The GB Color handheld console was the first to offer gamers full-color gaming experiences without draining their batteries quickly. Equipped with an HD 256×256 TFT display capable of outputting vibrant visuals while remaining energy efficient, its vibrant visuals do not consume too many resources from this portable unit.
Hiroshi Yamauchi was alarmed to see Bandai’s WonderSwan rapidly taking away market share from Nintendo’s monochrome Game Boy; as soon as he heard this news, he gave R&D1 (Gunpei Yokoi’s team that created Game Boy) an order to develop a color handheld quickly.
Super Mario Bros. Deluxe
Nintendo’s 1998 launch of the Game Boy Color was an unexpected hit; many were taken aback at how successful this monochrome handheld was, having already seen service with Game Gear and Lynx, yet its color-enhanced version became one of the most commercially and critically successful handhelds ever produced. And what better way to kickstart this era of gaming than by featuring the first Super Mario Bros?
This deluxe release goes beyond simply being an exact reproduction of its NES counterpart; it adds plenty of extra content. Starting with saving your progress and races against Boo and other characters. Plus, there is an album where you can print out earned pictures and an extra toy box to collect trinkets!
The game stands out for many reasons, not least because of its timeless classic gameplay that players know and enjoy – perfect levels for speed-runners and plenty of hidden secrets that still astonish. Mario remains a timeless hero today!
However, what sets this deluxe version apart is its inclusion of a Vs. Mode that requires two Game Boy Colors connected via link cable for play. This innovative little game pits you against your friend to see who can reach the flag pole first – making for lots of enjoyable competition between friends!
Attracting new generations to Super Mario was at the core of this rerelease’s appeal; with its simple controls and playable characters designed for younger and less experienced gamers – perfect for kids – this makes this a game to enjoy together, not to mention all 164 courses to conquer! This timeless classic stands the test of time as an interactive experience!
Pokemon Gold & Silver
Pokemon Gold and Silver were an instantaneous success upon their initial debut at Japan’s 1999 Nintendo SpaceWorld Expo. It marked the start of a second generation of video game Pokemon capturing/battling titles that revolutionized capture/battle gameplay with groundbreaking features such as Ultra Guardian.
Players take control of a young trainer on their journey towards becoming a Pokemon master. While traversing Johto on this quest for eight badges, players must battle wild Pokemon, trade with friends, and fight gym leaders along their journey – while Team Rocket (an antihero group) also comes into play, which needs to be defeated before progressing further in their training journey.
Pokemon Gold and Silver differ significantly from their predecessors in that they feature an intricate world as real-life as possible, played from a top-down perspective with many areas for interaction from almost everything in the environment. Furthermore, time plays an integral part, as confident Pokemon can only be caught during certain hours of the day.
Pokemon Gold and Silver contain an impressive collection of different Pokemon and their evolutions to capture. Furthermore, these versions of the series also introduce several novel mechanics such as breeding Pokemon, day/night cycle implementation, trading between two players using infrared port functionality, breeding ability, and trading between them between each other using Game Boy Color’s infrared port – in addition to being much more complex than their original versions Red and Blue.
Pokemon Gold and Silver is an essential staple for any franchise fan, providing memorable graphics for their time and a fantastic soundtrack that will remain with fans long after their time has come and gone. Perfect for players seeking an engaging yet challenging gaming experience!
Metal Gear Solid
Many franchises have attempted to port to the Game Boy Color quickly, but Metal Gear Solid stands out as one of its most engaging offerings on this handheld. Succinct top-down gameplay from its ancestor MSX titles while adding some stealth features from the 1998 PlayStation release makes Metal Gear Solid an essential must for fans of the series and anyone interested in two-dimensional stealth gameplay.
Contrasting its console counterpart, the portable edition’s control scheme is much more intuitive. Instead of just using one button to move around, the Game Boy Color offers eight directions of movement to allow more fluid and natural sneaking experiences. Furthermore, distance indicators show accurate distance information when walking up to walls or objects in the game world as you approach. An alert will sound if an enemy spots your shadow!
Graphically, Game Boy Color titles have impressive graphics; even with characters being small sprites without faces or facial features, cutscenes still feel cinematic due to some excellent pixel art. Conversely, audio may sometimes become irritating, with repetitive buzzing or slow text crawl taking over action. However, this can be easily turned off, which shows Konami is aware this could become frustrating for their audience.
Game Boy Color users will recognize this game for its addictive, compelling, and rewarding gameplay experience – utilizing all its capabilities for an engaging, challenging, and fulfilling gaming experience. Playing this game successfully requires strategic thought and patience; guards are highly aware and quickly spot anyone making too much noise. To succeed, players must become acquainted with their surroundings, distract guards from cameras, disable cameras, and generally think outside the box. Attaining victory requires patience and intelligence, but the rewards of triumphant gaming are immense. The Last Word on Gaming Backlog is a weekly feature that looks back at gaming across generations; each week, a different writer will cover an era, such as 8-bit or 64-bit scene history.
Shantae
Shantae is WayForward’s iconic character and flagship franchise, first released for Game Boy Color in 2002 to critical acclaim on store shelves and then on Game Boy Advance several years later – receiving numerous positive reviews but taking some time before becoming popular amongst gamers. While original cartridges now command substantial collector’s items values, fans can now obtain legit copies without spending four figures or relying on illegal playback methods (emulation).
This version is an enhanced remaster of the original ROM, offering all of the typical improvements seen in retro remasters, such as save states and various screen ratios. Furthermore, this version runs at double speed compared to its counterpart and features an enhanced visual mode.
Shantae’s gameplay is a classic 2D action platformer. Shantae utilizes the capabilities of the Game Boy Color to create an incredibly colorful world for players to explore and traverse, with various dungeons to explore and enemies to defeat, as well as upgrades available throughout. Furthermore, there’s a day/night system that adds depth to its world. When visiting towns during the day or night, there may even be unique fireflies that offer additional bonuses only available at night!
One of the significant aspects of the game is that it combines multiple popular gaming genres into one enjoyable adventure: Castlevania 2 Simon’s Quest, Zelda-inspired dungeons and puzzles, Metroid elements like discovering new items to upgrade your character – creating an enjoyable and exciting gaming experience that should please fans as well as newcomers looking for classic gaming entertainment.
Does Shantae represent the pinnacle of Game Boy Color gaming? That depends entirely on your priorities. It’s certainly an entertaining, visually stunning game that showcases what was possible with that platform regarding design quality at that time. Still, issues such as a lack of challenge and excessive backtracking may keep some from enjoying this particular title. However, for fans of the Shantae series fans, this one should be on your must-own list; otherwise, I wouldn’t advise it.
