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WRUP: Australia gets Layton and everyone else gets nothing edition
Looking over this week's releases, we're feeling a lot like last week: empty and cold inside. Unless you're in Australia, there pretty much isn't anything worth checking out. We're in kind of a GBA mood, though (after reading JC's Virtually Overlooked last night), so this weekend will probably have us dusting off our copy of Metroid Fusion or something.What about you all? Have any good GBA games that you could play while waiting for some new DS games to enjoy? Or do you have something else in mind? What are you playing?%Gallery-12504%
Rest your DS in these oldschool pouches
Since we're unabashed game enthusiasts, we appreciate any opportunity to combine our love for modern day gaming with our nostalgia for gaming of the past. That's why we find these DS covers to be absolutely darling. The Game Boy cover makes more sense to have, since the system belongs in the same family tree as Nintendo's dual-screened handheld. Yet, the NES controller is a perfect shape for a DS pouch -- and who doesn't love a NES controller? -- so that works, too.Should you like these as much as we do, you can check them out at Janis13's Etsy store, along with some other DS cases.[Via Technabob]
GameStop to stop taking Game Boys
Are you looking to finally unload your Game Boy, Game Boy Color, or any accompanying games? We'd suggest doing so sooner rather than later, because in a few days it will be too late (at GameStop, at least). As it turns out, the games retailer will no longer be taking these trade-ins as of April 7th. If you own these systems, though, there's a good chance that you either a) sold them a long time ago or b) have no plans to ever sell them, so we're sure this is a non-issue, for the most part. Still, this makes us feel old.[Via GoNintendo]
Promotional Consideration: 'You know, for adults!'
Promotional Consideration is a weekly feature about the Nintendo DS advertisements you usually flip past, change the channel on, or just tune out.Long before Nintendo began its international Touch! Generations campaign to beckon casual gamers with promises of trained brains and improved vision, the company was putting its marketing money behind the original Game Boy to expand its audience to adults.The resulting commercials were cringe-inducing productions, so much so, it's hard to believe they captured anyone's interest at all. Of course, with Tetris leading the push, the handheld sold like hot cakes anyway, nullifying the ineffectiveness of the ads. But that doesn't mean we still can't dig them up and have a laugh at their expense!
7 great Game Boy games that got the shaft?
Let's face it: we all love the DS, but if it wasn't for the handhelds of yesteryear, we wouldn't be enjoying the dual-screened bliss we do on a regular basis. Instead, our reality would be dark and cold, our fear of what is right in front of us only challenged by our incredible lack of knowing what is right in front of us. It would probably lead us to suicide.But, lo and behold, the passage of time flowed in favor of Nintendo, as the Game Boy lead to the Game Boy Advance and the Game Boy Advance lead to that stupid Game Boy Micro thing the Game Boy Micro and then, finally, to the DS. But what about all of those great Game Boy games that time forgot?Well, now is the time to rustle up those nostalgic memories you have pattering around your noggin. The games are: Rolan's Curse 2 Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters Mole Mania Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge Mega Man V Kirby's Dreamland 2 Super Mario Land 3: Wario Land Personally, we would've liked to see Street Fighter II get some love (kidding!). What do you all think? What games do you like? What does this list need?[Via Go Nintendo]
Friday Video: Making sweet sounds with a Game Boy Pocket
Making music with outdated electronics is no longer relegated to the GBA Micro. Oh no, you can, in fact, make some great music with a plain old original Game Boy Pocket. And Clay Morrow, the man featured in the above video, is doing just that. Throughout his interview with Mahalo Daily's Veronica Belmont (videos by day, vampire hunting by night?), he explains the appeal of using a Game Boy, as well as how to use it. And, we also get to peep some of the sweet equipment he uses to make the whole thing possible. [Via Go Nintendo]
Awesome Metroid II fan remake three years in the making
Metroid II: Return of Samus often gets a bad rap from Nintendo fans for being the "worst" of the early Metroid games. We're happy, however, that some still regard it as a seminal part of the Metroid timeline. In the spirit of Metroid: Zero Mission, one intrepid fan has been building a full remake of the classic Game Boy title, and so far we're impressed with what we've seen.Using Game Maker 7, DoctorM64 has been lovingly recreating planet SR-388 using graphics from Zero Mission and Metroid Fusion. He's even gone the extra mile and recreated many of the original Game Boy enemy sprites in full color. The project has been in development for three years, but has recently ramped up, with a newly released gameplay trailer (seen above), and a fully playable tech demo.We're looking forward to seeing more of this project, and hoping that Nintendo doesn't swoop in and do what they do best. The PC-only tech demo is available on the project's blog, but check out a video of the tech demo in action after the break.
Fan remake of Metroid II is not only awesome, but also playable
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/pc_games/Fan_remake_of_Metroid_II_is_not_only_awesome_but_playable'; We love fans. Not only because we are fans and we're completely narcissistic, but because they always come up with some of the coolest things.Take, for example, this remake of Metroid II: Return of Samus for the original Game Boy. It may be nothing new for a fan to recreate an oldschool game, but this is one of the best we've seen. DoctorM64 not only did a great job with the sprites, but also tweaked the level design a bit so that the game flows more smoothly.If you want to try this remake for yourself, it's only a click away. Keeping in mind that this is only a tech demo and not the completed version, we're sure that you'll be even more impressed. Also, you can check out DoctorM64's blog to get a feel for the creation process.[Via Destructoid]
Super Wings: Download this game NOW
"Mount your SUPER WINGS!"Releases like Super Wings prove the old adage that limitations breed creativity. Programmer Mukunda "eKid" Johnson created this polished GBA shoot'em up specifically for PDRoms' recent coding competition, a homebrew contest constrained to child-friendly games using a maximum of only four colors.eKid took those restrictions as an opportunity to relive the Game Boy experience with his shmup, packing the title with genre standbys like floating weapon power-ups, listless tanks, and rock-out music. Super Wings' humor is tops, too -- each stage begins with a campy briefing and silly, generic objectives, all in hilariously terrible Engrish. Make sure you hit the Game Over screen at least once in each level to catch the encouraging Continue messages. Though it's a short game with only three stages -- the last of which will blow your mind -- Super Wings already looks to be one of 2008's best original homebrew titles. It's a free download, and you can play it on a flashcart or pretty much any GBA emulator, so there's no reason for you to miss this one!
These Game Boy plushies smile back at you
Do you love your Game Boy so much that you just want to hug it to death? Then perhaps instead of a game system, you should have a plushie. These cute little handheld dolls also have sweet little facial expressions, making them all the more lovable.The best thing about KungFuCowgirl's Etsy creations is that they're not ridiculously overpriced. They only cost $14 a pop, which is very reasonable for something handmade. We love craftsters, but we always appreciate them more when they don't exploit our gaming love for everything it's worth.[Via Technabob]
The Game Boy of the Industrial Revolution
Many a history buff know full well the contributions the lowly steam engine has made to not only the development of our native country, the U.S.A., but also that of the world. And now, finally, one of the driving forces behind the Industrial Revolution is now being used for something far more important: powering Game Boys. Actually, we're not sure why someone would make a steam-powered Game Boy, but hey, our hat is off to them because we could never do such a thing ourselves. We have a hard enough time figuring out which way the AA batteries go in.[Via Go Nintendo]
Busted Game Boy given life with Super Mario papercraft
Call us crazy (or just packrats, whatever), but we can't just toss a dead gadget in good conscience. Apparently, neither can Josh Burker, who decided to convert a busted Game Boy into a beautiful piece of vintage art. Similar to the playable Paper Mario game we spotted about this time last month, Mr. Burker used his papercraft skills to whip up a familiar scene of Super Mario Bros. and mount it within the space where the display used to reside. Gunpei Yokoi would be so proud.[Via DSFanboy]
Game Boy makes the perfect home for papercraft
When our handhelds die, we tend to either put them up in the attic (our own little "console heaven"), or throw them across the room in a fit of rage, depending on the circumstances. Never are we as productive as Josh Burker, though, who made an awesome housed diorama with his dead Game Boy.There's no big mystery to this beauty; it's simply a work of papercraft encased by a Game Boy shell (which Josh gutted himself). We know the papercraft is in color, so it's not an accurate artistic portrayal of the DS's portable ancestor, but the creativity and craft work put into this project are astonishing.Hmm, maybe our broken Game Boy is still in the attic somewhere ...[Via Technabob]
Fly Mobile intros the MC100, doesn't mind how many laws you break
We've seen a lot of phones float our way over the years, and some of them have had emulation capability, but it's rare when you see a mobile phone-maker actually advocating that you pirate ROMs for their device. Of course, that's exactly what Fly Mobile is doing when it comes to its MC100 handset. The phone has all kinds of regular features we're sure you'd be interested in, like a 240 x 320 display, AAC, MP3 and MPEG4 playback, a microSD slot, and that handsome, "noble" dark brown finish. It all sounds good, but we know there's only one set of qualities you'll be laying down cash for: the phone's ability to play SNES, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and NES ROMs. Just remember, your favorites "can be freele [sic] downloaded frim [sic] Internet." $270 and it's yours.[Via Mobile Magazine]
Keepin' it real fake, part CX: Game Joy micro
We've seen a couple fake Game Boy micros in the past, but none of them have been as faithful reproductions as this one here. Sadly, we've got little to go on as far as games or other functions in this "Game Joy micro," but it looks like at least Tetris is a shoo-in, which is really all that matters. Check after the break for a few other gems of fakery.[Thanks, Johnny]
Damn it feels good to have a Game Boy
If you have an old Game Boy brick lying around, no one has to tell you that it's nigh-on indestructible. After all, yours probably still works, and can often be tossed at people who irritate you at social gatherings, or used to fend off would-be muggers. That thing is a beast, and you can abuse it and immediately turn it on for a little Battletoads or Link's Awakening.And now, folks, the Game Boy is being lauded for just that long-lasting quality. Over at CNET UK's Crave gadget blog, the original handheld monstrosity turned up on a list of "bombproof" gadgets. "If you ever saw one that was broken, it's because it lost a boxing match with a nuclear bomb -- on points," they say. Them's big words, but then again, we're talking about the Game Boy here, and it's way more hard than the other gadgets listed. Anyone still have one lying around, being all hard with its bad self?
Demo Vision is one half of an odd and rare Game Boy devkit
If you dig giant hunks of metal with marker scribblings all over them, then you'll want to cruise by this eBay auction for a Game Boy Demo Vision unit. The dev kit allows your Game Boy game to be displayed on your TV, like with the GameCube's Game Boy Player, only without the border.As tempting as being able to use it may be, you will need a special kind of Game Boy unit in order to interact with this device. So, unless you have that matching bit, you're not going to be able to do much with this.[Via Go Nintendo]
PMP51 "MP4 MP3 super game" does it all
While a bit vague in the whole naming department, this new no-name OEM PMP51 PMP is actually packing a quite a spec sheet. The primary focus of the handheld is supposedly 32 bit gaming, but sadly SNES is nowhere to be found. But lucky for us there's Game Boy Advance play, in addition to Game Boy, Game Boy Color and NES. The 3-inch screen should show off that emulated Advance Wars just nicely, and the addition of a 1.3 megapixel camera and support for plenty of audio and video formats round out the piece nicely. You can also add memory with miniSD and play your ROMs on the big screen with video out. No word on price or availability.%Gallery-13478%
Walkin' on Game Boys
Have a hankering to pave your outdoor areas with the souls of Game Boys? Have a great deal of money to sink into such a project? The answer is here, friends: Game Boy garden bricks. Shipping charges for those outside of Europe are painful -- and the bricks themselves aren't cheap -- but these handmade accents are definitely unique.Gives new meaning to something being bricked, eh?[Via Wonderland]
Circuit City holding massive sale, every game you ever wanted on list
If you are missing out on a DS game or GBA game and don't feel like paying retail, know that Circuit City is having a huge sale right now. The problem so far has been that an entire list of the games on sale had not been available anywhere online. That is, until now. Selling select games such as Final Fantasy IV Advance and Mario Tennis: Power Tour on the GBA, along with DS titles such as Elite Beat Agents and Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (get a loved one involved) for $8.96 a piece, we're wondering if this is perhaps the biggest sale we've seen yet. So, get down to your local Circuit City and get to the stock while it still lasts. [Via QJ]
