Nintendo's Game Boy handheld console is one of the most celebrated and popular devices of all time and has helped to popularize the portable gaming market. The games the Game Boy had were all simple yet they had that pick up and play charm as well as being easily affordable and being most convenient for road trips. Now we celebrate 35 years of the long-lasting legacy that the entire Game Boy line-up had and still does by having a look back at the best of the best, the disappointments and lastly the worst of not only the original Game Boy but also the Game Boy Color and lastly the Game Boy Advance. That's right I'm going to be doing Top Ten lists of the entire lineage of the Game Boy consoles so expect the lists coming over the coming weeks. Let's start with the original Game Boy console with the games that made the portable console take over the gaming market.

10: Metroid II Return of Samus

Developer: Nintendo R&D1

Starting the list off is with the sequel to the NES game Metroid. In it bounty hunter Samus Aran goes on a mission to exterminate the Metroids on their home planet the SR388. The game introduced Samus' iconic gunship alongside the Varia Suit which would go on to be the main look for Samus in countless games that followed. It even introduced new power ups including the Spider Ball power up which allowed her to climb on most walls and ceilings as well as the Spring Jump allowing her to jump while in Ball Form. Plus, new weapons like the tri-splitting Spazer Beam and also the Plasma Beam. Metroid II offered off different ways of exploring around the areas while hunting down the menacing Metroids and would also allow the storyline to lead up to the SNES game that followed.

9: Donkey Kong

Developer: Nintendo EAD

The arcade classic game Donkey Kong got a version on the Game Boy portable system that was more than just a remake. It was a complete update being loosely based of the original arcade game as well as the sequel Donkey Kong JR in which the character makes appearances in the levels. It featured 97 more levels making for a total of 101 making it bigger over the original game. It featured mechanics from Super Mario Bros 2 where you can pick up items and use them on enemies and Mario can also flip around which would also become a staple in later Mario games. It also took advantage of the Super Game Boy adapter for the Super NES as well.

8: Gargoyle's Quest

Developer: Capcom

A spinoff of the super punishing difficult Ghouls n Ghost series of games had you playing as the series' iconic enemy Firebrand (also known as the Red Arremer) who had its own adventure where he had to save the Ghoul Realm from the destroyer's King Breager. The game had two gameplay styles, one where it played like an Platform Action Game where you can not only jump around and attack with various powers that you get over the course of the game but it would also occasionally turn into an RPG where you explored towns, talked to other Ghouls and even get into Random Encounters. The game became a big hit with players and even allowed for a NES Prequel with Gargoyle's Quest as well as the SNES sequel game Demon's Crest.

7: Probotector (Operation C)

Developer: Konami

While many of the original Game Boy games are just inferior ports of NES or SNES games Operation C (or Probotector as it was known as it was in Europe) on the other hand was a completely unique Contra experience on the Game Boy platform. It not only featured side scrolling run & gun action but also featured some top-down view levels for some variety. It not only made the rapid fire the default weapon you start off with but also the Spread Shot is upgradeable from a three shot to five shot plus you even have the Fire Gun from Super C with the exception that you don't have to charge it up. A true pick up and recommendation for any serious Contra fan.

6: Donkey Kong Land

Developer: Rare

Where Donkey Kong Country was an incredible technical and graphical achievement for the Super NES Donkey Kong Land is an incredible technical and graphical achievement for the Game Boy. The design of the levels including the sprite animation looked well detailed and were smooth with the incredible pre-rendered graphics that are well compressed alongside the sound quality which all sounds really great on the Game Boy speaker. Donkey Kong Land also added new levels rather than using Donkey Kong Country's level to make up for the limitations of the Game Boy hardware and it was just a fantastic game to behold on the portable device. It also allowed for not only the sequels Donkey Kong Land 2 & 3 which all looked just as good and also allowed for the Game Boy Color version which is also worth considering.

5: Super Mario Land

Developer: Nintendo R&D1

Released as a launch title for the Game Boy console Super Mario Land carries over the gameplay of Super Mario Bros on the NES and translates it to a Game Boy game flawlessly. This time Mario went on to save Princess Daisy, which marked her debut in the Mario Series. It also had some Gradius-style levels where Mario took to the skies as well as the sea that added more to it than the well-polished and tight platforming gameplay. It went on to be a massive hit for the Game Boy and sold over 18 million copies and spawned sequels with Super Mario Land 2 6 Golden Coins and Wario Land Super Mario Land 3 which also debuted the rival of Mario with Wario.

4: Kirby's Dream Land

Developer: Hal Laboratory

The game marked the debut of the cute pink mash-mellow Kirby. While it was aimed to be a very simple game but it was really good even though the later sequels would add and improve the iconic ability to copy other enemies' abilities and use them against enemies. Kirby can suck up enemies and split them out against enemies as well as picking up power ups in the form of food such as Spicy Curry that gives Kirby fire breath or the Mint Leaf that allows Kirby to fire air puffs without even losing flight. Kirby's Dream Land proved very popular and allowed for a long running series of games that followed.

3: The Legend of Zelda Link's Awakening

Developer: Nintendo EAD

One of the few Zelda games not to take place within Hyrule and not even feature Zelda or the Triforce Relic. Link finds himself stranded on the Koholint Island and has to get the eight musical instruments to awaken the sleeping Wind Fish and escape the island. The game featured really incredible Zelda style gameplay using gadgets not only for enemies but for many of the game's clever puzzles. The game was well praised for its portability and depth while also its fantastic musical score and well-written story. It also got an impressive upgrade with Link's Awakening DX on the Game Boy Color which improved the game a ton on top of putting the game in Color.

2: Tetris

Developer: Nintendo R&D1

Here is the game that came with everyone's Game Boy consoles when the system launched. A simple yet super additive puzzle game where the simple objective was to make a line with no gaps which will then clear it and disappear. With many different pieces to take note of and ways of getting many different lines to disappear in unique ways Tetris remains as one of the most influential and popular games known for not only the best version of the Tetris theme but also the simplicity made it perfect for quick plays. Everyone who had some small time on their hands had enough time for a round of Tetris.

Honourable Mentions:

Mystic Quest (Final Fantasy Adventure) (Square)

Dr Mario (Nintendo)

Wario Land Super Mario Land 3 (Nintendo R&D1)

Castlevania II Belmont's Revenge (Konami)

Bionic Commando (Minakuchi Engineering)

1: Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow

Developer: Game Freak

And of course, taking the top spot is the Game Boy game that would turn into one of Nintendo's biggest phenomena. Pokemon was a game where players went out searching for creatures to capture which can be traded with friends all round the world as well as battling rival trainers. Each Pokemon all had different strengths and weaknesses as well as different attacks and status effect abilities that can give your Pokemon an advantage. The original game had 151 Pokemon to collect which was possible by trading other Pokemon with friends who had their the other Pokemon version that you have to complete the collection. Worth bringing up is Pokemon Yellow allowed you to start the game with the yellow electric type mouse Pikachu who would go on to be main series mascot as well as having to go head-to-head with Team Rocket's Jessie, James and Meowth from the anime series. Pokemon would go on to be one of the biggest selling Game Boy games despite being released late in the original Game Boy's life. There are still dozens of gamers, especially kids, still in the mood for wanting to Catch Em all and the original Pokemon games remain as the best original Game Boy game.