sequel to tennis game Top Spin is available in stores for the Xbox 360, Nintendo DS, and Gameboy Advance. The game includes Maria Sharapova, Venus Williams, and a bunch of people you've never heard of if you don't follow tennis. You can play at Wimbledon and a bunch of other venues you've never heard of if you don't follow tennis. It also includes a wide variety of shots that you probably don't know about if you don't follow tennis, plus a character creation system advanced enough to make your tennis player look like someone from a sport you actually follow. More »

Drill Dozer is Old School Fun

lsmith — Thu, 23 Feb 2006 16:30:59 EST

Drill Dozer is Old School Fun" alt="Click here to read Drill Dozer is Old School Fun" src="http://cache.kotaku.com/assets/images/9/2006/02/JillridesDrill-thumb.jpg"/>

For every busty woman in a fighter there should be a slight, bright female heroine like Jill in GameFreak's (the Pokemon developers) platformer Drill Dozer. The gameplay in Drill Dozer is typical if the company you're including in that definition includes superb 2D action games like the NES Mega Man titles crossed with the platforming functionality of Bionic Commando. To some gamers the aforementioned are probably relics they've never gotten their hands on - to others the comparisons will ring true. More »

Dr. Sudoku Operates on Santa Claus

lsmith — Wed, 21 Dec 2005 18:49:59 EST

On Dec. 6, according to Wordtracker, "Santa Claus" sat as the 130th most searched term on the internet. Two spots behind it? Dr. Sudoku. Citing the playful goal of making their GBA puzzler more popular than Santa Claus, Mastiff points out that Santa's advantage this holiday season is short-lived. Surely, by the time Dr. Sudoku is in the office in February 2006 they'll have passed him on the most-searched-for list. More »

Hands-On: Drill Dozer

lsmith — Sun, 06 Nov 2005 15:00:01 EST

Due in Feb. 2006, Game Freak s Drill Dozer is a cutesy platformer with depth that belies its cartoony appearance. Sure, L and R rotate your drill-bit (the primary weapon and travel tool in Drill Dozer) in different directions, but the game will have you spinning your wheels and that drill bit in different directions as later in the game you ll face unwitting jumping challenges. The slow-mo tutorial beginning manages to stay interesting and the two levels I played through showed great promise for the future of this GBA title. This could be a sleeper in 06. More »

New SP Drops

Brian Ashcraft — Thu, 22 Sep 2005 08:38:47 EDT

Nintendo fan site Infendo reports: More »

E3: Game Boy Micro Hands On

Joel — Wed, 18 May 2005 15:06:53 EDT

Brian and I interviewed Zelda producer/director Eiji Aonuma (well, I asked one question) and were just finishing up the interview when we saw this pinkish Game Boy Micro on a lanyard around his neck. Aonuma was kind enough to let us snap a couple of pictures, and even play Minish Cap for a second. It is very comfortable, very light, and totally lust-worthy, even if I already have multiple Game Boys. The size comparisons are right-on: it's a little less wide than an iPod mini, but a little thicker. More »

Redesigned Atari 2600 for $30

Brian Crecente — Thu, 28 Apr 2005 11:48:53 EDT

If you were as disappointed as I was when word came out that the Atari Flashback was going to look like the generic Atari 7800, then take heart. The Atari Flashback 2.0 is going full-on retro with faux wood paneling, two 2600 controllers and 40 games of 70s and 80s goodness. More »

Lord of the Rings: The Third Age

kotaku.com — Tue, 02 Nov 2004 13:28:14 EST

Hard to peg this one; there's just no buzz. What I know is it's a Lord of the Rings game with traditional console RPG trappings— as you can see, the combat more than kind of resembles Final Fantasy. There isn't much buzz because EA has made the mistake of not publicizing the characters made for this game. Rather, they haven't publicized them anywhere near me. More »

Tron 2.0: Killer App

kotaku.com — Wed, 20 Oct 2004 13:15:13 EDT

As a programmer, I've always had a soft spot for Tron. Yeah, it was a pretty bleh movie, but they were speaking my language, it looked cool, and they had awesome frisbees. More »