In addition to an original GameBoy, I had a Sega GameGear as a child. Do you remember this thing?



The GameGear absolutely chewed through batteries, but it was high technology at the time. Really, is it any less portable than a PSP or DS is now? The GameGear was as chic in the early 90's as those systems are now. In any case, I fondly remember two GameGear games in particular:



Shinobi (1991)
Shinobi was an improvement over my previous GameBoy examples in many areas; it was semi-linear in contrast to all three, the playable characters were unique, and it was in color. Though the introduction of color allowed for palate swaps between playable characters, each ninja played differently. Beginning as the basic Red ninja, the player could unlock a ceiling-clinging Pink, a waterwalking Yellow, a grappling hook equipped Blue, and a double jumping Green. Each ninja's basic attack was different as well, and each level contained areas some could not reach.



Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)
Obviously the more famous of these examples, Sonic is a universally known character. The major advantage Sonic had over Super Mario Land and the other previously discussed games was pacing. Sonic's claim to fame is his speed, and that speed is what made him an enjoyable character. Which brings us to the real topic of this post: technology.

Technology
The GameGear was a technological advancement over the GameBoy. This is exactly as one would expect, it was released two years later. I have already mentioned the addition of color to games. Color made these games more visually appealing, and more visually consistent, than those of the original GameBoy. Kirby, who is pink, appears on the cover of "Dreamland" as white. Color makes characterization easier; consider the Ninja Turtles, distinguished only by their weapons, and Shinobi's Ninjas, who have different appearances and abilities. With distinct characters the game can tell a story with greater depth.

Sonic's trademark speed is simply impossible to convey on the GameBoy, which could not handle the framerate needed to indicate speed. Greater speed requires larger levels, again beyond the capability of the inferior GameBoy. Outside of platformers, the other games available for these early systems read like a list of minigames: Boxxle, Tetris, etc.

My point is this: I plan to discuss the features that have evolved over time in gaming history, but many are a natural result of improvements in technology. Of course color will be implemented as soon as it is viable, but that doesn't detract from a discussion of what color adds to game design and impact. So, while I may not mention technological improvements in systems explicitly in future posts, this post should serve as an unstated acknowledgment thereof.

Next time:
Zatsuga's Fond Memories 2: GoldenEye and Perfect Dark

Previously:
Zatsuga's Fond Memories 1a: Casual Childhood, Features