lazygecko Posted October 20, 2010 Share Posted October 20, 2010 On October 20th 1985, Sega's 8-bit system was released in Japan as the Sega Mark III, and later in the west as the Master System. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sega_Master_System Though it is arguably the least talked about Sega console, it has actually outsold the Game Gear, Saturn, and even the Dreamcast. It was the first console I had. One of the cool things about it is that each model had a different game built into the BIOS. The PAL model 1 which I had, pictured above, came with Hang On. Model 2 had Alex Kidd in Miracle World. There's even allegedly some secret BIOS games you can access with codes but it was never something I looked into. True to Sega tradition the system got a lot of very accurate ports of their arcade games, like Wonder Boy. Hudson got a license to port Wonder Boy over to the NES, but Sega still held the rights to the name and character, so they had to change it into Adventure Island. I still get a chuckle when someone sees Wonder Boy and claims it's an Adventure Island ripoff. AI did progress into its own franchise with the sequels though, while Wonder Boy took more of an adventure approach. My favorite game for the system is Wonder Boy 3: The Dragon's Trap (also ported by Hudson to the Turbografx-16 as The Dragon's Curse), and I find it to be the best 8-bit game overall. It never really took off in the US market where the NES brutally dominated, but found success in Europe and more importantly South America, with a library of games lasting well into the 90's. I know that the console holds a big place in djpretzel's heart, as is evident from looking at the first batch of OC ReMixes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dhsu Posted October 20, 2010 Share Posted October 20, 2010 Mine still works. My parents never bought any games for it so to this day I've been stuck with Hang On and Safari Hunt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EC2151 Posted October 20, 2010 Share Posted October 20, 2010 I am not familiar with the Master system myself, but I've looked at a few of the games and it seems like it's a lot more detailed than the popular notion of '8bit;' did it have a stronger graphics card/whatever than the NES? In any event, Sega systems always had a lot of great games on them. Happy birthday Sega. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brushfire Posted October 20, 2010 Share Posted October 20, 2010 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garpocalypse Posted October 20, 2010 Share Posted October 20, 2010 I had a Master System from a friend of mine for a little while. With it was some type of shooting game like duckhunt and a few others. Honestly can't remember them too well since I had a Genesis at the time. (my first system) Restecpah for anyone who reminisces about old Sega hardware. The games and the systems themselves had a feel and a look to them that Sega has long since killed off. Unrelated note, Just got my xbox back from MS and I LOVE SONIC AGAIN! Sonic 4! Weeeeooooooooooo. -Gar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murmeli Walan Posted October 21, 2010 Share Posted October 21, 2010 With the exception of the Genesis, I missed out on everything Sega growing up. I've recently picked up both a Dreamcast and a Saturn, but I've always been interested in getting a Master System. (Side note: I actually own one Master System game, Zaxxon 3D. I got in a bundle with some Genesis games at a garage sale. No 3D glasses, though.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tex Posted October 21, 2010 Share Posted October 21, 2010 Master System was the only 8-bit console I experienced back in the days, so I don't have nostalgia for Mega Man, Super Mario Bros. and the like. Instead, I had a lot of fun with games like Safari Hunt, Alex Kidd in Miracle World and Psycho Fox. All of course thanks to Tectoy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djpretzel Posted October 21, 2010 Share Posted October 21, 2010 Props to Gecko for posting this; repimped it on our Facebook. OCR might not exist if it weren't for the SMS - granted, a lot of the music that inspired me was really originally from arcade games (Space Harrier, Shinobi, Outrun), but Phantasy Star was my first RPG, Alex Kidd was my first platformer, and those are two exclusive titles with great music that I played the hell out of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brushfire Posted October 21, 2010 Share Posted October 21, 2010 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dj Mokram Posted October 22, 2010 Share Posted October 22, 2010 Yay for Master System! Had the original MS1, with the cool schematics on the top and the gamecard port. Back then, it was a pretty popular system in Europe. There was almost one kid with a SMS for every 2 kids with a NES. Also, no pause button on the controllers. People actually had to get up, walk across the room and reach the pause button on top of the system! I remember playing games like Golden Axe Warrior, Castle of Illusion, Alex Kid, Wonderboy in Monsterland, Hang On, Asterix, Fantasy Zone and Phantasy Star. I'd like to point out that Sonic 1 and 2 were pretty awesome on that system. Though my all time favorite remains Wonderboy III - The Dragon's Trap, which also has one of my favorite 8bit-era soudtrack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cecilff2 Posted October 22, 2010 Share Posted October 22, 2010 Way better than Duck Hunt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eino Keskitalo Posted October 23, 2010 Share Posted October 23, 2010 Another \o/ for Wonder Boy III from here. --Eino Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Upthorn Posted October 23, 2010 Share Posted October 23, 2010 My Master System no longer functions, but Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap will always hold a special place in my heart. I got two rooms away from the final boss when I was five, and then became stuck for 12 years until I pressed "up" by happenstance after falling into the invisible, inescapable, pit there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kadosho Posted October 23, 2010 Share Posted October 23, 2010 25 years, how about that. SMS was quite a gem, and finding a working one is another story. I remember playing several games over @ a friends house during summer breaks from school. Just taking on Phantasy Star in a matter of a month was nonstop fun. And the occasional racer, or even some platforming. Here's to you old friend. =D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WillRock Posted October 23, 2010 Share Posted October 23, 2010 I used to have a master system. A cool console, nearly saved my life around the time my house was burgled and all my consoles were nicked as it was the only one that wasn't taken. I guess mine was model 2 seeing as the built in game was Alex Kidd in miracle world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Damned Posted October 23, 2010 Share Posted October 23, 2010 A friend had a SMS, and this game was he only one that I remember with any fondness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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