[ginbunbun]

Hello I don't know if this is the right place to post this. But I was wondering how hard or if it's at all possible to port a Gameboy or Gameboy Color game to the nes. For example Donkey Kong Land 1 2 and 3.

[snarfblam]

You could remake the games for NES based on the GB/C versions. You could probably even reuse most of the data and graphics, but all the game's code would have to be re-written from scratch. The two systems have completely different architectures and different capabilities. For example, NES has much more screen real estate, whereas GBC has better palette support.

[ginbunbun]

You could remake the games for NES based on the GB/C versions. You could probably even reuse most of the data and graphics, but all the game's code would have to be re-written from scratch. The two systems have completely different architectures and different capabilities. For example, NES has much more screen real estate, whereas GBC has better palette support.

ah I see. Thank you for the replay. I'm going to ask my friend if he could do it. he dabbles in programming and such.

[tryphon]

The 2 systems have totally different processors : the NES has a 6502 and the GB has a (modified IIRC) Z80.

You must be fluent with the assembly of both. Not something easy.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

You couldn't port over anything. You'd have to remake the game from the ground up.

If it were easy to port GameBoy or GameBoy Color games to the NES, don't you think that loads of people would have already done this over the last two decades?

Even GameGear games are extremely difficult to port over to the Master System and only the genius Chris Covell has done so. and that's essentially the same hardware.

[Jorpho]

If it were easy to port GameBoy or GameBoy Color games to the NES, don't you think that loads of people would have already done this over the last two decades?

The thing is, there are a bunch of HK originals that look like they were practically ported from the Game Boy or Game Boy Color to the NES; what comes to mind are the Hummer Team Donkey Kong Country (which surely uses at least some assets from Donkey Kong Land) and the Resident Evil game (that seems derived from Resident Evil Gaiden).  (I asked the same question myself once, but no one replied.)

[KingMike]

Assuming the 1997 date on DKC is accurate, that would be 3 years before the GBC version was released.
Still it was very common for pirates to copy graphics/music, etc. from other games. Wouldn't mean the entire game was ported. I mean aren't pirates usually made to be cheap (and copying graphics was cheaper than creating them themselves. )?

[Lilinda]

You couldn't port over anything. You'd have to remake the game from the ground up.

If it were easy to port GameBoy or GameBoy Color games to the NES, don't you think that loads of people would have already done this over the last two decades?

Even GameGear games are extremely difficult to port over to the Master System and only the genius Chris Covell has done so. and that's essentially the same hardware.

To be fair there, the GG has more sprites and IIRC, better color support than the SMS. That makes things harder.

[KingMike]

Actually a few other people on SMS Power! have gotten into the act of porting GG games to SMS as well lately.
I think they actually have a whole page for that now.

[Jorpho]

Assuming the 1997 date on DKC is accurate, that would be 3 years before the GBC version was released.

Just to be clear, the graphics look a lot more like they were made from the old 4-color graphics of Donkey Kong Land rather than anything as advanced as the GBC version of DKC.  But then, Donkey Kong Land didn't have anything like the battle against Very Gnawty, so maybe they made everything from the SNES sprites after all.

[sjdswanlund]

Why do you want to do this in the first place?  Does your friend know you want to do this, or for that matter, does he even share interest in doing this as well?  If you want to do this so you can make cartridges and play them on the NES then, that would be even more complex and challenging, not to mention illegal.  I don't see the point in this sort of thing.  The amount of time it would take to do could be used to actually produce a hack that actually adds or changes something in the game.

[CyberFox]

The most logical to port to NES are Link's Awakening and Super Mario Land

[KingMike]

Maybe you could port Super Mario Land because it's such a small game but Link's Awakening is pretty big so it would be tough.

I couldn't figure out what to do, but I know there's a Chinese bootleg Link's Awakening. Is it anything like the real game? If so, maybe you could hack that.
(as in, not a turn-based game like the Minish Cap "port" is? )

[ginbunbun]

Why do you want to do this in the first place?  Does your friend know you want to do this, or for that matter, does he even share interest in doing this as well?  If you want to do this so you can make cartridges and play them on the NES then, that would be even more complex and challenging, not to mention illegal.  I don't see the point in this sort of thing.  The amount of time it would take to do could be used to actually produce a hack that actually adds or changes something in the game.

I want to do this because I wanted to see if it was possible to have a donkey kong country style game on the nes. My friend knows a lot about programming and the inner workings of old game systems and computers. If anyone could do it he could. Assuming he has the time.

[Clippit]

Personally, if I had the ability to do this, I'd totally port puzzle games like Panel de Pon or Pac-Attack, since their concept tends to be pretty basic and they might be easier to port than, say, an entire RPG or platformter.

[Jorpho]

I want to do this because I wanted to see if it was possible to have a donkey kong country style game on the nes.

As I suggested in my previous post, it's been done.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBeD-kEHy3E

[ginbunbun]

As I suggested in my previous post, it's been done.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBeD-kEHy3E

That's just a terrible Chinese pirate port of the original Donkey Kong Country on Super Nintendo. I'm referring to the gameboy games Donkey Kong Land 1, 2, and 3.

[tryphon]

I find it quite good, judging the video (but of course playability is crucial here).

In any case, it seems to be a good base to work with in order to recreate a DKC game on NES...

[Jorpho]

Yes, in what particular regard do you think a port of Donkey Kong Land 1, 2, or 3 would be superior to that "terrible Chinese pirate port"?

I guess the graphics kind of flicker a lot, but that's mainly because there are so many sprites on screen at the same time.  If you restricted the screen to the resolution of the Game Boy, there would probably be much less flicker – and you'd be playing on a tiny fraction of the size of your TV screen.

[ginbunbun]

Yes, in what particular regard do you think a port of Donkey Kong Land 1, 2, or 3 would be superior to that "terrible Chinese pirate port"?

I guess the graphics kind of flicker a lot, but that's mainly because there are so many sprites on screen at the same time.  If you restricted the screen to the resolution of the Game Boy, there would probably be much less flicker – and you'd be playing on a tiny fraction of the size of your TV screen.

The controls for one. In the chinese pirate they are absolutely terrible.