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Striking up a deal with Sega, it even had
a comeback in 2001 with Majesco remanufacturing and selling the system
for $29.95 USD that was far below its original $149 USD price tag.
There was another release of the system in 2006 and was in a
self-contained unit marketed by Coleco and Play Pal. It contained a
combination of Game Gear and Master system games with a total of only
20 games, nothing else to buy. It is very small with a very bright
screen using only three AAA batteries. Talk about a Phoenix; The
portable that wouldn't die?
I got a Game Gear during it's hey day and glory. Somehow I did not
obtain a very big library of games for it. The long flat thin body
makes it very comfortable to hold in your hands. It is sort-of the size
of the Lynx 2, only it is a little thinner. All of the buttons seem to
be just in the right place for your thumbs. It feels of heavy
construction and quality. Hey, it's from one of the big guys, Sega.
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Pros:
Good game library
Sega 8 bit goodness to go
Backlight
Cons:
Only 4 hours of playtime on 6 AA batteries.
Sound quality is poor.
Screen could be easily scratched.
Washed out colors.
Blurring on screen graphics with fast action.
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The competition on the
left and the Gear cart on the right. The Gear has a very nice plastic
storage case for the game carts.
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Games:
There are a lot of good little
8-bit games for this system. There are a lot of good platform games,
like Sonic, Sonic Chaos, Chuck Rock, Chuck Rock 2, Cool Spot, Dynamite
Headdy, Ristar, Ecco, to name a few. Fighting is good in Battle Toads,
Streets of Rage, Double Dragon, and Mortal Combat (no blood unless you
know the code). For puzzles there is Columns, Baku Baku Animal, or
Zoop. Bust-A-Move, or Puzzle Bobble as it is called there, was released
for it in Japan. It is an import, but it will work in the US Game Gear,
I know. Must not be any regional lock out. In that case, Gunstar Heroes
was released for it in Japan. I am not sure if it was released outside
of Japan, I never saw it anywhere else available. There are sports
games as well as a few good driving games. The library is very good and
deep with a lot of variety for this little system. A Shinning Force
game was even released for it. In all, I think, there were 243 games
released for the system, with over 250 worldwide.
The graphics are nice and colorful. The
graphics really have a 16 bit feel and look to them with a nice
resolution, a lot better than the Lynx, which is 16 bit. As for the
sound, it is tiny and 8 bit twangy. The sound in some games can become
a bit annoying. Some notes seem to be held too long. It is stereo, but
with only one speaker, you'll need headphones for the games that
utilize it.
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Controls:
Traditional cross type directional
button, a "1" and "2" button instead of the usual "A," "B" labeling.
Also a power switch, start button, analog volume and brightness
control. There is a headphone jack and an AC power adapter input. There
is also a port that enables you to link up to another Gear with a link
cable for two player gaming. The system also had a TV Tuner available
that went into the game cart slot. The TV Tuner is now useless with the
demise of the analog signal and the advent of Digital TV broadcasting.
Power:
Six AA batteries for
another power hog. They go fast, 4 hours. To have a need to buy a lot
of batteries to make something like this portable can dig a big hole in
your pocket. This is really the big down fall of any portable from this
generation of color handheld game systems. They were just a little on
the power hungry side to feed the color backlit screens, it seems.
Thankfully it does have an input for AC adapter. Modern gamers are
aware of some new technology to power some of these power hungry beasts
of the past in the form of rechargeable NiMH camera batteries. They
will save you money, if you crave that Game Gear on the go.
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Very
nice color backlit screen. The Gear became the second choice of the
gaming community next to the big Boy. For many that had a hunger for
color and a backlight, it became the obvious choice. And with it having
Sega titles, that made it even more appealing.
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Screen:
The screen is a 3 1/4-inch color LCD
with backlight. The colors are not as rich as modern portable screens,
it looks a little pale. But it is bright and better than the Atari Lynx
screen for different lighting situations. There seems to be a slight
blur when playing Sonic, but not enough to hinder gameplay or to worry
about. It has analog brightness control to allow you to adjust to your
particular need. The enhancement to the hardware allows it to have a
larger color palette than the Master System. Which makes the games look
exceptionally good. The screen is raised up from the units housing,
which gives it a high possibility of being easily scratched.
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Final
Thoughts: The system proved to be an unpopular purchase for
people at the time due to its ability to devour batteries and high
price tag. It was more expensive than the Lynx, which was going for $99
USD at the time. The Gameboy was reduced to $89 USD. I like this
system, but I really did not get into it at the time. Looking at it
now, It really is a good little 8 bit portable and one would find a lot
to like in it's game library. You just have to understand that you have
to deal with the battery issue or use an AC adapter to enjoy the
experience. If you are a Sega fan and have the munchies for that 8 bit
Sega goodness, then this thumb up is for you. I am glad to have it in
my collection of portables. For me, it is the platformers that stand
out on this system. I have immensely enjoyed Dynamite Headdy, Chuck
Rock series, the Star Wars series, Sonic series, and Tempo. I just
couldn't get enough of Baku Baku and Columns. There are a lot of good
little platformers that are exclusive to this system and are still
worthy of play. Baku Baku is probably my favorite game on this system.A
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