I think the funnyplaying retro-pixel ips is the best DMG screen mod.
You can seem some great footage of it on the Youtube channel Macho Nacho Productions.
Console of the Month (March 2022): Game Boy & Game Boy Color
Re: Console of the Month (March 2022): Game Boy & Game Boy C
I did a backlight mod for my DMG about a decade ago and kind of regret it - it looks super cool but is so bright that it's not comfortable to look at the screen for a long time. I know modern mods have gotten way better but I've become a bit skeptical of modding in general based on my backlight experience.
IMO the Analogue Pocket trounces all screen mods with its screen that can very impressively replicate the aesthetic of original hardware but without the blurry mess. I just can't get enough of playing games on it! I'd recommend it over a modded GB since it's more versatile, although the fact that you'd be waiting a year+ for one makes it a bit of a drag.
IMO the Analogue Pocket trounces all screen mods with its screen that can very impressively replicate the aesthetic of original hardware but without the blurry mess. I just can't get enough of playing games on it! I'd recommend it over a modded GB since it's more versatile, although the fact that you'd be waiting a year+ for one makes it a bit of a drag.
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alienjesus
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Re: Console of the Month (March 2022): Game Boy & Game Boy C
It sounds like there's quite a few people here who consider the GB library as a bit of a blind spot. That's one area I'm happy to provide info on, because my Game Boy library is one of the biggest in my collection. As is now my tradition, here's some pictures of what I've got. I've also added a text list for each picture as it can be tough to make out the labels between the small size and the glare. If anyone wants to know more about anything here, I'm happy to oblige - I've played through the vast majority of these!
This is where I keep my game boy games - my mum made these boxes for me for Christmas years back and they store all my loose handheld games now. The Kirby box contains Pokemon Mini, Wonderswan and Neo Geo Pocket, the Zelda box has my Game Gear and Virtual Boy games, and the Mario box is packed to the brim with Game Boy (to the point where some of them are in the other boxes now as I'm out of space!)
Here's part one of the collection, games in spoiler tag below:
Part 2
Part 3
And the final part:
This is where I keep my game boy games - my mum made these boxes for me for Christmas years back and they store all my loose handheld games now. The Kirby box contains Pokemon Mini, Wonderswan and Neo Geo Pocket, the Zelda box has my Game Gear and Virtual Boy games, and the Mario box is packed to the brim with Game Boy (to the point where some of them are in the other boxes now as I'm out of space!)
Here's part one of the collection, games in spoiler tag below:
Part 2
Part 3
And the final part:
Re: Console of the Month (March 2022): Game Boy & Game Boy C
alienjesus wrote:It sounds like there's quite a few people here who consider the GB library as a bit of a blind spot. That's one area I'm happy to provide info on, because my Game Boy library is one of the biggest in my collection. [...] If anyone wants to know more about anything here, I'm happy to oblige - I've played through the vast majority of these!
Actually, I was going to ask... I was looking for a Gameboy Defining Games article and didn't see one. Can we come up with a defining games list for the Gameboy and GBC? I know of a handful. Such as Tetris, Pokemon, and Super Mario Land 2. Once Pokemon came out, it really took over and turned the GB into a Pokemon machine. I'd love to read about other games that DEFINED the system though.
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alienjesus
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Re: Console of the Month (March 2022): Game Boy & Game Boy C
I mean, I can certainly have a go at that. I will say that this is based on retrospective knowledge - I wasn't 1 yet when the Game Boy came out, and I was only 11 when the GBA hit, so I wasn't actively following the scene when the Game Boy was current! However, there's definitely trends that can be seen in the library and within the best selling games:
I mean, obviously, Tetris, Pokémon and the Mario Land games are givens. They were by far the best selling games on the series and we all know the impact of the first 2!
Some other stuff of note though:
Legend of Zelda games - Particularly Links Awakening, but the Oracle games to a lesser extent. Link's Awakening was only the 4th ever Zelda game and managed to squeeze a full size adventure into a small cartridge. A Link to the Past really is the game that truly made the zelda formula we all know where dungeon items are essential to finishing the dungeon, and I feel actually Links Awakening was the first game that fully leant into that.
Donkey Kong (94) - This was the first big showcase of the Super Game Boy hardware, making use of custom borders, additional colours and voice clips when played on the system. It was one of the best selling Game Boy games too, and in my opinion is a contender for best game on the system
Donkey Kong Land series - Just like the Country series, the DK Land games were big sellers on the system and were technical showcases in terms of the graphics that were achieved on limited hardware
Kirby series - Kirby is perhaps the only Nintendo character outside of the Mario series who is as prolific on Game Boy as Pokémon, and his first ever game was on the platform. The original Kirby's Dream Land is one of the system's best sellers, and Kirby went on to appear in loads of games on the system over the years - Dream Land 2, Pinball Land, Block Ball, Star Stacker, Tilt n Tumble...
Wario Land - Wario's first appearance was as the villain in Mario Land 2, and he went on to star in his own series of games on the system. He was developed by R&D1 team who seemed to like him as he went on to have more of his own unique games on Game Boy than Mario himself.
R&D1 sequels - These perhaps aren't the top sellers on the system, but I think it's worth recognising that R&D1 were headed up by Gunpei Yokoi, who helped create the Game Boy, and thus many of their previous games recieved their sequels on the hardware. The second ever Metroid game was a Game Boy title, and Kid Icarus also got a sequel for the system. We also saw collection of Game & Watch titles, version of their sports titles and more. Really, R&D1 were the division of Nintendo that defined the system's library and I think that they have a distinct style that stands out from other parts of the company.
Pokemon Spin-offs - Clumping quite a few titles together here, but people often discuss the main series without realising the impact Pokémon spin offs had. Pokémon Pinball was a huge success, and Pokemon Trading Card Game and Pokémon Puzzle Challenge did numbers too. For many kids in the late 90s, Pokémon games were the reason to own a Game Boy, but it wasn't exclusively about the RPGs
Monster battling/raising games & trading card games - Pokemon was such a phenomenon in the 90s that it really informed a lot of the handheld gaming scene around it. I've not listed these titles separately as none of them on their own were really defining games - but collectively they define an era of the console - stuff like Dragon Warrior Monsters, Metal Walker, Little Magic, Monkey Puncher, Robopon and more really tried to capitalise on the monster raising and battling trend. Similarly, the Pokémon Trading Card game was huge at the time and so we also saw more card battling games appearing on the market. The most notable of these are probably the Yu-gi-oh titles which were hugely successful too.
Puzzle games - Whilst the above trends showcase the late game boy era, earlier on in the system's life it was Tetris which was the magic everyone wanted to replicate. If you look through the system's library early on, you'll see a lot of very successful puzzle games, many by Nintendo themselves, which really define what the Game Boy was about early on. Easy to pick up and play, mass appeal and able to perform on limited hardware. Examples include Dr. Mario, Yoshi's Cookie and Mario & Yoshi but also a lot of less successful titles that flooded the market too.
Game Boy Camera - Not much to say about this one, I just remember this being everywhere for a few years. Digital cameras were just starting to become mainstream at the time and I think this managed to capture a moment in time where this had mass appeal amongst children.
I mean, obviously, Tetris, Pokémon and the Mario Land games are givens. They were by far the best selling games on the series and we all know the impact of the first 2!
Some other stuff of note though:
Legend of Zelda games - Particularly Links Awakening, but the Oracle games to a lesser extent. Link's Awakening was only the 4th ever Zelda game and managed to squeeze a full size adventure into a small cartridge. A Link to the Past really is the game that truly made the zelda formula we all know where dungeon items are essential to finishing the dungeon, and I feel actually Links Awakening was the first game that fully leant into that.
Donkey Kong (94) - This was the first big showcase of the Super Game Boy hardware, making use of custom borders, additional colours and voice clips when played on the system. It was one of the best selling Game Boy games too, and in my opinion is a contender for best game on the system
Donkey Kong Land series - Just like the Country series, the DK Land games were big sellers on the system and were technical showcases in terms of the graphics that were achieved on limited hardware
Kirby series - Kirby is perhaps the only Nintendo character outside of the Mario series who is as prolific on Game Boy as Pokémon, and his first ever game was on the platform. The original Kirby's Dream Land is one of the system's best sellers, and Kirby went on to appear in loads of games on the system over the years - Dream Land 2, Pinball Land, Block Ball, Star Stacker, Tilt n Tumble...
Wario Land - Wario's first appearance was as the villain in Mario Land 2, and he went on to star in his own series of games on the system. He was developed by R&D1 team who seemed to like him as he went on to have more of his own unique games on Game Boy than Mario himself.
R&D1 sequels - These perhaps aren't the top sellers on the system, but I think it's worth recognising that R&D1 were headed up by Gunpei Yokoi, who helped create the Game Boy, and thus many of their previous games recieved their sequels on the hardware. The second ever Metroid game was a Game Boy title, and Kid Icarus also got a sequel for the system. We also saw collection of Game & Watch titles, version of their sports titles and more. Really, R&D1 were the division of Nintendo that defined the system's library and I think that they have a distinct style that stands out from other parts of the company.
Pokemon Spin-offs - Clumping quite a few titles together here, but people often discuss the main series without realising the impact Pokémon spin offs had. Pokémon Pinball was a huge success, and Pokemon Trading Card Game and Pokémon Puzzle Challenge did numbers too. For many kids in the late 90s, Pokémon games were the reason to own a Game Boy, but it wasn't exclusively about the RPGs
Monster battling/raising games & trading card games - Pokemon was such a phenomenon in the 90s that it really informed a lot of the handheld gaming scene around it. I've not listed these titles separately as none of them on their own were really defining games - but collectively they define an era of the console - stuff like Dragon Warrior Monsters, Metal Walker, Little Magic, Monkey Puncher, Robopon and more really tried to capitalise on the monster raising and battling trend. Similarly, the Pokémon Trading Card game was huge at the time and so we also saw more card battling games appearing on the market. The most notable of these are probably the Yu-gi-oh titles which were hugely successful too.
Puzzle games - Whilst the above trends showcase the late game boy era, earlier on in the system's life it was Tetris which was the magic everyone wanted to replicate. If you look through the system's library early on, you'll see a lot of very successful puzzle games, many by Nintendo themselves, which really define what the Game Boy was about early on. Easy to pick up and play, mass appeal and able to perform on limited hardware. Examples include Dr. Mario, Yoshi's Cookie and Mario & Yoshi but also a lot of less successful titles that flooded the market too.
Game Boy Camera - Not much to say about this one, I just remember this being everywhere for a few years. Digital cameras were just starting to become mainstream at the time and I think this managed to capture a moment in time where this had mass appeal amongst children.
Re: Console of the Month (March 2022): Game Boy & Game Boy C
Gameboy was a tough system for me to love. When the system first came out I was the right age, but early titles were relatively simple and hampered by the blurry screen motion issues. I saw it as only really compelling for Tetris and Tetris Attack. By the time models with more viewable screens had come out I had moved on. And when Pokemon revitalized the system I was in the process of graduating high school and psyc-ing myself up for college, so it was not of any interest to me. I have come to respect the console more in retrospect by way of the Gameboy Advance, but I still find it hard to have the kind of robust, nostalgic love a lot of folks do. The Gameboy can be a hard system to love for some of us.
Dope Pope on a Rope
B/S/T thread
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The PC Engine Software Bible Forum, with Shoutbox chat - the new Internet home for PC Engine fandom.
B/S/T thread
My Classic Games Collection
My Steam Profile
The PC Engine Software Bible Forum, with Shoutbox chat - the new Internet home for PC Engine fandom.
Re: Console of the Month (March 2022): Game Boy & Game Boy C
I'd nominate Boxxle and Kwirk as defining games. They aren't exactly "the best of the best" but they're a good representation of what the Game Boy could do well.
Boxxle (Sokoban in Japan, a series that started in 1982 on PC) is a simple game where you're a warehouse worker and have to push boxes into designated places. You can only push, not pull boxes and while you can back up exactly one space it's very easy to accidentally end up in an unwinnable scenario so the Start button works as a "give up" button rather than pausing the game. It's an old-fashioned slow paced game that a lot of modern gamers would probably find frustrating and unsatisfying but it's solid for what it is. But I had a lot of fun just trying different things until I solved the puzzle, it can really give your thinking skills a workout! It's a huge game too with over 100 levels to go through and a password save. Sokoban exists in some form on countless platforms (there's even a Switch/PS4 game that came out last year) but it feels perfectly suited to Game Boy.
Kwirk (Puzzle Boy in Japan) is another simple puzzle game where you just try to go through a maze and have to push and rotate blocks to progress. It's a faster paced game than Boxxle and conveniently lets you start wherever you want without a password and similarly can prove quite challenging. The game was made by Atlus and they actually reused the concept in Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne. Again, I don't think this game is going to impress most modern gamer but is a very good example of the kind of game that the Game Boy could do well.
Boxxle (Sokoban in Japan, a series that started in 1982 on PC) is a simple game where you're a warehouse worker and have to push boxes into designated places. You can only push, not pull boxes and while you can back up exactly one space it's very easy to accidentally end up in an unwinnable scenario so the Start button works as a "give up" button rather than pausing the game. It's an old-fashioned slow paced game that a lot of modern gamers would probably find frustrating and unsatisfying but it's solid for what it is. But I had a lot of fun just trying different things until I solved the puzzle, it can really give your thinking skills a workout! It's a huge game too with over 100 levels to go through and a password save. Sokoban exists in some form on countless platforms (there's even a Switch/PS4 game that came out last year) but it feels perfectly suited to Game Boy.
Kwirk (Puzzle Boy in Japan) is another simple puzzle game where you just try to go through a maze and have to push and rotate blocks to progress. It's a faster paced game than Boxxle and conveniently lets you start wherever you want without a password and similarly can prove quite challenging. The game was made by Atlus and they actually reused the concept in Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne. Again, I don't think this game is going to impress most modern gamer but is a very good example of the kind of game that the Game Boy could do well.
Re: Console of the Month (March 2022): Game Boy & Game Boy C
I do think it's pretty inarguable that the two most prominent and important titles to the Gameboy are Tetris and Pokemon. There are lots of other strong defining games, from Kirby to Zelda and all points in-between, but Tetris and Pokemon are the 800 lb gorillas in the room. Nothing holds a candle to those two in terms of defining the handheld and ensuring its place in market history.
Dope Pope on a Rope
B/S/T thread
My Classic Games Collection
My Steam Profile
The PC Engine Software Bible Forum, with Shoutbox chat - the new Internet home for PC Engine fandom.
B/S/T thread
My Classic Games Collection
My Steam Profile
The PC Engine Software Bible Forum, with Shoutbox chat - the new Internet home for PC Engine fandom.
Re: Console of the Month (March 2022): Game Boy & Game Boy C
I'm happy with my collection:
My pre-Advance Game Boys. The purple/blue one is my Wildberry Poptart Game Boy that I spraypainted and got a custom screen-cover and buttons for. It also has a blue backlight mod. I think it looks neat but strains my eyes if I use it too long. My base DMG pictured with Game Genie and Nuby speaker that makes it SUPER LOUD and STEREO! And my old reliable Game Boy Color, pictured with a "Boom Box Boy" attachment that worked as a very low-quality radio that gets its power through the Game Boy (that's it, it's terrible). Also my Game Boy Camera since that's arguably more hardware than game! (I forgot to include my Game Boy Printer or DDR controller)
My monochrome-compatible games! All the American ones together with my three Japanese games, two unofficial/aftermarket music carts, and two Limited Run releases separated!
My GBC-only games! I feel like I should get more of these. I know the library is mostly famous for shovelware, but I know there are gems to be found. Two American games, two Japanese games, one European game, and two Limited Run releases.
And my boxes! I've lost my carts for Golf, Link's Awakening, and Simpsons: Night of the Living Treehouse of Horror, but I hold onto the boxes anyway.
I also have a ton of manuals for GB games, but IDK if anyone cares to see them!
My pre-Advance Game Boys. The purple/blue one is my Wildberry Poptart Game Boy that I spraypainted and got a custom screen-cover and buttons for. It also has a blue backlight mod. I think it looks neat but strains my eyes if I use it too long. My base DMG pictured with Game Genie and Nuby speaker that makes it SUPER LOUD and STEREO! And my old reliable Game Boy Color, pictured with a "Boom Box Boy" attachment that worked as a very low-quality radio that gets its power through the Game Boy (that's it, it's terrible). Also my Game Boy Camera since that's arguably more hardware than game! (I forgot to include my Game Boy Printer or DDR controller)
My monochrome-compatible games! All the American ones together with my three Japanese games, two unofficial/aftermarket music carts, and two Limited Run releases separated!
My GBC-only games! I feel like I should get more of these. I know the library is mostly famous for shovelware, but I know there are gems to be found. Two American games, two Japanese games, one European game, and two Limited Run releases.
And my boxes! I've lost my carts for Golf, Link's Awakening, and Simpsons: Night of the Living Treehouse of Horror, but I hold onto the boxes anyway.
I also have a ton of manuals for GB games, but IDK if anyone cares to see them!
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alienjesus
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Re: Console of the Month (March 2022): Game Boy & Game Boy C
Loving the collection Nemoide. Cave Noire is one I've been interested to give a try!
One nice thing about the Game Boy library is how many different ways there are to play it. Obviously the analogue pocket has been mentioned and there are other unofficial machines like the Retron5 and similar too. But even just within official Nintendo hardware, you have so many options. You've got the original consoles, the GBA (which plays both GB and GBC games), Super Game Boy (which plays original GB compatible games) and the Game Boy Player for Gamecube which works with both.
One nice thing about the Game Boy library is how many different ways there are to play it. Obviously the analogue pocket has been mentioned and there are other unofficial machines like the Retron5 and similar too. But even just within official Nintendo hardware, you have so many options. You've got the original consoles, the GBA (which plays both GB and GBC games), Super Game Boy (which plays original GB compatible games) and the Game Boy Player for Gamecube which works with both.