Topic: Best of the 3DS eShop: Virtual Console. Game Boy - Part 1.

[Khushrenada]

With the 3DS pretty much winding down and a lack of upcoming releases we have now arrived at the life cycle of a system where users start looking back in the catalogue of available games that were released and that they missed or forgot about when games were coming out regularly. For myself, I know that I didn't always pay as close attention to the eShop and its releases as I did physical releases. And while I have accumulated a few titles from it, I feel there are probably more I should take advantage of especially since Nintendo hasn't created any other source to purchase many of these titles.

While I could I slowly go through each title and try to track down reviews, I'd rather get the opinions of the NWR Forum users whose gaming tastes I trust a bit more. Plus, I figured this would be a chance to engage in our favorite practice of reminiscing about games we loved playing (and arguing about the worth / rank of a game. )

The main goal is simple. If you have personally played any of these titles, post which ones you have and which ones you highly recommend others should have on their 3DS, which ones might be recommended for Kairon (or a deeper cut for a certain type of fan) and what you think should be skipped. (And sure, even if you haven't played them and have an opinion, I'm not going to argue against you from posting it). I've also included a poll for people to vote on the games they think a person should acquire for their 3DS.

I'm starting with the classic Game Boy games as this is the one that most puzzles me but I plan to go through other VC systems and indie titles so expect more of these articles / posts to come. Currently there are 50 Game Boy titles available for the Virtual Console on 3DS. (R.I.P. Tetris). For this thread, I'm starting with the first 25 of these titles alphabetically. I'll also create a second thread pretty soon for the other 25. Just to keep the poll option from being too large. The titles for discussion in this thread are:

Adventure Island
Alleyway
Avenging Spirit
Balloon Kid
Baseball
Bionic Commando
BurgerTime Deluxe
Castlevania: The Adventure
Catrap
Donkey Kong '94
Donkey Kong Land
Donkey Kong Land 2
Donkey Kong Land 3
Double Dragon
Dr. Mario
Fortified Zone
Game & Watch Gallery
Gargoyle's Quest
Golf
Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters
Kirby's Block Ball
Kirby's Dream Land
Kirby's Dream Land 2
Kirby's Pinball Land
Kirby's Star Stacker


So, let's discuss which of these should be regarded as the best. 

[BeautifulShy]

I need to check out more of the GB library on the 3DS eshop but these are the games I enjoyed playing and think are some of the best on the eshop.

Donkey Kong '94
Kirby's Dream Land 2
Kirby's Dream Land
Dr. Mario
Game and Watch Gallery
Balloon Kid
Castlevania: The Adventure
Burgertime Deluxe

Those are the ones I have played or have a solid grip on its reputation as being good on the eshop or growing up.

The DKL games from what I recall were ports of the SNES DKC games so those speak for themselves.

I would say the Kirby games, DK '94 and Dr. Mario are the best games from that list.

[NWR_insanolord]

I second DK94. I'd say that's by far the best black and white Game Boy game available on the VC.

[pokepal148]

DK 94, Catrap, and Balloon Kid are definitely must plays.

Gargoyle's Quest and Kirby's Dream Land 1 are also really good.

[Order.RSS]

I've played very few of these. Kirby 2 is really fun if that's the one with the support animals. You can ride a hamster and sit in a fish' mouth in that one right? Also recall Alleyway as being surprisingly difficult for a Breakout game.

Donkey Kong Land was one of my first GB games and the levels on the third map were a real pain in ape. Moving platforms and giant wasps abound, not a good time. That game also had the audacity to open with a snow stage for its second level. Awful.
It looks and sounds really good though, especially when compared to the limited visuals of say Super Mario Land 1.

Boring lil' anecdote: when I finally got access to a dial-up Internet connection years after it became commercially available I thought online game reviews were just the coolest thing ever. A lot of games I never got to read reviews for in magazines, so I would dial-in, load a review for something I owned, disconnect immediately when the page was done, and read what critics thought of the games I own(ed).

Donkey Kong Land stands out in memory because someone gave it a 4.5/10 and they talked a lot about 'hitboxes' which was a word I just had no context for. I guess back then I secretly still wanted reviews to agree with my opinions? And look how much has changed now! Now that's what we call a character arc, folks.

[Mop it up]

Alleyway
This is just a plain "break the blocks" type of game with nothing interesting about it.
Not Recommended

Balloon Kid
If you wanted to see a level-based version of the Balloon Trip mode from Balloon Fight, that's this. Still very tough.
Recommended

Catrap
A bit of a strange puzzle game where you have to do things like push blocks so you can reach the "enemies" and punch them. I put "enemies" in quotes because I don't think they can hurt you, they're just your goal to reach. Can get surprisingly tricky. Annoying music.
Recommended

Donkey Kong (1994)
A sort of puzzle-platformer inspired by the original Donkey Kong arcade game. Very enjoyable and clever, and Mario gains some fun moves here. Better than the Mario vs Donkey Kong series which would follow it. A shame the Super Game Boy features are not present on 3DS.
Strongly Recommended

Donkey Kong Land
While its sequels are more closely tied to the SNES games, this one actually features an entirely different set of levels and many different themes, music, and obstacles. However, the small screen space is a real hindrance here, resulting in lots of blind jumps and hidden enemies. The slow scroll speed also means if you drop below the screen before it scrolls downwards, DK gets killed even if there's actually ground below the screen border. I still played through this and got some enjoyment out of it because of its uniqueness, but if I'm being honest, it's probably a bad game.
Recommended for Kairon

Donkey Kong Land 2 and Donkey Kong Land 3
While the gameplay may be improved over the original Donkey Kong Land, these two are much less unique from the SNES games. They feature the same level themes, obstacles, and ideas as the respective SNES game, with slightly different level layouts to accommodate the smaller screen. Some levels may deviate more than others to feel a little more new, but overall, I don't really see a reason to play these if you have access to the SNES games.
Not Recommended

Dr. Mario
As far as I can tell, there is nothing unique about this version of Dr. Mario to make it worth getting over the 3DS version.
Not Recommended

Game & Watch Gallery
There are four games included here, and they have both re-creations of the original Game and Watch units as well as "modern" versions featuring updated graphics and physics with Mario characters, and the gameplay runs more smoothly and is typically more forgiving. The games are Fire, Manhole, Octopus, and Oil Panic. These can be fun if you're into chasing high-scores, but otherwise it won't keep you entertained for long. Once again, sadly no Super Game Boy feature, which is a shame as it looked really nice.
Recommended for Kairon

Kirby's Block Ball
I haven't played this much, but it puts a Kirby spin on breaking blocks, so you probably know what to expect.
Possibly Recommended

Kirby's Dream Land
The original! It may be short and lack copy powers, but there's still something charming about this game. The extra mode can be tough!
Recommended for Kairon

Kirby's Dream Land 2
This game introduced Kirby's animal buddies! Like most Kirby games, a pretty straight-forward platformer with fun powers.
Recommended

[pokepal148]

Avenging Spirit can be a fun time as well.

[nickmitch]

Everyone's covered DK '94, so I'll vouch for Kirby's Block Ball.  I had it as a kid and it was always really fun.  However, my memories of it and Kirby's Pinball Land are kinda mixed up, but I'm pretty sure I had a lot of fun with both.

[Khushrenada]

Woo! Lots of responses. Thanks all so far. I've been away this weekend and haven't had much time to peruse the forums much but looking forward to digging into these more tomorrow evening when I have the chance.

[ejamer]

I agree with and want to echo Mop it up's opinions.

In addition, here are my thoughts on a few extra games:

Avenging Spirit - Hadn't played this before virtual console, and was very pleasantly surprised. The story is a little bit weird, and the platforming design is decidedly old-school in some aspects. However, the ability to jump into any body you want at any time (or maybe even stay incorporeal for a short time to skip through a tough spot) is really neat! Not for everyone, but if you enjoy old school platforming this game is worth checking out.

Bionic Commando - Maybe it's nostalgia talking, but this game plays well and the old Bionic Commando formula is still a lot of fun. I'd give it a recommendation - although I'm not sure this one does anything to stand out if you already have the NES version somewhere.

Gargoyle's Quest - This game was a letdown to me... although maybe that's just because of high expectations going in. The platforming is "ok" and the RPG elements are much less interesting than I had hoped for. The game is still interesting, but felt like the ideas weren't quite fleshed out (maybe because of hardware limitations). If you can grab one of the NES/SNES sequels instead, I'd recommend skipping this one and going that route.

Kirby's Pinball Land - Not the best pinball on the GameBoy (I'd give that to Revenge of the Gator) but it's still an interesting piece of Kirby history. The table designs are simple but they did a nice job integrating Kirby elements and the boss battles are pretty fun. If I didn't have nostalgia for the game, it would've been a hard sell though...

[Adrock]

Donkey Kong ‘94 is the only game on the list I’ve played extensively, and may be the only game on the list I even played at all. I don’t remember if I played Castlevania: The Adventure. I’m an old man; my memory isn’t what it used to be. I may have tried it second-hand at Play ‘N Trade, but I know I never owned it. Castlevania: The Adventure is generally not looked upon favorably.

Anyway, I’m surprised Nintendo never went back to the well and made a true sequel to Donkey King ‘94. Like Link’s Awakening, it isn’t simply “good for a Gameboy game.� Donkey Kong ‘94 is one of the best games ever made.

[NWR_insanolord]

Anyway, I’m surprised Nintendo never went back to the well and made a true sequel to Donkey King ‘94. Like Link’s Awakening, it isn’t simply “good for a Gameboy game.� Donkey Kong ‘94 is one of the best games ever made.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong on GBA is basically that. Before they took that series in other directions the first one was pretty much a straight sequel to DK 94.

[Adrock]

That’s fair. I completely forgot about the original Mario vs. Donkey Kong. I didn’t like it very much. Not terrible; I vaguely recall the controls/movement feeling stiff and the changed setting/plot removed a lot of the nostalgia.

[ejamer]

That’s fair. I completely forgot about the original Mario vs. Donkey Kong. I didn’t like it very much. Not terrible; I vaguely recall the controls/movement feeling stiff and the changed setting/plot removed a lot of the nostalgia.

Agreed - the original Mario vs Donkey Kong wasn't great. Instead of an improvement over DK'94, or even a passable sequel, it felt like a clear step down in quality. When later sequels took the game in a different direction, I was happy because they had missed the mark so badly with that first one.

It would be awesome to see a good remake of DK'94 though. That game had a ton of content, and is still a blast to play through.

[Khushrenada]

First - I've said it before and I'll say it again: Democracy just doesn't work What is with this forum switching around the positions of poll options. Once again, the order of the poll has somehow been flip turned upside down (or at least jumbled a bit from the alphabetical order it once was.) I hate that!

Second

I would say the Kirby games, DK '94 and Dr. Mario are the best games from that list.

Dr. Mario
As far as I can tell, there is nothing unique about this version of Dr. Mario to make it worth getting over the 3DS version.
Not Recommended

We got ourselves a difference of opinion here. So, I've got to ask BeautifulShy, what makes this version of Dr. Mario so good. As Mop it up points out, there are other Dr. Mario options available if you are a 3DS user. Is it nostalgia? Let's say a person who hasn't played Dr. Mario games before was looking to get a game or two in the series. Would you say this title is one they really should get or should play in that series? To me, it seems weird to play this game in black and white considering it's always been based around that three color idea of red, yellow and blue viruses.

Third

Also recall Alleyway as being surprisingly difficult for a Breakout game.

Is that a good thing or bad thing because...

Alleyway
This is just a plain "break the blocks" type of game with nothing interesting about it.
Not Recommended

And on that subject, I believe Kirby's Block Ball is also a Breakout style game yet...

Kirby's Block Ball
I haven't played this much, but it puts a Kirby spin on breaking blocks, so you probably know what to expect.
Possibly Recommended

I'll vouch for Kirby's Block Ball.  I had it as a kid and it was always really fun.

If one were to choose one Breakout style game, is the Kirby version that much better over Alleyway?

[Khushrenada]

Fourth

Donkey Kong ‘94 is one of the best games ever made.

I guess I'll be the contrarian here and the one person who isn't that big on DK '94. The reason for that is basically as Insanolord mentioned:

Mario vs. Donkey Kong on GBA is basically that.

Before I played DK '94, I had first played Mario Vs Donkey Kong on the GBA and that was around two - three years after the DS came out and I had something that could play GBA games. I found the game so-so. I still completed the whole thing getting all the stars, presents and videos collected and even beating the expert levels. But as I noted on Backloggery on my thoughts of the game, something about this game became a chore to play through after only the 3rd world. Yet, not only did I complete it on the GBA, I also did it again on the 3DS Ambassador release.

Meanwhile, I remember when DK '94 was announced and advertised as that was the same time that DKC was also on its way to release. I remember the advertisement of there being more than 100 levels and thinking that this game must have been so huge. What stuck in my brain or my young mind seemed to think was the concept of the game was that it seemed to take the Donkey Kong arcade game and basically add all these other stages to that game to make like this massive tower that Mario would have to climb to defeat Donkey Kong. However, not having a Game Boy, I could only imagine what that game must have been like. Then, from my time here, I'd often see this game brought up on occasion by someone like UncleBob talking about it being the best GameBoy game made or something in glowing terms like that and I suppose my expectations for this magical game that took the fun of the Donkey Kong arcade game and increased it by 100.

So, when this finally came out on the Virtual Console and I could finally play it, I was highly disappointed to find out that it basically played like Mario Vs Donkey Kong and I already found that to be a below average game. You never really here anyone speak of Mario Vs Donkey Kong as some great follow-up or sequel to DK '94 so I didn't get why people liked this version so much more. I think Mario may actually have more moves or control a little easier in DK '94 which is a bit ironic considering the difference in system power but, in the end, it was still that same style of gameplay and level design and it kind of killed my interest in the GB VC (along with a couple other disappointments like Metroid II) because if these were the top games then the lesser stuff must be even worse. Yet, I still beat every level and collected all 3 items for every relevant stage so I don't know what that says about me when I thoroughly play these games I'm hardly even liking. Clearly there's still something sort of compelling about them but not enough to make me love them. Truth is, after playing this about 5(?) years ago, I remember absolutely nothing about it and forget I even played it unless I'm making a list like this up.

[Khushrenada]

For myself, the only games I can really comment on in regards to this list are:

DK '94 - I've just talked about it but, for me, I gave it a slight recommendation. Some people may like the gameplay and design of this game (and clearly do) but I'm not a big fan of it. I consider it an average game and rather forgettable.

Donkey Kong Land - On the flip side, unlike Steefosaurus and perhaps Mop it up, I had a lot more enjoyment out of this title and rate / recommend it much higher. In fact, it was playing Donkey Kong Land that rejuvenated my interest in the Game Boy Virtual Console. The Super Nintendo titles are still better but this ended up being the best Game Boy experience I'd had yet in going through these classic titles and, despite its faults, (and it does have them. It's by no means the greatest DK experience) I still walked away from this experience highly impressed by the game and a big supporter of it.

Donkey Kong Land 2 and 3 - DKL 1 was so good that I soon booted up DKL 2 and started playing that. The biggest difference is that that this time DKL 2 stayed a lot closer to the SNES version. It had the same world map and progression basically and the make-up of levels stuck to the same style as the SNES game and the world map. That said, they were still new levels so it's not like it was a straight port of the game. Moreover, I've always been a big fan of the DKC style so to have more of these games in that style appeals to me and I also blasted through DKL 2 completing it all. It just didn't feel as fresh by being so similar to the SNES version and how that one unfolded. Sort of like how Super Luigi U is the better game versus NSMBU but because it sticks to the same world map and level progression as NSMBU it still loses some of the originality and appeal it might have otherwise had.

I recently went through the first world in DKL 3 and it is also sticking close to the SNES version of DKC3 however the world maps are a bit different. I guess I'll see how it ends up overall but it is more like DKL2 than DKL1 in how it is designed and controls. In the end, I'm just happy to have some more Rare DK goodness that I can play after almost two decades since Rare and Nintendo split. If you liked Rare's take of DKC then I highly suggest you check out these games and the DK Land games are just about the best GB games I've played.

Kirby's Dream Land 2 - Yes, Steef, this one did introduce the Animal Helper friends like the fish that puts Kirby in its mouth. I've actually been playing this game on Kirby's 20th Anniversary Collection rather than through the Virtual Console release. It's my first time playing it but I really like it a lot. The reason I said the DK Land games are just about the best GB games I've played is because I think I'll probably give the crown to KDL2 here. I'm only about halfway through so we'll see how it ends but so far this game definitely falls on the high side of best Kirby games. I think it's better than the two Kirby GBA games despite coming out on the GB long before them. Unlike the Donkey Kong Land games which felt like Rare trying to cram the SNES experience onto the system and fighting those limitations, KDL2 was clearly designed to work within the specs of the system it was designed for yet it doesn't feel like it was sacrificing anything to do so. The result is a game that is still fun to play on any system. I'm thinking downloading this game again on my 3DS just to play it on the go once more. Absolutely worth getting.

Kirby's Dream Land - I'll go back to this now after skipping it to talk about 2. Mop it up said it best already with "It may be short and lack copy powers, but there's still something charming about this game." I was surprised when I played it through it on Kirby's 20th Anniversary Collection to discover there was a new world / level I'd never played before. I'd always read that Spring Breeze in Kirby Super Star was basically just a port / remaster of Kirby's Dream Land and from what I'd seen of the game that looked to be the case. Looking up info on it, Wikipedia mentions "Float Islands and Castle Lololo have merged and Kabula does not appear." It threw me off when those were divided and suddenly there was a new boss I'd never played before. Still, it is a very short game and might take half an hour or so to finish. Definitely one I'd recommend for fans of Kirby but not something I'd call the best of the Virtual Shop.

[Khushrenada]

games I enjoyed playing and think are some of the best on the eshop.

Balloon Kid

Catrap, and Balloon Kid are definitely must plays.

Balloon Kid
If you wanted to see a level-based version of the Balloon Trip mode from Balloon Fight, that's this. Still very tough.
Recommended

Catrap
A bit of a strange puzzle game where you have to do things like push blocks so you can reach the "enemies" and punch them. I put "enemies" in quotes because I don't think they can hurt you, they're just your goal to reach. Can get surprisingly tricky. Annoying music.
Recommended

Ok! I'll get Balloon Kid and Catrap. Sold.

Kirby's Pinball Land - Not the best pinball on the GameBoy (I'd give that to Revenge of the Gator) but it's still an interesting piece of Kirby history. The table designs are simple but they did a nice job integrating Kirby elements and the boss battles are pretty fun. If I didn't have nostalgia for the game, it would've been a hard sell though...

I'll vouch for Kirby's Block Ball.  I had it as a kid and it was always really fun.  However, my memories of it and Kirby's Pinball Land are kinda mixed up, but I'm pretty sure I had a lot of fun with both.

I was pretty much already planning on getting Kirby Block Ball, Pinball Land and Star Stacker regardless of quality. I've never played any of them and, although I don't have high expectations for them to be an incredible gaming experience, I'd like to at least try them out and play them in an effort to play through all Kirby games. Playing the 20th Anniversary collection has revealed that as much as I consider myself a big Kirby fan there are still a lot of Kirby games I've yet to get around to ever playing. Meanwhile, I've played and completed a lot more games for other characters like Mario or Donkey Kong. Tilt N' Tumble may be the hardest for me to track down and play at this point (which is too bad since the 3DS had gyro capabilities. Where was the Tilt N' Tumble release or WarioWare: Twisted for 3DS?). So, while I expect these are probably titles recommended for fans of a certain type of gameplay of character, as a fan of Kirby I suppose they fall under that category so I'll get them. Maybe I'll even post an update about them in this thread someday.

these are the games I enjoyed playing and think are some of the best on the eshop.

Castlevania: The Adventure

I don’t remember if I played Castlevania: The Adventure. I’m an old man; my memory isn’t what it used to be. I may have tried it second-hand at Play ‘N Trade, but I know I never owned it. Castlevania: The Adventure is generally not looked upon favorably.

Gargoyle's Quest and Kirby's Dream Land 1 are also really good.

Gargoyle's Quest - This game was a letdown to me...  If you can grab one of the NES/SNES sequels instead, I'd recommend skipping this one and going that route.

1 yay and 1 nay for those two titles. Anyone else want to way in or elaborate more?

[BeautifulShy]

Quote from BeautifulShy.  I would say the Kirby games, DK '94 and Dr. Mario are the best games from that list.

I was mainly comparing the Game Boy games to themselves within the 3DS Game Boy eshop library.

Quote from: Mop it up on Yesterday at 11:00:58 AM
Dr. Mario
As far as I can tell, there is nothing unique about this version of Dr. Mario to make it worth getting over the 3DS version.
Not Recommended

As someone who hasn't played the 3DS version of Dr. Mario I can't really compare the two. I imagine since it is newer it will have all sorts of newer things and improvements to the formula which I can't really comment on at the moment.

Quote from Khushrenada. We got ourselves a difference of opinion here. So, I've got to ask BeautifulShy, what makes this version of Dr. Mario so good. As Mop it up points out, there are other Dr. Mario options available if you are a 3DS user. Is it nostalgia? Let's say a person who hasn't played Dr. Mario games before was looking to get a game or two in the series. Would you say this title is one they really should get or should play in that series? To me, it seems weird to play this game in black and white considering it's always been based around that three color idea of red, yellow and blue viruses.

I think I like this version because it is just the main fundamentals of the game and I always pictured puzzle games are better on the go in the portable format. While the NES version came out roughly two months before the Game Boy version in North America I always pictured Dr. Mario for portable systems.  As far as the black and white colors I find it makes it easy to match up things with the white colors, the black colors and the little mix of the two for the 3rd color.    Now if you are asking me if Dr. Mario on Game Boy is the best version of Dr. Mario I would say no. That honor goes to Dr. Mario 64.   

[Khushrenada]

these are the games I enjoyed playing and think are some of the best on the eshop.

Burgertime Deluxe

So far you are the only person to mention Burgertime Deluxe and you list as one of the best. Care to explain more about what the game is and why you like it that much?

Bionic Commando - Maybe it's nostalgia talking, but this game plays well and the old Bionic Commando formula is still a lot of fun. I'd give it a recommendation - although I'm not sure this one does anything to stand out if you already have the NES version somewhere.

I do not know what the Bionic Commando formula is nor have a played any game in the series. It sounds like if I were to try this series out, however, you would not recommend the GB version as the entry point for it. Or am I off on that? Wasn't there something in this series released for the Switch around the time of its launch or was that a different series?

Also,

Avenging Spirit can be a fun time as well.

Avenging Spirit - Hadn't played this before virtual console, and was very pleasantly surprised. The story is a little bit weird, and the platforming design is decidedly old-school in some aspects. However, the ability to jump into any body you want at any time (or maybe even stay incorporeal for a short time to skip through a tough spot) is really neat! Not for everyone, but if you enjoy old school platforming this game is worth checking out.

What do you mean by old-school aspect or platforming? You've got me mildly intrigued by this but not exactly sold on it.


Finally, no has yet to comment on these games:

Adventure Island
Baseball
Double Dragon
Fortified Zone
Golf
Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters
Kirby's Star Stacker

From what I recall at the time of the 3DS Virtual Console launch, Baseball and Golf were pretty barebones types of games and I think were pretty much considered something to skip unless you really needed some kind of golf or baseball fix at the time or were somehow nostalgic for those particular games. So, I wouldn't be surprised if no one here bothered to download or try those games out for themselves. Likewise, Adventure Island and Double Dragon may have been considered inferior to a console version of these games but I can't recall anything about them for sure. I have no idea what Fortified Zone is but I guess I'll just look that one up at this point for more info. Very surprised that no one has had anything to say about Kid Icarus though. And despite all the Kirby talk, no mention about Star Stacker which looks like it could be a puzzle game on par with Yoshi.

[Khushrenada]

I think I like this version because it is just the main fundamentals of the game and I always pictured puzzle games are better on the go in the portable format. While the NES version came out roughly two months before the Game Boy version in North America I always pictured Dr. Mario for portable systems.  As far as the black and white colors I find it makes it easy to match up things with the white colors, the black colors and the little mix of the two for the 3rd color.    Now if you are asking me if Dr. Mario on Game Boy is the best version of Dr. Mario I would say no. That honor goes to Dr. Mario 64.   

But I take it you still consider Dr. Mario on Game Boy a title worth adding to ones collection based on its game play along with the portability aspect helping to make it a better entry in the series?

[Khushrenada]

Game & Watch Gallery
There are four games included here, and they have both re-creations of the original Game and Watch units as well as "modern" versions featuring updated graphics and physics with Mario characters, and the gameplay runs more smoothly and is typically more forgiving. The games are Fire, Manhole, Octopus, and Oil Panic. These can be fun if you're into chasing high-scores, but otherwise it won't keep you entertained for long. Once again, sadly no Super Game Boy feature, which is a shame as it looked really nice.
Recommended for Kairon

I've got the physical copy of Game and Watch Gallery 3 for my Pocket Game Boy. It is the only physical game I have for it besides Super Mario Land. Because of that, I did sink a lot of time into that game so I feel I know what another Game and Watch Gallery would be like. Your feelings on this first one are pretty much exactly what I think of the G&WG3. The remakes of the games with Mario characters seemed to control much better then the original yet at the end of the day they are still the same game. Gallery 3 had unlockables giving a point to trying to best one's score and sometimes those unlockables were another Game and Watch game that wasn't featured as one of the main title games along with other factoids and hints. That said, it still didn't make the game that much more compelling or add much more purpose aside from just trying to reach that goal and get a high score. While I appreciate the idea of going and looking back at these early video games from Nintendo through the Game and Watch line, ultimately, I find myself tiring of them quickly. While playing a rather simple game can be nice on occasion, I find these more of a novelty. Something you might pick up and try to play for a little bit as a challenge but then soon tire of and not come back to a for a couple years. Definitely a Recommended for Kairon game based on my Gallery 3 experience.

[BeautifulShy]

I think I like this version because it is just the main fundamentals of the game and I always pictured puzzle games are better on the go in the portable format. While the NES version came out roughly two months before the Game Boy version in North America I always pictured Dr. Mario for portable systems.  As far as the black and white colors I find it makes it easy to match up things with the white colors, the black colors and the little mix of the two for the 3rd color.    Now if you are asking me if Dr. Mario on Game Boy is the best version of Dr. Mario I would say no. That honor goes to Dr. Mario 64.   

But I take it you still consider Dr. Mario on Game Boy a title worth adding to ones collection based on its game play along with the portability aspect helping to make it a better entry in the series?

Yes.

[BeautifulShy]

Game & Watch Gallery
There are four games included here, and they have both re-creations of the original Game and Watch units as well as "modern" versions featuring updated graphics and physics with Mario characters, and the gameplay runs more smoothly and is typically more forgiving. The games are Fire, Manhole, Octopus, and Oil Panic. These can be fun if you're into chasing high-scores, but otherwise it won't keep you entertained for long. Once again, sadly no Super Game Boy feature, which is a shame as it looked really nice.
Recommended for Kairon

I've got the physical copy of Game and Watch Gallery 3 for my Pocket Game Boy. It is the only physical game I have for it besides Super Mario Land. Because of that, I did sink a lot of time into that game so I feel I know what another Game and Watch Gallery would be like. Your feelings on this first one are pretty much exactly what I think of the G&WG3. The remakes of the games with Mario characters seemed to control much better then the original yet at the end of the day they are still the same game. Gallery 3 had unlockables giving a point to trying to best one's score and sometimes those unlockables were another Game and Watch game that wasn't featured as one of the main title games along with other factoids and hints. That said, it still didn't make the game that much more compelling or add much more purpose aside from just trying to reach that goal and get a high score. While I appreciate the idea of going and looking back at these early video games from Nintendo through the Game and Watch line, ultimately, I find myself tiring of them quickly. While playing a rather simple game can be nice on occasion, I find these more of a novelty. Something you might pick up and try to play for a little bit as a challenge but then soon tire of and not come back to a for a couple years. Definitely a Recommended for Kairon game based on my Gallery 3 experience.

Game and Watch Gallery 2 is the best game in the series because there is content from G&WG1 and 3.

[ejamer]

I do not know what the Bionic Commando formula is nor have a played any game in the series. It sounds like if I were to try this series out, however, you would not recommend the GB version as the entry point for it. Or am I off on that? Wasn't there something in this series released for the Switch around the time of its launch or was that a different series?

Bionic Commando is a platforming game with a twist - you can't jump. Instead you have a grappling hook for an arm, which can be used to stun enemies, climb platforms, and with some careful timing you can swing along a length of ceiling to reach new areas.

This style of gameplay works well, the controls are decent, and as GameBoy titles go it's a solid addition. The only reason I don't recommend it outright is that the GameBoy screen is very small - playing the NES release instead gives you a wider field of vision. (That said, I'm not sure offhand about availability of the NES version. If you can't easily get it, then the GameBoy release is pretty good.)

Not sure around Switch release, but there was a (terrible) 3D remake at one point for XBox 360 and PS3 that is worth avoiding.

Avenging Spirit
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What do you mean by old-school aspect or platforming? You've got me mildly intrigued by this but not exactly sold on it.

Even though it's an action game, you spend a lot of time jumping around from platform to platform trying to get through stages. This works well because each different body you can possess has different jumping physics and attack methods. However, when I say old-school it's because the game controls a bit awkwardly and some things aren't intuitive when you start playing - it takes experimentation to get the most from the game.

Finally, no has yet to comment on these games:
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Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters
.... Very surprised that no one has had anything to say about Kid Icarus though.
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I played the original. It's another case of staying pretty true to the NES original in a slightly smaller version. If you are using the 3DS then you'd be better off just getting the Kid Icarus 3D Classics game off the eShop.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the GameBoy version of Kid Icarus... but there is also nothing that I recall that would make you choose it over the 3D Classics release.