Introduction
Desert Strike Advance has to be one of the most disappointing ports in the Game Boy Advance library. It is a port that has aged poorly and a game that was never excellent to begin with. The game received mixed reviews from the media for being overly difficult and for being weak in the graphics department (even by the 16-bit standards). The game was released way back in the early 90's as an action shooter that allows you to take control of an army helicopter and complete various missions with various scenarios. The game had difficult controls and and an overly high difficulty level. Now I must honestly say that I never had any thought that this game would ever be considered for a port to the Game Boy Advance, simply because the Game Boy Advance can do better than Desert Strike.


Gameplay
It seems to me that the helicopter model used in Desert Strike Advance has been slightly improved (or maybe its just me) from its Genesis And Snes incarnations. I'm sorry to say this, but even people who like to see big bangs will be disappointed because the explosion animations kill the entire interest factor of the visuals. The game is horribly animated and it looks overly bland so if you buy this game because you feel you need to look at something. well then i feel sorry for you.


Story
The Graphics were not that hot in the 16-bit era, so it seems strange that a graphics update was not even considered. The terrains are terribly bland and that's not just because it takes place in deserts. The buildings are all the same and there is little to no variety to the very tiny annoying enemy soldiers that run around like little ants shooting you with there overly powerful weapons. The enemy vehicles are the only decent looking objects in the game, even though they look bland as well.


Graphics
Sound is tinny and generic. The explosions are simple bang noises and the weapons fire is just plain boring to listen to. The music is usually non existent and even when you notice it, the tunes are very generic and run-of the mill. The title screen music is the only part of this games music that is worth listening too.


Sound
Now we must get to the gameplay. All i really want to say is average, just plain average because the game is so formulaic that you will swear you have seen this setup in better games before. All the game consists of is blowing up things and defeating very tiny army soldiers. The game is very hard and you will find out early on that you are always out-gunned. So never go in with guns blasting without at least thinking your tactics over a few times. And by the way you will die a lot. The game is very difficult and that is one of the prime factors that led to the mixed reviews it received in early 90's. Some people will like a difficult game but the fact is there really is no reason to play the game because other than shooting things, there is nothing else to do. Even the graphics of this game are better than its overly difficult and generic gameplay. The game will take interested gamers about a week if they take their time but in the end i doubt anyone would want to play it that long. Run, don't walk. This is port of a game from the past that should have stayed away from the time machine. Some things should stay in their own decade.