For those that were there Master System love

I normally stay away from this kind of thread, but I really hate it when people start slating the Master System! Why? Because they always seem to compare it to the Mega drive!?!?! Of course the Mega Drive and its games are technically better, they're the SMS's replacements! And for those people who slate the SMS version of Sonic, I just don't get it? Yeah it's not as beautiful as the Mega Drive version, but as a game it's excellent. Instead of some shitty port of the MD version they went ahead and built a whole new game and IMO it plays better than the MD version - no nostalgia involved either, I never played an SMS until I was about 19, I had a MD when I was 10 and loved Sonic as it was my first game! In fact there's loads of games that play better on the SMS than the MD, they may not be as pretty or sound as nice but where they lack technically they make up in gameplay and control.

If you want to compare the SMS to something put it against the NES. From the games I've played that are available on both systems (most of them) the SMS pisses all over the NES versions. I'm not biased in anyway either, even though I now own a full SMS set and hardly any NES games, I was also the owner of around a 70% complete NES set many years ago, I played both a lot and decided the SMS was just better, the only thing the NES has going for it is the larger library at about 100 more game than the SMS in PAL regions. I like my NES too and it does have some great games, but when it comes to multi system releases I always play the SMS version. I'm shutting up now

 

Yeah, 8-bit Sonic 1 is really good, too bad 8-bit Sonic 2 is one of the worst Sonic games ever.

 

Big part of things is how console game developers so consistently disregarded 50hz.
SMS having a better PAL library than other regions is mere common sense, yet the hardware units themselves are in practice inferior to NTSC.

Relative to difficulty involved nothing on Earth can improve the SMS more than getting a 60hz switch.

 

The soundtrack to this (and many other) thread(s)...

 

That's....

quite Juicy

 

First of all, why would an admitted Nintendo fan make a rap about Sega? Second of all, who in the UK would ever say "Sega Genesis"?

 

This might explain it.

Sort of

 

When I think of the Master System it brings me back to when I was a kid going to Toys 'r' Us. A massive line of NES games and in the corner stuck next to the Atari 7800, Intellivision, and eventually the TG-16 was the Master System. That pretty much sums up the it's life in the US. Fair or unfair, Once the NES took the early lead there no chance for the competitors.

 

Smaller department stores and chains carried more Master System games. The SMS actually had a huge following in Rhode Island for some reason.

I have a theory about that if you know your SEGA history SEGA licensed the SMS to Tonka, Tonka is owned by Hasbro. Hasbro is a Rhode Island based Company. Maybe people around here knew that even then I dunno just a wacky theory

 

Cool not far from peter Griffin.

 

LOL, Pea Tear Gryphon. Maybe Master Systems are just really popular on islands?
How'd Japan go with the entire Master System thing? They had all those snazzy SG-1000 things didn't they?
I know John Sands got some SC-3000 units out here to Australia (We're a pretty big island).
Does anyone here who loves the Master System library of games dislike these units?
I bet all the Mega Drive haters are polygon rabid Saturn / PS1 fans... :encouragement:

 

I guess there's more things that rhyme with Genesis than Mega Drive?

 

How about an example? And to be fair, you're in the UK so the library of games is quite different from North America. But now we have access to all the games so... Of the SMS games I have played I certainly wouldn't say it is better than the NES. But I'd like to have some examples of these games that are so much better on the SMS. As well as exclusive games that are really good. Does the SMS have games like Mega Man 1-6, Ninja Gaiden 1-3, Batman, Metroid, Kid Icarus, Super Mario Brothers 3, Contra, Super Contra, Battletoads? I know plenty of great NES games. I do like the Ninja Gaiden game on SMS, it's not as good as the NES series but it's a fun game. But I can't say much else about anything on SMS.

Blame the UK as they gave the same electrical and TV standards they had to AU. Or I guess you could just be sad that the US occupied and rebuilt Japan and they ended up with 60hz mains and the NTSC TV system. Not that any of that matters now.

 

That's why i think we can't compare the SMS agains the NES. Nintendo held every single third party dev by contract.

It's actually amazing that games like Mercs, Double Dragon, R-Type and Ghouls'n Ghosts (to name a few) were even released for the SMS.

 

Perhaps I'll get a SMS in the near future. I've always had an attraction to it but never owned or even played one. For some reason I have a few games for it, though...

 

Well I don't really care if they held the devs hostage, the point was when it comes to the library of games I think the NES/Famicom clearly wins. But that doesn't mean the Master System doesn't have good, or even great games. But I'm not all that familiar with them.

 

Of course the NES/Famicom wins. Because of that "hostage situation", the SMS had to basicly rely on Sega games, be it original games or arcade ports. Then you have to remember the MarkIII / SMS was never really successful in Japan and you have not a big support from the company itself. The SMS only had success in Brazil and Europe, because of big support and marketing (And somehow no official Nintendo at that time).

I'm not saying we can't criticize the console, but to compare it it's just unfair.