GAME GEAR

SEGA GAME GEAR
(1990-1997)
The colour portable of the Master system

Sega said "Me too!" Sega wanted in on the new portable gaming market like Nintendo (Game boy of course) and Atari (the Lynx) were in during the early 90's and here we have their Game Gear machine. Sega made it easy for themselves by using their highly unsuccessful Sega Master system engine for their Game Gear portable machine (which would explain all the 8-bit remakes) and thus the 8-bit Colour portable system was born.

So what can you play on it? There were over 200 games created for the Game Gear and you even play some of the import games like Phantasy Star Gaiden (but the text will remind in Japanese regardless) and Mappy on a North American unit too. If you ever get bored with the games than you can also get the Sega TV Tuner to watch some limited channels on the go or if you get the Master Converter to play the Sega Master System cartridge games and I know that your Game boy can't do that.

A lot of the GG games looked way better than their rival black and white Game boy counterparts, for example just look at games like Mortal Kombat, Mega Man, and Pac Man on the Game Gear compared to their Game boy games counterparts. Times have changed though because some of the newer Game boy Color titles and definitely the latest Game boy Advance titles greatly surpass the old Game Gear technology. I'm also not a big fan of the Sega Master System's sound and the same goes for the Game Gear's poor audio; thankfully there is an adjustment switch to turn the music down.

Another problem with the Game Gear is its very bulky size. Just like the Atari Lynx, it's nearly 4 times the size of a Game boy Advance and that can not fit into most normal pockets. The Game Gear also takes a whopping 6 AA batteries and it can really eat away in only a mere 3 to 4 hours of playing. This is what really holds back Sega's portable machine from making any kind of comeback.

Bottomline: Unfortunately the Game Gear lost its support when Sega decided to focused their efforts on the ill fated Sega Saturn......... which is too bad, because it could have lasted a lot longer I think, much like the Game boy did. Sega should have tried to remake the bulky Game Gear like Nintendo did when they released the smaller and clearer Game boy Pocket in 1997 instead of just letting their system die off. Just think of the Sega Game Gear as a bigger version of the Game boy Color and you should know what to expect. Be sure to look out for the new Game Gear's by Masjesto sold in speciality stores and some Toys r us.

Rating: 62/100 it's good but it lacks Puzzle games and RPG's compared to the game boy’s strong line up.
Find the Game Gear on eBay here!

Rare Scale: 4/10 still common and dirt cheap in some places but there are rarer designs on some of the Game Gear's like the one's with Virtua Fighter Artwork on it.

COOL GG TOYS

TV Tuner
The TV Tuner fits into the cartridge slot and it turns your Sega Game Gear into a mini portable TV. A very rare device because it didn't sell too well so it is most likely not going to go cheap. Only the Game Gear and the Turbo Express have TV Tuners and there is no such feature for any of the Game boys.

Master Converter
This cool device lets you play your Sega Master System game cartridges on the Game Gear. There is even an extra port for an additional controller for two player action. Finally greats like Phantasy Star, Alex Kidd in Miracle World, and others can be played on the go so your library of games has just increased. Again this is a very rare device because it didn't sell too well so be prepared to shell out some more cash.

Good points:
*Most Japanese and other import games will work on a North American Game Gear so you can forget about any converters.

Bad points:
*The bulky size of the thing and the 6 AA batteries don't last for very long either.
*simple 8-bit technology compared to the Lynx.

Common GG games:
Columns (pack in game)
Sonic 2 (pack in game)
World Series Baseball 95

Rarest GG games:
Galaga 2
Mega Man
Phantasy Star Gaiden (Japanese)
Shining Force: Final Conflict
Super Space Invaders

StarSoldier's Top Ten Game Gear games:
(SHINING FORCE, SHINING FORCE!)

#1. SHINING FORCE: The Sword of Hayja (Sega/Camelot, 1994)

2. MEGA MAN (US Gold/Capcom, 1995)

3. BUBBLE BOBBLE (Taito, 1993)

4. DR. ROBOTNIX's Mean Bean (Sega, 1993)

5. BUST A MOVE (Taito, 1994)

6. SONIC THE HEDGEHOG (Sega, 1992)

7. WONDER BOY III The Dragon's Trap (Sega, 1991)

8. SHINOBI (Sega, 1991)

9. SUPER COLUMNS (Sega, 1993)

10. STAR WARS (US Gold, 1993)

Most Disappointing:
SONIC DRIFT 2
Runner Up: Columns

The Worst:
LAST ACTION HERO
Runner Up: Yu Yu Fighters

Most Underrated:
DR. ROBOTNIK's Mean Bean
Runner Up: Virtua Fighter Animation

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