I now own a Master System - suggest some games!

[Centrale]

That is how I feel like, when I look at these box arts. If those box art was my opposite sex, I could frisk them. It looks like gold.  I could feel that airbrush.

Some of the more serious games, looks like they gave them a better art job. No equality in respect for game releases. Look at FANTASY ZONE......for example.

I know, when it comes to the early Western box art, it's an 'acquired taste.' And in general I agree, Japanese box art is almost always better than Western box art. But, you could also check out some of the European SMS box art from the 90s, they pretty much maximized the space of the illustration and just kept the white and grid elements as a small touch. See, not too shabby:

[CrazyT]

The one boxart that we still own coincidently is also one of the few to actually look pretty good

[RegalSin]

They did that, to save money on ink, and design. In printing color is extremely expensive and lucky if you even see it, inside of an instructional booklet. It is not like the printer for your computer. That is why you mostly see B&W print books, flying around over color. Color is expensive.

About design. The same thing occured with the SNES, Turbo Grafx, and so forth. It just seems that SEGA learned their lesson from the mistakes of the SMS. Just look at the box art of the American versions of most Genesis games. They looks like sex. Speaking of SNES, I don't get why the boxs are black. That must be alot ink, but again black is a cheapest color, next to brown, green, and yellow.

Also that boxart is Alladin, which was done in advance or taken right out of the animation itself. Seriously Disney......... That is the most cheapest kind of artwork, when you can find the same or simular image on an lunch box.

Look at Y's. Yes they might have reused the artwork from the PC game HARDCOVER book, but at least it looks like an monumental painting. The other one looks like they took it out an action sequence, of an animation/comic ( which is common ) of some sort, and re-did the characters.

[Barry the Nomad]

Pushing the box art discussion aside, I managed to pick up Alien Syndrome, Marksman Shooting & Trap Shooting, R-Type, and Thunder Blade last night (all CIB with manual and fun inserts) for a cool $40. Considering a complete R-Type goes for $20+ and I got it for $14, not a bad deal.

I hope to hit up one more shop this weekend, I know they had Spy vs. Spy. Also, the shop I went to last night had the 3-D Glasses, but they needed testing and cleaning. The owner said he'd call me when they were ready and said they'd be between $40 and $65. Considering the prices I've seen on ebay, that seems fair. They also had Space Harrier 3-D for $17.99, so if the glasses happen I'll likely grab that.

[Centrale]

Cool... you know you need a CRT TV for light phaser and 3D games, right?

Man, Space Harrier 3-D is so cool. I've got a 27-inch CRT TV for retro gaming, and the background in Space Harrier 3-D appears to be about three feet behind the screen. Pretty awesome tech for 1987. Seeing it in 3D also makes it quite a bit easier to tell if you're about to collide with an enemy or if you've still got time to shoot.

Thunder Blade is a really interesting game, and kind of misunderstood, if you ask me. Obviously the SMS can't do the hardware scaling that the arcade original could. But... although the backgrounds in the third person view are choppy, check out the movements of the enemies. They are smooth as silk, and their attack formations are really graceful. It's actually a really cool re-imagining of the arcade game.

[Barry the Nomad]

Yup! I have a Sony WEGA sitting at home that I use for my Genesis/32X/CD, NES, Master System, Wii, original Xbox, Pico, and Saturn. The Light Phaser is so much better than the NES Zapper. It just feels better in the hand and is more solid when you fire. Any other Light Phaser games I should look out for?

[Centrale]

The Light Phaser was pretty well-supported for a peripheral, with about a dozen games total. There aren't really any bad games in the lot. Missile Defense 3-D is interesting because it combines the 3-D Glasses with the Light Phaser - and is also notable because it was programmed by Mark Cerny. Wanted is similar to Gangster Town, but set in the Old West. Rescue Mission is a top down game that basically works like an escort mission, requiring you to protect a medic on a railcar and guide it at times by shooting junction points. Operation Wolf is the best 8-bit version of the game - although it only came out in Europe, it's pretty common so it shouldn't be too expensive if you go looking for it. On the other hand, Assault City is probably the most rare Light Phaser game. For some reason, they released two different SKUs of Assault City - one for the Light Phaser and one for just a regular controller. I don't know why they didn't just make it an option in the menu.

Also, look for cameo appearances by the Light Phaser in Zillion and Zillion II: The Tri-Formation. It was designed jointly by Sega and Tatsunoko.

And it was notoriously used several years ago in a real hostage situation in Brazil. Nobody would have believed that the Zapper was real for a minute, but the Sega Light Phaser is just badass like that.

[Team Andromeda]

Yup! I have a Sony WEGA sitting at home that I use for my Genesis/32X/CD, NES, Master System, Wii, original Xbox, Pico, and Saturn. The Light Phaser is so much better than the NES Zapper. It just feels better in the hand and is more solid when you fire. Any other Light Phaser games I should look out for?

The Light Phaser and its games are the best Light gun and games for any system imo . Do try and get the 3D Glasses they're look so cool and the effect is still to this brilliant . Honestly when playing Zaxxon 3D you'll swear the MS is pushing polygons

[Barry the Nomad]

The Light Phaser and its games are the best Light gun and games for any system imo . Do try and get the 3D Glasses they're look so cool and the effect is still to this brilliant . Honestly when playing Zaxxon 3D you'll swear the MS is pushing polygons

Yeah, my fingers are crossed that my local game shop ends up fixing the glasses they have and giving me a call to buy them.


Also, the MS light gun really is the best.

[MadeManG74]

Oh wow, I just saw this thread now and your pictures. Would you believe that Safari Hunt + Hang On on Master System was the first video game I ever played? My dad bought a Master System when I was about 3 or 4 years old and I remember playing that. We eventually traded it in for a Mega Drive soon after though.

Man that brought back memories.

Anyway, there was a game I remember playing at a friend's place back in the day that impressed me a bit. Master of Darkness is a pretty fun Castlevania style game.

[JeanLucAwesome]

Ninja Gaiden definitely, probably one if not the best Master System game.


It's different from the arcade and nes games, it's its own beast. I'd argue it's better than the nes games a side from the story telling.

[nuckles87]

Barry, if you're looking to buy some Master System games online, this is a pretty good place I found recently:

http://www.lukiegames.com/sega-master-system#/?_=1&page=1&filter.stock_message=In%20Stock

They have some rarities for REALLY good prices. Like, cheaper then what you find on eBay I think. It's one reason why I like them so much. I'm currently looking through their catalog for some things, but there will be plenty left for you to check out.

[Barry the Nomad]

Won Quartet off ebay and just picked up Zillion at a local shop. I'm amazed by how inexpensive Master System games are CIB! The most I've spent on a single game has been R-Type for $15, and the cheapest was After Burner for $4.

[Centrale]

Yup. And they were designed with collecting in mind, seemingly. The cases are so nice it's not unusual to find near-mint games. I recommend the GOAT Store for online purchases... goatstore.com. Their listings also note whether the game has box and instructions.

As for ebay, just make sure you're checking "Sold" listings to see how cheap you can get stuff if you're patient, because some of those Buy It Now listings are absolutely crazy. I was recently able to get both Ghouls 'n Ghosts and Montezuma's Revenge for a total of about $25, whereas Buy It Now's for those games routinely have them listed for anywhere from $40 - 80. I just had to wait and watch (for about a year) to get the deal.

There are a few crazy-priced games in the triple digits. Power Strike II is one. Unfortunately, apparently it glitches out on NTSC systems, so unless you mod your system with a 50-60Hz switch (according to some, it's a pretty easy mod) then it might not be worth it. I'll say this about it, though - it's badder than a lot of 16-bit games. Both of the Power Strike games really show what the SMS can do. The first one you should be able to get for about $50-60 if you're patient. Buggy Run and Masters of Combat are often seen going for several hundred. And Smurfs II nears a grand at times.

There are some interesting variations with the Japanese SMS. For one, it's got the FM synthesis chip built-in, so certain games that support it have a much nicer, almost 16-bit quality soundtrack. And instead of a Reset button, it's got a Rapid Fire button. There are a few games that support the paddle controller, but it only works with the Japanese system. Out Run uses it as an undocumented feature, which would be fun to have an analog controller. There are also some games specifically for it, including an Alex Kidd BMX bike game. Eventually I'd like to get a Japanese console before they get too stratospherically expensive.

[George]

Hey, I used to actually own (complete) Sonic the Hedgehog and a Mastersystem. I actually got the console back in 2000ish, when my friend told me he had retro consoles in the back, if I wanted anything. I went and took his Mastersystem and all his games. Most of them are total 'who cares'. When SEGA Left the hardware business I sold the lot for 20 dollars....

Sonic the Hedgehog is worth 200 dollars. FML.

That game really showed the power of the SMS:

vs

More colors, more vibrant. More detail etc.

Another good game that won't cost a billion dollars is Phantasy Star which came out the same year (1987) as Final Fantasy on NES.

Phantasy Star:




vs

Final Fantasy:




Phantasy Star actually has better graphics then freaking Phantasy Star II, at least in battles. [/img]