The Advance Game Port is basically Datel's cheaper alternative to the Game Boy Player, allowing you to play Game Boy Advance games on a GameCube.
Like the Game Boy Player, the AGP includes a Boot disc. And it includes a card attached to it that plugs into Slot B. Once the device is hooked up and boot disc loaded, the main menu appears giving you two options: play games, or use the Cheat Construction Kit which basically allows you to create your own GBA Action Replay codes. A DVD is included with the package with more info on the Cheat Construction Kit feature.
After selecting the Advance Game Port option on the main menu, you insert your Game Boy Advance game and press the A button. Instead of actual Game Boy hardware, the AGP uses emulation and your game is loaded into the GameCube's RAM.
Pros
The Advance Game Port has numerous advantages and also serious disadvantages compared to the Game Boy Player. First, I'll list the pros.
Built-in GBA Action Replay - The Advance Game Port features a built-in Action Replay for GBA games. As with other versions of Action Replay, the Action Replay here comes pre-loaded with several codes and includes an option to create and add your own codes (called Cheat Construction Kit). When playing a game, you can press the Z Button to bring up a list of cheats for the game you're playing.
Screen adjustment - By pressing the Z Button to pause the game, you can use the C-Stick to postion the game screen anywhere. Like the Game Boy Player, the AGP also allows you to zoom in on the image. Unlike the Game Boy Player, the AGP allows you to fill the ENTIRE screen which is a plus if you hate seeing borders around the screen.
Save States - In addition to a GBA game's regular save feature, the AGP also allows you to use Save States. These, of course, work just like the save states in emulators, where you can pick up exactly where you left off. The difference here is that the save states are saved onto the GameCube's Memory Card.
Extra games - Besides playing GBA games, the AGP comes with ten extra games. These range from Arcade-style shooters to simple puzzle games. None of the games are that great, but you might find something your liking.
Cons
While the above features may seem good, the AGP also has serious flaws that can't be ignored.
Poor emulation - As mentioned above, the AGP uses emulation. Unfortunately, the emulation sucks. When you play a game, the first thing you'll notice is that the sound is scratchy. Far scratchier than what you normally here in GBA games. The sound even skips occasionally. Also, games don't run at their proper framerate speed. GBA games are, usually, suppose to run at 60 frames per second. The AGP runs them between 25 FPS and 30 FPS. Some games don't work at all.
Not compatible with Original Game Boy or Game Boy Color games - The AGP's biggest flaw, is it's inability to run games for other Game Boy systems.
No border selection - If you use the AGP, you're stuck with a generic border that says "Advance Game Port."
No link port - No port for link cables means that you can't access multiplayer modes.
Unfortunately, the AGP's good points are not enough to make up for it's bad points. Unless you don't want to play Original/Color Game Boy games and like the built-in Action Replay, there's really not much reason to buy an AGP. Stick with the Game Boy Player.
