Cool to hear you got to grow up with it. I wouldn't trade my time with the NES, but it would have been fun to have the Master System back in the day as well. It's impressive!
I got the Master System in 1988 and amassed 33 great games. I eventually sold my games to get the Amiga 500 but later regreted it. Im in the UK where they were more popular.
Oh man. Well, we all sell or trade things at one point in time that we end up regretting. I know I have... but, hey, the Amiga 500 was no joke. I always dreamed of getting one.
I honestly think the master system is the most underrated games console, great games library. Just gets overshadowed by NES and 2600 somehow. I wish Sega would do a games collection for modern consoles🤞🏻
Gotta subscribe to a fellow Master System enthusiast. I grew up with this console (in NJ) and it is still my favorite console period. I have a Japanese Sega Master System MK-2000 that has integrated FM, 3D glasses adapter and rapid fire unit. It is my prized possession!
Nice! That sounds like a really cool piece to have in the collection. From all the reading I have been doing it does seem that the east coast got to see and hear about the SMS more than us on the west coast. Either way, I've finally seen the light and am having a great time.
Pretty cool, bro. I was one of those kids that got an SMS instead of an NES in Christmas of '86...or was it '87 ? There weren't many great games on SMS, but there were some you could only get on Master System. It was a really great system. If you want to play Nintendo, you could just go to your neighbor's house.
@@wholewheatretro532 , some of my favorites are Golden Axe Warrior ( Zelda Clone ), Wonder Boy in Monster Land ( Action Adventure with some Rpg elements ), Double Dragon, Y's ( great Rpg ), Phantasy Star ( still my favorite of the series ), Submarine Attack ( great shooter ), Fantasy Zone II ( another great shooter ), The Ninja ( really good ), Shinobi, Rastan, Rampage ( best version in this generation ), Alex Kidd in Shinobi World, Choplifter ( best version of the generation. There are plenty of others I could mention, but I feel these were the titles I got the most out of and, often, return to.
When I was young, I wanted a master system, but between no one near me sold them and when my folks got me a NES I was told it was the only hardware they could afford, so if I wanted a master system, I would have to get it myself. With places to find it practically nonexistent and my funds lower than my family, it was not happening then.
I’ve had a total of three Sega master systems through the years the two I currently have are just normal Sega master systems. The weird part is the one I had many years ago looks just like the ones I currently have except I’m certain it said mark three on that on that that particular consul it said Sega mattress system mark three, but what I read in other places the mark three was only overseas so I’m a little confused I know for 100% certainty the thing of master system I had they said Sega mattress system mark three.
Yeah, TecToy sold a " Master System III " in the US through Wal-Mart. I thought it was a little weird too. I had the original Master System and the Master System II with Alex Kidd built in.
I'm assuming that "Sega Mattress System" was a typo, but that is hilariously awesome. As for what you had, I'm not sure. Do you know how you got this SMS mark 3? Where are you located? Might give a clue.
Decent. However, you repeat yourself a lot…. Wording is chunky. No one want to here you say aaaaaa and thinking between words or sentences. Work on script development and get smooth. Would like to see more content from you.
I got this when I was around 9 and picked it simply because everyone else had a Nintendo, I never regretted that decision. It was amazing from the middle of the D-pad where you could put a screw in and use it like a joystick to the secret snail game that was built in to the very first 3D home game with glasses, Zaxxon 3D. Games like shinobi, zillion, outrun, Alex Kidd and so many more classics that Nintendo owners never got to experience. Plus I just loved how sega systems were always black, like they were the anti Nintendo system. I stuck with sega with every system up until the Dreamcast. I still have the Dreamcast. It was an amazing system. Have fun with that master.
I owe my fandom in Sega to this console. I got a Master System II for Christmas 1990. I also got Global Defense and Teddy Boy as additional games. I've always had a love for Sega, and maintain that by owning an original Mega Drive, with Mega CD and 32X.
I grew up with the Master System and loved it. Friends mostly had the NES, and while I did appreciate it I was always happy with my choice. Some SMS game recommendations: Phantasy Star Wonder Boy Monster Land Dragon's Trop R-Type Fantasy Zone II Golvellius Quartet Miracle Warriors (if you're comfortable for an old school PC RPG)
Yeah, I was reading about the different sounds chips as I was getting my little bit of info together for this video. Very interesting stuff and I do need to look up a video to hear the differences.
One of those kids in the SECOND commercial was Steven Dorf from the movie BLADE with Wesley Snipes. Also How the heck did I NEVER realize the Master System used those Hu Card type game cartridges like the TurboGfx-16? I would have bought one for that reason alone! The Master System definitely had better graphics and color than the NES....in the 80's the NES's colors Bled on the screen with massive ficker...I couldnt stand it...Loved my C64 which intentionally had MUTED colors so that they look NORMAL on a NTSC RF or Composite TV
The SMS used both carts and cards. The "my card" games was a way for them to sell simpler budget games at lower cost but they only released maybe a dozen or so. The card slot is also used by the Sega 3D glasses. The revised model 2 SMS phased the card slot out. Fun fact, they were manufactured by the same company that made Hu cards.
@@dtester Thanks! SO cool to know. the Turbografx was underrated...mostly because it lacked the Mainstream games SNES and Genesis were getting...they didnt catch up quick enough, and there was a nasty rumor saying it was actually an 8 bit system....which I believed when I looked at Keith COurage which looked slightly better than Super Mario Bros 8 bit to me.
Grew up with the SMS when I was a kid in Texas in the late 80s. I still have my original system and started collecting again about 20 years ago. I think I came across this video because I finally got around to buying a second system to mod and I installed the Yamaha OPLL FM Synthesis mod and your video was recommended to me. I recommend, if you have a CRT, to get your hands on the 3-D glasses as those are my favorite games -- I'm probably in the minority, but I actually think I like every one that was made; IMHO, they are not gimmicky and all play generally well. Aside from the 3-D games, I think the most underrated games (that aren't impossible to find) are Penguin Land and Miracle Warriors -- there are plenty that are better, but the highly sought ones are expensive for a reason (eg. Phantasy Star and Y's). There are also plenty of European games that are worth checking out. That said, with the exception of Space Harrier and maybe Double Dragon, I think the arcade ports, while better than most ports out there and generally quality games, are overrated.
Thanks for the great info and recommendations! I do have an CRT buried somewhere... I will add the 3D glasses to the list of things to collect for the system.
I grew up with the Sega master system, and the NES. I had both of them, and the Sega master system is definitely underrated. With that being said, the NES is just substantially better imo. that said, I’m glad you’re enjoying it. There’s definitely some bangers on it. have you found a Hidden game on the console yet? if not, check it out. It’s actually a pretty decent game.
Of course you know the Master System console itself came with a built-in game, right? In early releases of the console, it was built into the system's BIOS and could be played by starting the system without a game cartridge inserted and holding Up and buttons 1 and 2 simultaneously. With later releases, you just had to power on the console (again, sans cartridge) and the boot ROM would automatically boot into the built-in game after displaying the Sega startup sequence. (One of my cousin's Master System had the racing game _Hang-On_ .) Let us know what "hidden game" yours has!
@@wholewheatretro532 Groovy! Good luck on acquiring the rest of the Master System catalogue of games. Personal faves are _Rastan_ , _R-Type_ . _Shinobi_ and _Spellcaster_ .
So we have this classic video game store out here in Aurora, CO called Game Force. They have EVERYTHING. If you're looking for Sega Master System products, I wouldn't be surprised if they have a ton of games and peripherals.
There are Sega kids from the 16-bit days and there are the elite few (in NA) that was an 8-bit Sega kid! I would have told you about the SMS if I knew you back then ^_^
We wouldn't really know about Sega (other than arcade games) in our homes until the Genesis had it's big marking blitz. Then we finally saw that system in stores and a couple of kids did get one instead of a SNES.
The CPU is the z80. That handles the game logic, not strictly the graphics (besides copying graphics data to/from various parts of RAM). There's a cool history of the z80 on Low Spec Gamer's channel. The graphics are powered by a separate chip, called the "VDP" (Video Display Processor - The chip marked "SEGA 315-5124").
Thanks for that added extra info. I'll be sure to check out that other video. It is interesting to dive into the details of all the different chips and processors and try to understand just what is really happening in a console.
@@wholewheatretro532 In my opinion Sonic 1 was better than both Sonic 2 and Sonic Chaos. Other games I remember enjoying when I was young was Asterix, Back To The Future Pt3, Lucky Dime Caper starring Donald Duck, Michael Jacksons Moonwalker, Pacmania, Tazmania and Tom & Jerry The Movie. Although I don't know if any of them have stood the test of time. The Master System version of Fantastic Dizzy was far better than the Mega Drive version and Golden Axe Warrior (not Golden Axe) was unbelievable. As you can probably tell, these were PAL games so I don't know how many were available in North America. I would say that Fantastic Dizzy and Golden Axe Warrior would probably make the most interesting videos. Good luck with it
Your poor Atari joke should probably not have been made in a Master System video. At the time of the Mastet System in the US, Sega was third behind Nintendo AND Atari.
Hi, I never had to say a mess the system growing up. I always had the Nintendo entertainment system, but I still have my genesis and I could buy the master system converted and plugs into the genesis to play the system games
Zillion was my favorite Master System game. IIRC, it did have an annoying old-school gaming trope where you actually had to beat the game TWICE in order to really beat it. But it was still awesome.
I really recommend getting some SG-1000 era controllers (both joypad and joystick) that are of course Master System compatible. I think they have much more precise control.
Ah… what you say about the technical aspects is really not true, circa @7:15… as you get deeper into the software library you'll discover, (1) how asymmetrical the graphical comparison is (compare Metroid to WB3: the Dragon's Trap, or even compare Adventure Island 4 (Japan only, late release) to WB3: the Dragon's Trap… and for a direct comparison, take a glance at California Games on the NES vs SMS) and (2) in terms of what the sound hardware is capable of, look up the music for _Alien 3_ and _Road Rash_ (specify the Master System versions, of course, when searching, so you don't get the 16 bit versions of those soundtracks) and you'll hear what the Master System was capable of (without the FM expansion chip, just the default hardware).
I am a fan of the SMS and I grew up with it, _but_ the crucial counter-argument is this: don't forget _the date of release_ for each of the games. The software library wasn't _too little, too late_ but it was -simply- too late. The greatest (and most graphically impressive) games on the SMS were programmed and published _too late_ in the 8-bit era.
I found about the Master System around 2017 and picked up my first console and games shortly after in the summer. It has been a great journey learning about the system, games, and accessories. I hadn't planned on collecting the U.S. released games but I worked out a trade for a higher price game last year so now I am going for the set and missing only one game at the moment. Not all are CIB and some are PAL versions(Not worth the cost to get a U.S. version *Cough Sonic*) but I am so close. Enjoy hunting down the games and learning about them. Some games to keep an eye out for Golvelious, R-type, Phantasy Star, After Burner, Kenseiden, Choplifter, Castle of Illusion and ghostbusters to name a few. For Pal games Aladdin, Pshycic world, Batman Returns, Jurassic Park, and Lucky Dime Caper.
Awesome to hear your NA collection! I know I keep saying this but the SMS is really impressive and I'm looking forward to gathering all the games. Choplifter... played a lot of that on the old C64.
As a Master System fan going way back, I can tell you that I knew, and if I'd known you, I'd have told you. That said, I know you said you'd be trying to get the complete US library, but if I may drop a couple of recommendations to bump up on the priority list: Kenseiden, Ys, Phantasy Star, R-Type, Rastan and Power Strike. And if you really want to expand your library, grab some of the Euro games like Master of Darkness, Ninja Gaiden, Renegade, Sagaia and Captain Silver (that one was released in the U.S., but Sega cut the game in two to save on memory costs. Same thing happened to Enduro Racer).
Thanks for the recommendations! I'll move those up the list and be on the lookout for them. Once I have all the NA titles maybe I will branch out and try some of the Euo ones...
@@wholewheatretro532 there were definitely a lot of good Euro-released titles to check out. I named a few, but there are plenty more. Interestingly enough, a lot of the games we got on cards were reissued on carts in Europe.
That's awesome! I grew up on NES then Genesis, so I never had a Master System until November of 2023. I can't wait to see the games you collect and what you think of them.
Who knew? Many people. It was our first console at home. Micro computers were most popular here in The Netherlands. For consoles it was about an even split between Master System and NES. Other publishers for Master System include Acclaim, US Gold, Domark, Codemasters and others.
I suspect that the Sega Master System was per capita more popular here in Canada, where it was distributed by Irwin Toys, if just because several video stores in the area I lived at the time (Pincourt, just outside of Montreal) rented out Master System games and they continued getting new Master System games in until around 1990 (when the Genesis was obviously taking over) so I doubt that my family was the only one renting Master System games. I never liked the Master System control pad but there were third party options plus the first party Sega Master System Control Stick, which was much sturdier.
@wholewheatretro532 Okay, they have Snail Maze, the built-in game, listed, and Sega Retro has Safari Hunt listed separately, even though it never came out by itself.
The Master System, like the Genesis and many Atari systems has a 9-pin plug. Master System and Nes style control pads are not compatible with each other.
@@SupremeNerdIt's one to one with the master system the megadrive/genesis had master system built-in the only thing you need is master system converter to change the pins so the carts will fit
