Gameboy or GBC "hidden gems"?

[pixeljunkie]

Goddamn, I hate Youtube commentators - this is not that kind of thread. I use "hidden gem" ironically as these retards have ruined the term. But it still means what it means. So I wanted to discuss Gameboy and GBC games you think are awesome but maybe off the radar. This is a double-edged sword, because the market is also retarded and a couple people discussing a game on a forum can send price ripples out. But fuck it, let's do it anyway.

I'll start with a couple, but depending on when I am drunk and what I am playing I will probably update sporadically.

007 James Bond (GB)

Sort of less talked about. It's an odd mix of RPG, stealth and action with some very light puzzle elements. This was one I never considered. I typically skip licensed crap unless it has Batman on the cover. But this one is surprisingly competent. I'm not sure how "James Bond" it is, other than some character names and a few 007 quips. I'm about an hour'ish into it and am totally surprised by this one and plan on finishing it.

Donald Duck Goin' Quackers (GBC)

I think this one gets tossed out for just being another Disney platformer. But if you spend a few minutes with it, you realize it's actually a pretty damn good Rayman clone. You can grab this one for cheap still.

 

[HornheaDD]

That dumbasses face irritates me to no end, and I hate the term "hidden gem" because of him.

 

[basic]

That dumbasses face irritates me to no end, and I hate the term "hidden gem" because of him.

how about "diamond in the rough"?

 

[@M]

Jaleco Forbidden Zone. Overhead military adventure. Kind of Metal Gear lite. First 2 levels are contemporary, realistic stuff, then, it goes Contra in levels 3 & 4, first mutant monsters, then robots. It, and Battle Unit Zeoth (VERY short shmup, but, okay), were only $14.99 at retail for some reason.

I believe there's a Japan-only GB sequel as well as a SNES one too, but, I forget the name

 

[pixeljunkie]

Jaleco Forbidden Zone. Overhead military adventure. Kind of Metal Gear lite. First 2 levels are contemporary, realistic stuff, then, it goes Contra in levels 3 & 4, first mutant monsters, then robots. It, and Battle Unit Zeoth (VERY short shmup, but, okay), were only $14.99 at retail for some reason.

I believe there's a Japan-only GB sequel as well as a SNES one too, but, I forget the name

Fortified Zone? Yeah that one is SOLID - there is a Jpn only sequel that is even better

That dumbasses face irritates me to no end, and I hate the term "hidden gem" because of him.

LOL same! That's why I named it that. All these dudes...ugh

 

[@M]

Namco Great Greed. Silly food-themed RPG. I like the simple D-pad/button instant actions for the turn-based battles, rather than using menus. The ending, where you can marry ANYBODY in the throne room, even the queen or king, is hilarious.

 

[pixeljunkie]

Another random one popped into mind.

Hero Shuugou!! Pinball Party (GB)​

Slightly under the radar pinball game you can still grab for cheap. It's no Kirby's Pinball, but it's not bad by any stretch. I guess it has a ton of Jaleco license characters making cameos. I'm a sucker for pinball games on the platform though.

 

[pixeljunkie]

Namco Great Greed. Silly food-themed RPG. I like the simple D-pad/button instant actions for the turn-based battles, rather than using menus. The ending, where you can marry ANYBODY in the throne room, even the queen or king, is hilarious.

Give your posts some love, man! post up pics or videos. Great Greed is one of those I think most know about but doesn't have the saturation due to it's price tag. I don't think rare/pricey = hidden gem most of the time

 

[pixeljunkie]

Yu Yu Hakusho 2 (GB)

Also can be had for cheapsies and pretty solid little fighter. Not on Takara level, but not to be ignored either - especially if you dig the anime. 1st one, is rough around the edges. The 3rd uses same engine as second and I THINK the 4th one moves to RPG...but don't quote me on that. Point is, this one is fun.

 

[pixeljunkie]

Good YT page to browse:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmSODR5IIGDjirtQnP88FeQ/featured

 

[@M]

ASCii Wizardry: Suffering of the Queen, Curse of the Ancient Emperor & Scripture of the Dark. Wizardry is hardcore, old school D&D (armor class, spell slots, not MP, etc.), 1st person dungeon crawling, so, it's not for everyone, but, I love it. I played and beat them in the original Japanese, but, they've all been fan translated into English now. People used to stuff like Final Fantasy probably won't be amused when undead creatures drain experience levels or enemies just outright decapitate your characters (Vorpal Bunnies and high-level ninja are bad news).

 

[pixeljunkie]

ASCii Wizardry: Suffering of the Queen, Curse of the Ancient Emperor & Scripture of the Dark. Wizardry is hardcore, old school D&D (armor class, spell slots, not MP, etc.), 1st person dungeon crawling, so, it's not for everyone, but, I love it. I played and beat them in the original Japanese, but, they've all been fan translated into English now. People used to stuff like Final Fantasy probably won't be amused when undead creatures drain experience levels or enemies just outright decapitate your characters (Vorpal Bunnies and high-level ninja are bad news).

See what I did there M

 

[LoneSage]

James Bond 007. Yeah, I remember someone at EGM scored it a 1.5, which was unheard of. I got it for Christmas and was very surprised how much I liked it. Played it again for the first time in 20+ years a couple months ago and, again, was pleasantly surprised at how much I still like it. It's basically Zelda with a James Bond theme. Honestly, I prefer it over Zelda. It's a mystery to me why EGM blasted it.

In the Kurdistan area, you kill a local warlord to rescue 008. Later in the game, you come back to Kurdistan to find the power vacuum has made the area a war zone and the villagers hate you. The story is legit for a Game Boy game.

I'm with you on rarely playing licensed games, but check out The Flintstones. It's an Ocean game based on the movie. It's not terrible and worth playing. It has minigames based on Space Invaders and some other early arcade games I can't recall. The feel of the physics, like Fred running and jumping, is good. The levels are too long so I usually stop after 20 minutes, but worth a play.

 

[GutsDozer]

Wizards And Warriors is a surprisingly good port. Shadowgate is super good too.

 

[@M]

GB Wizards & Warriors X is incredibly cheap/hard, but, I agree it's well done.

 

[pixeljunkie]

I don't really wanna' throw fanslations in here, but why not?

God Medicine (GB)
Excellent RPG, with a great story. I couldn't put it down once I started.

 

[NeoSneth]

Hidden gems are Hidden gems. Nothing wrong with that terminology. I don't mind the YT hoarders. They are very good are reminding me what would have happened had I not stopped buying.

I really missed out on the GBC era. I no longer used my gameboy at that time, and discounted all these games entirely. These are all hidden gems to me.

 

[pixeljunkie]

Hidden gems are Hidden gems. Nothing wrong with that terminology. I don't mind the YT hoarders. They are very good are reminding me what would have happened had I not stopped buying.

I really missed out on the GBC era. I no longer used my gameboy at that time, and discounted all these games entirely. These are all hidden gems to me.

GBC was a bit of a letdown for me. Some first party stuff was great, but overall felt like shovelware. The original's library is also full of garbage - but better overall IMO

I'm revisiting the GBC and finding a few good games.

There is a GBC version of this as well, but the pixel art is so crispy and looks great on the DMG

V-Rally Championship (GB/GBC)

Easily my favorite racing game on the GB (I prefer the GB version) - pushes the hardware, great art/sound

 

[Jon]

I could recommend a bunch.

Bubble Ghost: Really cool puzzle game with a catchy theme. You control a ghost who has to blow a bubble to the next room. Watch out! It's very fragile and pops easily.

Balloon Kid: Early GB game that is an auto scroller. You have to save your brother who was carried off by a bunch of balloons. Very charming game. It is also 2 player and there is a GBC version with battery saves.

Bionic Commando: NOT Elite Forces! Really awesome take on the NES version and way better, too. Great music.

Tail 'Gator: Early Natsume game where you control a Gator (with high top sneakers!) who uses his tail to whip enemies and open treasure chests. Four sections per level, one of which contains a boss. Really great soundtrack, too.

Cosmotank: Early Atlus game where you control a tank on the surface, and 3D first person in caves and underground on 6 different planets. Scour the surface of each world and upgrade your tank. Defeat the lifecore of each world to go to the next and meet the final boss controlling the enemy forces behind the scenes.

Catrap: Really cool little puzzle game where you control 2 cats defeating enemies by moving blocks and punching them. Later levels have you switching back and forth between both Catboy and Catgirl to solve puzzles. Also, you can rewind time, too.

I could go on and on but, that is a really good list of "hidden gems", for sure.

Jon

 

[@M]

The first GB remake of Bionic Commando is indeed excellent. Top tier Capcom.

 

[city41]

The Frog For Whom the Bell Tolls, aka Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru.

Great adventure game from Nintendo using the same engine as Links Awakening.

 

[LoneSage]

@pixeljunkie , hope you can continue writing more thoughts.

 

[pixeljunkie]

@pixeljunkie , hope you can continue writing more thoughts.

Hahah even if this is in jest, I appreciate it. I recently started playing Motocross Maniacs 2 for GBC. No idea how this one slipped past me back in the day. But it's amazing. The GBC never really wowed me, but this game feels almost 16-bit, which is unusual for the platform. The music is dope as well.

 

[LoneSage]

Dude, Yes. Skip the third game though.

 

[GohanX]

I didn't know that game had sequels, I played a lot of the original back in the day, probably just as much as Mario Land and Tetris for a while.