NOE's pre-ECTS GBA Showing

00-09-03 - Dave - NOE made quite a splash at ECTS.  Here's some excerpts from Gamespot, with commentary from me.

"The show concluded with the European unveiling of the Game Boy Advance handheld. David Gosen, managing director of sales and marketing at NOE, literally broke the GBA out of a museum exhibit-like glass case using a hammer he pulled from his pockets."

Dave:  Dang!  That must have been awesome.  I bet they had all kinds of laser lights and smoke and some nice Mission Impossible style music.  Ha.

 "He (Gosen) then confirmed that the GBA would be released in Europe in July 2001, simultaneously with the US launch. Nintendo expects the GBA to continue the strong sales legacy of its predecessor. The company has already shipped 120 development kits for the 32-bit handheld and has over 150 developers working on games for the machine."

Dave:  This is great news for all of our friends in Europe.  For once, you don't have to wait several months to get what we're already enjoying over here.  Excellent job by NOE and all other parties involved in this decision.  Also, this could be good news for Aussies, too: if the Europeans can get it on time, then why shouldn't the land down under?

"Nintendo of Europe will be showcasing several Game Boy Advance games along with upcoming Game Boy Color and Nintendo 64 games when the ECTS 2000 show opens tomorrow in London."

Dave:  While there's certainly a chance for new game announcements, I really doubt there will be more than five, and probably only a couple at most.  What we can look forward to is more screenshots of games we've been watching already.

Dave:  Check out the full article at Gamespot.