Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with gameboy

Gameboy (original) games in Atlanta?

djpyk — Thu, 29 May 2008 14:07:59 -0800

Where can I find used Gameboy (original) games in or near Atlanta, GA within the next 3 days? My girlfriend is going on a long plane ride, and decided that she'd bring her old Gameboy pocket with her (this is more sentimental/nostalgic I believe than it is functional of course).

Is there anywhere I can find old games in Atlanta? I'd like to giver her a couple games as a surprise (she has a couple right now, but I figured used ones are cheap if I can find them), but I'm not sure if anyone sells these anymore...

Due to time constraints, eBay, the perfect place to find this stuff, is unavailable.

Thanks!

Linking diverse gameboys

baf — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 18:18:06 -0800

What's the best way for two people with incompatible gameboys to trade pokemon? I recently started playing my old Pokemon Blue game again, picking up from where I left off many years ago, intending to catch 'em all this time. A friend of mine dug his Pokemon Red cartridge out of storage to help me, but his gameboy is an old Gameboy Pocket and mine is a GBA, which means we can't hook them together with standard cables: Nintendo changed the plugs, and for all I know maybe the transfer protocol, between hardware versions.

What's my best course of action at this point? Try to obtain or create an adapter? Make friends with another GBA owner to facilitate trades? Buy a second used GBA off ebay?

What's a good portable console to burn my public transportation hours with?

chrisbucks — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 06:30:51 -0800

Recommend me a (cheap) handheld gaming console! I currently spend up to 2 hours a day in public transport and my job involves sitting unsupervised waiting for the phone to ring (and sometimes I only rings about maybe once an hour).

So I want to get into some hand held gaming. Since I don't make a whole heap of cash currently a PSP is largely out of the question.

What I've had in mind was something along the lines of a Gameboy Colour, the retro (fan boy) aesthetic is highly appealing, and it's still playable after playing HL2 all weekend, since it's not entirely monochrome. But how does the Gameboy Advance stack up though? Or perhaps Nintendo DS? The appeal of the original gameboy format is there's probably a very large library of very cheap games floating around which I could play, heck even Pokemon would help me survive the weekend shift.

Preferably the games would be more engrossing and possibly even mentally exercising than playing tetris style games on my mobile.

Best gameboy for young child?

davar — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 16:55:38 -0800

Is a Gameboy Micro too small for a four year old? I want to buy my four year old daughter a gameboy advance. I really disliked the original GBA because of the screen that was often hard too see. I know that in the US there was a version of the GBA SP with backlit screen, but not where I live. So, screen quality wise the Micro seems like the best option (a DS is too expensive and I do not think she is careful enough for a DS yet). I also like that the Micro is oriented horizontally, but I wonder if it is too small for a four year old. Any opinions? It has to be a GBA, not one of those "educational" handheld consoles that are designed for young children. She will play Dora and Mario games, at least for now.

Why doesn't Nintendo do something about pirated games?

davar — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 04:52:45 -0800

Why doesn't Nintendo do something about the enormous amount of pirated GBA and DS games and other "licenced" Nintendo stuff on eBay and other marketplaces? I remember that many years ago (in the Gameboy color days) Nintendo sued Bung, a company that sold products that allowed customers to play homebrew games on their gameboys, because the device could also be used to play illegal games. I thought that that was a bit shady. I did not like the fact that technology can be made illegal just because people may use it for illegal purposes. However, I understood their position.

Now that I just bought a counterfeit "officially licenced" Nintendo product off eBay and read a bit more about the fact that most GBA and DS games on eBay (and other online marketplaces) are illegal copies, I cannot help but wonder: why doesn't Nintendo do all they can to stop that? Sure, some of them aren't easy to spot, but many are, if you know what to look for. This would not only be in their best interest, but also in that of their customers, since I bet that most of them do not even know that they just paid 20 euro's for a counterfeit game instead of the real one.

Got To Delete Them Freakin All

jeribus — Sat, 14 Apr 2007 21:18:39 -0800

How to reset completely one of them new fangled game carts. Befuddled SNES user ahead inside. So, the kiddo got a hand me down Pokemon Mystery Dungreon Red Rescue Team gameboy advance cartridge from a cousin.

(and yes, he is also being steered towards more RPG based FF type games and is about to start Chrono Trigger soon).

But!

It apparently has a something called Wonder Mail. which apparently opens more missions or such. Via a complex code that is entered.

He deleted the old saved game, but can't access the already used Wonder Mail games.

Me, in my old console thinking popped the cartridge open and expected to find a battery I could remove. Since I have memories of losing saved games to an aging batteries.

No such luck!

Time has moved on!

Is there a way to restore a cart to a factory new sort of state any more?

How to erase high scores in Tetri DX

a red so deep — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 23:25:09 -0800

How do I erase the high scores in Tetris DX for the GameBoy Color? I am able to erase the individual profiles, but even after they are deleted the high scores remain.

Market for cartridge games with secrets unlocked?

vanoakenfold — Sun, 16 Apr 2006 09:35:01 -0800

Videogamefilter: Where can I buy cartridge video games that have the secrets unlocked and saved? I've got Advance Wars for GBA and play it at work (because there are gaps of activity where we must simply find something to do while waiting, kind of in the sense of a fireman, but just sitting at a computer) and this game really makes the time fly -- but I only have the 3 basic commanding officers. I want to buy or trade for a copy that has all the extra CO's unlocked, because I get too frustrated playing campaign missions (yes, even on the tutorials). Is there someone who can beat it that will unlock them all for me, or some specialty shop that sells unlocked games in general?

I've sold games on eBay before with these types of details in the description, like Golden Sun GBA game with characters on a savegame with level 60+ and all the major items.. But is there perhaps a marketplace for specifically this type of deliberately used product?

Easy storage for Game Boy games

BiffSlamkovich — Wed, 29 Mar 2006 14:20:05 -0800

Is there any sort of storage system for Game Boy/Game Boy Advance games? I can use a DVD rack to hold just about any other type of game, but my Game Boy games have been relegated to an old wooden box I have. I was thinking some sort of binder system might work, but have, as of yet, been unable to find one. Something that would fit on the DVD rack would be extra helpful. Bonus points for a system that can accomodate cumbersome games, like Wario Ware Twisted.

The best games for the Gameboy Advance SP

aebaxter — Thu, 09 Mar 2006 06:58:50 -0800

What are the best Gameboy games you've played? I have a Gameboy Advance SP and I would like to expand my game collection. I'd love recommendations for the most fun and/or engaging games you've played on the Gameboy.

It doesn't have to be a specific style or genre of game. Heck, it doesn't even have to be made for the GBA - I'm willing to seek out old school used Gameboy games if the game is worth tracking down. It just has to be really fun and playable on the GBA SP.

Just for reference, games I own that I really love:
Super Mario World 2
The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Brothers 3
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4
Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town

Suggestions?

Gameboy Micro Games?

Otis — Thu, 29 Dec 2005 17:00:47 -0800

What GBA games work best on the GameBoy Micro's small screen? I notice Wario Ware works great. The Namco Museum games not so great. Any suggestions?

Should I buy a Game Boy Micro?

chunking express — Fri, 04 Nov 2005 21:03:58 -0800

Should I buy a Game Boy Micro? I’m trying to decide between buying a Game Boy Micro, a Game Boy DS, and a Sony PSP. The Micro is in the lead at the moment simply because I am far from an avid gamer anymore, and the DS and the PSP seem like over-kill. Really, I would just like to be able to play some of the Final Fantasy re-makes SquareSoft has been puting out recently. I am a fan of the Micro’s very small form factor. I already own the original Gameboy Advance (the one with the pitch black screen).

Everytime I go to buy a Micro however, I stop myself because I have this nagging feeling I should be buying one of the newer consoles. Is the Micro worth getting? Lumines is addictive, should I get the PSP? Animal Crossing is coming out for the DS, perhaps that is worth a second look.

Opinions please!

Question number 14749

Emera Gratia — Thu, 03 Feb 2005 23:38:01 -0800

I saw a cool microcontroller project on slashdot, and dredged up my old dream of making an open-source, open-spec competitor to the GameBoy. Surely somebody else out there is doing that kind of thing (not GameBoy programming, but making entirely different handheld game devices).

What's the best forum, resource, or website to pursue information about this kind of project?

Question number 14419

Lizc — Tue, 25 Jan 2005 14:59:59 -0800

Gameboy cartridge carrying case. Looking for a way to carry GBA cartridges around without mucking them up. [MI please]

Question number 12467

Shoeburyness — Fri, 03 Dec 2004 17:50:34 -0800

GirlyGameBoyFilter: How difficult would it be to paint an old-style Game Boy Advance-- pink? My 4 year old stepdaughter has been coveting her older siblings' Game Boys, but we weren't sure she'd actually be able to play it, or not break it, so we didn't think buying her a new one was very smart. However, my son (her stepbrother) got a new SP from his uncle for his birthday, meaning that his old-style GBA would be sitting around unplayed. He agreed to give up the old one. I'd like to give it to the 4 year old, but spiff it up to make it something uniquely hers, and feel less like a hand-me-down. The pinker, sparklier, more Hello Kittyfied I can make it, the better. I've tried googling, but what I found wasn't helpful. How does one do this?