Mario Golf - Game Boy Color - Review

“Everyone who tries golf falls in love with the sport”. Well, that is at least according to the stylish intro of Mario Golf for the Game Boy Color. And while the 10 year old me, who was dragged around cold, damp fairways at ungodly hours by my Dad, would certainly have taken issue with that statement even I can’t deny that that there is something strangely addictive about the pursuit. Surely far better though is the ability to play the game from the comfort of your own home without all of the expense, pomp and physical exertion. If only I could have convinced my Dad…

Lego Alpha Team - Game Boy Color - Review

These days it feels like barely a month goes by without a new LEGO video game being released. Back in the late nineties however games based around the Scandinavian bricks and minifigs were still a relatively new concept and whilst early titles such as LEGO Racers and LEGO Rock Raiders had received mediocre reviews at best, sales were still strong and so a wave of new games were quickly put into development. LEGO Alpha Team was one such game and would release for the Game Boy Color in the year 2000, a month after it would land on the PC.

The Mummy - Game Boy Color - Review

It’s not often that I’d have high expectations for a game based off of a somewhat forgettable 90’s film, least of all one on a handheld system, but there was something about the Game Boy Color’s The Mummy that made it look very, very promising. The Konami logo on the box was enough to catch my attention initially, but this wasn’t just any Konami game, but an 8-bit, 2D, horror themed Konami game, and historically when you put those things together very good things happen. It was enough to get me excited and I couldn’t help but wonder if The Mummy was actually a thinly veiled tribute to the classic Castlevania series.

Quest for Camelot - Game Boy Color - Review

In 1998 Warner Brothers released their feature-length animation ‘Quest for Camelot’. The film set in Arthurian England, was reportedly plagued with internal conflicts during its production and was met with widely negative reviews upon its release. The troubled film failed to make a splash in the box office too going on to lose a whopping 40 million dollars for the studio. I guess it turned out to be less of a Quest for Camelot and more of a Quest to lose-a-lot then? (Sorry.) Despite this, later that year a video game adaptation was released for the Game Boy Color courtesy of French developer, Titus (yes, the ‘oh, no, not Titus,’ Titus). 

Oddworld Adventures II - Game Boy Color - Review

Recently I reviewed Oddworld Adventures for the Game Boy, and as a big fan of the Oddworld series I was left fairly underwhelmed.  Whilst I enjoyed the gameplay and puzzles I found the graphics, and longevity to be somewhat lacking. The Game Boy port of Abe’s Oddysee had been scaled back to one small section of the original game, and as a result I was left with a feeling that it could have been so much more. Thankfully, Abe’s adventures on the Game Boy didn’t end there and so now it’s time for me to turn my attention to the game’s sequel; Oddworld Adventures II. 

Don't want to mod your Game Boy/Pocket/Color/Advance? Here's how I made an external light that actually works!

Nintendo's Game Boy line is something very close to my heart. Over the course of my life, I've owned and enjoyed every iteration of the plucky handheld, from DMG to Color to Micro, and everything inbetween. As anyone who grew up with the earlier versions of the Game Boy will atest to however, the complete lack of an internal light was always, to put it politely, something of a hindrance. Various third-party companies tried to step in with numerous solutions, and these ranged from the bulky, battery-powered add-ons produced for the DMG to the small, flexible worm-lights that everyone with a Game Boy Color seemed to own.They all had one thing on common though; none of them really worked. Whether it was due to the light being, so small and focused that it merely illuminated one tenth of the screen, or because the light was so dim that it could give Paris Hilton a run for her money. The struggle for 90's kids was real.

Pocket Soccer - Game Boy Color - Review

Living in the UK, I’ve always had a hard time in not being a football fan. It’s pretty much a given here that everyone you meet will at some point ask you which team you support and my usual reply of “I don’t follow football” usually kills the conversation quicker than if I’d have thrown a Nazi salute at them.

Legend of the River King – Game Boy Color – Review

In the late nineties the world was gripped with Pokemon fever. The game had already found huge success in its native Japan with the release Pocket Monsters Green & Red, before taking the rest of the world by storm with the release of Pokemon Red and Blue. Those of us in the UK however had to wait until 1999 before we could get our hands on the games but by then we had already been initiated from afar thanks to increasingly tantalising reports from the gaming mags of the time. Game Freak’s light hearted JRPG had well and truly struck a chord with younger gamers and its fiendishly addictive premise of catching, trading and battling the titular creatures became an obsession for school-kids everywhere. Of course it didn’t take long for other developers to begin frantically trying to tap into the craze by creating their own rival games.

Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare - Game Boy Color - Review

The Alone in the Dark series began on the PC way back in 1992.  Set in the 1920’s the original game follows the story of a down-on-his-luck private investigator named Edward Carnby. Carnby is tasked with investigating the mysterious mansion of a recently deceased artist and upon searching the building he finds himself embroiled in battle for survival against the supernatural. The game garnered huge critical praise at the time for its story, atmosphere and clever use of cinematic camera angles. The success of the game would spawn two direct sequels over the next two years however neither of these managed to capture the same interest as the original and the series soon found itself fading into obscurity. 

Chicken Run - Game Boy Color - Review

In the year 2000, British animation studio Aardman Animations released their first feature length film; Chicken Run. The studio, best known for their charming character duo, Wallace & Gromit would find great success with Chicken Run both critically and commercially with the film becoming the highest grossing stop-motion film ever released at the time.

Robin Hood - Game Boy Color - Review

Whilst browsing eBay for games to review I stumbled upon a title I’d never even heard of; Robin Hood for the Game Boy Color.

 Finding any information online about the game proved strangely difficult with seemingly only a short IGN preview on offer. It seemed about as obscure as a game could be, with no reviews, retrospective or otherwise, discussions or even a walkthrough to be found. What I did find however was a few intriguing screenshots and that was enough for me to want to pick it up and give it a try. So here goes what, as far as I know, is the game’s first ever online review.

Mickey’s Racing Adventure- Game Boy Color - Review

In 1999 British developer, Rare were riding high on a wave of success. They had well and truly left their stamp on the decade with an unforgettable string of games released on Nintendo systems over the preceding years. 

Tomb Raider - Game Boy Color - Review

In 1996, Eidos Interactive released their ground-breaking game; Tomb Raider. Developed by Core Design, Tomb Raider’s impact on gaming history was undeniable. Not only was the 3D adventure-platformer a huge success, receiving rave reviews across the board and going on to sell over 7.5 million copies worldwide, but it created a virtual icon in its starring character; Lara Croft. 

Aliens: Thanatos Encounter - Game Boy Color - Review

In April 2001, only a matter of weeks before the launch of the much anticipated Game Boy Advance, THQ released a Game Boy Color title based on the Alien franchise.  Aliens: Thanatos Encounter.

TOCA Touring Car Championship - Game Boy Color - Review

TOCA Touring Car Championship is a simulation racing game that was originally released for the Playstation and PC back in 1997. Based on the British Touring Car Championship season of that same year, the game puts you in the driving seat of one of 8 competing teams and lets you race around 9 famous circuits in order to be crowned the British Touring Car Champion. The game was very well received at the time and was widely considered as the best simulation racer available at least until the release of Gran Turismo the following year.

In the year 2000 a new version the game was made for Nintendo’s then booming handheld, the Game Boy Color.

Driver - Game Boy Color - Review

I recently stumbled upon a port of a game I had no idea even existed – Driver for the Game Boy Color.