Dr Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine

Dr Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine is a game for the Sega Genesis and Game Gear that was released in 1993. It is very similar to Puyo Puyo execpt for a few sprite changes and Carbuncle is renamed Has Bean. So anyways, when I got it when I was 9 for my birthday, I played it everyday, playing though all the levels. Eventually I got tired of playing it and threw out my Genesis, along with the games I had for it. If you didn't know already, Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine is a Sonic game.

Around 2004 or 2003, I had a friend whose life was Sonic. He talked about it everyday at our collage. I always told him to grow up and start playing other games like brand-new Halo 2, or some other game, but he always refused to give up Sonic for another game.

One day he has invited me to an party at his house. I didn't want to go, because last time he had an party, he just tried to get everyone to play weird game with him or something. But he told me there would be no Sonic games there, and he would invite some girls there. So I came.

On my way there, I noticed something in the window of the local gas station. Now it wasn't just a sign or food, it looked like a game console! Why would a gas station sell a game console, I don't know...

But sure enough, when I dropped by, it was a Sega Game Gear! And what was next to it? Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine, along with Sonic the Hedgehog 2! I didn't like Sonic 2 for the Game Gear because of the bad ending, but Mean Bean machine was awesome! I asked the guy how much it was, and he said they were giving it out as the main prize for a contest. "But you can buy it for $200," the man said, looking at the Game Gear. I bought it with my credit card and drove off. I don't know why I bought it, though.

When I got to the party, my friend was sitting on the couch. He looked pale, like he just threw up... I asked him if he was ok, but he just stared at me. Once again, I asked him if he was sick. This time, he said, "I am fine...just...just...I need to play him, you know, Sonic," I groaned at him. "I got a Game Gear!" I exclaimed, trying to lift my friend's sprits. My friend didn't see very surprised, although. "

Around 5:00pm, another guy came in, let's just call him Johnny. He had brought a bag of chips and a huge bottle of Sprite. He put the stuff on the table and walked outside again. He came back in with a Sega Genesis. "About a decade ago, I found his weird game console in a trash can!" Johnny exclaimed, waving it in the air. I gasped. My friend screamed. "H-h-how could you call that weird?" my friend said. "The best Sonic game was on that console!" There he goes again... I said to myself. Johnny snickered. He grabbed his stuff and walked outside.

When Johnny left, I brought my Game Gear in, with the two games. "Let's play." I said. Although my friend still didn't seem amused, he nodded, and for once this night, smiled!

We played for less than half a hour before it stopped working. "New batteries," my friend said. I knew that the Game Gear was known to have a short battery life, so I wasn't very surprised.

While I was playing, my friend was calling people to say that party was cancelled. Finally when I finished playing Sonic 2 (I got atleast twenty game-overs) it was midnight. "I'm gonna call it a night," my friend yawned. "We haven't even played Dr. Robotnik's mean bean machine yet, you have to stay up!" I told him. "Fine," groaned my friend. I got the box that had Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine in it, took out the cartridge, and put it in the Game Gear.

As I was playing, I could feel something was strange about this game, but I couldn't put my finger on it. Weird lighting? No. Off-music? Maybe. My friend snoring, making it sound like the Game Gear was about to blow up? Nope.

When I got to Stage 11 everything was flashing...purple and green?And there was 16-bit music instead of 8-bit music. And the music was just a evil laugh, then someone screaming "No... Please! Don't!" And after that there was a slashing sound and a scream. I still remember that it sounded like today. My friend was woken up by the music, and quickly ran under the table and covered his ears. I was about it shut it off when I heard a knock on the door. I answered it, and it was that Johnny guy. He said that someone had broken into his house and took his stuff. Then Johnny asked if he could stay at my friends house. I didn't own the house, but I told him he could stay for the night. He turned on the TV and watched the news. "Now we have breaking news. A gas station was having a give way for a Sega Game Gear. Although no one entered the contest, a man went it the store and bought it for $200, yes, $200. Now here's the shocking part: The game Gear was owned by a killer in China. He had hacked into one of the games it came with, Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine, and made it 'haunted'. Not much is know about this man and the console. If you have information please email us." the news anchor said.

Okay, so that creeped the shit out of me. Johnny must of had seen my expression and thought I was shocked at the $200 dollar thing, so he said "200 bucks is terrible for a decade old game console!" He laughed after that and changed the channel to some history channel. "Hey, Johnny." I whispered to Johnny, "can I tell you something?" I asked. Johnny nodded.

After I told him the Game Gear thing, he didn't believe me, so I had to show him the proof. Luckily I had the level on pause, and guess what? No screaming, no slashing, no laughing, no red screen, just all normal. "Maybe they will say more about it on the news. Turn it on," I said to him, grabbing the remote and changing the channel back to the news. I handed Johnny the game gear and he started playing it. "I love the memories of playing this back in 1994!" he said, smiling. Then he looked shocked. "You're right..." Johnny said. "I hear everything. But I also hear something else. It's not screaming or anything like that

I told him to turn the volume up to the max. He did, but I could hear nothing but the screaming. My friend had came back from the table and told Johnny and I that we have to leave. I left, but Johnny just stood there. Like someone froze him.

" Come on." I said to Johnny. Johnny didn't get up. He just...stared. At me.

"Wake up! Wake up!"

I looked slowly turned my head around. I was on the floor of the service station, inside the gas station. I saw my friend, a few of the gas station workers, some guy in a trenchcoat, and Johnny. My friend then told me that I had passed out inside the gas station when I bought the Game Gear. Strangely enough, no one had seen my passed out body on the floor until Johnny came. He told me that he felt something really strange when he was leaving the service station, and when he looked down, he had found me.

My friend drove me to his house, where he asked me if he could play the Game Gear. I nodded. I watched him play Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine closely to see if the curse was really more than just a dream.

It wasn't. The slashing. The screaming. The flashing screen. It was all too real.

My friend had already threw the Game Gear across the room quicker then I could stay okay.

The Game Gear was no longer together. The screen had exploded, the buttons were all over the place, and strangely... There was blood, all over my hands. There were some on the Game Gear, too... On the couch, the chimney...

My friend had ran into the living room. He looked quite relived that the Game Gear was gone, yet angry that there was blood everywhere.

To this day, we are still unsure who's blood was inside the Game Gear and where the Chinese killer currently is. We believe that the blood is the screaming person's from Level 11 in Dr. Robotnik's, but we're not so sure.

Written by WQual