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Best of the 3DS eShop: Virtual Console. Game Boy - Part 1.

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Khushrenada: Fourth --- Quote from: NWR_insanolord on September 15, 2019, 02:04:33 PM --- Donkey Kong ‘94 is one of the best games ever made. --- End quote --- I guess I'll be the contrarian here and the one person who isn't that big on DK '94. The reason for that is basically as Insanolord mentioned: --- Quote from: NWR_insanolord on September 15, 2019, 02:04:33 PM ---Mario vs. Donkey Kong on GBA is basically that. --- End quote --- Before I played DK '94, I had first played Mario Vs Donkey Kong on the GBA and that was around two - three years after the DS came out and I had something that could play GBA games. I found the game so-so. I still completed the whole thing getting all the stars, presents and videos collected and even beating the expert levels. But as I noted on Backloggery on my thoughts of the game, something about this game became a chore to play through after only the 3rd world. Yet, not only did I complete it on the GBA, I also did it again on the 3DS Ambassador release. Meanwhile, I remember when DK '94 was announced and advertised as that was the same time that DKC was also on its way to release. I remember the advertisement of there being more than 100 levels and thinking that this game must have been so huge. What stuck in my brain or my young mind seemed to think was the concept of the game was that it seemed to take the Donkey Kong arcade game and basically add all these other stages to that game to make like this massive tower that Mario would have to climb to defeat Donkey Kong. However, not having a Game Boy, I could only imagine what that game must have been like. Then, from my time here, I'd often see this game brought up on occasion by someone like UncleBob talking about it being the best GameBoy game made or something in glowing terms like that and I suppose my expectations for this magical game that took the fun of the Donkey Kong arcade game and increased it by 100. So, when this finally came out on the Virtual Console and I could finally play it, I was highly disappointed to find out that it basically played like Mario Vs Donkey Kong and I already found that to be a below average game. You never really here anyone speak of Mario Vs Donkey Kong as some great follow-up or sequel to DK '94 so I didn't get why people liked this version so much more. I think Mario may actually have more moves or control a little easier in DK '94 which is a bit ironic considering the difference in system power but, in the end, it was still that same style of gameplay and level design and it kind of killed my interest in the GB VC (along with a couple other disappointments like Metroid II) because if these were the top games then the lesser stuff must be even worse. Yet, I still beat every level and collected all 3 items for every relevant stage so I don't know what that says about me when I thoroughly play these games I'm hardly even liking. Clearly there's still something sort of compelling about them but not enough to make me love them. Truth is, after playing this about 5(?) years ago, I remember absolutely nothing about it and forget I even played it unless I'm making a list like this up.

Khushrenada: For myself, the only games I can really comment on in regards to this list are: DK '94 - I've just talked about it but, for me, I gave it a slight recommendation. Some people may like the gameplay and design of this game (and clearly do) but I'm not a big fan of it. I consider it an average game and rather forgettable. Donkey Kong Land - On the flip side, unlike Steefosaurus and perhaps Mop it up, I had a lot more enjoyment out of this title and rate / recommend it much higher. In fact, it was playing Donkey Kong Land that rejuvenated my interest in the Game Boy Virtual Console. The Super Nintendo titles are still better but this ended up being the best Game Boy experience I'd had yet in going through these classic titles and, despite its faults, (and it does have them. It's by no means the greatest DK experience) I still walked away from this experience highly impressed by the game and a big supporter of it. Donkey Kong Land 2 and 3 - DKL 1 was so good that I soon booted up DKL 2 and started playing that. The biggest difference is that that this time DKL 2 stayed a lot closer to the SNES version. It had the same world map and progression basically and the make-up of levels stuck to the same style as the SNES game and the world map. That said, they were still new levels so it's not like it was a straight port of the game. Moreover, I've always been a big fan of the DKC style so to have more of these games in that style appeals to me and I also blasted through DKL 2 completing it all. It just didn't feel as fresh by being so similar to the SNES version and how that one unfolded. Sort of like how Super Luigi U is the better game versus NSMBU but because it sticks to the same world map and level progression as NSMBU it still loses some of the originality and appeal it might have otherwise had. I recently went through the first world in DKL 3 and it is also sticking close to the SNES version of DKC3 however the world maps are a bit different. I guess I'll see how it ends up overall but it is more like DKL2 than DKL1 in how it is designed and controls. In the end, I'm just happy to have some more Rare DK goodness that I can play after almost two decades since Rare and Nintendo split. If you liked Rare's take of DKC then I highly suggest you check out these games and the DK Land games are just about the best GB games I've played. Kirby's Dream Land 2 - Yes, Steef, this one did introduce the Animal Helper friends like the fish that puts Kirby in its mouth. I've actually been playing this game on Kirby's 20th Anniversary Collection rather than through the Virtual Console release. It's my first time playing it but I really like it a lot. The reason I said the DK Land games are just about the best GB games I've played is because I think I'll probably give the crown to KDL2 here. I'm only about halfway through so we'll see how it ends but so far this game definitely falls on the high side of best Kirby games. I think it's better than the two Kirby GBA games despite coming out on the GB long before them. Unlike the Donkey Kong Land games which felt like Rare trying to cram the SNES experience onto the system and fighting those limitations, KDL2 was clearly designed to work within the specs of the system it was designed for yet it doesn't feel like it was sacrificing anything to do so. The result is a game that is still fun to play on any system. I'm thinking downloading this game again on my 3DS just to play it on the go once more. Absolutely worth getting. Kirby's Dream Land - I'll go back to this now after skipping it to talk about 2. Mop it up said it best already with "It may be short and lack copy powers, but there's still something charming about this game." I was surprised when I played it through it on Kirby's 20th Anniversary Collection to discover there was a new world / level I'd never played before. I'd always read that Spring Breeze in Kirby Super Star was basically just a port / remaster of Kirby's Dream Land and from what I'd seen of the game that looked to be the case. Looking up info on it, Wikipedia mentions "Float Islands and Castle Lololo have merged and Kabula does not appear." It threw me off when those were divided and suddenly there was a new boss I'd never played before. Still, it is a very short game and might take half an hour or so to finish. Definitely one I'd recommend for fans of Kirby but not something I'd call the best of the Virtual Shop.

Khushrenada: --- Quote from: BeautifulShy on September 13, 2019, 11:21:52 PM ---games I enjoyed playing and think are some of the best on the eshop. Balloon Kid --- End quote --- --- Quote from: pokepal148 on September 14, 2019, 12:47:38 AM ---Catrap, and Balloon Kid are definitely must plays. --- End quote --- --- Quote from: Mop it up on September 14, 2019, 02:00:58 PM ---Balloon Kid If you wanted to see a level-based version of the Balloon Trip mode from Balloon Fight, that's this. Still very tough. Recommended Catrap A bit of a strange puzzle game where you have to do things like push blocks so you can reach the "enemies" and punch them. I put "enemies" in quotes because I don't think they can hurt you, they're just your goal to reach. Can get surprisingly tricky. Annoying music. Recommended --- End quote --- Ok! I'll get Balloon Kid and Catrap. Sold. --- Quote from: ejamer on September 15, 2019, 09:47:53 AM ---Kirby's Pinball Land - Not the best pinball on the GameBoy (I'd give that to Revenge of the Gator) but it's still an interesting piece of Kirby history. The table designs are simple but they did a nice job integrating Kirby elements and the boss battles are pretty fun. If I didn't have nostalgia for the game, it would've been a hard sell though... --- End quote --- --- Quote from: nickmitch on September 14, 2019, 09:45:14 PM ---I'll vouch for Kirby's Block Ball.  I had it as a kid and it was always really fun.  However, my memories of it and Kirby's Pinball Land are kinda mixed up, but I'm pretty sure I had a lot of fun with both. --- End quote --- I was pretty much already planning on getting Kirby Block Ball, Pinball Land and Star Stacker regardless of quality. I've never played any of them and, although I don't have high expectations for them to be an incredible gaming experience, I'd like to at least try them out and play them in an effort to play through all Kirby games. Playing the 20th Anniversary collection has revealed that as much as I consider myself a big Kirby fan there are still a lot of Kirby games I've yet to get around to ever playing. Meanwhile, I've played and completed a lot more games for other characters like Mario or Donkey Kong. Tilt N' Tumble may be the hardest for me to track down and play at this point (which is too bad since the 3DS had gyro capabilities. Where was the Tilt N' Tumble release or WarioWare: Twisted for 3DS?). So, while I expect these are probably titles recommended for fans of a certain type of gameplay of character, as a fan of Kirby I suppose they fall under that category so I'll get them. Maybe I'll even post an update about them in this thread someday. --- Quote from: BeautifulShy on September 13, 2019, 11:21:52 PM ---these are the games I enjoyed playing and think are some of the best on the eshop. Castlevania: The Adventure --- End quote --- --- Quote from: Adrock on September 15, 2019, 09:54:27 AM ---I don’t remember if I played Castlevania: The Adventure. I’m an old man; my memory isn’t what it used to be. I may have tried it second-hand at Play ‘N Trade, but I know I never owned it. Castlevania: The Adventure is generally not looked upon favorably. --- End quote --- --- Quote from: pokepal148 on September 14, 2019, 12:47:38 AM ---Gargoyle's Quest and Kirby's Dream Land 1 are also really good. --- End quote --- --- Quote from: ejamer on September 15, 2019, 09:47:53 AM ---Gargoyle's Quest - This game was a letdown to me...  If you can grab one of the NES/SNES sequels instead, I'd recommend skipping this one and going that route. --- End quote --- 1 yay and 1 nay for those two titles. Anyone else want to way in or elaborate more?

BeautifulShy: --- Quote ---Quote from BeautifulShy.  I would say the Kirby games, DK '94 and Dr. Mario are the best games from that list. --- End quote --- I was mainly comparing the Game Boy games to themselves within the 3DS Game Boy eshop library. --- Quote ---Quote from: Mop it up on Yesterday at 11:00:58 AM Dr. Mario As far as I can tell, there is nothing unique about this version of Dr. Mario to make it worth getting over the 3DS version. Not Recommended --- End quote --- As someone who hasn't played the 3DS version of Dr. Mario I can't really compare the two. I imagine since it is newer it will have all sorts of newer things and improvements to the formula which I can't really comment on at the moment. --- Quote ---Quote from Khushrenada. We got ourselves a difference of opinion here. So, I've got to ask BeautifulShy, what makes this version of Dr. Mario so good. As Mop it up points out, there are other Dr. Mario options available if you are a 3DS user. Is it nostalgia? Let's say a person who hasn't played Dr. Mario games before was looking to get a game or two in the series. Would you say this title is one they really should get or should play in that series? To me, it seems weird to play this game in black and white considering it's always been based around that three color idea of red, yellow and blue viruses. --- End quote --- I think I like this version because it is just the main fundamentals of the game and I always pictured puzzle games are better on the go in the portable format. While the NES version came out roughly two months before the Game Boy version in North America I always pictured Dr. Mario for portable systems.  As far as the black and white colors I find it makes it easy to match up things with the white colors, the black colors and the little mix of the two for the 3rd color.    Now if you are asking me if Dr. Mario on Game Boy is the best version of Dr. Mario I would say no. That honor goes to Dr. Mario 64.

Khushrenada: --- Quote from: BeautifulShy on September 13, 2019, 11:21:52 PM ---these are the games I enjoyed playing and think are some of the best on the eshop. Burgertime Deluxe --- End quote --- So far you are the only person to mention Burgertime Deluxe and you list as one of the best. Care to explain more about what the game is and why you like it that much? --- Quote from: ejamer on September 15, 2019, 09:47:53 AM ---Bionic Commando - Maybe it's nostalgia talking, but this game plays well and the old Bionic Commando formula is still a lot of fun. I'd give it a recommendation - although I'm not sure this one does anything to stand out if you already have the NES version somewhere. --- End quote --- I do not know what the Bionic Commando formula is nor have a played any game in the series. It sounds like if I were to try this series out, however, you would not recommend the GB version as the entry point for it. Or am I off on that? Wasn't there something in this series released for the Switch around the time of its launch or was that a different series? Also, --- Quote from: pokepal148 on September 14, 2019, 06:27:49 PM ---Avenging Spirit can be a fun time as well. --- End quote --- --- Quote from: ejamer on September 15, 2019, 09:47:53 AM ---Avenging Spirit - Hadn't played this before virtual console, and was very pleasantly surprised. The story is a little bit weird, and the platforming design is decidedly old-school in some aspects. However, the ability to jump into any body you want at any time (or maybe even stay incorporeal for a short time to skip through a tough spot) is really neat! Not for everyone, but if you enjoy old school platforming this game is worth checking out. --- End quote --- What do you mean by old-school aspect or platforming? You've got me mildly intrigued by this but not exactly sold on it. Finally, no has yet to comment on these games: Adventure Island Baseball Double Dragon Fortified Zone Golf Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters Kirby's Star Stacker From what I recall at the time of the 3DS Virtual Console launch, Baseball and Golf were pretty barebones types of games and I think were pretty much considered something to skip unless you really needed some kind of golf or baseball fix at the time or were somehow nostalgic for those particular games. So, I wouldn't be surprised if no one here bothered to download or try those games out for themselves. Likewise, Adventure Island and Double Dragon may have been considered inferior to a console version of these games but I can't recall anything about them for sure. I have no idea what Fortified Zone is but I guess I'll just look that one up at this point for more info. Very surprised that no one has had anything to say about Kid Icarus though. And despite all the Kirby talk, no mention about Star Stacker which looks like it could be a puzzle game on par with Yoshi.

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