Note from racketboy: Special thanks goes to Chrono for putting most of this guide together! The RetroGaming 101 series is aimed at gamers who are just starting out in the classic gaming scene or are curious about an older console that they don’t know much about yet.

Before Sega made wave with the Genesis/Megadrive in the 16-bit era, it had its first international console release with the Sega Master System.  It didn’t have nearly the success in the US as the Nintendo Entertainment System, but it had large market share in Europe and Brazil and still has quite a following.  We’ll try to cover all the basics about the Master System, but if you have any other tips or tidbits of info about this little machine, feel free to share it in the comments below.

Historical Impact

• The First version is the Mark III, which was only released in Japan (1985) and was basically an upgrade of the SG-1000 II, it looks similar and is backwards compatible with SG-1000 games.
• The Master System came out in 1986 in North America, EU and Japan in 1987
• Due to strong International support (mainly in European markets and in other regions like Brazil), the Master System is the second best selling Sega console with 13 million units sold, only the Mega Drive/Genesis sold more.
• The Master System enjoyed a decade of strong sales in Brazil and other smaller markets when Nintendo did not sell the NES.
• Their were no official mascots for the Master System, but Alex Kidd and Sonic are often thought of as being the unofficial mascots. (But Sonic showed up on the Genesis first)
• The Master System laid the technical groundwork for Sega’s portable Game Gear system.
• In the global market, the Master System was heavily overshadowed by the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES).
• While early consoles typically came bundled with a game cartridge (such as Mario/Duck Hunt on NES), the Master System had games embedded in the console hardware.
• The 3D Glasses were an ambitious accessory — especially for a first-party release.  They worked well and were innovative.

Strengths

• Good 8-bit Color Palette: Better color palette than the NES, 64 colors to the 48 on the NES.  The SMS had up to 32 simultaneous colors available (one 16-color palette for sprites or background, an additional 16-color palette for background only) from a palette of 64 (can also show 64 simultaneous colors using programming tricks)
• Some Excellent Ports: R-Type, Alex Kidd games, Ghouls and Ghosts, Sonic 1, 2 and Chaos, Shinobi, Phantasy Star, Fantasy Zone (if it doesn’t render you blind) are all great on the Master System.   IThe SMS also has a better version of Castle of Illusion than on the Genesis/Mega Drive, even if it is very similar to Mario 2.
• Phantasy Star – It’s worth repeating that the original Phantasy Star (a wonderful RPG) is on the Master System.  Will complement the three sequels on the Genesis quite nicely.
• 3D Glasses – An early example of Sega’s creativtiy in both hardware and software.  It created a number of its games to support the 3D glasses accessory.  They are rather hard to find, but worked surprisingly well.
• Strong Support in Brazil – Classic Sega systems are still quite popular in Brazil and the Master System received many games published well after the machine had died off elsewhere.  Games included ports of Street Fighter 2 and Dynamite Headdy (from Treasure)
• Very Durable Console Hardware: The machine itself (Master System 2 mainly) holds up well to coffee spills, kickings and overplaying surprisingly well. I’ve broken a Master System 1, but I’ve had the same Master System since 1991.
• Play On the Genesis With Power Base Convertor: Even if you don’t have a Master System, but do own a Genesis/Megadrive you can play Master System games, just put a Master System Converter into the console and you’re set.  The Genesis sound chip is actually the same processor as the Master System’s CPU, so everything runs perfectly.
• Master System and Genesis/Megadrive Controllers Interchangable: That’s right — Master System and Genesis controllers use the same connector and are backwards/forwards-compatible with each other.  (and Atari joysticks too)  So if you prefer Genesis controller or just have a bunch laying around, don’t worry about hunting down Master System controllers.  You can also use Master System controllers with your Genesis/Power Base Converter combo for more authenticity
• Solid Game Boxes: The game boxes are of good quality, none of that cardboard NES, SNES and N64 stuff
• More Affordable in the UK – NES games are far more expensive in the UK than they are in America which is why the Master System is so much more attractive in that region.

Weaknesses

• Limited Game Library: The Master System had about 300 games compared to the NES’ 500+  classics.
• Most Multi-Platform Games are Inferior: Despite having a few excellent ports (see above), most games that showed up on both NES and SMS seem to be inferior.
• Low Quality Controllers – The D-pad on the standard controller feels unresponsive at times and breaks quite easily.
• Difficult to Find in the US: Both the consoles are hard to come by games in America compared to the NES or Genesis.

Hardware Variations

	Master System (Model 1) / Mark III The original Sega Master System was manufactured by Tonka. It was known as the Mark III in Japan (see picture of Mark III).  The original Master System and the Mark III included a card reader. The cards being slightly smaller than credit cards held less data than a cartridge, often lacking an ending to the games, there were very few card games.
	Master System II The Master System 2 was a cosmetic update that included some cost-saving technical changes as well.  Cartridges are inserted under the black plastic lid that slid back to expose the cartridge port. (Unfortunately, after repeated use, the lid over the cartridge slot loses it’s elasticity and just hangs half over)  The Master System II did not have an expansion port (which was never used anyway), card reader or reset button. All the cartridge games functioned properly on the SMS II, but because of the lack of a card port, the Sega Card games and the 3D Sega Scope Glasses were not usable on the SMS II. The Master System II also included Alex Kidd in Miracle World as the built-in game (1991 saw Sonic 1 built into some consoles)
	Master System III (2003) In Brazil the Sega Master System is still alive and well, mainly due to the fact that many people can’t afford to guy a brand new XBox or PS2 and so settle for the cheaper Famiclones or SMS clones instead. Looks pretty much like the domestic SMS II (which was also released in Brazil.) Not so sure about the pastel color though. I believe this console has Alex Kidd in miracle world built in, but I could be wrong. Picture taken from the Tec Toy website, the official distributor of Sega products for Brazil and most of South America.
	Master System 3 (2008) The Master System 3 (not to be confused with the Master System III (above) from 2003). The new console has a more modern design similar to the Genesis/Megadrive and comes with 131 built-in games (such as Sonic the Hedgehog, Alex Kidd and Golden Axe and a six-button controller. (However, none of the included games have been found to support the extra buttons).  The main disadvantages are the lack of a cartridge slot and the relatively high price (about $125 USD)
	Master System Compact / Girl Only released in Brazil, this rather innovative iteration was the wireless Master System Compact developed by Tec Toy. This little machine actually transmits the audio and video over an RF connection (similar to over-the-air TV). It was produced from 1994 to 1997 and is still a collector’s piece. A variation of this machines was the Master System Girl, was also released in an attempt to attract female consumers. The only difference in this version is a strong pink casing and pastel buttons.
	Power Base Convertor Even though it isn’t a formal Master System console, I figured it should be included here since its a great way to play original Master System games.  Serving as a simple pass-through device, it will let you play Master System games perfectly on your Sega Genesis/Megadrive.
	Portable Master System The Master System hardware are re-purposed into a smaller handheld form factor in late 2006. It is 3 AAA batteries, has a brighter active matrix screen, and contained 20 Game Gear and Sega Master System games. It was released under several brands including Coleco and PlayPal.

Game Library

• Games That Defined The Sega Master System –  Many were direct competition to Nintendo’s biggest titles, but Sega did have some of it’s own personality in some areas.
• The Cheapest Sega Master System Games Worth Your Time – If you want to build your Master System cart collection quickly on a budget, take a look at this guide to get your the values.
• Much like the Genesis, the Master System had plenty of old-school sports to choose from. Games like World Class Leaderboard, Wimbledon, Super Kick Off and California Games are the front-runners (shockingly no Track and Field)

Accessing Built-In Games

• The games Hangon/Safari hunt were built into later models of the original Master System to replace an unnamed puzzle game that was originally included.
• Pressing up, 1, and 2 on Master Systems without Hangon/Safari Hunt would bring up snail maze
• Pressing 1 and 2 and THEN turning the master system on, on master systems with hangon/safari hunt on (ie not Master System 2 onwards).

AV Connections

• Composite cables are going to be the best standard video quality from the Master System.
• The Master System uses the same video cables as the Model 1 Sega Genesis.
• A hardware hack is available to put S-Video in your Master System

Master System Accessories

While this isn’t an extensive list, here are the most popular accessories for the Master System.  It’s also worth noting that Master System controllers use the standardized Atari-style 9-pin connector and can be connected without modification to all other machines compatible with that standard, including the Sega Genesis/Megadrive, Atari 2600, Commodore Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC and ZX Spectrum with Kempston interface or similar.
Here’s some additional pictures of Master System Accessories

	Standard Controller Very similar design to the NES controller.  Early versions of the pad had a removable thumbscrew and the connector cable came from the right side of the pad. Sega later revised the pad and took away the thumbscrew option and placed the connector wire at the top of the pad where it should have been to begin with. One odd thing worth mentioning is that standard Master System controllers did not have a pause button.  Other variations include a 6-button version that was released in Brazil and the SG Commander controller that was later released with built-in rapid fire.
	Control Stick This was supposed to give more control for arcades classics like Afterburner and Outrun.  For some strange reason, Sega put the buttons on the left side of the controller.  Understandably, this threw everyone off.  Even if you turned the controller upside down, the buttons were in the “wrong” order.
	Handle Controller This controller for driving/flying games was only released in Europe. Supposedly, it broke easily.
	Light Phaser The light phaser was like the NES zapper but heavier and far more responsive and accurate (no need to go and press on the screen).  The styling was modeled after the Zillion gun from the anime series.  And much like the NES Zapper, Sega was forced to issue orange guns so they would not be mistaken for real weapons.  Tec-Toy also released a blue Light Phaser in Brazil.  (The SMS Light Phaser is not backwards-compatible with Genesis/Megadrive light gun games)
	Sports Pad Only released in the USA and Japan, this trackball controller was required by some games, such as Sports Pad Football and Great Ice Hockey and isn’t supported in most games.
	3D Glasses Unlike the red/blue paper 3D glasses these actually work. The glasses plug into the Master System Power base 3D glasses adapter then into the Master System’s card slot. Unfortunately very few titles make use of this accessory.  Keep in mind, these only work with the original Master System and the Power Base Converter as they went into the card slot.
	Genesis Controllers As mentioned above, you can also use Sega Genesis/Megadrive controllers on your Master System as well (and vice versa).  The B and C buttons on the Genesis controllers correspond to 1 and 2 respectively and the other buttons (most notably Start) don’t do anything.

.

Emulation

• Emulators are available from a variety of sources such as PC, Mac, Dreamcast, XBox, GP2X, Nintendo DS, PSP and more.  Many of the Master System emulators are actually built into Sega Genesis emulators as the Master System CPU is actually the Genesis sound processor.
• The major PC emulators are Kega Fusion, Meka, FreezeSMS and Gens Plus — many emulators for other platforms are based on these emulators.
• If you would like to learn more about emulating the Sega Master System with Kega, check out this guide for setting up Kega Fusion on a Windows PC.
• You also have commericial emulation options like the Wii Virtual Console.

Importing

• Master System games are region free between the US and the UK

Affordability

• A full Master System with a bunch of accessories and games can usually be picked up for about $50-$60 in the US.
• A Power Base Converter for your Genesis/Megadrive should only run you about $10-$15
• Many cheap games are available – They may be a bit harder to find in the US, but many of the most popular Master System games are quite common.  Those that are rare in the US might be cheaper in the UK and can easily be imported.

8-Bit Sega fans may have another way to enjoy their classics. Master System and Game Gear games will be availible on the Nintendo Wii’s Japanese Virtual Console service in February and should also be coming to the rest of the planet soon after. Personally, I find it interesting that the Game Gear actually beat the Gameboy to the Virtual Console as the first portable system on the service, but I suppose that is due to the fact that the Game Gear hardware is essentially the same as the Master System.

Pricing for the games will be 500 points ($5 USD) or 600 points for licensed games. This pricing puts it on the same level as the NES, but it will be interesting to see how sales compare as the SMS/GG library is significantly smaller and not nearly as popular.

Personally, I can only think of a small handful of titles that I would pay $5 for a digital copy of , primarily Phantasy Star, Golden Axe Warrior, and Defenders of Oasis. (I’d pay more for the original, physical copies, and many Master System games are already cheap) But perhaps those that grew up with the Master System or Game Gear would have more nostolgic favortites that they would pick up.

The three import Shining Force Gaiden games would be interesting if translated to English, but I can’t help but wonder if the upgraded and localized versions would later show up in the form of Sega CD downloads via Shining Force CD (which would probably also be cheaper than three separate Game Gear downloads).

I guess I shouldn’t complain too much as an easy and legal way to play classic games on modern hardware should be commended. Keep it up Sega — I look forward to seeing 32X and Sega CD on the Virtual Console soon!

When you add a console to your collection, the first thing you want to do is get a handful of games to keep you busy with your new toy. However, most of us can’t spend afford to spend fat pile of cash for a few games. This budget-friendly list should help you quickly find which games will start you off well without emptying your wallet. (Prices listed are an average eBay price for US games, including shipping)

I thought I should also mention that here in the US, Master System games are pretty hard to find, even on eBay. So if you search for a given game on any given day, you might not find a copy as an auction, but if you scroll down, you might find some in the eBay stores. Also, other countries got a number of excellent games that we didn’t get here in the States, some of which might be quite affordable there.
Check out the other Cheapest Games Worth Your Time articles

Cheap Classics

Alex Kidd The Lost Stars: $7
Before there was Sonic the Hedgehog, there was Alex Kidd. This monkey-like boy in the red jumpsuit was Sega’s mascot in the early years. Alex Kidd: The Lost Stars is a bit of a departure from the original Alex Kidd game (which you can find below in the Slightly Over $10 Section) – ditching all of the block smashing and vehicle riding in favor of a more straightforward run-and-jump approach. As a result, it feels even closer to Super Mario Bros. than the original, which actually results in a satisfying experience.
Shop for Alex Kidd Lost Stars on eBay

Alex Kidd High Tech World: $9
In the third Alex Kidd installment, Sega thows in some blatent self-promotion, as the plot of High Tech World is to guide Alex to an arcade to play the latest Sega games. This game is, once again, entirely different from its predecessors, being half puzzle-solving adventure and half-action.
Shop for Alex Kidd High Tech World on eBay
Shop for Alex Kidd High Tech World on Amazon.com

Wonder Boy $9
Yes, the 8-bit era was filled with platformers-a-plenty. As if Alex Kidd and Sonic the Hedgehog were not enough, we also have another gem of a series called Wonder Boy. The main character in Wonder Boy is known as “Tom-Tom” – a caveman-like character whose girlfriend has been captured by a monster. The player must guide Tom-Tom through nine areas (each with multple rounds) made up of forests, hills, oceans, caves and ice palaces.
Shop for Wonder Boy on eBay

Outrun: $6
One of the Master System’s strengths over the NES was it’s high-quality arcade ports. Sega also had a healthy selection of solid arcade titles to bring to their home console. Outrun is one of the leaders of the pack with it’s high-speed action and trademark style. This slimmed-down Master System port plays just like the arcade, even if it isn’t powerful enough to pull off the smooth graphic effects. The scrolling is relatively good for an 8-bit system and the music sounds decent.
Shop for Outrun on eBay
Shop for Outrun on Amazon.com

After Burner: $5
While most air combat simulators can be rather boring, Sega took all the complexity out of flight and turned Afterburner into a straightforward arcade title filed with nothing but blowing up enemies and dodging incoming attacks. The Master System port can be a bit disappointing, but it’s a cheap thrill and a good piece to add to your collection without spending much cash.
Shop for After Burner on eBay
Shop for After Burner on Amazon.com

Space Harrier : $7
If you like the pseduo-3D air-based combat style of Afterburner, but would like a more colorful and trippy environment with creative enemy designs, Space Harrier is just for you. The scrolling was a bit choppier than the arcade on the Master System but, the huge enemies managed to look pretty impressive for the time. For the most part, the enemies and levels are comparable to the arcade version, although Sega added an additional final boss and a real ending.
Shop for Space Harrier on eBay
Shop for Space Harrier on Amazon.com

Space Harrier 3D: $9
The Sega Master System was also the first home console to experiment with virtual reality in the form of 3D glasses. These spectacles were little more than an electronic variation of the red/green or red/blue 3D spectacles used by thrill-seeking moviegoers back in the 1950s. Each lens would rapidly strobe between opaque and clear, and this was carefully timed to correspond with identical rapid shifting of on-screen graphics imagery to simulate a 3D environment. Gamers raved about them (and still do), because they provided a very immersive experience. Space Harrier is probably one of the best values of the limited selection of 3D games and is a novel treat for any Master System owner.
Shop for Space Harrier 3D on eBay
Shop for Space Harrier 3D on Amazon.com

Rampage: $6
Sega wasn’t the only one to bring some good arcade ports to the Master System. Everyone’s favorite oversized creatures and the buildings they destroy look so much better on the Master System than they do on the NES version. This one actually looks like the original arcade game.
Shop for Rampage on eBay
Shop for Rampage on Amazon.com

Double Dragon: $7
If you enjoy old-school brawlers, you can’t help but love Double Dragon. This pioneering beatemup has many memorable moments and, like Rampage and others, looks much more arcade-authentic than the NES port. The NES game may get higher scores in the fun deparment, however, as the Master System version controls aren’t all they could be.
Shop for Double Dragon on eBay
Shop for Double Dragon on Amazon.com

A Few Must-Haves Slightly Over $10

Alex Kidd in Miracle World: $10
The original Alex Kidd is a defining game for the Master System and is still good for some platforming goodness. This landmark Sega game is a cornerstone for any Master System collection.
Shop for Alex Kidd in Miracle World on eBay
Shop for Alex Kidd in Miracle World on Amazon.com

Spellcaster: $10
To give your Master System a little variety, take a look at Spellcaster, a Action/Adventure/RPG that has a number of fans to this day.
Shop for Spellcaster on eBay
Shop for Spellcaster on Amazon.com

Shinobi: $11
Even though Shinobi was actually ported to a number of different consoles, it’s right at home on the Master System. This ninja-filled 8-bit adventure is fun, challenging, and a good showpiece for the SMS.
Shop for Shinobi on eBay
Shop for Shinobi on Amazon.com

Other Cheap Favorites

Thunder Blade: $6 – eBay / Amazon.com
Kenseiden: $5 – eBay / Amazon.com
Zillion: $6 – eBay / Amazon.com
Hang-On & Safari Hunt: $5 – eBay / Amazon.com
Missile Defense 3D: $5 – eBay / Amazon.com
Choplifter: $6 – eBay / Amazon.com
Zaxxon 3D: $7 – eBay / Amazon.com

My Starter Picks For $50 Budget

If I only had $50 to spend on starting out a Master System collection, here would be my top picks (in order of priority):

• Outrun: $6
• Space Harrier: $7
• Rampage: $6
• Alex Kidd in Miracle World: $10
• Spellcaster: $10
• Shinobi: $11
• Total: $49

While most gamers probably think of the Genesis/MegaDrive as Sega’s first console, the Master System System actually preceded the the 16-bit wonder but failed to adequately compete with the Nintendo Entertainment System.

Technically, the Master System was superior to the NES, with better graphics and higher quality sound. However, the SMS came up short for the most part in terms of quality games.

Even though the Master System may not have quite the library that the NES has, there are a few gems to check out if you happen to have a Master System or at least via emulator. Here is a quick rundown of the best exclusive games in the Master System library.

Phantasy Star
As one of the greatest exclusive SMS games, Phantasy Star was an RPG that topped any other game in the genre that was from the 8-bit generation. Phantasy Star was also the first console RPG to be released in the United States since Nintendo had not seen fit to import either Dragon Warrior or Final Fantasy for the NES at that time.

Phantasy Star was jam-packed into a full 4MB cartridge and was superior to both games in terms of both graphics and sound. It delivered fully detailed on-screen displays and character graphics (as opposed to the tile-like graphics of Nintendo’s offerings) and made full use of the Master System’s PCM synthesis chip to deliver one of the best FM-based audio experiences ever heard in an “old-school” 8-bit RPG.

Originally developed a showpiece, Yuji Naka’s Phantasy Star was also one of the last titles ever made by Sega for its 8-bit console. It went on to became one of the most popular games Sega ever released and quickly attracted a worldwide following. A science-fiction RPG with decidedly fantasy elements as well, it told the story of a young woman named Alis and her quest for justice against an age-old evil threatening her world.

It was superior to both of them in terms of graphics and sound, delivering fully detailed on-screen displays and character graphics (as opposed to the tile-like graphics of Nintendo’s offerings) and making full use of the Mark III’s PCM synthesis chip to deliver one of the best FM-based audio experiences ever heard in an “old-school” 8-bit RPG. It is also worth mentioning that Phantasy Star was the first RPG to use first-person perspective (during the dungeon-crawling sequences). As a true landmark in RPGs, Phantasy Star is definately worth a try.
Full Review of Phantasy Star

Golden Axe Warrior
The Legend of Zelda was a ground-breaking game in the 8-bit era and many other development houses did their best to join in on the party and make their own “version”. (This practice still goes on to this day — Grand Theft Auto clones, anyone?)

As good as The Legend of Zelda was, there were actually “ripoff” games that actually beat out the original ins a number of aspects. SMS’s answer to Zelda was known as Golden Axe Warrior (Golvellius is another title in this catgegory as well, but was not exclusived to the SMS).

Golden Axe Warrior was a RPG spin-off of the popular Golden Axe arcade series that follows a young warrior who was trying to avenge the death of his parents by exploring nine caves and collecting missing diamonds. The infamous Death Adder, from Golden Axe, makes a cameo as the boss of the game.

The graphics in Warrior were the most obvious improvement over Zelda (much like other “clones” like Crystalis) with colorful and detailed sprites with plenty of animation. While the sound and music department didn’t hold up to Zelda, Warrior was still solid in terms of gameplay and story.

Now that these older games are much more accessible (aka emulation), games such as Golden Axe are definately worth a good look for those that enjoy the Action RPG genre.
Full Review of Golden Axe Warrior

Zillion
Zillion was the closest Sega ever came to creating a Metroid clone. I don’t know if it was created as a direct response to Gumpei Yokoi’s space-crawling masterpiece, but it was initially meant to be a product tie-in to a Japanese laser tag game.

Zillion is an exceptional action/adventure title that reminds many people of Metroid also has hints of Flashback (from the 16-bit era). During your underground exploration, you’ll need to utilize computers, cards, and pass codes withing a number of puzzling rooms. In addition, guards are shooting at you at every turn. Luckily, you’re well armed with your “Zillion” laser, which can be powered-up.

The graphics aren’t bad—the main sprites look a bit odd comparared to most adventure games you might be used to, but the do seem adiquately animated. In addition to the above-average graphics, the sound quality also receives rave reviews. While some tunes can be a bit repetitive, there are a handful of classic tunes to be found.

I think you will find that Zillion is still an extremely enjoyable adventure to undertake, certainly ahead of the legions of other lackluster Master System games.
Full Review of Zillion

Sonic the Hedgehog
Perhaps most impressive Sega Master System games were the late-era conversions of Genesis hits like Sonic the Hedgehog that truly showcased the power of Sega’s 8-bit machine.

If you are at all familiar with the Sonic games on the Genesis, you know what to expect in term of gameplay.

While the Master System version obviously is going to have some graphical compromises, it holds up fairly well. (Keep in mind the Game Gear uses the same basic hardware) Master System Sonic is still incredibly colorful and there is a surprising amount of detail.

While this game is still a rarity (see our feature on the Holy Grails of Console Gaming), you should still be able to emulate it quite easily.

Alex Kidd
Before there was Sonic the Hedgehog, there was Alex Kidd. This monkey-like boy in the red jumpsuit was Sega’s mascot in the early years.

His first game, Alex Kidd in Miracle World, was released in 1986 and is considered to be a true classic. In 1990, this game was re-released, by having it built into the Master System II model, replacing the Snail Maze/Safari Hunt/Hang On (depending on the version) game(s) of the first model.

Unlike the Sonic series where changes in game mechanics between games are minimal, most games in the Alex Kidd series differ dramatically from one another, the sole exception being Alex Kidd in Miracle World, and its direct sequel Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle (from the Genesis/Megadrive). While most games in the series were still platform-based, the only things tying these games together as a series were the name and the title character. The fact that fans of the first game were completely lost with the rest of the series may have been a contributing factor to the failure of this series.

The Alex Kidd Master System franchise included Alex Kidd in Miracle World, Alex Kidd: The Lost Stars,Alex Kidd BMX Trial, Alex Kidd in High-Tech World, (This game is actually a modified version of the Japanese Master System game Anmitsu Hime.) and Alex Kidd in Shinobi World.

Wonder Boy
Yes, the 8-bit era was filled with platformers-a-plenty. As if Alex Kidd and Sonic the Hedgehog were not enough, we also have another gem of a series called Wonder Boy.

The main character in Wonder Boy is known as “Tom-Tom” – a caveman-like character whose girlfriend has been captured by a monster. The player must guide Tom-Tom through nine areas (each with multple rounds) made up of forests, hills, oceans, caves and ice palaces.

Tom-Tom can arm himself with a stone hammer, which he can throw at oncoming foes, a skateboard with which he can rush through the levels and survive one attack by an enemy, and temporary protection by a fairy which allows him to destroy foes by simply running into them.

The original Wonder Boy game was also followed up by Wonder Boy in Monster Land and Wonder Boy III: The Dragon’s Trap. It’s also interesting to note that Hudson’s Adventure Island series actually started off as a clone of Wonder Boy. The first game was basically Wonderboy with slightly different sprites and a different title. (The sequels were original, however)
Full Review of Wonder Boy

3D Games
The Sega Master System was also the first home console to experiment with virtual reality in the form of 3D glasses.

These spectacles were little more than an electronic variation of the red/green or red/blue 3D spectacles used by thrill-seeking moviegoers back in the 1950s. Each lens would rapidly strobe between opaque and clear, and this was carefully timed to correspond with identical rapid shifting of on-screen graphics imagery to simulate a 3D environment.

While admittedly crude by today’s standards, they worked quite well and proved popular enough to warrant a series of SMS games designed especially for their use. This was the top-of-the-line model as far as the SG-1000 product line went, but it would not be the last iteration of the hardware.

Gamers raved about them (and still do), because they provided a very immersive experience. Unfortunately, only six 3D games (Blade Eagle 3D, Maze Hunter 3D, Missile Defense 3D, Space Harrier 3D, Poseidon Wars 3D, and Zaxxon 3D) were released, and the glasses only worked with the first version of the SMS (SMS I).

Arcade Ports
One of the biggest selling points initially for the Master System was its library of arcade ports. This technique may have worked if every other console didn’t use the same marketing technique.

Fortunately, the Master Systems superior power gave it an edge over the NES. However, most of the arcade ports still weren’t terribly impressive.

Sega naturally built up the bulk of the arcade libary with titles such as Outrun, After Burner, Space Harrier, Hang-On (which was integrated into one version of the console), Thunder Blade, Teddy Boy, and Shinobi.

In addition to the Sega arcade classics, you can find some enjoyable ports of other arcade games. Double Dragon was far more faithful to the arcade hit than the NES version, and Sega’s version of R-Type was just amazing. Other successful conversions include Ninja Gaiden, Rampage, Ghouls n’ Ghosts, and Choplifter.

Psycho Fox
Ok, here is yet another platforming game — I just could let this one slip by. Psycho Fox didn’t get a worldwide release, so not everybody got a chance to play this title.

Throughout the game, Psycho Fox has the ability to transform into a hippopotamus, a monkey, or a tiger, each of which has its own special ability. This was a rather unique feature in the early days of platforming (but made popular by Super Mario Bros 3.)

Although it wasn’t my favourite Master System game, it is definately worth a play every now and then. Alex Kidd and Wonder Boy are a lot better in many ways, but it is a good complementary title in a Master System library.
Full Review of Psycho Fox

Honorable Mentions:
Astro Warrior – Along with Hang-On, integrated into one version of the console (the Sega Base System, which was slightly less expensive and lacked the Light Phaser).

Safari Hunt - Sega’s answer to Duck Hunt Integrated into one version of the console

Snail Maze – A simple maze game that was included on the system BIOS. It was accessed by pressing and holding Up and buttons 1 and 2 after turning on the system without a game loaded.

Ys: The Vanished Omens – While it was not a SMS exclusive, this version is credited with introducing many players to the legendaryYs series of RPGs.

Similar Posts From These Categories:
Sega

I usually try to emphasize that gameplay is more important that graphical quality. However, I thought it would be interesting to take a look at games that were the most demanding when it came to a console’s limited system resources.

Other Parts:
Part 2 & Part 3 — Part 4 is on the way
Subscribe to my feed or sign up for email updates to keep up with this project.

Solaris
I’m by no means a 2600 expert, but Solaris is definately one game that comes up quite frequently in terms of innovative 2600 games. Considering the 2600 wasn’t originally intended to do much more than play Pong variants, Solaris is a technical masterpiece with its sophisticated gameplay and relatively high resolution graphics.

Although the game played much like a first-person space shooter, you can always see your ship at the bottom of the screen. The graphics for Solaris were first-rate as the multi-colored aliens are flicker-free and glide along smoothly, even when attacking in groups.
Full Review of Solaris

Super Mario Bros. 3
Nintendo stood behind its first two systems for a quite a while — even when the next generation of consoles had made their footprint in the market. Because of this, developers knew the NES inside and out and were able to develop some excellent games that kept up with the upcoming 16-bit titles.

Super Mario Brothers 3 led the way of pushing the seven-year-old NES technology to its limits by being worlds apart from its predecessors in terms of graphics and sound. Just about every gamer was blown away by how groundbreaking SMB3 was when it was debuted. Of course, the infamous movie, “The Wizard” gave us a preview of the beautiful, new sprites, backgrounds, and animation effects.

If you had never seen an NES before, you would think that Mario 3 was an early version of Super Mario World. The characters are alot bigger and many are more detailed than the original SMB games. In the “Giant World” levels, we get a serving of especially-large sprites — the goomba is twice the size Mario.
Full Review of Super Mario Bros. 3

Castlevania 3
With the third installment of the NES Castlevanias, Konami packed a very large game into that small cartridge with a couple of custom mappers, which gave the NES very nice graphic effects, such as rotation and parallax faking.

The graphics are revamped and are some of the best on the NES. A very large amount of animated tiles in the backgrounds of movement stages fill the game with a haunting atmosphere. Some action stages have some surprises that add to the challenge, such as automatic scrolling, rising water, crumbling bridges, and falling towers.

Konami made the most of the graphical capabilities of the NES to provide intricate details such as stained-glass windows, moss on rocks, eerie swamp fog, ominous shadows, rotting wood, and spectacular lightning flashes. This is a definite step up from Castlevania 2 which often repeated backgrounds. The enemies and bosses look much better than they did in the previous Castlevania games (which were good to start with). The animation is one thing that is much improved, as many of characters now have more than just one or two frames.
Full Review of Castlevania 3

Kirby’s Adventure
Kirby was another one of those games that came out for the NES as gamers were already looking forward to SNES titles. It’s a cute and fun-filled game that, like Super Mario Bros 3, looked like an early SNES game with a smaller color pallete. Kirby had an advantage on Mario 3, however, as it was the largest licensed NES cart at 6 Mbit.

Rather than make some piece of trash as the last great NES game, the makers polished it and polished it until you can almost see your face in it. The graphics stretch the 8 bit format to its absolute limit. It is the aesthetic equivalent of painting the Lord’s Prayer on a grain of rice – the beauty is that of working within the limitations.

Kirby himself is a beautiful vibrant pink, the worlds he passes through are delicious lime greens, ice blues, chocolate browns – the rich colours do not attempt to emulate 16 bit, but instead try to make 8 bit as beautiful as possible. The attention to detail incredible as Kirby’s character animations are about as good as they get on the NES.

The backgrounds’ graphics may be The biggest strength of the game. In relation to most other NES games, the backgrounds in Kirby’s Adventure are superb. There’s one level that takes place in a forest and you can see an ocean in the distance. There is also some nifty parallax scrolling in the tower stages of the game. If all that wasn’t enough, the game has smooth animation as well. Even the intros to each level were nifty. All these little elements come together to create one “dreamy” gaming experience.
Full Review of Kirby’s Adventure

Honorable Mentions:

• Megaman 6 – One of the least favorite Megaman games, but the graphics are the best of the NES series with colorful backgrounds and foregrounds and impressive enemy design. . (Review)
• Dragon Warrior IV -Weighing in at an entire 1 megabyte of program ROM, this RPG improved on its predessors and pushed the bounds of what an NES cartridge could hold. Correction: I’m told that the real version of the game is only 512K. Still an impressive title, however. (Review)
• Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers – This Capcom platformer was en excellent of example of colorful sprites and great animation. A licenced game done right (Review).

Ghouls N Ghosts
Most gamers in the 80s (including myself) were pretty much clueless about Sega’s first home system. While it did not have the developer and retail support that the NES had, it had a number of games, especially arcade ports, that were graphically superior to the NES.

Outside of the slightly downgraded graphics and sound, the Sega Master System port of Ghouls N Ghosts played almost exactly like its bigger arcade brother, which would cause even a Nintendo fanboy to be impressed. Even though it is slightly slower, the presentation is so impressive that it’s hard to believe that this was made for the Master System. Of course, it never looks as good as the 16-bit console ports, but this really proved that the system could do amazing stuff with the right people behind the project.
Full Review of Ghouls N Ghosts

Phantasy Star
As one of the greatest exclusive SMS games, Phantasy Star was an RPG that topped any other RPG in the 8-bit generation. It was the first console RPG to be released in the United States since Nintendo had not seen fit to import either Dragon Warrior or Final Fantasy for the NES at that time.

Phantasy Star was jam-packed into a full 4 Megabit cartridge and was superior to both games in terms of both graphics and sound. It delivered fully detailed on-screen displays and character graphics (as opposed to the tile-like graphics of Nintendo’s offerings) and made full use of the Master System’s PCM synthesis chip to deliver one of the best FM-based audio experiences ever heard in an “old-school” 8-bit RPG.
Full Review of Phantasy Star

Honorable Mentions:

• Sonic the Hedgehog Series — The SMS did not sport the Genesis’ so-called “Blast-Processing”, but did a good job keeping up with the blue blur.
• Gunstar Heroes – If anybody can push a system to the max, it’s Treasure — this rare Genesis down-port still shined.

/
Sapphire
If there is one thing that can get a PC-Engine fan excitied, it must be one of Hudson’s high quality shmups — most of which demonstrated effects simply unthinkable on an 8-bit machine.

Sapphire, in particular, featured a number of amazing raytracing, rotation, real-time scalling, morphing, and real-time 3D effects. Simply put, it had an avalanche of effects without a single slowdown. Giant sprites, a heavy-metal soundtrack and an outstanding playability make of Sapphire a near-perfect shmup.

Sapphire is a milestone on PC-Engine history. Its quality is comparable to some great Playstation shooters, like Raystorm. If not for the high price usually asked by sellers, Sapphire would be an obligatory acquisition for any PC-Engine collector.
Full Review of Sapphire

Honorable Mentions

• Dracula X (aka: Castlevania X) -Some truly gruesome creatures punctuate this game, showing just what can be achieved in 2D with a limited color palette. (Review)
• Strider – Had an expert conversion to the PC Engine thanks to the Arcade CD format. With the extra memory the Arcade Card afforded the programmers, this game was true to its arcade parent in terms of graphics and gameplay.

Gunstar Heroes
Its nearly impossible to talk about the Genesis and technical mastery and not have Gunstar Heroes come up in the conversation. If there was one developer that knows how to push 2D consoles to their limits, it’s Treasure (the same group that brought you Contra on the NES). This run-n-gun classic has mobs of sprites that litter the screen at any one moment. The two player game features a moderate amount of slowdown, but it’s not enough to significantly detract from the game.

Every graphical element in Gunstar Heroes is impressive: from the rotating, pseudo-polygonal intro logo to the warping, scaling, and rotation effects throughout the actual game. And, much like Metal Slug, the bosses in Gunstar Heroes are made up of tons of sprites that move and jiggle independently. Not only did Gunstar Heroes’ graphical effect enhance the visual apprearance of the game, but it also help increase the variety of the gamplay.

No other game on the Genesis pushed the system as far as this technical marvel. In fact, nothing on the Super Nintendo scaled objects as well, or moved this fast or smoothly with the possible exception of a few Super FX chip games.
Full Review of Gunstar Heroes

Panorama Cotton
This European shooter had incredible 3D effect backgrounds, making the MegaDrive hardware do things that the Nintendo fanboys claimed were impossible on the Sega machine.

The game plays much like Space Harrier and Burning Force. It looks much better than the Genesis versions of those two titles and its pseudo-3D line scrolling hasn’t aged all that badly.

Panorama Cotton is gorgeous to look at as it makes some of the best use of the Genesis’ color palette I’ve ever seen and the backgrounds are ripe with detail. The line scrolling effect is still impressive, even if the overall scaling may seem slightly choppy to a modern gamer’s eye.
Full Review of Panorama Cotton

Vectorman
Vectorman was, in a way, Sega’s answer to the Donkey Kong Country series and it’s pre-rendered, 3D-like graphics. Vectorman not only looked beaufitul, but also provided some animations that were even more impressive than DKC.

Vectorman’s developers, Blue Sky Software, made use of an impressive new program called “Vector Piece Software”, which allowed the spheres making up Vectorman’s body to be individually animated. That’s why he moves so smoothly, and how he can easily glide into and out of his various transformations.

According to Vectorman’s head developer, Richard Karpp, A large percentage of the levels implemented a creative use of the Genesis’ scrolling backgrounds – it was possible to specify a different scroll offset for each horizontal line, for example, which could give a parallax effect. It was used vertically in a few levels as well, even though vertical scrolling was limited to 8 pixel chunks. Some examples for of its uses were for waterfalls and the conveyor belts.

The bosses were all designed around this technique as well. The first boss that you encounter in the game, which looks like a fighter plane, is actually implemented in the second scrolling playfield, and they used scroll offsets to make it look like it was rotating.

One of the more subtle effects we used was the highlight/shadow mode of the Genesis, which allowed the artists to use more on-screen colors than games typically used. To round out the rest of the graphical effects, you can see dust motes above light fixtures, shimmering arctic waterfalls and some impressive lightning effects. This late Genesis title kept Sega fans interested as Sega prepped the Saturn.
Full Review of Vectorman

Honorable Mentions:

• Sonic and Knuckles – Not only did this last 2D console Sonic game have some beautiful backgrounds, animation, and a sweet 3D-ish title screen, but its also was the only game to have its special Lock-On cartridge format. It allowed you to attach the older Sonic carts into it and play Knuckles in those games. Very inventive.
• Contra: Hard Corps – This shooter had a healthy dose of eye candy sprinkled with scaling and rotation effects. Hard Corps also had some awesome backgrounds and level designs that rivals the SNES version of the series in every way. (Review)
• Virtua Racing – Even though this 3D racer used a built in chip, it was awe-inspiring to see running on the Genesis. And the game’s initial price tag was equally jaw-dropping. (Review)
• Castlevania Bloodlines – Bloodlines was able to do fake translucency, mirroring, parallax scrolling, cloud effects, transparency, and other graphical feats that pushed the system’s powers were done in this game. (Review)

Fatal Fury: Mark of the Wolves
Just about every late Neo-Geo game pushed the system to its limits. How else would SNK continue to such masterful games on hardware that is over a decade old? If I had to choose one game that defines how great of a 2D game SNK can push out of a Neo-Geo, Fatal Fury Mark of the Wolves would top the list.

Although most gamers can expect great visuals from SNK, Mark Of The Wolves features some of the best 2D animation in a fighting game. It has drawn comparisons with Capcom’s Street Fighter 3, and although it doesn’t have quite as many frames of animation as Third Strike, you’d be hard pressed to find many 2D fighters that move as fluidly as this one.

Additionally, the game rivals the likes of Marvel Vs Capcom 2 in terms of special effects; the gratuitous amount of hitting sparks, fiery projectile attacks, and flashy lightning visuals are generously displayed even with the simplest special attack (i.e. Butt’s rising uppercut). It’s simply astounding how smooth the idle animations are and you’ll begin to notice little details for each fighter.
Full Review of Fatal Fury: Mark of the Wolves

The Last Blade 2
Weighing in at a whopping 554 Megs, The Last Blade 2 has some of SNK’s most lush, detailed graphics ever. The backgrounds are stylized and match the mood of the game perfectly. The separately animated sprite fields add a wonderful sense of depth and movement and they augment the character graphics in a way that adds flair and imagery with out competing or detracting from the characters themselves. This combination creates an atmosphere that really contributes to thrilling, intricate gameplay (much like the first Last Blade did).

Every fighter is so finely detailed and animated that it will make you want to play more simply to admire the art. I guess my only gripe about the art (and this is very minor) is that the characters don’t have their own backgrounds anymore, whereas in the previous Last Blade each fighter had a personalized stage.

The pre-match cinemas are vintage SNK and there is plenty of eye candy effects with the specials and supers. The zoom effect was also appropriately used, keeping the frame rate smooth and constant, not to mention keeping the characters focused.
Full Review of Last Blade 2
Honorable Mentions

• Samurai Shodown V – This was the last of the offical Neo-Geo games and like other late releases, it was impressive in terms of showing what an old platform could do. SSV nearly topped out the Neo-Geo’s cartridge store capacity at 708 Megs. (Review)
• King of Fighters 2003 – THE biggest Neo-Geo game ever at 716 Megs. 2003 was the last KOF game on the original Neo-Geo hardware and I still find it hard to believe it’s not a Atomiswave game. (Review)
• Sengoku 3 – Graphically, the game is a quantum leap over Sengoku 1 and 2. The characters are not only much larger but considerably more detailed with reasonably fluid animation. The special effects for certain attacks are also extremely well done. (Review)
• Metal Slug 3 – Despite a couple of minor blemishes here and there, Metal Slug 3 is one of the greatest ever 2D titles on any system, and definitely the most well-rounded game in this series. (Review)
• SNK vs Capcom Chaos – SvC really had some potential as it has some large sprites and great color, unfortunately, it seemed like SNK rushed this title as lacks the detailed characters and smooth animations that many of its other fighters have. And once you actually get into the game, you realize that it is pretty flawed. (Review)

Yoshi’s Island
Near the end of the SNES’s long journey, Nintendo released one more Mario World-esque game which resulted in the most graphically advanced SNES game — especially in terms of 2D. Yoshi’s Island uses the Super FX 2 microchip to create sprite scaling and polygon effects that are relatively advanced for a Super Famicom/SNES game.

Obviously, the power of the new hardware gave Nintendo the opportunity to display all sorts of great visual effects that had never been seen before. In fact, when compared with 32-bit games being released for Sony’s Playstation, Yoshi’s Island may have left some people scratching their heads, wondering what advantages a CD-based console had over 16-bit cartridges.

The entire game is filled with small details and little enhancements that really push it over the top. Yoshi’s Island features a unique graphical style that looks similar to a children’s book; it’s very colorful, with sketchy, handdrawn looking effects that popup and warp in real-time. Yoshi, Baby Mario, and all of Koopa’s minions animate beautifully. Some enemies move strictly by scaling and rotating around the screen, pushing the SNES to the max.
Full Review of Yoshi’s Island

StarFox
The first (and one of the few) games to bear the Super FX Chip technology, Star Fox was a technical marvel as far as Super Nintendo games were concerned. The enclosed chip, which was powerful enough to push out flat-shaded polygons and render them reasonably quickly, was also expensive enough to limit its production to just a few titles.

The Super FX chip freed up the system resources inside the SNES and made for one very fast, great-looking, and great-playing 3D shooter. These and other such customized co-processor carts were very expensive to produce, and it was not long before Nintendo began other, cheaper avenues of assault on Sega.
Full Review of Star Fox

Donkey Kong Country (1, 2, and 3)
This popular series was without doubt one of the best-looking group of platformers to ever grace a 16-bit console. Rare’s development teams had found a way to convert 24-bit animation sequences into a format that a 16-bit console by creating on a high-end SGI workstation and then porting them to the SNES.

It was a technique that was also used in Rare’s Killer Instinct. Rare took significant financial risks in purchasing the expensive SGI equipment used to render the graphics. If the game had not been a commercial success, the company could have gone bankrupt.

Donkey Kong Country also is supposedly the first SNES game to use the scanline trick to push the max on screen colors from 256 to 4096. To summarize, Donkey Kong Country is a game that turned the the 16-bit era around and really got Sega’s attention.
Full review of Donkey Kong Country

Honorable Mentions:

• Star Ocean & Tales of Phantasia – Star Ocean netted a total of 48 Megabits of compressed data, completely maxing out the cartridge format. Tales of Phantasia was one only other game to come close. Both games were incredibly beautiful and featured voice acting — a rarity for cartridge-based games. (Check out the review of the new Tales of Phantasia GBA Port)
• Cybernator/Assault Suits Valken – This mech shooter is filled with destructive details and smooth animation. It’s so suprising that this is actually a SNES game, I would say it actually rivals it’s Saturn sequel, Assualt Suit Leynos 2.
• Axelay – This may be the definitive shooter for the SNES. The high resolution graphics are stunning, and there are so many types of enemies that you rarely see the same one twice. The centerpiece of this game however, are the bosses – they are huge and imposing.
• Street Fighter Alpha 2 - Did you even know that Alpha 2 runs on the SNES? Sure, its not the best version of the game, but its still impressive to see it running on the Super Nintendo.
• Stunt Race FX – The second game which used the FX chip, but this racing game wasn’t quite as impressive as Star Fox.
• Killer Instinct – As mentioned above, it used a graphic techinique similar to Donkey Kong Country and brought it to the 2D fighter genre.

Sonic CD
Possibly the best Sega CD game and the best Sonic the Hedgehog game ever, Sonic CD took advantage of the Sega CD is just about every possible way. The blazing fast gameplay that was possible in the original Genesis Sonic games was already impressive enough. Instead of doing a quick port like some other Genesis-to-Sega CD games (Eternal Champions, Earthworm Jim), Sonic CD was a complete renovation of the Sonic games.

Sonic CD started with a great FMV video intro that was enough to make Sonic fans drool (even if the music was cheesy), but it didn’t end there. Sonic CD featured and incredible CD audio soundtrack, amazing sound effects (I still love Dr. Robotnik’s evil laugh to this day), improved 3D-like Bonus Rounds that took adavantage of the SCD’s extra processing capabilities, and 2 additional variations of each level (Past and Future) via the game’s time-travel feature. Why Sega never built off of Sonic CD’s features, I’ll never know.
Full Review of Sonic CD

Silpheed
One of my first and favorite Sega CD games was an amazing shooter that featured a heavy dose of pseudo-3D action and cutscenes. I still think Silpheed is impressive to this day.

Using polygonal objects with twice the level of detail of those from Star Fox, and taking up almost the entire screen at a high fps while doing it, Silpheed’s graphics are technically brilliant.
As your craft makes its way through hostile territory, the on-rails camera forces you left and right, offering panoramic views of incoming armadas, cramped Star Wars style trenches, and bumpy, obstacle-ridden surfaces.

The nicest parts are when it misses a huge object by about a centimeter, giving a real sense of physical immersion in spite of the obvious limitations of the time, such as background pop-up.
Full Review of Silpheed

Honorable Mentions:

• The Lunar Series – The Sega CDs inproved storage capacity allowed developers to bring epic RPGs to life in a way that was not possible before. Both Lunar games capitalized on these strengths by bringing FMV cutscenese, magical soundtracks, and massive amounts of gameplay to the Sega CD. (Review)
• All those FMV Games – While the gameplay sucked for the most part, the videos had to be optimized in order to get the most colors out of the Genny’s limited palete. Some of the FMV games received 32X upgrades that boosted the image quality. Between the Sega CD’s storage compacity and the 32X’s image upgrade, these titles maxed out the Genesis architecture.

You Might Also Enjoy These Links:
Games That Actually NEED a Sequel
The Best Sega Genesis Games For Nintendo Revolution

Continue to Part 2!

Here’s what makes it special:

• Emulates the Sega SG-1000, SC-3000, Master System, and GameGear with a high degree of accuracy.
• Emulates the Sega MegaDrive/Genesis more accurately than any other emulator.
• Emulates the Sega MegaCD/SegaCD more accurately than any other emulator.
• Emulates the Sega 32X more accurately than any other emulator.
• Emulates the Mega Mouse, correctly plays CD+G discs and plays 32x CD games

No other emulator can do the Sega CD/32X combo games, so this is a big step. Can’t wait to see further development!