 so let's do it welcome back to classic replay in this episode we look at the top 40 gameboy games to play before you die one word escapism long before smartphones invaded nearly every area of our lives we had the gameboy it provided a cheap and affordable night in and became a good safeguard against the british weather by 1997 over 64 million gameboys were sold Nintendo had effectively run the Sega game gear out of town this is my top 40 and we kick things off with avenging spirit this one arrived in 92 and the best way to describe it is a demonic version of Kirby you've been murdered by the local mobsters and now you're a spirit out for revenge this is a fantastic little game to rediscover the developers have done a stellar it's nothing short it runs as a wonderful solid frame rate controls feel tight and responsive and it's a breeze to play this game is no joker right that's it stop end the video there no more bad jokes i promise this for me is a great little meaty game a graphical powerhouse it's polished to gameboy perfection bionic commando is littered throughout with masses of all-out carnage and action it has to be said in my humble opinion one of the most impressive games i've seen on the gameboy thus far it's crazy to think that such a heavyweight behemoth has been squeezed down into the little gameboy i think they've almost managed to squeeze the entire experience onto this handheld if you like your platformers with a twist castlevania is certainly the most recommended contra is proof that the gameboy can handle 16 bit games it's easier to play than its bigger sister but when it comes to action it won't let you down the original SNES game is one of my all-time favorites and this gameboy version has captured perfectly if you're looking to dust off that gameboy contra is the excuse you've been waiting for fans of the arcade original should be over the moon with this conversion for sure there's a few minor flaws but it's still a must play and collect if you still own a gameboy double dragon has aged really well i mean just look at the sprites and that detailed background it's easily as good as any other arcade conversion and comes with thumping music throughout this one not only takes me back but i shed a tear kong is still great and king on the game it will test your gameplay and skills to the limit you'll curse this game throw the cartridge across the room not play it for weeks on end but trust me that doesn't mean you won't be obsessed with it now what are you waiting for stop monkeying around oh my god what's it like to drive an f1 car no idea never came close what i can tell you about this game is it's very simple really this might be a baby f1 game compared to today's standards still despite being piddly mastering it is far from easy to enjoy it to its maximum you'll need to dig deep this was one of the gameboys party pieces there are heroes and villains the world over lesser known to the world is maybe captain britain another is the bad guy from ghost and goblin's firebrand it's unique in the sense that it can't make its mind up whether it's an rpg or a platformer it has to be said despite the limitations of the gameboy this is capcom at their best this is basically gauntlet 2 cut down to size for the gameboy playing gauntlet 2 on the gameboy boils down to either this you enjoy the formula or you don't although i've played this many times on my own thank god there's a two player option through the link cable the other also vital ingredient is that it plays exactly like gauntlet 2 should i must be ancient because i remember this as nemesis on the amstrad cpc this is a really difficult game but if you've got the fight in you it's a really good one too it comes packed with five levels the power ups are crazy but it's the cutscenes and the in-game graphics that have to be seen to be believed for the gameboy bright light bright light that's exactly what i had in abundance on a trip back from a holiday in wales as a kid for me what's remarkable about this game on a console where it's inundated with platform games this one actually stands out the cuteness on the surface hides how difficult this game is but for those gameboy warriors with perseverance amongst us the challenge is a fantastic one and a memorable game just looking at the graphics you can tell that this is nes standard sort of stuff apparently this was only released in japan and europe america didn't get this one in a strange sort of way it reminds me of kung fu master with anime animation overload but in all honesty i had so much fun with this and the music is fantastic i've never seen the movie but from what i'm told i didn't miss much i first experienced hudson hawk on the zx spectrum and the amstrad cpc and both of those versions blew me away what the gameboy version lacks in color it more than makes up for in detail and playability in fact revisiting this one has made me come over or nostalgic and i might even go as far to track down and watch the movie it can't surely be that bad can it kid dracula is one of the most thrilling but difficult games on the gameboy you know instantly that you're playing a kinomi game because the graphics and the attention to detail are impeccable car sylvania fans and mega man fans will be right at home with this alternative platformer to the untrained eye people might just instantly think cute game looks like a mario in car sylvania's castle but i prefer to say it's mario meets mega man in car sylvania everybody loves tight controls and kid icarus myths and monsters gives us just that pit second adventure improves over the first nes game in several areas the scrolling feels so much better the cheap deaths have gone and it's everything you'd expect from nintendo despite being one of nintendo's often shelved mascots there's lots of great shooting action here death defying jumps leaps of faith but more importantly a fantastic challenge i think it's safe to say i've played almost nearly every kirby game ever made i especially love these new adventures on the 3ds and the nintendo switch but my heart lies with kirby's dreamland 2 one because it's an improvement over the original on the gameboy and two because it comes with a save feature despite the awful engine noise and it truly is ear wrenching this really is a fantastic little racer but only with the volume turned down low in fact my ears are still ringing now but me personally i don't care what anybody says this for me is really impressive for the gameboy it looks good it moves fast but more importantly it's an excellent game crafted by miamoto's very own hands the legend of zelda lynx awakening is a very deep adventure game simply reading about it or watching somebody play it is not enough miamoto's games have to be experienced it took a year and a half to make with appearances throughout the game from other nintendo staple characters even kirby makes an appearance it's the perfect mega man game and it's on the gameboy in fact i still revisit this often because of the graphics and soundtrack alone sadly this was the last of the mega man titles for the gameboy but talk about going out with a bang there's no question this was a labor of love in fact from memory and that goes back a while this is the first mega man game i ever completed to all those extreme feminists out there did you know that samus is actually a chick so no more cries of females aren't represented in video games nintendo are doing it long before this generation we're in nappies it's also safe to say that this is one of the best games from console to the portable screen and although it's just more of the same from the original what's wrong with that metroid 2 feels a little darker a bit deeper and like the games of the good old days you'll need to map it does anybody remember head over heels from ocean software what's that you say you've never heard of it i must be a granddad you say well that's just charming that is bloody charming anyway forget that this is one of the best games on the gameboy and i believe i've still got an actual copy of it somewhere allegedly it's hard to track down so i'm over the moon about that the only thing i can hope is that if you've never played it before you'll check it out i'm a big fan of this game on the gameboy and i also had it on the amstrad cpc zx spectrum super nintendo and played it on the commodore amiga as well the frame rate and the sound is not the greatest on the gameboy and by all rights it shouldn't be playable but it is if you are into your f1 games this is essential for the gameboy despite the aging elements ninja gaiden shadow is an instant recommendation rio payabuso arrived on the gameboy in fine form it's good to get stuck in and revisit this classic and for me personally the finest of the series this really is ninja gaiden at its best you'd think after 30 years this one would be past its best but think again without question one of the best ninja games of all time for me worth playing just for the music on the first three levels alone it also turns out to be an excellent game as well you've got to love konami i wish there were more than five levels i prefer the horizontal scrolling sections to the vertical but this is classic contra bullet hell action i love the fact that rapid fire now comes as default but it's the graphics the sprites and the animation that really shine through this is a wonderful play and parody on gradius or should i say nemesis set across eight stages you get to choose from four playable ships three lives and unlimited continues this package all adds up to gameboy awesomeness and it's one i'm proud to proclaim i've beaten for a long time our type was the benchmark that all other shoot them up to the first time i ever played it was on the zX Spectrum and that blew me away in fact our type is the game that got me into shoot them up in the absence of bob pape who did the original zX Spectrum arcade conversion come off the hour come off the man step forward jace austin oh my god jace austin couldn't do this one because of time commitments so it was up to bits to fall to another hero step forward bob pape on the graphics mark jones for shoot them up fans the challenge the difficulty level is just right and mimics the arcade in all but graphics for those that need it there's more lives and you get unlimited continues did i mention dav wittiger did the music argonaut have produced absolute wonders on the gameboy this sequel to hard driving on the gameboy has to be played to be believed you get to race around three tracks and then finally if you beat the time a challenge track awaits where you raced against a computer opponent how is this even possible on the gameboy robo cop is a serious contender for one of my favorite games on the gameboy although that last level is a bitch i've beaten this game many times and love doing it the movie is beyond great and this is no bad either and don't forget that amazing ariston advert also i'm still humming the music there's five stages of pulse pounding action and like with the zX Spectrum version you are certainly in for a challenge tam and rit on the gameboy one of my favorite games of all time as cute as this game looks weapons are devastating i personally thought the zX Spectrum and Commodore Amiga versions were awesome but this is something else you'll find yourself increasingly outnumbered squaring off against end-of-level bad guys and climbing ladders like there's no tomorrow our heroes have taken a leaf out of the flintstones you'll be doing the bam bam slam all the way purchased way back in 1991 i still have a mint copy i absolutely love this game solar striker is yet more proof that great graphics don't make a great game solar striker does everything right it's addictive a fantastic challenge and there's some great end-of-level bosses and i just love that oh so sweet music owing its origins to classics such as space invaders galaxians you'll have to dodge and shoot your way to victory one word frustrating for me personally the level design in this is fantastic Luke Skywalker doesn't appear to have a face which is a massive improvement and despite the game's difficulty this along with super star wars on the super nintendo are games i love having in my collection you'll need a jedi-like memory and the agility of yoda to see this one through most people will probably walk away at the first sight of a continue screen if you suffer from stress in any way shape or form give this one a miss for the rest of us make the force be with you the first super mario land game on the gameboy was awful there you go i've said it i've got that huge weight off my chest now i don't have this for the gameboy original but i played it recently on the nintendo 3ds and it's just awesome super mario land 2 really makes up for the disaster that was super mario land try not to stone me to death but this i believe is probably one of my favorite games of all time jesus christ on the bike super rc pro am is awesome i still freaking love this handheld having this back in the day on the go was a huge deal probably my most played game on the gameboy and long before the need for speed series rc pro am taught me how to drift and screw anybody to hell who reckons the nes version is better all we need now is rc pro am upgraded for the nintendo switch i'm confused is it ninja turtles or hero turtles i suppose it doesn't matter but this is another great game from kanami fall of the foot clan is everything you could hope for from a gameboy title i quite like all of the turtles games on the gameboy but this is definitely my favorite carabunga this is the game i always show off to friends especially my game gear owning friends fans of mario kerby and sonic the hedgehog will be right at home with this there's two things almost guaranteed in gaming nintendo's brilliance and sun soft quality in trip world you can run jump flap your ears and fly or swim like a dolphin the only reason trip world isn't number one on my list is because unfortunately it's not that difficult but trust me it's fun whilst it lasts if you're up for a challenge look no further than turrican i originally owned this on the alistair cpc that was a fantastic game i later played it on the commodore 64 that was even better and then came the amiga version wow so where does this one fit in well somewhere between the commodore 64 and the amiga version it simply makes the list because it's one of the best games i've ever played the music stays with you and it's one i keep coming back to this was one of the many reasons that i originally purchased a gameboy in fact this came bundled with the gameboy i purchased at the time there was nothing quite like it it doesn't look remarkable but it didn't need to it's absolutely 100 addictive i'd play it on holiday by the pool on the bus and on the bog my gameboy went everywhere with me i mean everywhere tetris is the ultimate companion for gaming on the go i can't tell you how much i played this game i absolutely loved it to bit the presentation the sound the music the graphics come on guys how is this even possible without question the best racing game on the gameboy the sudo 3d screen update is really convincing it feels like you're going down and uphill this is most definitely the closest the gameboy got to sega rally and it's bloody fast so what's cooler than one absolute zero and although i never played pokemon red a mate gave me a copy of pokemon blue and i've never looked back if the music isn't already cemented in your head the experience will be i also think that pokemon blue is the reason i still love rpgs in fact i still can't believe the impact this game had on me and many others epic thanks for watching and if you enjoyed please subscribe