What were your favourite game for the original GameBoy? Tell us below by selecting one of up to three titles below, or write in your selection in the comments. The list isn’t exhaustive and is based on a handful of top GameBoy game lists. The polling system also limits the maximum number of items to twenty, so I had to be selective as well as group some series together. Apologies if I missed any of your favourites and be sure to add them in below. Once you’ve made your selection, let everyone know why you made your choices. If you chose a series for only one of its releases, let us know which one.
Battletoads
Metroid II: Return of Samus
Super Mario Land 2: The Six Golden Coins
Even thought there are others I enjoy, these are the core three I played over and over when I had my original GameBoy. My brother and I were obsessed with beating Battletoads, inching ever closer over time. Every time we finally beat a new stage our elation was dashed by the next stage. But we never gave up. Beating that game spanned years.
There is something about Metroid II that still sticks with me to today. Mark Brown hits on a bit of it in his video on remaking the classic.
Lastly, there The Six Golden coins ranks high on my list of Mario games, second only to SMW in the category of 2D Mario games.
There are games I left out or didn’t select for various reasons, like Link’s Awakening (came to it much later in life), Qix (I was obsessed with this but never owned a GameBoy copy) or Kirby (I played the NES port more than the original GameBoy game).
Donkey Kong Land first, since it was one of my two games.
Then Kirby, always loved it up until the N64 one, even if they were easy.
By the power of lending games with friends i still got to play a lot of GB games. My DKL and SML3 gave me access to both Kirbys, Pokèmon Blue, SF2, Tetris (complete with two player link cable versus during class experience), Killer Instinct (kind of a dud), Cliffhanger (a dud, but i liked the music), Micro Machines, Jurassic Park, the entire Mario Land saga, Dr.Mario, and i’m sure i’m forgetting more than a few.
The Kirby Dream Land series is probably my favorite on the Game Boy. The music, simplicity, and overall fun gameplay of those games takes me back to my childhood. In fact, I like them more than the Super Mario Land series.
The Game Boy is how I got my start gaming (yes, the original big gray one), so it holds a special place in my heart. Obviously Tetris is up there - even as a kid it was endlessly replayable. But really what got me was Pokemon Red. I was completely hooked on that series, on RPGs, and games overall.
One slightly weirder game that I’ve never heard anyone else mention was a puzzle game called Kwirk. Apparently 40+ people on Grouvee have heard of it, but I have good memories of trying puzzle my way through that game.
Final Fantasy Adventure (in Europe its called “mystic quest” a far better name) deserve more appreciation, why does nobody fell this overhelming sadness in the game, gets me every time (sniff)
Zelda Links Awakening. I put more hours into this than any game for gameboy. Really works well for the console. Its top pick. Super Mario Land 3 WARIOLAND This one was quite amusing with its irreverent humor and lots to do. Duck Tales Satisfying to play and could win the thing in like 45 mins. Great music.
Tetris DX (for GBC) and Revenge of the Gator had excellent replay value.
I had a friend at school who practically forced me to borrow Kwirk from her. “You’ve got to play this game, it’s so awesome.” She was right, of course. It’s fun and original, and it wouldn’t be out of place on a modern device. I never got all the way through, though, because my friend started to miss her game and wanted it back. I recently bought a copy of my own - two, even, for co-op play - and if I now manage to buy some free time, too, I’ll attempt it again…
Unfortunately the other Puzzle Boy games that came out in the US (Amazing Tater and Spud’s Adventure) are some of the most expensive games there are for the Game Boy. Which is disappointing, because I LOVE puzzle nonsense.
I actually own a copy of Spud’s Adventure. (Got it as part of an ebay lot from somebody who didn’t really know what she had. ) It find it’s not all that puzzly at all, plays more like a cross of Pac Man and a shooter with the occasional block-pushing puzzle thrown in for good measure. Very old-school, too, with a small number of lives and a heavy element of luck. From what I’ve seen online, Amazing Tater is much more puzzle-focused, like a forerunner to Kwirk. We’ll see if I ever get lucky enough to get that one…
I recently bought a copy of my own - two, even, for co-op play - and if I now manage to buy some free time, too, I’ll attempt it again…
) It find it’s not all that puzzly at all, plays more like a cross of Pac Man and a shooter with the occasional block-pushing puzzle thrown in for good measure. Very old-school, too, with a small number of lives and a heavy element of luck. From what I’ve seen online, Amazing Tater is much more puzzle-focused, like a forerunner to Kwirk. We’ll see if I ever get lucky enough to get that one…