Looking to the Game Boy future of 3DS

For me one of the biggest draws of the 3DS, as it was with the Wii, is the ability to play classic games via each systems respective virtual consoles. With the 3DS in particular, I can’t wait to get my hands on some classic Game Boy titles. It’s too bad the eshop won’t be launching until May, but two months isn’t too long to wait for the service. After all, we waited two months for the news channel to launch for Wii. 

When the service finally does launch, these are the Game Boy titles I am most looking forward to playing when if they are released on the eshop service.

Look how cute! A baby metroid!

Metroid II: Return of Samus
I am a huge sucker for Metroid, ever since I learned the Justin Bailey code in the NES original. The Game Boy title seemed like a major upgrade to the NES title, and we even got the space jump and spider ball from this game!

Is that...yoshi???

The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening
My first Game Boy was the GBC and with it my first game was Link’s Awakening DX. Boy did I play the heck out of this title. It was almost as if someone at Nintendo dared the people in charge of Link’s Awakening to make a game as full of life and excitement as the SNES title A Link to the Past. Boy did they deliver with this Game Boy game. If you haven’t played it yet, you better start hoping that Nintendo releases a 3DS eshop version because it is a true masterpiece of gaming.

Wait...I thought Kirby was pink!!

Kirby’s Dream Land
I am ashamed to admit that I have never played the very first Kirby title and cannot wait to dive right into to his adventures in dream land. We may all know Masahiro Sakurai as the man behind the Smash Bros. games, but Kirby is the man’s first initial foray into video games, and it is something that I feel I need to experience for myself.

Dragon Warrior I&II80+ hours of my life I will never get back
My love affair with the RPG genre can be traced directly to this awesome little title for the Game Boy. Dragon Warrior (now known as Dragon Quest) has a long standing tradition of excellence, and in it’s home country of Japan the game is huge……like Snorlax huge. Not sure if this game will ever see an eshop release (because why would SquareEnix release this ”˜combo pack’ when they can charge individually per game?) but if it does, if you are an RPG gamer you would be doing yourself a disservice if you didn’t purchase this game.

Pokemon Trading Card GameGotta trade em all!
During the height of the Pokemon craze here in the US way back in 1998, if you were older than an elementary school student and played with Pokemon cards, you were looked at as icky….and probably had cooties. Because of this, the only exposure I had with the Pokemon Trading Card Game was through…well Pokemon Trading Card Game GBC. I never thought collecting those little Pokemans in card form would be so addicting, but boy was it ever!

Mega Man with an X

Mega Man Xtreme
The Mega Man series may be one of the most abused franchises in gaming history. You have the Zero series, the Battle Network series, the X series, and even the ZX series. Technically part of the X series, Mega Man Xtreme took what made Mega Man X awesome, and crammed as much of it as possible into the tiny GBC cartridge. If Mega Man games make you tingle, Mega Man Xtreme will be right up your alley.

My guilty GBC pleasure

Heroes of Might & Magic
Not exactly sure why I loved this title so much. Just your typical turn based RPG on the surface, Heroes of Might & Magic pulled me in with it’s ability to bring a slight tactical RPG (think Final Fantasy Tactics) flair to the Game Boy. Defiantly not for everyone, but if this puppy drops on the eshop, yours truly will be the first to hit the purchase button.

How come Mr. Driller looks so much like a Ms.?

Mr. Driller
Call me crazy, but when everyone around town was playing Tetris as their preferred puzzler of choice, I has Mr. Driller in my Game Boy. There is something about trying to beat your depth and score record that really kept me plugging away at the game for years.

So is his bionic arm his wife in the GBC version as well?

Bionic Commando
Before there was the atrocity that is Bionic Commando Xbox 360 and PS3, gamers enjoyed a true classic in the NES original. With the Game Boy title, Capcom stayed true to the source material and delivered what is one of my favorite handheld titles of all time.

Pokemon Red/Blue/GreenNothing like the original
What would a Game Boy list be without Pokemon? Not exactly sure what is it about the series that has me continuing to come back for more, but Pokemon Red was ALWAYS in my Game Boy. I think what makes Pokemon resonate with so many fans world wide is the series ability to bring the RPG genre to a mainstream audience. My girlfriend for example wouldn’t be caught dead playing a JRPG like Final Fantasy, but Pokemon HeartGold (and more recently White) has become her go to DS game as of late, and I’m sure the same is true for many gamers who typically shun RPGs.

What did we miss? What eshop downloadable games are you most looking forward to/hoping will be released?

Eugene lives in New Mexico and has been a life long gamer since getting his hands on an NES. Always partial to Nintendo, Eugene has made it a point to keep informed on all things Mario.