DAY 121 / GAME 121
Sonic the Hedgehog 8-bit
Shortly after the release of Sonic the Hedgehog on the Sega Genesis, an 8-bit port was created for the Sega Master System and then for Sega's portable system, the Sega Game Gear. More than just a port though, it was more of an adaptation. Some levels seems similar, while others are completely different.
It was unique enough from the 16-bit title that felt like it's own own game, well worth playing through separate from the original. Quite possibly the first game I got for my Sega Game Gear, I spent quite a while trying to beat it. Since the game was similar to the Genesis title but playing on a smaller, lower resolution screen, it made it a little bit harder to navigate. Plus, as great as the colour backlit screen was, it got a bit blurry with games that ran as fast as this one did.
Nevertheless Sonic was a great title on the portable. Even though the specs on the Game Gear were very similar to the Nintendo Gameboy, both 160x144 resolution screens with similar processing power and ram, The Game Gear appeared to produce richer graphics. It may have simply been colour rendering and the backlight creating better contrast, or just a few games making better use of the available power. Or maybe it was just my spotty memory.
The Game Gear may have been notorious for chewing through batteries, 6 AA's at that. But the upside is that, unlike the Gameboy, it featured a bright 4096 colour backlit screen. So all the times you wanted to play the Gameboy but couldn't, you were now able to play Sega's portable. I remember nudging closer and closer to the table lamp by the couch to try to actually see what was on the screen. And then I remember staying up late at night while spending the weekend at my Dad's place; playing hours of Sonic the Hedgehog under the blankets while everyone else was asleep.
This version of Sonic featured a map, showing your progress through the world. The only Sonic game that ever did that, oddly enough, but it was a neat touch. They also changed a ton of the levels; of the 6 zones, 3 of them are completely new. The 3 levels that existed in the original version are now modified to suit the smaller screen, including signs warning of dropoffs coming up. The 3 new levels include a Bridge Zone, which was one of Sonic's only ever forced scrolling levels. A Jungle Zone, which was fairly unique for the series and a Sky Base Zone, which was introduced later in Sonic 2 and Sonic Adventure.
For a Sonic fan, having a unique adventure for my portable system was really nice. I played this a ton back when I used my Game Gear regularly. To a certain degree I found it was even more playable than the sequel on the same system. I hadn't played my Game Gear for a long time, but I actually dug it out recently. It has held up quite well and still plays as great as it did 15 years ago. The other year I actually packed a few rechargeable AA batteries and brought it with me to PAX East in Boston to play in the lines. I guess batteries have come a long way because I played it a ton and never even went through one set of batteries. It was certainly a nostalgia trip to play on that screen. Colour backlit LCD screens have come a long way and this one feels almost more like a CRT than an LCD.
Sonic the Hedgehog 8-bit
Shortly after the release of Sonic the Hedgehog on the Sega Genesis, an 8-bit port was created for the Sega Master System and then for Sega's portable system, the Sega Game Gear. More than just a port though, it was more of an adaptation. Some levels seems similar, while others are completely different. Nevertheless Sonic was a great title on the portable. Even though the specs on the Game Gear were very similar to the Nintendo Gameboy, both 160x144 resolution screens with similar processing power and ram, The Game Gear appeared to produce richer graphics. It may have simply been colour rendering and the backlight creating better contrast, or just a few games making better use of the available power. Or maybe it was just my spotty memory.
The Game Gear may have been notorious for chewing through batteries, 6 AA's at that. But the upside is that, unlike the Gameboy, it featured a bright 4096 colour backlit screen. So all the times you wanted to play the Gameboy but couldn't, you were now able to play Sega's portable. I remember nudging closer and closer to the table lamp by the couch to try to actually see what was on the screen. And then I remember staying up late at night while spending the weekend at my Dad's place; playing hours of Sonic the Hedgehog under the blankets while everyone else was asleep. This version of Sonic featured a map, showing your progress through the world. The only Sonic game that ever did that, oddly enough, but it was a neat touch. They also changed a ton of the levels; of the 6 zones, 3 of them are completely new. The 3 levels that existed in the original version are now modified to suit the smaller screen, including signs warning of dropoffs coming up. The 3 new levels include a Bridge Zone, which was one of Sonic's only ever forced scrolling levels. A Jungle Zone, which was fairly unique for the series and a Sky Base Zone, which was introduced later in Sonic 2 and Sonic Adventure.For a Sonic fan, having a unique adventure for my portable system was really nice. I played this a ton back when I used my Game Gear regularly. To a certain degree I found it was even more playable than the sequel on the same system. I hadn't played my Game Gear for a long time, but I actually dug it out recently. It has held up quite well and still plays as great as it did 15 years ago. The other year I actually packed a few rechargeable AA batteries and brought it with me to PAX East in Boston to play in the lines. I guess batteries have come a long way because I played it a ton and never even went through one set of batteries. It was certainly a nostalgia trip to play on that screen. Colour backlit LCD screens have come a long way and this one feels almost more like a CRT than an LCD.
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