Retro Gaming Australia

When Australians think of old video game commercials from TV, this Game Boy one is usually among those that are brought up, just due to its sheer absurdity. It’s actually one in a series of similar ads which we’ll post over time.

The Game Boy Light is a Japanese exclusive release of Nintendo’s famous handheld with a much needed backlight. The systems were reasonably popular, but the quality of the display leads to them commanding a significantly higher price than the standard Game Boy.

Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon, an action adventure game (often likened to The Legend of Zelda series) released in 1998 for the Game Boy, is set for release on Nintendo’s European and Australian 3DS Virtual Console services.

Originally released as Ganbare Goemon: Kurofune Tō no Nazo (Go Goemon: Mystery of the Black Ship Gang) in Japan, the title’s gameplay is reminiscent of the Japanese only Ganbare Goemon 3: ShishijÅ«rokubÄ“ no Karakuri Manji Gatame for the Super Famicom – including RPG elements, puzzle-solving and a top-down perspective of the action. Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon features three payable characters – Geomon, Sasuke and Ebisumaru, all tasked with rescuing fellow ninja Yae from the Black Ship Gang who kidnapped her.

Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon is available 16 August for £2.70 / €3.00 in Europe and most likely $4.50 for Australia.

Source: Nintendo of Europe

Kirby and his animal friends are headed to the 3DS Virtual Console next week, with the release of Kirby’s Dream Land 2.

Kirby’s Dream Land 2, a platformer for the Game Boy released in 1995, sees Kirby team up with Rick the Hamster, Coo the Owl and Kine the Ocean Sunfish to solve the mystery of the missing Rainbow Bridges that connect the seven Rainbow Islands, defeat evil, and save Dream Land. Kirby’s animal friends each have their own unique abilities and also alter Kirby’s powers.

Kirby’s Dream Land 2 will be available in Australia and Europe on May 17.

Nintendo Australia didn’t advertise much in the GameCube era, but even when they did, it was positively awful. Behold.

The Game Boy Player was an attachment for your GameCube which allows you to play Game Boy, Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance games on your television. In most countries, the GB Player is only available in black, but we got black and indigo ones here. Doesn’t make up for the rest of the incompetence of that generation.

Search for Game Boy Player on eBay

Homebrew programmer Chris Covell has posted a feature charting the historical performance of the Game Boy in Japan. With a title like “The Game Boy Sucked! (Statistically)”, you know it’s not going to be the most optimistic of reads.

Covell was inspired to write the feature after reading a book that showed the history of Game Boy releases. He claims to have been disgusted by the sheer amount of licensed drivel on the system. His research shows that it was these licensed games, not a flood of crappy puzzle games, which neutered the Game Boy’s success in Japan. (continue reading…)