By Carla Hodge
Now, I don't mean to sound ungrateful. The Master System was my first ever proper console, and I played the heck out of that thing. I still have it, lurking in a crate somewhere, awaiting its second life in the dedicated games room of my imaginary future mansion. Whilst it had some fantastic games (Alex Kidd in Miracle World, anyone?) there wasn't much comparison with the much mightier Mega Drive, especially when certain games came out on both systems. There was obviously a huge difference in graphical prowess, but the difference was a little painful at times. Especially when that one really annoying kid at school had the 16-bit future in his bedroom, and the bragging rights to go with it. So. Let's wind our way back to the early 90s, when bum bags were cool, Macaulay Culkin was cute, and we were still winding up cassette tapes with pencils...
Now, I don't mean to sound ungrateful. The Master System was my first ever proper console, and I played the heck out of that thing. I still have it, lurking in a crate somewhere, awaiting its second life in the dedicated games room of my imaginary future mansion. Whilst it had some fantastic games (Alex Kidd in Miracle World, anyone?) there wasn't much comparison with the much mightier Mega Drive, especially when certain games came out on both systems. There was obviously a huge difference in graphical prowess, but the difference was a little painful at times. Especially when that one really annoying kid at school had the 16-bit future in his bedroom, and the bragging rights to go with it. So. Let's wind our way back to the early 90s, when bum bags were cool, Macaulay Culkin was cute, and we were still winding up cassette tapes with pencils...
Castle of Illusion
The mouse's first adventure on Sega consoles was excellent. Bright, cheery graphics and jaunty theme tunes abound. The confectionary and toy levels were particularly fine, and the tight platforming stands the test of time. The Mega Drive version was a cartoony delight, with smooth animation and some fine-looking enemies. Nice.
The mouse's first adventure on Sega consoles was excellent. Bright, cheery graphics and jaunty theme tunes abound. The confectionary and toy levels were particularly fine, and the tight platforming stands the test of time. The Mega Drive version was a cartoony delight, with smooth animation and some fine-looking enemies. Nice.
The Master System version? Weeellllll.....yeah. It was a bit flat, in comparison.
Sonic the Hedgehog 1
Sonic was, and still is, all about FAST. He's the electric blue, flashy dynamo to Mario's plodding pace. Sonic flies through loops and tubes and spinballs and has to literally screech to a halt. Mario jumped into pipes. FAST. This is the theme of Sonic. Mega Drive Sonic 1 did the hedgehog's speed justice. Remember flying through Green Hill Zone so quickly that Sonic disappeared off the edge of the screen? Yeah you do! Remember how the Master System version only ever had one speed shoe power up in the whole game? Yeah. I do.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2
The second Sonic game improved on the original FAST theme by introducing some truly wicked level design. Casino Zone was brilliant. Fast, full of giant-size pinball machines, and that fantastic theme tune. In the Mega Drive version, anyways. 8-bit fans got this...
Sonic was, and still is, all about FAST. He's the electric blue, flashy dynamo to Mario's plodding pace. Sonic flies through loops and tubes and spinballs and has to literally screech to a halt. Mario jumped into pipes. FAST. This is the theme of Sonic. Mega Drive Sonic 1 did the hedgehog's speed justice. Remember flying through Green Hill Zone so quickly that Sonic disappeared off the edge of the screen? Yeah you do! Remember how the Master System version only ever had one speed shoe power up in the whole game? Yeah. I do.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2
The second Sonic game improved on the original FAST theme by introducing some truly wicked level design. Casino Zone was brilliant. Fast, full of giant-size pinball machines, and that fantastic theme tune. In the Mega Drive version, anyways. 8-bit fans got this...
The Lion King
Ah, what an insanely difficult game. Particularly that last fight with Scar, the bastard. However close you got him to the edge, he always seemed to magically weasel his way out again, and before you knew it, Simba was a sad pile of collapsed pixels. Humph. One of the best parts of the movie was the wildebeest stampede, and the Mega Drive did a pretty sweet job of recreating it. By this point, though, the Master System was getting rather elderly, and well, it shows...
Ah, what an insanely difficult game. Particularly that last fight with Scar, the bastard. However close you got him to the edge, he always seemed to magically weasel his way out again, and before you knew it, Simba was a sad pile of collapsed pixels. Humph. One of the best parts of the movie was the wildebeest stampede, and the Mega Drive did a pretty sweet job of recreating it. By this point, though, the Master System was getting rather elderly, and well, it shows...
Fantastic Dizzy
It's true, Dizzy was indeed fantastic. Charming, challenging, and also up there on the difficulty curve. There was plenty of entertainment for your money. It was a particularly fine-looking game, with carefully drawn backgrounds, shaded for depth, and filled with bright colours. What a lovely thing to look at.
It's true, Dizzy was indeed fantastic. Charming, challenging, and also up there on the difficulty curve. There was plenty of entertainment for your money. It was a particularly fine-looking game, with carefully drawn backgrounds, shaded for depth, and filled with bright colours. What a lovely thing to look at.
Unless you ended up with this version, which was most definitely function over fashion.
Hm. Yes. Well
There was much to love about the Master System. If you were into the whole Nintendo vs. Sega thing, it outclassed the NES on technical specifications. The Master System II had that pleasingly-pressable pause button on the console itself. It played 3D games before the Virtual Boy was searing the retinas of young people across the world. It also had Wonder Boy in Monster Land, Phantasy Star, and Shinobi: all cracking games on a very hard-working little system. Just, y'know, perhaps don't put it directly side-by-side with that big show-off Mega Drive. The big 16-bit show off.
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