2019-11-18 18:29:27

Hi.
I was thinking of revisiting the world of classics by getting a game boy or game gear, however I am aware that they are 8-byt and obviously not the most realistic sounding.
So I was wondering, are there any games playable for a totally blind person on 1 of these consoles?

Though our eyes may fail, our ears prevail!
User Karma, every little helps

2019-11-24 15:57:31

I guess there aren't any then?

Though our eyes may fail, our ears prevail!
User Karma, every little helps

2019-11-24 16:17:32

There's Rhythm Tengoku (GBA)

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2019-11-24 17:50:44 (edited by KenshiraTheTrinity 2019-11-24 17:53:51)

There are lots and lots, believe it! If I'd seen this thread sooner I would've responded but it came up while I was traveling lol.

Anyway, the games that are playable cover a wide variety of genres from fighting to sports to rpgs.  So here are a few that come to mind starting with gameboy and gameboy color.

The obvious ones are the main line of pokemon games from generations 1 and 2,, being red blue yellow, and gold silver crystal.

My favorite racer and the only playable one I know of on the gameboy is f1 race. It is a lot like top speed 3.

Next is battle ping pong, which has different sounds for different ways to hit the ball, and you dont need to worry about having to move the paddle left and right, just a to serve, b to hit, and up and down plus b to hit your ball differently.

There is a nice box pushing puzzle game called kwarx I think it is that's very playable because of its sound design.

Battle ship is also playable, complete with a lengthy campaign, leveling system and weapon upgrades. Another playable game is radar mission, but only one of the modes.

I haven't mentioned any fighters because there are all the obvious ones from sf to mk to ki to king of fighters to fatal fury to super Chinese fighters. Ok that last one might be a little mor obscure.

There are the double dragon games if you want beat em ups, surprisingly those are a little more rare on the gameboy. The first tmnt game is another one but not the last two.

If you're using emulation then the game and watch gallery games are a fun diversion of minigames, many of which are playable, with more to unlock.

Lots of shooters too if you dont mind the use of emulation to help. Space invaders actually has stereo sounds.

Q'bert is also playable, but of course you wont be able to hear the enemy so it'll take trial and error. Lock and chase might also be playable eith some help.

Track and field is mostly playable, ESPN's new international track and field is more of the same. If you have a way to read the text then the yugioh games will probably be playable.

Obviously there are tons more. Due to the simple nature of the gameboy and gameboy color there is a lot less you need to worry about so it's really just a matter of taking the time to experiment and figure out what you like. I will leave you with two more gameboy games, bionic commander which is a 3d mech combat game, and side pocket if you're up for some billiards action. O also kwirx also has a sequel if you like it but I dont remember the name. In my gameboy and gameboy color collection on my psp, I have about 90 games that I would consider at least somewhat playable, and at most completeable.

On the gamegear side of things, it's a little less complicated because of its smaller library. The standout playable games on gamegear are the two power rangers games, both streets of rage games, and virtua fighters mini. Also double dragon. Of course there may be more that I dont know about.

Hope that helps. That is quite a lot of info i know, but I'm sure it only just scratches the surface of what we can actually play. If you want to include gameboy advance, that's a whole another can of worms to sort through, but if interested I will list my findings for gba too.

2019-12-03 10:28:53

I'd definitely be interested in GBA games, mostly because I'd be curious if you've found anything I hadn't.

Take care, it's a desert out there.

2019-12-03 11:53:45

A bit of an off topic but are there any DS games that are playable?

going in to the wilds, collecting pokedex, and capturing them are my kind of thing,
training them, making them evolve, and generally making them stronger is my ultimate goal,
fighting other manamon tamers, winning the tournament, and fighting octoros are what these manamons like to do,
and ultimately, I become the master of mana!

2019-12-04 01:15:44 (edited by cj89 2019-12-04 04:44:34)

Is there any tried and true way of being able to OCR gb/gbc games? For example, Pokemon. If I could read things like Pokemon moves, stats etc and in game text, it'd be a pretty sweet deal. I kinda wouldn't mind playing RBY again.
Update:
The scripts for Crystal uh... sort of work with RBY. It'll read certain things but not others. Battles will generally read out though, NPC text usually will too, but can be a bit scrambled within the ASCII art. No footsteps or map though so its back to trailing walls and figuring out where grass is, etc. Items and mart sort of read too, but you need to get to the point where you want to confirm your purchase to figure out what you're buying and how much of it you're buying.

2019-12-04 01:29:30

If you get a game gear, make sure to get the power adapter. Those things ate through batteries like mad.

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2019-12-05 01:19:43 (edited by KenshiraTheTrinity 2019-12-05 01:36:17)

Here are some gba games I have found to be accessible. I'll begin specifically with boxing games, since there are quite a few of them. The very first gameboy advance game I bought was ready 2 rumble round 2. Obviously not as grand as the home console version, but for an early gba game it was pretty nice, and save for a few mini games is very playable. Wade hickstons counterpunch is kinda like punchout in terms of gameplay,, with the ability for you to unlock new moves and stat upgrades with fight money. Two Japanese exclusive boxing games based off their respective manga are also playable are hajime no ippo: the fighting, and ashita no jo. The first actually has an english dubbed anime that is more grounded in reality which I find appealing in the midst of all the other supernatural anime, in case you want to know the lore behind the game. Just look for hajime no ippo.

Transitioning to fighters, and there are quite a few of them; I will start with k1 pocket grand pre and its sequel, which are japanese exclusives. Both are ok, . Dragon ball z supersonic warriors, super street fighter 2 turbo revival, street fighter alpha 3, the king of fighters ex 1 and 2, mortal kombat deadly alliance,, mortal kombat tournament edition, zatch bel electric arena and its 2 japanese only sequels, mobile suit gundam seed and its Japanese exclusive sequel, tekken advance, guilty gear, there is also a pair of metabots games that are a combination of rpg and fighter playable with patience. Duel blades has some primitive music and no character voices but isn't too bad, BlackBelt challenge is ok, but dont bother with mortal kombat advance. And I think that's all of the fighters worth mentioning. If I missed any, please share. Also, dont forget to get the patch for street fighter 2 turbo which fixes the fatal bug in the default game which causes it to crash if you manage to make it to akuma.
Only rpgs I can think of are the main pokemon games being ruby satire and emerald, and fire red and leaf green, but like on gameboy, there are a ton of rom hacks which I wont list here simply because there are too many. Ok maybe just a couple. Pokemon ultra shiny gold, flora sky and liquid crystal are the ones I know that are complete. Also worth mentioning are riviera and ygdra union, but the psp ports are better. If anyone knows mor playable rpgs please share.

As for beat em ups, there is Jackie Chan adventures based off the cartoon of the same name, a lengthy game with some platform elements. Crouching tiger hidden dragon, same kinda thing but the first is better. X-men,: rain of apocolipse is also playable. Someone mentioned star wars episode 3. Maybe river city ransom ex. Final fight 1 is also playable, but the sound is really drowned out by the music, which may be offputting to some. Dragon ball gt transformation is also playable, I particularly like the thumping electronic soundtrack of this one, though the sounds themselves are a bit grainy. Dragon ball advanced adventure might be playable with emulator help because it has a lot of platform elements. Dynasty warriors advance is also playable, it uses a grid system which you navi through a menu to get around. There is a one piece game but I never made it very far, same with the naruto ninja council games, same with spiderman, same with guardian heroes advance. O and tmnt based off the 2007 movie is also fully playable, though the first teenage mutant ninja turtles released by konami has some platforming and vehicle stages that make it hard to recommend, and the second one is definitely not playable. Double dragon advance is also playable. And I think that covers all the playable beat em ups. If you know more, please share.

As for everything else, there is Mario party advance, wario ware inc, and wario ware twisted. Be aware though that the last game made use of a gyroscope and rumble feature which were built into the cartridge, which might make it hard to emulate. There's space channel 5, to get around the shoot buttons being either a or b, I press em both at the same time, but there are better versions of the game. Bit generations: sound voyager is very accessible, and same with rhythm tengoku. I mentioned somewhere before that there is an english patch for the game called rhythm heaven silver. What makes this entry in the rhythm heaven series stand out are its various drum challenges, and a couple minigames and toys, since many of the songs here would be reintroduced in later games for the international audience. Feela decathalon is a track and field style game that might be playable. Bleach advance is Japanese only, but is playable with patience. Game n watch gallery is the 4th game in the series and is mostly playable with emulation help. Capcom classics minimix has mighty final fight, which is a playable nes game. Activision anthology is a huge collection of over 50 atari 2600 games, many of which might be playable. And I think that wraps it up for this section.

I really wish I could find some playable puzzle games. And like before, if anyone knows more that I missed,  please share. I listed my collection of playable ds games on another thread about playable 3ds games, but if there is interest, I will talk about them here. This section took about an hour and a half to write up on phone, so hope you found something useful in it.

2019-12-05 04:20:06

@kenshira, there’s one more fighting game for the GBA that is very playable. The game in question is rave master special attack force, a game from an anime / cartoon TV series with the same name. This is a 2D fighter like SF or any other fighters, however there are some differences.
The first is your special abilities. To successfully execute the move, you press both the A and B button, which resulted with a power clash and this one is randomised. Basically you have to press one of the 4 directions but each time the buttons are very different. So for this an emulator is required to get around this part, with the help of save states.
The second one is how you defeat your opponents. Unlike most fighting games, to defeat your opponent you have to fill the finishers gauge first then press the start button to execute it. Then you have to press all the face buttons to fill it up. If you managed to do it, you’ll win the match. However if your opponent counters it, you are given 2 more chances to perform the move. However if you or the opponent still fails, the third finisher will be an instant KO, which avoids you from doing any quicktime events.
As for RPG, don’t forget about pokemon crystal, there is a script which makes the game very accessible to screen readers.

going in to the wilds, collecting pokedex, and capturing them are my kind of thing,
training them, making them evolve, and generally making them stronger is my ultimate goal,
fighting other manamon tamers, winning the tournament, and fighting octoros are what these manamons like to do,
and ultimately, I become the master of mana!

2019-12-05 05:26:00

Wow that's a great list! Lots of stuff even I never knew about.

Take care, it's a desert out there.

2019-12-05 09:46:51

@10 I do remember rave master now that you mentioned it. I took it off my collection because I couldn't get the hang of the combat. That one and the digimon rumble games where you had to collect things that come out of your enemy I stayed away from, but if rave master is doable, then I'll give it another shot.

I did forget to mention the various yugioh games released by konami that may be worth looking into now that ocr is a thing. Now I'm off to play my gba collection on my psp to see if there's anything I missed.

2019-12-05 11:44:06

There's that sound voyager game for the GBA as well

Though our eyes may fail, our ears prevail!
User Karma, every little helps

2019-12-05 14:02:59

@kenshira, for rave master i recommend you to play it on an emulator because there are parts where save states are needed, like when you want to charge your special ability or in later levels, you’ll be fighting against more than one opponent.
Also, did anyone else hear tried ghost rider for the GBA? I heard the game is a side scrolling beat-em-up but i’m not sure how playable it is

going in to the wilds, collecting pokedex, and capturing them are my kind of thing,
training them, making them evolve, and generally making them stronger is my ultimate goal,
fighting other manamon tamers, winning the tournament, and fighting octoros are what these manamons like to do,
and ultimately, I become the master of mana!

2019-12-05 20:21:58

Think I gave up on ghost rider because I couldn't get far. Same with gekido.
After going back to play counter punch, I find that the are not as many audio cues as punchout, and having to rely on save states to determine whether to dodge left or right takes away from the thrill of the game.

For someone with patience, fire pro wrestling 1 and 2 on gba might be worth investigating. And yes, sound Voyager is for gba.

2019-12-05 20:27:40

are there any shooters / shoot-em-up games that are playable on the GBA?

going in to the wilds, collecting pokedex, and capturing them are my kind of thing,
training them, making them evolve, and generally making them stronger is my ultimate goal,
fighting other manamon tamers, winning the tournament, and fighting octoros are what these manamons like to do,
and ultimately, I become the master of mana!

2019-12-05 22:24:34 (edited by KenshiraTheTrinity 2019-12-05 22:26:50)

If you dont mind abusing save states, sure. I can recommend gradius galaxy, metal slug, o and forgot to mention astro boy omega factor, which is a mix of a couple things. And there is dare devil, another sidescrolling beat em up with platforming. Hey look! A game where you play as a blind guy that isn't an accessible audiogame! Dying or falling off an edge sends you back some ways, and the cane is used to beat the crap out of people and find hidden items, but maybe its doable with save states. Last I played it was back on my gba in early 2000s.

2019-12-05 22:55:48

Do I need a emulator for the gba or others? Are there any more games for the gba, like some fishing ones?

2019-12-05 23:30:20

Enu or or official hardware are both accessible. Unfortunately I have not found many playable sports games beyond what I listed above. Most playable fishing games i have found were for the playstation, being the fisherman's bass series.

2019-12-06 10:49:38

Hi.
Wow. All those playable games. Would it be worth it to buy a GBA console? I'm not sure if I can buy those playable games anywhere, since they are old.

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2019-12-10 18:48:44

@slj I was thinking of the same thing, I know we have “Game stop” a store where’ they sell retro games and their systems. I hope that I can get a GBA system with all the games and accessories for a reasonable price. Do I need a charger for it?

2019-12-10 20:53:40

The standard gba uses 2 double a batteries but has a built in headphone jack. The gba sp has a built in rechargeable battery, introduced the clamshell design but lacks a headphone jack, but you can buy a headphone adapter that plugs into the charging port, though it doesn't output stereo sound, so yeah, nintendo was ahead of apple there. In either case, both gba and GBA sp have one built in speaker, so be prepared to use headphones or external speakers if you want stereo sound. You can also do what I did and buy a rechargeable battery pack for the original gba. The pack I got came with 2 interchangeable battery packs, so when one ran out, I just put it in the charger while I used the second pack. If I was going on a long trip, I just charged both packs beforehand and they lasted me about 4 hours each. So In that way, I had the best of both worlds. If you dont like using headphones but still want stereo sound, a ds or ds light is your best bet, though it is not have gameboy or gameboy color compatibility, but there are ways around that of course. wink The real benefit of owning a portable console like that is the ability to play anywhere without having to lug your pc or laptop around and or waiting for them to boot up, and physical buttons as opposed to a mobile phone's touch screen.

2019-12-11 08:11:41

Honestly you could also pick up something like a GPD win, which is more than fine for playing pretty much any GB/GBA game and probably at least some DS games. Sometimes I kinda feel like I have a GBA SP with a screen reader and a full windows OS. Also just more buttons. lol. If you were on a super tight budget you could probably still find the original lying around, so you'd be getting a pretty good balance of both worlds in a pretty portable setup. I loved the SP back in the day though, probably still one of my favourite Nintendo designs.

2019-12-11 09:04:41

@23 can you describe the form factor and pricing of the gpd win? How big Is it, what are the buttons like and how does it sound? I considered getting a gpd xd plus, but what makes this the more appealing option, and how hard is it to set up? Does it have rumble feedback or a gyroscope function to simulate the cartridges with those features built into them?

2019-12-11 16:58:25 (edited by devinprater 2019-12-14 07:35:14)

Wow, I'd love to get a list of playable games on systems like this, the SNES and N64 and so on.

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