Let's Play Every Game Boy Color Game, Part 47
NASCAR 2000 (Software Creations/EA Sports, 2000)
There were a ton of graphical glitches going on with this one, but all you can really see in the screenshot is that the back of my car isn't right. It's an exceedingly bland Outrun-style game, but that's probably just as well since you can't make an oval track interesting.
NASCAR Challenge (Morning Star Multimedia/Hasbro Interactive, 1999)
Also Outrun-style, but now with non-oval tracks. Unfortunately, the actual track has almost nothing to do with the map, which may be why this no dot to represent where you are. This track was one ridiculously long turn followed by an even longer straightaway, then one small turn and the finish line. At least it has great music.
NASCAR Heat (Game Titan/Hasbro Interactive, 1999)
Somehow this was the only one of the three real NASCAR games to realize how much better top down works on GBC. It has more strong music, the turn arrow in the top right solves the visibility issue that comes with top down, and it'd be an all-around strong racing game except that it's NASCAR, so all but one of the tracks is a boring oval. Alas.
NASCAR Racers (Digital Eclipse/Hasbro, 2000)
I said "real" NASCAR games in the last entry because, despite the name, this has absolutely nothing to do with NASCAR. It's a race between 4 cartoony characters on 4 equally cartoony tracks. Much like NASCAR Heat, it has everything it needs to be a great racer except for one thing, which in this case is an incredibly unforgiving damage model combined with tracks full of hazards you have no reasonable way of dodging and opponents that sideswipe you for massive damage. I can't imagine actually finishing one of these tracks without memorizing it.
The Nations: Land of Legends (Neon Software/JoWooD Productions, 2002)
Some kind of adventure puzzle game that's incredibly picky about the order you do things in. I found this treasure chest that I couldn't interact with at the end of a very long bridge, and that's where I decided this wasn't worth any more time.
NBA 3 on 3 featuring Kobe Byrant (Left Field Productions/Nintendo, 1999)
I'm not sure if I'd ever played a basketball game before this one, so I really can't comment on how this compares to anything else. What I can say is that it amounts to mashing B to try and steal when you don't have the ball, and then pressing it some more to pass when you do have it, followed by pressing A to shoot and hoping for the best. There's not room for a much more thoughtful approach than that with only three players.
NBA Hoopz (Torus Games/Midway, 2001)
Much like the last game, this is a 3v3 title that lets both teams be the same. I prefer the side view to the isometric camera of NBA 3 on 3, but it feels like there's basically no defense in this one, especially since players can jump like 30 feet in the air to dunk from the free throw line. It has fun music playing, at least.
NBA in the Zone (Konami, 1999)
I'm starting to think that allowing a team to play itself is just something every NBA game does. At any rate, in the Zone is the first full 5v5 basketball game I've seen, and there's just way too much going on for this small of a screen.
NBA in the Zone 2000 (Konami, 2000)
As is the way of sports games, this is the same game with slightly a slightly snazzier interface and better sounds. I know enough about basketball to make the joke that it's not realistic because I got called for traveling.
NBA Jam '99 (Torus Games/Acclaim Sports, 1999)
I assume all the NBA Jam games are like this, but 2v2 basketball where you only control one player even if the other guy has the ball feels a bit weird, especially since the other guy still won't pass or shoot unless you press the right button. My team is winning 3-2 here because I pressed the jump button without shooting, which caused the AI to attempt to block. When there was nothing to block, it just turned around in shame and let me shoot a second time without interference.
NBA Jam 2001 (dc Studios/Acclaim Sports, 2000)
You can't really accuse this of just being the same game, which is probably down to it having a different dev. It's much worse, though - everyone moves at about a mile a minute and there's no marker to show which player you're controlling, so it's almost impossible to tell what's going on or react to anything.
NBA Showtime: NBA on NBC (Torus Games/Midway, 2000)
Eagle-eyed readers might notice that this looks almost exactly the same as NBA Hoopz and has the same devs. Everything I said about that one is more or less true of this one. It is at least notable for probably being the game with the most "NB"s in the title.
The list:
Golf Ou: The King of Golf
John Romero's Daikatana
Kakurenbou Battle Monster Tactics
Keitai Denju Telefang
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons
LEGO Island 2: The Brickster's Revenge
Magi Nation
Mario Golf
Mario Tennis
Metal Gear Solid
Metamode
Millennium Winter Sports
Mobile Golf
Monkey Puncher