Master System

This page is about Sega's 8 bit heroes: the radical Master System and its 6 AA battery-munching kid sibling, the Game Gear. While the MS was not too popular in America and Japan, it was a smash hit in Europe for some reason. The Game Gear was well-loved among niche audiences worldwide, but mostly in Japan, where quite a few games available elsewhere for MS and/or GG were exclusive to GG in Japan, who had given up the MS in favor of the GG's portability. Eventually, its level of fame died down too, as the Game Boy took the reigns, even more so, the Game Boy Color. Recently, Game Gear has risen from the ashes and been announced for Nintendo's 3DS Virtual Console support.

Oh and the japanese Master System of Mark III has FM and sounds better 9/10 times.

Notes:

1) A small game gear image () on Master System games means either version (MS or GG) is fine. If a game is specifically listed under Game Gear, then that version is superior.

2) Make a note of 3DS availability of Game Gear games when the service is accessible. This will be done with a small 3DS logo image ()

Master System

This is a list of good games for the Sega Master System.

The List

Title	Genre	Description	Title Screen
After Burner	Shoot 'Em Up	A pretty good port of the arcade jet fighting simulation game. The action is rather fast-paced, which makes shooting enemies and dodging obstacles and missiles a bit of a challenge. The original and sequels are better, though, especially in an actual arcade. Not as good as the Megadrive version but still good. The 32X version is near arcade perfect.
Aleste/Power Strike	Shoot 'Em Up	One of Compile's earliest shooters, but still a good one. This later spawned many sequels such as the radical genesis shmup, M.U.S.H.A./Musha Aleste. Not to be confused with the Game Gear version, which is a different game.
Alex Kidd in Miracle World	Platformer	Sega's answer to Mario before Sonic came out. This platformer involves punching, finding and using magical items and vehicles, and boss battles of rock, paper, scissors. 1 hit kills and no save mean this is kinda hard. But, with 400/800 monies (depending on the version you play), you can continue after a game over with a little trick. This is one of those "you gotta play this" games to play for Sega fans, especially SMS lovers. Why? I dunno, it just is. Fun Fact: Did you know the overworld theme actually has lyrics? Straight from the 80's themselves.
Alex Kidd in Shinobi World	Platformer	The final Alex Kidd title to be released on the Master System. Alex spins from light poles, tosses shurikens, and rebound jumps up walls to save his girlfriend. Features music tracks from Sega's "Shinobi" series. Of course, since it's Alex Kidd, it feels like a self-parody in its funny and cutesy flavor. Heck, the first boss is a parody of Mario (Much more obvious in the prototype version)! One of the better MS platformers, even if it's not the best.
Asterix	Platform	One of the best adaptations of Asterix to video game, Asterix is a pretty self explanatory 8-bit platformer that boasts a great soundtrack, neat levels, a silly story involving rescuing the druid, Getafix, who has been kidnapped by the Romans and the ability to play as either Asterix or Obelix, each with different traits, in all levels after the first (and even Dogmatix in bonus levels), both of which even have their own routes! Underrated, but kinda tough, game that might become addictive after a while.
Asterix and the Secret Mission	Platform	Core made a "sequel" to the first, listed as "Asterix and the Great Rescue", which is pretty damn weak all-around. Thankfully this one was made by Sega once more. The main gameplay is the same, with different routes between the characters and so forth. However, they've been given some neat upgrades. Asterix can double jump and dash-punch, and Obelix can slide down hills and throw rocks/menhirs. Aesthetically and musically, the game's great, many songs and visuals are even better than the first. But... it is kinda easy. You'll probably beat it one playthrough. Although compared with the first it is more accessible in terms of difficulty.
Astro Warrior	Shoot 'Em Up	A short and early SMS title that's very Star Soldier-like. That said, it's hard and fast as fuck. Unless you get upgrades, you're gonna get your ass exploded in a snap, due to enemies being fast, furious, and ruthlessly aggressive. There's only 3 levels and bosses (the second boss being the hardest oddly), but upon a second loop, enemies get even tougher. There's no ending, so the only goal is to beat your high-score. This is also on a combo-pack with Pit-Pot or Hang-On depending on the region.
Aztec Adventure	Action/Adventure	A weird top-down action adventure game where you can get money to hire hitmen, but you (and they) die at the touch of a feather. Hard ass game that suits the masochist. Somewhat resembles Bomberman. It's pretty neat once you get the hang of it though. Note: This game has FM sound support (which adds extra sound channels and makes music sound better), so use it if you can.
Baku Baku Animals	Puzzle	This is a strange puzzle game that came out on different systems. The concept revolves around feeding animals food, which helps you beat the other player somehow. This version retains the same action as its prettier and fancier cousins, despite cutscenes looking a bit grainy. Game Gear version is the same as this pretty much, but a bit easier to find. Also on PC (Barebones vesion) and Saturn (full).
Basketball Nightmare	Sports	Kind of a basic sort of basketball game, but it controls pretty well, and there's some neat little cinematics when you dunk. Also, you're a team of humans against monsters in the tournament mode. Talk about unfair odds...
Black Belt/Hokuto no Ken	Beat 'Em Up	Go around punching people in stages and go one-on-one with bosses. After beating a boss, you finish it off with a super cool cinematic attack. There are a few differences between the two versions. Cosmetic/licensing differences aside, the biggest change is the soundtrack. Play whichever version you like, they're both cool. Hell, play both!
Bonanza Bros.	Puzzle/Stealth	Go through different stages as you steal loot and avoid dem cops. Pretty simple gameplay, but the stage design is well done, and the music managed to convert well enough. The voices and laughter? Uh... well, it's definitely creepy as fuck. That said, this version sadly lacks 2-player, so you'll need to play the arcade or Gen/MD version to play with your "bro". To make up for it though, you can see the upper story, which is kind of helpful to locate loot and cops ahead of time.
Bubble Bobble	Puzzle/Platformer	You're a dragon, you shoot bubbles out of your mouth which trap enemies. Stomp on bubbled enemies to turn them into food or items. This makes perfect fucking sense. The Game Gear version has stages slightly edited to better fit the lower res and splits multiplayer to link-cable support, but is otherwise the same.
Buggy Run	Racing	Akin to an 8-bit version of Rock n' Roll Racing, though less groovy and space-age. It controls pretty well though, and you can still buy upgrades for your car and items to use to turn the tide of a race. It came out the same year as RnRR, so naturally it was overshadowed. Though it still remains quite solid.
Captain Silver	Platformer	FIRST OFF, play the PAL version if you can. That one has the extra stuff cut out from the US version, including level, bosses, and the full ending. Other than that, it's a comical little platformer where you play as a would-be pirate seeking out Cap Silver's booty. Although you're a basic lad, find the power-ups scattered in stages for some impressive boosts (until you die). Pretty fun, and who doesn't want to rob dead pirate ghosts?
Columns	Puzzle	Match different blocks that come down in different groups. You get more points from chain combos. Pretty good if you want a break from Tetris or some other puzzler. Pretty much the same as the 16 bit version. The Game Gear version is pretty much the same as this one.
Cyborg Hunter	Adventure (?)	Very curious game. Linear in stage order, but you gain upgrades like Metroid to overcome obstacles and improve your powers. Uses a neat pseudo "dual-screen" to monitor enemy activity. The game's a bit hard with no saving, but not exactly long, and you can go in and out of elevators to respawn medpacks. Major Note! Be sure to play with TWO controllers. Otherwise, you can't access your menu screen! Strange, but it works.
Daffy Duck in Hollywood	Platformer	An enjoyable Looney Tunes game? By Probe, no less?! The concept is easy enough, go around collecting loot and killing enemies to proceed. The stage design is fair, but you can only take one hit per life unless you find a duck-fairy. Thankfully you have a bubble bazooka to KO enemies with, which can upgrade to fire more shots and even a 4-way flame shot! It won't kill certain enemies, so beware. There's a Gen/MD version, too, but this one's pretty good despite that, as the music and nicely animated effects are quite well done for 8-bit. The GG version's the same, but has "Sonic 2" zoom-in issues, which can lead to some accidental deaths.
Danan: The Jungle Fighter	Platformer	"Look at this Conan/Tarzan ripoff, this game's gotta suck." Surprisingly, no, it doesn't! There's even some minor RPG elements as you can level up and build up points to for animal summons. Strangely, there's a stage timer as well. Thus creating a tension between leveling up and racing the death clock (it stops at boss battles thankfully). There's alot of hidden rooms to find with power-ups and traps. Not an outstanding game, but it is a damn good one. Sadly, it is a bit short.
Deep Duck Trouble	Platformer	Uncle Scrooge has inflated like a balloon due to a curse and it's up to Donald to help him out. You get to choose the order of the areas you go to. The gameplay has been changed to play more like Castle of Illusion (with some minor differences). However, like Lucky Dime Caper, it's still fairly hard and still good.
Double Dragon	Beat 'Em Up	The classic beat'em up is ported to the Master System with favorable results. It's one of the best ports made, allows 2 players, and more enemies on-screen than the NES version. The control's a tiny bit different, but easy to re-master. This supports FM music, but both versions of the tunes sound pretty good. The Game Gear game is a different game, and also a pretty crappy one (using guns? C'mon!). Therefore, you gotta knuckle-up with the MS to enjoy this one.
Dragon Crystal	Roguelike	A graphical roguelike that's good for roguelike beginners to try out. Stages are randomly generated and all actions take up "turns". Items and food are essential to your survival, so seek them out. You are also followed by a dragon critter. It doesn't do much except grow and take up the space behind you, but this helps prevent back-attacks. The Game Gear version uses a slightly different translation, along with different aesthetics, but is just as good.
Dynamite Headdy	Platformer	This is pretty much the same as the GG version, but a little bit brighter and has a bigger screen space, which may incline some of you to play this version. A few power-ups were taken out, but as a whole it remains pretty solid, especially considering the weaker hardware. Like Sonic 2, some bosses are a little easier on MS, due to the higher resolution giving more movement room. Odds are you'll sooner find the GG version though, since the MS one was only released in Brazil.
Enduro Racer	Racing	Arguably Sega's isometric answer to Nintendo's Excitebike, but featuring more obstacles than just ramps and slow-down/slip spots. There's no fuel gauge, but the time can be pretty tough to beat. Unlike a number of 8-bit racers which just had the motor and car sounds, this actually has music in stages for you to enjoy. Pretty dang nifty, but it's a shame there's no 2-player option or Game Gear equivalent...
Fantasy Zone	Shoot 'Em Up	A horizontal-shmup that's one of the pioneers of the "Cute 'em up" sub-genre. Scroll around stages in an early example of an "all range mode". You can buy upgrades to improve your ship as well. Boss battles are stationary, but you have full control of your ship. A bit hard, but worth a shot. The Game Gear version has easier bosses, but because of the screen resolution, you can't see most of the enemies, making the stages themselves way too hard with alot of cheap deaths. SMS is the way to go.
Fantasy Zone 2	Shoot 'Em Up	The sequel to the first has more colorful stages, catchy music, and strange bosses. The stages themselves are more fair in design, resulting in less cheap deaths, but the bosses seem to have gotten considerably tougher! The 3rd Fantasy Zone, "The Maze", is a weak Pac-Man-like re-imaging that just doesn't work well under either franchise.
Forgotten Worlds	Shoot 'Em Up	A shmup that features rotation to change shot direction. You can buy upgrades and change your "option" (helper robot) to make it fire differently. Depending on your playstyle, you may choose for widespread or concentrated firepower options. Sadly, unlike most versions, this is one player only. 2P must have been... forgotten?
Gain Ground	Strategy	A game that plays with a Commando-esque style. However, in contrast to usual "run 'n gun" tactics, your goal is to reach the end of a stage and save other fighters along the way. Each fighter is a bit different, in weapons or otherwise, and each counts as a "life". A unique entry to say the least. This may not be as pretty as the arcade or genesis, but the action is still as spot on as it ever was.
Galatic Protector	Defense	Opa Opa and his friend have to save the planet from being destroyed in this Japan-only oddity. This uses that crazy Paddle Controller, which is kinda hard to find. It also doesn't work on the standard Master System Control Pad. This also makes emulating the game tricky. The emulator MEKA uses a mouse-based emulation for the paddle, due to being an analog device, so that's about as close as you'll get. If you've played Pyoro R on WarioWare Twisted, this is a bit like that.
Gangster Town	Arcade/Shooting	It's time to talk in 20's slang and shoot some crooks! As a copper, it's yer job to clean up the street of dose doity mobsters usin' yer Light Phaser, see. Ya go through a whole variety of joints, from car chases to music halls to stop those capers. It's still sumthin' of a funny ordeal, as you can even shoot the angels of any jokers ya make go stiff. Just don't be a palooka and shoot any innocents or dames, ya knucklehead. Inside Scoop: If ya find yourself outta life, den at da game ovah screen, shoot off yer own hat before it flys the coop to keep on keepin' on.
Gauntlet	Quarter-munchan run n' gun	The classic over head quarter eater, now on the MS! The ridiculously huge swarms from original are still here, though you can only use 2 players. To make up for this, and the fact that you only get "4" credits, you have much more life per credit than 700. No matter what, you'll still need food badly.
Ghouls 'n' Ghosts	Platformer	Another port of the tough as nails original, but this version is unique. In addition to magic and aiming, you can find certain doors which give you a choice of upgraded armor. Helmets boost your magic (which you can change from the pause menu), armor increases the number of hits you can take, boots increase your running speed/control (but do NOT effect jumping, so no double-jumpan), they upgrade from silver (base) to red, green, then gold. As always, you have to beat it twice for the real ending.
Golden Axe Warrior	Action/Adventure	An extremely Zelda-like game. This features magic, characters, and other elements from Golden Axe as well, but you can only use "Ax-Battler" (or whatever you name him). It's actually plays quite well, and looks and sounds great, despite highly resembling its inspiration. Unlike (modern) Zelda, you can get beat down hard by strong foes if you go into later areas too early. Don't get this confused for Ax-Battler on Game Gear. That's barely anything like this and it also pretty much sucks.
Golvellius: Valley of Doom	Action/Adventure	This game features elements that would be seen in The Guardian Legend. There are 4 different types of areas to play through: platformer, exploration, vertical auto-scroll, and boss battles. These areas depend on what kind of location you are in. Each has different restrictions and advantages. This game has FM music support and sounds great with it. The series proper originates from the MSX, but this is arguably the best version of the first entry.
Hoshi wo Sagashite...	Point and Click Adventure	Translated: "Searching the Stars" a.k.a. "The Story of Mio." An adventure game loosely based off the efforts of Macventure and ICOM games, even using a similar interface. You come into the possession of a rare space critter, Mio. Depending on your actions, you may get different endings, or even have poor Mio die on you. A full English translation patch is available for the rom.
Impossible Mission	Platformer/Puzzler	Port of the computer-based classic. Jump-flip around and ride elevators all over the damn place. Your goal is to find the pieces of a scattered puzzle. Easier said than done, thanks to the numerous robots, traps, and other obstacles in your way! Sadly, the voices have been garbled to shit, but other than that it's still a pretty good game.
Kenseiden	Platformer	You start off as a fairly low-key warrior, but as you venture further and beat more bosses, you get all sorts of rad skills. Curiously, although the core gameplay remains the same, this went through a number of intriguing graphical revisions in different regions, the Korean version being the most notable. Also has FM support, so use it if you can to make the tunes extra groovy.
King's Quest	Adventure/Ragequit	Ah, King's Quest. One of the pioneers to both classical point-and-click adventure games and smashing your screen in frustration. The SMS version is a pretty good conversion, making it easier to figure out what to do by giving you menus in context, although as a result, a bit of the witty banter has been removed. That said, you can still crush yourself with a rock, fall to your death in a shallow hole, and drown like an idiot. If you have the patience, you may the treasures and items needed to overcome riddles, enemies, and traps. But... realistically speaking, you'll probably just laugh at how you got imprisoned, eaten by a rat, or some other ridiculous death.
Laser Ghost	Arcade/Shooting	A very odd game. You must protect poor defenseless Katherine as she tries to reclaim her soul and avoids being attacked by all sorts of creepy monsters and traps with your Light Phaser. You can also use the control pad and buttons, but it's a bit weird and slow to use that. The game itself plays nicely, and you can shoot a number of things as well to find hidden goodies and power-ups like enemy-clearing bombs. It's a different sort of shooting experience for sure, but one that works well enough. Curiously, the Arcade game of the same name is entirely different, playing a bit more like Line of Fire.
Lemmings	Puzzle	Well, it's fucking Lemmings. Try to guide those silly little critters to the exit safely by assigning them different tasks. Like their legendary namesake, they'll pretty much fall to their doom unless you help them survive. Fun Fact: Amazingly, real life lemmings have been proven to not be so stupid. The Game Gear port is just as good, but the MS version is a bit better, because the behavior bar doesn't disappear like the GG.
Lord of the Sword	Platformer	A tough platformer/adventure that resembles Zelda II and Faxanadu only without the RPG stat elements and concentrating more on the ass-kicking. Although this game is a bit linear, you can side-track for better weapons. Protip: This game also has FM music support and its great soundtrack is even better if you have the option available.
Lucky Dime Caper	Platformer	Donald Duck's nephews have been kidnapped and it's up to him to hammer, stomp, and toss plates a variety of enemies and bosses to get them back. In addition to globetrotting, Donald's also racing against the in-stage clock (which lowers pretty fast). The Mickey games are good for beginners, but the Donald games require some real skill. This game loosely bounces locales between Quackshot on the Genesis, but the levels and bosses are different, making both worth a play.
Master of Darkness	Platformer	Sega and SIMS's answer to Castlevania. Uses a similar interface, control scheme, but with less cheap pitfall deaths. Unlike the Belmont clan, Doc Social's arsenal is a bit more practical with pistols, bombs, and boomerangs (Hey, I said a bit.). His melee weapon can both power-up to different forms like a cane, sword, or axe, but the game can troll you by putting the basic ass knife where you least want it. Despite that, it's a pretty damn good homage/rip-off to "ClassicVania". The Game Gear version is less scrunched, but plays the same and has a different name in ALL regions.
Mickey Mouse: Castle of Illusion	Platformer	A rather easy, but easy to enjoy platformer. The later levels get significantly tougher though. There are a few differences between this and the 16-bit version, such as bosses and level design, but both are enjoyable games. This is a good choice for a child or someone new to games or platformers to play, partially due to its strange, colorful worlds and cute music. That said, even a gaming vet can still enjoy this one.
Mickey Mouse: Land of Illusion	Platformer	This game is notably harder and longer than Castle of Illusion. There are also magical items which let you get to normally unaccessible areas as well. You can also return to previous areas. It's suped-up difficulty makes it tough for beginners to get into, but it's perfect for anyone with prior gaming experience.
Michael Jackson's Moonwalker	Platformer	Plays similarly to the 16-bit Gen/MD version, but differs in a few ways. There's no more attack sparkles, which makes combat abit tougher. However, the hat toss can be obtained as a powerup (versus costing life) and lasts until the next set of rounds or a death. The enemies are also more aggressive at times. While nobody would put this above the 16-bit version, it's hard to call it bad, just different. Give it a spin if you're curious.
Miracle Warriors: Seal of the Dark Lord	RPG	One of the first JRPGs to make it to outside shores. Even before Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest! It's also damn hard too. That said, it's mostly fair, even if it lacks the pizazz of Phantasy Star. You'll probably want to use a guide. If you know Japanese and are a hardcore collector, you'll totally want the original version.
Montezuma's Revenge	Platformer/Puzzle	A whimsical little platformer where you play as an Indiana Jones wanna-be who raids a tomb for loot. It's full of anachronistic traps (conveyer belts and lasers? WTF, Monty?) and requires some twitch-based platforming. Similar to Spelunker,you find a number of keys and doors to find, though it's arguably much less difficult. Nothing super special, but it's a pretty fun way to spend a rainy afternoon. Had an official PC and Game Boy Color sequel, though the GBC version is 2D and plays more faithful to the original, while the PC version is 3D and rather different.
New Zealand Story, The	Platformer	a.k.a. Kiwi Kraze in some versions. You play a little Kiwi who has to save his buddies. He does so by going through various levels against cute enemies he shoots dead with arrows (they've got worse, so hey). You can get better weapons and even steal vehicles. Doesn't include the arcade-exclusive "Heaven" round, but that's probably for the best, because Heaven was freaky as fuck in that version. Also had a Genesis version, which isn't much different.
Ninja Gaiden (MS)	Platformer	Surprisingly, NOT a port of the NES game. It's an original story with Ryu. The end result is damn good, though shockingly only plays a bit like NG. It's like a fusion of NG with the NES games Shadow of the Ninja (by Natsume) and Batman (by Sunsoft). The graphics, music, and action are bliss, even if the cutscenes aren't as well done as the NES. You should definitely seek this out, Ninja Gaiden fan or not. "And it's pronounced Ninja Guy-den!" *Note: Not the same game as the Game Gear Ninja Gaiden, which plays more like the NES games, but is much shorter.
Outrun	Driving	A strange mix of Casual and Hardcore. You technically aren't racing anyone but the clock, however, the roads can be difficult to traverse. Thus, it's a "driving" game. That said, it's a pretty good one. Although the arcade version is king, this is also still good. Choose a song, and start cruisin'. The Game Gear version is almost as good (the smaller resolution is a bit of a minus), and even has a versus mode. Although Sonic Drift 2 is better when it comes to multiplayer GG racing.
Penguin Land	Puzzle	You've got this egg, and you need to get it to the bottom of the level in 30 different levels. Why? I dunno. Pay attention. The problem? It's a fucking egg. You've got to be very gentle with it. You can't go letting those predators eat it, and don't even think about jumping on it. The good news is that you can dig in ice, because you're a penguin (?). Now that you've got your mission, move out, soldier, and prepare for one of the earliest manly-cute games ever.
Phantasy Star	RPG	The first game made of the Phantasy Star franchise. A classic RPG with cool psuedo-3D maze dungeons. Features a mix of sci-fi and medieval fantasy themes that works quite well. Impressive for its time due to its great graphics, music, and story and it still holds up today. It's a bit on the hard side though. Protip: Get the Japanese version and apply the re-translation patch for a less compressed story and better music. The FM music seriously blows away the alternative. Not to mention the naming is more in-line with the rest of the series.
Pit Pot	Puzzle	A funky little puzzle game. You have to hammer tiles and enemies in rooms with floors made from tons of them, and find magic items necessary to save a princess from her cursed slumber. The puzzling comes from making said items pop up, requiring certain actions to be taken in rooms, not always the same one either. There's no hints either, so you just have to figure this shit out on your own. Amusingly, this has multiple endings based on how many magic items you have when you attempt to wake up the princess, one amusing one being where you decide to slam a tile, and drop that witch into a fucking pit (game over, but eh). Also available on a combo pack with Astro Warrior.
Power Strike 2 (MS)	Shoot 'em up	An Aleste game, but renamed, and another worth playing. This one has a charge up attack initiated by holding down the fire button. Not the same as the GG version.
Prince of Persia	Puzzle Platformer	Ah, the original flavor. You have to beat the game in under an hour, but because of its difficulty, it may take you much longer to pull it off! Guide your hero through a huge ass maze full of enemies, puzzles, and a lot of death traps and dead ends. The Game Gear version is pretty much a perfect port of this. You owe it to yourself to play this desert jewel, even if not on a Sega console version.
Psycho Fox	Platformer	Spiritual prequel to 16-bit classic, Decap Attack. Like Decap Attack, your character can punch forward and jumps with the need to build up a lot of momentum in order to move swiftly. You can switch to various animals, using a Shinto stick, that all have their strengths and weakeness from a fox, a monkey, tiger or a hippopotamus. You'll also want to pick up a Birdfly, which acts as a projectile and extra hit when held. Opinions have been mixed on this. Some absolutely love it, while others downright hate it. The momentum issues are a real base-breaker, but once you get it down, you'll find it more enjoyable for sure. Definitely worth trying to decide for yourself.
Rainbow Islands	Arcade/Platformer	Bubble Bobble's spinoff/sequel. Instead of using bubbles you kill things with rainbows. You can also walk and jump off of said rainbows to navigate the stages. Like Bubble Bobble, this is filled with various items and power ups.
Rastan	Platformer	Pretty decent port of the arcade platformer, though thankfully a bit easier. It plays a bit like Actraiser, sans the Sim elements. Stages are pretty huge and have power-ups to seek out and enemies to tear into bloody messes. After each stage is a castle with various traps to deal with, and after that is a boss who you must fight in a poisonous room which slowly drains your life. At least Rastan has super jumps and attack aiming. Not perfect, but pretty fun. Has a perfect port to Game Gear as the Japanese only Rastan Saga, but is the same game.
Reggie Jackson BaseBall	Sports	Nifty little baseball game. It has solid gameplay along with some amusing animations that give the game a fun vitality. Overall, It feels like a forerunner to SNK's Baseball Stars series, which actually started out a year afterwards! Also released as "American Baseball" in other regions.
R-type	Shoot 'em up	A good arcade conversion with a secret level exclusive to this version. Use your invincible "Force pod" option to take out enemies in hard-to-reach places, shield yourself, and combine for concentrated attacks. The enemies and atmosphere are creepy as hell.
Sagaia	Shoot 'em up	A great conversion of Darius 2. For those not in the know, Darius is a shmup that has you fighting giant fish robot ships. Despite playing and looking great, this port unfortunately has some levels taken out. Otherwise, there's no real negatives about it, despite being ported to an 8-bit system.
Secret Command(o)/Rambo: First Blood Part II	Run n' Gun	A game based off Capcom's Commando. Strangely, unlike other games of this genre. This is more slower-paced, requiring one to cautiously utilized paced movements and firing, and take advantage of saving captives for power-ups. Play it simultaneously with 2 Players for much more fun. It was slightly edited in America to replace the original heroes Ashura and Bishamon as John Rambo and a new character, Zane, and in-between level segments with pics based on the movies.
Shinobi	Action/Platformer	A bit slower paced than the arcade version, but still extremely solid. This plays similarly to Rolling Thunder, as you can jump between different planes throughout levels. Your goals are to save hostages, defeat enemies (who are damn tricky at times), and beat the level bosses. This port adds a few things to the mix as well, such as more weapons, but more importantly, a lifebar (which you WILL be thankful for later on). Unrelated to the GG Shinobi games in terms of gameplay, but all 3 are great.
Solomon's Key	Puzzle/Platformer	VERY HARD puzzle platformer with plenty of arcade qualities. Always cited for being extremely fun but brutally tough, especially if you manage to get past stage three. Most people can't.
Sonic the Hedgehog	Platformer	This is different from the 16-bit entry. For starters, it was made by Ancient and has some music by Yuzo Koshiro. There are also different stages, different boss battles, and special stages DON'T have Chaos Emeralds. Instead, you find them throughout stages, some of which require some clever maneuvers to get. The game is a bit slower paced, but the stage design is quite clever to make up for it. A solid Sonic entry worth playing. The GG version is pretty much the same.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2	Platformer	Pretty much every 8-bit Sonic game except the first and Tails' Sky Patrol was made by Aspect. As a result, they share similar physics and control. While you cannot Spin Dash, rolling does have a few unique properties here. Emeralds are found once more throughout stages. Contrary to popular belief, this game is not hard to beat, the reduced dimensions of the Game Gear version just make bosses tougher (Not so on the MS!). (if you're a mega player that is) Completely different to the 16bit version (and came out first, so this is the 1st game with Tails in it!)
Sonic Chaos	Platformer	This game gives players the choice between Sonic or Tails. Sonic has a harder game as he must complete special stages (now with Chaos Emeralds!) to get his good ending and starts with less lives. Tails can fly, starts with more lives and can't access special stages. The special stages are quite interesting and have a neat variety, but the last few are damn hard. Called Sonic & Tails in Japan. Also on Game Gear with some minor differences, but just as good.
Space Harrier	Arcade Shoot 'em up	A bit of a basic 3D shmup that was visually amazing for its debut. The music is super-catchy, and the action is fast-paced, requiring sharp reactions and fast fingers. It's aged a bit now, but it's still worth a go. The arcade version is better, but this isn't too bad either, despite its limitations. There's a few things in this version that aren't in the arcade though, such as a secret options screen. A '3D' version exists (Special Sega-issued glasses required). The GG version is a bit different stage and graphic-wise, but plays the same as this and just as well.
Speedball 2	Sports	A sci-fi sports game with robots that plays like Soccer/(world) Football, except you use your hands to pass, toss, punch, etc. You can customize your bots as well, to boost certain aspects and abilities. If you have any doubts of the quality, it's made by The Bitmap Brothers, so you know it's fucking good. Was recently remixed for iPhone and similar OS types, so you may want to check that out as well.
Spellcaster	Platformer Point-and-click	A curious combination of genres to say the least. This game has you platforming through stages, but also exploring villages and finding clues from people in order to solve the game's riddles and grand mystery. This had a 16-bit sequel called Mystic Defender that did away with anything that wasn't action (although it DID have uncensored nudity...). Both are based on the Kujaku Ō series.
Sukeban Deka II	Beat 'em up Point-and-Click	Much shorter than Spellcaster above, but has some similar adventure aspects. Though, instead of platforming, you go around beating thugs and bosses. Saki uses a Yo-Yo and Jump Kick. Sadly, nothing else, nor do her pals help. That said, the fighting is a bit challenging, requiring careful aim and evasion. It's a pretty nifty way to kill an afternoon, and better than the NES game. The source material is also pretty cool and worth checking out. Be sure to get the translation patch first though.
Time Soldiers	Run 'n Gun	Decent little Commando-esque, but you travel in time and fight bosses respective to the eras you visit. It's a bit hard at first, but gets easier once you get a feel for the movements, and what not. One neat aspect is that you can use your normal weapon and a power-up weapon. Better with 2 simultaneous players.
Ultima IV	RPG	FUCK YEAR, ULTIMA. This is arguably one of the better Ultima games, and was ported quite well to the MS, with some slight timing and frame rate improvements. Answer questions, become The Avatar, gather your party, conquer evil, and make Lord British proud. Easily one of the best MS RPGs.
Wanted	Arcade/Shooting	Well pardner, once again we've gotta take down some desperadoes. Came out between Gangster Town and Laser Ghost, and oddly enough plays like a mix of them. It has the fast paced shooting of Gangster Town, and the need to protect the hero with your gun. This also has a few bosses as well. Thankfully, there's also some power-ups and enemy-clearing bombs as well. The walking stages are easy enough, but the horseback stages are just plain hard. Luckily, you can keep continuing, and even use a control-pad assisted cheat to select stages at the difficulty screen. Not too shabby, and definitely worth a shot (yukyukyuk).
Wimbledon II	Sports	It's tennis. What makes this a keeper though is that the main tournament mode has 1 or 2 players, and RPG elements as you customize your player's 4 different stats. There's passwords to continue onward as well, even a mix of new/continue game for each player. You can even be a GIRL! Definitely try this out. As a side note: The original Wimbledon has one less stat, plays at a MUCH faster pace (honestly too much, especially when aiming returns), and you can't be a girl either (boo.).
Wonderboy in Monster Land (Wonderboy 2)	Platformer/RPG	The 2nd Wonder Boy title and 1st of the Monster Land series. Features great platforming action with RPG elements. Collect coins from defeated enemies to upgrade your armor and weapons. Pretty hard though, as there's no continues! If you want an easier version, try the arcade version or Bikkuri Man World, which has a continue trick and characters based on the Bikkuriman franchise.
Wonderboy 3: The Dragon's Trap	Platformer/RPG	One of the Master System's finest. A platformer/RPG hybrid belonging to the Monster World series. This involves upgrading your gear, finding hidden passages and shops, and killing dragons, which leads to the game's neatest feature: transformation. You obtain a number of forms in the game, each with different strengths, weaknesses, and abilities. Like Metroid, you can explore the entire world, and new forms lead to hidden areas and bonuses. The Game Gear version is just as good as this one. (Although this game has FM support, I advise you DON'T use it, as the music arguably sounds better without it.) Ported to TG-16 as Dragon's Curse, which features slightly different physics and arguably better music.
Ys	Action Adventure/RPG	The first chapter of the Ys saga. Unlike later ports, remakes, and rearrangements, this is a bit bare-bones. It is also one of the harder versions. "Attacking" requires you side-swipe your enemies, as rushing forward hurts (mostly) you and (less so) your foe. A neat little epic that looks great, plays well, and has a great soundtrack. I highly advise you to utilize its FM option, it sounds absolutely great.
Zillion	Platformer	A Metroid-esque game that has stealth, leveling up, characters with different stats, but most importantly, finding secret items. This is needed to beat the game, as nearly everything you do needs hidden codes. Bring a pencil and pad, because they're randomly generated. You can't save either. Despite that, it's damn good, but it's better if you have someway to save state mid-game.

Game Gear

Ok let's get some things straight here: the Game Gear alone is just terrible. It has a horrible screen, eats enough batteries to choke a hungry hungry hippo, and has bit of a weak library...

HOWEVER, if you're willing to do some modding and buy the proper accessories for your Game Gear it can be an absolutely wonderful little handheld.

1. Definatly LED mod, fixes both the screen and battery life is quadrupled.

2. Buy the rechargeable battery, not only will the also increase battery life but it's a damn rechargeable battery! No more wasting your money on those batteries.

3. I know it looks tempting but don't buy the Master System Converter. You won't be able to use it with the battery pack, most games look bad when converted, and most of them already have ports on the Game Gear.

4. You may or may not want the Wide Gear accesory, but it's pretty cool to have a screen that much larger than the GameBoy's!

The List

Title	Genre	Description	Game Art
Aleste 2/Power Strike II	Shoot 'em up	This is NOT the same as the Master System game. This returns to more traditional Aleste settings. Still, it's Compile, so you know you're in for a good shmup.
Alien Syndrome (GG)	Run 'n Gun	This edition features improvements from the original Alien Syndrome. You can access a map screen at any time, and you can power up weapons by grabbing the same kind of item twice (similar to the recent Contra 4). Save your fellow comrades (similar to Zombies Ate My Neighbors), navigate to the stage exit, beat the gruesome stage boss, and move onto the next level, because if you don't hurry, a timebomb will destroy you all. The Master System version is lacking compared to this, so stick with this version.
Arena: Maze of Death	Run 'n Gun	An isometric run n' gun akin to stuff like Doom or Duke, with similar cyberpunk and industrial settings. There's traps, locked doors, and lots of enemies, so you'll have to travel and fight smart so as not to be reduced to your shitty knife. Ration your health packs, and pick up new weapons when you can. Pretty good overall, but the enemy hit-boxes can be a bit tough to hit at times, and for some reason, bullets fuck up in certain directions due to what I guess is meant to be gravity. The European cover is hilarious, looking like something out of Rob Liefeld's wet dreams.
Batman Returns	Platformer	Pretty solid platformer where you play as Bats and kick some movie-tie-in ass. You have a neat grappling hook which works a bit like Bionic Commando, and can glide slightly from high distances, thanks to your cape. Your standard attack can aim in 3 directions, but you can adjust the power:length ratio in the pause screen. The big draw about this game is each stage has different routes, which feature harder challenges, and sometimes harder bosses (more damage to you and less hitboxes on them). The SMS version is practically a beta version of this, especially since you can only take one hit per life in that (yikes...), so this is the way to go.
Battletoads	Platformer/Beat 'em up	It's a bit slower, one-player only, and stages are a bit shorter. Why play this? IT'S FAIR. Deaths come far less cheaply and stages are less brutal. If you're tired of being shit-slapped by the other versions, and you wanna say you beat Battletoads, then play this. The Turbo Tunnel is much less of a dick (outside of pitfalls, driving into a wall only knocks off a life point, and you can get right on and keep going). That said: It's still Battletoads, and still pretty fucking fun. An SMS port exists of Battlemaniacs, but that one lacks the proper smoothness you'd expect from your warty buds. It was also unreleased, so you can't find it normally anyways.
Berlin Wall	Puzzle	Dunno how the Berlin Wall fits into this, but this is still entertaining. It combines elements of games like Lode Runner, Solomon's Club, and Bubble Bobble into a quirky little smorgasbord. You take on enemies in stages, and bosses as well. Here's a video to help visualize the stages and gameplay. Japanese only, but you don't need to know the language to enjoy this.
Chakan [the Forever Man]	Platformer	Much like the 16-bit cousin, Chakan is a dude who can't die until he kills the evils of the world. Nobody said it'd be easy, though, as this game is a challenge. Chakan starts with his dual-blades, but can obtain other weapons and skills in his selection of different stages and worlds. The timer doesn't seem to be present, and it's a little easier than 16-bit thanks to the designers working with 8-bit limitations, thus changing level designs and a few other adjustments, but it's still a hell of a ride!
Coca-Cola Kid	Platformer	An obscure platformer done by the team who made most 8-bit Sonic games. This kid has a fuckton of moves, including, but not limited to: kicking, wall-jumping, charge-dashing, disc throwing, and sliding. Collect Coca-Cola coins to get extra stuff after certain stages. If you like Sonic and Megaman X style action, consider checking this out. There is a translation patch for the ROM, but the story still won't make sense...
Crystal Warriors	Tactics RPG	A tactics RPG that resembles Fire Emblem and Shining Force. Instead of a "weapons triangle", all characters have an element and this effects damage dealt and taken from other elemental characters, be it physically or from skills and magic. You can also recruit your enemies to fight on your side. Curiously, this plays a bit more like Shining Force than the Shining Force Gaiden games, as you get to explore a few towns.
Defenders of Oasis	RPG	An arabic-themed RPG that's damn tough. Your party features a prince, a dancing man, a thief, but most importantly a Genie. The genie is not only important plot-wise, but is your ONLY magic caster. Teach him spells by reading ancient writings and increase his stats by pimping his lamp with exotic luxuries. The visuals are impressive for its hardware, and the desert-themed soundtrack is catchy. If you're up for the challenge, try it out. Note: Despite the name, this is not related to the Beyond Oasis series. This is called "Shadam Crusader" in Japan and features no definite connections.
Desert Strike	Shoot 'em up/Stealth?	Dunno what to genre this, really, but that won't stop you from enjoying this. Unlike a number of other types, this version is really well done and preferable OVER the SMS version due to being better sound, crisper graphics, nicely done speed, and a superior interface. On top of that, it controls really well, especially the guns being separated versus overlapping buttons. Hell, this version even beats out the later strike entries on Sega's 8-bit machines. Suit up, and lift off.
Devilish	Arcade/Puzzle	Imagine if Devil's Crush and Breakout had a baby from the abyss. That's pretty much this. Guide a magic ball via your magic flippers as you tear through demonic locals, fight boss monsters, and try to solve a story nobody cares about. The neat thing is that your flippers can change formation, which is handy, because stages go all sorts of directions, not just vertically. The time limits can be a bit tough, but luckily you can find power-ups to help you out. It takes fast thumbs and a true eye to match wits with these devilish stages (hurr). There's a sequel on Genesis/MD, which is a bit cooler looking, and a spiritual successor on the DS, which has mixed responses.
Earthworm Jim	Platformer	"Portable Jim? No way, man. The Gameboy games were bad enough." Well, Gene-I mean, Game Gear does what Nintendon't in this case (the colors and depth make a huge difference versus monochrome). This is a pretty damn good conversion of the 16-bit classic, and the best portable version (at least on a retro handheld). In addition to being a solid conversion, it's neat to see how they worked some of the effects and music within 8-bit limitations. Worm whip yourself a copy and have a blast. Groovy!
Ecco the Dolphin	Puzzle	Play as a fucking dolphin while doing flips and shit. Save your Dolphins friends from aliens! Also, puzzles. And dying! Oh God, the dying! If you're a chickenshit like me, you might prefer this version, since it isn't as scary as the others. You'd think it'd be worse as 8-bit, but nope, not quite as creepy. The action's still solid, though there's no way to pause, since Start activates your echo-song. So, yeah. Hope you don't have to take a shit. No worries though, because there's still passwords.
Ecco: The Tides of Time	Puzzle	More of the original. Looks and sounds a little better, but runs on the same engine (so don't play this right after you eat). You pretty much do the same stuff as the original. You can also transform into other creatures during certain stages, and occasionally must jump through literal hoops in mini-stages. If you liked the original, you'll like this as well. And yeah, there's still passwords. Strangely, you don't get a life or air bar until a few stages in, so don't think your game's busted. It's not.
Eternal Legend: Eien no Denetsu	Action-RPG	A Japan only Game Gear exclusive that's a traditional RPG in the vein of Dragon Quest or Final Fantasy. Sadly, it still lacks a translation, but evidently has a pretty good FAQ. Still, it's a bit hard to enjoy an RPG without grasping the story and atmosphere, right? It's rather wordy, so a translation patch might not come about too soon either.
Fatal Fury Special	Fighting	I know what you're thinking: "OH FUCK NO. A HANDHELD PORT OF FIGHTING GAME BY TAKARA." Well, get this: It's actually GOOD. It doesn't really resemble the Nettou games on Game Boy at all. The action is as good as the consoles of the time, the music is pretty nice too. The sounds are a bit weird, and the roster's slim, but when all 9 characters included have every move from the arcade, and their arenas, who gives a shit? Grab 6 AAs and get bustin'.
Frank Thomas Big Hurt Baseball	Sports	Damn, look at that cover. That's as cool as this game is. Not only does it look, sound, and play great, it gives you a LOT of options in menus. I mean, you can check your opponents, your players, and so much more, MID-GAME, AT DAMN NEAR ANY TIME. Now, this may sound a bit odd, but when you consider that Baseball is all about the stats, you can really get a feel for how deep a single game can be. I would go so far as to say this rivals some major console releases, even now! Definitely go for this, fan or not.
Fray in Magical Adventure	Shoot 'Em Up	Whimsical little shmup spinoff of the Xak series, which was fairly prominent on MSX. This is actually a different version than the home computer version, which is more of an adventure game. Still, it ain't too shabby. Nice graphics, music, and gameplay. The neat thing about this is that you can jump, which makes dodging a little easier and lets game design add some platfoming in the mix. You can also use different charge shot spells as well. Japanese only, but, it's not like this story's that important.
G-LOC: Air Battle	Shoot 'Em Up/FPS?	One of those first person jet fighting games that sound awesome in practice, but bad in execution. Except this one is actually WELL DONE! Surprisingly, it's even better than the Master System version. You have various missions with different targets to take down. However, in-between segments, you can repair and upgrade your jet and arsenal in a shop (It even has the Fantasy Zone shop theme!). It's about as close to portable After Burner as one might get. There's a Genesis version, too, but that one kinda sucks, since it was supposedly done by Probe. That said, the arcade version happens to be pretty damn cool.
Godzilla: Kaijuu no Daishingeki	Strategy/Fighting	This website explains the game better than I could. A very strange mix of strategy and fighting games. It requires excess luck and skill in the fighting scenes and strategy in your unit placement to win. More so if you're the fucking G-Force. That's right. You can choose to play as Godzilla and his monster buds, or the humans out to protect their cities. It's a solid game, but it's not too easy to get into unless you're a big strategy or Godziller buff. Each map is based on a different movie. There's only 4, yet they're all really long. But! If you manage to get a medal in all 4 maps...
Gunstar Heroes	Run 'N Gun	A slightly different version of the 16-bit original. There's no multiplayer and Black's stage is absent, but you use a giant robot instead of the ship-flying section. That said, everything else's more or less the same, but in 8-bit form: Gun combos, stage design, bosses, even the goddamn Seven Force kicks your ass in 8-bit. It's almost as good as the 16-bit version, as it's a damn fine port, but it's also a bit harder at times, due to invincibility frames not being as long.
Halley Wars	Shoot 'Em Up	A classic-styled vertical shmup in the vein of Star Soldier. You control a ship that starts weak, but can upgrade numerous times in weapon power (in strength and spread), speed+control, and options (up to four, each of which fire along with you and each can be shot forward to act as full-screen bombs). Pretty standard, not as good as the Aleste series, but still kinda fun. Protip: At the Title Screen press Left, Left, Left, Left, Right, Right, Right, Right, then start to unlock extra settings.
Head Buster	Strategy RPG?	A real oddball, as it's not quite an RPG, and not pure strategy. Plays similar to Super Robot Wars but with customizable nameless units. Essentially, you fight against enemies in an arena, but also make money to buy more robots and upgrade different aspects of their parts, giving them new abilities and so forth. Has a dedicated English page and translation patch for the Japanese ROM found HERE.
Jurassic Park	Platformer	A pretty good movie tie-in. Has dual sections in each of the stages you can choose. The first half has you protecting your vehicle by shooting at attacking dinos. Strangely, the life upgrades you get (fuel tanks) transfer into the second half of the stage. The second half is much cooler. You go on foot to take out the boss dino and any others in your way with three different guns on hand, each with different effects. You can also crawl to hidden areas and grapple-climb across certain ceilings like a ninja. The action stage design and boss challenges are surprisingly well done. This game's worth hunting down, but its GG sequel, "The Lost World", isn't. Stick with this.
Last Bible: Megami Tensei Gaiden	RPG	Here more as a curiosity more than anything. There's no translation for this Japanese only version. That said, it controls smoother and faster than the GBC version. This also has RUNNING in both towns and the overworld (!) and slightly alters a few story events. The graphics look damn cool compared to the GBC. The music took a hit, with only a small few songs from the original making it to this, as the soundtrack is more typical NES SMT-fare now. Unless you know Japanese, expect to brute force your way through certain parts of the story and negotiations unless you use an FAQ. Or, you know, just play the GBC game. Note: Last Bible Special is NOT this game, but a first-person game of its own, playing more like the original MT and SMT games.
Legend of Illusion starring Mickey Mouse	Platformer	This game has one fault: It's too easy. That said, it does some AMAZING things both graphically and musically for hardware from 1985. The morning daybreak over Castle Goofstein, the shimmering of the Crystal Forest, and others are a splash of color on the eyes. Even without many sound channels or the FM chip, songs like the Forest and Gardens of Illusion replicate the sensation of having more with clever use of techniques, pitch, and dynamics. It runs on a slightly improved Illusion engine, and now Mickey can throw magic balls to damage foes in place of his hip drop, and can store food to revive when his life bar hits zero. A lovely conclusion to a magical trilogy. Note: A Brazillian SMS port exists, but it's a half-ass job of this and doesn't even adjust the resolution, so just stick with the GG.
Lunar: Walking School	RPG	An episodic spinoff of the Lunar series. Doesn't really resemble Lunar outside of having the Vile Tribe as your enemies. Unlike most RPGs, all of your characters are spellcasters specializing in different fields (mages, healers, magic knights, etc.). A light-hearted adventure that was recently translated (Get the patch here). It can get a bit confusing, so check the complete walkthrough/FAQ here. Remade for Sega Saturn with more Lunar-esque battles and cutscenes, but only this one is translated.
Madou Monogarari I	RPG	A very strange first-person RPG. There's items, but no equipment, only Magic spells you learn. There's experience points and level ups, but no visible stats. Your only hints as to your status are visual imagery and conversation texts. I'm not sure if this is casual or hardcore because of that. That said, the experience is still solid. You lead young Arle to pass her magic school's final exam by conquering a tower filled with goofy, but dangerous monsters. This has a full English translation patch for the ROM, which is quite helpful. If don't mind brute-forcing, MM III, also on GG, is superior, but lacks a translation. And yeah, this is where Puyo Puyo came from.
Mappy	Arcade/Puzzle	IT'S MAPPY! You know, "Mappy"? No? Oh well. Bounce on trampolines to recover stolen goods from cat bandits. Open doors to knock them on their asses temporarily. This port is better than Namco's standard Pac-Man copypasta affairs because it has both the arcade original and a newer and larger super mode with all new gigantic levels. (There's also a third mode, which I want to guess is a 2-player mode, but I wouldn't know, since I haven't been able to see it in person and you can't select it normally.)
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie	Fighter	Don't give me that look. This is a surprisingly solid fighter. It controls great, and each character has a hefty number of moves. You can play as both heroes and villains, and even the lowly Putty Patrol! 15 characters, various arenas, and pretty groovin' tunes makes this a fan-favorite. One last note: STORY MODE SUCKS. Versus only, unless you want to fight tons of Putty Patrol...
Moldorian	RPG	Another unfortunately untranslated RPG. That said, this one looks and sounds great. The story seems a bit non-typical as well, but is hard to figure out from just sprites walking and talking. The neat thing about this is the battle system, which has a sort of Active Time Battle system element to it, much like SquareSoft's early SNES Final Fantasy games, so think fast. There's a complete FAQ to salivate over until a translation team picks this up.
NBA Jam: TE	Sports	First off: TOURNAMENT EDITION ONLY. NBA Jam Original on Game Gear fucking sucks in comparison. This one is much smoother and not laggy at all. Other than that, it lacks most of the graphic cheats of its console brethren (There are a few cheats to use though), but its still damn fun. Although you can't tell the differences between most players, the graphics are also pretty good too. Sadly, there doesn't seem to be any multiplayer, so this is best used for training on the go for any rematches you and your pals might have. Unlike every other portable version of NBA Jam that sucked, this one really stands out.
Ninja Gaiden (GG)	Platformer	Different from the MS game. Weaker than console variants, but still pretty fun and has nice variety in stages. It's a game with pretty-looking, but pretty easy stages (well, until the end where it gets kind of challenging), but plays similarly to the NES games. It's still got nice controls, lots of power-ups, and nice graphics. Its only real faults are that the mobs of foes can be kind of cheap due to your lack of invincibility frames (meaning they can easily combo your ass to death) and the music sounds good, but lacks variety. You might compare this to the Cheesecake Sampler versus the Tiramisu of the console experience. And that ain't a load of sukiyaki.
Pengo	Puzzle	Well, there's stages filled with ice blocks and you shove them at your enemies to kill them. The closest thing I can compare it to is: Pac-Man meets Amazing Penguin with a dash of Sokoban. Also, the Popcorn song. Holy shit. Other than that, there's not much to say about this that isn't obvious as you play it. Also, the Genesis version is alot different, playing like a shoddy arctic version of Bomberman, and it doesn't even have Popcorn! Boo to that.
Phantasy Star Adventure	Adventure	Similar to the Phantasy Star II Adventure entries, this is a point-and click adventure game, except with menus. You explore different areas, and find different things to use in said areas. There are also some battles with enemies, except they are done with dice. It's worth a shot if you're a fan of old-school adventures like this.
Phantasy Star Gaiden	RPG	A more traditional RPG. This is a sequel of sorts to the first Phantasy Star. Japanese only, but there's a fan-translation of course.
Popils	Puzzle	You and a princess are in love, but some buck-tooth asshole puts your sweetheart in a number of puzzling castles. Any normal hero would go into the castles, right? Not the case here. You punch the castle apart in a tile-based manner. But since it's all 2D, and your princess is constantly moving left-to-right, there are a number of interesting and irritating solutions to get to or else the current puzzle becomes unwinnable and you have to start the stage over. Of course, that alone is half the fun.
Psychic World	Platformer	This is sort of like Megaman, except stages are predetermined. You do get a large variety of psychic powers though, each with different effects. ALL of them (except one that is pretty useless) can be upgraded to become more potent, be it in regards to damage or duration. This is one hardass platformer, though. How hard? One of your earliest powers is temporary invincibility, and you will need it VERY often.
Ristar	Platformer	8-bit Version of the 16-bit classic. There are differences in level design, and the graphics aren't as good as the the 16-bit, but the gameplay is spot on. Use your stretchy arms to get a leg up on enemies by swinging, ramming, and rocketing yourself throughout stages and through enemies. Features very surreal worlds and a pleasant soundtrack. Changing the region to Japan lets you play an extra (hard) level and some other minor differences.
Royal Stone	Tactics RPG	Sequel to Crystal Warriors above. This plays about same, so even if you don't know Japanese, it isn't hard to figure out.
Ronald McDonald in Magical World	Platformer	a.k.a. "McDonalds: Donald no Magical World". "Donald?" Yes, because there's fucking "Ruawh" sound in Japanese that sounds normal. Anyways... Even though this is a Japanese-only release, all text is in English. It's a simple, but enjoyable little platformer whose worlds have more color and weirdness than Castle of Illusion. It's a little like Treasure Land Adventure, but you kill the devil's demented minions and possessed innocents with a magical stick-umbrella instead of sparkles and a scarf. I couldn't make this shit up if I tried.
Shining Force Gaiden	Strategy/RPG	The sequel to the original Shining Force. The town sections are streamlined into menus, and any exploration must be done mid-battle. This story concentrates on the children and relatives of Shining Force and Guardiana's new enemies. Only in Japanese, but this and the sequel (see below) are on Shining Force CD, which is English with a few extras.
Shining Force: The Sword of Hajya	Strategy/RPG	The only Shining Force Gaiden game that made it to English. The sequel to Shining Force Gaiden. Plays just like the first, but concentrates on Nick's kingdom and its struggles.
Shining Force: Final Conflict	Strategy/RPG	This game fills some plot holes between Shining Force 1 and 2. It plays like the other Shining Force Gaiden games, but features battle locations, music, and a few characters from Shining Force 2. Bosses are pretty much all new though. Only in Japanese, but a FULL translation patch is available for the ROM.
(The GG) Shinobi	Action/Platformer	Red must save his fellow Shinobi, who have been brainwashed by evil. After being saved, you'll find that each has their own weapon, ninjutsu, and skill. These are great for finding extra power-ups in levels. These different skills and the boss set up slightly resembles Megaman X. The last stage is huge, and requires all Shinobi skills.
Shinobi II: The Silent Fury	Action/Platformer	More of the first, but difficulty has become more balanced. Stages are bigger, and you must also find orbs hidden within stages (which allows you to revisit them). Protip: Some Shinobi have changed since the first entry, so you'll have to get used to their new skills. This also has a huge last stage like the first game had.
Sokoban	Puzzle	Well, it's pretty hard to fuck up Sokoban unless you plain don't give a shit. Thankfully, the company that made this put significant effort into the puzzles. If you've never played a Sokoban type of game, you try to push blocks into certain spots in order to clear the stage. Much easier said than done, because it's quite easy to mess up and get a block stuck to where you can't push it to a stage-clearing spot. These sorts of games have been on numerous platforms, but since you're here, you might as well start with this one if you haven't played one already. Japan-only release, but it's not like you need literacy to push blocks, right?
Sonic Drift 2	Racing	You know why overseas never got Sonic Drift 1? Because SD2 blows it the fuck out of the water. It's about as close to portable Mario Kart as one could get back in the day, and it still holds up fairly well today. In addition to picking up items (use up on the control pad), each character also has their own special skill at the cost of 2 rings (use up when not holding an item). Pretty fun and even has a versus mode option, along with a hidden GP selection in single player.
Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball	Pinball/Platformer	A strange mix between platforming stages and pinball. Some love it, some hate it. The stage layouts and a few other factors are a bit different from the 16-bit version. In general, it's a little slower and controls a little bit tighter and the bosses are different. Not as cool as the 16-bit one, but puts up a good fight. It's definitely one of the better Sonic spinoffs to say the least.
Sonic Triple Trouble	Platformer	Arguably the best 8-bit Sonic platformer. The game itself almost looks 16-bit! Tails and Sonic have unique power ups, and both can access special stages, which are now 2D and 3D. 2D stages are tough platformer sections and 3D have plane flying to collect rings (similar to 16-bit Sonic 2's special stages) This features Nack/Fang, an adversary you must fight to get Chaos Emeralds, in addition to Robotnik's other bosses at the end of Zones. A fanmade SMS port exists but has a few oddities. Called sonic & Tails 2 in Japan.
Streets of Rage II	Beat 'em Up	"Why would I want to play this, when I can play the kickass Mega Drive version?" Well, it's more of an alternate take really, kinda like Sonic 2 and Sonic CD. This version may be 8-bit, lack Max, and not be as rad as the 16-bit version, but it's still a damn good game. It's almost like a mix of SoR 1, 2, and 3. It has the smooth controls, combos, and other content from 2, but it keeps something neat from 1. Charge up the attack button and unleash a powerful one-per-life super-strike that hits the entire screen. Also, like in 3, normal specials don't cost life either. If you can play this with someone else, do so. Even if you can't, it's worth playing alone, especially if you love the 16-bit version and want to try something just a bit different from the norm.Note: Do NOT get the Master System version of this. That one uses the shitty SoR1 Game Gear's engine. This one uses a souped-up version of SoR1 Master System's engine, which worked great, but only supported 1 player. This one allows 2 players AND controls better!
Super Columns	Puzzle	Much like the original except you can turn your columns at 90 degree angles as they fall. There's also bomb blocks which can clear a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal line, depending on how you align them. There's also Flash and Story modes, but frankly, they're cheap as fuck. The AI pretty much cheats at times in Story, and it feels like you can never get close enough to the target gems in Flash mode unless you're stupid lucky. If you want maximum enjoyment, stick with the Endless mode.
Sylvan Tale	Action/Adventure	A nature themed Zelda-like Action/Adventure that takes some elements from Dragon's Trap (in that you transform into different animals and take advantage of their different traits to progress). Only in Japanese, but a near complete English translation patch is available for the ROM. A must play for any Game Gear owner!
Tails Adventure	Platformer/Action/RPG	A platformer/action-RPG hybrid starring Tails from Sonic. You use gadgets (up to 4) to explore areas, fight enemies and bosses, and find more gadgets. You can even find new paths and gadgets in areas you've already been to, giving it some Metroidvania elements. There's no experience points, but you can level up your HP and flight meter by finding hidden Emeralds. This uses passwords, although on some collections you can opt for a "save state". A very unique experience that you should defiantly try!
Taisen-gata Daisenryaku G	Strategy	Part of a LONG running series, and came out 3 years before the original Famicom Wars. Arguably, the GREATEST of all turn-based strategy series. This is one of MANY, but even on an 8-bit portable, it's still got PLENTY of depth to each and every map. Seriously, it's hard enough to bust your brain against the chess-master AI, but to do so in a language you probably can't even read?! Not at all for the feint of heart or mind. That said, the game looks and especially sounds great for GG. If any gameplay elements were lost from the transition from home PCs to GG, you probably wouldn't even be able to tell.
World Series Baseball '95	Sports	It's no Frank Thomas, but this manages to still be an enjoyable baseball game. The best things about this are how fast and smooth it is. You can probably clear an inning in the time it'd take you to get an out in other games (maybe). There's also some amusing little animations and ditties played as well, keeping it lively. If you're a baseball fan, but want to get things over with quick (especially on a Game Gear), this is the game for you. It may not be the best, but it's still a great alternative.
Virtua Fighter Animation	Fighting	Not the best fighter around, but it has its charms. A small 7 person roster makes this seem weak, but each character plays rather differently, with individual specialties. There's a neat option for "pseudo-camera" control to zoom in or out depending on the fighters' locations, making it feel a bit like the arcade. Although versus mode is the main meat, there's also a goofy little story mode, worth a single playthrough. It's kinda cool in that you gain more fighters in your "party" and use one each as continues in the story battles. Overall, this game's pretty solid, considering it's just a curiosity nowadays.
YuYu Hakusho: Horobishi Mono no Gyakushuu	Beat 'Em Up	Loosely based on the anime, but still good. The levels are weird and have freaky enemies. Kurama is OP thanks to his great jumping and long ass thorn whip. Hiei is less so due to his good sword range, but low defense. Yusuke and Kuwabara are hella strong, but have shit range. There's also Punch Out-like boss fights, but they control like River King. This has one weird continue system. You transfer any amount of vitality from your live pals into the dead one. Live ones must be careful when their stages come up, since you can't heal life outside of found items. Fun(?) Fact: Yusuke can't beat the final stage due to his shit jumping. Though if you want, you can beat the final boss as him by letting someone else beat the stage but die right before the last boss, so he can switch in. The other YYH GG game is a turnbased fighting game which sucks.