Mighty Micro

It's small, sleek, and exotic, but it's not a new Pokémon to catch. Instead, we're talking about the newest addition to the storied history of the Game Boy - the Game Boy micro!Pokémon and the Game Boy have always gone hand-in-hand, quite literally. Ever since Pokémon Red and Blue came out here in the United States way back in 1998, Pokémon has always had a presence on Nintendo's handheld systems, starting with the original Game Boy, to the Game Boy Color, and now the Game Boy Advance. Each generation had its own great games to play - and Pokémon to catch, starting with Kanto, moving to Johto, and now Hoenn! With the release of Pokémon FireRed, LeafGreen, and Emerald, it's possible to put together a full Pokédex on your Game Boy Advance system.

Like the three regions in the Pokémon world, there are now three different models of Game Boy Advance out there - the original Game Boy Advance from 2001, the clamshell Game Boy Advance SP from 2003, and now the Game Boy micro here in 2005. So how does it stack up to its memorable forerunners?

Well, it's small. Hey, what can we say? It is. We can fit the system in the palm of our hands, closing our fingers completely around it. It's about the size of a small cell phone, but thinner. It stashes in your pocket easily, even if you have small pockets. The screen is the size of two postage stamps. Get the picture?

Speaking of the screen, it's the brightest one seen on a Game Boy system yet. Your games will look great on this thing - clear, colorful, and crisp. Not an inch of detail lost, which is important in games like Pokémon, with all the menus, characters, and areas to explore. The amount of brightness makes the Game Boy micro perfect for playing inside, or in the shade. Playing outside is a bit trickier, though, especially if you're accustomed to getting in a few rounds of battling out in the sun on your GBA SP. The adjustable brightness levels on the Micro really help a lot.

The buttons are smooth to the touch, and because of the screen placed in the middle, they're now further apart from each other, so those avid players with big hands might be a tad more comfortable. Not to say it's a distance to travel - even small hands will find the position of the buttons pleasing.

Enough about all that design and technical stuff, though. Pokémon fans want to know what the Pokémon experience is like on the Game Boy micro, right? Well, it still plays all of your Game Boy Advance games, including Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, FireRed, LeafGreen, and Emerald. That's a lot of Pokémon action! Unfortunately, it doesn't play anything predating the Game Boy Advance, so anyone wanting to get a little classic Pokémon action in - like Gold and Silver - should keep one of their older systems around just in case.

We've already mentioned that Pokémon games look great on this thing - check out the pictures we took. The sound is nice too, and the best part is that the Micro has a headphone jack on the bottom, so you can enjoy every note of music, every Pokémon's cry in its crisp goodness.

Playing Pokémon solo is great, but it's a lot of fun to battle against your friends, and of course, to complete your Pokédex you have to do a bit of Pokémon trading. You can still do that with the Game Boy micro, but you'll need to pick up a new Game Link Cable or Wireless Adapter especially made for the micro to do it, because like the micro itself, the link port is much smaller now. To connect to regular GBA users you'll also need to grab a Link Cable Adapter. Fortunately, the micro Wireless Adapter is fully compatible with the Wireless Adapter available for the GBA and the GBA SP.

The Game Boy micro also uses a new AC adapter, which is included in the package. Like the GBA SP and the Nintendo DS, it features a rechargeable battery that lasts many hours and charges incredibly fast - didn't we just plug this thing in? No need to wait around for your portable gaming goodness to charge, since it's ready to go almost as soon as you are!

The life of a Pokémon Trainer is certainly about being on the go, which is why the Pokémon games have always gotten along well with the Game Boy handhelds. And the Game Boy micro is no exception - your Pokémon games will look better than ever before, on a system whose size and charm rivals even an Azurill!