GG Aleste / Power Strike II

There are gems that were released in such limited quantities that they became legends before anyone could properly play them. GG Aleste, released in the West under the name Power Strike II, is exactly such a case. A vertical shooter for the pocket SEGA Game Gear, it became one of the most sought-after and most expensive titles of the entire platform, and for years collectors spent sums on original cartridges that would suit console blockbusters more than a game from a small pocket console.

At its heart it's a classic vertically scrolling shmup from the Aleste series, made famous by the Japanese company Compile, a master of the genre in the eighties and nineties. You pilot a fighter, collect power-ups and blast your way through dense walls of enemy fire. What sets GG Aleste apart from the competition is its surprising technical sophistication on such small hardware: smooth scrolling, a multitude of objects on screen, and cleverly built levels that don't feel cramped even on a backlit screen. The game offers a choice of weapons and gradual upgrades, so every run has its own strategy.

Compile was a studio with a heart for shooters, and the Aleste brand (known on various platforms as Musha or Robo Aleste too) was one of its crown jewels. That such a polished installment was made specifically for the Game Gear proves that the developers didn't treat Sega's handheld as a second-rate platform. On the contrary, they squeezed the maximum out of it and created a game whose quality easily rivals home-console shmups.

Culturally, GG Aleste went down as proof that even pocket hardware can host a hardcore genre for demanding players. Its myth was bolstered by its extreme rarity and high prices on the collector's market. Compile later released a collection in which the game got a re-release for a more modern audience, and shmup fans still cite it today as one of the high points of the entire Game Gear library.

If you like fast reflexes, clean scoring and honest arcade pressure, this game is a small miracle hidden in a plastic pocket case. It's a title that recalls the golden era of Japanese shooters and at the same time shows how far developers' ambitions reached even on the smallest screens.

Why play it: One of the best shooters on the Game Gear and a rare gem that proves the pocket console could handle even a demanding shmup at top quality.