Gameboy Racing Double Header: Super R.C. Pro Am vs Woody Woodpecker Racing

Game: Super R.C. Pro Am
Console: Nintendo Game Boy
Developer: Rare Ltd.
Release Date: October 1991

Before they were making N64 classics, and way before they were making Xbox Kinect games, Rare released a little R.C. racing game on the NES where players competed in a top down view in races contested by remote control cars, with weapons and power-ups. Super R.C. Pro Am is the Game Boy version of this, and probably the best console for it to be on, considering the fun action and limited scope of the Game Boy cartridge in terms of tracks and modes.

Players attempt to come in 1st or 2nd place in each race to progress to the next circuit. On their way around the circuits they can pick up upgrades for their car, as well as various weapons to use in the race against their opponents such as rockets and mines. While the races is fairly easy to win, it's pretty fun to experiment with using the weapons against opponents in order to finish in the top 2 also.

Graphically the game isn't particularly bad, though the cars aren't very detailed and the tracks are basic. It's easy enough to see what you're doing, and in a Game Boy game, that's not always a given. There's some menu music, but other than this it's simply the engine sound effects which feature in races, leaving the race action a little empty.

Overall while it's not going to break any records or even become anyone's favourite racing game, Super R.C. Pro Am could have been a lot worse, and the smooth movement and fun racing action is something to be appreciated from an original Game Boy game. It's a decent approximation of the NES game, with a fair few tracks to try out and a decent progression/upgrade system.

Rating: 61/100
Grade: D

Game: Woody Woodpecker Racing
Console: Nintendo Game Boy Colour
Developer: Konami
Release Date: December 2000

Kart Racing games were unavoidable after the release of Mario Kart and Mario Kart 64, they've popped up everywhere ever since and can still be found on today's consoles at times. Unfortunately 99.9% of kart games without the Mario prefix are nowhere near as good. Something that is true of Woody Woodpecker Racing for Game Boy Colour. There are four modes, Extreme (an elimination competition), Grand Prix (a regular championship with points), Sprint (a single race) and Time Trial (a single race, on your own). Counting the four unlockable racers, there are a total of ten to play as. The racing action is some of the worst in video gaming, there's absolutely no sense of speed, the karts are incredibly slow even with this considered and there's almost no chance of winning because the AI have faster karts than you for whatever reason, even on easy mode.

There are items, all of which are unimaginative and do very little to help players gain an advantage. Strangely the item related music plays whenever anyone uses an item in the race, so get ready to hear the enemies getting a boost on the other side of the screen, because someone at Konami didn't know how to program the game not to make noise when that happens.

Graphically the game is about as basic as can be; Woody and friends are literally heads on top of a set of wheels as they go around the track. The scenery is boring and repetitive and the tracks are just as uninspired. The most exciting thing in the game is the fact that the character's face, displayed in the bottom middle of the screen changes when reacting to certain in game events, like overtaking another player. The music is bearable, but it's no consolation for the gameplay.

Overall Woody Woodpecker Racing is a terrible Game Boy Colour game and kart racer. Oddly, when it was released it got a 9.1/10 from GameSpot who were no doubt in on some sort of promotion deal with Konami, since no-one in their right mind would give this game even half that score.

Rating: 10/100
Grade: F

Game & Watch Gallery Double Header: Game Boy/Advance

Game: Game Boy Gallery

Console: Nintendo Game Boy

Developer: TOSE

Release Date: 27th April 1995

The first game in the Gallery series, but not officially titled "Game and Watch" Gallery, Game Boy Gallery offers players a choice of 5 classic Game and Watch games, with A and B modes and classic/updated sounds for each. While fairly basic, it's a nice way to check out some of the games from the Game and Watch series of handhelds without having to get hold of them. Since all of the games are based on the LCD handhelds, gameplay is fairly simple and limited to the directional buttons in many cases. 

Ball

Ball is a very simple Game and Watch title, and in fact the very first one to be released in April 1980. Players use the left and right buttons to direct a juggler's arms between 3 set on screen positions as he juggles balls in consistent arcs. The ball nearest to the juggler moves faster than the one in the middle, with the one on the outside moving the slowest of the three. This means that players must consider which ball will need to be caught and thrown back up first.

Both game A and B are fairly easy to manage with speed increases being of little challenge overall. The music featured as the updated soundtrack is fairly interesting, with the original sound effects only being triggered each time a ball is caught. The game ends when a ball is dropped and any high scores are registered. 

Vermin

The third Game and Watch handheld to be released was Vermin, which challenged players to move left and right, positioning their hammer over holes where moles are about to pop up, and giving them a whack once they do. On Game A there are 4 spots where the moles can appear and gameplay is fairly slow to start with, and on Game B there are 5 spots where the moles can appear, with an increased gameplay pace. 

While it's nothing technologically spectacular, this feels more like a brain training/multitasking type of game, keeping an eye on the upcoming moles whilst whacking the most recent one to surface. It's more fun than Ball, and has a fun updated soundtrack, with basic sounds if the original soundtrack is selected. 

Flagman

Flagman was the second Game and Watch handheld to be released and is a fairly simple electronic version of Dimmo/Simon Says. In Game A, a pirate holds up 4 different flags relating to the 4 directions of the d-pad. Each time the player gets the sequence correct, a move is added to the end of the sequence. In Game B, there's a fifth and sixth flag that can be added, courtesy of other characters onscreen. 

Unlike Ball and Vermin, this is an example of an electronic game that can easily be played elsewhere, and could had been even at the original time of release in 1980. It's pretty fair to say that this is a less specialised version of that game, and as such the only real addition is the music added in the updated soundtrack.

Manhole

Manhole was the sixth Game and Watch game to be released as a handheld, and challenges players to aid pedestrians in walking over four gaps by bridging them at the correct time. As the game continues, multitasking becomes important, with three or four pedestrians on screen at the same time, requiring a huge amount of multitasking as each pedestrian requires 2 instances of being helped by the player.

Game A is a slower and less complex version, and Game B is faster and more difficult. The updated music for this particular game isn't great, and I much preferred the simple sound effects of the original game. In terms of gameplay, Manhole is pretty fun for a Game and Watch title, but none of the early games show a huge amount of replayability beyond high score chasing.

Cement Factory

Cement Factory is a later Game and Watch title, which features more complex gameplay than any of the previously mentioned titles and better resembles a video game on the whole. Players move between platforms using the lift, being careful not to fall and lose a life, and pull levers to release cement to a lower level of the factory and ultimately into trucks. If the cement levels builds up too much in any of the four storage tanks, then a life is lost. 

Game B is a faster version of Game A, and compared to the other games on this collection, Cement Factory is the most fun and challenging. It requires players to multitask and pick the correct moment and sequence in which to do tasks. Once three lives are lost, the game is over. 

Overall Game Boy Gallery isn't a particularly technically impressive game, but that's almost to be expected for a collection showcasing technology that was already 15 years old at the time of release and is now approaching 35 years of age. It gives players the chance to play Game & Watch handhelds without having to own the consoles themselves, which can be costly thesedays, and the updated sounds and visual borders (if used with a Super Gameboy on the SNES) are a nice addition.

Rating: 59/100
Grade: D

Game: Game & Watch Gallery Advance
Console: Nintendo Game Boy Advance
Developer: TOSE
Release Date: 28th October 2002

The fourth in the Game and Watch Gallery series, and the first on the Game Boy Advance, Game & Watch Gallery Advance showcases 6 classic Game & Watch titles, each with a classic and modern version, as well as a 2 player or Hard Mode of each. Alongside the games there's a Gallery/Museum option which allows players to unlock and play some other classic Game & Watch titles with the stars they've earned in the main game.

Boxing

Classic Boxing features 2 fighters, with their health bars at the top of the screen and a number representing their total health. Each time a bar is knocked from a fighter's health the total health goes down by one. Each time the bars are depleted, 3 points are knocked from the fighter's health and they're pushed back by one step. If a fighter's health bars are fully depleted whilst against the ropes, then 6 points are taken from his total health. Once the total health reaches 0, the fighter must be knocked down whilst against the ropes for an opponent victory.

While this sounds very technical, the reality of gameplay is literally hammering the punch button. Players needn't even pay attention to the screen to win matches. I managed to fight my way to 20 knock outs without even really trying at all. Whilst the difficulty increases incrementally, 20 KO's is enough to earn 5 stars on the main menu, and isn't a challenge at all.

In modern mode, Boxing features fights against 3 opponents, Wiggler, Boo and Waluigi. Players control Luigi and attempt to land a hit on their opponent and take one of the hearts from their health meter at the top of the screen. Once all 5 hearts are gone, the player whose meter has been depleted falls back against the ropes, and both players meters are refilled. Play resumes and if the player against the ropes loses all their hearts again, they are defeated. If they manage to beat the other boxer then play moves back to the centre of the ring.

Unfortunately, being based on the Game and Watch version, there are only two punches which can be thrown, a high and a low hit. Button mashing seems to be the easiest way to land punches, although different moves seem to work differently depending on the opponent. There's very little challenge to this minigame, and the modernised update only really adds better graphics and different fighters to the mix.

Fire

Fire was the 4th Game & Watch handheld released, and like those before it only featured the right and left directional buttons for input. Players were challenged to save escapees of a building fire and bounce them to an ambulance on stretchers. As the game continues more and more escapees tumble out of the building at an ever increasing rate, meaning that players must multitask and keep their attention on which patient needs bouncing to the ambulance next.

A little challenge is added by the fact that the patients bounce slightly less high on their second ascent, so the timings aren't symmetrical. Game B is a faster and more advanced version of Game A, but other than this there's no real difference. As a game, Fire works well with its simple concept, but can easily become monotonous.

The updated version of Fire features different characters from the Mario series in addition to the different bounce heights of the previous version. Toad is lighter than Yoshi, who is in turn lighter than Donkey Kong Jr. There are also power-up eggs which contain either a score bonus or a bomb, the latter of which must be dropped before it blows up the carriage, waiting to save the escapees of the fire.

Just like the original version, Mode B starts players off with a more complex set of patients to transport. The updated version is one of the more difficult games on the collection, due to the amount of multitasking and judgement needed with the different types of character to be transported. Annoyingly, even with a High Score of 251, the game rated my performance as 1 star out of 5, which I thought was a bit of an insult.

Rain Shower

Rain Shower was a Game and Watch handheld released in August 1983 at a time when Nintendo were releasing one new Game and Watch console a week, While this didn't last long, it's interesting to consider how many things the company must have had their minds on at once during this time frame. The objective of Rain Shower is to stop laundry on the washing line from getting wet by adjusting four separate lines left and right as rain drops fall. In terms of control, players use the d-pad to navigate the onscreen character into place before pressing the action button to swap the position of the laundry, between two presets.

While Rain Shower is a fairly complex game when compared to some of the others, the multitasking feels less enjoyable as its easy to miss a single raindrop headed for the laundry and lose a life, while distracted by another drop. Game B worsens this by starting at a higher difficulty level. I can't honestly say I'm a big fan of this particular Game and Watch as it uses the basic concept of some other Game and Watches (mainly Helmet) in a new setting.

The updated version of Rain Shower doesn't even really fit the name; Bowser throws items down towards characters on swings below, and its Mario's job to move the ropes and protect them from being hit from above. The game suffers the same multitasking issue as the original and if anything is more difficult to keep track of due to the coloured visuals. As time progresses more characters come and sit on a swing, giving Mario an even more complex task to do. The music provided with the updated version is bearable, but the game is less so.

Mario's Cement Factory

Essentially the same as Cement Factory, featured earlier in this review, on the Game Boy Gallery, the classic version of this game plays and feels very similar with slightly updated colour graphics for the industrial setting and equipment.

The updated version of Cement Factory plays very differently to the older versions. While the main concept is the same, Mario is allowed to fall between platforms without consequence as long as he doesn't touch the top or bottom of the screen. This makes the game far easier on the whole, and allows players to focus more on their movements and keeping track of which containers are filling up. As a concept this is probably one of the best games on this cartridge, as there's far more complexity than anything featured so far. Strangely there's no background music featured in either version of the game, which is disappointing even if this does make it easier to hear the "full" sound effect for the containers.

Donkey Kong Jr. 

The original version of Donkey Kong Jr. (which may have been better as an actual Game & Watch handheld) seems to me to be borderline unplayable. With so many outlines for Donkey Kong Jr's positions, it's hard to tell which is the next to progress to, and what options are available. Add this to some difficult obstacles, and you've got a frustrating and confusing game which really needn't be. This seems to be an example of technology holding back the playability of the game, except that as it's been remade on Game Boy Advance, they could clearly have toned the multiple Donkey Kong Jr.'s down a little, and made the route more obvious.

The updated version of Donkey Kong Jr. is far better and allows players to rescue Donkey Kong over a variety of levels (at least 3), with a slowly increasing difficulty curve and a much simpler movement interface whilst retaining the positional movement of the Game and Watch original. The music is also fairly enjoyable, which adds a sense of the experience being much closer to a real video game rather than just an LCD handheld.

Donkey Kong 3

Donkey Kong 3 (at least the Game and Watch version) features Mario and Donkey Kong facing off by filling tanks of water and shooting bubbles at each other, which send what appear to be mice towards the other player. Being hit by a bubble doesn't affect the player, but if one of the mice reaches their side of the screen, then a life is lost. Sucessfully getting a mouse to Donkey Kong's side of the screen results in a points bonus and the positions resetting.

Much like Donkey Kong Jr., the sheer amount of outlines on the screen mean that making sense of what's happening is difficult. The mice also swap around what level they're on constantly, making it anyone's guess where they're going next, and consequently where to shoot.

The updated version of the game fares much better in terms of being able to see what's happening. The mice have been replaced with a fireball and a Boo. Unfortunately these two also move around quite a bit, and the best strategy seems to be completely refilling the water tank and then shooting it all at the middle, assuming one of the two items are in that lane. Overall this one's some fun, though it could definitely have been better.

With all the main games reviewed, I should also mention the fact that there are 9 bonus original Game and Watch games to play. These are unlocked by gaining stars in each of the featured Game and watch games, though it's often difficult to earn any stars due to the high boundaries set by the game. Since you'll need 80 stars to even play the first unlockable bonus Game and Watch, there's little point including them as a feature, since it's fairly obvious that their inclusion is simply to give players a reason to continue playing what appear to be fairly boring choices and revamps from the Game and Watch catalogue.

On the whole, Game and Watch Gallery Advance doesn't seem to have even one title that's completely worth playing; classic or updated. While it's a nice throwback to the handheld consoles, and the updated versions often do improve on the originals, there's no real need to return to what appear to be fairly bland and simple games.

Rating: 60/100
Grade: D

Multicart Game Boy Reviews: 12 in 1

Recently I've acquired 3 original Game Boy multicarts, each featuring their own assortment of games. Some of them aren't the sort of games I'm able to review, but others are exclusive to Japan or the sorts of games that I would like to review, so I'm going to take a look at each cart in turn.

King Series 14 in 1 Multicart

Sporting simply the word "GAME" at the top of its cartridge, the King Series 14 in 1 multicart features pictures relating to the games on it, as well as a gratuitous picture of Pikachu next to the title. Unfortunately there are only 6 games in total on the cart, as they repeat with altered titles which are variants of the original name.

Game: Detective Conan: The Suspicious Gorgeous Train
Console: Nintendo Game Boy
Developer: Bandai
Release Date: 1998

The first game on the King Series 14 in 1 multicart is a Japanese graphic adventure style game based on the Detective Conan anime and manga series. With only one game in the series released in Europe on the Wii in 2007, this isn't a particularly well known series of games. As this one is entirely in Japanese, and requires various detective skills to complete, I can't give my opinion on it for lack of understanding. It's a shame, as it looks like it could be a good game, if I understood it.

Game: Crayon Shin-Chan 4: Ora no Itazura Dai Henshin
Console: Nintendo Game Boy
Developer: Bandai
Release Date: 26th August 1994

Translating roughly to Shin-Chan 4: My Big Transformation Prank, this game features the cartoon character Shin-Chan (anyone remember Jetix?) platforming his way through 4 different levels. Players can collect powerups which transform Shin-Chan into an insect (with feelers that attack), a chicken (which can shoot eggs) or a super form (which can shoot lasers). When in any of these forms, taking damage by touching an enemy or their attack will transform Shin-Chan back to his regular form.

At the end of each level is a boss, who requires minimal platforming logic to beat. The most players will ever have to do is avoid an attack and wait for an opportunity to strike. The overall difficulty level of the game is low, but it's fairly obvious that the game was designed for children.

Despite this, the controls for the game are surprisingly tight; any deaths are purely the result of player error. The level design is also good, with varied stages including one with moving shopping trollies and bonus items to collect if a more difficult path is taken. Throughout the levels of the game there are items to pick up besides the transformation powerups; Shin-Chan icons provide players with extra lives, the long, tall rolls with a japanese marking on them give players an extra life once 30 are collected, and smiley face icons can be used to play minigames, once a stage has been beaten.

There are three minigames to choose from; a shooting game of sorts where players must hold back enemies by multitasking control of 4 shooting locations, a bug catching game, and a jumping challenge. If completed successfully, these games become more difficult the next time they're played, as well as providing the player with extra lives.

Graphically the game is pretty basic, but the style resembles that of the cartoon series in a few ways and when Shin-Chan is suited up as a chicken or insect it can be rather cute. Musically there's a few listenable tunes which accompany gameplay. While they're not particularly memorable, they fit well with the action featured in the game.

Overall when compared to other Game Boy titles targeted at children, Shin Chan 4 excels in providing tight and responsive controls, a small amount of difficulty, and a choice of minigames to break up the monotony of playing each platforming level in turn. While the game isn't exactly a classic, it's something to kill 20 minutes with that is interesting and well made.

Rating: 63/100
Grade: C

Game: Motocross Maniacs
Console: Nintendo Game Boy
Developer: Konami
Release Date: 1990

Motocross Maniacs is a pretty simple Motorbike platforming game which challenges players to complete various courses, with jumps, loops and other obstacles within a certain time limit. There are 3 game modes; Solo, vs Computer and vs 2-Player. Essentially the gameplay is the same in all modes, except for the addition of the opponent's shadow being onscreen in vs modes. It's also a requirement to beat the opponent as well as the time limit in competitive modes, making them more difficult.

There are 8 courses in total which can be played on any of 3 difficulty levels, although these only affect the amount of time players are given at the start. On each course are different collectibles such as Nitro for a boost, Speed (which gives a boost in top speed until players crash), Time (which increases the countdown timer) and Tyres (which boost grip until players crash).

In terms of control, players are only able to tilt the bike's orientation to land safely on parts of the course. This reminds me of modern day motocross flash games which have the same concept. Many of the courses have a two-tier system where the more difficult top route rewards players with many of the powerups, and the bottom route contains loose rocks and sand to slow players down, as well as lacking powerups.

At points in the game it's possible to get stuck, especially when approaching a loop without any nitros left. While it's possible to save them on the off-chance you'll encounter a loop, there are many other situations requiring nitros, and it's frustrating that there are parts which can be literally impossible without a nitro. Another small annoyance is that the lower route hardly ever allows players to pass levels, as there are no time powerups to increase the countdown clock. 

Graphically the game is very basic, with very small sprites and letters in boxes representing the individual powerups. Movement and animation is generally smooth, and the game moves at a fairly fast pace on the whole. The music that accompanies gameplay is unimpressive and even a bit annoying after a while.

Overall Motocross Maniacs is a strange cross between platforming and racing. It's not particularly complex, or enjoyable even, but it works decently. Tracks aren't particularly well designed and can be difficult to traverse between the controls and the overall difficulty. With almost no replayability once you've tried out each track, it's not something I can particularly reccomend.

Rating: 25/100
Grade: E

Game: Trump Boy

Console: Nintendo Game Boy

Developer: Pack-In Video

Release Date: 29th March 1990

I've never been particularly keen on video games that could be easily replicated in real life. Video games based on card games, board games, and anything that could easily be played without numerous hours of programming and development seem rather a waste of time and resources. Trump Boy is a collection of 3 card games which are at the very least, operational. 

Game: Shanghai
Console: Nintendo Game Boy
Developer: HAL Laboratory
Release Date: 1990

Before games like Smash Bros Melee and Kirby, HAL Labs were making Mahjong games for the Game Boy. As I said of Trump Boy, I don't think there's much point in reviewing a game that could be easily played elsewhere, especially in this case as Mahjong games are so prevalent on almost every console. It's not particularly good or bad in any way, and if I'm honest I don't really understand the appeal of Mahjong on such a small screen.

Game: Dr. Mario
Console: Nintendo Game Boy
Developer: Nintendo
Release Date: 1990

I've already reviewed Dr. Mario for NES, and this version is pretty similar, save for the lack of colour. The gameplay and music are pretty much identical to the original, and thus this is just a portable version of it. It's a decent little game for inclusion on these types of multicarts, and the final unique game on the cartridge before they start repeating under different titles. Overall I'd give this the same score as the NES version.

So that's the King Series 14 in 1 cart, featuring 6 games in total, and a real mix of titles. Personally I think the main appeal was intended to be the new Detective Conan game, as well as a fairly recent Shin-Chan game, supplemented by some far older table and puzzle games. It's nice to get the opportunity to play some Japanese exclusives, even if they're not terribly good.

Color GB 32 in 1 Multicart

With a much more official looking cartridge, the Game USA Colour Advance 32 in 1 cartridge sports pictures of Mortal Kombat, Mario 64, Asteroids, Dr. Mario, and strangely "Happy Kombat" which doubtless is just another one of their titles for Mortal Kombat. Of the 32 games promised, the cart actually features 6.

Game: Mortal Kombat
Console: Nintendo Game Boy
Developer: Probe Entertainment
Release Date: 13th September 1993

While it's no secret that I'm not the biggest fan of the SNES or Mega Drive versions of Mortal Kombat, it's obvious that they were developed in line with the power and capabilities of the 4th generation consoles. As you may be able to imagine, the Game Boy version of the game isn't quite as graphically or technically impressive as other versions. There's a choice of 6 fighters, 1 less than the home console versions of the game. and no options of any sort to choose from.

The game goes straight to the arcade mode upon choosing a character, and gameplay is slow even compared to home console versions. With only two attack buttons available for kicks and punches, there's a very limited set of moves available to players, and while there's still the sort of special moves which supposedly set the game apart from other tournament fighters, they're not executed in a way which is satisfying to players.

Graphically the game looks awful, with the motion captured animations appearing in even lower quality than before. The life bars are also difficult to see properly due to the size of the screen, so it's best to play on the Super Game Boy if you can. Musically the game features watered down versions of the home console themes, and they're not too bad when all things are considered.

Overall Mortal Kombat for the Game Boy is an almost perfect example of a game that's been watered down for handhelds. Less fighters, less features, worse graphics, worse gameplay and a worse overall experience. There's no real reason anyone'd want to play this version of the game, especially not if they had access to literally any other version.

Rating: 30/100
Grade: E

Game: Super Mario 4
Console: Nintendo Game Boy
Developer: ???
Release Date: N/A

Super Mario 4 uses assets from various games in its attempt to convince players that it's a legitimate game (it's a ROMhack in case that wasn't obvious). With a title screen based on Super Mario 64, sprites from Super Mario Land 2, Yoshi's Cookie and Mario & Yoshi. The game itself is a hack of Crayon Shin-Chan 4 (reviewed a little further up), and while the level design and several elements have been changed a little, it's still pretty obvious what it's based on.

The game itself is pretty hard, with no continues, many blind jumps, and areas that require taking damage to continue. Donkey Kong makes an appearance as the boss of the 4th world, but other than this it's not a particularly noteworthy game. The next game on the cart is Dr. Mario, which I've reviewed already, so I'll be skipping that as well.

Game: Flipull
Console: Nintendo Game Boy
Developer: Taito
Release Date: April 1990

Subtitled as "An Exciting Cube Game" in Japan, Flipull is a puzzle game which requires players to match blocks with certain shapes on, in order to obtain a set number of points to clear the level. Each level begins with a special block, capable of clearing any other block, but after this players must match the block behind the one they've matched with previously, while the block that's been hit disappears. If this sounds slightly confusing, you'll be able to appreciate my confusion as the game doesn't explain any of the rules.

If players can't find a match for their block, and they run out of Special blocks, then the game is over and the level can be retried as long as there's a continue available to do so. Unfortunately not much strategy can be applied to the game, and wins and losses are mostly random and based on how the level is presented at the start.

Graphically the game is simple, with the majority of the screen taken up by blocks. While it's not difficult to see what you're doing, the game hardly pushes the Game Boy to its limit, and a little more animation might have added some interest. The music is simple and as equally inoffensive as it is unimpressive. It suits the puzzle theme decently, however.

Overall Flipull is about as basic as puzzle games get. While it's not quite as bad as card games or board games on consoles, there's very little gameplay or interest, and there's not really any skill to winning the game. It seems to be the sort of game that's included on the collection for its small filesize rather than any attractive graphics or gameplay.

Rating: 14/100
Grade: F

Game: Asteroids
Console: Nintendo Game Boy
Developer: The Code Monkeys
Release Date: February 1992

Asteroids is a game which should need little explanation to gamers; players control a space ship which can be rotated and moved forwards in order to aim and shoot at asteroids which are hurtling through space. As players shoot the asteroids they split off into smaller segments, any of which can destroy the player's ship until the tiniest segments have been destroyed. In this version of the game levels increase in difficulty after all asteroids have been cleared, up until the player loses.

Graphically the game looks pretty good for being on the Game Boy; the animations are smooth and the asteroids are relatively detailed.  The lack of music behind gameplay is a little disappointing as the sound effects don't give enough of an atmosphere on their own. Overall it's a working version of Asteroids on the Game Boy, but very little else. There's a choice of difficulty settings and multi player modes, but all are essentially the same experience.

Rating: 30/100
Grade: E

Game: Boxxle
Console: Nintendo Game Boy
Developer: Atelier Double
Release Date: 1989

Boxxle is a puzzle game that's appeared on multicarts and other consoles in many formats. The object of the game is to push boxes from their starting positions onto the marked areas. Unfortunately boxes can only be pushed into areas where there's space for them, meaning boxes can get stuck, preventing levels from being finished. There's an undo button in case of this happening, but sometimes the puzzle will need to be restarted to find the proper solution.

Graphically the game is basic, but adequate. What needs to be done is clearly displayed, and any strategy can easily be worked out with the information provided. There's only one theme that plays behind gameplay but it's tolerable, especially considering the short nature of the game. Overall while there's not a lot to the game, it does its job well and just like Asteroids was included due to its small overall size on the cart.

Rating: 22/100
Grade: F

Without any real blockbuster titles included in its 6 games, the Color GB 32 in 1 cart falls a little short of even low expectations. On of the most despicable features of multicarts are ROMhacks purporting to be legitimate games (such as Super Mario 4), because they're attempting to entice ill informed gamers to buy a product which they'll no doubt be disappointed in. With only one multicart to go, let's hope there's better things to come;

Color 32 in 1

Similarly titled to the Color GB 32 in 1, and sporting the same type of sidebar and serial number, I think it's safe to assume that this cart was brought to us by the same people. Featured in the pictures on the front are Adventure Island 2, Super Mario Land, some sort of Pool game with fuzzy writing, Spiderman, Snoopy, Battleship and Bugs Bunny. This makes for a seemingly high quality assortment of games when compared to the other carts.

Game: Adventure Island
Console: Nintendo Game Boy
Developer: Hudson Soft
Release Date: February 1992

Adventure Island has a rather interesting backstory as a gaming series; it was originally a direct port of Sega's arcade game 'Wonder Boy', until Hudson Soft obtained the rights to the game and decided to change the main character to their spokesman, Takahashi Meijin. In Western versions of the game, the main character is called Master Higgins. While the Wonder Boy series eventually went down the route of action RPGs, later Adventure Island games stuck to and expanded upon the original Wonder Boy platforming formula.

The overall objective of the game is to rescue Tina who appears to have been kidnapped and trapped inside of an egg. To do this players must traverse 8 separate islands, each of which have 5 stages before a boss, making for 40 different stages and 8 bosses to beat. Each of the islands have different themes such as Ice, Cave, Cloud and Desert which influence the scenery and enemies found there to a degree.

At the beginning of each level is a powerup egg containing an axewhich players can use as a weapon to defeat enemies. In addition to this various powerup eggs are hidden along the way which contain a skateboard, or creatures to ride on. As well as making platforming easier, these also provide an extra life for players if hit.

Graphically the game is pretty simple, although there are some interesting features to some of the backgrounds and locations. The music sounds good even if it isn't particularly memorable or technically impressive. Overall Adventure Island for the Game Boy has some tight platforming, and a good overall design, but suffers from being repetitive over its many stages.

Rating: 61/100
Grade: D

Game: The Amazing Spider-man
Console: Nintendo Game Boy
Developer: Rare
Release Date: July 1990

There have been many Spider-man games across many consoles over the years. The Amazing Spider-man for Game Boy was developed by Rare and published by LJN, a strange combination as Rare are best known for their amazing line-up of Nintendo 64 games, and LJN are best known for releasing poor NES games. The objective of the game is to fight through the 8 stages and beat 8 of Spider-man's nemeses.

Most stages feature a beat 'em style of gameplay, allowing Spiderman to punch, crouch kick or jump kick his opponents with different combinations of the directional and attack buttons. Having only 3 attack options is a little restrictive at times, and Spider-man often takes damage from enemies thanks to the poor hit detection. A few stages change up the gameplay, such as the wall climbing level, but these are few and far between.

Boss fights are generally pretty easy, as long as players are aware of their pattern. The fact that you're given 5 continues also helps, although Spider-man's health is depleted very easily in the course of gameplay and it's almost impossible not to take any damage at all. Graphically the game has some issues; Spider-man looks as if he's suffering from back pain most of the time, and there's a general lack of detail, but it's not too bad. The music is pretty standard for a Game Boy title, and there's no Spider-man theme or recognisable tunes from the cartoons.

Overall while this definitely isn't the best Spider-man game I've played, it functions as a beat 'em up and allows players to get decently far thanks to the number of continues given at the beginning of the game. Perhaps if the developers had gone for more of a Shinobi style game with a ranged web attack, and more use for web slinging than just avoiding all enemies it could have been a better game.

Rating: 46/100
Grade: D

Game: Super Mario Land
Console: Nintendo Game Boy
Developer: Nintendo
Release Date: August 1989

Super Mario Land was the first handheld platforming instalment in the series, featuring 4 worlds with 3 stages each for a total of 12 stages. At the end of every 3rd stage there's a boss, with a final boss appearing at the very end of the game. Each world has a loose theme; these include Egyptian, Moai, and Water based worlds. Some enemies from the console games make an appearance such as goombas and koopas, but there are also some new enemies like spiders and flying Moai heads.

The overall difficulty is pretty low, and with a minigame which can replenish lives inbetween each stage, there's no reason players shouldn't be able to complete the game on their first run through. Even going slowly through the worlds, there's about half an hour of gameplay in the entire game. On the bright side it controls pretty well and does feel like a primitive version of a Mario game.

Graphically the game is strange; everything seems very small in comparison to console releases; item boxes and goombas seem especially tiny and this can be offputting at first. Musically the game is good, despite using only a few original tunes throughout the stages. Interestingly the invincibility theme is a version of the Can-Can. Overall while Super Mario Land feels like a bite sized version of a Mario game in many ways, it's a decent platforming experience and it offers most of the excitement of a console Mario game. 

Rating: 67/100

Grade: C

Game: Side Pocket
Console: Nintendo Game Boy
Developer: Data East
Release Date: November 1990

As mentioned earlier, I'm not the biggest fan of video games that are entirely possible to play in real life without too much trouble. Pool is on the edge of this bracket as it's entirely possible to go to the nearest pub and play a game for a pound. Side Pocket isn't a bad Pool game, especially by Game Boy standards; the animations are fairly smooth, and there's a career mode of sorts, and two player capability.

One of the best features of the game is that when aiming, the view shows which ball is which by number, allowing players to easily apply some strategy to their shots. Unfortunately though at the end of the day it's still a very simple Pool game and as such I feel that it doesn't belong in my video game ratings.

Game: Snoopy Magic Show
Console: Nintendo Game Boy
Developer: Kemco
Release Date: October 1990

Snoopy Magic Show is another multicart title that was only released in Japan. As a puzzle game of sorts, there wasn't much need for the game to make its way over to the West. Players control Snoopy in a 72 tile rectangle and can move horizontally or vertically between tiles. The goal of each level is to reach every Woodstock, without getting hit by the balls which bounce around each level. Once players have done this they'll advance to the next level, of which there are 120.

Most levels are fairly simple, and there's not a great deal of different features to increase the difficulty in later levels. This means that after 20 levels or so players have seen pretty much all of the game. It should also be noted that there are only 60 level layouts, which are repeated once to pad out the game. Graphically the game is simple and save for featuring characters from the Peanuts comic, it's not particularly interesting. The music is generally upbeat and fits well with the game.

Overall this isn't a particularly original puzzle game and although it's pretty easy, it's easy for players to get bored with the amount of repetition and lack of features. There's no real reason for the Snoopy theme, save for selling copies of the game and it seems like the game will only really appeal to hardcore Snoopy fans.

Rating: 27/100
Grade: F

Game: Battleship
Console: Nintendo Game Boy
Developer: Pack-In Video
Release Date: December 1992

Battleship is another game that can easily be played without the help of video game technology. In fact I'd almost argue that it's better off without. As the original game is a battle of random chance with a little skill mixed in if players know how to exploit certain rules, it's good for 2 players to have an even contest with. Playing against a computer opponent feels too meaningless when players win, and too frustrating when they lose.

There's some nice animations for when ships get hit, and a few rule variations that keep things interesting such as radar and missile clusters, but these could easily be worked into a real life game of Battleship too. The music is easily the best feature of the game with a fast paced action soundtrack to accompany combat. Overall though, there's really no reason for this game to exist, let alone have a version on 14 different consoles.

Game: Bugs Bunny's Crazy Castle

Console: Nintendo Game Boy

Developer: Kemco

Release Date: March 1990

Originally a Mickey Mouse game in Japan, Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle is a platform game in which Bugs Bunny must collect all 8 carrots on each level to progress to the next. There are 80 levels in total, which vary wildly in difficulty between really easy and some which take a little planning to beat. There are enemies roaming each level, as well as a variety of weapons and means to eliminate them with, such as boxing gloves, 10t weights and safes to push off the edge of ledges. 

Generally gameplay is good although it can get a little repetitive after a while; most of the 80 stages are well designed and there are tubes, stairs and other features which keep them fresh and different. The AI can be a little dodgy at times, if players stop moving the sometimes the enemies follow suit, and there can be some cheap deaths, especially at the end of pipes which players have entered blind due to their length. 

Graphically the game has decent likenesses of the cartoon characters, although the backgrounds and location of the entire game are pretty bland. The plot is simply that Bugs is trying to save Honey Bunny who has been kidnapped, although upon completing the game she's not shown or even mentioned (probably due to this being a port of a Mickey Mouse game). Musically the game has a listenable soundtrack which accompanies gameplay well.

Overall this isn't a bad start to the Crazy Castle series, some players may find it a little boring or even easy, but the concept and ideas are pretty fresh. Perhaps 80 stages is a few too many also, but with a password system and infinite continues, it should only take an hour or two to beat the entire game with a little effort.

Rating: 57/100
Grade: D

Easily the best of the three multicarts, this offered the best selection of early Game Boy games, with everything on the cart released before 1993. Multicarts can often be a bit of a gamble with ROMhacks and filler games being prevalent on many, but sometimes what's offered is a look at somewhat forgotten or unreleased (at least outside of Japan) gaming experiences.