Author Topic: Game Boy: Finally time to Play It Loud!®  (Read 40472 times)

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Offline Adrock

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Game Boy: Finally time to Play It Loud!®
« on: April 10, 2021, 07:42:51 PM »
I mostly missed the boat on the Game Boy line. I've never really liked playing games on portable game systems, and the non-lit screens didn't help. When given the choice in 1994, I chose Game Gear. Woof... Then, in 1998, I finally convinced my mommy to buy me a Game Boy Pocket because I just had to have the limited edition Ice Blue color. Unfortunately, that was like four months before Game Boy Color was announced at E3 that year. For nearly three years, I had no access to Game Boy Color games until I bought a Game Boy Advance. Even then, I only had Oracle of Ages/Seasons.

Regardless, when I started looking into modding last year, I picked up a few games I missed out on. Recently, I really dug my heels in and started rounding out my library. I missed a ton of games. I've gained a new appreciation for this simpler, pre-patch era of gaming. Issues such as this one discussed in the General Gaming forum only serve to reinforce that appreciation.

Anyway, here's what I have so far, separated by system. I managed to snag a Game Boy Advance Link Cable and a Game Boy Game Link with DMG adapter (Fun fact: DMG models have a larger link port). I'm primarily using this thread for cataloging and recommendation purposes. I doubt I'll beat all of these games, but I'll definitely play them.

Also, despite what Nintendo says; I'm separating Game Boy Color because it had a lot of exclusive games, and I think I've done a decent job of building that library so it's easier for me to keep track of as a separate list.

OG Game Boy
  • Donkey Kong
  • Final Fantasy Adventure
  • Game Boy Camera
  • The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
  • Metroid II: The Return of Samus
  • Pokémon Yellow: Special Pikachu Edition
  • Super Mario Land
  • Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
  • Super Mario Land 3: Wario Land
  • Tetris (I have two copies because my sister's ex just gave me his DMG Game Boy hella years ago, and everyone had this)
Game Boy Color
  • Bionic Commando: Elite Forces
  • Bomberman Quest
  • Crystalis
  • Donkey Kong Country
  • Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble
  • The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX (black cartridge, playable on OG Game Boy)
  • The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages
  • The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons
  • Mario Tennis
  • Metal Gear Solid (Metal Gear: Ghost Babel)
  • Perfect Dark
  • Pokémon Crystal
  • R-Type DX (black cartridge, playable on OG Game Boy)
  • Sabrina: The Animated Series - Zapped!
  • Shadowgate Classic
  • V-Rally: Edition 99
  • Wario Land II (black cartridge, playable on OG Game Boy)
  • Wario Land 3
  • Wendy: Every Witch Way
Game Boy Advance
  • Astro Boy: Omega Factor
  • Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge
  • Boktai: The Sun Is In Your Hand
  • Bomberman Tournament
  • Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
  • Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance
  • Castlevania: Circle of the Moon
  • DK: King of Swing
  • Donkey Kong Country (yes, for GBA too)
  • Drill Dozer
  • Driv3r (Driver 3)
  • Final Fantasy IV: Advance
  • Final Fantasy V: Advance
  • Final Fantasy VI: Advance
  • Golden Sun
  • Golden Sun: The Lost Age
  • Gunstar Super Heroes
  • Klonoa: Empire of Dreams
  • Klonoa 2: Dream Champ Tournament
  • The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past - Four Swords
  • The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
  • Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga
  • Mario Kart: Super Circuit
  • Mario vs. Donkey Kong
  • Metal Slug Advance
  • Metroid Fusion
  • Metroid: Zero Mission
  • Mother 3 (this is a reproduction cartridge with the English fan translation because Nintendo gonna Nintendo)
  • Sigma Star Saga (This is still shrinkwrapped)
  • The Simpsons: Road Rage
  • Stuntman
  • Sword of Mana
  • Tales of Phantasia
  • Top Gear Rally
  • V-Rally 3
  • Wario Land 4
  • WarioWare: Twisted!
I'm sure a few of these games might seem like odd choices. Feel free to ask. I only wanted The Simpson's Road Rage because it's a 3D GBA game. It was bundled with Donkey Kong Country for GBA and almost as much as just one of them individually. Might as well, right? Driv3r and V-Rally were both developed by VD-Dev (AKA Velez & Dubail Dev. Team), two dudes from France who made some of the most impressive 3D GBA games ever made. Stop Skeletons From Fighting on The YouTube has a great video on these guys (RIP Fernando Velez).

Here's a list of items I'm interested in:
  • Final Fantasy Adventure (GB): It's the prequel to Secret of Mana, and according to some, the better version between it and Sword of Mana. I know this is included in Collection of Mana, but the point of this entire endeavor is to play Game Boy games on original albeit modded hardware. Update 04/21/2021: Got it.
  • Bomberman Quest (GBC): The Adventure mode is like Link's Awakening with Bomberman. So is Bomberman Tournament's Adventure mode except Quest is supposedly better. Unfortuntely, Quest is hella expensive.Update 10/02/2021: Got it.
  • Daikatana (GBC): It's kind of a Link's Awakening clone and apparently pretty good. The problem is it was never released in North America so it hasn't been easy to snag. It's currently going for like $80 loose with shipping, and I don't think I can justify that for what is supposedly a two to three hour campaign. This will probably drop, but prices for retro games have seen an uptick semi-recently.
  • Dragon Warrior III (GBC): It's apparently a pretty great port of the NES original. I've whiffed on buying this a few times so I probably won't unless someone here is like super passionate about Dragon Quest and wants to make a pitch.
  • Pokémon Crystal (GBC): I recently bought Pokémon Yellow: Special Pikachu Edition to try to get back into the series. I heard there are some quality of life updates in the later games, but they also seem daunting with the Shiny Pokémon (whatever that means) and the absurd amount of Pokémon now. I figure if I like Yellow, I'll move on to Crystal. Unfortunately, prices for Pokémon games have become insane in the membrane over the past six months or so.Update 05/04/2021: Got it.
  • Star Ocean: Blue Sphere (GBC): It was never released outside of Japan so like Mother 3, I would have to buy a reproduction cartridge which I only do in unique circumstances.
  • Wendy: Every Witch Way (GBC): It's a late GBC WayForward title that isn't Shantae, meant as a tie-in to a cartoon that was ultimately not picked up. The publisher, TDK Mediactive, Inc. (now known as Take-Two Licensing, Inc.), wanted to cancel the game but WayForward Technologies convinced them not to and included three GBA exclusive levels. This is pretty rare so I don't think snagging an actual cartridge is going to happen.Update 10/02/2021: Got it.
  • DK: King of Swing (GBA): Looks unique; literally that's it. I'm modding one of the GBAs to have clicky shoulder buttons so this would be a good game to show that off.Update 10/02/2021: Got it.
  • Metal Slug Advance (GBA): I could have picked this up on several occasions. However, I've never played a Metal Slug game, and this was going for over $75.Update 10/02/2021: Got it.
  • Warioware Twisted (GBA): I never got into the Warioware series. Twisted is a special cartridge with an accelerometer and rumble.Update 10/02/2021: Got it.
  • Shrek 1 and 2 (GBA Video): 🤷‍♀️
I intentionally left Shantae (GBC) and Ninja Five-O (GBA) off that list. Those cartridges go for hundreds of dollars so nope, not going to happen. I missed the Limited Run Games re-print of Shantae last year. My preference for all these retro games is to have the physical cartridge. Failing that, my plan is to buy an Everdrive eventually for games that are mostly inaccessible for me due to price or availability as well as for rare instances of multiplayer. Unfortunately, the Everdrive sometimes does not to play nice with the IPS LCD kits in modded Game Boys. It's something to do with the power draw. I think you can get around it by installing a voltage regulator. I need to do more research on it.

Also, people are still making new games and not merely fan-made ROM hacks. A nearly finished Game Boy Color RPG from 2001, Infinity, is being completed and released on a physical cartridge (!). The Kickstarter will launch in June. I haven't pledged to a Kickstarter in a while. I will be contributing to whichever tier nets me the game.

I'm taking any and all recommendations. Please post your favorites/hidden gems and why you like them.
« Last Edit: October 03, 2021, 05:01:26 PM by Adrock »

Offline UncleBob

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Re: Game Boy: Finally time to Play It Loud!®
« Reply #1 on: April 10, 2021, 09:04:24 PM »
Super Mario Land 2 is missing from your list.  1 is.... I'd say it didn't age well, but man, it wasn't that good at the time.
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Offline Adrock

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Re: Game Boy: Finally time to Play It Loud!®
« Reply #2 on: April 10, 2021, 10:54:47 PM »
I also got Super Mario Land from my sister’s ex so it’s just in my life now.

As for Super Mario Land 2, I had it back in the 90s and I completed it, but I must have traded it at some point. If I can snag it in a game lot, great. I probably won’t go out of my way. I saw a fan-made colorized reproduction cartridge on eBay which I considered. I don’t think I care enough though.

Offline Order.RSS

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Re: Game Boy: Finally time to Play It Loud!®
« Reply #3 on: April 11, 2021, 05:41:00 PM »
You've got a lot of cool ones already! Perfect Dark looked really cool in magazines back in the day. I agree with Uncle Bob on recommending Mario Land 2. The progress they made between 1 and 2 is very impressive. Supposedly Tony Hawk on GBA is fantastic too.

As for Pokémon, I never liked Yellow as much back in the day. The early game is a bit more difficult than Red/Blue because you're saddled with Pikachu. He isn't useful in the forest, against Brock, or in Mt. Moon. So you'll probably want to grind up a Pidgey/Spearow to make it through the forest, and then a Mankey or Nidoran for Brock and the cave, and then you need to train a few others for Lt. Surge/Digglett cave. Although it's probably easier than I remember lol, so maybe you'll like it still. The FireRed/LeafGreen remakes on GBA were really cool.

If you're into technologically impressive ones like V-Rally 3, I suppose SSX 3, James Bond Nightfire and Lego Drone Racing could be worth a look. Although they're mostly just impressive for the system, maybe not so much as actual games.

Another curiosity I don't really recommend, but wanna note: there are some turn-based Harry Potter RPGs on GB Color, with Chamber of Secrets being the last game ever released on that system.
Meanwhile the GBA games were overhead action games, but weirdly the third movie got just a single portable game, and that was an RPG again. None of these rpgs are particularly strong, but they always made more sense for the franchise imo (roam around the castle, study spells to level up, talking to students) than the action games.

Offline BeautifulShy

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Re: Game Boy: Finally time to Play It Loud!®
« Reply #4 on: April 11, 2021, 10:07:04 PM »
So I grew up with handhelds as a kid and I had lots of fun with them.

For the OG Gameboy I would add Dr. Mario, Mario Land 2, Jurassic Park, Balloon Kid. 

There are probably better versions of Dr. Mario on more recent systems but I do enjoy the original game still. 

Mario Land 2 as others have mentioned is still good and the levels are a bit more varied than the original.

Jurassic Park was a port of the NES game.  It can be challenging at some points but it gives nice exploration and danger on the tiny screen. 


Balloon Kid was one I played often growing up in the year I was at Newport Harbor and I was being tested for some things.   Anyway it is a sequel to Balloon Fight but it is a platformer.  You take Alice through the stages and you can fly in the air till you get to the end or you can also deflate you balloons and land on the ground if you need to get past an area that you can't do by floating with your balloons.  You can inflate your balloons when you are on the ground if you wish to. 

Other ones I am thinking of right now are The Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle 2. It was a game where you had to make it through these series of rooms with different kinds of puzzles. Lots of timing in the game because there  can be lots of enemies in the stages. 

I haven't played these games but I hear good things about the Final Fantasy Legend series which is a more traditional JRPG but it has some elements where it can make replays near endless and that has to do with the different items you feed the Monsters who is one of 3 classes. Human and Mutants are the other two.   This evolving mechanic returns in the followups but more noticable in the 3rd game.

I have played this one and it is Game and Watch Gallery 2. It is a nice set of games where you can relive Nintendo's past and also play some of the games that were in Game and Watch Gallery. 

For GameBoy Color I mainly played Pokemon on there but there was a few that stand out.

The Dragon Warrior Monsters series is fun and fulfilling. This is mainly a pokemon game with a Dragon Quest skin but of you want to try something like this it is worth a go.

The Tony Hawk games on GBC are pretty good.

Resident Evil Gaiden is really solid for what it brings to the table and how well the game gets the most out of the system.

Pokemon Puzzle Challenge is a really good puzzle game and is one of the best puzzle games on the handheld.

Super Mario Deluxe is probably the best version of Super Mario Bros out there and there is so much unlockable content and ways to play.


Gameboy Advance is probably my most played handheld next to the DS.

The Super Mario Advanced games are all really good but if you had to play one I would say Advanced 4:Super Mario Bros 3 is the one.  It is a classic but it also has e-reader features to enhance the game.

The Sonic Advance games were really good but I would have to say I liked the 2nd one the most.

Wario Ware INC: Mega  Microgames is full of content and a blast to play.

The game which I highly recommend for the GBA is Final Fantasy Tactics Advance.  The story is really good and involving.  It can be very deep with the class system and You have to plan things out with your strategy.   The only gripe most people have which I do not is the judge system but if you take your time and plan things out before the battle it is not really an issue. 

If you want to try and find Final Fantasy I+II to complete the collection they are of their time but can be somewhat enjoyable. I personally prefer the DS Childs of Life game for FF1 and 2.  III is on the DS.


You covered most of the others and have a great collection so far.

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Offline UncleBob

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Re: Game Boy: Finally time to Play It Loud!®
« Reply #5 on: April 12, 2021, 09:43:27 AM »
>Super Mario Deluxe is probably the best version of Super Mario Bros out there and there is so much unlockable content and ways to play.

I have a love/hate relationship to this game.  I agree, with all the unlockables (including the majority of Lost Levels, although they've been modified to be easier), the hidden Yoshi eggs. red coins, etc... oh, and the Multi-Player mode is soooo much fun (but it requires two copies of the game and two GameBoys, of course)... it is a great version of the game.

All that said, the way they handled the screen size is... ugh.  It's a terrible way to play Mario.  I would love a re-release that keeps all the unlockables (perhaps some changes to the GameBoy Printer stuff, obviously), but fixes the screen ratio.  It will absolutely never happen, but it would be great.
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Offline Adrock

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Re: Game Boy: Finally time to Play It Loud!®
« Reply #6 on: April 12, 2021, 09:16:07 PM »
@Discord.RSS
I only played the first level of Perfect Dark. It's okay. I mainly bought it because of the rumble cartridge, and the graphics impressed me. I never got into the Tony Hawk games on consoles. They may be EverDrive games for me.

I had Pokémon Blue back in the day so I wanted to play Yellow for the slightly different experience and references to the anime which I enjoyed back then. I kind of want to run through the third version of first few Pokémon generations. Crystal and Emerald are stupid expensive right now though.

There are a few games I bought primarily because they're technically impressive for the time and hardware though I'm angling for ones that I heard are still decent to good games. Velez and Dubail's GBA games look great but also reviewed fairly well. I just snagged another one of their titles (Stuntman) for like $7 on eBay today so I'll update the OP. I now have three of their four GBA games. I think Asterix & Obélix XXL is out of my price range, and I've never seen it on eBay. I'd love to try it. Asterix & Obélix XXL is, to my knowledge, the only 3D platformer on GBA.

That said, I will likely pass on 007: Nightfire. The frame rate is apparently appalling. I also still have issues with FPS games. If I were to get one, I read Doom II is one of the better ones. While impressive on GBA, if I really want the game, I’d probably be better off getting it on Switch.

@BeautifulShy
There's a GBA+games lot I'm eyeballing that includes Super Mario Land 2 and Super Mario Bros. Deluxe. He listed it as "$350 OBO". I offered $300, and he replied he's looking for $350. I don't think he knows what "OBO" means. Still, it might be my only legitimate chance to get Pokémon Crystal for under $100 any time soon. Playing chicken with him right now. I finally added up how much I've spent on Game Boy systems, mods, and games. It's too embarrassing to admit.

I'll look into Balloon Kid. I'm admittedly not super familiar with OG Game Boy titles (hence the recommendation thread). Dr. Mario looks relatively cheap. I’m surprised there’s no Color version. I flip-flop on the Final Fantasy Legend series. They're a little pricey so I won't go out of my way. I've overpaid on a few games, but they were ones I really wanted. I'm mildly interested in the Donkey Kong Land games.

I was eyeing up all the Dragon Warrior games on GBC. I may wait until online prices calm the heck down. Resident Evil Gaiden is definitely out of my price range right now. The only North American cartridge on eBay right now is $200, and the label is damaged. Gaiden has EverDrive written all over it.

I will probably pass on the entire Super Mario Advance line. I have better versions on the Super Nintendo Classic Edition. Also, I don't have an e-Reader, and those cards aren't especially easy to get. There are reproduction cartridges that include the e-Reader levels.

I have Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls somewhere. My brother might have it. I will look into Final Fantasy Tactics: Advance.

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I hope Nintendo doesn't re-release Super Mario Bros. Deluxe. For your sake. You don't need another copy of that game.
« Last Edit: April 13, 2021, 02:18:06 AM by Adrock »



Offline Order.RSS

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Re: Game Boy: Finally time to Play It Loud!®
« Reply #7 on: April 13, 2021, 04:32:17 PM »
I intentionally left Shantae (GBC) and Ninja Five-O (GBA) off that list. Those cartridges go for hundreds of dollars so nope, not going to happen. I missed the Limited Run Games re-print of Shantae last year. My preference for all these retro games is to have the physical cartridge.

For what it's worth, Shantae is releasing on Switch in a week or two. Includes both the GBC version and the improvements you would get if played on a GBA. See trailer here if you're interested.


Offline Adrock

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Re: Game Boy: Finally time to Play It Loud!®
« Reply #8 on: April 13, 2021, 06:35:18 PM »
I saw the trailer the other day. I’m conflicted. While I like the Shantae games, my favorite one was Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse. I haven’t played Shantae and the Seven Sirens because Shantae: 1/2 Genie Hero felt like a step back to me. Going all the way back to the original (which is apparently hella difficult) seems like an even further step back. I still want to play it. However, the main draw for me would be playing the game on original hardware. I want that authentic old school feel. It’s part of the reason why I’m stubbornly insisting on also modding GBC instead of merely using backwards compatibility on GBA.

Have you played the original Shantae? If so, what did you think of it? Will you get it on Switch? Questions!

Offline Order.RSS

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Re: Game Boy: Finally time to Play It Loud!®
« Reply #9 on: April 14, 2021, 09:42:12 AM »
I saw the trailer the other day. I’m conflicted. While I like the Shantae games, my favorite one was Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse. I haven’t played Shantae and the Seven Sirens because Shantae: 1/2 Genie Hero felt like a step back to me. Going all the way back to the original (which is apparently hella difficult) seems like an even further step back.

Basically feel the same way. Pirate's Curse was my fave (although the final dungeon was too difficult for my liking), with both Risky's Revenge and Half-Genie Hero falling a bit short. The series is just very iterative, recycling everything from level lay-outs to music, so going back to the original will probably mostly trigger a "huh so that's where this all started" thought.

I did enjoy Half-Genie Hero though, and the new style looks much nicer than the pixel art ones. Might grab this one for curiosity's sake (I'm never buying a 300$ cartridge), or try out Shantae Seven Sirens one day. It's at least cool they're making the original more available, and afaik the series has never really been bad, just kinda average with one major outlier in the great Pirate's Curse.

Offline Spak-Spang

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Re: Game Boy: Finally time to Play It Loud!®
« Reply #10 on: April 14, 2021, 05:56:31 PM »
The Gameboy Donkey Kong is one of my favorite Mario experiences.  A puzzle platformer that feels so classic and great.  I really hated when the sequels moved away from the original formula to the toy Marios and such.  I would love a remake or sequel to that original designed game because it was almost perfect.

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Re: Game Boy: Finally time to Play It Loud!®
« Reply #11 on: April 14, 2021, 05:59:05 PM »
OBO or better offer.  To him $350+ is better than 350.00 so maybe he does know what it means?  hahahaha.

Seriously though, $350.00 is a lot for that package, he must be proud of it.

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Re: Game Boy: Finally time to Play It Loud!®
« Reply #12 on: April 14, 2021, 06:05:40 PM »
Super Mario Land is an odd game.  It is a Mario game and for what it is worth it plays well, but it is so odd.  For a unique Mario experience play it.  See what you think. 

Super Mario Land 2 is the premium GB Mario experience.  It feels like Mario 3, except the screen is too zoomed in.  I found that I would have rather worse graphics than play with such little level information.  Super Mario Land 2 was a totally good game that needs an HD remake just like Metroid 2 got.  Nintendo really needs to revisit and release some of their old Gameboy games that were great ideas but could not be executed well and polish them up.  I would pay full price for a good remaster of Nintendo's best gameboy advance games with updated graphics. 

Offline Adrock

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Re: Game Boy: Finally time to Play It Loud!®
« Reply #13 on: April 21, 2021, 12:49:50 AM »
I snagged Final Fantasy Adventure. The cartridge is a little bit yellowed so I need to figure out how to retrobright it without damaging the label which is in surprisingly good shape. I managed to get a 1991 original instead of the 1998 re-release published by Sunsoft. The battery still works though I should probably replace it.

Fun fact: Did you know you can replace the save battery in Super Nintendo cartridges without losing your save files? You can solder a battery holder with AA batteries to different solder points on the cartridge to continue driving power to the game while you replace the save battery.

I do not know if this is possible on GB/GBC/GBA games because they're so small. They may not have the necessary solder points. There are apparently also third party devices that allow you to upload your save so you can replace the battery then download your save after. The battery holder is likely a cheaper solution.

It turns out I actually have Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins. I was rummaging through the mountain of boxes I haven't really touched in years. I came across the OG Game Boy my sister's ex-boyfriend gave me. The game was still in the system. Huzzah!

There was a surprise update to the Mother 3 fan translation which means my reproduction cart is outdated now. BOO/HISS! The last patch was three years ago and was considered to be complete. Anyway, the translation is largely the same, but the new patch (v1.3) fixes some bugs and technical issues, even some present in the original Japanese version. If you're interested, you can review the list of changes/updates HERE. I'll wait to read some impressions before committing to buying the inevitable reproduction cartridge of v1.3.

Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble finally got delivered. How did anyone play this game without a backlit display? I played it for a few minutes on a stock GBC. It was so hard to see what I was doing. I almost had a stroke trying to tilt the GBC and look at the screen at the same time.
The Gameboy Donkey Kong is one of my favorite Mario experiences.  A puzzle platformer that feels so classic and great.  I really hated when the sequels moved away from the original formula to the toy Marios and such.  I would love a remake or sequel to that original designed game because it was almost perfect.
How was the first sequel? I only played Mario vs. Donkey Kong briefly at Game Crazy back in like 2008. I remember the controls feeling a bit stiff.
Super Mario Land 2 is the premium GB Mario experience.  It feels like Mario 3, except the screen is too zoomed in.  I found that I would have rather worse graphics than play with such little level information.
Mario's jump felt floaty. I'm sure I just have to keep playing and I'll get used to it.
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Super Mario Land 2 was a totally good game that needs an HD remake just like Metroid 2 got.  Nintendo really needs to revisit and release some of their old Gameboy games that were great ideas but could not be executed well and polish them up.  I would pay full price for a good remaster of Nintendo's best gameboy advance games with updated graphics.
I imagine a Super Mario Land 2 remake would be more Link's Awakening remake and less Samus Returns. There's a lot Nintendo can do with a remake. I'd start with new stages and obviously a larger viewing area.

Collectively, we really need to stop paying full price for remasters.

Offline GK

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Re: Game Boy: Finally time to Play It Loud!®
« Reply #14 on: April 22, 2021, 06:27:50 AM »
Battle Arena Toshinden on GB/GBC - Knew I liked Takara's take on Game Boy fighting games after Samurai Shodown, but I thought they kicked it up a notch here. Pretty sure I played it more than the original PSX game my brother had.

Castlevania Legends - Another GB/GBC standout for me. Though it might just be because it was made after Symphony of the Night, yet it wasn't a metroidvania. Sometimes I just want to whip my way from point A to point B without having to backtrack.

Oh, & Kirby's Star Stacker. Everyone I let play it told me it was boring & both Tetris & Yoshi were better, yet I got addicted to it.
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Offline Adrock

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Re: Game Boy: Finally time to Play It Loud!®
« Reply #15 on: May 04, 2021, 11:13:30 PM »
I snagged Mario Kart: Super Circuit. I remember not liking this entry, but it was cheap so I wanted to give it another go.

I also managed to snag Game Boy Camera and Pokémon Crystal. The former is mostly for collection purposes. I never had one and always wanted it. I putzed around with it earlier. Not great. The latter was hella expensive. Pokémon Crystal is now the most expensive used game I’ve ever purchased, just edging out Metal Gear Solid (Ghost Babel) on Game Boy Color. I am embarrassed by how much I spent, but I will admit: After taxes, it was still under $100.

There may be an issue with Mario vs. Donkey Kong. I paid for it at the end of March and have yet to receive it. The last time I bought from a Canadian seller it took forever so I waited longer than usual this time before contacting the seller for an update. The seller has not responded yet. I will likely have to go through eBay for the money-back guarantee then find another copy. THANKS, CANADA.

I have to replace the battery on Pokémon Crystal. It’s the only game I bought that absolutely needs one. Game Boy and Game Boy Color games use CR2025 coin batteries. Unfortunately, I can only find off-brand CR2025 batteries with solder tabs. CR2032 batteries can fit and are more readily available from Panasonic, but they’re apparently a tight fit, and I’d rather not risk it. The Pokémon Crystal I just bought had an off-brand aftermarket battery installed, and it’s already dead. For comparison’s sake, the batteries Nintendo used in their cartridges typically last 20 to 30 years.

I’m considering doing this battery mod (here’s a tutorial by makho if you are interested/have half an hour). The short version is a modder, Martin Refseth AKA HDR, created a flex PCB that has solders to the cartridges and has solder points for a battery retainer (metal thing that holds batteries in place) so you can use CR2025 without solder tabs which are available everywhere. The flex PCB is ~$5.00, the retainer is ~$1.30, and a battery is ~$1.50. That’s almost $8.00 for a battery I may only have to replace one more time ever.

Battle Arena Toshinden on GB/GBC - Knew I liked Takara's take on Game Boy fighting games after Samurai Shodown, but I thought they kicked it up a notch here. Pretty sure I played it more than the original PSX game my brother had.
Interesting. I will look into this. Thanks!
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Castlevania Legends - Another GB/GBC standout for me. Though it might just be because it was made after Symphony of the Night, yet it wasn't a metroidvania. Sometimes I just want to whip my way from point A to point B without having to backtrack.
I had every opportunity to get Castlevania Legends in the late 90s. I was partially scared off by EGM’s review. I wish I didn’t because this game is hella expensive now. Authentic cartridges are currently over $200 loose. This may have to be an EverDrive game for me.
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Oh, & Kirby's Star Stacker. Everyone I let play it told me it was boring & both Tetris & Yoshi were better, yet I got addicted to it.
Hmm, I will also look into this. I’m not a big puzzle game person, but they’re perfect for these handhelds. I never played Kirby’s Star Stacker so it might be worth a shot.
« Last Edit: May 04, 2021, 11:34:09 PM by Adrock »

Offline Adrock

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Re: Game Boy: Finally time to Play It Loud!®
« Reply #16 on: October 03, 2021, 05:25:52 PM »
I updated the list in the OP. I managed to cross off the following from my interest list over the past several months:
  • Bomberman Quest (GBC)
  • Wendy: Every Witch Way (GBC)
  • DK: King of Swing (GBA)
  • Metal Slug Advance (GBA)
  • WarioWare: Twisted! (GBA)
I pledged to two Kickstarter campaigns that were successfully funded recently:
  • Infinity (GBC)
  • Good Boy Galaxy (GBA)
Both of these are slated for late next year. I got the tier with the physically cartridge for each as I'd like to play them on their respective Game Boy.

Additionally, picked up Sabrina: The Animated Series - Zapped! (GBC) and Shadowgate Classic (GBC) for cheap. If you're wondering why the former, it was developed by Wayforward Technologies and considered the better of the two licensed Sabrina games.

Wendy: Every Witch Way (GBC) is officially the most expensive game I ever purchased. Again, I'm too embarrassed to admit how much I spent on it. It routinely goes for $130 loose. I didn't spend that much which is the only reason I bought it at the price I paid.

WarioWare: Twisted! (GBA) has a busted rumble motor. The seller did not mention this in the Description, and I already gave them a good review (the game booted up, but I didn't know there was rumble functionality). BOO/HISS Fortunately, replacing the rumble motor seems relatively easy. I put an order for replacements which are pretty cheap (five for ~$7.00). They're apparently just phone vibration motors.

I tried several times to snag Resident Evil Gaiden. I lost every auction for it. I doubt this one will ever happen. I'll eventually buy an EverDrive-GB X7 from krikzz. A lot of the games mentioned by others in this thread are likely getting thrown on there.

There are now two games left I still want to get a real physical copy of: Daikatana (GBC) and Pokemon Emerald (GBA). I whiffed on the former months ago which I'm kicking myself for now.

Questions for everyone who has played Pokemon Emerald: Is it worth it? Are the changes over Ruby/Sapphire substantial? The game regularly sells for over $100. I feel like it's eventually going to drop.

Offline Order.RSS

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Re: Game Boy: Finally time to Play It Loud!®
« Reply #17 on: October 04, 2021, 05:22:28 PM »
There are now two games left I still want to get a real physical copy of: Daikatana (GBC) and Pokemon Emerald (GBA). I whiffed on the former months ago which I'm kicking myself for now.

Questions for everyone who has played Pokemon Emerald: Is it worth it? Are the changes over Ruby/Sapphire substantial? The game regularly sells for over $100. I feel like it's eventually going to drop.

It's one of the weaker games in the series in my opinion. Never played Ruby/Sapphire, so can't really compare. Also, they used batteries to regulate tides & day/night cycles which you'd have to replace. It's not bad, but $100 is ludicrous.

Offline pokepal148

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Re: Game Boy: Finally time to Play It Loud!®
« Reply #18 on: October 04, 2021, 06:47:27 PM »
100 bucks is absurd for that game.