A recently-released accessory, which has such a great concept behind it, I can only wonder why no other unlicensed company has thought of it until now. A Taiwan-based company, Redant, took the idea of Nintendo releasing ports of NES games to GBC (Gameboy Color) and ran with that idea to combine a handheld to be compatible with the original Famicom carts (NES games, too, via a pin adaptor you can find easily on eBay). After techie-idea sex, there sprung a beautiful baby boy called the Game Axe.

The unit is HEAVY but, on the plus side, the LCD screen is 3.75 inches (bigger than SEGA's Game Gear and the Gameboy Color). Then again, it runs on six AA batteries and eats them up like crazy. Don't expect it to run any longer than 2 hours at a maximum. You can, however, plug its AC cord into an outlet but that completely takes away its portable purpose. Only if you have a dedicated outlet and a TV can you truly play the Game Axe to the full consent of an actual NES.

Included are AV cables, which can be attached to the back of a TV. You are also able to hook in unlicensed Famicom controllers to replace control and get back some more of that NES "feel".

I have heard of reports that the screen can be easily scratched and damaged. Doesn't surprise me all too much, as most pirated stuff is made cheaply.

With all these problems, that cool idea I started this review with is slowly buried. Then, we get to its price- the retail going for a whopping $150 (you can find ones online for around $90).

Great idea, bad execution. You may want to hold out on this accessory indefinitely.

Read our feature on the Game Axe by clicking right here!