Game Gear

Homebrew Games Summer Showcase 2024 showcases 120 new homebrew games, including many for Sega consoles

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Yesterday, on June 6th, 2024, NES Homebrew developer extraordinaire Matt Hughson aired the second ever Homebrew Games Summer Showcase video presentation. The 34 minute long presentation showcased a whooping 120 games across many retro game systems, most notably including many Genesis/Mega-Drive, Master System, and Game Gear games, as well as even one Saturn game and two Dreamcast games. You can also expect many games for NES, Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, and SNES, as well as two Turbografx-16 games and even a Virtual Boy game. This is one video you can’t miss if you’re really interested in seeing what talented developers are doing with long retired game hardware today.

You can watch the whole video above, but join me past the break for a quick list of all the games shown that are coming to Sega platforms, as well as links to follow their developers and/or download the games.

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Sega 8-bit game publisher 2Minds opens pre-orders for Game Gear adventure “The Sword of Stone” + new Mark III and Genesis/Mega-Drive games

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Looking for something new to play on Sega’s 8-bit console library, including the Game Gear? French publisher 2Minds has reopened their online store as well as opened pre-orders for a new narrative exploration adventure for Game Gear titled “The Sword of Stone”. In addition, they’ve also opened pre-orders for new Mark III and Genesis/Mega-Drive cartridges of their Master System game library, along with a new Game Gear version of their existing Master System puzzle game “Heroes Against Demons”. The new Game Gear games cost €59 ($63.65 USD), Mark III games cost €55 ($59.33 USD), and Genesis and Master System games cost €50 ($53.94 USD). All pre-orders are estimated to ship in September, while Master System games, as of this writing, are already available to ship. Make sure you get the correct game cartridge for your personal setup.

All of the games are packaged with high quality cartridges containing brand new game PCBs of 2Minds’s own special design. They also come in a box with a color manual. The Game Gear games also come with brand new plastic shells for the cartridges, just like all brand new Game Gear games had. Really takes you back, right? Keep in mind, the Genesis cartridges are still Master System games, but playable on Genesis without the need of a Power Base Converter. They may not work with Genesis consoles incompatible with Master System games, such as the Nomad and Genesis 3, as well as the 32X. (Fun fact: Sega actually released a Master System game in a Mega-Drive cartridge themselves once.) Mark III games will have all text on the box and manual written in Japanese.

You can see links to the store after the break, along with picture galleries of all the available games.

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SEGA Talk #113: Sonic Triple Trouble (1994)

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On this SEGA Talk we dip back into the world of Classic Sonic with the portable classic Sonic the Hedgehog Triple Trouble! We look at this Game Gear exclusive and the creation of Fang… or is it Nack?

[iTunes – Stitcher – YouTube – RSS – Download]

Support us on Patreon! Get early access, have your memories read on the show, select the games we talk about!

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SEGA Game Gear Micro Hardware Review – Bite-Sized Nostalgia

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In June 2020, SEGA revealed the Game Gear Micro. Prior to the full announcement, fans speculated on if this would be the successor to the SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive Mini, how big the actual device was, how many games would be on the handheld and if it would receive a western release. Once the details were confirmed, internet reaction – specifically from westerners – was largely negative. With dimensions of 80×43 mm (about the size of a Dreamcast VMU) and four colors featuring four unique games each, the Micro truly was living up to its name. Micro in size, micro in game lineup, and micro in not living up to expectations set by the Genesis/Mega Drive Mini.

Now, five months later, I have the full lineup in hand (literally, I can hold all four in one hand!) and can make my own determination on the Game Gear Micro. Is it worthy of an import?

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Game Gear Micro White Announced – Included with M2’s Aleste Collection

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M2 has just announced, via a Famitsu stream, an Aleste Collection of games for the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4.

The collection will include Aleste / Power Strike (Mark III, Master System), Power Strike II (Master System), Aleste GG (Game Gear) and Aleste GG II (Game Gear). Also announced, and exclusive to the upcoming collection, is a white Game Gear Micro which will include the same four games and is set to sell for ¥14,800 ($141) as part of a special bundle which will also include a white Big Window Micro, a 32-page art book, and a staff interview book. The collection is set for a December 24, 2020 release.

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figmaPLUS SEGA Consoles collection now available for pre-order – tiny accessories for your Figma action figures!

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If you’re unfamiliar with Figma, Figma is a Japanese action figure line produced by Max Factory and distributed by Good Smile Company. Various anime, movies, video games and even the occasional celebrity have Figma figures, what what’s so cool about them is that they are all the same scale, are super articulated and can mix and match accessories. The figmaPLUS line focuses on accessories and playsets, and of interest to SEGA fans is the figmaPLUS SEGA Consoles collection, which is now available for pre-order!

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SEGA announces Game Gear Micro handheld – Release date and price revealed!

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Following the success of the Genesis/Mega Drive Mini, SEGA has announced that they are working on a Game Gear Micro handheld. The news came as part of SEGA’s 60th anniversary, in an interview between CEO Haruki Satomi and the new SEGA of Japan mascot Sega Shiro. The revealing interview, which is worth a read even with Google Translate, touches on fans speculating that the SEGA Saturn will somehow be revived (perhaps as a Mini plug-and-play console) but instead the plan is to release a Game Gear Micro!

No additional details are given, aside from a landing page, and according to Famitsu more details are coming at 13:00 Tokyo time today (so just in a couple of hours). Pre-orders will open soon after the reveal.

UPDATE: Twitter user NintenDaan discovered the teaser site’s featured image reveals the release date of October 6, 2020, a price of 4,980 Yen ($46 USD) and four color options for the console. So basically, hardcore SEGA fans are dropping $200.

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SEGA Game Gear title Eternal Legend gets an English fan translation

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A new English translation has been produced by TheMajinZenki, Supper, and cccmar, for the Game Gear title Eternal Legend. Eternal Legend, originally developed by Japan Art Media (aka “JAM”) and published by SEGA, was one of the earliest JRPGs released for the SEGA Game Gear, even predating Phantasy Star Gaiden. It was originally released back in August 9th, 1991 for Japanese markets only.

In Eternal Legend, you take on the role of Arwyn, a young treasure hunter who accidentally got himself roped up in searching for a long lost city called Millennium. Together with Ryall and Blue Moon, you will go on an adventure across the world fighting monsters and finding secrets, all to solve the mysteries of Millennium and it’s rumored lost treasure and technology. This patch translates the game entirely in English, along with other minor changes such as different fonts.

[Source: ROMhacking.net page]

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Madou Monogatari A for Game Gear gets an English fan translation

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Another Madou Monogatari game has received a fan translation, this time being the game Madou Monogatari A: Doki Doki Vacation. In a slight departure from the previous Madou Monogatari titles on Game Gear, this game is based on Madou Monogatari ARS originally released on the PC-98, specifically the “A” scenario. In Madou Monogatari A, you take on the role of 4 year old Arle Nadja from Magic Kindergarten who wants to visit her grandmother on the other side of a forest. While the original PC-98 version involves Arle getting lost in the forest and get harassed by an angry Owlbear, the Game Gear version instead has a story involving Satan cutting down the Fairy Forest to build an amusement park, with Arle going into the forest to find the fairies and stop Satan’s plans. Aside from the story changes, Madou Monogatari A: Doki Doki Vacation also changes a lot of the level design, overall making the game barely like its original incarnation on the PC-98.

This patch translates the whole game into English, including the title being renamed to Sorcery Saga A: Vivacious Vacation. This means that all Madou Monogatari games on the Game Gear can now be played in English, along with Madou Monogatari I, Madou Monogatari II, and Madou Monogatari III.

[Source: ROM Hacking.net]

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Madou Monogatari III for Game Gear gets an English fan translation

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For those that want to dig into the past for the Puyo Puyo series, a new English translation patch has been released for the Game Gear version of Madou Monogatari III. This English patch, renamed Sorcery Saga III: The Ultimate Queen, is a complete translation that has everything in English, and is compatible with both revisions of the game.

Like it’s predecessors Madou Monogatari I and Madou Monogatari II, you take on the role of Arle Nadja and her companion Carbuncle in an old school dungeon crawling RPG. In this game, Arle encounters the self-proclaimed Fighting Queen Rulue and her bodyguard Minotauros, but this encounter is short lived, as Rulue commands Minotauros to drive Arle and Carbuncle deep into a forest in order to win over Satan’s love. Now lost in a strange labyrinth, Arle must find her way out and get revenge on Rulue. The Game Gear version specifically makes changes to the story and game design compared to the previously released MSX2 and PC-98 versions, like the inclusion of the Frog Empire that assists Arle during her quest.

[Source: Romhacking.net]

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Madou Monogatari II (Sorcery Saga II) gets English fan patch for SEGA Game Gear

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If you never heard of the dungeon crawler by Compile, developers of Puyo Puyo, I don’t blame you. The games stars our good girl Arle Nadja, while the first game was about her graduating kindergarten (seems harder in Japan, right?) this one she is 16  years old as she goes to a distant Ancient Magic School to study. For some reason a man she meets along the way knocks her out and throws her in a dungeon, now you have to use your skills to escape. Yep, that got dark fast.

“The Madou Monogatari games are a series of dungeon crawlers by Compile, originally released for Japanese computers and later ported to many other platforms. They’re known for their distinct style of magic-oriented combat, with no HP or MP meters, individually-crafted attacks for every enemy, and prolific use of voice samples. They should also look very familiar to Puyo Puyo players – Puyo Puyo began as a spinoff of Madou Monogatari and imported most of its original cast from the series.” – Via Romhacking.net

You can patch the English translation patch via here. You can also check out the first game which got translated back in 2010.

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Japanese only Crayon Shin-Chan SEGA Game Gear game gets English fan translation

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While the Japanese Manga/Anime of Crayon Shin-Chan debuted way back in 1990 over in Japan, it didn’t get popular in the West until around 2006 when Funimation picked up the license. Even though it took us decades in America, the show still became a cult hit and its not surprising seeing previous Japanese only releases like Crayon Shin-Chan Showdown! Quantum Panic!! on the SEGA Game Gear getting fan translations.

According to Psyklax, the translator for this project, every piece of text has been translated outside of a few Japanese signs that don’t matter. Check out the translation over at Romhacking.net. 

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Analogue FPGA Mega Sg Console and 8bitdo M30 Controller Available for Pre-Order

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Analogue, makers of the FPGA based Analogue NT, NT Mini and Super NT consoles have finally gone SEGA with their latest announcement of the Mega Sg. The Mega Sg touts region-free compatibility with SEGA Genesis, Mega Drive and Master System cartridges and comes in four different color sets. (Master System games will work with an included adapter.) In addition the system will also feature an edge connector to allow for compatibility with all SEGA CD and Mega CD add-ons. Just like the other Analogue systems before it, it will feature games running up to 1080p via HDMI only with a wealth of features for any kind of owner. Pre-order prices are set at $189USD and will ship April of 2019 and are available only through Analogue’s store. The Mega Sg will also support several other adapters that provide compatibility with SEGA’s other consoles including the SG-1000 and the Game Gear that will be made available later in 2019.

In addition 8bitdo is launching the M30, a bluetooth controller that comes with a receiver that works on all SEGA Genesis and Mega Drive consoles. These are likely to work like their other bluetooth controllers and receivers which allows for compatibility with a wealth of consoles, mobile devices and more. These are also available for pre-order on Amazon for $24.99USD with discounts offered on those who pre-order with the Mega Sg.

This is exciting for those who are looking for a Mega Drive that supports the most compatibility with a large library of games. Unlike other clone consoles on the market, the FPGA based console is thanks to the work provided by Kevtris who has also supported Analogue’s previous consoles which means the system will receive better support for game compatibility. Unlike other consoles that make use of cheaper hardware or emulation that abuses licensing from homebrew developers the system will allow for updates and support at a faster pace and will be more accurate. You can find more information on the Mega Sg hardware and it’s specifications on their website.

[Source: Analogue]

[Pre-Order: Analogue Mega Sg, 8bitdo M30]

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SEGA Game Gear’s Sonic Chaos being re-imagined by fans, demo out now

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Its incredible how talented and hardworking some of the Sonic the Hedgehog fans out there are. Not only does the franchise seem to get some sort of fan remake, re-imagining and other game type projects announced a few times a year; they are usually pretty well thought out! This time the fan team over at A+Start is aiming at re-imagining the 1993 SEGA Game Gear exclusive Sonic Chaos.

Even better? The team over at A+Start has released a full playable demo for you guys to try. You can download that right here.

Seeing the trailer, its quite obvious that the team is very influence by Sonic Mania and that is not a bad thing! As you know we love Sonic Mania. Are you guys going to give this fan re-imagining of Sonic Chaos a spin?

[Via: DSOGaming]

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Magic Knight Rayearth on SEGA Game Gear gets English fan patch

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Magic Knight Rayearth is considered to be one of the best Game Gear releases, sadly we couldn’t play the RPG due to the fact that it never came out outside of Japan. But don’t worry, fans and translators Filler and Supper have finally released their English translation project.

Back in 2004, Filler actually released the translated script text and recently Supper took the reins on the project (5 months ago). Since then he has added 11,777 script lines, 200+kb of C++ code, 2,156 lines of assembly hacks, 60k of additional Japanese script lines, and sacrificed hundreds of hours to release this project to the public.

You can check out some of the screenshots here and download the patch via Matt’s Messy Room.

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