The Special 20th Anniversary Edition Game Boy Micro is simply a repackaged version of the Famicom Edition Game Boy Micro that was released to celebrate Mario's 20th Anniversary in Japan. 1985 was the year that Super Mario Bros. hit the Famicom (the Japanese NES), and the rest is history.
The unit, identical to the Japanese equivalent, is probably the sleekest Game Boy Micro available, featuring a metallic red body and a gold faceplate. It's identical to the Japanese version, right down to the roman numeral 1 in the upper left of the faceplate, mimicking the design of the Famicom controller.
As cool as this unit looks, we can't help feeling that this is a very lazy release on the part of Nintendo of America. This unit's celebrating the Japanese system instead of our own territory's, and the coloring as well as the system's look is pretty much meaningless to the US market. The packaging, while eyecatching, doesn't really state what the 20th Anniversary is, other than a seal that says "20 years" under the Mario sprite. So, is it 20 years of Mario, 20 years of Nintendo, 20 years of the first Mario appearance? What? The box doesn't let people in on the history, at all.
Obviously, a Classic NES Series-style unit, similar to would have suited the "Anniversary" moniker. But instead, we'll just have to make due with this sleek unit that misses a big opportunity.
