Thursday, July 30, 2015

100(ish) Game Boy Games Worth Playing

I previously created a list of 250 NES Games Worth Playing, and now I would like to do the same for Nintendo's other 8-bit success the Game Boy.  Here I have fashioned a list of 100 good games that show off the best the library has to offer.  The Game Boy has over five hundred licensed, non-Color titles, so I cannot say I am an authority on every game ever made for the platform.  However, I am familiar with most of the titles listed below.

I have limited this list to monochrome-only Game Boy games.  No hybrid Game Boy/Game Boy Color games here.  This includes Pokemon Yellow, which has Game Boy Color-specific features but little more than Super Game Boy level of color.  Most of the games released in 1994 and later have some form of Super Game Boy support.  This list is not meant to say that there are only 100 good Game Boy games in the monochrome library or that this is a top 100, I'm always happy to learn of other good games.  It is limited to games that were released in the United States.

Some games are included not because they are particularly good but are part of a larger series.  Disney's DuckTales, for example, was a great game on the NES but only passable on the Game Boy.  Mega Man II is easily one of the worst Mega Man games in the series, but it is part of a much greater series.  The first Castlevania has your character move like molasses, but it has redeeming features and it makes you appreciate its sequels more.  Final Fantasy Legend is little more than a grindfest, but some people like that sort of thing.

While this list is clearly biased, I tried to balance it.  There are few, if any sports games or fighting games, but lots of action/adventure games.  The Game Boy was known for its puzzle games, so I have included pretty much any official Tetris game.  You cannot go wrong with Tetris and the Game Boy is the system for lovers of this classic.  In fact, casual gaming on the go was practically invented by the Game Boy.

I have tried to avoid ports of arcade games, of which there are several, unless there is something truly unique about the game.  Space Invaders is unique because not only does it have Super Game Boy compatibility, but it will also let you play a recreation of the arcade version using the full SNES hardware!  These days there are so many ways to play the real deal on a portable device.  There are several ports of console games, but I only include ones that can stand on their own when you want to play a game on the go.

I have included certain games that are ports of NES games or close conversions.  Milon's Secret Castle is a true port of the NES game which takes the Game Boy's limitations in mind.  The Duck Tales games use the same structure as the NES games and most of the graphics and sound, but the level layouts are different.

Alleyway
Altered Space - A 3-D Alien Adventure
Balloon Kid
Batman: The Video Game
Batman: The Animated Series
Battle Arena Toshinden
Bionic Commando
Bomberman GB
Bonk's Adventure
Bonk's Revenge
Boy and His Blob: Rescue of Princess Blobette, A
Castlevania Adventure, The
Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge
Castlevania Legends
Contra III: The Alien Wars
Cosmo Tank
Disney's Darkwing Duck
Disney's DuckTales
Disney's DuckTales 2
Donkey Kong
Donkey Kong Land
Donkey Kong Land 2
Donkey Kong Land III
Dr. Franken
Dr. Franken 2
Dr. Mario
F-1 Race
Faceball 2000
Final Fantasy Adventure
Final Fantasy Legend, The
Final Fantasy Legend 2
Final Fantasy Legend 3
Fortified Zone
Game & Watch Gallery
Gargoyle's Quest
GhostBusters II
Gradius: The Interstellar Assault
Great Greed
Harvest Moon GB
Hudson's Adventure Island
Hudson's Adventure Island II
James Bond 007
Kid Dracula
Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters
Kirby's Block Ball
Kirby's Dream Land
Kirby's Dream Land 2
Kirby's Pinball Land
Kirby's Star Stacker
Kung Fu Master
Kwirk
Legend of the River King GB
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
Mario's Picross
Mega Man
Mega Man II
Mega Man III
Mega Man IV
Mega Man V
Mercenary Force
Metroid II
Milon's Secret Castle
Mole Mania
Motocross Maniacs
Nemesis
Ninja Gaiden Shadow
Operation C
Quarth
Pinball - Revenge of the 'Gator
Pokemon Blue
Pokemon Red
Popeye 2
Prehistorik Man
Prince of Persia
R-Type
Radar Mission
Rolan's Curse
Rolan's Curse 2
SolarStriker
Space Invaders
Star Trek 25th Anniversary
Super Mario Land
Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins
Sword of Hope
Sword of Hope II
Tamagotchi
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fall of the Foot Clan
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Back from the Sewers
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: Radical Rescue
Tetris
Tetris 2
Tetris Attack
Tetris Blast
Tetris Plus
Tiny Toon Adventures: Babs' Big Break
Trax
Wario Blast Featuring Bomberman!
Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3
Wario Land II
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Yoshi
Yoshi's Cookie
Zen: Intergalactic Ninja

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