swlovinist
03-12-2004, 11:31 PM
I would be lying if I said I embraced the Master System as a child. Being that I was a kid easily influenced by corporate advertisement and cartoons, I had no idea of the power behind Sega’s first U.S. system. If someone walked up to me then and said, “What do you think of the ‘SMS’?” I would have said, “I think the Super Mario Super Show is great. Good day, sir.”
I remember going to the local rental store in my small hometown and seeing a small selection of games with boxes that all looked alike. Where’s the fun in that? Space Harrier? Wonderboy? I knew nothing of these games. With over 100 NES games to choose from I didn’t even know why the rental store even carried these bland looking games.
Several years passed between then and my second encounter with the Master. I went to a local Toy Liquidators where I saw a remodeled Master system and several games. Since I was in my Sega phase, and very happy indeed, I decided to purchase it and the games for a total of roughly 50 bucks. I knew at the time that I’d probably never see any new Master System games and bought 5 of what I thought were the best titles. Again Lady Luck shone upon me, for those titles were: Phantasy Star, Ghosts and Goblins, Y’s, Shinobi and Lord of the Sword. The first game I ever played was Phantasy Star, even though I never completed it, it is still one of my favorite 8-bit RPG’s. The second game I attempted was Y’s. Even though I later found it was an inferior conversion of a much better game, it was still worth the five dollars I paid for it, especially if I still had the damn thing. Like an idiot, I sold the whole gamut thinking I had my fill and was done with the system. Even though I am near enough to finished with my Master System collection, I am still looking for that remodeled boxed system…wish me luck.
In my early 20’s, I again stumbled upon an impressive assortment of SMS games. I was in my serious collecting mode, and didn’t care that I didn’t have any money. I bought it on borrowed funds from my brother Visa and sister Mastercard. I learned two things from this ill-concieved purchase: 1) Getting a cash advance on a credit card is a bad, bad thing; and 2) Never buy something on credit that you don’t need to survive. In a pinch I had to sell the entire lot to cover my butt. Now, several years later, I am still searching for several of those titles.
It was not until recently that I had the time, money or resources to fully enjoy this system, for it is extremely underrated. From the games to the control the SMS will always be remembered as the 8-bit system with loads of potential but, sadly, another fatality of Sega’s marketing “finesse”.
I remember going to the local rental store in my small hometown and seeing a small selection of games with boxes that all looked alike. Where’s the fun in that? Space Harrier? Wonderboy? I knew nothing of these games. With over 100 NES games to choose from I didn’t even know why the rental store even carried these bland looking games.
Several years passed between then and my second encounter with the Master. I went to a local Toy Liquidators where I saw a remodeled Master system and several games. Since I was in my Sega phase, and very happy indeed, I decided to purchase it and the games for a total of roughly 50 bucks. I knew at the time that I’d probably never see any new Master System games and bought 5 of what I thought were the best titles. Again Lady Luck shone upon me, for those titles were: Phantasy Star, Ghosts and Goblins, Y’s, Shinobi and Lord of the Sword. The first game I ever played was Phantasy Star, even though I never completed it, it is still one of my favorite 8-bit RPG’s. The second game I attempted was Y’s. Even though I later found it was an inferior conversion of a much better game, it was still worth the five dollars I paid for it, especially if I still had the damn thing. Like an idiot, I sold the whole gamut thinking I had my fill and was done with the system. Even though I am near enough to finished with my Master System collection, I am still looking for that remodeled boxed system…wish me luck.
In my early 20’s, I again stumbled upon an impressive assortment of SMS games. I was in my serious collecting mode, and didn’t care that I didn’t have any money. I bought it on borrowed funds from my brother Visa and sister Mastercard. I learned two things from this ill-concieved purchase: 1) Getting a cash advance on a credit card is a bad, bad thing; and 2) Never buy something on credit that you don’t need to survive. In a pinch I had to sell the entire lot to cover my butt. Now, several years later, I am still searching for several of those titles.
It was not until recently that I had the time, money or resources to fully enjoy this system, for it is extremely underrated. From the games to the control the SMS will always be remembered as the 8-bit system with loads of potential but, sadly, another fatality of Sega’s marketing “finesse”.