VB Reviews, Virtual Boy Reviews

Where to begin?

One of the last Virtual Boy games to be released in Japan, Virtual Lab is a strange falling block puzzler that, rumour has it, was still being developed when developer J-Wing got wind of Nintendo’s plan to discontinue support of the Virtual Boy. They then hurriedly finished it off, so as they could get it in to shops whilst there was still the opportunity to make some cash off of..

Mobile Cute Gundam

Based on the popular mecha anime franchise, SD Gundam Dimension War is a turn-based strategy game where you are place in command of a small task force as you travel across the galaxy aiming to wipe out the opposing units you encounter. Gameplay is split in to two parts - a map screen where you manoeuvre your troops and a close up view for battles. Both sides mainly consist of the..

More Virtual Boy bowling action!

Just like Tetris, there were two Bowling games released for the Virtual Boy and just like Tetris, each region only got one of these games. While North American gamers were treated to Nester's Funky Bowling, the Japanese exclusive was Virtual Bowling which features various weights of ball, different lane conditions...

They’ll port it to anything.

It’s highly likely that you will have encountered the simple fun addictiveness that is Space Invaders at some point, even if you missed it in the arcades. Ports, slight updates and compilations have appeared on a wide variety of systems over the years - Atari 2600, Spectrum, NES, Master System, Game Boy, Playstation, Xbox, PSP and mobile phones to name just a few of..

It’s Tetris. On the Virtual Boy. Again.

Perhaps one of the strangest things about the Virtual Boy is that it had two Tetris games. OK there are many systems with multiple versions of Tetris but they were around a lot longer than Virtual Boy was. Interestingly--though this would have changed had the system been around longer--each region only got one of the games. Japan received the traditional..

Does stepping onto the virtual diamond impress?

You take control of a team then bat, pitch and field as you compete against others, either in one off games or a league, offering you the chance to become Virtual League World Champion. Each game lasts for 9 innings though games will end early if a team is winning by over 10 points. For both batting and pitching the camera view is the same: just..

Justifiably well regarded or just overhyped?

Aside from VB Wario Land, if there’s one game that causes people to get excited when discussing the Virtual Boy its Jack Bros.: a spin-off title from the Megami Tensei RPG series that sees players working their way down a series of floors, fighting enemies as a timer ticks down. But is it worthy of this, or is it just hype with its reputation built up..

Simple name. Simple game?

The Virtual Boy's Golf places you on to an 18-hole course as you compete against 47 opponents to try and win the tournament. That's pretty much it. Compared to, say, the latest Tiger Woods MotionPlus offering it doesn’t offer much, but does the opportunity to tee-off in 3D make it worth a try? Perhaps more than any other game, Golf is where the redness of the Virtual Boy..

Think 3D Pong, and you're halfway there...

Space Squash is one of those games where the premise is so simple you could write it on the back of a postage stamp and still have room to spare. You guard one end of a tunnel and your opponent guards the other as you both float around smacking a spiked ball between one another. Get it past the opposition to score a point. First to three wins. The left..

Surely it can't be as bad as they say...

A lot of negative stuff is written about the Virtual Boy, but whilst it has its defenders no one seems to want to stick up for Waterworld. It has a bad reputation, with some claiming it’s the worst game ever (and not just on the Virtual Boy). But is that fair? Is it really that bad? Or are people just...

That Virtual kid sure plays a mean pinball!

Launch the ball on to the table and use flippers to stop it falling out of the playing area, smacking it around the table over ramps and against targets to get points. That’s how pinball works in amusement arcades and it’s how it’s worked for the many computer and video game versions released over the years. Galactic Pinball is no different..

Old school fun blasting fun from the experts at Hudson

Out of all the games available for the much-maligned Virtual Boy, Vertical Force is possibly the most conventional in terms of game design. It's a vertically scrolling shooter (clue was in the title really) where you fight your way through swarms of enemies before facing a boss character to proceed to the next level. Aside from a few graphical..

Boom blocks!

With any new hardware release people look forward to new games, but are also excited to see what will be done with an existing game series. Due to the short amount of time the Virtual Boy was around before Nintendo gave up on it, very few series received an entry on the system, although Tetris managed two. This is a shame, as its unique nature could enhance the game-playing experience..

Is this overlooked title worthy of a second chance?

Many reasons have been given for why the Virtual Boy failed so badly when it was released in the mid '90s. One of the more convincing arguments is that the lack of a 'proper' Mario game meant that hardcore Nintendo fans ignored the console; while it's hard to accept that this is the only reason, it...

Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots

Teleroboxer is a boxing game that puts you in control of a giant fighting machine as you face a series of weird and wonderful opponents in a bid to become the champion. The game uses a first person perspective with your fists visible on screen. The left d-pad and L control your left fist and the right d-pad and R control your right. It feels very natural to play and,..

The Virtual Boy's best game?

It's hard to talk about the Virtual Boy without mentioning Virtual Boy Wario Land; the ill-fated system only experienced 22 games throughout its short lifespan and this lack of software has resulted in some VB games getting a better reputation than they deserve purely because there's so little else to play on the...

Should Fox McCloud be scared?

Red Alarm is a 3D shooter where you take your Tech-Wing Fighter and battle through five enemy-filled levels, each ending with a showdown with a boss character. When it was originally released the first thing people noticed were the wire frame graphics, bringing to mind games such as Battlezone and Elite; although these were both excellent titles, they had originally..

You know what to do…

Blocks fall down the screen and the player has to place them to make lines. Get a line and it disappears. Get multiple lines for extra points. Alexey Pajitnov’s falling block puzzle game has been ported to many different systems over the years, all essentially playing the same, only differentiated by the variety of modes available from version to version. In V-Tetris, mode..

No Bluefish here!

Virtual Fishing aims to replicate the fishing experience, pitting you against six opponents as you compete in several competitions. Upon starting the game you are presented with a 3D map screen with five locations on for you to compete at, as well as a training area where you can get used to the controls, which are pretty straightforward. You press A to cast and hold it to let out..