Game & Watch Gallery (aka: Gameboy Gallery)
This section of the Game & Watch Panorama is dedicated to the resurrection
effort by Nintendo of Japan and America of bringing back2 the Nintendo Game &
Watch's. Over the last few years Nintendo has since the Super Gameboy been
releasing packages of multiple Game & Watch games on the Gameboy. Along with
their original format games they also included a modernized version of the
title which would give you at least eight, if not dozens of games to play
around with in your spare time. This section is here to show you a bit about
these Gameboy game packages and let you know about how they work.
The basic conceptual design with all the versions of the Game & Watch Gallery
is the meeting of old and new. With each classic original you also get a new
modern version that has about the same gameplay of the original, but it is a
little more forgiving on some. As you play the unit will save your highest
scores, and for each 200 points you get a star. These stars as they are
collected will give you prizes that you can really look forward to. Some of
the prizes you will get are new hidden Game & Watch units to play not listed
in your manual. Other features that might just open up are museums with facts
on many units, musical scores, game play tips, and more. This added benefit
system really adds to the playing value of these titles. The only thing that
is missing from the original besides actually being the original is the lack
of the clock and alarm feature.
Gameboy Gallery
Gameboy Gallery
Super Gameboy
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Publisher: Nintendo
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Developer: Nintendo
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Players: One
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Released: Mid 1994
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Description:
This here is the game that started it all with the idea of placing old Game &
Watch games on the Gameboy. Oddly enough I'm sure you're surprised about this
game, but I am not as I know Nintendo did not feel the need to release it in
the United States. Gameboy Gallery as it is called appeared in Japan, Europe
(UK), and Australia, and to date the games listed below are titled that in
those respective countries. In this original package of games you were given
five extremely classic games, four which are Silver & Gold model, and the last
was a Wide Screen game. Here are the following games from the game pack:
- Ball
- Vermin
- Flagman
- Manhole
- (Mario's) Cement Factory
In this original start to what would become an on-going series of games much
is different than with the later games. In this game we get a very barebones
presentation that includes not too much. The game is highlighted with very
simple graphics (even outside of the Game & Watch games), only one looping
tune unless you prefer only LCD beeps, and a simple selector for Game A or B.
The most noticable difference though aside from above is the lack of the
"Modern" versions of the games in all the later releases. Overall this is a
nice package, but why didn't they call Mario's Cement Factory by its full name?
Was Nintendo ashamed that the little LCD man didn't look like Mario, the world
will never know.
Screenshots
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A pretty sterile menu presentation for this release.
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Here is a colorized original Manhole LCD game.
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Mario Cement Factory looks pretty good to me here.
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Game & Watch Gallery / Gameboy Gallery 2
Game & Watch Gallery
Super Gameboy
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Publisher: Nintendo
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Developer: Nintendo
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Players: One
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Released: Mid 1997
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Description:
Game & Watch Gallery, now I'm sure if you are a fan of the series in the
United States this one will be familiar to you unlike the game above. To
those who live in the United States this is the game that started it all on
the Super Gameboy. This release even if you have played later versions will
still feel much more familiar to you than Gameboy Gallery due to the way it is
presented as this format has stayed mostly unchanged since then. In this game
you are given only four games to work with which is the least of any of the
games in this series, and those games are:
- Manhole
- Fire
- Octopus
- Oil Panic
This game has a very nice graphical presentation value to it, especially in
how they figured out how to manage the Multi Screen games in this release.
Game & Watch Gallery is also the first in the line of these games to feature
the "Modern" versions of the old Game & Watch games. Each of the modern
versions in this title feature characters from the world of the SuperNES game
Super Mario World. Mario, Luigi, Princess Toadstool, Toad with various other
mushrooms, and King Koopa have fun in the updated versions of the classics.
In both the modern and classic versions of the games the design is exactly the
same so the only merit here is just the same as the originals which is to beat
your old score, or is it? As it actually happens to be there is a point to
playing the games more than just enjoying the classics or the modernized
versions. In this game the star system was first introduced and this opened
up a whole new world to the series early on. To earn these stars the player
either in Hard or Easy in the Classic or Modern versions had to rack up 200
points to get a star. As you play each additional 200 points would give you
another star. The challenge in getting the stars was that you had to keep
going up from the 200 point mark all the way to 1000 in one game to get all
five stars for that mode of play. As you earned more stars from the game
areas a Gallery Corner would then appear which was also first introduced into
this game and inside the museum made its first appearance. As you earned more
stars for each mode of play at a certain level a new museum entry would pop up
covering both hard and easy modes of the classic and modern game versions.
Screenshots
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Things begin to shape up. A nicer more familiar menu.
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Bombs away! In Oil Panic it is easy to slip up as you can see.
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Super Mario World friends and enemies go head to head.
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Game & Watch Gallery 2 / Gameboy Gallery 3
Game & Watch Gallery 2
Gameboy Color
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Publisher: Nintendo
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Developer: Nintendo
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Players: One
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Released: August 1998
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Description:
The second in the Game & Watch Gallery series for Americans, but the third for
everyone else. This title only in America ended up as a Gameboy Color launch
title, and it was a good one at that. The title originally was intended to be
a Super Gameboy game, which it was in Japan, but was colorized for the release
in America release (lucky for us). This game featured a total of six of the
original Game & Watch units, though one was hidden from the start. The games
included in this release are:
- Parachute
- Helmet
- Chef
- Vermin
- Donkey Kong
- Ball *Needs to be earned to played.
Each version of the games on this have a great modern version to go along side
them actually giving you a dozen games to play with overall. As you play this
game you will earn stars which count as points towards getting prizes. This
idea of collecting stars was first introduced in the previous version of the
Game & Watch Gallery series. The idea of the system was an added incentive to
the player to add even more fun and replay value to the game. When you got
enough stars special things would really begin to happened even moreso than in
the previous version of Game & Watch Gallery. When you have five stars the
Music Room will open up (Ball will be added in when you open that up). At ten
stars the Museum will open up with Donkey Kong added. Each game that is added
in this area will have a brief description of the game and a small moving mock
up of the LCD and unit. For every ten stars up to eighty you will get the
following games:
- 20 - Oil Panic
- 30 - Green House
- 40 - Life Boat
- 50 - Donkey Kong Jr.
- 60 - Tropical Fish
- 70 - Rainshower
- 80 - Spitball Sparky
After this point though you will find there are many more spaces to add into
the museum you can't fill, this is where your gameplay ability and friends
will matter. Once you have a 1000 points on all the games in your game pack
find a friend with a game link and a copy of the game. In the noteboard you
will find a new note about these games being added. The following games will
now be added into the museum to complete it:
- Ball
- Parachute
- Judge
- Fire Attack
- Flagman
- Octopus
- Manhole
- Mario Bros.
- Vermin
- Chef
- Helmet
- Mario's Cement Factory
- Fire
- Turtle Bridge
- Lion
- Boxing
This game was the most groundbreaking title in the series next to the one that
started it all a few years before. This game introduced a lot of excellent
features aside from just playing the Game & Watch titles to encourage the
player to play some more. This title was more than just a game as it also was
a tool to listen to some music, educate yourself about some of the Game &
Watch units of the past, and you could even earn a new game to play if you
were good enough. The Gallery Corner which returned in this game was really
more of a corner now that there was more to it than just a museum which also
has returned as well. To learn more about all these games you can access them
over the various parts of the page by using the frame on the left. The last
feature with the stars worth mentioning for this game is The Gift. When you
get fifteen stars classic Ball will be playable, and every ten stars on top of
that you will get a modern version of the game featuring characters such as
Bowser and Wario.
Screenshots
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Fancy Game Select Screen with hidden animations.
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Is the Donkey Kong G&W 1982 classic enough for you?
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Or would you rather play the modern themed game?
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Game & Watch Gallery 3 / Gameboy Gallery 4
Game & Watch Gallery 3
Gameboy Color
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Publisher: Nintendo
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Developer: Nintendo
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Players: One
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Released: December 1999
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Description:
The third in the Game & Watch Gallery series for the Americans (fourth
elsewhere)), was unlike its predecessor as it was designed for the Gameboy
Color and it really does show. This title is much like the last release as it
has many of the same features, but also many changes and additions as well.
This version as with the last two features multiple titles with both modern
and classic versions to play. This version of the game though comes with a
lot more surprises for you to discover as you earn stars in the game. The
games that are initially included from the start in this release are:
- Egg
- Greenhouse
- Turtle Bridge
- Mario Bros.
- Donkey Kong Jr.
Then the six hidden games and the stars needed to open them are:
- 10 - Flagman
- 20 - Judge
- 30 - Lion
- 40 - Spitball Sparky
- 50 - Donkey Kong II
- 60 - Fire (Demo of the intended release, see below for details)
Each of the above games are not open to start but the can be soon enough
through the use of the star system devised in Game & Watch Gallery 2. Unlike
in Game & Watch Gallery 2 the Gallery Corner is now a small town instead of a
simple menu. New things have been added into this version of the Gallery
Corner on top of the original areas that have been retained. In the Gallery
Corner there is a Music Room, Museum, Gift giving area, Note Board, and two
Secrets Areas. As you can see the features of this version sharply parallel
those in the last release but some new things have been added. In the museum
you will find that the format for opening up new games inside is the same as
in the last release as well, which means you will need a friend with the game
and a link cable to open up quite a few of them once you hit a 1000 stars on
Game & Watch Gallery 1 or 2. The games in this version of the museum you can
earn on your own, and the stars needed to open them are are:
- 05 - Egg
- 15 - Donkey Kong II
- 25 - Pinball
- 35 - Donkey Kong Hockey
- 45 - Donkey Kong Circus
- 55 - Super Mario Bros.
- 65 - Climber
- 75 - Balloon Fight
- * I'm sure there are more, if you know them and the count email me please.
While there are more titles I do not know what will appear in the rest of the
spots as I know of no one with them, and I could not find the information on
the internet in FAQs either. As you earn the certain amount of stars listed
above in both lists if you head back2 to the Gift room those things will open
up for you to play. Unlike in the last release though the new playable games
(aside from Fire) will be open off the main menu by highlighting this arrow
bar and pressing the button. The other new things to this game is Secret Area
1 and 2. When you get enough stars if you go into the Gift area you will be
rewarded with Secret Area 1 which will open up to the right of the exit.
Inside here you will learn about the old Game & Watch Fire which I won't ruin
for you here today. Once you do earn the required stars above for Fire if you
go back2 to the Gift area again Secret Area 2 will open up and then you can
play Fire which is not included in the main game listing. Another interesting
buried feature in this game is link support for the game Judge when you earn
20 stars. If you and a friend with the game and a link cable have Judge open
you can bash on each other all day long if you desire. This game also has
introduced an extremely hard mode of play called Star Mode which you can get
into only after passing the 1000 point mark on any of the games, in either
difficulty, in either classic or modern versions. To learn more about the
games that are listed here for this section you can access them through
various parts of the page by using the links on the side. An interesting last
thing to mention is that with 100 stars you get a cast list which is
entertaining extra to the game.
Screenshots
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A features menu or a twisted carnival, you decide.
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Slightly better original reproduction over G&W G2.
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Yoshi's Island from SuperNES meets the Greenhouse.
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© Game & Watch Panorama 2000