• Tag Archives Game Gear

  • GamePro (March 1992)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: GamePro – March 1992

    In 1992 I was mostly reading EGM and VG&CE but I saw GamePro on the shelves all of the time. It was an exciting time for gaming. 16-bit gaming was still pretty new (with the original NES still going strong), CD based gaming was on the way and color handhelds were around. The March 1992 issue of GamePro includes:

    • Letter from the GamePros – A mention of the Winter Consumer Electronics Show and a look at what 1992 holds in store for gamers.
    • The Mail – Letters from readers about a Video Game Enhancer for the Genesis, Game Action Replay, Game Genie, NES rebates, winter sports games, and more.
    • Cutting Edge – A look at Virtuality, a virtual reality coin-op system from Spectrum Holobyte. One of the first and most iconic of such systems.
    • Team GamePro Readers Choice Awards – Readers pick the best games of 1991. Winners include Battletoads (NES) and Sonic the Hedgehog (Genesis).

    • ProReviews
      • Nintendo
        • The Empire Strikes Back – An excellent multi-genre Star Wars game featuring side-scrolling adventure, side-scrolling shooter and more.
        • Nightshade – A side-scrolling adventure game somewhat reminiscent of a cross between Solstice and Shadowgate.
        • The Blue Marlin – GamePro says it is fun but I could never get excited about fishing games.
        • Terminator 2 – A game based on the movie of the same name the proves that not EVERY game based on a movie is absolutely terrible.
        • Toki – A pretty good port of the arcade game of the same name.
        • The Ultimate Stuntman – A pretty good action game but quite difficult.
        • The Addams Family – Based on the movie of the same name. The one with Christina Ricci playing Wednesday.
      • Genesis
        • Heavy Nova – A beat-em-up game featuring robots.
        • Winter Game – Like a sequel to Games: The Winter Edition featuring eight sports seen in the Winter Olympics (without the olympics license apparently).
        • Desert Strike – Another in the excellent series of ‘Strike’ shooters.
        • Paperboy – Best translation of the arcade classic up to that point.
        • Double Dragon – The classic beat-em-up with updates for the Genesis.
      • Super NES
        • Contra III – The first 16-bit entry in the Contra series.
        • WWF Super Wrestlemania – An OK wrestling game that you would definitely want if you were a wrestling fan.
        • Super Adventure Island – Another 16-bit sequel to a classic on the NES.
      • Game Boy
        • Tiny Toons Adventures – A platform game based on the excellent cartoon of the same name.
        • Gradius – A great shooter but the Game Boy was never a favorite platform of mine. Too much blur.
      • Game Gear
        • Donald Duck – Maybe not as good as Castle of Illusion but still a pretty solid Disney platformer.
      • Lynx
        • Xybots – Conversion of the arcade game for the Lynx. The Lynx was an excellent system with some pretty good games.
    • Special Feature: Get in Control! – A look at various controllers including the Beeshu Ultimate Superstick, Beeshu Zipper, Beeshu Zoomer, Bondwell Quick-shot Intruder 2, IMN Game Handler, Nexoft Dominator, The Triton Pad, ASCII Power Clutch, Beeshu Striker, Happ Competition pro, Sega GeniStick, ASCII pad, and Halken’s JB King.
    • Special Feature: Capcom – A sneak peak at Capcom’s 1992 product line-up including Magic Sword (Super NES), Barcelona ’92 (NES), The Little Mermaid (Game Boy), Street Fighter II: The World Warrior (Super NES), Darkwing Duck (NES), Gargoyle’s Quest (NES), Bionic Commando (Game Boy), and TaleSpin (Game Boy).
    • Pro Strategy: Final Fantasy II – Tips for this classic RPG on the Super NES.
    • Overseas ProSpects: Lady Phantom – An action RPG that works a little like Military Madness. One of the vast number of games for the TurboGrafx-16 (Super CD in this case) that never made it from Japan to the U.S.
    • S.W.A.T. (Secret Weapons and Tactics) – Tips, tricks, passwords and cheats for Arcus Odyssey (Genesis), Centurion (Genesis), Moonwalker (Genesis), Rockin’ Kats (NES), Faria (NES), Saint Sword (Genesis), Mega Man 4 (NES), Hardball! (Genesis), Phelios (Genesis), Wurm (NES), BaseWars (NES), Dynamite Duke (Genesis), Super Ghouls ‘n Ghosts (Super NES), Super R-Type (Super NES), BurgerTime Deluxe (Game Boy), Slider (Game Gear), and Darius Twin (Super NES).
    • S.W.A.T. Treasure Master – A detailed set of tips for Treasure Master on the NES.
    • GameBusters: Battletoads – Hints to help you beat Battletoads on the NES.
    • Ask the Pros – Questions answered about Bill and Ted’s Excellent Video Game Adventure (NES), Shining in the Darkness (Genesis), Super Mario World (Super NES), Final Fantasy Legend II (Game Boy), and Psychic World (Game Gear).
    • Short ProShots – A brief look at new and upcoming games, including Wally Bear and the NO! Gang (NES), Gemfire (NES), Super Play Action Football (NES), Jordan vs. Bird (Genesis), Ernest Evans (Genesis), Missile Command (Game Boy), Snow Brothers Jr. (Game Boy), Top Gun (Game Boy), Magical Puzzle Popils (Game Gear), and Super Skweek (Lynx).
    • ProNews – Hudson and NEC join forces, Mega CD not compatible with the Genesis (meaning you have to wait for the U.S. version), Konami publishes Gradius for the TurboGrafx-16, and much more.

    …and more!


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  • Mega Play (November/December 1991)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: Mega Play – Issue Number 7 – November/December 1991

    Mega Play was a Sega specific magazine covering mostly the Sega Genesis, Game Gear and related accessories. It was published by the same publishers as EGM so for a while they were publishing EGM, EGM2, Mega Play, and Super Play (a Super Nintendo magazine). The first issue of Mega Play was included as a freebie with EGM. The November/December 1991 issue includes:

    • Editorial – Things look rosy for Sega as Genesis hardware and software sales exceed expectations with the Mega CD/Sega CD coming soon.
    • Mega Mail – Letters from readers about RGB mode on the Genesis, a new Genesis design, playing Master System games on the Game Gear, and back issues.
    • Hi-Tech Sega – A look at a handy new third-party accessory called the ‘Master Gear Converter’ that will allow you to play Sega Master System games on the Game Gear.
    • Mega Tricks – Tips, tricks and cheat codes for Turrican (Genesis), Road Rash (Genesis), Spiderman (Genesis), Marvel Land (Genesis), Decapattack (Genesis), Saint Sword (Genesis), and Streets of Rage (Genesis).
    • Coming Attractions – Previews of upcoming games in the U.S. and Japan, including Golden Axe II (Genesis), Exile (Mega Drive), Super Fantasy Zone (Mega Drive), Corporation (Genesis), Devil Crash (Mega Drive), Isle Road (Mega Drive), Alien Syndrome (Game Gear), The Chessmaster (Game Gear), Galaga ’91 (Game Gear), Kabuki (Mega Drive), Alisia Dragoon (Mega Drive), Warsong (Genesis), Rings of Power (Genesis), and Game Gear Boxing (Game Gear).

    • Genesis Does… – A more detailed look at some games coming out for the holiday season. Games spotlighted include Growl (Genesis), a violent fighting game from Taito; The Terminator (Genesis), based on the movie of the same name; Trouble Shooter (Genesis), a shooter somewhat similar to Forgotten Worlds; James Pond 2: Robocod (Genesis), a platform game featuring a fish; Shadow of the Beast (Genesis), a fantasy based side-scrolling beat-em-up; Cal. 50 (Genesis), a top down action game in which you must rescue the prisoners; F-22 Interceptor (Genesis), a combat flight sim; Toki (Genesis), a translation of the arcade game; Sonic the Hedgehog (Game Gear), now on Sega’s portable platform; Halley Wars (Game Gear), a sci-fi themed shooter; and Bio-Ship Paladin (Mega Drive), a shooter with a unique twist.
    • Review Crew
      • Y’s 3 – Sadly, not as good as the Y’s games on the TurboGrafx-16.
      • The Terminator (Genesis) – Take the role of John Conner in this action game based on the movie. Better than most licensed games.
      • Robocod (Genesis) – Better than the original James Pond.
      • Trouble Shooter (Genesis) – Play Madison and Crystal as they fly around blasting everything in their quest to find the king’s son.
      • John Madden ’92 (Genesis) – Back when the Madden games were really good.
      • Mario Lemieux Hockey (Genesis) – An average hockey game.
      • Cal. 50 (Genesis) – A translation of the arcade game. Reminds me of games like P.O.W. and Ikari Warriors.
      • RBI 3 (Genesis) – Not really an improvement over the NES original.
      • Dark Castle (Genesis) – A pretty terrible adventure game from these reviews…
      • Buck Rogers (Genesis) – The computer version was excellent, apparently the Genesis version was not.
      • Art Alive (Genesis) – A painting and drawing program…but you can’t save your work.
      • Game Over – A look at the ending of Batman…the game based on the 1989 movie.

      …and more!


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    • Streets of Rage 2 (Game Gear)

      Posted on by Azrael Comment

      https://darth-azrael.tumblr.com/post/682296052193394688

      Streets of Rage 2 is a side-scrolling beat-’em-up game that was originally released for the Sega Genesis in 1992 and was also ported to the Sega Master System and Game Gear (and other systems later on). It is generally considered to be the best in the series, one of the best games on the Genesis, and even one of the best games of all time.

      The Game Gear version, while also quite good and had very solid reviews, was not quite up to the level of the Genesis original. I guess that is to be expected given the inferior hardware (8-bit vs. 16-bit) and much smaller screen. Whereas the Genesis version added two new characters (for a total of four), the Game Gear version left one out. The levels were also considerably different and of course the graphics and sound also did not live up to the Genesis original.

      Having said that, the Game Gear version is still quite good and the graphics, sound, and music are still excellent. Streets of Rage 2 improved on the original in a variety of way, including having bigger characters, more details and more animation. In addition, new moves were added along with additional features such as life bars and names (though these are omitted on the Game Gear version).

      The plot, while not terribly interesting, original or even important, involves once again finding Mr. X and defeating him and his minions. This time, you must rescue Adam who has apparently been kidnapped by Mr. X as indicated by his trashed apartment and photos left behind. You can play as Axel, Blaze or Skate and 2-player cooperative games are supported via the use of the “Gear-to-Gear” cable. The Game Gear version has 6 stages, each consisting of 3 to 4 acts culminating with a battle against Mr. X himself.

      Streets of Rage 2 has had a few later re-releases including releases on the Wii, Xbox 360 (via Xbox Live Arcade), and PlayStation 3. However, as far as I know, these are all based on the Genesis original. If you really want to play the Game Gear version which has unique levels, then I’m not sure there is another way to do other than with a Game Gear and original cartridge or via emulation. In any case, if you like this genre or retro games in general, then this is definitely one you should try. The Genesis version or any of the re-releases are best but for completeness, the Game Gear version is definitely worth checking out as well as it offers a unique experience.

      All screen shots above are from the Game Gear version of the game.


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