Kieren Hawken - The A-Z of Sega Game Gear Games: Volume 1

The A-Z of

Sega Game Gear Games

Volume 1

Kieren Hawken

Published in 2017 by

AG Books

www.agbooks.co.uk

Digital edition converted and distributed by

Andrews UK Limited

www.andrewsuk.com

Copyright 2017 Kieren Hawken

The right of Kieren Hawken to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1998.

All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without express prior written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted except with express prior written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1956 (as amended). Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damage.

The opinions expressed herein belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect those of AG Books or Andrews UK Limited.

Game screenshots are included in this publication legally under applicable fair use law which allows such material for the explicit purposes of commentary and criticism.

Introduction

In 1989 the world of gaming changed forever with the release of two ground breaking portables - the monochrome Nintendo Game Boy and full colour Atari Lynx. Caught out by these developments, then market leaders Sega had to come up with an answer and fast. So just a year later they released a handheld console of their own in Japan called the Sega Game Gear. A worldwide release followed in 1991 to a positive reception and the battle for portable playability was well and truly in flow!

To save time and money the handheld itself was heavily based on Segas best selling 8-bit Master System console, with just some very minor upgrades to the colour palette and sound output. This not only allowed Sega to get the console to market quicker but also gave them the advantage in getting games onto the machine. The only downside to this was that the Game Gear would have very few original titles of its own, with a large proportion of the library being Master System ports. Still, this didnt bother most people, as the chance to play a wide range of Sega classics in the palm of your hand was just too good to turn down!

In this book I take you through the life of the Game Gear looking at a varied cross section of the many games available for the machine with a small review and screenshot of each one. This is not a list of the best games, a list of the worst or indeed a complete guide to whats available. The A-Z of Sega Game Gear Games is just that, my look at a selection of Game Gear games in alphabetical order. There are three games featured for each letter and these range from the earliest titles released, to modern homebrews and even some obscure imports! Hopefully this book gives you some inspiration to try games youve never played before or bulk up your personal collection. You might even find it that brings back happy memories of unwrapping Christmas presents or linking up with your friends after school for a two-player battle. But most of all I hope you enjoy reading it and remember what makes the Sega Game Gear one of the greatest handheld consoles of all-time!

Kieren Hawken

Author

A

Arcade Classics

Sega - 1996

Arcade Classics sounds like it should be every retro gamers dream, some old games to play on an old console. In reality it is a bit more of a hit and miss affair, the games are good old classics so no problems with that, its just that the choices for use on the Game Gear needed to be a bit better thought out. With just three out of the many games that could have been on this compilation the choice of Centipede, Pong and Missile Command is a little bit poor. Not that these are bad games, its just that all of these were meant to be played with paddle controls or a trackball but to use a very un-precise Game Gear joypad on those games is just wrong. Pong is just about manageable but the different versions of the game really cant disguise what was always meant to be a two-player experience. Missile Command sort of works with the joypad but its a bit difficult to aim quickly as things get faster and the screen starts to blur and Centipede suffers from the same problems. Graphically the games have been improved, with the game Gear offering some extra power over the original. All the sprites are modernised but you can also play the original versions too if you are a purist. The sound has also has an upgrade with some nice chip tune music and explosions too. Arcade Classics does have some smash hits on it, but not the right ones for a joypad. The upgraded graphics and sound work well but the games dont as well as they should.

5 /10

Arch Rivals

Flying Edge - 1993

When people think of arcade basketball games they usually mention NBA Jam , but before that hugely popular slam dunker there was Midways Arch Rivals . Originally released in its arcade form in 1989, this game is widely regarded as starting the whole sports games crossed with violence craze of the early nineties with titles such as Pigskin, Mutant League, Brutal Sports Football and Basketbrawl topping the charts. In essence Arch Rivals is basically a two-on-two full-court basketball game, but the removal of the normal rules makes the experience very different to any previous bball games! As well as being able to perform all sorts of pretty standard moves such as dunks, three pointers, steals and blocks you can also punch your opponents, barge them and even pull down their shorts! When I said there were no rules I meant it, this really is anything goes. Thats not to say all the sporting elements are eliminated though, you still have to learn the best places to shoot, how to block shots and passing techniques etc. If you have played NBA Jam before then you know what to expect, the only real difference is that Arch Rivals is a little less over the top than its more illustrious sequel. This portable version is remarkably close to the 16-bit Mega Drive version in the graphics department and also has some great music too. Its just a shame that this version of the game doesnt have any sound effects as that would have really sealed the deal.

7 /10

Addams Family

Flying Edge - 1993

Ocean Software were probably best known for their outstanding output on the many home micros of the late 80s and early 90s. Their forte was licences, whether they be movies or arcade games. This was one their biggest of the time and one they also decided to release on the Game Gear thanks to a special deal with Acclaim that saw them share their licensing opportunities. You play the part of Gomez Addams, played by the late great Raul Julia in the movie, in this Super Mario Bros. clone. Loosely based on the movie, you must make your way around the grounds and many rooms of the Addams mansion trying to find the lost family fortune. Wads of cash and bags of money have been left everywhere and are being guarded by all sorts of spooks and nasty creatures. Gomez can walk, jump and duck and in order to kill the enemies you must jump on their heads in true Mario style. The mansion is huge with many rooms, secret passages and catacombs underneath. There is certainly lots of exploration to be done here before you can complete it. The graphics are very nice indeed and I was very impressed by the nicely drawn sprites. The classic theme song also plays throughout the game and while it does sound very good it starts to get a bit annoying after a while. The Addams Family is far from being original but it does everything very well. If you are a fan of sprawling platformers then I think this game will be right up your street.