R-Type on SMS remains my favorite old school port of the arcade game. I know the Turbografx version blows it out of the water in terms of graphics and sound, but the TG16 port can't fit the entire vertical playfield on screen at once, you have to scroll up and down to see the whole thing. In a game where every pixel of screen space is important to seeing and memorizing the layout and patterns of enemies, this is an unforgivable sin and an absolute gamebreaker for me. SMS R-Type for life.
@@BrunoidGames I'm not going to lie, I played the SMS version so much that I've died more than once in stage 4 of the arcade version by instinctively trying to enter the secret level.
R-TYPE, I found the sound test by accident as a kid , and wondered for decades how to get to the bonus stage. Funny thing is, I always saw that funny pixel on stage 4 and thought it was a glitch. I even wrote game pro magazine back then on how to get to that stage. never heard a response. well i'm 40 now and i have watched it on you tube. This was my best game on the sms. 2nd would be thunder blade
@@charlesgraves2147 Thunder Blade was never one of my favorites, but it was a hell of a lot better than the abysmal Super Thunder Blade on the Genesis.
Even being American, SMS was my first system - got it for xmas in 1989. Here are my top 10: 10) Ghouls’N Ghosts 9) Rastan 8) Sonic Chaos 7) Bubble Bobble 6) Phantasy Star 5) Shinobi 4) Zillion 3) Golden Axe Warrior 2) Master of Darkness 1) Ninja Gaiden
Astérix Battle Out Run Y's the Vanished Omens Bomber Raid The Lucky Dime Caper Wimbledon Fantasy Zone R-Type Micro-Machines Sonic the Hedgehog The Ninja Enduro Racer Alex Kidd Astro Warrior
Master Of Darkness. Power Strike 2. Double Dragon. Ninja Gaiden. Land Of Illusion. Castle Of Illusion Donald Duck. Asterix. Alex Kidd In Shinobi World. R-Type.
1000% Rampage on Master System - best home version of rampage ever. Asterix (PAL) should be checked out, as it's definitely one of the best games on the Master System!
I remember selling a Master Gear converter with every Game Gear I sold. As soon as you told people they could play all Master system games as well, it was pretty much a sure sale =)
Here in Brazil you still can buy a master system, brand new, on the supermarket. It is the most important console of all time for my generation (and State). Your list is nice because it is not what my crew would build. Now I have lots of nice games to look into. Thanks
The games still stands up today. I never played the original so I had no nostalgic attachment, but I loved the remake on the Switch and I would regularly switch the graphics and music from original to modern and vice versa
I agree to that. Best game on the system. Sonic the Hedgehog was also great and very different to the 16 bit version. I also enjoyed Ghouls and Ghosts for the Master System, again different to the original with a nice RPG touch.
Master System games had in general better visuals than NES, but Nintendo killed everything with there games because they were simply better to play. And still is today. Not Sega 😅
Really interesting to see the top 10 of someone from the US on this - the Master System was hugely popular here in the UK and you're right, my top 10 would be completely different... Let's give it a go! In rough order, I reckon: 1- Wonderboy 3: The Dragon's Trap (hands down the best game on the system) 2- Sonic 1 3- Shinobi 4- Alien Storm 5- Alex Kidd in Miracle World 6- Taz-mania 7- Road Rash 8- Cool Spot 9- Fantasy Zone 10- Asterix
Too bad Konami never really did anything with Sega 8-bit platforms. Would have been interesting to see them do a SMS adaption of Castlevania 1 or Contra.
Konami or any other big name companies were not allowed to make any games for the Master System. Nintendo pretty much forbid them for making games on non Nintendo platforms. So companies like Konami were left with no real choice to either make games for the number one selling console by far which was the Nes or take their games to other platforms such as the Master System and lose their contract with Nintendo.
@@kekeke8988 Take this info with a grain of salt since I can't remember the source anymore (nor how trustworthy was that source, in any case), but I remember reading somewhere that this was possible because, while Nintendo forbid developers from releasing their games on other platforms, their contracts still allowed them to license their IPs to other companies; Nintendo meant this as the right to just exploit their IPs via merchandising/cartoons/etc., but it was enough of a legal hole for them to be able to release their games on other platforms *as long as they weren't developed in-house*, but via licensing their titles to be developed by third parties. That would make sense for Ninja Gaiden, since the Master System version was programmed by Sega themselves.
@@kekeke8988 Tecmo published a couple of games in Japan, namely the Master System versions of Rygar and Solomon's Key, thanks to a dummy company called Salio which was established by them for that sole purpose. This was still when Nintendo had a grip on companies developing for their systems which prevented them to do the same for other consoles. As for Ninja Gaiden, it was released on the Master System thanks to a licensing agreement by Sega, same as it was an arcade game. But instead of basing it on the arcade game, they did a game in the same vein of the NES games. This was all done and produced by Sega though. Same with Tecmo World Cup '93 which was the final Tecmo-licensed game on the system.
Had a friend who lived down the street from me who had a SMS and a shit ton of games. I was jealous he had a SMS and he was jealous i had a NES. Remember loving Rockys graphics.
That's always good though. I had a Genesis and my friend had the SNES. I would go over to his house to play Mario and he would come over to play Sonic (and other games like Donkey Kong Country). It worked out well cause at least we both got to experience the other system we didn't own.
@@SegaLordX That was the same in my neighborhood, even before the NES and SMS, one neighbor had Colecovision, another had the Atari 5200, the kids one block over had Intellivision...
Shinobi was tops for me on the SMS. The arcade version was where I first encountered it in 1988 -- at a small corner store near my house. Some of my friends poured many quarters into it. I was beyond thrilled to soon have my own copy of it for the master system. Fortunately, it was a pretty accurate port of the arcade version.
The Sega Master was my first console! My cousin had an ‘85 NES he brought it from NY. We got the Sega Master for Christmas in ‘86 we would play each other systems or even borrow games by lending my game for your game two weeks! Good times!
SLX has really been pumping out quality content at an incredible rate! So many new videos and not just fluff either. Really a fan of the channel and hope all this hard work pays off.
I love that we have such different lists - really speaks to the quality of the Master System. Wonder Boy III, Golvellius, Time Soldiers, Black Belt, and Ghost House are some of my favorites.
Growing up in the UK in the 80's I was more into the 8-bit micro systems (eg. Commodore 64 into the Amiga for 16-bit), but our house was always Sega as well for the most part thanks to my slightly younger sister. Had a Master System, Mega Drive and Game Gear in the house due to her, so I got to play them there. ALL my mates were either Atari or Nintendo kids, so I got to try those as well. From a gaming history aspect, it's a hobby I've kept for over 40 years and the history I know personally shows a VERY rich history for such a, still, young industry technology wise. And what I know is literally a spit in the ocean. But it's fun knowledge to have learned as I lived it.
I never knew that Rampage looked that good on the Master System. Thanks for always uploading these great videos. You have become one of my favorite TH-cam channels ever!
Yep, Phantasy Star. Had they only kept those 3D dungeons in the 16-bit releases. And revenge felt pretty sweet after that 60 hours I spent beating it back in the day. I wished Sega had focused on more of these definitive rpgs, but they were doing so many things and innovations.
Phantasy Star and R-Type were probably my top 2 games on the SMS. I put so many hours into the SMS port of R-Type that I really got my quarter's worth when playing the game at the arcade.
Lol honestly, the little rollout of games at the very beginning of the video before it even began pretty much makes up a good portion of my Top 10 lol. Great video as usual!
I still own my Sega Master System, sadly my cords are all shot so I don't know if the system still works. I've had trouble finding replacements for it, I also currently lack the funds to buy them. I only had a handful of games but it was the first system I ever got to call my own. Rampage is one of the titles I still own and I loved it, as well as the best title for the system "Wonder Boy 3: The Dragon Trap" which saddens me isn't on this list.
AV cables for it are only a few bucks on amazon or eBay, paid about $3 for new set. Or use Sega Genesis model 1 AV cable. If you need a power supply, most Sega Genesis powers supply's work, along with Famicom and Super Famicom, but NOT Super Nintendo (won't fit) or NES.(will kill it, + - reversed). Just look up Master system power supply substitute or something to that effect.
Good choices! I finally bought my Master System (my version is the Compact 3 TecToy), cant wait to play lots of great games! In my childhood during the 90's I started to play games with Mega Drive, I not played much SMS, but never too late! ^^
Shinobi is SO underrated. REALLY a great game. I'd have probably still had to find a way to work in Sonic. I also really liked Outrun and Thunderblade. Rastan's another great choice here. Played the HECK out of it in the arcade. I also think the SMS port of Altered Beast was darned good.
Zillion is my #1. Spent so many hours playing it. It was like a combination of Metroid and Impossible Mission. To this day, I still haven't beaten it, and I still play it quite often. I was hyped when I learned they were gonna release a sequel. But was extremely disappointed that the game play of the original was changed into a side scrolling shoot-em-up.
Wow.... what a good list! - the MS was my first system.... fond memories and every upload of yours brings meloncholy for not having them now but also awesome nostalgia.... But that list is highly original. Some of those games i never had.
Growing up my parents could not afford games but the grocery store had a "home department" that had a Master system on display for people to try. When my mom took us shopping my brother and I would play it. The display system was for potential customers but the store manager knew our situation and let us play all the games we wanted while our mom bought groceries. Alex Kidd, Safari and a few others really stood out to me. The Master system is what got me hooked on games. I will never forget those times.
Lol. I just now finished up Saturn Fact or Fiction pt. 2 and thought to myself at the outro “Sega Lord X ALWAYS catches me next time!” Refreshed my feed and this was the first vid uploaded ten minutes prior. Funny timing. Anyhow, onto the vid for more awesome content. Thanks for being one of the best out there, SLX.
After you ranked Wonder Boy in Monster World as one of your top 10 games, I got very curious to know your opinion about Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap, which in my humble opinion is a far superior game. Anyway, my top 10 is: 10) Streets of Rage, 9) Ninja Gaiden, 8) Golvellius, 7) Sagaia, 6) Alex Kidd in Shinobi World, 5) SpellCaster, 4)Land of Illusion, 3) Sonic the Hedghog 2, 2) Phantasy Star, 1) Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap.
1. Phantasy Star. 2. Fantasy Zone 3. Space Harrier 4. Outrun 5. Alex Kidd 6. Fantasy Zone 2 7. Zillion 8. Choplifter 9. Great Football 10. Hang on/ Astro warrior
Excellent video! I want to add a Master System to my console collection and this video is a huge help. Would be cool to see a video about your opinion of the Sonic games released in the Master System someday.
There was one Master System game that I had in my small library decades ago that was really interesting: Spellcaster. It was based on the Kujaku Ou manga and played like an action RPG. My only complaints with it are the music and sound via the PSG rendering (because they sound a little harsh) and using the "Pause" button on the console to choose the correct magic spell.
OMG! Great ranking, @SegaLordX. Thanks to great distribution work by TecToy, my first console was a Master System, back in 1989 (after that, Genesis -- named as Mega Drive in Brazil--, and Saturn, which I' d bought at day one!!). I consider Alex Kidd in Shinobi World an amazing crazy title even nowadays (to merge the universes was a dope idea!) . I had have a hash history with Rastan: rent this title several times, more difficulty than Keiseden, in my opinion; never managed to finish the game... Until the day my grandma died. I was 11 at that time and, after the service, returned home and, out of blue, finished the game (and received a big disapproval lecture by my father, of course). And another bizarre experience with Phantasy Star, playing along with a uncle and a friend of mine; we had a notebook for log the progress each one made in the game, alternating our journey in different turns; each of us had a favorite character and it turns out that we manage to level all the characters up to the max, but not were able to get the final challenge, something was wrong with our approach --even think about a bug with the game,but never find any reference in forums over the internet. Many years later, at the 2000s, by emulation and playing by myself, finally beat the game (no character was leveled to the max this time 😆 lol) and celebrate like never before!
Master System was my first console. I had a huge collection. Some of my favourite games were Alex Kidd in Miracle Land, Enduro Racer, Wonder Boy in Monster World, Alien Storm, Outrun, After Burner, Sonic 2, Chuck Rock, Land of Illusion, Rampage and Taz.
I mentioned this in another post, but if you get a chance, play the Japanese version of Enduro Racer. SEGA absolutely butchered the game when bringing it to the North American market. They cut the ROM size in half, and only included half the levels. The Japanese version has 10 unique race courses, instead of the 5 courses that repeat in the NA version.
I wish you talked about Kenseiden!! One of my favourite Master System games ever alongside WB:III of course. Honourable mentions go to Golvellius: Valley of Doom, & Super Space Invaders, those were great games too!
2chickenbone I owned Kenseiden back in ’88 very underrated game! It was awesome for its time, large sprites and great sound effects still remember the waterfall fade in monaural sound glory!
This was absolutely fantastic! I got the Master System on Christmas of 1986 and damn was it great. I may have had an Nes as well but the Master System was where it was at for the home. Like you, I was an arcade junkie. I was a casual player during the 8-bit days. However, when I got my Sega Genesis in 1989 that all changed. For the first time we had arcade games that were not shadows of their former selves.
RASTAN...Best SMS game! (for me!) Also, Kensiden is often overlooked... ... have to agree about Alex Kidd, never could get into those (kiddie) games! Keep up the cool vids, love the SMS getting some attention! 👍🎮
Nice trip down memory lane. Strong choice for the no 1 spot, Shinobi was the first game I got for my SMS and I loved it. Wonderboy 3: The Dragon's Trap would've been the no 1 for me though. It's hands down my favourite SMS game, if not one of my favourite games of all time. R-Type would've been a close second.
Australia where Sega & Nintendo were evenly distributed and matched. Top 10 personal favorites: 1. Gain Ground 3. Ninja Gaiden 3. Ghouls n Ghost 4. Alex Kidd Shinobi World 5. Black Belt 6. R-Type 7. Secret Command 8. Zillion 2 the Triformation 9. Shinobi 10. The Ninja
I still own my Master System Power Base that I got in 1986-7ish, before owning that my older brother had a Commodore 128.. I would of been about 9 years old when I received the SMS from my parents, it was a random surprise that I remember getting after I finished school one day in the 80's.. I am from the UK so the Master System was fairly popular here just like the micro computers of the time like the C64/128, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Amiga, Atari ST etc.. The SEGA Master System will always be my soft spot in gaming because it was my personal first system I ever owned. Oh and it was SEGA (I loved their Arcades before I got the SMS so it just heightened my passion for SEGA)
i was never a sports fan so none are on my top 10 but rastan, castle of illusion and master of darkness are in my top 10 with phantasy star as my number 1. great video...brings back some good memories.
I enjoyed that you allowed the gameplay to show without having to comment on them or overtalk the game sounds for a few mins each game. Great work~! Sad however.. your comments on Rampage.. i grew up with a copy of it on NES.. lol.
Never understood why Rastan never gets enough appreciation. One of my faves by far and well worth a place in anyone's top 10. Some other great choices which I agree with but I'd squeeze Enduro Racer in there. I think it's probably one of the best racers for the console and easily the most fun out of all the games I ever owned back then. Once you master the timing of the jumps and wheelies it becomes the fastest racer there is. Takes proper skill!
Nice list, and awesome video as usual! 👍 I basically never miss any of your videos, as they are the perfect content for a lifelong Sega enthusiast such as myself. 😁 As you say, SMS/Game Gear lists pretty much vary according to when one was personally exposed to these machines, with their varying success across different regions and whatnot. Here in Europe, the SMS had a solid run from 1986 onwards and it was my first gaming console, so I sucked it up like air, but only experienced the Game Gear for the first time sometime around 2013 when I bought it on eBay. If I had to come up with a SMS Top 10 list of my own, it would go something like this: 1) Phantasy Star 2) Wonder Boy III: The Dragon’s Trap 3) Wonder Boy 4) Wonder Boy in Monster Land 5) Space Harrier 6) My Hero 7) The Ninja 8) Out Run 9) Shinobi 10) Choplifter
My absolute favorite game on the Master System is 'Phantasy Star'. It was a technological wonder at the time; with its first person dungeons, the scale of the game world(s), and the beautiful graphics that still look pretty today!. Phantasy Star will always hold a top spot in my gaming memories.
Damn, Rampage looks amazing! I got the Sega Master System in the spring of ‘93. Me and my brother had been asking our dad for a Genesis but he couldn’t afford it. He later found an SMS at a yard sale with about 40 games for cheap. We were disappointed at first (I know, I know), but the SMS with all the games we got ended up being an absolute blast. We adored Monster Boy and despised Alex Kidd lol. Great times.
Hi SLX! I am a big fan of yours, and of the Master System. It would be great to see a video comparing Master System games to their NES counterparts that Sega was often accused of 'ripping off' - ie Master of Darkness vs Castlevania, Alex Kidd in Miracle World vs Super Mario Bros, Golden Axe Warrior vs Legend of Zelda etc. In any case, keep up the awesome work, and Sega for ever!
With you on Rastan I always loved that one in the arcade. I was an nes kid too and only had one friend with an SMS where I got to play some of the games. I just recently got to playing Power Strike 2 on it and it’s an excellent old school Compile shooter in the Aleste series. Plays great if you’re into those and never tried it before.
Golvellius is still not only my favorite Master System game, but also my favorite game of all time. Everything about that game was just perfect. Shinobi is my #2.
It's the system I had when I was 13 in 86-87.i had great baseball, great ice hockey, pole position hang on and safari hunt and my cousin had zillion, eswat Alex kid in miracle world. I remember the ball controller or whatever you call it and that game had basic controller moves etc. Great baseball was sweet I ll say that much. I later discovered Nintendo ice hockey. Friggin love that game. 💯
Very nice video. Just got a master system and its probably the sega home console I know the least about, barring the sg-1000. This is a good line up of games to start my collectiing for it on.
My earliest Sega memory...growing up my neighbor's older brother had a genesis in his bedroom. He wouldn't let us kids play his more grown up console. He was 14 at the time while we were 9-10. Then a couple years later my dad bought us a Sega CD with built in genesis console. Great machine though it wasn't my favorite growing up, but damn I sure played a lot of Microcosm :D
Awesome video, 10 years ago I used to think that the Sega Saturn was the most underrated system from Sega...but nowadays the Saturn has make an incredible comeback and most people know it is an incredible system. But for the Master System and the Game Gear it seems at least for me this incredible 8 bit Sega Systems still very underrated and they deserve the level of praise that the Saturn or the Dreamcast have.
The Alex the Kid in Shinobi World soundtrack was such a killer rendition of Shinobi. Still love that music to this day, it’s top notch video game music that puts you in the mood
I grew up with the master system, have a huge collection of sms games still. I sorta wish I had the nes though, it was the start of so many game series that I totally missed.
I never owned a NES back in the day. I was the weird kid that went against the grain and asked for a SMS instead simply *because* the NES was so popular. My reasoning was that I could play NES any time I went over to a friends house, so why pay for games that I could play for free. If I wanted to play the NES for an extended period, friends were always willing to trade systems for a week, so I even got to play through longer games like Zelda without ever paying a dime.
@@Velcrochicken1 Eventually a couple friends took the plunge and bought Master Systems instead of NES after playing mine. We made a point of buying mostly different games so that our collective library was more diverse, and then we would loan each other games so that we all got to play them.
1) Wonder boy 3 Dragons Trap 2) Phantasy Star 3) Outrun 4) Bomber Raid 5) Golden Axe 6) Rastan 7) Wonder Boy in Monster Land 8) Wonder Boy 9) Rampage 10) Space Harrier Honorable Mentions ) Hang On & Safari Hunt, Altered Beast, The Ninja Great Video thanks :)
Those 3D glasses were actually good! I remember playing my buddy's master system after brushing all the dust off and playing that overhead maze type game with the glasses - I was blown away. This was probably right before TG-16 and Genesis came out.
Someone gave me a boxed SMS recently the only thing missing is the a.v cable , just wondering what games were out that were good...I think I may get a av scart lead for it and keep it .. Thanks for the video upload.. Jim
In my case, it was my cousin who had one. I enjoyed a ton of games on it like Shinobi, Safari Hunt, Hang-On, and even that snail game ha! The one I enjoyed the most though was Thunderblade where we took turns to get as far as possible.
R-Type on SMS was pretty amazing
R-Type on SMS remains my favorite old school port of the arcade game. I know the Turbografx version blows it out of the water in terms of graphics and sound, but the TG16 port can't fit the entire vertical playfield on screen at once, you have to scroll up and down to see the whole thing. In a game where every pixel of screen space is important to seeing and memorizing the layout and patterns of enemies, this is an unforgivable sin and an absolute gamebreaker for me. SMS R-Type for life.
@@BrunoidGames I'm not going to lie, I played the SMS version so much that I've died more than once in stage 4 of the arcade version by instinctively trying to enter the secret level.
R-TYPE, I found the sound test by accident as a kid , and wondered for decades how to get to the bonus stage. Funny thing is, I always saw that funny pixel on stage 4 and thought it was a glitch. I even wrote game pro magazine back then on how to get to that stage. never heard a response. well i'm 40 now and i have watched it on you tube. This was my best game on the sms. 2nd would be thunder blade
@@charlesgraves2147 Thunder Blade was never one of my favorites, but it was a hell of a lot better than the abysmal Super Thunder Blade on the Genesis.
Even being American, SMS was my first system - got it for xmas in 1989. Here are my top 10:
10) Ghouls’N Ghosts
9) Rastan
8) Sonic Chaos
7) Bubble Bobble
6) Phantasy Star
5) Shinobi
4) Zillion
3) Golden Axe Warrior
2) Master of Darkness
1) Ninja Gaiden
Astérix
Battle Out Run
Y's the Vanished Omens
Bomber Raid
The Lucky Dime Caper
Wimbledon
Fantasy Zone
R-Type
Micro-Machines
Sonic the Hedgehog
The Ninja
Enduro Racer
Alex Kidd
Astro Warrior
Game like Golvellius, Ys, Wonder boy 3, Miracle Warriors, PS 1, pretty much all the rpgs were solid on the SMS.
The SMS was as good as the Tg 16.
Master Of Darkness.
Power Strike 2.
Double Dragon.
Ninja Gaiden.
Land Of Illusion.
Castle Of Illusion
Donald Duck.
Asterix.
Alex Kidd In Shinobi World.
R-Type.
Honourable mentions:
Road Rash
Desert Strike
The New Zealand Story
Golden Axe Warrior
Golvellius
1000% Rampage on Master System - best home version of rampage ever.
Asterix (PAL) should be checked out, as it's definitely one of the best games on the Master System!
Astérix looks so damn good.
Yes it’s my favourite Master System game.
I remember selling a Master Gear converter with every Game Gear I sold. As soon as you told people they could play all Master
system games as well, it was pretty much a sure sale =)
My goodness the colors are so vibrant for an 8-bit console!
Here in Brazil you still can buy a master system, brand new, on the supermarket. It is the most important console of all time for my generation (and State). Your list is nice because it is not what my crew would build. Now I have lots of nice games to look into. Thanks
No Wonder boy the dragon's Trap? Best game on the system by far in my opinion...
Dragon's Trap was a masterpiece of a game. I'd go as far as saying that all of the Wonder Boy games on the SMS were stellar.
Agreed
I've bought that game 3 or 4 times since the late 80's, the remake twice. Love it.
The games still stands up today. I never played the original so I had no nostalgic attachment, but I loved the remake on the Switch and I would regularly switch the graphics and music from original to modern and vice versa
I agree to that. Best game on the system. Sonic the Hedgehog was also great and very different to the 16 bit version. I also enjoyed Ghouls and Ghosts for the Master System, again different to the original with a nice RPG touch.
I'm pretty shocked that Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap wasn't on here.
I was also surprised. It's actually my favorite Master System game.
me too. Best Master System game IMO.
@@IMDLEGEND Along with Phantasy Star, top 2 maybe.
"Rastan, what is best in life?"
"To slaughter Nintendo, see mario driven before you, and hear the lametation of their fanboys."
Here have an upvote for the Conan reference.
Keep dreaming sega boy lol
😂
So close.. It should be "To crush Nintendo". But you still get a like, cause who can pass up a good Conan quote....
Master System games had in general better visuals than NES, but Nintendo killed everything with there games because they were simply better to play. And still is today. Not Sega 😅
Really interesting to see the top 10 of someone from the US on this - the Master System was hugely popular here in the UK and you're right, my top 10 would be completely different... Let's give it a go! In rough order, I reckon:
1- Wonderboy 3: The Dragon's Trap (hands down the best game on the system)
2- Sonic 1
3- Shinobi
4- Alien Storm
5- Alex Kidd in Miracle World
6- Taz-mania
7- Road Rash
8- Cool Spot
9- Fantasy Zone
10- Asterix
That looks good to me 👍
Road Rash on SMS is a technical marvel - it's amazing that U.S. Gold was able to accomplish what they did.
I prefer your list
No Mickey or Donald?
@@Halbared Asterix, Mickey and Donald are all roughly interchangeable really, that spot could've gone to any of them.
Too bad Konami never really did anything with Sega 8-bit platforms. Would have been interesting to see them do a SMS adaption of Castlevania 1 or Contra.
I very much agree.
Konami or any other big name companies were not allowed to make any games for the Master System. Nintendo pretty much forbid them for making games on non Nintendo platforms. So companies like Konami were left with no real choice to either make games for the number one selling console by far which was the Nes or take their games to other platforms such as the Master System and lose their contract with Nintendo.
@@neobogard
Why didn't that apply to Tecmo? Ninja Gaiden had a version on both platforms.
@@kekeke8988 Take this info with a grain of salt since I can't remember the source anymore (nor how trustworthy was that source, in any case), but I remember reading somewhere that this was possible because, while Nintendo forbid developers from releasing their games on other platforms, their contracts still allowed them to license their IPs to other companies; Nintendo meant this as the right to just exploit their IPs via merchandising/cartoons/etc., but it was enough of a legal hole for them to be able to release their games on other platforms *as long as they weren't developed in-house*, but via licensing their titles to be developed by third parties. That would make sense for Ninja Gaiden, since the Master System version was programmed by Sega themselves.
@@kekeke8988 Tecmo published a couple of games in Japan, namely the Master System versions of Rygar and Solomon's Key, thanks to a dummy company called Salio which was established by them for that sole purpose. This was still when Nintendo had a grip on companies developing for their systems which prevented them to do the same for other consoles. As for Ninja Gaiden, it was released on the Master System thanks to a licensing agreement by Sega, same as it was an arcade game. But instead of basing it on the arcade game, they did a game in the same vein of the NES games. This was all done and produced by Sega though. Same with Tecmo World Cup '93 which was the final Tecmo-licensed game on the system.
Had a friend who lived down the street from me who had a SMS and a shit ton of games. I was jealous he had a SMS and he was jealous i had a NES. Remember loving Rockys graphics.
Pretty much how it was with my friend. He lived right down the street so we played each others games pretty much every day.
That's always good though. I had a Genesis and my friend had the SNES. I would go over to his house to play Mario and he would come over to play Sonic (and other games like Donkey Kong Country). It worked out well cause at least we both got to experience the other system we didn't own.
@@Gatorade69 That was the best time to own all the consoles of the generation, the great majority of games of each platform were exclusive.
@@SegaLordX That was the same in my neighborhood, even before the NES and SMS, one neighbor had Colecovision, another had the Atari 5200, the kids one block over had Intellivision...
Friggle Dee Yes Rocky was awesome. I had forgotten about it. I couldn’t ever beat Drago though, just lucky to last one round with him!
Great list. I'd also like to say Cyborg Hunter, Zillion, Golvellius and Ghouls n' Ghosts were great on the SMS.
All great additions
Came here for Govelius and Zillion. Both great games.
He mentions metroidvania when talking about the Castlevania ripoff and doesn't mention the actual good, super innovative Metroidvania game in Zillion.
I'm playing Golvellius now and I'm stuck in the swamp...great game
Shinobi was tops for me on the SMS. The arcade version was where I first encountered it in 1988 -- at a small corner store near my house. Some of my friends poured many quarters into it. I was beyond thrilled to soon have my own copy of it for the master system. Fortunately, it was a pretty accurate port of the arcade version.
The Sega Master was my first console! My cousin had an ‘85 NES he brought it from NY. We got the Sega Master for Christmas in ‘86 we would play each other systems or even borrow games by lending my game for your game two weeks! Good times!
SLX has really been pumping out quality content at an incredible rate! So many new videos and not just fluff either. Really a fan of the channel and hope all this hard work pays off.
I love that we have such different lists - really speaks to the quality of the Master System. Wonder Boy III, Golvellius, Time Soldiers, Black Belt, and Ghost House are some of my favorites.
Excellent 👌
Upvote for Ghost House.
You’re very well spoken and passionate! You talk like a professional card magician
Growing up in the UK in the 80's I was more into the 8-bit micro systems (eg. Commodore 64 into the Amiga for 16-bit), but our house was always Sega as well for the most part thanks to my slightly younger sister. Had a Master System, Mega Drive and Game Gear in the house due to her, so I got to play them there. ALL my mates were either Atari or Nintendo kids, so I got to try those as well. From a gaming history aspect, it's a hobby I've kept for over 40 years and the history I know personally shows a VERY rich history for such a, still, young industry technology wise. And what I know is literally a spit in the ocean. But it's fun knowledge to have learned as I lived it.
It took me too long to discover Master of Darkness, but that game straight rules.
I never knew that Rampage looked that good on the Master System. Thanks for always uploading these great videos. You have become one of my favorite TH-cam channels ever!
You mention Rampage on SMS as a better port than the NES one.
Another game that I feel the same about is Double Dragon.
No 2 player on NES? Crazy
Double Dragon on SMS had to be the best homeport of that arcade game
NES had 2 player Double Dragon 2. SMS didn't have DD2 at all, so NES wins.
@@bobsmith9271 I really want to start a whole schoolyard Nintendo vs Sega battle now.
Yep, Phantasy Star. Had they only kept those 3D dungeons in the 16-bit releases. And revenge felt pretty sweet after that 60 hours I spent beating it back in the day. I wished Sega had focused on more of these definitive rpgs, but they were doing so many things and innovations.
Golvellieus was AWESOME! Very large colorful sprites... It promised a sequel when you beat it but sadly we never got one.
I loved most of these titles. One of mine not here was R Type. Yes there was a ton of flickering, but I still adored the graphics and music
Phantasy Star and R-Type were probably my top 2 games on the SMS. I put so many hours into the SMS port of R-Type that I really got my quarter's worth when playing the game at the arcade.
Yes, that flickering was pretty bad, but otherwise a great game in all respects.
R-Type was soooo good on the Master System. It even had an extra secret level not found in the arcade.
I grew up with a master system it was the 1st console i owned and still have one. Wonderboy series are excellent
Lol honestly, the little rollout of games at the very beginning of the video before it even began pretty much makes up a good portion of my Top 10 lol. Great video as usual!
Love these videos, brings me down memory lane in such a better time than today.
The library of this console is PHENOMENAL,
so many overlooked gems I would have
loved as a Sega kid at heart 🕹
I still own my Sega Master System, sadly my cords are all shot so I don't know if the system still works. I've had trouble finding replacements for it, I also currently lack the funds to buy them. I only had a handful of games but it was the first system I ever got to call my own. Rampage is one of the titles I still own and I loved it, as well as the best title for the system "Wonder Boy 3: The Dragon Trap" which saddens me isn't on this list.
AV cables for it are only a few bucks on amazon or eBay, paid about $3 for new set. Or use Sega Genesis model 1 AV cable.
If you need a power supply, most Sega Genesis powers supply's work, along with Famicom and Super Famicom, but NOT Super Nintendo (won't fit) or NES.(will kill it, + - reversed).
Just look up Master system power supply substitute or something to that effect.
Vivisect I was just about to comment and saw your post. And 100% correct.
My favorites on SMS were Space Harrier, Transbot, Zillion and Fantasy Zone 2.. miss them so much
I was never a fan of TransBot, but the other 3 in your list are all fantastic games. I played the hell out of, and beat all of those ones.
Good choices! I finally bought my Master System (my version is the Compact 3 TecToy), cant wait to play lots of great games!
In my childhood during the 90's I started to play games with Mega Drive, I not played much SMS, but never too late! ^^
Shinobi is SO underrated. REALLY a great game. I'd have probably still had to find a way to work in Sonic. I also really liked Outrun and Thunderblade.
Rastan's another great choice here. Played the HECK out of it in the arcade.
I also think the SMS port of Altered Beast was darned good.
Zillion is my #1. Spent so many hours playing it. It was like a combination of Metroid and Impossible Mission. To this day, I still haven't beaten it, and I still play it quite often. I was hyped when I learned they were gonna release a sequel. But was extremely disappointed that the game play of the original was changed into a side scrolling shoot-em-up.
I 1st played the Sega Master System when my older brother had one. The Snail Maze game and HangOn were Awesome!
A childhood friend of mine had the master system. I liked playing Ninja Spirit on it.
Wow.... what a good list! - the MS was my first system.... fond memories and every upload of yours brings meloncholy for not having them now but also awesome nostalgia....
But that list is highly original. Some of those games i never had.
Growing up my parents could not afford games but the grocery store had a "home department" that had a Master system on display for people to try. When my mom took us shopping my brother and I would play it. The display system was for potential customers but the store manager knew our situation and let us play all the games we wanted while our mom bought groceries. Alex Kidd, Safari and a few others really stood out to me. The Master system is what got me hooked on games. I will never forget those times.
You have amazing content and love your Narration. Really well done bro! Thank you 👍
Lol. I just now finished up Saturn Fact or Fiction pt. 2 and thought to myself at the outro “Sega Lord X ALWAYS catches me next time!” Refreshed my feed and this was the first vid uploaded ten minutes prior. Funny timing. Anyhow, onto the vid for more awesome content. Thanks for being one of the best out there, SLX.
Thanks for the message. Always nice to hear someone really enjoys the content.
Another great video dude. RC Grand prix is a solid SMS racing game never gets a mention.
I just beat Vampire a few weeks ago. Great game.
After you ranked Wonder Boy in Monster World as one of your top 10 games, I got very curious to know your opinion about Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap, which in my humble opinion is a far superior game. Anyway, my top 10 is: 10) Streets of Rage, 9) Ninja Gaiden, 8) Golvellius, 7) Sagaia, 6) Alex Kidd in Shinobi World, 5) SpellCaster, 4)Land of Illusion, 3) Sonic the Hedghog 2, 2) Phantasy Star, 1) Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap.
Dragon's Trap was a great game for sure. 11 or 12 on my list if I took it that far.
I played the 8-bit Sonic games on the Game Gear. I didn't even know they were on the SMS until years later.
My uncle recently gave me his Master System and a dozen games. He's had it since the 80s, everything was CIB too
Your uncle rocks!
You'll never love it and neither did he...
1. Phantasy Star.
2. Fantasy Zone
3. Space Harrier
4. Outrun
5. Alex Kidd
6. Fantasy Zone 2
7. Zillion
8. Choplifter
9. Great Football
10. Hang on/ Astro warrior
Black Belt is way dope.. one of my favorites
The standard Rastan music is amazing on Master System, excellent game.
Laserdreams *You can get FM sound too with a special 8-bit adaptor for GENESIS*
Excellent video! I want to add a Master System to my console collection and this video is a huge help.
Would be cool to see a video about your opinion of the Sonic games released in the Master System someday.
There was one Master System game that I had in my small library decades ago that was really interesting: Spellcaster. It was based on the Kujaku Ou manga and played like an action RPG. My only complaints with it are the music and sound via the PSG rendering (because they sound a little harsh) and using the "Pause" button on the console to choose the correct magic spell.
MoltoRubato88 *You can play FM music with a special 8-bit adaptor for GENESIS*
Excellent video dude! Thanks for bringing back some amazing memories 😎👍
Glad you liked it
Thanks for the trip down memory lane. My personal favorites were Black Belt and Rocky. Still have the Black Belt cartridge.
OMG! Great ranking, @SegaLordX. Thanks to great distribution work by TecToy, my first console was a Master System, back in 1989 (after that, Genesis -- named as Mega Drive in Brazil--, and Saturn, which I' d bought at day one!!). I consider Alex Kidd in Shinobi World an amazing crazy title even nowadays (to merge the universes was a dope idea!) . I had have a hash history with Rastan: rent this title several times, more difficulty than Keiseden, in my opinion; never managed to finish the game... Until the day my grandma died. I was 11 at that time and, after the service, returned home and, out of blue, finished the game (and received a big disapproval lecture by my father, of course). And another bizarre experience with Phantasy Star, playing along with a uncle and a friend of mine; we had a notebook for log the progress each one made in the game, alternating our journey in different turns; each of us had a favorite character and it turns out that we manage to level all the characters up to the max, but not were able to get the final challenge, something was wrong with our approach --even think about a bug with the game,but never find any reference in forums over the internet. Many years later, at the 2000s, by emulation and playing by myself, finally beat the game (no character was leveled to the max this time 😆 lol) and celebrate like never before!
13:43 Is that Marilyn Monroe in Shinobi? And then there's Spider Man dressed like Captain America hanging onto the wall.
I always thought it was, yeah.
The Master System was the first console I bought myself. Loved it and it made me a life long Sega fan.
Golden Axe Warrior is such an underated game!
Master System was my first console. I had a huge collection. Some of my favourite games were Alex Kidd in Miracle Land, Enduro Racer, Wonder Boy in Monster World, Alien Storm, Outrun, After Burner, Sonic 2, Chuck Rock, Land of Illusion, Rampage and Taz.
I mentioned this in another post, but if you get a chance, play the Japanese version of Enduro Racer. SEGA absolutely butchered the game when bringing it to the North American market. They cut the ROM size in half, and only included half the levels. The Japanese version has 10 unique race courses, instead of the 5 courses that repeat in the NA version.
I wish you talked about Kenseiden!! One of my favourite Master System games ever alongside WB:III of course. Honourable mentions go to Golvellius: Valley of Doom, & Super Space Invaders, those were great games too!
2chickenbone I owned Kenseiden back in ’88 very underrated game! It was awesome for its time, large sprites and great sound effects still remember the waterfall fade in monaural sound glory!
Yes, someone else who appreciates the waterfall fade. That is still a cool audio effect even now.
This was absolutely fantastic! I got the Master System on Christmas of 1986 and damn was it great. I may have had an Nes as well but the Master System was where it was at for the home. Like you, I was an arcade junkie. I was a casual player during the 8-bit days. However, when I got my Sega Genesis in 1989 that all changed. For the first time we had arcade games that were not shadows of their former selves.
RASTAN...Best SMS game! (for me!)
Also, Kensiden is often overlooked...
... have to agree about Alex Kidd, never could get into those (kiddie) games!
Keep up the cool vids, love the SMS getting some attention! 👍🎮
Love the master system. Great system to collect for.
Nice trip down memory lane. Strong choice for the no 1 spot, Shinobi was the first game I got for my SMS and I loved it. Wonderboy 3: The Dragon's Trap would've been the no 1 for me though. It's hands down my favourite SMS game, if not one of my favourite games of all time. R-Type would've been a close second.
Great list mate :-)
Such treasures, buried in the sands of time. Or emulators. God bless the internet.
Australia where Sega & Nintendo were evenly distributed and matched. Top 10 personal favorites:
1. Gain Ground
3. Ninja Gaiden
3. Ghouls n Ghost
4. Alex Kidd Shinobi World
5. Black Belt
6. R-Type
7. Secret Command
8. Zillion 2 the Triformation
9. Shinobi
10. The Ninja
Have you got any sales figures?
Great video. I agree with your list. Don't forget fm music variants
I still own my Master System Power Base that I got in 1986-7ish, before owning that my older brother had a Commodore 128.. I would of been about 9 years old when I received the SMS from my parents, it was a random surprise that I remember getting after I finished school one day in the 80's.. I am from the UK so the Master System was fairly popular here just like the micro computers of the time like the C64/128, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Amiga, Atari ST etc.. The SEGA Master System will always be my soft spot in gaming because it was my personal first system I ever owned. Oh and it was SEGA (I loved their Arcades before I got the SMS so it just heightened my passion for SEGA)
i was never a sports fan so none are on my top 10 but rastan, castle of illusion and master of darkness are in my top 10 with phantasy star as my number 1. great video...brings back some good memories.
I enjoyed that you allowed the gameplay to show without having to comment on them or overtalk the game sounds for a few mins each game. Great work~! Sad however.. your comments on Rampage.. i grew up with a copy of it on NES.. lol.
I did not know Fantasy Star was so influential in the RPG genre!!!!!!
Nice video, good choices. Y's , Spiderman and Smash Tv are all fond master system memories from my childhood.
I greatly enjoy watching/listening to your videos at night... or first thing in the morning.. or any time
Master System Golden Axe kicks my buns, lol. Great vid!
Never understood why Rastan never gets enough appreciation. One of my faves by far and well worth a place in anyone's top 10. Some other great choices which I agree with but I'd squeeze Enduro Racer in there. I think it's probably one of the best racers for the console and easily the most fun out of all the games I ever owned back then. Once you master the timing of the jumps and wheelies it becomes the fastest racer there is. Takes proper skill!
Same here with the music in Shinobi. I love the music change on the Bonus stage!
Those are pretty cool games, I will give them a shot
Nice list, and awesome video as usual! 👍 I basically never miss any of your videos, as they are the perfect content for a lifelong Sega enthusiast such as myself. 😁
As you say, SMS/Game Gear lists pretty much vary according to when one was personally exposed to these machines, with their varying success across different regions and whatnot. Here in Europe, the SMS had a solid run from 1986 onwards and it was my first gaming console, so I sucked it up like air, but only experienced the Game Gear for the first time sometime around 2013 when I bought it on eBay. If I had to come up with a SMS Top 10 list of my own, it would go something like this:
1) Phantasy Star
2) Wonder Boy III: The Dragon’s Trap
3) Wonder Boy
4) Wonder Boy in Monster Land
5) Space Harrier
6) My Hero
7) The Ninja
8) Out Run
9) Shinobi
10) Choplifter
My absolute favorite game on the Master System is 'Phantasy Star'. It was a technological wonder at the time; with its first person dungeons, the scale of the game world(s), and the beautiful graphics that still look pretty today!. Phantasy Star will always hold a top spot in my gaming memories.
Damn, Rampage looks amazing!
I got the Sega Master System in the spring of ‘93. Me and my brother had been asking our dad for a Genesis but he couldn’t afford it. He later found an SMS at a yard sale with about 40 games for cheap. We were disappointed at first (I know, I know), but the SMS with all the games we got ended up being an absolute blast. We adored Monster Boy and despised Alex Kidd lol. Great times.
Hi SLX! I am a big fan of yours, and of the Master System. It would be great to see a video comparing Master System games to their NES counterparts that Sega was often accused of 'ripping off' - ie Master of Darkness vs Castlevania, Alex Kidd in Miracle World vs Super Mario Bros, Golden Axe Warrior vs Legend of Zelda etc. In any case, keep up the awesome work, and Sega for ever!
With you on Rastan I always loved that one in the arcade. I was an nes kid too and only had one friend with an SMS where I got to play some of the games. I just recently got to playing Power Strike 2 on it and it’s an excellent old school Compile shooter in the Aleste series. Plays great if you’re into those and never tried it before.
For me, one of my favs was moonwalker.
Yep I can remember being a big fan of Rampage, Rocky and California Games on the Master System.
Golvellius is still not only my favorite Master System game, but also my favorite game of all time. Everything about that game was just perfect. Shinobi is my #2.
It's the system I had when I was 13 in 86-87.i had great baseball, great ice hockey, pole position hang on and safari hunt and my cousin had zillion, eswat Alex kid in miracle world. I remember the ball controller or whatever you call it and that game had basic controller moves etc. Great baseball was sweet I ll say that much. I later discovered Nintendo ice hockey. Friggin love that game. 💯
Another outstanding video from one of my favorite TH-cam Channels! Love your passion SLX! You make me wish I had owned a Master System!
Very nice video. Just got a master system and its probably the sega home console I know the least about, barring the sg-1000. This is a good line up of games to start my collectiing for it on.
How do you put out so much content so quickly!?
My earliest Sega memory...growing up my neighbor's older brother had a genesis in his bedroom. He wouldn't let us kids play his more grown up console. He was 14 at the time while we were 9-10. Then a couple years later my dad bought us a Sega CD with built in genesis console. Great machine though it wasn't my favorite growing up, but damn I sure played a lot of Microcosm :D
No mention of Psycho Fox 😞
Rampage, Road Rash, Taito Chase HQ, Action Fighter, Wonder Boy, Alex Kidd, The Ninja. I loved my Sega Master System.
One game : Street fighter 2 for Master Sistem by Tec toy/ Brazil. The history of The game is incredible.
Awesome video, 10 years ago I used to think that the Sega Saturn was the most underrated system from Sega...but nowadays the Saturn has make an incredible comeback and most people know it is an incredible system. But for the Master System and the Game Gear it seems at least for me this incredible 8 bit Sega Systems still very underrated and they deserve the level of praise that the Saturn or the Dreamcast have.
The Alex the Kid in Shinobi World soundtrack was such a killer rendition of Shinobi. Still love that music to this day, it’s top notch video game music that puts you in the mood
I missed out back then but at least i can appreciate them now. Great top ten.
I grew up with the master system, have a huge collection of sms games still. I sorta wish I had the nes though, it was the start of so many game series that I totally missed.
I never owned a NES back in the day. I was the weird kid that went against the grain and asked for a SMS instead simply *because* the NES was so popular. My reasoning was that I could play NES any time I went over to a friends house, so why pay for games that I could play for free. If I wanted to play the NES for an extended period, friends were always willing to trade systems for a week, so I even got to play through longer games like Zelda without ever paying a dime.
@@homiedclown that's cool, most of my friends had Sega's so I never even got to try mario or zelda until SNES lol.
@@Velcrochicken1 Eventually a couple friends took the plunge and bought Master Systems instead of NES after playing mine. We made a point of buying mostly different games so that our collective library was more diverse, and then we would loan each other games so that we all got to play them.
@@homiedclown Wise! Get to play all games!
1) Wonder boy 3 Dragons Trap
2) Phantasy Star
3) Outrun
4) Bomber Raid
5) Golden Axe
6) Rastan
7) Wonder Boy in Monster Land
8) Wonder Boy
9) Rampage
10) Space Harrier
Honorable Mentions ) Hang On & Safari Hunt, Altered Beast, The Ninja
Great Video thanks :)
Those 3D glasses were actually good! I remember playing my buddy's master system after brushing all the dust off and playing that overhead maze type game with the glasses - I was blown away. This was probably right before TG-16 and Genesis came out.
Maze Hunter 3-D. The depth effects on that game were great, the colours in that game just popped off the screen with those glasses on.
Someone gave me a boxed SMS recently the only thing missing is the a.v cable , just wondering what games were out that were good...I think I may get a av scart lead for it and keep it ..
Thanks for the video upload..
Jim
black belt is one of my favorite games on the system, also ghost house is fun too.
In my case, it was my cousin who had one. I enjoyed a ton of games on it like Shinobi, Safari Hunt, Hang-On, and even that snail game ha! The one I enjoyed the most though was Thunderblade where we took turns to get as far as possible.