Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with gameboy

Gaming in Foreign

mippy — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 05:14:53 -0800

Help me identify these Japanese Gameboy Advance games. I bought a box of GBA games from a local charity shop for £1.50 yesterday as it had Yoshi's Island - they were in Japanese, but I figured that would be easy enough without translation. However, there were three other games in there I don't recognise. One of them is an RPG and quite text heavy. The second has some kind of tilt mechanism where I need to tilt the console to get things to line up (but as it's Japanese I can't work out what or why). The third (the cart only) seems to involve a boy going to school and talking to his friends about a PET. I have no idea what these are or whether they are unusual - I've told a friend I know who writes for ONM to head down there to get some games, but I wonder if these are well known at all. If you can read Japanese and can at least tell me the names that might help!

What emulators run best on a PSP?

mr_silver — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 12:35:23 -0800

Can you recommend the best emulators to run on a (homebrew enabled) PSP? I've got a homebrew enabled PSP and would like to have a go with some of the emulators out there.

I've done some searches and come to the realisation that (a) there are a lot of emulators for various machines, (b) they appear to be of varying quality, (c) quite a few appear to be dead or dying and (d) the sites/forum posts which claim to recommend the best can be as much as 4 years old.

A quick search myself comes up with at least 2 for MAME, 5 for NeoGeo, 2 for Amiga, 4 for N64, 4 for Gameboy Advance, 2 for SNES and 4 for SEGA Master System/Game Gear. A total of 23 in all.

This is quite clearly a lot to assess so any advice you can provide on emulators to check out (or avoid) would be appreciated.

(I'm fully aware of the legal requirements regarding copyright when running emulators)

What was the easter egg in the Game Genie for Game Boy (original)?

Syntoad — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 08:11:06 -0800

I remember accidentally finding an easter egg on my game genie when I was younger, does anyone know anything about it? I had the Game Genie for my original game boy. I don't know exactly how it happened, but I put in a code while playing (I think) Ninja Gaiden. When I put the code in, the game genie said something to the effect of "The first one was easy, now try to find the others." It also filled the codes with some random code, which I think I wrote down, but don't know if I have anymore, seeing as I don't even know if I have the game genie anymore.

Does anyone know what this was? How you get the codes, and what happens if you find them all? Did I miss out on my chance to be sucked into the game boy and marry a princess?

Beware the 2-year-old with a Game Boy.

halogen — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 19:20:19 -0800

My nephew is 2 and a half years old. What simple electronic toys should we buy for him? He lives in Bulgaria, and is pretty much a typical toddler going through his stubborn tantrum phase. My parents gave him the Fisher-Price® Fun 2 Learn™ Laughtop™ earlier this summer, and he is absolutely in love with one of the games it came with. For anyone who knows the tyke, to see him play his console game is amazing--no other activity gets him so concentrated, enthusiastic and determined!

He is not quite verbal yet, and he doesn't speak or understand English--but I remember from my childhood that foreign languages never posed a problem as far as toys or video games were concerned. Shipping the gifts to Bulgaria is not an issue, however, games that plug into the TV will not work due to the different color encoding (PAL).

My mom has decided that a Game Boy would be pretty much perfect for him, and showed me this video in support of her opinion. Still, I would like to ask if there are other toys along those lines that are more appropriate for a toddler (I'm probably just bitter because I've been wanting one for myself for the past, oh, 10 years or so). What electronic toys did your kid like at his age? Is it too early to get him hooked on video games?

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!

Resources for making handheld gaming device

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?

Gameboy cartridge carrying case?

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] A year or so ago, I noticed a friend carrying a small pleather book, about the size of daily planner that, when opened, contained plastic sleeves in which to carry Gameboy Advance cartridges. (kind of like a cross between a cd wallet and a floppy holder) Try as hard as I might, I have spent the last 6 months looking online and in retail stores for one of these. (I am not looking for the small colored plastic holders that hold one cartridge)

Does anyone know where I can track one of these babies down? I’m afraid of hurting my games when I take them with me!

How can I change the color of an old Game Boy Advance?

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?