PyroPlayers Magazine - PPM Reviews

GAME GEAR

Sonic Drift

Sega

Racing Release: November 1995
Age Rating: All Challenge: Intermediate

Players, start your engines! Sega's cast of animal friends from the Sonic series make their go-kart racing scene debut with Sonic Drift Racing. To begin, any Game Gear owners who enjoyed the brilliance of Super Mario Kart will quickly fall in love with this extraordinarily similar portable entry. Choose from 7 cutesy racers and 12 imaginative tracks, then try your best to win the first-place prize. The graphical presentation is about standard for the colorized handheld: Fairly limited in its palette but never hard to decipher your racers from your rivals despite the tiny screen. That small-scale display does negatively impact your field of view - resulting in the need for insanely quick reaction time when road signs pop up. Otherwise, you may fly off the banked turns. Lots of fast fun, regardless, for the speed demons.

GAME GEAR

Tails' Adventure

Sega Aspect

Act-Platformer Release: November 1995
Age Rating: All Challenge: Easy

It's about time Tails got his own game! The two-tailed fox from the Sonic series makes his debut as a solo act with Tails' Adventure. Tails takes on an abundance of mostly traditional platform stages, collecting rings to build-up health to safely make your way to the goal. This fox can make use of special inventory items to assist on the way, like timed bombs and remote-controlled craft. You cannot merely jump on a baddie to kill it - You must make use of these items. Tails thankfully retains his trademarked flight ability, allowing him to hover over any dangerous obstacles along the way. This Game Gear cart makes excellent use of the hardware, delivering nicely colored, crisp graphics and finely tuned play control. Lots of secrets throughout each stage will keep even experienced players busy.

GAME GEAR

Itchy & Scratchy

Acclaim Bits Studios

Act-Platformer Release: March 1995
Age Rating: All Challenge: Easy

Itchy and Scratchy, the show-within-a-show from The Simpsons, are the headliners in an all-new Game Gear game. This cat and mouse duo fit naturally into the action-platformer mold as one would imagine. Your job, as the titular rodent, is to smash, slash, and incinerate Scratchy before the time runs out. Use an assortment of tools from fiery bazookas to pointy hedge clippers to steadily drawn down Scratchy's energy meter. Munch a hunk of cheese to get a jolt of speed, too. For the Game Gear, this cart is serviceable at best. Players will not get a sense of the laugh out loud humor, nor the over-the-top violence parodied in the cartoon from the mundane animation or grainy graphics, so stick to renting it.

SEGA - For Game Gear

Legend of Illusion

Action-Platformer | 4 MEG

Release: November 1994

The follow-up to 1993's Land of Illusion is none other than Legend of Illusion, Sega and Disney's latest effort to continue the legacy of Mickey Mouse platform games. This time, Mickey is ordered by King Pete to heal the kingdom by fetching a pail of legendary water. Despite its somewhat silly premise, Legend made for a decent portable adventure. Its detailed and wonderfully colorful graphics are a certain high-point, while the standard puzzle-platform levels are passable at best. The programmers over at Aspect Co. were also kind enough to implement a comfortable and easy-to-use control scheme. Maybe hire a better sound engineer next time, though. All in all, Gear owners should be satisfied.

SEGA - For Game Gear

Ristar

Action-Platformer | 4 MEG

Release: February 1994

It's mind-blowing to see how ingenious these developers truly are. Ristar, a state-of-the-art platform adventure on Sega Genesis is also available in miniaturized form on the Game Gear! We may have commended portable conversions like Headdy and Sonic previously, but, by golly, this is impressive to see. Ristar retains the core gameplay of the original, including our hero's stretchy abilities, the fun and detailed level designs, and the catchy tunes to boot! An added mechanic is the plethora of stars polluted throughout each stage. Collect 100 of 'em and you will never guess what happens! If you want to see a console pushed to its absolute limits, go check out Ristar for a stunning trip.

SEGA - For Game Gear

Power Rangers

Brawler | 4 MEG

Release: November 1994

Those omnipresent superheroes have made their way over to the Game Gear in an entirely new adventure. Play as any of the five Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and storm the streets to brawl your way through. There is a ton of action in this portable entry, making for a fun blend of one-on-one fighting and beat-em-up gameplay styles. Each ranger has a repertoire of kicks, punches, and special moves - all easy to execute on the fly. Players can take on the traditional Story Mode path or fight in Vs. Mode against the computer or against a friend via the Gear-to-Gear cable. Sprites are brightly colored and large enough to easily distinguish from one another, a lesson Game Boy devs could learn.

SEGA - For Game Gear

The Lion King

Action-Platformer | 4 MEG

Release:November 1994

The Lion King roars onto the portable scene with this latest iteration for the Sega Game Gear. This cart follows the story of the critically acclaimed Disney film, putting the player in the role of Simba the Lion. Showcasing much of the same building blocks of the 16-Bit title, TLK on Game Gear is an excellent conversion. Bright colors adorn each humungous stage and Simba is animated quite well. The level designs are a touch different, and the reworked and downgraded audio is not too great, but our team felt this cart captured the same feeling as on the SNES and Genesis. This adventure is a certain buy for owners of Sega's micro console.

SEGA - For Game Gear

Sonic: Triple Trouble

Action-Platformer | 2 MEG

Release: November 1994

Joining Sonic & Knuckles on store shelves this holiday season is the newest in an increasingly long line of Game Gear Sonic titles. Sonic the Hedgehog: Triple Trouble features the return of the famous blue hedgehog alongside everyone's favorite flying fox. The evil Dr. Robotnik is up to no good again, twisting the mind of Knuckles against our heroes! Traverse a plethora of new zones - from snow-capped mountains to underwater factories - and try your best to collect the secret emeralds. Sega brought excellent graphics and sounds as usual for their flagship franchise, but little separates this from the previous entries. A fun one, nonetheless!

Taito - For Game Gear

Bubble Bobble

Puzzle-Platformer | 2 MEG

Release: November 1994

A classic Taito puzzle game returns with Bubble Bobble for Game Gear. Once limited exclusively to the NES, this puzzler is now available for Sega players to enjoy on-the-go. Battle through an abundance of levels, destroying silly enemies and collecting various foodstuffs to boost your points. Despite its relative simplicity, at least compared to the more advanced assortment of games in our 16-Bit era, we believe Puzzle Bobble will strike a chord with all audiences due to its arcade-like addictive nature. Taito truly harkens back to a time when gameplay was prioritized over graphics. A top-notch choice for portable fans.

Acclaim - For Game Gear

Mortal Kombat II

Fighter | 4 MEG

Release: September 1994

Featuring all the blood and gore from the home systems, Mortal Kombat II on Game Gear is a fine treat for fighting game fans to enjoy on-the-go. As in the Game Boy version, Rayden, Baraka, King Lao, and Cage are absent, and those eight playable fighters have slightly limited movesets. Playability is on-par with decent controls for the three-button movement scheme. Despite huge sprites and a pounding soundtrack, MK II on the Sega portable is hindered by animation skips and an arduous combo mechanic. Be sure to grab a friend with their own Game Gear brick, as two-player mode requires a second system. Otherwise, enjoy playing the computer!

SEGA - For Game Gear

Shining Force

Strategy RPG | 4 MEG

Release: September 1994

At long last an RPG has landed on the Game Gear! Our team celebrated Sonic Software Planning's original Shining Force for Genesis, and it's no small feat to see this tiny follow-up appear in the U.S. Sega's localization is named The Sword of Hajya in honor of a powerful blade owned by the Prince of Cypress. Along with the enticing storyline, Shining holds the same flavor of tactical gameplay elements seen in the console iteration without feeling too complex. This title features excellent visuals for the portable screen with a varied array of colors and sprites, rounding out a fine entry in the Shining saga. We dearly hope Shining Force CD is coming up next for this enjoyable saga!

SEGA - For Game Gear

Dynamite Headdy

Action-Platformer | 4 MEG

Release: September 1994

The developers behind the wicked Gunstar Heroes are back with, oh - wait! Yes, Treasure has developed a Game Gear version of Dynamite Headdy to accompany the more detailed Genesis title. The portable iteration retains the attitude-heavy Headdy in a scaled-down adventure filled with super fun platforming and wacko enemies. The tinier sprite graphics are a bit rough compared to 16-Bit, making it a tad burdensome to get a read on things. For Game Gear standards, this cart contains an above-average color palette and level design, even if it suffers from blurriness from time to time. Practice on this smaller Headdy to prepare for the true challenge on Genesis!

SEGA - For Game Gear

Asterix

Puzzle-Platformer | 4 MEG

Release: June 1994

Your Review Crew took a stern look at the recent Genesis outing of Asterix in our May issue, ultimately granting it a mediocre score for underwhelming and rather unoriginal gameplay. Asterix and the Great Rescue on Game Gear, to our dismay, is much the same. As with its big brother, Asterix emits average action and standard platforming. Controls are a mess due to awful hit detection. The graphics aren't half bad, and we noticed a touch of creativity in the power-up weapon choices (levitation is neat!), but with steep competition from superior platformers on Game Gear, we recommend passing up this no-good Gaul. Sorry, Asterix fans.

Absolute - For Game Gear

Super Battletank

Simulation | 2 MEG

Release: June 1994

Take control of an unstoppable war machine in Super Battletank, a simulation game available now for Game Gear systems. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to steer this vessel through enemy territory during the dark days of the Persian Gulf War. Your M1A1 tank must shoot down helicopters, annihilate opposing tanks, and take out strongholds on the militaristic quest to restore something-or-other. The highlight here is the first-person view, a curiosity to see on a handheld, but the game itself drags on a tad - and the tank drags on even slower. Maybe worth a try for Game Gear owners itchin' for a fight.

SEGA - For Game Gear

Aladdin

Action-Platformer | 4 MEG

Release: April 1994

Prince of Persia, is that you? This, the portable iteration of Disney's Aladdin available now on Game Gear, looks and plays extraordinarily like a toned-down Persia. Run through maze-like stages, jump and dodge over obstacles, find keys and open locked doors, and escape those guards! As far as Game Gear games go, you could certainly do much worse than this miniaturized Aladdin. Character models are identifiable, backgrounds are well-drawn, and the music isn't half bad either. Our team found it easy with a capital Z, so less experienced players may be more entertained.

Acclaim - For Game Gear

NBA Jam

Sports | 4 MEG

Release: March 1994

PPM reviewed the ginormous hit, NBA Jam, in last month's issue, but we figured it was apt to specifically give kudos to the team over at Acclaim for delivering a well-done version for the Game Gear. It may be shrunken down too small to fit the iconic announcer or the splendid 16-Bit graphics, but the grab-and-go nature of NBA Jam on Game Gear means none of that matters. The core gameplay of the Super NES and Genesis titles are here, as well as every NBA team! Arcade fans will love this bit-sized version to get their fix on the road. PPM recommends this for all Game Gear owners.

SEGA - For Game Gear

X-Men

Action-Platformer | 4 MEG

Release: January 1994

Attention, Mutants! The Juggernaut is causing havoc at Hoover Dam! It's up to Wolverine and Cyclops to calm the chaos, later joined by their superpowered comrades as the game goes on. This action title includes tough boss fights with Magneto's minions and some thought-inducing platforming with the use of your Spin Jump ability. Crisp and clean graphics for Game Gear standards, though we've seen better on SEGA's mini console. The music is so-so and at times may leave you reaching for that mute dial. Be sure to bring extra AAs, since some of these sprawling levels never end! A decent rental for X-Men fans, lackluster elsewise.

SEGA - For Game Gear

Streets of Rage 2

Brawler | 8 MEG

Release: September 1993

The Sega brawler makes its way to the portal Game Gear for the second time with Streets of Rage 2. This outing is a very nice interpretation of the original 1992 Genesis cart that gives players a 16-bit-like package shrunk down to the size of a GG pak. At its bones, this game is the same type of beat-'em-up experience! The animations and play mechanics are somewhat dated, though no less fun. Though your assortment of pick-up items is limited and the graphics are toned down for the portable, all Game Gear owners should try out this cart for a real on-the-go treat.

SEGA - For Game Gear

Sonic Chaos

Action-Platformer | 8 MEG

Release: November 1993

Our spiny friend is back again with Sonic Chaos on Game Gear. Released in November on the 1-Year Anniversary of Sonic 2sDay, alongside Spinball, Chaos is an entirely new adventure featuring Sonic and Tails the Fox. Sega's newest portable offering is easier than most, showering rings onto the player and shoving power-ups in your face, but the true challenge here is tracking down the chaos emeralds before Robotnik gets his paws on 'em. Sonic also has a nifty pair of rocket shoes for some flying action! This one garners a strong recommendation.

Arena - For Game Gear

Mortal Kombat

Fighting | 4 MEG

Release: September 1993

Now, if you're looking for Mortal Kombat in a portable form without sacrificing too much of the original arcade flare, our recommendation is to hit up Arena's Game Gear version straight away. The graphics are commendable (blood included!) and the controls are mostly responsive and accurate as they ought to be. All of the fighters aside from Kano are here to choose from - Don't ask us why Kano missed the memo, maybe he had a dentist appointment! Sound design is not great, lacking notably in the voice department but still a cut above the Game Boy edition. For a condensed Kombat-lite, pick up this cart before taking a long car trip.

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