I never realized it but Sonic 2 on Game Gear is hard and painful as nails.

How did this game get green lighted as an official Sonic 2 game for Game Gear and a pack-in title to boot.

It's like 10x harder than the predecessor, and ridiculously unforgiving when it comes to trying to avoid falling into a nail bed, lava, or open pit at every run jump.

it's bad Tails is not playable in the game, but is heavily promoted in the zone pre-caps and intro, and the new abilities such as the spindash found on the big brother Genesis Sonic 2 is not in this game.

There's just too many traps in this game, and the level design looks more close to Sonic CD than it does Sonic 2.


any thoughts on Game Gear Sonic 2, also ported for SMS users as well.

GG verison is hindered by the screen size.... SMS game is great, and much nicer.

I like the SMS Sonic2 more thna MD Sonic2

EDIT: Didn't notice you were talking about Sonic 2 on Game Gear, not Sonic 1.

It's famously difficult. To not notice means you must never have played it much.

I really don't like GG Sonic 2, except a few small parts here & there, like that trippy stage with diagonal rain & lightening

Its music and graphics are extremely bland and lacking compared to GG Sonic 1, w/ more polished, colorful graphics, and a beautiful soundtrack that must be the best I've heard come out of my Game Gear. GG Sonic 2 is bland in all ways; gameplay is cheap & impossible. What a miserably disappointing game; how dare they even call it Sonic 2!!!!!!!!

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Originally Posted by Nunzio

It's famously difficult. To not notice means you must never have played it much.

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I never really owned it until now TBH, borrowed it long time ago, but had owned GG Sonic 1 and Sonic Triple Trouble.
Sonic 2 GG is like Super Mario Lost Levels hard.

On the SMS it's WAY easier due to the screen size, it's a pretty night and day difference. (in fact, Sonic 2 on the SMS is a relatively easy game -especially the bosses)

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Originally Posted by kool kitty89

On the SMS it's WAY easier due to the screen size, it's a pretty night and day difference. (in fact, Sonic 2 on the SMS is a relatively easy game -especially the bosses)

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really? I just find the game to be terrible and not as near as polished as it's big brother Genesis Sonic 2, or even Sonic 1.

I never had issues with finding air bubbles under water on the Genesis Sonic, but on Game Gear it's like they purposely made this a easy trap, where there are very view air bubble areas under water.

I hate that stupid glide thing, worst sonic accessory ever.

Enemies regenerate themselves once you kill pass them and go back.

I also don't get the whole point of no rings during 3rd act.

Sonic Triple Trouble is far better Sonic portable game.

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Originally Posted by kool kitty89

On the SMS it's WAY easier due to the screen size, it's a pretty night and day difference. (in fact, Sonic 2 on the SMS is a relatively easy game -especially the bosses)

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Yeah I really want the SMS Sonic 1 & 2 but no one on amazon sells it.

It's only that retarded hang glinding part that ruins the whole game. The first time I beat that part I beat the whole game. When it comes to spikes, this game is a lot more forgiving than most others. You can cheat by running along spikes for quite a while, plus you can usually recapture your rings too. But that hang glinding part, I don't know WTF they were thinking with that.

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Originally Posted by TmEE

GG verison is hindered by the screen size.... SMS game is great, and much nicer.

I like the SMS Sonic2 more thna MD Sonic2

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amen on that brother

i like the sonic games on the sms more then the megadrive version
but the sonic games are completly diffrent on all the sms versions

Liking Sonic 2 on SMS/Game Gear more than the epic great Genesis version is blaspheme.

I went to check out Sonic 2 on SMS from a emulator to see how different it was for GG and it is slightly better, the added resolution do make the game less prone to easily running right into nger, but there's still aslew of other oddities in the game as the GG version, and bugs starting with that botched intro playing the Sonic 2 title song on the intro attract segment. It's funny because the Sonic 2 intro is all happy and upbeat but it's showing a frighten Tails getting chased by Robotnik and getting caught, all to the tune of the Sonic 2 intro. Then when the actual Sonic 2 title screen appears there's no music playing.

This looks like sloppy programing that I wonder why they didn't correct it before releasing.

It was a poor downport from the Master System version. First boss is as hard as it is because they couldn't be bothered to re-program the boss's attacks patterns to accommodate for the smaller screen space. It gets even worse in Sky High Zone when you have to make blind leaps of faith. One of the biggest crimes in platformers; that and continuous bottomless pits.

As bad as the port is, it's better than the lazy up-port of G-Sonic to the Master System; they couldn't even be bothered to alter the resolution.

I like it. I used to have the timing down pat on Tails' "Third Blink" for the cheats on the opening screen. Not that hard and I beat it but I also had a game gear BITD and dedicated hours to it.

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Originally Posted by evilevoix

I like it. I used to have the timing down pat on Tails' "Third Blink" for the cheats on the opening screen. Not that hard and I beat it but I also had a game gear BITD and dedicated hours to it.

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I don't hate the game (it's an okay entry in the series), I'm just not that ecstatic over the GG port. They could of handled it a bit better. It's still pretty playable, minus a few nagging discrepancies.

Yup. The game's hard.

For the GG they did reprogram the first boss, but for harder and worse. In SMS version you can see the whole screen and the balls speed and jump height are always the same. Except for the first boss, if you are used to the SMS version you will easily beat the GG one since you will be aware of the traps you can't see in the last.

GG version doesn't have the Speed Shoes in Acqua Lake, it has a 10 ring monitor instead.

Soundwise the GG has additional music for good ending, and some differences in the intro. Acqua Lake has a nice blue water effect while the SMS uses no effect. I would really like to see this version running in SMS with some palette tweaks, as well as the more polished GG Sonic 1.

A curiosity is that stage select for Sonic 2 SMS won't work in the SMS Converter for the Genesis. It will not work even in the Everdrives or Neoflash MD.

I used to play this on my brother's Game Gear a fair bit when I was a kid. I wasn't 100% sure but evilevoix's comment about the blink clinched it, as I definitely remember working to get the timing down for that.

Sonic 2 GG is pretty much the only Sonic game I've ever spent much time on, since I'm not a fan of the series.

I got this game for Christmas 1992 and it took me ages to beat it. I've only ever completed the game with all the emeralds once and I've no inclination to do it again because that kind of mental exhaustion just isn't Sonic.

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Originally Posted by goldenband

I used to play this on my brother's Game Gear a fair bit when I was a kid. I wasn't 100% sure but evilevoix's comment about the blink clinched it, as I definitely remember working to get the timing down for that.

Sonic 2 GG is pretty much the only Sonic game I've ever spent much time on, since I'm not a fan of the series.

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That Third Blink secret is a PITA!!! But when I was a kid I could do it almost the first time, certainly the second time. SO much nostalgia!!!

I always found this to be one of the more difficult Sonic games but not in a punishing way. I almost beat this game back then and can beat the SMS one too. The emeralds are another story though.

Nostalgia indeed. The rage while dying during the first boss fight is unmatched.

Who decided not putting rings in the boss stages was a good idea?!

To make the game last longer.

As others have said it's better on the Master System and the level design seems tailored to the large screen. It's still inferior to the first game though. It started the trend of 8-bit Sonic's focusing on trying to emulate the Genesis instead of just trying to be good platformers that worked with the hardware they had.

Sonic Chaos swung the difficulty needle in the other direction probably in response to Sonic 2, since you can beat that game in your sleep in about 15 minutes.

Did this really need to get bumped? But yeah, as everyone knows, Sonic 2 on the GG was too hard. Unfortunately, it was what I got as a pack-in back in the day. I played and died against that first boss more than any other boss in any video game. Mortal Kombat II was easier.

It was much easier once I got it on Master System.

I can't see the damn pits underground, Even know I played Sonic 2 GG alot, I like the Master System version better

I loved my gamegear, but in hindsight I owned a lot of games for it that just weren't very good: Sonic 2 was one of these. I would picked it up and play it for a bit, get frustrated, and move onto something else. I don't think I ever managed to make any significant progress in the game.

I used to love sonic 2 on my game-gear. I thought it was vastly superior to the master system game because of it's speed and difficulty.

I guess our parameters of what makes a game good these days has changed. When I was a kid I'd only get a few games each year, so difficult was good because they'd last longer. These days we've got collections of 100's or 1000's of games, so the master system version probably ages better because it's much easier to pick up and play.

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Originally Posted by Blades

Nostalgia indeed. The rage while dying during the first boss fight is unmatched.

Who decided not putting rings in the boss stages was a good idea?!

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That's how it was in the first game. Following what made the first game do well. That doesn't excuse them though.

As others said, screen size. Really hurts the game.

I've always hated the gamegear version of Sonic 2 because of those hand gliders. I can't be the only one who never got past the second world because of them. Every time I try to play Sonic 2 I get stuck because of them and end up giving up.

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Originally Posted by stika

I've always hated the gamegear version of Sonic 2 because of those hand gliders. I can't be the only one who never got past the second world because of them. Every time I try to play Sonic 2 I get stuck because of them and end up giving up.

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If I recall correctly, you just need to periodically tap the D-pad in the opposite direction of whichever way you're facing to keep from dropping. I don't think the manual really explains it that way, so it's kind of obtuse at first. I don't even remember how I figured that out.

This game might be ok on the Master System, but it's trash on the Game Gear. I'd say this game helped form the negative opinion that I had of the handheld for a very long time.

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Originally Posted by jerry coeurl

This game might be ok on the Master System, but it's trash on the Game Gear. I'd say this game helped form the negative opinion that I had of the handheld for a very long time.

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Yeah, it's really obvious that the level design was made for a TV screen. They put zero thought into translating it to the Game Gear.

Don't let Sonic 2 spoil your perception of the Game Gear. There's tons of other Sonic games on it. The best I think is still Sonic 1, but Sonic Chaos and Triple Trouble are okay too. Sonic Blast is a bit slow but also has a Sonic & Knuckles feel. Game Gear has a massive library beyond Sonic though, it's a fun console to explore.

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Originally Posted by Guntz

Don't let Sonic 2 spoil your perception of the Game Gear. There's tons of other Sonic games on it. The best I think is still Sonic 1, but Sonic Chaos and Triple Trouble are okay too. Sonic Blast is a bit slow but also has a Sonic & Knuckles feel. Game Gear has a massive library beyond Sonic though, it's a fun console to explore.

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Totally, but I wish there was a better way to play the games. The display really shows its age. Playing GG Aleste 2 on it made my eyes hurt. A modern handheld that can take GG carts would be a miracle.

The LED lit Game Gear I got from you looks fine, no worse than an original Game Boy. I think it developed a second dead pixel right after it arrived though, ironically.

A fast shooter, yeah I can see that being a problem. I've been playing slower paced games and they are very playable.

I still say Sega should have canned the Nomad and release a Game Gear Pocket, or something cost reduced with a better screen and a smaller size.

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Originally Posted by Obviously

As others have said it's better on the Master System and the level design seems tailored to the large screen. It's still inferior to the first game though. It started the trend of 8-bit Sonic's focusing on trying to emulate the Genesis instead of just trying to be good platformers that worked with the hardware they had.

Sonic Chaos swung the difficulty needle in the other direction probably in response to Sonic 2, since you can beat that game in your sleep in about 15 minutes.

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Yeah Sonic 2 didn't quite fit the Game Gear too well with the level design/etc. Triple Trouble in comparison was made solely for the Game Gear and it shows- the level design really felt to me like they took the small screen into consideration there despite everything being pretty well large.

Sonic Chaos was terribly easy wasn't it, only Sleeping Egg and it's boss and maybe the final boss gave me any trouble. I also remember being baffled by Aqua Planet barely having any water, you really had to go out of your way to get to it unlike say Aquatic Ruin where while you could avoid the water you could also screw up easier and get thrown down to the underwater areas.

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Originally Posted by Guntz

I still say Sega should have canned the Nomad and release a Game Gear Pocket, or something cost reduced with a better screen and a smaller size.

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I agree. A cost reduced version, with a smaller size and (thankfully) better battery life at a reduced price point could've done wonders for Sega, IMO, particularly if it had been released before GBC.

I'm replaying quite a few GG games and they look quite a deal better than GBC games, IMO. Sega should've hung on to the technology a bit longer. A $69-99 GG would've flew off the shelves, particularly with the right games.

The Game Boy Pocket was out in 1996. A revised Game Gear should have been made ahead of it.

I haven't played GG Sonic 2 for a while but I have given it a chance in the past. The whole thing feels very sad. Tails is going to die unless Sonic saves him. The graphics are plain and lacking in the details that made Sonic games appealing in the first place. The Crystal stage is maybe the best but even that looks plain and barren. Everything seems to lack any joy.