Game Boy & GB Advance Appreciation Thread

[Phantoon]

1 hour ago, Protocol Penguin said:

Stunt Race FX demake, anyone?

Oh hell yeah. Stunt Race FX is legitimately one of my favourite games, so I'm all over that

[dataDave]

Same. Despite great reviews and coverage back in the day it doesn't get anywhere near enough love as a retro title.

 

I think it plays better now after I've been driving a real car for many years. I'd even go as far as to say I'd prefer a new Stunt Race FX game over a new F-Zero.

[Phantoon]

1 hour ago, dataDave said:

Same. Despite great reviews and coverage back in the day it doesn't get anywhere near enough love as a retro title.

 

I think it plays better now after I've been driving a real car for many years. I'd even go as far as to say I'd prefer a new Stunt Race FX game over a new F-Zero.

While I'll be the first to admit it's not even vaguely realistic, the feeling of fighting your suspension when you do something unwise is unique to Stunt Race FX and it's great.

[dataDave]

10 hours ago, Phantoon said:

While I'll be the first to admit it's not even vaguely realistic, the feeling of fighting your suspension when you do something unwise is unique to Stunt Race FX and it's great.

When absolutely tanking the coupe it controls exactly like my last car. That topsy-turvy sensation you get from the high center of gravity is spot on.

[Colonel Panic]

You get used to the frame rate eventually too. I loved it when it was first released and it still plays well enough now. 

[dataDave]

Me and two other mates would share my cart on a weekly rotation trying to beat each other’s best times. We never even did that with SMK.

[Phantoon]

There's so much love and attention to detail too, especially considering quite how limited the system it was on was. Can't wait to see what the Game Boy does with it.

[kiroquai]

So, having heard much about it I’ve been playing this little gem the past few nights:

 

 

It’s fantastic! So much personality and variety packed into such a little file size. Not hugely challenging but still a total joy to  play - controls are good, music is great and it packs a bunch of character into its visuals too.

 

Sadly, it’s also hideously expensive. You’re looking at £100 and above for a genuine English-language copy. I’m using a… er… ‘tribute’ cartridge sourced from AliExpress.

 

You can also find it on the Castlevania Collection (which I also own) if you fancied a slightly more legal/moral way to play. Highly recommend it!

[carlospie]

Just found my old gba sp in black in my mum's loft. What a beauty. I need to source a charger for it and one of these 'tribute cards' can anyone recommend a reasonably priced one?

 

Thank you 

[dataDave]

On 18/12/2022 at 20:48, carlospie said:

Just found my old gba sp in black in my mum's loft. What a beauty. I need to source a charger for it and one of these 'tribute cards' can anyone recommend a reasonably priced one?

 

Thank you 

I’ll send you an EZ-Flash 4 for postage from NL if you like. PM me your address if so.

[Luseth]

On 17/11/2022 at 10:37, kiroquai said:

Thought it would be rude not to etc etc:

 

 

Lovely little thing, this. The IPS screen really brings out a load of the colours/detail I'd not even really noticed all those years ago on the old AGS-001 unlit screen.

 

I have seen a couple of these on ebay and been really tempted, I have asked my local retro store to give me a call if they get a backlit GBA in, it was either that or paying an extortinate amount for the analogue pocket so I have held off for now.

 

I have a GBA SP but I don't find them particularly comfortable to hold.

[Qazimod]

On 11/11/2022 at 11:57, Ninja Doctor said:

Nintendo really need to pull their fingers out and do a proper gameboy classic mini. 

 

Yeah, it's free money - especially considering the popularity of micro consoles from Droix and the like.

 

All I'd want is a decent game selection, a well-lit screen and maybe a rechargeable LiPO or something?

[Ninja Doctor]

3 hours ago, Luseth said:

 

I have seen a couple of these on ebay and been really tempted, I have asked my local retro store to give me a call if they get a backlit GBA in, it was either that or paying an extortinate amount for the analogue pocket so I have held off for now.

 

I have a GBA SP but I don't find them particularly comfortable to hold.

A good stopgap measure is an old ds lite. Lovely screen and more comfortable landscape form factor. 
 

also, any excuse to post my recent mod:

retrosix case and buttons, funny playing ITA (dsi) screen. 
 

Need to replace the power switch though. I cleaned it out but I think it’s too far gone. 

[electricmastro]

Best RTS on GBA: Mech Platoon

 

[BoggyB]

When it comes to buying replacement shells and screen upgrades is ali express the way to go? I'm guessing the various UK based shops are just reselling from there.

I found my old GBA in a box earlier and had forgotten that when I was 16 I replaced the indigo shell with some after market gold thing. It's awful, and I now remember being really dissapointed with it at the time, so thought I'd have a go at doing it properly 10 years later. Or is it 20 years...

[Ninja Doctor]

I have shells from retrosix on my custom gba. I can heartily recommend. Also get yourself some buttons and a glass screen. 
 

They apparently mold all their own plastics rather than just buying cheap mass produced Ali express kit. 
 

edit 2: their screens and battery stuff however is at the top end of prices but very good. 

[Ninja Doctor]

https://retrosix.co.uk/Game-Boy-Advance-2001-c54012087

[BoggyB]

Thanks, doc.

[BoggyB]

I've ordered a few bits, including their screen which looked alright in the youtube vid I watched, so we'll see how it all goes. I started with a cart full of understated black components but ended up buying a translucent purple thing so probably went a bit too 2001.

[Ninja Doctor]

I went stealth black with mine. 

that’s retrosix shell, buttons and glass lens. The screen is a funny playing ITA screen (recycled dsi tft) 

[Protocol Penguin]

@Ninja Doctor magnificent.

 

I genuinely love how modern after-market modifications can make the GBA into the machine it should’ve been, well, had such consumer tech existed back in 2001.

[JamesC]

Is it very difficult to mod a GBA?

Is there much soldering involved?

Do you need any specialist tools? 

[Ninja Doctor]

Absolute piece of piss. Assuming you don’t need to do screen adjustments there’s no soldering. Most obscure tool needed is a triwing screwdriver and we all own one don’t we?

[yakumo]

Is it easy to mod the gb DMG with ips screen?. Or should I go for a pocket and mod that instead?.

[Gorf]

DMG is probably the easiest to mod with new ips screen and a new case, good battery life and my favourite to use even over my modded GB Color 

 

Ive never modded a pocket as I heard battery life was terrible 

[BoggyB]

My retrosix stuff arrived. I won’t have time to do it properly until the weekend but I’ve had quick tinker with the case.

 

The translucent purple looks really nice and it has a much nicer general feel than the cheap gold one I bought as a teenager. The supplied screws seem quite low quality and they’re a very tight fit in the posts, so I’m a bit concerned I’ll either strip the screw head or shatter the post.

 

To go with the case I I bought yellow buttons, thinking it would be “fun” looking. I was flying a bit to close to the sun there I think, they look terrible, so I’ve ordered some white ones instead which was the obvious way to go originally. 

The battery pack I ordered was delivered in half a white gba case, which seems a bit wasteful. Do batteries have to be shipped as part of a device or something? 
 

Including the screen and  replacement clicky shoulder buttons it looks like there are 7 points to solder, and I haven’t worked on anything this small before so it’ll be an experience. 

 

[Ninja Doctor]

Yep there’s some stupid rule that lithium batteries can only be shipped installed in a device. 
 

I also recommend putting the screws in and out before you put it all together to cut the thread. The screw holes will just be straight tight holes (ooh matron) before you do this. 

[LaveDisco]

On 28/11/2022 at 23:35, kiroquai said:

So, having heard much about it I’ve been playing this little gem the past few nights:

 

 

It’s fantastic! So much personality and variety packed into such a little file size. Not hugely challenging but still a total joy to  play - controls are good, music is great and it packs a bunch of character into its visuals too.

 

Sadly, it’s also hideously expensive. You’re looking at £100 and above for a genuine English-language copy. I’m using a… er… ‘tribute’ cartridge sourced from AliExpress.

 

You can also find it on the Castlevania Collection (which I also own) if you fancied a slightly more legal/moral way to play. Highly recommend it!

 

After reading this, I've copied you wholesale (except I'm using an analogue pocket) and it's a brilliant little game. Being on a cart I'm avoiding state saves for the moment (although they are supported for carts for the AP which is cool) and it's really lovely to 'get to know a game' like the olden days. 

 

I was always so anti these kind of reproductions, but this is so much more fun way to play than with my copy of Castlevania Collection. Cheers!

[kiroquai]

Ah that's awesome! Yeah, I am very specific usually wanting original cartridges (which when collecting for Gameboy/Gameboy Advance is a bit of a minefield) but I just couldn't stomach paying the £100 that Kid Dracula would cost me, especially as I'd already legally gotten the game as part of the Castlevania Collection.

 

There's nothing like loading up the cartridge on an actual handheld and playing it . 

[BoggyB]

The various mods have been installed! All from RetroSix, it's got the CleanScreen, replacement clicky shoulder switches, crystal purple case, pure white buttons and membranes, and the rechargable battery pack.

 

Removing the old, spongey, shoulder button switches was a hateful experience but I got there in the end and they click very nicely now.

 

A couple of before pics and the end result, I'll let you decide if the clear purple is a bit too early 2000's rad. It's definitely not as sleek as the good Doctor's stealth build, but I like it.

 

I forgot to take a photo with the original screen active so I plugged it in mid rebuild to get one last look at it, in all it's useless glory.