Narrowing the list of Defining Game Boy Games

[racketboy]

We also should decide if we should break up the Game Boy and Game Boy Color lists.

Anyway, here's my initial games to consider for Defining Games for the Game Boy. I think they are all non-Color games. IIRC, Donkey Kong Land was on original game that was made with the Color in mind?

Tetris
Pokemon Series
Super Mario Land Series
Wario Land Series
Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening
Metroid II: Return of Samus
Kirby’s Dreamland
Seiken Densetsu / Final Fantasy Adventure
Dr Mario
Donkey Kong Land
Mega Man Series
Kid Icarus: Of Myths of Monsters
Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge

Maybe Honorable Mentions?:
Super RC Pro Am
F1 Race
Donkey Kong
Kirby Pinball Land
Duck Tales
Golf
Tennis
Alleyway
Baseball
Metal Gear Solid
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fall of the Foot Clan
Mario Picross
Bugs Bunny in Crazy Castle Series

I had these on Hidden Gems -- I feel like they are on the fence...
Yoshi
Yoshi Cookie
Here’s the other gems for reference
http://www.racketboy.com/retro/best-und ... olor-games

[alienjesus]

We also should decide if we should break up the Game Boy and Game Boy Color lists.

Anyway, here's my initial games to consider for Defining Games for the Game Boy. I think they are all non-Color games. IIRC, Donkey Kong Land was on original game that was made with the Color in mind?

Tetris
Pokemon Series
Super Mario Land Series
Wario Land Series
Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening
Metroid II: Return of Samus
Kirby’s Dreamland
Seiken Densetsu / Final Fantasy Adventure
Dr Mario
Donkey Kong Land
Mega Man Series
Kid Icarus: Of Myths of Monsters
Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge

Maybe Honorable Mentions?:
Super RC Pro Am
F1 Race
Donkey Kong
Kirby Pinball Land
Duck Tales
Golf
Tennis
Alleyway
Baseball
Metal Gear Solid
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fall of the Foot Clan
Mario Picross
Bugs Bunny in Crazy Castle Series

I had these on Hidden Gems -- I feel like they are on the fence...
Yoshi
Yoshi Cookie
Here’s the other gems for reference
http://www.racketboy.com/retro/best-und ... olor-games

The following games from this list are GBC only, if it helps:

Wario Land 3
Metal Gear Solid
Bugs Bunny in Crazy Castle 4

Other notable games I think should be considered (at least for honourable mentions):
- Solar Striker
- Nemesis
- Game & Watch Gallery series
- The Game Boy Camera
- Gargoyle's Quest
- Kirby (as a series rather than a lone entry - there are about 6 Kirby games on the system)
- Pokémon Spin offs - I think we should seperate these from the main series games, as they're very notable in their own right - Pokémon Trading Card Game, Pokémon Pinball and Pokémon Puzzle Challenge were all big name titles outside of the main RPGs.
- I would still include Yoshi. I remember this being a game they used to promote the Link cable prior to Pokémon coming out.

Games I'm not sure really did define the Game Boy:
- Castlevania 2
- RC Pro AM
- Mario's Picross
- TMNT

All of these seem to be rarely talked about imo, particularly RC Pro Am which I didn't even know HAD a GB port. Mario's Picross is too obscure in the west to be defining too.

Castlevania 2 is rarely discussed in the context of Game Boy games OR Castlevania games. If you're talking defining games, then Castlevania Adventure made a bigger impact, even if it was a largely negative one.

[Ziggy]

We also should decide if we should break up the Game Boy and Game Boy Color lists.

This is such a hard choice given the unique circumstances of the two systems. They're different consoles, but not really. It's more like the New 3DS. and the original 3DS. There are GBC games that only work on a GBC, but then there are GBC games that work on an original GB as well as GBC. This one reason alone makes it so you pretty much have to lump all of GB and GBC together. Otherwise you'll have to put certain games on both lists.

[MrPopo]

I was going to correct you about Wario Land 3, but I realized you were talking about the third Wario Land game, and not Super Mario Land 3: Wario Land. Curse your naming conventions Nintendo!

[alienjesus]

BTW, if we're including GBC on this list (I think that is the simplest options personally) then these should be included too imo:

- The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons
- Mario Golf & Mario Tennis
- Donkey Kong Country (maybe it's not great, but I remember it being a big deal to have this on GBC when it arrived)

[marurun]

I have mixed feelings about the inclusion of Metroid II, especially if Kid Icarus is up there. Neither were super well-received, and both followed the same model as on the NES. They used the same engine and both compared unfavorably to the originals. That said, they were also anomalous in that they were full series sequels, second game series sequels, made explicitly for the GB. But I was also not a huge Gameboy fan back in the day, so take my opinions with many grains of salt.

[racketboy]

I have mixed feelings about the inclusion of Metroid II, especially if Kid Icarus is up there. Neither were super well-received, and both followed the same model as on the NES. They used the same engine and both compared unfavorably to the originals. That said, they were also anomalous in that they were full series sequels, second game series sequels, made explicitly for the GB. But I was also not a huge Gameboy fan back in the day, so take my opinions with many grains of salt.

I think they did pretty well in terms of sales though
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_b ... ideo_games

I can't recall if there was above-average marketing though...
But yeah, I don't remember a lot of people talking about them when I was a kid.

[strangenova]

I'll go to bat for Metroid 2 any day. I can't speak to its sales figures but I had a copy back in the day and I loved it. In my honest opinion it outdoes the original and is most deserving of a spot on a defining games list for gameboy.

[CRTGAMER]

We also should decide if we should break up the Game Boy and Game Boy Color lists.

This is such a hard choice given the unique circumstances of the two systems. They're different consoles, but not really. It's more like the New 3DS. and the original 3DS. There are GBC games that only work on a GBC, but then there are GBC games that work on an original GB as well as GBC. This one reason alone makes it so you pretty much have to lump all of GB and GBC together. Otherwise you'll have to put certain games on both lists.

THIS.

Tetris of course the #1 definer game. Pack in and the best remembered; a decent puzzler that worked well with the low res graphic of the green LCD of the day as well as showing off the sound capability with the music.

Super Mario Land of course another definer.