After being reminded of Boktai's imminient release, I started thinking of the lack of originality and conceptual thinking in portable games. I'm not saying the likes of Wario Ware, Mario Kart and Golden Sun aren't good and unoriginal, but these are games that could well be on normal consoles with tarted-up graphics and would be all the better for it.
The main point of portable systems is that they are movable. You could go outside and play them, you could run a race while playing them. You're not limited to sitting on your arse indoors to play them, yet this is what the vast majority of games encourage. Boktai and Kirby's Tilt 'n' Tumble are good starts, but why aren't developers making more use of the Game Boy's inherent attributes instead of trying to make it into a portable console?
Just imagine: you could play a sneaking game a la MGS, where the cartridge has a motion sensor, so to move in the game you have to move in real life. Running will be sensed by the motion sensor, so your character would run, sneaking slowly would elict a different response. A light sensor could be employed, forcing the player to stay away from light pools to avoid detection. This would also free up the D-pad, allowing more moves and responses in the game.
Ideas like these and so much more could be possible thanks to the Game Boy's portability and the ease of incorporating elements such as light detectors or motion sensors in individual cartridges, so concepts are only limited by what can be put into a cartridge. A microphone could be incorporated to create a singing game where players must attempt to hit the right pitch and note, or four-way tilt switch could be added to make the Game Boy act like a joystick in a flight game.
Of course, there would be need of conventional games when moving, making noise etc. is not an option, but slight impracticality should not hinder developers, as these games could be played when the opportunity arises, so there is nothing stopping developers except their own lack of imagination.
The main point of portable systems is that they are movable. You could go outside and play them, you could run a race while playing them. You're not limited to sitting on your arse indoors to play them, yet this is what the vast majority of games encourage. Boktai and Kirby's Tilt 'n' Tumble are good starts, but why aren't developers making more use of the Game Boy's inherent attributes instead of trying to make it into a portable console?
Just imagine: you could play a sneaking game a la MGS, where the cartridge has a motion sensor, so to move in the game you have to move in real life. Running will be sensed by the motion sensor, so your character would run, sneaking slowly would elict a different response. A light sensor could be employed, forcing the player to stay away from light pools to avoid detection. This would also free up the D-pad, allowing more moves and responses in the game.
Ideas like these and so much more could be possible thanks to the Game Boy's portability and the ease of incorporating elements such as light detectors or motion sensors in individual cartridges, so concepts are only limited by what can be put into a cartridge. A microphone could be incorporated to create a singing game where players must attempt to hit the right pitch and note, or four-way tilt switch could be added to make the Game Boy act like a joystick in a flight game.
Of course, there would be need of conventional games when moving, making noise etc. is not an option, but slight impracticality should not hinder developers, as these games could be played when the opportunity arises, so there is nothing stopping developers except their own lack of imagination.
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