10 Games I Loved For My Gameboy
I have to fully admit I never really wanted a Gameboy at all well that was up until 1998 when this curious game came out called Pokemon and I stared hearing many great things about it so I thought I might as well pick it up since it seemed pretty good, and since then I have loved all Nintendo handhelds although my selection of games is much more limited on them as I tend to only play a selective range of games on them.
10. Pokemon Yellow: Special Pikachu Edition
For a short period of time I actually watched the Pokemon Anime and even now I will some times watch it, and to go with the initial popularity of the show and the booming popularity of the series and to go with that rising popularity and the popularity of the main Pokemon of the TV series he got a hole game pretty much all to himself.
It was certainly different to the original version and was more refined in every way, and fact that was slightly redesigned gave me a little more incentive to play through the whole adventure again, and catch them all again, plus there was the added bonus of being able to play a special surfing mini game if it was played through Pokemon Stadium on the N64 which was always a nice little bonus, so I admit I played it lots just to do it all again, and why not when it was so much fun the first time.
It was certainly different to the original version and was more refined in every way, and fact that was slightly redesigned gave me a little more incentive to play through the whole adventure again, and catch them all again, plus there was the added bonus of being able to play a special surfing mini game if it was played through Pokemon Stadium on the N64 which was always a nice little bonus, so I admit I played it lots just to do it all again, and why not when it was so much fun the first time.
9. Kirby's Dream Land
I had never played a Kirby game before I happened to borrow this one from a friend at the time and despite the game being on the easy side I was quit literally sucked in by it, the pun aside it was the ease of play that made the game so good and the game mechanics were simple suck up enemies and take their powers.
It may have been easy but it was still great fun to play and blast through.
It may have been easy but it was still great fun to play and blast through.
8. Super Mario Land
Mario games pretty much always sucked me in to some degree and the first handheld game was no different, the game was very reminiscent of the first outing on the NES but also featured enough variety to make it its own unique experience, such as the underwater levels in a sub marine where you are shooting torpedoes, defiantly different for a Mario game.
It did retain the precision jumping that was required for the platform levels though and they were certainly the stand out parts as they were always a good challenge and made it fun to play on the go.
It did retain the precision jumping that was required for the platform levels though and they were certainly the stand out parts as they were always a good challenge and made it fun to play on the go.
7. The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages
I do love Zelda games and it was a long time coming for a new Zelda game to be released on the Gameboy, so two were released at the same time and for the first time in a Nintendo system they were developed outside of Nintendo, this time by Capcom.
So it was certainly left in good hands, the fact that it spans over two cartridges and having to beat both to get the true ending makes it that much more enjoyable, they were originally supposed to be a set of three games but due to the difficulty of getting all three to work together one was dropped, and if anything it seem to have been the right choice as they both work well in tandem.
So it was certainly left in good hands, the fact that it spans over two cartridges and having to beat both to get the true ending makes it that much more enjoyable, they were originally supposed to be a set of three games but due to the difficulty of getting all three to work together one was dropped, and if anything it seem to have been the right choice as they both work well in tandem.
6. The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons
Okay so maybe this a bit of a sneaky entry since these two games really need to be played together to get the most out of them but that doesn't stop each one being a truly great game in their own right.
So yes I have added the second game in the set and I preferred Oracle of Seasons just a little bit more than I did Oracle of Ages, and I really do mean just a little bit more.
Thanks to these games though the partnership with Capcom would really take of in the next generation, so these games really did have a lot of significance too.
So yes I have added the second game in the set and I preferred Oracle of Seasons just a little bit more than I did Oracle of Ages, and I really do mean just a little bit more.
Thanks to these games though the partnership with Capcom would really take of in the next generation, so these games really did have a lot of significance too.
5. Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
I thought the first Super Mario Land was good and came close to replicating the NES original on the small screen but maybe lacked an identity of its own, the sequel however had no such issues and really looked and felt like it's own game.
All of the unique looking worlds and the look overall is a joy as it looks much more like later Mario games on the NES thanks to the larger sprites used making everything really stand out that much better compared to the tint sprites used in the original.
The game also introduced Wario to the world for the first time as the games main bad guy and since then he has been a main part of Nintendo's roster.
I loved playing through this game as much as I did the home console games at the time because it felt very much different to them, while keeping the core gameplay intact.
All of the unique looking worlds and the look overall is a joy as it looks much more like later Mario games on the NES thanks to the larger sprites used making everything really stand out that much better compared to the tint sprites used in the original.
The game also introduced Wario to the world for the first time as the games main bad guy and since then he has been a main part of Nintendo's roster.
I loved playing through this game as much as I did the home console games at the time because it felt very much different to them, while keeping the core gameplay intact.
4. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX
i really do love Zelda game, and when I first got a chance to play Link's Awakening i will admit I was surprised just how good it was compared to the SNES game it matched it in many ways and added so much more at the same time, offering up a different feel and just a great experience.
So with the launch of the Gameboy Color also came an enhanced version of the game that included colour graphics and a new dungeon to go with it all, so playing through the whole game again was a must for me.
It was the first Gameboy game for me that shown that just because it was on a smaller screen didn't mean the game had to be small, and I spent as much time playing this as I did any SNES game at the time.
So with the launch of the Gameboy Color also came an enhanced version of the game that included colour graphics and a new dungeon to go with it all, so playing through the whole game again was a must for me.
It was the first Gameboy game for me that shown that just because it was on a smaller screen didn't mean the game had to be small, and I spent as much time playing this as I did any SNES game at the time.
3. Metroid II: Return of Samus
This one is quite an oddity to me as it is the sequel to the NES original but it is on a handheld and it improves on it in pretty much every way, from the graphics and sound to the fact that it uses a battery save file as apposed to the passwords of the original and actually lays the foundation for the series to come.
I remember picking this game up and just being amazed how good the game was I don't know what I was expecting but it was great one I got right into it and the game was massive for a handheld game and it played and felt in many ways like it's sequel Super Metroid, so I did love every minute of this game and it further helped me fall in love with the series.
I remember picking this game up and just being amazed how good the game was I don't know what I was expecting but it was great one I got right into it and the game was massive for a handheld game and it played and felt in many ways like it's sequel Super Metroid, so I did love every minute of this game and it further helped me fall in love with the series.
2. Pokemon Silver
After pretty much falling in love with the series I knew I couldn't wait for the sequels to come out and because at the time there was such a long wait for them to reach Europe I decided I couldn't wait that long so as I passed my local games store I seen a copy just sitting there so I snapped it up there and then.
the whole experience of playing through a new world and not knowing what was going to jump out at me was quite exciting and it was as good as it had ever been, and just helped to build on the depth and strategy of the originals i spent hundreds and hundreds of hour catch them all and had loads of fun doing it.
the whole experience of playing through a new world and not knowing what was going to jump out at me was quite exciting and it was as good as it had ever been, and just helped to build on the depth and strategy of the originals i spent hundreds and hundreds of hour catch them all and had loads of fun doing it.
1. Pokemon Blue
The was one game that pretty much influenced me to get a Gameboy, and it wasn't Mario, Zelda, Metroid or Tetris, it was Pokemon. It had started creating quite a buzz and I was certainly curious as to what it had to offer.
I can't say I was ever disappointed if anything i was taken back at the sheer amount of depth and variety that the game had to offer, and there was no real set strategy to win either as a well trained Pokemon even of a weaker type could beat a badly trained one that is considered a stronger type.
This was also probably the first handheld game I had invested so much time into, but i can't quite say exactly how much time as I managed to stop the clock at 255 hours, but it really is a testament to the depth of the game and that it can just take you in and never let you go once you get going.
I can't say I was ever disappointed if anything i was taken back at the sheer amount of depth and variety that the game had to offer, and there was no real set strategy to win either as a well trained Pokemon even of a weaker type could beat a badly trained one that is considered a stronger type.
This was also probably the first handheld game I had invested so much time into, but i can't quite say exactly how much time as I managed to stop the clock at 255 hours, but it really is a testament to the depth of the game and that it can just take you in and never let you go once you get going.
Well there you have it there may not be much variety at all but that is because most of my time on the Gameboy was taken up by playing just the one game series, but if it wasn't for that one game I may never have gotten a Gameboy, as it also helped show me that it could have some seriously deep games on it and that for the first time I realised hand held games weren't just quick pick up and play games but one that could require a serious amount of time and investment in.