Introduction
Sonic Advance is the first sonic game ever, to appear on a nintendo system. In fact many would think that this paring would be impossible. Just last year Sega was still battling for the throne of Console king. They would never achieve that title because the dreamcast's fate was sealed long before it was even released. The fact is, nintendo and sega are on the road to creating a great friendship. Now their are many people who still think that a war is the only thing to keep the gaming world hot. But in the end this is a wonderful joining. Sonic Advance strives at every level and raises every bar. Sonic Advance is the return to his genesis roots. A simple yet addictive side scroller, that draws in the younger and the older crowds.
The games menu interface is simple and easily accessed .The character select screen is wonderfully animated. The best part of the entire menu interface, is the level select.


Gameplay
Now the graphics are incredibly detailed. But it does have drawbacks. There is so much awesome scenery that, while you zoom past, you miss everything. The games graphics are a much more improved version of the genesis games. And it shows. The biggest drawback in the graphics department is in the fact ,that everything seems a bit grainy (unlike Mario world 2). The pixels are very etch and rough. Its easily forgotten when you get into the game. The best aspect of the graphics are in its animations. All the
characters move fluidly and perform stunt like acrobatics when they do stunts. They are rendered much better then in the genesis versions (the characters were stiff and lifeless). Overall its an excellent graphical
achievement.


Story
After you beat a stage, the level is unlocked and can be played over and over again (many complained that previous sonic games had dull early levels and people wished that they could more easily select them). After you select one of the four characters (Sonic,Knuckles,Tails,Amy) you enter the game. Right when you begin to play the game, all the nostalgic feelings of those old school sonic games rush back into you. Even the newly initiated sonic fan of the dreamcast generation will feel slightly at home with sonic advance. The gameplay is fast and furious and the control is as tight as all the sonic games before it. In the end though
the fast and furious style is a bit hampering to the game. There are very few puzzles in the game. In fact there is no real thought that needs to be dedicated to playing it. Most of the game has you flying down rails or zooming past all the scenery. The fast action makes the game feel slightly more like its Dreamcast counterparts (which can be good and bad). Now this brings another point up, the game can be beaten in a day if you played long enough. If you spread out play time it may last at least a weekend, but in the
end sonic advance is not much for the replay value. The bosses are big and interesting (if a bit easy) and they make you want to continue the game. The gameplay is A-quality gameboy work.


Graphics
The music is all we can come to expect from sonic, catchy tunes (with some rehashed from past games) that are easily hummed. The sound effect bump the sound score down a notch because they are very plain and dull.The multiplayer aspect and time trial mode will add a couple extra hours to the
limited play time but not much of that keeps you interested. In the end i recommend Sonic Advance as a great addition to your sonic library and for those wanting to explore new genres, well then sonic is up
your alley. Hopefully this isn't the last time we will see sonic in action on the GBA.