One of these games from my Gameboy collection I’m very familiar with and have finished and two of them I have spent almost no time playing since owning them. All share the same name as popular NES and SNES titles but two of them (the same two that I have played very little of) are also in their own way, odd-balls in the franchises they represent.
Final Fantasy Legend 2, from what I understand, is a Final Fantasy game in name only. It is a re-make of the Japanese title, SaGa2, renamed “Final Fantasy” in order to capitalize on the franchise made popular in North America on the NES only a couple of years earlier. FFL2 is a sequel to Final Fantasy Legend, which was another Gameboy re-make of the Japanese game SaGa. Got it? Anyhow, FFL2 appears to be a typical RPG from that era and was well received in its time. I don’t recall when exactly I picked up this game, but I do know I should finally give it a shot.
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages is the companion title to Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons, which I’m still working on getting for my collection. Oracle of Ages is literally the only game I own that is exclusive for the Gameboy Color. It’s also the first time a Zelda game was developed by a third party, this time, Capcom. The Ages/Seasons games were released late in the Gameboy Color’s lifespan in 2001 and were meant to compliment each other and both to be finished in order to get the complete story behind the games. I’m not exactly sure how this works and I understand there’s some aspect of the game link cable or passwords that can be used to connect the game’s two stories together cohesively. I never played Ages because I never owned Seasons so I always just assumed it would be pointless. Once I get Seasons, I’ll have to finally give these games a shot.
Last, but certainly not least, is Metroid 2: Return of Samus. Released in late 1991, Metroid 2 is the sequel to the original Metroid even though in the overall timeline it doesn’t immediately take place after the events of the first. Metroid 2 was one of the first Gameboy games I bought when I finally purchased my system. I am a huge fan of the first Metroid and Super Metroid for the SNES and the excellent GB Advance titles hadn’t yet come out so I was excited to delve into the world of Samus Aran years after completing Super Metroid. Metroid 2 plays a lot like the original Metroid so it was easy for me to pick up and get into the gameplay. I loved the story and especially the ending, which was sweet for me having already played Super Metroid and seeing the ending of Metroid 2 in the flashback opening sequence take place years before I would actually play it myself. In all, Metroid 2 is a great Gameboy game but probably a lesser game than the original, SNES and Gameboy Advance titles. Nevertheless, it’s quality all the way.
Currently in my collection:
Final Fantasy Legend 2 – game only
Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages – game only
Metroid 2: Return of Samus – game, manual A-
Cartridge Corner 