Sega Master System: A Retrospective
I’ve completed the 114 Sega Master System games released in the United States. The console wars are heating up and it’s the Genesis versus the Super Nintendo. The 8-bit systems are fading away, but the NES will still stick around strong for awhile. The funny thing is the Sega Master System won the 8-bit war elsewhere in the world. Europe got more than twice as many Master System games with 271. Brazil was also a huge market and the Master System lived on there well into the 21st century.
The average score I gave across the Master System games was a 1.8 for a C. The highest scoring game was a 3.4, while the lowest scoring game was a 0.4. Out of all the games I played, my favorite Master System game was Kenseiden. This action platformer came out of nowhere and knocked my socks off. Now, it should be a bit telling that the best game on the system didn’t crack an A-, but don’t let that sway you, this was totally worth a play.
Other high points were Castle of Illusion as a great platformer which I think is better than the 16-bit game of the same name. Aerial Assault was a fun side scrolling shoot ‘em up that impressed. Wonder Boy III was also better than its TurboGrafx counterpart Dragon’s Curse. Golvellius was a great Zelda clone that brought great enjoyment. The same goes with Golden Axe Warrior (thanks for the Stone Age Gamer gift card!) These were the best of the best, in my opinion.
The highs were met with similar lows. The Great Sports series was awful. Football, Basketball, Hockey, Baseball, and Volleyball were all trash. Montezuma’s Revenge is one of my least favorite games I’ve come across in this project. There were a lot of bad games on the Master System. A lot of the were the 3-D games. Space Harrier being one of them that scored abysmally. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the terribleness of ALF. Someone said, “Yep, send this one out!” Bad call.
There were a few 16-bit ports that were real let downs. Hits from the Genesis like Altered Beast, Golden Axe, Moonwalker, and Sonic the Hedgehog all got demakes. They were all bad to below average in execution. Trying to emulate what was done on the more powerful Genesis harmed these games. Instead, they really should have tried to focus on what the Master System did well.
My favorite genre of game is the RPG. Unfortunately, the Master System was light on RPGs. Miracle Warriors was a poor first showing. Ys was average in every way to me. Phantasy Star was good, but certainly not great. I preferred the hybrids like Golden Axe Warrior, Golvellius, and Wonder Boy III to the more pure RPGs on the system.
I do realize that there is one game I missed and that is the built in Snail Maze. This is a simple timed maze that was built in to the earliest units. If you lose, it’s back to level one. Graphics, Sound, Gameplay, and Fun Factor all get a 0.5, while Difficulty gets a 2.0. The time allotted in the final round was too short, even if I was perfect otherwise.
In the end, I think the Master System was a wasted opportunity in the United States. Sega had its hands in the development or production of all but five of the US titles. Perhaps allowing more third parties to take control would have led to some better games. Or maybe the third parties weren’t interested in developing for the system. I’m not too sure. If all you ever played was the NES, I think you should give some Master System games a shot, especially if you’re big on graphics. The colors make the graphics a lot more interesting in most cases.
When it comes to grading the Sega Master System US library.
Graphics: 2.0
The colors available made games look attractive enough for the time.
Sound: 1.6
The sound capabilities were relatively shrill and unpleasant.
Gameplay: 1.9
There were some pretty good games released, but just as many bad ones.
Difficulty: 1.9
Most games were fair enough, though there were some real infuriating titles out there.
Fun Factor: 1.7
The existence of the horrible sports games really weighed the fun of the overall library down.
Overall Rating: 1.8
The Sega Master System US library earns a C. The system had a lot of missed potential, but the move to the Genesis was the right move for Sega.