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Non-NEC Console Related Discussion => Console Chat => Topic started by: Lord Thag on July 16, 2008, 09:10:31 AM
Title: The Sega Master System
Post by: Lord Thag on July 16, 2008, 09:10:31 AM
So, continuing this summer's crazy luck, I just scored a lot of about 70 SMS games, including a bunch of rare stuff like Power Strike, Montezuma's revenge and the like. I'd never played this system much until last week, and surprisingly, I actually like it. My prior experince led me to believe it was pretty generic and crappy, but a lot of the games I have now are quite fun. It's no TG or Neo, but it's still pretty good. CHoplifter is awesome, and Power Strike nearly sent me into a a fit, as it's the re-named Japanese sequel to Zanac (my favorite NES game ever), which until I flipped on the power switch, I did not know even existed.
So, anyone else have or like this console?
Title: Re: The Sega Master System
Post by: jboypacman on July 16, 2008, 10:17:08 AM
Thag i love the SMS i started collecting for it recently but played more than a few times in the past.
I have both versions of the SMS the "Long" and "Short" power bases and about 61 games total collected so far including a few "gems" like Ghouls N Ghosts,Golden Axe Warrior and Bubble Bobble.
I am big fan of the Sonic games for it(Sonic 1 and 2 and Chaos)and the Alex Kidd games are great too.
I play alot of Shinobi on the SMS and i need to get copies of WonderBoy and Columns for it still.
Did you happen to get Master of Darkness? That is a very cool Castlevania style of game well worth finding if you get a chance if you dont have it already.
Congrats on the awesome find. :D
Title: Re: The Sega Master System
Post by: guyjin on July 16, 2008, 10:40:21 AM
The SMS is awesome. Despite the fact that it was basically a one-party system in the states, it managed to cover all the bases the NES did, and often did so better.
I'm sure that there are alternate realities out there, and that in most of them, the SMS ruled the school - ours is just an abberation. 8)
Title: Re: The Sega Master System
Post by: T2KFreeker on July 16, 2008, 10:58:21 AM
SMS was awesome. Never did understand why it got the shaft so quickly here in the US. Europe though, they had it made with the SMS. I love my system. Play Phantasy Star all the time man. Gauntlet is good fun too, if you can find it. Kills the NES version.
Title: Re: The Sega Master System
Post by: rainbow_bright on July 16, 2008, 11:57:07 AM
Master system was my first console :) Don't have one anymore, but maybe one day.
Title: Re: The Sega Master System
Post by: Turbo D on July 16, 2008, 12:08:17 PM
I've always enjoyed the master system. However I enjoy the turbo/pce ports of games from the master system better! :mrgreen:
Title: Re: The Sega Master System
Post by: T2KFreeker on July 16, 2008, 12:22:48 PM
I've always enjoyed the master system. However I enjoy the turbo/pce ports of games from the master system better! :mrgreen:
Usually, although I loathe Shinobi! :-"
Title: Re: The Sega Master System
Post by: Tatsujin on July 16, 2008, 02:29:14 PM
the SMS is a rad system, with some excellent soft, but not as big as on other systems of that time (e.g FC). i appreciate the FM Sound of the japanese version the most. sounds even smoother then the MD did years later.
Title: Re: The Sega Master System
Post by: ccovell on July 16, 2008, 03:14:58 PM
I have a Japanese SMS, with its FM sound and 3-D glasses built-in. Great technology, if a little hampered in certain areas.
The SMS has some good games, and some nice time-wasters. However, it suffers from a lack of REALLY good games, unlike the NES, and to a lesser extent, the Turbo. At least that's the impression it left for me.
Title: Re: The Sega Master System
Post by: Tatsujin on July 16, 2008, 03:52:18 PM
right. it has some very good games, but only few compared.
to name a few (which beat 90% of FC games with ease):
choplifter (very very great) aleste (very great) shinobi r-type (very great) wonderboy wonderboyII wonderboy III (oversea only) (very great) cloud master dynamite düx fantasy zone fanatsy zone II (very great) golden axe Hang-On rastan ...
btw: chris. if you turn on the system without a cart, a very nice remixed space harrier theme in FM appears. but it's not the same FM tune as in the actual game. it sounds much much better. almost the best version of that theme i've ever heard of any existing versions. do you know where it comes from? did they just compose that for that menu to tell you "switching off the device and put in a cart"?
Title: Re: The Sega Master System
Post by: guyjin on July 16, 2008, 04:29:06 PM
I think that space harrier intro was on the Japanese SMS only - the mark 3 and western master systems had the 'sega choir' intro.
Title: Re: The Sega Master System
Post by: Joe Redifer on July 16, 2008, 04:36:57 PM
It is also the ONLY time FM and PSG are used simultaneously on the system. Notice that all FM-supported games sound like anus compared to that theme.
Cloud Master on the Wii is kind of cool (the remake, not Virtua Console).
Title: Re: The Sega Master System
Post by: Tatsujin on July 16, 2008, 04:52:08 PM
It is also the ONLY time FM and PSG are used simultaneously on the system. Notice that all FM-supported games sound like anus compared to that theme.
I dunno, R-Type sounds pretty good on FM.
But it was probably impractical to use both FM and PSG for a game, since both would take cpu cycles from the game...
Title: Re: The Sega Master System
Post by: Tatsujin on July 17, 2008, 01:25:03 AM
joe is just kidding out of his anus once again :)
Title: Re: The Sega Master System
Post by: ccovell on July 17, 2008, 02:32:43 AM
I think most games sound like crap in FM because the composers were too lazy to 1) Use unique sounds & notes/pitch bends, etc for FM, as it was easier just to remap the notation data to PSG or FM instruments depending on the hardware used, and 2) Use FM & PSG at the same time, since one song could not be used in either PSG or FM without rewriting a special version for FM with extra music lines.
Title: Re: The Sega Master System
Post by: Black Tiger on July 17, 2008, 07:58:44 AM
I think most games sound like crap in FM because the composers were too lazy to 1) Use unique sounds & notes/pitch bends, etc for FM, as it was easier just to remap the notation data to PSG or FM instruments depending on the hardware used, and 2) Use FM & PSG at the same time, since one song could not be used in either PSG or FM without rewriting a special version for FM with extra music lines.
Although every FM soundtrack I can think of sticks to 3 sound channels like the PSG version, I think that the good ones at least based the music around making the FM version sound good in 3 channels and then made an identical PSG version.
The MSX FM is basically the same and could give an indication of what FM-specific soundtracks could sound like (unless most go the Mark III FM route).
This isn't more than 3 channels, but is still very cool and is pretty much what Snatcher on SMS could sound like-
Title: Re: The Sega Master System
Post by: ccovell on July 17, 2008, 02:51:06 PM
It's not exactly the same, because the SMS and MSX FM chips use OPL FM chips, and the PC-88 uses OPN FM. The two are different, with OPL being a bit more primitive than OPN. Which is why FM on the SMS sounds vastly different from FM on the Genesis/Megadrive.
A better example would be on the MSX. ()
Title: Re: The Sega Master System
Post by: hoobs88 on July 18, 2008, 07:26:07 AM
The Sega Master System kinda similar to the Turbo Grafx system as it played "Hu cards" or at least something that resembled a Hu card. They only made 6 different game cards and I recently saw one for sale on ebay as part of a Turbo Grafx lot. The SMS had a lot of great games and it was cool that the Genesis controllers were compatible with it.
Title: Re: The Sega Master System
Post by: Necromancer on July 18, 2008, 08:19:32 AM
The Sega Master System kinda similar to the Turbo Grafx system as it played "Hu cards" or at least something that resembled a Hu card. They only made 6 different game cards and I recently saw one for sale on ebay as part of a Turbo Grafx lot. The SMS had a lot of great games and it was cool that the Genesis controllers were compatible with it.
There's more than that - eight domestic and fifteen total.
Title: Re: The Sega Master System
Post by: vestcoat on July 18, 2008, 12:22:44 PM
The Master System is my favorite console after the Turbo Duo.
I particularly like the selection of RPGs. They're few and far between, but the quality more than makes up for quantity. Y's, Phantasy Star, and Golden Axe Warrior hold their own against Crystalis, Final Fantasy, and Zelda. For better or worse, Ultima 4 is truer to the computer game than the NES version. Miracle Warriors, Dragon Crystal, Kings Quest, Lord of the Sword, Golvellius, and the Wonder Boy games (Land, World, and Dragon's Trap) round things out nicely.
Penguin Land is a good platform-puzzler. Slap Shot looks suspiciously similar to Blades of Steel (which is a good thing). I haven't played many Light Phaser games, but I like Rescue Mission a lot. Sonic 1 is the best of the four Sonic games and Mickey Mouse Land of Illusion is slightly better than Castle of Illusion.
Title: Re: The Sega Master System
Post by: Zeon on July 18, 2008, 12:43:26 PM
What is this? Super happy everyone gets a kick ass deal on sms stuff week? First Lord Thag, then a few days later I scored a kick ass boxed sms + loose gg lot with 26 games and a few extra goodies for $65, then today chop gets a bare one at his local thrift for $3, and ceti might be getting one very soon! Man what a crazy world we live in...
Title: Re: The Sega Master System
Post by: Tatsujin on July 18, 2008, 07:51:33 PM
i've got a boxed japanese SMS for $5 (usally go for $120+) :) but unfortunately not in this week :lol:
Title: Re: The Sega Master System
Post by: Lord Thag on July 21, 2008, 09:32:56 AM
Yeah, it has been a lucky couple of months for me, THATS for sure. From zero to almost complete Turbo and SMS sets. I'm really enjoying both systems. I was completely astounded to discover that 'Power Strike' was actually the sequel to Zanac (Aleste in zJapan isn't it?). I freaked. SUCH a fun shooter, and light years better from anything from the era. Power Strike is as brutal as Zanac was.
I'm trying to track down a few overseas titles. Gauntlet, Populous, Streets of Rage, Ultima etc. That's down the road. Unlike Turbo stuff, SMS is *cheap*. Another reason to collect it.
Oh, and congrats on everyone else's scores. Looks like it's the 'Month of Sega' :)
Title: Re: The Sega Master System
Post by: jboypacman on July 27, 2008, 12:57:43 AM
Thag Ianoid over on AtariAge might have a few SMS games still i know he had a few at Midwest Gaming Classic this year including Ultima.
Its worth a shot to shoot him a PM and see if he has any still. :D
Title: Re: The Sega Master System
Post by: Michael Helgeson on August 05, 2008, 04:42:49 PM
Man I really miss having a Master System. It could really crush the Nes in alot of ways. Really did suck it was lacking 3rd party support here and did so well elsewhere, but that's usually how it always goes.
Title: Re: The Sega Master System
Post by: guyjin on August 05, 2008, 04:55:27 PM
Title: Re: The Sega Master System
Post by: Turbo D on August 05, 2008, 08:04:47 PM
I use a PowerBase converter. It gets the job done. :)
Title: Re: The Sega Master System
Post by: kungfukid on August 09, 2008, 04:38:43 AM
I've got a huge master system collection, complete Euro set including Les Schtroumps Autour Du Monde (Smurfs 2), almost complete US set and around 50 Brazilian Tectoy titles including Sonic Blast, Virtua Fighter Animation, Battlemaniacs, Fifa, X-men, Ren & Stimpy etc.
In the UK and France as well as other parts of Europe the master system was way more popular than the NES. As many have said, it was really Nintendo's (illegal) stranglehold on 3rd party developers that killed the master system in the US.
If most titles released for both the NES and the SMS are compared, the SMS is far superior in all areas barring sound 90% of the time. If only they'd released units with FM sound outwith Japan! :|