Time to brush up the Gameboy/GBC Hidden Gems list

[Tanooki]

One thing I used to be well educated with was Gameboy games, especially the pre-GBA stuff. Thanks to how the N64 was choked through more than half its life it turned me into a handheld gamer (and one who owned a Duo too.) I had a LOT of them because they were cheap then and mostly still are cheap now too so I'd experiment a good bit.

Wizards and Warriors (GB) oddly called chapter 10(eh?) Fortress of Fear is a fantastic under the radar game. A solid platformer without all the weird floaty gravity and that totally lost feeling of the NES titles, it had defined stages and tighter controls.

Lemmings/Oh No More Lemmings (GBC) fairly overlooked, a solid conversion and plays well, lacks the ability to speed up walking (ugh) but very good and unlike the old GB version as you can see from the title, has the sequel included.

Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine (GBC) plot is there, the flow of the stages fairly well too, but it is so differently designed and wasn't advertised really at all it went under the radar but it's a solid gauntlet like view indy game with good design to it.

(PC-DOS buddies!) Commander Keen/Duke Nukem (GBC) - They're not the games you grew up with for DOS, but they're designed to be like the old games. Keen is more colorful so it looks a little more different than Duke which is in the style of DN2. They're good throwback platformers.

(Capcom NES/Arcade junk!) They ported 1942 and Ghosts N Goblins to the GBC. 1942 is GBC only, it shows, it's more the arcade game than the NES. The G&G game is a hybrid looks like a straight NES port with a save mechanism(password.) Both are nice though.

Revelations the Demon Slayer (GB/GBC hybrid) - This one from Atlus is if I recall right is part of the earlier days of the SMT series franchise. Play as a human, command, fight, befriend demons, merge them to make better ones, solid adventure. I finished this when it was new back then. Due to the name few realize it's one of the series.

Microsoft Pinball Arcade (GBC) - Conversion of the PC-Windows release, lacks 2 of the tables (one because it is just a sit and watch the ball thing which is boring, the other a 90s DMD style pin too much for GBC to handle.) Low color solid conversions of some excellent Gottlieb EM(mostly) and one SS pinball table...5 in all if I remember right.

[Tanooki]

Well I found the NES games with their total no sense of direction and horribly floaty gravity and control an abomination. The GB game is far tighter, linear, good platforming game but it's definitely not perfect or on the level of a Mario game either but it's the only from the franchise I'd bother with anymore.

[Betagam7]

Am I the only one who found Wendy: Every witch Way to be very underwhelming.

Not only is the game beatable in less than two hours, it's very VERY easy and suffers from some SFX/Music problems in later levels.

Yes the gravity based gameplay was gimmicky at the time but I'm not sure that rescues it to be honest.

I'd like to nominate Deja Vu 1&2 . Two great ports on one cart, an unusual style and genre for the GBC.

[alienjesus]

Am I the only one who found Wendy: Every witch Way to be very underwhelming.

Not only is the game beatable in less than two hours, it's very VERY easy and suffers from some SFX/Music problems in later levels.

Yes the gravity based gameplay was gimmicky at the time but I'm not sure that rescues it to be honest.

I'd like to nominate Deja Vu 1&2 . Two great ports on one cart, an unusual style and genre for the GBC.

Having played both Deja Vu I & II and Scooby Doo Classic Creep Capers on the GBC, I much prefer the latter.

Whilst we're talking GBC point n click games, I've heard good things about The Fish Files. Anyone got any experience with it? The graphics are definitely impressive - it's very reminiscent of Day of the Tentacle, but on a GBC screen!

[noiseredux]

Scooby Doo is awesome. Like Maniac Mansion.

[retrosportsgamer]

Fortress of Fear is one of the worst GB games I've played, not even close to the first two NES games imo.

Actually I don't remember any details on why, but at least Jeremy Parish agrees with me.

Gameboyworld.com is a recent find for me. Love all the scans.

[Tanooki]

I'm surprised I didn't notice that post on the first page with Face Ball, is it really that hard to come by? I know a place one loose cart has sat for years and I think it was pretty cheap too.

I went digging more into that article, reminded me of Ekkusu (X) which was Japanese only, by Dylan Cuthbert of Starfox fame. Great little game, not easy to figure out the controls but if you do, it says it's a gem of a title. I've been in the past tempted to buy it, but never could find it on ebay because 'X' comes up with too much, but going with what I wrote earlier it pops up.

[alienjesus]

I'm surprised I didn't notice that post on the first page with Face Ball, is it really that hard to come by? I know a place one loose cart has sat for years and I think it was pretty cheap too.

I went digging more into that article, reminded me of Ekkusu (X) which was Japanese only, by Dylan Cuthbert of Starfox fame. Great little game, not easy to figure out the controls but if you do, it says it's a gem of a title. I've been in the past tempted to buy it, but never could find it on ebay because 'X' comes up with too much, but going with what I wrote earlier it pops up.

I own it, it's pretty solid. I bought it from a site called Nin-Nin-Game. Finding it on eBay is a pain, just like finding D will be for Together Retro this year!

If you want to have an idea how it plays, try the sequel, X-Scape, on DSiWare. I liked that one a lot too, but the controls definitely take some getting used to!

[Tanooki]

I remember X-Scape being largely brought up in the press when it popped up as a spirital sequel of sorts.

I should just find someone with it on here or ebay and just snap it up as it's cheap. This time around since getting a GB again sure I want some old games I loved but I also want to focus on new games I've never played or stuff I did have for a bit but never got close to finished to get some value from it.

The trick is me finding something that is fun I haven't touched as I've messed with quite a few of them over the years. I really don't care if they're old or not, as long as the style works for me and age haven't made the titles annoying.

Pretty sure I said I had KOF96, Samurai Spirits 3, and Super Dodgeball from Japan inbound, all new stuff. I'm also thinking from a list I've been working up that's a mix of rehash, rehash far from finished or new. I've never had or near finished Mario Tennis, Resident Evil, Microsoft Pinball Arcade, Colin McRae (rally), Indy Infernal Machine, Toki Tori, Commander Keen, Blaster Master, Duke Nukem, MGS, and Wendy Every Witch Way. For the old GB - Bonk's Adventure or Revenge so far. I know there's plenty from stuff like Avenging Spirit to Sword of Hope and more but I'd want to research more first.

There's a lot out there, it's kind of hard to sift through and since people tend to not like or turn in GB stuff, it's hard to find a $3 beater to just try for the hell of it. Locally I did see just up the street Lock n Chase and Deadheat Scramble for old GB, Lufia for GBC too though I doubt I'd bother on that as Lufia never did it for me on SNES.

[alienjesus]

I remember X-Scape being largely brought up in the press when it popped up as a spirital sequel of sorts.

Nothing spiritual about it, it's a direct sequel. Returning characters and everything, aswell as very similar gameplay mechanics.