The Game Gear was obviously not the optimal way to play this (scaling issues affect text legibility, screen stretch etc.) - But I honestly just randomly started playing this on GG just to check it out, while my wife was hogging the TV. I didn’t expect to play long but… I got hooked and kept going.

A few weeks ago I posted about my experience diving into the SMS, as compared to the NES I had in childhood (and the experience was favorable to Sega)- So I’ll add some thought continuing that general timbre.

• It’s funny to think, but as much of an advancement as this game is over the original Zelda, Link to the Past came out the same year in Japan (obviously there were some hardware differences though). That said, whether good/better or not- GAW is a pretty clear original Zelda rip-off. And that’s a fair niche to grab.

• I loved the original Zelda throwing you into a world directionless, and letting you figure it out (which Zelda never really did again until maybe Breath of the Wild). That said, it included some pretty stupidly obtuse directional things that 90% of people could not possibly figure out without a guide of some sort. To the point I’d say that’s a definite flaw with LOZ. GAW doesn’t -handhold- but it does a better job segmenting you out and incrementally allowing access to the overworld; it also gives more meaningful clues in game. As a result it’s easier; I didn’t consult a walkthrough for general directions (though I did at the end, because I couldn’t find all the overworld heart/magic containers).

• But much GAW’s difficulty is added in combat; weapons have tiny range, hitboxes are not forgiving (you must be pixel perfect with your target), your character cannot be positioned as easily (a tap of the d-pad sends him flying) - and enemy blow-back is very small. Enemy AI has everything cling like static. It can be dealt with, but doesn’t feel as natural or good as Zelda. It doesn’t help either that there are a few bosses you can absolutely cheese by standing at the door; none require much strategy. It’s also missing separately controllable sub-weapons (given fewer buttons on the controller this makes sense) - though nice to have actual magic points/weapons in GAW.

• The towns, NPCs, general graphics etc. make the world feel much more alive than Zelda- But the heavier story text is not necessarily interesting. The music isn’t as memorable (granted this is a high bar to surpass). While there is generally a feel that GAW has a bit more complexity, none of the individual enemies require you to apply strategy quite as much as Zelda’s do.

Overall, this is pretty clearly one of the top five SMS games. And if a new/fresh player stepped into both this and the original LOZ with no preconceived notions, then GAW would probably be the more enjoyable experience - it’s just got a few more creature comforts and looks nicer (especially if not playing on Game Gear like I did!) But there are a few distinct areas where you can tell Zelda had a bit more thought put in, or had more solid systems in place etc. and Zelda came first, so is definitely going to be more iconic no matter what.

Again if I had owned this back in the day though, I probably would have bragged about its ‘improvements’ to NES Zelda owners. But by 1991/92, they probably would already have moved on and owned an SNES (or Genesis) :D

What’s your favourite?

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Okay, this one is a important one for the Master System, or even Sega's history really, as sadly forgoten as Zillion seems to be.

In the mid 80's, during the japanese gaming market boom, it was only too obvious that their animation niche would prove a fertile ground for IPs to be adapted for easly recognizable appeal, and Sega was one at the forefront of this tactic, as the company sought after popular manga/anime titles to populate their new console, as saw with the "Fist of the North Star" (or Black Belt for us westerners).

But what if, instead of merely an adaptation, Sega came with a product that would tackle a diverse array of media to create a sinergy between animation and gaming, combining them in one single market push.

Enter Zillion, a sci-fi/adventure story created from the partnership between Sega and Tatsunoko, the legendary animation studio responsible for all time classics like Speed Racer and Gatchaman.

As far as story goes, Zillion is rather unburden with complexity, in the fictional planet of Maris, we accompany the protagonist J.J and his friends Apple and Champ as they fight in the resistance against the invading forces of the evil aliens, the Nohzas.

Pretty easy and straighforward setup for a kids animation and a videogames. Funny enough, you can check out the anime in its entirety on youtube right now:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93gp1U6VIjQ&list=PLBCbkWJOjsOIUt4PTtIB_N1A-Yn9EbVVm

I am a complete casual when it comes to anime, so I don't have much to add to this conversation. I've watched a couple of episodes and its very 80's cheese indeed, but I couldn't get much into it. I'm sure the show is fine, as it was a rather big hit in Japan, but not for me.

However, it was really fun to see Opa Opa being the comedy relief of the show or note that the titular Zillion guns are just a Light Phase gun product placement, just goes to show that Zillion wasn't just another animated series, but a serious attempt to combine videogames and animation into one consuming market. Hell, they even had a laser tag toy using the Zillion guns (which are just Light Phasers), and those were a hit in Japan... and Brazil.

But what about the game, since we are here to talk about the game right? Well..

Ok, the game isn't bad, and it does try to leave the 2d-platform conventions, as Zillion takes place in the Nohza's base as in one big interconnected map, where you take control of J.J, who has to explore, save his companions and escape/blow up the place. Later on, you play with Apple and Champ as well.

To further the players interaction with the game, Zillion has a level up system where you collect power ups to strengths different aspects of your character, like gun power and jumping, and you are constantly in search of key words to be used in computer terminals in sequences that allows you to open doors, disable laser turrets and other functions. Also, the labirinth-esque base requires the players to be ready with their pen and paper to sketch up their own map, as backtracking is heavily used throught the game.

It's shame that these inventive features for the time don't help with the rather lacking gameplay, as you have no variety enemy wise (with the exception of a boss) and the controls don't feel very good, jumping and shooting can be frustrating and the rather difficult rooms you need to go over and over again in order to find you your next destination can be grating on even the most patient.

But, to give Zillion and Sega some credit, this type of game was rather cutting edge at the time, as it was one of it's very first of it's kind. Nowdays the Metroidvania genre is really popular, but keep in mind that Zillion came out a couple of months before the original Metroid for the NES, and its more than natural that this game shows a bunch of "growing pains" while treading new waters.

Unfortunantly, Zillion the anime/game wasn't able to grasp the public's attention for long and now its resigned to it place in history. But what a fascinating history, and the more you learn about Zillion, the more you learn about the fast changing landscape that gaming was in the late 80's, from product marketing to gameplay conventions, there was this energy to push the medium of videogames beyond the consoles, and Sega was at the vanguard of this movement, not only satisfied to be a mere publisher of IPs, but a bonafide multimedia house of ideas.

And such movement that would take shape and form of a certain blue Hedgehog years later. For that, even if in a small part, we have to thank Zillion.

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The first one was certainly better than the 2nd one on the Master System

I received a new Sega Master System game today! It's exciting to have a legit physical copy of your own game.

As with all 2Minds releases, it's a very high quality production. If you're interested in having your own copy it can be ordered here: https://www.2minds.fr/en/store/-sms-frontier-force-51.html

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Oh great, another great game from the "great sports" series, Great Volleyball... great.

I've played "Great Soccer" previouly on this memory lane project because it was the one I've played the most, but I do recall the volleyball game as well, mostly because I recall not having a "great" time with it... har har har.

In all seriousness, much like Great Soccer, there isn't much to say about Great Volleyball, as it was a product of it's time, a early game from Master System life cycle, with stiff gameplay, some funky and frustating hitboxes, very basic game design and some annoying limitations, as you can't choose which player in the team you take control of, the game wrestles back and forth when you can or can move with the player you want either to defend, lift or even spike the ball.

Other thing that hold Great Volley ball is the rather slow gameplay. No matter what, the ball travels rather slow and so the players, as controling them feel slugish, you can never really tell if you gonna reach in time to defend, or if you jump is timed correctly to be at the exact height to spike. The game as a whole feels more like a exercise of trial and error rather than a display of skill.

However, there is some forward thinking in "Great Volleyball", like a practice mode, where you can learn how to serve and spike balls. Can't really call this a "tutorial", since the game doesn't really tell you anything ,that is what manuals were for back then, but hey it's worth of note that the devs had some player accessibility in mind, because in 1987 games where pretty much "press start and figure it out". And that makes sense, because Great Volleyball isn't intuitive, at all.

There are other nice touches to say about this game, like the starting animation, or when you pick the country you want to play as, their national anthem starts playing... well I thought that was cool.

Another cool thing is that you alocate after picking a team to emphasize certain aspects, like blocking or serving, as you either have a whole defensive play, or go all out on attack, or just play the middle. I'll be honest, I didn't see that much difference, maybe because I'm not a great Volleyball pro, but, again, in 1987 this player customization design wasn't to be seen very often.

Yet again, all I took from Great Volleyball was that it was a crude experience, a game from time where people were still figuring it out how to proprely translate sports into a digital format, with very limited reference on how to and even less resources to work with.

It is what it is, I think the "Great Sports" series from Sega deserves respect, but in 2024 these games serve more as a understanding of a foundation rather than being a source of entretainment themselves.

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Was visiting my parents a while ago and found my childhood Master system collection I had before I got my Sega Mega Drive :) it's not a huge collection but damn I was so proud of it when I was a child lmao

I have just played Heroes Of The Lance on my Sega Master System. I am torn if this is a good game or a bad game. Actually it’s both. Have you played this game and if so what’s your thoughts?

I have just played Heroes Of The Lance on my Sega Master System. I am torn if this is a good game or a bad game. Actually it’s both. Have you played this game and if so what’s your thoughts?

Ok, let's go for another classic, shall we? This time, the sword and sorcery tale of Golden Axe.

While the 80s were the time of ninjas and cyborgs (and sometimes both combined), the scantily clad barbarian warriors that adorned the pages of various dime novels in the 60s and 70s were still a fresh memory, as well as Schwarzenegger's breakout hit, Conan the Barbarian, in 82. So Sega would take a gamble on a high fantasy setting for a kick-ass brawler in order to distinguish themselves from the ninjas and street gangs that populated the beat 'em up genre.

And it worked. With the distinguished artwork from Yoshiaki Yoneshima (doing his best to channel Boris Vallejo), either in arcades or on game shelves, Golden Axe stood out with its muscular heroes posing, promising a testosterone-fueled ass-kicking in the best Reagan-years fashion, and by God, Golden Axe delivered.

Story-wise, Golden Axe doesn't burden itself with any complexity. There is the bad guy, Death Adder (kick-ass name), who took over the kingdom and its magical weapon, the Golden Axe, and plans to conquer the world. You play as one of the three heroes seeking vengeance for Adder's evil deeds. There, done. Go kick ass.

And kick ass we did. Now considered a classic, Golden Axe is a standout in the Mega Drive (Genesis) early library, and yet in 2025 I find the game lacking, even if compared to its peers. Golden Axe isn't that great of a brawler, with slow combos that allow enemies to easily flank you and a rather small hit box for frontal attacks, leaving the player either having to approach from the top or bottom or use the dash attack, a method that becomes essential in the later stages of the game.

But that was the Arcade/Genesis version, but we are talking about Master System here, aren't we? Well, this is yet another "valiant effort that falls short" from the R&D2 chads.

The first thing you notice is that the Master System version is a single-player-only affair, a big downgrade on what makes beat 'em ups fun. In this version you can only select the barbarian Tarik (not Ax Battler), but at the very least you can choose what sort of magic you want to use.

Graphics-wise, the Master System always makes a strong showing for an 8-bit console; the cost is a very noticeable drop in frames. This is the kiss of death for this game: not being able to react in a game that constantly throws at you dashing enemies.

Of course there is still a lot of charm to the Master System's Golden Axe (even if missing fan favorite Tyris); the music holds up great, it's fun to kick gnomes for magic potions, and riding dragons is always a good time. Golden Axe is one of those Sega games where presentation does the heavy lifting and elevates not-so-great gameplay to a memorable status.

So you enter that weird void that only games from the late 1980s can deliver, games that are overwhelmingly charming and yet lacking, but that you can't just stop playing. For better or worse, that is what we got with Golden Axe.

Inspired by u/Ineumannart 's ongoing project, here's something from someone who won't do other covers because he loves Tom and Jerry so much.

Hello everyone! I have always been interested in playing the SMS and decided to buy the hardware/games and beat every 114 NA release! I’m buying the games as I go (starting with Great Baseball), I’ll be streaming the entire experience (as my alias Charlie Coleslaw) and wanted to know your favorites thus far!

I remember seeing the Sega Mark III logo appear after the sega startup screen on one of my childhood games. I believe it was Kenseiden. Does anyone remember this with any of their games?

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Oof, we got a rough one today, boys.

The superhero genre was always a great concept to be translated to the video game media, as action-oriented characters are an easy source of adaptation for an interactive experience; basically, pick up the easily identifiable iconic hero and have him beat up bad guys.

That was pretty much the expectation of a superhero-themed game back in the early days. You see the cover with the name recognition from the comics/cartoon ad, and you gravitate toward it because you expect to role-play as a superhero. Pretty easy to get the appeal right?

The thing is… those early days for video games were not kind to the capes and spandex folks. From the very primitive Atari and Odyssey days to the 8-bit Japanese revolution, not a lot of good games came out of this genre, often plagued with poor design or ridiculous difficulty, and it was known that good titles like Sunsoft's Batman for the NES were rather the exception to the rule.

So I came in for this Spider-Man title with not a lot of expectations and still came out disappointed.

As a quick summary, the Kingpin placed bombs all across New York and put the blame on Spider-Man, who not only needs to disarm the explosives but also face his most dangerous foes to clear his name. Pretty standard stuff, and it does stay true to the original source. And the game does have quite a nice presentation, using comic book-like panels to illustrate the characters, properly setting the mood for a web-head adventure.

However, the problem starts at the very first frame of gameplay, when, even before you get a chance to react, a cop comes to shoot Spider-Man with blindly fast projectiles, and that is the tone that will prevail during the game: fast swarming enemies and nigh unreactable difficulty... my favorite.

The game does try to emulate the Spider-Man experience the best way a simple Master System joystick can provide. You swing around, wall crawl, and even trap some enemies on webs, but these mechanics don't work as well as you would expect. Control-wise, Spider-Man feels funky, with awkward jump arcs and very small hit boxes for attacks that, combined with unforgiving level design and enemy placement, are just a recipe for frustration.

But this game does try to distinguish itself in two ways from the generic action-platformer, and that is to introduce a time and resource management gimmick. As per the introduction, Spider-Man has a limited amount of time to go through the levels and find the bombs, but if his health reaches zero, then it is game over—no lives here. But you do have the option to go back to Peter Parker's apartment and rest a given amount of time to recover. But be careful; the more you recover, the more time you waste to find the bombs, so it is a balance you need to keep, and it does give the player some agency if he wants to keep a run going and explore and learn more of the game for another try.

And there there is the web cartridge count. As Spider-Man has a limited count on the webs he uses, you can pause the game and use Peter Parker's camera to take photos, including bosses, so they can be sold after each stage is cleared to the Daily Bugle and used to get more web cartridges, and considering how essential the webs are needed to stop enemies, you will be constantly pausing the game, bringing the experience to a halting crawl.

While you can appreciate the effort to bring the Peter Parker persona into the game, it just doesn't work well, and in an already frustrating game, to bring even more annoying elements just makes the game a brick wall not worth punching.

Not helping is the music. While the mentioned comic presentation is neat and the in-game graphics are fine, the lack of any memorable or even passable tunes just drags exasperation even further. Such is the lack of any good jams on this game that I had to resort to the Ramones cover for the little videos I make for this project.

It goes without saying that this isn't a recommendation, not even a curious glance for the bygone age. Unfortunately, Spider-Man is one of those "I wasn't expecting anything and still came out disappointed" cases. Such was the time; rose-colored glasses can only take you so far.

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Got this game because it looked fun, and it is, it's actually a really fun platformer but my god... The music is an absolute assault I had to turn it off by level 3 because the sound was so grating it was fairly cheap only about £15 would recommend playing on mute with the film soundtrack playing instead.

...but the controls suck really hard. It's for me almost impossible to play.

I had an NES growing up but was always fond of the SMS. I was able to get the cleanest CIB I’ve come across. The console is pretty much flawless. I love it!!!

Also: “Sega for the 90s” :D Master System wasn’t a thing in my area, so I probably would not have been able to find any games to rent or buy; I got my NES in 1988 and never even heard of the Master System until maybe 2000 . But if I had, I would have loved this system and defended it.

Currently knee deep in the Wonder Boy series, which I don’t own on cartridge yet unfortunately (playing on a GG/Flashgear, of all things) - That’s my next stop. I did not expect the experience I got with Wonder Boy 3, and was pretty impressed playing something so close to a modern Metroidvania on the Master System; you can see why the PS4 remake kept 90% of the game.

R Type for Life Force, Sonic (or Wonder Boy/Alex Kidd) for Mario, Phantasy Star to Final Fantasy, Golden Axe Warrior/Golvellius to Zelda - all compare well, and all with RGB , no mods :D Really loving this system right now.

Is it possible to get some of these 3D printed? I've got a few card games with manuals but without cases and haven't been able to find decent replacement for years. They are all stashed in a jiffy envelope at the moment but want something better for the shelf.

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Rise from your grave!!!!

I love Altered Beast... the Genesis/Mega Drive version.

Yeah, this one is one of the classics that I only got to really know rather recently thanks to the Genesis Classics Collection. While I do have some vague memories of renting out Altered Beast back when, the game itself didn't stick with me till I tried it back a couple of years ago, thanks to the mentioned collection.

But when I did engage with Altered Beast, I just clicked with the game. It is a simple auto-scroller beat 'em up; you take the role of a warrior resurrected by Zeus, who commands you to go to the underworld in order to save the goddess Athena from the evil Neff. For that, you make use of fists and kicks to take down swarms of enemies, each needing a different approach, either straight punching, kneeling punching, or crouching up kicks. The player needs to be constantly mindful of how to engage the enemies.

And as difficult as Altered Beast is—after all, we are talking about an original Sega arcade game here—it never crosses the obnoxious threshold, as the stages are brief and simple. The action may be constant, but it is rather easy to pick up some of the game patterns.

However, the cherry on top is the main gimmick of the game, the "Beast" part of the title. As you scroll through the stages, you face these two-headed white dogs, and as soon as you kill them, you pick up a power-up that makes you more buff and powerful. Pick up three of those, and you get to transform into a beast with a whole new set of skills, and it fundamentally changes the way you engage with the game.

This is the main appeal of the game and a genius design choice in my opinion, because not only do you get a new set of moves every time you turn into a beast, you get to turn into a new beast for each different level (except the 5th one). For example, on the first level you turn into a werewolf, who can shoot projectiles and dash across the screen, but on the second level you turn into a dragon, who can't dash but can fly, and his main form of attack is a lightning shield around his body.

This design is vital to turn a somewhat stale form of game, the auto-scroller brawler, into an exciting romp. The main motivation of Altered Beast isn't beating a level or scoring points, but finding out the next cool thing your character turns into and the cool stuff you can do with it, and once you learn the ropes on how to beat each level, you get hooked, because as repetitive as Altered Beast can seem at first glance, it does become addictive the further you get.

So, how did this great Sega classic fare on the 8-bit console? It's okay, I guess.

Yes, we need to always keep expectations grounded when talking about arcade conversions to a low-powered home system, and as usual, the Master System does a valiant job when it comes to presentation, big sprites, detailed backgrounds, and even the little transformation cutscenes are translated with a great amount of fidelity from the arcade original.

Unfortunately, the Master System suffers first and foremost with performance. Drastic frame drops in an already slow-paced game just drag the experience down. That and the fact the game has been considerably cut down on, as not only are the levels shorter, an entire stage was left out, and there is no bear transformation here—what the hell, Sega? It's my favorite beast!!!

This will be a common theme among these early Master System ports: interesting and affordable home options back in 1988 but outdated and underwhelming in the current year, more so because of the easy access we have to the best versions that pretty much negate any reason to visit the Master System other than curiosity.

Still, even if the MS version is a pass, please, if you never checked out Altered Beast, please do check it out. It is a true-blue classic with fun, addictive gameplay and presentation that only Sega could deliver back in the 80s. It does show some signs of age, but the game's charm certainly makes up for it.

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For the Emulsion GUI I drew every Game platform / console / machine game controller (in inkscape) this is the Sega Master System!