Retro 101's Top Ten Game Boy Games

Nintendo's classic system has a whole host of games worth your attention. Below are the ten games (in no particular order), we feel are the ones that every Game Boy owner should add to their collection.

Donkey Kong 94

  

Arguably the best game on the system is this reboot of Donkey Kong. Designed to make the most of the Super Game Boy add on it still plays brilliantly on the hand held. Tons of high quality levels await as Mario must make his way to a key needed to unlock the exit door in each level. Each area adds something new and it remains fun and inventive throughout.

Kirby’s Block Ball

Taking a simple block and ball game and adding Kirby shouldn’t have been anything special.   However, inventive level design and clever use of power ups end up creating one of the most enjoyable games on the system. Themed areas and the inclusion of enemies add another layer of fun as you fling Kirby around the screen to clear the blocks.

Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure

Essentially a Manic Miner clone, this offers some of the best reflex based platforming action on the system. Simply make your way around the single screen levels picking up all the objects while avoiding the enemies. Once all the objects have been collected you need to make it back to your time machine to move onto the next level. Some levels can be completed in seconds which makes it perfect for gaming on the move.

Super Mario Land

It may be a little basic and short but the original Mario game will have you playing through again and again. The graphics are small but still clear and the level design remains strong throughout. This game also sees our hero taking to a submarine and plane for some side scrolling shoot’em up action.

Zelda: Link’s Awakening

Though a colour version is available the original still holds its charm. Link’s Awakening is many people’s favourite Zelda game and it’s easy to see why. The dungeons are among some of the best in the series and the small island hides more magic than most bigger games can manage. Filled with great moments and characters this remains as essential now as it was upon release.

Killer Instinct

It should be terrible but against all the odds Killer Instinct is an essential title. The graphics and speed still do a good job in getting the ethos of the game across and it is surprisingly easy to control. Holding down the kick or punch buttons for different amounts of time decide whether attacks are weak, medium or strong and even the fatalities are included. This is an amazingly ambitious conversation that remains a great portable fighting game.

Pokemon Blue/Red

The first Pokemon game that started it all is still potentially one of the best in the series. It’s hard to beat the simplicity of the combat system mixed with the charm and collecting game mechanic. Building your team and taking on the gym leaders is an epic quest still worth undertaking.

Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3

The first time Nintendo’s antihero takes centre stage is well worth the visit. Superior in many ways to Mario Land 2, the game adds new game mechanics and the ability to put on different hats to power up. There’s a ton of courses to get through and it represents a decent challenge for retro gaming fans. Good level design and inventive bosses help to keep the Mario magic going.

Tetris

The first and still the best version of Tetris you can play. The repetitive tune will get into your brain and you’ll be rotating blocks in your sleep. Simply create lines of four out of different shaped blocks as they fall from the top of the screen. As the speed picks up the panic of needing a ‘long block’ intensifies to unbearable levels. As a pure gaming experience it can’t be beaten and goes to show that simplicity and a good concept is sometimes all you need.

Castlevania 2:Belmont's Revenge

The other two Castlevania Game Boy games could do with some improvement but Castlevania 2 offers up some classic platforming action. It runs smoothly and each of the initial castles can be attempted in any order with passwords also available. It may be a little basic when compared to later Castlevania games but it’s certainly up there with the first NES title.

Retro 101's Favourite Beat'em Ups Part 4: The Best of the Rest

We all know that SNK and Capcom are the undisputed kings when it comes to creating beat'em ups, but over the years many other companies have tried and failed to make an impact on gamers. Among the piles of trash (Rise of the Robots, Shaq Fu), and the exceedingly average (Primal Rage, Brutal: Paws of Fury), are a handful of games that are actually pretty good.

Waku Waku 7

Waku Waku 7 is one of the weirdest and most wonderful games we have ever come across. The game itself is a polished title from sunsoft that bases itself on the classic SNK four button template. What sets it apart is the mad cast of characters and super bright colour scheme. This title, you see, is a completely crazy parody of Japanese anime.

The bizarre combatants include a giant Totoro style Japanese soft toy creature and a walking tank with a gun for a head. The moves are over the top and it all rolls along at a lively pace. It's unlikely that Waku Waku 7 will hold players attention for as long as something like Street Fighter Alpha 3 but it is undeniable fun and anarchic.

Waku Waku 7 is pretty difficult to find. The home version will need to be imported on the Saturn or Neo Geo and neither is cheap.

Guilty Gear X2

Guilty Gear X2 is a thing of true beauty and genius which looks amazing and plays even better. All the characters are remarkably different and players need to spend some time trying them out to find someone suitable to their style. The thing that really sets it apart from every other fighting game is the absolutely phenomenal level of depth it has.

We could list all the different features and techniques but it would take all day. It can be intimidating for newcomers but once you get your head around multiple special bars and different types of counters and cancels it all blurs into some heavenly stream of consciousness. Watching two Guilty Gear masters at work is mesmerising and the game is so engaging that you may well want to stick with it long enough to become one yourself.

Mortal Kombat 2

Mortal Kombat is by far Midways best known and most successful franchise. The original game is fairly archaic and only stuck around thanks to a wave of media attention and later games always seemed to lack something. However, despite not being the most technical game in the world, Mortal Kombat 2 is still really good fun.

The overall feel has been improved and characters are much easier to control than in its predecessor. The mass of different special moves, distinctive character designs and imaginative arenas also helps to hide the fact that most of the fighters core moves are all the same.

You can't deny the game has personality in buckets and there is more than enough here to occupy players in both single and multiplayer. There are decent versions of Mortal Kombat 2 on the SNES, Megadrive and, surprisingly, the original Gameboy. There is also an arcade version available on one of the Midway Arcade Treasures compilations but it feels a bit lose to us. The Mortal Kombat Anthology, which contains all the characters from the first three games, on the Playstation, is also well worth a look and there are also compendiums on Xbox Live and the Playstation Network.

Killer Instinct

Rare's combo heavy fighter made a massive impact upon release but returning to it now it's clear it can no longer hold it's own with the big boys and can feel a little clunky. However, Killer Instinct is still a very playable and enjoyable game and acts as a kind of middle ground between Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat with a few of it's own tricks added.

One difference is that it isn't split into rounds. Players each have two health bars, when one is depleted the character falls to the ground for a second and then gets back up. This makes scoring a perfect on your opponent even more humiliating.

The other big thing the game brought was the combo system. Killer Instinct was the first game that really focused on the idea of certain moves linking into other moves and executed it well. The game takes the concept to an extreme and players can set off massive successions of blows heading towards the hundred mark.

Killer Instinct is available on the SNES and there is also a decent version for the old Gameboy. There is a sequel on the N64 but the pad isn't really up to it.

IK+

The one-on-one beat'em up didn't really get into its stride until the 16-bit machines came about. However, there are a few games that did the genre justice before then. Barbarian and Fist of the North Star are worth a look but IK+ is by far the best of them. It is also unique in the fact that you are fighting against two other opponents.

This idea of having three fighters on screen was later used in Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story and in co-op modes in some of the later Street Fighter games. Players also don't have an energy bar but need to score a set number of points to the win the round.

You have a wide range of martial arts moves to take down your opponents and you need to move quickly as the other two fighters can score points off each other as well. The now legendary feature of IK+ is that you can make the players trousers fall down by pressing a certain button. It may not be revolutionary but it can't help but raise a smile.

IK+ is available on just about every 8-bit computer system known to man. It is also available on the Wii Virtual Console in the UK and is a must buy at 500 points.