quinta-feira, 9 de fevereiro de 2023

Memory 3 of 10: Game Boy


My first contact with the Game Boy happened in 1991 when I was 12 years old. I had a game magazine at home. In this magazine there were two pages with information about Game Boy games:


The magazine I had can be accessed on Datassette.org at this link:


I got the Game Boy as a birthday present in August 1991. The Game Boy box is very interesting, it had a futuristic look:


I got two games along with the Game Boy: Operation C and Godzilla.


  • Operation C

Operation C is part of Konami's "Contra" series of action games. This version of the series for the Game Boy has gameplay and graphics very similar to the other games in the series released for the NES. I really like the games of the "Contra" series.

This is the cover of the game:

These are screenshots of some stages of the game:


  • Godzilla 

The Godzilla game I got has a cover with several monsters:

Looking at the cover, you can imagine that you are going to control Godzilla and destroy several buildings… But when you start the game, you discover that it looks like this:

But its gameplay is very interesting involving action and puzzle and it's a big game with 64 levels. This game was also an excellent choice for my Game Boy.


During the 1st half of 1992 I rented some Game Boy games. I will comment on the main ones.

 

  • Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge


Excellent version of Castlevania for the Game Boy. It has very interesting levels, great gameplay and the soundtrack is memorable. One of the best action games from the original Game Boy.

  • Nintendo World Cup


This soccer game is really fun. It was possible to push or hit the legs of the players. Sometimes at the end of the game there were several players lying on the ground because they couldn't get up anymore. It has a great soundtrack that sets the pace of the game.

  • Double Dragon


Adaptation of the classic arcade fighting game. Double Dragon was originally released in arcades in 1987 and was responsible for popularizing the beat'em up games. 


  • Super Mario Land


Version of Super Mario made specifically for the Game Boy. It has similar gameplay to Super Mario Bros 1. This was the game that was supposed to come with the Game Boy for international release, until Henk Rogers convinced Nintendo to include Tetris to reach a wider audience.

  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fall of the Foot Clan


In the early 90's, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were very popular due to the cartoon. This game combines fighting and platform game styles. It has diversified levels and good graphics for the Game Boy standard.


A friend at work donated his Game Boy to me with some cartridges. Later I acquired some used cartridges. These are the Game Boy cartridges I have at home: