I can't say enough how good the Monster Boy III remake is. I called my brother to send me my old password from the Master System version and it worked with the new version. They got absolutely everything right, and being able to change the graphics and sound to the original at any time is awesome. Must play.
Phantasy Star was an amazing experience. I remember that final dungeon, where I could not find the final boss encounter for the life of me. It wasn't until later I found out that you had to step one place forward and look left or right to see the door, it would not show up just walking the dungeon like corridors do. I think one of the game magazines of the time had a strategy guide or user question.
I would STRONGLY recommend the Sega Ages release of Phantasy Star on the Switch for new players as it has several great quality of life improvements, biggest being an on screen map for the dungeons that slowly fills in as you explore them! I cannot begin to tell you how helpful this is! It just makes the game so much more enjoyable as if you are playing this for the first time without this, you WILL get lost in the dungeons if you aren't literally drawing out your own maps!
Wow, so many highlights from my childhood here. I've beaten Golvelius, Lord of the Sword, Miracle Warriors. And probably beaten Phantasy Star 30 times. Good video!
10 Master System games that can be considered RPGs: 1. Phantasy Star 2. Ys: The Vanished Omens 3. Golden Axe Warrior 4. Golvellius: Valley of Doom 5. Miracle Warriors: Seal of the Dark Lord 6. Lord of the Sword 7. Spellcaster 8. Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar 9. Heroes of the Lance 10. Dragon Crystal 11. Kings Quest
Just discovered this channel and I love your content! Phantasy Star is an absolute banger. I highly recommend the Switch Sega Ages release which includes a bestiary, and options for FM audio and auto-mapping the dungeons. An excellent way to play!
The recent port is outstanding. I have it on my Switch and love all the quality of life improvements. Playing it on the go is just as good as it was on the Game Gear with the Master System adapter or the GBA version. Good times.
I noticed the subtle note you put in there about the gentleman's way of playing Odin. You're truly a man of culture. The Virgin Laconian Axe vs. The Chad Laser Gun
It's funny, I beat all of the games when they originally came out that now people consider hard. Phantasy Star (without mapping), Phantasy Star 2, Miracle Warriors were all games that I completed. I didn't think of how hard they were, I just played them.
I loved Miracle Warriors as a kid, but it was very difficult. Finding the end boss alone was probably the most frustrating part, just to have your ass handed to you because you didn't have enough NUTS! lol You then get booted out of the dungeon and have to collect a shit ton of NUTS in hopes of finding the entrance again. Not beating this game still haunts me... I'm 50 lol
Glovelius was a damn good-looking game when it was new....Wonder Boy in Monster Land was great. It makes Govelius look pedestrian by comparison but I digress... I got my Nes and Master System in 1986 and really just loved playing everything. I remember wanting Phantasy Star when it released but we could never find it. I wouldn't get Phantasy Star until I got my Genesis on Christmas of '89. I got Altered Beast (pack-in), Ghouls n' Ghosts, and the promise that when they could find Phantasy Star II it would be mine. They did however finally find the first game. It was the last gift I received that Christmas. Unfortunately, my mom not knowing anything about gaming at all packed up and gave away my Master System (doh!). The day after Christmas I had to get a Powerbase Converter so I could still play all of my 5 Master System games...well 6 including Phantasy Star (Double Dragon, Miracle Warriors, Teddy Boy, Astro Warriors/Hang-On, and Phantasy Star). What was cool was I got to play both Phantasy Star games back-to-back on my shiny new Genesis. Dare I say because of the 3d mazes I liked the first game better. Although I didn't care for some of the harsh sound effects...man, they were grating. The enemy attacks sound like an amplified 2600 game. Addendum- I had way, way, way more Nes games. I actually preferred my Master System but games were so damned hard to find. Even living in Miami Florida it was rare to find any real selection at all. Even Toy's R" Us never had anything. They had tons of Master System storefront (same size as the Nes) but they were always out of their games. What a tease...
I always wanted to play ys saw the advert on the little poster you got with master system game carts, growing up but back in the early/ mid 90s where I lived it was super hard to find, eventually I bought it a few years ago at a gaming market, cost me like £50 DX I thought about it along time but I’m glad I got it I really love the game. Always wanted phantasy star to but £70 is a bit steep thankfully I’ve played it now on the switch ! It’s great
KingsQuest belongs on the list. Fun Fact about Miracle Warriors, it came with a physical world map, laminated full color in the box with it. The game is nearly unplayable without the map, or at the very LEAST a lot more difficult without the map.
Miracle Warriors really is tough at the start i died like 10 times before I was able to really get going but once you get over the hurdle you do just get into the routine of grinding and progressing
I finished Miracle Warriors as a kid in the 80's. I had never played a RPG before and it felt epic when I finished it. I remember it took me a long time, but the game play gets easier after the beginning stages with more party members.
Great video. If you liked the Master System, definitely give the Game Gear a try. It is the same hardware (more or less) and there are many excellent RPGs on it, some were fan translated and are must play (Sylvan Tale, Moldorian, Lunar, SF Final Conflict, Royal Stone). I am myself a developer for these consoles (GG and MS) and a new "RPG" (more a novel) will be available on GG this year if everything goes as planned, and I am working on something much more ambitious for the MS as well !
I have to say that Wonder Boy 3 qualifies as a RPG for me. It is also the game on the master system that aged absolute best in my taste. Its graphics is still pleasing and the game is very accessible in its visual storytelling so that a gamer from today can simply pick it up and start to play. Or play the remake. The character have abilities and an inventory system. You beef up through finding gemstones, more hearts and buy better equipment in shops.
Actually Wonder Boy in Monster Land has a levelling system, though it only gives more HP. But that may be why it was labeled one of the first action-RPGs ever on the recent re-release. There is also Wonder Boy in Monster World on the system as well.
I love the topic and the video overall,but Richard, you may have forgotten about Kings Quest, not a definitive RPG , but elements of them at least a little bit.thanks
I could never get into Miracle Warriors (there's a Japan only Famicom version too) and Ys/Ultima are more fun on PC to me personally, so Phantasy Star wins by default. That there are only 4 true RPGs really shows how much more of a "Western" console of its time Master System is, NES + Famicom had easily close to a hundred turn-based RPGs. It's sad how overlooked Phantasy Star is sometimes as a series (besides PSO), despite being released around the same time as Final Fantasy/Dragon Quest. It's still 'probably' my favourite 8-bit JRPG, besides FF 1 and FF 3!
I had repressed all memories of Lord of the Sword. Then I heard that damn theme song. I remember hand drawing maps for the phantasy star dungeons. Baya Malay Tower was such a nightmare. Also, f*** Miracle Warriors :P
It’s interesting in the uk back in the day sega was more popular than Nintendo at least among folk I knew. Well that and home computers for ppl who could afford it
Ohhh man.. amazing video =~. SMS still is very loved here in Brazil. I love PS so much that I have the opening screen tattooed in my arm (check in my little community tab). Thank you for bring beautiful memories.
you are completely wrong about lord of the sword, you are just bad at the game if you keep having to backtrack all the time. Do your research first before playing these sorts of games
I'm not sure. How many times does the game say to "leave Lindon" and also say "go to Lindon" ? Seems to be required back tracking to make the game longer but still stay under the limit of 256 kilobytes.
As far as being an 8 bit machine, it's kind of a technical powerhouse. If you compare it to the other consoles that were released around the same time, it very easily outpaces them in terms of raw hardware performance.
Wonder Boy 3/Monster World 2! It’s a classic in much of Europe and South America. Also: Psycho Fox, Phantasy Star, the Mickey/Illusion games, Mean Bean Machine, California Games… so much nostalgia 😩
If phantasy star isn’t number 1, I’m gonna riot!
I'll never forget that first time in a dungeon. THREE DIMENSIONS?! WOW!
By far, Phantasy star 1 is a ten for it's time.
I can't say enough how good the Monster Boy III remake is. I called my brother to send me my old password from the Master System version and it worked with the new version. They got absolutely everything right, and being able to change the graphics and sound to the original at any time is awesome. Must play.
Phantasy Star was an amazing experience. I remember that final dungeon, where I could not find the final boss encounter for the life of me. It wasn't until later I found out that you had to step one place forward and look left or right to see the door, it would not show up just walking the dungeon like corridors do. I think one of the game magazines of the time had a strategy guide or user question.
We need a remake of that game for the Nintendo Switch.
Great video. Phantasy Star is the best Master System game ever.
I would STRONGLY recommend the Sega Ages release of Phantasy Star on the Switch for new players as it has several great quality of life improvements, biggest being an on screen map for the dungeons that slowly fills in as you explore them!
I cannot begin to tell you how helpful this is! It just makes the game so much more enjoyable as if you are playing this for the first time without this, you WILL get lost in the dungeons if you aren't literally drawing out your own maps!
They released a version of Phantasy Star already, I doubt they will bring the PS2 remake
@kllrbeas .... What? What are you even talking about? I didn't say anything about any sort of Remake.
Maybe I misunderstood you I thought you were saying they should bring the Playstation 2 Sega Ages version of Phantasy Star to the Switch
@@kllrbeas I was simply recommending the Switch port.
I just finished the game 35 years later this week on my son’s Switch , it was like closing a chapter of my childhood.
Wow, so many highlights from my childhood here. I've beaten Golvelius, Lord of the Sword, Miracle Warriors. And probably beaten Phantasy Star 30 times. Good video!
I'm not sure that I would agree that a rogue-like isn't an RPG just because it either lacks a story, or only has a very light story.
Yeah, rogue-likes are literally a sub genre of RPG's.
10 Master System games that can be considered RPGs:
1. Phantasy Star
2. Ys: The Vanished Omens
3. Golden Axe Warrior
4. Golvellius: Valley of Doom
5. Miracle Warriors: Seal of the Dark Lord
6. Lord of the Sword
7. Spellcaster
8. Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar
9. Heroes of the Lance
10. Dragon Crystal
11. Kings Quest
Miracle warriors
@@Funrunner008 Yes of course! How could I forget it? I have them all.
Just discovered this channel and I love your content! Phantasy Star is an absolute banger. I highly recommend the Switch Sega Ages release which includes a bestiary, and options for FM audio and auto-mapping the dungeons. An excellent way to play!
I ended up replaying all of Phantasy Star while doing this video, so I wonder what I'll do with all that footage.....
The recent port is outstanding. I have it on my Switch and love all the quality of life improvements. Playing it on the go is just as good as it was on the Game Gear with the Master System adapter or the GBA version. Good times.
I'll on instruction video,play by play, maybe if it's complete enough,I'll actually be able to get through it( this time, finally).
I noticed the subtle note you put in there about the gentleman's way of playing Odin. You're truly a man of culture.
The Virgin Laconian Axe vs. The Chad Laser Gun
Glad to see Y's in the top 3 where it deserves
I love Ys on the Master System. Such a great game. I can't believe that in the 6-7 yrs the Switch has been on the market, we never got Ys 1.
It's not a good rpg compared to the , But for master system it's a good game for the shitty ms
It's funny, I beat all of the games when they originally came out that now people consider hard. Phantasy Star (without mapping), Phantasy Star 2, Miracle Warriors were all games that I completed. I didn't think of how hard they were, I just played them.
Same here. I didn’t map out Phantasy Star until I replayed it years later.
I loved Miracle Warriors as a kid, but it was very difficult. Finding the end boss alone was probably the most frustrating part, just to have your ass handed to you because you didn't have enough NUTS! lol
You then get booted out of the dungeon and have to collect a shit ton of NUTS in hopes of finding the entrance again. Not beating this game still haunts me... I'm 50 lol
Glovelius was a damn good-looking game when it was new....Wonder Boy in Monster Land was great. It makes Govelius look pedestrian by comparison but I digress...
I got my Nes and Master System in 1986 and really just loved playing everything. I remember wanting Phantasy Star when it released but we could never find it. I wouldn't get Phantasy Star until I got my Genesis on Christmas of '89. I got Altered Beast (pack-in), Ghouls n' Ghosts, and the promise that when they could find Phantasy Star II it would be mine. They did however finally find the first game. It was the last gift I received that Christmas. Unfortunately, my mom not knowing anything about gaming at all packed up and gave away my Master System (doh!). The day after Christmas I had to get a Powerbase Converter so I could still play all of my 5 Master System games...well 6 including Phantasy Star (Double Dragon, Miracle Warriors, Teddy Boy, Astro Warriors/Hang-On, and Phantasy Star). What was cool was I got to play both Phantasy Star games back-to-back on my shiny new Genesis. Dare I say because of the 3d mazes I liked the first game better. Although I didn't care for some of the harsh sound effects...man, they were grating. The enemy attacks sound like an amplified 2600 game.
Addendum- I had way, way, way more Nes games. I actually preferred my Master System but games were so damned hard to find. Even living in Miami Florida it was rare to find any real selection at all. Even Toy's R" Us never had anything. They had tons of Master System storefront (same size as the Nes) but they were always out of their games. What a tease...
Snail Maze is my favorite RPG for the SMS...yes, I am counting Snail Maze as an RPG. 👍
Snail Maze… hello, fellow gentleman of culture. I thought I was the only one who would remember such a forgotten gem!
I always wanted to play ys saw the advert on the little poster you got with master system game carts, growing up but back in the early/ mid 90s where I lived it was super hard to find, eventually I bought it a few years ago at a gaming market, cost me like £50 DX I thought about it along time but I’m glad I got it I really love the game. Always wanted phantasy star to but £70 is a bit steep thankfully I’ve played it now on the switch ! It’s great
KingsQuest belongs on the list. Fun Fact about Miracle Warriors, it came with a physical world map, laminated full color in the box with it. The game is nearly unplayable without the map, or at the very LEAST a lot more difficult without the map.
Miracle Warriors really is tough at the start i died like 10 times before I was able to really get going but once you get over the hurdle you do just get into the routine of grinding and progressing
I finished Miracle Warriors as a kid in the 80's. I had never played a RPG before and it felt epic when I finished it. I remember it took me a long time, but the game play gets easier after the beginning stages with more party members.
Great video. If you liked the Master System, definitely give the Game Gear a try. It is the same hardware (more or less) and there are many excellent RPGs on it, some were fan translated and are must play (Sylvan Tale, Moldorian, Lunar, SF Final Conflict, Royal Stone). I am myself a developer for these consoles (GG and MS) and a new "RPG" (more a novel) will be available on GG this year if everything goes as planned, and I am working on something much more ambitious for the MS as well !
Golden axe warrior was my first Zelda game XD loved it
I have to say that Wonder Boy 3 qualifies as a RPG for me. It is also the game on the master system that aged absolute best in my taste. Its graphics is still pleasing and the game is very accessible in its visual storytelling so that a gamer from today can simply pick it up and start to play. Or play the remake. The character have abilities and an inventory system. You beef up through finding gemstones, more hearts and buy better equipment in shops.
I beat Miracle Warriors as a kid on the Game Gear with the adapter. Trying to read the text on that tiny screen was so bad.
Ys was originally meant to be pronounced wise, but we messed it up.
Actually Wonder Boy in Monster Land has a levelling system, though it only gives more HP. But that may be why it was labeled one of the first action-RPGs ever on the recent re-release. There is also Wonder Boy in Monster World on the system as well.
To be fair, the Wonder Boy in Monster World port was exclusive to PAL regions
@@SonofSethoitae Yeah, but at least it's playable on American systems.
Great vid! Very interesting. I gotta make sure to get enough ENGY so I don't softlock xD
Lol I love how you said Adol's name incorrectly the first time but then said it correctly like 10 seconds later 😅
A fellow fan of Hungry Goriya - I stan!
Gotta respect Yuji Naka.
Always appreciated!
I love the topic and the video overall,but Richard, you may have forgotten about Kings Quest, not a definitive RPG , but elements of them at least a little bit.thanks
I could never get into Miracle Warriors (there's a Japan only Famicom version too) and Ys/Ultima are more fun on PC to me personally, so Phantasy Star wins by default. That there are only 4 true RPGs really shows how much more of a "Western" console of its time Master System is, NES + Famicom had easily close to a hundred turn-based RPGs. It's sad how overlooked Phantasy Star is sometimes as a series (besides PSO), despite being released around the same time as Final Fantasy/Dragon Quest. It's still 'probably' my favourite 8-bit JRPG, besides FF 1 and FF 3!
I was close to buying a SEGA Master System just for Phantasy Star, but my brothers pestered me to buy an NES instead.
Phantasy Star on the Switch is doable. They rebalanced and added auto-map in dungeons.
I had repressed all memories of Lord of the Sword. Then I heard that damn theme song.
I remember hand drawing maps for the phantasy star dungeons. Baya Malay Tower was such a nightmare.
Also, f*** Miracle Warriors :P
It’s interesting in the uk back in the day sega was more popular than Nintendo at least among folk I knew. Well that and home computers for ppl who could afford it
11:49 Oy gevalt!
What about D&D Heroes of the lance??!?!
Golden Axe Warrior is just a rip-off of the very first Zelda game.
With shittier controls.
Only played phantasy star and golden axe
So phantasy star for number 1
Ohhh man.. amazing video =~. SMS still is very loved here in Brazil.
I love PS so much that I have the opening screen tattooed in my arm (check in my little community tab).
Thank you for bring beautiful memories.
Blasphemy! Golvellius is amazing.
No! NOOOOO! Golvellius is AWESOME damnit!
Action RPG's are a thing.
PS1 is the GOAT of all RPGs
Up to jump, baybeeeee!
you are completely wrong about lord of the sword, you are just bad at the game if you keep having to backtrack all the time. Do your research first before playing these sorts of games
I'm not sure. How many times does the game say to "leave Lindon" and also say "go to Lindon" ? Seems to be required back tracking to make the game longer but still stay under the limit of 256 kilobytes.
Me so engey, me fight you long time.
wow, i didnt hear you say rEtRo every fuckin 5 seconds nor at all. thumbs up. and for that i subscribe. pluse the review was pretty decent.
(relax it's only four)
Then proceeds to pad the video or with far more.
Way to Milk that ad revenue lol
Is the Master System really know for anything?
Back in the day it was known for pretty good ports of Sega arcade titles.
As far as being an 8 bit machine, it's kind of a technical powerhouse. If you compare it to the other consoles that were released around the same time, it very easily outpaces them in terms of raw hardware performance.
It’s known for a lack of titles in the US, thanks to Nintendo illegally forcing third party publishers to not release games on anything but the NES. 😅
Phantasy Star! The best 8-bit RPG of all time.
Wonder Boy 3/Monster World 2! It’s a classic in much of Europe and South America. Also: Psycho Fox, Phantasy Star, the Mickey/Illusion games, Mean Bean Machine, California Games… so much nostalgia 😩
The controls and hit detection for SMS games is terrible.
Pathetic.