mini games
It might not seem strange in this day and age of video games being built into vapes and whatnot, but this is one of the camera's strangest features. When I got the camera way back when, I didn’t expect it to have games built in. What a stupid expectation. It’s a GAME Boy Camera, it’s gotta have games.
Space Fever II
This is a sequel to some 70’s era arcade game nobody played/knows about anymore and serves as both a menu and a game. Like Rush has always said, choosing not to decide is still a choice. With Space Fever II, refusing to make a menu selection angers some aliens, which’ll then attack you, starting the game in ernest.
Creativity like this is hard to come by and it’s commendable. I didn’t realize this was a full game initially, but once I did, I played the crap out of it. One of the funnest things about this is that you’ll unlock yet another game if you do well enough in this one.
What we’re looking at is a simple space shooter, which by itself would be too basic to publish. However, its inclusion here is very welcome and it makes good use of the Game Face function. Each boss is represented by a different face, three in total. Your face, or whatever face you’ve created, will be used for the 3rd boss. That is, if you can make it to it. Growing up, I remember this game being pretty hard. Now that I’m in my 30’s, I don’t have any trouble with it. Maybe it has something to do with my Game Boy being back lit. I have no idea
Ball
Game and Watch remakes like this are interesting to me because they operate on a clear dichotomy. Either they’re the greatest thing ever or complete garbage. There’s nothing about Ball, no matter what form it takes, that would make me want to play it. Regardless of that, this is a very solid remake of the game. I mean, there isn’t much that can be done wrong with a remake like this. What makes this remake unique is that you can customize the character's face. I personally don’t see the appeal, and never have, but I can’t argue that it isn’t fun. You’ll unlock new B-Album photos depending on how well you do, up to 999 points.
The DJ Game "Trippy H"
I’m not a musician, so DJ is a tough game to talk about. I’ve tried using it over the years with no success. As such, I have almost nothing to say about DJ. Of all the things about the Game Boy Camera Commercial that struck me as a kid, the images of DJ stuck in my mind the longest, and are still what I think about when I think “Game Boy Camera”. Now that’s marketing right there. You’ll have to go elsewhere to learn how to properly use this, I’m not qualified to speak on it. I’ll say this, Mario Paint had a music tool as well, and while it was apparently very basic, it was easy for someone like me to use. DJ isn’t.
Run! Run! Run!
This is the unlockable game, and I don’t really get it. See, there’s this whole deal where you’re exploring the camera and learning all about it and having a real good time doing it. As I mentioned before, I didn’t know this was here initially, and when I unlocked it, I was excited. The problem is, this is barely a game. You simply mash A and press up sometimes. There’s no real strategy here, there’s no pattern recognition, you just mash the buttons as hard as you can. The thing about the Game Boy is that you only get one A button, and if you damage it, you’re outta luck. I don’t like the idea of games encouraging this kind of thing. Sure, I can replace parts all day, but that doesn’t mean everyone can. Load this up on a Super Nintendo and use a Turbo controller if you wanna unlock the B-Album photos. There is nothing of value here.