Underappreciated Game Boy (original) games

I'm in a Game Boy mood now that I've found my Super Game Boy, I believe tonight I'll hit the streets and buy some stuffs
I really have a hankering to play these games...

Kid Dracula (always wanted to play this one, looks like a great platformer)
Fortified Zone (I've heard comparisons to Metal Gear and Ikari Warriors -- well, which is it? Please let it be IW)
Ninja Gaiden Shadow (already know the infamous story behind it, tell me if it's fun or not)
Castlevania Legends (Belmont's Revenge is a great GB game, leagues and miles ahead of the first one -- yet I hear so many terrible things about Legends. What, did the music take a nose dive or something?)
Operation C (I own the Alien Wars GB port, which is surprisingly faithful -- I do recommend it even if you own the SNES original. Never played Operation C, tho)
Joe & Mac (the SNES port is one of my favorite platformers...but if it's anything like the NES Joe & Mac, I'll stay away)
Nail 'n Scale (I know absolutely nothing about this game other than it's a Data East game)
Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon (I actually saw a complete one at EB a few years back for real cheap, someone snatched it before I got to buy it, haven't seen a copy since then)
Batman, Batman: Revenge of the Joker (got good reviews back in the day, and it is Sunsoft, so I'm interested)
Heiankyou Alien (this is actually a pretty common GB game, from what I understand)
Super Mario Land 2 (I love Land 1, it's like the bastard child of the Mario series, but that's also part of its charm...strangely enough, I never got the sequel, but I do faintly remember playing it)

So yeah, some of those are underappreciated and others are held in popular regard, but I don't care -- if anyone's got anything to say about them, that'd be great. Also chime in with any other underappreciated GB games, I might after I'm done playing some oldies.

Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (the DX version actually)

tops in my book

I also loved Metroid II, which I still have

Nintendo needs to remake Metroid 2 on DS. That would be sick.

I hated Link's Awakening DX.

Hell, while we're on the topic, Ocarina's the only good Zelda. Besides LttP.

And I hate every Metroid game, but admire its design.

Yeah, I went there -- twice.

Kid Icarus
Elevator Action - Awesome. New weapons and great fun.
Kirby's Pinball Land
Revenge of the Gator

Gargoyles quest
Kwirk
Solar striker

Played the shit outta those, and are worthy of playing right now. I still have Gargoyles Quest and Solar Striker, lost Kwirk somehow and need to try and find it again...Anyone have one laying around???

Mole Mania!

Super Mario Land

dat shit's the bee's knees

Of course Mario Land 1, Zelda and Tetris. Goes without saying.

Mortal Kombat II is very good on gameboy, they got the control system right for a 2 button fighter, and most of the moves and finishers are there. MK 1 had mildly better graphics but played like it was underwater

Street Fighter 2 on the gameboy was pretty ok, and certainly worth getting for the novelty.

The absolute best game I ever played on the original gameboy is Donkey Kong 94 (the first (specifically) super gameboy comp. cart) - SO much better than the original (proper jump physics) and LOADS of levels, and the control system for mario's extra moves is sublime. Basically the cart didn't leave my system till it was 100% complete with all bonuses in all levels. I remember first playing it, booting it up in a restaurant on holiday, just after I'd bought it from the shop next door. I didn't want to put it down when my food arrived

GregN. said:

Revenge of the Gator

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The best game on the system.

r type

super mario land 2

I played through a game of Super Mario Land a coupla days ago, I seriously wish Gunpei went on to produce more Mario games and Hip Tanaka work on more videogame soundtracks. Looking at the Moai level, they definitely were inspired by Gradius. Speaking of shooters, the shooting bits I still love -- I remember a time when those parts were hard, and now it seems so simple.
Wonderful game.

Played some Castlevania Adventure as well, still can not get past that third fucking stage. I might try for it later today, but seriously, fuck that level. I shudder to think about the fourth.

I also went and played a game called Rolan's Curse, which had sweet box art but is in actuality a lameass Zelda ripoff. There's a Gameboy Color game called Power Quest which had box art that made it look cool (well, to a 10 year old at least) but once I looked on the back and saw screens and text it looked so boooring.

Revenge of the Gator was a pinball game, right?

Castlevania Adventure was a hard game and I could never beat the third level either.

Revenge of the Gator was a pinball game, and it was awesome. My dad used to take my GameBoy and play it. He'd really get into it. I still remember him yelling, DAMN IT! when he missed a shot once.

Solar Striker was great too. A nice old school SHMUP on the go.

I found the Game Boy Elevator Action at K-Mart for 10 bucks in a blister pack, glad I picked it up. Played just like the old one with new items.

6 Golden Coins is still one of my favorite old school Mario games. I wish they'd bring the bunny hat back.

DK 94' on the Super Game Boy, awesome. I beat the whole thing. After playing that Mario vs Donkey Kong was a joke.

Balloon Kid I loved Balloon Fight and having them make it into an almost platformer was tons of fun.

Altered Space was a pretty fun little puzzle/platform game for its time. Its a little dated now and going back to its clumsy controls is unbearable.

Mario's Picross is awesome and still(and completely forgotten and underrated)

Solar Striker is a neat little game, primitive yet good. One of those shooters where if you die once, you get set back to a peashooter, which could definitely be infuriating. The only other shooter I own for the GB is Nemesis (yeah, only Gradius game to use the European title internationally), but I'd love to get my hands on its sequel, Gradius: Interstellar Assault, and Sagaia. Wouldn't mind checking out that Parodius, either, but I'd have to get that online since it wasn't released here.

DIY said:

Mario's Picross is awesome and still(and completely forgotten and underrated)

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Can't believe I forgot that; never played it myself but I've wanted to in past years.

Anyways I went a shoppin' today at ye olde game shop and saw 3 games that caught my interest: Avenging Spirit, Bubble Ghost and Lock 'n' Chase.

I picked up Lock 'n' Chase because of the visible Data East logo and me being a Data East fan and all, but wow, it kinda sucks. It's a Pac-Man clone, and that's really all there is to it. I found out it was based on the Lupin the Third license in Japan, so that makes me kinda happy, but it was genericized for the American market so blah...

Really regret not picking up Avenging Spirit and Bubble Ghost, because after researching them they both look like great Game Boy games. Might buy them in the future.

I also saw Revenge of the Gator there, but seriously, fuck paying $15 for a loose GB game. Then again, Lock 'n' Chase did set me back 10 bucks...why, why have you failed me Data East?

I went digging through my drawer and found some golden oldies...


Balloon Kid - Action - Sequel/expansion of Balloon Fight. Great old platformer!

Q-Billion - Puzzle - A fun tile matching and stacking puzzler. I can only describe it as sort of a cross between Lolo and Mah-jong Solitaire (?).

Kwirk - Puzzle - You push boxes and things around carefully to get to the exit. Surprisingly challenging!

Boxxle - Puzzle - Similar in idea to Kwirk, but also fun.

Boomer's Adventure in Asmik World - Action - If you ever wanted to be a pink dinosaur wearing roller skates who digs holes to trap enemies and pelt them with bones and boomerangs, this one's for you. This game can be quite addictive and tough.

Hook - Action - Usually games based on movies suck, but this one's pretty well done.

Gradius: Interstellar Assault - Shooter - Along with Nemesis, it's easily the best shooter on the old gray handheld.

Hyper Lode Runner - Action - Really fun custom mode for building your own crazy levels.

Castlevania Adventure - Action - Extremely difficult, I've only ever gotten to the 4th stage. Fun though. The music for the 1st stage is one of Game Boy's best.

I like this thread, it needs more people!
Boomer's Adventure seriously sounded right up my alley until I saw screens of it on vgmuseum, that site has been the bee's knees for me these past few days

Hook reminded me of movie licenses, and I immediately thought of The Flintstones movie game. There is no similarity between the movie and game at all, but it's a guilty pleasure of mine. One of the few mistakes my parents made in buying games for Christmas turned out to be a pretty fun platformer.

LoneSage said:

I like this thread, it needs more people!
Boomer's Adventure seriously sounded right up my alley until I saw screens of it on vgmuseum, that site has been the bee's knees for me these past few days

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Boomer's Adventure is a fun little game. It's an overhead game, where the object is to find the key in each stage to unlock the exit to the next level. The key is usually buried, and you have to find it using a compass that points to where to dig it up. Sometimes though, an enemy might find it first and carry it around with them or bury it somewhere else. You can find lots of random weapons to attack enemies with, or you can dig holes and bury enemies when they fall in. Naturally as the game progresses, you encounter new types of items and bad guys to deal with. The boss fights are also a good challenge too.

The game's only major fault is your slow default walking speed, but once you adjust to it, you'll have fun.

LoneSage said:

I'm in a Game Boy mood now that I've found my Super Game Boy, I believe tonight I'll hit the streets and buy some stuffs
I really have a hankering to play these games...

Fortified Zone (I've heard comparisons to Metal Gear and Ikari Warriors -- well, which is it? Please let it be IW)
Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon (I actually saw a complete one at EB a few years back for real cheap, someone snatched it before I got to buy it, haven't seen a copy since then)

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Fortified Zone is the US version of Ikari no Yousai 2, which in turn is a sequel the the Super Famicom Ikari no Yousai, released in the US as Operation Logic Bomb. My brother has it in his collection and it's not that hot.

I've only played one Mystical Ninja game on the GB and that was the original Goemon. Good game but DAMN HARD. All the levels are overhead and it has some catchy music too. Worth picking up.

LoneSage said:

Ninja Gaiden Shadow (already know the infamous story behind it, tell me if it's fun or not)

Batman, Batman: Revenge of the Joker (got good reviews back in the day, and it is Sunsoft, so I'm interested)

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I have both of these.

I don't know what you mean by infamous story behind the Ninja Gaiden game, but it's pretty much what you'd expect for a NES to Game Boy transition. The gameplay is slightly slower than it's NES counterparts, but it's decently good for it's time. I remember it being very easy though...

I haven't played the Batman game in ages, but I remember it being fun. I seem to remember some water level that I could never get past though...

Also, checking that VGmuseum site, I noticed there was a Game Boy version of The Adventures of Lolo. I totally forgot it even existed. Man, that series was awesome on the NES. If I can find a copy of the Game Boy version, I'll have to snag it.

YuckMud said:

Revenge of the Gator was a pinball game, and it was awesome. My dad used to take my GameBoy and play it. He'd really get into it. I still remember him yelling, DAMN IT! when he missed a shot once.

Solar Striker was great too. A nice old school SHMUP on the go.

I found the Game Boy Elevator Action at K-Mart for 10 bucks in a blister pack, glad I picked it up. Played just like the old one with new items.

6 Golden Coins is still one of my favorite old school Mario games. I wish they'd bring the bunny hat back.

DK 94' on the Super Game Boy, awesome. I beat the whole thing. After playing that Mario vs Donkey Kong was a joke.

Balloon Kid I loved Balloon Fight and having them make it into an almost platformer was tons of fun.

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Bump for the 6 Golden Coins. Played the hell out of that game when I first got it. Great leevel design, and yes, the bunny ears rocked.

Since we almost immediately dumped the "original" gameboy idea for the inferior GBC ( ), I guess I'll say "all Zelda games". Then again, they were all appreciated.

This thread is bullshit lie.

No one paid attention to Gargoyle's Quest when it came out. I didn't like it at first but then I "got it" and realized how amazing it was.

YuckMud said:

DK 94' on the Super Game Boy, awesome. I beat the whole thing. After playing that Mario vs Donkey Kong was a joke.

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QFAbsoluteT And then they fucked it up by releasing millions of donkey kong land games, plus the "nes classsics" donkey kong, and thus 99% of people forget/don't realise that this gem exists. Its one of the best designed puzzle platformers EVAR!!!1

It hasn't been mentionned here I think, but Warioland (Marioland 3) was pretty solid, I actually slightly preferred it to Mario Land 2 (but not 1). Also Pokemon Red/Blue/Green really surprised me by actually being good.

Never really got into Gameboy Color, although I did buy one to play Gold/Silver, but couldn't really get into them like I did red/blue. I think they updated to GBA too quickly for a decent range of AAA titles for color (as oposed to old games conevrted like tetris,zelda,smb etc), although R-Type Color is quality.

To this day I still play Castlevania Adventure and Belmont's Revenge on a regular basis. I'm a Castlevania junkie.

Legends was kinda bleh though.