Category: Game&Watch/Handheld

Epoch Bubble Bobble LCD – Arcade in the palm of your hand?

I picked this Epoch Bubble Bobble LCD up a few weeks back, and I thought it was well worth a post as I’d never seen one before achat viagra 10 mg. I can’t actually recall where I snagged this from – which shows you that I may have a buying problem – but was cheap enough, and the fact that it’s still sealed and unused definitely made it a must buy.

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Epoch released some great LCD and VFD based games in the 1980s, but this particular game was released in 2005. Even though it’s not exactly vintage it’s still quite sort after, and it’s not unheard of to see them selling for around the $60.

I have not cracked this one open to try it out, and in all honesty I probably won’t, but if you’re keen to see it in action, a great Youtuber by the name of ‘Showagamer has a video of it running.

Not quite the arcade classic by any means, but neither was Nintendo’s Donkey Kong Game & Watch – that didn’t make it any less of a great handheld. ?

Bandai Wonderswan – Gameboy, what Gameboy?

The Bandai Wonderswan is an interesting little handheld that experienced a fair amount of success, albeit for a short period of time. The Wonderswan series debuted in 1999, but was discontinued in 2003.

Did it shine bright for a short period, or did it simply have trouble keeping up with the Gameboy and NeoGeo Pocket? 😀

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Developed in unison by Koto and Bandai, the Wonderswan did in fact have quite a bit of success over here in Japan, and although it didn’t knock the Gameboy out of the water it did take close to 10% of the market share away from the giant Nintendo.

An interesting fact when talking about the Nintendo/Bandai rivalry is that Koto (the comapny working together with Bandai on the Wonderswan) was actually Gunpei Yokoi’s company – Gunpei Yokoi being the creative mind behind the Gameboy. Gunpei Yokoi seemed to like a fight he could win – don’t we all! 😀

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The first in the series was the Black and White version of the Bandai Wonderswan (pictured above) released in 1999. The controller setup allowed games to either be oriented horizontally or vertically. Quite an interesting concept, specially when it came to puzzle games and more action oriented titles.

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The Bandai Wonderswan Color (pictured above) was released just one short year after the Wonderswan Black and White. The Wonderswan Color received a good amount of success, and had the support of large 3rd part developers at the time. It not only featured a colour screen, but also it was beefed up in every respect hardware wise.

bandai-wonderswan-game-2 bandai-wonderswan-bw Wonderswan Color – Left. Wonderswan Black and White – Right.

There was actually another Wonderswan released in 2003 called the SwanCrystal. Unfortunately I do not have this one to show you, but it features an upgraded screen, more ram, and a reduced battery life. It was so damn ugly compared with the previous versions as well. 😀

The Bandai Wonderswan series came in a wide range of colours. My small hoard shows you just a few of the colours available.

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An interesting design idea was the way in which the single AA sized battery fits into the unit. It uses a housing that simply slots into the back of the Wonderswan giving the Black and White 40 hours of gameplay, the Color 20 hours, and the SwanCrystal 15 hours.

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Unfortunately there is an area in which the Bandai Wonderswan falls flat for most people buying, and that would be the selection of games available. It’s not that the games completely stink by any means, it’s just that a player would need a very good command of Japanese to be able to play most of the titles available for the system. There are some action and puzzle games that don’t require too much Japanese to be able to progress, but the majority of games available for the unit are JRPGs or text intensive titles like RTSs.

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Admittedly the Bandai Wonderswan is the last machine I tend to turn to when I’m heading to the toilet for a quick game (well, quick game and number two release). It’s not that it’s bad at all, it’s just that the games available don’t really appeal to me personally – specially with my crap Japanese ability.

These can be picked up cheap these days, so they are definitely worth having in a collection, but they are more ornamental than functional. 😀

Donkey Kong Game & Watch – Yay the D-Pad!

Ninendo’s Donkey Kong Game & Watch was the very first Game & Watch I had when I was a kid. I loved this thing more than life itself, which is why I still kick myself for swapping it for a Mickey & Donald Game & Watch at some point. It must have been some older kid talking me into it…. I can’t remember what actually went down in regards to the deal itself, but I do hope I got something in addition to that Mickey & Donald.

Anyway, being in Japan (the country with arguably the cheapest Game & Watches in the world), I could not think of a reason not to buy one again. And if you’re going to buy Donkey Kong, why not buy Donkey Kong II as well!

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Released in 1982, Donkey Kong was revolutionary for a number of reasons, but most notable would have to be the D-Pad. This was the first time the cross style D-Pad (developed by Gunpei Yokoi) had appeared on any gaming device, and subsequently won Nintendo a Technology & Engineering Emmy Award (wiki). As many of you have probably read on my other posts, I am hard on the companies that used the D-Pad on the right side, and Nintendo really did set a standard by having them on the left – Donkey Kong Game & Watch was really a leader.

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When it comes to story, Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong II were very different games (that’s if you think them to have a story at all of course). In Donkey Kong you are Mario (at least I think it’s Mario) and you have to save the hot girl with beautiful long legs, creamy complexion, long flowing hair draped over her firm…. (sorry about that, childhood imagination taking over for a second), and in Donkey Kong II you must play as Donkey Kong Jr. to save Donkey Kong.

Both games are extremely playable in their own right, but Donkey Kong II is much more difficult to conquer. Those of you that have played these games on an emulator really don’t understand what these games are about. I have tried many different emulations out there (including the one for the Nintendo DS) and none of them come close to the feel of the real thing. Due to hardware limitations, these machines almost seem to have a life of their own.

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I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed picking up Donkey Kong again after a 25 year break. The memories that flooded back when clicking open that second screen, hearing that first beep, and making Donkey Kong fall were incredible! 😀

Tomy Slimboy Racing LCD

The Tomy Slimboy Racing is a very interesting little handheld. Some of the features on this machine would have been great on some of the Nintendo Game & Watches. Does it match up to the Nintendo classics though? I don’t want to spoil the ending, but in a word, no. 🙂

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As I mentioned, there are features on the Tomy Slimboy Racing that would have been very welcomed on many Nintendo handhelds of the same era. The first of these features would be the screwed in battery cover. How often do we see Nintendo Game & Watches with missing battery covers?

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The next feature on the Slimboy Racing that I would have liked to have see on many of the LCD handhelds from the same period is an on/off switch. The Slimboy Racing also has more than the usual 2 game modes that can be found on most Nintendo LCDs.

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So what about the gameplay? Well first off there are many game modes to choose from. For example the easier game modes don’t actually require you to steer around the corners, you only need to accelerate, brake and pass. In the more advanced game modes you must not only brake, accelerate, and pass, but also steer around each corner. It can get quite challenging. There are other game modes in which you are racing in a straight line rather than the speedway style of track too. It’s quite impressive how much they crammed in.

One thing that I have to mention is the sound. The sound is actually quite good for reflecting the speed of your car, but man does it get annoying.

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All up I don’t mind this game. I wouldn’t trade my Nintendo Game & Watches for it, but it’s unique and playable. If you can find one cheap enough, I say buy it! Speaking of buying it, I am pretty sure that there was an AussieArcade member that wanted this a while back, but I can’t remember who it was… Let me know if you read this. 😀

Bandai Solar LCD – Akuryo no Yakata and Hikyo Amazon – Clean Energy from the 80s!

What with the icecaps melting (or freezing – not sure if they’ve decided yet), what better way to show that you care about the earth than to play video games harnessing the power of the sun. Skin cancer is just a small price to pay when you have such a powerful sense of well-being. 😀

How do you get vitamin E, and play games guilt free? The answer is Bandai Solar LCD!

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These games aren’t just special because of the solar energy usage though, they are special in the way that they have two layered LCD screens. Think of the Nintendo’s double screen, but instead of having one screen on the top half and one screen on the bottom half of the console, you have both screens layered over each other.

If you take a look at the following pictures you can see how the screen changes depending on which stage of the game you are playing. Kind of like having two screens in one.

Hikyo Amazon
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Akuryo no Yakata
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These are extremely fun little games to play. My pick of the two would have to be Akuryo no Yakata though – stabbing monsters is just plain nice for some reason.

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The most common question I get about these would have to be regarding the amount of light they need to work. Well I’m happy to report that it’s actually very small. You will definitely be not able to play them in a dimly lit room, but as they aren’t backlit screens anyway (of course), chances are you would have a light source at the ready just to see what you’re doing.

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The controller does take a bit of getting used to. Nintendo really changed the game having the D-Pad on the left, and it didn’t really catch on with all the game companies early on. Once you do get used to them they are functional, albeit in a fragile kind of way.

I am pretty sure these were only released in Japan (please correct me if I’m wrong there), but if you can find one in your neck of the woods I’d definitely recommend giving them a try, even if it’s only to try and fit in with your Prius driving acquaintances. 😀

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