After taking the portable gaming world by storm in the early 1990s, The GameBoy started running out of steam. More powerful home consoles were arriving, and gaming experiences were beginning to expand beyond what the diminutive platform's limited architecture could handle. Rumours had abounded that Nintendo were working on a new handheld to take over the reigns, which - when launched alongside the Western release of the Pokemon franchise - saw players snap up the new console in a flash. Once again seeing off more powerful handhelds with ease, this newer portable system also amassed a huge library of games in the process.
But which of these games are the best? Do they still hold up today? Do you wish there was a hardback book dedicated to the device that fawns over the platform like you do? That's where GameBook Color: The Unofficial CGB Companion comes in.
Having already covered the original GameBoy platform in 2023's GameBook: The Unofficial DMG Companion, Paul Murphy is back with a follow-up book, dedicated to the GameBoy Color and revisiting many games from the vast repertoire available. What you get here is pure, unadulterated love for the successor in the GameBoy line.
As well as a quintessential list of the best GameBoy Color games, there will be a historical dive into the platform as well as more in-depth retrospectives on many of the titles that defined the handheld. There's a tribute to Satoshi Tajiri (creator of Pokemon) and a look at everything that made the GameBoy Color so fantastic. The retrospectives on iconic franchises will be written by some outstanding freelance writers which go into more detail about the definitive GameBoy Color titles.
These features are accompanied by some mesmerising artwork, as also happened in the first book. If you loved that, then you'll both love this and know what to expect.
GameBook Color: The Unofficial CGB Companion will cover the GameBoy Color era, which runs from 1998 to 2001. So that begins with the coloured CGB-001 models and goes up to the launch of the GameBoy Advance. There's also a small section on the Analogue Pocket, for probably obvious reasons, as well as a smaller section for the VirtualBoy.
As well as some interesting pieces alongside the best games, it's also going to have some brilliant photography inside the book as well. The book will be 21cm x 21cm in size, identical to its predecessor, the GameBook. Coming with a hardcover, the book is finished with high-quality, uncoated paper stock and all sorts of cool content across 300+ pages.
This deluxe package includes the GAMEBOOK COLOR, a "Grape" enamel pin CGB badge, a foil bookmark and a foil CGB blueprint, as well as a digital copy too! It's also individually numbered on a custom obi-strip and limited to 100 copies.