Archive for the ‘GameBoy’ Category
The Amazing Spider-Man: Game Boy
May 9th, 2009 by Luke C.
Spider-Man has some pretty difficult powers to emulate in a video game. Making Wolverine’s claws and regeneration? That’s easy. Laser eyes, super strength, the ability to throw fireballs? Easy, easy, easy. Swinging around New York at breakneck speeds dangling from a thin line of artificial spider silk? That’s not so simple.
However, someone apparently thought they could do just that in 1990, and on the original Game Boy, even. While the game does allow you to swing on webs to cross the screen, you can only do it at a single height right smack in the middle of the screen where anything above ground height can hit you, and it’s even harder to move quickly and accurately while swinging than while walking. Even worse, in over a decade of owning this game I’ve never found a way to consistently trigger the high jump that leads into the swinging. Read the rest of this entry…
GameBoy: Kirby’s Pinball Land
April 26th, 2009 by Luke C.
Do you like Kirby games but always wanted to know what would happen if you whacked the main character with a baseball bat? Well, nowadays I suppose you can actually experience that thanks to the Smash Bros. series, but back in the days of the original GameBoy your closest option was Kirby’s Pinball Land.
Kirby’s Pinball Land is essentially a Kirby game with pinball controls. You choose from one of three tables themed after a Kirby boss/level, then use your pinball flippers to launch Kirby at various traditional Kirby enemies. Maxim tomatoes and pep brews can keep Kirby from falling down the gutters.
This isn’t just a pinball game with a Kirby theme, however. Since it’s a video game, HAL Labs decided to do some things that aren’t easily possible with a physical pinball table. They eliminated the plunger, for instance – Kirby flies on to the table with his usual warp star, and if you lose a Kirby a new one pops in from a spring board in the gutter. Each table also has a boss you will eventually combat; defeat the bosses of all three tables and you’ll face King Dedede.
I like a lot of things about this game – it goes beyond what a real pinball table can do, it has a fun theme, it has variety. However, I’m not sure it’s actually a good game of pinball. It often felt like I didn’t have a huge amount of control over Kirby, and between that and things like the constant ricochets off moving scenery on the boards, my losses rarely felt like they were because I messed up.
All in all, I had fun with this game, but if you’re looking for a pure pinball experience you probably want to give this game a pass.
The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening
March 16th, 2009 by Luke C.
I’ll be upfront about this: Link’s Awakening for the original Game Boy is probably my favorite game in the Zelda series.
It maintains the isometric top-down view of Zelda games of the time – though side scrolling underground areas recall the Adventure of Link – and many of the basic mechanics like wandering around an Overworld to find dungeons in which you’ll find puzzles, a new tool, and a boss monster guarding some kind of doohickey you need to collect to finish the game. Read the rest of this entry…
Luke’s Top 5 Standby Game Boy Games
March 14th, 2009 by Luke C.
Game Boy games hold a special place in my heart thanks to many nights spent playing them when I didn’t feel like reading but parents or other annoying roommates had already taken over the TV. I’ve had a lot of Game Boy and GBA games over my life, but I always come back to this handful of them.
The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening:
What can I say? This game may not be perfect, and may not even be the definitive version of itself, but it is a well-made, fun, and humorous entry into the Zelda series.
Revenge of the ‘Gator:
It’s pinball in a convenient handheld size. Even just as pinball, there’s nothing very outstanding about it beyond the (admittedly amusing) alligator motif. Still, it often saved my sanity as a kid being dragged around town – sitting in the car or a waiting room for half an hour is so much easier with this game. Read the rest of this entry…
Nintendo Game Boy Micro
November 16th, 2008 by Brandon W.
About a week ago, I stumbled across a Game Boy Micro at my local game shop. At first sight I had no idea what I was looking at. It seemed to be some kind of accessory until I flipped it over and saw the Nintendo logo next to “Game Boy Micro”. I also saw the slot that looked like it fit Game Boy Advance games. Sure enough, I plugged in an Advance game and it worked.
Not only did it work, but it looked amazing. The miniature size screen was bright and sharp. I was surprised that this tiny; almost toy-like handheld ran so well. Despite being quite beat up I purchased the silver and black Game Boy Micro. I have not been disappointed since. Read the rest of this entry…
Vintage Nintendo Game Boy Carrying Case
October 27th, 2008 by Sean
As most of my friends know, I’m a huge video game collector and I usually hold on to most of my classic systems, retro games and various accessories.
I purchased my Game Boy brand new in 1989. It came with Tetris, headphones (ear buds) and a link cable.
Here is a picture of my really cool giant Game Boy carrying case that looks like a Game Boy:
The picture below is of the case open showing my Game Boy system, a few games, the link cable, ear buds (under the cable) and the original users manual:
As you can see, my Nintendo Game Boy is in pristine condition. I try and take really good care of my stuff.
My local game stores love it when I trade things in because all of my consoles, games, etc are always in super nice shape, but my Game Boy is a keeper.
Posted in Accessories, GameBoy, Handheld, Nintendo, Photos
Game Boy: Tetris = definition of addicting
February 21st, 2008 by Sean
When the Game Boy’s Tetris (the original version of the classic) first showed its face to the world in 1989, it sent a shockwave throughout the globe and almost every gaming soul was instantly hooked on it.
I remember playing it for the first time while it was on display at the local Target store and I couldn’t believe what happened. I fell in love with the game right away.
It wasn’t because the blocks were good looking; it was the fact that guiding shapely blocks around a boxed-in area and making rows disappear was just that damn addicting. This was puzzling because I had never been that big of a fan of puzzle games, and I’m still not, with the exception of Rampart for the NES and SNES.
First off, there are four different species of blocky shapes that fall down from the top of the screen. Each of the four varieties consists of four blocks that are arranged together to form a certain shape such as a straight line, a perfectly square box, three segments in a straight line with one block jutting out on one side, and some that have two pairs of blocks put together with one pair being slightly higher or lower than the other. With all of the shapes except for the square boxes, you can press A or B on your Game Boy to force them to rotate around to a different position.
Before you even think about changing the block’s shape, you must first choose exactly where you want to place it on the playing field below. When both hemispheres of your brain come together as one and decide precisely where to put a piece, you just have to move it left or right, and then wait for it to fall in place or press down if you’re feeling a bit impatient. Read the rest of this entry…