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Editorials 
Sports on the GBA.
- By Rob
Schlicht
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2
There it is. The reason to buy a Game Boy Advance at launch. Tony Hawk takes everything that was great about the console versions, and crunches it down into the best looking handheld game of all time, complete with virtually everything the console versions offered, except for creating and multiplayer options. Definitely one for everyone, no matter how much you like/dislike skateboarding. Hopefully we’ll see the missing features in the sequel.
F-Zero:Maximum Velocity
Back when the SNES first launched, one of it’s most technically brilliant titles was F-Zero, which used Mode 7 rotation and created one the fastest moving racing games of all time. It was a great game at the time, and is still one that’s enjoyed by almost everyone when they go back to it. F-Zero X for Nintendo 64 was another technological milestone, as it preserved that same sense of speed, while allowing for 30 cars on the same track, a fully 3-D polygonal world, and far better graphics. Now F-Zero: Maximum Velocity is out for the GBA, and although it takes several steps backwards from the N64 version, it’s as fun as it ever was. The GBA version is even more advanced technically than the N64 version was, and offers something the console didn’t have: four-player multiplayer!
Krazy Racers
Mario Kart? Who needs it? When Nintendo first pulled Mario Kart Advance out of the launch lineup, it opened a gaping hole in most people’s launch plans, including mine. However, if anyone’s willing to give it a chance (I have my doubts many Americans will), people will discover that it IS possible to have a good kart game not featuring Mario. The game stars characters from classic Konami franchises, meaning most gamers on this side of the Pacific aren’t going to recognize any, save maybe the Ninja from MGS, and a few might remember Goemon. Although the game’s framerate and sense of speed isn’t as good as F-Zero’s, and the multiplayer is more buggy, the game is pure fun, and will fill the wait for Mario Kart quite nicely.
GT Advance
So 600 mph hovercars and rocket-shooting ninjas aren’t your bag in racing games? How about the most-realistic racing experience on a handheld? GT Advance offers this, featuring 45 real cars, although many of them are available only in Japan. You can upgrade your car, and race on any one of several tracks, all while enjoying some incredible graphics, and slick play control. Hope you like power-sliding, cause you’re getting all you can stomach with this game. The only real downer on the game is bad music and a terrible password system, that for some reason demands every possible character on a keyboard be typed in, with the D-Pad, prompting large amounts of fury.
Top Gear GT
Not to be outdone by a realistic driving game, Top Gear GT offers a more arcade-like experience. Forget about the super attention to detail, with this title you can simply press the button and go. That's not to say Top Gear GT is without simulation elements. It certainly has more than enough, but the appeal of this game rests with the idea that you can pick it up and just race. A perfect game for when time is short.
Ready 2 Rumble Boxing: Round 2
Midway's action packed boxing game makes a return on Game Boy Advance. With flashy graphics and a complete list of characters, this pocket sized version of the Dreamcast and Playstation 2 titles should prove to be as entertaining as its console brethern. However the lack of a two player mode is a major flaw.
Fire Pro Wrestling
What launch library would be complete without a Japanese wrestling game? Not the Game Boy Advance that's for sure. With twelve different wrestling factions to choose from, and over 150 different wrestlers, Fire Pro looks like a definite winner. Add in the fact that the title has a create-a-wrestler feature, as well as 7 distinct gameplay modes, and this game could very well become the premier wrestling game on the GBA for some time to come.
Super Dodge Ball Advance
Classic gaming certainly has made a triumphant return on the Game Boy Advance, and no other game showcases this as well as Super Dodge Ball Advance. The simple, yet extremely appealing gameplay Super Dodge Ball offers will keep many a GBA owner entertained no matter where they might travel. With colorful graphics, and a large amount of options, Super Dodge Ball Advance is easily one of the best sport themed titles on the system.
-sports.NGenres.com
-Editorial Co-authored by Travis Coats
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