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I'll be honest, I've really never felt any pull towards the Sega Master System. So many of its titles just seem like less-fun versions of NES games, albeit some of them look nice. That being said, I do own one Master System game, and it's Master of Darkness. It is basically just a less fun version of the NES Castlevania games, but those games are really, really fun, so even a watered-down version is still pretty fun. And I do really appreciate its style and tone, which almost feel a bit like the Genesis Castlevania, Bloodlines.

I'm certainly willing to be convinced that I'm missing out on some good Master System games. I've definitely been interested in the Master System Ninja Gaiden title and the Golden Axe adventure game, and I've heard some good things about the Donald Duck games. It's just never been enough to push me over into getting a console. I did buy a converter from a friend of mine, but it turned out it's the kind that doesn't fit on my model of Genesis

ZRofel wrote:I'll be honest, I've really never felt any pull towards the Sega Master System. So many of its titles just seem like less-fun versions of NES games, albeit some of them look nice. That being said, I do own one Master System game, and it's Master of Darkness. It is basically just a less fun version of the NES Castlevania games, but those games are really, really fun, so even a watered-down version is still pretty fun. And I do really appreciate its style and tone, which almost feel a bit like the Genesis Castlevania, Bloodlines.

I'm certainly willing to be convinced that I'm missing out on some good Master System games. I've definitely been interested in the Master System Ninja Gaiden title and the Golden Axe adventure game, and I've heard some good things about the Donald Duck games. It's just never been enough to push me over into getting a console. I did buy a converter from a friend of mine, but it turned out it's the kind that doesn't fit on my model of Genesis

You probably got the Power Base Converter, right? That's for model 1s. This should do it:

https://stoneagegamer.com/powerbase-mini.html

As I mentioned in my earlier post, there's also the FM one for the ones that have the FM sound chip inside.

I thought I'd try and highlight a few games for the console this month that I'm a fan of. I am a big fan of the system and there's definitely nostalgia underpinning that. I won't pretend the NES library isn't overall superior or that the Master System has as many games to rival the best of the best on Nintendo's platform, especially with that console's practical monopoly on 3rd parties at the time - however, there's a ton of cool games that are fun and interesting to play that make the Master System a console worth owning still in my eyes.

The first games I want to recommend are the Astérix titles on the system - more specifically the first 2. There are 3 Asterix games on the system: Asterix and Asterix & The Secret Mission were both developed by Sega and are fun platform titles. The later Asterix and the Great Rescue is by Core Design and is awful, and to be avoided.



For the non-Europeans out there who might not be familair with the Asterix franchise, they're comedic French comic books starring a warrior named Asterix and his friend Obelix who live in Roman-era Gaul (aka France) and use a magic potion that gives them super strength to fight Roman invaders. Ultimately though, it's normal Asterix' shrewd and cunning nature that wins the day, generally in an amusing manner. They're honestly fantastic and the English translations are also brilliant, so give them a read.



Anyhow, in the games, this is translated into a character driven platform title where you play as Asterix and Obelix, jumping through stages and punching soldiers. Each level is made up of several stages, and you can choose to play as Asterix or Obelix in each one. Asterix being smaller can fit through tighter spaces, and makes use of potions which act like bombs to blow up blocks. In the second game he gets a double jump too. Obelix is stronger and can punch through the blocks or butt slam them but his bigger size means he is less mobile. Some levels are identical regardless of the character, but because of their unique skills, many of the levels for Asterix and Obelix are completely different, giving a great excuse to replay the game and try out stages you missed. Some are simple action romps, some have puzzles to solve, some require some exploration, so there's some nice diversity, although the difficulty can be a bit uneven depending which character you choose.



The sound isn't really anything to write home about, but it's unoffensive, and the game looks pretty great for the hardware, with bright colourful visuals and brillaint spritework that really does justice to the comics on an 8 bit machine.



I'm fairly sure these are European exclusives (my mind will be blown if they arent) but they're on the cheaper end of the spectrum over here so I'd recommend picking them up if you're interested in importing and trying some of the many PAL exclusive titles on the system. Just don't get mixed up and accidentally buy the Core Design game!

...I can't believe I'm getting to this thread late, I have nothing but love for the SMS. I didn't have a NES or SMS during the 8-bit era of consoles so I had to live vicariously through relatives and classmates. This nissanusa.com how I eneded up spending a ton of time w/my cousin's SMS. While it certainly doesn't have the library there are a ton of great games for the system. I have very fond memories of Outrun, Fantasy Zone: The Maze, Zillion, Cloud Master, Kung Fu Kid, and even Great Baseball...though that last one is probably through very rose colored lenses: . Even better is when I finally got my Genesis for Christmas my parents also threw in a Powerbase Converter so I was able to keep the 8-bit Sega goodness going. I would even make time to go over the SMS coverage and reviews in Visions.

...on a more modern note the SMS is an area I'm really trying to get active in collecting for while it's still relatively slept on. I've got a few titles on my list I would really like to get my hands on like titles I mentioned earlier
(well except Great Baseball), The Ninja, Cyborg Hunter, Golvellius, Alex Kidd in Shinobi Land, Ghost House, Penguin Land, Transbot, and maybe even Phantasy Star and R-Typeas well. It's really cool to see this thread hit 4-pages, I sort of assumed that most weren't familiar with or fans of the SMS since most people have never heard of it and not many ever talk about it.

prfsnl_gmr wrote:IMO, the SMS version of Castle of Illusion is better than the Genesis version. (Maybe this comment brings in the unpopular opinions thread…)

...nah, well not imo anyways lol. I've played and finished both, though it was Game Gear version...I really like both but have to give the nod to the Genesis version. I feel that the 16-bit version is just better all around.

This topic is making me want to bust out my Power Base Converter again. I have a copy of Ys with the manual and everything Ive just been too lazy to get into.