
Next week - 21st April to be precise - is the 30th anniversary of arguably the most iconic piece of hardware in the history of video gaming. Speak to someone who knows absolutely nothing about game consoles and they'll still be able to name the Nintendo Game Boy and most probably whistle the tune to Tetris too. Its ubiquity in the early '90s meant it became shorthand for gaming in general, part of the cultural fabric in a way that few other pieces of hardware can claim.
Next week we'll be publishing several new articles in celebration of the humble handheld, plus digging through the archive to find the very best of our previously published features. We'll also be posting a 'Top 50 Game Boy Games' article along the lines of our previous 50 Best Switch Games So Far and 50 Best 3DS Games features.
As with those selections, the ranking will be entirely based on User Ratings from the Nintendo Life Games database, so readers can rate any game they like and after a minimum threshold has been reached, that game then becomes eligible for the list according to its overall rating. This has worked well for the previous lists, and we've seen some interesting changes as the fluid ranking fluctuates over time. Of course, 3DS and Switch have plenty of user ratings already, but going back 30 years it's inevitable that Game Boy games only have a fraction of votes compared to more modern systems.
That's where you come in! We've updated our database to include all Game Boy titles that saw a release in the west, so in preparation for the 30th anniversary we'd love for you to rate your favourites using the specially designed tool below.
Assuming you're logged in, simply scroll through the alphabetical list and click the star to bring up a rating of 1-10. Click on the score you think it deserves and you're all done! If scrolling through six pages of the Game Boy's substantial library feels too much like work, simply use the search bar at the top of the list to find your favourites and rate them from the list of results. Lovely!
If you need a reminder on a particular game, feel free to click the game title and check out our reviews and screenshots. However, bear in the mind that many of them won't have been rereleased on Virtual Console and therefore may not have a Nintendo Life review to their name - the Game Boy's over double the age of the site, remember! A Wikipedia link on the game page should hopefully job your memory, though.
So, what are you waiting for? Get stuck in!
It's difficult to believe that 30 years have passed since Game Boy changed the portable gaming landscape forever. Thanks for voting - we'll be sharing the results, our memories and more next week, but in the meantime feel free to reminisce below...
Comments 179
Mole Mania baby!
Thats a lot of games I was not alive for...
Oh my god.
There's a Game Boy version of Shaq Fu.
@Noid Mole Mania, Link's Awakening, and Yoshi's Cookie are the Gameboy games I keep going back to.
I had no idea Wave Race was on Game Boy...
Makes you wonder if next week...
1. The next Nintendo Switch Online collection will appear and be GB/GBC games.
2. The Gameboy Classic Edition is about to exist.
3. Nintendo will have a cunningly cool, highly original way of celebrating this monumental event.
4. The silly buggers do nothing.
My vote: Donkey Kong – best version ever.
2nd: Metal Gear Solid.
@RupeeClock it's not even the worst game on the GB. that title goes to Q-Billion.
OK, that's subjective - slightly unrelated, but the DS on the other hand is one of the few consoles that does have an objective worst game: Heathcliff Frantic Foto, which not even the Garbage Ape could save as it hardlocks itself once you get past Level 38. the only other console that has an objective worst game as far as I know is the ZX Spectrum with the LITERALLY literally unplayable Sqij.
I used to have a Japanese cartridge that had four Konami classics on it. I'm pretty sure that's the one that had Parodius on it. Anyways, it's a nice playing version of Parodius, which is my favorite 2D shooter (it's super fun, not too hard, has great power-ups, has joyful music, etc), so that's my favorite Gameboy game. Castlevania Belmont's Revenge is excellent (and it's a crime Nintendo or Konami never released it on Virtual Console on 3DS in the U.S.). Solar Striker is fun. I wish they'd translate Gameboy Wars and release it here. Same goes for Super Famicom Wars. Link's Awakening, Mario Land, Tetris, etc are popular for good reason.
@brunojenso yeah Donkey Kong on GB is my favourite version came across it in the loft a few weeks ago can’t find the gameboy though ☹️
@Noid
I remember playing Q-Billion on one of those pirate 20-in-1 games, although I seem to recall it was a weird cut down version that removed instructions on how to play the game.
I've even seen the horrors of Sqij myself, but that Heathcliff game on the DS hard-locking is surprising to hear about, that's something that should've never passed QA or Nintendo's seal of quality.
@Gs69 It's been describe by many as the 'prefect video game' I concur.
Operation C, loved that game. Batman on the gameboy as well. Total classic
@brunojenso I love it as I remember it was even better through the gameboy player on SNES
@brunojenso Donkey Kong is great. (Not sure if «version» is the best way to put it, though, as it was a different game than the arcade game and its ports.)
It has a great version of QIX.
I also enjoyed playing Kwirk.
Warioland 2 is an option but it’s a GBC game.
I grew up with Gameboy and played a TON of games. For me, the ones that stood the test of time are Wario Land, Donkey Kong Land 2, Super Mario Land 2, Link's Awakening, and Survival Kids.
Question: WHY ISN'T SURVIVAL KIDS ON THIS SITE!? (Technically it's a GBC game but it's fully compatible with the old GB).
Motorcross Manics, is the one that sticks in my mind
@darkswabber Wario Land 2 was released with both a GB and a GBC version.
@sketchturner didn’t know that, thanks for telling me.
I never had an original Game Boy, but I did play Zelda and Pokemon Red on a Game Boy Color, so those got my vote.
Donkey Kong, Wario Land and Mega Man V are easily the best on the GB.
Had the GBA so I never actually played any original gb games , though I have emulated Pokemon so I guess that gets my vote xD
@brunojenso haha let's hope the first one is true!
Wow, there's a lot of GB games there I forgot about, had to rate a lot of them but it's brought back loads of great memories.
I had a NES and loved it but I kept using my brother's GB. There was just something different about those games, despite the monochrome graphics. They were still fun.
My absolute favorite console. Despite its limitations, it had some of history's best video game experiences.
But I miss the Swedish game Bamse on this list. An absolute crap game that goes for a lot of money in Sweden.
Any love for Raging Fighter? I thought it was a pretty good, deep fighting game; especially with the Game Boy's limitations! Man, I wish we'd gotten a Super Nintendo version. If Konami had tried harder, it could've been their answer to Street Fighter II.
I have only played some of these games on my grandpa's gameboy. I don't even recognize most of these, but love the ones I know
@Lone_Beagle Seeing the words "Yoshi's Cookie" threw me back a good ways. Kinda wish they'd make a new one (but then, I want a lot of what Nintendo deems seemingly "outdated" games like a Metal Combat sequel, Pokémon Snap 2, etc.).
wario land games, super mario land 2 6 golden coins, link's awakening DX, kirby dream land are some of my favourites.
love the OG gameboy one of my favs.
I was alive when the Game Boy was around but my family was too poor for me to own one as a kid, let alone get games. Typically my little brother and I just shared one console between the two of us and we played on that, for a long while it was the NES, then my sister won a Genesis, then we got an SNES, last system we shared was the original PlayStation. Always wanted a GameBoy, had to settle with Tiger Electronics games instead on the go ,
I was wondering why some games were absent until I realised this was a list of just the grey carts, the GB originals. Games for GBC that worked for the original GB were on black carts, and it looks like black carts aren't included here.
Interestingly, Pokémon Yellow behaved like a grey cart with the Japanese version, but behaved like a black cart outside of Japan. I guess its Japanese release is why it's included on this list. (Yes I know Pokémon Yellow actually had a yellow cart, that's not the point I was making though.)
That's also why Wario Land 2 and Zelda LA are here - they both had grey cart versions, even though the black cart versions were more popular.
Cant wait to see how the article turns out
...Ugh, I'm too lazy to go through all of these games. lol
I had a Game Gear, not a Game Boy. I used to laugh at those grey graphics and the dim, blurry screen. Then my batteries ran out, again, and I began to question my life choices...
I think it's going to be close between Tetris, Link's Awakening and Pokémon Yellow, here.
For me the Castlevania trio, the Pokemon trio and Zelda.
So many awesome games on GB! Operation C, Mario Land 2, Link's Awakening, Belmont's Revenge, Final Fantasy Adventure, Wario Land, just to list a few... there are so many it's hard to come up with a fair list.
Mole Mania!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Seriously, the it uses the GB Zelda engine and its world is just as big and inventive. The puzzles are the most intricate of any game I've played.
There's a cutscene where a baby mole runs to hug his papa but winds up hitting him in the nuts BECAUSE MOLES ARE BLIND.
Ultimately, you have no choice to vote for this.
My top 5:
1. Blades of Steel
2. Tetris
3. Quarth
4. Super Mario Land 2
5. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
I loved Blades of Steel on the GB, even more than on NES because I could take it on the go. Will never forget unwrapping the GB (Tetris bundle) and Blades of Steel on Christmas morning 1991. First time I received a system of any kind as a Christmas gift and I hadn't asked my parents for it so it was a big surprise. A memory I'll always cherish. Can't believe it was so long ago but seems like just yesterday.
@Noid Q-Billion the worst game? Are you out of your mind? It's rather addictive... once you understand the logic. I guess you gave up before?
To my friends from Europe: In case you're desperately searching for Mystic Quest, because you want to give it credit for being an amazing game, go look for Final Fantasy Adventure (its US name).
I'd be hard-pressed not to say DK Land 3 and Dream Land 2 are the best ones. Special shout-out to Kirby's Pinball Land for providing a concise pinball experience when I had downtime on my trip to Universal.
Wow I love the idea but sadly never had that many gameboy games. Only got one game once a year on my birthday back as a kid.
@Muddy_4_Ever Just another reminder that I need to finally play Mole Mania. I have it on the 3DS VC. I didn’t realize it is a Miyamoto game.
I was gonna cast a vote for my favourite obscure Game Boy title "Lil' Monster"...
But apparently it's so unknown it didn't make the list despite getting a western release, so oh well.
This list should really include gameboy color games. Specifically Metal Gear Solid and Bionic Commando
I should be set! I've been using this site's game database to keep track of my Nintendo library. It's (mostly) accurate.
Link's Awakening, Super Mario Land 2, Tetris, Donkey Kong ('94), and Final Fantasy Legend III all got the most play on my GB. Metroid II, Operation C, Dr. Mario, Donkey Kong Land, and Lock 'n Chase would round out my personal top 10.
Where’s Metroid II: The Return of Samus?
@Trajan The Game Boy Wave Race was the original even
Funny, I recently made a forum post related to this.
Most memorable for me are: Wario Super Mario Land 3, and the Pokémon games.
I've played and loved many games, but I could never stop replaying these.
EDIT: God, seeing this list gives me a rush of nostalgia. Even F-1 Race was such a great memory. I forgot completely about that game!
I'm just here for my boy Kirby.
@Muddy_4_Ever you, my friend, are a man of taste.
My favorite isn't there (Ganbare Goemon: Sarawareta Ebisumaru!)
The GB port of Turrican wasn't THAT good, as it cut out the entire third world, but it was Turrican nonetheless.
So. Many Games. Why did I own so few of these?!?!!
And how could it possibly be 30 years? I still remember getting mine...it feels like yesterday!
Seems like there's some kind of glitch. I can't cast a score for Picross 2. I don't think it's just me because that game only has 6 ratings total.
I hope that you plan to only compile the list with games that have received at least a couple dozen votes. Seems like the results could be really off if it counts games with only a few high votes cast.
I hope 007 gets some love. Game is incredible
I love what Nintendo is doing with Zelda. Taking an old school game like Links Awaking from the game boy and redoing it for the Switch with updated graphics. I thinks it’s a brilliant idea and they should do more games especially with Super Mario Land and Super Mario Land 2. Nintendo I hope your listening and please make this happen. That would be amazing playing Super Mario Land with updated graphics on the Switch.😊
Super Mario Land 2, Wario Land: SML3, and Donkey Kong 94 get my picks for my favorite OG Game Boy games. I have fond memories of SML2 and DK94 as a kid, as well. I like Link's Awakening too
What a strange and convoluted way to go about it.
I'll be honest, I could easily pick say a Top 25 list for GBA and probably GBC too, but I struggle to find even 25 games I genuinely think are awesome on GB (games I'd actually enjoy playing even today). I picked a few obvious ones and left it at that: Tetris, Pokemon Red/Blue, The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins, Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 and Donkey Kong '94.
There really wasn't a single GB game I legitimately enjoyed until Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow. And the only games that topped those were Pokemon Gold/Silver when they came out. (Pokemon G/S are technically GB games. Crystal is the only one that was GBC exclusive).
@impurekind I think there are other gems on it, but your point is still well taken. Which is why a GB Classic mini might be a tougher sell than a GBC or GBA Classic mini.
@Gamer83 i got my gameboy on my birthday with tetris, good times
Awwwwwwwww.... yeah!
The GameBoy is the system that got me into console gaming back in 1990! I'm going to enjoy voting for my favourite GameBoy games!
You were so preoccupied with whether or not you could list every single Game Boy game, you didn’t stop to think if you should.
Super Mario Land - my 1st game for GB, and my beloved one
@Tandy255 Yeah, I was having that same thought about a GB Classic too. I think it would probably still make sense for Nintendo to go a pure GB Classic, seeing as it's sooo iconic and would sell millions of units, but I kinda want a GBC or GBA Classic more, and maybe even a GB/GBC/GBA Classic combo device of some kind to be honest--but then that doesn't really fit with making these things based on an actual classic hardware model. Guess it could just be a GBA Classic that has say 20 games from each of the systems on it or something like that.
The Gameboy version of Donkey Kong was excellent. Probably the best iteration of classic Donkey Kong.
Pokemon Blue is probably the most impactful game to me personally. I dont know if there is another game that literally changed my life. I'm surprised to not see that much Pokemon love in this comment section.
I didn't see Pokemon Gold and Silver, or Wario Land 3.
@iRiS Get off my lawn!
Where are Pokemon Gold and Silver? I know for absolute certain they were Game Boy games. Not Game Boy color, it was only Crystal that was Game Boy Color exclusive.
Donkey Kong Land; Super Mario Land; Tetris
These are three I owned and loved and planted the seed for another 25 years of gaming.
@Noid i juuust gave all points to it. I'd love for them to bring this back as a smaller eshop only game. Music is sooooo good in it too.
oh yeah I used to play a game called "Tennis" as well
@Muddy_4_Ever Woo! You ungrateful mole! Just wait 'til I get my claws on you!
Good to see the Wario Land games getting so much love.
@Heavyarms55 @CupidStunt Gold and Silver were primarily Game Boy Color games, but they were playable on the original Game Boy (known as "dual mode" games in Nintendo jargon). This list seems to be only games that were for the black and white Game Boy (the grey cartridge series). Such games typically have no colour or a very limited colour palette, whereas dual mode games are in full colour. Wario Land 3 was a Game Boy Color exclusive (part of the clear cartridge series). It can only be played on a Game Boy Color or Game Boy Advance.
@PigmaskFan that such an obscure game has inspired such a developed creepypasta is a testament to its greatness.
@Euler Not a fan of this choice. It should list all games that can be played on the Game Boy without modification or tampering.
Love me some serious Quarth
@Heavyarms55 That would make more sense, or just merge the Game Boy and Game Boy Color series as Nintendo does. I didn't make the rules though.
@Euler Well there were a bunch of Game Boy Color games that could not be played on the older hardware...
But I am sure at this point there is a comprehensive list of what is what. If memory serves, it was only the games that did not have that little notch in the corner that were exclusively GBC.
Dynablaster is missing
Impressive List, but not complete. No Volley Fire
You should add Pokémon Gold and Silver - they were compatible with the original Game Boy
Edit: I notice this has already been discussed! Anyway, I think any game which was playable on the original Game Boy should be counted, but that's just my opinion
Contra and Castlevania
I’ve been adding & rating games for the last few weeks. I joined the site a decade ago, but before these features I didn’t even realise rating games was a thing
I would guess that my most played/loved Gameboy games would be:
TMNT: Fall of the Foot Clan
Donkey Kong
Donkey Kong Land 1-3
Link's Awakening
Kirby's Dream Land
Tetris
Super Mario Land 1-3
Wario Blast
I have to pay some respect to some of the fighting games that got downsized to the Gameboy. Its versions of Killer Instinct, King of Fighters, Fatal Fury 2 and Samurai Shodown are technical marvels.
@brunojenso Donkey Kong is easily one of the best game boy games . metal gear easily one of the best gbc games!
@strenny that's just Bomberman though.....right?
@IKAY Volley Fire didn't get a western release. These are all games that were released in the US and Europe.
@Reverandjames These are original black and white GameBoy games. Not GameBoy Color titles.
@Franklin It's in there, I've put my score to the game.
@Heavyarms55 But gold and silver were made for the GameBoy Color with backward compatibility, seeing as it began development before the release the GBC. BUt it was released as a GameBoy Color title though. These games are all GameBoy titles before the release the GameBoy Color.
@Trajan Yup, Wave Race was originally a GameBoy game that was released in Japan before the N64. Hence why Wave Race 64 was called "64" because there was a game before it. Thing is, it was released quite late the west; after the release of the N64 game, and a couple of years before the release of the GameBoy Color.
@darkswabber There was a Black and White version of Wario Land 2 before the release of the GameBoy Color. https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1603/1263/products/CgmCeZb_530x.jpg?v=1480089386
@Quarth Did you know that Bamse was actually a part of a ridiculous series of games that Laser-beam games cheaply produced!?
Depending on location, it had different names and different sprites. In the US it was called We're Back, based on the Don Bluth movie of the same name. In Germany it's called Baby T-Rex, and in Australia it's called Agro Soar, based on a Kids TV show that had a puppet that looks a lot like Animal from the Muppets.
@Incognito_D Not really, they're based on the Black cartridge range which was released after the GameBoy color. Technically, yes, they work on the older systems, but they were made with the GameBoy Color in mind first before the older systems. Simply put, the list of games you see in that list were released between 1989 to 1998, a whole generation's worth of titles. The GameBoy Color was clearly the next generation, even if it had backward compatibility and games that worked on the black and white machines.
@SepticLemon That's a silly distinction. They are games that can be played on the system with no modifications or adapters. The only games that should be kept off the list are games that cannot be played on the Game Boy. This list is ignoring a ton of great games that you could very well have played on your original grey brick, no problem.
@SepticLemon to be fair, virtually everything on N64 was labeled "Title 64".
According to Wikipedia it came out in 92.
Black titles are GB games really though. The enhancement was usually just color, except for Link's Awakening.
@Heavyarms55 That would be like saying that we would have to add SNES games to this too due to the Super GameBoy allowing you to play GameBoy games on the SNES.
The point of this is that these are western grey cartridge releases. With Pokemon Red and Blue being the exception as they are B&W titles. They were released on grey cartridges in Japan.
This is all about the original black and white games from 1989 to 1998. The original GameBoy generation, the GameBoy Color was clearly a new generation; yes black carts can work on the (Super) GameBoy (Pocket/Light), they were designed primarily for the new hardware. After all, this is the anniversary of the grey brick, not the GameBoy Color
Speaking of the Best GameBoy games. How about the WORST! lol!
The west did get 2 complete stinkers, Dragon's Lair and Swamp Thing!
Japan had a few, though the one I'm aware of is The Legend of Zoids.
@Geostyle Yup
@SepticLemon No not at all, you can't play SNES games on Game Boy. What you describe is an utterly nonsensical and inaccurate comparison. The list should include any game you can play on an original Game Boy. They are all Game Boy games. You can take a game like Pokemon Gold that was released toward the end of the Game Boy era and play it on any Game Boy unit, but you can't take something like Zelda Oracle of Seasons and play it on anything but a Game Boy color or GBA.
If we are hard core focused only on games released for the original design of the Game Boy, then a huge portion of THIS list shouldn't be here, because they were released for the Game Boy Pocket and Game Boy Light.
1. Donkey Kong
2. Secret of Mana 1 / Mystic Quest / Final Fantasy Adventure
3. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
4. TETRIS
5. Super Mario Land 3: Wario Land
6. Pokémon Trading Card Game
7. Kirby's Dream Land 1 & 2
8. Donkey Kong Land 1 & 2 & 3
9. Kirby's Brick Ball
10. Mario's Picross
I went through that whole list and rated only the games that I know that I owned (plus a few that my best friend owned and that I played to completion). For some reason I had a really hard time remembering all of the games that I played 30 years ago.
@SepticLemon LOL, yeah, I know that! 😂 I think the original game was a skateboard platformer. So Bamse, the titular character, moves like he's on a skateboard, even though he doesn't have one.
@Heavyarms55 The specs for the Pocket and Light are no different to the original GB. They all used a Sharp modified Zilog 4.1Mhz processor, 8KB of (on-system) RAM and 8KB of Video RAM. Whilst the GameBoy Color is beefier, as it uses a newer Sharp Modified Zilog processor at 8Mhz, 32KB of (on-system) RAM and 16KB of video RAM. Simply put the GameBoy is a real generation change, whilst the Pocket and Light were just revisions of the same hardware. The main reason to why you can play the original grey carts on the new hardware is because the architecture of the systems didn't change until the GBA came out; and even then, the GBA and SP both had two processors. The newer 32bit ARM processor at 16.8MHz with the same 8MHz modified Zilog, found on the GameBoy Color, as a co-processor to enable backward compatibility. Which was then removed in the GameBoy Micro and DS(Lite).
Simply put, Game Boy, Super GameBoy, GameBoy Pocket and GameBoy Light are a part of one generation due to no real hardware changes.
The GameBoy Color was the next generation with beefier hardware with backward compatibility. Even if the architecture was the same.
The GameBoy Advance, and GBASP, introduced a 32-bit ARM processor for new games, but had older hardware in it along with the new architecture to be consumer friendly. Because the ARM processor has a totally different architecture compared to the 4.1MHz and 8MHz Zilog processor, it was the reason why you never saw any GBA games that could work on the GameBoy, Pocket, Light and Color. Not just because of the shape of the smaller GBA cartridges, but because the 32Bit ARM was a totally different chip compared to the 8Bit Zilog; it wasn't just about the bits either, the instruction set is quite different too, and calculation-wise, the ARM wasn't just faster, it was much more efficient too. After all, the Zilog chip at this point had existed for over 30 years as it was original made for mainframe machines in the 70s.
The GameBoy Micro, even though was a revision, had the older architecture removed to make the system much smaller. Hardware wise, the GameBoy Micro is most different of the Advance family due to the removal of the Zilog co-processor, but still possessed the same main ARM chip that the GBA has.
...then after that the GameBoy was discontinued due the success of the DS. But there were 3 main generations of the GameBoy, and this is all about the first generation, which is GB, Pocket and Light.
@Quarth Yes, Baby T-Rex and Agro Soar had characters on Skateboards. Well, at least they do on the Box art. The character sprites though don't have a skateboard, but they do act like they have wheels.
Honestly though, I believe they were trying to copy the Sonic games with those titles.
@SKTTR Motocross Maniacs need to be in there somewhere! ;P
SUPER MARIO LAND ★10
@SummerPlay Super Mario Land 1 great had music. But I'll admit that I prefer Wario Land over the Mario Land titles.
@strenny It looks like Nintendo Life is using American names for GameBoy games. Dynablaster in the States was called Atomic Punk, and that's in the list/database.
@KingBowser86 Yoshi's Cookie was a much better game than (Mario &) Yoshi.
TBH, I wish there was a way to reference the names of games in this database from different regions. The names in this Database just use the American names.
For reference...
Nemesis 2 (EU) = Gradius: Interstellar Mission (US)
Mario & Yoshi (EU) = Yoshi (US)
Dyna Blaster (EU) = Atomic Punk (US)
Blaster Master Jr (EU) = Blaster Master Boy (US)
B.C. Kid (EU) = Bonk's Adventure (US)
Pang (EU) = Buster Brothers (US)
Probotector (EU) = Operation C (US)
Probotector 2 (EU) = Contra: The Alien Wars (US)
Pop Up (EU) = Cool Ball (US)
Hyperdunk (EU) = Double Dribble 5-on-5
Mystic Quest (EU) = Final Fantasy Adventure (US)
Prince Valiant (EU) = Kingdom Crusade (US)
Shadow Warriors: Ninja Gaiden (EU) = Ninja Gaiden Shadow (US)
Pac Panic (EU) = Pac Attack (US)
King of the Zoo (EU) = Penguin Wars (US)
Konami Golf (EU) = Ultra Golf (US)
Turtles 2: Back from the Sewers
Tetris
Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
Super Mario Land
Pokemon Red
Pkmn Blue
Zelda Link's Awakening
DuckTales
Donkey Kong Land
Bart Simpson's Escape from camp deadly
Easy - Kirby’s Dreamland
@SepticLemon I would love to collect all of those games. Right now I only have Bamse on a cartridge. It is quite expensive and even more so if you want it CIB.
@Quarth Yeah, Bamse is one of those crazy games to get if you want a complete western GB collection. I on the other hand, am not working on a complete GB collection. But I did once own We're Back when I was younger when I went on holiday to the US one year, and actually saw said film on the same vacation. I ended up selling the game way back to get Wetrix on the N64 shortly after that game came out. Personally, I don't want to get those games, but the history of those games, including Laser-Beam games is fascinating. Not to mention that Laser-Beam made better games, such as Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, and The Hunt for Red October; both are franchise games, but they're some of the best franchise games you'll see on any system around the time.
@SepticLemon Yeah, Bill & Ted on GB is actually a great game (especially compared to the NES game) and The Hunt for Red October is pretty good as well. The Game Boy has one of the best libraries out there, although sadly underrated.
Edit: Are they Laser-Beam games though?
@Quarth The GameBoy does have stinkers though, and an awful lot of franchise based games compared to other formats. Dragon's Lair, Swamp Thing, and Zoids Densetsu are three of the worst games on the system. But you're right though, there's a lot of hidden gems on the system that some people barely talk about. It gets flooded by the talk of Pokemon and Link's Awakening!
I believe you omitted Dragon Warrior I & II and Dragon Warrior III, unless you're only counting original Game Boy games.
@Quarth Yup, both Bill and Ted, and Hunt for Red October were developed by Laser-Beam; however they had different publishers. LJM published Bill and Ted, and High Tech Productions published The Hunt for Red October.
@mjhopkins81 Yeah, these are all grey cart titles for the original range of GameBoy consoles. GameBoy, Super GameBoy, GameBoy Pocket and the Japanese GameBoy Light. Mind you the list only has western games in it.
I really like what you guys did here, cool idea. It was way too much fun browsing the list of GB titles and rating my favorites. Not sure why Pokemon GS wasn't included, but one of my top votes was Pokemon RB for sure. Wario Land would get higher than 10 if possible. Lost way too many hours to that game as a kid. Bionic Commando and Belmont's Revenge also rated high for me. Final Fantasy Legend and TMNT: Radical Rescue were some of my more oddball choices but I found both games to be pretty fun.
Looking forward to seeing the results of this, although I can take a guess and assume Pokemon RB will be at the top.
@SepticLemon Yeah, there are a lot of bad games too, but I think we need to talk more about the hidden gems on the console.
Ah, I get it! LJN has become a meme thanks to AVGN, but not all the games published by them are bad. Terminator 2 is pretty good too.
@Quarth LJN was simply just a publisher that had access to intellectual properties, due to making a lot of toys based on movies and wrestlers, and they gave developers the right to make games based on those franchises. At the end of the day, LJN never coded anything and it was completely up to the developers to make the game. But Laser-Beam didn't always make great games, after all you have We're Back and Bamse as an example. They even developed the terrible Back to the Future NES game that the AVGN reviewed. But they also developed Power Punch 2, the unofficial sequel to Punch Out that was released in the US.
You can see the games they developed on their Wikipedia page. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krome_Studios_Melbourne
To make yourself aware, they began as Melbourne House, then changed the name to (Laser) Beam, sometimes they didn't use the Laser in their name. Then they got owned by Infogrames.
@SepticLemon Thanks for a little gaming history! And one gotta admit: the LJN joke on AVGN is kinda good.
@EvilRegal I voted for Raging Fighter. Whether it would hold up now, I dont know. But 13 year old me was blown away that i could play something that was like sf2 on the gameboy!
@Heavyarms55 Wrong. You CAN play SNES games on GameBoy if you own Space Invaders and a Super GameBoy. The game cart includes the SNES version of the game.
@SepticLemon Motocross Maniacs? That's an odd one. At the time it was released I have already played Excitebike and Kikstart II so there was tons to keep up (and tons I expected) for that early Game Boy game. However, it all fell flat. The sense of speed was sketchy as were the physics, controls, and level design. I never got to grips with that awful collision detection. I'd rather have F1-Race (solid pseudo-3D racer) or Wave Race GB (solid topdown racer) or Super R.C. Pro Am and Super Off Road (solid isometric racers) up there as the racing game reference. Sorry! ^^
Ha I didn't have a game boy
I loved my gameboy when I was a kid. I had the old school fat version, with the backlight magnifying glass. Spent 100s of hours playing Metroid, Tetris, Mario 2, link, etc... switch is what you dreamed about as a kids back then
I just bought a gameboy yesterday, and Ill be using this list to get some more games to play lol. I never realized how good the speakers are on those things, they are wayyy louder than the gbc and gba
Damn, looks like I missed out on a ton of games for this. I fell out of the Game Boy scene pretty quickly though. Played a lot of other things coming out at the time and spent a little time outside, or watching a new TV show or still playing with action figures. Ha ha, man I miss my childhood.
Dragon Warrior 1 & 2 and Dragon Warrior 3 should be on this list. They were technically enhanced for the gbc, but they still run on the original. I played them yesterday on my og GB, so yes Im certain.
@60frames-please The Konami collections were released in Europe as Game Boy Color games (although the games were shifted around between volumes).
The first Goemon GB game was also exclusively translated within those compilations. (the standalone "Mystical Ninja" game was the second GB game)
@NTELLIGENTMAN The SNES Space Invaders game on Game Boy (not sure how it's different from the actual SNES cart version) only runs on Super Game Boy. That is the SGB loads the game, with actual SNES programming code, into the SNES RAM and then runs it. The Game Boy itself cannot run SNES code, not the least of which being that they used completely separate CPU families.
Also, there were actually two versions of SI. The Japanese version of SI was written many years before the SGB, so it is only the western version of SI that has the SNES game. (also explains why the GB game seeming needed 512KB, which is a large amount of memory for an original GB game, but absolute overkill for Space Invaders )
I'm guessing that on an actual GB, it would only run that original GB mode (as the Japanese version).
@SepticLemon Nintendo itself considers the Game Boy Color to be a hardware revision of the original Game Boy (much like the DSi and New 3DS) not a new generation. They combine the two in their sales figures.
@dartmonkey Tiny Toon Adventures: Babs' Big Break is listed twice.
Minor detail but also Wario Land II was released in 1998, not 1999.
It was a Game Boy game released many months before GBC, and then re-released again as a color-upgraded launch title.
It was a tough choice to give Donkey Kong Land 1 the same rating as Pugsley's Scavenger Hunt, but in the case of DKL the too-detailed graphics were near impossible to see on the original green-screen brick, so I had to dock it some serious points for playability. And that was when I was a child, I don't know how much worse it would be as an adult.
Not going to lie, I did enjoy Looney Tunes as a kid and that game had a pretty great soundtrack which I can still recall.
I suppose it is thanks to Nintendo Power I had Kid Dracula as a kid. That game beat me a lot as a kid but I finished it pretty easily when I replayed it as an adult. That's about how a game meant for kids should be. Same with Tiny Toons.
Though I also had Yogi Bear because of NP. Not a very remarkable game but I don't think it's as bad as the 1-3 magazine reviews I recall.
No Game & Watch Gallery 2? Technically it was both a GB and GBC cart. I saw some others that were also GB/GBC in the database. Also Dragon Warriors I and II.
Voted! Thanks for a fun poll.
I would have to say my favourites growing up were links awaking and the first warioland.
Though I have so many fond memories of super Mario land, Tetris and battletoads too.
Super Mario land gets 10 stars. Still an absolute blast to play and more enjoyable than 6 gold coins in my book
Quarth is one of my personal favorites on the Game Boy but is it unreasonable to give it 10?
My top 5:
1. Donkey Kong
2. Pokémon Yellow
3. Link’s Awakening
4. Super Mario Land 2
5. Pokemon Trading Card Game
@SepticLemon — I agree with you on this one.
@Heavyarms55 @Euler Yeah, Gold & Silver were officially Game Boy Color releases. Just look at the original packaging. Sure, some GBC games were backward compatible, but they're clearly trying to limit this survey to games that were actually released for the GBO (not GBC games that included bc).
Can't decide between Link's Awakening and Super Mario Land 2. I still have fond memories playing those two...
@SKTTR, @gamer83, @justin233, Here's a top 10 I made where my goal was variety:
1. Tetris
HONORABLE MENTION: Dr. Mario
2. Pokemon Yellow Version
HONORABLE MENTION: Final Fantasy Adventure
3. Donkey Kong
HONORABLE MENTION: Space Invaders
4. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
HONORABLE MENTION: Metroid II: Return of Samus
5. Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
HONORABLE MENTION: Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3
6. Mega Man V
HONORABLE MENTION: Gargoyle’s Quest
7. Kirby's Pinball Land
HONORABLE MENTION: Kirby's Dream Land 2
8. Game & Watch Gallery 3
HONORABLE MENTION: Mario’s Picross
9. Mole Mania
HONORABLE MENTION: Harvest Moon GB
10. Game Boy Camera
HONORABLE MENTION: Faceball 2000
@impurekind, I played a LOT of Game Boy as a kid, and even at the time I felt that most games were honestly kind of boring compared to SNES or even NES games, but it was the only portable option I had at the time. Still, I would prefer if they first did a Game Boy Classic based on the original model first (perhaps with an option to colorize games using GBC/SGB/custom palettes because it would surely have a color screen built in). Then later they could go to GBC Classic, etc.
I came up with a list of 30 games for the original Game Boy Classic awhile ago, coming up with 30 GBC only games for GBC Classic would actually be more difficult because it had a much shorter lifespan.
Let me know if you would buy a GB Classic with the following:
Balloon Kid
Bugs Bunny: Crazy Castle 3
Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge
Donkey Kong (1994)
Donkey Kong Land
Faceball 2000
Final Fantasy Adventure
Final Fantasy Legend II
Game Boy Camera
Gargoyle's Quest
James Bond 007
Kid Dracula
Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters
Kirby's Dreamland 2
Mario's Picross
Mega Man V
Metroid II: Return of Samus
Mole Mania
Monster Max
Ninja Gaiden Shadow
Pokémon Pinball
Pokémon Yellow
Revenge of the 'Gator
Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
Super R.C. Pro-Am
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fall Of The Foot Clan
Tetris
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3
Wave Race
Voted for Gargoyle's Quest amongst others...what a fantastic game that was despite all the technical limitations. Music was amazing...
Links awakening is hands down the best of the bunch
I haven't played many GB games but my favourites are Wario Land and Link's Awakening
@EvilRegal yes! I’ve never heard anyone else mention it but it was really good, especially in comparison to the other attempts at fighting games on the GB.
I only rated the games I actually own and it was very interesting, all but two I rate as 10/10.
To name and shame The Smurfs and Wave Race are those two. 🤭
I don’t have time to sift through the entire library, but the ones I had for a brief time that I can remember were Super Mario Land 1 & 2, Kirby’s Dreamland, Tetris, and Primal Rage. I’m sure I missed some great games but yeah, I just couldn’t afford to have a gameboy in its prime. Someday I guess.
@dok5555555 What games were GB and GBC?
They might have had different versions.
Wario Land II is the one most people don't seem to know about. Two versions released the same year.
Space Invaders I think had a different version entirely on GBC.
Pocket Bomberman had GB and GBC versions, but Europe is the only region that got both, as I understand. America only got the GBC version and I hear Japan only got the GB version.
Looney Tunes (1992) was re-released on GBC many years (1999) though I would guess the GBC version is less known.
Yes, this list oddly includes a few Japanese-exclusives. Though I guess if they bothered to include the whole list it would double in length at least.
Choplifter is the best
That's not an easy pick. Not because of the astounding quality, but once you tick Mario, Zelda, Tetris, Pokémon and Final Fantasy the other faves are all tosh.
Pokemon yellow all the way the moment I knew I loved video games
THQ did so much!
@iRiS What do you mean? You can play any of them even today...
@VGScrapbook Yeah, I agree with you. I'm not really sure a GB Classic library would be particularly strong (Edit: Doesn't actually look that bad at all below to be fair) but I also really do think that original model would be sooo sweet as a miniaturized Classic. And you kinda can't start a portable Nintendo Classic series of devices without doing the seminal original Game Boy first and foremost. Yeah, maybe the original model miniaturized with an additional Color mode would be the way to go. And then the other models could come later, GBC (if not included in the GB Classic) and GBA. Although it would be in interesting to see what model they go with for GBA Classic. I would absolutely go with the GBA SP or possibly even GBA Micro for the GBA Classic but not the first GBA model as that was the least cool for the three.
Actually, if I were to do this in the best way for me personally I would just have the original GB model miniturized (with back-lit and both mono and color screen modes)--it really has to be that model above all others because it's the most iconic one by far and also the one that lends itself to being noticeably miniaturized from the original huge brick--and just have it play the included top GB, 20 GBC and 20 GBA games. Sure, it means Nintendo only has on portable Classic where it could actually push out three, but as a consumer it would be sooo satisfying.
Here's the list of say 30 games I might go with for the Game Boy Classic lineup (if it were only GB games):
Street Fighter II
Tetris
Donkey Kong '94
Kirby's Dream Land
Kirby's Dream Land 2
Pokemon Red/Blue
The Legend of Zelda: Links Awakening
Super Mario Land
Super Mario Land 2
Wario Land
Dr. Mario
Castlevania II
Castlvania: The Adventure
Metroid II
Final Fantasy Adventure
Mole Mania
Kid Icarus: of Myths and Monsters
Operation C
Contra the Alien Wars
Kid Dracula
Gargoyles Quest
Mega Man V
Trip World
Revenge of the 'Gator
Metal Gear
R-Type
Kirby's Pinball Land
Donkey Kong Land
Donkey Kong Land 2
Darkman 😁 the best
My top 5:
1. Donkey Kong
2. The Legend of Zelda: Links Awakening
3. Pokemon Yellow
4. Tetris
5. Super Mario Land 2
@KingMike Ah yes, I forgot they were released in Europe too, but with games switched around. It would be so awesome if those were released on Virtual Console on 3DS.
Voted for Pokemon Blue and Yoshi's Cookie. Loved playing these two, and have fond memories of playing them. I still have the cartridges too.
I remember playing Yoshi's Cookie quite a bit. But the "extra" rounds were quite a bother and I didn't play more than a few levels. Having the one piece that can only be removed by gather Yoshi cookies is such a chore.
I am remember back in the day when I had to choose between Tiny Toon Adventures 2 and Pugsley's Scavenger Hunt for Game Boy. I chose Pugsley because I really liked the SNES original (the first, non-Pugsley game), didn't expect it to be as cut down as it was (as it turned out, they cut even more than the rare NES port).
Supposedly TTA2 was a pretty good game, as almost all of Konami's game at that point were.
My top 5, in order:
5. Super Mario Land
4. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
3. Super Mario Land 2
2. Metroid II
1. Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow
Basically all the Battletoads, Castlevania and Mega Man games. Lol Also Mario Land 2 and Link's Awakening. Damn the GB's got some killer hits.
My top 3 are Link's Awakening, Donkey Kong '94, and Super Mario Land 2.
There are still a lot of games missing. There were 4 Crazy Castle, Turok 2, 3 and Rage Wars...
I didn’t see The Rescue of Blobette in the list.
@dartmonkey
Hey, you’ve missed out Pokémon Gold and Silver (GameBoy) and Pokémon Crystal (GameBoy Color). Any reason? I would think any of them would be in the running for first place.
Donkey Kong 1994 deserves a remaster.
Kwirk and Atomic Punk!
@Trajan good game!
@Fandabidozi
We're keeping it original Game Boy only, so no GBC games with backwards compatibility. And although Yellow's palette was enhanced when played on GBC, wasn't a true Color game.
Link's awakening and the first Warioland are the best!
My top two easily are Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 and The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening. Third place goes to Donkey Kong. Followed by the Pokémon games, the Donkey Kong Land trilogy, and the first two Super Mario Lands. All first party. Heh. Hard to imagine (and sad to think about) that for almost 25 years now I've been gushing over Wario Land - The gameplay! The level design! The Kitchen Island map! The way several levels change throughout the game! The secret passages! Most of the bosses! - and yet it's never had a true sequel. Wario Land 2 onward are fine games in their own right, but with vastly different (and at least to me less engaging) gameplay, and why Nintendo stopped with the immersive island maps for their Mario games altogether and went back to unconnected worlds with unimaginative roads going strictly left to right (with the occasional optional stop on the side) is utterly beyond me. The only complaint I have with SML3 is that you can't open the treasure chests when wearing the dragon hat.
Edit: I totally forgot about Wario Land for the Virtual Boy. That one at least preserved the gameplay, but it already lacked the island map. Seriously, Nintendo, what's the deal with that?
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