Shrek 2
The GBA Video from Majesco is great for kids in the back seat
Tags: GBA Accessories Categories: Features, GBA Features
Posted by Daniel "monk" Pelfrey on Feb 15th, 2006
I was skeptical of the whole GBA video thing. When it was first introduced as a concept a couple of years ago to me at E3, I thought it wouldn’t work out. The DVD format was really taking off, and the screen size of the GBA (not to mention the picture quality) wouldn’t do any video justice. I thought that the public would shun the products.
I was wrong. As a matter of fact, Majesco had a rough 2005 as far as games are concerned (you all still need to go out and buy Psychonauts) but the GBA video cartridges have helped the company stay afloat, the demand has been that great. After popping one into my GBA, I can see why.
Many families don’t have a portable DVD player, but kids want their entertainment to go these days, and hit films are no exception. Shrek 2 was a massive success in theaters, so it was a natural to find it on Majesco’s list of GBA videos. At $20 it won’t replace owning the DVD, especially as it doesn’t come with any of the extras, but it is the whole film in a portable format for those families that don’t have the portable DVD player.
With the voice talents of Mike Meyers, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy, Antonio Banderas, John Cleese, and more, Shrek 2 is an example of what animated entertainment can be. Fun for both adults and kids, this is one of those titles that works on multiple levels. I won’t bother going into the plot, as if you’re considering picking this up, then you either most likely are familiar with the film, or only need to know if it’s appropriate for kids – and it is, at least those 6 or so and older.
While the film itself is well made, transferring it and compressing it to a GBA cart is another matter. As I said before, the Game Boy Advance isn’t an ideal platform for video playback. For 2D gaming, it’s perfect, but it can do 3D. It does an admirable job of playing back a movie, and how the movie manages to compressed into the little cartridge is a wonder of modern technology. The colors do get a bit washed out and the picture isn’t as sharp as it should be. It seems that in order to fit the film onto the GBA cart, every other frame was left out of the transfer process.
The end result is a somewhat choppy film that doesn’t look as clear as it does on another medium. On a Nintendo DS, the higher quality screen does actually make the film look better, but there’s only so much that can be done. That’s not to say that the GBA Video of Shrek 2 is bad, but just to be made aware that this isn’t DVD quality we’re looking at here.
As an added bonus, headphones are included in the pack. This helps to sweeten the deal on the price, especially considering that you’re buying a somewhat inferior video at a not so inferior price.
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Tags: GBA Accessories
Posted by Daniel "monk" Pelfrey on Feb 15th, 2006 and is filed under Features, GBA Features. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can post a comment, or trackback from your own site.
