Another great video, glad to see the SMS getting some love in 2024! I just picked up Laser Ghost and Sonic 1 & 2 on SMS once I learned they were not simply 8-bit versions of the Genesis titles. My top 3 SMS games would be Ninja Gaiden, Time Soldiers, & Fantasy Zone II.
Wonderboy in Monsterland (Wonder Boy 2) on the SMS is still my favorite 8-bit game ever made. I also have a fondness for Alien Syndrome since it was my first real game aside from the Hang-on/Safari Hunt pack in game. I love the SMS and its original library but a tip to retro collectors "STAY AWAY" from the Genesis ports. The SMS doesnt handle Genesis games too well.
That’s true, I really like the pacing of the 2nd one, with no passwords it is brutal, I kept coming back to play it. I only completed it as an adult, the moving steps in the maze at the end are extremely difficult.
I had a Master System in 1988 and today my favourite games on the console are definitely WBML, Secret Command, The Ninja, Fantasy Zone 2, Castle of Illusion..I could go on - but my ALL TIME FAVOURITE is WBML. It's a perfect little experience IMO, and evidently incredibly replayable.
As someone who grew up with NES, I love finding a whole bunch of new experiences with the Master System! I was so happy/lucky to find mine back in 2017 from a local sale post for like 40 bucks. It is hard to collect for, but it's fun!
Zillion was also my favorite SMS game back in the day. The game really clicked when I realized the symbols were just numbers next to a mirrored number. Sadly I sold all my SMS stuff long ago to fund new stuff. That's just how many of us did back then.
I remember this game well. Zillion has a glitch. If you get to a level 7 or so there is an elevator where you move half way up. The Bot shoots you and you fall. You get invincibility. However, you can not upgrade your gun ever again. You need to upgrade your gun to level 3 to brake all the chests first. Then go back and do the glitch to get invincibility. I remember coming upon this by accident. you have to like jump while half way up the elevator and the Bot shoots you to fall down. Its tricky since you may die doing it.
Some solid picks there Jay. Glad to see some love for fantasy zone. Some of my other favourites are enduro racer (I know it’s a completely different game to the arcade, but it’s a solid game), secret command (Rambo in the US) and my hero.
Master system was my first real console (had a amstrad which was a UK system similar to c64 and spectrum). I still love it today too lucky dime caper, sonic chaos, smash TV, lemmings, populous, ninja, castle of illusion etc. so many brilliant games on the system which are still hugely playable
I grew up in Master System Land (aka: Brazil) and, by far, the most popular game in the turning from the 80s to the 90s were Jogos de Verão (California Games) when we used to do tournaments with more than a dozen kids sharing the same screen. Back in 2022 I had a barbecue with some of those neighbor childhood friends and we connected an old MS on a 20' tube screen to play this game on an original console and can say that Jogos de Verão and Winning Eleven 4 (PS1) still as fun as it was back in the day
I remember first showing Double Dragon to my friend down the street who had an NES. I remember him being amazed it had 2 player co-opt mode unlike the NES version. The point of "double" dragon was to play with a friend at the same time. It made me proud to be an SMS owner 🙂
@@pinebarrenpatriot8289 Yeah the NES version is the worst version you could play. I played this game on my SMS so much, as well as Shinobi, and wonderboy in monster land.
@@travisv6408 monsterland is my absolute favorite even though Wonder Boy 3 is technically the better more advanced game. And the SMS did a great job on the Shinobi port
@TurboXray My friends loved the adventure elements and gameplay. It was like Zelda 2 only way better. It was less torture than Simon's Quest and we weren't rich so we didn't have all the hits. We played DD and WB and alien syndrome on Master system and Mario 3, Mega Man 2 and 3 on Nintendo. Other games were Nintendo hard and we'd rather play outside than "get good"
Ever play Kenseiden or Master of Darkness? I recommend them both, especially if you like Castlevania. Also, they did make a traditional Golden Axe game for the Master System too.
My favourite console along with the Dreamcast (just can't separate them). I had a Master System 1 when it released in the UK. R-Type as mentioned previously, Dragons Trap, Monster Land, Rampage and Outrun being some of favourites. When I started collecting again a few years ago Dragons Trap was my first purchase. Recently picked up a PAL Master System 1 from the London Gaming Market as I had been using the Retron 5 with adaptor, but I just needed to play on original hardware again. Since collecting ive picked up Master of Darkness, Golvellius and WB in Monster World which I can also recommend.
Super excited to see you play through one of my favorite systems. Great lineup, stoked to see Shinobi. If you ever get the chance to do some games on the side, the far superior version of Ghostbusters, R-Type, and Time Soldiers. Happy gaming!
Love the video anything about Sega Master System and 8bit games. Zillion 1 of my all time great games. Golden axe warrior is also on sonics sega genesis ultimate collection on ps3. There’s a few master system games available to play along with arcade shinobi which is awesome as well. Thanks for the sega video .
What a nice little surprise to see! I'm so thrilled you selected Zillion for this topic. I hope to hear from you someday about you beating it. Don't give up, it's TOUGH especially the final sequence. And just to toot your horn a little more, I literally picked up The Lucky Dime Caper on the SMS (about a year and a half ago) because I saw you praising it before on social media. So looks like we helped each other other!
TC has me hooked on the sms. I got to play it at his house when I was up there a few months ago. I bought an adapter for my retron5 and have been playing it ever since. Amazing how golden axe warrior is a Zelda clone
The conversion of the arcade game Rampage on the Master System was another one that was considerably better and more like the arcade experience than what was released on the NES.
Zillion was Awesome … I finished it and got all the achievements back when I was a kid … I forgot all about it , until I looked up the Master System yesterday … before that it was lost in my subconscious
Nice video dude and always great to see someone in the US playing the Master System. I think Castle of illusion is definitely one of the best as well as Sonic. I have a full pal set and and playing a game every Tuesday on my TH-cam channel and tonight will be the 140th game 😮
I love Dragon's Trap, I played it on the Master System back then, but since I live in Brazil, it was modded by TECTOY as Monica's Gang and Monica at the Dragon's Castle.
What has kept me away from Zillion is that it looks like a watered-down Impossible Mission. I have to concede it looks more fun with a gun instead of a flipping jump.
@@JamesShow I've been told repeatedly in the comments on this video that is an Impossible Mission clone. The only thing I can say to that is to give it a try - it might not do anything for you, and at worst you're out 10 minutes of your life. Or it could hook you like it did to me and you'll have a lost 8-bit treasure to experience for the first time. :) Thank you so much for watching the video!
Growing up with the mighty master system (as I'm in the UK where the NES wasn't a thing) couple of games you absolutely must try. R-Type, awesome shooter with a brilliant soundtrack. Robocod, platformer that looks like it would be at home on a 16 bit system. Bubble bobble, because it's bubble bobble 👍
Cool to see the Master System getting some love. I also never owned one and unfortunately neither did anyone else in my neighborhood growing up. Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever played a Master System, not even at a game convention. I will have to change that or look into getting a system myself. Take care! 🟧
I was the only kid in my school with a Master System. Sucked back then, but I am so happy now. I have a ton of great games that were mine from 1987. Even the crappy ones were treated as gold because none of my friends had or could play them anywhere else. Gangster Town was great. Only game I could get my mom to play. But she loved it. So many great games. You could make 10 of these videos.
Ninja Gaiden on the Master System is also shockingly good. It looks slightly better than the NES version and actually runs faster. Also, Master of Darkness is essentially Castlevania.
@TurboXray it's faster, more colorful, and has more moves and what you say makes the NES version special, I call nostalgia glasses. If you want to say the NES version is better, that's fine, pretty normie opinion. But don't disrespect the Master System version.
@@BloodlessWolf Did you just call me normie??! Hahah what are you, 12? Faster? Clearly you've not played the NES titles? More colorful? Outside the first level, which is *only* okay.. whatever color you THINK you're talking about, doesn't resolve into *any* detail. The SMS game looks like all levels are made with just 30-40 tiles. There's no "texture" or depth to the levels. Like I said, bland, flat, generic, detail-less levels. The boss are generic and bland as well. There's nothing cool or unique.. or rewarding in reaching the SMS version bosses. Even compared to the original game, the SMS port doesn't come close. The SMS music is more generic crap (yeah, the chip isn't capable, but they didn't even try). The music, atmosphere, cinemas, art, design, story, variety in stages, bosses ,etc in the NES is miles beyond the SMS version. NG 2 and 3 wipe the floor with the SMS port, but the first also destroys it. Look, you like mediocre crap like the SMS port. Fine. But there's a rich irony saying I have nostalgia glasses. I mean, do you even like video games or do you just like sms games?
@TurboXray I've MASTERED the original NES titles, so yeah, I've played them. The SMS version is objectively faster. It's also objectively more colorful. The SMS had more colors to work with. It also objectively had more moves. Your opinion about the music and bosses, I generally agree. I never said the SMS version was better. I just think it's worth playing, especially if you're a Ninja Gaiden fan, which I very much am. So why are you being such an elitist tool?
I never gave "Fantasy Zone" a shot back in the day. When I was a kid I always thought that it was geared to girls or little kids because of the art style. Recently I ended up getting the Sega Astro City Mini which includes "Fantasy Zone" and boy was I wrong 35 years ago, because it is a fun challenging game!
All the Wonder Boys and all the Fantasy Zones - more people need to give Fantasy Zone: The Maze a chance, it's a departure but still a neat game. Some others I like on SMS: Kenseiden, The Ninja, Teddy Boy, Power Strike, Bubble Bobble, Bank Panic, Machine Gun Joe
Btw, Golden Axe Warrior is one of the unlockable games in Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection (360/PS3). It’s pretty easy to unlock too, so there is a path to licensed ownership that’s not $$$$. 😊
Fantasy Zone is such a great game I had to collect them all on the SMS. So happy to see it on this list. DD is one of the best version on the SMS. Outrun is just a classic on every system, except the Gamegear version is a little below par.
Marble Madness is a lot of fun. Using the Sports Pad makes it even better. I prefer the SMS Castle of Illusion. The way Mickey controls is less floaty. Some Solid choices. You need to check out Batman Returns and Psychic world.
Sega Master System, the 8-Bit Master! I had one of these with around 30 games when I was a kid. Super good system that was the more powerful in graphics and sound.
You poor soul! Being left with Marble Madness 😂 Don't get me wrong, it's a great game, but with a trackball, not a console D-Pad 😉 Shinobi is a must play 👍 The Disney games on the SMS are class 👍 Yeah, Double Dragon on the SMS is a decent port of one of my all time favourite arcade brawlers 😎 It wouldn't be a Master System Video without Wonderboy 😁 I need to play Golden Axe Warrior, and yes, emulation too 😉
Great video, thanks to that I know what games to look for when I finally get a master system :). A teeny tiny correction though: Asterix isn't belgian, it's french ;-)
Just set the MS I've had for about 5 years to the TV. Sold all the game for had for it. Just considering buying some cheap and quite good games so I can play a genuine 8-bit console over Xmas. Thought I get sonic. And robocod (which is a Xmas game) and lemmings are games I loved as a kid. Need a puzzle game (klax?) and a shooter (fantasy zone??) But the I had double dragon (2) and marble madness on the nes as a kid. I also like to have Krustys fun House on whichever retro console I've got. Plus there's a lot of good platforms on the MS I've never played. Also micro machines??? Sounds like too much stuff, and it's making my head hurt. But, let's say I'm considering my options ..
You have a good list of games here. Fantasy Zone is good, but Fantasy Zone II really perfects the game. R-Type is also a must have for the Master System. That port has no business being as good as it is. I'm also very fond of Quartet, despite its controls being a little stiff. Other favorites are Golvellius, Miracle Warriors and of course Phantasy Star.
I just replied before reading this saying I am surprised teddy boy and the ninja were not mentioned, I always find myself wanting to play those. I also like kung fu kid.
Yup, you seem to have most of the European classics. There's some shmups that held up suprisingly well and i'll throw in Golvellius and Golden Axe: warrior too.
Excellent selection! Wonderboy 3 is the best 8-bit game ever in my humble opinion. I'd add Psychic Word to the list too. And yes, Golden Axe Warrior is better than the original Zelda.
The hat, the eyebrows getting angry when he attacks - there's a TON of little details in the animations for that game. :) Thanks for watching, McNash!!
The SMS is godly!! I have the 3D glasses set version that included the console, light gun, and 3D glasses and adapter. This is a criminally underrated system with gems like LHX, F-16 Falcon (card) Out Run, Rampage, Spy Vs Spy, Phantasy Star, Miracle Warriors, and my personal favorite? Spellcaster. So many good games. Sadly this console was released in the shadow of the mighty NES. And did poorly in America. But well in Europe and is still sold in Brazil to this day. As for the 3D? It was gimmicky, headache inducing, and so few good games for it. But IMHO it was far better than R.O.B. on Nintendo. And the design? Not an ugly grey box, but a sleek, stealth fighter appearance. The only strength NES had over the SMS was the sheer quality of its games. If only Nintendo had not been allowed at the time to force third party devs to only program for Nintendo for 2 years after signing their agreement, the SMS might have faired better with 3rd part support. But a true joy to play, and a worthy edition to a collection. (Actually all Sega consoles are).
Shinobi I have like 2 uploads on my channel for that game. Yeah it's very hard. You need to get the flying squirrel magic if you want to beat level 4-2 easily. If you don't have that, chances are you'll lose lives & game over. Wonder Boy 3. I think it's the best Wonder Boy game on the Master system. The remake is a lot better as you don't need charm stones & you get money a whole lot quicker to buy your swords, armor & Shields.
Wonderboy doesn't scream Hudson soft. Wonderboy is a Sega title, always has and always will. Hudson got the rights from Sega to produce Adventure Island. Wonderboy was a Sega arcade title first.
The Wonderboy series is WESTONE through and through. They are former Tecmo employees some of whom had previously worked on Bomb Jack. Wonder Boy was their first game as an independent company and they licensed it to Sega, and then later to Hudson with a different name and main character to get around Sega owning the trade mark to the name.
There is a consensus in the retro community that the Castle of Illusion plays better in the SMS. The Genesis version is slow and with flat bosses… Another consensus is that the Golden Axe Warrior is better than the first Zelda because of the beautiful graphics and story.
I think wonder boy in monster land for the Sega master system is better than any of the others. I also think the master version is better than the megadrive version.
I really don't know what's stopping Sega as the tech involved would be even cheaper then other minis so they could market it for well under 100 notes and make profit.
Oft time forgotten. This is one of the things that makes me think Sega's obsession with success in the USA is part of what drove them out of the hardware space. While Nintendo had the USA and Japan, Sega had pretty much the rest of the world. It's like they had to defeat Nintendo in America and just started ignoring the markets where they were the leaders.
Double Dragon is the easiest game anybody can beat it. It's not challenging at all since you can always continue. At the 4th level when you start it, do 20 still jump kicks. This will make you continue all the time in the level. If you don't do it you won't continue.
Zillion might be one of the worst games on the system. I know because I tried it last week and it made my eyes and heart bleed. Total Shit. If you're going to play this game, don't and play Impossible Mission. Lucky Dime Caper is so wafer thin it's crazy I thought. Only 5 stages and unlimited continues. It's pretty shallow really. Marble Madness? That is literally the same on everything somehow. How come none of them supported a trackball?
@@SquarePegs Here's 3 that I think still hold up. Prince of Persia - nice version. Dynamite Heady - nice graphics and not as shallow as Lucky Dime Caper. Put'n'Putter - crazy golf - a Sega and not an Atari game.
I rented Marble Madness once as a grade schooler and was absolutely crushed after I played it for 20 minutes or so. The video store I rented from was willing to swap your game if you returned it within an hour or two; I was so thankful for that policy that day. Otherwise it would have been $2.99 for the weekend wasted! 😂
I keep my Master System and NES Classic always hooked up to the TV to play from time to time.
Same here. Just some advice you should put a towel over the NES. I cover my NES and Genesis. Dust kills those old consoles
Another great video, glad to see the SMS getting some love in 2024!
I just picked up Laser Ghost and Sonic 1 & 2 on SMS once I learned they were not simply 8-bit versions of the Genesis titles.
My top 3 SMS games would be Ninja Gaiden, Time Soldiers, & Fantasy Zone II.
Fantasy Zone II is underrated. It's a superb game. Looks great too.
Wonderboy in Monsterland (Wonder Boy 2) on the SMS is still my favorite 8-bit game ever made. I also have a fondness for Alien Syndrome since it was my first real game aside from the Hang-on/Safari Hunt pack in game. I love the SMS and its original library but a tip to retro collectors "STAY AWAY" from the Genesis ports. The SMS doesnt handle Genesis games too well.
I agree Wonderboy in Monsterland is my favourite too, it’s massively underrated.
@@djhaynes99 technically Wonder Boy 3 is superior but I OD on nostalgia while playing Monsterland. Great game with so many cool secrets and end bosses
That’s true, I really like the pacing of the 2nd one, with no passwords it is brutal, I kept coming back to play it. I only completed it as an adult, the moving steps in the maze at the end are extremely difficult.
I had a Master System in 1988 and today my favourite games on the console are definitely WBML, Secret Command, The Ninja, Fantasy Zone 2, Castle of Illusion..I could go on - but my ALL TIME FAVOURITE is WBML. It's a perfect little experience IMO, and evidently incredibly replayable.
I have a lot of nostalgia for the Master System. I'm glad to see it get a little love on your channel!
Keep up the good work, brother!
I still play it lol
As someone who grew up with NES, I love finding a whole bunch of new experiences with the Master System! I was so happy/lucky to find mine back in 2017 from a local sale post for like 40 bucks. It is hard to collect for, but it's fun!
Zillion was also my favorite SMS game back in the day. The game really clicked when I realized the symbols were just numbers next to a mirrored number. Sadly I sold all my SMS stuff long ago to fund new stuff. That's just how many of us did back then.
Zillion is great. The game pays homage to the Sega Light Phaser and has a close-up of it at the beginning even though its a regular controller game.
Choplifter and Black Belt are still fun to play too. 😺
I remember this game well. Zillion has a glitch. If you get to a level 7 or so there is an elevator where you move half way up. The Bot shoots you and you fall. You get invincibility. However, you can not upgrade your gun ever again. You need to upgrade your gun to level 3 to brake all the chests first. Then go back and do the glitch to get invincibility. I remember coming upon this by accident. you have to like jump while half way up the elevator and the Bot shoots you to fall down. Its tricky since you may die doing it.
Some solid picks there Jay. Glad to see some love for fantasy zone. Some of my other favourites are enduro racer (I know it’s a completely different game to the arcade, but it’s a solid game), secret command (Rambo in the US) and my hero.
What a joy it was to watch this! Such anazing memorise!
Master system was my first real console (had a amstrad which was a UK system similar to c64 and spectrum). I still love it today too lucky dime caper, sonic chaos, smash TV, lemmings, populous, ninja, castle of illusion etc. so many brilliant games on the system which are still hugely playable
I grew up in Master System Land (aka: Brazil) and, by far, the most popular game in the turning from the 80s to the 90s were Jogos de Verão (California Games) when we used to do tournaments with more than a dozen kids sharing the same screen. Back in 2022 I had a barbecue with some of those neighbor childhood friends and we connected an old MS on a 20' tube screen to play this game on an original console and can say that Jogos de Verão and Winning Eleven 4 (PS1) still as fun as it was back in the day
Double Dragon is _why_ I bought the Master System as a kid over the NES. Wonder Boy 3 was the envy of the whole neighborhood.
I remember first showing Double Dragon to my friend down the street who had an NES. I remember him being amazed it had 2 player co-opt mode unlike the NES version. The point of "double" dragon was to play with a friend at the same time. It made me proud to be an SMS owner 🙂
@@pinebarrenpatriot8289 Yeah the NES version is the worst version you could play. I played this game on my SMS so much, as well as Shinobi, and wonderboy in monster land.
@@travisv6408 monsterland is my absolute favorite even though Wonder Boy 3 is technically the better more advanced game. And the SMS did a great job on the Shinobi port
Why would WB3 be the envoy of the neighborhood haha. NES just dominated with hit after hit after hit. Like one game would matter.
@TurboXray My friends loved the adventure elements and gameplay. It was like Zelda 2 only way better. It was less torture than Simon's Quest and we weren't rich so we didn't have all the hits. We played DD and WB and alien syndrome on Master system and Mario 3, Mega Man 2 and 3 on Nintendo. Other games were Nintendo hard and we'd rather play outside than "get good"
Ever play Kenseiden or Master of Darkness? I recommend them both, especially if you like Castlevania. Also, they did make a traditional Golden Axe game for the Master System too.
My favourite console along with the Dreamcast (just can't separate them).
I had a Master System 1 when it released in the UK. R-Type as mentioned previously, Dragons Trap, Monster Land, Rampage and Outrun being some of favourites.
When I started collecting again a few years ago Dragons Trap was my first purchase. Recently picked up a PAL Master System 1 from the London Gaming Market as I had been using the Retron 5 with adaptor, but I just needed to play on original hardware again.
Since collecting ive picked up Master of Darkness, Golvellius and WB in Monster World which I can also recommend.
Still enjoy miracle warriors. 😊
*great choice sir and it is a fantastic system too! Great you got the FM sounds pumping on some of the games too! Amazing system!*
The main thing about Double Dragon for the Master System was that it was 2 player!
Super excited to see you play through one of my favorite systems. Great lineup, stoked to see Shinobi. If you ever get the chance to do some games on the side, the far superior version of Ghostbusters, R-Type, and Time Soldiers. Happy gaming!
Great selection, and nice video. Thankyou
Love the video anything about Sega Master System and 8bit games. Zillion 1 of my all time great games. Golden axe warrior is also on sonics sega genesis ultimate collection on ps3. There’s a few master system games available to play along with arcade shinobi which is awesome as well. Thanks for the sega video .
I still enjoy Jurassic park for master system/ game gear just a direct ports I play through it a couple times a year
What a nice little surprise to see! I'm so thrilled you selected Zillion for this topic. I hope to hear from you someday about you beating it. Don't give up, it's TOUGH especially the final sequence. And just to toot your horn a little more, I literally picked up The Lucky Dime Caper on the SMS (about a year and a half ago) because I saw you praising it before on social media. So looks like we helped each other other!
I finished LDC on my second try. Not alot of replay value.
TC has me hooked on the sms. I got to play it at his house when I was up there a few months ago. I bought an adapter for my retron5 and have been playing it ever since. Amazing how golden axe warrior is a Zelda clone
My first system, and probably my favourite of all time.
The conversion of the arcade game Rampage on the Master System was another one that was considerably better and more like the arcade experience than what was released on the NES.
Zillion was Awesome … I finished it and got all the achievements back when I was a kid … I forgot all about it , until I looked up the Master System yesterday … before that it was lost in my subconscious
Nice video dude and always great to see someone in the US playing the Master System. I think Castle of illusion is definitely one of the best as well as Sonic.
I have a full pal set and and playing a game every Tuesday on my TH-cam channel and tonight will be the 140th game 😮
I love Dragon's Trap, I played it on the Master System back then, but since I live in Brazil, it was modded by TECTOY as Monica's Gang and Monica at the Dragon's Castle.
The Brazilian experience with the Master System and TECTOY absolutely fascinates me. Thank you so much for watching!
@@SquarePegsTOP 45 + imo
Afterburner
SoniChaos
Golden Axe
CastleIll
Ghouls n Ghost
GoldenAxeWarrior
Rtype
Kenseiden
Zillion
Reggie Jackson
GunstarH
PhantasyStar
Columns
Baku
Dragontrap
BeyondOasis
DHeady
EarthwormJ
MK1
RoboVTer
Ristar
Rastan
SonicTri
MasterDark
StreetsRage1
AShinobI
Battletoads
KungFuK
JoeMontana
Echo
RoadRash
BatReturns
Alien3
Powerstrike2
Rambo 2
Tazmani
ALIEN STORM
Ninja Gaiden
Strider
Gourvilous
Fantasy Zone
Paperboy
Rampage
Ys
Jang Pung 3
Wolfenstien3d 2022
Masters of Combat
RUNNING BATTLE 💥
DoubleDragon
DONALD DUCK
FANTASY ZONE II
plus colecovision sg1000 roms
Zillion was the first game I ever completed. I think I was 7 or 8. Love that game.
I like Walter Payton football. First game I saved up for and ordered by myself from the Sears Catalog.
What has kept me away from Zillion is that it looks like a watered-down Impossible Mission. I have to concede it looks more fun with a gun instead of a flipping jump.
@@JamesShow I've been told repeatedly in the comments on this video that is an Impossible Mission clone. The only thing I can say to that is to give it a try - it might not do anything for you, and at worst you're out 10 minutes of your life. Or it could hook you like it did to me and you'll have a lost 8-bit treasure to experience for the first time. :)
Thank you so much for watching the video!
You also want to add that Golden Axe Warrior to your Game Gear collection.
I think Ultima 4 is the best rpg on the sms.
Growing up with the mighty master system (as I'm in the UK where the NES wasn't a thing) couple of games you absolutely must try.
R-Type, awesome shooter with a brilliant soundtrack.
Robocod, platformer that looks like it would be at home on a 16 bit system.
Bubble bobble, because it's bubble bobble 👍
I’m shopping for SMS games in Cleveland this weekend. Are you going to be there for CGC?
I am! Looking forward to seeing you there!
Cool to see the Master System getting some love. I also never owned one and unfortunately neither did anyone else in my neighborhood growing up. Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever played a Master System, not even at a game convention. I will have to change that or look into getting a system myself. Take care! 🟧
Asterix is such a good title, it shows how powerful the Master System was.
Agreed! Lovely game that wouldn't be replicated on the NES.
I was the only kid in my school with a Master System. Sucked back then, but I am so happy now. I have a ton of great games that were mine from 1987. Even the crappy ones were treated as gold because none of my friends had or could play them anywhere else. Gangster Town was great. Only game I could get my mom to play. But she loved it. So many great games. You could make 10 of these videos.
Fantasy Zone II and Pro Wrestling, still play them to this day.
I've been very apprehensive to jump into Pro Wrestling - and shamefully, it's because of the cover. But your comment has inspired me to try it out!
Ninja Gaiden on the Master System is also shockingly good. It looks slightly better than the NES version and actually runs faster. Also, Master of Darkness is essentially Castlevania.
100% 👊🏻
It's generic, has flat graphics, and doesn't have anything that makes Ninja Gaiden special back then. It's Ninja Gaiden in name only.
@TurboXray it's faster, more colorful, and has more moves and what you say makes the NES version special, I call nostalgia glasses. If you want to say the NES version is better, that's fine, pretty normie opinion. But don't disrespect the Master System version.
@@BloodlessWolf Did you just call me normie??! Hahah what are you, 12?
Faster? Clearly you've not played the NES titles? More colorful? Outside the first level, which is *only* okay.. whatever color you THINK you're talking about, doesn't resolve into *any* detail. The SMS game looks like all levels are made with just 30-40 tiles. There's no "texture" or depth to the levels. Like I said, bland, flat, generic, detail-less levels. The boss are generic and bland as well. There's nothing cool or unique.. or rewarding in reaching the SMS version bosses. Even compared to the original game, the SMS port doesn't come close. The SMS music is more generic crap (yeah, the chip isn't capable, but they didn't even try).
The music, atmosphere, cinemas, art, design, story, variety in stages, bosses ,etc in the NES is miles beyond the SMS version. NG 2 and 3 wipe the floor with the SMS port, but the first also destroys it. Look, you like mediocre crap like the SMS port. Fine. But there's a rich irony saying I have nostalgia glasses. I mean, do you even like video games or do you just like sms games?
@TurboXray I've MASTERED the original NES titles, so yeah, I've played them. The SMS version is objectively faster. It's also objectively more colorful. The SMS had more colors to work with. It also objectively had more moves. Your opinion about the music and bosses, I generally agree. I never said the SMS version was better. I just think it's worth playing, especially if you're a Ninja Gaiden fan, which I very much am. So why are you being such an elitist tool?
I never gave "Fantasy Zone" a shot back in the day. When I was a kid I always thought that it was geared to girls or little kids because of the art style. Recently I ended up getting the Sega Astro City Mini which includes "Fantasy Zone" and boy was I wrong 35 years ago, because it is a fun challenging game!
All the Wonder Boys and all the Fantasy Zones - more people need to give Fantasy Zone: The Maze a chance, it's a departure but still a neat game. Some others I like on SMS: Kenseiden, The Ninja, Teddy Boy, Power Strike, Bubble Bobble, Bank Panic, Machine Gun Joe
you listed some really great games and you might want to try out zillion 2,the ninja, alex kid in shinobi world, sonic 1, wonderboy1
Btw, Golden Axe Warrior is one of the unlockable games in Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection (360/PS3). It’s pretty easy to unlock too, so there is a path to licensed ownership that’s not $$$$. 😊
Fantasy Zone is such a great game I had to collect them all on the SMS. So happy to see it on this list. DD is one of the best version on the SMS. Outrun is just a classic on every system, except the Gamegear version is a little below par.
Marble Madness is a lot of fun. Using the Sports Pad makes it even better.
I prefer the SMS Castle of Illusion. The way Mickey controls is less floaty.
Some Solid choices.
You need to check out Batman Returns and Psychic world.
Sega Master System, the 8-Bit Master! I had one of these with around 30 games when I was a kid. Super good system that was the more powerful in graphics and sound.
Not sucking at Fantasy Zone is tough. I'm like you, i play it in short bursts. It’s simple and tough all at once.
You poor soul! Being left with Marble Madness 😂 Don't get me wrong, it's a great game, but with a trackball, not a console D-Pad 😉
Shinobi is a must play 👍
The Disney games on the SMS are class 👍
Yeah, Double Dragon on the SMS is a decent port of one of my all time favourite arcade brawlers 😎
It wouldn't be a Master System Video without Wonderboy 😁
I need to play Golden Axe Warrior, and yes, emulation too 😉
Don’t be a cheap git and buy GAW you know you want to 🤪🤪🎣🎣🎣
Golden Axe Warrior was my favorite Master System game
Dragon Crystal is an amazing roguelite on master system
Great video, thanks to that I know what games to look for when I finally get a master system :). A teeny tiny correction though: Asterix isn't belgian, it's french ;-)
Shoot! I got Astérix and Tintin crossed up in my head. 😆 Merci!
@@SquarePegs haha no problem :). Yeah Tintin is belgian indeed :D
Love that music. Zillion is my favorite.
I had one as a teen. I loved it. Phantasy Star is the best.
x2 on Phantasy star
love the pew pew gun noise in Shinobi, pew pew
Watching it on 2x Speed and the Testa on OutRun was not rolling, than i checked it , the gear was not change to high.
Just set the MS I've had for about 5 years to the TV. Sold all the game for had for it.
Just considering buying some cheap and quite good games so I can play a genuine 8-bit console over Xmas.
Thought I get sonic. And robocod (which is a Xmas game) and lemmings are games I loved as a kid.
Need a puzzle game (klax?) and a shooter (fantasy zone??)
But the I had double dragon (2) and marble madness on the nes as a kid.
I also like to have Krustys fun House on whichever retro console I've got.
Plus there's a lot of good platforms on the MS I've never played. Also micro machines???
Sounds like too much stuff, and it's making my head hurt.
But, let's say I'm considering my options ..
Surprised teddy boy and the ninja were not mentioned.
You have a good list of games here. Fantasy Zone is good, but Fantasy Zone II really perfects the game. R-Type is also a must have for the Master System. That port has no business being as good as it is. I'm also very fond of Quartet, despite its controls being a little stiff. Other favorites are Golvellius, Miracle Warriors and of course Phantasy Star.
Zillion and Shinobi are classics but Teddy Boy is my favorite Sega Master System game by far.
I just replied before reading this saying I am surprised teddy boy and the ninja were not mentioned, I always find myself wanting to play those. I also like kung fu kid.
Yup, you seem to have most of the European classics. There's some shmups that held up suprisingly well and i'll throw in Golvellius and Golden Axe: warrior too.
I honestly might say that castle of illusion on SMS is even better than the Genesis version...to me it's a lot more fun!
Excellent selection! Wonderboy 3 is the best 8-bit game ever in my humble opinion. I'd add Psychic Word to the list too. And yes, Golden Axe Warrior is better than the original Zelda.
Astérix is actually a FRENCH comic, not Belgian (they still have a bunch of masterpieces, though...)
Yeah, I crossed up Astérix and Tintin. I am ashamed. 😞
No need for me to make this comment then! 🙂
Wonderboy 3 is quality. Try enduro racer I never get board of it. Also the Japanese import has more variety in tracks
Damn the animation on the Donald Duck game, his little hat moving 😂 I’m from Europe and don’t remember that one.
The hat, the eyebrows getting angry when he attacks - there's a TON of little details in the animations for that game. :) Thanks for watching, McNash!!
Double Dragon on NES wins on soundtrack alone! Just my humble opinion!
The SMS is godly!! I have the 3D glasses set version that included the console, light gun, and 3D glasses and adapter. This is a criminally underrated system with gems like LHX, F-16 Falcon (card) Out Run, Rampage, Spy Vs Spy, Phantasy Star, Miracle Warriors, and my personal favorite? Spellcaster. So many good games. Sadly this console was released in the shadow of the mighty NES. And did poorly in America. But well in Europe and is still sold in Brazil to this day. As for the 3D? It was gimmicky, headache inducing, and so few good games for it. But IMHO it was far better than R.O.B. on Nintendo.
And the design? Not an ugly grey box, but a sleek, stealth fighter appearance. The only strength NES had over the SMS was the sheer quality of its games. If only Nintendo had not been allowed at the time to force third party devs to only program for Nintendo for 2 years after signing their agreement, the SMS might have faired better with 3rd part support. But a true joy to play, and a worthy edition to a collection. (Actually all Sega consoles are).
How to play MSM in 2024? We need a MSN mini!
Some great choices. However, I'd always pick Streets of Rage over Double Dragon (at least for a single player experience)
I have no desire to own any latest gen consoles. Still waiting for a Master System mini. A Mega Drive 3 deep cut mini wouldn't go a miss either.
Golden Axe Warrior is genuinely a better Zelda 1 than Zelda 1
I just didn't want to say the quiet part out loud and annoy...them.
It is excellent, and really did get overlooked at the time.
No it's not .
I confess, I still play the Wonderboy games. 🤓
Nerd.
I'm jealous of your sound balancing lol I guess that makes me a nerd too?
Cleaned my master system console it was full of dust half an inch thick
SMS Asterix best ever
Shinobi I have like 2 uploads on my channel for that game. Yeah it's very hard. You need to get the flying squirrel magic if you want to beat level 4-2 easily. If you don't have that, chances are you'll lose lives & game over.
Wonder Boy 3. I think it's the best Wonder Boy game on the Master system. The remake is a lot better as you don't need charm stones & you get money a whole lot quicker to buy your swords, armor & Shields.
Is you title a diddy pun? !😂
@@rocky-xp4we ...no?
Wonderboy doesn't scream Hudson soft. Wonderboy is a Sega title, always has and always will. Hudson got the rights from Sega to produce Adventure Island.
Wonderboy was a Sega arcade title first.
Absolutely and well said!!
The Wonderboy series is WESTONE through and through. They are former Tecmo employees some of whom had previously worked on Bomb Jack. Wonder Boy was their first game as an independent company and they licensed it to Sega, and then later to Hudson with a different name and main character to get around Sega owning the trade mark to the name.
There is a consensus in the retro community that the Castle of Illusion plays better in the SMS. The Genesis version is slow and with flat bosses…
Another consensus is that the Golden Axe Warrior is better than the first Zelda because of the beautiful graphics and story.
Could never get into master system's library. Even after getting one and collecting some games.
I think wonder boy in monster land for the Sega master system is better than any of the others. I also think the master version is better than the megadrive version.
sega ms rampage vs nes rampage is a night and day example of how much better sega is graphically than nes
Sega please give me a sega master system mini
I really don't know what's stopping Sega as the tech involved would be even cheaper then other minis so they could market it for well under 100 notes and make profit.
Heaps of other decent games on the Sega master system. Ghouls n ghosts, Rastan, R Type…
Zillion is not a Metroidvania, it is an Impossible Mission clone.
Speaking of which, there is a decent version of Impossible Mission on the SMS, perhaps not quite as good as the original but not bad.
Oft time forgotten. This is one of the things that makes me think Sega's obsession with success in the USA is part of what drove them out of the hardware space. While Nintendo had the USA and Japan, Sega had pretty much the rest of the world. It's like they had to defeat Nintendo in America and just started ignoring the markets where they were the leaders.
There is a consensus in the retro community that the Castle of Illusion plays better in the SMS. The Genesis version is slow and with flat bosses…
Double Dragon is the easiest game anybody can beat it. It's not challenging at all since you can always continue. At the 4th level when you start it, do 20 still jump kicks. This will make you continue all the time in the level. If you don't do it you won't continue.
Ted Cruz, when did you start a gaming TH-cam channel?
Man, I don't deserve that. I can personally attest to the fact that my bitch ass won't flee the country as soon as the weather gets a little chilly.
Dodgy Bbc posters in double dragon..
Double dragon 2 is overated meh tbh
Zillion might be one of the worst games on the system. I know because I tried it last week and it made my eyes and heart bleed. Total Shit. If you're going to play this game, don't and play Impossible Mission.
Lucky Dime Caper is so wafer thin it's crazy I thought. Only 5 stages and unlimited continues. It's pretty shallow really.
Marble Madness? That is literally the same on everything somehow. How come none of them supported a trackball?
Username checks out.
@@SquarePegs yours too. Square peg in round hole.
These games are outrageously not good picks. At all.
@@SquarePegs Here's 3 that I think still hold up.
Prince of Persia - nice version.
Dynamite Heady - nice graphics and not as shallow as Lucky Dime Caper.
Put'n'Putter - crazy golf - a Sega and not an Atari game.
@@iwanttocomplain - I really enjoyed Putt n Putter although it's also really short.
@@AnthonyFlack Well there's a few versions. I think the Mega Drive version might be longer.
I would have added Road Rash! And of course, the Sonic games.😌
TOP 45 + imo
Afterburner
SoniChaos
Golden Axe
CastleIll
Ghouls n Ghost
GoldenAxeWarrior
Rtype
Kenseiden
Zillion
Reggie Jackson
GunstarH
PhantasyStar
Columns
Baku
Dragontrap
BeyondOasis
DHeady
EarthwormJ
MK1
RoboVTer
Ristar
Rastan
SonicTri
MasterDark
StreetsRage1
AShinobI
Battletoads
KungFuK
JoeMontana
Echo
RoadRash
BatReturns
Alien3
Powerstrike2
Rambo 2
Tazmani
ALIEN STORM
Ninja Gaiden
Strider
Gourvilous
Fantasy Zone
Paperboy
Rampage
Ys
Jang Pung 3
Wolfenstien3d 2022
Masters of Combat
RUNNING BATTLE 💥
DoubleDragon
DONALD DUCK
FANTASY ZONE II
I rented Marble Madness once as a grade schooler and was absolutely crushed after I played it for 20 minutes or so. The video store I rented from was willing to swap your game if you returned it within an hour or two; I was so thankful for that policy that day. Otherwise it would have been $2.99 for the weekend wasted! 😂