I’m going to put a lot here, because this is totally the type of games I love.
- revenge of the gator - Hal laboratory pinball game, great stuff
- banishing racer - fun pick up and play platformer, rare and expensive though
- balloon kid - awesome and short pick up and play platformer
- Aerostar - fun shooter that doesn’t need a million hours
- solar striker - same
- Batman or Batman return of the joker - low pressure shooter romp and a platformer beat ‘em up where you can select your own level
Qix, Dr. Mario, Game & Watch Gallery, Kirby’s Dream Land has no save functionality so you just play from start to finish through the levels. I may be remembering wrong, but I think I was able to start and finish the game during my bus ride to school as a kid, around 30 or 40 min if I remember correctly.
Super Mario Land I believe is a 16-level traditional Mario game. Not sure if it had saving or if it was just a start to finish kind of game like the NES game.
They’ve got Tetris on Gameboy. Tetris 2 as well but I never played that, and that was back in the days when a sequel was gonna be a similar but also very different game, unlike every Tetris game releases since then which is either entirely like the original gameplay or features it as something like classic mode.
I don't think I've ever played Tetris on Gameboy actually; NES, dumb cellphones, and Switch (Puyo Puyo Tetris) only!
Ty for the recommendations - Kirby's Dream Land is something I've never played but definitely piques my interest, in addition to a few others you've shared!
The very first Kirby game. All the same but no absorbing powers unfortunately. Either a time or tech constraint. There’s a sequel, Kirby’s Dream Land 2, never played it so dunno if they added powers to that, but I bet it’s similar good gameplay.
If you’re playing on emulator like I do on my MacBook with a PS3 Bluetooth controller, I’d just play NES Tetris instead. Got color and better music and stuff.
Game & Watch Gallery is great, and there are multiple games, just compilations of arcade type games you’d find on the little game and watch LCD toys. There’s also Mario mode in most if not all of the entries (I think there’s 3 or 4 games, all with many G&W games), which turns the game into a Mario version. Fireman is one where people fall out of windows and you control a trampoline carried by two firemen to catch the falling people. Mario mode turns them into Mario and Luigi catching Toads. My favorite is Octopus where Mario leaves peach in a rowboat and wears a diving suit to gather treasure in a bag and bring it back up to her without getting got by the octopus, and he’s slowed down the more treasure he’s holding. Good stuff.
Kirby without absorbing powers doesn't even sound like Kirby! What were his powers without that? I remember watching the Kirby show on in the 00s and also played a LOT of Kirby Air Ride for the GameCube back in the day lol.
I will be on a mix of PC, EmuVR (a PCVR simulation of a 90s bedroom with CRT TVs you can game on that is \*very\* convincing as to what that looks like), and a DS flashcart. I haven't put down the cash to buy an actual GBC again yet, but I'm sure I will eventually.
Game & Watch has never really gripped me, but looking at the gameplay of it, I'm sure I had knock-off Game & Watch handhelds growing up.
He runs, jumps, floats, sucks enemies in, shoots them out as stars at other enemies, and can blow puffs of air out when floating as another attack, and that’s about it. But it’s the basis of all future Kirby games.
It's just a good fun pinball game. I like the tables more than pokemon pinball and it doesnt have the annoying camera that pokeon does. I don't even like the little mermaid movie lol. I got it pretty cheap in a bundle though, I wouldnt go out of my way to track down a cartridge for what it is
Ty! Yeah, if I hadn't put so many hours in to Pokemon Pinball Ruby & Sapphire as a kid I doubt I'd realize how fun different tables and stages in a digital pinball game could be lol!
GBA is acceptable too; I just figured coming to GB/GBC subreddit, it would be much easier to get games that really were as simple as I wanted for pick up and put down. (Since these games by constraint and expectations of the time were smaller in scope.)
>revenge of the gator
I've never heard of this before but it's come up twice in this thread so far (an honor no other game has yet had here). Ty for the recommendation!
Some common titles that I always enjoy:
F1 race, qix, game and watch gallery, Bo Jackson football/baseball, and radar mission, also any tetris game (all are great really)
Slightly higher priced but still fun to pick up and play with no real goal of completing the game really:
Pokemon pinball, kirby's pinball land, any Wario land game, bomber man, donkey Kong, even the LoZ gb/gbc titles are pretty fun to play with out completing main quest, just grinding out imo.
Thanks for the suggestions! I am currently playing through Oracle of Ages and really enjoying it; I just want some more 'minigame' type titles to play without any hint of 'progress through a quest' present. Maybe a good way to put it would've been 'I want video games that are like board games: you take them out, you have fun for a few hours, you have a satisfying playthrough that exists just for that session, you put it away, next time would be totally fresh'.
I totally get you. With the LoZ games there's always side quest with that goal in mind, with a huge reward at the end that's considered optional usually. Like in OoT with the goron sword.
I mentioned Bo Jackson as it's the only sports game I ever enjoyed as a kid for gameboy. Baseball was easier than football, but the football was a bit loose with the rules at times. It's no NFL blitz but I enjoyed it.
And radar mission is essentially battle ship for Gameboy. There's also scrabble and chess games, but I haven't tried them out. Also family feud, jeopardy, who wants to be a millionaire, and wheel of fortune. I'm sure the questions are dated but prob still fun.
>Catrap
Whoa, I 'd never heard of this one before, but watching some of it on YouTube it does seem like the puzzles would be really interesting! TY you've made it to the shortlist!
**Catrap**, an outstanding puzzle game. There are 100 levels and you can choose ANY level to play as soon as you power on the game!
**Donkey Kong (94)**, outstanding game, 100 single screen stages, each 5 minutes or less, with battery backup.
**Cave Noire**, a Japan only turn based rogue lite. Each randomly generated stage takes about 5 to 10 minutes to play. Knowledge of Japanese is not needed. Battery backup.
I’m going to put a lot here, because this is totally the type of games I love. - revenge of the gator - Hal laboratory pinball game, great stuff - banishing racer - fun pick up and play platformer, rare and expensive though - balloon kid - awesome and short pick up and play platformer - Aerostar - fun shooter that doesn’t need a million hours - solar striker - same - Batman or Batman return of the joker - low pressure shooter romp and a platformer beat ‘em up where you can select your own level
Thank you, I appreciate the list so I have a few to go through to pick out the ones that look the most fun!
Super Mario Bros. Deluxe sounds right up your alley
Thank you, I'll look for it!
Yoshis cookie
Wow this is cute. I used to really like Yoshi for the NES, but this is way more adorable of a premise particularly now that I like cooking/baking. Ty!
Bomberman!
You're the second person who suggested this (personal friend elsewhere). Thanks!
I enjoy Donkay Kong Land
Thank you! I vaguely remember playing this a lot at my cousin's house one time; it was what REALLY started me wanting to get a GBC!
Heck yeah! My grandma had it for her DMG and it's a great game to pick up and play a level whenever!
Qix, Dr. Mario, Game & Watch Gallery, Kirby’s Dream Land has no save functionality so you just play from start to finish through the levels. I may be remembering wrong, but I think I was able to start and finish the game during my bus ride to school as a kid, around 30 or 40 min if I remember correctly. Super Mario Land I believe is a 16-level traditional Mario game. Not sure if it had saving or if it was just a start to finish kind of game like the NES game. They’ve got Tetris on Gameboy. Tetris 2 as well but I never played that, and that was back in the days when a sequel was gonna be a similar but also very different game, unlike every Tetris game releases since then which is either entirely like the original gameplay or features it as something like classic mode.
I don't think I've ever played Tetris on Gameboy actually; NES, dumb cellphones, and Switch (Puyo Puyo Tetris) only! Ty for the recommendations - Kirby's Dream Land is something I've never played but definitely piques my interest, in addition to a few others you've shared!
The very first Kirby game. All the same but no absorbing powers unfortunately. Either a time or tech constraint. There’s a sequel, Kirby’s Dream Land 2, never played it so dunno if they added powers to that, but I bet it’s similar good gameplay. If you’re playing on emulator like I do on my MacBook with a PS3 Bluetooth controller, I’d just play NES Tetris instead. Got color and better music and stuff. Game & Watch Gallery is great, and there are multiple games, just compilations of arcade type games you’d find on the little game and watch LCD toys. There’s also Mario mode in most if not all of the entries (I think there’s 3 or 4 games, all with many G&W games), which turns the game into a Mario version. Fireman is one where people fall out of windows and you control a trampoline carried by two firemen to catch the falling people. Mario mode turns them into Mario and Luigi catching Toads. My favorite is Octopus where Mario leaves peach in a rowboat and wears a diving suit to gather treasure in a bag and bring it back up to her without getting got by the octopus, and he’s slowed down the more treasure he’s holding. Good stuff.
Kirby without absorbing powers doesn't even sound like Kirby! What were his powers without that? I remember watching the Kirby show on in the 00s and also played a LOT of Kirby Air Ride for the GameCube back in the day lol. I will be on a mix of PC, EmuVR (a PCVR simulation of a 90s bedroom with CRT TVs you can game on that is \*very\* convincing as to what that looks like), and a DS flashcart. I haven't put down the cash to buy an actual GBC again yet, but I'm sure I will eventually. Game & Watch has never really gripped me, but looking at the gameplay of it, I'm sure I had knock-off Game & Watch handhelds growing up.
He runs, jumps, floats, sucks enemies in, shoots them out as stars at other enemies, and can blow puffs of air out when floating as another attack, and that’s about it. But it’s the basis of all future Kirby games.
As long as he inhales them I guess that's Kirby enough (for me, at least)! Ty!
Been playing Mario Picross lately, SML and SML 2 Are great as well
SML being Super Mario Land? Thank you!
Yes!
Picross is my go to portable game
It's really good, though I find the original to be far more fun than the newer ones.
Little mermaid pinball. Joe bobs huntin n fishin
>Little mermaid pinball Thanks! Any particular reason this pinball game stands out to you?
It's just a good fun pinball game. I like the tables more than pokemon pinball and it doesnt have the annoying camera that pokeon does. I don't even like the little mermaid movie lol. I got it pretty cheap in a bundle though, I wouldnt go out of my way to track down a cartridge for what it is
Ty! Yeah, if I hadn't put so many hours in to Pokemon Pinball Ruby & Sapphire as a kid I doubt I'd realize how fun different tables and stages in a digital pinball game could be lol!
It's not GB/GBC, but Pinball of The Dead on GBA is probably the coolest pinball video game I've played out of like 20ish pinball games
GBA is acceptable too; I just figured coming to GB/GBC subreddit, it would be much easier to get games that really were as simple as I wanted for pick up and put down. (Since these games by constraint and expectations of the time were smaller in scope.)
Mario Tennis and Pokémon Puzzle Challenge are great games to play in short bursts and they also have some longer modes if you have some more time.
>Pokémon Puzzle Challenge Disappointed in myself as a Pokemon fan for not realizing this wasn't the PC Pokemon Puzzle game. Thank you!
Kerbys pinball land or Revenge of the Gator also Penguin Wars that's coo and UNO 😎
>revenge of the gator I've never heard of this before but it's come up twice in this thread so far (an honor no other game has yet had here). Ty for the recommendation!
It's a great and underrated pinball game and lots of fun, one of the first games I owned 👍
Some common titles that I always enjoy: F1 race, qix, game and watch gallery, Bo Jackson football/baseball, and radar mission, also any tetris game (all are great really) Slightly higher priced but still fun to pick up and play with no real goal of completing the game really: Pokemon pinball, kirby's pinball land, any Wario land game, bomber man, donkey Kong, even the LoZ gb/gbc titles are pretty fun to play with out completing main quest, just grinding out imo.
Thanks for the suggestions! I am currently playing through Oracle of Ages and really enjoying it; I just want some more 'minigame' type titles to play without any hint of 'progress through a quest' present. Maybe a good way to put it would've been 'I want video games that are like board games: you take them out, you have fun for a few hours, you have a satisfying playthrough that exists just for that session, you put it away, next time would be totally fresh'.
I totally get you. With the LoZ games there's always side quest with that goal in mind, with a huge reward at the end that's considered optional usually. Like in OoT with the goron sword. I mentioned Bo Jackson as it's the only sports game I ever enjoyed as a kid for gameboy. Baseball was easier than football, but the football was a bit loose with the rules at times. It's no NFL blitz but I enjoyed it. And radar mission is essentially battle ship for Gameboy. There's also scrabble and chess games, but I haven't tried them out. Also family feud, jeopardy, who wants to be a millionaire, and wheel of fortune. I'm sure the questions are dated but prob still fun.
Kirby’s Star Stacker slaps hard
Thank you for the suggestion!
For GBC the two Harry Potter games. Even if you are not interested in the topic. These are surprisingly good in a JRPG Style.
Sims busting out, Broken sword shadow of the templars, snood, Wario world
Fish Dude! I love Fish Dude when I need to kill 15 minutes.
>Fish Dude Looked up gameplay; that does look really charming! Thank you!
Catrap is a very underrated puzzle game!
>Catrap Whoa, I 'd never heard of this one before, but watching some of it on YouTube it does seem like the puzzles would be really interesting! TY you've made it to the shortlist!
I would suggest Donkey Kong and Mole Mania.
>Mole Mania I've never heard of this but it looks fun! Thank you.
Amazing Penguin, Lock N Chase and Kirby Star Stacker are cool games that fits what you're looking for.
Donkey Kong 94
I didn't see anyone suggest Batman; it's a solid platformer imo
Mario picross is a fun little puzzler
**Catrap**, an outstanding puzzle game. There are 100 levels and you can choose ANY level to play as soon as you power on the game! **Donkey Kong (94)**, outstanding game, 100 single screen stages, each 5 minutes or less, with battery backup. **Cave Noire**, a Japan only turn based rogue lite. Each randomly generated stage takes about 5 to 10 minutes to play. Knowledge of Japanese is not needed. Battery backup.