Tendo City

Note: This thread is for games compatible with the original, B&W Game Boy. Game Boy Color only games, which require that system, will be done another time, in a GBC thread. The Game Boy and Game Boy Color are different systems, so I will not list them together. That will cause some repetition, but still, I think this is the right way to do things.


Nintendo's original Game Boy was one of the most important videogame system releases ever. It created the modern handheld gaming market, lasted 12-13 years, and was a great system along the way, too. I actually started on a SNES Game Review Summaries thread first, but got bogged down with about 50 to go, so I dropped it for the time being (I'll get back to it), and started on this one instead... and it went much easier, and here the thread is!

The Game Boy, in its original form, was the first console I ever owned -- I got one for Christmas in 1993. Before that we'd had a computer for a while (since early '92; yeah, I didn't have anything beyond a couple of LCD handhelds for video/computer games at home before I was nine), but this was my home introduction to Nintendo. I had no chance of convincing my parents to let me get a TV console, but they finally gave in on handhelds, so I looked at the GB and Game Gear. I was interested in both, and listed what stuff I'd want for each one of course, but ultimately ranked the Game Boy higher because it had more games I was interested in. I ended up getting the GB, Super Mario Land, and Kirby's Dream Land on Christmas. I think that I made the right decision asking for the Game Boy, and I've liked Nintendo handhelds ever since.

As a result of this, expect a bit more personal recollection stuff in these reviews than in any of my previous threads. I've had the N64 since 1999, sure, but I got a GB a good 6 1/3 years before that... the several dozen GB games that I got between 1993 and 1998, particularly, have pretty strong nostalgia value for me, good or bad. I got a Game Boy Color for Christmas 1998, so from that point on I more played GBC games. However, many GBC games released between 1998 and 2000 have original Game Boy compatibility, so those games will of course also be in this thread.

Oddly enough, though, I don't have nearly as many games for the Game Boy as I do for consoles that I got much, much more recently; I have at least 150 games each for a bunch of systems I didn't even own before 2005 or later, like the SNES, Genesis, PS1, and PS2, and also some systems I've had for longer but not as long as the GB, such as the N64, but still have only about 98 GB games, plus 27 more dual-mode black-cart titles, for a total of 125 games. It's a good-sized library, but I do have more games for a bunch of other systems now. I'm not sure why I don't have more, but one reason would be availability -- it's harder to find Game Boy games than it is consoles like the NES, SNES, or Playstation -- and also maybe because I've owned the GB for longer, so I might have higher standards or something... I mean, I regularly buy not-that-great console games, but for the Game Boy? Unless it's something I think I might actually like, I don't get it. So yeah, I do not have a large collection of mediocre licensed Game Boy games. Maybe someday I'll lower my standards for GB purchases more. I do have some interesting, lesser-known titles, though, and look for reviews of those games here, along with the more popular stuff. Oh, I should mention that I own all but one of the GB games that I have ever owned. The only one I don't have anymore is Ken Griffey Jr.'s Major League Baseball, which is one of two GB games I disliked so much that I sold it -- that style of top-view baseball screen where you can't see much of the field and have to catch balls by the minimap isn't something I like at all. I was quite partial to the Hardball series (on PC particularly). The other GB game I sold is Toy Story, but I bought a $1 or $2 copy of that sometime last year, so I can review that below.

Quote:

This is the original Game Boy box. I do have my original GB box, but it's not this model; I have the later version that came with only the system and batteries, not the link cable and Tetris like this original pack did.

My favorite Game Boy and dual-mode (as played in B&W/SGB only) Games (of what I have only) - #1 is for sure, but numbers two through nine can shift around. Numbers 3 through 6 could be in almost any order, for instance, and I'd like the list just as much...
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1. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
2. Super Mario Land 3: Wario Land
3. Donkey Kong ['94]
4. Kirby's Dream Land 2
5. Gradius: The Interstellar Assault
6. Final Fantasy Adventure
7. Kirby's Pinball Land
8. Mega Man IV and V (tie)
9. Micro Machines
10. Hexcite (GB/GBC dualmode game)
#10 for GB-only games list: Gargoyle's Quest

Honorable Mentions (after Gargoyle's Quest): Mega Man in Dr. Wily's Revenge, Mega Man III, Kirby's Block Ball, Kirby's Dream Land, Kirby's Star Stacker, Super Mario Land, Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins, Quarth, R-Type DX, Wario Land II, Looney Tunes, Montezuma's Return, Wave Race, Survival Kids, Aerostar, Quarth, Bomberman GB, Shanghai Pocket, Tetris DX, Speedy Gonzales, Looney Tunes, Taz-Mania, Daffy Duck: The Marvin Missions, Out of Gas, Amazing Penguin, Operation C, Alleyway

Worst game I own: Toy Story

Top 5 for GB/C Dual Mode (black-cart) games only
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1. Hexcite
2. Montezuma's Return
3. Survival Kids
4. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX
5. Wario Land II

Top honorable mention: R-Type DX

Worst game I own: Pokemon Pinball


Games Reviewed (games are mostly in alphabetical order, but I mostly put series together, regardless of alphabet order.)
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Game Boy (grey carts/B&W-only) - ~98 games
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4 in 1 Funpak Vol. 1, Adventure Island II: Aliens in Paradise, Aerostar, Aladdin, Alfred Chicken, Alleyway, Amazing Penguin, Balloon Kid, Bart Simpson's Escape from Camp Deadly, Batman, Battle Arena Toshinden, Bionic Commando (1992), Wario Blast: Featuring Bomberman!, Bomberman GB, Bonk's Revenge, Boomer's Adventure in Asmik World, Brain Drain, Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle 2, The, Castlevania Adventure, The, Cosmo Tank, Daedalian Opus, Donkey Kong ['94], Donkey Kong Land, Donkey Kong Land 2, Donkey Kong Land 3, DuckTales 2, F-1 Race, Final Fantasy Adventure, Flipull, Gargoyle's Quest, Gradius: Interstellar Assault, Incredible Crash Dummies, The, Iron Man / XO Manowar in Heavy Metal, James Bond 007, Kirby's Dream Land, Kirby's Pinball Land, Kirby's Dream Land 2, Kirby's Block Ball, Kirby's Star Stacker, Lazlo's Leap, Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, The, Lion King, The, Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge, Mega Man II, Mega Man III, Mega Man IV, Mega Man V, Mercenary Force, Metal Masters, Metroid II: Return of Samus, Mickey Mouse: Magic Wands!, Micro Machines, Milon's Secret Castle, Mole Mania, Monster Truck Wars, Motocross Maniacs, Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon, NBA Jam: Tournament Edition, Ninja Gaiden Shadow, Operation C, Out of Gas, Pokemon Red Version, Prehistorik Man, Quarth, Radar Mission, Revenge of the Gator, Rolan's Curse, Rolan's Curse 2, Samurai Shodown, Sneaky Snakes, Solar Striker, Speedy Gonzales, Star Wars, Street Racer, Super Chase H.Q., Super Mario Land, Super Mario Land 2, Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3, Super Off-Road, Super R.C. Pro-Am, Super Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, Tarzan: Lord of the Jungle, Taz-Mania, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fall of the Foot Clan, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Back From the Sewers, Tetris, Tetris Blast, Tiny Toon Adventures: Babs' Big Break, Tiny Toon Adventures: Montana's Movie Madness, Torpedo Range, Toy Story, Trax, Turrican, Wave Race, Yoshi, Yoshi's Cookie, Zen: Intergalactic Ninja

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GB/GBC Dual Mode - 28 games
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Asteroids, Ballistic, Conker's Pocket Tales, Ghosts 'N Goblins, Hexcite, Hot Wheels: Stunt Track Driver, Jeff Gordon XS Racing, Klustar, Looney Tunes, Looney Tunes: Carrot Crazy, Looney Tunes: Twouble, Montezuma's Return, Oddworld Adventures 2, Pocket Bomberman, Pokemon Pinball, Power Quest, Prince of Persia (1999), Quest for Camelot, R-Type DX, Rats!, Roadsters, Shamus, Shanghai Pocket, Survival Kids, Legend of Zelda, The: Link's Awakening DX, Tetris DX, Turok 2: Seeds of Evil, Wario Land II


Games use my standard format and list save type (if any), multiplayer (if any), and other accessories supported. For multiplayer, I list whether the games use the Link Cable, the 4-Player Adapter, or whether they support same-system multiplayer, and whether the game is alternating or simultaneous play in multiplayer. Games with Super Game Boy or GB Printer support also mention that in accessories. I also list which techniques I know Super Game Boy games to be using -- custom (SGB-exclusive) screen borders, enhanced sound versus a normal Game Boy, a custom color palette (the selection of four colors used on the screen), auto-changing color palettes (games which change palettes during play, so each level looks different), multiple color zones on screen (a SGB technique that allows you to have specific parts of the screen use a different palette from the rest of the screen. These zones cannot scroll, but are useful for status bars and the like.), and multiplayer on the SGB with SNES controllers (supported in some fighting and Bomberman games) are the ones. Only the techniques a game supports will be listed with that game.
Remember, the Game Boy Color, and GB/GBC dual-mode games as they run on the GBC, GBA, GBA SP, or GB Player, will be in a separate list; that is a different system from this one, and should be listed separately. Also, the reviews of Game Boy/GB Color dual-mode (black cart) games in this thread are supposed to focus on how they run on the original Game Boy, GB Pocket, GB Light, and Super Game Boy, not the GB Color or beyond. I will mention some of how they run in color too though.

At the end of each review, I mention other platforms the game is available on. If none are listed there, it's an exclusive.

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Game Boy (Original) - 95 games
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4 in 1 Funpak Vol. 1 - Two Player Alternating - Link or Same System. This game is a collection of board games. It includes Chess, Checkers, Backgammon, and Reversi. There's no saving here, so all you can do is just play a single game of the game of your choice. All four games do play reasonably well, but there are surely better options than this now, on newer consoles. Still, for Chess and Reversi (aka Othello), this was worth the very low price; I like those games. There are multiple difficulty levels too, as you would hope, and it supports two players on one system, which is great. While that might be expected, it isn't a given, so it's good that it is here. The game has very basic, early-GB graphics that aren't too impressive, but do the job.

Adventure Island II: Aliens in Paradise - One player, password save. I've never loved the Adventure Island series, and find the games too simplistic and kind of boring or frustrating, and this game does not entirely escape that. However, it isn't too bad. Adventure Island II for the GB is a game inspired by Adventure Island III on the NES. (The first GB Adventure Island is based on AI II for the NES, so this makes sense.) It may be a little confusing (III is II...), but that's what it is. The game is not identical to the NES game, though; even though the area themes are the same, so this game has dinosaurs to ride on as with the NES game, which is great; the better AI games are the ones with the ridable dinosaurs. The general game structure is the same as the NES version as well, but the level designs are, as usual on the Game Boy, new. The levels are still very short, unfortunately -- I have never liked SMB3's super-short-levels concept that AI3-NES/II-GB takes its inspiration from -- but the layouts are new, and the levels are fun while they last. I like how the path can branch at times, and that there are hidden levels to find, too. Considering the different screen resolution, it makes sense to redo things, and that's what they did here. The graphics are good, with nice detail and art design, justl ike the second and third NES games, but in monochrome. Overall, even if you have played the NES games, these Game Boy games are worth playing if you like the series. And even if you usually don't, like me, the NES and GB games are as good as Adventure Island gets. This game is still overly simplistic and gets boring quickly, but at least this one has passwords, so you don't have to play it all at once! The NES games don't have saving, but the GB games do. Still though, even the Game Boy Adventure Island games are average at best. I first played the first GB Adventure Island back in the early '90s, and didn't like it very much, and that impression of the series has stuck. But overall, this one is alright, and is improved over the first GB game. Remake of Adventure Island III for the NES.

Aerostar - One player. Aerostar, or Aero Star, is a fairly unique shmup. The game is a fairly early GB game, from 1991, but it has pretty decent graphics for the time, and not much slowdown either. The game also has some original game design. You see, in this game, instead of simply moving around the bottom of the screen, your vehicle here must stay over the roads. Yeah, your craft looks like a futuristic fighter plane, but it's landbound. It's kind of odd, but makes for some good gameplay. To move between road sections, you can hit the Jump button, which makes you take to the air. However, in the air you have a very limited flight time, as marked by the meter on the top of the screen. If you don't land, or at least go over road surface when the meter runs out, you will crash and lose a life. Yeah, make sure to land on the roads! The game is a vertical-scrolling autoscrolling shooter, so you always need to pay attention and learn the levels. There are often multiple roads you can be on on the screen, so as you play you will learn which ones are the better paths. The game doesn't have any areas where the screen scrolls horizontally, so it's always just one screen wide, but they put a lot of interesting challenges into the stages. There are four different weapon powerups available, too, and they are all good, and different from eachother, so there's a nice variety of weapons here as well. Aerostar is a moderately challenging game, and I haven't managed to finish it yet though I have gotten pretty far. This game is cheap and highly recommended -- it's a pretty good shmup, and most people haven't heard of it, either. The graphics and sound are somewhat average, but are classic Game Boy stuff and look nice enough, and the gameplay holds up great.

Aladdin - One player, Super Game Boy enhanced (w/ background and single color palette). Aladdin for the GB is in fact a port of the Genesis game of the same name. Yes, the Genesis game has a Game Boy port. It's also on the GBC and GBA as well, but I don't have those versions, only the original. The game is somewhat cut down from the Genesis original, as you would expect -- the animation isn't as good or as smooth, there are fewer levels, and the graphics are on the small side. This game is not anywhere remotely near as good as the all-time classic that is the Genesis original. It's mostly interesting in that they actually tried to port the Genesis game to the GB, and didn't make a new game for the handheld, unlike the Game Gear game, which is entirely different. An original title probably would have been a better idea, honestly, but this version wasn't helped by its mediocre, cheap-handheld-games budget and development team. The sprites have outlines around them to make them stand out; they do, but it looks kind of ugly.For Genesis Aladdin, this game sure looks average. The Super Game Boy gives it a nice, appropriately yellow color palette and decent border. There are nine levels in this version, so it's not as short as some GB games, but isn't all that long either. Unfortunately, no saving. This is really only a curiosity. Also on the Genesis, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, and PC.

Alfred Chicken - One player. Alfred Chicken is a European platformer for several platforms. The game's somewhat difficult and has no saving, so this one will be frustrating. The gameplay is classic '80s/early '90s Euro-platformer stuff, so the game has good-sized levels which you have to wander around as you try to find your way through. The levels are nonlinear, as expected, and the game is frustrating. The graphics are extremely bland, as well; have low expectations for this one. The game is quite short, with only five levels, but it's not easy to finish, in part because of the puzzle elements in the level designs and the limited lives and continues, and in part because you can only get to level five if you collect a certain item (the watering can) in each one of the first four levels. This is one of the few games where you play as a chicken, but this game isn't really funny like, say, Mort the Chicken for PS1 is. This really is for classic Euro-platformer fans only. Also on NES, Amiga, and Amiga CD32.

Alleyway - One player. Alleyway is a very early Game Boy game, and looks it. This game is a Breakout/Arkanoid style blockbreaking game, and it's really quite good and addictive. I wasn't sure if I would like this game or not when I got it a few years ago, but I most definitely do. I want to mention the biggest drawback first, though -- ball bounce angles in this game are limited. The ball seems to only bounce at a couple of angles, and this can make hitting that one last block VERY frustrating at times. Apart from that though, I really like the game. It's simple, but great. The game is mostly like Breakout, as there are no Arkanoid-style powerups or enemies in this game, but it has some new elements to make things more interesting. Each area in the game has a unique block layout and is made up of four stages. The first stage has a static block pattern. The second stage has a pattern where the blocks horizontally scroll across the screen, with each of the three block colors moving at a different screen. Once they hit the side, they wrap around and appear on the other end. The last main stage in each world has the blocks slowly descending down towards you. In the first area there is only one pattern of blocks, but after that these stages always have two full sets of blocks in them. You can't lose if you fail to get them before they hit the bottom, though -- all that will happen is that the blocks will vanish when they get too low. This should be avoided when possible, though, because you don't have any continues in this game, and it's easy to lose lives, so every extra life you can get from points is precious, and you won't get points from blocks that vanish that way. The last stage in each area is a bonus level, where you have to try to destroy all the blocks in a Nintendo-related shape before time runs out. As usual in such stages, the ball passes through bricks in this mode. Overall, Alleyway is a quite challenging game, with its limited bounce angles and no-continues design, but it's addictive and has kept me coming back again and again. This is one of my most frequently played GB games in the last few years; I've probably played it more than anything other than Hexcite. Also on 3DS Virtual Console.

Amazing Penguin - One player, password save. Amazing Penguin is a quite good classic arcade-style game. There's no story ingame, but you play as a penguin, and apparently the idea is that you're a penguin cutting away the ice blocking your access to the sea, or something. The game has basic but functional graphics; it's nothing special looking, but it's good enough. It's the gameplay that keeps this game going, though, and this game is good enough to be well worth it. I'd never heard of this game when I got it, but it's a good game. The game is a topdown game, and you move around a maze along lines. The lines form square areas, and the game is somewhere in between Crush Roller or Zoom! on the one hand (that is, games where you win by passing over all of the territory in the level), and Pac-Man. So, in Amazing Penguin you win by turning all of the rectangles from blank to patterened, but you don't do it by just passing over the ground, as in that first group of games; instead, you do it by clearing the screen of these little items. You turn each side of a rectangle by hitting a button when you pass over the item, or items, which usually are at the midpoint of each side. Destroy all of the items around a rectangle and you kill any enemies touching it. There are two types of items, The black one can be kicked, with one button, or destroyed, with the other. Destroying it will just get rid of it, but if you remember to press the other button, you'll kick it in a straight line, which will kill any enemies it hits. The other item, which is white, can only be destroyed; the kick button will do nothing to these. Enemies respawn while you're playing, so you can't get rid of the enemies forver. You win each level once you've cleared all the ice. The game may sound basic, and at first it is, but as you progress through the game, the levels get more complex and more challenging. You have to make tough decisions, such as when to use an item -- do you knock it away right away, or keep that one in place in case you get cornered and need to defeat some enemies? You can only destroy the enemies around a square once, after all; once all four sides are clear, the items around it won't come back. At first levels are only one screen in size, but later on they expand. The game also plays great on any model of Game Boy. I liked the game from the beginning; it's simple, but fun. But yes, as easy as it may seem at the beginning, it does eventually challenge. There are 40 levels, broken up into 10 4-level worlds. The difficulty curve is done well, overall, as is this game. There are harder games for sure, but it's a fun one. It's a classic arcade concept, altered a bit and adapted well to the Game Boy. Plus, with passwords for each world, you don't need to start the game over every time you play! Good game, and it's recommended.

Balloon Kid - Two player simultaneous - Link. Balloon Kid is an early (1990) GB game from Nintendo where you play as a girl who has to rescue her brother, who floated away on some balloons. Yeah, it's a reverse of the usual game story; nice touch! A girl saving a boy? You can tell Miyamoto didn't have a part in making this game. :p Anyway, the game is essentially a sequel to Balloon Fight for the NES, and was only released in the West on the original GB; Japan had to wait ten years before they got the game on handhelds, though they did get a colorized version of it, with battery save added too. That version was only released in Japan. Looking at the version we did get, though, I like the game. It may not have saving, but this game is short, so that's not so bad; this one is not hard to finish in one sitting, once you are good enough to do so. Getting good enough to finish it will take some effort, though, so there's solid replay value here. The game is a sidescrolling "platformer", except of course you spend most of the time in the air. There are also bonus areas to find. This game doesn't include the original Balloon Fight's Joust-clone single-screen arcade mode. There is a versus mode in that style, but that's link cable only. Instead, the main game is a platformer, inspired by the original game's Balloon Trip mode, but more complex, and with a level structure and ending. Balloon Kid has basic, small early-GB game graphics, but they're decent enough, and if small, they have some nice detail. The levels are made up of walls and platforms, as well as pits. There are boss fights every couple of levels, fought on the ground. You can walk on the ground anytime though, and even jump if you land and lose or get rid of your balloons, though playing this as a traditional platformer is impossible, as many areas require balloons to traverse. There are times where you'll just have to lose a life to continue, if you get stuck without balloons somewhere where you need them. So, don't get hit too much and lose those balloons! You have two hits before dropping, as with the original Balloon Fight (and indeed, that you got two hits instead of one was just about Balloon Fight's ONLY difference versus Joust, Balloon Trip mode aside...). I never really liked Joust all that much, but in this platformer form, I think the concept works well. It's pretty much a flying platformer, and avoiding the obstacles and finding the bonus rooms is quite fun. The game has some challenge to it, and you have limited lives and there are no continues, so it will take some replay to finish, but it's more than fun enough to be well worth it. I imagine that the import color version is pretty short; a lot of the playtime here is in the time it takes to get through it all at once, but with saving this would be a very short game. The game also includes an endless "Balloon Trip" mode, as in the original Balloon Fight, so you can also play that and try to get better, though of course in the Western version you'll have to write down your scores yourself, since it won't save them. There's also a versus mode, which apparently is a classic versus Joust/Balloon Fight-style game, though as I have only one copy of the game, I haven't tried it. I'd like to get another copy eventually so that I can. Also on NES (Japan only, reprogrammed and redrawn as "Hello Kitty World"), GBC (Japan only, as "Balloon Fight GB") and 3DS Virtual Console (US/EU have only the Western B&W version, Japan only the Japanese color version). Of course, the 3DS VC version has the multiplayer removed.

Bart Simpson's Escape from Camp Deadly - One player. This is a very difficult, mediocre Simpsons game where you play as Bart, as he has to, well, do as the title says. The game has some pretty nice graphics, but the game really is very hard and frustrating. You've got limited lives and continues, and you'll lose them quickly, with how many obstacles there are to avoid in this game, and because of the not-the-greatest controls. I remember this game being a popular one back in the early '90s, because of its license, and you certainly could do worse -- the visuals at least are good -- but the high frustration factor drags the game down quickly. As with most Simpsons platformers of the era, unfortunately, this game isn't that great. Even just playing long enough to beat the first level might take some effort -- this game's hard from the start, and I didn't play long before quitting. I did pay only $1, though, so it was probably worth the cost.

Batman - One player. Batman is one of Sunsoft's earliest Game Boy games, and you can tell -- this game has tiny, simple graphics. Fortunately though, the game plays great, even if it looks quite unimpressive visually. The game is a horizontal platformer. You always move to the right, and can't move backwards either (the screen doesn't scroll back). Batman is tiny, and you will do a lot of breaking blocks as you go, as they hold various weapons and collectables in them. Yeah, it's a simpler game than the NES Batman game -- there's none of that game's huge levels or grappling action here, this is a simple, but good, platformer. The game is quite difficult, too, just like that game. You do have infinite continues, but there's no saving, so this is a tough one to beat. I've gotten to the final boss, but as with the NES Batman game, The Joker's just too tough, and I eventually gave up right at the end. The last level before the final boss is hard as well. Still though, Batman is a pretty good game. You have several different weapons, including, oddly enough, a gun, and the level designs are well, if sometimes cruelly, designed. The music is fantastic, as well; the graphics may be early-GB basic, but Sunsoft's usual audio mastery is in full display here. This game is worth playing for sure.

Battle Arena Toshinden - Two player simultaneous (Link or Super Game Boy req.), Super Game Boy enhanced (w/ background, two player mode with 2 SNES controllers, and auto-switching color palettes). Toshinden for the Game Boy is a 2d handheld fighting game from Takara based on the then-popular PS1/Saturn 3d fighting game franchise. The 3d Toshinden games are of mixed and dated quality, with early polygon graphics, some odd design decisions, and mediocre at best gameplay; they can be fun, but aren't that good. Toshinden for the Game Boy, though, is a better game. Yes, this is my favorite Toshinden game overall. It's a very, VERY easy game, but it's legitimately well designed, works well on the handheld, and plays great. The basic game is a button-mashing heavy 2d fighter, but there is a unique element here in the ring-out system. You see, once pressed against the left or right ends of the arena, you can knock out the other player if you hit them enough times. You won't just fly off the first time, but if you lose all of your 'ringout protection' marks through taking too many hits to the wall, well, then ring-out can happen. This mechanic really makes the game different, for a 2d fighter, and I like how it works. As for the cast, you can choose from the eight characters from the original Toshinden game, and there is a basic plot here of course. The game looks great on the Super Game Boy, and I highly recommend using one with this game! The border is nice, the color palettes are well chosen, the game switches palettes to fit each stage best. The two player mode on SNES is great, too. THere's also a higher game speed only accessible on the SGB. There is also a link cable mode, though, and that's quite fun as well; I do have two copies of this game and have played it in link mode. Great fun. On a note of the difficulty level the game IS easy, and that really is the biggest drawback here. I beat the game on Normal the first time I played it, without losing a single match! I may have lost a round or two, but never a whole match. Yeah, really. There is a difficulty level option, of course, but even on hard, this game is not challenging. Still, it's fun enough that the fun factor makes up for that. Overall, this is probably the best fighting game I've played for the original Game Boy. Don't expect too much depth here, but it is fun, fast, simple, and entertaining. (Oh yeah, I think Ellis is the best character.)

Bionic Commando (1992) - One player, password save. Bionic Commando, from '92, is a sequel of sorts to Capcom's classic arcade and NES Bionic Commando titles. This game is set in the future, and Nathan "Rad" Spencer has to save the day -- as usual, Super Joe was captured, and the enemy is trying to take over the world. This game has definite similarities to the NES game, but is an entirely new title in level designs, story, and graphical design. Plus, they added password save in this game, which is fantastic, and makes the game much more fun than the NES game was. As with the NES game though, you still have a world map to explore. That map has 16 stages on it, but 5 are Neutral Areas, so there are only 11 actual levels. As with the NES game, the Neutral Areas are short zones where you usually will not fight anyone, so they mostly exist for weapon/item collection. They feel kind of pointless, but I guess they do tell a bit of the story. There are also enemy vehicles on the world map, as with the NES game, but here the fights you get into if your ship runs into one of those vehicles are side-scrolling, not top-down. So, yes, this entire game is all sidescrolling. Otherwise the vehicle missions work as expected, though -- you go through the area, beat the enemies, defeat the bosses, and pick up those vital extra lives the bosses there drop. The controls are good. I do think that Bionic Commando: Elite Forces has even better controls, with greater command over your bionic arm swing, but even though the controls here are a bit more restricted, they do work well, and once used to them, it's easy to swing around, cross levels on the ceiling, and more. I just love the freedom you get from the bionic arm, and though the arm controls are stiffer than Elite Forces, it is implemented well. The difficulty level here is only moderate, too, for anyone who knows Bionic Commando games, so this game is definitely on the short side, unfortunately. that really is the game's only flaw, though; Bionic Commando for GB has great pixel art, good, classic Bionic Commando controls, the usual assortment of weapons and items you expect from the series, some challenge in the later stages, and more. I've loved Bionic Commando ever since I first played the NES game, and this really is a fantastic game too. I didn't own it in the '90s, unfortunately, and I do like Bionic Commando: Elite Forces for the GBC even more than I do this game, but still, GB Bionic Commando is an absolute must-have game!

Wario Blast: Featuring Bomberman! - One player (on any handheld Game Boy) or four player simultaneous (on Super Game Boy), password save, Super Game Boy enhanced (with multiple borders, auto-changing color palettes, enhanced sound, and 4 player multiplayer via a SNES with Super Multitap). This game is listed here because in Japan, its title was Bomberman GB, and it's really a Bomberman game, so I'm keeping it together with the below game. Wario Blast is a Bomberman game, so it plays like Bomberman. You go around a maze, lay bombs, blow up the destructible blocks, and try to kill the other players or monsters with bomb blasts without getting hit yourself. It's a simple formula, but it's as fun here as ever. Plus, this is the only Bomberman game with Wario (or any other Nintendo character) in it. The game has a single player mode, where you choose Wario or Bomberman and then go through a traditional Bomberman game, somewhat like the original NES game in its somewhat bland graphics and "kill all the enemies" gameplay, and a multiplayer mode on the SNES only where up to four people can blow eachother up. The multiplayer is of course great, if you have the setup, but Bomberman GB (next) is similar, but better. And that really is the biggest problem with the game -- Wario aside, this is a pretty basic game, and feels almost entirely superseded by its sequel below. That game has better graphics, a more unique theme, more powerups and abilities, more map variety in both single and multi player, and that hidden 1p vs CPU opponents battle mode, too. This game has none of that. Still, if it's cheap, pick it up. It's a fine Bomberman title. But Bomberman GB is better.

Bomberman GB - One player (on any handheld Game Boy) or four player simultaneous (on Super Game Boy), password save, Super Game Boy enhanced (with multiple borders, auto-changing color palettes, enhanced sound, and 4 player multiplayer via a SNES with Super Multitap). Bomberman GB, released in Japan in 1994 but the West in 1998, is actually Hudson's third Bomberman-franchise title on the Game Boy. First came Atomic Punk (Bomber Boy, in Japan), second Wario Blast (Bomberman GB, in Japan, and sans-Wario), third this game (Bomberman GB 2, there), and last was the Japan-only Bomberman GB 3 (1996). Bizarrely, that last one has no multiplayer at all. Yeah, I don't know that we missed much. Oddly enough though, Bomberman GB 3 is available on the Japanese 3DS VC, while the previous games are not anywhere. As for this game though, it is unfortunate that the link cable mode Atomic Punk (the first GB Bomberman game) had is absent here. The previous GB Bomberman title, Wario Blast, is like this too, but still, it's just bizarre that this Bomberman game, which is a classic top-down action-puzzle Bomberman title, has multiplayer, or that no GB Bomberman game supports the GB's four player adapter. Only when played on the SNES through a Super Game Boy and Super Multitap can you play four (or even two) player. The battle mode option won't even appear on the screen unless you play on a SGB, though you can access it through a code, if you want to play one player versus three (comically bad AI-controlled) CPUs. Despite how hilariously bad the AI is in single player battle mode is, though, I loved this at the time when I got this game in '98, and played it a lot. I can still see why, too -- this is a really good game, whatever mode you play. Overall, this is probably my favorite Bomberman game. I'm sure that nostalgia is part of that, as this was the first full-version Bomberman game that I owned, but still, the game has that classic Bomberman design, executed well, and it's certainly one of the better games in the franchise. The main game has a somewhat Indiana Jones-esque theme, as you play as a Bomberman with a Indy-style hat, travelling through ruins looking for lost treasures. Naturally, the ruins are full of monsters. I like the theme, it makes the game more interesting than generic Bomberman games. The game has eight worlds, with a password for each one. The last world is a boss-rush, and it's very difficult; I got up to that point, but always got stuck there, so I didn't quite finish the game. Still, it's great, classic Bomberman fun. You explore mazes, blowing up the destructible blocks, and hopefully the enemies as well, as you try to clear each stage by destroying all of the monsters, or the boss for boss levels. In battle mode, you can choose a stage (there are eight, each one based on the setting for one of the eight worlds in the game) and number of players, each human or CPU controlled. Each level doesn't only have a different layout, but also its own unique elements. For instance, in some you can control the bikes which let you drive over the indestructible blocks. Others have warp squares which move you from one point to another. Others have more powerups available -- you can't select which powerups are available in each stage, but instead it's set so each level's stage has more stuff than the last one. While lots of options might be nice, I think that this design works well enough too, and there's good variety between the stages. Overall, Bomberman GB is a great game. The lack of a link cable mode is a real flaw, but still, with good graphics and sound, great gameplay, and some fantastic multiplayer if you have a SNES with SGB (serously, I like playing Bomberman GB more than Super Bomberman, for a SNES 4-player Bomberman title...), get this game!

Bonk's Revenge - One player, Super Game Boy enhanced (with border, auto-switching color palettes, and multiple color zones on screen). Bonk's Revenge is an original Bonk game for the GB. The game may have the same title as the TurboGrafx-16 Bonk's Revenge game (the second game in the TG16 Bonk trilogy), but it is in fact an entirely different game, and overall, it feels more like Super Bonk on the SNES than it does the game they borrowed the title from. The first Bonk game for GB was a modified port of the original Bonk's Adventure, but this second and final Game Boy Bonk game is new. The game is crazy but somewhat easy fun, and anyone who enjoys Hudson platformers should definitely get this game. I may somewhat dislike Adventure Island, but Bonk's games are good, and this one is no exception. Bonk's Revenge has good, detailed graphics and art, solid level designs, decent music, and a very strange style. The game has great Super Game Boy support, too -- not only are the color palettes well-chosen (space looks dark, for instance), but the game even has separate color zones in the status bar, which is rarely seen in third party titles. The game's a classic, if basic and slightly slow (as always in the franchise, though it's a little worse here; there is some slowdown), Game Boy platformer. As always in the series, you play as Bonk the caveman. He defeats enemies by jumping, flipping over, and then hitting them with his hard head. As with Super Bonk, this game is set in a silly world that has a random mix of cave-people-with-dinosaurs, modern, and futuristic elements. You may be playing as a caveman, but as in that one, this game has a wild array of crazy environments you'll travel through, up to and including a space station. Or at least, I think it's a space station... it's either that, or Bonk can breathe in a vacuum. :p Your goal is to stop King Drool from stealing half of the moon. No princess rescuing this time, nicely enough, just a basic, nice "save the day" story. In this game, when you pick up meat, Bonk will start quickly flipping between three different special forms which you can change to. Hit the button to see which one you end up with. Each form has different powers, so one can open doors to some rooms with more point items and meats in them, another can stun all enemies on screen with an attack, etc. Of course, you'll lose your power if hit. The powers are a fun aspect of the game; the way you change form is different from the TG16 games, but the results are similar and fun to see. There are also bonus rounds, of course. The most common one is a versus game where you have to fight a computer opponent in a best-of-three bout, with an extra life on the line. The game is definitely on the easy side, as the enemies are somewhat sparsely laid out and are usually easy to defeat, but levels are logn enough that as in the TG16 and SNES Bonk games you can be worn down by the end, and if you get game over you do start the level over. The game's such a weird game, and I just can't even begin to figure out how Bonk got into space halfway through the game, but seeing the silliness is definitely part of the fun! Bonk's Revenge is a good game well worth playing for anyone who likes platformers. Plus, the passwords make getting through it even easier. Save functions always improve games. So yeah, overall, Bonk's Revenge is a nice looking and decently good game that I like. SGB owners should be particularly sure to pick this one up.

Boomer's Adventure in Asmik World - One player, password save. Boomer's Adventure in Asmik World, from Asmik (surprisingly enough!), is a somewhat odd top-down action/puzzle game that I find more frustrating than fun. In the game, you have to go around small levels, slightly Pac-Man-esque, trying to look for the hidden treasures. The problem is, these treasures are buried under the ground, so you can only find them by digging. You've given a hint arrow showing you the general direction you should go in, but beyond that, have to find them by trial and error. Really, I don't think that the game was improved versus other classic arcade/puzzle style games by hiding your objective items; quite the opposite, it makes the game kind of annoying. At first the game may look like some kind of adventure game, but it's not; it's really a maze-hunting game, where you look for those hidden treasures. There are boss fights occasionally, but other than that, you just hunt around similar-looking mazes beginning to end. If you enjoy the basic gameplay it might be good, but I find it more annoying than anything. There are a lot of enemies here, and I just don't really like the hidden-objects element that is central to the game.

Brain Drain - One player, password save, Super Game Boy enhanced (with background). Brain Drain is a difficult puzzle game from Visual Impact, and published by Activision. It's a somewhat odd tile-flipping game, where you beat each stage by rotating tiles until you get all of the tiles into matching squares of four. You have a square cursor, so when you rotate, you'll rotate all four currently selected one space each around the square. The game takes some getting used to, but once learned, is an okay game. The game starts simple, but quickly gets qu ite hard as the tiles will take a lot of flipping to get into their proper matching-squares orientations. The game's not great, but it's okay to good, I think, and the concept works well. There are two modes (the main mode, and a mode where you try to finish a set of levels as fast as possible), passwords in the main game, some powerups and negative effects which can make things harder, and over 250 puzzles, but everything is about flipping tiles into squares, so there's no variety here. As a result, the game really succeeds or fails based on how much you like this kind of challenging, tricky matching game; the variety of content is limited. If you do like it it'll take a while to get through, for sure, due to the difficulty. I'm not great at this kind of thing... it's okay for a while, but I start to get quite frustrated. Still, it isn't a bad game. After a long covalescence, Brain Drain returned in 2010, when Visual Impact (and a new publisher, Enjoy Gaming) made WiiWare and DSiWare versions of the game. Obviously the graphics are much better there, and it saves to the system instead of passwords, but the basic concept is the same. I haven't played those versions. Oddly though, neither IGN nor NintendoLife's reviews of either game ever mention that they're remakes of this older title. They obviously didn't do any research (like, five seconds at GameFAQs would do it)... ah well. Regardless of platform though, this is classic portable-puzzle-game fare. This kind of thing frustrates me after a little while, but some will like it. GB exclusive, but it has WiiWare and DSiWare remakes.

Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle 2, The - One player, password save. The second game in a puzzle-platformer series from Kemco that lasted until the GBA, this game plays like all of the other ones: you explore a mazelike level with a small character, hunting for all of the doors and items. While the first Crazy Castle game was on NES and GB, this sequel is Game Boy only; it must have sold better here than on the console. The series has a somewhat odd history, as while it's best known for Bugs Bunny in Japan some of the games starred Mickey Mouse instead, and the last one has Woody Woodpecker in it, but regardless of the character and platform, the game is the same: you explore the mazelike levels, find collectables and items, and figure out how to use them to defeat the enemies. Doors transport you to other parts of the stage. Even though you're a rabbit, you cannot jump in this series. Yeah, odd character choice, considering. All you can do is find ways to drop weights on baddies, and things like that, no jumping on them! Most paths are only just tall enough for you to stand in anyway, but even so, considering the character, it's odd that you can't jump. That does make the game more strategic, though. You will need to plan out your moves in each level in order to complete it, once it gets harder. I think that this is an okay game. It's not great, but it's alright, and figuring out the puzzle that is each level can be fun. Level designs are good, with a nice mix of fun and frustration. Some people may find it too hard, though; it is tough, and not all will like this game. The graphics are well-drawn though, even if they are small. And yes, it's nice that the game has a password system so that you can continue from the level you left off at. There are 28 levels. Note that this is the only B&W-only Crazy Castle game -- the first was also on NES, the third one is a dual-mode GB/GBC game, and the fourth was color only for GBC (and of course the fifth is for GBA). It's just as good as any of the others, though, from what I know. Eight years passed between this game and the next one (1991 for CC2, 1999 for CC3), but the gameplay was left unaltered. It's one of many franchises, and publishers, which largely left the GB through the mid '90s, as the system slowed down, only to return after Pokemon and the GBC resurrected handheld gaming.

Castlevania Adventure, The - One player. The Castlevania Adventure is the first of three original GB Castlevania games. As with many series, there were two early releases ('90-91), then one more in '98 after the recovery of the handheld market. This is probably one of the better-known early third party Game Boy games, and it's got a mixed reputation at best. The music is great, but the gameplay... well, there's better. Castlevania Adventure is an okay game, with decent if somewhat basic graphics (the characters are on the small side, and the art clearly early for the system) and very slow gameplay. Your character, Christopher Belmont, the latest whip-weilding Belmont would-be defeater of Dracula, really trudges along in this game. The game is short, with only five levels, but it'll take a while to finish because as likely as not you'll turn it off out of boredom or annoyance before the end. There's also a time limit, with a clock on screen, though you have more than enough time to finish; the clock isn't a big issue. You go back to the last checkpoint when you die, and there isn't a checkpoint right at the boss, so a tougher boss can require some level replay. But the biggest issue here is simply that the game isn't as fun, or as well designed, as the NES Castlevania games. With your slow movement speed and the quite different style of level design in this game, it's more average than great. The game does have some unique features though, such as how when fully powered up your whip shoots fireballs, which is cool, or how instead of those iconic Castlevania staircases that you have to hold Up to use, this game, and its sequels, instead use ropes you can climb on. When you think of this game's level design, the ropes, which are everywhere, are the first thing I at least think of. I first played this game as a kid, and I thought it was okay, if a bit hard for me when I was ten, but I liked other games more. I'd say the same thing now. However, The Castlevania Adventure is an okay game, and is worth a try, for a cheap price. It's not so much bad, as it is not as great as many other titles in the franchise. And the soundtrack at least is really good. The game is GB exclusive, but Castlevania Adventure ReBirth for WiiWare is theoretically a remake of this game. It's got almost nothing in common with the original version apart from the rolling-eyeball enemies, that it has the same main character and story, and that it also has five levels, though, so if you've played that, don't consider it the same game -- really, it's completely diffrent. That is a better game than this, but the original isn't all bad. It's more fun than Castlevania II for the NES, at least... Also available on 3DS Virtual Console.

Cosmo Tank - Two player Simultaneous - Link. Cosmo Tank is a somewhat interesting, but flawed, topdown and first-person tank action game by Asuka Software and published by Atlus. The game is in some ways good enough to almost be a forgotten classic, but it has some downsides dragging it down, most notably that this game is WAY too long and difficult to not have a save system. Seriously, games like this, particularly on a handheld, this long and this tough, with no saving? Why would you do that? It's awful game design. You have infinite continues, but in a handheld game particularly, that's not much help; you're not going to leave a Game Boy on for days while you play a game like this, after all! And don't expect a level-select code in this game either -- there isn't one. As for the actual game, though, Cosmo Tank has okay, if repetitive, visuals and design. The graphics are fine for a 1990 release, but the early release date does show. The game has three gameplay modes. Some of the time, you drive around in your tank, killing the enemies and looking for where you should go next. Levels are large and somewhat open, so there is an exploration element to this game. There are plenty of enemies, and also recharge areas which heal you. This part of the game is mostly fun. Once you find a cave and enter it, though, the game switches to first person. This is not a FPS, however -- instead, it's more like a first-person RPG, or something. You have a static view, and can turn and move as in early first-person adventure games or dungeon crawling RPGs. When you run across an enemy in first-person mode, you fight it from a first-person viewpoint where you can scroll the view horizontally. The enemy, or boss since most bosses are fought in this viewpoint, appears in front of you, and you have to get it first. If you turn so that the enemy is offscreen, they can't hurt you -- you are only vulnerable on the front, apparently. So, you turn to avoid fire, then turn back to hit the moving target. These fights are okay. There is no map in the dungeons, so if you don't want to get lost, I recommend either looking the game's good GameFAQs guide, or drawing a map yourself; otherwise, the game will get frustrating, fast, as you get lost in the identical-looking passages. There's also a short shmup section at the end of each of the six worlds. The controls are basic -- you can move, fire your main turret, or fire bombs, and that's it. There are a couple of powerups to restore your ammo or health, but no alternate weapons. So, overall, Cosmo Tank is a somewhat unique title, but overall it only sort of works. The game lacks variety, both of level designs and armaments; yes, it has three different game types, but within each one, almost nothing ever changes. The graphical variety is limited as well. As for the other modes, there's also a training mode, where you try to defeat as many enemies as possible in top-down action before time runs out, but it's only moderately interesting. As for versus mode, I only have one copy of the game so I can't test it, but it's probably a versus shooting game in the overhead view. Might be okay. Overall, Cosmo Tank is a moderately disappointing game. I was hoping that it would be good, and at first it seems like it is, but it's just got too many issues, and within a world or two, I had lost interest. This would be more tolerable with saving, I think. And a map for the dungeons.

Daedalian Opus - One player, password save. Daetalian Opus is a puzzle game where you have to fit shapes into a larger shape. You clear a stage once you manage to fit all of the pieces into the shape, filling the interior with no overlapping or space left empty. So, it's like those physical puzzles that work like this, only in a videogame. The game may seem simple at first, but it quickly gets quite challenging. The game has password save so that you can return to the puzzle you're at. Daedalian Opus is an early Game Boy game, with simple graphics and presentation, but the challenging, thinking-required gameplay carries it over. This is a simple game, but it's a good one.

Donkey Kong ['94] - One player, battery save, Super Game Boy enhanced (custom border, auto-changing color palettes, enhanced sound, high-color static screens). Donkey Kong for the GB, aka Donkey Kong '94, was the Super Game Boy's firs system-seller title, and it's one of the best Super Game Boy games, too. The game makes amazingly good use of the SGB, showing off most of the capabilities of the system. About the only things it doesn't do is multiplayer and having an actual SNES game on the cart... (missed opportunity to have a SNES version of arcade Donkey Kong! Ah well.) But Donkey Kong '94 wasn't only popular because of the Super Game Boy, it's also popular because of its great gameplay and game design. While it may share a title with the early-'80s classic, this game's quite different from the original one. This game's a brilliant puzzle-platformer with nearly 100 stages to play through. It's the best Donkey Kong game where you play as Mario, I'd say, and as with many people, it's one of my favorites from the GB. The game isn't the longest game around, since even though it has a lot of levels they are short each, but if you get stuck, it can take a while. Still, when I first played it back in the '90s, while it took me a decent while, I did have a huge stock of lives by the end. It's very easy to build up enough lives to get near the 99 life cap. That's as much a testament to how much fun it is as it is to the moderate difficulty, though -- this game's as fun to replay as it is to play.

The game is broken up into four level blocks. You play through three standard puzzle stages, with a goal of finding a key, picking it up, and bringing it to a door. If you drop the key for too long, it will return to your starting location. Mario has a lot of acrobatic moves in this game, including a handstand, spinning on wires, a triple jump, a backspring, and more -- it's the first appearance of the acrobatic Mario that would next be seen in Super Mario 64. Mario could have used that handstand in some other games, being able to fend off things dropping on you from above is handy. Mario here can also pick up and throw enemies, as in Mario 2 for the NES. The fourth stage in each world is a vs. Donkey Kong stage, where you have to reach the top, next to where Pauline is, in order to yet again fail to rescue her from DK (until the end, that is, of course). You can only save after DK stages. The little cutscenes between worlds are funny stuff, too. The level designs are absolutely brilliant, and almost every stage is great. The graphics are small, but detailed, and it's a good looking game. The game also plays well on original Game Boys, as the somewhat limited scrolling works well on that blurry screen. With moving platforms, wires, numerous enemy types, lots of moves, temporary platforms that you have to place, and more, the puzzles get more and more interesting, and challenging, as the game goes on. This game really is one of the best ever in its genre. Its sequel of sorts, Mario vs. Donkey Kong for the GBA, isn't nearly as good. That game's alright, but it's no Donkey Kong '94. Also available on 3DS Virtual Console, tragically in B&W only of course. Buy the cartridge and a SGB.

Donkey Kong Land - One player, battery save, Super Game Boy enhanced (custom border, auto-changing colore palettes). Donkey Kong Land, released in '95, is an original title in Rare's Donkey Kong reboot franchise. This was the first Rare Donkey Kong game that I owned, and it's the only one of the GB/GBC Rare DK games that I actually bought during the systems' lives. Maybe I should have bought some more of them, but while this was a good game, it has some issues, and I can understand why I passed on them. The biggest issue is that the graphics, while quite good, blur horribly on an original Game Boy. This game really was meant for the SGB, and on a standard Game Boy is very hard to play. Unfortunately, the original GB's all I had, at the time. You can finish this game on the GB, and I did, but it's far from ideal. Detailed ACM (computer-rendered) graphics like this just weren't meant for the original GB. As for the gameplay itself, though, though, this game isn't a port of Donkey Kong Country. The story is new, and the levels are as well. This game has four worlds, Jungle, Underwater/Temple, Snow/Ice, and City/Construction. Yeah, it's similar to worlds from DKC, but there are fewer of them, with more levels in each one. You can play as either Donkey or Diddy Kongs, and switch between them with Select. However, the other Kongs, from Cranky to Candy to Funky, do not appear in this game. It's just DK, Diddy, three of their animal friends (Espresso the Ostrich, Rambi the Rhino, and the swordfish) and the Kremlings. To save, instead of going to a save hut, in this game you have to collect the K-O-N-G letters in a stage. After getting all four in a level, you're allowed to save. It's a somewhat poor design, and leads to frustration at times. At least this means that you can save after any level as long as you got the letters, though, so it's got that one advantage over the first two SNES DKC games, where you have to get through several levels when you first reach a world until you're finally allowed to save. A common tactic used is to get through a tough level, return to an easy one, and play that one to save in, since it's much less dangerous that way if you're low on lives. As with the first SNES game, there are secrets to find here. Every level has several hidden bonus areas in it to play, and wyou won't get the max percent completion unless you find them all. I did like this game enough to beat it, but not enough to find all of the hidden bonus rooms; many are, as always, in quite obscure locations, so you'd be very unlikely to get them all without a strategy guide. Oh, as for the SGB support, it's just barely adaquate. There's a basic border, different color palettes in each level, and that's it. Nothing special. Overall, Donkey Kong Land is an okay game. I liked it back in the mid '90s, but I didn't love it, as that I didn't buy the sequels shows. Donkey Kong '94 was, and is, the better game, and the SNES DKC games are better too. Still, when played on anything other than an original Game Boy, the game is a good (not great, but good) game and is playable and fun most of the time. It's worth it for classic platforming and Rare fans.

Donkey Kong Land 2 - One player, battery save, Super Game Boy enhanced (custom border, auto-changing colore palettes). DKL2 released a year after the first one, and is the least improved of the three DKL games, when you compare the GB games to their SNES counterparts. This game doesn't have a new story or theme; instead, it's a conversion of the SNES game, albeit one with level designs that have been redone to fit the handheld's resolution, but they tried to be as accurate as they could to the SNES levels here. The other two GB DKL games at least have all-new level designs, even if the themes are similar, but not here. So, here you play as Diddy and Dixie Kongs, who have to rescue the captured Donkey Kong and save the day from K. Rool again. But because of the level design changes, despite that this is not a straight port, and is worth a look even if you've played DKC2, but still, as it's the least new, it is somewhat less itneresting than DKL1 or 3. The game is bigger-scale than DKL1, and has all of the settings and NPC Kongs that you'll find in the SNES game, all of the animal companions, and lots of levels, too. The graphics are similar to the first DKL, so it has the same problems running on an orignal GB, but at least by the time this game came out the Game Boy Pocket was available, so there was a system able to run this better that was portable. I never got one, and still don't have a GBP, but it did exist. Maybe if I had one, I might have been more interested in this game. Overall, DKL2 is a pretty good game, with the good level designs, detailed graphics, and classic Rare DK gameplay you expect from the series. It's definitely not as good as the SNES game, with downscaled areas and plenty of slowdown, but it is an impressive effort at least. Still, on originality, this is the least of the three DKL titles. The SGB features are also not improved; there's a new border, but it's not any more impressive looking overall.

Donkey Kong Land 3 - One player, battery save, Super Game Boy enhanced (custom border, auto-changing colore palettes). DKL3 was released in 1997, and it's one of the relative few good Game Boy titles from that low period in the system's life. Despite that, I didn't get it. I still only had the original GB, after all, and as always, the DKL games are horribly blurry. Sure, they're playable (I beat DKL1 on an original GB, after all!), but they're very blurry and the enemies are hard to make out. The GBC solved that problem, though, so these games are much more fun now than they were then; even on the SGB enemies can blend in with backgrounds sometimes, but with how the GBC can make sprites and backgrounds different colors, stuff stands out. As for the gameplay, DKL3 is a pretty good game. The graphics may still be blurry, but they are better than the first two games. This game is a sequel of sorts to DKC3, at least in story; in gameplay, it's far behind it. The settin...