Let’s Go Retro!

A couple of weeks ago I suddenly had the urge to play Tetris. I don’t really know why but I did and I found a couple of websites so I could play it online. However I wasn’t happy with that I wanted to play Tetris the way I remembered it; on a Game Boy. The hitch was I don’t have one, in fact, I had never owned one.

My first, and only, experience of Tetris on a Game Boy was when I was probably in my early teens on, I think, I camping holiday. One of the other kids on the campsite had a Game Boy with Tetris and I played it for hours almost none stop. I don’t remember whether or not I asked my parents to buy me one, I probably did, but never the less I never owned one myself. The first, and until now, only Nintendo handheld I ever owned was an original Nintendo DS which I sold not long after I bought it for a Sony PSP.

So in my quest then for Tetris I first had to acquire a Game Boy. I decided that I didn’t want an original Game Boy and instead opted for the Game Boy Color which would allow me to play original Game Boy games as well as the “newer” Game Boy Color games. The one I bought on eBay was a translucent purple edition which I think looks kinda cool. It came complete with manual, batteries and Wario Land 2 for the princely sum of £10.99. I then hunted down and acquired a copy of Tetris DX a slightly updated version of Tetris which is sadly missing the original music I remember but is, however, as much fun and entertaining a game as I remember.

My search for a Game Boy and Tetris has, however, had an unfortunate side-effect. I now want to pick up other handheld consoles that intrigued me as a kid that I never got the chance to own and experience. This list includes the likes of the Atari Lynx and the Sega Game Gear but it also meant I stumbled across the Game Boy Micro. This final version of the Game Boy didn’t really have a long life span. It came after the Game Boy Advance SP and was launched at the same time as the DS and I vaguely remember considering it at the time I bought my DS but was swayed by the fancy touch screen. However, after receiving mine today, I really wish I’d have bought a Micro.

I really like it’s form factor, it’s incredibly small! But it also feels good in the hand and I can’t wait to play a game on it. The one I bought unfortunately came without any games or charger but because of that I managed to get it cheaper than you would for a fully boxed Micro which, on eBay, go for £30 up depending on type and condition. With any luck I should have a copy of Super Mario Advance and a USB charger soon and then I’ll write-up a review but I really do like it already and so far I’ve only turned it on! I’ve always been a retro gamer at heart and, probably a bad sign for my bank account, I’m in a position to indulge in it.