Website Temporary Closed

Hello everyone. We are moving to a new, bigger premises so website ordering will be closed for the next month while we move everything to our new building, reorganise and do a full stock take. We will not be taking any orders or able to reply to any messages during this time. We will be open again at the start of December. Many thanks. Console Passion

Nintendo Gameboy

The Nintendo Gameboy was released in by Nintendo Japan in early 1989. It was the latest brainchild from Gunpei Yokoi, the genius behind Nintendo Game & Watch games. Gunpei also had several game writing credits to his CV at the time, the most notable was co-writing Donkey Kong, and the Nintendo CEO at the time was confident Gunpei would repeat his previous successes with the Gameboy.

The game came packaged with a simple, yet addictive puzzle game called Tetris. Consisting of different shaped bricks falling down the screen, the bricks had to be manipulated and moved by the player to create rows along the bottom of the game area. Once a row was completed it would disappear, freeing up space for more bricks to fall into.

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The now 'infamous' game was designed by by Alexey Pajitnov and written by Alexy & Dmitry Pavlovsky, two Russian Computer Science Engineers. Although the game is one of the most successful selling games of all time, both authors would have seen very little of the money from the Gameboy release as they lived in the Communist Soviet Union at the time, and any royalties would have gone straight to the Government (or allegedly the KGB).

The Gameboy was an instant hit, largely due to the Tetris game, but also because Nintendo promised ports of their best selling Donkey Kong, Zelda & Metroid games onto the new system. As with the Nintendo NES, Nintendo had no shortage of software developers waiting to make games for the new console. In its first year more than 100,000 consoles were sold in Japan alone, and it has gone on to be the biggest selling console of all time, racking up an amazing 168 million units worldwide.

However, these 168 million were not all the original incarnation of the Gameboy. Over the years, the console has experienced several transformations. Firstly to the Gameboy Pocket was released in 1996. This was essentially the same as the original Gameboy and had the same hardware inside, but it was smaller, sleeker and with a slightly clearer screen.

Next came the Gameboy Colour in 1998. This was the same layout, size and shape as the previous two Gameboys', but sported a colour screen, and a palette of 32,000 colours to choose from. Original Gameboy games were compatible with the Gameboy Colour, some even featuring enhancements, but Gameboy Colour games were not compatible with the original Gameboy.

2001 saw the release of the Gameboy Advance, a completely redesigned console with much more power & better graphics & sound. The most recent Gameboy Advance SP features (finally) a back-lit screen amongst its improvements.

Indeed, it was the lack of several features such as back lighting and colour that lead Sega to believe its handheld console, the Game Gear, would become more popular than the Gameboy. While the Game Gear was technically superior, had a more ergonomically pleasing shape and a larger colour screen, it lacked the game catalogue that the Gameboy had accumulated. That and the fact that its battery life was 1/5 of the Nintendo Gameboy saw its sad demise in 1997.

Several other consoles also attempted to Steal the Gameboys' crown as king of handhelds, but all fell short. The Neo Geo Pocket, Atari Lynx, Bandai Wonderswan and GP32 consoles have all failed to outsell the Gameboy. However, Sony have recently announced the imminent release of the PSP, which is almost as powerful as the PS2. Could this be the handheld to finally topple the Gameboy? Only time will tell.

As with any console, there are a number of add-ons you can buy. Not only did the Gameboy have link cables, magnifiers, back lighters, in car packs etc, but if you felt the need you could buy mini cameras, and tiny printers for your machine! Aside from the obvious with Tetris, notable games for me are Donkey Kong Land, Super Mario Land games, Zelda & the Pokemon games.

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Track Meet

Submitted by admin on Wed, 20/07/2011 - 15:32
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You take the lead! You're manoeuvring perfectly. You just might beat your smile-flashing opponent Jack Strop and go on to product endorsement stardom. But first, you have to get around the sneaky moves of I.B. Cheetin and 3 other power packed competitors. And not just in the toom but in the hurdles, javelin throw, pole vault, long jump, discus throw and weight lifting. This is no walk in the park - it's the world finals. And it takes more than sweat to be champion - it takes the strategic moves of a skilled athlete. So come on, suit up! The crowds are waiting.

Side Pocket

Submitted by admin on Wed, 20/07/2011 - 15:32
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Chalk-up and get ready for some cool pool action. Stroke a mean cue and you might just work your way into the big time in the Pocket Competition. Like all rookie hustlers, you'll start at Club Class. But with skill and a little luck you might just make it to City Class, State Class then World Class. It's a tough road - lots of balls to sink and trick shots to make. So grab a cue and hit the felt.

Solar Striker

Submitted by admin on Wed, 20/07/2011 - 15:32
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You are locked in a ferocious combat on an interstellar battlefield. Dodging and taking aim, alien rocketships stream past, circle and attack. There are too many to count! Fire, fire, fire! The enemies' first wave is repelled. A moment's rest and the attack begins again. Gather extra life and fire power from floating energy cells. Prepare to duel batwing fighters and insect spaceships, avoid churning energy fields, alien cruisers and more!

Pacman

Submitted by admin on Wed, 20/07/2011 - 15:32
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Revenge of the Gator

Submitted by admin on Wed, 20/07/2011 - 15:32
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'Gators galore! Eight scrolling screens - secret entrances to bonus areas - hungry 'Gators that unexpectedly swallow your ball and move it to a new screen - all in a package you can slip into a pocket and take with you anywhere. You'd need a pinball machine the size of the Everglades to hold all this excitement! King of the Bayou or 'Gator bait - this pinball game's got all the options!

Mickeys Dangerous Chase

Submitted by admin on Wed, 20/07/2011 - 15:32
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Who's got Minnie's missing present? Big Bad Pete is the culprit! He swiped Minnie's present and spoiled the surprise. Now Mickey's after him and the chase leads through some very dangerous places. Mickey meets barking bulldogs, slippery weasels, hairy tarantulas and even worse critters. Tricks, traps and collapsing escape routes make Mickey scurry. He scampers through his Hometown, into the Woods and up the Mountain. He chases Pete through a Factory and up to the Rooftops for a final showdown. Can you help Mickey stop Pete and get the missing present back? Better hurry!

Mcdonaldland

Submitted by admin on Wed, 20/07/2011 - 15:32
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Meet the MC kids, Mick and Mack…the coolest kids in McDonaldland. Now that Hamburglar has run of with Ronald's magic bag, the MC kids need tour help to find him. You'll need to move pretty fast to dodge the creatures, solve tricky puzzles and explore the secret levels of McDonaldland. If you're going to help the MC Kids track down Hamburglar, you're going to have to make some totally fresh moves of your own.

Garfield

Submitted by admin on Wed, 20/07/2011 - 15:32
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Near some ancient ruins under excavation, Garfield and Odie are playing together as usual. Suddenly the blocks at Garfield's feet crumble and he falls into an underground labyrinth! To escape from the labyrinth Garfield must find the hidden stars and open the magic doors. Will Garfield be able to make it back?

Mario and Yoshi

Submitted by admin on Wed, 20/07/2011 - 15:32
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It's racing Goombas, Bloobers and Boo Buddies! You have to help Mario cope with the airborne invasion! As the critters fall, catch them on trays. Switch and shuffle to save the day! Stack two of a kind and they both disappear. Or, capture the whole bunch in-between egg shells. When the egg shells match, out hatches Yoshi and up goes your score! The action heats up as the characters fall faster and faster. If your piles get too high, the game is over. Choose your difficulty level and play for a high score or challenge a friend in a head-to-head hatch-off.

Burger Time Deluxe

Submitted by admin on Wed, 20/07/2011 - 15:32
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But if you're looking for a little action, have we got the kitchen for you. A renegade band of giant, mutated fast food is after Chef Peter Pepper. Led by the biggest wiener of all time - Frank N. Furter - the Food Friends are out to get the chef and his world-famous Gigant-O-Burgers. It's a wild chase through 7 levels in the latest edition of the smash-hit BurgerTime series.

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