Best Gameboy/ GB Color games?

[Obiwanshinobi]

Been playing Donkey Kong and I must say it's even more enhanced than SMB Deluxe. Almost makes me wish to revisit the original DK (arcade) and see how exactly the first four screens differ from that oldie.
The way Nintendo made it a game of many, many levels suits me better than something like SMG too. DK (GB) gives me a better sense of progression. Reminds me of Klonoa platform games in this regard.
Out of a sudden, Mario (called "Mario" this time around) gives a damn about something else than coins and isn't a mugger anymore.

[Turrican]

Got lucky on ebay and won a Trip World loose cart for a relatively human price. Sooo... What are fun things to try / do in this weird platform-sandbox experiment?

[Obiwanshinobi]

Interesting thing about Pocket Bomberman (GBC version) - when all enemies on stage are defeated, the caption "EXIT" shows and it looks transparent, like alpha-blended. Something I don't think even Neo Geo does by design.

[trap15]

It's just 30Hz flicker. Lots of games on all sorts of systems do it to create the illusion of transparency.

[Obiwanshinobi]

On the GBA SP screen looks properly transparent to me. More than I can say about fake transparencies on VGA\RGB CRT. Smoke and mirrors perhaps, but works for me.

[trap15]

Handheld screens (particularly the Gameboy ones) have a relatively long decay period that makes things sort of blur together. Combining that and 30Hz flicker makes it probably pretty close in appearance to true transparency.

[BPzeBanshee]

Regarding the decay period, that's like when you switch off your game and it's there for like 3 seconds before it fades out completely?

Anyway, I'm sure I posted once before but I'm posting again: fucking Radar Mission is amazing. Think Battleship, then add some gameplay modifications to Game A (like aircraft actually taking off from the aircraft carrier), and Game B (shown in link) is being a submarine in the actual field shooting shit - while another submarine is doing the same to you and your fleet. B is where it's at IMO. Probably there's another game with nice parallax scrolling effects on GB but I don't know of any.

[trap15]

Regarding the decay period, that's like when you switch off your game and it's there for like 3 seconds before it fades out completely?

Sorta, yeah. Response time probably would have been a better way to put it. Gameboy LCDs are really shitty, so everything sorta blurs together from about 10 or 20 frames, so stuff like 30Hz flicker works incredibly well on them to look like transparency. On,On,Off would probably look pretty close to 66% alpha too, and maybe even On,On,On,Off would look good as 75%. Hard to tell though, I don't think many games try stuff like that.

[Ed Oscuro]

Since Wendy: Every Witch Way for GBC got mentioned in the Amusingly Bad Reviews thread, and I slammed it there, I thought I could bring that over here.

I wanted to add that while my basic impressions held true, there were two or three neat levels near the end of the normal run. There's still Hard mode and the Advance World to beat if somebody is so inclined. I'm not keen on Hard but Advance World might be interesting. The game is still fundamentally broken and quite tough at the same time - more annoying than fun, I'd say - but it still is getting some things right.

I also found out why you can turn upside down in the hori scroller segments: You use this ability all of three or four times on the game's only boss at the end of the game. That boss has only one attack pattern which consists of shooting a single red meteor straight out (you don't need to dodge it at all) and next a rolling green meteor, which you need to quickly shoot, and then flip back into the dragon by reversing the gravity. Shoot the dragon a bunch while it's vulnerable and repeat a few times. Neat idea, but poorly executed, especially in comparison with the neat ideas seen in the last few levels.

Did I ever mention how much the "sound effects use an instrument from the music" thing annoys me here? The extra music effects are usually terrible, but then the music sounds worse without them, so you lose either way! But it's the constant switching of bits of the music fading out that annoys me.

[Obiwanshinobi]

Any good to say about Hyper Lode Runner, anyone? Bigger sprites on a smaller screen rarely appeal to me.

[Turrican]

Does anyone know where I can find a chronological list of all gameboy releases? At least the Japanese ones? Something like this, only GB related: http://npu3.free.fr/ListeJeuxFamicom/ListeDesJeux.htm

[Bloodreign]

Puchi Carat is quite an interesting GBC game, sure it's cut down considerably from it's arcade counterpart, but damn is it still fun. Shame it didn't get a GBA run like Super Street Fighter II Revival or Super Puzzle Fighter II, it could've been ace (maybe Cleopatra Fortune too).

Still seems to play just as well as it's big brother versions (arcade and PS1, each tax time I look on ebay for a copy of Puchi Carat PS1, but all I ever see is the PAL release, must be a tough one to find), though of course graphically it got cut way down. Even all the characters made it, including the hidden Cleopatra (Patraco).

[Obiwanshinobi]

Wings of Fury for GB(C) - any good? I didn't like the PC version, but it's not like I tried hard to learn the basics.

[Obiwanshinobi]

Gargoyle's Quest or Kid Dracula?
I feel like giving one of those adorable GB carts shelter to lighten my mood, but can justify getting only one at this point. I prefer early GB games, which makes Gargoyle's Quest a seemingly safer bet, but then I remember Capcom like their sprites big, which doesn't usually scratch my itch in handheld games. Then again, Mega Man & Bass didn't seem too blown up on GBA...
Which one would you choose?

[Mortificator]

I like Kid Dracula better. More memorable stages and more dynamic bosses. Powers varied more, with things like walking on the ceiling and turning into a bat, as opposed to Firebrand's piercing shot and sticky shot. Gargoyle's Quest does have smaller sprites and a more vertical element to its platforming, though, since you can cling to walls.

Kid Dracula's also a straightforward action game, while Gargoyle's Quest has top-down view adventure elements. I don't necessarily dislike that kind of thing, but it wasn't very compelling here.

I think on some level, my perception of it's colored by knowing there's a much better game using its tricks in Demon's Crest, while we didn't get a 16-bit platformer with the little vampire lord.

[BrianC]

I think on some level, my perception of it's colored by knowing there's a much better game using its tricks in Demon's Crest, while we didn't get a 16-bit platformer with the little vampire lord.

There is the Famicom Boku Dracula Kun game that is good in its own right, though. I don't have the GB one yet, but I do plan to get it since it has some differences from the Famicom version.

[Skykid]

But Kid Dracula is unbelievably short lived. It's incredibly easy and over in next to no time. I remember thinking I must have missed a difficulty level or something to reveal the full game, but google says no, that's it.

[Pretas]

Gargoyle's Quest 1 suffers from being a first-generation GB game, when programmers were still trying to figure out how to work around the system's limitations. There is an excess of slowdown and flickering. Still, it had probably the most impressive graphics of any GB game at the time.

[Obiwanshinobi]

I think on some level, my perception of it's colored by knowing there's a much better game using its tricks in Demon's Crest, while we didn't get a 16-bit platformer with the little vampire lord.

Not too worried about it. In just the right time and place, some of those GB exclusives played on a handheld device make so much sense I don't feel these would be any better on a more potent system. Played Hello Kitty World emulated on PC the other night and while it seemed mostly the same as Balloon Kid, I didn't like it quite as much. (Truth be told, either it was harder in places - inaccurately ported jumping, running & bouncing off physics? - or I was in a worse shape than when I usually play games on my GBA.)

[Phellan Wolf]

What about ZAS?? I know is quite an expensive game though never had the chance to play it and I was thinking to buy it since youtube videos look cool. And solar striker??
I remember playing super mario land, really easy but so damn good.Also Batman, I know is a shity game but I had a blast playing it just like Probotector and chopliffter II.

[Ed Oscuro]

Gargoyle's Quest is a hell of a lot more impressive and ambitious than Teh Castlevania Advenshimmy.

Batman didn't seem shitty to me. Kind of minimalistic again, but not bad. Kind of the smaller brother to the Famicom / NES one.
Ninja Gaiden Shadow (i.e. Kage on a handheld) seems way better, but also easier.

[Damocles]

What about ZAS?? I know is quite an expensive game though never had the chance to play it and I was thinking to buy it since youtube videos look cool. And solar striker??

Get it. It has some nifty effects that only show up when played on an actual DMG-01. Pretty easy on the default settings, but the system is interesting. SS is also pretty good for a handheld shmup, but also pretty easy. Nothing flashy about it, just a solid game.

[Pretas]

Sunsoft's Batman on GB is crippled by the need to constantly press A+B together to use the grapple hook. It should have used Start for the input, or it simply shouldn't have been on a platform with only two face buttons. This was the AVGN's main complaint with the game.

[GSK]

Compared to the Famicom, there aren't a whole lot of crazy awesome JP-exclusive Game Boy games, are there?

[Obiwanshinobi]

And solar striker??

You can't go wrong with it. They couldn't (didn't dare to?) put many objects on screen, so they made A.I. more playful than usual. Super Mario Land shmupping is very solid as well. Gunpei Yokoi involved in both.

Compared to the Famicom, there aren't a whole lot of crazy awesome JP-exclusive Game Boy games, are there?

Licence fees lower than in case of NES?

[Damocles]

Sunsoft's Batman on GB is crippled by the need to constantly press A+B together to use the grapple hook. It should have used Start for the input, or it simply shouldn't have been on a platform with only two face buttons. This was the AVGN's main complaint with the game.

Huh? Which one? The first one didn't have a grappling hook and the second used the up button. A bit of a pain, but it lets you save projectiles as it also doubles as a punch. To me, the mechanics in the second game were actually quite sound. Unfortunately, the devs didn't utilize it very well outside of the first two levels. Someone needs to hack that game and sub in some levels from Bionic Commando. Too bad the game is incredibly cheap and very short. Well, that and the lack of any actual DC Comics bosses save the Joker.

[BrianC]

Konami's Batman TAS GB doesn't use A+B for grappling hook either.

[Obiwanshinobi]

Is Blades of Steel worth a go on the Game Boy? Could The Sword of Hope (originally Selection) be the first GB jRPG?*) Is it good?



*) Oh, apparently SaGa came out a few days earlier.

Then F-1 Spirit or F-1 Race? Again, I'd rather not buy too many at once.

Funny how Konami has never seemed to make even a mildly successful vehicular 3D game. Though I know of at least one Enthusia: Professional Racing fan.

[BareKnuckleRoo]

I rather like The Sword of Hope (and its sequel). It's one of the few first-person RPGs to have a more traditional jRPG turn based system. The first person thing might not appeal to everyone, but I'm rather fond of it for standing out this way.

[BIL]

Was recently quite impressed by Natsume's GB Ninja Gaiden. It's effectively a Shadow of the Ninja sequel (shares its more methodical, setpiece-oriented stages) with the relatively involved weapon systems swapped out for NG1's rough and tumble simplicity (just the default sword, plus the classic firewheel subweapon). Stage design is varied and involving, and the boss battles (always a weaker link in the NG trilogy) are surprisingly entertaining. The Ahnuld/Mini Me double team and crazed machinegun soldier who must be outfoxed by ceiling grappling are both lots of fun to keep a step ahead of. Artistically very respectable with expressive sprites, evocative scenery, some impressively violent explosions backed by booming SFX, and a characteristically strong Natsume soundtrack making good use of standout NG NES tunes.

Like Ed says it's relatively easy, but a great trip regardless. I'd still take any of Natsume and Tecmo's individual NES efforts if forced to choose (meaning Dragon Fighter/Shadow/Shatterhand for the former), but this is a very welcome bonus for fans. Emphatically more loveable than that awful SNES compilation that goes for fousands of moolahs these days.