Some gamers will be turned off by the simple classic style, but Game & Watch Gallery is a nice trip down memory lane.
Each game has 4 versions: Classic mode, which is a recreation of the corresponding classic LED game, and Modern, which is a revamped version of each game. Each game has an easy and hard mode.
In the classic version of Manhole, you have to guide Mr. Game & Watch using the arrow pad, to protect each person passing by from falling through, into the sewer. After three misses, the game ends. In the modern version, you play as Yoshi, which follows the same style of gameplay, except you get an added twist; you don't have to hold the manhole cover up when it's fully level with the ground. It allows you to give extra attention to other manhole covers, and helps you have a different strategy while playing, then in the classic version.
In Fire, you play as Game & Watch people, trying to save people from a burning building by bouncing them into a waiting ambulance. As in any of the Game & Watch games, three misses means game over. In the Modern version, you play as Mario and Luigi.
In the versions of Octopus, you try to avoid the tentacles of the Octopus while gathering treasure. There's plenty of strategy in this game, for the more treasure you collect in one trip, the slower your character will move. You can also toss back the treasure in the modern version of the game, to knock back one of the octopus' tentacles.
Oil Panic has you gathering oil and tossing out of the building, into the oil drum. This game is different from normal Game & Watch games in having 6 lives - 3 misses on top and 3 misses on bottom screen. This was also the first dual screen, Game & Watch game. In the modern version, you play as Mario and Yoshi - Mario gathers dropped by Bowser and tosses it out of the window, into Yoshi's mouth, who then spits it out.
The classic versions are ok, but are modified to fit the Game Boy's square screen. The old LCD games, used rectangle screens. In Oil Panic, which used two screens, both screens are shown on the screen at the same time. it's not bothersome in any way though. Modern versions of the games seems more fitting to the Game Boy's screen, and it's quite funny to see a modern Nintendo take on their own games with the more famous Nintendo stars.
The graphics in the classic versions are true to their LCD counterparts, and the modern versions aren't anything graphical fancy, but are better then most Game Boy Games. The sound in each versions aren't anything to be wowed about either. The old classic games are nothing more then beeps, and the modern versions feature pretty standard, but forgettable background themes. In either case, sound is still important to listen to in the game, for it let's you know when you have successfully scored a point.
In each version of each game, when you score 200 points, you'll gain a star. Every 200 points scored there after, will get you another star. Along the way, you'll unlock stuff in gallery mode, that will show you loop animations of other famous Game & Watch games, and background history on each game.
All in all, Game & Watch Gallery, is a pretty cool game, especially for retro gamers. Some gamers will be turned off by the simple classic style, and the fact that there is only 4 types of games, but Game & Watch Gallery is a nice trip down memory lane to see how far gaming has progressed from that era in history.