A Game Boy fan

[k.vlaros]

Hi all. I never write 'introduction' posts, but for some reason this one feels right. I've been a Game Boy fan since the original, and have owned multiple incarnations of every Nintendo portable platform since.

I'm not sure I'd actually call myself a gamer, though. A while ago my 360 died. Thrice disappointed, I didn't feel like replacing it and time went by with essentially no gaming. Then I remembered I had a proud but small collection of GBA blockbusters and started plugging through carts I didn't take the time to finish when new, like SMB3. Before I knew it, my little-used eBay account was ticking away fresh feedbacks as interest was rekindled and kids' old stocking-stuffers overfilled my mailbox.

Now, having poured over every 'best GB/GBA games' article online - including those here, and the reason I found this forum - my inventory is 75 games across GB/GBC/GBA, with another 50 to pick up down the road. Some of the more interesting pickups so far are Rhythm Tengoku - a fantastically fun rhythm game that preceded the US DS title Rhythm Haven, Harvest Moon FoMT - a surprisingly deep installment of the long-running farm sim, this game is well suited to GB Player use, 4 of the 6 Bit Generations titles, the cult favorite RPG-infused puzzler Mole Mania, and, just to pick one more example, today I finally passed stage one of Challenger on Hudon's Best vol 3.

Hardware-wise, I splurged for the mystical component video cable. All of you probably already know that it is no mere 'cable'; it actually contains the circuit and DAC to decode the Game Cube's digital output. Nintendo humbly states on their website that players will see minimal improvement using the Game Boy Player in progressive mode, and thus my expectations were low. And while it doesn't magically make 480 pixels out of 160, essentially all color bleeding and dot crawl is eliminated on my LCD HDTV. For fun, I bought a Japan-only orange GB Player, and in the same order from FromJapan tagged along a black Hori digital controller. My only 'buy and stow away in a safe place' splurge is a nearly mint - though box-less - Famicom Anniversary edition GBA Micro... stunning!

Several qualities of this unpretentious collection and platform appeal to me. Especially if extended back to the original Game Boy - and I have - there is a huge library of games to choose from. Mostly, the prices are low, and anyhow I prefer to save dough and skip 'complete' or shrunk-wrap articles, so all the better. The games are old enough to evoke the broadly-sought feeling of retro, but new enough so that you have visually rich games like Golden Sun, FF VI, or M&L Superstar Saga. And ya know, I like that I have dozens of carts in a little box, and relatively new hardware (GC + GB Player) to enjoy the fun with. [Edit: I forgot one critical attraction of collecting these portable titles. No region locking or PAL confusion!]

The username I chose is the protagonist in the old Blizzard game Blackthorne, playable on-the-go in a nice GBA port.

That ought to do it for now. I truly look forward to spending time here discussing Game Boy, Nintendo, and my progress though some of these new-to-me gems.

[Dylan]

Hm, you and noiseredux will get along just fine.

[Beak]

Welcome!

I love the Game Boy; one of my favorite games is Pokemon Red.. one of the best gaming experiences I've ever had. A close second is Golden Sun. Something about RPGs on small handhelds is really attractive to me.

In fact, I dug out my GBA just recently. I think I'm going to start up some of my favorite games again (i.e., Golden Sun I & II, Ogre Battle Tactics, FF Tactics, the Sonic Advanced games).

What're you favorite RPGs on the GBA? I'm always looking for good, new suggestions.

[gtmtnbiker]

Yup, the GBA is a great system. So are you doing all of your playing with the GC/GB Player? Or do you have a handheld?

I find myself doing most of my playing on the go so I'm using my GBA SP+ or the GBM mostly.

[k.vlaros]

I'm in total agreement about handheld RPGs. The idea of a kingdom and an epic in my pocket is very cool. It's a total mind warp while enjoying Starbucks or waiting for the bus. My off the wall RPG recommendation of the moment might be Harvest Moon. A more true-blue recommendation would be either Link's Awakening (the first game I ever read a 'FAQ' for back when the web was still novel- I traveled to a nearby college to get online access and printed out dozens of pages of excerpts to reference back at my then-netless home) or Minish Cap (quite simply some of the most fun I've had on the portable, and one of the few "RPG"s I've finished without taking long hiatuses during). But I have all the FF GBA ports queued up to work through, plus I'm going to replay Golden Sun before starting the sequel. And for a change of pace, I have 'wish listed' Yggdra Union- maybe check it out if you want something a bit different.

I do have a black-faced Gameboy Micro. When I bought it at a Gamecrazy a few years ago, the clerk was surprised to find he still had one in stock- it was the last that particular store sold. But since getting my GB Player, I have to admit the majority of game time is on the TV.

[Pyro_Jack]

I'm actually starting to really get into Game Boy games as well! Tetris Attack will always be my favorite, but Kirby's Adventure is certainly up there as well.

[Lord_Santa]

I'd recommend trying out Breath of Fire I and II, if you're into RPG's

they are perhaps not in the league of FF games, but I find them charming on their own merits and they have provided me with more enjoyment than most JRPG's out there (granted, they are not in the league of FF VI when it comes to writing, but they are still ver entertaining)

[lisalover1]

Great to see another Golden Sun fan. Also, I think we can all agree that the GB and its successors were fantastic. Also, I'm glad you were able to find a GC component cable; it makes GB games look fantastic.

[SpaceBooger]

FYI: I can not read your post because I am using the "acidtech" theme for the forums (its a choice in your control panel) and it's background is black.
Your purple text is almost impossible to read on a black background.

[emwearz]

FYI: I can not read your post because I am using the "acidtech" theme for the forums (its a choice in your control panel) and it's background is black.
Your purple text is almost impossible to read on a black background.

Seconded, im using the acidtech theme and cant read your post, so im skipping it.