Game Boy Player
Score: 100% Developer: Nintendo
Function: If you have ever had trouble discerning what is going on in one of your many Game Boy games because everything is just too small, then the answer is the Game Boy Player. Of course, it does require you to have a Nintendo GameCube. This device is the reincarnation of a previous Nintendo product, the Super Game Boy (which allowed you to play your GB games on the Super NES), except this time the system does more than just allow you to plug the cartridge into the console. The Game Boy Player also sports a Link Cable Port, allowing you to hook up several Game Boy Advances as if it were the handheld itself. The Game Boy Player simply plugs into the bottom of your GC and after applying a couple of screws and slamming the GB Player Startup Disc, you are on your way to playing all of the games in your Game Boy library (that is, everything from the original Game Boy all the way to the Advance line). With a GB game running through the Player, you will be able to use the GameCube Controller to move your characters around, and the buttons not found in your typical GB controller scheme (like the X, Y and Z buttons) are used to change the settings in your Player.
Performance: As far as performance is concerned with the Game Boy Player, it handled wonderfully. I didn't have any problems (technical or otherwise) with the Player and was quite pleased with the translation of the images from the small LCD screen to the 17'' cathode ray inhabiting my room. Although the manual warns that there may be some problems with the image shifting and shaking because of the differences between LCD and CRT screens, I saw none. I tested the system out on games from all three Game Boy eras. It was fun digging out some of the older games and giving them a try once again, games like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Back from the Sewer and Super Mario Land, as well as several Game Boy Color games and some of the latest Advance games. I didn't once have a problem with how the system handled the translation or compatibility of the older games.
Features: Play more than 1,000 games designed for the original Game Boy, Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance Also works with the e-Reader accessory Control game play with a Nintendo GameCube Controller Quickly connects to the bottom of your GameCube Select from 20 different frame designs that border the game image on the TV screen
Drawbacks & Problems:: I didn't have any problems what-so-ever. It took me more time to get the Game Boy Player out of the blister packaging than it did for me to install the device. Seriously, I spent some time trying to figure out something to say about the Player in this section that would qualify as a drawback, but the worst I could think of is due solely to the fact that where my GameCube was placed was a tight fit to begin with and the one inch that the GB Player adds to the bottom of the system led me to some quick rearrangement of wires and systems. Yes, even with these changes to my setup, it still took me more time to get the Player out of the package. I would recommend this attachment to the system if you have a large assortment of GB games. It enhances the feel of the games, and any problems you might have had with the size of the screen will be taken care of.
-J.R. Nip, GameVortex Communications AKA Chris Meyer
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