Retro Video Gamer

Has anyone seen Halley Wars on the Game Gear? I think its one of the rare GG only games out there (as in, it wasn't on SMS first then ported) are there any other titles like this that aren't on SMS as well? Be very interested to hear the list, I bet its short lol

Its pretty nice so far, I only had a quick go on it and I realised that I actually have over 20 games for the GG now... I must say I'm surprised I have that many I thought I had a lot less... need to google some more games and see whats around

I have become more of a Lynx fan, but I would like hear some of your GG gaming thoughts!

well with regards to the Game Gear, having only a bunch of Sonic Games, Mortal Kombat, Outrun, Shinobi, Chakan and Ecco etc, all games I've played plenty elsewhere I kinda got bored with it after a while and the Lynx diverse game library has tonnes of stuff I've NEVER seen before. I am trying to find some more interesting titles but it just puts me off that 90% of the GG's library is ports

Quote from: "dcultrapro"well with regards to the Game Gear, having only a bunch of Sonic Games, Mortal Kombat, Outrun, Shinobi, Chakan and Ecco etc, all games I've played plenty elsewhere I kinda got bored with it after a while and the Lynx diverse game library has tonnes of stuff I've NEVER seen before. I am trying to find some more interesting titles but it just puts me off that 90% of the GG's library is ports

That's a bloody good point, whilst i did love my Game Gear, thinking back to games i loved on it:GG Shinobi, Sonic, Lemmings, Wonderboy:Dragons Trap, Prince Of Persia, Columns etc only GG Shinobi (and Columns?) i'm left wondering how many were MS ports just redone to suit smaller screen size.

The Lynx however, i loved Blue Lightning, Zalor Merc, Gates Of Zen., Ramparts, APB, Toki, Dracula The Undead, Batman Returns, Crystal Mines 2, Dirty Larry, Switchblade 2 etc so had mix of originalgames, ports and arcade conversions.

So GameGear thoughts is just wishful thinking?

that was my Game Gear thought lol, its library is disappointingly bland for me. I loved it as a kid but now seeing value in games etc I can't really recommend people get a GG unless you haven't already owned a Master System. It is a nice system but apart from the limited library its really not too reliable either. I had 3 and all of them went wrong, either no picture or no sound after about 10/15 years. My Lynx is still rocking along same as ever

You called it Ultrapro! My GameGear's sound finally went and the picture is going as well. I really do not want to replace it, rather invest in more Lynx games.

Quote from: "onthinice"You called it Ultrapro! My GameGear's sound finally went and the picture is going as well. I really do not want to replace it, rather invest in more Lynx games.

Good choice! 

lol... this thread probably isn't going quite the way it should, its supposed to be about the Game Gear! lol nevermind, it is definitely inferior to the Lynx imo but it is a nice little machine, if you can keep one working

Does anyone know of anymore titles on it that DIDN'T also come out on the SMS??

Quote from: "dcultrapro"lol... this thread probably isn't going quite the way it should, its supposed to be about the Game Gear! lol nevermind, it is definitely inferior to the Lynx imo but it is a nice little machine, if you can keep one working

Does anyone know of anymore titles on it that DIDN'T also come out on the SMS??

Game Gear exclusives?

G.G Shinobi
G.G Shinobi 2:The Silent Fury
Shining Force 2:Sword Of Hajya
Defenders Of Oasis
Phantasy Star Gaiden
Ronald McDonald In The Magical World (Japan Only)
Coca Cola Kid (again, Japan only).

wow.... thats a LOOOOOONG list lol.

However... PSG is Jap only as well and Shining Force 2 didn't come to pal either so that leaves Shinobi 1+2 and Defenders of Oasis

Quote from: "dcultrapro"wow.... thats a LOOOOOONG list lol

Had to check on the following:

Sonic Drift (Japan Only)
Sonic drift 2
Tails Adventure
Shining Force Gaiden:The Final Conflict.(Japan only?)

Guess the G.G 'suffers' somewhat as it's basically a souped up, portable MS (Better VDP, so wider range of colours etc and Stereo sound), so it was fairly straight forward to tinker with MS code, do something with colours, alter resolution etc.

Quicker and cheaper than developing from scratch.MS was still going strong in Europe, hence the ports, dead in Japan, so guess that's why it had a few more exclusives.

Tails adventure actually looks good to me so I might keep an eye out for that one. Its probably rare as chickens teeth though as it came out late 95

Triple Trouble is an exclusive. I have Sonic Drift Racing so that one did come to pal

I think the Game Gear was a good idea. It just seem to have certain issues.

Quote from: "onthinice"I think the Game Gear was a good idea. It just seem to have certain issues.

Screen packed up on mine, never bothered to replace it as i'd pretty much hammered everything i wanted to on it and at the time was moving more into the console under the TV than handheld gaming, until i picked up a Lynx many months later.

Screen blur was biggest gripe i had with it as a user.

For me it was like the Lynx. I did not know anyone that had one when they first came out for sale. I have always liked Sega made systems and knew it was similar to the Sega Master System in power. Guess I thought it would be a good handheld so I bought one several years ago.

I had mine from a very young age, can't remember how old I was when I got both the Lynx and the GG but I remember as a kid preferring the GG as it had Sonic and a couple people at work had them as well. Obviously both the Lynx and GG pissed all over the horrid little POS that was the Gameboy but I think the reason I didn't get into the Lynx was because for a VERY long time I only had about 3/4 games and could only get them if I went out with my dad to somewhere in London, it was after it had finished production, whereas I could still get GG games in the Future Zone/Game Store in Watford

I picked up a bargain Lynx when they were newish, and although I was a Sega nut at the time never picked up a Game Gear because I had the Lynx. It was only a few years back I started getting a few consoles and a mate mentioned he had a Game Gear with a few games he might sell, a deal was struck and I own a Game Gear with several games and a carry case to keep it all in.
This thread reminds me I need to find it in among my stuff and see what I have and if it still works.

cool, be interested to hear what games you have

I love my GG, I don't have a huge amount of games but those I have can be seen in my collection thread.

oh ok, I thought as you hadn't seen it in a while that maybe your collection was somewhat unknown to you lol, cool

To be fair my whole collection is so scattered your probably correct lol.

So I got 2 new Game Gears for Gear4Games (he has an ebay shop, I visited his stall at Leeds Retro Fair).

They are working, ish lol in that the power can still be dodgy via mains, Ive left him a message to see if he has any suggestions or failing that I'll buy 12xAA rechargeables and just play like that.

The GG is harder to hold than I remember and the screen (even with my Super Wide Gear) still tiny but.....

 :79:

Was amazed that my Defender Of Oasis save was still there 15yrs since I last used the cartridge, its a GG exclusive RPG that shows off the GG perfectly with bright colours and simple but nicely drawn graphics. Spent a couple hours on this (argghh my hands!) and will do a full write up when complete.

My powergrip battery pack appears dead though, charged it and it held nothing so presumably batteries have died.

Ive got 2 copies of Super Monaco and a link cable so at some point I'll try that with someone.

Very happy to play one again

Great to hear!

I am actually working on something Game Gear related for the site right now between other things so keep your eyes peeled

The power plug could need re-soldering. As the plug moves around the solder can crack and cause a poor connection. Re-soldering the two connectors to the board may well cure the dodgy mains problem, it worked for me.

Quote from: "dougtitchmarsh"The power plug could need re-soldering. As the plug moves around the solder can crack and cause a poor connection. Re-soldering the two connectors to the board may well cure the dodgy mains problem, it worked for me.

I know, the 2 I have bought are supposed to have had this done.

Quote from: "The Laird"Great to hear!

I am actually working on something Game Gear related for the site right now between other things so keep your eyes peeled :113:

Got my intrigued as well The Laird lol   Nice one Wiggy, what games you going to get for it?

Quote from: "zapiy"Got my intrigued as well The Laird lol   Nice one Wiggy, what games you going to get for it?

Started a new thread: http://www.retrovideogamer.co.uk/http://www.retrovideogamer.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5 (//http)

Quote from: "WiggyDiggyPoo"

Quote from: "zapiy"Got my intrigued as well The Laird lol   Nice one Wiggy, what games you going to get for it?

Started a new thread: http://www.retrovideogamer.co.uk/http://www.retrovideogamer.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5 (//http)

You might want to check out THIS THREAD (//http) too if you are a GG fan! I stopped posting scans because people had lost interest in it but you might enjoy it!

Whats the going rate generally for GG games? I'm spying on eBay and lots seem to be £5 and less unboxed, with some boxed versions ramping up quite steep to almost original pricing £25-30.

Any ideas?

Quote from: "WiggyDiggyPoo"Whats the going rate generally for GG games? I'm spying on eBay and lots seem to be £5 and less unboxed, with some boxed versions ramping up quite steep to almost original pricing £25-30.

Any ideas?

That is about right really, the GG is one of the cheaper systems to collect for.

I have both the Atari Lynx and the Game Gear and they are better than the Gameboy of that time, hands down! 

Quote from: "dcultrapro"I have Sonic Drift Racing so that one did come to pal

There's no PAL/NTSC for Game Gear, that's a TV standard.

The European Sonic Drift Racing is the Japanese Sonic Drift 2. We never had the original game in this territory. There's no region lock though, so you could import it.

I think Ax Battler was a GG exclusive.

Theres a few exclusives, and because of its handheld nature many of the games its shares with the MegaDrive/MasterSystem are significantly different.

I don't know how much to read into this, or where I got it, but apparently Sonic 2 on the GG is the best version of that game.

Might try my hand at a list later....

Quote from: "WiggyDiggyPoo"I don't know how much to read into this, or where I got it, but apparently Sonic 2 on the GG is the best version of that game.

It's not. Please believe me when I tell you that it's really, really not. I owned that game, the Game Gear version specifically, and I can tell you that it's the most frustrating, unfair Sonic game out of the hundred or so that are probably out there by now. Part of it is the screen size, which means things like the first boss become way, way harder than they ever were on the Master System version. But then there's things that apply to both versions of the game, like boss acts never giving you any rings, or the hang gliding. Oh god, the hang gliding.

If you want to play a handheld Sonic game, my recommendation goes to Sonic Triple Trouble.

I probably made that up then to impress my friends lol

I don't have Triple Trouble, just 1,2 and Chaos

Yeah, that's a lie. The 8-bit versions are not anywhere near as good as the 16-bit ones, especially the GG iterations that suffer badly on the crappy screen.

Quote from: "The Laird"Yeah, that's a lie. The 8-bit versions are not anywhere near as good as the 16-bit ones, especially the GG iterations that suffer badly on the crappy screen.

Matter of opinion I really, I find the screen perfectly none crappy myself.

To be honest me comparing Sonic version across systems isn't the best game for me to do it as Ive only really played Sonic 2 on GG.

A stranger game I would choose to compare perhaps would be Lemmings, I've mentioned my love for the little guys on GG before and I found it as much fun to play as on my big screen mouse controlled Amiga version. Ive got the SNES version lined up so perhaps some kind of weird cross system compare review could be written by myself in the future.

I think even the most hardcore Game Gear fan will admit the screen is terrible! Because it really is!

I honestly can't think of a bad version of Lemmings, although my favourite versions are probably the ST (first version I owned) and the Lynx (perfect handheld port)

One of our very own members Amiga Jay has this great site devoted to the different versions - http://everylemming.blogspot.co.uk/ (//http)

Quote from: "The Laird"I think even the most hardcore Game Gear fan will admit the screen is terrible! Because it really is!

I honestly can't think of a bad version of Lemmings, although my favourite versions are probably the ST (first version I owned) and the Lynx (perfect handheld port)

One of our very own members Amiga Jay has this great site devoted to the different versions - http://everylemming.blogspot.co.uk/ (//http)

Still going to disagree, in my book a terrible screen would mean it renders the games unplayable or breaks immediately upon looking at it - it doesnt.  :25:

Now I'll meet you halfway in that yes the screen is unreliable but I accept that as a characteristic of what was available at the time, and mitigate with the not expensive repair that is available. It still doesn't make it terrible?

Something different to put forward as GG flaw for you though is I really don't find the GG comfortable to hold for any length of time anymore. This might be the early onset of arthritis lol but I cant hold it up and play for a long time anymore - I find myself resting it on my lap instead which is a lot  more comfortable.

I'll put the lemmings article on my read list tho thanks 

[size=140]The secret is out . . . . . (//http)[/size]

Excellent secret to let out! 

Awesome! And I must say that I am surprised by the majority of your scores bud! I was expecting you to mark a lot of those games far lower, but I was pleasantly surprised So have we gotten any closer to getting a comprehensive list of GG games in the English speaking regions that DIDN'T come out on Master System or any other console of the time? I only know of the following but these may well be wrong themselves

Sonic the Hedgehog in Triple Trouble
Sonic Drift (Series)
Haley Wars

Any others?

Quote from: "dcultrapro"Awesome! And I must say that I am surprised by the majority of your scores bud! I was expecting you to mark a lot of those games far lower, but I was pleasantly surprised So have we gotten any closer to getting a comprehensive list of GG games in the English speaking regions that DIDN'T come out on Master System or any other console of the time? I only know of the following but these may well be wrong themselves

Sonic the Hedgehog in Triple Trouble
Sonic Drift (Series)
Haley Wars

Any others?

Popils
Ax Battler: A Legend of Golden Axe
The G.G. Shinobi
The G.G. Shinobi II
Crystal Warriors (pretty sure it was only released on the GG, but I may be incorrect)
Arena: Maze of Death

There are a few other Sonic games and one of the Shining Force (Gaiden) games was released in the US.

Quote from: "dcultrapro"Awesome! And I must say that I am surprised by the majority of your scores bud! I was expecting you to mark a lot of those games far lower, but I was pleasantly surprised :4:

Quote from: "Alarm"Popils
Ax Battler: A Legend of Golden Axe
The G.G. Shinobi
The G.G. Shinobi II
Crystal Warriors (pretty sure it was only released on the GG, but I may be incorrect)
Arena: Maze of Death

There are a few other Sonic games and one of the Shining Force (Gaiden) games was released in the US.

Thats my next game, just arrived yesterday and having a go on it later

[align=center:11ak94wb]Royal Stone for the Sega Game Gear Fan Translated Intro Part 1 of 2 (//http)

Royal Stone for the Sega Game Gear Fan Translated Intro Part 2 of 2 (//http)[/align:11ak94wb]

Nice one. My lad played my GG the other day and he was pleasantly surprised with how big it was compare to his handhelds. I think he preferred the bigger size lol.

Quote from: "zapiy"Nice one. My lad played my GG the other day and he was pleasantly surprised with how big it was compare to his handhelds. I think he preferred the bigger size lol.

Yep, it definitely makes a difference with the handhelds.