Best way to play Game Boy & Game Boy Color games?

[Nico87]

Options:

Game Boy + Game Boy Color
Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance SP

Which combination or system is the best for Game Boy & Game Boy Color games?

[Spaced]

Has to be your third option, GBA SP.

[Aussie2B]

Definitely SP, but specifically the second version of the SP with the backlit screen, rather than the original with the frontlit screen and washed out colors.

[Nico87]

Thanks alot! Looks like the AGS-101 is quite expensive compared to the first version, specially if boxed.

I'm getting a 3DS this week, so I guess I'll wait a while and check out the eShop library and also check how GB/GBC games plays on it.

[thegamezmaster]

Thanks alot! Looks like the AGS-101 is quite expensive compared to the first version, specially if boxed.

I'm getting a 3DS this week, so I guess I'll wait a while and check out the eShop library and also check how GB/GBC games plays on it.

If I'm not mistaken, the 3DS won't play gameboy or gameboy color games or gba game either. Besides the handhelds, the best way is through a gameboy player hooked up to a gamecube. That way you can play them on a TV. Just make sure the gameboy player has the start up disc with it. The 3DS only has a slot for DS games and a SD card slot.

[Zama]

The Game Boy Advance SP (AGS-101) would be the best choice to play your old time favorites on the go :)

[Graham Mitchell]

Personally I prefer the Gamecube GameBoy Player, but that doesn't work if you want something portable.

[BetaWolf47]

It's always kind of bothered me how there's no perfect solution for GBA games. Every single version has something annoying about it.

GBA: Low contrast and no light, so you have to play it outside or under a light
GBA SP 1: Washes out colors
GBA SP 2: Bad refresh rate (put an SP1 and SP2 next to each other, and run real fast in a platforming game. The movement will be extremely choppy on the SP2)
GB micro: Too small, doesn't play GB or GBC games

It's bothersome. The power switch on every GBA except for the micro gets messed up as well.

[wingzrow]

Get a DSI XL, then get a flashcard ( acecard 2i is recommended )

Download the gameboy emulator for that and you're done. It even supports super gameboy and the screen resolution is amazing.

[The-Wizard89]

got a super-gameboy? play it on your tv then lol
thats truly the best way.

[Leo_A]

We just had a thread about this.

http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=151636&highlight=Player

My answer and many others are in this thread from March.

[Brianvgplayer]

If I'm not mistaken, the 3DS won't play gameboy or gameboy color games or gba game either.

I think this was already known. It's clear the actual carts aren't supported, but GB games were announced to be available for download eventually from the 3DS eShop.

[Guyra]

With your thumbs. (/advice)

Seriously though, the Gameboy player for NGC is pretty neat. :3

[FireStar]

One thing you might want to keep in mind is that for some of the older original Gameboy games, one of the instruments(in the Waveform channel to be specific, if you know anything about the gameboy PSG) will just play an annoying default square wave beep in anything else, yet you pop it in your brick gameboy and you get a rockin bass sound instead. The first time I noticed this was with Faceball 2000.

[Cryomancer]

It's always kind of bothered me how there's no perfect solution for GBA games. Every single version has something annoying about it.

GBA: Low contrast and no light, so you have to play it outside or under a light
GBA SP 1: Washes out colors
GBA SP 2: Bad refresh rate (put an SP1 and SP2 next to each other, and run real fast in a platforming game. The movement will be extremely choppy on the SP2)
GB micro: Too small, doesn't play GB or GBC games

It's bothersome. The power switch on every GBA except for the micro gets messed up as well.

What are some games to test out what you are saying about the SP2's refresh rate? I've never noticed anything wrong with mine, but I'm curious to test it now.

[Baloo]

http://images.wikia.com/gameboy/images/7/77/GameBoyLightBox.jpg%3C/a%3E (http://images.wikia.com/gameboy/images/7/77/GameBoyLightBox.jpg)http://images.wikia.com/gameboy/images/7/77/GameBoyLightBox.jpg

I'd go with that for original Game Boy games. You don't get the cramped/stretched version of the GBA/SP.

Game Boy Color games I'd simply play on the Game Boy Color, even if it is hard to see.

[j_factor]

Definitely Super Game Boy (for everything it's compatible with). Game Boy Player for clear cart GBC games. The former is definitely better than the latter when you have the choice.

[theredlineboss]

Personally, I like using my GBA SP for the older gameboy games - it works quite well. If I am @ home, I prefer to use the GB Player for the gamecube though. :D

-Rob

[kupomogli]

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/218Rs7Lpc-L._SL500_AA300_.jpg

or

http://www.kotowari.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/pa1179041.gif

[intro9]

http://www.kotowari.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/pa1179041.gif[/QUOTE]

Ick, but arent emulated games on the PSP kinda laggy as heck? Not exactly 1 to 1 movement there?

ANyways, I'd have to say the SP is the best way to play em. That was a great system.

[kupomogli]

Ick, but arent emulated games on the PSP kinda laggy as heck? Not exactly 1 to 1 movement there?

For some SNES games and anything emulated beyond that, yeah. For almost all NES, SMS, GB, GBC, Genesis, Atari, PC Engine(Hucard,) CPS1, CPS2, etc, etc, etc. Pretty much runs perfect without frameskip. So no lag.

The only problem with GB emulators is that there's no pre color option like the Super Gameboy or Gameboy Player. Unless it's a GBC game it's going to be black and white. However. You can always use a PC Gameboy emulator and color in all the sprites so you can technically have a custom colored GB game if you want to do that.

[Leo_A]

Definitely Super Game Boy (for everything it's compatible with). Game Boy Player for clear cart GBC games. The former is definitely better than the latter when you have the choice.

I'd disagree

Original Game Boy carts with a optional GBC mode (I believe they all came in black cartridges, such as Link's Awakening DX) are best played on the Game Boy Player even though they can also be played on the Super Game Boy.

[j_factor]

Why is that? The Game Boy Player doesn't give you game-specific borders, enhanced sound, two-player, etc.

[SparTonberry]

For backward-compatible GBC games (like Link's Awakening DX), you'd get full color on GB Player, but only SGB color (which is usually only different shades of a single color during gameplay) on a SGB. Or just the default color scheme if the game didn't have SGB support programmed in (like what appears to be the case with the EU Konami GB Collection games, it's either GBC or no color).

[XYXZYZ]

Modded Xbox

[Leo_A]

Why is that? The Game Boy Player doesn't give you game-specific borders, enhanced sound, two-player, etc.

I'd take the full color graphics of something like Link's Awakening DX on a GBC compatible system (Such as the Game Boy Player) over having a fancy border on a Super Game Boy anyday.

Are there any color enhanced Game Boy cartridges that also had Super Game Boy support where the SGB mode offered something compelling enough to offset the GBC enhancements? I sure can't think of any.

All the great Super Game Boy enhanced games where the SGP provided some significant benefits that I can think of off hand, such as Donkey Kong, were released years before the GBC ever was released or were never colorized and rereleased like Link's Awakening was.

I'll take this over a fancy border anyday (Couldn't find any screenshots of Link's Awakening on a Super Game Boy to post for comparison purposes, but it does have a nice border I'll admit that I wish the Game Boy Player could display).

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hS9hPVcud1Q/Taxs3i_xvOI/AAAAAAAAAGQ/mJ90uSG5k_I/s320/zelda-links-awakening.gif

[Brianvgplayer]

Are there any color enhanced Game Boy cartridges that also had Super Game Boy support where the SGB mode offered something compelling enough to offset the GBC enhancements? I sure can't think of any.


Game and Watch Gallery 2 and 3 have nice Super Game Boy support with borders and nice pallets for the classic versions. 2 had a GB b/w version in Japan, though.

[SparTonberry]

I THINK only Link's Awakening DX has a border. The original Link's Awakening predates the Super Game Boy by about a year.
LA was released in 1993, SGB in June 1994. The first SGB games were launch games Donkey Kong '94 and the Japanese version of Tetris 2, Tetris Flash.
(the initial US release of Tetris 2 came out earlier and didn't have SGB support, but I've heard there was a 1.1 version that did support it. Then again Tetris Flash' support was so meager it didn't matter. Just a color title screen and a custom palette that's only slightly different from the default SGB palette.)

[Leo_A]

I THINK only Link's Awakening DX has a border. The original Link's Awakening predates the Super Game Boy by about a year.

The original release of Link's Awakening was Super Game Boy enhanced and has the border (I just own the DX version, but I well remember the guide that came with my Super Game Boy back in the day having plenty of screenshots of the original with the same exact border).

The DX release merely carried this feature over.

[j_factor]

I'd take the full color graphics of something like Link's Awakening DX on a GBC compatible system (Such as the Game Boy Player) over having a fancy border on a Super Game Boy anyday.

I may be wrong, but I believe full color graphics for GBC -- 56 simultaneous colors -- is only possible with GBC-only games (clear carts). Black carts could only use the lesser color modes. Your screenshot appears to only have around 10 colors. While the default action of the Super Game Boy is to display four colors taking place of the four shades on the original Game Boy, it is capable of more than 4 colors (up to 10 IIRC) for Super Game Boy enhanced games. Though, of course, far from every game did so. Even if the Super Game Boy is capable of up to 10 simultaneous colors, and backwards-compatible GBC games are limited to 10 simultaneous colors, they're still not the same. So I guess this goes on a game-by-game basis. All that said, I just checked out Zelda DX on the Super Game Boy and it is not one of those games. All it has is a custom border and a default four-color palette, the same as the original Link's Awakening.

In short, yes, Link's Awakening DX is better played on a Game Boy Player than a Super Game Boy, but that isn't necessarily the case for every black-cart GBC game. It's probably the case for most, though.


The original release of Link's Awakening was Super Game Boy enhanced and has the border (I just own the DX version, but I well remember the guide that came with my Super Game Boy back in the day having plenty of screenshots of the original with the same exact border).

The DX release merely carried this feature over.

Link's Awakening predates the Super Game Boy and wasn't actually made for it. However, most pre-SGB Nintendo-published Game Boy games have custom borders and default palettes stored in the Super Game Boy itself. This was done to make the Super Game Boy a more attractive purchase when it first came out. Metroid II was also prominently featured in Super Game Boy advertising (and has a special border), despite being way older.

[Brianvgplayer]

I think Wario Land II and Pokemon G/S also have good SGB support, but starting a game on GB or SGB deletes the GBC save (the former has a GB b/w version, though). I heard that Conker game has SGB support (have to check to be sure) and is actually a bit different in GB b/w mode. Konami GB Collection is an odd case. JP versions have SGB support and no GBC colors and the EU release is the other way around. Power Quest is another oddity. JP version is a b/w GB game. Not sure if either is a SGB game (I think the JP one is, but I have to check).

I have to check to be sure, but I remember the DW I&II SGB support being pretty good.

[Leo_A]

I may be wrong, but I believe full color graphics for GBC -- 56 simultaneous colors -- is only possible with GBC-only games (clear carts). Black carts could only use the lesser color modes. Your screenshot appears to only have around 10 colors.

I don't really care about the number of colors, that wasn't the point. The point was that the game is fully colorized and looks great (Even if it isn't fully utilizing the GBC's color capablities). And that's why playing it on something like the Game Boy Player is the way to go over the Super Game Boy.

Anyways, sounds like we both agree now that there are some exceptions to your rule of always playing a compatible game on the Super Game Boy (A rule which I generally agree with other than some exceptions with the black GBC enhanced GB cartridges like Link's Awakening DX or R-Type DX).


Link's Awakening predates the Super Game Boy and wasn't actually made for it. However, most pre-SGB Nintendo-published Game Boy games have custom borders and default palettes stored in the Super Game Boy itself. This was done to make the Super Game Boy a more attractive purchase when it first came out. Metroid II was also prominently featured in Super Game Boy advertising (and has a special border), despite being way older.

Interesting information, thanks.

But I don't remember a special border in Metroid II? And if true, it seems odd that some huge 1st party games like Super Mario Land 1 and 2 and Tetris didn't see the same treatment. And if Link's Awakening border resides on the Super Game Boy itself, it seems like an odd decision to restrict that border to just Link's Awakening instead of allowing it to be used in any game (I forget exactly, but wasn't the border just of a small cabin and a tree, or am I getting it mixed up with one of the standard borders on the SGB itself?). Why not let any game use it if a person desired and just have the SGB recognize when Link's Awakening is inserted and have it default to that? Edit - I was getting it mixed up with a default border, Link's Awakening border is very specific to Link's Awakening so I can see why they wouldn't have the option of letting just any game use it.

I'm still inclined to believe that they programmed Link's Awakening with the awareness that the Super Game Boy was in the pipeline for a release just several months down the road and that its border resides on the game itself. Nintendo has done such things several times over the years, such as with the two Oracle games on the GBC with their programmed support for the GBA that wasn't released until the next year.


Game and Watch Gallery 2 and 3 have nice Super Game Boy support with borders and nice pallets for the classic versions. 2 had a GB b/w version in Japan, though.

Good examples of black GBC enhanced cartridges with nice Super Game Boy enhancements. Can't go wrong playing those two on a SGB or a GBC compatible system.

[j_factor]

You're right, Metroid II doesn't have a border, my bad. But it does have a default palette.

[SparTonberry]

I may be wrong, but I believe full color graphics for GBC -- 56 simultaneous colors -- is only possible with GBC-only games (clear carts). Black carts could only use the lesser color modes.
The GBC hardware available is exactly the same for clear or black carts.
The black cart just means the game has both GBC and monochrome graphics modes programmed in. It will check which system it is inserted and simply run the alternate mono-compatible GB palette routine if it detects a non-GBC system.
A black cart technically COULD use the extra hardware features of the GBC, but they must avoid them when they detect they are running on an original GB. LA DX does this in the Color-only dungeon, and tries to stop you from entering on an original GB. (the color dungeon uses the extra VRAM and possibly the extra RAM that is in a GBC console)
Since of course that'd be a lot of work to program two different engines for GBC and original GB, that is why most games that use the extra hardware will simply not bother with an original GB mode, and stop with a message telling the user they need a GBC.

No SGB enhancement on the original version, at all.
My Player's Choice original cart.
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g155/sahagin/la-cart.jpg
On my Super Game Boy.
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g155/sahagin/sgb.jpg
The ONLY thing the SGB does with detected Nintendo games is to change WHICH of the SGB PRESET PALETTES is used.
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g155/sahagin/sgb-pal.jpg
(all non-detected games will use palette 1-A. Notice the frowny face means NO SGB enhancement)
Like all non-SGB games, it defaults to the "Game Boy" border.
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g155/sahagin/def-border.jpg
Also note the frowny face in the border window.
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g155/sahagin/sgb-border.jpg
That background used in the SGB guide was one of the SGB's built-in borders, but it's not the default one. The guide writers manually selected it. (I actually have two copies of that guide.)

[Leo_A]

It's been years since I looked at that guide and I don't have everything convenient to go check (Not sure where the guide is and I just have the DX release).

What's the border they used then? The cabin and tree one from the selection of presets?

I could've swore that there were screenshots of the original in that guide with the same game specific border Link's Awakening DX has when played on a Super Game Boy.

Sorry for the misinformation. Getting old I guess and can't trust my memories. :)

[SparTonberry]

Took a quick look and found it.
Oddly enough, it uses the theatre border. The mountain/cabin one is used for Super Mario Land and Kirby's Dream Land.
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g155/sahagin/th_la-sgb-guide.jpg (http://s55.photobucket.com/albums/g155/sahagin/?action=view&current=la-sgb-guide.jpg)

[j_factor]

The GBC hardware available is exactly the same for clear or black carts.

Not practically speaking, unless they put two full versions of the game on the cart.


The ONLY thing the SGB does with detected Nintendo games is to change WHICH of the SGB PRESET PALETTES is used.

That's what I meant by saying the Nintendo games had a "default palette" as opposed to a "custom palette". (I guess I was wrong about any of them having custom borders though.) I imagine that's how those palettes were preset in the first place -- Nintendo came up with what they thought were ideal palettes for various games, had the SGB use them automatically, and included them on a selectable list for ease of use. I'm sure all of those palettes, with the possible exception of the black/white/gray one, have at least one pre-SGB game that automatically points to it.

By the way, which palette is that? That actually looks better than the custom palette for Zelda DX, which is too green (and not very custom, either).

[Zing]

By the way, which palette is that? That actually looks better than the custom palette for Zelda DX, which is too green (and not very custom, either).

I just booted up Link's Awakening in my Super Game Boy, and it defaults to palette "1-E".

I have yet to play this game, but will do so after I get through Metroid II.

[Zing]

I found my long lost document describing what is contained in the SGB bios. The only thing contained in the SGB are pre-selected palettes from the existing, user-selectable palettes.

Here is the absolute complete list of all pre-selected palettes in the SGB BIOS for USA released games:

Alleyway - 3-F
Balloon Kid - 1-A
Baseball - 2-G
Dr. Mario - 3-B
F-1 Race - 4-F
Golf - 3-H
Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters - 2-F
Kirby's Dream Land - 1-C
Kirby's Pinball Land - 2-C
Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening - 1-E
Metroid 2: Return of Samus - 4-G
Qix - 4-A
Solar Striker - 1-G
Super Mario Land - 1-F
Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins - 3-D
Super Mario Land 3: Wario Land - A-2
Tennis - 3-G
Tetris - 3-A
Yoshi - 2-C
Yoshi's Cookie - 1-D

There are a handful of Japanese-only entries and a single Europe-only entry. Any game not listed here does not have a specific palette in the SGB and will default to the first palette (1-A).

[j_factor]

We've already covered that I was wrong about there being any borders. But how is the rest of that not true? That list may not seem like a lot of games, but Nintendo wasn't pumping out a ton of first-party Game Boy games during that time period. The only others that come to mind are Tetris 2, Wave Race, and Radar Mission. So that's still "most", unless I'm forgetting a large chunk of games.