Nintendo’s linking to the past has not only been infamous among the gaming community, it has also served as a successful commodity. Part of Wii’s success is its backwards-compatibility and its heavily underused Virtual Console, which allows gamers to purchase games from the NES, SNES, and N64 sagas. However there is one piece of history Nintendo has been amazingly and unfairly cruel to, and that’s the Game Boy counterpart. The Nintendo Game Boy literally is the reason why Nintendo has an amazing stronghold in the handheld community. As a matter of fact, even if the Wii were to go down in flames, the Nintendo DS and DSi will still enable the company to make a profit. With that being said, where in the hell are the Game Boy/Game Boy Color remakes?
We have remakes of NES, SNES, N64, Gamecube, and even non-Nintendo games for the Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS. So why can’t we have the same makeover for classic Game Boy games on the DS and maybe even the Wii? Why don’t we have a Pac-Man like collection of multiple successful Game Boy games on the DS or Wii? There isn’t a single system with more forgotten classics and success stories than the Game Boy. There are at least 30-40 video games that sold over a million copies worldwide and the only one to truly gain recognition and its eventual remake is the Pokemon franchise and the largely forgotten Sword of Mana. Tetris and Dr. Mario don’t really count because a) the versions we have on other systems are NOT the same as the GB version (and are inferior) and because b) Tetris and Dr. Mario made its actual start for the NES.
What about Metroid II? What about Super Mario Land 1 and 2? Hell, what about the entire underrated Wario Land trilogy? Then there’s Mole Mania, Metal Gear Solid (that’s right, there was a Metal Gear Solid for the Game Boy Color—you should look it up), Donkey Kong 94’, Donkey Kong Land 1-3, James Bond 007, Kirby’s Dream Land 1-2, Ducktales 1-2 (even Mickey games were decent back then and did indeed sell), Mickey’s Dangerous Chase, the first two Mega Mans, and much much more. Even celebrated franchises like Mario, Donkey Kong, and Link are not getting any love from the GB counterparts. Did you know that there are 3 Zelda games that were awarded perfect scores from IGN for the Game Boy? Link’s Awakening, Oracle of Ages, and Oracle of Seasons are all incredible adventures that helped the Game Boy sell over 100 million copies in its lifespan. We even had spectacular RPG versions of Mario Tennis and Mario Golf for the Game Boy. There was even a good Waverace game on the Game Boy.
Of course, there are also the unsung classics. F-1 Race made racing possible for handhelds, Super R.C. (which put Rareware on the map), Battletoads made porting to the Game Boy possible, Castlevania: The Adventure allowed for the franchise to excel in handheld systems (there were at least three of them before the PSX/Game Boy Advance era), Final Fantasy Legends 1-3 (which allowed for RPGs to thrive in the handheld world), and then there’s the ultra-popular Dragon Warrior Game Boy games, which allowed for Dragon Warrior/Quest IX to break Japanese sales records. There’s so much gaming history with the Game Boy that isn’t really known, it’s rather embarrassing. The best part: there’s still at least 5 million-sellers I have yet to mention (Smurfs, Golf, Tennis, etc.)
Now I am not asking for ALL of these games to get their share to re-enter the spotlight, but I am begging that a good portion of these have a chance at a second life. Come on Nintendo, there is a DS Ware out there, why doesn’t that function contain a Virtual Console? We could have Game Boy games on sale as well as Game Gear games. We can re-popularize games like Bonk’s Adventure and Super Adventure Island and Rayman, three games that received minimal fame upon release. Why aren’t there collection games? And with the processing power of the Nintendo DSi, it definitely is possible. The GBA has a Pac-Man collection and multiple arcade collections, so why can’t the DSi get a Mario Land collection, or a Wario Land collection? Metroid received its remake with Zero Mission, so why doesn’t Metroid II (a very vital part to the series story-wise). Metal Gear Solid (a.k.a Ghost Babel) is the least-appreciated game to receive perfect scores from magazines and websites around the world.
The worst part is how all this neglect is a slap in the face to the developers of these games over the years that did so much with so little processing power. While the SNES, N64, and Gamecube had their share of abilities, the original Game Boy (and eventual Game Boy Color) couldn’t pack that much gameplay, couldn’t pack that much content. What some of these companies accomplished is quite incredible. Metal Gear Solid for the Game Boy Color has more single-player gameplay content than Halo 3 for crying out loud. There is some innovative work out there too. Wario Land 2 and 3 back then were known because they were difficult to beat---even though you can’t actually die in the game. There are very few games (handheld or not) that attempts to craft such clever gameplay.
Bottom Line: Come on Nintendo. There is so much potential in the linking to your past that you have not even touched upon its rather disappointing. Surely you exclaim and display your past much better than your competitors (not even going to begin to discuss Sony’s problems in reliving the past) but there is so much more that can be done. While games like Mario Brothers and Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past gets their remakes generation after generation; there’s still over a dozen Game Boy games that are stuck in their current purgatory state. Give these Game Boy classics a chance. Why are you trying so hard to move on only in the handheld department? The DSi already doesn’t play GBA games (arguably the best of the handheld generations), so don’t further the pain by prolonging this betrayal longer. The handheld days of the Game Boy, Game Boy Pocket, and Game Boy Color deserve more respect, more honor, more compassion, and more admiration.
More remakes of these unsung and unknown classics would not only re-introduce the games to the hardcore and introduce them to the new generation of gamers, but it would also allow for the prolonged celebration of the games that allowed for Nintendo to be the gaming powerhouse that it currently is. I would pay good money to get my hands on remakes and re-issues of the Super Mario Land, Wario Land, handheld Zelda, and handheld Kirby series. And I am sure I am not the only one. I am a big fan of your work, some of the best video games of all-time are from your company and gaming divisions, but I am currently disheartened that I have to hunt down brilliant Game Boy games online and in used game stores, when all it takes is a trip to the DS Ware world for me to obtain them.
The era of the Game Boy (1989-2000) needs to be awakened. Bring it back.
Blogger’s Note:
I sent this article as a letter to Nintendo of America, just to see what their reply and explanation would be. In all honesty, Nintendo has done a very good job preserving most of its history, as every year new gamers can obtain access to the company’s greatest video games and best achievements, but I feel that there’s still much more they can do. I am part of the crowd that isn’t disappointed in the Wii and DS, but I do agree a bit more work can be done. Will my letter change the company’s policy? Most likely not, since most of the games I mentioned most of the gaming world has already forgotten about or moved on. At the same time though, some of the games I mentioned above in my opinion are among the greatest ever and deserve a second chance (Wario Land 2-3, Super Mario Land 2, Metal Gear Solid, Mario Tennis GBC). For crying out loud, you can’t purchase any non-Wii/DS games on its main website—as if the company is wholly ready to move on.
Only time will tell what this article accomplishes.
QUICK UPDATE:
Nintendo replied to the e-mail I sent them rather quickly:
Hello,
I appreciate your taking the time to share your comments and suggestions with us regarding the lack of Game Boy remakes. Rest assured that your email will be forwarded on to the appropriate department for further review.
Also, at this time, we are not planning a Virtual Console-style service for the Nintendo DSi. If you’re a fan of Game Boy games, we suggest using a Game Boy Advance SP as we still support and are able to repair them if necessary.
Sincerely,
Dervin Camden
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Sad to hear that there's no Virtual Console for the DSi anytime soon, but I am sure with enough voices speaking out we might create some sort of ripple in the Nintendo industry.
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