@@RetroComparisons They were used with slightly altered versions of games like Fantasy Zone, IIRC. You could cheat with those 3D games. Just go really close to the TV with the phaser almost touching the screen and zap the enemies when they appear.
I believe I've loaded this up before for the SMS. I don't recall much of it though. There's no doubt that the arcade versions looks and sounds much better than the SMS port. It doesn't sound too bad on the SMS though, and it looks okay outside of the garish color choices (maybe a Game Gear port would have done better here with its larger master palette though it would have probably been too old of a game to warrant a GG version). Yeah, I think the arcade version is the clear winner on the technical front. I can't recall if this played well or not for the SMS...I'm not too big of a fan of the Alex Kidd games, so what little I played of this, I've forgotten.
We're almost always on the same page with games and this is no exception. Forgettable is the best word I'd use to describe this one. It's always a little tricky with games that were before my time because I don't have the historical context of being a gamer when this generation was at its peak but even still it seems like a middle of the road platformer even for the time it came out. It plays fine on the SMS but it's not something I'd ever revisit.
Interesting that the first level is suppose to be toys in a child's room (or something like that), never knew that before seeing the Arcade level even though I've had the SMS game for 35 years.
It is very weird this is an arcade game. It does not look like any game I would play in the arcades lol. The master system seems to do well all concidering. Winner: A lesser known arcade game Nice comparison and you must watch out for dogs that Bow! lol
Haha those dogs were a thorn in my side. This is a great example of a game I probably would have played a lot of and liked but not loved if it was part of my tiny collection of games back then but in an arcade there's no way I would have chosen this over all of the other great games available at the time.
It's always so bizarre to me that games like this were ever arcade games -- this sort of cautious platformer just screams "home console" to me. Still, I guess it's a sign of how diverse (and lucrative) the arcade scene was at its height. Of these two, although the graphics on the arcade are clearly better in terms of frame rate and such, I think I actually prefer the SMS version. Alex Kidd is a fever dream on its best days, and someone packed extra mushrooms into whatever was programmed in on the Master System here. To me, the SMS's wild, gaudy color scheme just holds up a bit better to the light of nearly 40 years of retrospect. On titles this old, art choices matter more than resolution, and the arcade port with its muted, faintly-greenish color scheme just looks very bland by comparison. Just one fella's take, of course!
If I recall from previous discussions we're the same age (I was born in '86) so I also find it bizarre that games like this or puzzle games like Klax were ever put out in the arcade. When I was going as a kid it was all about beat em ups, fighting games, racers and some cool stuff like T2. When playing these on MAME it's easy to forget that I'm playing something you'd actually need to put quarters into. This whole time I've been thinking that I prefer the arcade and while I still think I do you make a compelling case on why the SMS port is better. I will say that from the standpoint of beating this I'd rather play the SMS port since it was a little easier plus when you have a game that's difficult like this I can't see anyone putting in $20 to beat this thing. Since this came out in the 80s I'm sure they were on something good when programming this.
I remember this game. Since here in Brazil Master System had a big success, lots of gamers played but this Alex Kidd it not the good one, for that reason, arcade wins.
I've heard that they're still making Master System games in Brazil which is so wild and so cool. That must make it the longest running console in history. But yeah Alex Kidd in general seems a little lame especially considering it was meant to compete with Super Mario Bros.
@@RetroComparisons Yes, its true, new titles are still in the making even today. The best Alex Kidd for me is in Miracle world for sure, the mascot was designed to occupy Sonic´s place but failed miserably... there is a pack here in Brazil called ¨master system evolution¨ with came with 121 master system games in the memory, its very popular since you can play in modern tvs.
@@Guilherme36594 That's super neat. Thanks for sharing that info! I haven't heard much on what the SMS scene is like in Brazil currently so that's so cool hear.
The Graphics On The SEGA Máster System Look Spot On (Exept Alex Kidd, He Looks Hidioustly Ugly) The Sound Is Good, The Music Is Decent, Controls Not The Greateast But Still Work Tho, Even That Is A Kind Of Boring Game, Its Not As Bad As High-Tech World, BMX Trial, and Enchanted Castle.
It's kind of impressive that Sega created a game where their little kid mascot screams in an expensive digitized audio sample and dies after a naked punk rocker craps a human skull at him... And the game is best summed up as forgettable. Anyways, this was directly competing with Dragon Ball and Mario. I mean, I think that's what they were going for, though with the horror stories told about Sega of Japan, we can't rule out a cry for help or an elaborate revenge plot.
Lmao! This game just got way more terrifying with the way you described it, especially since it's accurate. I know you never can predict what's going to take off but did they seriously believe Alex Kidd could compete with Mario in any way whether it be as a game or a mascot for the brand? Even though this was before 'tude I still can't imagine kids getting too excited about this.
This game really high lights something i dislike about the master system, the ludacrisly over saturated color. I have physical copies of all the alex kidd games, save for shinobi world and bmx trial, which im not interested in. there is a reason alex kidd dropped off segas map. Even though i like the games ok.
From the games in the series I've played they all seem mediocre and forgettable. I mean it's way better than crap games but at the same time these should be top of the line, exciting games considering Sega was pushing Alex Kidd as the mascot.
@@RetroComparisons agreed. Sega really needed to try harder with the Alex kidd games. Enchanted Castle was the first one I played, and love it for nostalgia reasons.
