Recommend me some Sega Master System games (NTSC)

[DragonGrafx-16]

I just got a Power Base Converter and would like some recommendations for games... I'm primarily looking for shooters.

I already own Astro Warrior and know about games such as Power Strike 1 & 2, R-Type, and Bomber Raid.

 

I'm also interested in other action games but not so much on platformers (platform shooters are fine). Any recommendations? 

[Steven Pendleton]

 

Here you go.

 

I think I should mention Sonic. The US version is stupidly rare and expensive, but apparently the PAL version is much cheaper and easier to find and runs properly since it's a multi-region cart. There was no Japanese version. It's a good game and Yuzo Koshiro did the music. It plays more like a regular platformer than other Sonic games, but it's very good.

 

I also just realized that I forgot to mention Phantasy Star. I'm not sure if you like ancient RPGs like that and I definitely do not, but Phantasy Star is interesting. The Japanese version has FM sound and if you can't read Japanese there is a translation patch for the Japanese version that is way better than and more accurate than the original localization and of course lets you use the FM music, which is WAY better than the PSG music. Of course, you need a system that can play FM sound to get FM and a way to get the system to actually run the game.

Edited May 13, 2020 by Steven Pendleton

[DragonGrafx-16]

I'm not too worried about FM sound atm... I like the chiptune-y blooping of the PSG... also I'm not really into turn based RPGs... I like action ones though.

[Steven Pendleton]

5 minutes ago, DragonGrafx-16 said:

I'm not too worried about FM sound atm... I like the chiptune-y blooping of the PSG... also I'm not really into turn based RPGs... I like action ones though.

In that case, try Ys. I think this is the one where they accidentally wrote Y's on the cartridge instead. Oops! Not sure if that counts as an action RPG, but it's definitely not turn based. Also try Aleste and Aleste 2 if you don't have an MSX2.

[DragonGrafx-16]

Just now, Steven Pendleton said:

In that case, try Ys. I think this is the one where they accidentally wrote Y's on the cartridge instead. Oops! Not sure if that counts as an action RPG, but it's definitely not turn based. Also try Aleste and Aleste 2 if you don't have an MSX2.

Aleste and Aleste 2 are known as Power Strike and Power Strike II over here I already know of them... however they are stupidly expensive over here and I'm not sure I could play Sega Mark III games and even so Aleste is also very expensive. I grabbed Action Fighter which was a reasonable $9. 

[Steven Pendleton]

13 minutes ago, DragonGrafx-16 said:

Aleste and Aleste 2 are known as Power Strike and Power Strike II over here I already know of them... however they are stupidly expensive over here and I'm not sure I could play Sega Mark III games and even so Aleste is also very expensive. I grabbed Action Fighter which was a reasonable $9. 

Japanese Master System is really the best way to do it, but those are rare and expensive. Just a few weeks ago I was talking to an employee in a video game store about the Master System. He said that they are almost always more expensive than a SuperGrafx (!) and were made in very small quantities. They also have built-in FM and are supposedly superior to a Mark III with the FM module in every way possible unless you like the clean look of the Mark III. Honestly the FM is definitely worth it for some games if you can get FM. It can also play SG-1000 games and the SG-1000 version of Choplifter is awesome!

 

I believe the system has a physical region lock. PAL and US games are fine, but the Japanese carts are a bit differently shaped and won't fit. Perhaps there is a way to bypass that and play US and PAL games on Japanese systems and Japanese games on US and PAL hardware. I do know that supposedly there is no region lock aside from cart shape, so PAL games will work in a US Master System, which is how you play the excellent Master System Sonic 1 without spending a crapload of money. The game runs properly on a US Master System and apparently the only difference is a sticker on the back of the box.

Edited May 13, 2020 by Steven Pendleton

[DragonGrafx-16]

Would a PAL version of Power Strike run at the correct speed on NTSC... I'm not sure.

[Steven Pendleton]

It seems to be a multiregion NTSC/PAL cart. I just checked the price of the Japanese version and it's about 10000 yen. That's not bad for Sega game prices in Japan, so I might have to get a copy. I found cart-only Mark III R-Type for 25000 yen a few weeks ago.

[Lord Mushroom]

Super Monaco GP is a very good racing game. It is even 2-player.

[Lord Mushroom]

Smash TV is a good top-down shoot´em up. I haven´t played the SMS-version, but it looks good.

[BydoEmpire]

Shinobi is a great 8-bit port.

Fantasy Zone I & II are both fun arcade shooters.

I haven't played it in 30 years, but I remember really liking Enduro Racer back in the day. Wish I still had that one.

There are a bunch of fantastic light gun games as well: Wanted, Rescue Mission, Operation Wolf, etc.

[Lord Mushroom]

I remember playing a horizontal shoot´em up, which was pretty good. The power-up was a thing, which started a counter that rapidly repeated the first letters in the alphabet (A-E or something). And when you pressed a certain button, it stopped on the letter it was on, giving you the corresponding power-up.

 

I think A and B were like a normal rapid-firing gun, like the default gun, just a little bit more powerful. C send a single wide shot, and this was my favourite. D was a single shot, which could destroy some things other weapons couldn´t.

 

I don´t remember the name of the game, and I live in Europe, so it is not certain it was released in the US.

[+jeremiahjt]

46 minutes ago, Lord Mushroom said:

I remember playing a horizontal shoot´em up, which was pretty good. The power-up was a thing, which started a counter that rapidly repeated the first letters in the alphabet (A-E or something). And when you pressed a certain button, it stopped on the letter it was on, giving you the corresponding power-up.

 

I think A and B were like a normal rapid-firing gun, like the default gun, just a little bit more powerful. C send a single wide shot, and this was my favourite. D was a single shot, which could destroy some things other weapons couldn´t.

 

I don´t remember the name of the game, and I live in Europe, so it is not certain it was released in the US.

Transbot has a powerup system like that.

[Lord Mushroom]

54 minutes ago, jeremiahjt said:

Transbot has a powerup system like that.

Yes, that´s the one. I read on the Wikipedia page that it has also been released in North America. I don´t know if the thread-starter will think it is good enough. It certainly isn´t the best shoot´em up for the SMS, but it is not so bad either.

[Lord Mushroom]

Bubble Bobble is a fantastic game. It is a platformer, but there is an awful lot of shooting too.

[+wongojack]

Helpful thread: 

 

[DragonGrafx-16]

Action Fighter arrived and I'm not really feeling it. Super Spy Hunter on NES did this shooter format better... I might give Action Fighter another chance though...

 

Astro Warrior is just way more my taste when it comes to shmups... yeah I don't like how the game becomes nearly impossible if you loose all of your powerups but it's pretty fun with them. Your ship is just way too slow when you start.

[ApolloBoy]

On 5/13/2020 at 2:03 AM, DragonGrafx-16 said:

Would a PAL version of Power Strike run at the correct speed on NTSC... I'm not sure.

Yes it would, and that’s the same for the majority of European SMS releases. Only a handful of SMS games won’t work properly on an NTSC system. It’s interesting since a lot of European releases weren’t PAL-optimized at all and actually run at their proper speed and in full screen on an NTSC system.

Edited May 21, 2020 by ApolloBoy

[DragonGrafx-16]

My copy of Global Defense arrived... I'm feeling this one way more than Action Fighter... I'm still getting used to the controls but it's quite fun. 

[Sapicco]

On 5/13/2020 at 10:39 AM, BydoEmpire said:

Shinobi is a great 8-bit port.

Fantasy Zone I & II are both fun arcade shooters.

I haven't played it in 30 years, but I remember really liking Enduro Racer back in the day. Wish I still had that one.

There are a bunch of fantastic light gun games as well: Wanted, Rescue Mission, Operation Wolf, etc.

Does operation wolf play properly on an ntsc console?  Heard it does but don’t have first hand experience. 

[BydoEmpire]

36 minutes ago, Sapicco said:

Does operation wolf play properly on an ntsc console?  Heard it does but don’t have first hand experience. 

It seems to play fine for me, I haven't noticed any problems but I don't have a way to compare if anything more minor is wrong (like missing sounds or something).