Favourite Game Gear Games and Memories

Dream Game Gear Mini

When I was a young boy my older brother was given a Game Gear as a gift. It was huge compared to the Game Boy and it was in colour! So of course to a child’s eyes it was clearly the most awesome handheld ever. Over time we would soon realize the battery life was a killer while on holidays to the Isle of Wight (an island in South England).

The Game Gear sadly hasn’t aged well. Most systems have a speaker which has degraded over time unless you have the skills to repair it. I still actually have my carts from my childhood but the system was sadly lost in my parents loft or some other mysterious dimension. I later found a broken one at a car boot sale but I’m yet to restore it to working order.

When I heard Japan was getting 4 Game Gear minis of various colours I got quite excited. You see my favourite handheld system of all time is still the Game Boy Advance Micro.

Of course these Game Gears are not as cool. They only have 4 pre installed games per each of its 4 available colours which seems like an ingenious way to attract the collector crowd.

Well my budget is small these days so I won’t be importing a Game Gear Mini but it does give me an opportunity to reminisce about my favourite Game Gear games, those that I would like to be loaded into a Game Gear mini should it ever be released in the West. So consider this my open letter to Sega, make it happen chaps.

Sonic the Hedgehog

A bit of a no brainer entry to begin with I know. There are also a plethera of Sonic games on the system but I decided to stick with my favourite. Sorry Sonic fans. This was one of the games we had when I was younger. This version is actually totally different compared to the Mega Drive and is often overlooked because its 8 bit and lacks that graphical wow factor. Despite the restrictive hardware this game is a looker with plenty of colour and its amazing how the game is capable of keeping up with Sonic’s speed at times. I enjoyed how the chaos emeralds were hidden within the levels and the special stages were just used to accumulate another continue or extra lives. There are also different levels themes in this game compared to the Mega Drive, like Jungle Zone which has quite the catchy beat. There was also Bridge Zone which featured a dreaded auto scroll level my brother and I used to always struggle with. Still Bridge Zone was much more fun than Marble Zone from the Mega Drive version. Overall, this was a great Sonic adventure on the go.

You can actually still download this game from the 3DS Virtual Console. Or its also found on Sonic Adventure DX on the Gamecube or Sonics Mega Collection Plus on the PS2 and Xbox as a hidden game.

Psychic World

Another game from my childhood. Psychic World is a 2D adventure game where you play Lucia a girl on a mission to save her sister. In the game you unlock all sorts of powers a bit like Mega Man only you can acquire new powers in the level not just from the boss characters. You travel across various levels and come across a variety of challenges that require your powers to overcome. I completed this game over and over again. It was an easy go to and I would try and finish it as quickly as possibly before the batteries ran out. My favourite memories included using the ice shot to create platforms to avoid enemies and traps. I also liked the bosses which tended to be massive creatures like something out of mythology like dragons and chimera. I also loved the soundtrack of this game, proof that little 8 bit games can be just as memorable as the big 16 bit consoles. Lucia is also the very first female protagonist I controlled in gaming and remains one of my favourite female characters to date. Her passion and drive to save her sister was kinda awesome.

Sadly this game is not available legally anywhere unless you have a physical copy and the hardware to play it on. Sad face.

Woody Pop

A charming little game that plays a lot like Breakout or Arkanoid. You play as a plank of wood and you simply hit the ball against the blocks and clear the screen. You can catch certain powers that drop from the blocks like multi ball which is self explanatory. There’s also glue where the ball sticks and the fire ball ability which destroys everything in its path. There are also enemies to defeat in the levels and once you finish a screen you get to choose where to progress next. This game is charming and loaded with colour. A total lost gem in my opinion which deserves to come back to life again. Your plank of wood also has a smiley face on it which is just lovely.

Sadly this is also only available in physical form.

Dr. Robotniks Mean Bean Machine

Yes it’s Puyo Puyo with that Sonic twist. Based off the utterly insane ‘The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog,’ a cartoon I loved when I was a kid (not so much as a adult though). If you’ve played any version of Puyo Puyo which chances are these days is quite high. But before it became popular in the west I utterly loved this game. I’m a bit fan of human vs computer puzzle games like this and Bust a Move. I didn’t play this version on the original Game Gear back in the day, I only really got a chance to enjoy the Mega Drive iteration which is basically the same game just with a glossy 16 bit coating. Fast forward to the 3DS era and I was able to download this cute version and take the game on the go. It’s simple, to the point and addictive as anything. I was in puzzle heaven on my work commutes by train and I still enjoy this version on my 3DS today.

Available on the Virtual Console on 3DS.

It’s at this point I would have to cut, since the limit of games on Japans Game Gear Minis is 4 for some bizarre reason. However, this is my dream Game Gear mini so lets keep going.

Dragon Crystal

An old fashioned Rogue like game for the Game Gear. You better bet I’m in! I was actually more familiar with this games spiritual sequel Fatal Labyrinth on the Mega Drive. Another hidden gem that’s found on one of the many thousand Mega Drive collections available on all consoles today. Where’s the Game Gear love Sega? A top down randomly generated game sometimes the odds will be in your favour and you’ll find a good weapon and lots of food. Sometimes it’s more enemies and hardship. Either way if you die you loose everything. No transferable skills like in modern Rogue Lite games. This is old school painful gameplay at it’s best and I would not have it any other way. Having it portable makes it just that bit more special to me. This was another one I enjoyed thanks to the wonders of the 3DS Virtual Console.

Available on the Virtual Console on 3DS.

Prince or Persia

There are so many ports of Prince of Persia in the gaming-verse. But of all the ports the Game Gear was the one I played when I was younger. By this point my brother had long forgotten about the Game Gear and I was the idiot refusing to grow up and play the Playstation. No, I clung onto the past for dear life and I came across Prince of Persia second hand at an old video game store for a few quid (that’s British slang for pounds). This was the version of Prince of Persia I sunk hours into and made me realize what all the fuss was for this type of game. It’s hard to explain this to the young folk today but the graphics and gameplay of Prince of Persia was mind blowing. Despite the wow factor the game was hard, very hard. It was the sort of game I sat down and wrote notes for where the spike traps were in order to gradually progress further and further in a effort to save the princess. When I finished, which took what seemed like forever, it was a massive achievement! The best part for me though was that I found myself quite comfortably playing the whole game since I had spent so long failing at it. Also I played most of this game with the Game Gear hooked up to the mains to save the battery. A handy remedy to the tiny battery life.

Game Gear version only available physically. The game was ported to various consoles. It is available on IOS and the GameBoy port is on the 3DS Virtual Console.

G – Loc: Air Battle

Jump into the cockpit and shoot enemy fighter jets in the first person? Doesn’t sound that inspiring today but this was the very first Game Gear game I remember playing when I was younger. I also remember not having a clue what to do. I mostly pressed the buttons furiously hoping I would hit something, instead I often got shot down in the first level. But with age comes a little wisdom as I learned how to get my head around this fun arcade based shooter. It’s no Afterburner but for the Game Gear its a great substitute.

Available on Virtual Console on 3DS.

Master of Darkness

Its Sega’s answer to Castlevania and it’s pretty darn awesome. A fun little 2D arcade romp and possibly the only game I know of that has a level centered around the river Thames in London. Sadly this series would never see another sequel but what we are left with is is a nice little hidden gem. I actually originally played this on the Master System console and was really impressed by the games colour palette and setting. Although I knew Castlevania existed I thought this genuinely looked cooler. Plus the main character is a doctor wearing a fine suit, something you don’t always see in the retro games.

Available on the Virtual Console on 3DS.

Wonder Boy

The original Wonder Boy game in all its wonder. A pretty brilliant port of the arcade version shoved into a portable device. A 2D run to the right and try not to die title with oodles of levels. My favourite memories of this one are of course the skate board power up because it just looks cool. But it’s also a hindrance because it means your left in constant motion making some of the platforming even harder than it already is. I’m amazed we didn’t break the Game Gear due to the frustration this would often cause. Still it didn’t stop me going back to it over and over again though. The European box art for this game is incredible, that volcano with an angry face in the clouds – brilliant!

Only available physically.

Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse

Another port that’s totally different from the Mega Drive version. I really like this port with it’s simple story. Mickey is on a mission to save Minnie from the witch from Snow White because why not. Seems she never learned her lesson from that film. I loved this games approach to difficulty. Playing on novice gave you three easier versions of the first three levels. When you finished the game you still saved Minnie and got a good ending but you got a gentle reminder Normal mode was a thing that you could try. As opposed to the usual video game troupe where your taunted for going for the easy mode. Normal mode opened up the first three levels fully and added boss fights. Additionally two more levels were added, as well as a final area with the final encounter with the witch to get the true ending. The game overall is one of my favourite Disney games and its a darn shame it hasn’t been ported to modern systems.

Only available physically.

One can Dream

So that’s a nice large list of games I would like to have on a Game Gear Mini in a nice navy blue colour if I was to choose. Unlikely to happen but hey everyone has a dream. Feel free to share your Game Gear memories below. Take care of yourself and your loved ones and I’ll see you next time.