Anybody remember the Sega Master System?

GunsMadeAmericaFree · Feb 2, 2022

Back in the mid to late 80's, I remember looking through the Sears catalog and salivating over the Sega Master system and its games. I was still using my TI 99/4a home computer from the early 80's for gaming, and I had played various Atari systems at my friends' houses.

Eventually I got a cheap used Sega Genesis, put a Master System converter on top of it, and played Golvellius to death on it.
Evidently in some parts of the world, new games were coming out on the Master System through the mid 90's.....

Anyone else have any fond memories of this system?

Oyeve · Feb 3, 2022

Still have mine. Play R-type all the time.

KentState · Feb 3, 2022

Never owned one, but had the converter back in they day. I don't remember exactly which games we played, but had probably 10+ cartridges.

Pohemi · Feb 3, 2022

I had one in the late 80s for a year or two, but I got it after the Genesis was already released and owned them at the same time. Funny enough...I never owned a Nintendo system until the N64 years later (97ish?), but always liked the Sega exclusives like Sonic and Shinobi.

KentState · Feb 3, 2022

Pohemi420 said:
I had one in the late 80s for a year or two, but I got it after the Genesis was already released and owned them at the same time. Funny enough...I never owned a Nintendo system until the N64 years later (97ish?), but always liked the Sega exclusives like Sonic and Shinobi.

I probably played through Revenge of Shinobi 50 times. One of my favorite games from that system.

SteveGrabowski · Feb 3, 2022

Pohemi420 said:
I had one in the late 80s for a year or two, but I got it after the Genesis was already released and owned them at the same time. Funny enough...I never owned a Nintendo system until the N64 years later (97ish?), but always liked the Sega exclusives like Sonic and Shinobi.

I was always pissed they never did an arcade quality port of Shinobi on the Genesis. and had to wait until a System16 emulator came out in like 1997 to finally play Shinobi at home in arcade quality. I had it on DOS and played the NES version at a friend's house but they sucked in comparison to the real thing, and the SMS port didn't look a whole lot better. I would have begged my parents for a Genesis for Christmas every year if they would have ever ported the original Shinobi to it.

Pohemi · Feb 3, 2022

SteveGrabowski said:
I was always pissed they never did an arcade quality port of Shinobi on the Genesis. and had to wait until a System16 emulator came out in like 1997 to finally play Shinobi at home in arcade quality. I had it on DOS and played the NES version at a friend's house but they sucked in comparison to the real thing, and the SMS port didn't look a whole lot better. I would have begged my parents for a Genesis for Christmas every year if they would have ever ported the original Shinobi to it.

Yeah, I agree with @KentState about 'Revenge of Shinobi' being the best one of the series on the Genesis, but I also pumped countless quarters into the arcade version. When my dad would take me to the arcade and give me a pocket full of quarters/tokens...they all went into Shinobi, Rampage, and the original Street Fighter.

Also: I love console emulators

GunsMadeAmericaFree · Feb 5, 2022

What do you guys think the top 3 games on Master System were? For me, probably: Wonder Boy in Monster World, Pengo, and Rampart.

KentState · Feb 5, 2022

Wonder Boy is probably my #1. Not sure I recall what other games I really played.

GunsMadeAmericaFree · Feb 7, 2022

BTW, Pengo was originally only released for Game Gear, but someone eventually released a hard copy for Master System just for fun......

VirtualLarry · Feb 7, 2022

GunsMadeAmericaFree said:
BTW, Pengo was originally only released for Game Gear, but someone eventually released a hard copy for Master System just for fun......

That's neat to know. If I still had my Master System, I'd try to pick up a copy. Pengo was one of my favorite arcade games.

SteveGrabowski · Feb 7, 2022

VirtualLarry said:
That's neat to know. If I still had my Master System, I'd try to pick up a copy. Pengo was one of my favorite arcade games.

I could never find that in arcades but I loved it on DOS.

nakedfrog · Feb 8, 2022

I don't think I ever knew somebody that had one when I was a kid.

GunsMadeAmericaFree · Mar 2, 2022

Never knew this until today - my first computer, the TI 99/4a, used essentially the same TI video and sound processor that the Sega Master System Did. The Sega Genesis used an updated version.

WhiteNoise · Apr 1, 2022

I had one back when it was released. Played it for a week then returned it because I needed the money. It was pretty cool at the time.

ultimatebob · May 17, 2022

GunsMadeAmericaFree said:
What do you guys think the top 3 games on Master System were? For me, probably: Wonder Boy in Monster World, Pengo, and Rampart.

Sonic seems like it should go on that list. I had that one.

GunsMadeAmericaFree · May 17, 2022

I forgot that Sonic came out for the Master System. I wonder how difficult it would be to create a new Master System game from scratch.....

ultimatebob · May 17, 2022

GunsMadeAmericaFree said:
I forgot that Sonic came out for the Master System. I wonder how difficult it would be to create a new Master System game from scratch.....

There was a Master System version of Altered Beast as well, but it kinda sucked compared to the Genesis version.

trungma · May 29, 2022

Phantasy Star and Wonder Boy 3. Great games! Sad I don't have it anymore now that I am collecting all the classic consoles.

FlawleZ · May 31, 2022

The Sega Master System is one of the few earlier consoles I don't yet have. What's interesting to me is how capable the system was which you can see from newer games that were back ported to it.

GunsMadeAmericaFree · Jan 26, 2024

AlexKidd5000 · Jan 29, 2024

FlawleZ said:
The Sega Master System is one of the few earlier consoles I don't yet have. What's interesting to me is how capable the system was which you can see from newer games that were back ported to it.

Which games were back ported to it? I'm curious.

AlexanderSalazar · Feb 23, 2024

I rember I used to play Alex Kidd in Miracle World and Sonic for hours when I was a kid. If it wasn't for them I would have never became a gamer.

ZoeAndersen · Aug 19, 2024

Man, those were the days! I totally get what you're saying about the Sears catalog—I used to do the same thing. The Sega Master System always seemed like the holy grail back then. I was stuck playing NES at the time, but whenever I went over to a friend's house who had a Master System, I was blown away by how different and cool it was.I never got the Master System, but I did end up with a Genesis too, and I remember getting the converter and playing some of those classic Master System games. It’s crazy to think they were still making new games for it into the mid-90s! It's definitely one of those underrated systems that doesn't get enough love these days.

GunsMadeAmericaFree · Mar 6, 2025

Ms Pac Man release
Interesting, there are still some games that folks are releasing for this!

Anybody remember the Sega Master System?

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