Game Gear has been around since the late 80s, giving gamers incredible titles that are still looked back on fondly by modern day gamers who were around during that time. That is not a sentence to say lightly, considering what titles and studios were making their mark on the gaming industry back during those years.
With titles such asSonic the Hedgehog,Mortal Kombat 2andShinobiunder their belts, it’s of little surprise that the Game Gear is still remembered in this day and age. And even with so many great games, there are a few that stand out from the rest.
9Columns
Sometimes simple is better, and never is that phrase more true than withColumns. This puzzle game doesn’t boast grandiose stories with button-mashing action designed to fuel adrenaline, but instead challenge the players game, and get them thinking.
In a similar fashion toTetris, players will have to align jewels as they slowly descend from the top of the screen, and prevent the columns from building up too high or it is game over. It’s a simple fun game players can drop in and out of with no overarching story they need to invest themselves in.
8Mega Man
The 90s saw the return ofmany gamers favorite titles, with one such one beingMega Man. In this action platforming title, the titular hero had to face off against robots under the control of the mad scientist Dr Wily, and overcome the boss monsters and challenges he would face across the levels.
Mega Manon the Game Gear faced some difficulties because of the smaller screen size, yet most of the magic of the series was still successfully captured, making it one of the greatest titles players could enjoy.
7Sonic the Hedgehog
No hedgehog is more famous than the incredibly fast Sonic, who hurtled onto Game Gear December 1991, bringing challenging and fast-paced gameplay. As most gamers will know, Sonic must defeat the evil Dr Robotnick before his plans of world domination come to fruition. Sonic has the option to rush through the levels, or save the imprisoned animals by defeating the robots holding them.
The longevity of theSonic the Hedgehogseries is a testament to its quality and popularity. Though some releases have been met with mixed feelingsby long-term fans, there is no denying that the originalSonicstill holds up to this day.
6Ninja Gaiden
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Any gamer worth their salt has picked up or at the very least heard ofNinja Gaiden. It is one of the most popular game franchises, with itsfanbase thriving throughout the years. In 1991, the lucky ones with a Game Gear were treated to aNinja Gaidentitle, which featured a standalone plot separate from the rest of the games. It stars Ryu Hayabusha fighting through a swarm of enemies as he searches for the true culprit behind the attack on his village.
The gameplay remains largely the same, but why fix what’s not broken? In fact, there are a few improvements made, with Ryu’s sword slash quicker and covering a wider range., and the ability to scale walls, introducing some new elements of gameplay to keep the game feeling fresh and fun to play.
4Streets of Rage 2
One of the fighting giants available for the Game Gear wasStreets of Rage 2.Set after the events of the first game, the trio Blaze, Axel and Adam find their peace ruined when Mr X kidnaps Adam. Skate, Adam’s younger brother, joins Blaze and Axel as they fight their way through streets of criminals to confront Mr X and save Adam.
Like the previous title, one or two players can fight there way through the streets in a side-scrollingbeat-em-up game, with two new characters Skate and Max Thunder added to the characters roster. The roster wasn’t the only thing treated to new additions, with more moves added to keep the gameplay unique from the originalStreets of Rage.
3Mortal Kombat 2
Now,Mortal Kombatis a shiny, beautiful game with enough detail to show all thegory details in bloody and brutal depth, butMortal Kombathad more modest beginnings, held back by the technological limitations of the era. And yet despite this, many gamers have fond memories of the earlier games.
Mortal Kombat 2on the Game Gear still provided fantastic fun for gamers, challenging them to master characters and moves to prove themselves as the ultimate combatant, and building on the success of its predecessor. Though it may be aged, it still has everything a fighting game fan needs.
2The G.G. Shinobi II: The Silent Fury
This classic Sega hit bring more classic side-scrolling beat-em-up gameplay in theShinobiuniverse, saddling protagonist Joe Musashi with the task of rescuing his four fellow Ninja’s and recovering the elemental crystals from the evil Techno-Warriors and the Black Ninja.
Though by these daysShinobi 2: The Silent Furylooks dated compared to all theshiny and brilliant games of the modern day, it was heralded as a great title in its hay-day, with fast-past action that kept players teetering on the edges their seats. It offered challenging gameplay without it being too challenging, as it definitely played more balanced when compared to the original. This landsGG Shinobi 2as one of the greatest games of all time, nevermind one of the greatest Game Gear games.
