Sega Master System

Otherguy676

Otherguy676

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I have recently started to put together a SMS collection. I have a few games, and a crown jewel that I got for cheap before it started selling at crazy prices (Ninja Gaiden, does anyone else own this?). I also have Phantasy Star, Power Strike, and a Mircale Warriors (along with a few others). Any know of other Good Master system games that I should try to find? I am looking for Golden Axe Warrior, other than that I am pretty clueless. I have a Alex Kidd game and I am not a fan of that series.
 
The first Zillion (the second one is pure action) is kind of like Metroid meets Impossible Mission (a CK64 game). You run around in an underground base gathering passwords, which you use in other rooms to unlock doors/turn off barriers/etc. You have a gun and can attack enemies. I never got very far in it - it's pretty challenging from what I remember. Might need to go back and try it again.

The Wonder Boy games past the first one are great in my opinion, such as WB3: Dragon's Trap and WB in Monster Land. WBiML has stages you progress through, but you get better equipment and level up overtime with more life. DT is again like Metroid with a persistent world - you can transform into different characters and get better equipment. For reference, the first WB title is exactly like an Adventure Island game - run to the right, jump over pits, etc.

I like the Fantasy Zone games, if only for the catchy music they have.
 
[quote name='Strell']The first Zillion (the second one is pure action) is kind of like Metroid meets Impossible Mission (a CK64 game). You run around in an underground base gathering passwords, which you use in other rooms to unlock doors/turn off barriers/etc. You have a gun and can attack enemies. I never got very far in it - it's pretty challenging from what I remember. Might need to go back and try it again.

The Wonder Boy games past the first one are great in my opinion, such as WB3: Dragon's Trap and WB in Monster Land. WBiML has stages you progress through, but you get better equipment and level up overtime with more life. DT is again like Metroid with a persistent world - you can transform into different characters and get better equipment. For reference, the first WB title is exactly like an Adventure Island game - run to the right, jump over pits, etc.

I like the Fantasy Zone games, if only for the catchy music they
have.[/quote]

Strell, were you a Sega Kid while everyone else enjoyed the NES? You speak like one. I was one FYI. Anyway, Strell hit a few good ones. You might want to look for SpellCaster. It's an adventure game with a dude that has all kinds of magic and what not. The graphics and music are amazing for an 8 Bit wonder. I just couldn't stand the password save feature. Aztec Adventure and Ghost House also kept me hooked. Black Belt is a ncie gem as well. It's the prequel to the Genesis Last Battle (Fist of the North Star). Space Harrier is another classic. Oh and Golvellius ( I think it's spelled) is a Zelda 8bit clone. But with better music IMO. I could name a few more, but I would have to look through my collection. Oh and Strell, wasn't Adventure Island a knock off of the 1st WonderBoy?
 
Adventure Island is a knock off of the first WB, yes.

I started with an NES. One day, however, I wanted to get Super Pitfall for it (which is an atrocious game, btw, and is probably reviewed by the Angry Video Game Nerd or something). My cousin had it, and I had played it and thought it was fun, so I asked for it.

For whatever reason, my mom came back with an SMS. So I had one of those two. A friend of mine who lived across the street had a bunch of games for his, so I played a good number of them. But I had a small library that I kept (and still have the majority of, along with the 3D glasses).

Space Harrier is a good choice, definitely. Ghost House was fun in the "how long can I last" sort of way, even though I remember it getting brutally cheap after a while.

The music of the SMS games is by far some of the best 8bit era stuff you can find. I loved the whole "otherworldly/anime" feel of it all, with those airy, floaty notes and such. It's hard to explain, but the music just had this quality about it that seems so specifically SMS about it all. Where as a lot of the NES's music is pretty clunky, the SMS had a streamlined feeling. Very ethereal.

There's a good number of games on it I'd like to go back and play and see how they are. I picked up Dragon's Curse on the Wii VC since it's essentially WB:DT, and still think it's incredible to think an 8bit machine was pulling it off (I'm aware the version on the VC is actually a TG16 game).

SMS came too late, had no advertising, and didn't have as instantly likeable a mascot. But it was a great little machine and did things the NES couldn't do.
 
There is an article about the SMS in the recent Retro Gamer (the Doom issue). There is also an article in there about a guy who has a complete SMS collection. I'd pick it up, give you some good ideas.
 
When I was a kid with my SMS, the game that I really enjoyed was Kenseiden a contra like game, but with a samurai with sword and special attacks, also note that Rampage won arcade conversion of the year, when it came out, it was almost like the arcade, and it was in the magazine Electronic Games Monthly, I am not sure if that magazine later became what it is today EGM...?Also R-Type, was a great conversion on the sms, with the extra level exclusive to the sms....later will come back , with a few other gems, the sms was a great system that never quite got the attention it deserved in the USA, while in Europe it was a hit, that is another story...
 
Good story Strell. Mines goes that my best friend got a NES. I was gonna get one when somehow, we thought why don't I get a SMS so when we come over, we are playing something different. I was like, GREAT IDEA! So I got the SMS with the Hang on/Safari Hunt built in. Needless to say, when the Mario games and Zelda games came out, we were in his house. God only knows how long we would stay up trying to beat Phantasy Star. Him drawing maps, and me controlling. As for Kenseiden.... how the hell could I forget that one. I loved getting all the
new moves. Damn, now I have a hanking to dust it off and play me some SMS.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2VaQBwMX6w
 
I thank you guys for the suggestions so far. I have Wonder Boy III, haven't been able to play it yet. Same goes for Gorvillius. A local store has Zillion I and II, I think I'll pick up the first one. The store also has Kenseiden which I almost bought, but passed for Alf (due to its rarity, not its infernal crapiness). I have Fantasy Zone remakes, looking for one more game my store has. Any other suggestions?
So far, I will be buying at $5 a pop (complete)
Zillion
Kenseiden

And for anyone who has never played it (and no one has said anything about) Ninja Gaiden for the SMS is worth getting, a total different game than the NES ones.
 
[quote name='Otherguy676']I thank you guys for the suggestions so far. I have Wonder Boy III, haven't been able to play it yet. Same goes for Gorvillius. A local store has Zillion I and II, I think I'll pick up the first one. The store also has Kenseiden which I almost bought, but passed for Alf (due to its rarity, not its infernal crapiness). I have Fantasy Zone remakes, looking for one more game my store has. Any other suggestions?
So far, I will be buying at $5 a pop (complete)
Zillion
Kenseiden

And for anyone who has never played it (and no one has said anything about) Ninja Gaiden for the SMS is worth getting, a total different game than the NES ones.[/QUOTE]


Wish I had my originals one, I sold kenseiden when I was a kid, altough I still have my original Rampage....
 
The 3D glasses were BOMB! I had 2 pair...Zaxxon 3D was just amazing to look at back then!

Favs:

SHINOBI
R-Type
Sonic the Hedgehog
Alex Kidd in Miracle World
Ghouls N Ghosts
Out Run
After Burner
Altered Beast
California Games
Columns (logged LOTS of time on this one..can still hear the main theme)
Ecco
Earthworm Jim (!!!)
Great Baseball
Golden Axe
Global Defense
All the 3D games
Rambo First Blood Part II
Super Monaco GP
Streets of Rage

there are so many more! i miss my SMS....
 
Did you have Maze Hunter, Malik (since you mentioned the glasses)? I remember liking that game quite a bit.

Think a much slower, more puzzle-like Gauntlet, and with less enemies. Oh, and 3D if you have the glasses.
 
Here's my 21 favorite SMS games:

Alex Kidd in Miracle World - Best in the series. Lost Star and Shinobi World are decent, but disappointing after playing Miracle World. High-tech World is just awful.
Aztec Adventure - A linear Zelda-like game. I always liked how if you threw money at some enemies, they'll join you.
Cloud Master - A rather difficult shooter with bizarre enemies.
Double Dragon - Pretty good 2-player game.
Fantasy Zone - Another shooter with bizarre enemies, though not quite as hard. Looks and sounds better than the NES version.
Fantasy Zone II - Longer levels and more challenging than the first one.
Fantasy Zone The Maze - Like Pac-Man, except with weapons and a 2-player option.
Ghost Busters - Most people seem to hate it, but I like it. Drive around and catch ghosts. I had a lot of trouble beating it when I was younger, but now it seems like one of the easiest SMS games.
Golden Axe Warrior - Decent Zelda clone.
Global Defense - Kinda like a horizontal shooter, except you move a cursor around the screen to aim and shoot independently of your ship.
Hang On & Safari Hunt - Pretty basic racer and light gun games, though still enjoyable.
Outrun - Pretty good racing game.
Paper Boy - Good port of the arcade game.
Penguin Land - Play as an invincible penguin trying to roll a fragile egg to the bottom of a pit without breaking it.
Psycho Fox - Enjoyable Mario-like game, though the controls take some getting used to.
Rampage - Good port of the arcade game.
Space Harrier - Decent home version of the arcade game.
Time Soldiers - Fun action game, though later stages become ridiculously difficult.
Wonder Boy - It looks and sounds better than Adventure Island.
Wonder Boy In Monster Land - Play this before Wonder Boy III. The final level is the first level in WBIII.
Wonder Boy III The Dragon's Trap - In my opinion, the best SMS game.
 
One of my friends had the Master System rather than the NES. I remember playing tons of Double Dragon on that bad boy. His home/family was also unique in that his mom played Phantasy Star pretty frequently. R-Type was another really good SMS game. I remember renting a SMS for a weekend from some local videostore in San Diego and getting R-Type as the second game (came with Hang On & Safari Hunt). Since that weekend R-Type has been very much a nostalgic favorite for me.
 
[quote name='Strell']Did you have Maze Hunter, Malik (since you mentioned the glasses)? I remember liking that game quite a bit.

Think a much slower, more puzzle-like Gauntlet, and with less enemies. Oh, and 3D if you have the glasses.[/quote]

yeah...prolly the worst of the 3D games cause the only thing REALLY 3D was when you jumped cause it was a top-down game...still fun though
 
God Damn it, I have all the Roms sitting on my hard drive, that Coleco 20 in 1 unit and the drive (but not the technical skill) to dump the real 20 best SMS games on it.
 
[quote name='jimfoley16']Can't believe no one mentioned My Hero. I love that game.[/QUOTE]


oh my god, I was playing that game last night 0.0
 
[quote name='ITDEFX']oh my god, I was playing that game last night 0.0[/quote]

The never ending My Hero. I have about 50 or so Master System games; I was the kid with the SMS growing up, while obviously, most of my friends had the NES. I always thought Safari Hunt was the best 8bit gun game.
 
[quote name='IkilledLassic']The never ending My Hero. I have about 50 or so Master System games; I was the kid with the SMS growing up, while obviously, most of my friends had the NES. I always thought Safari Hunt was the best 8bit gun game.[/QUOTE]


I can quote u on that...safari hunt was the greatest 8bit light gun game, better than the crappy duck hunt on the nes.
 
I loved "The Ninja" - home version of that arcade game I played the hell out of.

I also agree with earlier posters - Safari Hunt was badass.
 
[quote name='Heavy Hitter']I loved "The Ninja" - home version of that arcade game I played the hell out of.
/quote]

I loved that game. I could just never find the final green scroll to beat the game. My step father was obsessed with Space Harrier and R-Type. I hated the SMS Space Harrier until I found the continue code. The SMS version of My Hero sucked balls. Has anyone else but me ever played Spellcaster? Oh, does anyone remember how you could get infinate continues in the last level of Double Dragon? I know, I just thought I would throw it out there for "remember that" sake. No peeping in GameFAQs!
 
[quote name='Otherguy676']I thank you guys for the suggestions so far. I have Wonder Boy III, haven't been able to play it yet. Same goes for Gorvillius. A local store has Zillion I and II, I think I'll pick up the first one. The store also has Kenseiden which I almost bought, but passed for Alf (due to its rarity, not its infernal crapiness). I have Fantasy Zone remakes, looking for one more game my store has. Any other suggestions?
So far, I will be buying at $5 a pop (complete)
Zillion
Kenseiden

And for anyone who has never played it (and no one has said anything about) Ninja Gaiden for the SMS is worth getting, a total different game than the NES ones.[/quote]

WTF is wrong with you. Alf isn't rare. That game was a piece of garbage. Unlike ET, it had better graphics. You can probably find it at the local dump. Ninja Gaiden was the arcade version which by far more violent. Shinobi was crazy hard! Psyco Fox was alright. How bout Transbot or Action Fighter, or even Choplifter. There's a classic.
 
[quote name='Otherguy676']I thank you guys for the suggestions so far. I have Wonder Boy III, haven't been able to play it yet. Same goes for Gorvillius. A local store has Zillion I and II, I think I'll pick up the first one. The store also has Kenseiden which I almost bought, but passed for Alf (due to its rarity, not its infernal crapiness). I have Fantasy Zone remakes, looking for one more game my store has. Any other suggestions?
So far, I will be buying at $5 a pop (complete)
Zillion
Kenseiden

And for anyone who has never played it (and no one has said anything about) Ninja Gaiden for the SMS is worth getting, a total different game than the NES ones.[/quote]

Is it more like the arcade version (which was WAY different from NES ninja Gaiden to say the least).

I know the SMS had a bunch of arcade games with either better translation or exclusives (R Type and Rastan, to name a couple).
 
[quote name='Malik112099']The 3D glasses were BOMB! I had 2 pair...Zaxxon 3D was just amazing to look at back then!

Favs:

SHINOBI
R-Type
Sonic the Hedgehog
Alex Kidd in Miracle World
Ghouls N Ghosts
Out Run
After Burner
Altered Beast
California Games
Columns (logged LOTS of time on this one..can still hear the main theme)
Ecco
Earthworm Jim (!!!)
Great Baseball
Golden Axe
Global Defense
All the 3D games
Rambo First Blood Part II
Super Monaco GP
Streets of Rage

there are so many more! i miss my SMS....[/quote]

What the F? Most of those were Genesis games...they made them on SMS too?

I was playing the Alex Kidd game on the PS2 Genesis collection a little while ago...God the controls are horrid. I remember those games were brutally tough, are they even beatable?
 
[quote name='karkyco']What the F? Most of those were Genesis games...they made them on SMS too?[/quote]Yes, and they are damn fine 8-bit ports, especially Golden Axe.
 
[quote name='vasco']WTF is wrong with you. Alf isn't rare. That game was a piece of garbage. Unlike ET, it had better graphics. You can probably find it at the local dump. Ninja Gaiden was the arcade version which by far more violent. Shinobi was crazy hard! Psyco Fox was alright. How bout Transbot or Action Fighter, or even Choplifter. There's a classic.[/QUOTE]

Alf is actually pretty rare, much harder to find then Kenseiden.

[quote name='karkyco']What the F? Most of those were Genesis games...they made them on SMS too?

I was playing the Alex Kidd game on the PS2 Genesis collection a little while ago...God the controls are horrid. I remember those games were brutally tough, are they even beatable?[/QUOTE]

All the games listed were released on the SMS, though some of them were only released in Europe and/or Brazil.

I've played through the first three Alex Kidd games on SMS, but never finished Shinobi World or the Genesis one. I'd say Miracle World is the best of the series, better than even the Genesis one. It's been years since I played the Genesis one though, I ought to try it again soon.
 
[quote name='vasco'][quote name='Heavy Hitter']I loved "The Ninja" - home version of that arcade game I played the hell out of.
/quote]

I loved that game. I could just never find the final green scroll to beat the game. My step father was obsessed with Space Harrier and R-Type. I hated the SMS Space Harrier until I found the continue code. The SMS version of My Hero sucked balls. Has anyone else but me ever played Spellcaster? Oh, does anyone remember how you could get infinate continues in the last level of Double Dragon? I know, I just thought I would throw it out there for "remember that" sake. No peeping in GameFAQs![/QUOTE]


It was like jumping at the beggining of the last stage, don't know how many times though, but it was that!
 
Alf is one of the few US only releases that was not also released in the UK, and already hard to find in the US (although the game is supposedly awfule, haven't tried it yet). Ninja Gaiden is not the arcade version, it is a game in the vein of the NES versions, not the arcade beat 'em up. It does not have wall climbing but Ryu can hang onto the bottom of platforms to move to new heights on stages. If you like Ninja Gaiden 1-3, it is worth as least trying an emulated version of SMS Ninja Gaiden.
 
[quote name='Strell']
There's a good number of games on it I'd like to go back and play and see how they are. I picked up Dragon's Curse on the Wii VC since it's essentially WB:DT, and still think it's incredible to think an 8bit machine was pulling it off (I'm aware the version on the VC is actually a TG16 game).
[/QUOTE]

Ya, actually, the TG16 is an 8 bit machine mechanically. Just goes to show you even back then, bits didn't matter eh?

But ya, I've been meaning to buy myself a sega master system for awhile now, I'd love to find the original Phantasy Star, but it's so expensive, and that Sonic game is like drastic money ($100 I think). Did anyone ever play Golden Axe Warriors? What's up with that game, is it like Golden Axe meets Zelda or what?
 
Not sure about the collectability of these, but they are some of the funnest on the console for me..

General Chaos
Earthworm Jim
Toejam and Earl
 
[quote name='Lord Draconus777']Ya, actually, the TG16 is an 8 bit machine mechanically. Just goes to show you even back then, bits didn't matter eh?

But ya, I've been meaning to buy myself a sega master system for awhile now, I'd love to find the original Phantasy Star, but it's so expensive, and that Sonic game is like drastic money ($100 I think). Did anyone ever play Golden Axe Warriors? What's up with that game, is it like Golden Axe meets Zelda or what?[/QUOTE]

Phantasy Star isn't really that expensive. I'm pretty sure a complete copy only goes for $25 to $35 nowadays. Cheaper if you don't mind loose. I've seen the US version of Sonic 1 reach $300, but you should be able to find a European version for $15 or less. Golden Axe Warrior plays like the original Zelda, though with a few different features. The story is what links it to the other Golden Axe games.

[quote name='underliness']Not sure about the collectability of these, but they are some of the funnest on the console for me..

General Chaos
Earthworm Jim
Toejam and Earl[/QUOTE]

General Chaos and Toejam and Earl were never released on the Sega Master System. I'm guessing you're thinking of the Genesis.
 
General Chaos and Toejam and Earl were never released on the Sega Master System. I'm guessing you're thinking of the Genesis.
Click to expand...

Ah your right, just reading through some peoples lists and alot were genesis games also, so I guess I was just thinking genesis games because I never had a master system.

Anyways the only actualy master system games I got to play on my friends system are Rambo, Double Dragon and some Spy vs Spy game.
 
Rambo was the shit!

I forgot about that. My list of all-time classic SMS games.

Chopperlift (I think that's what it's called)
Astro Warriors
My Hero
Rambo (Light-Gun game)
The "Great" series of sports games
Penguin Land
Ghost House (or whatever it's called, the Haunted House game)

Those are the ones I remember playing when I was little. I'm sure there is more.
 
I seem to remember playing thunderblade and pro wrestling a lot. I don't really remember if they were very good or not haha. I think we bought the whole system for like 5 bones at a garage sale.

Me and my brother always thought it was funny that the old sega controlers worked on the genesis. We used to try to beat Streets of Rage 2 with the SMS controler on the genesis minus the C button.

God we must have been bored.
 
[quote name='jimfoley16']Rambo was the shit!

I forgot about that. My list of all-time classic SMS games.

Chopperlift (I think that's what it's called)
Astro Warriors
My Hero
Rambo (Light-Gun game)
The "Great" series of sports games
Penguin Land
Ghost House (or whatever it's called, the Haunted House game)

Those are the ones I remember playing when I was little. I'm sure there is more.[/quote]
Im happy someone started this thread--- My brother and I used to fight over Rambo, which I always thought was better then Ikari Warriors. The Ninja was a bitch of a game, but so fun. That last scroll was BS! But, if you remember, in those days (87) or so, Sega had a free toll free hotline you could call for free tips on games. I used it for that and Y's. Those were the glory days of gaming for me, that and the Genesis. I remember mapping out Phantasy Star dungeons on graphing paper; quite nerdy, but effective.
 
My Phantasy Star with Box and game (no manual - argh!) was $10 and some change off ebay about 8 months ago. European Sonic should cost under $10, and Euro games work with US Console.
 
[quote name='hcamacho'][quote name='vasco']


It was like jumping at the beggining of the last stage, don't know how many times though, but it was that![/quote]

Yeah..it was ten times. God I loved that games. Way better than the lame NES version. You didn't have to "earn" your moves. Rambo two was beyond the shit! How could I have forgotten Ys the Vanished Omen. I beat that game by sheer freakin luck. But damn that Dark Temple music was phenominal. I can still hum the tunes in that game. Rambo 3 was even more fun with 2 players. I remember double gunning it when my lil bros didn't wanna play. If Alf is that rare, then I'll pick the 3 that are at my local pawn shop that's selling them for 5 bucks, then take my neighbors and make oodles of cash on eBay. Thanks for the heads up!
 
Glad to see someone else mentioned Golvellius - I only owned an SMS back then, and I used to drool over Zelda at my cousin's house. When Golvellius came out I felt a lot better about my choice of systems. I also got $50 from Computer Games and Video Entertainment for my Golvellius tip they published -wish I still had a copy of the issue that was in!
 
This is one of the greatest old school threads ever. Awesome to see so much interest in the SMS. Glad Im not the only one who had it when they were kids. I remember Toys R US used to take back open games; that buisness transaction obviously changed, but not until the end of the SMS life. Buying games like Kung Fu Kid, which my bro and I beat in 2 hours, or Alex Kidd and the Lost Stars, which graphically was cool, but was no where near the quality of the first one, went back for other games. Quick check of my games and I realized I lost my card copy of Spy Vs Spy, pretty pissed about that.
 
Picked up Zillion today. They tried to get me to buy Zillion 2 also, but I as told Zillion is way better. Also bought Marine Wars (2600) instead of Kenseiden because they have 2 Kenseiden's left. I also saw Rampage, Dick Tracy, Thunderblade, Afterburner, Golden Axe, and a SMS system with Red Box art.
 
The Virtual Console needs SMS games. I wonder if Nintendo would dare put SMS games alongside NES games. Phantasy Star without having to worry about the cartridge battery dying would be great.
 
[quote name='Halo05']The Virtual Console needs SMS games. I wonder if Nintendo would dare put SMS games alongside NES games. Phantasy Star without having to worry about the cartridge battery dying would be great.[/quote]

I would probably download more of those than any so far. Maybe cuz I was the SMS fanboy back then. Granted, it didn't have Ninja Turtles or Megaman. But for those who had it, were definately in a different crowd. God knows how many emails I have sent to ninty to put SMS games. I always get the generic computer "thanks for the feedback" response. SMS rules! I think I will definately dust off the SMS on my day off tomorrow and play me some Kenseiden for sure!
 
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