I recentlly saw a Game Gear on sale for $15 and it got me thinking about how terrible a system it is. Battery life is almost nonexistent, the game library is pretty miniscule, and the thing is excessively large for a portable system. Other than a few good Sonic games and Shining Force I really can't think of anything positive to say about it....
The way I look back on GG is like this. When it was out and current I loved it. It's not a great or classic system, but it's definitely a good system. I enjoyed it a lot and I played many wonderful games on that system (such as Castle of Illusion and the Sonic games). Compared to the original Fatass Game Boy I'd take old Game Gear any day of the week.
It was not perfect. Battery life sucked, but everyone I know bought an AC adaptor or the battery pack. The screen was blurry, but at least it was colour and backlit, a massive improvement on the monochrome GB. It was gigantic, but mainly compared to modern handhelds....... Where I think Sega blew it by not redesigning the system. If they had released a much smaller "Game Gear pocket" with a slightly improved screen, they would have made a killing. I still can't believe how popular Game Gear was for a while in the early 90s, and that was in spite of great odds and the obvious competition. They really had a chance if they took the next step, but they gave up...
ANYWAY, the thing is...... Game Gear has aged terribly. Once you have played or owned a NGPC or a GBA, it's practically impossible to go back to playing the old suitcased sized GG with the poorer screen.
I try not to let this harm my opinion of the system though. I would not want to play Game Gear anymore now... mine is broken and I don't plan on getting it fixed.... but before I say anything bad about it I always remember how cool it was when it was new.
The Game Gear is the worst of the major portables by far. If you want a large battery eater with its own library, get a Lynx. It kicks the GG's ass six ways from Sunday.
The great thing about the Lynx is that unlike the Game Boy and Game Gear which relied on downgrading console franchises, the Lynx' strength is in original games like Gates of Zendocon, Electrocop, Turbo Sub and Blue Lightning. And most of the arcade ports on the Lynx weren't attempted on the consoles anyway like Ninja Gaiden and STUN Runner.
I always forget about the Lynx. I've always wanted to try one. I know there's some really hardcore Lynx fans out there (same with the Jag). So that always piqued my curiousity (not enough though, I guess).
light from a dead star
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