It’s 1991, and a sense of hidden excitement is floating through the air as SEGA begin working their marketing magic on the Game Gear.
No longer did SEGA fans have to stay inside while playing Sonic the Hedgehog or Streets Of Rage; they could be out on the streets themselves playing under their favourite tree or magical castle retreat with a pocket full of batteries in tow and all of their ‘return to level’ passwords scribbled down in the back of their maths book.
It’s been a long while since gamers held this little beauty in their hands, and while 30+ years isn’t a usual milestone it’s still pretty impressive (and we need a good excuse for an article).
Heck, Sega are so proud of this handheld that they even released the Sega Game Gear Micro for you true collectors out there…
Was it a hit? No, but we’ll forget about that.
So without further ado, let’s take a look at some of the best SEGA Game Gear games.
Table of Contents
1. Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (1992)
The results are in, and the people (mainly Tails and Amy) have spoken; Sonic The Hedgehog 2 is the greatest SEGA Game Gear game of all time!
We love the first Sonic the Hedgehog game here at Retro Dodo, but you just can’t deny how amazing the sequel is.
It’s the polished diamond, or in this case, the polished chaos emerald of Sega’s collection.
Out of every console console Mascot, Sonic is definitely the coolest. I love Mario, but come on, a supersonic Hedgehog vs a plumber… there’s no comparison.
The levels in this game are second to none, and being able to play as Tails for the first time in a Sonic game was a momentous moment. Where were you the first time you remember taking Miles out for a spin?
This timeless classic ported so well to the Game Gear too, with fans relishing the chance to take Sonic out into the world with them.
Until they could take Sonic & Knuckles out on the SEGA Nomad, this was the ultimate portable SEGA game experience!
2. Sonic The Hedgehog (1991)
Sonic is, and will always be up there with the likes of Mario, Crash Bandicoot, Spyro, Link,
He’s an institution and is just as popular today as he was back in 1990.
If you wanted to play Sonic, then you had to get a SEGA, and many people did just for that reason.
If only we could have run around with our SEGA Game Gear as fast as Sonic could speed through Emerald Hills; now that would have been something.
For anyone who has been living in a cave since 1990, Sonic is a super-fast hedgehog who runs around a 2D world collecting rings and freeing animals, all while trying to stop the evil Dr Robotnik and his arsenal of flying crafts.
It’s a super-speed fast-paced game that never gets old and retains its play value due to the fact that you can pretty much pick it up and put it down without worrying about how far you managed to get during a session.
I never actually obtained all of the Chaos Emeralds. Heck, I don’t think I even got past that futuristic Casino world, but it just didn’t matter.
You could run through the Emerald Zone all day long without getting bored, and that’s the sign of a great game.
3. Mortal Kombat II (1994)
If Streets Of Rage takes the crown for the best scroll-along fighter on the SEGA Game Gear, then Mortal Kombat II takes the prize for the most addictive punch ’em up on the console.
Sub Zero, Kitana, Reptile, Liu Kang, and the rest of the motley crew are all ready to battle their differences out in Mortal Kombat in an attempt to try and determine who is the ultimate warrior.
Hearing the words ‘FINISH HIM’ or ‘FATALITY’ from the sonorous voice in the sky will never get old; it still gives me chills when I think about it!
If you could remember all of the secret moves in Mortal Kombat II, then you were a SEGA Game Gear god.
Pulling out moves that no one else could do made you the king or queen amongst your mates, with an endless stream of ‘tell me how you do it’ following you everywhere you went.
All of the moves for the game were actually recorded by actors in front of a screen using a hi-tech Sony Camera and then morphed into the game that you can still play today.
Pretty neat, huh?
4. Ristar (1995)
Would you believe that Ristar was actually supposed to go up against Mario? This little star was going to be SEGA’s mascot was well and truly ‘outshined’ (pun intended) by Sonic.
Still, we’re not here to poke fun of Ristar; this is a fantastic game that offers an alternative set of levels to the Genesis/Mega Drive version.
Fans will love the re-ordered planets and new additions to the Game Gear cart. There are also 100 little starts to collect on each level, giving the player a much-needed 1UP life to use on the later levels.
This game has a strong James Pond meets Sonic vibe to it, and that’s never a bad thing. It’s catchy and fun, albeit a little short.
Also, am I the only one who thinks those green columns look a little like The Grinch?
5. Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers (1995)
I was considering just writing ‘because who doesn’t love Power Rangers’, and leaving it at that, but I figured you might be hoping for something a little bit more informative.
I lived and breathed Power Rangers growing up; I had the figures, the Zords, the swords, but I never had the game!
Yes, I know it’s shocking, but I can only hope that putting it in this list as an adult will make up for the mistakes that I made as a child.
The Game Gear version was one of only two versions that allowed you to use the Green Ranger and the Dragonzord too, which makes it instantly better than the un-green SNES version.
Take that, Nintendo!
Using a variety of classic and signature moves, you can work your way through a story mode, a link-up battle mode, or a single-player button-mash battle mode.
You can play as your favourite character (or colour if you’re not a nerd
Oh, and you can play as the MegaZord; who doesn’t love the MegaZord?
6. Road Rash (1993)
Before we had the luxury of whipping out Cro Mag Rally on our iPhones or kicking back with Mario Kart 8 on the Switch.
Road Rash is a beastly little game based around Motorcycle racing, with many ‘road
With levels based
And if you’re no good at steering, you can always punch, kick, or backhand neighbouring opponents as you speed towards the finish line.
Anything goes in Road Rash!
Instead of contending with bananas and chain chomps, players have to watch out for baseball bats and chains as they swerve in and out of the other racers, all while trying to avoid causing too much damage to their bike and themselves…
… which in a game like this is harder than it sounds!
This is one of the most high-octane racers on the SEGA Game Gear and a title in which anything can happen at any given time.
It’s not just enough to be able to know the course like the back of your hand, in fact, you can’t see the back of your hand because there’s a chain wrapped around it.
Electronic Arts, you are too good to us!
7. Sonic The Hedgehog – Triple Trouble (1994)
Yep folks, it’s another Sonic title!
Triple Trouble is the sequel to Sonic Chaos and another game custom-made for the Game Gear rather than being yet another port.
This time, Knuckles the Echidna appears alongside our dynamic duo, though he’s not on the same side as Sonic and Tails!
Robotnik has either bribed him or hypnotized him with his curly moustache, and Knuckles is now trying to beat Sonic and Tails to the Chaos Emeralds.
There’s also some dude called Nack the Weasel who’s sniffing about for treasure, though no-one really cares about him.
Triple Trouble is Sonic action at its finest and the graphics are very impressive for an 8-bit console.
Many critics have even said that this game rivals some of the 16-bit Sonic offerings on the SEGA home console range.
That’s high praise!
Tails is back to scooting along fast in this title, and while he can hover for a limited amount of time, Sonic returns with his ‘Super Peel Out’ move from the previous game, Sonic Chaos.
There are 6 different themed areas to work through, all with the usual Sonic-style enemies and obstacles to navigate as you make your way through the game.
Ok, so admittedly it’s not anything new and is very similar to the other games.
Still, every Assassin’s Creed game I’ve ever bought has been the same, and I still buy the damn things, so I wouldn’t worry too much about it!
8. Tails Adventure (1995)
I love it when the underdog gets a shot on the big stage, which is why Tails Adventure had to have a place on our list!
No longer skulking in Sonic’s ‘shadow’ (any die-hard fans will get that reference), Tails took the chance to be the main character and proved that he can more than hold his own with the blue peril.
As Tails isn’t as fast as Sonic, the gameplay is undoubtedly a little slower than previous Sonic games.
He can’t run; he just walks at a chilled pace like a fox that has his own island can afford to do.
Still, that’s not a bad thing, as sometimes Sonic is so fast I tend to miss stuff and just plough through levels like there’s no tomorrow!
This game is set in a time before Tails became Sonic’s sidekick. You have to defeat the enemies that have invaded Tails Island, and the game has a much heavier emphasis on exploration rather than getting from A to B in the fastest possible time.
Think if it as a Mario-style platformer with Tails as the lead, and you’ll get the idea.
Oh, and players don’t lose one-hundred-million rings every time an opponent hits them either. You’ll just lose a couple which isn’t that devastating.
If you’re a fan of the Sonic franchise, then you’ll be all over this game. It’s well thought out and provides a nice back story for SEGA’s second-best fox (sorry, Tails, but Psycho Fox wins every time in our book).
It might seem a bit slow to some people, but give it some time and it picks up!
9.Streets Of Rage (1992)
I still remember trying to convince my friend to let me borrow his SEGA Game Gear for a couple of weeks so that I could carry on playing this after I went round to his house.
It was button-mashing heaven and a
Streets Of Rage is one of the best side-scrolling brawlers ever made, and while I like a bit of Street Fighter when it comes to whooping ass and using insane moves, Streets Of Rage has that addictive allure that keeps pulling you back in to try and defeat the absurdly humongous enemies at the end of each round.
Having the ability to take S.O.R out into the open changed gaming for a lot of people and made it easier to carry on playing when you had to go home from your mates or head out to the supermarket.
With the SEGA Game Gear in tow, you didn’t have to admit defeat when your TV time was up; you could carry on playing in secret and keep the fight alive.
I often think about Adam, Axel, and Blaze trying to clean up the streets and rid the world of Mr X’s henchmen, and I wonder how many other ex-police officers have looked to Streets Of Rage as a light at the end of the tunnel after their career.
Probably none; no one in their right mind would try and take down bosses that big!t it’s a classic title and one that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed playing over the years.
10. Vampire: Master of Darkness (1992)
It’s safe to say that Nintendo have cornered the market when it comes to Vampire games thanks to the Castlevania franchise.
Still, SEGA was keen to create a horror game for their consoles that could match the antics of the Belmont Clan.
Ok, so horror might seem like a strong word to use right about now, but Vampire: Master of Darkness had gamers on the edge of their seats back in the day!
Whether that was because they were engaged in the story or getting up to put their console in the sink due to this game’s difficulty, we’re still unsure.
Difficulty aside, this title is the perfect answer for anyone that wants Castlevania-style thrills on a SEGA console.
Ok SEGA, what name are we going to give the main character, the one that will rival Simon Belmont and bring SEGA glory?
How about ‘Dr. Ferdinand Social’…
… Why do they always choose such terrible names for their characters!
Like Castlevania, you’re aiming to kill Dracula. Where it differs is the number of epic weapons that you can have at your disposal as you traverse the games cleverly designed levels.
You always start off with a dagger, which is about as much use as a cuddly toy when you’re trying to take down a skeleton or a vampire. Weapons that you pick up will always vanish if you die.
So try not to die!
One of the bosses in this game is Jack the Ripper. I don’t know why or what the reason is that he’s hanging out in Dracula’s castle, but at least you can kill two evil villains from history in one go.
Now that’s what I call value for money!
11. Sonic Chaos (1993)
I probably should say now that there are quite a number of Sonic titles in this list.
But then again, it’s a SEGA article; would you expect anything else?
Sonic Chaos is considered by many to be a follow-up sequel to Sonic the Hedgehog 2. It follows the same ring-collecting action and sees Sonic trying to take down the evil Dr Robotnik.
The moustachioed menace is trying to steal the Chaos Emeralds so that he can use them to make nuclear weapons.
You’d have to run pretty fast to get away from one of those!
Sonic chaos was the first Sonic game to be made for a handheld device, making this a pretty pivotal game in portable gaming history.
Sure, there were other Sonic titles ported to the Game Gear, but Chaos was the first fully portable original adventure that us gamers-on-the-go could get our hands on.
There are eight worlds to complete, and players can either play as Sonic or Tails as they blast their way through each stage,
Chaos brings new moves to the franchise such as the hover shoes and the impressive ‘Super Peel Out’ function first used in Sonic CD (one of the few SEGA CD games we can firmly get behind).
That last one makes Sonic move even faster; we didn’t even think that was possible!
12. Prince Of Persia (1992)
Prince of Persia is incredible, hands down.
It must have been mind-blowing to have had such amazing features to play around with when most of the characters that came before it could only jump up and down.
You have just 60 minutes to save the Princess from the evil Jaffar (not of Aladdin fame, although they look as though they could be closely related).
The graphics are based around grimy-looking dungeon scenes in dark colours.
You won’t see any Halo-style explosions or BOTW cutscenes here folks, but the gameplay is exquisite for its time.
Unlike other retro games where you’re constantly failing to jump or run because the controls are so laggy, Prince Of Persia is super smooth and a joy to play.
If you like your ancient Persian adventures filled with spikes, traps, sharp blades, big walls, and magic mirrors, then this is one to pick up.
13. Dragon Crystal (1990)
Even though the Zelda games on the NES and SNES were amazing and will always retain incredible play-time value, there comes a time when you don’t want to carry multiple consoles or handhelds around with you.
Especially while you’re heading out to meet friends or pretending to walk the dog for your parents.
Dragon Crystal filled the top/down view adventure title needs of quest fanatics everywhere.
If you’re new to Dragon Crystal, then imagine an amalgamation of Gauntlet, Holy Magic Century, and Links Awakening all in one.
It’s a turn-based game in which you must make your way through mysterious levels, battling monsters and gathering collectables designed to increase your power as you progress.
After finding yourself down a dark alley in a mysterious neighbourhood, you, the player, discover a strange looking crystal in an abandoned antique shop.
Too nosey for your own good, you end up getting dragged into a strange world where a giant egg is continuously following you.
I know it sounds a little like a trippy dream, but it’s the actual premise of the game!
Use potions, unlock items, and equip armour to help you survive in this treacherous new land, all the while trying to work out what the heck the egg is doing!
14. Super Columns (1995)
The Tetris of the SEGA Game Gear world is another puzzler that has seen our daytime hours fly by in the blink of an eye.
Instead of matching different shapes in this downward tumbling puzzler, the Columns Master must link three different coloured gems together in a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal line.
As long as they are touching, they’ll disappear and give you points.
Now, I know this sounds easy, but with a possible high score of 99’999 points to get up to, there’s always room for improvement.
Sometimes the simplest games are the ones that keep us hooked the longest.
How many hours did you spend playing Angry Birds on your phone instead of listening in class or doing the work that you get paid to do day-in-day-out?
How much time have you put into winning every gold trophy on Mario Kart?
The same addiction drives people back to play Columns again and again, itching to try and beat their high score and explode that all-knowing super jewel to clear their boards ready for the next glittery onslaught.
If the last part of this paragraph seemed a little out there or hard to read, It’s because I’m playing Columns while writing…
15. Lemmings (1992)
Before Minecraft and other digger-happy puzzle games arrived on the scene, Lemmings was the ultimate underground brain tickler.
We’ve spent countless hours messing around while trying to get from one end of a level to the other without losing our minds in the process, and occasionally we’ve actually managed it!
These little green-haired explorers knew no limits, though trying to get the optimum recipe for success was often difficult, to say the least.
The GameCube game Pikmin always reminded me of Lemmings; it’s games like these that probably account for why I’m bald at a young age.
Players have to choose from eight different traits in a bid to get their lemmings to work together to find the hidden exit at the end of the course.
Your chosen lemmings can pull different techniques from underneath their blue robes such as climbing, floating, digging etc, but you’ll have to watch out for the rest of your mindless horde as they walk backwards and forwards into pillars.
They’ll also traipse zombie-like up mounds and, (sorry folks) down into fiery pits and off the edge of cliffs.
If you’re a SEGA Game Gear fan, then you’ve probably already experienced the pain/pleasure of nuking all of your lemmings in frustration.
16. Castle Of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse (1991)
You’d have to be pretty ‘Mizrabel’ not to have enjoyed seeing Mickey Mouse on a handheld device for the first time (if you’ve played the game, then you’ll know that was a perfect joke right there).
He might not be Sonic or Liu Kang, but Mickey used his own skillset in this epic adventure quest and won the hearts and minds of thousands.
Using a jump and squash attack made famous by a certain Italian plumber and armed with an arsenal of marbles and apples, Mickey must battle the Masters Of Illusion.
Players must defeat the witch Mizrabel to rescue Minnie from a lifetime of being imprisoned with a hook-nosed old hag!
Critics widely appreciated Disney’s take on the classic Mario-style 2D adventure game as a great success, and Castle of Illusion was one of the games that helped to push the SEGA Genesis to great heights.
I know people tend to think that Disney is a little bit childish, but you have to admit that seeing the most famous mouse in the world holding his own in Enchanted Forests and eerie Desert Factories is pretty impressive.
If you haven’t played this game then we strongly recommend you give it a go; it’s a classic.
17. Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap (1992)
Wonder Boy: The Dragons Trap, a strong contender for one of the world’s greatest Master System titles of all time too!
This is a port of Wonder Boy III for the Master System and a game that critics the world over went ape over (or should that be ‘dragon’, I’m unsure…).
Apart from having an engaging storyline and characters that could morph into other animals or beings, this game was known for being bright and colourful.
Like holding a supernova drawn by a small child in your hands.
Think of the feeling of playing this title for the first time as the same feeling you had when you played Wind Waker for the first time.
Sure, the cel-shaded graphics were a little odd, but it provided a refreshing change!
But back to Wonder Boy. This game takes place directly after the last game in the series, ‘Wonder Boy In Monster Land’.
Why can’t a Wonder Boy end up living in ‘chocolate cake village’ or just chill out once in a while. It’s always monsters and ghouls and manual labour!
Our intrepid adventurer has been cursed by a Mecha Dragon, and now he has to find a mysterious Salamander Cross to turn him back to his normal self.
Sound’s like he could do with raiding Professor Snape’s store cupboard if you ask me!
If you’re a fan of games that involve a lot of searching and puzzle solving, then Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap could be the game that traps your Game Gear in your hands for hours on end.
18. Streets Of Rage 2 (1993)
You’re probably wondering why Streets of Rage is so low on our list, but put your fists away, we can assure you the original is very high on our less, and that’s for good reason!
Streets Of Rage II is the second of the Game Gear games published by SEGA themselves in 1992. What’s different about this game is that it introduces two new characters known as Max “Thunder” Hatch and Eddie “Skate” Hunter.
Which happens to be the younger brother of Adam Hunter from the original game. Streets Of Rage II still to this day is regarded as one of the best fighting games ever for the Game Gear and Mega Drive.
Streets of Rage 2 is a side scrolling beat em up in which one or two players fights against a number of waves of enemies. You can use your fists, or pick up weapons through each level in order to defeat every enemy that comes your way.
In Streets of Rage 2 you can perform unique Blitz Attacks by double tapping the DPAD before attacking.
Each player can perform special attacks and one of the new characters (we won’t spoil it) can even whizz around on rollerblades to increase speed!
19. Mega Man (1995)
We all love Mega Man, and SEGA fans were lucky enough to get a taste of him on the Game Gear handheld.
Mega Man is an action platformer game developed by Freestyle, but unfortunately it only saw a North American release in October 1995.
The game follows Mega Man as he fights against the mad scientist Dr.Willy and six of his Robot Masters which are under his control.
The levels feature big bosses that might be familiar from Mega Man 4 and Mega Man 5, which was a nice touch. Many called it one of the best Game gear games of all time, as it felt and sounded similar to that of the NES title.
But what many did’t like about it was the difficulty, many said that the enemies and bosses moved too quickly at times making it incredibly difficult to complete levels. Perhaps this was children complaining in the past, but still to this day it is deemed as a “hard” game to complete swiftly.
It was a colourful, somewhat deep game that kept its users intrigued for hours on end, and that combined with an awesome soundtrack is what it’s in our top list.
20. Puyo Puyo 2 (1994)
Are we the only ones who think the right eye on the box art looks very odd? No, just us? Puyo Puyo 2 is the second game of the Puyo Puyo series which was released in September 1994 by Compile.
Much like the first game Puyo fall from the top of the screen in pairs, and can be moved left, right and clockwise just like the game Tetris. What makes Puyo Puyo different to the original is the new set of rules.
The first new rule added was called “offsetting”. this allows you to counter bad Puyo’s being sent by your opponent, doing this can also send Puyo’s back to your opponent as an “attack”.
It has a very Tetris feel, with bright colours, intense sounds and fast gameplay. Due to its success, it became one of the most widely known multiplatform games in Japan, appearing in the Arcade, on major domestic consoles and on popular handhelds.
Puyo Puyo 2 has three different modes. Single Puyo Puyo, Double Puyo Puyo and Endless Puyo Puyo. These are harder modes with slightly different speeds, music and difficulties.
It was a huge hit in Japan and became popular on a bunch of future consoles, like the Gameboy Advance and even as late as the PS2!
21. Royal Stone (1995)
Royal Stone was a Game Gear exclusive released in 1995 by SEGA. Unfortunately it was another game that was never released to us western folk, even though many passionate Game Gear collectors got it imported for a premium.
Some of you may know that this is a direct sequel to Crystal Warriors, another great strategy RPG game. What Royal stone was great at was simple, engaging storylines. Characters were memorable, moments happened in the game that caught your attention for minutes on end and it was a game that many loved because of this.
Royal Stone follow the story of Eva, a former Knight of Marltalia who managed to get exiled from her Kingdom for betraying the trust of the people and backstabbing her own friend and family. But as you move through the story, this becomes untrue.
Eventually you get thrown out and almost die, but due to magical ways you survive and its your duty to find armour, level up and regain your place in the Kingdom by coming out with the truth.
The game was loved by many due to the impressive graphics and styling of the game. Many loved the RPG aspect of it too with memorable NPC’s awesome locations and tactfully challenging enemies.
Sometimes we think that if Royal Stone made it to the US in huge numbers perhaps it could have became a bigger franchise than it already is, but again, nobody took that risk, unfortunately.
22. Bubble Bobble (1994)
How could it be a best list without featuring the adorable Bubble Bobble? Released in 1994 Bubble Bobble is the story of two humans, Bub and Bob… try not to laugh. Who wander into a mysterious cave of magic and monsters when suddenly it turns them into dinosaurs.
The only way to transform them back into humans is by reaching the end this freaky cave. At the end of the game you find out they’ve just eaten their weight in mushrooms… we’re joking! No mushrooms.
It’s a platformer game with each level being a single screen, a bit like the original Donkey Kong. One player controls Bub, and the other Bob.
But since Bub and Bob are now dinosaurs they have the ability to blow bubbles, allowing them to move around the map, attack enemies and use it to their advantage to reach the end of their level.
It’s a fun simple game, with two loveable characters that for some reason, you can never forget about. Some say the game is slightly too short but that’s what makes the game so great.
It’s a game that you can give to a. friend knowing they’ll love it and hand it back to you within two weeks, because it’s the way we like our handheld games, short and sweet!
The NES version had a lot more stated bring it to a total of 112 stages, so we rccomend that if you want even more bubbly dinos!
23. The Lion King (1994)
The Lion King is one of those games that makes me grit my teeth whenever I talk about it. It’s so good, but it remains my arch nemesis to this day.
And it doesn’t matter when you read this, it’ll still be my arch nemesis until the end of time.
The giraffe level broke me as a kid, and I’m not sure whether you can tell, but I haven’t got over it since.
The game looks stunning, and yes there are some flaws in the gameplay that might have been rectified on a rerelease today, but fans of the film won’t care too much.
Play as both young and adult Simba not in an Ocarina of Time way, but following the progress of the movie.
Maul, roar, and jump as you try to get past those annoying Giraffes and Monkeys (have I mentioned that bit yet?).
Players take Timon and Pumba out through levels too. Virgin might not be making games anymore, but they left a brilliant legacy behind with The Lion king sitting proudly at the top of the stack!
24. Sonic Drift 2 (1994)
Sonic Drift 2 is up next, a racing game sequel that SEGA hoped would take on Mario Kart.
It’s not a bad little game; the graphics are good and the courses are clearly defined, but for me, it lacks a little something that makes it as good as Mazza’s famous series.
But hey, Super Circuit didn’t come out on the GBA until 2001, so SEGA’s handheld racing offering beat Nintendo by 7 years!
Players in last place make use of a special boost that brings them back into the fray. This keeps the action fast-paced and exciting, especially when playing with friends via the Game Gear link cable.
Fire items using the D-Pad and take down opponent on 18 tracks through 3 Grand Prix tournaments.
Ironically, Sonic probably hates travelling so slowly!
25. Space Harrier (1991)
Space Harrier sounds like a fighter jet that you take into space, right?
Guess again – in this game, players take a flying human with a gun through levels killing space aliens.
Fans of rail shooters will be all over this title. I think everyone reading this article has dreamed of having super powers, and a flying guy with a massive blaster cannon would definitely fits the bill.
With hints of the Gundam series and a strong NeverEnding Story vibe, Space Harrier is a fantasy nerds dream.
The thing I will say is the clashing colours do make you feel a bit spacey after a while. The checkerboard floor definitely helps to give that 3D feel, but it also make s your eyes water after a while.
Move around the screen firing at enemies and rarely missing. It’s the perfect couch-lazing game!
26. Gunstar Heroes (1993)
If you’re a big fan of run-n-gun titles like the Metal Slug series, then Gunstar Heroes needs to be in your collection.
Imagine if raindrops were bullets, and they fired from everywhere at once and walking down the street was a death defying feat.
That’s kind of what Gunstar Heroes is like, except you’re the one making bullets rain and there are huge bosses to defeat at every turn.
Can you imagine being a developer that made this as their very first game and achieving such commercial success? That’s what happened to Treasure, and they’ve been swimming in gold coins ever since!
Ok, I have to admit that you need to be slightly unhinged to get this game. It’s so fast that you need the reflexes of a Cheetah to play it and eyes that never go out of focus.
It’s a vibrant game and one that has zero downtime in it. If you don’t stay alert, you die… and you will die all the time.
27. Ax Battler: A Legend Of Golden Axe (1991)
Ax Battler: A Legend Of Golden Axe is up next in our compendium of portable SEGA goodness. It follows the story of Ax Battler, a hero charged with saving the Golden Axe from the clutches of evil.
Ax Battler is definitely am much better name for a hero than Keith Courage; at least SEGA eventually started learning from their mistakes!
With action and RPG elements throughout, the original Golden Axe protagonist sees players switching between top-down exploration and side-on battles throughout.
Watch out for the one-hit defeat mode in play; if Ax gets hit, the fight ends and payers leave the battle with no spoils!
And get this; Ax Battler is one of those games where you have to discover passwords to enter to return to specific parts of the game. There’s no saving, so if you don’t get that password, all your progress is lost!
28. The Simpsons: Bart Vs. The Space Mutants (1992)
The Simpsons: Bart Vs. The Space Mutants might not have a patch on Simpsons: Hit and Run, but it is one of the best SEGA Game Gear games and an absolute must-play for fans of the TV show.
With only 5 levels, this isn’t exactly a long game. Still, there could only be one level of Bart thwarting space mutants and we’d still include it in this list – this game rules!
These uninvited space mutants are trying to collect items to build a terrible machine, and Bart has to either collect or destroy said items before the mutants can get hold of them.
Team up with members of the Simpson’s family to fight bosses, and use cool items like X-Ray Specs to determine which humans the mutants are hiding inside.
Yes, the story just got a whole lot weirder!
Solve puzzles, collect coins, buy new gear, and save Springfield!
29. Paperboy (1991)
Paperboy often sits forgotten in SEGA’s back catalogue. I mean, many of us resented having to get up and head out on our paper rounds as kids, so why would we want to do it virtually.
Well, there’s no chance of getting wet or chased by a dog in these virtual suburbs. It takes little brain power and is one of those addictive games that once started is impossible to put down.
Paperboy has a duration of seven in-game days. The aim of the game is to deliver papers properly; points are awarded for throwing papers into boxes and taken away if you damage houses.
Yeah, this kid throws hard!
Pull off slick tricks and make people’s mornings 10x better. Well, that is if you get the right papers to the right houses on the right days, of course!
30. Sonic Labyrinth (1995)
Sonic Labyrinth is a game that people either love or hate, there is no middle ground. It received mixed reviews throughout its lifespan, with some reviewers saying it was confusing and hard to control while others proclaimed it interesting and innovative.
I fall on the side of loving it. Sure, it’s a little different to the usual Sonic offerings, what with his sneakers and speed being stolen and all.
But it still features the main man himself, and that’s all that matters!
Back in 1995 this isometric top-down view was amazing. Solving puzzles and avoiding obstacles in close to 3D never looked or felt so good.
Seeing Sonic from a top-down perspective definitely takes some getting used to. But, after successfully completing the first of 16 levels, you start to get the hang of it pretty quickly.
Can Sonic stop Robotnik and get his sneakers back? I hope so, otherwise the ending will be pretty terrible!
