Fan turns Game Boy Advance SP into a Switch dock
Posted on 5 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in GBA, News, Random, Switch | 11 Comments
One fan has repurposed an old Game Boy Advance SP into a Switch dock. Alexander Blake, who had a broken system lying around, realized that the dock’s circuit board is basically the size of Nintendo’s old handheld.
All of this was done by removing what was in the GBA SP. Blake then simply transferred the parts inside of a Switch dock. Finally, a hole was carved above and inside the screen so that the port connecting to the Switch would fit and be protected.
Here’s a closer look:
Video: A look at prototypes for Crawfish’s cancelled version of Grand Theft Auto III for GBA
Posted on 6 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in GBA, Videos | 4 Comments
Many years ago, Crawfish Interactive was working on a version of Grand Theft Auto III for the Game Boy Advance. It was sadly cancelled, which eventually prompted Digital Eclipse to create Grand Theft Auto Advance.
A video recently surfaced showing Crawfish’s work. Both are based on very early versions of development. Although there isn’t a ton of depth to the prototypes, they’re a neat part of gaming history.
Sakamoto on making Balloon Fight, Iwata memories, canned GBA hardware idea, more
Posted on 6 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in GBA, General Nintendo, News | 6 Comments
Nintendo recently published another new interview on its Japanese website to promote the NES Classic Edition / Famicom Mini. This time, Yoshio Sakamoto of Metroid fame sat down to talk about Balloon Fight. Nick Mosier translated the piece, which had some interesting talk about how the game was made, memories of the late Nintendo president Satoru Iwata, and a GBA hardware idea that was cancelled after making it to the mock-up stage.
We’ve picked out some notable excerpts from the interview below. You can read the full translation here.
Video: Rare on the making of It’s Mr. Pants
Posted on 6 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in GBA, General Nintendo | 1 Comment
It’s Mr. Pants is a very interesting game. Banjo-Kazooie developer Rare created the Game Boy Advance title back in 2004. As some of you may know, Mr. Pants started out as the studio’s mascot on their website.
Rare recently shared a feature in which the making of It’s Mr. Pants was discussed. Check out the 10-minute video below.
More: interview, It's Mr. Pants, Rare, top
Pokemon FireRed being recreated in Minecraft
Posted on 6 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in GBA, General Nintendo, Videos | 3 Comments
Gamer “Requag” has taken on the task of recreating Pokemon FireRed in Minecraft. It runs through a virtual Game Boy Advance by using structure blocks, which are designed for map makers.
The project isn’t finished just yet. Functions like combat and dialogue aren’t included at this time, but they should be added in later on.
Here’s a look at the progress thus far:
To test out Pokemon FireRed in Minecraft, players need version 1.10 of the game.
More: Minecraft, Pokemon FireRed
Famitsu readers vote on the most memorable games on each console
Posted on 6 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, DS, GameCube, GBA, News, Wii, Wii U | 107 Comments
In celebration of Famitsu’s 30th anniversary, the magazine held a poll in which readers could vote on the titles they feel are the most memorable on each gaming system. 2,921 ballots were cast on platforms starting with the Famicom all the way through the latest generation.
We’ve posted the results for the top 10 games on Nintendo systems below. Results for other platforms can be found here.
Famicom
10. Kirby’s Adventure – 60 votes
9. Final Fantasy III – 69 votes
8. Earthbound – 72 votes
7. Mario Bros. – 108 votes
6. The Legend of Zelda – 120 votes
5. Dragon Quest II – 186 votes
4. Dragon Quest IV – 228 votes
3. Super Mario Bros. 3 – 279 votes
2. Dragon Quest III – 528 votes
1. Super Mario Bros. – 552 votes
More: Famitsu
Game Boy Advance celebrates its 15th anniversary
Posted on 6 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in GBA, News | 16 Comments
The Game Boy Advance originally launched 15 years ago today, as it’s now March 21 in Japan. The Japanese release took place on March 21, 2001. In North America and Europe, the system arrived in June of that year.
Does anyone have any fond memories of the GBA? I still remember picking up mine at Toys “R” Us many years ago! I believe Spyro: Season of Ice was one of the games I picked up at the time.
Update: Ninja Five-O DS – Renegade Kid pitched GBA port of Demon’s Crest to Capcom, turned down due to low SNES sales
Posted on 6 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS eShop, DS, GBA, News | 1 Comment
Update: Another tidbit of history from Renegade Kid – a port of Nina Five-O from GBA to DS.
Another blast from the past. Our pitch to port Ninja Five-O from GBA to DS as a 2.5D beast! pic.twitter.com/ASmH1L41eC
— Jools Watsham (@JoolsWatsham) March 13, 2016
Yesterday, Renegade Kid co-founder Jools Watsham shared on Twitter that the company once pitched a Game Boy Advance port of Demon’s Crest to Capcom. Nothing ever materialized from those early discussions though, as low sales of the SNES version didn’t warrant a port to the handheld.
Watsham also said that Renegade Kid “pitched a lot of things” to Capcom as well as Konami. But much like Demon’s Crest, talks did not progress too far.
Watsham’s tweets are as follows:
Little Known Fact: We pitched a GBA port of Demon's Crest to Capcom back in the day. They said the SNES version didn't sell enough.
— Jools Watsham (@JoolsWatsham) March 13, 2016
No, we pitched a lot of things to Capcom and Konami over the years. Nothing landed. https://t.co/lhpqPJoC0S
— Jools Watsham (@JoolsWatsham) March 13, 2016
More: Capcom, Demon's Crest, Renegade Kid
Mother 3 localization speculation picks up steam
Posted on 7 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in GBA, General Nintendo, Rumors | 122 Comments
Update: Emily is backing away from the speculation, stating: “Media jumping the gun over a tweet. All I was said was: Mother 3’s 10th anniversary is coming, it would be cool if Nintendo acknowledged it.” On the other hand, other folks are coming forward and claiming it could be happening.
What I had heard about Mother 3 ( rumour) was that it was in the final stages of localisation at Nintendo of Europe a little while back.
— Liam Robertson (@Doctor_Cupcakes) February 4, 2016
I was asked to keep quiet, and then Emily decided to let the cat out of the bag herself
¯\_(?)_/¯ hopefully this clears some confusion.— Liam Robertson (@Doctor_Cupcakes) February 4, 2016
Mother 3 is a title that Nintendo gamers have wanted localized for a very, very long time. Perhaps 2016 will finally be the year when we see it debut in the west.
Emily Rogers, who is known for sharing Nintendo rumors and occasional insight into the company, made some tweets recently that has fans talking. The first one is shown above. Some of Emily’s followers also picked up on this now-deleted tweet:
“One last thing before I vanish: Don’t be surprised if Nintendo celebrates a game’s 10th anniversary this year…Just some food for thought.”
We did see EarthBound Beginnings come to the Wii U eShop last year – a move that surprised everyone. It’s possible that Nintendo could opt for a similar move with Mother 3.
Fan making “Game Boy Macro” out of DS systems
Posted on 7 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in DS, GBA, General Nintendo, News, Random | 11 Comments
Do you have an old DS lying around? If so, Anthony Thomas can take it apart and reconfigure the system into a “Game Boy Macro”. This is done by removing the top screen, adjusting the placement of the speakers, and touching it up a bit.
Thomas isn’t taking any additional orders currently due to an overwhelming response. To give you an idea of the cost though, it’s $130 if he provides all of the materials, and $110 if you send in the DS. There are standard colors like white, black, and red, but custom colors can be done for a few dollars extra.
You can find the Game Boy Macro site here. View some photos in the gallery below.