minority report - Gameboy Advance Games

	Super Mario Advance Nintendo ( 22 June, 2001 ) Video Games Our Price : £ 24.99 List Price : £ 29.99 You save £5 (17% off) Prices subject to change. usually dispatched within 1 to 2 weeks.

It just keeps getting better!

I have to say, as soon as I found out Nintendo were releasing Super Mario Bros. 2 onto the Game Boy Advance I was excited. When I heard they were going to release the Arcade classic Mario Bros. (but with nicer graphics) I was so happy, I could have died! The two games, of course, falls neatly under the title Super Mario Advance, and boy, is it advanced! Not just satisfied with Super Mario Bros. the way it was, Nintendo have expanded it into something with laughs in the puny face of the original. These extras include better graphics- they are even better than the ones on the Super Nintendo entertainment system! The sound is more crisp and clear, and even better- you get to relive the moment you heard Mario say "Its-a me, Mario" on the Nintendo64 home console, as speech, yes speech as been included into the game! The extra capabilities of the Game Boy Advance has been used to good effect too; such as enemies which scale in and out of the screen when defeated. Extra enemies, items and areas have also been included, but for maximum lifespan, when you complete the game you get to take part in Yoshis Challenge where you, as Mario, Luigi, Peach or Toad have to find 40 Yoshi eggs hidden throughout the 20+ levels. Class. Mario Bros. has also been given a complete facelift. Instead of the basic 2-player game featured in the original, you can either play by yourself against the computer OR play with up to 3 other people using a new link cable using ONLY THE ONE GAME CARTRIDGE! From the early screenshots as well, it looks like you can pick up and throw the other competitors around! Once again, Mario shows he is head and shoulders above the rest.

Buy Wario Land 4 instead

This was one of those "must have" games when the GBA was launched. Its OK as these things go, but it feels like it was rushed out in order to meet the launch. Theres a lack of depth here. Im not saying this because I got spoiled with Super Mario 64, but simply because Ive got a lot of Gameboy Advance games, and I know that its possible to make a game with much more content than this. I also found the game frustrating after a while. Ive just bought Wario Land 4, which is a far more "finished" product than Super Mario Advanced is. I can make lots of niggly comments about Super Mario Advanced, whereas with Wario Land 4, I cant find fault with it at all. Buy "Wario" first, and then think hard before buying this one. In summary: This was OK when the GBA first came out, but there are much better games around now.

Why do people slate this?!

From the start, the game is one of the reasons I bought a GBA (the other being Mario Kart). OK, so mario 1 is a waste of time unless you really want to go retro, but mario 2 rocks! Forget jumping on baddies (as per old GB mario games) but go back to the good ol days and throw things at em! Four characters to choose from in Mario 2, each with their own strengths (Princess or Luigi if you want to jump high over a long distance, Mario or toad if you want speed and strength), lots of levels, a bonus game if you get all the gold coins (if you complete it without all the gold coins you are invited to go back and play the remaining levels to get them.) This game will last forever if you want to finish it in full. However, multiplayer is a bit slow- its mario 1 in the single pak version and thats not much fun (although jumping on the bin when another player is in it (stopping them from getting out) instantly makes you the most unpopular person ever!) Havent played the multipak version, and so cant comment on that, but overall the game is very good, and worth the money. Buy it, sit back, and enjoy...