ARTS& ENTERTAINMENT

Is That a Video Game in Your Pocket?

Review of the Game Boy Micro

J.J. McCullough, The OP’s Very Own Game Boy

 

Buying the Game Boy Micro was a multi-phase process
for me. When I first casually came upon the device at
Future Shop a couple of weeks ago, it took only mere
seconds before I was able to conclude that I hated it. It
seemed absurdly tiny to the point of being impractical
to use and I could not fathom why any sane human
would buy it. Yet in the days that followed, I found
myself unable to put the system out of my mind. It’s
tiny, eccentric nature fascinated me, and I soon began
fantasizing about how much more exciting my life could
be if I knew I could always whisk a tiny game system
out of my pocket whenever things got boring.
Eventually I decided I simply must buy it. The purchase
was made last week, and since then I have never looked
back.

The Game Boy Micro is not in itself a new system,
but rather a redesign of the original Game Boy
Advance, which has been on the market in form since
2001. The Micro is thus able to play all existing Game

Boy Advance games, though controversially, it is not
backwards compatible, meaning games for the original
8-bit Game Boy and Game Boy colour are not playable
on the tiny system.

Firstly, the size. Many will initially react to the sys-
tem as I did, and assume it’s too small to be either con-
venient or comfortable to use. I was pleasantly sur-
prised to find this is not the case. Even for a large,
awkard, ham-fisted guy like myself, the system is com-
fortable to hold and pressing the buttons is not at all
awkward. The screen, likewise, though smaller than
every other Game Boy monitor to date, is very bright
and clear, and offers little of the eye-strain one might
expect. Since ve bought the system I’ve been mostly
playing Mario and Luigi Superstar Saga, which is a very
text-heavy role-playing game; yet to date, I’ve experi-
enced no problems reading on-screen dialogue or deci-
phering delicate details. Thankfully, the screen is backlit
and features an adjustable brightness setting, making it

age 16

easily playable in any indoor or outdoor environment—
something that cannot be said of many other hand-
helds.

In the end, the main benefit of the size is its con-
venience. The system is roughly the size of an index
card and super lightweight, meaning it can fit literally
anywhere. Constantly cramming the system into pockets
and backpacks might raise fears about scratching the
screen, but brilliantly, the screen on the Game Boy
Micro is actually removable and replaceable (the system
comes with two replacement screens, both of which are
attached to colourful “face plates.”)

I only have a few small complaints with the system.
The first is the audio. Though sounds are clear and
crisp in a quiet room, the maximum volume setting
remains quite quiet. Even with headphones, the game’s
music can be easily drowned out by low level back-
ground noise, which can be distracting when you're try-
ing to totally immerse yourself in a game while sitting
on a long boring bus ride.

The second problem was the batteries. Perhaps I am
just out of the loop, but I was shocked to discover that
the Game Boy Micro doesn’t use normal AA or triple-A
batteries, but rather this big rechargeable lithium thing.
Call me old fashioned, but I liked the days when you
could just pop in fresh batteries when your Game Boy
ran out of energy, rather than having to go back home
sit around for four hours while you wait for the thing to
recharge.

Despite these minor flaws, the Micro is still a great
purchase. The Game Boy Advance has literally hun-
dreds of great games already on the market, and if you
are a latecomer to the system like me, buying the Micro
may be the perfect way to introduce yourself to them.
At around $130, the system is not cheap, but it’s a
sound investment if you’re eager to experience the pin-
nacle of pocket-sized gaming.

 

Can You Dig it? Continued from Pg 14

 

Director Walter Hill (48 Hours, Southern Comfort, Last
Man Standing) employed a comic book approach-the

gangs were adorned in matching, colourful outfits and

were branded with names like the Moonrunners,
Electric Eliminators, and the Boppers. Further dimin-
ishing any actual street credibility, the chases and fights
are as carefully choreographed as a dance scene from
West Side Story. Over the course of one night, The
Warriors run afoul of the Turnbull AC’s, The Orphans,
The Lizzies, The Big Time Punks, The Rogues, and, of
course, the magnificent Baseball Furies who need to be
seen to be believed.

What ensues is a superlative example of style over
substance; the plot is simple and compelling, the char-
acters are stock figures (the leader, the smart one, the
thug, the cowboy, etc), while the photography and cre-
ative use of colour lend a lucid, fantasy feel to the film.
Yet, The Warriors was notorious for the amount of real
life gang violence that erupted during screenings. Faced
with a backlash, Paramount Pictures first pulled the
marketing for the film, and then pulled the film out of
theatres, entirely.

Yet The Warriors has endured, and 26 years after its
initial release, it is still earning new fans for just being

so damn cool. Fan sites litter the Internet, with the best
at www.thewarriors.co.uk, a wonderful and thorough fan
site. Now fans have an "Ultimate Director’s Cut? DVD
and a videogame to sink their teeth into.

If you haven’t seen this pop culture classic yet, do

yourself a favour and check it out. I know you all will

dig,