Every day, it’s another day closer to March 21st. The Game Boy Advance is almost ready for launch in Japan. This is going to be a big year for the video game industry with the release of two new consoles and a new handheld. If the sales figures of the Game Boy are anything to go by, the Advance could prove to be the biggest seller of the year. Nintendo has stated that they intend to sell as many as 24 million units in year one.
Handhelds are a great way to enjoy gaming, the appeal of sitting in the summertime sun or the alleviation of boredom on long journeys. Having 32-bits of processing power, a massive LCD screen and on-line gaming will make the Advance the best handheld ever released so far.
One of the most highly anticipated forthcoming Advance games is Mario Kart Advance. Mario titles are usually on hand to help launch new Nintendo platforms. Super Mario Bros. Came with the original NES, Super Mario World for the SNES and Mario 64 showcased the Nintendo 64. Mario Advance and Mario Kart Advance are going to part of the line-up when the handheld is released in Europe later this year.
Lucky Japanese gamers are going to be able be play Mario Kart Advance on-line. A mobile phone adapter will be available separately for the Advance. One of the impressive features of Mario Kart Advance is its four-player link-up ability. Using the phone adapter gamers will be able to compete with people from all over the country without being physically connected to them. Nintendo also has plans for competitions but they are currently unsure how these tournaments will be implemented. Let’s hope that Mario Kart Advance keeps this on-line functionality when it makes it to our shores. When we know, you’ll know.