Today marks the Virtual Boy’s 30th birthday, so we thought now was the right time to tidy up this list and republish it to honour what may well be Nintendo’s weirdest console ever. Plus, now, it’s ranked by you lovely lot. Enjoy!
Nintendo is an odd company in many ways; deeply appealing and safe in some respects, but also able to swing for the fences and invest money and resources in the pursuit of pure novelty. Time and again it puts out products that no other platform holder would have dreamed of, and more often than not those frivolities turn out to be delightfully entertaining. Not every idea can be a winner, though, and there are few more high-profile failures in the Kyoto company’s back catalogue than the Virtual Boy.
With a catalogue of just 22 games released between both territories, it’s an infamous example of one of Nintendo’s more outlandish products completely missing the mark. But does it really deserve its reputation? Surely there are a couple of stone-cold classics in its library which would make tracking down a Virtual Boy worth it, no?
Below, we’ve put together a list of every single Virtual Boy game ordered and ranked by you, lovely readers. And reading through it, perhaps it’s time to dig through the cupboard here at Nintendo Life HQ and fire up the ol’ Boy again…
22. Virtual Lab (VB)
A soupily slow game that made our ears bleed, falling block puzzler Virtual Lab threatens to become passably fun at times. They’re empty threats, though, and it never escapes its crushingly dull, repetitive loop.
It’s not insultingly offensive, but if you’re after an excuse to splurge on a Virtual Boy on eBay, this ain’t it.
21. SD Gundam Dimension War (VB)
Well-designed characters and decent 3D can’t save this poorly presented and repetitive Gundam game from the dusty depths of your wardrobe following its debut in your Virtual Boy’s cart slot.
SD Gundam Dimension War could have been worse. But not much.
20. Space Invaders: Virtual Collection (VB)
3D Space Invaders might seem like the draw, but actually it’s the 2D version included in this collection that captures the arcade original best. Still, there’s no shortage of ways to play Space Invaders these days, so while this isn’t terrible, it’s hardly worth giving yourself a headache for.
19. Insmouse No Yakata (VB)
A first-person horror game that suffers from similar issues of repetition as many of the console’s other titles, but at least it tried something different.
It all feels a little old-hat by modern standards, but as a curio in the Virtual Boy catalogue, Insmouse no Yakata may be worth a look if you’re into old-school 3D dungeon exploration games.
18. Virtual League Baseball (VB)
Oh dear. Maybe we should have started at the top? Nestling at #20 we’ve got the first of several sports games available for the system.
Some decent 3D effects can’t disguise a game only its mother could love, and unfortunately Virtual League Baseball can’t make up for its lacklustre looks with decent gameplay, either.
17. Virtual Fishing (VB)
A Japanese exclusive, Virtual Fishing is far from the worst game on the system, although you know you’re in trouble when that’s the highest compliment you can pay.
It struggles to find the right balance between presenting a challenge and becoming boringly easy when it comes to landing a lunker. Again, not awful but also not worth flaring up your glaucoma to play.
16. Waterworld (VB)
And you thought the film was bad. Waterworld is an ugly, depressingly dull excuse for a game. The film might have been a box office bomb, but it really isn’t as awful as its reputation suggests.
The VB game is irredeemably poor, though, and you have our permission to label your mint-boxed Virtual Boy library ‘complete’ with this one missing.
15. Golf (VB)
Perhaps it’s our affection for sports games with plain, unadorned titles, or perhaps it’s tough to make a bad golf game, but we quite like Golf.
Its lack of multiplayer and ability to save your progress hurts, not to mention its single course and inevitably repetitive nature, but the base gameplay here is solid and, as we’ve seen, you could do a lot worse. We give this three headaches out of five.
14. Virtual Bowling (VB)
The first of the system’s two bowling games, Virtual Bowling looks and sounds relatively impressive and despite lacking the ability to save your scores (lack of saves, as you can tell, is a recurring issue with VB titles), this offers a decent simulation of bowling for a single player.
13. Nester’s Funky Bowling (VB)
Nester’s Funky Bowling beats out Virtual Bowling simply through the inclusion of a two-player mode, offering solid 10-pin pleasure with good animation. It’s not a world-beater, but we abide.
12. Space Squash (VB)
Playing like a cross between air hockey and Pong, Space Squash makes great use of the system’s 3D and controls well with its dual D-pads to provide a satisfying slice of virtual (boy) gaming. The visuals are basic yet effective and while far from a killer app, Space Squash is a very solid entry in the VB software library.
11. Panic Bomber (VB)
Panic Bomber is a good-looking falling block puzzler featuring Bomberman. Cue disappointment that it’s not a proper Bomberman title, but Virtual Boy didn’t have a link cable, so simultaneous local multiplayer was beyond its abilities.
Once you get over that fact, you’re left with a rather fine, if simple, little puzzle game that’s definitely worth a look. Worth buying the system for? Certainly not, but if you own the console already, Panic Bomber should be on your shelf.
10. 3D Tetris (VB)
A North American exclusive, 3D Tetris shook up the standard formula by having you look down into the well as the blocks fall away from you. Having to fill in layers rather than make lines feels different to standard Tetris, and the game features 30 different block types, but the spirit of the game you know and love survives very well.
And let’s face it, the proliferation of Tetris titles makes buying a Virtual Boy to play regular old Tetris a bit silly, no? 3D Tetris, though, is definitely worth investigating.
9. Teleroboxer (VB)
Teleroboxer is the first of the Virtual Boy catalogue that could be legitimately, consistently labelled as ‘fun’. Unfortunately, the experience is extremely short-lived, but while it lasts this first-person fighter isn’t half-bad.
Hardly a sterling recommendation, we know, but at this stage we’ll take what we can get.
8. Vertical Force (VB)
Vertical Force is a fun, challenging little shooter that will keep you coming back to the game’s four levels long after you’ve beaten them. It won’t surprise you in any way, but it makes good use of the system’s 3D effect and it’s easy enough to find for sensible prices.
Therefore, Vertical Force is recommended for any Virtual Boy collection.
7. Red Alarm (VB)
A wireframe, on-rails shooter, Red Alarm’s visuals may be crude, but the 3D effect works very well and there’s plenty of variety in enemies you’ll encounter throughout the game. Throw in some tight controls and you’ve got an impressive little game that’s a must-own for the system.
Best Virtual Boy Games FAQs
Never heard of this curious console before? Let’s get you set with some common questions.
Is the Virtual Boy good?
Well… that question is pretty relative. Popular opinion is that the Virtual Boy isn’t that great; it has a small library of games and the console was bulky and clunky. Not only that, people reported eye strain from using the console.
However, over time, it’s become a bit of a Nintendo curio, with side-hard fans trying to redeem the console’s reputation. And after all, no one could’ve made a console like the Virtual Boy in the ;90s other than Nintendo, right?
When did the Virtual Boy launch?
Virtual Boy launched in Japan on 21st July 1995, but performed very poorly, both at home and in North America. So poorly, in fact, that it never reached European shores at all; production was discontinued after only five months in its homeland.
Who created the Virtual Boy?
Legendary Nintendo engineer Gunpei Yokoi is the one who lead the charge here, the very same man behind the Game & Watch handhelds and the all-conquering Game Boy.
How things change, hey?
How can I change the ranking of this list?
Disagree with the order? Think Wario needs to be taken down a peg? Feel free to search for the VB game of your choice to give it a rating, or you can click on the star next to the game listed and give it a score out of 10.
