Wide Screen Game & Watch


Balloon Fight
Release Date: March 1988


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Here we have a classic NES and Arcade game ported to the Game & Watch called Balloon Fight. This game plays a lot like the versions it was ported from. The concept of the game is to come up on the enemy, pop their balloons so they fall. Then you had to rip their parachute which knocks them off the screen because if you didn't and they landed safely they could blow up a new balloon. The other mode to this title was just a game where you scrolled along avoiding lightning sparks and pop hard to reach balloons in tight places. A classic and fun port but also quite different in that you have to collect map pieces from the balloons that will lead you to the hideout of the villian Oiram Repus. Just remember to watch out for sparks and the ocean below. This game also features a way to skip ahead to level 17 to make it more interesting from the start.

Chef
Release Date: September 8th, 1981

Chef is a very simple yet entertaining early game. You as the chef have to catch food that has been flung out over the floor and keep it up in the air by wacking it with your frying pan until it disintegrates into nothing. While that sounds easy, it really is not when they start adding up and speed up. By the way this was also included in the Gameboy Color game Game & Watch Gallery 2.

Climber
Release Date: March 1988


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Climber here is not what I'd call the more traditional simplistic and also repetitive type of Game & Watch. This was a full blown adventure in which you climb higher and higher avoiding walking bricks and weird flying birds. This game came with great sound and nice graphics, the gameplay even varied to add more replay value and fun to the experience.

Donkey Kong Jr.
Release Date: April 28th, 1983


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One of many in the line of Game & Watch units to carry the the Donkey Kong Jr. name, but it also is the only pocket sized unit. This game level is somewhat based off the first and second levels of Donkey Kong Jr. NES/Arcade. In this game you need to work your away around the clacktraps and the birds that Mario lets lose. You will eventually jump and climb your way passed that all, and then time a jump to catch a swinging key to unlock part of Donkey Kong's cage. If you can get all four keys Donkey Kong will be free and Mario will be hot monkey meat for dear ol' dad. Donkey Kong Jr. was an included game in the Gameboy Color game Game & Watch Gallery 3.

Egg
Release Date: October 9th, 1981


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Egg, one of the earlier wide screen games is also one of the more difficult. In this game the concept is easy, you as the wolf have to catch all the eggs that the chickens drop down the chute. If you break three eggs it is over, and it will get worse as over time the game will speed up. Egg was included also on the Gameboy Color game Game & Watch Gallery 3.

Fire
Release Date: December 4th, 1981


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Fire, another of the early games of this style is quite addictive. You play as a pair of paramedics with a net who needs to catch jumpers from a burning building and lob them into your ambulance. On a side trivia note: the original layout of the game was in reverse but they screwed up in production and we all got to play a backwards version of the game. This is a fact I learned from the Museum feature in Game & Watch Gallery 3 on Gameboy Color.

Fire Attack
Release Date: March 26th, 1982


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The concept of this game is to hold off an enemy attack on your fort. The enemy from the outside will try and shoot your fort to pieces and you need to stop that from happening. I have not played this one, but I am told keeping the fort together is not an easy task.

Manhole
Release Date: Sometime in 1981


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Manhole, another of the earlier wide screen games is a pretty challenging game with a decent learning curve due to speed and frequency. In this game you need to keep four manholes stabilzed under the feet of stupid people trying to pass over them not knowing they aren't secure. If three people fall into the drink then it is all over. One of the two versions of this ended up in the original Game & Watch Gallery on Super Gameboy.

Mario's Cement Factory
Release Date: June 16th, 1983


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In this tabletop adventure you play as Mario in a cement factory. Your job is to have him work his way around to four cement shoots separated by two vertical conveyor belts and two levels of girters. You must get the cement into the trucks, if over three blobs gets into a holder or Mario falls it is all over. It sounds easy but it is not and makes it a personal favorite.

Mario the Juggler
Release Date: October 1991


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Yes, the Game & Watch series did make it into the 1990's with this one release in the decade. Sadly this game pretty much stinks unless you happened to have an attachement to Ball, the original Game & Watch. This game is a clone of Ball, except Mario juggles items from his world instead of little balls. If you can get it, do as I'm sure since it is the last there are probably not too many making it a rare find. As I recall as it gets more difficult you will have to avoid attacks from such well known evils as Latiku in his cloud.

Mickey Mouse
Release Date: October 9th, 1981


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This game is essentially a duplicate of the original title called Egg just three spots above this one. The only major differences is obviously you play as Mickey Mouse instead of the wolf, and oddly enough the speed on this game just doesn't pick up like it does in Egg. This is basically a kiddie version of the harder original.

Octopus
Release Date: July 16th, 1981


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Octopus is an interesting early wide screen game. In this title you play a deep sea diver out to get some treasure, but there is one problem. There is this octopus with huge tentacles in your way and if he catches you three times your air supply has had it and your game is over. This game is about really precise timing once that tempo starts to really pick up. Octopus is a pretty fun game that got included in the original Game & Watch Gallery on Super Gameboy.

Parachute
Release Date: June 19th, 1981


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Parachute is a pretty entertaining early wide screen game. In this title you have a lot of people bailing out of a large plane going down over the ocean. In the water below is you in a boat that will catch all these people. Now you might think this wouldn't be too hard, but you see there is this shark that will eat anyone who hits the water so beware as it gets fast and furious in this game in no time. This title was included in the Game & Watch Gallery 2 package for Gameboy Color.

Popeye
Release Date: August 5th, 1981


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This wide screen Game & Watch is based off the old Popeye series. In this game all you have to do is simple catch the food stuffs that are thrown in Popeye's general direction which is simple and fun. When you click over to Game B mode though it gets pretty ugly as Brutus will take some nasty cheap shots at you while you try and catch the goods.

Snoopy Tennis
Release Date: April 28th, 1982


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A simple, boring, and repetitive title in which Snoopy has to whack some tennis balls Charlie Brown lobs at some bottles away so they don't break.

Super Mario Bros.
Release Date: March 1988


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Here we go with one of my two favorite Game & Watch's in my possession, which is none other than Super Mario Bros. This title is a highly above par Game & Watch classic which just oozes of nostalgic value. In this rendition of Super Mario Bros. you had to go through 64 levels (8 Worlds/8 Levels) to rescue the Princess from Bowser King of the Koopas. Along the way you will encounter mushrooms, fireballs, starmen, Hammer Bros., Lakitu, moving platforms, fireball posts, and more. The game is also set to the backdrop of many of the bonus and level themes from the NES such as the Dungeon theme which makes the game a must have for any Game & Watch enthusiast! In this game you can start from World 3-1 if you think that the areas before are too easy, but unless you are good I wouldn't advise it.

Tropical Fish
Release Date: July 1985


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In this game your job is to jump the fish from one aquarium to the other. It may sound easy but it really is not as there is this pesky cat that is looking to make lunch out of your fish. A fun game and worth a try if you can find it as its a real life and death struggle. Turtle Bridge was included as a title to play in Game & Watch Gallery 3 on Gameboy Color.

Turtle Bridge
Release Date: February 1st, 1982


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Turtle Bridge is an average game that just has you moving from one side of the screen to the other along the backs of turtles. If they dip into the water and you fall in three times it is over.


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