Pokemon Trading Card Game (Game Boy Color)

Pokemon Trading Card Game is a video game based on the real life Pokemon Trading Card Game.  It is exclusive for the Game Boy Color but can also be played on the original Game Boy.  The game contains the first three sets of the physical card game (Base, Jungle and Fossil) with a bunch of exclusive cards for a grand total of 226 cards.  This is actually a decent amount and you can build a fair variety of decks.  The card game itself is fairly easy to understand and get a hang of.  The tutorial does an okay job of introducing you to the game but you really need to play a few games before it fully clicks.  There are three types of cards:  Pokemon, Trainer and Energy.  A Pokemon card can be one of seven types:  grass, fire, water, electric, fighting, psychic or colorless.  Each type has their own distinct attributes such as fire usually having a high attack but also high cost.

Trainer cards will give you a variety of effects while Energy cards are what allows Pokemon to attack.  Each Pokemon have attacks that require a certain number of Energy cards attached to use.  In addition to attacks doing damage, they can also have a variety of effects.  Each Pokemon has HP and knocking out your opponent's Pokemon will allow you to pick up a prize card.  If all prize cards are taken, or your opponent has no more Pokemon on the field, or they run out of cards to draw, then you win.  You're only allowed sixty cards in your deck and those slots are used up quite fast.  Building a deck is really easy and the menu system is done really well here.  Of course, being familiar with the cards and their attacks will aid you as you can quickly tell what's up during battles and also what cards you want.  This familiarity will come in time as you continue to play through the game.  You're able to save up to four different decks at once but just like the real life card game, multiple decks requires multiples of the same card because if you're using one card in one deck, you can't use that in another.

A really neat aspect of the game is how it contains a story mode.  The story and flow of the gameplay takes cues from the mainline games.  At the start, you're given the chance to get your Starter Deck.  You have a choice between three decks, each based on one of the original three starts in the mainline games.  The deck is usable but very flawed and doesn't complement itself well.  Once you get your deck, you're told that there are eight clubs on the island.  You'll gain a medal every time you defeat a leader from the club.  Gain all eight medals and you get to challenge the Grand Masters in order to obtain the four Legendary Cards.

Throughout your journey, you'll be able to challenge other NPCs as well as having your own rival.  Your rival's deck will change as the game goes on and gets stronger just like you do.  A negative is that you select a club from a world map, you don't actually get to travel along routes like the main games.  Every time you defeat a NPC you get booster packs for new cards to improve your deck.  This is actually one of the most addictive things in the game as getting new cards gives you an awesome feeling of satisfaction.  Like the physical card game, certain cards are more common or rarer than others.  The story doesn't take too long to beat, only around five to six hours.  Once you have a few good cards and a good strategy, then the rest of the game becomes a cakewalk.  There isn't much replay value after you finish the game though, only a Challenge Hall which will hold tournaments at random for promotional cards as prizes.

Since this is a game for the Game Boy Color, the graphics are basic but still passable.  The color palette is a bit on the simple side and doesn't fully show off some of the awesome art of the cards.  Overall, Pokemon Trading Card Game is an addictive game.  It perfectly translates the card game into a video game, including the feeling of beating other players and getting booster packs to increase your collection.  The story mode is welcome and makes it feel that this spin-off game is fully fleshed out.  Pokemon Trading Card Game is one of the fully realized Pokemon spin-off game we've had.

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The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX (Game Boy Color)

The Legend of Zelda:  Link's Awakening DX was originally released for the Game Boy.  It was later ported to the Game Boy Color with color graphics and a new dungeon with the DX moniker.  It is the fourth game to be released in The Legend of Zelda series but is the first game for a handheld console.  The control scheme is simple.  You use the d-pad to move Link around and then the A and B buttons for using items.  You can map any item onto the two buttons via the Start button and the Select button pulls up the map.  Having the ability to map items to any of the two buttons at will is pretty cool and an ingenious way to overcome the physical limitations of the hardware.  Unfortunately, with only two buttons and nearly always wanting to have a weapon equipped, this means that you will constantly be reassigning items in order to progress.

The game is in the style of the original NES game where one screen is one area and going to the next scree involves a short sliding loading animation.  It's smooth and works well and the color graphics really help make the game pop and age well.  With color, it also makes it easier to distinguish what is what in the game compared to the original monochrome version.  Link will traverse the overworld filled with enemies, initially only armed with his shield and sword.  The overworld is at least as big as the original game which is pretty large and impressive for a Game Boy game.  There are some annoying enemies that like to jump around or teleport, as well as firing projectiles or simply be invincible.  As you progress through the game and gain more powerful weapons, enemies that gave you trouble before can be swiftly dispatched and this is quite satisfying.

The story is different for the fact that Link's objective is not to save Zelda.  Rather, after a storm and being left marooned on an island, he is tasked with finding the eight instruments of the sirens in order to wake the Wind Fish and leave the island.  There are plenty of cutscenes to help explain the story but the game mainly leaves it up to the player to explore and find out for themselves.  Eight instruments means that there are eight dungeons in the game and each gets steadily harder.  You will need specific items in order to clear some of the dungeons.  These dungeons will contain familiar enemies and bosses, as well as plenty of hidden areas to collect additional hearts which serves as your health bar.

There are surprisingly 2D platforming segments which feel inspired by the Mario games.  However, perhaps some of the more annoying platforming are not found in this 2D sections but rather just jumping over holes.  You'll struggle at first to get the timing right and have Link actually jump instead of running into the hole.  As expected of the series, there is little guidance in where to go next and thus it can be easy to get lost.  The same goes for the dungeons, with even the second and third one becoming difficult when you go in for the first time.  Item management is required early on as you can easily find yourself unable to progress because you ran out of bombs and need to go track down some more.

The later dungeons are extremely convoluted, requiring backtracking once you've found special items to access other areas.  As a new player, you might be at a lost at what to do when you are supposed to push some blocks in a specific way, or bomb some walls to open up a path.  This leads to a hard final dungeon filled with mini-bosses.  However, there was a worthy final boss which leads to an interesting ending that doesn't feel as cheap as you would have thought if you had knew what was going to happen beforehand.  The exclusive color dungeon in the DX version of the game is short and easy.  Completing it gives you a very nice reward that makes the rest of the game much easier.  It's not the biggest draw card if you have already played the original since it shorter than even the first dungeon and it felt like an afterthought.  It uses color as the main gimmick for its puzzles.  Overall, The Legend of Zelda:  Link's Awakening is a great Zelda game.  It doesn't feel compromised at all for being on the Game Boy, filled with all of the elements of a game in the series.  The dungeon exploration is fun, the graphics hold up well, and there are so many secrets that it is a satisfying experience to find them all.

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Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins (Game Boy)

Super Mario Land 2:  6 Golden Coins is for the Game Boy and sequel to the first Super Mario Land.  Upon starting the game, it is immediately apparent at the massive improvement in graphics compared to the first game.  Mario is now bigger and more detailed, as are the environments.  The downside to being bigger is that due to the larger size required for the detail, it is "zoomed" in more but you soon get used to it.  This is a bigger and longer game.  You start off in the world map where you can select levels.  All the worlds are available at the start and you can decide on completing each one in any order you like.  There are size worlds with 32 levels in total.  The longer length also means that the game saves your progress whenever you finish a stage which is great.

The levels have more verticality to their design which makes it interesting when you have to decide whether to go on the higher or lower routes.  Unlike the first game, you're able to move back and forth in levels again.  While it is a bigger game, the levels are still very quick to blast through.  Each one takes around one to three minutes without dying.  However, each one will have various secrets including areas with additional coins and pathways to secret levels by finding alternative exits.  If you die in a level, you will have to restart from the beginning or a checkpoint midway through if you managed to get it.  Lose all of Mario's lives and you effectively restart the whole game.  The game takes around 1-2 hours to complete.

The story is paper thin as expected of Mario games.  Mario starts on the world map with no explanation on what's going on or what you are to do.  That said, it's pretty easy to figure out.  In front of Mario is an ominous castle with the gates shut and six empty slots surrounding it.  This game introduces Wario who has taken over Mario's castle and is laughing evilly upon the top of the tower.  The aim of the game is to collect all six golden coins to unlock the gate and face Wario as the final boss.  Naturally, six worlds means one golden coin in each world and one boss will protect each coin.  These bosses are simple affairs; you just need a simple stomp on top of them three times to defeat them.  It's still quite fun though.

Enemies are recognizable as ones from the Mario franchise and Mario has access to two power ups.  The first is the fire flower where can fire projectiles.  The second is bunny Mario where he can soften his fall rate, effectively allowing him to glide.  This is a useful ability and makes the game trivial in places as you can just jump and glide over the top of all the obstacles and enemies.  Invincibility and Super Mario makes a return since they're staples.  Most of the game is pretty easy but the final level right before the final boss is quite a bit of a difficulty spike.  There are plenty of traps and projectiles, moving platforms and spikes.  If you die, you have to restart from the beginning since there are no checkpoints.  Nevertheless, once you make it through, it is satisfying, even more so when the final boss carries a few of his own surprises.  Overall, Super Mario Land 2:  6 Golden Coins is a massively improved sequel upon the first.  Its graphics are impressive, especially for the Game Boy (although still unfortunately only in grayscale).  The game play is classic Mario, complete with a world map and a fairly sizable amount of levels for a handheld installment.

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Super Mario Land (Game Boy)

Super Mario Land was a launch title for the original Game Boy and was the first handheld Mario game ever released.  It plays similarly to the NES versions, being a sidescroller.  However, as a handheld game, it has bite-sized levels.  The game has familiar gameplay but of course, the graphics are scaled for the smaller screen.  Considering the limited tech of the Game Boy hardware, the graphics are pretty decent and the game plays smoothly.  Note that the game is in monochrome although if you have the Virtual Console version, then you can switch between black/white monochrome or the original green tinged monochrome.  Super Mario Land's gameplay doesn't shake things up too much and most of it is familiar to players of the series.  Mario goes from left to right to complete the level.  The screen cannot scroll back so once it is out of frame, that's it, Mario cannot return.  Mario can jump and jumping onto the top of enemies will defeat them.  The only other ability is if Mario gets a fire flower, he can throw ricocheting balls for a ranged attack.

As a platformer, jumping onto platforms (static or moving) above pitfalls is a common sight.  As the game progresses, it also gets harder with multiple moving enemies, including invincible ones, as well as ranged attacks.  It mixes things up in a few levels such as auto-scroll ones with Mario in a vehicle in a shoot 'em up.  There are various secrets in levels containing coins and power-ups, as well as two exits in each level.  The upper exit will contain a minigame that gives Mario lives or a power-up.  Each level also has various areas with tons of coins that might take some creative thinking in order to get.

In addition to completing each level, another goal is to get a high score.  There are coins scattered through the levels and getting 100 of these will give Mario an extra life.  Defeating enemies adds to your high score, as does finishing a level with time still left on the clock.  Losing all lives means a game over and starting from the first level again.  You cannot save at all so you have to go through the whole game in one go.  Of course, if you're playing the Virtual Console version, you can create and load a restore point at any time.  Each world has three levels and the end of each world has a boss.  There are four worlds totaling twelve levels, making Super Mario Land a short game.  It takes approximately one hour to complete and the game is pretty easy.  The only danger is if you try to speed a level too quickly without seeing what enemies lies ahead.

Finishing the game allows you to play on a higher difficulty.  The level design stays mostly the same but there are more enemies and more falling hazards.  Finishing it again will give you the option of level select.  Unfortunately, everything is reset once you turn off the Game Boy and you have to go through the game normally again before you can use these bonus modes.  The game takes place in Sarasaland and Mario aims to save Princess Daisy.  Not that there is a lot of story cutscenes or explanation of the setting.  Overall, as the first handheld outing of Mario for the Game Boy, Super Mario Land is pretty decent.  It translates the gameplay perfectly and while it tries a few new things that later games did not continue, it is still fun and a blast to play.  The biggest negative is the lack of saving and the short length.

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Kirby's Dream Land (Game Boy)

Kirby's Dream Land is the first game in the Kirby series, setting a lot of the series' staples (while there are notable improvements in later games, you'll be surprised at how at its core, the first game has many of the same gameplay elements).  Released for the Game Boy, the game is in monochrome.  The game's premise is only explained in the physical manual since the game starts up with Kirby thrown straight into the first level.  Basically, King Dedede has stolen all the food in Dream Land and as the residents are at a loss on what to do, Kirby volunteers to go and get it all back.

The game is a platformer.  Since the Game Boy only had a d-pad and two buttons (in addition to the Start and Select button which aren't used), the controls are simple.  Kirby can suck in enemies and spit them back out again.  The other button is used for jumping and while Kirby can float, you have to use the Up button in order to do it.  This can lend to some awkward moments when you're trying to avoid the flying enemies but is a tad bit too slow.  Kirby's significant ability of swallowing the enemy and copying their abilities isn't implemented in this game.  While Kirby can still swallow the enemy, this doesn't do anything except allow Kirby to float again.  The closest thing we get are power ups which temporarily give Kirby some additional abilities like spitting fire.  Interestingly, a lot of the game's enemies become staples in the series, with only minimal design changes.

As a 2D sidescrolling adventure, the aim of each stage is to reach the end while avoiding or defeating all of the enemies.  While most enemies can be defeated, some are invincible and it's all you can do to dodge them.  Kirby has a health bar and once it is all gone, then you start again from the beginning of that segment.  Kirby has a finite amount of lives and to offset the fact that you don't have to redo the whole level if you die, you actually can't save anywhere at all within the game.  There aren't any collectibles to find but you are able to find health packs and extra lives.  There are various doorways in each segment which lead to different areas and even shortcuts.

Not being able to save isn't a huge problem when the game is so easy.  Furthermore, it is extremely short.  Comprised of five stages, you can get to the credits in around 45 minutes on a first playthrough blind.  You can speed through the stages much quicker the second time around.  There is a high score counter but the game doesn't save any of your previous scores so it feels kind of moot.  The game mechanic of sucking and spitting out enemies is refreshing and different compared to other platformers at the time.  As well as the ability to float and interesting (if predictable) boss battles makes this game enjoyable.  The music is simple but charming.  Considering that this is a Game Boy game, it looks fantastic.

Don't think you can pack the game away after one playthrough because you then get a button input sequence to unlock Extra Mode.  This mode drastically increases the difficulty while using the same level layouts.  There are new enemy types, they move faster and are more frequent.  It's quite a challenge as the bosses have new attacks too.  You have to work through the levels slower and more methodically.  This makes the first playthrough feel like a tutorial and that this is the real game.  Overall, despite the replayability, Kirby's Dream Land is still a really short game.  The gameplay is simple at its core but fun enough to keep it going.  It's worthwhile just to see how Kirby started as a series.

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