Somewhere between a next-generation release and a hardware revision, the Game Boy Color would arrive internationally in 1998. Promising backward compatibility with original Game Boy games, the new 8-bit platform delivered the magic of the original Game Boy with a sleeker form factor and glorious colorization. Improvements in battery life and size meant Game Boy owners could continue to enjoy the slew of cartridges amassed over the years. While gaining a reputation as something of a legacy handheld, the Game Boy Color would release its own line of titles, many of which were outstanding.