RFGen's Top 20 Game Boy games

[EZ Racer]

@crabmaster2000- There are definitely some surprises this time, and a few potentially contreversial choices. To be fair, there were some really predictable choices as well.

@metalfro- I almost PM'ed you when I first browsed your list to make sure you had intentionally left off SML. Shocked me that it wasn't there for you.

[MetalFRO]

@metalfro- I almost PM'ed you when I first browsed your list to make sure you had intentionally left off SML. Shocked me that it wasn't there for you.

I will forever love that game, but I decided to look at it a bit more objectively

[EZ Racer]

This list was really interesting to put together in that it seemed like the games were either on everyone's list, or on only one person's list. In fact, with 7 voters, only 31 games received multiple votes. Out of those 31, eight were on at least 5 lists, and four were on all 7 lists.

But as always before getting to the top 20, here are the games that didn't make it, but are worth attention according to the RFGen community-

Single votes from 20-16


One 20th place vote

Baseball

Boomer's Adventure in ASMIK World- "Proof that advertising works (though maybe not always in the way the advertisers want), I kept this game in the back of my head for decades, until one day I get the opportunity to do a GB top twenty list and I think, "Oh, I remember Boomer and that advertisement back in the day, that's got to be good, right?"  Despite never having played it until now, I can say this game was worth the wait.  Reminds me heavily of Heiankyo Alien in how you fight enemies, but the stages are larger and the enemies can also dig holes as well as fill them in.  Despite that, not nearly as fun as Heiankyo Alien."

Adventures of Star Saver- "There are better action games. This one is pure nostalgia for me though. And it does have one of the best jams on the system: https://youtu.be/6yfKXkx2ZNE

Ghostbusters II- "With the 2600 and NES Ghostbuster games being a bust, it was refreshing to have GB2 where you could pick your team of the four Busters and use two at a time. Zappin' and trappin' is a good deal of fun.


One 19th place vote

Super R.C. Pro-Am

Milon's Secret Castle

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Back from the Sewers- "It's a huge step up from its predecessor in terms of visuals, but not much else. Still a very simplistic game, but decent enough."


One 18th place vote

Mario's Picross- "One of the great chill out puzzlers of all time!"

Bubble Ghost- "A lesser known title where you play as a little ghost blowing a bubble across a treacherous obstacle course.  Some neat puzzle mechanics and a game that requires a lot of finesse."

Double Dragon II- "The first appearance of the Lee brothers on the Game Boy was a conversion of the NES game, somewhat trimmed down, but with unbalanced difficulty. This 2nd game is a unique experience, however, and is better for it. Not content to be a port of the NES sequel, Double Dragon II on the Game Boy is its own thing, and ends up being a fun game in its own right, and a solid beat-em-up.


One 17th place vote

Solar Striker

RoboCop 2- "It’s probably not a great game, and I haven’t played it in probably 25 years, but it was one of the few GB games I owned as a kid, so I’ll always have a soft spot for it. I could never get past that sliding block puzzle, and I still think of this game every time I see one."

Dr. Mario- "Not quite as good as it’s console counterpart, but a decent version if you need your Dr. Mario fix on the go"


One 16th place vote

Knight's Quest- "One of the few RPGs on the Game Boy. Not a difficult game, so it's a great intro RPG for those getting into the genre. Not an elaborate story, but it suffices."

Quarth- "A puzzle game with a shmup feel. Yes Please"

Contra: The Alien Wars- "The lone port on this list, its inclusion is primarily because of what Konami managed to accomplish with this game on the hardware. The previous game, Operation C, had been a fine redux of Super C in some ways, with some new and original locations, but the sheer audacity of Konami to take their Super NES game and cram it into the hardware is on full display here. There's no reason this should be as good as it is, but it works."


Several more to come...

[Crabmaster2000]

3 of mine down already! I thought for sure Picross and Mr. Mario would make several lists. Oh well, everyone listen to that Star Saver song, it's so good!

[MetalFRO]

2 of mine so far, 1 of which I expected, the other I did not.

[shaggy]

2 of mine gone.  1 I'm surprised about, the other not so much.

[EZ Racer]

More single votes (and a few potential surprises)...

One 15th place vote

Bonk's Adventure- "Bonk on the Game Boy, which is a great thing unless you don't like Bonk.  Or maybe you had a Turbo Express and were mean about it. Not awesome, because due to necessity this is not, despite the naming, Bonk's Adventure.  Still, they managed to make it quite fun, with a large amount of the sound effects and minor tunes being excellent facsimiles of the Turbografx tunes."

Battle Bull- "If you enjoy the game Pengo, you'll enjoy Battle Bull. You play as a bulldozer whose object is to push blocks and crush your enemies. Lesser known, but lots of fun."


One 14th place vote

Godzilla- "Not what you'd expect in a Godzilla title, since it's a cutesy puzzle game.  I'm a big fan of strategy puzzle games and if you are as well, you need to add this cheapo to your collection."

Mercenary Force- "It would be easy to merely call this game a shoot-em-up, but that's far too reductive. Rather, this game adds new elements, like controlling an entire team of people that walk along and shoot, and as these mercenaries take damage and die, it significantly alters the way you play the game. You have to balance your approach, and be mindful of the different types of mercenaries you hire, because their unique skillsets change the dynamics of how you are able to attack enemies. Very innovative for its time."


One 13th place vote

Burai Fighter Deluxe- "Avoided the NES original because I pegged it for a poor imitation of Forgotten Worlds (probably with a snarky "How can you get the movement right without the rotary," comment, probably while pushing my glasses up my nose or something), but now I am putting the handheld port onto my top twenty list, because it is fun.  The  controls work surprisingly well and I feel the only slight that could be made against it would be the overall speed of the game, which is a little sluggish."


One 12th place vote

Mega Man III- "By the time Mega Man III was released, Capcom had mastered reworking their great blue bomber series into portable size portions without losing the elements that made the series so enjoyable."


One 11th place vote

Looney Tunes- "A rare licensed gem. Each stage focuses on a different Looney Tunes character so you get a great variety of stage designs from using Bugs’s jumping to Speedy’s size/speed and why not put Porky in a shmup?"

Castlevania Legends- "A good Castlevania game that adds in some new subweapon abilities."


One 10th place vote

Golf- "I probably weighed nostalgia a little heavier for this list than others. But really, Golf for GB is very much like NES Open Tournament Golf for NES, and very relaxing and enjoyable once you get accustomed to the swing speed."


One 9th place vote

Ninja Gaiden Shadow- "A fair bit easier than the NES titles, but still a fun action game for the Game Boy. This was originally developed as a Shadow of the Ninja title, and the influence from that game can be seen here."


One 8th place vote

Final Fantasy Legend

Mega Man IV- "Mega Man IV and V are not as good as the best Mega Man games on the NES, but they are better than the worst Mega Man games on the NES. Since Mega Man is better than pretty much everything else {these} are really good."


One 7th place vote

Final Fantasy Legend II- "Known as SaGa II in Japan, this is arguably the finest RPG on the Game Boy. It took the framework established by the original, and built upon it, with a more cohesive story, and more expansive world. Many of the elements from the 1st game are here, but they're just done better in this sequel."


One 4th place vote

Pokemon Yellow- "I played GB games before this on a Super Game Boy, but this was the first on the console I played on the platform.  Okay, I played in on the GBC I bought with it, but it counts!  Anyway, for me this bypassed the whole 'who should I pick' thing in the other games and gave me what I wanted: Pikachu, to whom I was very entertained with at that point in my life.  I don't remember how long I played it, but the memories of playing this during breaks on the assembly line of Ford is so strong I have to include it.  My favorite Pokemon game until Gold came out and the franchise fizzed for me (and I guess by proxy my second favorite Pokemon game). All hail Pikachu!"

Sword of Hope- "I've been a fan of Kemco ever since playing Shadowgate and a fan of the "point and click" genre.  I knew once I saw this game in Nintendo Power I had to get this and I was not disappointed and loved every minute of it."


One 3rd place vote

Final Fantasy Legend III- "This was the first Final Fantasy game I played on the system, and my personal fav.  At the time is was just what I needed, that being a traditional feeling JRPG with a twist (the addition of characters that could be customized using monster meat or robot parts), and also had a strong Chrono Trigger feeling at some points.  I tried going back to the two previous Legend games and found them inferior, containing weapons with limited use and a strange leveling system that I just couldn't get into.  Legend III is the most mainstream of the series (and thus, the least creative), but the one that feels the most polished, in my opinion."

Boggle Plus- "I know it will be contreversial putting this game this high, but as I racked my brain over where to put it on my list, I kept coming back to how much I enjoy playing this over the other games on my list. To this day I probably play it more than any other portable game I own. It's not just nostalgia that puts it here for me. The Game Boy is known for its quick, simplistic but intensely fun games, which helped make Tetris and other puzzle games so popular on the system. This word puzzler has those same elements. It's simplistic, but always changing and always fun."

Wario Land II- "An amazing take on puzzle/exploration platforming. So many secrets and reasons to replay stages and experiment. One of the best Wario games of all time and I’d even rank it extremely highly in the general Mario pantheon."


Believe it or not, that takes care of most of the also-rans, with just a few games getting multiple votes but not making the Top 20. I'll have those out soon...

[shaggy]

Another 2 of my games down.

[Link41]

On a side note, I'm intrigued to see what makes the Game Boy Color list.

[Crabmaster2000]

This list is going be bonkers. How did no one else vote for Wario Land II??? It's amazing!!

[shaggy]

This list is going be bonkers. How did no one else vote for Wario Land II??? It's amazing!!

I'm guessing it would have been on my list but I never played it.

[EZ Racer]

Multi-vote also rans:

F1 Race (#20, #20)

"I'm not a big racing game fan, because I'm rather terrible at them. But Nintendo provided an experience with F-1 Race that is hard to deny. I bought this as a kid, and had the opportunity to race against friends, which changed the way I saw the genre, having mostly played single player racers up to that point. I never got the chance to do a full-on, 4-player race, but it was a solid enough experience to think that it's probably the best original racing game on the handheld."


Revenge of the Gator (#19, #17)

"In the vein of video pinball games like Alien and Devil’s Crush Revenge of the Gator is a unique pinball table made just for this game. Some fun gimmicks and secrets make this a personal favorite."

"During the Game Boy's lifespan, there were a surprising number of pinball games released. This particular game took the limitations of the handheld, and managed to still make a fun game that approximated the pinball experience, while including elements that had started to become staples in video pinball games by that time, such as moving enemy characters, or bonus rooms. A very charming and fun game."


Mega Man II (#17, #13)

"Title screen music is one of the best for the GB, paired with quality gameplay"


Solomon's Club (#17, #13)

"Not just a port, but rather a improved game with a lot of new features.  I really like the NES original, and I love this game despite the fact I cannot finish it. A true portable title, while it lacks a battery save, it does have a password feature along with the ability to pick individual levels to play."


Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fall of the Foot Clan (#20, #11)

"An extremely simple and not particularly noteworthy game."


Trax (#19, #10)

"A neat vertical tank shooter that reminds me a lot of Firepower 2000 on the SNES.  Probably not a well-known title on the Game Boy, but one every shmup fan should own."

"This unsung game takes the vertical scrolling shooter formula, and does something unique with it. Trax sees you piloting a tank, and giving you the ability to change your direction of fire, and deal with various obstacles on the ground that you have to maneuver around, along with some you can blow up, all while avoiding enemies and enemy fire. It's a clever little game that definitely needs more exposure."


Avenging Spirit (#14, #12)

"Fun action platformer where you play a spirit that jumps from creature to creature.  The manual says there are more than twenty in total, each with their own abilities, ranging from a martial artist that throws energy waves to a laughing, fanged Dracula-type character that throws bats.  Very easy to pick up with a lot of variety, but gets challenging quickly."

"Another lesser known title on the Game Boy and rather expensive these days. You play as a ghost who can take over your enemies bodies and go into battle. Some decent boss fights as well."


Fortified Zone (#16, #11)

"A simple, yet fun little overhead shooter, which is really what you need on a handheld system with no sleep function.  You basically just wander around a maze shooting at respawning enemies, collect items, and fight bosses.  I think the only people who would have not liked this back in the day were the folks that wanted deeper games on their GB.  Apparently there are sequels, one of which was released to the West on SNES.  Anyway, I would love to see a modern remake of this game."

"This overhead action/adventure game takes familiar elements from the original Metal Gear NES game, but simplifies the experience somewhat. The inclusion of male and female protagonists, both of whom are necessary to use during the course of the game, due to their unique skillsets, helped set the game apart, and brought a unique experience to the handheld."


Castlevania: The Adventure (#16, #10)

"A very sluggish feeling game, but it’s not so bad once you adjust to the pace. My least favorite of the GB Castlevania games though."


Ducktales (#16, #10)

"I missed out on the NES Top 20 list due to issues, so because of that I am including Ducktales, which as far as I know is a perfect port (sans colors) of the original NES game.  I might be wrong on that (probably am), but I haven't played it in a while and cannot remember.  What I can remember is that Ducktales on GB is a ton of fun, and one that, had I owned an original GB back in the day, would have been proud to own."

"Close enough to the console version that it’s still a lot of fun to play"


The final list comes out soon...

[Crabmaster2000]

I like to think this is a quote from the person who placed it at 11th on their list:


Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fall of the Foot Clan (#20, #11)

"An extremely simple and not particularly noteworthy game

[singlebanana]

Yep, a few of my games knocked off, but far less than I expected. At least some of you have good taste......

[bombatomba]

Doh Ducktales!