Game Gear games

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Though there are not as many Game Gear games as Game Boy ones, the Sega Game Gear enjoyed a large library of titles (approximately 390 games) to satisfy customers. One of the main reasons for this was its similarities with Sega Master System hardware, meaning Master System games could be converted to Game Gear ones without too much trouble. Unfortunately the Game Gear was subjected to watered down Sega Mega Drive ports, such as Ristar and Gunstar Heroes, in the process not receiving as many exclusives as Sega may have liked. Several Master System conversions would also not make use of the extended colour palette, or were hindered by the smaller resolution.

Content

Game Gear

Action (151) (44.81%)

Adventure (7) (2.08%)

Educational (1) (0.3%)

Fighting (5) (1.48%)

Racing (15) (4.45%)

RPG (18) (5.34%)

Shoot-'em-up (17) (5.04%)

Simulation (18) (5.34%)

Sports (73) (21.66%)

Table (32) (9.5%)

Miscellaneous (0) (0%)

Game Gear games by genre.

Marketing

Packaging

All Game Gear games worldwide were distributed in cardboard packaging, though each cartridge was given a plastic container for extra protection similar to Nintendo's Game Boy. In Japan and North America there was not a universal box design until mid-way through the Game Gear's lifecycle, where the design was made to match that of the Mega Drive. North America adopted a purple colour scheme, while Japan went with red. In Europe the "grid" design was copied from the Master System and Mega Drive, but this time featured a grey background. Unlike their other products in this region, this design was never updated. In Brazil, the box design was almost identical to the Sega Master System, though limited distribution of the console meant it was not very successful in that region anyway.

Unreleased games

Main article: List of unreleased Game Gear games.

Unlike some systems, Sega was happy to support the Game Gear up until 1996; long after many of the big third-party publishers had abandoned the platform. This meant that game development was not interrupted by an abrupt cancellation of support from the platform holder, nor a successor system to entice developers away, and so most announced Game Gear projects would ship to retail.

Of the relatively few unreleased Game Gear projects, many were planned conversions from the Sega Mega Drive; a supplementary handheld version of a game to complement the main release. Very few cancelled Game Gear games were developed specifically for the Game Gear in mind; almost all had previously been released on other platforms (be it consoles or home computers) and were likely scrapped due to a lack of perceived interest in the product.

Lists

Game Gear

1990 (10) (2.71%)

1991 (48) (13.01%)

1992 (46) (12.47%)

1993 (73) (19.78%)

1994 (96) (26.02%)

1995 (75) (20.33%)

1996 (19) (5.15%)

1997 (1) (0.27%)

2001 (1) (0.27%)

Game Gear games by release date (not including aftermarket games).

• List of Game Gear games
  • List of Game Gear games in Japan
  • List of Game Gear games in the United States
  • List of Game Gear games in the United Kingdom
  • List of Game Gear games in France
  • List of Game Gear games in Germany
  • List of Game Gear games in Portugal
  • List of Game Gear games in Spain
  • List of Game Gear games in Australia
  • List of Game Gear games in Brazil
  • List of Game Gear games in South Korea

Launch titles

Japan

• Columns
• Super Monaco GP
• Pengo

North America

• Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse
• Columns
• G-Loc: Air Battle
• Psychic World
• Revenge of Drancon
• Super Monaco GP

Europe

• Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse
• Columns
• Dragon Crystal
• G-Loc: Air Battle
• Psychic World
• Super Monaco GP
• Wonder Boy

Brazil

• Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse
• Columns
• G-Loc: Air Battle
• Psychic World
• Super Monaco GP
• Wonder Boy