Examples Nintendo's Game Boy > NES?

[erac | 78]

Opposite example: Famicom Wars is better than GB Wars 1-3.

[Sumez | 2,941]

Game Boy Tetris is notoriously awful.

But then, a lot of Tetris variants are, unfortunately.

[rdrunner | 422]

Classic debate here.  I personally prefer the NES versions of just about everything, but it's just a matter of personal taste.

Here are some of my favorites:

Bionic Commando: Mostly the same as NES with different characters (no "Master-D" this time).  Has some great original levels that really take advantage of the bionic arm mechanic.

Elevator Action: Not like the NES port is worth its weight in salt, but this is a great game.  Watch out for the new robots and attack dogs!

Wizards and Warriors: I still like the original NES game more, but the GameBoy title is one of the better entries in the series (way more fun than IronSword or Visions of Power).

Edited June 10, 2021 by rdrunner

[Tanooki | 4,932]

23 hours ago, Sumez said:

I think I like GQ2 a little better, but I'm not sure it "smokes" it. They are both very good, with 1 having some slightly more memorably stages, and 2 getting the upper hand simply from color and a bigger resolution which especially helps avoid the cramped boss battles.
Both games are way too short and and easy, and feel like they end before they really get started.

Either way, I wasn't comparing the two, just think it's odd that you'd think of Gargoyle's Quest as the Game Boy representative of Ghosts 'n Goblins, when the spinoff series exists on both platforms as it is, and really has very little in common with the series it spun off of. Also, Ghosts 'n Goblins is way better than either of those  Just not the crummy NES version.

I think this thread already proves pretty well that the franchises that exceed their NES counterparts are pretty rare, and usually came out many years later in the cases where they exist, and have other titles to derive from. Gradius Interstellar Assault/Nemesis II came out two years after Gradius 3.

The Game Boy being "watered down" isn't a myth as much as it's pure circumstance. In terms of hardware, it's just plain logic - a monochrome palette and smaller resolution technically limits most games that aim to be ports of gameplay that you know from the consoles. And the sluggish refresh rate of the original screen meant that the games could not afford to scroll very fast either, which is why you'd also normally have much slower games as well.
Also, these were cheaper games, cheaper to buy and cheaper to produce, they were almost always budget releases for the companies that made them. And in nearly every example of a developer making a "Game Boy version" of a game, they had a clear cut goal of releasing a watered down version, right from the get go. No matter how much you still enjoy the games, it can't really change that.

Well GQ2 is on GB too, and really I find it better just because the aggravating random battles on the map don't exist, and I found the stage design superior, not always as fun on some, but just designed better.

But I don't feel at all GQ is representative of GnG on Gameboy, not in the slightest, even before the actual GnG came out on GB/C (it's not a GBC only mode cart so it runs on 1989 gameboy 100%)  So I was comparing the GB vs NES of that, and given you can save progress(though it is evil, saves lives remaining and weapon) and has a new arrange mode which gives more play options to keep it fresh.

I'm not going to get into the other parts, proven hardly anything, it's just opinion, and one I've held as a wrong one since the early 90s.  Color doesn't make a game better, gives it maybe a bit more splash of liveliness in the detail, but that's all.  Neither one of us is going to convince the other.  I can cite plenty of titles where the NES one just isn't as nice as the GB/GBC release and you'll do the opposite despite what's there so it's kind of pointless going in circles.

[Andy_Bogomil | 815]

I probably play Super Mario Land more than SMB. Better? Probably not but it's pretty quick and dirty and I don't mind the shooter levels.. mixes it up a bit. The slightly varied bosses are a nice touch too.

[noiseredux | 232]

1 hour ago, Andy_Bogomil said:

I probably play Super Mario Land more than SMB. Better? Probably not but it's pretty quick and dirty and I don't mind the shooter levels.. mixes it up a bit. The slightly varied bosses are a nice touch too.

SML is awesome. Though, I'm also the weirdo who thinks that SMB2 (USA) is the best of the  three NES games, so...

[Tanooki | 4,932]

SML is a better game from a variety stand point and non-skippable(no warps) brevity as you can get it down in around 40min or so, and with the boss stuff, shooter bits, it's a great game.

 

And I wouldn't call anyone who loves SMB2 the best a weird one,  you just have good taste given so many like to cry like woke-ies because it's a supposed fake Mario game despite the fact it introduced so much to the franchise (carry and toss, differing character abilities, a truly varied world/stage design, multiple enemies that still exist today as some things.

[Robot_Ninjutsu | 122]

I will gladly play SML over the original SMB game.  It's a short run and fairly easy, but the twist on SMB with the shooter levels/bomb turtles/etc. is awesome.  And the music! I love the music in SML, can't get enough of the Chai Kingdom music.

SML2 being a hybrid of SML and introducing some SMW elements was also a fun.  The music for Space Zone 2 is one of my favorite pieces of music in a game.  It's so good, its practically up there with "Street of Rage" music.

 

[Andy_Bogomil | 815]

2 hours ago, Robot_Ninjutsu said:

I will gladly play SML over the original SMB game.  It's a short run and fairly easy, but the twist on SMB with the shooter levels/bomb turtles/etc. is awesome.  And the music! I love the music in SML, can't get enough of the Chai Kingdom music.

SML2 being a hybrid of SML and introducing some SMW elements was also a fun.  The music for Space Zone 2 is one of my favorite pieces of music in a game.  It's so good, its practically up there with "Street of Rage" music.

 

Yeah I remember beating it a few times just to jam out on the credit music. Very happy with a little build up. Great music throughout. 

[T-Pac | 7,534]

Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters [GB] is infinitely more approachable than Kid Icarus [NES]. I couldn't figure out how to navigate the original until after I had spent some time with the GameBoy entry. That doesn't necessarily make it better, but it's definitely a plus in my book.

And there's something that just feels "correct" about the Kirby franchise on GameBoy. But maybe that's just because Kirby got its start there.

-CasualCart

[Strange | 1,700]

@DefaultGen is always ranting about how Ninja Gaiden: Shadow on Game Boy is far superior to Ninja Gaiden III on NES.

I think his Shinobi III preference is also well documented.

[Strange | 1,700]

20 minutes ago, CasualCart said:

Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters [GB] is infinitely more approachable than Kid Icarus [NES]. I couldn't figure out how to navigate the original until after I had spent some time with the GameBoy entry. That doesn't necessarily make it better, but it's definitely a plus in my book.

And there's something that just feels "correct" about the Kirby franchise on GameBoy. But maybe that's just because Kirby got its start there.

-CasualCart

You think so? I haven’t played Of Myths and Monsters in years but I remember not knowing where to go vs. the NES one which is difficult but fairly linear in terms of where to go

[T-Pac | 7,534]

1 minute ago, Strange said:

You think so? I haven’t played Of Myths and Monsters in years but I remember not knowing where to go vs. the NES one which is difficult but fairly linear in terms of where to go

The dungeon sections in the GB Kid Icarus might be harder to navigate like you said - my memory is foggy on that, too. By "more approachable" I was referring to the presentation of mechanics and objectives. For whatever reason, I felt like the GameBoy sequel had more clarity in terms of what items do and how to progress in the game.

I could be very wrong, though haha. I've replayed Kid Icarus on the NES recently, but maybe now I'll have to try the GB game again to see if my impressions still hold.

-CasualCart

[Strange | 1,700]

51 minutes ago, CasualCart said:

but maybe now I'll have to try the GB game again to see if my impressions still hold.

I’ve been meaning to play through both again too, so I guess we’ll find out either way lol

[Tanooki | 4,932]

My memory of Kid Icarus GB was that while the dungeons were a little harder, they were also NOT a little harder too to be fair.  They mapped better, paced better too, and I think you had a little more of an idea what to do and while it was more challenging, in one epic key way, it was not... the jerkoff eggplant wizard attacks were timed, not permanent without aggravatingly having to backtrack to the one healing pond in a dungeon to erase the curse.  This way you had a bit of a better way of surviving not being a walking punching bag back to heal, to hope when you return it doesn't happen again.  THat was a HUGE quality of life improvement right there.  The final stage I think is better designed, a bit less bland and sterile with a last fight that puts up a fight vs being a cakewalk too.  The game is a give and take, but it's better all around on Gameboy as they learned from their mistakes on NES, same can be said with Metroid 2 (outside of stupidly still not having an automap.)

[Sumez | 2,941]

18 hours ago, Strange said:

@DefaultGen is always ranting about how Ninja Gaiden: Shadow on Game Boy is far superior to Ninja Gaiden III on NES.

I'm going to assume you're pulling a fast one, otherwise Mr. Gen really needs to switch out his profile picture  

[MegaMan52 | 2,442]

I've played both the NES and Game Boy versions of Double Dragon a lot over the years, but like the Game Boy version a little more. Billy starts with all of the special moves right from the beginning, some of the music sounds better (especially level 3's music, which sounds a little strange in the NES version), and Jimmy is not a boss (even though he's mentioned in the manual). Not being able to fight Jimmy in the main 1-player mode may seem disappointing, but it's a good thing in my opinion because Jimmy is not suppose to be a villain. By the way, this is my original copy of Double Dragon that I've had since 1994.

I know I'm in the minority (and may well be the only one), but I like the Game Boy Mega Man II more than the NES game. Rush Marine is actually useful in this game, unlike most other games it has been in. The teleport hatches in Wily's Fortress lead to new stages rather than just simply a boss battle, which surprised me when I was a kid. People often bash this game's soundtrack, but some of the music stands out like the original music on the title screen, Wood Man's Stage, Hard Man's Stage, and Needle Man's Stage.

I think many of us can agree that the Game Boy version of Tetris is better than the NES version, but I think the Japanese version 1.0 of the game deserves a mention for including the "Minuet" A-Type music (which is more relaxing than Korobeiniki). After coming home from work or a stressful day of making videos for my YouTube Channel, it is nice to play version 1.0 of Tetris and listen to Minuet for a few minutes.

While the first Adventures of Lolo has always been one of my favorite puzzle games and the third game has a ton of levels and some added features, Lolo 2 seems like an add-on/extension to the first Lolo (much like how Adventure Island 3 is basically an add-on/extension to Adventure Island 2). This game, however, has multiple modes, different music, and some new characters. Also, the Europeon version has more levels than the Japanese version as well as Super Game Boy enhancements. I like Lolo 1 and Lolo 3 more, but I enjoy this game more than Adventures of Lolo 2.

Kirby's Adventure is quite possibly my favorite NES game (well, either that or Super Mario Bros. 3). Kirby's Dream Land 2, however, is my favorite Kirby game of all time. It has a more memorable soundtrack, the levels are more fun, and many of the Rainbow Drops are well-hidden. Also, this game introduced Rick the Hamster, Coo the Owl, and Kine the Fish. Kirby's Adventure is great, but I enjoy this one a little more. Like Double Dragon, this is my original copy of Kirby's Dream Land 2 that I've had since the '90's.

Edited June 14, 2021 by MegaMan52

[phart010 | 1,707]

5 minutes ago, MegaMan52 said:

 

 

I know I'm in the minority (and may well be the only one), but I like the Game Boy Mega Man II more than the NES game. Rush Marine is actually useful in this game, unlike most other games it has been in. The teleport hatches in Wily's Fortress lead to new stages rather than just simply a boss battle, which surprised me when I was a kid. People often bash this game's soundtrack, but some of the music stands out like the original music on the title screen, Wood Man's Stage, Hard Man's Stage, and Needle Man's Stage.

If you liked the soundtrack on Megaman 2 on Gameboy, check out Ninja Gaiden on Game Gear. Apparently the music was done by the same people. You can really tell the similarities