This is a list of Virtual Boy games. The Virtual Boy is a 32-bit tabletop video game console developed and designed by Nintendo, first released in Japan on July 21, 1995 and later in North America on August 14 of the same year. [1] The following lists contains all of the games released for the Virtual Boy.
Originally unveiled at Nintendo's Shoshinkai Show in Japan on November 15, 1994 and at Winter CES in North America on January 6, 1995, [2] [3] it was never intended to be released in its final form but Nintendo pushed the Virtual Boy in its unfinished state to market so that it could focus development resources on the then-upcoming Nintendo 64 and arrived later than other 32-bit systems such as the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer, PlayStation, and Sega Saturn but at a lower price, [4] [5] retailing at US$179.95 but in mid-1996, Blockbuster was selling Virtual Boy units at $50 each. [6] [7] [2] [8] : 513
The system was overwhelmingly panned by critics and was deemed a commercial failure, [9] selling only 770,000 units before being discontinued both in Japan and North America on December 22, 1995 and March 2, 1996 respectively, [10] making it the second lowest-selling hardware by Nintendo after the 64DD and its marketing campaign was commonly thought of as a failure. [11] Several additional titles were announced to be released for the Virtual Boy at E3 1996, but ultimately they were never released due to the system’s discontinuation by Nintendo themselves, as were several localizations that were only released in one region. [2]
This lists all games commercially released for the Virtual Boy. For games that were announced or in development but never released, see the list of cancelled Virtual Boy games.
Listed here are all 22 [lower-alpha 1] officially released Virtual Boy games. Of these, eight titles were exclusive to Japan, three to North America and the other 11 were released in both regions. North America and other NTSC territories saw 14 releases and Japan, Hong Kong, and other NTSC-J territories had 19. A number of games were either announced or already in development before ultimately being cancelled [2] including Bound High! , Dragon Hopper , NikoChan Battle , and Zero Racers .
Title [12] | Genre(s) | Developer(s) | Publisher(s) [12] | Release date | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Japan | North America | ||||
3D Tetris | Puzzle | T&E Soft | Nintendo | Unreleased [lower-alpha 2] | March 22, 1996 |
Galactic Pinball | Pinball | Intelligent Systems | Nintendo | July 21, 1995 | August 14, 1995 |
Golf | Sports | T&E Soft | T&E Soft (JP) Nintendo (NA) | August 11, 1995 | November 1995 |
Innsmouth no Yakata | First-person horror | Be Top | I'Max | October 13, 1995 | Unreleased [lower-alpha 3] |
Jack Bros. | Action | Atlus | Atlus | September 29, 1995 | October 1995 |
Mario Clash | Action | Nintendo R&D1 | Nintendo | September 28, 1995 | October 1, 1995 |
Mario's Tennis | Sports |
| Nintendo | July 21, 1995 | August 14, 1995 |
Nester's Funky Bowling | Sports | Saffire | Nintendo | Unreleased | February 1996 |
Panic Bomber | Puzzle | Hudson Soft (JP) Nintendo (NA) | July 21, 1995 | December 1995 | |
Red Alarm | Shoot 'em up | T&E Soft | T&E Soft (JP) Nintendo (NA) | July 21, 1995 | August 14, 1995 |
SD Gundam Dimension War | Tactical role-playing game | Locomotive | Bandai | December 22, 1995 | Unreleased |
Space Invaders Virtual Collection | Shoot 'em up | Taito | Taito | December 1, 1995 | Unreleased |
Space Squash | Sports | Tomcat System | Coconuts Japan Entertainment | September 29, 1995 | Unreleased |
Teleroboxer | Fighting | Nintendo R&D1 | Nintendo | July 21, 1995 | August 14, 1995 |
V-Tetris | Puzzle | Locomotive | Bullet-Proof Software | August 25, 1995 | Unreleased |
Vertical Force | Shoot 'em up | Hudson Soft | Hudson Soft (JP) Nintendo (NA) | August 12, 1995 | December 1, 1995 |
Virtual Bowling | Sports | Athena | Athena | December 22, 1995 | Unreleased |
Virtual Boy Wario Land | Platform | Nintendo R&D1 | Nintendo | December 1, 1995 | November 27, 1995 |
Virtual Fishing | Fishing | Locomotive | Pack-In-Video | October 6, 1995 | Unreleased [lower-alpha 4] |
Virtual Lab | Puzzle | Nacoty | J-Wing | December 8, 1995 | Unreleased |
Virtual League Baseball | Sports | Kemco | Kemco | August 11, 1995 | September 11, 1995 |
Waterworld | Shoot 'em up | Ocean of America | Ocean of America | Unreleased | December 21, 1995 |
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Golf is a video game that was released within months of the Virtual Boy console's launch. It was developed and published by T&E Soft in Japan and published by Nintendo in North America. Golf uses standard golf rules and is set in the fictional 18-hole Papillion Golf & Country Club. Hazards include water, sand traps, trees, and deep rough grass. It is displayed in the Virtual Boy's standard red and black color scheme with 3D effects by use of a 3D processor. It was met with critical praise for its controls and physics and mixed reviews for its graphics. Nintendo Power called it the third best Virtual Boy release of its year.
Dragon Hopper is an unreleased action-adventure video game that was in development by Intelligent Systems and planned to be published by Nintendo on a scheduled 1996 release date exclusively for the Virtual Boy. Along with Japan System Supply's Bound High!, it would have been one of the first second-generation titles for the system if not for the poor critical and commercial reception it garnered that led to its planned relaunch being discontinued, which also led to the game's cancellation in the process.
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Bound High! is an unreleased action-puzzle video game that was in development by Japan System Supply and planned to be published by Nintendo on a scheduled 1996 release date exclusively for the Virtual Boy. In the game, players take control of a transforming robot named Chalvo through a series of levels riddled with hazardous obstacles to avoid across multiple worlds, while destroying or knocking out alien invaders off the area. The project was first conceptualized by designer and programmer Hideyuki Nakanishi, who wrote the idea on paper and placed it within a wall inside the offices of Japan System Supply, with his manager eventually greenlighting its development after seeing it.
Zero Racers is an unreleased racing video game that was in development and planned to be published by Nintendo on a scheduled 1996 release date exclusively for the Virtual Boy. Had it been released prior to cancellation, it would have become the first F-Zero installment to have featured 3D graphics. In the game, players can choose between one of four characters, each with their respective hovercar and race against AI-controlled characters in fifteen tracks divided into three leagues. The title was previewed in video game magazines but it was ultimately shelved due to the failure of the Virtual Boy itself, despite being completed for release.
Virtual Fishing is a 1995 fishing video game developed by Locomotive Corporation and published by Pack-In-Video in Japan for the Virtual Boy. The player participates in a series of fishing tournaments at various different locations by catching a large number of fishes with a high average weight under a time limit. Its gameplay consists of two segments and features two additional modes of play.