u/OlivusPrime

There's a lot of chatter about Game Gear games often being cropped versions of their Master System counterparts, and yet it doesn't seem like people use the Master Gear Converter to play these Master System versions instead on a Game Gear. I thought I would experiment with a few Game Gear games I own, to see how they compare to their Master System counterparts when played on the same portable hardware.

Below I've provided some brief comparisons, and have noted which version of each I preferred playing on the Game Gear. Note that these comparisons were done using a stock screen, which affects the clarity of Master System games due to them being displayed at a smaller size. If you're using an IPS screen, some of the clarity issues below won't apply, though you might still need to squint.

• Aladdin - GG (SMS provides more screen space for chase scenes, but the game isn't very hard anyway and story scenes appear very small in SMS. This seems like one that was developed for GG and backported)
• Bubble Bobble - SMS (SMS provides the original levels and text is readable. GG looks very nice though, with condensed level designs)
• Ecco the Dolphin - GG (Control scheme is awkward on SMS and text is unreadable)
• Land of Illusion - GG (This is a very good port, with tastefully adjusted level designs and improved colours. GG version also maps jump and stomp to the same button, making it easier to control, and cropped view doesn't make it more difficult to play, )
• Master of Darkness - Tie (SMS seems to be the original and has more elaborate level designs, but HUD and small enemies like bats can be hard to see. GG has some minor level improvements, but feels cramped and has condensed level designs, leading to odd item and enemy placements)
• Road Rash - GG (SMS password and HUD text is unreadable. GG version doesn't crop any major gameplay elements)
• Sonic the Hedgehog - GG (This one surprised me, expected SMS to be a slam dunk. Another really good port, lots of tasteful level and graphical adjustments/improvements that make the GG version very smooth to play. SMS is also decent on GG, but some enemy projectiles are difficult to see)
• Sonic Chaos - Tie (GG has a number of audio and visual improvements (seems to be the more finished version), but SMS has more screen space with fewer blind spots/leaps of faith. Not a very hard game either way though. SMS level end MPH text can be hard to read)
• Wonder Boy III - Tie (Neither version is great to be honest, SMS has lots of aliasing and passwords are basically unreadable, whereas GG looks better but the cropped view leads to enemies attacking from offscreen)

And for good measure, a few general SMS games I tried:

• Batman Returns - Good (Works well, substantial differences to the GG version despite sharing the same engine and assets)
• Fantasy Zone II - Bad (Bullets too small to see)
• Hang On - Good (HUD text is just about readable)
• Ninja Gaiden - Mid (Playable but action is very small on the screen, difficult to see)
• OutRun 3-D - Mid (Gameplay is fine but all text is unreadable)
• Shadow of the Beast - Bad (Not optimised for 60Hz so runs too fast on GG, together with the issues that this game has it's unplayable)
• Shinobi - Good (Some small projectiles but generally very playable)

I was really interested when I discovered Intec's new Time Breaker light guns a couple of months ago, but most of the in-depth reviews I've found online were from influencers. I've just gotten a pair of them and figured I would leave my thoughts here.

For those unaware, these are light guns designed for modern TVs which can be used with original hardware. They use an IR system with a bar at the top of the screen, working in a very similar way to a Wiimote. The current product supports GunCon and GunCon 2 games on PS1 and PS2, but Intec have said that they're working on support for other consoles as well.

Setting these guns up is very easy, and I was pleasantly surprised at how simple they are to calibrate. Once you have the IR bar atop your TV and the gun paired to the controller port dongle, calibrating is as easy as using a couple of buttons on the back of the gun, and shooting in the top-left, bottom-right and centre of the screen. I was thinking of using these for some Point Blank party sessions, so I'm glad that recalibrating won't be too much of a faff after a drink or two.

Obviously accuracy and latency will be the name of the game for most users, and I wouldn't go into these expecting split-second pinpoint precision. The Wiimote comparison is apt in terms of how these feel to aim and fire. Of course, I imagine most hardcore players already own a Sinden and use them with emulated arcade games - these guns are clearly for slightly more casual players looking to revisit the games on original hardware for some fun.

That all having been said, these guns can be surprisingly accurate once you have them calibrated. My setup is a cosy living space with a 40" screen positioned about 4.5 feet from my sofa, so I was afraid that my small setup wouldn't be compatible with the tech, what with the guidance and photos online depicting users standing in enormous living rooms. Thankfully, I didn't have any real issues firing the guns whilst seated on my sofa.

I tried Time Crisis, Time Crisis II and Point Blank with them, and they all worked great. The guns seemed to be more accurate in Time Crisis II - I'm not sure if that's the GunCon 2 tech at work, or just my imagination. The only tech issue I encountered with these was that one of the guns had a tendency to jump left when aimed in the centre of the screen - luckily the sensor lens is screwed onto the gun, and loosening the lens seemed to resolve this issue. The guns come with protective tape over the lens for transit, but this seems counterproductive - the tape has a tendency to leave residue when removed, which you're going to need to clean off, and one of my guns had a fine scratch across the lens out of the box regardless.

The recoil gets the job done - it's fairly soft and makes a "buzz" when going off, but works well for some feedback. I'm not such a fan of the rapid fire mode - the pacing of the shots seems to be inconsistent and not very snappy. Luckily I prefer not to use rapid fire in light gun games. I do think that they need to add rapid fire recoil in the standard mode when the trigger is held for more than a second, for when you're letting loose a full auto in the games that use them.

Probably the biggest issue with these emerged when I tried the GunCon patched version of Die Hard Trilogy. Reloading by firing offscreen doesn't work very well at the moment, since the gun takes a moment or two to acknowledge that it's being aimed completely offscreen. Both aiming indicators on the back turn off after a moment of the gun acknowledging this, and you practically have to aim it 90 degrees from the screen for this to occur. I'm not really sure why this is the case - one of the lights will turn red when you hit the boundary of the screen, so surely this is enough to register that you're out of bounds. At the moment it feels very clumsy and doesn't always work on demand, so I hope that this can be improved for games which have no option to reload using a button.

Overall though, I'm really pleased with what Intec have accomplished with these. I'm no light gun master - I just loved playing these games in the arcades as a kid, and have for many years wanted to revisit them for some fun on my favourite retro consoles. For anyone in my position, these fit the bill very well. I'm especially excited to see if Intec are able to provide Sega Saturn and Dreamcast support next.

So I was looking into getting Time Crisis II for PS2 today, and just happened to stumble upon these. I’ve been waiting for a modern light gun solution for original hardware for ages, so I’m surprised that these have slipped under my radar.

I was wondering if anyone here has bought them/tried them out, and if they can provide their thoughts? From what I’ve read online, some buyers are pretty satisfied, whereas others have had a lot of trouble with calibration/accuracy.