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GB/GBC/GBA Collecting Thread

T

tiggerkiddo

Member
P0lYvqo.png


This is the thread dedicated to the collecting of all things under the label of Gameboy (OG, Color and Advance). We have a thread dedicated to SNES and Genesis but there's also a market for these games so it's time we started up a thread dedicated to them. Feel free to share your stories, your finds and any sales you think people would be interested in, let's help each other out!

Recommended Games

Gameboy
VYjUnHG.jpg


Tetris
Pokemon Red & Blue & Yellow
Metroid II: Return of Samus
Wario Land 1 & 2
Wario Blast (featuring Bomberman)
Super Mario Land 1 & 2
Donkey Kong
Mario Tennis
Alleyway
Kirby’s Dreamland
Kirby's Dreamland 2
Link's Awakening
Tetris Attack
Gargoyle's Quest
MegaMan Series

Gameboy Color
IyXEfCR.jpg


Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX
Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages + Oracles of Seasons
Metal Gear Solid: Ghost Babel
Pokemon Pinball
Pokemon Gold/Silver/Crystal
Spy VS Spy
Dragion Warrior III
Shantae
Dragon Warriors: Monsters
Wario Land 3
Harvest Moon 1/2/3

Gameboy Advance
4QM8Y7o.jpg


Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
Wario Ware Twisted
Advanced Wars
Mario Kart super circuit
Tony Hawks Pro Skater 2
Super Monkey Ball JR
Golden Sun
Breath of Fire
Metriod Fusion
Final Fantasy Tactics Advanced
Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald
Pokemon Fire Red/Leaf Green
Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga
Final Fantasy V
Final Fantasy VI
Sonic Advance 1/2/3
Drill Dozer
Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town/More Friends of Mineral Town
Metroid Zero Mission
Fire Emblem
Fire Emblem: Sacred Stones
Gunstar Super Heroes
Krazy Racers

General Tips:

Check your local thrift stores, pawn stores, flea markets and even Craigslist. Gameboy games tend to be overlooked by collector's so you can usually find a lot of good stuff for cheap. Helps to take along a system so you can try stuff out too!

Educate yourself about fakes! The GBA is rife with counterfeit copies and you would be wise to find out what the real thing looks like!

If you have the tools, find tutorials on replacing batteries. Some of the games like the GBC Pokemon games are notorious for batteries going bad and many a save has been lost because of it!

Resources:

If you're curious about the value of a game, you can always try the completed listings on ebay or try this site out:

Videogame Pricing Charts
Racket Boy
Spotting a Fake GBA game (If anyone has a better link, let me know!)
Replace the batteries in your GB/GBC games!
Gameboy (And other system) System Variations
Gameboy Advance Backlit Kits
Visual guide for spotting fake GBA games by gaf user Prateeko
 
terrisus

terrisus

Member
I've always really enjoyed the Final Fantasy Legend games (there are 3 of them) for the original GB. Sure, I know they're not "really" Final Fantasy games, being part of the SaGa series, and they're a bit different from standard RPGs, but, they're all still really fun games.

As far as systems, I have a Gameboy Pocket, Gameboy Color, Gameboy Advance, GBA SP, and GBA Micro (used to have an original Gameboy as well, but lost it shortly before the GBC came out, and so didn't get one again and just got that when it came out). I still use my GBC for playing all of my GB/GBC games, as I just really like the design of the system. I tend to use either my DS or my wife's DS Lite for playing my GBA games, but the GBA SP (which is my wife's as well) is nice too. Love the original GBA when outside though.
 
L

Linkhero1

Member
Add Drill Dozer to the GBA list. Probably one of my favorite games on the handheld.


Edit: Tetris Attack to the GB list.

I think my wallet is going to cry tonight. :p
 
L

Like the hat?

Banned
I have a good selection of gba games, but not much gb or GBC wise.

On gb/GBC I have....
Mario land
Mario land jp ver
Mario land 2
Mario land 3
Tetris
Dk94
Fial fantasy legend III cib
Zelda
Zelda dx
Both oracle games
Dragon warrior i&ii
Dragon warrior 3
Kid Icarus
Game boy camera (blue)
Duck tales
Duck tales 2
Pokemon pinball

I think that's it.

I have 80ish gba games though.

As for hardware, I have...
Original gb in box (came with link's awakening)
Pink GBC
Gold game boy light
Pink gba
Pink gba sp
Famicom gb micro cib
Pink euro gb micro cib


Most of my gb/GBC/gba playing is on my sp+, or my game boy player. I also have the super game boy and the super game boy 2 that has the link cable slot.
 
Portugeezer

Portugeezer

Member
I usually give away my handheld collections to kids of friends and family.

I'll try to keep this slightly more obscure to the usual Mario, Zelda, Pokemon, Metroid, Final Fantast, etc, which of course people should buy, he he.

1. Krazy Racers (GBA). I loved this kart racing game, a good alternative to Mario Kart, some cool secrets and things to unlock.
2. Gunstar Super Heroes (GBA). Fun sidescrolling action game, good controls, you can't go wrong.
 
K

-KRS-

Member
Another great GB game is Gargoyle's Quest. It's a spin-off from Ghost's 'n Goblins where you play as Firebrand/Red Arremer.

Also you don't have to use a soldering iron to switch batteries. You can just wiggle it free, being careful not to break the tabs holding it to the PCB. Then you just put a new battery between the tabs and tape them to the battery with electrical tape. Of course, soldering is ideal but it can be done this way too. There are videos on youtube that shows how to do it. The only thing you need is one of those special bits to open the cartridge, but they're cheap and a collector should have one anyway.

Edit:
Dwayne said:
Is there a site that shows all the different GB models? Black, Transparent, etc etc.
Click to expand...
Yes, Wikipedia! :D
 
J

jonno394

Member
Never owned a GBC when it was out, went straight to GBA.

Bought a turquoise one a few years back and havent used it.......own Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Season (complete and boxed) but played them on my GBA when they first came out.
 
S

Seven Force

Banned
Can I gush about Gargoyle's Quest here?

Gargoyles_Quest_GBC_ScreenShot1.gif


Cool.

I never got to play this back when GB games were still being produced. In fact, my first experience with it was an impulse buy from the 3DS Virtual Console. All I knew was that it was a Ghosts 'n Goblins spinoff, and that the third game in the series is apparently pretty godlike.

So, keeping in mind when the game was produced, I started playing it, and after a laugh at the somewhat lol worthy localization, I was surprised at how... well, not janky the game felt. I mean, it's very obviously a Game Boy game from 1990, but it feels and plays a lot more mechanically sound than I would have thought. I loved it so much, I went and bought the physical cartridge (Which thankfully isn't expensive at all, at least if you just want the cartridge!) and beat the game again on that.

Anyone looking for a somewhat challenging (But nowhere near the level of G&G) platformer with some very light RPG elements (World Map, Random Battles...) should definitely check out Gargoyle's Quest.
 
K

-KRS-

Member
I'm also pretty new to GB/C collecting, so I'm not too familiar with which games are rare/expensive for the system. There's Trip World on GB and Shantae on GBC, but are there other games that are that expensive? In general it seems that GB games are still very cheap compared to other consoles.

E: And yes, Gargoyles Quest is great. I did have it as a kid but all my GB games got stolen at one point, and I've just recently started collecting for the system again so getting back all the games I used to have is a top priority right now I guess. :) So I just bought it two weeks ago again and really enjoy it.
 
G

GiantBreadbug

Member
I have a great story related to my yellow Gameboy Pocket. It's more of a personal experience than anything else:

My senior year of high school (2010-2011) a family who lives a minute's driving distance from me hosted a Vietnamese foreign exchange student who was also a senior (named Khiem). We had calculus and a number of other classes together, and became fast friends. I would wager that I spent more time at that house than my own home that year. One day I was casually mentioning Pokémon to someone when Khiem asked what that was. I explained, and he said, "Oh, Pocket Monsters! I used to love playing that!" He hadn't played since the Gameboy days, so that's where we started. I dug out my old yellow Gameboy Pocket and a copy of Pokémon Yellow (the yellow of the GBP and the yellow of the Pokemon Yellow cartridge were literally a perfect match, sexy as hell) and we started a save file.

I think that's what redefined Pokemon for me. It was a really big time in my life; I was preparing graduation from high school and moving away for college, becoming independent, starting a whole new chapter in my life, all the while enjoying the grand finale of my life up to that point. Plus, I would probably never see my new best friend Khiem on a regular basis after we went our separate ways. What should have been insignificant playthrough of a game I had already played multiple times before became something else entirely. It was a journey. It was an experience of starting on an adventure with a friend, not entirely sure where we would end up. It was analogous to both of our lives at the time, and it was so bizarrely surreal.

We would argue over which Pokemon to keep on our team, and he always seemed to have the most ridiculous good luck when it came to finding rare Pokemon. I swear to God he encountered a Dugtrio not even three steps into Diglett Cave. I would poke fun at his translations for Pokemon type names (I know why the Vietnamese translations of Pokemon games are famously hilarious now). I felt like we were both kids again, discovering a strange and exciting world for the first time.

Putting the experience into words makes it sound kinda dumb and hokey, and I'm not usually the type to get so emotionally absorbed into games like that. It was just so... I don't even know how to put it into one word. That two people who didn't even speak the same language, who weren't from the same culture, could just bond over something as simple as a videogame (a several year-old videogame, nonetheless) was really amazing. We did pretty much everything together after that, and I think it was ultimately my Gameboy and Pokemon Yellow that helped begin our friendship.

When it finally came time for Khiem to go back to Vietnam, we hugged before he boarded his flight, and I slipped the Gameboy into one of the pockets on his backpack. As he was getting ready to board, he noticed it, looked back at me, and gave me a tearful smile. I held up a motionless hand to wave to him, fighting back my own tears.

To think that Pikachu did all that.
 
S

Seven Force

Banned
synt4x said:
I'm also pretty new to GB/C collecting, so I'm not too familiar with which games are rare/expensive for the system. There's Trip World on GB and Shantae on GBC, but are there other games that are that expensive? In general it seems that GB games are still very cheap compared to other consoles.
Click to expand...
Mega Man IV and V are pretty hard to track down for a reasonable price. (The latter moreso than the former)
 
terrisus

terrisus

Member
jonno394 said:
Never owned a GBC when it was out, went straight to GBA.

Bought a turquoise one a few years back and havent used it.......own Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Season (complete and boxed) but played them on my GBA when they first came out.
Click to expand...

Oracle of Ages/Seasons also have a special shop which is only accessible when playing on a GBA as well.
 
V

VXLbeast

Member
As has been mentioned, get Fire Emblem. One of my absolute favorite games of all times. I spent this summer tracking down Sacred Stones, which is currently going for $70 on amazon and was hovering around $90 during the summer. Never thought I would actually find it, but a local shop where I had gone asking called me one day and told me they had just gotten one in. Booked over to that store and got it for $16. Game doesn't dissapoint. Despite the first game definitely being better, this little cart is a gem.
 
K

-KRS-

Member
Ah Mega Man. That figures.

At least it seems that it doesn't really apply to the Japanese releases in the same way, even if $30 for just a cartridge is a bit much for a game. As long as the games are in English or I can understand them well enough to play them I don't really care where the game is from. I don't know if that's the case with MM5 though, but it's Mega Man so I guess it's fine.

I used to be more anal about region but with prices going up for everything on other consoles this is the stance I've taken these days. :p

Edit: Also I haven't played it yet, but Game Boy Wars 3 for the GBC looks pretty good. Especially compared to GBW1/Turbo on the original GB.

Although GB Wars has a really weird intro, for what it's worth.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKVUzD2aIW8

Turbo is an enhanced version of GBW with 50 new levels I think. It doesn't have a weird intro though. But it has this awesome box/metal tin:
gameboy_wars_turbo_shop.jpg


Apparently there are 9 games from Hudson with that type of tin can box.
 
D

DidntKnowJack

Member
I'll take a picture of my collection after I get home from work. It's a mix between boxed and loose. Nothing too rare, but I got some good stuff.
 
T

Teknoman

Member
Also one of the few really good Dragon Ball games:

41G1FA2FHFL.jpg


Tons of fun, and a great soundtrack. Not too pricey, but not really cheap either.
 
H

Het_Nkik

Member
I love that they kept the same boxes from GB to GBA. All the games are mixed together on my shelf and I have series like Metroid Zero Mission->Metroid II->Metroid IV all in a row. Good stuff.

Alright, FIRST, for anybody like me who collects complete in box copies of these games, I recommend getting box protectors off eBay. Just plastic things that the GB/C/A (and I think Virtual Boy as well) boxes slide into. They get rid of shelfware and protect the boxes from things like silverfish. I actually have these box protectors for my NES games as well (and I really should get some for my SNES and N64 games).


Also, my most recent buy is probably Mole Mania. I had an eBay save search for a complete in box copy of the game and after nearly a year I finally got an e-mail notification saying a copy had been listed. And it was a Buy It Now for only $38.95 so I jumped on that shit. Really, really good condition, too. And the game is really damn good. If people don't care about collecting the physical games I still suggest giving it a spin on the 3DS VC.


I'll take a pic of my games when I get off work.
 
D

drizzle

Axel Hertz
I still think Link's Awakening is the best 2D Zelda Game. Of course, I played it before playing LTTP.

Hell, I even think the Oracles are better games than LTTP.
 
K

-KRS-

Member
Haven't played Sword of Mana, or really any RPG on the GB yet. And I haven't played the Oracle Zeldas either. I haven't even finished LADX yet even though I own it! I need to get on that asap.
 
T

tiggerkiddo

Member
Teknoman said:
Speaking of new, im seeing it on Amazon for kinda cheap...there arent any bootleg rumble carts are there? Always been apprehensive about ordering GBA games online.
Click to expand...

I just think there are a lot of unbought copies floating around. I still see a bunch at local K-Marts or at least I have recently.

Kokonoe said:
I would like a Pokemon Gameboy Color someday, seems I'll have to save my pennies for one.
Click to expand...

I see them from time to time. I wouldn't mind one just for collection purposes.
 
P

Pop-O-Matic

Banned
We need to compile a list of GBA shelfwarmers. I know I found a beat up copy of Sigma Star Saga at another Wal-Mart a while back.
 
H

Het_Nkik

Member
tiggerkiddo said:
What did people think about Sword of Mana? I got a boxed copy but I'm curious what others think about it.
Click to expand...

Personally, I didn't like it much at all. I can't remember the specifics of why... I remember I bought it to play through co-op with my friend but then he never bought the game so I started playing it solo and I was like like, "Eh, this is boring."
 
Z

Zippedpinhead

Member
I love the GBA, and I think I own (or regretfully HAVE owned) most of the "Must have titles" in the library.

I still am looking for Legit versions of the Fire emblem titles, but without actually being able to see the merchandise I am very wary of buying on Amazon/ebay. Just too many fakes out there and I do not want to risk a bad buy.
 
I

Impeccable

Member
I posted in the SNES thread but I have complete and mint versions of all the GBA Final Fantasy games that I bought at launch back in the day.

Loving these threads.
 
T

tiggerkiddo

Member
Pop-O-Matic said:
We need to compile a list of GBA shelfwarmers. I know I found a beat up copy of Sigma Star Saga at another Wal-Mart a while back.
Click to expand...

Everyone should visit K-Marts and see what they find!

Het_Nkik said:
Personally, I didn't like it much at all. I can't remember the specifics of why... I remember I bought it to play through co-op with my friend but then he never bought the game so I started playing it solo and I was like like, "Eh, this is boring."
Click to expand...

Ahhh I see. I've played a bit of it but I'll keep playing and see how it is. It is a pretty looking game, I'll give it that.
 
K

-KRS-

Member
Motocross Maniacs deserves to be mentioned as well. Jeff from Giant Bomb did an Encyclopedia Bombastica episode of it a while back. Actually it might have been the first episode of that. It's simple but fun and just deep enough to hold your interest for a little while. And it's a Konami game. A cheap Konami game at that. How can you go wrong? :)

silkysmooth said:
The only GBA game I want is Final Fantasy VI Advance.
Click to expand...

You don't want at least Minish Cap? That's the only GBA game I have haha.
 
T

Tex117

Banned
I have castlevania (i forget which one) for the GBA.

That said, I have Link's Awakening, and it is a treasure.
 
K

-KRS-

Member
I'll take some photos of my collection tomorrow. I don't have a lot of CIB games though. In the mean time here's a pic of my Game Boys I took last month.
DSC_2392.JPG
Click to expand...
I bought the yellow and clear pocket recently. The black Pocket I've had since I was a kid. The clear GBC is actually the last really good flea market find I had. Got that and 5 games with it, including Pokémon Pinball and Crystal, for around €5 (50 SEK). The Start button is a little finicky, and if you set the volume wheel to the absolute maximum the right channel cuts out, but otherwise it works great.
 
W

womp

Member
A very overlooked and awesome GBC game...ignore the subject matter, it's from Tecmo and is a wonderful Solomon's Key update.

437090_28270_front.jpg
 
Baron

Baron

Member
KDash31987 said:
Here's my GameBoy collection:
Click to expand...

What kind of camera did you use to take that pic? I tried something similar to that arrangement like 3 or 4 years back for a few pictures, and not one of them came out so clear. There were always huge swaths of boxes that were blurry.
 
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