I remember saving up my allowance in order to get a Game Boy on day one ($89.99 at Kay Bee Toys). I already had a Nintendo Entertainment System, but the idea of having a portable system where I could change out my games was mind-blowing at the time. Especially as a kid who was forced to tag along with my mom on a lot of boring errands and work functions. Picked up Super Mario Land and Alleyway at launch, but definitely spent the most amount of time with Tetris. My dad ended up liking Tetris so much that he ended up getting his own Game Boy. He never bought another game, not unlike all of those grandparents who bought a Wii for Wii Sports. Although I also picked up a Genesis, TurboGrafx and Super NES, I continued to buy portable systems. I picked up an Atari Lynx at the time and then got a Game Gear. I didn't get a Game Boy Color, but did pick up a Neo Geo Pocket Color and WonderSwan Color around that time. I also acquired a Nomad, but it didn't get a lot of use. Speaking of Sendai spin-off magazines that were released quarterly, I am trying to track down a specific issue of Super Gaming. That was the short-lived magazine looking at import games. I own the first three issues (each of which is like 30 pages long), but have never been able to find the final issue. Not even a scanned version. I'm always on the lookout for that one, super-rare issue of Super Gaming.
I love it. I don't think folks who weren't there really understand how much freedom the Game Boy and other portable systems gave kids back then. I hope you played a lot of Tetris against your dad! Also, I want to say I love your classic game review videos!
The Game Boy is really different due to its long lifespan. A lot of us GenXers were there early in its life and mostly remember Tetris and Super Mario Land, whereas a lot of Millennials remember it for Pokemon, and the two experiences are VASTLY different. I got my Game Boy in 1989, and ended up selling it around 1993 to help fund a Sega CD. You're really correct about Nintendo going for the "family" demographic of kids and parents, because it was around that time when I was a teenager and I shifted hard toward Sega and then Sony, because they were directly targeting me. I remember the first thing I bought with my first paycheck from my first job was a new TV specifically for playing video games, and I didn't really have any desire for portable gaming anymore.
Motocross Maniacs was a sequel to a Famicom game that looked like Excitebike but as you say, the Game Boy game doesn't play like Excitebike. And lots of talented devs started with Konami: Natsume and Treasure were both founded by ex-Konami devs.
The game boy was the only gaming system I ever remember harassing my parents for... and I never got one. I have a lot of good memories around the use of other people's game boys though! Such a defining moment for portable gaming, and one that competitors just couldn't topple.
The Gameboy Pocket was my Gameboy introduction. Not only did I not have to share the TV, I didn't have to share the console. I spent hours upon hours with Pokemon but I couldn't tell you what my first game for it was. Bomberman GB was great, though. Loved the Indiana Jones take on Bomberman.
The GB made an impressive journey in terms of game quality and scope, from pretty basic games to SML2-3, Link's Awakening, FF Adventure and Legend 2, KDL 2 and more. Unpopular opinion maybe (?): Tetris is a game everyone played, but no one liked that much among me and my friends at the time. Pokemon I was too old for when it came, was playing FPS and RTS on PC, and RE and Tomb Raider on PS1. What's funny is I had the pocked and played MK2 on it a lot just a year or so before that (this was in Sweden). I also had a GG since before so I was ready to move on to something more advanced at that point, which didn't come until the GBA.
Yeah you're right about the Game Boy games slowly increasing in scope and quality, I'd say. What's so impressive to me looking back, though, is how even the earliest library is filled with games where the developers clearly took their assignments seriously. The games were relatively short and had to be simple for a lot of different reasons, but the best games in the first couple years of the system did not feel phoned in at all.
I bought my own game boy with paper route money when I was 9. I think the thing that made the Game Boy special was that the games felt as if they were made just for me. There was often very little overlap between the games my friends and I had, so they seemed to reflect our individual personalities. Super Mario Land, Radar Mission, Choplifter II and Final Fantasy Legend were the biggest titles for military-brat me, though I had others that resonated with me far less; Motocross Maniacs was my third game, but I never really played it as much as the others - but it *was* the first game link title I played outside of Tetris some years down the line. ...this is getting a little long, haha Anyway, I still feel as if the original Game Boy is still, to this day, the best, purest portable gaming experience there's ever been.
I was born a year after the Game Boy was released so there was no way of getting it new obviously but my older brother did have one. I would play it here and there with games like Tetris, Wario Blast, Wario Land, Radar Mission etc. I did get a Game Boy Color close to Christmas 99 and it was Atomic Purple and the game I got was Pokémon Yellow. I didn’t get very far in the game because dumb little me didn’t know how to catch a Pokémon so it wasn’t a very satisfying game to start my GBC gaming (also the fact that it was technically a Game Boy game kinda bothered me for nitpicky reasons). I did get a few more GBC games like Street Fighter Alpha, Wario Land II and 3, with the latter two spending the most time playing. The Wario Land series for GBC was the go to games for me growing up.
I must have bought a used gameboy at my local Funkoland in Countryside to play Metroid II and Links Awaking. I’m pretty sure I didn’t have any other games for it. I remember my friend Andy had one at or around launch and I tried Castlevania Adventure and I thought it sucked, it was too slow. I didn’t really get into Gameboy until the Gameboy Color that was a way better system. I’m enjoying playing the old Gameboy games on NSO, that’s for sure.
I also missed the Pokemon craze at first... because I wasn't really following the Japanese industry, and if you recall, when that stuff came over, it did so all at once, so I knew Pokemon as a cringey anime and obnoxious card game. The actual video games were completely off my radar. That said, my DS Lite broke not long before I was going to be on the road for work, and so I bought a (then brand new) DSi as a replacement and picked up Pokemon Diamond with it, figuring it'd pass the time in hotel rooms (I was not a big fan of smoking weed and bar hopping with co-workers), and was immediately hooked.
I was lucky enough to have my own TV growing up (I was an only child) but I still had to have a GameBoy early in it's life. Not only because it was the hottest toy in 1990, but because I had to have the infamous Amazing Spider-Man game that was exclusive to the console. Here's where you probably would expect one to complain about how they got burned by the "rainbow of doom" LJN and it's the worst game ever. But no, I will defend that game till my dying breath. Once you learn the controls (which aren't that hard) it's a really fun arcade-style action game with good graphics, cool wall climbing levels, witty cutscenes, memorable music, and a great variety of Spidey's best villains. But I digress. I was also lucky enough to grow up with Ghostbusters 2 and I absolutely love that game, too. I've briefly played the NES version and it's awesome, but I'm saving it for a special occasion. My other favorite games were Batman, BattleToads (I could actually beat it back in the day), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1&2 (2 has some of my favorite bit tunes of all time), Mario Land 1&2 (of course) and Lock n' Chase. That last one is especially awesome if you enjoy your PacMan with a little level gimmick variety thrown in. It's an awesome portable game. This video sparked a lot of great memories. Thanks for the video!
I'm so happy to hear that the video took you on a little nostalgia trip :) I didn't mention the game in the video, but I'm right there with you on Spider-Man. I had that game as well and I played the hell out of it.
I remember saving up my allowance in order to get a Game Boy on day one ($89.99 at Kay Bee Toys). I already had a Nintendo Entertainment System, but the idea of having a portable system where I could change out my games was mind-blowing at the time. Especially as a kid who was forced to tag along with my mom on a lot of boring errands and work functions. Picked up Super Mario Land and Alleyway at launch, but definitely spent the most amount of time with Tetris. My dad ended up liking Tetris so much that he ended up getting his own Game Boy. He never bought another game, not unlike all of those grandparents who bought a Wii for Wii Sports.
Although I also picked up a Genesis, TurboGrafx and Super NES, I continued to buy portable systems. I picked up an Atari Lynx at the time and then got a Game Gear. I didn't get a Game Boy Color, but did pick up a Neo Geo Pocket Color and WonderSwan Color around that time. I also acquired a Nomad, but it didn't get a lot of use.
Speaking of Sendai spin-off magazines that were released quarterly, I am trying to track down a specific issue of Super Gaming. That was the short-lived magazine looking at import games. I own the first three issues (each of which is like 30 pages long), but have never been able to find the final issue. Not even a scanned version. I'm always on the lookout for that one, super-rare issue of Super Gaming.
I love it. I don't think folks who weren't there really understand how much freedom the Game Boy and other portable systems gave kids back then.
I hope you played a lot of Tetris against your dad! Also, I want to say I love your classic game review videos!
These videos are awesome Greg. Keep ‘em coming
Thansk! Will do! :)
Ah. Funcoland. Testing games before you buy. The initial prospect of something like this happening was so enticing. Great vid!
Oh man Greg if I ever need a dose of good ol’ gaming Nostalgia, I always find it here. Thanks man.
Thank you so much! Comments like this are what make doing these videos so fulfilling!
The Game Boy is really different due to its long lifespan. A lot of us GenXers were there early in its life and mostly remember Tetris and Super Mario Land, whereas a lot of Millennials remember it for Pokemon, and the two experiences are VASTLY different. I got my Game Boy in 1989, and ended up selling it around 1993 to help fund a Sega CD. You're really correct about Nintendo going for the "family" demographic of kids and parents, because it was around that time when I was a teenager and I shifted hard toward Sega and then Sony, because they were directly targeting me. I remember the first thing I bought with my first paycheck from my first job was a new TV specifically for playing video games, and I didn't really have any desire for portable gaming anymore.
That's a good point. It's a console that really spans multiple generations.
Motocross Maniacs was a sequel to a Famicom game that looked like Excitebike but as you say, the Game Boy game doesn't play like Excitebike. And lots of talented devs started with Konami: Natsume and Treasure were both founded by ex-Konami devs.
chatgpt comment
@@SevenCompleted I assure you that I don't use AI.
@@absolutezeronow7928 well what famicom game is it a sequel to? 🤨
The game boy was the only gaming system I ever remember harassing my parents for... and I never got one. I have a lot of good memories around the use of other people's game boys though! Such a defining moment for portable gaming, and one that competitors just couldn't topple.
The Gameboy Pocket was my Gameboy introduction. Not only did I not have to share the TV, I didn't have to share the console. I spent hours upon hours with Pokemon but I couldn't tell you what my first game for it was. Bomberman GB was great, though. Loved the Indiana Jones take on Bomberman.
You rich kids!
The GB made an impressive journey in terms of game quality and scope, from pretty basic games to SML2-3, Link's Awakening, FF Adventure and Legend 2, KDL 2 and more.
Unpopular opinion maybe (?): Tetris is a game everyone played, but no one liked that much among me and my friends at the time.
Pokemon I was too old for when it came, was playing FPS and RTS on PC, and RE and Tomb Raider on PS1. What's funny is I had the pocked and played MK2 on it a lot just a year or so before that (this was in Sweden). I also had a GG since before so I was ready to move on to something more advanced at that point, which didn't come until the GBA.
Yeah you're right about the Game Boy games slowly increasing in scope and quality, I'd say. What's so impressive to me looking back, though, is how even the earliest library is filled with games where the developers clearly took their assignments seriously. The games were relatively short and had to be simple for a lot of different reasons, but the best games in the first couple years of the system did not feel phoned in at all.
Batteries were included *mind blown*
I bought my own game boy with paper route money when I was 9. I think the thing that made the Game Boy special was that the games felt as if they were made just for me. There was often very little overlap between the games my friends and I had, so they seemed to reflect our individual personalities. Super Mario Land, Radar Mission, Choplifter II and Final Fantasy Legend were the biggest titles for military-brat me, though I had others that resonated with me far less; Motocross Maniacs was my third game, but I never really played it as much as the others - but it *was* the first game link title I played outside of Tetris some years down the line.
...this is getting a little long, haha
Anyway, I still feel as if the original Game Boy is still, to this day, the best, purest portable gaming experience there's ever been.
I realize now that I didn't mention any Link Cable experiences in the video. I think that was pretty much limited to Tetris for me.
I was born a year after the Game Boy was released so there was no way of getting it new obviously but my older brother did have one. I would play it here and there with games like Tetris, Wario Blast, Wario Land, Radar Mission etc. I did get a Game Boy Color close to Christmas 99 and it was Atomic Purple and the game I got was Pokémon Yellow. I didn’t get very far in the game because dumb little me didn’t know how to catch a Pokémon so it wasn’t a very satisfying game to start my GBC gaming (also the fact that it was technically a Game Boy game kinda bothered me for nitpicky reasons). I did get a few more GBC games like Street Fighter Alpha, Wario Land II and 3, with the latter two spending the most time playing. The Wario Land series for GBC was the go to games for me growing up.
I must have bought a used gameboy at my local Funkoland in Countryside to play Metroid II and Links Awaking. I’m pretty sure I didn’t have any other games for it. I remember my friend Andy had one at or around launch and I tried Castlevania Adventure and I thought it sucked, it was too slow. I didn’t really get into Gameboy until the Gameboy Color that was a way better system. I’m enjoying playing the old Gameboy games on NSO, that’s for sure.
I also missed the Pokemon craze at first... because I wasn't really following the Japanese industry, and if you recall, when that stuff came over, it did so all at once, so I knew Pokemon as a cringey anime and obnoxious card game. The actual video games were completely off my radar.
That said, my DS Lite broke not long before I was going to be on the road for work, and so I bought a (then brand new) DSi as a replacement and picked up Pokemon Diamond with it, figuring it'd pass the time in hotel rooms (I was not a big fan of smoking weed and bar hopping with co-workers), and was immediately hooked.
I was lucky enough to have my own TV growing up (I was an only child) but I still had to have a GameBoy early in it's life. Not only because it was the hottest toy in 1990, but because I had to have the infamous Amazing Spider-Man game that was exclusive to the console. Here's where you probably would expect one to complain about how they got burned by the "rainbow of doom" LJN and it's the worst game ever. But no, I will defend that game till my dying breath. Once you learn the controls (which aren't that hard) it's a really fun arcade-style action game with good graphics, cool wall climbing levels, witty cutscenes, memorable music, and a great variety of Spidey's best villains. But I digress. I was also lucky enough to grow up with Ghostbusters 2 and I absolutely love that game, too. I've briefly played the NES version and it's awesome, but I'm saving it for a special occasion. My other favorite games were Batman, BattleToads (I could actually beat it back in the day), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1&2 (2 has some of my favorite bit tunes of all time), Mario Land 1&2 (of course) and Lock n' Chase. That last one is especially awesome if you enjoy your PacMan with a little level gimmick variety thrown in. It's an awesome portable game.
This video sparked a lot of great memories. Thanks for the video!
I'm so happy to hear that the video took you on a little nostalgia trip :)
I didn't mention the game in the video, but I'm right there with you on Spider-Man. I had that game as well and I played the hell out of it.