"Whoa... color!" - the official Game Gear thread!

[+jgkspsx]

4 hours ago, turboxray said:

Damn.. I would have loved to see a late gen GG game that had some hardware assist (besides a mapper).

Don’t some of the Codemasters carts have funky stuff? The late baseball games have a lot of chips even if they are just eeprom and mappers.

[turboxray]

2 hours ago, jgkspsx said:

Don’t some of the Codemasters carts have funky stuff? The late baseball games have a lot of chips even if they are just eeprom and mappers.

I'm not aware of any GG game that uses anything other than a mapper (general rom memory mappers aren't anything special). I'm talking about something that would assist beyond a mapper - hardware assist in soft blitting/graphics, tile manipulation, etc. 

[SlidellMan]

Turrican for Game Gear (Homebrew):

 

[+atari2600land]

Game Gear has a Game Genie.

[+atari2600land]

With Frank the Fruit Fly finished, I'm turning back to the Game Gear.

I worked some more on Flying Hamburgers. I also bought a Game Gear game on eBay. I have a whole bunch, so I don't have much left to get, mostly the dumb sports titles. I bought Chakan. Is it just me or are Game Gear game prices going up? I had to pay $15 (including shipping)! It's ridiculous.

[+atari2600land]

What does Chakan say at the title screen? It's not really all that cool to have speech in a Game Gear game if you don't understand what it's saying.

[+atari2600land]

Someone who isn't me made a Game Gear version of the Game Boy version of Tetris. The only thing that isn't missing is rocket launches. And it adds the ability to save high scores, something the Game Boy Tetris can't do.

 

[Tanooki]

Well now that is impressive.  That's going into a library of things to do, if I get around to maybe a pocket adapter for GG, a tricked out one, or maybe if I can figure out how to get the stupid ez flash omega to run GG/SMS stuff natively I'd so so add that.  Last I looked it doesn't and the ancient tool to make SMS/GG (SMS Advance) binaries the GBA(kit) can read are stuck at 32MB, and it gets weird trying to build it as the tool isn't 100% friendly to Win 64bit(10/11.)

[Kurt_Woloch]

I just went through my small collection of handhelds this weekend, and the Game Gear is dead... it just shows a black screen no matter if you insert one of the cartridges (I have Sonic and Columns) or the TV tuner. Do you think this unit is still valuable and should be salvaged or restored somehow, or should I just put it in the trash?

[+jgkspsx]

It is probably just dead capacitors. The kits to replace them are cheap if you have the time and inclination to do it yourself, professional assistance is pretty easy to find, or somebody would probably buy it for 20€ or so.

[Tanooki]

Moderately easily salvaged depending how far the rot goes.  Normally a cheap $10 or less cap kit will solve it, sometimes they just rot horridly and other parts fall off since Sega was king of being cheap.  It would be an easy fix to desolder surface mounted caps and then add new ones if you can do it.  The next step up would be to remove that terrible CFL and put in just a simple LED light strip as it will give you like 2-3x more battery life alone and keep the style of visuals the system was known for.

 

After that, it gets expensive you're into far more mod work, sub boards, pop this off, add that, and some style of replacement panel that can get into the $100-200 range all said and done but if you're a huge fan it's worth it.

[Tanooki]

So funny enough seems I was the last to make a post in here 2 months ago and at that time I talked mods, talked how I missed I owned one, yada yada.  Then I guess a month later as it was February I lucked out on the site here, a beautiful game gear was put up for sale for a swan song of a deal in my mind, and others too, but I bit by dumb sheer luck of timing first and paid immediately as I saw that.  The seller, the listing, more honest that one could hope for, the think a fully original working VA1 launch system(best I can tell on launch) without a fault.  I've had a model2 power supply for my modded Nomad, so I've been good to go.  It came with ok games, but I started to scour town a bit, slim pickings to say the least, but at least for as slim as they were, slim was also stupid cheap.

 

Beyond that I also trying mostly (but not in this select case religiously) worked to not use and abuse ebay (or mercari) much.  I was able to wrangle a sharp deal on a set of four games for $20 shipped, and Tempo for like 40% off(fun game I find.)  But what I really went for, seeing that everdrives are a bitch to get and I wanted to focus a bit more, were vintage multicarts.  I scored a few of them.  I ended up with an 6, 9, 11, and 21 in 1 with some really amazing gems on them, and one big standout to me personally the 21 has all but like 3-4 MyCard(SMS/Mark 3) game converted to GG format on it which is awesome.  The multis have stand outs like Bubble Bobble, Out Run, Ninja Gaiden, Puyo Puyo, Tails Skypatrol, Pengo, Alien Syndrome, Super Tetris, Galaga 91, and various others.  I even imported a game I used to love as a rom, snagged a poor external shape(other than label) copy of Sailor Moon S and transplanted the label/board into a nice spare shell i had.

 

I'm digging using one again, and I had been originally considering modding it, but given how nice it is, too nice to be fair, I don't feel right tearing it apart so it has remained stock.  Maybe when the caps eventually get fishy I'll go all in.

 

I'm looking at another multi I found on Etsy, it has Mega Man on there, and f' those idiots demanding $300 for it on ebay and those who don't demand but list fair still getting 200 as it's ridiculous.   Good game I guess, nothing near $200-300 good though.  But that is a good thing, it's the high water pricing on loose carts so GG largely isn't a toxic mess.

 

If curious I do keep a list, added MMPR and GP Rider from the louisville arcade expo over the weekend to the list. http://tanooki.byethost8.com/segagamegear.html

 

 

 

[+jeremiahjt]

I just picked up R.C. Grand Prix for $12 today at the local record store that sells plenty of games. It had slid under their cabinet and had been there for who knows how long. There was also a Game Boy camera thing with it that had a price sticker of $12 that they repriced to $48. So the game may have been "missing" for a while. Luckily it was in a cartridge case.

 

The game looks to be an exact copy of the Master System version, which is a good thing as I think the Master System version is excellent. Easily the best remote control car racing game I have ever played.

 

Up to 82 Game Gear games now, but it is getting difficult to come across Game Gear games I do not have. I see so many copies of the same 15 to 20 games around town. One of the local stores does have a boxed game or two I do not have, but I do not collect boxed games.

[Tanooki]

I don't blame you I won't touched boxed up stuff either, seems like a waste where someone would display or use the stuff.

 

Figured why not and ordered that multi.  Two left if anyone wants, should be $30~ with taxes and shipping.

 

Quality list with Mega Man, Outrun, Ninja Gaiden, Bubble Bobble, Wonder Boy, Galaga 91 to name a few, and whatever may be Sonic 5.  I guess I'll find out.  $30 is far more acceptable than $200-300 in my book, suck it scalpers.

[+jgkspsx]

That's a greatest hits for the system right there. Sonic 5 is probably Blast ??

[+jeremiahjt]

I did pick up X-Men: GamesMaster's Legacy not too long before picking up R.C. Grand Prix.  I buy manuals loose if it is for I system I collect, even if I do not have the game.  I then try to get the game to go with it.  With Game Gear it is not a big deal, since I will buy pretty much any Game Gear game unless the price is way up there.  The last cartridge-less manual I had was X-Men: GamesMaster's Legacy.  I figured there was hardly any chance of it showing up locally, so I was looking online.  I could not find it anywhere online for what I considered a good price though.  About five weeks ago, I walked into one of the local stores and they had about eight new Game Gear games.  I had all but one, X-Men: GamesMaster's Legacy.  Got it for under $9 too!  About two weeks later I went back to the store and they had exactly one new Game Gear game! It was X-Men: GamesMaster's Legacy.  Somebody had brought in a lot that had only one Game Gear game.

 

I have thought about getting those boxed games since they are so cheap, but I would rather find a loose copy of those games.  I may one day see if they will cut me a deal on them just to get them out of the store.

Edited March 14, 2023 by jeremiahjt
grammar

[Tanooki]

10 hours ago, jgkspsx said:

That's a greatest hits for the system right there. Sonic 5 is probably Blast ??

Seems so, interested?
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1194218006/15-in-1-cartridge-for-game-gear

[+jeremiahjt]

Yesterday I went by the game store and checked out those two boxed Game Gear games.  They had Poker Face Paul's Solitaire for $3 and Poker Face Paul's Blackjack for $4.  Since I did not have Blackjack and $4 is really is cheap, I took a look at it.  Instead of a manual in the box, there was another game!  In addition to Blackjack, there was Ms. Pac-Man.  Since I had neither game, I bought it.  Solitaire also had another game, but it was Disney's The Jungle Book, and I have that one also.  $4 for two games, all be it cheap games, and a box seemed like a good deal.

[+jgkspsx]

The Poker Face Paul games are pretty good. Obviously there are easier ways to play card games on the go but they have a bit of charm.

[Tanooki]

It was last weekend but finally I was lucky enough to stumble along into a GG game I actually was hoping to seek out, grabbed a nice copy of Sonic Triple Trouble for $15 at a local shop.  Such a solid game, right up there with Sonic 1 as far as being best made for the hardware suiting its needs.  My multicart from Spain showed up super fast.

That cart is just fantastic, and the selection is a wallet saver big time.  Rockman is Mega Man (english and all) a pure copy of that now $225 game and climbing.  That alone is a huge W in the win column, and the other games are an interesting mix like I mentioned with the repeats on my pissy random 6in1 you can't pick which game to play so it can just be put to rest in its cool box.  There seems to be what I think is some anime (potentially strip) mahjong game I hadn't seen or heard of before on there too called Hao Pai II.  Alien ended up thankfully being Alien Syndrome, not god awful Alien 3, and Sonic 5 ended up being Sonic Blast which is an ok title too.

[+jgkspsx]

Hao Pai II isn’t strip mahjong as far as I know but it sure has a lot of jiggling. I think it’s just the first opponent and they’re all dudes from there. Parish liked the first one:

 

Very weird selection for a multicart - you have Dodgeball Danpei, Yuu Yuu Hakusho (the first one, not the second one as the label states), and Slam Dunk, all anime-derived and quick-time event driven games.
 

Dodgeball Danpei and Slam Dunk are actually pretty neat - imagine sports games that are more strategy and tactics than fast action. They are definitely worth sticking with for a bit just to see some interesting evolutionary dead ends.

 

Yuu Yuu Hakusho is not terrible, but it’s weird. The genuine Yuu Yuu II is a pretty decent fighting game - I would have chosen that over this, or any of several others, but it adds to the charm.

 

Bank Panic is mystifyingly the SG-1000 version with the wrong color palette instead of the SMS version. Weird. It’s not a bad game but it’s pretty much unplayable here.

 

Everything else is solid. Pengo and Alien Syndrome weren’t officially released in the US (though signs point to the fact that some were unofficially imported and sold by department stores) so that’s a cool couple games to have.

 

I think I have enough Game Gear bootleg multicarts now, but this is possibly the weirdest and best!

[Tanooki]

@jgkspsx You know this cart?  Many have similar label with variations as GG seems weird like this.  I'd have to fire it up tor clear this up.  Yuu Yuu is not listed as 2 on the sticker, but it is #2 which is that fighting game.  Slam Dunk as you said it's QTE like and I haven't figured out how to play it at all so it's kind of ignored.  Dodgeball Danpei I knew from PCE and Nintendo stuff, I need to figure out how this one works it's a bit different but I love super dodgeball and its knockoffs.

 

I like the multicarts, a nice bit of choice to go with on one cart.  Yeah ED's exist but it almost waters down the experience in the end.  I'll get one in time, when I see one for like $120 or less (modern one, not the slow buggy original) if for any reason the epic translated RPGs/adventure titles.

 

Currently these are the multi's I have and the real game lists, my friend from overseas is going to shortly(I hope) send me a small package of mostly multicart games, 2 GG and 3 GB which have some fantastic options I don't have on these so far which had some great ones like Bare Knuckle, Aerial Assault, Fantasy Zone, Monaco GP, Fatal Fury, Samurai Spirits, Shinobi 2, Magic Adventure(?) and more:

- GG 11-in-1
    - Aladdin, Bubble Bobble, Dodge Danpei, Lion King, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers the Movie,
      Ninku 2, Out Run, Puyo Puyo 2, Side Pocket, Slam Dunk, Tails Skypatrol
- Super 6-in-1 (CIB)
    - Columns, Galaga 91, Ninja Gaiden, Out Run, Pac-Man, Woody Pop
- Super 9-in-1
    - Alien Syndrome, Columns, Jungle Book, Mortal Kombat II,
      Pengo, Robocop 3, T2 the Arcade Game, Woody Pop, Zool
- Super 21-in-1
    - Columns, Pac-Man, Pac-Mania, Paperboy, Pengo, Penguin Land, Super Tetris, Woody Pop
    - Sega Mark III MyCards: Astro Flash, Bank Panic, Ghost House, Great Baseball, Great Soccer,
      Hang-On, Machine Gun Joe, My Hero, Pit Pot, Satellite 7, Spy vs Spy, Super Tennis, Teddy Boy
- Super GG 15-in-1
    - Sonic Blast, Yuu Yuu Hakusho 2, Hao Pai II, Slam Dunk, Mega Man, Dodge Danpei, Bubble Bobble
    - Galaga 91, Wonder Boy, NInja Gaiden, Alien Syndrome, Pengo, Bank Panic, Woody Pop, Pit Pot

[M-S]

I think there isn't too much of a demand GG multicarts, mostly because original games are still easy to find and cheaper than the Gameboy ones. But that's just because the original GG has so many hardware problems that makes every single console need repairing. I got very excited when I saw someone making a "Super Game Gear" for the Master System, but the creator isn't interested in mass producing it and he doesn't want to expand this project to the Mega Drive. I guess patching games is going to be the only way for a while for me.

And just as I was writing this Sega announced they will update Sonic Origins and include 4 remastered GG games and 12 of the original versions, awesome!

[Tanooki]

I don't know, a couple years back I'd have agreed with that, the part about the barrier of repair.

Currently a low-moderate skill level is needed, but even then given the cost of the units now, cap kits, LCD kits, etc there isn't a huge margin to pay someone to do a clean job.

 

I do agree on the multicarts, you can get a cheap chinese last years model copy of the everdrive 1.x model for a pretty low amount, so if you don't mind the slow to load from card games and gunstar heroes and a couple others not working it's the easy way out.  Even not, the usual one is like around $135-140 now that fixed all that.

 

But there always has been an active niche who wants those GG multis because they have a fast ease of use to them, seem to be pretty rock solidly built as that stuff can be, and the selection they tend to have do have some nice perks.  Most GG games, keeping with the US market here, outside of maybe 3 titles are over $50 and outside that one over $100 (Mega Man.)  It's very affordable, like Gameboy was up until scum dug into it about 18mo ago.

 

I just got the analogue pocket GG adapter in the mail today, bought it new off someone for no worse than the rate with asinine shipping charges analogue does and I'm utterly blown away how nice the games are on that little screen.  Outrun, Mickey, Mega Man, Ninja Gaiden, and a few others (mickey aside) on some of my multis.  And it hadn't crossed my mind at that rate, but it's a life saver on the power switch of my GG too because you can just quit/reload the multi on the pocket and right back to the menu to choose another.

[Austin]

On 3/23/2023 at 7:02 PM, M-S said:

I think there isn't too much of a demand GG multicarts, mostly because original games are still easy to find and cheaper than the Gameboy ones. But that's just because the original GG has so many hardware problems that makes every single console need repairing. I got very excited when I saw someone making a "Super Game Gear" for the Master System, but the creator isn't interested in mass producing it and he doesn't want to expand this project to the Mega Drive. I guess patching games is going to be the only way for a while for me.

And just as I was writing this Sega announced they will update Sonic Origins and include 4 remastered GG games and 12 of the original versions, awesome!

GG multicarts are also a little redundant these days, considering flash carts exist for it. Easier to just have an all-in-one solution.

 

Personally, my favorite way to play GG on a modern screen is via the Analogue MegaSG. Great experience and using a Genesis 3-button controller gives a similar experience to an actual Game Gear, given the similar button placement (with "Start" being above the main face buttons).

 

Getting Game Gear to work properly on something like the SMS or Genesis comes with a variety of technical challenges and even if someone went through with it, the result might not be ideal. For example, the Game Gear's resolution is lower than those consoles, so you would either have borders around the screen, or the playfield extended, revealing a lot of garbage that makes the games awkward to play, as is seen in some GG to SMS conversions that have been done.