{"id":672,"date":"2014-05-23T11:20:24","date_gmt":"2014-05-23T18:20:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.grayhairedgamer.com\/?p=672"},"modified":"2014-05-23T11:46:02","modified_gmt":"2014-05-23T18:46:02","slug":"the-sega-master-system-part-1-odd-man-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.grayhairedgamer.com\/?p=672","title":{"rendered":"The Sega Master System, Part 1: Odd man out"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"20140523_sms\"<\/a>You’ll never believe the reason why I wanted a Sega Master System so badly back in 1986. I had seen a Toys R Us ad for it not too long before Christmas that year, and sure, the system itself looked pretty cool. However, it was the game I saw plugged into it that grabbed my attention:\u00a0Cobra Command<\/em>. Yeah, the LaserDisc arcade game<\/a>.<\/p>\n

As a young, impressionable 7th grader who didn’t have a modem yet, I didn’t possess much knowledge about technical limitations, data storage, etc., so I surmised that sure, they could fit an entire LaserDisc game onto a cartridge. I mean, why not? Or better yet, use one of those nifty little Sega Cards! I later learned that Master System cartridges started out at 128KB (1 megabit) and those Sega Cards only held a fourth of that at 32KB.<\/p>\n

Needless to say, I wouldn’t be playing stuff like\u00a0Space Ace<\/em> on the Master System anytime soon, even though I was convinced that it would happen. It didn’t.<\/p>\n

While today’s consoles cost $400-500+ and only come with one controller and no games, the 8-bit era was more generous. For $200 at launch, you got the Master System console, 2 controllers, the Light Phaser gun, and two games:\u00a0Hang-On<\/em>\u00a0& Safari Hunt.\u00a0<\/em>Nintendo offered a great value for the same asking price, sweetening the deal with R.O.B. No matter what you thought of that robot — or how poorly he “worked” — he was one of many strokes of genius in marketing the NES.<\/p>\n

Anyway, Christmas Morning arrived, and even though I wouldn’t be fighting Borf, saving Daphne\u00a0from the clutches of an evil dragon, or even stomping on Goombas, I was still in gaming bliss. Not counting our Apple \/\/e, the only other gaming device in our household was an old Atari 2600, so going from that to the Master System kinda blew my mind.<\/p>\n

\"20140523_ninja\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The first game I powered up was The Ninja<\/em>, based on Sega’s similarly titled arcade game. I remember the opening like it was yesterday, with the stylish, scrolling text reminiscent of Broderbund’s Karateka<\/em>, except now with catchy background music and drums!\u00a0<\/em>Percussion in console games was still new to me, and hearing that snare along with clear, multi-channel melodies was amazing.<\/p>\n

I loved that game so much, and it’s one of my all-time favorites on the Master System. It was very challenging, with good level design, diverse enemy types, hidden secrets, tight controls, and lots of style. It was similar to other vertically scrolling “run & gun” titles like Ikari Warriors<\/em>, but I liked the pacing and variety of The Ninja<\/em> better.<\/p>\n

\"20140523_transbot\"<\/a>Transbot<\/em>, one of only a handful of Sega Card games I would ever own, was another I received that Christmas. Sega got me with their marketing when I saw a clip of it in one of their TV commercials. When I saw the Star Wars-<\/em>like AT-ST, I knew I had to have it. The game itself controls well, has several different weapon types, decent graphics, and a few interesting enemy patterns, but it’s an otherwise boring and repetitive game that I tired of quickly. Compared to The Ninja<\/em>, or even the pack-in games, this one was disappointing.<\/p>\n

Its quality would be consistent with the few other Sega Card games I would risk asking my parents for, like My Hero<\/em> and Ghost House<\/em>. I actually liked My Hero<\/em> better than the arcade version, but it too was repetitive. I seem to remember Ghost House<\/em>\u00a0having a little more challenge and variety, but the fact that I barely recall any details about it speaks for itself. That was it for me and Sega Cards.<\/p>\n

\"20140523_alexkidd\"<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Ahh, but then there’s\u00a0Alex Kidd in Miracle World<\/em>. This was, in my opinion, the<\/em> “must have” Master System game. Before playing it, I really had no idea what it was about. Sega’s cartridge boxes are infamous for their atrociously terrible art, but something about the name still intrigued me. From the moment I turned it on, I knew this was going to be great. The title screen was so colorful, the music was extremely upbeat and catchy, and the world map inspired a great sense of adventure.<\/p>\n

The platforming gameplay was also lots of fun, with sprawling levels going in every direction, different vehicles to drive, shops to buy items, and one of the more unique (and frustrating) features: playing rock-paper-scissors against the game’s bosses. It was all very unique, and I enjoyed it as much as Super Mario Bros., <\/em>perhaps even a little more\u00a0due to its more varied styles of gameplay. This was Sega’s attempt to eat into Nintendo’s success, but there was just no way. Still, this is a classic and one of my favorites of the 8-bit era.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, my neighbor across the street also got a Master System that year, which in hindsight was miraculous, since he would end up being only one of two people I knew at school who had one! We’d trade games every now and then, which was fun. I miss that about childhood: bartering in the playground bazaar.<\/p>\n

\"20140523_blackbelt\"<\/a>I remember borrowing Black Belt\u00a0<\/em>from him, which I would later find out was re-skinned from the Japanese Fist of the North Star<\/em> original. It was a pretty straightforward and short side-scrolling beat-’em-up with mid-bosses and power-ups that you had to be quick about grabbing out of the air. My friends and I would laugh at the way defeated enemies would “explode” into a spray of square tiles.<\/p>\n

The highlight, however, was definitely the one-on-one\u00a0boss fights. Some of them were tough, and looking back, they were pretty impressive for still being part of the pre-Street Fighter II<\/em> era. The characters were large, their movements were smooth, and when you would finally defeat them, they’d be on the receiving end of a satisfying flurry of punches and kicks. The only thing missing was Kenshiro’s trademark, “Atatatatatata!”<\/em><\/p>\n

\"20140523_fantasy_zone\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Finally, another early favorite of mine was\u00a0Fantasy Zone. <\/em>A\u00a0port of the Japanese arcade game, I would not play the original until years later on the Sega Saturn and in MAME. That wouldn’t matter, though, because the Master System version was terrific. In fact, after having played both, I like the Master System version better.<\/p>\n

Graphically, the game was lush, detailed, and it certainly captured my imagination. The player’s ship — Opa-Opa — was also unique with its different wings, weapons, and one of my favorite touches: little feet that would come out and touch the ground, letting you stroll around the bottom of each level. You can tell that Sega’s artists had a blast visualizing the world and its inhabitants.<\/p>\n

Fantasy Zone<\/em>‘s soundtrack deserves special mention. In addition to each level having its own unique look, they all had their own distinct musical themes. This was pretty amazing in the day and age where many games used the same music over and over throughout, and this helped make these alien worlds memorable. Well-designed bosses provided a good level of challenge, all leading to the game’s surprisingly touching ending.<\/p>\n

As much as I loved that first wave of Master System games, the best games were yet to come. Specifically, a $70 RPG that would blow away my expectations and change the course of my life: Phantasy Star<\/em>.<\/p>\n

See you next time in Part 2!<\/p>\n\"Facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>\"reddit\"<\/a>\"pinterest\"<\/a>\"linkedin\"<\/a>\"mail\"<\/a>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You’ll never believe the reason why I wanted a Sega Master System so badly back in 1986. I had seen a Toys R Us ad for it not too long before Christmas that year, and sure, the system itself looked pretty cool. However, it was the game I saw plugged into it that grabbed my […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[56],"tags":[171,169,170,167,103,168,102,173,172],"class_list":["post-672","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-industry-memoirs","tag-alex-kidd-in-miracle-world","tag-black-belt","tag-fantasy-zone","tag-hang-on","tag-master-system","tag-safari-hunt","tag-sega","tag-the-ninja","tag-transbot"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4yrob-aQ","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1444,"url":"http:\/\/www.grayhairedgamer.com\/?p=1444","url_meta":{"origin":672,"position":0},"title":"Review: Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse (Sega Master System, 1990)","author":"Mike","date":"July 25, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Back in May, I reviewed the original Sega Genesis and updated PlayStation 3 versions of Castle of Illusion. While the classic Genesis game is one of the most beloved of the 16-bit Disney titles, its 8-bit Sega Master System installment and two sequels aren't as well known. Multiplatform games are\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews: Sega Master System"","block_context":{"text":"Reviews: Sega Master System","link":"http:\/\/www.grayhairedgamer.com\/?cat=322"},"img":{"alt_text":"20140725_coi_sms_00","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.grayhairedgamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/20140725_coi_sms_00-300x225.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":621,"url":"http:\/\/www.grayhairedgamer.com\/?p=621","url_meta":{"origin":672,"position":1},"title":"The Nintendo Entertainment System, Part 1: The cool kids","author":"Mike","date":"May 21, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Whenever I see forum threads to the tune of \"What are your most shocking gaming secrets?\", the first thing that comes to mind is the fact that I never owned a Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). No, I instead chose to ask for a Sega Master System for Christmas back in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Industry Memoirs"","block_context":{"text":"Industry Memoirs","link":"http:\/\/www.grayhairedgamer.com\/?cat=56"},"img":{"alt_text":"20140521_smb","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.grayhairedgamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/20140521_smb-300x236.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":758,"url":"http:\/\/www.grayhairedgamer.com\/?p=758","url_meta":{"origin":672,"position":2},"title":"My influences: Space Harrier","author":"Mike","date":"June 2, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"I'll never forget the first time I saw Space Harrier. It was at Disneyland's Starcade in the mid-'80s. They were fortunate enough to have the deluxe sit-down version, too. The entire cabinet would tilt as you moved the flight stick around, a popular feature in a number of arcade games\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "My Influences"","block_context":{"text":"My Influences","link":"http:\/\/www.grayhairedgamer.com\/?cat=187"},"img":{"alt_text":"20140602_space_harrier","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.grayhairedgamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/20140602_space_harrier-300x225.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1505,"url":"http:\/\/www.grayhairedgamer.com\/?p=1505","url_meta":{"origin":672,"position":3},"title":"The NES & Master System: Inevitable Comparisons","author":"Mike","date":"August 5, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Back in May, I talked a little bit about my first exposure to the NES. As someone who didn't have one, and who was instead gaming on the rival Sega Master System, the NES was not only something I had limited access to, but it was a console I greatly\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Industry Memoirs"","block_context":{"text":"Industry Memoirs","link":"http:\/\/www.grayhairedgamer.com\/?cat=56"},"img":{"alt_text":"20140805_sms_pro_wrestling","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.grayhairedgamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/20140805_sms_pro_wrestling-300x225.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1494,"url":"http:\/\/www.grayhairedgamer.com\/?p=1494","url_meta":{"origin":672,"position":4},"title":"Backlog Blitz: The Games of July 2014","author":"Mike","date":"August 1, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"After a huge drop in June, I nearly got myself back to May levels in July. I only bought one game, thanks to lackluster or nonexistent sales and a dry month at retail. I finished seven games, netting me a +6 total for last month. Anyway, the format,\u00a0as with previous\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Backlog Blitz"","block_context":{"text":"Backlog Blitz","link":"http:\/\/www.grayhairedgamer.com\/?cat=10"},"img":{"alt_text":"20140801_ghg_bb_july","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.grayhairedgamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/20140801_ghg_bb_july-300x218.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":439,"url":"http:\/\/www.grayhairedgamer.com\/?p=439","url_meta":{"origin":672,"position":5},"title":"The Apple \/\/e, Part 2: More Influential Games","author":"Mike","date":"May 7, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"I had a great time last week\u00a0reminiscing about some of the Apple \/\/e games that influenced me at a young age, so what the heck -- here are several more that I loved from my gaming formative years. The game that I constantly heard about back in the early '80s\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Industry Memoirs"","block_context":{"text":"Industry Memoirs","link":"http:\/\/www.grayhairedgamer.com\/?cat=56"},"img":{"alt_text":"20140502_choplifter","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.grayhairedgamer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/20140502_choplifter-300x205.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.grayhairedgamer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/672","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.grayhairedgamer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.grayhairedgamer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.grayhairedgamer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.grayhairedgamer.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=672"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"http:\/\/www.grayhairedgamer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/672\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":695,"href":"http:\/\/www.grayhairedgamer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/672\/revisions\/695"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.grayhairedgamer.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=672"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.grayhairedgamer.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=672"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.grayhairedgamer.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=672"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}