Which gameboy series had the best lineup?

[mikeweezer80]

i want to start getting into gameboy games, but i only want to concentrate on on either the gameboy, the gameboy advance, or gameboy color. In your opinion, which system had the the most solid lineup of games?

[MrSparkle]

well if you go for the advance you can play the games for all 3. personally they all have some amazing games if you HAD TO choose between the three id say gameboy advance had the best overall lineup.

[Flippy8490]

I definately think the Advance had the best lineup of handheld games ever. The gameboy was solid too, lots of classics, but the Advance has LOTS of quality. <3 the Advance

[MrSparkle]

My advice get an advance sp it was an awesome handheld. Added some much needed features like rechargeable battery, backlit screen, and incredibly small size. Plus it will play all of your GB and GBC games too! only downsides are that its not quite as comfortable as the original GBA and gb/gbc carts stick way out of the bottom, that and it usually costs about twice as much. But you really do get what you pay for in this case.

[Orion Pimpdaddy]

Gameboy Advance due to the overall number of quality titles (watch for fakes on E-bay). A lot of the original Gameboy games have not aged well. The Gameboy Color library was not as extensive as the other two.

So far I have about 150 GBA titles listed as "must haves" on my own personal Excel spreadsheet, compared to 65 for the GBC, and 110 on the original. I find myself adding to the GBA list more often than the other two.

[shopkins]

Getting a Gameboy Player and getting into Advance games was, for me, like discovering a whole new amazing console from the 16-bit era. Tons of great new games from series like Metroid, Castlevania and Megaman and even a few interesting new RPGs. I would recommend it, although personally I didn't specialize in collecting just Advance games and picked up other great stuff from the earlier eras, such as Metroid II and some of the Zelda games. I would recommend the SP, too, because the screen on the first version of the GBA is honestly pretty bad. But I personally prefer the Gameboy Player because there really aren't that many situations where I would be out and about playing games.

[swlovinist]

As others have said, the GBA has some great stuff, and covers most of what the Gameboy had. More importantly, GBA titles are a little easier to find locally which is always a good thing.

[bangtango]

Limiting yourself to just one particular series of Game Boy games is irresponsible if you are looking to play the best the system has to offer.

Sure, the Game Boy Advance might have the best lineup of titles. But stuff like Super Mario Land, Super Mario Land 2, Operation C, TMNT: Fall of the Foot Clan, Link's Awakening (GB), Link's Awakening DX (GBC) and Super Mario Deluxe are absolute necessities in the collection of any serious Game Boy fan.

Not to mention any number of Game Boy Advance titles.

[CDiablo]

GBA easily as it had the power to put out high quality 2D games.......which something like the GB/C could not. GB has some good games but lots of limitations.

[c0ldb33r]

Getting a GBA SP2 is the best bet. It's been discussed before (just search the forums).

[Jorpho]

i want to start getting into gameboy gamesPerhaps you should first ask yourself exactly why you want to do this, and then the answer will reveal itself? I mean, if you just want to have a shelf of pretty things to stare at, I'd reckon you'd be more likely to find boxed GBA games than earlier stuff.

With their tiny labels, I don't think the carts themselves make for something pretty to stare at, but I guess the translucent GBC games are kinda cool.

Or you could just take a nice hi-res picture of someone else's pretty-looking shelf and put that up on your wall. :p

[A Black Falcon]

Given that the GBA plays all three, as some people have said you really don't have to choose. I've always liked handhelds, the Game Boy was my first console... and it still works after many years. Those things are nearly indestructible... too bad the GBC and GBA (and DS) aren't built nearly as well. The original systems just won't break unless you really want to damage them. :)

As for games, I'd put the original GB and GBA over the GBC, simply because of number of games; the GBC was only around for a couple of years and just has fewer titles. It does have some good ones, though, so I wouldn't skip it entirely.

As for a focus, though, perhaps it's nostalgia, but I really love the original Game Boy. Part of it depends on which genres you want to play -- the GB is quite weak in RPGs, for instance, while GBC has more and GBA handily blows both of them away in the genre. The same goes for action-RPGs, though at least there the original GB does have some great ones -- particularly Zelda LA and Final Fantasy Adventure, but also stuff like the two Rolan's Curse games. What the original GB excels at are platformers. From the spectacular first-party lineup including Mario Lands 1 and 2, Wario Lands 1 and 2, Kirby's Dream Lands 1 and 2, Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters, Metroid 2, Donkey Kong, and more, to good third-party stuff like The Castlevania Adventure 2 from Konami or Sunsoft's Looney Tunes, I think that the original GB is the best handheld overall for platformers. It has a lot of them, and a lot of them are pretty good. The newer handhelds have some platformers, of course, but there's nothing on any of them that matches up to Donkey Kong, Kirby's Dream Land 2, or Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3, I would say. Those games are still my three favorite handheld platformers.

Oh, the Game Boy Player is fantastic, but for original Game Boy games, I really highly recommend a Super Game Boy for the SNES. Super Game Boy enhanced titles have additional colors and in some cases gameplay modes that cannot be played anywhere else, including a Game Boy Player. For instance, Wario Blast and Bomberman GB have four-player multiplayer on the SGB, if you have a multitap; all of Takara's fighting games, Street Fighter 2, and Killer Instinct have two-player modes; SGB-enhanced titles often have nice, SGB-exclusive borders, which in some titles change depending on which mode or part of the game you are in; and more. No original GB collector should be without a SGB!

On Original Game Boy games, look for the SGB logos on the carts. These are not always accurate (The Lion King does NOT have SGB enhancements!), but usually are. For black-cart GBC games, unfortunately, the only way to tell if the game has SGB enhancements is to look at the back of the box; the cart won't tell you. Dual-mode (black) GB/GBC with SGB support did continue to be released through the end of the GBC's life, so you could say that in a way, the last SNES game released anywhere was actually the final GB/C game with SGB enhancements, Dragon Warrior Monsters 2 in 2001...

[Iron Draggon]

GBA SP2 for sure... it plays every game, and the only downside to it is the controls are reversed in a couple of games that were designed for the top loading models... I forget which games they are, but it's not that important unless you're specifically interested in playing those particular games only

as for the GB Player, I'm about to get one and a Gamecube myself, just so I can play all my GBA games on TV... the idea of playing all those games on a big screen is simply irresistable to me... and again the only downside as far as I know is the same reversed control issue with the same couple of games

BTW, I have a couple of GBC games in my collection, but only one GB game, so I think the order of coolness for GB systems is exactly the opposite of their order of release... there's definitely alot of must have games for all 3 systems, but the most must have games are found on the color systems, not the black & white system... unless you're the type who prefers low tech over hi tech... so if your favorite console is the Atari 2600, then go with the GB

[Jorpho]

I've always liked handhelds, the Game Boy was my first console... and it still works after many years. Those things are nearly indestructible... The vertical-lines-on-the-screen problem is hardly that uncommon. And it's darn weighty with four AA batteries packed inside, even if they do last a while.

[bangtango]

The vertical-lines-on-the-screen problem is hardly that uncommon.

The orange lines? Ah yes. That is one of the worst things about buying an original Game Boy from a thrift store or lawn sale. Half the time you get it home and it has that problem. When it does, the only thing the system is good for playing is something as simple as Tetris.

In my opinion, the best way to play original GB games or GBC stuff is on a Game Boy Color system. I hate the way the "old" games look on either of the Game Boy Advance systems (original, SP or SP2) with the black space on both sides of the screen.

Yes I understand it is simply reproducing the same size picture that you would get on a Game Boy Color system due to a bigger screen on the GBA. But it looks like shit to me and I'd just prefer to play the old stuff on the GBC unit which gives you the fullscreen look.

As a result, I keep around an original Game Boy, two Game Boy Pockets and two Game Boy Colors to play older stuff.

I never totally understood why the majority of people feel the need to forsake older models of the Game Boy (such as Game Boy Pocket or Game Boy Color), aside from the backlighting thing.

People all over the internet have no problem keeping 12 toaster NES systems or 8 Atari 2600 machines in their house but somehow think that four or five old Game Boy units (non-GBA) might take up too much space.

[Haoie]

All this talk and no mention of Pokemon?

I say this is the incentive many had to get a GB/GBC/GBA.

[scooterb23]

GBA had the best game lineup? Really? I can't say I agree with that statement, but hey...different strokes for different folks. I always thought there were way too many really bad cash-in games on the Color and Advance. Sure, the original has them too, but I didn't think there were that many.

I collect for the old, original Black & White Game Boy, and I love the games on that thing. I currently have 168 games for it, for the record.

[boatofcar]

GBA had the best game lineup? Really? I can't say I agree with that statement, but hey...different strokes for different folks. I always thought there were way too many really bad cash-in games on the Color and Advance. Sure, the original has them too, but I didn't think there were that many.

I collect for the old, original Black & White Game Boy, and I love the games on that thing. I currently have 168 games for it, for the record.

The GBA does have the best lineup--it just also has the most shovelware. It's the PS2 of handhelds.

[A Black Falcon]

The vertical-lines-on-the-screen problem is hardly that uncommon. And it's darn weighty with four AA batteries packed inside, even if they do last a while.

What are you referring to, the dead lines some systems have? Mine does have a dead line near the bottom of the screen (two actually, but they're next to eachother so it's one dead bar). You very quickly get used to it, though, and it doesn't impact play.

My family had a second Game Boy back then too, and that one (used less than mine, but used) is still in perfect working order, no dead lines as far as I know.

Neither of ours have any orange lines or anything like that, as far as I know. Mine certainly doesn't.

My GB does seem to have one other problem, though... back then, we got official Battery Packs for our GBs. The rechargeable batteries died long ago, but they should still be usable as AC adapters, right? Unfortunately, the AC adapter port in my GB is evidently very, very touchy, because it constantly resets or doesn't work at all on AC. I think it's the system because it does the same exact thing with both AC adapter sets. Bah... oh well, at least it gets great battery life.

Despite those minor niggles, it's definitely the most durable handheld I've ever seen. My GBC? Screen died. First GBA? Dpad failed. DS? Stylus broken... and even beyond just me, the original GB was just unbelievably reliable. I don't know if any other handheld can match it. Certainly nothing with a hinge like the GBA SP or DS could. :)

As for weight, sure it's heaver than Nintendo's later consoles, but it's still portable; it's quite a bit smaller than the Game Gear or Lynx (those were hard to fit in a pocket... :)), and gets 8-10 times better battery life than either of them... I mean, the original GB gets 35-40 hours on 4 AAs! That's a better hours-per-battery ratio than the Virtual Boy, GBC, or original model GBA; I don't think even DS or GBA SP can match it. The only handhelds which can are the Neo-Geo Pocket Color and WonderSwan, as far as I know... but other than that, the original GB is pretty much the best.

I loved the color and the largely blur-free screen (the original GB is admittedly quite blurry!), but I was definitely pretty disappointed by the much shorter battery life of the GBC, and then GBA. They get maybe 12-15 hours, with 2 AAs, well under the hours-per-battery ratio of the original GB.

Or in short, with an original GB, you can take your used batteries from a Virtual Boy (about 6-7 hours, because the system starts resetting when batteries get to about a third power, it seems to me), and still have time for a complete, beginning-to-end game of Kirby's Dream Land 2 on your original GB with four of your batteries, with plenty of hours to spare before they run out. :)

... Then go play it on SGB too, because the SGB enhancements in the game (colors, border, etc) look really cool.


GBA had the best game lineup? Really? I can't say I agree with that statement, but hey...different strokes for different folks. I always thought there were way too many really bad cash-in games on the Color and Advance. Sure, the original has them too, but I didn't think there were that many.

Yeah, agreed, the GBA has way too many SNES and Genesis ports. It does have a lot of great original games too, but a lot of the best games are ports. This is simply not the case with the original GB; there, virtually none of the major titles are ports. The GBC is in between, with a lot of NES ports but a good number of original titles as well.


BTW, I have a couple of GBC games in my collection, but only one GB game, so I think the order of coolness for GB systems is exactly the opposite of their order of release... there's definitely alot of must have games for all 3 systems, but the most must have games are found on the color systems, not the black & white system... unless you're the type who prefers low tech over hi tech... so if your favorite console is the Atari 2600, then go with the GB

That's absurd. GB games are in no way worse than GBC or GBA games... color isn't everything. Gameplay is what matters, and gameplay-wise, the GB and GBC are very, VERY similar. GBC is faster and has more RAM, but not much else... there's a reason so many games were dual-mode, the jump is small.

That response reminds me of those old EGM Sushi-X Game Boy reviews... in every single GB game he reviewed, before the SGB came out, he complained about the lack of color, as if that has anything at all to do with the gameplay. It got really old, really fast... and was never accurate. Black and white games are not worse than color games simply because they don't have color! If the gameplay and design is the same, then they're just as good. Just play Wario Land 2 in color mode and then B&W mode, the difference in experience is minimal.


I collect for the old, original Black & White Game Boy, and I love the games on that thing. I currently have 168 games for it, for the record.

Very impressive... :) I've found that locally, GB games seem to be much harder to find than major-system games, which is kind of frustrating; there are a few around, but often they're either bad or overpriced. I mean, The Castlevania Adventure 2 (cart only) may be great, but $18? It's not worth that...

Back in the 1994-1998 period that it was my main console I believe I got around 24 GB games, but while in the last few years I've added a few games to that, I only have 34 original GB games now... add to that the five dual-mode GB/C games I have, and that's 39. Of course, I only have 11 working GBC games, for that system (plus my broken copy of SMB Deluxe)... I pretty much stopped buying GBC games when the GBA came out, and didn't get a GBA for several years. I only recently started looking for them again.


The GBA does have the best lineup--it just also has the most shovelware. It's the PS2 of handhelds.

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, original B&W Game Boy version, is the best handheld game of all time. Since the first day I played it, nothing has come close to beating it. And as I said I definitely prefer the platformers on the original GB (remember, all those SNES ports aren't too interesting, they're all better on SNES... look at the actual exclusives for the actual comparison.). The GBA is great at action-RPGs and RPGs, things that as I said the GB was mostly weak at, though, so I mostly see them as complimentary systems... but my favorite handheld game of all time is definitely on the original. :)

I like the BG

[Jorpho]

What are you referring to, the dead lines some systems have? Mine does have a dead line near the bottom of the screen (two actually, but they're next to eachother so it's one dead bar).No, I'm referring to the vertical lines. The ribbon cable that connects the LCD screen is kind of flimsy: lose one of the pins and you lose a vertical line. See here (http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=62693).


The rechargeable batteries died long ago, but they should still be usable as AC adapters, right?Actually, it says in the manual that if the batteries are completely drained, it won't work as an AC adapter. I don't really know why.


Despite those minor niggles, it's definitely the most durable handheld I've ever seen.And you're making this bold, sweeping claim on the basis of the two units you're familiar with? I managed to wear out the D-pad on mine.

[bangtango]

What are you referring to, the dead lines some systems have? Mine does have a dead line near the bottom of the screen (two actually, but they're next to eachother so it's one dead bar). You very quickly get used to it, though, and it doesn't impact play.

I've seen original Game Boy's with both vertical lines and horizontal lines across the screen.

The vertical lines Jorpho is referring to can pose one hell of a problem if you attempt playing a shmup like Nemesis/Gradius, a platformer like Super Mario Land or action games like Operation C and Fall of the Foot Clan.

It can literally render items, enemies or projectiles in that area of the screen invisible. So yes, it will affect gameplay at some point. You'll see when you miss items or experience a cheap death.

When I have Game Boy's like that, I usually take them to a thrift because even perfectly working original Game Boy's are hard enough to sell as it is. But before I take it to a thrift, I find a way to sticker or mark it on the battery cover (nothing that can't be removed easily enough). This way if I ever come across that same Game Boy in a completely different location after it has left the thrift, such as a lawn sale or something, then I will be able to tell I once owned it and won't plunk down a $5 bill for it.

Why go through that trouble? Unfortunately I tend to buy old Game Boy systems when I find them, assuming the price is reasonable. With an original, I like to know if possible whether or not it has the vertical lines.

[Press_Start]

And you're making this bold, sweeping claim on the basis of the two units you're familiar with? I managed to wear out the D-pad on mine.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a7/Game_boy_damaged_in_the_gulf_war.JPG

Here's your proof!

(btw, no vertical lines. :p)

[Solertia]

I collect for the old, original Black & White Game Boy, and I love the games on that thing.

Don'tcha mean Green & Green? XD

[Ed Oscuro]

The vertical lines Jorpho is referring to can pose one hell of a problem if you attempt playing a shmup like Nemesis/Gradius, a platformer like Super Mario Land or action games like Operation C and Fall of the Foot Clan.

It can literally render items, enemies or projectiles in that area of the screen invisible. So yes, it will affect gameplay at some point. You'll see when you miss items or experience a cheap death.
I guarantee a single missing vertical line in Op C wouldn't be the death of me. Game's a strict memorizer. Same's probably true of Nemesis too; I've looped that thing over and over.

[A Black Falcon]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a7/Game_boy_damaged_in_the_gulf_war.JPG

Here's your proof!

(btw, no vertical lines. :p)

It has one dead line though. It's just a partial one, oddly, but it's clearly there. I think that's the system's most common display problem...

It is odd though, they don't start out that way; at some point the line just dies. But the problem doesn't really seem to get worse -- since those two lines died on my system's display, for instance, some years back, no more have died. So losing a line isn't an indication of the display's impending failure. It's strange...

(In my system the dead lines are near the bottom, so it's often part of the game's status bar (if it has one) that's missing, or something right above it. That probably is less annoying than a middle-of-the-screen problem like that, but whereever it is, if it's just one line you get used to it and it really isn't a problem, I'd say.


No, I'm referring to the vertical lines. The ribbon cable that connects the LCD screen is kind of flimsy: lose one of the pins and you lose a vertical line. See here.

Huh, haven't heard of that. So what causes the dead horizontal lines? Unless the two problems are the same, it just depends on which pin(s) you lose?

Anyway, that's a very interesting thread. But aside from the block of dead horizontal lines near the bottom, mine simply hasn't had those problems... good luck, I guess, or I avoided places that damage them (if the 'heat' hypothesis has validity)?


Actually, it says in the manual that if the batteries are completely drained, it won't work as an AC adapter. I don't really know why.

That's odd. I should have the manual around somewhere (still have at least one of the AC adapter boxes, maybe both, I'm not sure), but didn't think of reading it again... but specifically, my problem was that while it would power it, the slightest motion would make it lose the connection. I guess that could be connected to that issue. I wonder why it wouldn't work as an AC adapter after losing its charge, though?


And you're making this bold, sweeping claim on the basis of the two units you're familiar with? I managed to wear out the D-pad on mine.

I don't think it's all that bold. Seriously, what other handheld console do you ever hear compared to it in durability? None, as far as I know. I'm just saying that my personal experiences back up the general belief out there (that I absolutely believe is out there) that the original system is more durable. Really, all you need to do is hold each one, really... the original system obviously has a hardier construction. I think it has something to do with where they were made -- the GBC and GBA, I believe, were made in China (like the Gamecube), while the GB, like all of Nintendo's systems through the SNES (the N64 was mostly made in Japan, but some parts (controllers? I thought I heard that sometime... not sure though) may have been assembled in China) were made in Japan. GB vs. GBC or GBA (or DS), NES (aside from the "ZIF" connection, but that's a US design model 1 only issue), SNES or N64 (aside from the controllers' analog sticks) vs. Gamecube or Wii? The GC is reasonably durable for a disc-based system, and does seem more durable than the PS2 or Xbox, but still, it doesn't match up to Nintendo's cart-based systems before it.

... Of course, issues like the 'ZIF' thing were pretty serious, so it's not like all of their early stuff was perfect. But for handhelds, just in how well they hold up to damage, the original Game Boy does a lot better job than it successors. For instance, when I was younger, when I got frustrated with my Game Boy, I remember occasionally throwing it at the couch (if I was sitting there), at a pillow on the couch or somesuch. I did it because there were almost never negative consequences -- the system wouldn't reset or anything, it'd just keep running and I'd pick it up again.

But with the GBC, I couldn't do that anymore; throw it at something and it's liable to reset or turn off. Lower build quality. Or just looking at the buttons and dpad, it's clearly slightly more heavily built. Making things smaller means making them lighter, and making them lighter usually means making them a bit more vulnerable to damage.

There was one time when I dropped an original GB and it actually did reset, but that was when I was walking on a gravel road and dropped it... the game reset and actually erased itself (but for whatever reason my Mole Mania cart seems to do that every so often...). Bah. But that was the one and only time, and the system itself was undamaged.

As for my GBC, it worked well for years, though the screen did get very badly scratched, MUCH more so than my original Game Boy and in a much shorter timeframe. Is the screen cover more easily damaged, or is this just coincidence? The thing that eventually did it in, though, (in mid 2004 I believe, maybe 5 1/2 years after I got it around launch) was heat, I believe... specifically, I had the system at the beach one day that summer, and the screen died. There's a big black mark on it, and the picture doesn't display. The rest of the system still works -- turn it on and you get sound and can play -- you just can't see the picture. :) I'd had Game Boys at the beach many times before without this happening... oh well.

With the GBA, the problem was the d-pad. That GBC/GBA(/GC) dpad, while decent and a fine pad for the most part, always did seem a bit less durable than the original GB pad... two of the directions simply stopped working. I guess this could happen to any pad, though.

Even on my second GBA (also an original model), the shoulder buttons now barely function, making many games quite hard to play. At least that doesn't affect GB/GBC games, though, and I can play GBA games on the DS... :)

But anyway, sure, any system can break. And there is something else, of course -- which system will last the long, if well cared for? That's a different question, and not necesarially with the same answer, if that 'chips that make the display weakening' issue from that thread is real, for the original GB, but not for later models... but as far as standing up to damage goes, I thought that it was a pretty unanimous consensus that the original Game Boy does a better job than its successors, or most of its competitors. I won't say anything for sure about that, though, because I don't know for sure how well a NGPC, for example, lasts... they seem pretty durable.


I've seen original Game Boy's with both vertical lines and horizontal lines across the screen.

The vertical lines Jorpho is referring to can pose one hell of a problem if you attempt playing a shmup like Nemesis/Gradius, a platformer like Super Mario Land or action games like Operation C and Fall of the Foot Clan.

It can literally render items, enemies or projectiles in that area of the screen invisible. So yes, it will affect gameplay at some point. You'll see when you miss items or experience a cheap death.

What does a screen with this problem look like? I don't think I've seen it...

[Jorpho]

Really, all you need to do is hold each one, really... the original system obviously has a hardier construction.Because it's larger and heavier? Your reasoning baffles me. (It's also the only GB that rattles when you shake it, even if it's just because the battery compartment is a bit loose.)


Making things smaller means making them lighter, and making them lighter usually means making them a bit more vulnerable to damage.Yeah, you lost me completely.

[A Black Falcon]

So what do you think the most durable Game Boy system is, then? And why?

[Jorpho]

I likewise am lacking sufficiently extensive experience with the many different Game Boy units to be able to deliver an informed opinion on the matter. All I can say is that I have seen enough damaged original Game Boys to suggest that they are not unusually durable.

[Ed Oscuro]

Fun story - I was talking recently (as I do!) and managed to throw my Game Boy Color a few feet. The other person said "that can't be good." Everything works fine except the sound. Probably knocked a connection loose. Neither the speaker or the headphone jack work. On the plus side, the whine which I used to hear from the system is gone...

[A Black Falcon]

Fun story - I was talking recently (as I do!) and managed to throw my Game Boy Color a few feet. The other person said "that can't be good." Everything works fine except the sound. Probably knocked a connection loose. Neither the speaker or the headphone jack work. On the plus side, the whine which I used to hear from the system is gone...

I believe it, given that it can reset when tossed a foot or two into a pillow... somehow to me the GBC and beyond (particularly the GBC and original GBA) have a somewhat 'cheaper' look to them compared to the original GB. The GBA SP/DS looks better, but they have those hinges which can go bad, particularly in the DS Lite... but I've just always thought that the GBC, GBA, and probably GB Pocket didn't quite have the original system's build quality.

If that had been an original model Game Boy, I doubt that that would have happened, certainly. It's possible, for sure... but less likely. :)


All I can say is that I have seen enough damaged original Game Boys to suggest that they are not unusually durable.

Are you talking about failures that the player likely has no control over, like the dead lines usually are (heat possibly aside, though if you don't know that that causes damage, it wouldn't count...) , or actual physical damage -- broken dpads from overuse or getting stuff stuck in them, failed buttons, the system breaking when you drop or throw it, etc, etc? Because when I say it's clearly Nintendo's most durable handheld, no contest, I'm more talking about the latter -- that it's built very well and doesn't break easily under tough conditions. The former, uncontrollable failures systems suffer under even good conditions, is a lot harder to judge, and all Nintendo systems do well on this, overall. The original GB is again very strong in that category, but the others are likely closer than they are on the second category. But you need to be more clear about what type of damage you mean.

[Jorpho]

The GBA SP/DS looks better, but they have those hinges which can go bad, particularly in the DS Lite...I've never actually heard of the GBA SP hinge being problematic. How about you?


Are you talking about failures that the player likely has no control over, like the dead lines usually are (heat possibly aside, though if you don't know that that causes damage, it wouldn't count...)You hadn't heard of these dead lines previously, and now you're saying they're "usually" something the player has no control over!? This is starting to make less and less sense.

[Ed Oscuro]

Well, hinges inherently will go bad more often on a system which has them than one which does not. That said I can't think precisely of the last time I read a complaint about it - I think I might have, once.

[A Black Falcon]

I've never actually heard of the GBA SP hinge being problematic. How about you?

Not sure... it does mostly seem to be the DS Lite with the cracked hinge problem.


Well, hinges inherently will go bad more often on a system which has them than one which does not. That said I can't think precisely of the last time I read a complaint about it - I think I might have, once.

Yeah. I was referring to this too, for sure. Drop a system with a hinge, and if you're unlucky it falls on the hinge and breaks there. Drop a system without one and that can't happen. Hinges are an inherent weak point. Systems without one are easier to make hard to break... though things like the PSP show that not having a hinge doesn't mean that a system can't be fragile. But with a hinge, it's much harder.

As I said though, the biggest problem that users don't have control over was the DS Lite and its cracked hinge flaw, that many users reported. I don't have personal experience with it because I only have an original DS, but evidently it was pretty common for a while.


You hadn't heard of these dead lines previously, and now you're saying they're "usually" something the player has no control over!? This is starting to make less and less sense.

Huh? I'd heard of the dead horizontal lines, as I said, my GB has some... that's a common problem I've seen on many Game Boys, such as that Gulf War one (which I have seen pictures of before). it's the vertical lines/'orange'/whatever problem that I don't think I had heard of. But for all of those issues, is there any proof that any specific user action caused the problem? If there isn't, then they're things that the user doesn't have control over. On the other hand, something like a failed button or d-pad (could be something uncontrollable, but something could have gotten into it to damage it...), or damage taken when you drop or throw or somehow damage the system... those are things that the user has a lot more clear responsibility for. The two things may not always be easy to separate, but are clearly different.

[Jorpho]

Not sure... it does mostly seem to be the DS Lite with the cracked hinge problem.Sigh... Even the DS cracked hinged problem was strictly a cosmetic defect with no bearing on the functionality of the system.


But for all of those issues, is there any proof that any specific user action caused the problem? If there isn't, then they're things that the user doesn't have control over.I have little doubt that there are a great many GB units out there that have been gently handled throughout their entire lifespans and that have not developed any such problem.

Look, I'm sure there are people out there who are much more qualified to deliver an informed opinion on the matter than you or I. Unless you've personally seen a few dozen assorted Game Boy units dropped or otherwise abused, wild speculation about which unit is more durable than the others will serve nothing. Why are you so attached to this idea that this one unit is unusually durable?

[boatofcar]

Look, I'm sure there are people out there who are much more qualified to deliver an informed opinion on the matter than you or I. Unless you've personally seen a few dozen assorted Game Boy units dropped or otherwise abused, wild speculation about which unit is more durable than the others will serve nothing. Why are you so attached to this idea that this one unit is unusually durable?

Maybe because of this?
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a7/Game_boy_damaged_in_the_gulf_war.JPG/409px-Game_boy_damaged_in_the_gulf_war.JPG (http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Game_boy_damaged_in_the_gulf_war.JPG)

[A Black Falcon]

Sigh... Even the DS cracked hinged problem was strictly a cosmetic defect with no bearing on the functionality of the system.

True. But I think the point about how much easier it is for a hinged system to break when dropped is a pretty good one.


I have little doubt that there are a great many GB units out there that have been gently handled throughout their entire lifespans and that have not developed any such problem.

Look, I'm sure there are people out there who are much more qualified to deliver an informed opinion on the matter than you or I. Unless you've personally seen a few dozen assorted Game Boy units dropped or otherwise abused, wild speculation about which unit is more durable than the others will serve nothing. Why are you so attached to this idea that this one unit is unusually durable?

Because you're just about the first person I've heard question it, that's why. I've always thought that it was a pretty widely accepted fact. My personal experiences just agree with what I've always thought was the conventional wisdom about Nintendo handheld durability. And you aren't even saying that you think another one is more durable... just that you won't say that you have any idea as to whether any of them are or not, I guess.

Oh, and how exactly does user damage cause dead lines? The heat exposure hypothesis? That nobody back then knew about, so they didn't know to avoid it?


Maybe because of this?
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a7/Game_boy_damaged_in_the_gulf_war.JPG/409px-Game_boy_damaged_in_the_gulf_war.JPG (http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Game_boy_damaged_in_the_gulf_war.JPG)

Exactly. I think there's absolutely no way imaginable that a GB Pocket, GB Color, or GB Advance (or beyond, into the GB Micro, which I don't know enough about, durability-wise, to say anything at all, and the aforementioned hinged systems) could have survived that kind of damage. If one had, we'd have heard about it, I would think... but yeah, we haven't. There's a good reason for that.

I mean honestly, look at all that melting... a DS would probably have lost a hinge, got broken in half, and have been rendered useless. :)

That picture is definitely a good part of why the Game Boy is known for its durability, but if a lot of people knew someone who had had one break on them, it wouldn't have held up... that didn't happen, and that's definitely telling.

[Jorpho]

Oh, and how exactly does user damage cause dead lines?I speculate that enough physical trauma will do the trick.

Exactly. I think there's absolutely no way imaginable that a GB Pocket, GB Color, or GB Advance (or beyond, into the GB Micro, which I don't know enough about, durability-wise, to say anything at all, and the aforementioned hinged systems) could have survived that kind of damage. If one had, we'd have heard about it, I would think... but yeah, we haven't. There's a good reason for that.Who knows? Maybe no one has really tried. Or maybe the Game Boy in question was something of a fluke.

I mean honestly, look at all that melting... a DS would probably have lost a hinge, got broken in half, and have been rendered useless. :)So there's a lot of surface damage without affecting the internals! You could probably replicate the effect to some degree on any piece of electronics with a soldering iron and a lot of patience.

[mikeweezer80]

sorry to kind of burst the "debate bubble", but i asked about games not hardware. good discussions, just irrelevant and the tangent is escalating

[jb143]

Really, all you need to do is hold each one, really... the original system obviously has a hardier construction.

At work we build a sensor for farmers to detect grain. It's basically a circuit board in what looks like a red plastic flashlight enclosure. When designing it we invited farmers down to get their input. The first model they thought felt too cheap. So we filled the plastic tube with cheap potting compound. It was noticably heavier so it felt more durable to them. More tough and manly. That's the one they wanted.




Making things smaller means making them lighter, and making them lighter usually means making them a bit more vulnerable to damage.

I'm not too sure I buy this argument either. If your talking parts, smaller parts are often designed to take more abuse. Or as someone else put it..."Judge me by my size, do you? Hmm?"

I'm not saying that the originaly GB can't take a beating. A friend in grade school dropped his down the stairs, went to get it fearing the worst, picked it right up and continued his game of Tetris. But that alone doesn't mean that the others are not.

My overall pick for most durable though would be the GBC. But just like everyone else on here it's only based on personal experience, which is different for everyone. I've had my original gameboy since the early ninties and had to replace the screen(not screen cover) because too many lines were dying. I've also had another have the screen cover just fall off before. And the battery cover break. Same with the gameboy advance. I havn't had any problems with my GBC. But then again, I don't throw and drop my systems.

If you want difinative answeres try to find the results of product testing. As far as fire durability, you can be pretty certain that any consumer product has gone though extensive flamability testing. Probally the best way to resolve the question of which one would stand up in a fire better would be to look up their UL flammability ratings. I don't care enough about the issue to do it myself. My guess is that they are the same kind of plastic and have the same rating. You can probally also find the shock tests(dropping, not voltage) that were done on them and compare falure rates.

[Jorpho]

I've had my original gameboy since the early ninties and had to replace the screen(not screen cover) because too many lines were dying.Wait, you can do that? I thought it was practically impossible and that you'd be better off replacing the whole unit. Do tell!

[neuropolitique]

Wait, you can do that? I thought it was practically impossible and that you'd be better off replacing the whole unit. Do tell!

swap out the board the LCD is attached too.

[jb143]

swap out the board the LCD is attached too.

Yup...That's actually what I did. Sorry for not being clear.

[A Black Falcon]

At work we build a sensor for farmers to detect grain. It's basically a circuit board in what looks like a red plastic flashlight enclosure. When designing it we invited farmers down to get their input. The first model they thought felt too cheap. So we filled the plastic tube with cheap potting compound. It was noticably heavier so it felt more durable to them. More tough and manly. That's the one they wanted.

Hah... :) You're right, "weight=durability" is something people think, and it isn't always accurate. Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't...

But with the GB, it isn't just "it's heavier". It also has a larger d-pad than the GB Pocket, GBC, or original GBA (the DS (and GBA SP?) finally has one about as large again, though it's a quite different, flat style), larger buttons than any Nintendo handheld since, etc. Of course 'it looks tougher' can be deceiving... but here it really isn't.


My overall pick for most durable though would be the GBC. But just like everyone else on here it's only based on personal experience, which is different for everyone. I've had my original gameboy since the early ninties and had to replace the screen(not screen cover) because too many lines were dying. I've also had another have the screen cover just fall off before. And the battery cover break. Same with the gameboy advance. I havn't had any problems with my GBC. But then again, I don't throw and drop my systems.

It's my GBC that has the broken battery cover clip (had to tape the thing to keep the battery cover on...), while no other handheld I have has a broken battery cover. It's also, as I said, the only one whose screen completly failed. And it's the only handheld for which I have had games die -- Super Mario Bros. Deluxe simply stopped working a few years ago... so yeah, I don't think of the system very highly in general, durability-wise. :)

I've never had the screen cover come off a handheld. It might be nice, though, with my original GB, considering that while the scratches on the screen cover aren't nearly as annoying as the ones on my GBC and GBA (none of them get in the way of play, unlike with my GBC or first GBA... the second GBA's okay, though), there is dust between the cover and the screen that's accumulated over time, and it's a bit annoying.

It certainly is true that personal experiences mean little, though. It'd be nice if there was any real data on this stuff... as you say, that information would be interesting to see.


I'm not saying that the originaly GB can't take a beating. A friend in grade school dropped his down the stairs, went to get it fearing the worst, picked it right up and continued his game of Tetris. But that alone doesn't mean that the others are not.

Would a GBC or GBA have not reset under those conditions?


I speculate that enough physical trauma will do the trick.

That's just a guess of yours though, unless you've got some proof. That's not something I've ever thought was connected to dead lines, at least.


Who knows? Maybe no one has really tried. Or maybe the Game Boy in question was something of a fluke.

My whole point there was to show why it wasn't a fluke. If it was, it wouldn't be remembered like that because instead people would think of all those dead Game Boys they knew of, not that one that got through the Gulf War... but they don't, because aside from the common problem of having a few dead lines appear after years of use (and I absolutely think that the cases where there are many dead lines are rare and not normal), the systems are very durable.


So there's a lot of surface damage without affecting the internals! You could probably replicate the effect to some degree on any piece of electronics with a soldering iron and a lot of patience.

Sure, if you were careful to not damage things... the whole point here was that this wasn't something carefully planned like that, it was just the damage it went through...and it survived. That wasn't in controlled conditions!


sorry to kind of burst the "debate bubble", but i asked about games not hardware. good discussions, just irrelevant and the tangent is escalating

I agree, I'd rather talk about games too... this is kind of a silly debate. But I did have comments about games back in my first post in this thread... but the only part that really got responded to was the little piece that started this debate, aside from a bit about which platform is best. Anyway, I gave some game suggestions I think... I could give more, separated by platform. :)

But first, what about a response to the question about why you only want to focus on one, when one system can play games from all three?

[bangtango]

I don't think any of the Game Boy models are designed to survive a fall onto a hard surface. Nintendo does sell carrying cases to prevent them from ever having to be loose :roll:

Forgetting for a moment about compatibility and whether the screen is color or black-and-white.....

I'd agree with Black Falcon that the "best" model of the Game Boy is the original. I won't get into the hows and why's about this because frankly I don't have to. I'm giving you OPINION and not claiming any facts here.

I'm not going to call myself an authority but I've owned between 15-20 original Game Boy systems over the years, each of them in varying conditions. Some were in good shape, several of them had the horizontal or vertical lines because they were dropped (not necessarily by me) or had stuff fall on top of them.

If I had my druthers, I'd prefer a system that plays the entire Game Boy library with a backlit screen housed inside of an original Game Boy casing......I've always believed the original Game Boy to be the best looking of all the various models.

Again, none of the Game Boy models should be expected to have a screen that will survive being dropped more than one or two times. So I'm not even going to compare those one bit.

What would be most important to me is what model has the hardest and most durable casing. To me, I think it is the old black-and-whiter. And that will remain my opinion until somebody soundly proves it wrong.

[c0ldb33r]

What would be most important to me is what model has the hardest and most durable casing. To me, I think it is the old black-and-whiter. And that will remain my opinion until somebody soundly proves it wrong.

What gameboy has the hardest and most durable casing? My GBA SP2. Why? cause I've got it in one of these:

http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s182/c0ldb33r/th_105.jpg (http://s152.photobucket.com/albums/s182/c0ldb33r/?action=view&current=105.jpg)

That sucker is protected! It's a Rhinoskin case that I bought it a few years ago at Toys R Us for $4.00 on clearance. They had a few of them, I wish I bought more. I absolutely love the thing. Here is what it looks like when it's opened:

http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s182/c0ldb33r/th_104.jpg (http://s152.photobucket.com/albums/s182/c0ldb33r/?action=view&current=104.jpg)

[RASK1904]

Great games original gameboy:
Castlevania Adventure
Castlevania II Belmont's Revenge
Castlevania Legends
Super Mario Land
Super Mario Land 2
Wario Land Super Mario Land 2
Mario Picross
Zelda Link's Awakening
TMNT Fall of the Foot Clan
Bionic Commando
Nemesis
Gradius Interstellar Assault
Bomberman GB
Tetris Tetris Attack
Contra Alien Wars
Operation C
Megaman
Megaman II
Megaman III
Megaman IV
Megaman V
Final Fantasy Adventure
Final Fantasy Legend
Final Fantasy Legend II
Motocross Maniacs
Super R.C. Pro-AM
Gargoyles Quest
Track & Field
Ninja Gaiden Shadow
Kid Icarus of Myths and Monsters
Metriod II Return of Samus
Kirby's Dream Land

GBC
Super Mario Deluxe
Zelda Seasons
Zelda Ages
Bionic Commando Elite Forces
Pokemon B, R, Y, G, S.

I collect Nes games sooo...... The original has a lot of really cool stuff. There from a simpler time. More classic. If you like the Kid Icarus on the Nes you owe it to yourself to check out the GB one. It's way better! The Megamans are good too. They are a little short though. With only 5 levels. I personally like Castlevania 3 the most out of these 3 GB games.

Realy for me the GBC doesn't have much. Those 2 Zeldas are freackin awesome. With the connecting codes and all. AWSOME! The Pokemons are great too. It seems the GBC got more Rugrats, Brats, Dexter's Laboratory type of kids games. .10 a dozen.

Do the black games count as GB or GBC? What about DK Land? DK Land 2? Where do the Pokemon games switch? I know the clear are GBC. Some games have both grey and black version like Wario Land 3.(I know Zelda DX doesn't really count)

Just my 2 cents.
I'm sure I missed some and will here about it soon!

[A Black Falcon]

Pokemons Red and Blue are original GB. Yellow, Gold, and Silver are black-cart. All three DK Land games are grey cart. Wario Land 2 did indeed have both grey and black cart versions; it first came out for the original Game Boy, but a year later they released a GB/C version as well. The latter has a GBC mode, the former GB/Super Game Boy only.

Black cart games... those are dual-mode, so they count for both. They are GB games, because they work in an original Game Boy. But they are also GB Color games, because they also have GBC-exclusive features, generally higher-color color pallettes on screen. I generally break GB/C lists into three categories, one for GB (grey cart)games, one for GB/C (black cart) games, and one for GBC (clear cart) games. I don't think there's a better solution, really... just listing black-cart games as GBC games is wrong.

Oh, it was even possible for the GBC and GB games in a black cart game to be entirely different. The only example I know of of this is Conker's Pocket Tales -- the level maps of the entire game are completely different between the two versions. There are also a few gameplay changes, such as having to use save points in the GB version, while you can save anywhere on GBC. Very interesting. Another example would be R-Type DX, which on a GBC has five modes, R-Type B&W (with limited continues and no saving), R-Type II B&W (with unlimited continues, but no saving), R-Type II Colorized (with unlimited continues, high-score saving, and level select up to the last level you reached), R-Type II Colorized (with unlimited continues, high-score saving, and level select up to the last level you reached), and R-Type DX, a mode which combines both colorized titles into one big game, with the same saving features they have. There's also an unlockable minigame thing you get once you beat DX mode.

On an original Game Boy, all you can do is play the two B&W games. No saving, no level select, nothing.

[Jorpho]

Pokemons Red and Blue are original GB. Yellow, Gold, and Silver are black-cart. All three DK Land games are grey cart. Wario Land 2 did indeed have both grey and black cart versions; it first came out for the original Game Boy, but a year later they released a GB/C version as well. The latter has a GBC mode, the former GB/Super Game Boy only.Technically Pokemon Yellow is yellow-cart. ;) It certainly wasn't released with "Game Boy Color" on its box - it has more GBC functionality than R and B, but much less than G or S.

Donkey Kong Land 3 did actually have a GBC release in Japan.
http://www.romhacking.net/hacks/471/

Wario Land 2 GB/C also has limited save functionality when played on a GB/SGB, though I forget the details.

[A Black Falcon]

Technically Pokemon Yellow is yellow-cart. ;) It certainly wasn't released with "Game Boy Color" on its box - it has more GBC functionality than R and B, but much less than G or S.

Yeah, I was trying to say what kind of cart each of those games actually were, under their colors (the three DKL games are of course in yellow carts too, and the Pokemon games are all colored as to their name). Pokemon Yellow was indeed sold as a Game Boy original title, but in fact it IS actually a dual-mode GB/C game. The only way to have the "displays 4-10 colors (on screen, on a GBC)" that it mentions on the box really is for it to have a GBC mode as well as the standard GB mode. You're right that it isn't as fully developed as it would be in Gold/Silver, but I don't think there's any way for it to be there other than it being a dual-mode game.

(Note that Crystal is GBC-only... both 'third versions' change the platform -- Yellow adding GBC support, Crystal dropping GB support...)

I never liked Pokemon at all though, so the only reason that I have the one GB Pokemon game I have (Red) is because it was someone else's. I've never played it for more than half an hour myself. The only Pokemon game I have and like is Pokemon Puzzle League on N64, because Tetris Attack is awesome (though the Pinball games may be good, I do love Kirby Pinball and they look similar in style).


Donkey Kong Land 3 did actually have a GBC release in Japan.
http://www.romhacking.net/hacks/471/

That's true. It's odd that that version is GBC-only, while the three US titles were just grey-cart games, no GBC enhancements. All three Western releases are Super Game Boy enhanced, though, and play much better on a SGB, with the backgrounds and color...


Wario Land 2 GB/C also has limited save functionality when played on a GB/SGB, though I forget the details.

What you're thinking of is save incompatibility -- like with Conker's Pocket Tales, Wario Land II cannot have a GBC and GB version save on the cart at the same time, so to play one version you must erase your saves for the other.

On either platform, you can save anywhere, at any time, with a suspend save that will delete once you load it. The game also autosaves after you beat a level. That's about as good as you could possibly hope for, save system wise. :)

Now, for Conker that kind of makes sense -- as I said last post, the two versions are actually completely different games. But with Wario Land II, it doesn't make sense. I've played through both versions (well, GBC and Super Game Boy, technically, but same thing), and aside from the color, the game is exactly the same. I don't know why there is this limitation, but yeah, it's definitely annoying. It's too bad too, because the game is definitely worth playing through on both GBC (where you get more color) and Super Game Boy (where you get to see the game's many different borders in the different levels, and see the 4-color palette choices they made for each stage, given that it's a SGB-enhanced title), I'd say. It's a frustrating game, but fun.

Still though, I do like both Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 and Virtual Boy Wario Land, the two more traditional Wario Land platformers, better. WL: SML3 is in fact my favorite platformer on the Game Boy... WL2 is unique, but that no-die system gets very frustrating after a while. Despite beating WL2 100% (twice, now), I never got WL3 because of my frustration about it...

[Jorpho]

(Note that Crystal is GBC-only... both 'third versions' change the platform -- Yellow adding GBC support, Crystal dropping GB support...)Gold and Silver did not have GB support. Hence, Crystal has precisely the same platform support as Gold and Silver. (Crystal did have that wireless support in the Japanese version, though.)


Despite beating WL2 100% (twice, now), I never got WL3 because of my frustration about it...Despite the same no-die mechanic, WL3 plays quite a bit differently from WL2.

[A Black Falcon]

Gold and Silver did not have GB support. Hence, Crystal has precisely the same platform support as Gold and Silver. (Crystal did have that wireless support in the Japanese version, though.)

Huh? Just look at the box!

http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/bigboxshots/8/198308_15878_back.jpg

Pokemon Gold/Silver most definitely has GB support. Just look at that box image, and note the "Game Boy" logo. :) It has Super Game Boy support too, actually, as do Pokemon Red/Blue and Pokemon Yellow. None of the US boxes mention the SGB support, but it IS there, with borders, colorization, the works. :)

The Japanese boxes, you'll note, do mention the Super Game Boy support -- note the SGB icon in the bottom center of the Japanese Pokemon Gold box, for instance.
http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/bigboxshots/8/198308_15876_back.jpg

Crystal, as I said, doesn't support the original GB, and is instead it's GBC/GBA only. (It also was the first one with a playable female character, among other additions) See the box:

http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/bigboxshots/7/375087_50686_back.jpg


Despite the same no-die mechanic, WL3 plays quite a bit differently from WL2.

It's something I mean to get sometime... I should play it. Is it as frustrating as WL2 is? Because in WL2, you have to do such precise things sometimes... "float down, make it into that one-block high space while weaving left and right in the air..."... argh. Plus you have to constantly try to break walls and floors and stuff to find hidden passages, because they're everywhere and are often not marked with clues. It is fun, but annoying... yet somehow I beat it with everything twice, despite my irritation. But of course, I've beaten WL: SML3 many more times than that... :)

[Jorpho]

Huh? Just look at the box!

http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/bigboxshots/8/198308_15878_back.jpg

Pokemon Gold/Silver most definitely has GB support. Just look at that box image, and note the "Game Boy" logo. :) It has Super Game Boy support too, actually, as do Pokemon Red/Blue and Pokemon Yellow. None of the US boxes mention the SGB support, but it IS there, with borders, colorization, the works. :):eek 2: Good heavens! I concede defeat.


It's something I mean to get sometime... I should play it. Is it as frustrating as WL2 is? Because in WL2, you have to do such precise things sometimes... "float down, make it into that one-block high space while weaving left and right in the air..."... argh. Plus you have to constantly try to break walls and floors and stuff to find hidden passages, because they're everywhere and are often not marked with clues. It is fun, but annoying... yet somehow I beat it with everything twice, despite my irritation. But of course, I've beaten WL: SML3 many more times than that... :)I suppose it does have some of the same sort of thing; I never found it to be particularly annoying in WL2. By "playing differently" I'm thinking more of the tremendous amount of non-linearity.