Why were Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons only playable on

There were some color puzzles in Ages, but I imagine the games probably make use of the extra memory and other features of the gbc.

>>4159372
That's like asking is there was a reason SMW didn't work on NES.

>>4159406
Not really. There were games which worked both on GB and GBC, with the extra colours on GBC only, like Link's Awakening DX which Oracles game are based off.

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>>4159372
I'm pretty sure they fully use the enhanced GBC hardware, just like MM extreme and Shantae. They also came after the gba release (there's even a ring that's only accessible by playing it on a gba) and at the time basically every gbc game wouldn't run on a OG gb.

They actually did only work on the more powerful GBC hardware. Most games that released as late as the Oracle games did.

>>4159821
OP here, I'm curious as to what demanded that extra oomph. Given that graphically it doesn't look too different from Link's Awakening, I guess I'm curious as to what pushed it beyond the limits of the original. Could it be the map size was too large for the GB, something like that?

>>4159827
would u want a 3d remake of the oracle games

>>4159827
The demand was that GBC was the replacement to the GB and they wanted flagship titles on it. Hope this helped.

>>4160147
This didn't help as it's incorrect. Oracle games were released late in the GBC's life and even encouraged you to play them on GBA by including a GBA exclusive shop, as >>4159642 pointed out.

>>4160154
He's asking why it wasn't on the original GB. It's because the GB was the successor. GBA was too new to switch development to exclusively. Where is the difficulty in understanding this?

>>4160171
You don't seem to understand.
He's asking what about the games makes them too demanding for the GB. Mechanics/graphics/whatever.

Maybe it was a marketing conspiracy. Idk. But >>4159821
claims backwards compatibility wouldn't be possible (without compromises).

>>4159827
The dungeon screens scroll.
Maybe the GB could only handle one GB screen's worth of tiles/objects.

>>4160171
I know what the OP is asking and I'm not trying to address it, I'm just pointing out >>4160147 is wrong about it being a marketing thing, because that time had already passed when the Oracle games were released.

>>4160225
That might explain it. I think the overworlds were larger too.

How did the lockout even work anyway? Was there some code that ran on the cart that could detect when a GBC was used vs. an original?

Wario Land 3 is another curious one for me because from what I can recall, it doesn't really look, sound, or play substantially differently from Wario Land 2.

>>4160240
yes, the games can detect if they're on a pocket or og gameboy.

If you used either cartridge on a gameboy advanced you have access to 2 secret shops that sell you a ring and some other shit.

>>4160240
>How did the lockout even work anyway? Was there some code that ran on the cart that could detect when a GBC was used vs. an original?
Well, there's the physical power switch on the DMG that won't engage with GBC-only carts in the slot. That certainly helps.

>>4160215
>He's asking what about the games makes them too demanding for the GB. Mechanics/graphics/whatever.
Well gee, I don't know. Maybe the fact that they're in fucking color?

>>4160585
but if they weren't in colour then they'd run on the dmg!

Really though, it was written for the GBC, they'd have to have written it under constraints to get it to run on a system with half the clock speed and having that extra probably freed them up to do things in easier ways and make various effects better. They could have cut it down and some mad rom-hacker could probably demake it, but it would cost them in time and game quality, so why?

>>4159406
SMW was ported to NES

The major fucking theme of the games was seasons, represented visually through color. The games were designed to show off the GBC's color screen and boost Nintendo's handheld sales even more than they were to sell the game itself.

I can't tell if OP is pretending to be retarded, or genuinely retarded here.

not related to te technical aspects but, did anyone else think seasons was in another league compared to ages?

Can anyone enlighten on the extra capabilities of the GBC anyway? What are the specs differences?

>>4160225
I doubt scrolling is the thing. Plenty of GB games scroll. In LA it was more of a choice not to have scrolling to keep it stick to the first game's formula.

>>4160685
I like Ages better myself due to the puzzles, and the challenge is spot on too.
Supposedly Seasons is more combat oriented, but in turn I thought it was very bland because of how stupid the puzzles were, and the combat wasn't that great either because how is it is to become OP in Seasons.

>>4160698
I did notice the combat focus on seasons. While I agree the puzzles were blander, especially right after playing ages, which is one of the hardest 2d zeldas puzzle-wise in my opinion, seasons was so much prettier. Subrosia was boring though. I guess it's one of those "neighbor's grass is always greener" deals, since i had ages as a kid but not seasons.

>>4159827
I know the GBC has more VRAM than the normal GB. It's why Pokémon Gold and Silver were able to be played on the GB but Pokémon Crystal was GBC-exclusive it has larger overworld tilesets in areas like Ice Cave and animated battle sprites.

>>4161565
There was meant to be a comma after "GBC-exclusive"
I suppose Crystal also had the ability to use the Mobile Adapter, but most people didn't have that adapter and it wasn't released in the west so it's not as much of an excuse.

>>4160706
Haha perhaps so, I had Seasons and it felt so primitive and barbaric with 'combat' in these games really being just mash B to sword a monster to death, while other kids had Ages with its intellectual and sophisticated puzzles, and high-tech gadgets like magnetic gloves that were for both puzzles AND combat, while Seasons gave me idk slingshot seeds that explode because kids love conserving ammo.

>>4159372
They were promoting the GBA at the time actually. There's a shop in them that can only be accessed if you play on a GBA.

>>4162109
I think you're misremembering somewhat. Magnetic gloves were only in Seasons, and overall I thought Seasons had more interesting items. Magic boomerang and Roc's cape in particular were lots of fun even outside of their designated puzzles. Ages' unique items were lame, a useless power bracelet upgrade and two tiers of switch hook (although seed shooter was more interesting than slingshot I guess). Despite this I would still say Ages is a bit better overall.

>>4162127
I don't know why, but things like this blew my mind when I was a kid. The fact that they could engineer the game such that it's "aware" of what system you're playing it on just seemed like some magical fucking sorcery to me even though it's just changing a few lines of code

Just get a GBA with backlight mod or SP AGS-101

>>4159827
Graphics aren't the only thing that measures power man.
Things like memory or extended mechanics are factors too.

>>4160706
I remember being disapointed with the bosses in seasons compared to ages.

>>4160668
A GBC game made after the GBA existed wasn't made to "show off" or sell the GBC.

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>>4160685
I thought so too.
The season switching and autumn colors were so fucking comfy. Ages might be "objectively better" for all I know, but it can't match the feel-good sensation I get from Seasons.

>>4162213
yeah, but then you get the micro, which can't play gb/gbc games because they couldn't figure out a way to id them without a physical switch to detect which size cart was inserted, which wouldn't fit in the micro's case.

>>4162716
Wait, really? It would work if you just found a way to replicate that switch?

>>4163327
Once they realised they couldn't do the hardware option and had no way of doing it in software, they just removed the option entirely, so there's IIRC no way to get a micro playing non-gba stuff. well, maybe emulation.

which is why you should own a dmg, gbc, gba or gba sp, and a micro. all four are required for the true gameboy experience. gbc because gba doesn't run gbc games quite the same, micro for ultra-portability.

>>4163485
or be wozniak and just carry multiple gameboy lights with you wherever you go, that's an option for the crazy people who are really, really into tetris.

>>4163486
I wonder what his high score is these days

>>4160698
The GBC CPU can run at twice the speed. Besides, the palette switching of Seasons wouldn't have looked right on a regular Game Boy anyway.

>>4163485
the big problem there is that GB cartridges won't work on 3.3 volts.

>>4163642
>the big problem there is that GB cartridges won't work on 3.3 volts.
pretty sure you can run them down around 3V, but it's right on the border.

Should I play Ages or Seasons first?

>>4165454
I'd say Seasons.

>>4165454
Play Seasons first unless you're okay with never being able to fully explore the world map in Ages.