Board 8 > Board 8's Top 20 GB/GBC Games - The Results

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BOARD 8'S TOP 10 GAME GEAR GAMES

#10. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (1994)
Total Points: 3
List Appearances: 1
First-Place Votes: 1
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/e/e4bf895a.jpg

#9/8. Shining Force Gaiden (1992)
Total Points: 3
List Appearances: 2
First-Place Votes: 0
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/0/093d0f75.jpg

#9/8. Defenders of Oasis (1992)
Total Points: 3
List Appearances: 2
First-Place Votes: 0
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/5/5d88b3fe.jpg

#7. Tails Adventure (1995)
Total Points: 3
List Appearances: 3
First-Place Votes: 0
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/5/554369a2.jpg

#6. Shining Force: The Sword of Hajya (1993)
Total Points: 4
List Appearances: 2
First-Place Votes: 0
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/f/f049e27a.jpg

#5. GG Aleste (1991)
Total Points: 4
List Appearances: 2
First-Place Votes: 1
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/d/d556e629.jpg

#4. Shinobi II: The Silent Fury (1992)
Total Points: 5
List Appearances: 2
First-Place Votes: 1
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/d/d92b3c66.jpg

#3. Power Strike II (1993)
Total Points: 5
List Appearances: 3
First-Place Votes: 0
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/c/c0e4e339.jpg

#2. Shining Force Gaiden: Final Conflict (1995)
Total Points: 6
List Appearances: 2
First-Place Votes: 2
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/e/ebf2c1da.jpg

#1. Sonic the Hedgehog: Triple Trouble (1994)
Total Points: 7
List Appearances: 5
First-Place Votes: 1
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/1/10044f8c.jpg

Updated Total Stats:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/18sFKVDrf_ePBTV8Y9T8-J7PPUc_yBV4NhgRLPK0JbbE/edit?usp=sharing

Oh hey that Power Rangers game was really fun.

Defenders of Oasis, on the other hand, was dreadful.

Underleveled posted...

Defenders of Oasis, on the other hand, was dreadful.

I can imagine it holding up very poorly, but as an ~8 year old JRPG fan? Having a portable RPG like that was fantastic.

Shinobi II is legit one of the best handheld platformers. Such a good game.

Zylothewolf posted...

I really hoped that Metal Gear Solid would reach the top 10, but it says a lot about the game when 4/6 who had it on their lists had it in first place.

It's incredible mannn.

Better than peacewalker

Also better than MGS5

#10. Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3
Total Points: 28
List Appearances: 15
First-Place Votes: 0
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/4/4539460f.jpg

Write-up provided by LightningStrikes
Following two successful and widely acclaimed Mario Land games, the second of which introducing Wario as a villain, we get this wildly different take on the series. Wario is now the protagonist, theres a very different tone, and youre after pirates who stole your treasure rather than a kidnapped princess. Youre still going through groups of levels and fighting a boss at the end, but the gameplay is very different, instead of only jumping Wario shoulder charges his way through enemies and can throw them at each other. Powerups too are totally different from Marios versions. Rather than collecting coins for lives youre collecting them as weapons, for checkpoints, or to open exits to levels and pivotally how rich you get determines your ending. Perhaps most importantly there is a noticeable injection of quirky humour that would define Warios own games, parodying his greed and obsession with wealth (also theres a cameo at the end that is very funny). This first Wario Land game is definitely more basic than what would come after but its hard not to admire such a bold shift in direction for the Super Mario Land series.

#9. Pokmon Trading Card Game (1998)
Total Points: 30
List Appearances: 14
First-Place Votes: 0
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/e/e7b2bcdc.jpg

Write-up provided by LightningStrikes
When the Pokmon games and anime were getting absolutely huge in the late 90s and early 2000s the third pillar was the trading cards. For some this was just as big, if not even bigger, a part of the Pokmon craze. It only followed then that there would be a video game based on it, an Pokmon Trading Card Game for the Game Boy Color made the smart decision to rather than just have a straight simulation of the mechanics to out those mechanics in the framework of a top-down RPG like the original games, complete with gyms of different types, sorry, clubs, and an Elite Four, sorry, Grand Masters to defeat. And in true RPG fashion you are rewarded for defeating opponents, but with card packs instead of experience. Even trading returns from the games. This is a genuinely clever idea and adds a real feeling of depth and progression to what otherwise could have been a very simple game. Overall the package is very strong and the game does an admirable job of incorporating the real trading card artwork into a form the Game Boy Color can actually render. If there is a major flaw its that the battles do flow a bit slowly but the strength of the mechanics mostly makes up for it. This still represents a high for the Pokmon franchise and it is unfortunate that aside from one Japan-only sequel it never got a follow-up. We can only hope they revisit it someday.

The soundtrack on PTCG is so damn catchy. One of my sleeper favorites.

tazzyboyishere posted...

#9. Pokmon Trading Card Game (1998)

this dude used to creep me out

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/d/d7080422.jpg

I was surprised to learn as an adult that he wasn't a character created for the game, but an actual live-action costumed character that Japan uses to advertise the Pokemon franchise, often appearing on TV specials and at live events (think Patchy the Pirate).

Snake5555555555 posted...

Also better than MGS5

I was just going for portable comparisons but I can buy it

Underleveled posted...

The soundtrack on PTCG is so damn catchy. One of my sleeper favorites.

Totally agree. Its great

It's surprising that PTCG was one of the first RPG-styled card game video games, and also that the style hasn't been repeated too often (considering how nostalgia-focused game designers are right now and how big the genre fusion trend is). You'd expect to see more "INSPIRED BY POKEMON TRADING CARD GAME" indie games.

Play Card City Nights

I'm surprised Wario Land is that high - I like it but it's my least-favorite of the Mario Lands. The bowling mini-game is really fun though, one of my favorite things about it.

tazzyboyishere posted...

Super Mario Land represents a different take on the series in many ways

Yes I liked that they made a completely different game with all new enemies and stages. And - most incredibly - actual FUN auto-scrollers!! Putting a couple side-scrolling shooter levels into a Mario game was so cool.

Paratroopa1 posted...

I'm genuinely curious if Super Mario Land is a game that people really like or if it just wound up on lists because people couldn't think of 20 games - I had no problem thinking of 20 GB/GBC games I liked more than SML, I don't really like SML that much, but I'm curious if it's a game that people do really like

I really like it, I still play through it fairly often

It is remarkable how Wario Land morphed classic platformer gameplay into something that felt unique and non-traditional compared to what was out there at the time... And then Wario Land 2 managed to change it even more to the point where the jump from WL1->WL2 feels even larger than the jump from SML2->WL1, and makes 1 feel standard in comparison.

I gotta say I am also surprised that Wario Land is so high and particularly so far above Wario Land 3. It was kind of setting the stage for future Wario games in my view.

Pokmon Trading Card Game is terrific, although when I played it before doing the writeup I was a bit surprised at how slow it felt. Great mechanics and design though, I didnt mention it in the writeup but I like how even the regular card players have uniquely themed decks. Hope we see more of this one day. Loved the tribute to it in Inscryption (spoilers for a 2021 card-based game).

#8. Donkey Kong (1994)
Total Points: 31
List Appearances: 12
First-Place Votes: 0
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/0/0c6dc49c.jpg

Write-up provided by MacArrowny
Donkey Kong '94 is a really impressive experience for the Game Boy! It's neat to see a Mario platformer that tries something new and different. I wasn't really sure what this was going to be like before playing it, but I wasn't expecting what we got. It's interesting how Mario's mechanics here are more similar to Mario 64 than the other 2D Mario games. There's a backflip and a triple jump, as well as a few other mechanics we see in future 3D Marios. It's fun using those to navigate levels, and you can cheese a lot of the easier levels in a fun way if you master them early (which I did not for the most part, but it was still enjoyable). There's over 90 levels, most of which have some sort of creative or entertaining element. There's a lot more puzzle-solving focus here than in other Mario games, which was fun at times and frustrating at others. The DK fights themselves were generally fun too. Movement isn't as fun as a mainline game, but this is one of the best original GB games for sure.

It's a shame most people don't see Mario vs Donkey 1 as the sequel to this game.

It is a sequel, but it's nowhere near as good imo

#7. Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins (1992)
Total Points: 37
List Appearances: 19
First-Place Votes: 0
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/7/7cf4b5d7.jpg

Write-up provided by jcgamer
I may be in the minority thinking original Super Mario Land is still a fine game, but wow was the 2nd entry a massive leap forward. Introducing a new (and extremely useful) bunny ears power-up, a huge (by Game Boy standards) overworld complete with 6 worlds + bonus stages, and maybe most importanty, Wario, SML2 is the best non-Pokmon handheld game ever made. The stage themes, design, and boss fights are extremely fun and creative, and the soundtrack upholds the very high bar set by Koji Kondo in 1985. The final castle stage is great - its a big step up in difficulty after collecting the 6 coins, but is still a blast and very rewarding once you finally beat it. As the first YouTube comment says for the stages music: The steepest difficulty spike in any Nintendo game.

Underleveled posted...

The soundtrack on PTCG is so damn catchy. One of my sleeper favorites.

Haven't even played the game but yeah it's fantastic

I played SML2 once and it was better than 1, but I think I still like every wario land game more.

I would highly recommend TCG2 for anybody who enjoyed the first one. Kind of just more of the same but better in every way IMO. Translation is easy to find.

SML2 makes me feel claustrophobic.

#6. Tetris (1989)
Total Points: 41
List Appearances: 17
First-Place Votes: 1
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/a/a64286aa.jpg

Write-up provided by tazzyboyishere
While this isn't my "preferred" version of the game, there's no denying the Game Boy produced the most widely recognized entity of the medium-defining title. Tetris is one of the few video games to enter the vernacular of the average American household. Like, if you know somebody who doesn't know Tetris, they're either lying or they just probably suck. As easy as it would be to phone this writeup in without anyone giving a shit, which is what the expectation is I'm sure, I don't think that would be appropriate. Truly, Tetris is a gift. A brilliant understanding in game design to mimic this very life itself. A never-ending ascension we can merely manage, never allowed to ignore the end resting at the top of the well.

I am a high anxiety person. Always have been, even well into my career as a mental health therapist. It's part of my routine to be concerned about something throughout the course of a day. This isn't anything bad for me, it's just something I've had to learn to be comfortable with. I used to not do so well with it. There was a period where I would sometimes be crushed with it for days. I tried to do a lot of things. Some of them helped, but I don't think anything helped more than getting into Tetris. Through Tetris, I found a way to focus, hone in, and relieve my worries for however long I needed it to.

I didn't start with GB Tetris. In fact, I never played this version until it came to Switch. And, y'know it holds up. Sure it's among the most basic iterations of the game, and I do miss some of the QoL features in later renditions, but it plays familiarly and works exceptionally. I'm sure there's a certain level of intimacy I'm not getting without that small, dark, monochrome Game Boy screen. It still holds that meaning. To carefully make the proper choices. To stay calm and adapt when you make a mistake. To learn when to take risks and when to play it safe. It's a constant conversation of learning and living, all with only a dpad to move and two buttons used exclusively for spinning a piece.

GB Tetris has way better music than NES Tetris.

NBIceman posted...

Kind of just more of the same

yeah I played it thinking there were going to be a LOT more new cards

pjbasis posted...

I played SML2 once and it was better than 1, but I think I still like every wario land game more.

I only played the original Wario Land, but it was not better than SML2. Good, yes. Absolutely. Different. But SML2 was basically World for the Game Boy.

And if Tetris has fallen, I guess we're gonna see Link's Awakening and then 4 Pokemon games.

azuarc posted...

And if Tetris has fallen, I guess we're gonna see Link's Awakening and then 4 Pokemon games.

There are three Zeldas still to come. Which four Pokemon games were you thinking of?

#5. The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages (2001)
Total Points: 43
List Appearances: 16
First-Place Votes: 0
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/4/4832d949.jpg

Write-up provided by changmas
This game and its twin hold a special place in my heart as the very first Zelda games I ever played. Ages takes inspiration from prior entries like Ocarina of Time to establish its main gimmick - time travel with a magical harp. This creates so many avenues for creativity, particularly once you unlock the songs that can instantly transport you at any position on the map, allowing you to teleport directly into inaccessible areas in one time period. Theres so many collectibles to discover and the whole world is bursting with life.

Between the two games, I think Ages has the standout bosses. Two in particular are especially memorable - the Head Thwomp, boss of the 2nd dungeon and Smog, boss of the 5th dungeon. The Head Thwomp eschews traditional combat in favor of Zelda II: Adventure of Link sidescrolling, and has you climb up ladders on the sides of the room to throw Bombs into his head. While the design is quite simple, I truly had a blast with this fight. As a kid, I kept one of my three save files set up immediately before this boss fight, so I could play it over and over whenever I felt like it.

Smog, on the other hand, teaches you to use your Cane of Somaria - a weapon that does no damage but summons a single block on screen. As Smog breaks himself into smaller clouds that orbit around various block formations in the room, youre forced to dodge projectiles while summoning blocks to force his body back together so you can damage him by traditional means. The boss fights go far beyond the traditional sword and shield combat you use on most of the regular enemies of the game, like most Zelda games. As a kid, I really found myself blown away.

While the story of the games is nothing particularly special, it served as a nice introduction to the world and setting of this fantastic series, and is full of cameos from most of the recurring characters we know and love from across the series. At the end of the day, I have to hope that the success of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom doesnt leave their 2d brethren in the dust. Please Nintendo! Ill even just take a remake of these two games!

#4. The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons (2001)
Total Points: 46
List Appearances: 16
First-Place Votes: 1
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/8/867c87e7.jpg

Write-up provided by changmas
I got both Seasons and Ages at the same time, if my memory holds, but I started this one first. At the young age of five or six years old, these were my first games to really sell me on what gaming could be - having only played Super Mario Bros., Pac-Man, Tetris, and Pokemon before them. I remember playing through the beginning of the game countless times across different save files because the first dungeon was too hard for me. After dozens of hours, I finally made it to the very first boss - a near identical copy of the first boss of the original Legend of Zelda - and proceeded to lose repeatedly. So much so, that I had to ask the teenage boy across the street to beat the boss for me, while I looked over his shoulder eagerly.

Though Im certainly biased by nostalgia, its hard for me not to appreciate the sheer amount of detail Capcom packed into this game. As you progressively unlock other seasons, you can go back to previous areas and find new secrets as the environment changes around you, from flowers bursting to life in spring to snow piling up high in winter. Everything is filled with such vibrant color and style that really pushes the limits of what the Gameboy Color can do graphically. Theres so much to see, and to explore how the world changes and solve puzzles as you switch seasons. Theres also a whole set of collectible rings across both games to enhance your abilities. The items - and flexibility to unequip even your sword at times - are spectacular - Rocs Cape and the Magnetic Gloves are particular standouts.

For me, these are right up there with A Link to the Past as the pinnacle of the 2D Zelda genre. The links between the two games are neat, but ultimately I think both can stand on their own as complete experiences from start to finish. Theyre one of the reasons that Mina the Hollower is the first game I ever backed on kickstarter and one of my most anticipated games to be released this year (hopefully). I cant wait to see what years away from the genre can yield.

Oracles below Links Awakening is a tragedy sorry not sorry.

we all know why Seasons ranks higher than Ages

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/3/31a2e0e6.png

LightningStrikes posted...

Oracles below Links Awakening is a tragedy sorry not sorry.

Blame the host for not allowing them to be nominated as a combined game.

Seasons > Ages? Based.

tazzyboyishere posted...

For me, these are right up there with A Link to the Past as the pinnacle of the 2D Zelda genre.

Agreed, though I would even put them higher. I just love the N64 influences and emphasis on puzzles and navigation. LttP is a bit more action-y and simple.

#3. Pokmon Gold/Silver/Crystal (1999)
Total Points: 69
List Appearances: 20
First-Place Votes: 6
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/6/6af3fbc5.jpg

Write-up provided by NBIceman
Though it's impossible to point to any one all-encompassing reason that the Pokemon franchise became the worldwide, generation-spanning phenomenon that it did, I can at least identity why I personally fell in love with it, and I suspect I'm not alone: no other game series quite manages to appeal to that grandiose childhood impulse to leave home and explore the world on your own the way Pokemon does. Even I, a lifelong hater of the outdoors with little to no appetite for real-life adventure of almost any kind, can recall brief periods in my early years when I entertained the notion of sneaking out of the house late one night to see if I could go and spend a few days in the woods alone. Never mind that there were no woods near my house.

I started with the RBY games like many others, but they never sunk their claws into me the way their immediate successors did. Johto, in spite of some of its rougher edges, captures that feeling better than any other generation. Going through this region is sometimes a struggle and may not even always be strictly fun. There's a nonlinearity to the experience even beyond the obvious example of choosing your own path after Ecruteak City, where you can't get the most out of the world if you're not willing to get distracted sometimes and circle back around to places you've already been to seek out the Week Siblings or participate in the Bug Catching Contest. The phone system may be functionally annoying, but the base idea of meeting all these different fellow trainers on your quest is attractive. The Pokemon world has never felt as alive as it did in GSC. Sure, sometimes you may have to grind a bit. Sure, a lot of cool new Pokemon take a while to show up. But they call it a Pokemon journey, not a Pokemon destination. These games want you to take your time, not breeze through, work for everything and be rewarded for doing so. It's a testament to Pokemon's versatility that people can get so many different kinds of enjoyment out of these games, but I myself have never had much interest in the competitive scene or completing the Pokedex. I just want to feel like an adventurer, and that's what Johto gives me.

Enough waxing philosophic, though. Gen II is just cool. It's got my favorite rival. It's got my favorite starter Pokemon lineup. It's got memorable Gym Leaders and legendaries. Getting to re-explore Kanto, even a barebones version, is awesome. And there to cap it all off right at the end is the iconic Red battle. I played Crystal until the internal battery gave out and definitely put triple-digit hours into Gold, too, and I felt like a real Pokemon Master all the way through. It was a whole new place with a brand new attitude, but you still just had to catch 'em all and be the best that you could be... Did I manage to get that song stuck in anyone's head?

Wait, Wario Land 2 ranked lower than 3 AND 1? What the fuck?

Dedf1sh posted...

Wait, Wario Land 2 ranked lower than 3 AND 1? What the fuck?

This surprised me, because I had WL2 on my list but not the other two

It seems that originals are getting favoured here likely due to higher exposure. For what its worth Im not sure if Ive actually played Wario Land 2 but I have played 1 and 3.

I thought that 2>3 was not considered a "hot take" but in fact a reasonably common opinion held by many people who have played both of them.

Once again I have utterly failed at trying to predict Board 8's collective stance.

#2. Pokmon Red/Blue/Yellow (1996)
Total Points: 73
List Appearances: 23
First-Place Votes: 4
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/e/eeb41390.jpg

Write-up provided by jcgamer
Where to even begin. This is both the best RPG and best handheld game ever made. If you go back and look at some of the Game Boy launch titles, or games that were released early in its lifespan, you can hardly believe Pokmon was made for the same piece of hardware. Its an astonishing achievement in design and coding that they were able to fit all this on a Game Boy cartridge. I also cant think of many other examples of the best game for a particular system being released at the tail end of its lifespan.

The game is brilliantly structured to get you hooked, featuring the twofold appeal of both collecting, and leveling up/evolving. You have a high degree of freedom with regards to how you progress: you can stick with just a handful of pokmon and power through the trainers & gym leaders; or, take your time, catching 'em all' - grinding, trading, using evolution stones, etc. - to get that sense of completion. In fact, you have so much freedom with pace of play, that you can play with thousands of other people over Twitch simultaneously and still beat the game!

As far as the battle system goes, they were clearly still working out some kinks (Gen 1 Wrap ;_;, X Accuracy + OHKO moves), but for the first try, its pretty good, and balanced *enough.*

Its aesthetically superb - the soundtrack, the character & monster design - everythings just 10/10. Many fans of the franchise argue that it hasnt aged well, that its too simple/broken, but imo, for its time - and even now - it remains the measuring stick for all turn-based RPGs. Even in 2024, it is the 13th-highest selling video game of all time, at nearly 50 million copies sold, coming up just short of Tetris for best-selling handheld game ever.

Dedf1sh posted...

I thought that 2>3 was not considered a "hot take" but in fact a reasonably common opinion held by many people who have played both of them.

I like 2 more than 1. It feels like the true series beginning. But idk I thought 3 would have been the common opinion just from playing them.

#1. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (1993)
Total Points: 82
List Appearances: 23
First-Place Votes: 6
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/1/113a8709.jpg

Write-up provided by ZenOfThunder
I usually like to discuss media through personal anecdotes that convey how I feel about it. So if youre looking for yet another piece of hard-hitting journalism that outlines exactly why Links Awakening is, in fact, one of the best Zelda games and one of the best handheld games ever made, you can roll your eyes and scroll past this write-up.

When I was a kid, I had no siblings, and my parents did not play video games. I had no interest in video games until Pokmon. My dad took me to the mall and bought me a Game Boy Color (purple) with Pokmon Blue. He also bought his own Game Boy Color and Pokmon Red because he wanted to connect with me. He named his character Hairy and beat the Elite Four before me. He had never played a video game before. He still talks about his Venusaur and his Gin-ger to this day. Love you, Dad.

Eventually, my mom, to try to one-up my dad who had cheated on her and left three years earlier, bought me a Nintendo 64 and Pokmon Snap. She didnt play video games or even attempt to. Love you, Mom.

My new interest in video games led me to make new friends with the nerdy crowd. This is probably the point where my life swerved from being a normal kid into being a huge nerd who is doing this write-up on a 31-year-old game for a small community on GameFAQs. I wouldnt change a thing.

These new nerdy friends told me about this thing called Zelda, the one for Nintendo 64. I had never heard of Zelda. My world was Pokmon. The Game Boy Color was my Pokmon machine. More than two decades later, my Nintendo Switch is my current Pokmon machine.

So, I got Ocarina of Time and couldnt beat Gohma for days because I sucked at video games. I had played literally two games up until this point, and both were Pokmon.

My mom took me to the mall to get the strategy guide. We went to Planet X, which was upstairs. I preferred it to the GameStop (which was directly downstairs) because the name was way cooler. In a few years, that Planet X would be bought by GameStop and turned into a GameStop. The GameStop directly downstairs did not close or relocate. There were two GameStops within a 30-second walk of each other. But I distinctly remember this Planet X and exactly where I was standing when my understanding of Zelda was flipped on its head.

I was looking at a copy of Mario Party (which I would put on my Christmas list and receive Mario 64 instead) when I heard my mother call my real legal name. Little Zen, did you see that there is a Zelda game on the Game Boy? And I, in my infinite gaming wisdom granted to me by the completion of TWO Pokmon games and most of the Great Deku Tree dungeon, responded, NO. Zelda is on the Nintendo 64.

Well, isnt that cute. But I was WRONG.

That day, I left Planet X with Links Awakening, the guide book for Links Awakening, and the guide book for Ocarina of Time. I was disappointed that the OoT guide said to hit Gohma in the eye and didnt really give any further advice. I knew to hit the eye. I wasnt stupid. That night, Gohma somehow continued to kick my ass, so I fired up the Zelda for the Game Boy.

I was confused about Zelda for the Game Boy. Why wasnt this just Ocarina of Time? Who was Marin? Wheres Gohma???

At this point, my personal anecdote falls apart because, for the next few months, I became OBSESSED with this game. I continued playing Ocarina of Time (and even beat Gohma), but little Zen couldnt get enough of the Zelda game on the small screen with no backlight. Turns out it had Gohma after all!

I have specific memories of waiting for my mom and aunt to finish shopping and doing something cool in the game, then excitedly pantomiming Links sword fighting to my mom, who looked like she was regretting ever pointing the game out that day at Planet X.

I have specific memories of getting every single item in this game. I have memories of stealing from the shopkeeper and getting wrecked. I have memories of seeing a Chain Chomp in this one, then getting confused upon seeing that the Chain Chomp, a Zelda monster, was very large and chained up in Mario 64, the game that was NOT Mario Party, which is what I actually wanted. What is Mario 64, and why would I want that over a literal Mario PARTY??? (I would later go on to realize I am an idiot, which you may have realized if you have been following my Mount Rushmore topic series).

Most importantly, I have a VERY strong core memory of playing this game on a long trip to Long Island to visit my grandparents. I was with my dad and my new stepmom, who I didnt particularly like because my dad left my mom for her. I ignored her attempts to be nice to me the entire trip by burying myself in Links Awakening. On the way back, I fell asleep in the back of the car with the Game Boy still in my hand. I am a very deep sleeper. Still am.

I woke up in the back of that car and realized it wasnt moving. My dad and my stepmom werent in the front. We were on the side of the road. I heard my stepmom screaming, GET HIM OUT OF THERE! A firefighter yanked me from the back of the car. Somehow, I had completely slept through my dad getting run off the side of the road. Apparently, my dad had said, Dont wake him up, hes tired, and left me in the back of the car, which had just begun smoking. The firefighter, who had just gotten there, told my dad he was an idiot. Love you, Dad.

My stepmom had sprained something; I cant remember what, but an ambulance was called. While my stepmom was getting loaded in, I realized that I had left the Game Boy in the back of the car. I begged my dad to get the Game Boy out of the smoking car, and my dad (established idiot who named his Pokmon character Hairy) fished the Game Boy out from under the seat.

One of the paramedics asked if I wanted to ride in the ambulance. I did, and I think the paramedic ended up confused because I wasnt a kid excited to hit the button to turn on the ambulance lights. I was the kid who really, REALLY wanted to beat the Links Awakening dungeon he was stuck in.

I think about that night very often. I think about how I did end up beating that dungeon in the hospital waiting room. I think about my dad dropping me back off at my moms house and my mom yelling at him, even though it really wasnt his fault (I never told her that he let me sit in the smoking car). I think about my stepmom, who was wearing a neck brace the next time I saw her (Shes fine; shes coming to my wedding this October). I think about the Game Boy. I think about the Pokmon Snap stickers I had printed at Blockbuster and stuck all over the face of the Game Boy.

I think about Links Awakening. I think about Link. I think about Marin. I think about Gohma. I think about the first time I saw the Wind Fish. There are so many memories that are so important to me and intertwined with gaming. Theres something so powerful about a game that wants to be remembered. Links Awakening is a game that roots itself in your mind. It takes hold and doesnt let go. You dont need me to get specific; you all voted for it. Youre the reason its on this list. You all have your own memories of this game, and youre probably thinking of them right now.

tazzyboyishere posted...

The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages (2001)
Total Points: 43

tazzyboyishere posted...

The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons (2001)
Total Points: 46

-hotdogturtle-- posted...

Blame the host for not allowing them to be nominated as a combined game.

tazzyboyishere posted...

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (1993)
Total Points: 82

lol

I'm honestly surprised Link's Awakening won. I really thought it would be either RBY or GSC.

Nice write-up Zen!