Thirteen New Game Gear Titles Heading to 3DS Virtual Console

StewShearerOld

Geekdad News Writer
Jan 5, 2013
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Thirteen New Game Gear Titles Heading to 3DS Virtual Console



After a long wait Game Gear fans can finally look forward to a new batch of ports heading to 3DS.

When it was first released, the Game Gear looked like <a href=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORFLXbDMgio>coolest thing in the world. Sleek, black and boasting a backlit screen with full color visuals, it made the Game Boy look like an ugly gray brick in comparison. Sure it was much more expensive and treated AA batteries like buffet items, but it still had a lot going for it in the competition for the 90s handheld market. That being said, its higher price tag and the Game Boy's general status as unstoppable portable juggernaut eventually led to the Game Gear's defeat, since which it has faded into relative obscurity.

Ironically, salvation for the Game Gear's software library would come from of a Nintendo handheld. In 2011, Sega revealed that it would be adding <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/108201-Sega-Releasing-Game-Gear-Titles-For-3DS>digital versions of Game Gear titles to the Virtual Console section of the 3DS eShop. After the fulfillment of a few promised releases however, efforts to port Game Gear titles slowed to a halt. That being said, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata announced earlier today, during a Nintendo Direct live feed, that thirteen new Game Gear titles will soon be making their way to the 3DS.

The list of forthcoming games will include: Columns, Crystal Warriors, Defenders of Oasis, Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine, G-Loc Air Battle, Shining Force II: The Sword of Hajya, Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic Blast, Sonic Labrynth, and Vampire: Master of Darkness. While these still only represent a small fraction of the hundreds of titles released on the Game Gear during its lifespan, this batch includes several of the better entries in its library and should be enough to tide fans over until Nintendo and Sega get around to releasing more, probably several years from now.



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Owyn_Merrilin

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May 22, 2010
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As someone who had a Game Gear as a kid, this is good news, although it's a shame Super Columns (which was the best version of Sega's answer to Tetris to ever be made, and a damned good game regardless of the pedigree) isn't on the list. Those 8-bit Sonic games are no joke, and they're completely different from the 16 bit entries we all know and love. Hard as balls, though. Balls of steel adamantium, that is.
 

lacktheknack

Je suis joined jewels.
Jan 19, 2009
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Now I wanna buy a 3DS, just to access the Sonic games (got stuck so badly at my cousins' house) and Shining Force 2 (I KNEW there was a way to track it down).
 

Infernal Lawyer

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Jan 28, 2013
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Stop me if I'm on the wrong track, but wasn't Shining Force the games that were all blitzed off YouTube and the like?
 

2clueless

Clueless since 2003
Apr 11, 2012
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And no Star Trek: Generations game, either. Probably my favorite game from the system. Those conduit puzzles could be brutal..
 

Lady Larunai

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Nov 30, 2010
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I think I have all of these in a box at home, but its nice they are on 3ds now as I cant remember if my game gear still works
 

xaszatm

That Voice in Your Head
Sep 4, 2010
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lacktheknack said:
Now I wanna buy a 3DS, just to access the Sonic games (got stuck so badly at my cousins' house) and Shining Force 2 (I KNEW there was a way to track it down).
Uh...Shining Force II is available on Steam. I'm serious. Go look it up. That's how I got my copy and I own the first as a CD.

OT: Neat, while I never owned that portable system, its games always interested me.
 

Skops

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Mar 9, 2010
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Where Sonic Triple Trouble? Why does that one always get left out? It was my favorite Game Gear Game. :(
 

CyborgGinger

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Apr 1, 2011
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Ah, the Game Gear. So many memories of whiling away my youth glued to one of those. Glad to see Columns and Sonic on there, they were cracking titles. Still adore the Columns music today too.
 

The White Hunter

Basment Abomination
Oct 19, 2011
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Owyn_Merrilin said:
Hard as balls, though. Balls of steel adamantium, that is.
Sonic 2 for the Game Gear/Master System, Sky High Zone is insanely hard >_< I only ever got past it once as a kid, got to the last zone and game overed. Might have to hook up the master system and have at it again!

OT: THis is only good news, there's a lot of good titles on the game gear, now we just haver to hope they aren't priced extortionately.
 

Snotnarok

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Nov 17, 2008
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Why does everyone always say the game gear 'lost' that would imply that it did poorly and given it's lifespan and games I don't think that's true. The Lynx? Yes, Gaymate? Yes, Supervision? Yes.

Either way it's interesting these games are hitting the 3DS and all as the game gear sonic games were both unique to the Gen/MD versions and Sonic 2 was developed by Satan himself. But I'm not so keen on N's purchasing with digital items, you really don't have the option to transfer games and the like (PSOne games are transferable between PS3, PSP, PSV, steam you can play your games on anyone elses PC) that on top of the games being fairly overpriced doesn't help...
 

lacktheknack

Je suis joined jewels.
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xaszatm said:
lacktheknack said:
Now I wanna buy a 3DS, just to access the Sonic games (got stuck so badly at my cousins' house) and Shining Force 2 (I KNEW there was a way to track it down).
Uh...Shining Force II is available on Steam. I'm serious. Go look it up. That's how I got my copy and I own the first as a CD.

OT: Neat, while I never owned that portable system, its games always interested me.


!!!!!!!!?????????!!!!!!!!??????????!!!!!!!!!!??????????!!!!!!!!!!?????????!!!!!!!!!???????????!!!!!!????

Note to self: Check back on Steam on occasion. Once per decade is not enough.
 

Azaraxzealot

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Dec 1, 2009
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I wonder what 80s gamers (back in the 80s) would have thought of someone telling them that Nintendo would beat Sega handily, then Sega would be making games for Sony, Microsoft, AND Nintendo, and Nintendo would have a full 3D handheld console that would be more than 100x more powerful than anything that existed today that would get Sega handheld titles of the day....
 

Owyn_Merrilin

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May 22, 2010
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Azaraxzealot said:
I wonder what 80s gamers (back in the 80s) would have thought of someone telling them that Nintendo would beat Sega handily, then Sega would be making games for Sony, Microsoft, AND Nintendo, and Nintendo would have a full 3D handheld console that would be more than 100x more powerful than anything that existed today that would get Sega handheld titles of the day....
They'd probably be asking for a time machine, because that sounds awesome.

Of course they'd probably ask to stop time in its tracks if you told them about DRM and exploitative DLC...

Edit: Unless the person telling them that was from the time, and not a time traveller. In that case, they'd probably think the person saying it was crazy.
 

Vigormortis

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Nov 21, 2007
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If they manage to code, and gain legal permission for, a port of the Jurassic Park game, then I'm excited.

The game was fairly short, repetitive at times, and not all that great. Yet, I loved the hell out of it back in the day. I played it all too often.