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Top Ten 3DS Virtual Console Wishlist Part 1: Game Boy [top ten]
 
  Sam I  
The Virtual Console for the 3DS will feature games from the Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Gear, and TurboGrafx-16. For the next couple of weeks I will be releasing my Top Ten Most Wanted games for these systems and others that may potentially make the 3DS Virtual Console. Whenever a game is part of a series, I will just put the series name and the game I’m most interested in seeing. I’m going to start with the Game Boy.
03/15/11, 09:08    Edited: 05/29/11, 05:59
 
   
 
Solar Striker
Release Date: February 1990 Developer: Nintendo R&D1 Publisher: Nintendo

One of the first games I got for the game boy. It had excellent music, great graphics, and tight control. It was challenging but not unfair, unlike many games of its time. It was also one of the few shooters made by Nintendo.

Trivia: The music for Level 1 was used in Captain N, The Game Master! It's heard at the beginning of "Trouble With Tetris", in a slightly altered form.
 
Alleyway
Release Date: August 1989 Developer: Nintendo R&D1, Intelligent Systems Publisher: Nintendo

Another one of my first Game Boy games. I really enjoyed this breakout clone, even though I didn’t know it was a breakout clone at the time. I especially liked the Super Mario Bros. elements sprinkled throughout, such as Mario being the pilot of the ship and the Koopa themed level.

Trivia: Besides Mario other characters from the Super Mario series make an appearance.
 
Motocross Maniacs
Release Date: January 1990 Developer: Konami Publisher: Ultra Games

While I’m generally not a racing game fan, Motocross Maniacs serves as an exception because it played more like a plataformer in which you control a bike. I loved the music and going through loops while using my nitro boosts. I think this Motocross Maniacs served as the inspiration for the XBOX game Trials HD, which feels like a spiritual successor of to this game.

Trivia: Ultra Games was a spinoff company created in 1988 as a subsidiary of Konami of America, in an effort to get around Nintendo of America's strict licensing rules for the North American Konami release games for Nintendo consoles. One of these rules was that a third-party company could only publish up to five games per year for the Nintendo Entertainment System in the US. This was hardly convenient for Konami, which had begun releasing more than ten games a year for both the Family Computer and Family Computer Disk System in Japan. With a greater library than they were allowed to localize, Konami formed the Ultra Games brand to extend their annual library to ten games a year.
 
Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters
Release Date: November 1, 1991 Developer: Nintendo R&D1 Publisher: Nintendo

While I was a fan of the original Kid Icarus for the NES, I never played the Gameboy version. I have seen videos of the game on Youtube and I am looking forward to playing in an expanded playing field and what looks to be a better game than the original. It will also serve as a refresher before I play the 3DS sequel (remake?) of the franchise.

Trivia: Kid Icarus of Myths and Mosnters runs on the Metroid II: The Return of Samus’ engine. Pit’s laurel crown and blue eye color were added to his slightly more manga-inspired design in Of Myths and Monsters. Despite the game not being released in Japan, these changes were prominent to Pit's appearance in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. The "Kid Icarus" logo on the Game Boy title's front cover was also used in the stage selection of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and a sticker of Pit's art from the game appears.
 
Kirby’s Dream Land Series
Release Date: May 1, 1995 Developer: Hal Laboratories Publisher: Nintendo

My only experiences with Kirby have been from the Smash Bros. series and Kirby’s Epic Yarn. I have always wanted to play the original Gameboy games where Kirby got his start. I’m especially looking forward to the second game, where Kirby first got to use his copy ability on a portable.

Trivia: This was the first portable Kirby game to introduce the copy ability. This game was produced by Shigeru Miyamoto and Satoru Iwata.
 
Pokemon Blue/Red/Yellow
Release Date: September 28, 1998 Developer: Game Freak Publisher: Nintendo

My first experience with Pokemon was with Blue and Yellow. However, I only reached the third badge on Yellow. This became a recurring thing for me. I only reached the third badge in each consecutive game and then stopped playing. It wasn’t until I bough Fire Red that I finally beat the whole game. After that, I finished Diamond and Soul Silver and am currently on my way to my third badge in Pokemon Black. I would love to play (and finish) the original games though. Especially if Nintendo is able to make the games link wirelessly and through Wi-Fi for battling and trading. I am most looking forward to Pokemon Blue, which was the first Pokemon game I played. I intend to finish this game all the way through, once and for all.

Trivia: In Red Version, the opening scene shows a Gengar and a Nidorino engaged in battle. In Blue Version, the Nidorino is replaced with a Jigglypuff. This change was not retained in FireRed and LeafGreen Versions, which both depict a Gengar and Nidorino squaring off. The American staff in charge of localizing the games tried to change the Pokémon designs, however, Tsunekaz Ishihara (President and CEO of the Pokemon Company, and producer) refused the proposal.
 
Tetris
Release Date: August 1989 Developer: Bulletproof Software; Nintendo Publisher: Nintendo

This was my first Gameboy game, as it probably was for most people. I was perplexed that Nintendo would decide to package the Gameboy with a launch game that was not Mario. That is, of course, until I played the game. I was immediately hooked. The graphics were nothing special, but the gameplay was something else. It was easy to learn, but difficult to master; and extremely addictive to boot. The music is also very memorable and catchy. Even though there have been many versions of the game throughout the years, the first one will always hold a special place for me.

Trivia: Initially, Nintendo planned to package Super Mario Land with the Game Boy, but decided to package Tetris instead at the insistence of Henk Rogers, who convinced Nintendo of America head Minoru Arakawa that a Mario title would only sell the Game Boy to young boys instead of everyone. After a player exits pause mode (toggled using the start button), the background music continues with an added bassline which stops when the next phrase of the song begins. Nintendo has offered no explanation for this anomaly. The “Type A" music is based on the Russian folk song Korobeiniki which can be heard in the movie “The Deer Hunter”.
 
Metroid II: The Return of Samus
Release Date: November 1991 Developer: Nintendo R&D1 Publisher: Nintendo

I have finished Metroid Zero Mission, Super Metroid, and Metroid Fusion. However, I am ashamed to admit that I have never played this game in depth. I hope to remedy this as soon as Nintendo releases the game on the 3DS VC. I also hope Nintendo remakes it, just like they did with the original Metroid.

Trivia: There was going to be a Game Boy Color Version of the game, but it was cancelled.
 
Donkey Kong
Release Date: June 1994 Developer: Nintendo EAD Publisher: Nintendo

Donkey Kong is one of the most acclaimed games for the Gameboy. Even though I have played only the first few levels, I can certainly understand all the praise that the game has received. I hope this is one of the first games that will be released on the 3DS VC. I also hope Nintendo is able to emulate the Super Gameboy color feature.

Trivia: The game was going to receive an updated version for the Game Boy Advance titled “Donkey Kong Plus.” This game eventually evolved into what we now know as “Mario vs. Donkey Kong.”
 
Super Mario Land Series
Release Date: January 31, 1989 Developer: Nintendo R&D1 Publisher: Nintendo

I have only played the first two Super Mario Lands but I think they are amongst the best games for the system. I was expecting Nintendo to port black and white versions of their past Super Mario Bros. games. However, what we got was a trilogy of original games that feature some of the best gameplay available for the system. The second game, Six Golden Coins, also introduced an enduring new nemesis for Mario, who eventually took over the Super Mario Land franchise, starting with Super Mario Land 3: Wario Land. I am most looking forward to Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins, since it feels like more like a Mario game than the other two.

Trivia: Super Mario Land was the first Mario game developed without Shigeru Miyamoto. It was produced by Gunpe Yokoi, creator of the Game Boy.
 
  Sam I  
Honorable Mentions: TMNT Series, Game & Watch Gallery, Mega Man Series, and Castlevania Series.

Tune in next week for my next Top Ten 3DS Virtual Console Wishist which will focus on Game Boy Color games.



URL to share (right click and copy)
03/15/11, 09:08   Edited: 05/29/11, 05:59 
 
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  sirmastersephiroth  
roykoopa64 said:
Excellent list. I love the details you included for each game, including all the videos you selected!

I had the old brick Game Boy back in the day, and at first I did not remember the name Solar Striker, but after watching the video I know I did play it as a kid.

Now I can add it to my Wanted List!

I added some of these games to the NW game database so you guys can add them to your wanted list as well.

sirmastersephiroth, I used some of the videos you selected for these entries, hope that's cool with you:
Solar Striker
Motocross Maniacs

Other Game Boy games I want to see come to the 3DS service have already been mentioned:

Castlevania series
TMNT series (I loved Fall of the Foot Clan)

and @GameDadGrant, I agree with Kid Dracula, most definitely! (A game I unfortunately never played.)

Thanks. And yes it's completely cool if you use the videos.

warerare said:
@sirmastersephiroth

Correction the first Pilotwings. Everyone should play the first and its on the VC so its easily accessible.

10-4!
03/15/11, 22:18   
Edited: 03/15/11, 22:18
  sirmastersephiroth  
Edit: Added Trivia for each title and some honorable mentions (due to popular demand). The next columns will also include these features.
03/15/11, 22:27   
Edited: 03/15/11, 22:27
  DungeonO  


03/15/11, 23:08   
  Secret_Tunnel  
Red and Blue with online battling/trading. Make it happen, someone.
03/15/11, 23:38   
  GameDadGrant  
@Secret_Tunnel

But why? The newer Pokémon games have online, use the same monsters, and would play the same with an online battle or trade. And they're better balanced. If the original Red/Blue were online, it would all come down to who's Mewtwo was tougher. Since (as everyone knows) Psychic-types are totally broken in that game.

Wouldn't be fun for anyone.
03/15/11, 23:42   
  Secret_Tunnel  
@GameDadGrant

Nostalgia! Plus if they're going to release them on the VC there's no reason to not have online battling.
03/15/11, 23:56   
  GameDadGrant  
@Secret_Tunnel

Alright, I suppose I could see the nostalgia factor for the single-player adventure (I guess?) but the online battling stuff would just be better with the new versions. I mean really, the balance in the original game(s) is terrible.
03/15/11, 23:58   
  sirmastersephiroth  
GameDadGrant said:
@Secret_Tunnel

But why? The newer Pokémon games have online, use the same monsters, and would play the same with an online battle or trade. And they're better balanced. If the original Red/Blue were online, it would all come down to who's Mewtwo was tougher. Since (as everyone knows) Psychic-types are totally broken in that game.

Wouldn't be fun for anyone.

Without any sort of connectivity, the games would seem incomplete.
03/15/11, 23:59   
  Anand  
*Anand likes this*

I have very little knowledge about the original Game Boy library, beyond the games that I picked up with the GBA. I've still never played the Super Mario Lands.

I kind of want a Super Game Boy just for the handful of compatible games, like DK'94. I hope Nintendo surprises me and emulates it on handheld VC.
03/16/11, 04:04   
Edited: 03/16/11, 04:04
  Whiffleboy  
@GameDadGrant

great picks
03/16/11, 05:07   
  Whiffleboy  
@sirmastersephiroth

sorry about that
03/16/11, 05:09   
  PogueSquadron  
My vote goes to Kirby's Pinball Land.
03/16/11, 05:17   
  rebonack  
Zero said:
I'd like to try Donkey Kong ('94?) sometime. It does get a ton of praise.

Wouldn't mind trying Metroid II either, although I tried to go back to the original NES Metroid and it was tough. I got pretty far, put it down for a few weeks, came back and was completely lost. Never picked it up since.

Metroid 1 has aged terribly. It's archaic as shit. But Metroid II is still awesome. I didn't play it until 2007 (right before Prime 3 released) and I love it. It's no Super Metroid or anything (which I didn't play until the early 2000s), but it's leaps and bounds ahead of Metroid 1. At least for me, since I didn't play (much of) Metroid 1 back in the day.

Donkey Kong 94 is an obvious choice, but an excellent one. Easily one of the best GB games out there. Another one I didn't play until recently (a year or two ago) that holds up really well.

I'd really like to see the original Link's Awakening on there, but I'm sure we won't. The DX version removed the warp glitch, and it seems to me they also made it so you can't skip text as easily. I recently played through the BW version, and that's how it seemed anyway. In any case, the game is awesome, and getting either version is win.
03/16/11, 05:24   
  Anand  
Your love for Zelda II is tempering my rage about your opinion on the original Metroid.
03/16/11, 22:16   
  TriforceBun  
I still play through Metroid 1 every few years. It's no Zelda 1 or SMB, but it's still one of the best NES games, IMO.

I'm kinda glad it's LA DX since I already own the original cart, complete with awesome screen-warping and everything.
03/16/11, 22:32   
  rebonack  
anandxxx said:
Your love for Zelda II is tempering my rage about your opinion on the original Metroid.

Haha, I do love me some Zelda II.

It's probably because I played very little of Metroid 1 as a kid. I borrowed it from a friend, but never got very far. I've tried several times to get into the game (via the port in Zero Mission, and the version in Prime 1), and I really want to like it, but I just can't. I've only ever beaten it using the Narpas Sword password. I kind of hate myself for it, because I always hate when people say that Zelda 1 has aged poorly, which I highly disagree with.

Maybe I'll give it another shot some day soon (without the nar password).
03/16/11, 23:07   
  CPA Wei  
Not a bad list but IMO quite a bit predictable.

Not enough love is given to:



This is the original Mana game and IMO better than it's favored sequel (Secret of Mana).

I really hope we get Gargoyle's Quest. It really sucks that we never got Demon's Crest :(

EDIT: Ok... I'm going to have to correct you on something major. First off Gunpei Yokoi is not the designer behind the Mario Land series. He is a producer, but he is far more of a traditional producer from what I gather than people like Miyamoto are. Also, Gunpei Yokoi is not Miyamoto's protege (if it's anyone it has to be Takashi Tezuka I suppose). Yokoi is Miyamoto's senior and also in a completely different department than Miyamoto.

Yokoi is more of a hardware guru than a software one.

Also, just to get this out of the way... Yokoi is not the creator of Kid Icarus or Metroid either.
03/17/11, 01:10   
Edited: 03/17/11, 01:15
  Zero  
@Simbabbad Well, back in the days I wasn't into handhelds. I never even had one. Actually I bought a Gameboy Pocket eventually, but never bought any games for it.

Although, unlike some people I realized how awesome handhelds are and now fully support them.
03/17/11, 03:02   
  heliumsky  
I had Alleyway, and I'm disappointed I can't find it anymore. :( I remember playing it a lot.
I wanted Motocross Maniacs but I never got it.
I played the hell out of Tetris, Kirby 1, and SML2.

I remember liking FF Adventure when I found it used way way way later, but can't remember anything about it. Wish I hadn't sold that... (I love the Mana series, might be cuz of the cute enemies)

I also played a lot of Caesar's Palace, but that's not really something I'd care to have on the 3DS, lol.

I liked Beetlejuice a lot, I think it was for the music. Never beat it though.

--
I actually don't see myself buying much GB games off of the VC though (except for Alleyway), since it seems there's a lot of the same genres still going around now, but newer and more up-to-date. I think platformers/RPGs would hold up well, but things like fighters & racers may not, I'm too used to the controls of now, than to go back to the controls of then. And most puzzlers generally would have something more up-to-date that I'd rather play.

Looking forward to the GBC version of the thread! I'd be more willing to download GBC stuff I think. I kinda like color, lol.
03/17/11, 08:46   
  sirmastersephiroth  
CPA Wei said:
Ok... I'm going to have to correct you on something major. First off Gunpei Yokoi is not the designer behind the Mario Land series. He is a producer, but he is far more of a traditional producer from what I gather than people like Miyamoto are. Also, Gunpei Yokoi is not Miyamoto's protege (if it's anyone it has to be Takashi Tezuka I suppose). Yokoi is Miyamoto's senior and also in a completely different department than Miyamoto.

Verified and corrected accordingly. I wasn't much of a fan of Final Fantasy Adventure. It just didn't click with me. I preferred the GBA remake, Sword of Mana.



@heliumsky My next Top Ten is going to be a bit more diverse. It's about 40% Third party and %60 Nintendo.
03/17/11, 09:05   
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