The Master System Appreciation Thread

[lisalover1]

I have the same problem with my Master System collection that I have with my GameCube collection: I have collected almost all of the worthwhile titles released domestically, so now I have to buy from Europe and Japan to get the foreign exclusives. This is the point at which I should reasonably stop. XD

[nightrnr]

I have the same problem with my Master System collection that I have with my GameCube collection: I have collected almost all of the worthwhile titles released domestically, so now I have to buy from Europe and Japan to get the foreign exclusives. This is the point at which I should reasonably stop. XD

Yeah, I decided a while ago it was US releases only for me.
I attempted to buy Power Strike a few times (US and/or Europe), but gave up and just resorted to emulation for that.
Similar story for Sonic, but I figure I'm a big enough Game Gear fan to care too much.

I'm actually quite proud of my collection, although some of them are cart only (I even printed out a cover for Fantasy Zone II, in which the case houses both it and it's predecessor).

It was quite enjoyable collecting for the system.

[heelsinc]

can somebody list out some MUST play games for this system for me.

Thanks

Nevermind found one right here a few pages back!

[Betagam7]

A few years ago when I was back in the UK I noticed a lot of SMS titles were showing up in charity shops. It was one of the few retro systems I'd never really played much of always thinking it a poor man's NES back in the day (although I never had a NES either!)

Anyway, I managed to pick up an interesting Master System MkII.

It was interesting in that it had been fitted with two switches. The first was a 50/60hz switch that forced PAL titles to run as they should have done if they hadn't been borked by the usual PAL issues of the day.

The second one is a little more interesting though, it enables you to switch regions, but not just to play import carts, it actually does something that interferes with the code of the cart itself so that if a Japanese game has different content, graphics or text than a PAL one, switching it to Japanese will unlock this as if you were playing the import cart.

It was fun experimenting with games to see what differences you could find e.g palate changes, etc.

I ended up getting 17 games for it, all very cheaply, the best find being Fantastic Dizzy which took me back to my days as a C64 gamer but I also enjoyed Land of Illusion and the SMS port of Ultima IV.

Possibly my favourite thing about the SMS though is the game cases. Those lovely video style hard boxes will look great next to my NGPC snapcases one day

[Gunstar Green]

I've only recently started exploring the Master System with a Power Base Converter (and emulation to help me decide what games to track down). It's been an interesting ride from the perspective of a Genesis fan.

Sometimes it's hard for my mind the parse that it was the same generation as the NES since a few games feel like early 16-bit games. If not for the sprite flicker in R-Type and Choplifter you could probably convince me they were early Genesis games.

Many of the games do have the same sort of je ne sais quoi of the early Genesis library. The only place I think they went a little wrong was trying too hard to bring the arcade visuals home. They just didn't have the tech yet and the results are mixed. The NES often redesigned games to compliment the hardware while the Master System tries to impress and bites off more than it can chew in several cases, especially the scaler games.

I think the North American library is in need of imports to supplement it, though it does hit many of the major classics. 2D platformers are my thing and some of the best like 8-bit Sonic the Hedgehog, Ninja Gaiden and Land of Illusion didn't make it to the US.

Recently I've been playing Golvellius on the Retron 5 as I posted in the "what are you playing" thread. It's an odd game that combines elements from Zelda and Wonder Boy among other things. While perhaps not as polished as either of those games there's something extremely fun about pushing forward and searching every screen while slowly making progress and opening up more of the world.

[Sload Soap]

I hit a bit of a rough patch with my Master System earlier this year. Some of the supposed classics really turned me off, Psycho Fox, Golvellius and Action Fighter especially. Very briefly thought of doing a massive purge.

It is a system I rate highly though and it's a lot of fun to collect for. Graphically it's superior to the NES but its sound is worse, even with the FM sound.

[prfsnl_gmr]

Graphically it's superior to the NES but its sound is worse, even with the FM sound.

Bone and I discussed the NES and SMS the last time we met, and he made a good point regarding the SMS's library. While we both agreed that the SMS had superior graphics (and vastly inferior sound), he noted that SMS games were generally much more deliberately-paced than NES games. That is, there are no SMS games that really "move" as quickly and fluidly as some of the NES's best titles, and in retrospect, I think that this is what killed the system in North America.

[Gunstar Green]

I hit a bit of a rough patch with my Master System earlier this year. Some of the supposed classics really turned me off, Psycho Fox, Golvellius and Action Fighter especially.

Psycho Fox is a pretty divisive game. I feel the same way about Zillion which is another game often cited as one of the classics. They take some time to warm up to and I don't think they click with most people.

As I said I'm really enjoying Golvellius but it is a little grindy and unpolished.

Action Fighter is kind of crap. I love Spy Hunter so I desperately want to like it, but it's a bad Spy Hunter clone married to a worse Xevious clone. It's more frustrating than fun.

That is, there are no SMS games that really "move" as quickly and fluidly as some of the NES's best titles, and in retrospect, I think that this is what killed the system in North America.

I kind of agree, especially in regards to the US library. I think its failure can be more heavily attributed to Tonka's poor marketing and Nintendo's stranglehold on the market and third parties. It really didn't have a chance. If a new NES game sucked it wasn't a big deal, there were plenty more. If a new SMS game sucked... well you were stuck with it.

A lot of hard lessons were learned leading up to the Genesis.

[Blu]

The shmups on SMS are fantastic. Astro Warrior, Bomber Raid, Scramble Spirits, Power Strike, R-Type.

[Gunstar Green]

R-Type is really something for an 8-bit home port.

Does anyone know what the deal is with there being no Famicom/NES port? Irem was pretty good to the console otherwise and Nintendo even released the R-Type arcade cabinet in the US.

Were they concerned with Nintendo's licensing policies? Did they not thing the NES graphics would do it justice? Did Irem just not want to do it? Compile made the SMS conversion after all.

I've never seen a clear answer.