Best vidgame system?

The Nintendo Game Boy is now the elder statesman among video game systems. It has been around for over 12 years now, and manufacturers still make games for it. With the release of the new Game Boy color, which is also compatible with all of the classic Game Boy games, it's time to look at this system and gauge it against its much more advanced cohorts.

First thing you will notice is the price, of course. I bought mine several months ago at $70, and I imagine that is slowly decreasing as well. Think, for $100 dollars, especially if you go to a flea market or Funcoland, you could have a video game system and a couple games right off the bat. Economically, this is not to be beat. In fact, the price was the whole reason that I started playing Game Boy again. While home on vacation from college, I needed something to do, as I really don't like TV. I decided that a video game system would be nice, and a Game Boy would be perfect, with its portability and low price.

But with that money, you have loads to choose from as well. We are talking about a system with easily over 500 games, which is fast approaching its brother, the defunct Nintendo Entertainment System, for the title of largest game library. While of course some of these games are bombs, you aren't going to pay more than $15 unless it's a good game, so that is nothing to really worry about. The games work well on the Color version, and in the manual detailing the use of the CGB, you will find a little instruction area detailing how to change the colors on the game you are playing.

The reason the system has lasted this long is simple: it produces the most fun games. Many people might wonder why anyone would even want to make a game for a monochromatic system in this age where a 32-bit system is passe. But here is the dirty little secret of the gaming industry. With the more advanced systems, the manufacturers concentrate on the graphics because that is what traditionally sells games. While people do buy games initially for graphics many times, they stop playing them when they become dull. Check out the used video games section of Electronics Boutique or Babbage's sometime and note all the games with "great graphics." However, since manufacturers know that an 8-bit monochromatic system cannot handle too much graphics, they have to concentrate on the other, more important aspect of games: playability. Let's face it: despite everyone loving Pokemon, I've never heard anyone mention that they are playing it because the graphics look neat. They play it because it is easy to pick up and get into.

Of course, the discussion about monochromatic systems has gone out the window with the Color version. In order to appreciate it, buy or borrow a CGB and a color game to play. Play it yourself, because the colors look horrible if you are looking over the shoulder. When they are directly in front of you, they look excellent. While naturally they look better with color games than classic games, they still do not become annoying, except with certain color pallets. But as I mentioned before, you can change that easily.

As for the new games that are taking advantage of the system, look for the past. Nintendo has caught onto the recent rerelease trend (please see my review on Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete and my upcoming review of Final Fantasy Anthology) and has started to bring back the games of the NES's heyday with extras. We have already been treated to Super Mario Brothers Deluxe, that classic pack-in game with new features for 2-player fun. Coming soon guaranteed is the Legend of Zelda and Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link, quite possibly the biggest games in the history of the gaming industry. Also, for adventure/RPG fans, spring 2000 will also bring a rerelease of SNK's sleeper hit, Crystalis. Nobody is leaving this system out to dry; they are bringing back classics as well as producing great new games, like the highly anticipated Pokemon Silver and Gold (Pokemon 2 for those who don't care about the game). Although this may all be a moot point, if the rumors about a developing 32-bit portable by Nintendo have any merit, it is still worth picking up. In order to stay viable for over a decade, the Game Boy has had to deal with rivals that have always been more advanced than itself (the Lynx, the PocketGrafx, the Game Gear, ect). Now more than ever before it is worth picking up to see how it managed to not only survive, but thrive even beyond its larger cousins attached to your television.