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[baudelinog]

See the second half of my post. I said I don't care about too many western developed games.

Most of those games were Japanese developed, and many were probably planned for Japanese release, but were dropped when the Mark III suffered a rapid death and Sega moved on to the Mega Drive (and Game Gear) in Japan. The bolded were off the top of my head Japanese developed, and many of the others probably were too. I even specifically mentioned Wonder Boy III: Dragon's Trap. Some of them even have Japan-only FM audio support and/or play with a different title with Japanese text when run on a Japanese machine, which basically proves this thesis.

There were also some games developed as Game Gear games in Japan which also got Master System releases in the territories it survived as a budget console (eg Sonic 1 and 2).

Secondly, I wouldn't call sloppy stuff like Indiana Jones a 'must have', and some games there were 'good for Master System' (Micro Machines, Ecco, Prince of Persia, Lemmings, Ghouls and Ghosts etc) are kind of pointless when they were later downports of games which were superior on other hardware, eg no real point (apart from possible childhood nostaglia) playing MS Prince of Persia when the vastly superior SNES version exists. In a sense the Master System versions are sometimes sort of like what Game Boy versions of NES/SNES games (eg Duck Tales, Hook, Contra III etc) were - budget port-downs to more simple hardware.

I do have a soft spot for some of the above. I really love MS Ghouls and Ghosts for its playable dinkyness. Most of the Japanese developed ones are pretty good. I have quite a few MS games, but basically no western developed ones. The music in particular usually sucks in western developed games for MS.

I understood what you wrote ... or rather I read it, but the use of the noun " exception" suggests "something that deviates from the standard set above", so this nesting sentences are really abstruse:

"... there are very few western developed games on it that I find worthwhile. The exceptions are the Japanese developed games..."

The exceptions to western developed games are Japanese developed games? In my own translation, I chose 'games that were not released in Japan'. Very own and very free translation, sorry! But, anyway: I still have the same opinion. A LOT of western made games (made by, or made for) are, from my point of view, excellents. Virgin, Core, Codemasters, Bitmap Brothers, Tecmagik, US Gold, Probe, Atari... made very good games for the system in the later years. Better versions in other superior systems? Ok. But really well made games anyway.

 

[D.Lo]

I understood what you wrote ... or rather I read it, but the use of the noun " exception" suggests "something that deviates from the standard set above", so this nesting sentences are really abstruse:

"... there are very few western developed games on it that I find worthwhile. The exceptions are the Japanese developed games..."

The exceptions to western developed games are Japanese developed games? In my own translation, I chose 'games that were not released in Japan'. Very own and very free translation, sorry! But, anyway: I still have the same opinion. A LOT of western made games (made by, or made for) are, from my point of view, excellents. Virgin, Core, Codemasters, Bitmap Brothers, Tecmagik, US Gold, Probe, Atari... made very good games for the system in the later years. Better versions in other superior systems? Ok. But really well made games anyway.

Yeah i could have made that clearer! I just meant to me the good western-only release games were mostly Japanese developed.

I really don't like a lot of western developed stuff of the era, and that goes for other consoles too, especially NES. Like Daffy Duck Peagles posted just before, that warbly C64 style music grates on me personally, and was very typical.

By 1992 I'd well and truly moved on to more powerful consoles. I love the system and the games from its prime, but don't have any nostalgia for its PAL 'budget console' era I guess.

 

[baudelinog]

Yeah i could have made that clearer! I just meant to me the good western-only release games were mostly Japanese developed.

I really don't like a lot of western developed stuff of the era, and that goes for other consoles too, especially NES. Like Daffy Duck Peagles posted just before, that warbly C64 style music grates on me personally, and was very typical.

By 1992 I'd well and truly moved on to more powerful consoles. I love the system and the games from its prime, but don't have any nostalgia for its PAL 'budget console' era I guess.

Most of my fond memories of the Master System are rooted in nostalgia of the first things, I know it very well. But, damn!, I never enjoyed gaming so much, and I know I'll never do.

I bought the Master System in 1988, I was just 11 years old. An excited me bought the SNES the day it was launched here (Spain; 1992, I think)... and, loving that new machine a lot, I never had the same kind of feeling I was (still) having with the Master System. I rememeber renting and buying Master System games until 1997 and N64 and Super Mario 64.

Of course it can't be the same depending on the country, the region and the friends groups, but those entire days with my friends trying to beat Alex Kidd and Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck and Asterix and Rastan and R-Type and Golden Axe and The Ninja and Wonder Boy and Chuck Rock, and those competition days with Micro Machines and Super Kick Off and California Games... wow, those were THE days!!!

 

[Khaz]

http://androidarts.com/phantasy/PhantasyStar.htm

 

[IrishNinja]

not entirely sure what i'm looking at there, but it looks cool!

 

[Khaz]

It's a mockup that replaces the original sprites of Phantasy Star with more polished new ones.

It looks super cool but it will never happen

 

[D.Lo]

So I bought this SG1000 II/Mark III stick on a whim. It was basically free because it was listed as not working.

Sure enough it didn't work. Cracked it open and checked the pads, and they worked fine, it was the rubber membranes that were dead.

So I made up some new ones by cutting up parts of the membranes from my stock of controller pieces, used some Super Famicom controller parts (the irony) to make some new custom pads that fit and had a nice travel for the usage.

Now it works like a charm and is possibly my favourite 8-bit stick ever! I've no idea how it would have felt without my custom parts but now it is amazingly responsive and feels great to play with!

Pefect for some classic arcade Ninja Princess Saga!

 

[ResidentDante]

So I bought this SG1000 II/Mark III stick on a whim. It was basically free because it was listed as not working.



Sure enough it didn't work. Cracked it open and checked the pads, and they worked fine, it was the rubber membranes that were dead.

So I made up some new ones by cutting up parts of the membranes from my stock of controller pieces, used some Super Famicom controller parts (the irony) to make some new custom pads that fit and had a nice travel for the usage.

Now it works like a charm and is possibly my favourite 8-bit stick ever! I've no idea how it would have felt without my custom parts but now it is amazingly responsive and feels great to play with!

Pefect for some classic arcade Ninja Princess Saga!

Is it better than this one I have (which I never really liked much back in the 90's):

 

[D.Lo]

Anything is better than that one!

Even as a kid I knew that one was a crap design.

 

[ResidentDante]

Anything is better than that one!

Even as a kid I knew that one was a crap design.

Yeah, the worst was that the giant (square!) top rotated too, it may just have been mine but it could rotate. Which happened all the time during play.

I recently opened that regular MS controller to the left, man those things are crude designed inside. It's literally two pieces of motherboard welded together loosely!

 

[IrishNinja]

yeah, i had 2 of those - me & my brother would fuck our hands up trying to use em, haha. id grab one for nostalgia if i saw it cheap!

also, damn dante got banned? hopefully not a perm

 

[Shin Johnpv]

Has anyone installed the RGB bypass amp by ArcadeTV that they sell at RetroRGB into a Sega Master System 1?

 

[D.Lo]

Never heard of the bypass thing, but I guess that's only for crappy models? No jailbars on my Mega Drive or Mark III/Master Systems.

also, damn dante got banned? hopefully not a perm

Never seen him be anything except positive and nice about stuff, so it's a weird one.

Oh yeah and I discovered there's a whole extra level in the Japanese version of The Ninja! So weird it was removed from the western release.

 

[Khaz]

Oh yeah and I discovered there's a whole extra level in the Japanese version of The Ninja! So weird it was removed from the western release.

Oh, which one? There's no info about it on the web, eh.

Ninja Princess needs a proper arcade port. I'm sure the Megadrive could pull it off easily.

 

[D.Lo]

Oh, which one? There's no info about it on the web, eh.

Ninja Princess needs a proper arcade port. I'm sure the Megadrive could pull it off easily.

There is one, on Saturn. Sega Ages Memorial Selection 2.

Yeah nothing at all online, it's level 2. And there are other changes too. The first levels are the same so most people probably assumed they are the same. I'm working on an article about it right now. Played though both version in full to do a full comparison.

 

[Khaz]

There is one, on Saturn. Sega Ages Memorial Selection 2.

I know, be we know how the Saturn treats exotic resolutions. Plus the sprites have been redrawn.

 

[Shin Johnpv]

Never heard of the bypass thing, but I guess that's only for crappy models? No jailbars on my Mega Drive or Mark III/Master Systems.

You're lucky then. Lots of Master Systems, both model 1 and 2, and lots of Genesis model 1s have jail bars.

 

[D.Lo]

I know, be we know how the Saturn treats exotic resolutions. Plus the sprites have been redrawn.

it's just slightly letterboxed, no big deal. And thank god it has an infinitely lives option the game is brutal.

 

[Fatnick]

Yeah i could have made that clearer! I just meant to me the good western-only release games were mostly Japanese developed.

I really don't like a lot of western developed stuff of the era, and that goes for other consoles too, especially NES. Like Daffy Duck Peagles posted just before, that warbly C64 style music grates on me personally, and was very typical.

By 1992 I'd well and truly moved on to more powerful consoles. I love the system and the games from its prime, but don't have any nostalgia for its PAL 'budget console' era I guess.

Yes, for European developers the MS appeared at a bit of a strange time. As a platform it wasn't quite suited to direct ports of Speccy/C64 titles, but at the other end it lacked the grunt of the Amiga and ST.

I'd say that it's a mistake to right-off weaker ports in favour of theoretically better versions. While the 16-bit ports generally win, there are a good few examples I can think of where the 8-bit version plays better (such as Spectrum Chase HQ or Spiderman vs the King Pin, Tazmania and Galaxy Force on the MS.) That's also not considering the titles that were completely different games across platforms.

 

[D.Lo]

I don't write off ports to weaker systems. If done well they end up a different game and legit good on their own merits. Sonic 1 Master System is a good example. I've also been playing Batman Returns on the NES recently. Both great because they end up as effectively new games while trying to catch the vibe of the more fancy originals. I guess Micro Machines can sneak into the category as well, if it was done well on the lower-power machines.

I wouldn't say Galaxy Force on MS exactly played well though...

Most of the scaler games on MS are pretty unplayable honestly, and I say this as a massive Space Harrier nut too.

 

[Fatnick]

I don't write off ports to weaker systems. If done well they end up a different game and legit good on their own merits. Sonic 1 Master System is a good example. I've also been playing Batman Returns on the NES recently. Both great because they end up as effectively new games while trying to catch the vibe of the more fancy originals. I guess Micro Machines can sneak into the category as well, if it was done well on the lower-power machines.

I wouldn't say Galaxy Force on MS exactly played well though...

Most of the scaler games on MS are pretty unplayable honestly, and I say this as a massive Space Harrier nut too.

GF is clearly a bit more than the MS can easily chew...BUT as a game it's definitely more enjoyable the pedestrian Mega Drive conversion. Especially with the FM sound track and head-screwey tunnels sections.

Another port that surprised me was Alien 3. 'Oh this is just a crappier version of the Mega Drive game" you think...right up until the moment the Aliens start doing things that they most certainly don't do in the superior version.

 

[D.Lo]

Finished my article on Ninja Princess/The Ninja

The things I do when I notice something the internet doesn't seem to have picked up on (regional differences in the Mark III/Master System game)... lol.

 

[doctordoak]

Awesome article! The Ninja is my favorite MS game, and one of my favorite games ever actually. Never knew about the other versions!

 

[dreamcastmaster]

Really good article, I had a brief look at your other work there and I think I'll be spending some time reading that lot.

 

[Baron_Calamity]

Finished my article on Ninja Princess/The Ninja

The things I do when I notice something the internet doesn't seem to have picked up on (regional differences in the Mark III/Master System game)... lol.

Great write up!

 

[Khaz]

Finished my article on Ninja Princess/The Ninja

The things I do when I notice something the internet doesn't seem to have picked up on (regional differences in the Mark III/Master System game)... lol.

Ah, that's an an awesome write up, cool!

Whereas when I notice the internet is lacking knowledge in something, I just bitch about it on forums lol

 

[Shin Johnpv]

So this is what my master system used to put out through RGB

aka Jail bars out the ass.

Today my friend and I installed the RGB Bypass board from RetroRGB.com and now my Master System outputs

No more jail bars, yay!

 

[D.Lo]

Haha thanks for the positive comments guys!

So this is what my master system used to put out through RGB

Ah there you go.

All my early Sega consoles are made in Japan, so probably have higher quality components than all the Korea/Thailand/Malaysia/Taiwan/China etc consoles.

Here's what my Mark III looks like (the banding is just moire from the photo).

 

[Morfeo]

So this is what my master system used to put out through RGB

aka Jail bars out the ass.

Today my friend and I installed the RGB Bypass board from RetroRGB.com and now my Master System outputs

No more jail bars, yay!

Nice! And great game too!

 

[Shin Johnpv]

Thanks! I'm excited to be getting into some MS stuff, I love the way the system looks through RGB.

 

[davidwhangchoi]

hey guys,
if i get a system, should it be a mark III jyp system not an american master system?

 

[D.Lo]

Mark III looks IMO 9000000X cooler. And is made in Japan, and plays SG1000 games too.

But the RGB is unamplified and needs either an amp mod or an external amplifier cable.

The Japanese Master System is the most compatible console overall. Plays Mark III and SG1000 carts stock. You can use a small extension adapter to play western carts on the back port, and it has FM audio built in. There's also a very cheap adapter to play western MS carts through the top port.

A western MS has no commercial solution to play Mark III carts, you have to make your own adapter to do so. (Khaz made one and posted about it some where in this thread, pretty cool stuff). And to get FM you need to mod it to add Tim's FM mod board.

Overall, Japanese Master System is probably easiest for universal use. But I have all the above MS versions, and run a Mark III with FM attachment and RGB amp because it just rules.

 

[davidwhangchoi]

Mark III looks IMO 9000000X cooler. And is made in Japan, and plays SG1000 games too.

But the RGB is unamplified and needs either an amp mod or an external amplifier cable.

The Japanese Master System is the most compatible console overall. Plays Mark III and SG1000 carts stock. You can use a small extension adapter to play western carts on the back port, and it has FM audio built in. There's also a very cheap adapter to play western MS carts through the top port.

A western MS has no commercial solution to play Mark III carts, you have to make your own adapter to do so. And to get FM you need to mod it to add Tim's FM mod board.

thanks D. Lo, i see a master system on craigslist but may look for a Japanese Master System in the future.

and mark III does look cool!

 

[MaverickHunterX]

Stupid question for you guys.

I'm an US collector, who wishes to expand his MS library via importing games from Europe. Besides eBay, is there a recommended retailer where I can buy lots of uncommon titles and easily arrange for shipping to the states?

Thanks and great work in the thread!

 

[Khaz]

thanks D. Lo, i see a master system on craigslist but may look for a Japanese Master System in the future.

and mark III does look cool!

Japanese Master System is indeed the most versatile solution. It's also one of the most expensive. It brings you easy FM sound, and Japanese/SG1000 games. Considering there are several options to get FM on a Western unit (easy mod for the MS, cartridge adapter for the Megadrive), it really goes down to how much you value playing Japanese exclusives and SG1000 games. Both can be played on a Western system with an Everdrive, but it won't help if you're collecting real cartridges though.

 

[davidwhangchoi]

Japanese Master System is indeed the most versatile solution. It's also one of the most expensive. It brings you easy FM sound, and Japanese/SG1000 games. Considering there are several options to get FM on a Western unit (easy mod for the MS, cartridge adapter for the Megadrive), it really goes down to how much you value playing Japanese exclusives and SG1000 games. Both can be played on a Western system with an Everdrive, but it won't help if you're collecting real cartridges though.

yeah, i haven't looked into everdrive yet and more looking collect.. but eventually i need to see what everdrive is about.

thanks for the head up on potential pricing. i'm pretty interested in mostly in games that were never in the U.S. peppered in with a few master system games to play in RGB. i may get a rgb modded pc engine duo r first but am curious since a master system crossed by me locally.

 

[Fatnick]

Stupid question for you guys.

I'm an US collector, who wishes to expand his MS library via importing games from Europe. Besides eBay, is there a recommended retailer where I can buy lots of uncommon titles and easily arrange for shipping to the states?

Thanks and great work in the thread!

These guys are friendly enough:
http://www.retrogamebase.co.uk/sega/Master System

I have no idea if they ship internationally but it wouldn't help to ask.

 

[eEK!]

Stupid question for you guys.

I'm an US collector, who wishes to expand his MS library via importing games from Europe. Besides eBay, is there a recommended retailer where I can buy lots of uncommon titles and easily arrange for shipping to the states?

Thanks and great work in the thread!

Not really, there are few small on-line stores and such, but selection is limited, so you'll probably need to find ebay sellers that will ship outside of Europe.

 

[IrishNinja]

so, not quite as strong as my original SMS collection as a kid (had around 40 or so) but i'm building back!

 

[D.Lo]

With Master System boxes, the later ones with colourful game names/logos on the spine kind of piss me off lol. Generally they're the ones with 'Sega Master System' (blue Sega, red MS name) branding on the front, as opposed to the first few years where it was just 'The Sega'.

The perfectly matching early games with just text on the side is so classy.

 

[davidwhangchoi]

so, not quite as strong as my original SMS collection as a kid (had around 40 or so) but i'm building back!

i want that power base converter =)

 

[AmyS]

Check out the U.S. advertising for Galaxy Force.

"Activision launches Galaxy Force" in VG&CE News Bits.

'GRAPHICS THAT WILL KILL YOU' remained in place for the back cover of the box, on the U.S. version.

EGM rated it, but wasn't overly impressed.

 

[IrishNinja]

haha! i love that tagline, but seeing lower scores than the controversial Alex Kidd in High Tech World, yikes

 

[BTails]

FOUR Mega power?!?!? That's like, 4 times more than Alex Kidd!

 

[AmyS]

For me, the most interesting review there was Reggie Jackson Baseball. Visually at least, it seemed a lot better than the earlier Great Baseball from 1987.

 

[Morfeo]

I have no idea how that Alex Kidd game got so good scores.

 

[D.Lo]

'Galaxy Force was nothing special in the arcades'

FUCK YOU REVIEWER.

Master System version is like all the scaler game conversions, impressive for the system but choppy and chaotic and not really very good as a game. At least they all have pretty good renditions of the arcade soundtracks (with very arcade like FM for AB and GF too).

But the arcade game was amazing.

 

[AmyS]

'Galaxy Force was nothing special in the arcades'

FUCK YOU REVIEWER.

Master System version is like all the scaler game conversions, impressive for the system but choppy and chaotic and not really very good as a game. At least they all have pretty good renditions of the arcade soundtracks (with very arcade like FM for AB and GF too).

But the arcade game was amazing.

Yes indeed, it was.

EGM's sister magazine, Mega Play, had a kewl little preview of the MD version in their second full issue, although it used arcade screenshots.

 

[D.Lo]

So I've gone through like four pairs of 3D glasses + adapter. None seemed to work. I even changed all the caps in one of the adapters, nothing working.

Finally I buy a pair that work. Great! Finally!

And then I realised they don't work with the everdrive because it draws too much power, leaving not enough juice for the 3D system.

So that means all the other sets probably worked as well. I just didn't try with real carts, despite having every 3D game on cart anyway.

Nice one, me.

 

[Peagles]

So I've gone through like four pairs of 3D glasses + adapter. None seemed to work. I even changed all the caps in one of the adapters, nothing working.

Finally I buy a pair that work. Great! Finally!

And then I realised they don't work with the everdrive because it draws too much power, leaving not enough juice for the 3D system.

So that means all the other sets probably worked as well. I just didn't try with real carts, despite having every 3D game on cart anyway.

Nice one, me.

Lol! That sounds like something I would do. Glad you worked it out!