To celebrate the launch of the Game Boy Advance in 2001, Nintendo Power magazine decided to start a series of quarterly special editions known as Nintendo Power Advance. These quarterlies were significantly more expensive ($14.99) than the monthly magazine, and as you might have guessed -- focused solely on the Game Boy Advance. Sadly for we GBA enthusiasts only four volumes were ultimately released. And though certainly the reviews may have been a bit biased, each issue is actually a really awesome little time capsule of the year that was the GBA's first.
Generally speaking, each issue would feature in-depth walkthroughs and strategy guides for a handful of major releases. Then they would have a "buyer's guide" that would give half-page previews of upcoming titles. Sprinkled throughout would be various GBA-related news, advertisements, tricks & tips. So let us take a journey through the magazines' short lifespan.
[img width=385 height=500]http://themushroomkingdom.net/mania/images/mag/npa_v1.jpg[/img]
Volume 1 (aka: the Premier Issue) (130 pages) was intended to announce the arrival of the Game Boy Advance system. Accordingly, the issue opens with an article entitled Introducing Game Boy Advance which offers an "actual size" picture of the new handheld, along with a breakdown of its specs, features and various accessories that were already available.
The featured games in this issue were:
Super Mario Advance F-Zero: Maximum Velocity Rayman Advance Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 Castlevania: Circle Of The Moon
The Buyer's Guide features:
Earthworm Jim Super Dodge Ball Advance Pinobee: Wings Of Adventure GT Advance Championship Racing Bomberman Tournament Ready 2 Rumble Boxing: Round 2 Tweety And The Magic Gems Hot Potato! Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure Fire Pro Wrestling Top Gear GT Championship Army Men Advance ChuChu Rocket Konami Krazy Racers Iridion 3D
[img width=399 height=510]http://themushroomkingdom.net/mania/images/mag/npa_v2.jpg[/img]
Volume 2's (130 pages) cover featured Mario Kart: Super Circuit. It also came with a subscription card that offered "Your Choice Free!" of either a Mario Kart: Super Circuit T-shirt, a pair of Nintendo Power Advance headphones or a Pokemon Crystal Version Player's Guide. (Note: If anyone has those headphones, I'd like them for myself.) This issue is of particular interest to me due to the inclusion of a full moves list for the entire roster of Super Street Fighter II, which is easily one my all-time favorite GBA releases.
The games featured in this issue were:
Mario Kart: Super Circuit Advance Wars Super Street Fighter II: Turbo Revival Jurassic Park III: Park Builder Lego Bionicle: Quest For The Toa
This volume also includes a section entitled Sports Arena which features:
ESPN Final Round Golf 2002 High Heat MLB 2002
The Buyer's Guide includes:
Mega Man Battle Network Namco Museum Jurassic Park III: The DNA Factor Final Fight One Fortress Klonoa: Empire Of Dreams Tang Tang Lady Sia Snood Lego Island 2: The Brickster's Revenge Pac-Man Collection Back Track F-14 Tomcat Driven Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius
[img width=394 height=524]http://themushroomkingdom.net/mania/images/mag/npa_v3.jpg[/img]
Volume 3's (138 pages) cover is dedicated to Golden Sun, Nintendo's very own 16-bit RPG retro throwback. And if that doesn't get your RPG mouth watering, the issue also features a section on the GBA re-release of the SNES cult-classic Breath Of Fire. The issue comes with that same subscription offer (still want those headphones).
The games highlighted in this volume were:
Golden Sun Wario Land 4 Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone Breath Of Fire
Though the issue contained less featured games upfront, it seems appropriate due to the vast coverage required of two RPG's. The issue also added considerably more bulk to the Buyer's Guide this time out which included:
Tekken Advance Midway's Greatest Arcade Hits Disney's Donald Duck Advance Jackie Chan Adventures Spyro: Season Of Ice Columns Crown Tom And Jerry: The Magic Ring Road To Wrestlemania Spongebob Squarepants: Supersponge Rampage Puzzle Attack Cruis'n Velocity Shaun Palmer's Pro Snowboarder Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX Madden NFL 2002 Monster Rancher Advance Midnight Club Street Racing Planet Of The Apes Mech Platoon Alienators: Evolution Continues Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2 Tiny Toons Adventures: Buster's Bad Dream Super Bust-A-Move Hot Wheels: Burnin' Rubber ESPN Great Outdoor Games: Bass 2002 Star Wars: Jedi Power Battles
[img width=413 height=550]http://themushroomkingdom.net/mania/images/mag/npa_v4.jpg[/img]
The fourth and final volume was unique in that it only featured one game. Volume 4 (130 pages) served as a complete strategy guide to Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2. In fact the first 100 pages of the issue were spent offering in-depth walkthroughs for each level and breaking down the enemies, power-ups and minutia of my personal favorite Mario Bros. sequel.
The final Buyer's Guide included:
Sonic Advance Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 The Powerpuff Girls: Mojo Jojo A-Go-Go Razor Freestyle Scooter E.T. The Extraterrestrial Puyo Pop Nancy Drew: Message In A Haunted Mansion Moto GP M&M's Blast Batman Vengeance The Flintstone's: Big Trouble In Bedrock American Bass Challenge An American Tail: Fievel's Gold Rush Dokapon Motocross Maniacs Advance Broken Sword: The Shadow Of The Templars Salt Lake 2002 Sheep NBA Jam 2002 Inspector Gadget: Advance Mission Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear Jonny Mosely Mad Trix Disney's Peter Pan: Return To Never Land Ecks Vs. Sever Bomberman Max 2: Red Advance and Blue Advance Mike Tyson's Boxing Monsters, Inc. Planet Monsters Zone Of The Enders: The Fist Of Mars Chessmaster Guilty Gear X: Advance Edition High Heat Baseball 2003 Breath Of Fire II
Sadly there was no Volume 5. Looking back it's unclear why. Perhaps it was the elevated price tag, considering that the same games were probably at least somewhat featured in the far cheaper monthly Nintendo Power magazine? Perhaps there weren't enough people like me who were interested in free Game Boy Advance headphones? Whatever it was, it wasn't a waning interest in the GBA system, as an overload of games would be released for the handheld over the following six years. And these four brief volumes of Nintendo Power Advance serve as a great overview of a year when one of the absolute greatest handhelds of all time was still in its infancy.
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I have been keeping my eyes open for these magazines. Nintendo gave me the third issue as a bonus with my subscription to Nintendo Power. I loved that issue and would love to add the other three to my collection! The GBA has seen many games, but the ones that are outlined in these four magazines were truly amazing games, and I appreciate the depth of coverage in these issues.
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