Game Boy / Color / Advance Collecting |OT| Now you're playing with power; PORTABLE POWER!

[Deleted member 135]

If anyone wants to come up with a better OT I will gladly replace this one. I don't have a lot of time to write a new one.

This is the thread dedicated to the collecting of all things under the label of Game Boy (OG, Color and Advance). 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

Game Boy

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

Game Boy Color

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

Game Boy Advance

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. Game Boy 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!
Game Boy (And other system) System Variations
Game Boy modding resource and Everdrives
Visual guide for spotting fake GBA games by Prateeko

Retro Collecting Threads:

Retro General
Retro AV Thread
Sega Master System
Sega Genesis/Megadrive
Sega CD/Mega CD
Sega Saturn
Sega Dreamcast
Nintendo Entertainment System
Nintendo 64
GameCube


Yes, this thread is the same that tiggerkiddo posted before, that's only temporary. I will be making a new OP soon.

 

[Fularu]

Tagged for GBA goodness and to mention that I still play og GB Tetris daily (well not og but version 1.1 with the good music)

 

[Deleted member 135]

I got myself an Everdrive GBA and backlit OG GBA recently and it's so nice to have all of my GBA, GB/C, and NES games in one place

 

[apathetic]

I really want to get one of the backlit gameboy pockets. Time to check ebay again.

 

[aidan]

My baby:

It's been wonderful to rediscover the GB/A library this year. Not that I'd forgotten how great it was, but it's always a delight to spend time with my favourites.

 

[THErest]

^Gorgeous. Reminder that I still need to finish Mother 3 on mine. And Riviera. And FFV. And everything, pretty much.

 

[aidan]

^Gorgeous. Reminder that I still need to finish Mother 3 on mine. And Riviera. And FFV. And everything, pretty much.

Click to shrink...

I used it as an excuse to play Mother 3 for the first time. Wonderful game!

 

[Cloggerdude]

Yeah, I need to play through Mother 3 too. I've had a repo cart forever now.

Also, glad to see this thread.

 

[Deleted member 135]

The B button on my backlit GBA needs a bit more force then normal to press, I am going to have to open it up again... I hate doing that.

 

[aidan]

The B button on my backlit GBA needs a bit more force then normal to press, I am going to have to open it up again... I hate doing that.

Click to shrink...

No matter how careful, I always seem to get dust between the screen and the lens when I open mine up. Sigh.

 

[Deleted member 135]

No matter how careful, I always seem to get dust between the screen and the lens when I open mine up. Sigh.

Click to shrink...

I know! And I don't even move the screen!

 

[Tenrius]

I'm still rocking my GBA SP AGS-101. The body is kinda battered, but it's the screen that matters!

I also have this thing that I have to blow into L and R to make them work after not playing the GBA for a while. Sometimes it take a while, which is annoying.

 

[OrangeAtlas]

Just picked up one of these the other day:

It's been kind of my dream to own a special edition Pokemon Gameboy for quite a while so I'm ecstatic to finally have picked one up.

My white whale is still the Pikachu N64. They had one at the same retro sale I grabbed that at, but it was pricey and missing a bunch of stuff.

 

[Kanjiology]

I know it's kinda looked down on, but I picked up a device called the "GB Boy Colour" on eBay for around $40. I bought it because I wanted to play my Gameboy Color but couldn't go back to using a wormlight and wanted to play it portably. The screen ratio is a tad off, and the buttons are not as good, but the backlight is pretty nice, its how I play my Gameboy/Gameboy Color games now.

 

[forpush]

finally bit the bullet on one of these last year and I've been slowly building back up my collection of GB/A games. I sold most of them years ago to my great shame and regret, but getting some of my favourites such as the Castlevanias has been nothing if not fruitless. Those games got expensive, damnit!

 

[apathetic]

The hardest part about getting a fully modded backlit original GBA is picking out out the shell color...god damn why does there have to be so many good choices...

 

[Deleted member 135]

Just a heads up the Saturn, Dreamcast, and GameCube retro threads are up and linked in the OP now.

 

[qq more]

My baby:

It's been wonderful to rediscover the GB/A library this year. Not that I'd forgotten how great it was, but it's always a delight to spend time with my favourites.

Click to shrink...

Damn, that looks way brighter and nicer than the OG GBA backlit mod I have. How much did it cost you?

 

[Lardonate]

Really need to up my GB collecting in general, have one of each of the different hardware units, about 50 games spread over them. Favourites to play on are the Pocket and the Famicom SP that I did an AGS-101 screen swap on.

 

[Morfeo]

Love the original Game Boy, and also own a Color, an SP and of course the Game Boy Player which is the best way to play these imo.

 

[Portmanteau]

If one were to create a "must play" list of games in any genre for the GBA, what would they be?

Asking for, uh, a friend.

 

[hypostatic]

If one were to create a "must play" list of games in any genre for the GBA, what would they be?

Asking for, uh, a friend.

Click to shrink...

My list:

Advance Wars
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
Legend of Zelda: Minish Cap

 

[forpush]

If one were to create a "must play" list of games in any genre for the GBA, what would they be?

Asking for, uh, a friend.

Click to shrink...

Castlevania HoD/AoS
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
Minish Cap
Metroid Zero Mission
Zone of the Enders Fist of Mars (not exactly essential, but it's a favourite, and not many people have played it)
Wario Land 4

 

[Deleted member 135]

Metroid Fusion
Pokémon Emerald

 

[dubc]

I have a DS Lite but have been wanting a GBA SP AGS-101. Unfortunately, Ebay seems to be a total S show for GBA stuff. Any recommendations for reputable sellers, or another place to look?

 

[brambles13]

If one were to create a "must play" list of games in any genre for the GBA, what would they be?

Asking for, uh, a friend.

Click to shrink...

I won't include ports here, original games only.

Fire Emblem (all 3 of them) - The peak of the series imo and excellent games.
Advance Wars (both of them) - Extremely addictive and at times fiendishly difficult.
Astro Boy - Just an epic game that nobody talks about really
Legend of Zelda; Minish Cap - Not the best in the series but still fun
Metroid (both of them)
Castlevania AoS
Wario Land 4 - Great game from a series that Nintendo seems to have forgotten
Mario - Luigi Superstar Saga - This got remade on 3DS recently though, I haven't played the remake.
Sonic Advance Trilogy - Best post-Genesis games in the series until Mania came out. This is just my opinion and many may disagree.
Metal Slug - Not much to say here, if you like run and gun games then give it a shot.
Gunstar Super Heroes - A great but short game. Beautiful to look at too.

Note I personally didn't like FFTa at all but a lot of people think it is excellent. I just think it is completely outclassed by Fire Emblem and Advance Wars. Obviously if you like Pokemon then they are essential but you probably already know where you stand on that point. I have never played Drill Dozer but have heard it is also a must-play.

 

[Forkball]

Three GBA recommendation posts and no Golden Sun. I thought you guys were cool!

I'm hoping the Switch VC includes GB games. I'm having the urge to play DK94 after visiting New Donk City.

 

[brambles13]

Three GBA recommendation posts and no Golden Sun. I thought you guys were cool!

I'm hoping the Switch VC includes GB games. I'm having the urge to play DK94 after visiting New Donk City.

Click to shrink...

I played and beat both of them. They are good games but not essential imo. Crazy impressive for portables in 2001 though.

 

[Rich]

Thought I'd share here the backlit GBC I built (ags101 screen, Bennvenn adapter)

Full gallery: https://imgur.com/a/UZ8Y1

It's a shame that so many people dismissed the mod as not worth it after watching the terrible video by thisdoesnotcompute on YouTube (didn't even follow the instructions, rushed it and messed it up). As long as you order a pre-cut shell from Bennvenn and do the install correctly it works perfectly and fits fine. I used clear epoxy to seal the top half.

 

[Morfeo]

Wario Land 4 is a true masterpiece. Such a great game.

 

[dubc]

Game Boy modding resource and Everdrives

Click to shrink...

Has anyone bought a built to order GBA SP on this site, or any other GBA's for that matter? I'm thinking this might be a better route than ebay; pricey though. I think I'll check some local game stores for an AGS-101 first.

 

[aidan]

Damn, that looks way brighter and nicer than the OG GBA backlit mod I have. How much did it cost you?

Click to shrink...

Thanks! I used BennVenn's voltage regulator, which squeezes a lot of extra brightness out of the screen. I built it myself, rather than buying it premodded, and didn't keep track of the price of parts. I'd estimate it was around $130 USD for the old GBA, screen, voltage regulator, case/buttons. I'd never done anything similar before, but learning to solder was pretty easy (even if some of the contact points were tiny.)

Thought I'd share here the backlit GBC I built (ags101 screen, Bennvenn adapter)

Full gallery: https://imgur.com/a/UZ8Y1

It's a shame that so many people dismissed the mod as not worth it after watching the terrible video by thisdoesnotcompute on YouTube (didn't even follow the instructions, rushed it and messed it up). As long as you order a pre-cut shell from Bennvenn and do the install correctly it works perfectly and fits fine. I used clear epoxy to seal the top half.

Click to shrink...

Thanks for posting this. It's gorgeous.

I'll admit that I was one of the people turned off the project by that video. Seemed clunky and flawed. Being able to buy a pre-cut shell makes all the difference, too.

 

[Gozert]

Thought I'd share here the backlit GBC I built (ags101 screen, Bennvenn adapter)

Full gallery: https://imgur.com/a/UZ8Y1

It's a shame that so many people dismissed the mod as not worth it after watching the terrible video by thisdoesnotcompute on YouTube (didn't even follow the instructions, rushed it and messed it up). As long as you order a pre-cut shell from Bennvenn and do the install correctly it works perfectly and fits fine. I used clear epoxy to seal the top half.

Click to shrink...

Wow, this looks amazing! Thanks for the heads up on the pre-cut shells. This is definitely worth looking into. I also want to mod my DMG, but the Olive Green backlight hasn't been available for a while.

 

[Rich]

Wow, this looks amazing! Thanks for the heads up on the pre-cut shells. This is definitely worth looking into. I also want to mod my DMG, but the Olive Green backlight hasn't been available for a while.

Click to shrink...

Thanks! And yeah, the ready to go shell made a significant difference. It was as simple as placing the screen into the shell, connecting the ribbon, screwing the board into place and soldering a wire. The step that took the longest was sanding down the power switch to half the height, and that's hardly difficult! I then used a small amount of clear epoxy and clamped it shut overnight.

AFAIK bennvenn's CNC machine has gone fubar recently, so he's not offering shells for the time being but I presume he will as soon as the machine is fixed.

 

[Deleted member 135]

Thanks! And yeah, the ready to go shell made a significant difference. It was as simple as placing the screen into the shell, connecting the ribbon, screwing the board into place and soldering a wire. The step that took the longest was sanding down the power switch to half the height, and that's hardly difficult! I then used a small amount of clear epoxy and clamped it shut overnight.

AFAIK bennvenn's CNC machine has gone fubar recently, so he's not offering shells for the time being but I presume he will as soon as the machine is fixed.

Click to shrink...

Damn, I'll need to get on this. Do you know if he offers Special Pikachu Edition shells for this?

Fucking Thisdoesnotcompute turned me off from this mod with that video initially, if he was that wrong I am unsubbing from him.

 

[Rich]

Damn, I'll need to get on this. Do you know if he offers Special Pikachu Edition shells for this?

Fucking Thisdoesnotcompute turned me off from this mod with that video initially, if he was that wrong I am unsubbing from him.

Click to shrink...

He offers whatever shell you wish, just send him a message via facebook with the aliexpress link or include it in the message when making your purchase. You're paying a bit extra ($20) but the shell is ready to go. To make it clear though, I would definitely advise against the mod if you have to do the casing modification by hand. You are not going to be able to do it to the extent or accuracy required unless you're a robot.

I got the glass lens custom made from https://www.bluishsquirrel.co.uk/ - he does designs on request for every Game Boy model. Awesome if you're looking for a unique look when building a backlit GBA.

edit: aha! great timing: https://www.facebook.com/BennVennElectronics/posts/1482535178526597

BennVenn
35 shots o' rum ago ·
The CNC mill is operational! Finishing up the GBC shells now, then I'll get the ElcheapoSD cases done. Once I've finished those I'll add the pre-modded GBC shells to the store as well as fully built backlit GBC's.

Click to shrink...

 

[Portmanteau]

Thought I'd share here the backlit GBC I built (ags101 screen, Bennvenn adapter)

Full gallery: https://imgur.com/a/UZ8Y1

It's a shame that so many people dismissed the mod as not worth it after watching the terrible video by thisdoesnotcompute on YouTube (didn't even follow the instructions, rushed it and messed it up). As long as you order a pre-cut shell from Bennvenn and do the install correctly it works perfectly and fits fine. I used clear epoxy to seal the top half.

Click to shrink...

This is fucking AWESOME. Well done.

To the people who gave recommendations - seems like I need to play Wario Land 4.

 

[브라이언]

Probably not the right thread but I'm looking to get my sister a SP and came upon a post here - https://www.dkoldies.com/blog/how-to-spot-fake-game-boy-advance-sp-systems-and-why-they-suck/

Is it true that all SPs must have a barcode or is it just a scare tactic to buy from their website?

 

[Joe_Bush]

Thought I'd share here the backlit GBC I built (ags101 screen, Bennvenn adapter)

Full gallery: https://imgur.com/a/UZ8Y1

It's a shame that so many people dismissed the mod as not worth it after watching the terrible video by thisdoesnotcompute on YouTube (didn't even follow the instructions, rushed it and messed it up). As long as you order a pre-cut shell from Bennvenn and do the install correctly it works perfectly and fits fine. I used clear epoxy to seal the top half.

Click to shrink...

That looks so good! I tried my hand at modding a GBC like two years ago and ended up breaking the screen, but seeing this makes me want to try again.

And, yes, Wario Land 4 is great. It's a little short, but after years of swearing it off due to the fact that it had a life bar, I tried it during like 2013 and couldn't put it down. It's just as good as 2 and 3, and the metroid-like level escape mechanic works pretty well.

 

[Rich]

Wario Land 4 is amazing, but WL3 is still my favourite of the series.

Wario Land 1 was the first game I ever bought, purely by chance, back in 1994. Wario Land 2 was fantastic and I followed all the news and previews of WL3 right up to release day in 2000. I bought the game at my local Toys R Us on release day in the morning, went to the local park and sat in the sun playing it until night (yeah, I bunked off school for the day. wario is too important)

I remember playing through the game 100% and then immediately starting it again.

what an experience.

 

[makewayfordre]

Probably not the right thread but I'm looking to get my sister a SP and came upon a post here - https://www.dkoldies.com/blog/how-to-spot-fake-game-boy-advance-sp-systems-and-why-they-suck/

Is it true that all SPs must have a barcode or is it just a scare tactic to buy from their website?

Click to shrink...

You should look up photos and compare the stickers. In this case, not all the systems have barcodes. Probably specific to US SPs.

 

[Shadow Hog]

I swear I see a line missing at the bottom of that Tetris DX screen, and it is bothering the crap outta me

 

[Rich]

I swear I see a line missing at the bottom of that Tetris DX screen, and it is bothering the crap outta me

Click to shrink...

It's the angle I took the photo at.

 

[coughlanio]

I've been considering offloading some of my Japanese rarities/uncommons for Game Boy for a while now, would anyone here be interested in anything? If so, I can put a post up in the B/S/T thread. I have stuff like Earth Liberation Force: Jiasu, Trip World, and a tonne more. Also have some extra backlit Game Boys in mint-condition.

 

[milkham]

Also have some extra backlit Game Boys in mint-condition.

Click to shrink...

Are those DMGs or Pockets?

I've seriously been bitten by the retro bug

I picked up a pink ags-101 that the seller thought had a damaged ribbon cable but the power switch just needed some cleaning, and I did my first re-shell with it. Lining up the new lens with the lcd and getting it all to fit in the right position was kind of a nightmare for me but it looks pretty good.

I ordered an extra AGB to do an LCD mod for a friend as a christmas present but it came in such good condition I couldn't bear to open it. It looks like it was never used and the seller threw in a copy of mega man battle network that I wasn't expecting

So I ordered another one. Screen and new shell are on the way as well.

I also picked up my first Pocket and I love the form factor. I'm tempted to do the backlight mod.

I have a 15 dollar Gameboy Color on the way to me as well

 

[Deleted member 135]

Does anyone have any experience with the prebuilt backlit modded GBCs from RetroModding?

I think I am going to use some of my tax money next year to get or make a backlit GBC because I feel it's the best way to play the first three Pokémon titles.

 

[aidan]

Does anyone have any experience with the prebuilt backlit modded GBCs from RetroModding?

I think I am going to use some of my tax money next year to get or make a backlit GBC because I feel it's the best way to play the first three Pokémon titles.

Click to shrink...

I don't have any experience with their pre-built machines, but I ordered most of the parts for my DYI AGS-101 mod from RetroModding and had a great experience with them.

 

[Putosaure]

I want to punch me in the face right now. I think I got rid of my GB Micro charger by mistake. Is there any way to get an official one online, safely ? Don't want to fry my Famicom Micro with a chinese bootleg :(

 

[aidan]

I want to punch me in the face right now. I think I got rid of my GB Micro charger by mistake. Is there any way to get an official one online, safely ? Don't want to fry my Famicom Micro with a chinese bootleg :(

Click to shrink...

You *might* find something here: https://store.nintendo.com/ng3/browse/subcategory.jsp?categoryId=cat870406

Edit: On further looking, they've got Gamecube, 3DS, Wii, Wii U, S/NES Classic, but no gameboy stuff...

 

[MisterDaku]

To this day I kick myself over not having grabbed a GameBoy Micro when I had the chance.