Game Boy, the first ever handheld console from Nintendo, was unveiled on 21st April 1989, in where else but Japan? Dominating gameplay thanks to its portable nature and interchangeable cartridges, the Game Boy became a cultural icon of the 90s and early 00s, spawning a wealth of fan favourites such as Super Mario, and Donkey Kong.
Later evolving into the Game Boy Colour (1998), an estimated 119 million units of the console have been sold to date, making it the fourth-highest selling video game device of all time. Outselling the PlayStation and Xbox 360 on account of early exclusivity with certain titles such as ‘Pokemon‘, the games of the Game Boy are perhaps the greatest USP in the console’s success. But which was the greatest?
These are, CULTR’s Top 10 Game Boy Games of All Time…
10. MARIO GOLF
Once Nintendo realised the enormous likability factor of everybody’s favourite Italian plumber, they – quite rightly – plastered their poster-boy over just about every title going, including ‘Mario Golf‘, which saw the Pizza-muncher try his hand on the green, Tiger Woods-style. A fun arcade game, filled with various courses and challenges was born, which really allowed the Game Boy Color‘s pixels to pop on those lush green aesthetics.
9. TOMB RAIDER
The first crush of just about every 90s kid, Lara Croft was iconic in more ways than one. The incredibly pointy cone-shaped mammaries and Angelina Jolie movie-reboot aside, Eidos Interactive nailed the idea of a female lead, with the title becoming one of the biggest-selling PS1 games of all time. The Game Boy version was, naturally, stripped back on the graphics side, but still offered gamers a handheld experience of one of the 90’s most iconic titles.
8. DONKEY KONG COUNTRY
If you’re a Nintendo fan, then you’re sure to have played Donkey Kong Country on the SNES. It was a classic side-scrolling platform game with some of the best gameplay ever. The Game Boy Colour reboot sees our beloved main protagonist teaming up with Diddy on a mission to retrieve DK’s banana stash from an evil crocodile nemesis. This one was hours of fun through a series of levels comprising of jungles, mountains, caves, treetops, and mines.
7. TENNIS
Perhaps one of the most simple titles to ever grace our tiny little screens, the appropriately named ‘Tennis‘ did what it said on the tin, offering users an old-skool back-and-forth. With the ratio of the screen suiting the court perfectly, endless summers were spent bashing the A button to hit a baseline winner or battering ‘B’ to lob one over your (annoyingly difficult to beat) opponent’s head.
6. POKEMON GOLD/SILVER
Adding an extra 100 Pokemon to the already existing 151 was a hugely exciting venture at the turn of the new Millennium. As was, adding in a whole new region (Johto) in the quest to become a Pokemon master. The inclusion of a real-time clock was also a fantastic addition, and small details (like ‘Team Rocket’ from the anime series) were brilliant easter eggs. Having said that, it did sometimes feel a little TOO bloated, compared to the simplistic charm of the original.
5. TETRIS
The original nerd-master 3000, who would have ever known brain-training could be so popular, long before the meteoric rise of Sudoku. A genius invention which put gamer’s fast-thinking abilities in the realms of logic and spatial awareness to the test, Tetris undoubtedly paved the way for Candy Crush and other falling blocks, cementing a status as the world’s most famous puzzle game.
4. POKEMON RED/BLUE
As close to perfect as any game has ever been made, and still missing out on a podium finish in this list (which gives an indication of the quality in our final three), Pokemon allowed gamers to go out and experience their very own ‘Ash, Misty & Brock’ adventure. Through card-games and merch-a-plenty, the brand had children/teens in a chokehold during the late 90s, as every school playground around the world was alight with the same question…. Charmander, Squirtle, or Bulbasaur?
3. LEGEND OF ZELDA: LINK’S AWAKENING
One of the most iconic titles ever made on any console, Link’s Awakening sent shockwaves through the Zelda franchise and offered players a seemingly never-ending longevity, such was the vast size of the world and ability to roam so freely. Laying the foundations for so many signature moves we see in Zelda games to the current day, including the ability to play songs on an ocarina, Link’s Awakening is crisp, and offers insane playability.
2. SUPER MARIO BROS DELUXE
Issa-me, Mario! In at number 2, is our moustached friend for another outing in his Nintendo home. Here, in this gorgeous bold spray of graphics and gameplay, the Game Boy Color‘s display really pops as the King of the Koopas has (you guessed it), stolen Princess Peach once again. Super Mario Bros Deluxe really kicked the series up a notch with a simultaneous multiplayer mode, a new challenge mode, and lots of newly designed action-packed levels.
1. POKEMON YELLOW
Remember that playground dispute we mentioned? Well Pokemon Yellow eradicated that completely, by allowing gamers to collect all three in the wild, and start the game with Pikachu as your companion, instead. With the 90s version of Grogu following you around through each step on the map, Yellow took the game to the next level, adding in Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny, and improving any gameplay glitches found in the original Red and Blue series. The humble Game Boy games, inspired by creator Satoshi Tajiri’s childhood love of insect collecting, spawned the highest-grossing media franchise ever with over 100 sequels and spinoffs, dozens of successful movies, and endless TV series. The greatest game EVER made? Pokemon Yellow, I choose you!
Do you agree with our selections? Wanna shout out those hidden gems you think we might have missed? Why not head over to our CULTR Instagram page to start the debate!
