Gameboy or GBC "hidden gems"?

[smokey]

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.

I remember EGM giving the game crap and never checking that game out. Now I kinda have too

 

[roker]

Great thread.

I finally bought one of those reprint/re-release games. My copy of Avenging Spirit is on the way:

Avenging Spirit (Game Boy)

GET INTO THE SPIRIT! Gang members have kidnapped your girlfriend and slain you in the process. On top of that, she’s being held for ransom unless her father gives up his research on “ghost energy”. He tasks you with getting her back the only way you can - by possessing others to get things...

castlemaniagames.com

Great game if you haven't played it. Been a regular game on my everdrive for years.

 

[LoneSage]

@roker, I also like Avenging Spirit. What a cool idea for a game.

 

[Yoshi]

I haven't given much thought to GB/GBC in years, but I've always found RacketBoy's content to be compelling, so I wanted to share his list:

The Best Undiscovered Game Boy & Game Boy Color Games – RetroGaming with Racketboy

www.racketboy.com

 

[pixeljunkie]

Avenging Spirit is dope. Also, pretty much any Hudson Soft title on GB is guaranteed fun. All the Bombermans are excellent and even more fun to pop in the Super Gameboy as Hudson always went above and beyond with the SGB touches.

I also stand by my love for the Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle games. Excellent pick up and play.

Speaking of SGB, Animaniacs is a must for that. Totally exclusive soundtrack and different sound fx.

 

[ChoAniki]

Muahahaha, you activated my trap card. About one year ago I researched a lot about the Gameboy Color because it's a part of the Gameboy that doesn't get a lot of love and you don't find too much about cool games besides the known stuff. I will give some recommendations but there is of course more. Prepare for a long post.

Personally I use the term hidden gem very sparely because of YouTuber using it for games that are OK but nothing to special, bought some games from Metal Jesus hidden gems until I realized that.

Here are some cool Gameboy Color games:

Baby Felix Halloween : Good Jump n Run with outstanding music and nice graphics. Sadly a bit short and with a lot of variety, so a nice and easy experience. PAL only and not easy to find even as loose cartridge.

Action Man Search for Base X: Cool Action Platformer that is hard but with the difficult settings you get different experiences because enemy placement is different. Made by Natsume so you get the typical music style it's known for, there made more action platformer that are mostly licensed stuff on the gameboy color.

Hands of time: Unique Zelda like with humor and mind blowing ending. Fun gameplay with a good mix of puzzles and action. Very good soundtrack so it's even fun when you don't know what to do.

Hunter X Hunter: Kindan No Hihou: Japan Only Action Platformer that plays really similar to a Castlevania game, not surprising it was made by Konami. Some describe it as a metroidvania but I wouldnt give it that genre really. Language barrier is there but with a walk through it can be done. Sadly cutscenes can't be skipped but otherwise I like the game. Not easy to find. When you like castlevania check it out.

Daikatana: Yeah, a Daikatana game that is actually good . Its a action adventure and plays similar to Zelda stuff. Gameplay is quite fun and you do puzzle solving and some action stuff. PAL only and not too common but a bit more pricey.

Merlin: Fun run n gun, looks like a ultra cheap budget game but it's not. Good level design and difficulty curve. Best thing is that one of the special moves is a Kamehameha, absolutely funny and the reason why I bought the game xD. PAL only but not too rare.

Rhino Rumble: Very fun run n gun with one of the best soundtracks on the Gameboy Color. Story is goofy and you see that developers had fun making the game. You just do run n gun stuff with not that much variety but still very cool. One of the more pricey games but worth it.

Supercross Freestyle : Don't like 8 bit racing games but that's one I like. Very good driving feeling and very fun gameplay. You have also a Mario kart style mode with items, very fun. Sadly not that much content and replayability but worth it when you can find. Not expensive but quite rare and PAL only so good luck finding a copy and much more when you want it CiB.

The land before time: yeah, the game is more on the average side but why I still recommend it is because of the music. Holy moly, the music have no right to be such a banger for a licensed game. Easily one of the top 5 OSTs for the Gameboy Color.

Here are games that look cool but where I played just a bit but not too much, so I don't want give a recommendation for them: Alice in Wonderland, Blaster Master enemy below, Cyber Kuro-Chan 1 and 2, Lucky Luke Bandit Express, Moomins Tale ( Japanese version has a lot more content, PAL version is more streamlined), Return of the Ninja, Power Rangers Light speed rescue and time force (both from Natsume), Sabrina Spooked and Zapped, SWIV, the grinch

 

[pixeljunkie]

Muahahaha, you activated my trap card. About one year ago I researched a lot about the Gameboy Color because it's a part of the Gameboy that doesn't get a lot of love and you don't find too much about cool games besides the known stuff. I will give some recommendations but there is of course more. Prepare for a long post.

Personally I use the term hidden gem very sparely because of YouTuber using it for games that are OK but nothing to special, bought some games from Metal Jesus hidden gems until I realized that.

Here are some cool Gameboy Color games:

Baby Felix Halloween : Good Jump n Run with outstanding music and nice graphics. Sadly a bit short and with a lot of variety, so a nice and easy experience. PAL only and not easy to find even as loose cartridge.

Action Man Search for Base X: Cool Action Platformer that is hard but with the difficult settings you get different experiences because enemy placement is different. Made by Natsume so you get the typical music style it's known for, there made more action platformer that are mostly licensed stuff on the gameboy color.

Hands of time: Unique Zelda like with humor and mind blowing ending. Fun gameplay with a good mix of puzzles and action. Very good soundtrack so it's even fun when you don't know what to do.

Hunter X Hunter: Kindan No Hihou: Japan Only Action Platformer that plays really similar to a Castlevania game, not surprising it was made by Konami. Some describe it as a metroidvania but I wouldnt give it that genre really. Language barrier is there but with a walk through it can be done. Sadly cutscenes can't be skipped but otherwise I like the game. Not easy to find. When you like castlevania check it out.

Daikatana: Yeah, a Daikatana game that is actually good . Its a action adventure and plays similar to Zelda stuff. Gameplay is quite fun and you do puzzle solving and some action stuff. PAL only and not too common but a bit more pricey.

Merlin: Fun run n gun, looks like a ultra cheap budget game but it's not. Good level design and difficulty curve. Best thing is that one of the special moves is a Kamehameha, absolutely funny and the reason why I bought the game xD. PAL only but not too rare.

Rhino Rumble: Very fun run n gun with one of the best soundtracks on the Gameboy Color. Story is goofy and you see that developers had fun making the game. You just do run n gun stuff with not that much variety but still very cool. One of the more pricey games but worth it.

Supercross Freestyle : Don't like 8 bit racing games but that's one I like. Very good driving feeling and very fun gameplay. You have also a Mario kart style mode with items, very fun. Sadly not that much content and replayability but worth it when you can find. Not expensive but quite rare and PAL only so good luck finding a copy and much more when you want it CiB.

The land before time: yeah, the game is more on the average side but why I still recommend it is because of the music. Holy moly, the music have no right to be such a banger for a licensed game. Easily one of the top 5 OSTs for the Gameboy Color.

Here are games that look cool but where I played just a bit but not too much, so I don't want give a recommendation for them: Alice in Wonderland, Blaster Master enemy below, Cyber Kuro-Chan 1 and 2, Lucky Luke Bandit Express, Moomins Tale ( Japanese version has a lot more content, PAL version is more streamlined), Return of the Ninja, Power Rangers Light speed rescue and time force (both from Natsume), Sabrina Spooked and Zapped, SWIV, the grinch

This is a dope list!

 

[egg_sanwich]

Chalvo 55 is a fantastic JP exclusive platformer with a wild mechanic; your character is a bouncing ball that never stops bouncing. You must time all your jumps perfectly which creates some hectic platforming sections. The games main stages aren't too tough, but upon completion there is an insanely difficult "Bonus" level where you're granted 100 lives to clear it.

The game inspired a sequel that was never officially released, "Bound High" on the Virtual Boy.

 

[pixeljunkie]

Chalvo 55 is a fantastic JP exclusive platformer with a wild mechanic; your character is a bouncing ball that never stops bouncing. You must time all your jumps perfectly which creates some hectic platforming sections. The games main stages aren't too tough, but upon completion there is an insanely difficult "Bonus" level where you're granted 100 lives to clear it.

The game inspired a sequel that was never officially released, "Bound High" on the Virtual Boy.

I did not know about Bound High. That's nuts. Honestly I need to try to finish Chalvo o one of these days. Fun game but after awhile I give up.

 

[GhostSeed]

There's a new GBC game being published by Crunchyroll & Limited Run. No word on who the developer is yet.

For fans without a Game Boy Color, Hime’s Quest will be free-to-play and download on supported browsers later this year.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1593605316943302658

 

[pixeljunkie]

I wish it weren't $50

 

[NeoSneth]

Where's the gameplay footage? The trailer is 1% game, and it's just the title screen. Looks like it could be a decent game, but the slapped on Crunchy Roll theme has me saying Nope...

 

[pixeljunkie]

Where's the gameplay footage? The trailer is 1% game, and it's just the title screen. Looks like it could be a decent game, but the slapped on Crunchy Roll theme has me saying Nope...

I agree, it looks like it could be a phoned-in GB Studio "demo" passed off as a retail worthy title.

 

[LoneSage]

Just played it for the first time.

Bionic Commando: Elite Forces on GBC is decent. Good animation, true to the NES original, blood splatter (!) in the sniper section. Yeah, not horrible.

I just can't stand playing GBC games, though. Horrible color palette combined with the low resolution is nauseous.

 

[pixeljunkie]

Just played it for the first time.

Bionic Commando: Elite Forces on GBC is decent. Good animation, true to the NES original, blood splatter (!) in the sniper section. Yeah, not horrible.

I just can't stand playing GBC games, though. Horrible color palette combined with the low resolution is nauseous.

What are you playing them on? The new IPS displays on a GBC with a pixel grid are pretty nice and make the experience way better imo

 

[GutsDozer]

So, I recently learned that Impossible Mission for GBC has a fully-fledged PDA function. Kinda intrigued now by the weirdness.

 

[pixeljunkie]

So, I recently learned that Impossible Mission for GBC has a fully-fledged PDA function. Kinda intrigued now by the weirdness.

I am about to check this out! I didn't even know it got a GBC port. I played the hell out of the Atari 7800 version back in the day.

edit: oh, I think you mean Mission Impossible....whomp whomp. Now I am disappointed.

 

[GutsDozer]

I am about to check this out! I didn't even know it got a GBC port. I played the hell out of the Atari 7800 version back in the day.

edit: oh, I think you mean Missiono Impossible....whomp whomp. Now I am disappointed.

Yep you are correct. I guess I had Impossible Mission on the brain lol.

 

[zaneiken]

Is Avenging Spirit still available anywhere? I missed the pre-orders.

 

[pixeljunkie]

Is Avenging Spirit still available anywhere? I missed the pre-orders.

I think it's all second-hand now....so people who think it's automatically $$$ - even though it was being gouged at retail as it was.

 

[smokey]

Is Avenging Spirit still available anywhere? I missed the pre-orders.

Are you in Europe ? Nedgame.NL still has them

 

[Burning Fight!!]

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

This post is a hidden gem

 

[zaneiken]

Are you in Europe ? Nedgame.NL still has them

Australia. I see Castlemania Games still has it, but they're only using DHL to Australia. US$121 for shipping a Game Boy game and 1 other tiny item. Bonkers.

 

[smokey]

I could purchase one for you here and ship it out.

Nedgame.nl de virtual multimedia gamestore.

Dé gameshop met het grootste assortiment videogames, consoles, accessoires en game merchandise. Nieuw, tweedehands & imports. Vóór 17:00 besteld, morgen gamen!

www.nedgame.nl

No idea what shipping from Belgium to Australia would be but I can't imagine it would be more then 20 euro

These prices are euro not dollars

 

[pixeljunkie]

Is Avenging Spirit still available anywhere? I missed the pre-orders.

There is always this - not far off from "re-release" versions IMO