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Game Boy Club - Currently Playing: #5 Bomberman Quest
- Thread starter daydream
- Start date
Bobs Big Boy
Member
Fine memories of Bond, a favorite on the Game Boy. May revisit for this as time permits.
Robin64
Member
Not a scan, but someone did type up the manual at least.
http://www.world-of-nintendo.com/manuals/game_boy/james_bond_007.shtml
http://www.world-of-nintendo.com/manuals/game_boy/james_bond_007.shtml
Leafhopper
Banned
Got stuck on it as a kid. Not sure where though.
CoolBatteryCharge
Member
I'm actually prepared for this one! Quietly ordered a copy a couple of weeks ago when I saw where the poll was going:
Cool, you should scan it and upload it on replacementdocs if you have the capacity to do that!
Added, thanks.
SmiteOfHand
Member
Cool, just noticed this thread. I've been slowly working my way through the Game Boy library. Just finished Castlevania The Adventure last night as a matter of fact. Subbed.
I just played through the first location and so far I like the game. I was surprised by how similar it looks to Links Awakening, down to the hud and menu. The second location seems to open up a bit more with more puzzles but I'm curious how it plays out. The combat is simplistic but the basic loop of block then attack doesn't get boring, at least so far.
May I suggest Cave Noire as a future game? I recently stumbled upon it and played it for 4 hours straight. A Game Boy game.
Maintenance
Member
Lovely thread, subbed.
sixteen-bit
Member
lol, that last sentence sounds condescending af.
You're right, sorry about that. But then again how often do you really sit down and play with your Game Boy for that long? I basically never do that.
NormalFish
Banned
Like basically every time I play my game boy lol.
manzoman96
Member
I'll make the suggestion of DuckTales 2.
While this is lttp, I managed to dig up my copy of Batman for GameBoy and gave it a quick whirl as I never really played it much as a kid.
I got the the second Batwing stage's boss and goddamn that's a hell of bullets. I see I was almost at the end so maybe I'll give it another go and try to clear it this time.
I got the the second Batwing stage's boss and goddamn that's a hell of bullets. I see I was almost at the end so maybe I'll give it another go and try to clear it this time.
sixteen-bit
Member
A bit late for the club topic, bit Tfrog dropped a Batman vid
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4mB47_1gPw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4mB47_1gPw
NormalFish
Banned
Just saw survival kids is up against mgs. Survival Kids is a more interesting game. I know folks love their mgs but seriously.
No stage-by-stage diary this time, just some extended impressions for Mr. Bond's handheld adventure:
I was pretty overjoyed with this game, especially at first. The mix of action and adventure game works absolutely perfectly for a Bond game and a Game Boy game. The writing and music are very evocative of the films, so is the globetrotting nature of the stages. Saffire cleary had a lot of time to think about how to create an original, if very late entry into the system's library.
I would have finished the game if I wasn't so busy but as it stands, I stopped after beating Odd Job and then dying on my way back to Zhong Mae. This is where my problems with the game begin (and probably end) - the enemy encounters get tedious. Starting with Tibet, the game likes to throw a whole lot of enemies at you and often, it becomes a war of attrition, especially in the Secret Base. They deplete your resources until you're left in a state (like I was) where you have nothing upon reloading and the combination of fist punching and shielding just becomes an exercise, not in challenge, but in tedium. This is easily the game's biggest flaw. The adventure elements seemed fine to me. Sure, certain parts are a bit enigmatic and don't really spell out what it is you need to be doing next, but I really liked that about the game. The exploration parts aren't littered with action so you have all the time in the world to explore and figure out the solution.
As it stands, I think the game is very much worth experiencing, and I hope I can get back to it to finish the mission someday (if we count the Secret Base as basically done, there were two more stages left, one of which involves revisiting an older location). The save system of the game makes that super easy, by the way. And why do I think it is worth experiencing? Because outside of my main gripe, I think the way a secret agent game is compressed into a Game Boy experience, is nothing short of impressive. It really does feel like you're travelling around the world, unfolding an evil plot, getting set back, barely escaping your demise, taking revenge - all the tropes are masterfully pulled off. It's just the interstitial combat sections that can wear you down if you're dealing with a lot of them in one sitting.
I was pretty overjoyed with this game, especially at first. The mix of action and adventure game works absolutely perfectly for a Bond game and a Game Boy game. The writing and music are very evocative of the films, so is the globetrotting nature of the stages. Saffire cleary had a lot of time to think about how to create an original, if very late entry into the system's library.
I would have finished the game if I wasn't so busy but as it stands, I stopped after beating Odd Job and then dying on my way back to Zhong Mae. This is where my problems with the game begin (and probably end) - the enemy encounters get tedious. Starting with Tibet, the game likes to throw a whole lot of enemies at you and often, it becomes a war of attrition, especially in the Secret Base. They deplete your resources until you're left in a state (like I was) where you have nothing upon reloading and the combination of fist punching and shielding just becomes an exercise, not in challenge, but in tedium. This is easily the game's biggest flaw. The adventure elements seemed fine to me. Sure, certain parts are a bit enigmatic and don't really spell out what it is you need to be doing next, but I really liked that about the game. The exploration parts aren't littered with action so you have all the time in the world to explore and figure out the solution.
As it stands, I think the game is very much worth experiencing, and I hope I can get back to it to finish the mission someday (if we count the Secret Base as basically done, there were two more stages left, one of which involves revisiting an older location). The save system of the game makes that super easy, by the way. And why do I think it is worth experiencing? Because outside of my main gripe, I think the way a secret agent game is compressed into a Game Boy experience, is nothing short of impressive. It really does feel like you're travelling around the world, unfolding an evil plot, getting set back, barely escaping your demise, taking revenge - all the tropes are masterfully pulled off. It's just the interstitial combat sections that can wear you down if you're dealing with a lot of them in one sitting.
All the time.....don't ever let me find my imported copy of Pokemon green.....I may never put it down. The sprites make me laugh every time! I'll have to see what the next game is and get in on this.
Title: Metal Gear: Ghost Babel [JP]; Metal Gear Solid [US/EU]
Release Date: [JP] April 27, 2000; [US/EU] May 5, 2000
Platform: Game Boy Colour
Developer: Konami Computer Entertainment Japan
Publisher: Konami
Perhaps a surprising choice for our next game, considering the popularity of the series, but few people have actually played Ghost Babel, this very late entry into the Game Boy library. Considered by many as the best 2D game in the series (others omit the '2D' from that verdict), Ghost Babel revives the MSX days of the series while containing an amount of story beats, often delivered in Ninja Gaiden-esque cutscenes, that is more reminiscent of the Solid series. Aside from the main story, the game features 180 VR missions - a lot of them taken from Solid on the Playstation and recreated for the Game Boy - and a two player mode requiring the link cable. You can find a manual for the game here.
With games coming out and Ghost Babel being pretty meaty, we won't start a new game until October 26th. Don't forget to vote for said game, our second GBC title!
thanks for suggesting the game, b!
PumpkinSpice
Banned
How long is Ghost Babel? I really enjoyed playing MG1 earlier this summer but MG2 was kinda way too long (overstayed its welcome). Wouldn't mind digging into another 2D Metal Gear.
Leafhopper
Banned
I might join in on this one.
supposed to be around four hours long, give or take
A word of advice for anyone looking to play Ghost Babel for the first time: get the European version if you can, as it contains a "radio drama" titled IdeaSpy 2.5 that was not included in the US release for some reason.
That depends on whether you decide to do the second loop and/or the VR missions, I suppose.
You could probably get through the main game on default difficulty in a few hours.
That depends on whether you decide to do the second loop and/or the VR missions, I suppose.
You could probably get through the main game on default difficulty in a few hours.
Never knew that! The Colonel totally references this at the end of MGS2 in one of those crazy codec calls.
https://youtu.be/ul8j9I90ueM?t=339
5:39 in the video
NormalFish
Banned
when do we play hamtaro
Leafhopper
Banned
The intro to this game is longer than actual Metal Gear Solid's intro.
Leafhopper
Banned
Played a bit of it. The first stage. Didn't save though. I think I will start proper though with this.
I'll just come back on Bond (it's why I subscribed to this thread), but back in the day it was one of those "screw you I liked that game" sort of things I bought because I didn't own anything other than Nintendo hardware at the time and didn't have much else to play in a software drought.
It proves that adventure game elements are actually a really good fit for a Bond game. This is most apparent in the Maraketh section where you spend a bunch of time just doing smooth spy stuff instead of shooting people like in all the Bond console games. The part where you start out by going to a hotel and... checking into a hotel room, going through the whole procedure, felt weirdly immersive to me. I started extrapolating this further and further in my mind and came to the conclusion that the best framework that exists for reproducing this in a console or PC game would be... Deus Ex probably. Just take the same gameplay structure, replace augmentations with gadgets, and maybe remove the experience points,
In my opinion Game Boy 007 is also proof the "Link's Awakening framework" is perhaps the optimal design framework for Game Boy games. I think Phantom Hourglass had a similar effect on DS action adventure games because afterwards I saw games like Dragonball and Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword using the same control scheme. I wonder how many other use the LA style, and why I haven't really seen top-down Zelda clones in the PC indie space. They're all occupied with making Metroid-a-likes. Metal Gear Ghost Babel is similar to it in some ways, at least in terms of the interface.
Ghost Babel is probably one of the top Game Boy games ever. daydream is right to say it's pretty much the 2nd MSX game. If people enjoy or enjoyed one, they should probably check out the other. Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake is tucked away in one of the extras menus of MGS3 in the HD collection. Both are extremely similar to MGS1 in terms of gameplay.
It proves that adventure game elements are actually a really good fit for a Bond game. This is most apparent in the Maraketh section where you spend a bunch of time just doing smooth spy stuff instead of shooting people like in all the Bond console games. The part where you start out by going to a hotel and... checking into a hotel room, going through the whole procedure, felt weirdly immersive to me. I started extrapolating this further and further in my mind and came to the conclusion that the best framework that exists for reproducing this in a console or PC game would be... Deus Ex probably. Just take the same gameplay structure, replace augmentations with gadgets, and maybe remove the experience points,
In my opinion Game Boy 007 is also proof the "Link's Awakening framework" is perhaps the optimal design framework for Game Boy games. I think Phantom Hourglass had a similar effect on DS action adventure games because afterwards I saw games like Dragonball and Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword using the same control scheme. I wonder how many other use the LA style, and why I haven't really seen top-down Zelda clones in the PC indie space. They're all occupied with making Metroid-a-likes. Metal Gear Ghost Babel is similar to it in some ways, at least in terms of the interface.
Ghost Babel is probably one of the top Game Boy games ever. daydream is right to say it's pretty much the 2nd MSX game. If people enjoy or enjoyed one, they should probably check out the other. Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake is tucked away in one of the extras menus of MGS3 in the HD collection. Both are extremely similar to MGS1 in terms of gameplay.
If I may make a suggestion for a future poll
Huh. That in game screen shot makes it look pretty interesting
absolutely agree on the marrakesh section, it had a similar effect on me. the deus ex and phantom hourglass comparison is interesting, i'll have to think about that. one thing i'll have to disagree on is the lack of zelda-likes in indie development, they are pretty common. just off the top of my head: anodyne, ittle dew, evoland 2, oceanhorn, secrets of grindea, shipwreck, legend of princess and that's not even taking into account smaller stuff, game jam experiments, etc.
anyway, thanks for the thoughtful post!
If I may make a suggestion for a future poll
yeah, i considered it. i beat those games a thousand times as a kid, would definitely be curious to revisit them. they do enjoy a bit of a cult status but i guess if we're playing ghost babel, the hp games definitely qualify.
btw minus links don't load on gaf anymore
the first two harry potter games on gbc and the third one on gba are great rpgs. a dev posted about them on gaf. the dev team was basically free to do whatever it wanted so they made an awesome game, hah!
If I may make a suggestion for a future poll
Both the first one and chamber of secrets RPG ones were amazing. However they are not a really short game. But damn they were so good
It's just the opening area of Diagon Alley. The game plays like a JRPG and is considered to be a cult classic.
The Harry Potter games are really confusing as they were all developed by different developers at different times for different platforms. The GBC games were unique as there was little to no oversight from upper management, so they could make a good game without any focus group testing.
Always forget about that detail as I slowly move random pictures over to imgur.
That's a good point, How Long to Beat is showing 7 hours for the GBC version.
How long did it take you guys to get through 007? I'm thinking of jumping in late for that one considering the price disparity between that game and Ghost of Babel.
Played up to Stage 05 in MGS (it isn't Ghost Babel in the UK) and the graphics are still as incredible as I remember them. The characters and environment colour palettes in particular.
Everything is clearly visible, well coloured and the animations are spot on. It is the PSX game squished onto a tiny square screen. Hell, even the code conversations are full length versions that you wouldn't expect to find on the Gameboy.
Now bear in mind I never played this on a non-backlit screen, so I can imagine that it would have been hard to see on an original GBC, but I played Doom on GBA and thought it looked good anyways. =P
Everything is clearly visible, well coloured and the animations are spot on. It is the PSX game squished onto a tiny square screen. Hell, even the code conversations are full length versions that you wouldn't expect to find on the Gameboy.
Now bear in mind I never played this on a non-backlit screen, so I can imagine that it would have been hard to see on an original GBC, but I played Doom on GBA and thought it looked good anyways. =P
I thought it took much longer lol.....man we could really drag games out as a kid.
Piston Hyundai
Member
why would you pick the peak of metal gear fever to go with this one
I really want to play this but I already can't tear myself away from the Phantom Pain and Mario Maker and Rare Replay and oh sweet jesus why do there have to be so many video games
I really want to play this but I already can't tear myself away from the Phantom Pain and Mario Maker and Rare Replay and oh sweet jesus why do there have to be so many video games
Leafhopper
Banned
Played the game for about 3 hours.
The mini map is too damn annoying for me. It does interesting stuff though. I made it to the 3rd stage, insider the first major building but it's so easy to lose track of where you are in this damn game. I might finish it but, man I don't know. I am impressed what the game was able to pull off on the GBA but damn the map. I spent 42 minutes on stage 2 and 20 of it was just trying to find the exit even though I knew how. Maybe I am just bad.
The mini map is too damn annoying for me. It does interesting stuff though. I made it to the 3rd stage, insider the first major building but it's so easy to lose track of where you are in this damn game. I might finish it but, man I don't know. I am impressed what the game was able to pull off on the GBA but damn the map. I spent 42 minutes on stage 2 and 20 of it was just trying to find the exit even though I knew how. Maybe I am just bad.
Delicious Waffles
Member
Joined the club. I played the first MGS on PS1 until I first met Psycho Mantis. He scared young me and I never played a MGS ever again. This'll be interesting.
Don't feel bad. I got the same rating on the first level in the jungle. Excuse me for wanting to go in, guns blazing!
Lifelong Metal Gear fan here
haven't played this game since grade school, when I would play the VR missions in the cafeteria before school started
it's good stuff, and I'm terrible at it
the game told me so
Don't feel bad. I got the same rating on the first level in the jungle. Excuse me for wanting to go in, guns blazing!