Putt & Putter

There are often major discrepancies between the home console and portable versions of the same game. Usually the convenience of being able to take a game with you anywhere requires compromising somewhat on the gameplay and options for a game. It is almost unheard of for the portable version of a game to be better than the home console version, but that ended up being the case for the Game Gear version of Putt & Putter.

As one could guess from the title, Putt & Putter is a mini-golf game. Defunct Games looked at the Sega Master System version years ago and rated it slightly below average. Strangely, despite it releasing a year earlier, the Game Gear game shows marked improvements over the Master System version that, while not making for a great game of putt-putt, does make for a passable one.

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First, let's talk about the improvements. The course designs are more elaborate for the Game Gear version. Since the Game Gear version doesn't have the conveyor belts that the Master System version had, the courses had to get more maze-like to stay challenging, and this version largely succeeded. No two holes play the same, and I liked them with the exception of a couple of the more annoying holes. Also the Game Gear version includes a password feature, not only good for picking up where you left off but also eliminating the frustration present in the Master System version since that one restarted whenever you ran out of shots. There's also a second "Master" course to play after completing the first course. There's plenty to do.

Unfortunately, there are plenty of problems, too. Like in the Master System version, the aiming can be problematic. The angled isometric perspective made aiming a headache in both versions, but the limited screen area of the Game Gear makes it an even bigger detriment. Trying to look down the course is a pain due to inexplicable stiffness in the controls (which isn't present when actually shooting, go figure). Also, the visuals, while decent for the Game Gear, lack much of the pizzazz that the Master System could pull off. It ends up looking very plain.

Putt & Putter on the Game Gear avoids some of the pitfalls of the Master System version but falls into some of its own. It's not a bad mini-golf game, but it's not one to seek out, either. This one was just a very close bogey.