Double Dragon (Sega Game Gear review)

Developer: Technos Japan, Virgin Games
Publisher: Virgin Games
Released: 1992

Double Dragon is a beat-em-up that (despite the name) is a unique entry for Sega's 8-bit handheld.

+ Nice variety to the gritty stage locales, decent mix of CPU sprites and some funny Virgin Games ads in the Train level.

+ Dash mechanic is excellent for creating space from your opposition, and the background graphics are spectacular.

- Your range of attacks is incredibly limited and none of them feel particularly effective in the heat of combat.

- Omission of any grappling attacks is puzzling, yet guns are included which is at total odds with the series' foundations.

- Collision detection is dire and it's often hard to decipher whether you're doing damage, or even on the right vertical plane.

- Frame-rate is poor which affects combat accuracy, and enemies have a tendency to strike from off-screen.

- Camera is a huge annoyance, as it typically won't start scrolling until you're towards the edge of the screen.

Taz-Mania (Sega Game Gear review)

Developer: NuFX
Publisher: Sega
Released: 1992

Taz-Mania is an action game that's exclusive to Sega's 8-bit handheld.

+ Gameplay has some solid ideas (with minor puzzle elements thrown in) and there's plenty of variety on offer.

+ Bosses are fun, especially the final battle that requires you to reach the top like Donkey Kong (1981, Arcade).

- Most of the gameplay ideas are poorly executed and don't last long enough to build upon their core concepts.

- Contains only a handful of generic enemies and the graphics lack detail while littering the stages with garish colour schemes.

- Jumping commands are sometimes ignored, and Taz will often perform a small leap despite you holding the button down.

- Music is absolutely atrocious and instead of memorable melodies you'll hear tracks that resemble fire alarms.

- As a whole, the game feels very unpolished and even seeing things through to the ending is a let-down.

Sonic Labyrinth (Sega Game Gear review)

Developer: Minato Giken
Publisher: Sega
Released: 1995

Sonic Labyrinth is an isometric puzzle-platformer that's exclusive to the Sega Game Gear.

Dr. Robotnik has replaced Sonic's running sneakers with a pair of heavy boots, and the only way to change them back is to collect six Chaos Emeralds across four Zones. The latter are split into four stages each, with the objective being to locate three keys and then find the exit before time runs out. Sonic's main mode of transportation is a Spin Dash, something you'll need to heavily rely on, as his running speed is ridiculously lethargic; this is the game's obvious flaw, as you'll have no choice but to continually put yourself in harms way to beat the timer. It's not even like the neutered running speed is a hardware limitation either, as Sonic zips around when you collect the Sneakers power up. However, my opinion did change here after replaying the game a second time through; once you adjust to the odd mechanics you realise that the Spin Dash adds to the intensity by acting as a risk-reward element; in many ways, the challenge and enjoyment comes from transitioning your mindset into playing it like a pinball game, and this form of recklessness actually gives the gameplay its edge. The level design successfully balances maze-like environments, while still feeling manageable and not overwhelming the player. It also does a good job of introducing new ideas (e.g. springs, cannons and warps) that allow you to access new areas. There's nothing distinctly 'Sonic' about the locales though and all of the generic backdrops could have easily fitted another character. Also, the bosses don't offer much in the way of innovation or excitement and they can each be beaten by simply Spin Dashing repeatedly.

Sonic Labyrinth is a bit misunderstood in my opinion, and once you start playing it the way the developers intended the slow running speed almost becomes a non-issue. To call the game a hidden gem would be stretching the truth, but the level design is tight and there's much more fun to be had here than you might initially think.

Random trivia: In 2012, the game was released on the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console.

Sonic the Hedgehog Triple Trouble (Sega Game Gear review)

Developer: Aspect
Publisher: Sega
Released: 1994

Sonic the Hedgehog Triple Trouble is a platformer that's exclusive to the Sega Game Gear.

There's six Zones (with three acts each) and your objective is to find the Chaos Emeralds and stop Dr. Robotnik from launching his new destructive weapon. Sonic and Tails are playable, with the former having a Strike Dash that makes him invulnerable for a brief moment, and the latter being able to fly short distances. The level design features scaled down ideas from Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (1994, Mega Drive), but overall it's bland and repetitive. Robotnik Winter is basically IceCap Zone with snowboard in tow, and Great Turquoise Zone resembles the tropical paradise of Angel Island Zone; unfortunately, all are much less interesting and their greatly reduced scope fails to provide any excitement due to the lack of engaging gameplay ideas. The action runs at a respectable speed with only minor slowdown, but a huge part of this is the lack of enemies; in almost every level you'll struggle to locate even a handful of opponents, the end result being that the otherwise beautiful environments feel rather lifeless. What follows is an adventure that barely challenges the player and each Zone feels like a complete breeze; in fact, the sole difficulty is trying to control Sonic's floaty jumps, which can lead to unwanted forward momentum. Most of the bosses have good concepts, but the execution is poor. For example, Sunset Park Zone's finale suddenly and excitingly sees you transition to a battle aboard a moving train; however, you'll face the same enemy patterns ad nauseam until the idea falls flat on its face. On a plus note, the sprite work and Sonic's idle animations are superb, as are the bright, colourful graphics.

Sonic Triple Trouble is hard to recommend to anyone except series veterans, as it does so many things halfheartedly that all you're left with is a shallow, uninspired platformer. It's a shame, as the amazing graphics and environments are severely neutered by mundane level design and the absence of any real challenge.

Random trivia: In 2009, an unofficial port was released on the Sega Master System.

Shinobi (Game Gear review)

Developer: Sega CS
Publisher: Sega
Released: 1991

Shinobi (a.k.a. The G.G. Shinobi) is an action game that's exclusive to the Sega Game Gear.

As Joe Musashi (the Red Shinobi), you must rescue the Blue, Green, Pink and Yellow ninjas, and then destroy the source of evil in Neo City. There's five stages and each ninja has a unique weapon (e.g. shurikens), a special feat (e.g. walking on ceilings) and a powerful Ninjutsu attack if you've collected a required icon. The varied level design is magnificent, as it's constantly throwing out new ideas and locales to keep you fully invested; for example, one minute you're leaping between cars on a highway, and then scaling a huge building while enemies smash out of the windows. It's all expertly crafted to give you memorable experiences rather than rehashing the same gameplay ideas throughout. The first four levels are enjoyable, and I like how multiple play-throughs allows you to recognise sections where certain ninjas could be used to access bonus items; in return, this adds tons of replayability as it encourages you to tackle the stages in a different order. However, the unlockable fifth stage called Neo City is where things really come together, as it's twice the size of the previous levels combined and cleverly incorporates sections where only certain ninjas can be used. This forces you to learn all of their abilities in order to truly master the game. The difficulty does increase dramatically here due to deadly spike pits and tough enemy placement, so be warned that lots of trial-and-error is present! The bosses feature interesting attack mechanics, and the intense music (some of Yuzo Koshiro's best work) and graphical flourishes (e.g. cool transparency / rain effects) round off an already excellent package.

Shinobi is a crown jewel in the Game Gear's library and it shows how capable the machine was in creating engaging titles that compliment the more acclaimed series releases on Sega's 16-bit hardware. The terrific level design means it's a blast from start-to-finish and it's non-linear approach makes for satisfying reruns.

Random trivia: A sequel called Shinobi II: The Silent Fury was released on the Sega Game Gear in 1992.

CJ Elephant Fugitive (Sega Game Gear review)

Developer: Big Red Software
Publisher: Codemasters
Released: 1994

CJ Elephant Fugitive is a platform game that's exclusive to the Sega Game Gear.

Imprisoned and accused of a crime you didn't commit, it's your job to escape the zoo and make it back home to Africa. Your journey takes you through five locations (London, Paris, Alps, Cairo and Africa) with three levels each, and CJ can attack by shooting peanuts or launching a limited supply of bouncing bombs. Your umbrella can also be used to float safely across perilous gaps. The level design is compact, yet leaves just enough room for exploration; I really enjoyed this non-linear approach, as even though there's many times where you're not sure where to go, you're never far away from figuring out a solution. I also appreciate how the style and environmental hazards in each world are wildly different to keep you engaged (e.g. Paris has lots of moving platforms, while the Alps is full of mazes where you need to hunt for the exit). Control wise, there's a few glaring issues, namely the fact that the jump and fire buttons are reversed which causes no end of frustration when you press the wrong button in the heat of battle. There's also a severe delay as CJ winds up his peanut projectile before firing; it certainly looks neat from an animation standpoint, but from a gameplay perspective you'll take many unfair hits. What's most annoying though is that due to the delay you can only shoot in mid-air by pressing fire, then jump! It's the complete reverse of what you'd normally expect and it's puzzling why it wasn't fixed prior to release. On top of this, the collision detection is spotty (occasionally leaving you falling straight through a platform), and there's too much trial-and-error due to various blind jumps.

CJ Elephant Fugitive is a playable, yet unremarkable platformer that does little to innovate or excite. While the basic premise and graphical style is excellent, the action is too unpolished for a game that demands complete accuracy, and ultimately the various programming 'quirks' result in a rather tiresome experience.

Random trivia: The game is a remake of 1991's CJ's Elephant Antics which was released on the Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, NES and ZX Spectrum.