Video Works by Jeremy Parish (Video Games)

We've seen exploratory adventures, and we've seen platformers. But here's the first exploratory adventure in the form of a platformer: David Crane's Pitfall for Atari 2600. We're still digging through Metroidvania's roots, but those roots are starting to look more and more familiar…

Direct download: Metroidvania_Chronicles_005_Pitfall_Activision_1982.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 9:04am EDT

Pac-Man? Everybody loves that guy! Nintendo loved Pac-Man so much it made two games just like it, and this episode looks at the pair: Both Clu Clu Land and its import-only sibling, Devil World. Their similarities and differences speak volumes about the game company Nintendo was shaping up to be.

Direct download: Good_Nintentions_008_Clu_Clu_Land_Nintendo_1985.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 3:34pm EDT

We continue our journey through Nintendo's October 1985 NES lineup with the first release that had notable impact on the rest of the industry: Golf. The most widely played and distributed golf sim to debut in 1984 (in Japan), Nintendo's take on the sport codified a number of elements that would become standard for the genre, most notably the swing power meter. It's 30 years old, but it's still a pretty fun take on the sport!

Please consider supporting the Good Nintentions video project at www.patreon.com/gamespite, and be sure to visit www.goodnintentions.com for more on these games (including high-quality photography and scans)!

Direct download: Good_Nintentions_006_Golf_Nintendo_1985.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 12:00pm EDT

The game that convinced Nintendo that, yeah, bringing the NES to America would be a good idea arrives at last: Duck Hunt, the iconic shooting game. It's simplistic and goofy by today's standards, but Duck Hunt didn't succeed despite those traits... it succeeded BECAUSE of them. An intuitive, whimsical, dynamic shooting game that remains a beloved classic even now—and for good reason!

Check out www.goodnintentions.com for more on the game.

Direct download: Good_Nintentions_005_Duck_Hunt_Nintendo_1985.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 10:30am EDT

Sometimes a game comes along that fails to make its way to the U.S., and our lost opportunity is very sad and disappointing. This is not one such game. Volleyfire isn't the worst thing to flow down the Game Boy pipeline, but it feels like a game that would be resembled a relic from a bygone era even in 1990. Needless to say, a game that didn't hold up well at launch holds up even more poorly in the present day.

Direct download: Game_Boy_World_064_Volleyfire.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 9:00am EDT

Game Boy has a near-miss with greatness in this wildly ambitious and wildly uneven combo of shoot-em-up and first-person RPG.

Direct download: Game_Boy_World_060_Cosmo_Tank_Atlus_Asuka_Technologies_1990.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 7:53am EDT

The most faithful NES-to-Game-Boy conversion to date arrives with this near-simultaneous rendition of Kid/Taxan collaboration Burai Fighter. Does it live up to the source material? Well... let's just say you'd never know I'm capturing this Game Boy footage at 60 frames per second. Kid gave it a heck of a try, and even made quite a few adjustments to the game to keep the difficulty from being unfairly punishing, but the poor little Game Boy had its limitations....

Fun trivia: This episode also represents the first time I've used my own video capture of Game Boy Color footage. My setup needs some work, but it's getting there....

Direct download: Game_Boy_World_063_Burai_Fighter_Deluxe_Kid_Taxan_1990.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 12:00pm EDT

June 1990 brings the very first Game Boy sequel to an earlier Game Boy game. Naturally, that sequel is Boxxle II. I mean, everything else on Game Boy has been based on Boxxle, so why not a proper sequel?

As this episode details, however, Boxxle II honestly has no reason to exist — Game Boy's glut of puzzlers has given us brain-teasers far more inventive than this straight port of the original box-pusher. Including, I'm afraid, the game that immediately precedes Boxxle II: SNK's Game Boy debut, Dexterity.

With the Boxxles as bookends, I've also taken this opportunity to offer a recap of just HOW MANY puzzle-like games we've seen on Game Boy to date. Buckle in — it's about to get funky.

Thanks for watching, and please be sure to check out the Game Boy index I'm building at http://www.gameboyworld.com, or support this project through Patreon (http://www.patreon.com/gamespite) or by picking up related books at Amazon! (http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=dp_byline...)


Coconuts Japan brings us a Game Boy release with a terribly deceptive title; this is THREE card games, not just one. By far the most mundane and straightforward bit of Game Boy we've yet seen, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. If you want to play card games, well, here's Card Game.

Direct download: Game_Boy_World_061_Card_Game_Marionette_Coconuts_Japan_1990.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 12:44pm EDT

A double dose of licensed mediocrity for you! Far more information than you could ever need on the tragic failings of two games based on Japanese TV, toys, and anime: Ultraman Club and Zoids Densetsu. These games were never released in America, and it turns out for good reason.


There was a time, not so long ago, when the idea of another puzzle game sounded like pure suffering. Thankfully, some janky imports put things in perspective... and, of course, it helps that this latest puzzler—Asmik's Catrap, a remake of 1985's Pitman—is pretty darned good on its own, too.

Direct download: Game_Boy_World_059_Catrap_Asmik_Ace_1990.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 3:49pm EDT

Game Boy gets its first old-school dungeon crawler, one of the least common genres on the system. This one offers an atypical setting for the genre (ancient Japan!), which is aesthetically cool yet somewhat frustrating in practical terms: The game text, which has never been localized or fan-translated into English, displays entirely in cumbersome traditional hiragana script (even English loanwords like "damage"). So it's a bit tough to play if you're not comfortable with reading awkwardly displayed Japanese text—and the heavy need for grinding up experience points doesn't help. It's not a bad RPG, though! Just a bit unfriendly to foreigners.

Direct download: Game_Boy_World_057_Ayakashi_no_Shiro_Seta_1990.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 3:47pm EDT

A look back at Nintendo's Wild Gunman, the first-ever NES light gun game, and a shooter whose simple design belies its remarkable heritage. Best known in the U.S. for its faked-up cameo in Back to the Future Part II, Wild Gunman was to Japanese fans at the time the latest entry in a line of product evolution that stretched back more than a decade.

Both Florent Georges' book The History of Nintendo 1889-1980 and the Before Mario blog (www.beforemario.com) were invaluable resources as I researched this retrospective. Be sure to check them out!

Direct download: Good_Nintentions_004_Wild_Gunman_Nintendo_1985.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 3:44pm EDT

Though it tends to be overlooked in studies of role-playing history, Venture iterated on the concepts of Atari's Adventure in a way that made the action RPG viable as an arcade experience—a forgotten yet important influence on metroidvania games.

Direct download: Metroidvania_Chronicles_004_Venture_Exidy_1981.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 8:59pm EDT

Here we have the first NES release that wasn't based on a sport... yet it's hardly a bastion of creativity. By 1984, when Pinball debuted on Famicom, pinball had established itself as one of the most popular subjects for video games. Pinball stood apart, though, due to its remarkable quality... thanks in large part to a pinch-hit assist from future Nintendo president Satoru Iwata.

Direct download: Good_Nintentions_003_Pinball_Nintendo_1985.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 8:58pm EDT

Game Boy certainly didn't lack for puzzle action games in its early years, as we've seen. And here's another one! Lock ’N Chase, however, isn't merely some quick-and-sleazy money grab (despite the fact that the box art says, "Take the money and run!")—this game has an impressive history behind it, and its design reflects an attempt to build on Data East's arcade heritage. And it's pretty fun, too.

 

Direct download: Game_Boy_World_055_Lock_N_Chase_Data_East_1990.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 8:57pm EDT

Game Boy gets its first-ever boxing game, and it's almost pretty good. Unfortunately, it doesn't quite hit the mark due to an interface that stumbles over the line between "perfectly complex" and "bizarrely overcomplicated." It attempts to channel the spirit of and even improve on Nintendo's Punch-Out!!, but unfortunately it only duplicates the obvious part of that masterpiece rather than the design choices that make it so good.

Direct download: Game_Boy_World_056_Heavyweight_Championship_Boxing.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 5:23pm EDT

Good Nintentions isn't just a survey of the NES; it's meant to be a history lesson that helps contextualize the place of these old game releases in the evolution of the medium. So while Tennis is not the kind of game that causes people to tear up with nostalgia 30 years later, it nevertheless holds a place of distinction in gaming history, as outlined here.

Direct download: Good_Nintentions_002_Tennis_Nintendo_1985.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 11:55pm EDT

Hi! Welcome to the first episode of Good Nintentions, the full-color companion piece to Game Boy World. This series will serve as a chronological survey of the NES (the first year or two of its life, anyway), published less frequently than Game Boy World... basically, as the mood strikes me. The world's not really short on comprehensive surveys of the NES, so I don't expect this to be a particularly popular or well-received series—it's just something that seemed like it would be enjoyable, really.

We start at the beginning of the NES's life in Oct. 1985, with what I have arbitrarily pegged as the "first" NES release. Of all the games released alongside the NES at launch, Baseball appeared earliest in Japan, so it's the oldest of Nintendo's U.S. launch titles. It definitely feels its age, but it's not a bad game... merely one that's been surpassed by 30-plus years of countless developers working within a fixed rule set and doing their best to create the ultimate virtual expression of the sport. Despite its simplicity, there's plenty to say about Baseball...

Direct download: Good_Nintentions_001_Baseball_Nintendo_1985.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 11:51pm EDT

Sure, we've seen a lot of puzzle games on Game Boy—and I do mean a LOT of puzzle games. And there are so, so many more to come. But every once in a while, one rises above the morass to merit attention, and that's precisely what we have with Vic Tokai's Daedalian Opus. Despite the opaque name and misleading box art, Daedalian Opus takes a decidedly different approach to its puzzle design. It centers on a refreshingly simple premise that results in complex, challenging puzzles. Sure, you can dabble in the same basic concept with the puzzle boxes in 3DS's Monster Manor Streetpass game, but that's haphazard and random. This is the real deal, and it's a remarkable and addictive puzzle. Bonus: It appears to have been made by the same people as NES cult classic Clash at Demonhead.

Direct download: Game_Boy_World_050_Daedalian_Opus_Vic_Tokai_1990.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 2:33pm EDT

♫ It's Popeye the vid'ja game

(Not the one Nintendo made)

It's not entertainin'—

My good mood is wanin'

From Popeye the vid'ja game ♫

Direct download: Game_Boy_World_051_Popeye_Sigma_Ent._1990.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 2:31pm EDT

Those blockheads at Kemco give us another cartoon-based game that has no substantial connection to the property. Snoopy's Magic Show is only a Peanut's game because it has Snoopy on the box; otherwise, it's just another in a long line of unremarkable and poorly designed puzzle action games for Game Boy. I know, right?

Direct download: Game_Boy_World_052_Snoopys_Magic_Show_Kemco_1990.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 2:29pm EDT

As we enter the holiday season, Game Boy World gives us reason to celebrate at last: Not only a game that doesn't incorporate a single puzzle element, but a well-made and quite high-quality one at that! Mercenary Force puts a unique spin on the shoot-em-up, not only in terms of mechanics but also with its setting. It's wicked hard, but so good.

Direct download: Game_Boy_World_053_Mercenary_Force_Live_Planning_Lenar_Meldac_1990.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 2:22pm EDT

Ah, here we go. A true Game Boy classic. Capcom's ambitious debut for the platform brought the Ghosts ’N Goblins series to the world of portable entertainment, but not in a way we'd ever seen before.

Perhaps in acknowledgement of the limitations of the hardware, Capcom shifted the focus away from Arthur's hopeless action quests in favor of a slower-paced, RPG-tinged adventure featuring the bane of every Ghosts ’N Goblins fan's existence: A Red Arremer named Firebrand.

Despite an iffy localization and the inevitable content censorship that a game revolving around satanic hosts had to accept under Nintendo's religion-free regime, Gargoyle's Quest expanded the scope of the Ghosts ’N Goblins universe... and it brought legitimate excellence and ambition to Game Boy. An essential selection.

Game Boy World is made possible through viewer support through Patreon (http://www.patreon.com/gamespite). And please check out the needs list if you have any old Game Boy software you've been wanting to get rid of (especially boxes!): https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1sbFYQ4JtxkgFoL3eo_xd6NuI4r_wH1BUQv21f_rI3pg/edit?usp=sharing

Direct download: Game_Boy_World_054_Gargoyles_Quest_Capcom_1990.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 2:19pm EDT

 

Another journey into Game Boy obscurity, Taxan's Serpent is an updated take on the classic old Snake game that has appeared in countless variants through the years. To my knowledge, though, this is the only one that involves snake-seeking missiles and serpentine war robots.

Direct download: 042_serpent_itunes.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 11:59am EDT

 

Are you ready for some football? "But which KIND of football?" you ask, trying to get me on a technicality. Ah, but I've covered my bases: This episode concerns both kinds of football, each of which saw its Game Boy debut in April 1990. From Konami, NFL Football does it up American-style; and from Sony, Soccer Mania does the Euro football thing. They may concern two different forms of football, but these two Game Boy releases share something in common besides a debut month: They're also both pretty awful. Hoorah!

Direct download: 041_NFL_Football_itunes.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 11:43am EDT

 

This is it: The soaring high-water mark of Game Boy technology. You might not expect it from a humble conversion of a 1978 arcade game, and the original Japan-only release of Space Invaders would bear out that assumption. But when Taito and Nintendo reissued the game in the U.S. four years later, they created the most elaborate and complex piece of Game Boy software ever. It's one of those things you need to see to believe.

Direct download: 040_Space_Invaders_itunes.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 11:41am EDT

 

Pack-in Video's Trump Boy is the sort of game that would appear these days on 3DS eShop without ceremony for $1.99. Back in the Game Boy days, though, we didn't have digital distribution, so this meager excuse for a card game collection showed up as a full-price release. Our thoughts and prayers go to anyone who shelled out ¥3000 for this clunker.

Direct download: 039_Trump_Boy_itunes.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 11:39am EDT

The first of several Gundam games to appear on Game Boy, Kunitori Monogatari is pretty much the living definition of "substandard licensed game." The Gundam license can't save this one... especially since the license in question is a spinoff of a spinoff of Gundam rather than the real thing.

There's not much to this game: You spread across the map with a cumbersome, turn-based menu, attempting to recruit various robot samurai through asking or conquest, and ultimately assault the enemy daimyo's palace. Daimyo are hilariously overpowered, though, so every war appears to end in a draw when both sides run out of robots to throw at the other castle. Great stuff, clearly.

Direct download: 038_SD_Gundam_itunes.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 11:37am EDT

 

Can you believe it? Another Game Boy puzzler. Another port of an old PC game. Another Japan-only release. Yes, Flappy Special is basically the quintessence of Game Boy games from 1990 — the sum totality of all that is GB. And yet, despite its redundancy... it's actually not too bad. A pleasantly doomed portable experience.

Direct download: 037_Flappy_Special_iTunes.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 11:36am EDT

In March of 1990, something miraculous occurred: Two Game Boy games revolving around the theme of penguins appeared in Japan. But which was the better penguin adventure?


Hey! It's another puzzle game. But this one's quite unlike anything else we've seen on Game Boy to date. Based on the 1989 arcade puzzler Plotting, this one involves throwing blocks and trying to make matches while avoiding locking yourself out of future moves. It's simple-looking and a little bit complicated in practice, but a lot of fun regardless.

Direct download: 035-Flipull.itunes.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 8:02am EDT

Konami gets tricky this time around by combining a genre they know well (shooters) with a game style they don't (falling block puzzlers). The results are... well, mixed. But it's a nice effort. And check out that list of legendary development talent!

Direct download: Game_Boy_World_034_Quarth_Konami_1989.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 3:17pm EDT

From the developer and publisher of NES sports classic Bases Loaded comes... Bases Loaded for Game Boy. Except it's kind of not? Despite the common heritage and the common sport, this Bases Loaded isn't exactly a straight-up portable conversion. More like a different take on the sport. And it's 100% more enjoyable with a friend, because 8-bit sports games tend to be pretty terrible solo. This is no different!

Direct download: 033_Bases_Loaded.itunes.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 3:00pm EDT

 

There's this one guy who comments on pretty much every Game Boy World video I post to say, "Bet you can't wait until you cover a good game, huh?" Well, here we go. Nemesis may not bear the Gradius name, but it's clearly a Gradius game... and a better and more satisfying take on the series than Castlevania: The Adventure had been for its respective franchise. A dense, beautifully designed shooter that doesn't compromise the player's options (and Options) or the number of hazards flying around despite the limited hardware, Nemesis even goes a step further by offering a huge array of difficulty options to let fans play their own way — fairly easy, super tough, or in between. Easily one of the standouts for the platform to date.

Direct download: 032_Nemesis.itunes.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 11:53am EDT

In February of 1990, Japanese Game Boy owners were treated to two curiously similar board game adaptations in a row: Kawada's portable rendition of Othello, and Towa Chiki's gomoku renju game Taikyoku Renju. Both can trace their origins back to the classic Japanese board game Go. This episode takes both in at once, pitting them head-to-head in a mighty struggle to the death. Or something like that.

Direct download: 031_Othello.itunes.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 11:56am EDT

The first vertical shoot-'em-up for Game Boy, and the first Nintendo had produced since 1983, Solar Striker is... well, it's totally forgettable. While it did the trick in terms of providing a shooter for the Game Boy in its early days, and it played well on the system despite its poor screen, it did little else of note. 

Solar Striker's page on Game Boy World: http://www.gameboyworld.com/1990/01/26/solar-striker/

You can buy Game Boy World in print: http://www.amazon.com/Game-Boy-World-Unofficial-Unauthorized/dp/151176368X

Direct download: 030_Solar_Striker.itunes.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 11:40pm EDT

One of the most influential games of all time makes its way to Game Boy — ironically well after two games that heavily borrowed from its classic design showed up on the platform. Heiankyo Alien may not be as well known as Lode Runner or even Boomer's Adventure in Asmik World, but neither of those games would exist without its groundbreaking design. The venerable PC is neatly presented here... along with a fancy remake.

For more on Game Boy's history, read www.gameboyworld.com

The complete Game Boy World archives from 1989 is available in print at http://www.amazon.com/Game-Boy-World-Unofficial-Unauthorized/dp/151176368X

Direct download: 29-Heiankyo_Alien_itunes.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 9:52am EDT

So it turns out making a bowling video game is pretty tough, especially on Game Boy. Sadly, developer Athena wasn't quite up to the task, turning the favorite pastime of dudes with one huge forearm into what amounts, mechanically, to a weaker version of Golf. They can't all be winners, but 1990's off to a pretty bad start so far.

For more on Game Boy, check out http://www.gameboyworld.com

 

And please support this project on Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/gamespite

Direct download: 28-World_Bowling_itunes.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 3:00pm EDT

Revenge of the Gator proved the Game Boy was more than capable of supporting an excellent pinball game. Now, Jaleco proves that not all pinball games are created equal with this underwhelming take on the subject. A motley assembly of obscure Jaleco characters can't save this one from mediocrity, I'm afraid.

For more on Game Boy history, check out http://www.gameboyworld.com

Support this venture at http://www.patreon.com/gamespite

 

Buy the first Game Boy World book at http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/151176368X/

Direct download: 027_Hero_Shuugou_iTunes.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 3:00pm EDT

Welcome to the '90s! Sorry it doesn't get off to a better start. But alas, Wizards & Warriors X: The Fortress of Fear is about as mundane and insipid as 8-bit platformers come, a huge step back in quality and ambition from its two NES predecessors. Everything that made the first two Wizards & Warriors games notable is missing here, leaving nothing but a floppy-footed knight with a tendency to jump a little too vigorously. The first Game Boy title of the '90s, and the first Western-developed Game Boy game, is kind of a bust.

Stay tuned for more tragedy in the '90s at www.gameboyworld.com. And, of course, support this journey through mediocrity at www.patreon.com/gamespite

Direct download: 026_-_Wizards__Warriors_iTunes.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 9:06pm EDT

Game Boy may have ruled portable gaming, but Nintendo's was not an uncontested victory. In this side story to Game Boy World, we look at the first competitor to Game Boy: Atari Lynx, which launched in the U.S. mere weeks after Game Boy's debut. Why did Lynx lose out to Nintendo's system, and why does it remain a notable system to this day despite its failure?

For more on Lynx: http://www.gameboyworld.com/1989/11/01/atari-lynx/

Main site: http://www.gameboyworld.com/

And please support Game Boy World on Patreon! http://www.patreon.com/gamespite

Direct download: Gaiden_I_-_Lynx_iTunes.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 11:52pm EDT

The final entry in the Metroidvania Chronicles "prequel trilogy," this episode looks at the world's first great platformer, Donkey Kong. Not that the world needs yet another Donkey Kong retrospective, but at least this one tries to take a different perspective on it. Go on, give it a watch. 

For more on the history and evolution of exploratory action games, read www.metroidvania.com — and please consider supporting this series at www.patreon.com/gamespite!

Direct download: 003_Donkey_Kong.itunes.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 2:12pm EDT

We finally put a bow on Game Boy's first year of existence with a recap: What came before, what the Game Boy accomplished, and what was up with all those games.

Direct download: 1989_round-up_iTunes.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 12:01pm EDT

This is it: The end of Game Boy's first calendar year's worth of releases. Master Karateka brings the library of releases (at least in Japan) to 25... but, unfortunately, it doesn't bring 1989 to a rousing finale. Based on a 1984 PC classic, this brawler's age definitely shows, especially while fans of punchin' stuff were enjoying the likes of Final Fight in the arcades. Still, there's a fair amount to say about this adventure... even if I couldn't quite get past the annoying first boss while capturing footage.

Anyway, roll on 1990.

Direct download: 025_-_Master_Karateka.output_itunes.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 3:00pm EDT

The next-to-last Game Boy release for 1989 in Japan, The Sword of Hope wouldn't make it way to America for a year and a half. It's not a game you hear people recall with fondness, though original developer/publisher Kemco seems to have a soft spot for it. Despite its obscurity, The Sword of Hope offers surprising depth and quality, combining role-playing mechanics with the trappings of an adventure game. As interesting an experience as it is rough-hewn.

Direct download: 024_The_Sword_of_Hope_itunes.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 5:00pm EDT

Further ruminations on the design and narrative of Squaresoft's Final Fantasy VI. This time, we follow Terra as she flees into the caves and Locke as he saves her bacon. Featuring 100% more Moogles than Part 1!

For more words about old video games, check out the super cool site known as www.anatomyofgames.com

Direct download: Anatomy_of_Final_Fantasy_VI_02_itunes.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 9:00am EDT

35 years ago this week, a key piece in the evolution of Metroidvania games hit the U.S. market: Atari's Adventure, a simple but ambitious console adaptation of the concepts behind William Crowther's Colossal Cave Adventure — the same Colossal Cave Adventure that inspired Zork. In fact, Atari's Adventure works as a sort of console counterpart to Zork: The answer to the question of how one might go about making an adventure as complex as Zork work within the limitations of a console. Obviously, the answer was "it can't, and has to be simplified," but despite its restrictions Zork was a bold and important chapter in the evolution of game design.

Direct download: 002_Adventure_itunes.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 2:00pm EDT

We're almost through Game Boy's releases for 1989, and there's still good stuff to be found! Boomer's Adventure in Asmik World may not be an earth-shaking classic or anything, but it's a load of fun. It's also suspiciously similar to game that would hit Game Boy a few weeks later, Heiankyo Alien... how strange.

This episode marks another technical milestone for Game Boy World: I'm now capturing RGB video from a Super Game Boy 2. The Japan-only second SGB revision included hardware that was more accurate to the actual innards of a Game Boy, resulting in games that ran true to the original hardware (as opposed to slightly too fast, and with negligibly pitch-shifted music). Honestly, this is probably about as good as it gets in terms of video quality. Please enjoy this luxury, made possible by enthusiastic and very generous Game Boy World viewers such as yourself. Thanks for watching and supporting the show!

Direct download: 023_Boomers_Adventure_itunes.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 5:00pm EDT

It's a game about a mouse who pushes boxes. But it's not Boxxle, because that was a dude in a ball cap. Seta's 1989 puzzler belongs to the endless ranks of Game Boy releases that stood alone and were largely forgotten by the world, and will never be seen again thanks to corporate mergers, acquisitions, shutdowns, and lapsed trademarks. Let this be the game's lonely monument. Amen.

For more portable 8-bit games, keep on reading gameboyworld.com

Direct download: 022_Q_Billion_itunes.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 4:00pm EDT

It's been a long time coming, but the first episode of Metroidvania Chronicles is here. We begin before the beginning, turning back the hands of game design to 1977's text adventure Zork. What does a text-based adventure have to do with Metroid-style platform action games, you may well wonder, and this episode aims to answer that question in as interesting a fashion as possible, given how deeply unsuited to video the text adventure genre is.

Direct download: 001-Zork_itunes.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 5:00pm EDT

The first part in what will probably end up being a tragically lengthy series of analyses of Final Fantasy VI, the 1994 Super NES classic (by way of its 2007 GBA remake). We look at the techniques its creators used to relay its story and draw players into its world and systems, beginning at the very beginning.

For more dry dissections of classic video games, consider subjecting yourself to www.anatomyofgames.com

Direct download: Anatomy_of_FFVI_01_iTunes.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 6:00pm EDT

 

Suddenly we jump ahead to 1992! Well, kind of. Mindscape's Battleship (based on the classic tabletop game) arrived in the U.S. in December of 1992, but the same game appeared three years earlier in Japan under the title Kaisen Game: Navy Blue. Was it always meant to be Battleship, or did Mindscape simply make use of a Battleship-like existing creation as a shortcut once it acquired the Battleship license? You'll find no answers here, but boy howdy do I ever speculate wildly!

Direct download: 021_Battleship_itunes.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 9:00am EDT

Game Boy gets its first-ever fighting game, and its first-ever licensed title based on a manga/anime property! And... it's not very good. But that's just par for the course with Fist of the North Star, which lends itself nicely to video games, but not necessarily very good video games. Still, it's an interesting artifact, especially since it was one of the first games with an anime license to make its way to the U.S. with its original property intact. History is written by the winners, but sometimes it's made by losers.

Direct download: 20_Fist_of_the_North_Star.itunes.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 7:43am EDT

 

The third Japan-only Game Boy release, and the third based on a very Japan-specific pastime. Coincidence? Ummm... no. Shogi presents the classic Japanese counterpart to chess in about as stripped-down a format as possible, with barely adequate visuals, no music, and hilariously lethargic artificial intelligence. It does the job, but please don't lie awake at night weeping that we missed out on this one. You are going to be OK.

Direct download: 019_Shogi_itunes.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 8:19am EDT

The biggest Game Boy release of 1989, in scope if not in popularity. The Final Fantasy Legend didn't just kick off the long-running SaGa series, it paved the way for countless handheld RPGs with its unpredictable but generally forgiving play and compact yet expansive world. A fascinatingly ambitious release for this early on the Game Boy's life.

 

Check out more Game Boy history at http://www.gameboyworld.com, and please consider helping to fund this project at http://www.patreon.com/gamespite — thanks!

Direct download: 018_Final_Fantasy_Legend_itunes.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 10:22am EDT

 

We reach an important milestone with Pachinko Time: It's the first post-launch Game Boy title to be a Japan-exclusive release — the first since Yakuman, back in April 1989. Soon, the floodgates shall open, and Game Boy World will be inundated with games never released in the U.S. (and, as we'll see, often for good reason). The Japanocalypse is nigh.

Direct download: 017-Pachinko-Time-itunes.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 8:54am EDT

Even if you don't care about sports, or golf in particular, you have to give credit to Nintendo's Game Boy adaptation of the sport. Rich in detail and high in quality, Golf set the standard for portable sports software. And in black-and-white, plaid doesn't look quite so offensive.

Direct download: 106_Golf_itunes.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 10:09am EDT

You will believe... a radicool tomato in sunglasses shoving his way through a Boxxle-alike can be the star of one of the most surprisingly inventive games of the early Game Boy days. To know Kwirk is to love Kwirk. Now that you know of it, so must you love it. Amen.

Direct download: 015-Kwirk_itunes.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 3:20am EDT

 

Just in time for Halloween 1989, Tonkin House and TOSE bring us Malibu Beach Volleyball. This summer sports game means well but doesn't quite net a flawless victory. However, it does feature more exposed flesh than any other Game Boy release to date. So that's something.

Direct download: 014_Malibu_Beach_Volleyball_-_itunes.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 12:51pm EDT

It's the biggest franchise name on Game Boy since Super Mario Land. Alas that Castlevania: The Adventure is nowhere near as good as Mario's first portable outing. Join me for this video lamentation as we explore the failings of what should have been an instant classic. Then weep.

Direct download: 013_Castlevania_The_Adventure_-_itunes.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 4:07pm EDT

 

After making an unremarkable Game Boy debut with a port of Shanghai, HAL Laboratory returns in short order to grace the world with the far more spectacular Revenge of the Gator. Sure, it's just a single-table pinball game, but it shimmers with quality. Shimmers, I say.

Direct download: 012_Revenge_of_the_Gator-_iTunes.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 4:03pm EDT

A gaming classic makes its way to Game Boy, though the results are somewhat less than classic. Hyper Lode Runner offers a fairly sloppy take on this legendary platformer, with no learning curve to speak of and a completely useless edit mode.

Direct download: 011-Hyper-Lode-Runner-iTunes.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 5:23pm EDT

Konami's portable debut takes the form of a strange, fascinating, and pretty entertaining motorcycle racing game called Motocross Maniacs. I'm surprisingly terrible at it, even after working at mastering it for the past couple of weeks. Despite that, it's actually quite a lot of fun — and it's quite unique as far as racing games go. I wouldn't quite call it a hidden gem of the Game Boy library, but it's definitely at least on par with a respectable piece of costume jewelry.

Direct download: 010_Motocross_Maniacs_-_iTunes.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 10:13pm EDT

An in-depth look at Game Boy's first licensed game: The Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle... AKA Mickey Mouse... AKA Roger Rabbit. Honestly, stick a comic book super hero in here and you have just about every major licensing property wrapped up in a single video game. The insane collision of brands involved in this single tiny Game Boy cart is honestly quite baffling.

Oh, and also, I talk a little bit about the game, too.

Direct download: 009-Bugs_Bunny_Crazy_Castle_iTunes.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 5:11pm EDT

 

One part statement of intent, one part shameful confessional, it's: The first episode of Metroidvania Chronicles! The first of many to come.

Look, just go to metroidvania.com and it'll all make sense.

Direct download: Metroidvania_000_Mission_Statement_IT.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 9:31pm EDT

 

Slow-paced puzzle games made a perfect fit for Game Boy, and few games were slower or more puzzling than Boxxle, aka Sokoban. Shove crates — for love! Learn all about the rich history of the game that served as absolute zero on Old Man Murray's Time-To-Crate Scale.

I apologize in advance for the music, which will drive you insane. But just imagine how much worse it was for me as I edited this video.

As always, please to read Game Boy World for more of this stuff.

Direct download: 008_Boxxle.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 9:30am EDT

Game Boy World #000: Game Boy DMG-001 [Nintendo, 1989]

This update has been a long time in coming, because it's by far the most complex and challenging video project I've ever attempted by my sad little amateurish self. But here we are at last: A retrospective on the Game Boy hardware itself. 


I've attempted to minimize focus on the system's tech specs and defer discussion of specific software to those games' respective retrospectives. Instead, this feature delves into the creative culture at Nintendo that gave birth to the Game Boy, while trying to determine its place in the game marketplace of the 1990s.

Now that this massive endeavor has been put to rest, expect far more frequent updates to Game Boy World — hopefully weekly! And soon we'll be getting into Atari Lynx as well...

Check out the full Game Boy hardware retrospective on Game Boy World:

http://www.gameboyworld.com/1989/04/0...

And if you enjoy this study of Game Boy's history, please consider supporting Game Boy World on Patreon:

http://www.patreon.com/gamespite

Direct download: 00020Game20Boy.m4v
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 6:25pm EDT

 

The date is July 1989, and the Game Boy console finally gets its first-ever third party title. Kind of. Regardless of its parentage, though, we finally have a Game Boy game not published by Nintendo -- and just in time for the system's U.S. launch in August, too.

Direct download: 007_Shaghai.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 4:43pm EDT

 

Well, it's Tetris. The big one. Even bigger than Super Mario Land, I'm afraid. You know it, you love it. It's a monster.

Direct download: 006_Tetris.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 4:41pm EDT

 

The Game Boy's first post-launch release is... oh. It's a new version of NES Tennis, which (like NES Baseball) was released five years before the Game Boy version. In the '80s, five years was basically an eternity in game time.

But hark! This is no mere port. Tennis for Game Boy represents a pretty substantial improvement over the source material. It's still annoyingly tough, though.

Direct download: 005_Tennis.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 4:40pm EDT

Game Boy World #004: Yakuman [Nintendo, 1989]

 

The last of Nintendo's four Japanese launch titles for Game Boy, this is the one you've probably never played, because (1) it was never released outside Japan and (2) it focuses on a pastime specific to Japan. Yes, it's Yakuman! I have no idea how to play this game, but this means that as I work my way through Game Boy's mahjong library, you can enjoy me slowly developing some degree of competence in real-time. So please forgive the clumsiness of this episode.

Direct download: 004_Yakuman.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 4:38pm EDT

 

Revisit the heavy hitter of the Game Boy's Japanese launch lineup: Super Mario Land. Unlike its day-one peers, Mario's first Game Boy adventure felt like a legit game rather than a primitive throwback. Look at the good, the bad, and why the good outweighs the bad for this portable classic.

Direct download: 003_Super_Mario_Land.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 4:36pm EDT

 

A look at the second of Nintendo's four launch day releases for the Japanese debut of Game Boy: Baseball. It's not a particularly great game, but given the utter lack of contemporary competition all it really needed to do to succeed was exist. And it did. It totally existed.

Direct download: 002_Baseball.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 4:33pm EDT

Game Boy World 001: Alleyway [Nintendo, 1989]

 

Travel back to the Game Boy's Japanese launch in 1989 with this retrospective on one of its first four games: The simple Breakout clone, Alleyway. The first video retrospective (of, one hopes, many to come) from gameboyworld.com.

(This being the first of these, please pardon the rough edges!)

Direct download: 001_Alleyway.mp4
Category:Video Games -- posted at: 4:28pm EDT