Official Sega Master System Thread

[digitalpress]

We've done this for a few other systems (example: Atari 2600 (http://www.digitpress.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4151)), an "official" thread for all fans of the system to chime in on.

I'd like everyone who has ever played a Sega Master System to share their thoughts here.

Sega's first US attempt would start a fan's paradise of fabulous consoles and at the same time cause complete frustration to that same fanbase. As with other Sega systems to come, on paper the console was better than its competition but for various reasons simply did not "catch on" or missed other opportunities that caused the competition to prevail. In this case, the competition was the venerable Nintendo Entertainment System. There was really no competition at all in the US though Sega's Master System certainly had a fine library of games.

So tell me:

- What is your favorite game on this system?
- What are some of your other favorites?
- Did any game exceed what you thought the system was capable of?
- Which games had the best graphics? The best sound?
- Do you remember the first time you saw the system in action? What game was it? What was your reaction?
- Did you own the system "back in the day"? How about now?
- How many games do you have for it?
- Any stories surrounding the system that you can share with us?

Go time! Have fun with this, but by all means, share your thoughts!

NOTE: to jog your memory, here's our complete list of games:
http://www.digitpress.com/DP/cmf/listing.cmf?system=11

[autobotracing]

I just got a boxed master system !


Its the sega scope 3-d set but it didnt have the glasses .
Good thing I already have a set , even though 1 side of them is broken..
I only payed $13 at goodwill in jacksonville.



I always liked the 3d glasses and thought that was the coolest when I got my first set years ago.


My fave game would have to be outrun.

The other thing I thought was cool was the built in snail game! I use to play that game allot also.

[anagrama]

You mean this one hasn't been done before?! Well it's about time, dammit ;)

I've been a serious SMS-junkie for a few years now, and am currently 3 games shy of the complete European collection (280 total). Got all but one of the 6 US-exclusives, a few TecToy releases and a Mark III with a dozen Japanese games aswell (plus another dozen SG1000 titles). Around 300 altogether.

While I never had one 'back in the day' (got my first SMS2 around '95), it was the 8-bit console I spent the most time with, playing on my cousins and friends systems. I must admit it never really 'blew me away' at the time, since I was mainly an Amiga gamer and used to a higher standard of sound & graphics. Spent many a happy afternoon with Alex Kidd, Sonic & Astro Warrior though :)
Since rediscovering the machine, I've really grown to love the simple 8-bit style graphical style, and the SMS does this better than just about any other system.

It was probably the first system I contemplated collecting all the games for, and had been buying up anything in the wild that I didn't have, before moving chiefly to eBay to fill in the gaps a couple of years back.


Favourite game: probably Fantasy Zone, although there's several close runners up. Fantasy Zone II is also excellent, but I haven't spent as much time with it as the first one. FZ epitomises the short, intense & fun style of game I'm most fond of, and it's always ready to have a quick go on while I'm waiting for Windoze to load up or something.

Other games currently occupying my time: I've been playing the excellent Pit Pot on/off for the last few months, and am gradually making progress through the later levels. It's a beautiful little game, simple but rewarding, and for one of the earlier releases (on My Card in Japan) it really grabs you.
Galactic Protector has also been getting plenty of attention since I got it a couple of weeks back - it's a Mark III-only game since it uses the paddle controller, and is another deceptively simple one - you're OpaOpa, orbiting around a planet and attepting to stop the various space debris that comes hurtling towards it. Nice simple & colourful graphics, good fun, and a steep challenge with just 1-player. Still haven't made it past the 3rd Round yet.

Spent most of last week playing Jurassic Park since it was the sms.com Game of the Week, and will be playing Batman Returns this week in the same capacity.

btw, anyone who was mourning the loss of segamastersystem.com last week will probably be happy to hear that it's in the process of being passed over to Andy Allison (owner of excellent newcomer sega8bit.com), and will hopefully amalgamate with his site to become a truly useful resource for all sorts of SMS-related info again in the near future, after a couple of years of intermittent (at best) updates. The sms.com forums are still very active aswell, with a pretty lively community. Come and have a look @ http://shinobiman.proboards15.com !

Oh and of course, and it's simply in a different league to that ugly grey breezeblock :evil:

[Ernster]

- What is your favorite game on this system

Not that Ive played many SMS games, but I like Alex "the" Kidd best

- What are some of your other favorites?
N/A

- Did any game exceed what you thought the system was capable of
N/A
- Which games had the best graphics? The best sound?
N/A
- Do you remember the first time you saw the system in action? What game was it? What was your reaction?

I remember my mate Andrew had a SMS, only person I knew with one, and I loved playing Alex "the" Kidd

- Did you own the system "back in the day"? How about now?

Neve have and never will, but I did try to buy one ages ago, but couldnt find one so I got a Mega Drive instead. I also wanna try those cool 3d glasses.

- How many games do you have for it?
N/A

- Any stories surrounding the system that you can share with us?
well even though its called Alex Kidd, I refuse to call it that, I will always called it Alex the Kid, thats what everyone calls it anywyay.
I also hate the SMS scene how they always bag the NES, when the NES has a million times more better games than SMS :P

[Lord Contaminous]

So tell me:

- What is your favorite game on this system?
- What are some of your other favorites?
- Did any game exceed what you thought the system was capable of?
- Which games had the best graphics? The best sound?
- Do you remember the first time you saw the system in action? What game was it? What was your reaction?
- Did you own the system "back in the day"? How about now?
- How many games do you have for it?
- Any stories surrounding the system that you can share with us?



- As much as it kicks my ass alot, Phantasy Star
- Astro Warrior, Shinobi, Kenseiden, Maze Hunter 3-D, Spellcaster, Rescue Mission, Wanted, Rambo 2/3, Y's: VO, Cyborg Hunter, Wonderboy III: Dragon's Trap, Zillion 1/2
- The first time I recall seeing SMS in action was the demo setup at a Roses Dept. store. Several guys were playing Rambo: FBP2. But I was too young back then to notice graphics and other stuff like that.
- Not in its heyday, but way back in summer 1993, my dad got a SMS set with 10 games from a TRU sidewalk clearance sale. They were phasing out their stuff.
-10 games for the next 7 years, but I found www.alexkidd.com while being new to the internet, and that's when I started SMS collecting. Currently, I now have 59 games.
- Well, lol the best I can say is I knew someone that had Y's: Vanished Omens, and didn't like it cause he thought it was too hard for him. Then when I told him I beat the game, it got him motivated.

[anagrama]

I also hate the SMS scene how they always bag the NES, when the NES has a million times more better games than SMS :P

It's a contractual obligation that comes with the terrain, I'm afraid. :evil: :P

[slip81]

I never owned a SMS untill about 8 years ago, and did't start collecting for it till maybe a year ago. I was always a bigger Sega fan than Nintendo so I think that's part of what drew me to the SMS. It has a great library of games, and they are fairly easy to find cheap and complete.

Of all the games I've played so far I'd have to say Rocky impressed me the most in the graphics department, plus it's also damn fun. Other faves are Phantasy Star, Altered Beast, Crash Test Dummies and the Zillion series.

What else draws me to the system is it's design and the coll accesories it has like the sports pad and 3D glasses (that I don't own yet unfortuneately).

Right now I only have 15 games, but that's mainly cause Ionly buy CIB ones. Currently I'm working on complete U.S and U.K collections, and I have a far fun way to go :)

[Lemmy Kilmister]

Favorite game on this system: Wonder Boy 3 or Phantasy Star

What are some of your other favorites: Only played it via rom, but Alex Kidd in Shinobi World

Did any game exceed what you thought the system was capable of: No, not really

Which games had the best graphics? The best sound: Phantasy star

Do you remember the first time you saw the system in action? What game was it? What was your reaction: I remember going into a closing toy store ( i'm thinking Child's World) when I was about 4 or 5 and seeing Alex Kidd: in Miracle World. For years I rattle my brain trying to figure out what that game was.

Did you own the system "back in the day"? How about now: No I didn't. Although I know a couple of people who did.

How many games do you have for it: Only sixteen so far.):

[slip81]

I also hate the SMS scene how they always bag the NES, when the NES has a million times more better games than SMS :P

Well it's really a matter of opinion. The SMS has a lot of good games the NES doesn't and vice versa. I think most people though agree that the SMS has the better graphics of the two consoles though.

[jslithy]

- What is your favorite game on this system?

Tie: Phantasy Star and Ys Vanished Omens

- What are some of your other favorites?

Power Strike, Psycho Fox, Sonic, Wonderboy, Alex Kidd, Ultima IV.

- Did any game exceed what you thought the system was capable of?

Power Strike 2 is faster and more intense than I ever thought an 8-bit shooter could be.

- Which games had the best graphics? The best sound?

I think Phantasy Star has the best graphics and sound. The music is memorable and nobody forgets the first time they see the scrolling first-person dungeons.

- Do you remember the first time you saw the system in action? What game was it? What was your reaction?

I don't think I can even remember the first time I saw it in action.

- Did you own the system "back in the day"? How about now?

"Back in the day," I played Master System games through the Power Base Converter. In case you've never seen it, it's a device you plug into the Genesis that allows you to play Master System games. It's the closest I ever came to owning a Master System.

- How many games do you have for it?

I think I've only got about 5 games still for it.

- Any stories surrounding the system that you can share with us?

I had about 5 friends who had the Master System back in the 80s. It seemed like all of them got it from parents who had some salesperson tell them it was more powerful than the NES, and therefore a better system. These kids were seriously bummed because they couldn't play Mario and Zelda. The funny things was, I went over their houses all the time to play great games like Psycho Fox, Zillion, Phantasy Star and Wonderboy, because I was bored to death with my Nintendo.

[imanerd0011]

- Do you remember the first time you saw the system in action? What game was it? What was your reaction?

The first time I saw the SMS was a local TRU when I was around 6. It was set up so you could play it, and the game was Altered Beast. It (A.B) had just come out, and at the time I had a NES, and I had no idea what this thing was, but I thought the graphics were top notch!

[Gapporin]

Awesome. Finally, a thread deciated to one of my favorite systems:

- What is your favorite game on this system?

It's either Phantasy Star or Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap.

- What are some of your other favorites?

Choplifter, Double Dragon, Gangster Town, Lord Of The Sword, Monopoly, My Hero (I know, I know), Outrun, Penguin Land, Psycho Fox and Zillion.

- Did any game exceed what you thought the system was capable of?

Wonder Boy III made awesome work of the SMS's sound capabilites. Also, playing games like Outrun and Space Harrier almost made it seem like you were actually playing the big brother's arcade version inside of a console.

- Which games had the best graphics? The best sound?

Best Graphics: Phantasy Star
Best Sound: Wonder Boy III.

- Do you remember the first time you saw the system in action? What game was it? What was your reaction?

I remember as far back as I can, playing this system at about age 6 because my parents had gotten it for us kids. I remember playing some Choplifter, Gangster Town, Wonder Boy III and Zillion. I really didn't know there was anything "better" out there, because I never knew about the NES back then.

- Did you own the system "back in the day"? How about now?

Yes and yes. :)

- How many games do you have for it?

About 15-16.

- Any stories surrounding the system that you can share with us?

One time when I was over at a friend's house a long time ago, he owned a Master System, but he also owned a Genesis as well. Just for kicks, we decided to plug a Genesis controller into the SMS, and to our surprise, it worked! We also did that with a Atari 2600. Talk about a discovery! LOL

[NeoZeedeater]

- What is your favorite game on this system?

Wonder Boy III. Back then I would have said Phantasy Star or Shinobi but today I think this holds up the best. I would go as far as to say it's the best game of the 8-bit era.

- What are some of your other favorites?

Besides the ones already mentioned, Kenseiden is brilliant and underrated. Fantasy Zone series, Kung Fu Kid, Thunder Blade

- Did any game exceed what you thought the system was capable of?

Later stuff like Power Strike 2 and Sonic Chaos really show off the graphics.

- Do you remember the first time you saw the system in action? What game was it? What was your reaction?

I saw Safari Hunt early in the system's life. I was blown away by the graphics and the gameplay. I was already a huge Duck Hunt fan and now I needed to own a Sega too.

- Did you own the system "back in the day"? How about now?

Yes and yes.

- How many games do you have for it?

Currently about 50. I have owned more different ones over the years.

- Any stories surrounding the system that you can share with us?

Not really except that I think the system is truly underrated and deserves its place and respect alongside the NES. I owned and loved both systems back then and while the SMS didn't have the NES' Japanese third-party support, Sega's own games were often among the best of the time.

[blissfulnoise]

- What is your favorite game on this system?

Kenseiden really impressed me very recently. Excellent graphics, very challenging, and some interesting gameplay elements (multiple sword styles).

- What are some of your other favorites?

Phantasy Star (obviously), Fantasy Zone (series), Wanted, Alex Kidd in Shinobi World (short but sweet) among others.

- Did any game exceed what you thought the system was capable of?

Phantasy Star was superior to Final Fantasy in nearly every way. It was an amazing show piece on the system. Again, Kenseiden was extremely impressive graphically. Power Strike also holds its own against the shooters of the age. I think it can be said in the same breath as R-Type and The Guardian Legend. And Montezuma's Revenge is still a lot of fun, and a great port of the famous addcitive game.

- Which games had the best graphics? The best sound?

lol, Kenseiden again. Aurally, Phantasy Star is up there with the best, as are some of the Alex Kidd series tunes.

- Do you remember the first time you saw the system in action? What game was it? What was your reaction?

Hang-On / Safari Hunt. My cousins owned a SMS (we had an NES). I thought it was cool that the games came built in. We played a lot of Fantasy Zone too. Thought it was a lot cooler than Abadox.

- Did you own the system "back in the day"? How about now?

No, not "back in the day", but I'm 3 games short of a complete US library now. So I guess that's a yes for the present.

- How many games do you have for it?

123. Vast majority complete, all boxed.

- Any stories surrounding the system that you can share with us?

Other than the fun of playing the game over at our cousins’ house, not really. I had a friend around 1994 that had one too. We'd play a lot of The Ninja since it may have the radest name of all time, but we'd only play it for a little while before turning on the C64 for real retro fun.

Since I didn't grow up with the SMS, my amusing anecdote factor is quite low. Oh, I can say the light gun was much cooler than the NES kapang-er.

[MegaDrive20XX]

Wow, even I am surprised this thread hasn't started earlier...but thank you Joe!

- What is your favorite game on this system?
It would have to be Space Harrier

- What are some of your other favorites?
Shinobi, Alex the Kidd The Lost Star, Alex the Kidd in Shinobi World, Sonic 1, Sonic 2, Outrun, R-Type, Astro Warrior, Gauntlet, Wonderboy, Castle of Illusion, Rambo: The First Blood, Alien Syndrome, Spy Vs. Spy, Rescue Mission.

- Did any game exceed what you thought the system was capable of?
Yes, I feel Space Harrier or any of the 3D games could not have been done on NES by far during that time.


- Which games had the best graphics? The best sound?
R-Type, Space Harrier, Renegade. Music and Sound Effect wise...Ghouls N' Ghosts, Space Harrier

- Do you remember the first time you saw the system in action? What game was it? What was your reaction?
First time I saw it on action was on a commerical I barely remember, but Hang On was the first game I saw in action. My reaction was "Hey that looks pretty fun I wonder what it's for"


- Did you own the system "back in the day"? How about now?
Oh yeah, sure did, it was the first game console I have ever owned.
Now, I just recently picked one up and it's been 17 years since I have seen one in person....and I tell ya, it's been worth the wait.

- How many games do you have for it?
Back then, about 12...
Now, I just started, so 7 titles and still growing

- Any stories surrounding the system that you can share with us?
The first day I got the system was in August of 1987. Even before I knew the word "Nintendo"...there was Sega. Normally we were a Commodore 64 family, but I think my parents wanted me to have a game machine that allowed no interrupts whenever they would use the Commodore 64, since it was mainly used for business purposes back then.

So I was 6 years old at the time, I had no idea this was coming, we hooked it up and I was excited as ever...."NO MORE SHARING STUFF WITH MY BROTHER! WOOT!" is what I probably had running in my mind lol

I remember filling out the warranty card and their was a free game offer with it....had the choice of three games to pick from...one being Ganster Town....Double Dragon and some flying game....could have been F-16...I'm not too sure.....but I picked Double Dragon. It showed up 2 weeks later...and I played that game to death...that's what really made the SMS a more enjoyable experience to be embedded into my childhood memories.

Ever since then, the SMS really started it all for me and just holds a unique position in the history of games in my life.....as the first true rival of Nintendo...

[Raccoon Lad]

- What is your favorite game on this system?
Fantasy Zone II, Great, Great game, and I really wouldn't even consider shooters to be my favorite genre.

- What are some of your other favorites?
About half the system's library, seriously. The SMS has a VERY high percentage of awesome games. Asterix is great, and Enduro Racer kicks much ass as well.

- Did any game exceed what you thought the system was capable of?
Out Run 3-D (in 3-D) is a sight to behold. Phantasy Star's dungeons are quite impressive too.

- Which games had the best graphics? The best sound?
Graphics: Wonder Boy in Monster World is a pretty poor port gameplay-wise, but the graphics are stunning! Alot of the Disney titles have awesome art (Mickey/Donald series) and have you seen the backgrounds in Aladdin? The buildings shift in perspective!!, quite an impressive effect, indeed.

- Do you remember the first time you saw the system in action? What game was it? What was your reaction?
I think I saw a Kiosk in a sears around '87, the bouncing ball lyrics thing on the Ghostbusters game was showing. I didn't know what this mighty bohemoth was when I saw it, but I KNEW it was cool.

- Did you own the system "back in the day"? How about now?
I think I got a used system lot (with about 10 games) for $20 in about 1992. I have about half a dozen SMS's now.

- How many games do you have for it?
Well, I have the COMPLETE US collection, and ALOT of imports. An educated guess would put my collection at around 180 complete games.

- Any stories surrounding the system that you can share with us?
not really, too busy playing R-type to have any interesting stories.

[LAGO]

- What is your favorite game on this system?
Out of the few i've played, it's going to have to be Miracle Warriors. I had this RPG when I was around 10 or 11 and it kept killing me faster than anything. On a side note it seems that hasn't changed.

- What are some of your other favorites?
Shinobi, Rocky, Monopoly, Missile Defense 3-D, and I used to love great basketball.

- Did any game exceed what you thought the system was capable of?
Not really but I had no concept of technological limits at the time.

- Which games had the best graphics? The best sound?
I used to think Rocky was top notch.

- Do you remember the first time you saw the system in action? What game was it? What was your reaction?
I was pretty young, remember playing Missile Defense 3-D with the glasses. Wow. I really thought they where coming at me. Didn't help matters that my uncle told me the only thing protecting me from the missiles where the 3-d glasses.

- Did you own the system "back in the day"? How about now?
yup and yup

- How many games do you have for it?
roughly 60 i'm working for a complete US set.

- Any stories surrounding the system that you can share with us?
when I first started collecting for the system, about a year ago, I had picked up a couple sms games at a pwan shop, I believe they where Rescue Mission and Gangster Town. I was testing them out and I put Rescue Mission in the sms and Hang-on and Safari hunt came up on the screen. I double checked the cart and tried it again. First thing ran through my mind was somebody put the wrong label on this cart! I swear if I hadn't accidentally turned the SMS on without a game in it I would have never knew it had a game built in.

[DynastyLawyer]

- What is your favorite game on this system?

Tough call. I'd probably have to say Fantasy Zone: The Maze.


- What are some of your other favorites?

It's tired in terms of being called a classic by people who don't even know why, but Phantasy Star. Wonderboy III is a game with the dubious honor of it's creative idea not even attempted to be emulated on surperior consoles. It likewise gave birth to a Tarantino-style narrative structure of fighting the last boss of the previous game first. Double Dragon made the one on NES look laughable, and Alex Kidd in High Tech World was interesting, probably the Shenmue of it's time.


- Did any game exceed what you thought the system was capable of?

Not really. But then, this was a time before "Next Generation Hardware" was really an issue. :)


- Which games had the best graphics? The best sound?


Depends. Most games looked good for 8-bit games. Phantasy Star probably would get both votes, in my opinion. Comparing it to Final Fantasy or Dragon Warrior really shows how ahead of the pack that one was for it's Genre.


- Do you remember the first time you saw the system in action? What game was it? What was your reaction?

Why, Christmas Day, of my 8th Christmas, or something of that sort. My father got me it and eight games. Needless to say, I was pleased.


- Did you own the system "back in the day"? How about now?

I did, but no longer. My mother caught wind of the fact that the Genesis had the converter that was as good as the system itself. Thus, giving it to charity would be a good idea, she said...


- How many games do you have for it?


Lucky number 13, plus some more that I got recently but don't consider "elite."


- Any stories surrounding the system that you can share with us?


About a thousand. 2 player Phantasy Zone and Double Dragon pretty much raised me. :-)

[blue lander]

Favorite game:
Phantasy Star. Probably the greatest of the original Japanese style RPGs, and still stands up well today. I was pretty excited to find a boxed copy of it at a pawn shop.

Other favorites:
Aleste 1 and 2, also known as Power Strike 1 and 2. Those are both good on the Game Gear, too. Fantastic shooters from Compile. I prefer the MSX2 Aleste 2, though.
Psycho Fox. I think this is one of the best platformers of all time. It's hard to put my finger on what I like about it, but everything about it works perfectly. It's better than the semi-sequel Decap Attack on the Genesis.
Zillion's great fun, although I was dissapointed with it at first. I heard it described as "Metroid on the SMS". While it's a good game, it doesn't stand up to Metroid in my opinion. Writing down all those passwords was annoying, too.
Wonderboy III is great, the best in the series. Another great action/RPG.
Ys gets an honorable mention, too. I love Ys, and the SMS version is decent, but it doesn't hold up compared to the Turbografx 16 version.
R-Type falls in the same category. Good port, but not as good as later versions on the PC Engine and Playstation. That version had an added secret level, though.

- Did any game exceed what you thought the system was capable of?
Not really. All SMS games seem to be of more or less the same caliber. I bet some of the later Europe-only titles were technologically impressive, though.

- Which games had the best graphics? The best sound?
I guess I'd have to say Phantasy Star in both categories. It has the only memorable SMS soundtrack I can think of right now. Ys comes in second. Ys has a fantastic soundtrack too, but it doesn't sound so good on the SMS.

- Do you remember the first time you saw the system in action? What game was it? What was your reaction?
Hmm, good question. The first time I saw it in action was probably when I bought it. I think the first game I got was it was Double Dragon, when I first bought a Power Base Converter in the mid 90's. I was impressed that it looked better than the NES version. I was also impressed it could take card games as well as cartridges.

- Did you own the system "back in the day"? How about now?
I never even heard of the Sega Master System back in the day. When I was a kid, there was no video game system other than the NES. I knew of older systems like the Intellivision and Atari 2600, but never heard of competition to the NES. I recall being vaguely aware of the Turbografx 16, but I never heard of the SMS.
Now I have an SMS 1 and 2, plus a Power Base Converter and an adapter to play SMS games on the Game Gear.

- How many games do you have for it?
Not many. About 25, 10 boxed.

- Any stories surrounding the system that you can share with us?
Not really. Except that back in the mid/late 90's, I found a SMS to Game Gear adapter for something like 2 dollars at a thrift store. I didn't have a Game Gear at the time, they were still too expensive, but I bought it anyways and stowed it away somewhere. Later when I did buy a Game Gear, I couldn't find the adapter! I looked for that thing for years, and I only finally found it a few weeks ago.

[Sothy]

Good fun system. Some very good examples of horendous butt ugly box artwork.

[Pantechnicon]

Growing up I knew literally nobody who had a Master System. It just sort of worked out that way. This was in the post-1984 market crash. Everybody my age or older either had Atari or Colecovision or had given up on gaming. Everybody younger than me had or wanted an NES. I recall seeing Master Systems for sale in places like KayBee but never saw one in action. I recall thinking, based on the stark and redundant box art, that the system probably wasn't any good. Must be just a regional thing because seriously nobody I knew had one. Forgetting the system entirely, I honestly believed later on that the Genesis was Sega's first entry into the U.S. market :embarrassed:

So it was that I only got into SMS by accident. A few years ago I traded an SNES Gameboy adapter for a Genesis Power Base Converter, and the only reason I did this was because I had recently got my first Genny and was trying to round up some hardware peripherals for it. A few loose common games later I quickly became impressed with the system and spent more time playing SMS games than Genesis ones.

Eventually I got a hold of a real Master System and controllers, and currently have about 30 games for it. SMS is now one of only a few systems (2600 and INTV are the others) for which I will indiscriminately buy games regardless of title or condition.The apparent lack of interest for this system in my part of the country makes this a worthwhile challenge.

I guess the thing that impressed me most about the SMS is when I found out that the Game Gear is actually nothing more than an SMS with its own screen. It says something about Sega's confidence in the platfrom (as well as their apparent frugality) that they were able to squeeze a few more years of production out of it by going the handheld route. I spend just as much time playing SMS games on my Game Gear as I do on the Master System itself. It's nice to have that flexibility.

SMS is good stuff. 8-)

[-hellvin-]

Cool thread, was the first one I clicked on this morning and got an error, haha. Oh well, now that I'm home....

- What is your favorite game on this system?
Alex Kidd in Shinobi World

- What are some of your other favorites?

Montezuma's Revenge, Wonderboy In Monster Land, Wonderboy III, R-type, Phantasy Star, Power Strike

- Did any game exceed what you thought the system was capable of?

Haven't come across anything I can name at the moment.

- Which games had the best graphics? The best sound?

I think the SMS has some of the best music. I love the music in Shinobi World, Wonderboy series, Power Strike, Phantasy Star. All the aforementioned games have excellent graphics as well.

- Do you remember the first time you saw the system in action? What game was it? What was your reaction?

This is a system I did not know much about until recently.

- Did you own the system "back in the day"? How about now?

I own the system now, not back in the day.

- How many games do you have for it?

I have all but 4 of the US NTSC games. I believe the makes 110 or something in that area?

- Any stories surrounding the system that you can share with us?

Buy an SMS now and love it.

[moycon]

I have a SMS with about 40 games. Cant say that Im a huge fan of the system only because I havn't really played with it all that much. Just a simple case of too many systems/games and not enough time to play them. One oddity I do have is Mortal Kombat 3. Anyone else have this game?

[dojosky]

Yo it's my turn now ...

- What is your favorite game on this system?
Phantasy Star, Wonderboy III: The Dragon's Trap.

- What are some of your other favorites?
R*Type, Double Dragon, Ys the Vanished Omens, Miracle Warrior,Alex kidd in Shinobi World etc...

- Did any game exceed what you thought the system was capable of?
Hang-on back in 1986 made me thought it was the system excellent at making arcade quality games ...

- Which games had the best graphics? The best sound?
Phantasy Star, Miracle Warrior, and few more ...

- Do you remember the first time you saw the system in action? What game was it? What was your reaction?
Yeah ! back in 1986 my friends and I would always go to Macy's after school and they had 2 demos set up (sms on one tv and nes on the another tv) ... my friends and I would always play the systems there that's how I first learned abt sms and played hang-on and safari hunt on it ...

- Did you own the system "back in the day"? How about now?
Yeah I sure did funny thing is that I wanted a NES so badly because of zelda and super mario bros. it was back in 1987 I told my Dad I wanted a nes... and as always he always does his christmas shopping at the last minute ... so eventually Toys R us' were all sold out of nes so My dad went ahead and bought a sms system the deluxe set with the light phaser etc ... and on Christmas Day I opened the present and said that is not NES !!! :( LOL so he apologized and next day he took me to the Toys R us store to shop for some sms games and we were the only one in the sega master system section while there were over 10+ people in NES section and my dad said to me look at the NES section LOL so he told me to return my sms and get money back to buy myself a NES so I did that lol .... but one year later I traded in 2 NES game cartridges for a sms and quartet ... then bought Phantasy Star for 69.99 and Miracle Warriors for 49.99 that year ... yes I still have it to this day and several sms systems LOL ...

- How many games do you have for it?
100+ USA games all complete and ... about 20+ UK/australia sms games !

- Any stories surrounding the system that you can share with us?
After I got myself a sms and owning both NES and sms made my other 2 best friends do the same thing as we did with that and Coleco Vision system too LOL

[anagrama]

One oddity I do have is Mortal Kombat 3. Anyone else have this game?

Yeah, it's one of the more common TecToy exclusives. I paid about £5 for mine (NIB).

[Geddon_jt]

- What is your favorite game on this system?

Well, I guess I have to go with Phantasy Star. I played that game almost daily over a period of about 2 years before finishing it (before you call me a retard, I had no outside help and was about 8 years old at the time.) ;)

- What are some of your other favorites?

Alex Kidd in Miracle World, Wonder Boy in Monster Land, Astro Warrior, Zillion, Spellcaster

- Which games had the best graphics? The best sound?

I remember being really impressed by the Zillion games when they came out. They aren't talked about much anymore, but they had awesome anime-inspired graphics and really unique gameplay. Zillion was like a crazy Japanese Impossible Mission, while Zillion 2 was a fast-paced action game.

- Did you own the system "back in the day"? How about now?

Yes, and yes.
My parents asked me to give away my original system and games when we adopted a needy family one Christmas around 15 years ago. What goes around comes around, I suppose. :)

- How many games do you have for it?

I've currently got about half the US library, around 50 carts and cards.

- Any stories surrounding the system that you can share with us?

Too many. I'll try and keep it short.
I got my SMS in about 86, I think, when I was about 7. It was a Christmas after I got my 7800 but before I had a NES. I remember being attracted to it because it was called the "Master system," and at the time I thought I was pretty darn good at beating games. :)
Amongst other stories...
When a relative once asked me what my brother wanted for his birthday, I told her "Alex Kidd in Miracle World," just so I could play it!
I finally reached the Baya Malay tower in Phantasy Star, but got seriously stuck. So what did I do? I called the FREE 1-800 sega hint line, of course. A week later I got a manila envelope in the mail with hand copied maps of the entire tower and a typewritten tips sheet! Ahh, the good old days... I've loved Sega ever since.

I have to credit the Master System for really giving me my first taste (and love) for Japanese games. At the time, I just thought they were really wierd and different. The Master System is right alongside the Turbo and NeoGeo as my 3 favorite systems of all time.

[segafan]

- What is your favorite game on this system?

Probably outrun...at least i played that the most.


- What are some of your other favorites?

Shinobi, Phantasy Star, Shooting Gallery (first game i had), Wonderboy 2 and 3, Space Harrier, Govellius, Spellcaster


- Did any game exceed what you thought the system was capable of?

Probably Wonderboy 3...completely blows away anything nintendo ever put out for the NES. and phantasy star obviously.


- Which games had the best graphics? The best sound?

Graphics? Phantasy Star. Sound? Gotta give Govellius's soundtrack a nod, and sega did a respectable job with the space harrier and outrun soundtracks.


- Do you remember the first time you saw the system in action? What game was it? What was your reaction?

First time I saw the system in action was probably either the commercials or playing Alex Kidd in Sears on one of the demo units.



- Did you own the system "back in the day"? How about now?

Got it in '87, when I was like 6 years old.



- How many games do you have for it?

about 30...hoping to complete the U.S. collection.


- Any stories surrounding the system that you can share with us?

I only knew one other kid on my block that had the system...everyone else had nintendo

[Dire 51]

Sure, I'll throw in my two meseta. ;)


So tell me:

- What is your favorite game on this system?
- What are some of your other favorites?
- Did any game exceed what you thought the system was capable of?
- Which games had the best graphics? The best sound?
- Do you remember the first time you saw the system in action? What game was it? What was your reaction?
- Did you own the system "back in the day"? How about now?
- How many games do you have for it?
- Any stories surrounding the system that you can share with us?

- My favorite SMS game is Kenseiden, by far. I fell in love with it when I first played it back in '88, and I have yet to find an SMS game that is better.
- Master Of Darkness, Alex Kidd In Miracle World, Rastan, R-Type, Power Strike, Outrun, Shinobi, After Burner, Space Harrier, Space Harrier 3-D, Ninja Gaiden, Phantasy Star, Golvellius, and Captain Silver (yes, Captain Silver).
- R-Type blew me away, because of how close it was to the arcade. I never thought I'd see a game that looked quite that good on the SMS.
- R-Type is up there in the graphics department, obviously. Soundwise... well, I've never been a fan of the SMS' sound, but I think Master Of Darkness has an excellent soundtrack.
- First time I saw the system in action was the day I played Kenseiden, and I think I've covered how I felt about it already.
- I didn't actually own the system back then, but a friend did - which is how I got to play it. I wanted one badly, but the Genesis showed up a year later, and I wanted that more. When I found out that the Power Base Converter was going to be available for it, I made it a point to snag one so I could start buying some SMS games and have the best of both worlds. :D
- Currently, 4 - Kenseiden, Rastan, Master Of Darkness and Alex Kidd In Miracle World. I used to have almost 30, but the "Great Collection Sale of '04" pretty much put an end to that.
- No stories to speak of, but I have to say that I've enjoyed playing nearly every SMS game I've ever owned, with a couple exceptions - namely ESWAT and Strider.

[Lady Jaye]

- What is your favorite game on this system?
Cloud Master and Mickey Mouse: Castle of Illusion

- What are some of your other favorites?
WonderBoy, WonderBoy III, R-Type, Montezuma's Revenge

- Did any game exceed what you thought the system was capable of?
I didn't pay attention to that kind of detail back then. I was mostly concerned about whether the game was fun or not.

- Which games had the best graphics? The best sound?
Best graphics: The Alex kidd games, with their bright cartoony graphics that looked just like arcade games!
Best sound: WonderBoy III

- Do you remember the first time you saw the system in action? What game was it? What was your reaction?
That was back in 1988-89. I was in grade 7. I had visited my new best friend Julie (still my best friend to that day, BTW) and I noticed she had a videogame console. Being a gamer even then, I wanted to try it. It was the first time I had seen that console (I was familiar with the ColecoVision, the Atari 2600 and the NES, but not the SMS at that point). I don't recall the game we first played, but it must've been the first WonderBoy or Mickey Mouse: Castle of Illusion (I was just fascinated by that game!). I remember liking those games a lot and that Safari Hunt was a lot better than Duck Hunt.

Another thing that impressed me with the SMS was the nice plastic cases for the boxes... That was a lot nicer than the easily destructible NES and Atari game boxes!

- Did you own the system "back in the day"? How about now?
I did not own it way back when, I always played it at Julie's house.
I've corrected this since then, and I've owned a SMS for the past 2 1/2 years.

- How many games do you have for it?
Not many -- maybe 10 or 12? I'm still looking for some games, though.

- Any stories surrounding the system that you can share with us?
Julie has kept her system to this day, and a few years ago that we were hanging at her place (the same basement we used to play all these years ago), we decided to play through Safari Hunt. So we sat near the TV with the Sega light gun and away we blasted. :P

[CRV]

- What is your favorite game on this system?

I have no particular favorite.

- Which games had the best graphics? The best sound?

Graphics - Master of Darkness, Batman Returns

Sound - Master of Darkness, Batman Returns, The Flash

These may not be my complete lists.

- Do you remember the first time you saw the system in action? What game was it? What was your reaction?

While it wasn't "in action," the first time I saw screenshots was probably in an old Sears or JCPenney catalog.

- Did you own the system "back in the day"? How about now?

No. I've only had one since June '03.

- How many games do you have for it?

55 (mostly US, at least one Australian, and a number of European)

[Icarus Moonsight]

- What is your favorite game on this system?

Wonder Boy III the Dragon's Trap

- What are some of your other favorites?

Phantasy Star, R-Type, Space Harrier, Double Dragon, Wonderboy in Monster World, and last but not least Cloud Master.

- Did any game exceed what you thought the system was capable of?

Phantasy Star - The 3D dungeons was top tier in it's day, and something very unexpected from a 8-bit rpg.

- Which games had the best graphics? The best sound?

I was in awe of the R-Type translation - plus it saved me a million quarters :)

The "Get Ready" in Space Harrier was a big surprise for me... my Sega talked to me!!! :)

- Do you remember the first time you saw the system in action? What game was it? What was your reaction?

It was at a Target store. They had a demo NES and SMS side by side. The NES was running Duck Hunt and the SMS was running the "Gun Range" game (can't remember the title). The SMS made a better impression on me.

- Did you own the system "back in the day"? How about now?

Yup, I had one... about the only kid in my school that did. Everyone else had a 2600 or a NES. Which I also had... chumps! I run my SMS games on my genesis or game gear with the converters nowadays. I'd love to get a model 2 mini SMS though.

- How many games do you have for it?

I had about 40... now about 15... but I'm always adding on :)

- Any stories surrounding the system that you can share with us?

I used to get alot of flack from friends for even having a SMS in my house. The area seemed to be VERY anti-sega. Nobody wanted to come visit and play it with me. So I usually went to their house to play NES. There was one time my friend down the street was having a birthday party and I thought it would be really cool to bring my SMS for other kids to play while the NES was being used. Funny thing was that my friend got Double Dragon for the NES from his folks for his birthday present and that was mostly what was being played. I also had this game, but on the SMS. After a little while some of the other kids got bored with watching Double Dragon being played and decided to try the SMS. Soon afterward they discovered the SMS Double Dragon and started playing it... about 10 minutes later the NES was feeling quite ignored :) I had alot of my seemingly anti-sega friends asking to borrow the SMS for the weekend after that. LOL

[dezanuebe]

So tell me:

- What is your favorite game on this system?

I have to say that Phantasy Star is not only the best game on the SMS, but also the best 8 bits game i´ve ever played. This game arrived to Portugal only in 1994 and still impressed me alot at that time.

- What are some of your other favorites?

Well, i will show you all my top 15 SMS games, by order:

1.Phantasy Star
2.Sonic 2
3.Land of Illusion
4.Micro Machines
5.Sonic
6.Astérix
7.Asterix & the Great Rescue
8.Desert Strike
9.Prince of Persia
10.James Pond 2: Codename Robocod
11.Star Wars
12.Power Strike 2
13.Shadow of the Beast
14.Castle of Illusion
15.R-Type
Golden Axe Warrior

- Did any game exceed what you thought the system was capable of?

Well, i always had high expectations for the system and still believe that few games explored the system 110%, like it happens with all sucessful consoles in the end of it´s life cicle. Nevertheless, i was impressed by phantasy star, a game released in the begining that raised the level of quality to levels that would never be reache by an rpg again and Desert Strike and Power Strike 2, released in 1993, these games demonstrated the power of the SMS and it´s superiority in all aspects of gaming when compared to the NES!!

- Which games had the best graphics? The best sound?

BEST GRAPHICS:

Phantasy Star
Sonic 2
Land of Illusion
Micro Machines
Sonic
Astérix
Asterix & the Great Rescue
Desert Strike
Prince of Persia
James Pond 2: Codename Robocod
Star Wars
Power Strike 2
Shadow of the Beast
Castle of Illusion
R-Type
Golden Axe Warrior
... and many more. the Master System had a unique look and feeling in all it´s games that i only saw again in the Nintendo 64.

BEST SOUND:

Streets of Rage, Yuzo koshiro´s tunes in an SMS, the game has an amazing soundtrack that has to be heard to believe. Several games in my top 15 have also great sound, i remember the tunes in Rastan, Alien 3, and many other games...

- Do you remember the first time you saw the system in action? What game was it? What was your reaction?

First time was christmas´90, date of it´s release in Portugal alongside with the Mega Drive. Funny thing was that the system that was given more enphesis was the SMS and all game stores had Alex Kidd in Miracle world on their TV´s. I was mesmarized by that game and still remember all the musics and levels it had!! Those were the days...

- Did you own the system "back in the day"? How about now?

Bought it in 1991 and still use it today. it works perfectly. In that time, things were made to last :evil:

- How many games do you have for it?

298

[segagamer]

- What is your favorite game on this system?
Phantasy Star
- What are some of your other favorites?
R-Type, Fantasy Zone II, Zillion, Golvellius, Space Harrier 3D, Maze Hunter 3D
- Did any game exceed what you thought the system was capable of?
All the 3D games, which look great when using the SegaScope 3D glasses
- Which games had the best graphics? The best sound?
Phantasy Star - sheer size of the game as well as excellent graphics and sound
- Do you remember the first time you saw the system in action? What game was it? What was your reaction?
Yes, Hang-On, and I thought this game has much better graphics than NES
- Did you own the system "back in the day"? How about now?
Yes, I bought the Sega system around 1986; since 1989, I have the Power Base Converter for my Genesis
- How many games do you have for it?
approximately 100 (US and UK releases)
- Any stories surrounding the system that you can share with us?
I first bought NES back in 1985 while I was working at Venture. I thought it was a really neat system with good graphics and games. Sometime in 1986, while shopping with my mom at Warehouse Club, I spotted the SMS, and decided to buy it along with Choplifter. I was blown away by the better graphics and good gameplay. The more SMS games I bought, the more I realized that I did not enjoy the NES the way I enjoyed the SMS. So I finally sold the NES with games and accessories to people who worked at Venture and used the money to buy more SMS games.

[Policenaut]

So tell me:

- What is your favorite game on this system?
- What are some of your other favorites?
- Did any game exceed what you thought the system was capable of?
- Which games had the best graphics? The best sound?
- Do you remember the first time you saw the system in action? What game was it? What was your reaction?
- Did you own the system "back in the day"? How about now?
- How many games do you have for it?
- Any stories surrounding the system that you can share with us?

1- Difficult question....Phantasy Star and Golvellius(tie)

2- I have some favorites too: Black Belt, Golvellius, Phantasy Star, Kenseiden, R-Type, Double Dragon, the Wonderboy series and Alex Kidd series.

3- Phantasy Star blowed me away with those incredible dungeons, I enjoyed more Double Dragon on SMS than on Nes.

4- I loved Golvellius musically and graphically, as well as Rastan, Fantasy Zone, Zillion II, R-Type OutRun.

5- I saw it for the first time when I was on 7nth grade; went to a friend's house and when he showed me that system I was shocked, he had Spy vs Spy, Teddy boy, OutRun, Hang On and Safari Hunt. I fell in love instantly with the system, and told my parents that THAT was what I wanted for christmas, and everytime was thinking about that system.

6- Still have my SMS that I got as christmas present. I still enjoy the games, as I am moving the system to other regions, Europe, Brazil, Australia,etc.

7- 140 I gess, have 113 US released games missing just James Buster Douglas Knockout Boxing(yeah, I know...) the others are from other Regions. My mission is to get all PAL games, I know that Schtroumpfs Autour de Monde is almost non existent but I'll try and do my best. I want also the Brazil-exclusive titles, I have a few but am far from complete. All in all, I want ALL SMS period! hehehe I am waiting this week for Bubble Bobble and Les Schtroumpfs(smurfs) to arrive.

8- Just like any kid did back then, I saved all the money I could to get some games, and when my parents couldnt get me to K-Mart or Woolworth I walked a lot to those stores to get my games. And will never forget the first time I saw the system in action, I am still in love with the Sega Master, I enjoyed playing with it more than with the Nes or Atari. I am still waiting for the second part of Golvellius :( And I used to finish Kung Fu Kid like 8 times daily, and Thunder Blade like 3.

[sharp]

I first saw the Master System in a catalog of an electronic store back in 1991 I think when the Megadrive was just released. Sadly there was no place to see the system and try it. When my local toy-store started selling the Master System I wanted one, but my parents banned me for buying one (I was 10 years back then) as the thought a NES was good enough. In the end me and my brother got a Game Gear and when I found a cheap Master Gear I got more into the Master System and got a lot of games for it. Sadly in 1997 I decided to sell all my videogames and so I lost all the Master System games as well. Recently I bought a loose Master System Converter II (sadly loose) with 4 complete games (Sonic Chaos, Junglebook, Miracle Warriors and Putt and Putter).

My favorite game always was James Pond: Robocod and Pac-Mania. Although with the time of emulation I found out that there were many games I never saw for sale in any stores. As a sega-fan I still love the system, but I'm now more focused on getting complete collections for Megadrive (including CD and 32X) and Saturn.

Still I think after that I will focus on the Master System, maybe also becuase the ban my parents gave me to buy one when I was young.

I think this is it about my experiences with the Master System.

[segagamer]

I forgot to mention that I also bought World Grand Prix along with Choplifter when I purchased my SMS.

[20eyes]

- What is your favorite game on this system?

Wonder Boy III

- What are some of your other favorites?

Oddly, Reggie Jackson Baseball

- Did any game exceed what you thought the system was capable of?
Not really other than the fact that it had 8 bit graphics but the games looked better than nintendo's

- Which games had the best graphics? The best sound?
Not sure.

- Do you remember the first time you saw the system in action? What game was it? What was your reaction?
Never saw it in action till we got one.
But I remember looking at the games and displays at Toys R Us (since it was the only place that actually sold them)

- Did you own the system "back in the day"? How about now?
Yes, we had one "back in the day". My mom won it as a sweepstakes prize. I still own that very same system, I kinda "stole" it from my dad a few years back.

- How many games do you have for it?
somewhere over 70

- Any stories surrounding the system that you can share with us?
Nothing that really sticks out other than the fact that no one at school knew what a sega master system was let alone own one.

[The Plucky Little Ninja]

-What is your favorite game for the system?

Phantasy Star started my unhealthy obsession with Role-Playing Games back before most people had no idea what they even were. This was unhealthy because I stayed with Sega all the way through the CD years before I realized that they just weren't going to make that many RPG's for their systems.

What are some of your other favorites?

Alex Kidd in Shinobi World: I probably rev this one up more than any other Master System game. Dare I say I like it more than Miracle World and the original Shinobi.

Double Dragon: Anything with two player co-op is a childhood favorite. I can't count the number of times I played through DD.

The Ninja: The music runs through my head to this very day.

Shinobi: So much ninja goodness. More catchy tunes and it didn't have the one hit kills of the arcade.

Did any of the games exceed what you thought the system was capable of?

Phantasy Star. I can't bring this game up enough. It blows the hell out of a lot of 16-bit games. Everything about it was so ahead of its time.

Which games had the best graphics? The best sound?

Graphics? I don't want to say. I just come across as a Phantasy Star whore. Sound? I'm getting behind Shinobi.

- Do you remember the first time you saw the system in action? What game was it? What was your reaction?

Choplifter was the entire reason I bought the system. I should go back and stick that one in with my favorites. It was so far beyond the 2600 I was understandably impressed.

Did you own the system "back in the day?" How about now?

Yup, and yup. I still own the same system.

How many games do you have for it?

Around 30. I've owned the damn thing longer than any other system. I should really get more games for it.

Any stories surrounding the system that you can share with us?

I was the only kid in town who owned one. So many NES's. Dammit, I was proud of the fact though. It started my, what certainly seems to be, lifelong obsession.

[syd]

I didn't play the SMS until around 1996, when I played it over at my friends's house. He only had a few games for it, but I remember playing sonic and especially Gangster Town for it. That game is one of my favourite light gun games of all time, it blew Hogan's Alley for NES out of the water. I need to get an SMS just to play that game again.

The SMS lightgun was actually a lot better design than the NES one, but it just didn't catch on. The SMS could have been a better system, it seemed like the arcade ports just weren't up to par like the NES, for example Double Dragon was horrible on the SMS IMO.

I mostly played SMS through emulation when the first emulators were coming out back around 1997 or so. When they came out I really started getting into it, but for me it will never replace the good old NES.