10. Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge
An incredible addition to the Castlevania series. This game definitely did it the best, with fun platforming and plenty of challenge. That whip never moved better in black and white Gameboy graphics.
9. Donkey Kong Land series
I couldn't really pick one out of the three because they each port three incredible games just as well as the next game. The Donkey Kong Land series ports the Donkey Kong Country games from the SNES with amazing precision. The graphics, although severely downgraded, resemble the original detailed graphics very well. The level designs are still there, and the platforming is just as good. It is a very powerful game, and most impressive.
8. Megaman V
The classic Megaman games have always been timeless platforming shooters, and the gameboy ports are no different. This game was unique in that the robots came from outer space, and Dr. Wily was surprisingly not the final boss you had to fight. Slightly sluggish movement and difficult platforming makes it for a sadistically fun adventure.
7. Kirby's Dream Land
Yet another game that translated quite well into the Gameboy from the NES console. The graphics were incredibly detailed, and the music ended up being quite addictive. Kirby is able to fly for short periods of time by bloating up like a balloon and floating around. His special ability is his ability to suck up enemies and shoot them out like ammunition. It is a unique platforming experience, and also obviously quite fun.
6. Super Mario Land
THE Super Mario game for the Gameboy. The platforming translated perfectly, though the music did not feature any classics from the original game. Although this was supposed to be your typical Mario adventure, it also featured very unorthodox portions of the game, mostly involving you piloting a ship and shooting the enemies R-Type style. It was all in good fun though, even if it did feel a bit out of place.
5. Super Mario Land 3: Wario Land
This is the first game to feature Wario, Mario's evil counterpart, as the main character. It is definitely not like any sort of Mario game though. Instead of merely jumping on enemies, Wario's special attack is a running tackle, which he use to blow enemies away and break walls/objects. You could also collect special hats with certain powers, like flight and flame throwing. It mixed the standard Mario-esque platforming with some aggressive action, which made it a lot more fun in the long run.
4. Metroid II: Return of Samus
With a game as platform-perfect as Metroid, its incredible how well it ported over to the Gameboy handheld system. Metroid II: Return of Samus had the same detailed graphics as its NES counterparts, the same smooth platforming action, and the same large interconnected dungeon you spent the whole game in. This game was a marvel for its time and continued to be as it blasted its way to the SNES.
3. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
The Legend of Zelda was already becoming a popular franchise with hits like the original Zelda for the NES and A Link to the Past for the SNES. With Link's Awakening, the Legend of Zelda series made it's explosive debut on a handheld platform. The series' style of puzzle adventure translated perfectly to the Gameboy, with lovably detailed graphics and intricate dungeon designs. This almost dream-like adventure made Link's Awakening one of the fullest experiences the Gameboy could ever offer.
2. Pokemon Red/Blue
This is the game that started the whole Pokemon craze, and for a good reason to. It was essentially an RPG, but it featured over a hundred unforgettable "pocket monsters" that you had to capture and raise to become the best Pokemon trainer in the world. You could link your Gameboy up to a friend's and battle each other's Pokemon or trade them, which brought a whole new level of multiplayer to the video gaming world. Even when played alone, you were busy making your Pokemon stronger while looking to catch them all. This game eventually spawned a popular card trading game, an anime series, several feature-length movies, and many more games. There's no denying how much fun this was and still is.
1. Tetris
Everybody knows Tetris, everybody has played Tetris, and everybody loves Tetris. Despite having hundreds of different versions on just about every gaming platform in history, the Gameboy version of Tetris took the world by storm and had people playing in for hours and hours. It's an incredibly simple game (you stack uniquely shaped bricks to form lines), but its the simplicity that makes it so easy to just pick up and play. And that's exactly what the Gameboy is about: picking up and playing. This is, without a doubt, the best game on the Gameboy.
A great list, I've been looking for one which simply deals with gameboy games so thank you vary much. Only gameboy games are playable on my phone with the use of meboy and this top ten will come in very useful.
ReplyDeleteare you serious?? tetris?????????????? fuck... grow up. everyone knows donkey kong land 2 was the best.
ReplyDeleteLol, thanks for your OPINION but that's all it is, an OPINION.
ReplyDeleteI think you'll find the majority of player and critic consensus points to Tetris, Donkey Kong Land 2 is almost never mentioned. You're lucky it was even added to the list..
tetris is number one, hell without its amazing gameplay who know if the gameboy would have even made it
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