Metroid Fusion is now available on the Wii U Virtual Console, which is good news as it's rather brilliant. The arrival of Game Boy Advance titles on the Wii U also gives portable gamers with longer memories or retro leanings an excuse to look back wistfully on the original platform, the last to bear the iconic Game Boy name.
There's much to like about the original design, too — aside from its lack of a backlit screen — and it's still rather popular to this day. It's also perfect for custom hardware mods, with plenty of attractive designs doing the rounds; as you can see in the images above and below, we now have a gorgeous Metroid model to admire.
This was posted to coincide with Metroid Fusion's Virtual Console launch this week by http://vaduamka.canalblog.com, a website seemingly dedicated to producing and sharing impressive hardware mods.
Would you like one of these? Silly question, surely?
All images via http://vaduamka.canalblog.com
[source vaduamka.canalblog.com]
Comments (45)
now we just need a wii u gamepad version
that looks like the dog ate it... not for me thank you!
If they made a Nintendo 3DS version, then I'd be interested. I think it looks pretty darn good though.
I'm tempted to give m GBA SP a paint job. I did to my Snes many years ago. Should probably share that online
am i the only one frustrated that theres no straight on front shot??
i really dig the cut marks though, better than just a regular paint job for sure.
Very nice battle worn Samus Armor look. Only wish the screens on those things weren't so garbage. Metroid Fusion is fantastic on the HD TV using Wii U. Giant sharp vivid colorful square pixels that you can see! Loving it.
It looks a bit "used" & hence not appealing to me personally.
I want this so badly.
woah!
@aaronsullivan really? You're going to bad mouth technology that is nearly 15 years old? I'm sure when you bought your first GBA, your first words were not "what a POS! This screen sucks! Why did I ever spend my money on this?" You sound like those 9 year olds at the mall: " ugh... MOM! Why don't we have the NEW samsung (whatever the hell)?! This is last years model..." The GBA was the only REAL choice for portable gaming, there was no other tech quite as appealing... Think iPhones when first released.
Absolutely brilliant! I'd take one if it was a GBA SP with the bright screen the very last SP's had. I'd also rock a 3DS XL. Love the custom cuts in the system itself. He's got it down to a science:)
@Platypus101: I agree with you. Back then, Upgrading from a GBC to a GBA was an amazing experience indeed. However, today since the SP is so much better, the regular GBA is kind of useless at this point IMO.
@Platypus101 It's really no secret that the GBA's screen is garbage. Like, it's really bad. It's really, really bad.
He's entitled to his own (factual) opinion anyway.
Love GBA. Best Christmas ever getting one of the original models years ago.
I've already got the Charizard GBA-SP.... So I'm pretty much happy.
I want a Metroid themed WiiU so stinking badly. Why do the 2DS and 3DS get so many unique designs and the WiiU doesn't?
@bahooney now now everybody... I didn't denigrate mister aaronsullivan... I was just commenting on how quickly he has forgotten the magic of the original GBA... In its day. I'm sure he is correct, but there was no other point of reference "back in the day" (excuse the parlance). My current HD TV is way better than my old Sanyo black and white tv console in '84! That's not really saying much... Technology moves forward, not much we can (or should, for that matter) do about it, but let's not forget the days of old, when the technology of the day was moving in leaps and bounds to give us what we have today! (Like for some weird reason, GBA Games - in their original definition - in HD being a big deal).
Oh, and @sketchturner awesome idea... Kinda like Zelda got its own design!
Now make a GBA SP inspired by the morph ball
@Platypus101 Actually I did think the screen was garbage when I bought it back in the day. :/
As for having a point of reference: The lynx had a far more useful screen (10 years earlier) and I had played that and as much as I wanted to love my GBA holding it under a lamp in a weird position just to barely see the games I was playing and actually not being able to finish Circle of the Moon because I couldn't see the finale and then actually buying and soldering in front lights that were integrated and helped but then made you realize how washed out it all was. Can't say I liked it back then either.
I was exaggerating a little bit but the GBA was almost unusable to me and a disappointment despite some really awesome games. I even bought the GameBoy Advance player (was I the only one?) so I could play them.
Obviously the GBA had the battery life and the library (the Lynx was a complete failure) but the screen was bad. It just was.
Gimme gimme gimme!
@aaronsullivan lynx... Those were the days! Good times, good times... (never actually had one of my own, but loved to play the demo model and one my buddy had)
@bahooney @aaronsullivan I have no idea how I jumped off the wagon, but my original thought about this particular unit? I'm with @WiiLovePeace and @Mk_II on this... Not quite what I would buy (emphasize "I")
But does it morph ball?
It's...Beautiful.
Turn it into a ball and I'll be impressed.
I'll take two!
@KevTastic84 If you did a GBA SP paint job, would you be willing to explain how you proceed? Cause I didn't buy a GBA SP back in the day, but have fairly recently, a basic silver GBA SP, the screen has no damage to it at all, however the exterior is full of scratches and the silver coating has completely disappeared in places, so I'm thinking of giving it a paint job too, but don't know where to start, what paint to get, what tools to use, etc.
Or would you happen to know of somewhere online where I could find out how I could do that?
@Mk_II Um... That's why it looks awesome. It looks like it's been through hell and back.
Nice design, but I'd prefer it look like Samus's armor right after being polished. I'm not into the whole dirty, battle worn thing.
I didn't have quite as much trouble as some did with the screen, but even Nintendo realized it needed an upgrade. My favorite GBA is the Micro, which is what I use most of the time. Still, I'm glad to have my original GBA as it(and a worm light) got me through a three-day power outage thanks to it being powered by AA batteries instead of a rechargeable lithium.
That's a really nice design. The attention to detail is pretty spot on.
Sweeeeet!
You can mod original GBAs to have a lit display too.
@aaronsullivan Totally agree with you. I couldn't see a thing on that screen back in the day.
Yeah, it's a shame that this model had such a poor screen with no backlight. Love the design though.
This GBA is currently for sale
http://www.befr.ebay.be/itm/221409038969?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649
@supermario182 The purpose of the artist is to realize textures: rust, worn, torn, burned
@KnightRider666 except if it was the model you had and want to relive nostalgia imo
Nope. Do not want.
@1337man1233 Or if you cannot play on the SP without it feeling like somebody has hit your knuckles with a hammer after about 5 minutes and you think the Micro's screen is too small. Only solution is the original GBA with the best SP screen modded into it. Or a DS Lite. (Or DS Phat I suppose).
Am I the only one who finds it a little bit awkward this this GBA features Samus' original armor color when the mod was released in honor of Fusion...where her armor color was completely different? If they'd released it for Zero Mission, then ok, lol.
@ekreig That looks great.
This is great as well. http://vaduamka.canalblog.com/archives/2013/11/30/28549867.html
It looks like it's come out of a kangaroos bowel, then been left in the sun to dry out.
Very nice! But this does suit Metroid Zero mission better!
@unrandomsam those are better reasons thanks for sharing
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