I've never played GB Baseball, but a friend DID have Alleyway (and of course Super Mario Land), and we played them a lot. I can't remember now if Alleyway had passwords or how it otherwise tracked progression through the levels; surely it didn't have a battery save. But I have to agree that Alleyway got the job done, for what it was.
And is it just me or is the box art on Alleyway awesome? Surprised you didn't call it out. I have a genre of thoughts in my head on the theme of trying to remember what it's like to be a kid. And one of those thoughts is, "Being a kid means that Alleyway is more fun to play if you remember your paddle is actually a strangely-shaped spaceship piloted by Mario." But to a jaded adult, our first thought is, "Ugh, what an obvious cash grab, trying to shoehorn Mario into an utterly generic game that has nothing to do with him."
I didn't hear of a game called "Breakout" until about 20 years after playing Alleyway, so among my friends, this genre was known as "Alleyway-type games." Of which, the other one we were most familiar with was the minigame in Legend of the Mystical Ninja.
Alleyway has no passwords or battery-backup save, which means you have to play all the levels at once. Which means most people have only ever gotten up to level 5 or so, haha.
The Alleyway box art is awesome, and you're right, shame on me for not calling attention to it. I remember getting Mario Mania after Super Mario World came out, and in that guide, they showcased every game Mario had been in up to that point, including cameos. I just thought it was so neat that Nintendo would figure out a way to put Mario in just about any game. Before they started calling everything "Mario" this and "Mario" that.
Yeah, poor Breakout, most people have never played it. Arkanoid was the first ball-and-paddle game I remember.
There’s something special about Game Boy box art, especially for early releases. Love the box art for Alleyway, it kinda gives the game some much needed personality. I also like this era where Nintendo would just shove Mario into any unrelated game.
Right on! I own all 3 of these games today and an original Game Boy and Game Boy Color to play them on. Alleyway is the perfect Arkanoid clone for the Game Boy. If you need an Arkanoid/Breakout fix... this does the trick! I do find it relaxing, if I'm in that "breakout" type of mood.
Baseball is what it is and Super Mario Land was really good for the time it was released, but fairly shallow compared to the later released Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins. Obviously, Super Mario Land 2 was superior and played like a real Super Mario platform game.
I did love to play some Game Boy back in the day and now at 50 years of age, I still do man!
I didn't comment on your original Game Boy post just due to being very busy at the time, but I wanted to because I think there should be a distinction between playing Game Boy (the original hardware) 35 years later and playing Game Boy games 35 years later.
I grew up playing and loving the Game Boy. In our house we only had one TV, which meant it was used for whatever my parents wanted and then had to be shared with my two siblings when my parents weren't using it. Game Boy was a way for me to be able to play games, visit these worlds, and be immersed in these adventures without having to work around other people's schedules. I could get away from everything else, relax, and have good times in a way I couldn't before I had a Game Boy. It was (and is still) pretty awesome.
The 1989 hardware, in its original form, is definitely a challenge and not particularly enjoyable to play nowadays. But there are modifications that have come about to negate its downsides while retaining the original form factor and feel. Out of all the handhelds I've played, the original Game Boy is my favorite for how it feels. The d-pad and the buttons are the perfect size, have a great feel, and their placement has been comfortable for my hands from child through adult. The weight and thickness of the console are just right without being too heavy or unwieldy. And with options for upgrading to backlit screens (with better refresh rates) and rechargeable batteries, you can have one with today's functionality and conveniences. I would love to one day build a custom GBA in an original DMG housing to be able to play all generations of Game Boy games with that feel.
As for if the games are still worth playing 35 years later, that's a bigger barrel of monkeys with a wide array of responses. I didn't have a whole lot of games for my Game Boy, but the ones I spent the most time with still hold up for me today. Reading your thoughts on Arkan…I mean Alleyway reminded me of the many hours I spent with Kirby's Pinball Land. It was challenging and fun and relaxing. Games like Duck Tales, the rest of the Kirby series, Jurassic Park, Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins, Tetris, Yoshi, and the first two generations of Pokémon are all games I can still play and (mostly) objectively say are solid with the way games improved over the years. On the other hand, games like the Mega Man series, Ninja Turtles, Castlevania Adventure, Metroid II, and Final Fantasy Adventure, while still having enjoyable aspects and moments, did not age as well and I know there are many others with less value for your time than these.
Cool to see you're checking out some of these portable classics on the Switch (much better viewing than a stock OG Game Boy) and also not paying anything extra to find out how much fun GB Baseball is, haha.
I appreciate your perspective, Chip! I had never considered the idea that a Game Boy could be a way for a kid to enjoy games apart from the TV, not because there are no consoles in the house, but because... the parents are using the TV. Or the younger siblings are using it. And there's only one TV in the house.
The Game Boy does feel good to hold, I'll give it that. If you ever do build the custom GBA with DMG housing, I'd love to see it! (as would various gaming subreddits, I imagine)
I'm curious to try some of these, particularly DuckTales, Jurassic Park, the Turtles games, and Metroid II again. I hated Metroid II when I tried to play it in 2009 or 2010, I can't remember, and I know the remake is supposed to be considerably better. Maybe I can put myself in an early 90s mood the next time I give it a go... maybe.
You listed them in the order I’d rank or recommend them in - Duck Tales is excellent and Jurassic Park is unique with a cool atmosphere. But Turtles (the first one, Fall Of The Foot Clan) is chunky and showcases the slow movements that early GB games get a (justifiably) bad rap for and Metroid has a cool story but is quite tedious. I wouldn’t fault you for not being able to make it through them, haha.
When I played Metroid II my copy had a dead battery, so I had to start over every time. It was an extra frustration on top of the game itself, but I got real good and quick with the first half of the game because of it. After I eventually beat it and got to see the ending I haven’t had the urge to pick it up again. I am excited to play the remake, because I like the story and ideas, but the OG version is easily my least favorite Metroid entry I’ve played.
I remember someone brought a Game Boy to class since we could bring games at the end of the school year to pass the time. Our classmate borrowed the Game Boy, beat one of the levels in Super Mario Land and exclaimed “I did it!” excitedly. Me and my friends laughed. Elementary schoolers will laugh at anything, for no reason, lol
Enjoy these reviews.
I've never played GB Baseball, but a friend DID have Alleyway (and of course Super Mario Land), and we played them a lot. I can't remember now if Alleyway had passwords or how it otherwise tracked progression through the levels; surely it didn't have a battery save. But I have to agree that Alleyway got the job done, for what it was.
And is it just me or is the box art on Alleyway awesome? Surprised you didn't call it out. I have a genre of thoughts in my head on the theme of trying to remember what it's like to be a kid. And one of those thoughts is, "Being a kid means that Alleyway is more fun to play if you remember your paddle is actually a strangely-shaped spaceship piloted by Mario." But to a jaded adult, our first thought is, "Ugh, what an obvious cash grab, trying to shoehorn Mario into an utterly generic game that has nothing to do with him."
I didn't hear of a game called "Breakout" until about 20 years after playing Alleyway, so among my friends, this genre was known as "Alleyway-type games." Of which, the other one we were most familiar with was the minigame in Legend of the Mystical Ninja.
Alleyway has no passwords or battery-backup save, which means you have to play all the levels at once. Which means most people have only ever gotten up to level 5 or so, haha.
The Alleyway box art is awesome, and you're right, shame on me for not calling attention to it. I remember getting Mario Mania after Super Mario World came out, and in that guide, they showcased every game Mario had been in up to that point, including cameos. I just thought it was so neat that Nintendo would figure out a way to put Mario in just about any game. Before they started calling everything "Mario" this and "Mario" that.
Yeah, poor Breakout, most people have never played it. Arkanoid was the first ball-and-paddle game I remember.
There’s something special about Game Boy box art, especially for early releases. Love the box art for Alleyway, it kinda gives the game some much needed personality. I also like this era where Nintendo would just shove Mario into any unrelated game.
Yes! And they didn't feel the need to call this "Mario's Alleyway" which is something they would absolutely do now.
Right on! I own all 3 of these games today and an original Game Boy and Game Boy Color to play them on. Alleyway is the perfect Arkanoid clone for the Game Boy. If you need an Arkanoid/Breakout fix... this does the trick! I do find it relaxing, if I'm in that "breakout" type of mood.
Baseball is what it is and Super Mario Land was really good for the time it was released, but fairly shallow compared to the later released Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins. Obviously, Super Mario Land 2 was superior and played like a real Super Mario platform game.
I did love to play some Game Boy back in the day and now at 50 years of age, I still do man!
That's awesome that you still own all three today and have original hardware to play them on, to boot!
I need to give Super Mario Land 2 another shot. I've played it a couple times, but it's never stuck with me.
Thanks for the comment, Steven!
I didn't comment on your original Game Boy post just due to being very busy at the time, but I wanted to because I think there should be a distinction between playing Game Boy (the original hardware) 35 years later and playing Game Boy games 35 years later.
I grew up playing and loving the Game Boy. In our house we only had one TV, which meant it was used for whatever my parents wanted and then had to be shared with my two siblings when my parents weren't using it. Game Boy was a way for me to be able to play games, visit these worlds, and be immersed in these adventures without having to work around other people's schedules. I could get away from everything else, relax, and have good times in a way I couldn't before I had a Game Boy. It was (and is still) pretty awesome.
The 1989 hardware, in its original form, is definitely a challenge and not particularly enjoyable to play nowadays. But there are modifications that have come about to negate its downsides while retaining the original form factor and feel. Out of all the handhelds I've played, the original Game Boy is my favorite for how it feels. The d-pad and the buttons are the perfect size, have a great feel, and their placement has been comfortable for my hands from child through adult. The weight and thickness of the console are just right without being too heavy or unwieldy. And with options for upgrading to backlit screens (with better refresh rates) and rechargeable batteries, you can have one with today's functionality and conveniences. I would love to one day build a custom GBA in an original DMG housing to be able to play all generations of Game Boy games with that feel.
As for if the games are still worth playing 35 years later, that's a bigger barrel of monkeys with a wide array of responses. I didn't have a whole lot of games for my Game Boy, but the ones I spent the most time with still hold up for me today. Reading your thoughts on Arkan…I mean Alleyway reminded me of the many hours I spent with Kirby's Pinball Land. It was challenging and fun and relaxing. Games like Duck Tales, the rest of the Kirby series, Jurassic Park, Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins, Tetris, Yoshi, and the first two generations of Pokémon are all games I can still play and (mostly) objectively say are solid with the way games improved over the years. On the other hand, games like the Mega Man series, Ninja Turtles, Castlevania Adventure, Metroid II, and Final Fantasy Adventure, while still having enjoyable aspects and moments, did not age as well and I know there are many others with less value for your time than these.
Cool to see you're checking out some of these portable classics on the Switch (much better viewing than a stock OG Game Boy) and also not paying anything extra to find out how much fun GB Baseball is, haha.
I appreciate your perspective, Chip! I had never considered the idea that a Game Boy could be a way for a kid to enjoy games apart from the TV, not because there are no consoles in the house, but because... the parents are using the TV. Or the younger siblings are using it. And there's only one TV in the house.
The Game Boy does feel good to hold, I'll give it that. If you ever do build the custom GBA with DMG housing, I'd love to see it! (as would various gaming subreddits, I imagine)
I'm curious to try some of these, particularly DuckTales, Jurassic Park, the Turtles games, and Metroid II again. I hated Metroid II when I tried to play it in 2009 or 2010, I can't remember, and I know the remake is supposed to be considerably better. Maybe I can put myself in an early 90s mood the next time I give it a go... maybe.
You listed them in the order I’d rank or recommend them in - Duck Tales is excellent and Jurassic Park is unique with a cool atmosphere. But Turtles (the first one, Fall Of The Foot Clan) is chunky and showcases the slow movements that early GB games get a (justifiably) bad rap for and Metroid has a cool story but is quite tedious. I wouldn’t fault you for not being able to make it through them, haha.
When I played Metroid II my copy had a dead battery, so I had to start over every time. It was an extra frustration on top of the game itself, but I got real good and quick with the first half of the game because of it. After I eventually beat it and got to see the ending I haven’t had the urge to pick it up again. I am excited to play the remake, because I like the story and ideas, but the OG version is easily my least favorite Metroid entry I’ve played.
I remember someone brought a Game Boy to class since we could bring games at the end of the school year to pass the time. Our classmate borrowed the Game Boy, beat one of the levels in Super Mario Land and exclaimed “I did it!” excitedly. Me and my friends laughed. Elementary schoolers will laugh at anything, for no reason, lol
That's true, they will. It's absurd, but also endearing.