Best master system games???

[Shelcoof]

Here are my top 10 games for the master system

1. Wonder Boy III: Dragon's Trap
2. Alex Kid in The Miracle World
3. Fantasy Zone II
4. Mickey Mouse Castle of Illusion
5. My Hero
6. Azteck Adventures
7. Black Belt
8. Wonder Boy In Monster Land
9. Cloud Master
10. Teddy Boy

The list does not stop there, there are tons of great excellent SMS games that you could play. Seriously the SMS is an amazing system, I absolutely love it

Cloud Master aka Chuka Taisan and Fantasy Zone II is one of the best shooters you'll ever play for the system.

[Mortificator]

Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar

What do you think of this game? It looks like a good one, but after a friend of mine told me what you need to do to finish it, and after seeing the world map (HUGE!), I promptly gave up.

It's an excellent classic RPG, and easily the best version of Ultima IV available. You'll need a lot of time on your hands to really appreciate it, though.

Pretty much. Ultima V (for PC) might be a little easier of an oldeth-school Ultima to get into, since it ditches the first-person dungeons and is more forgiving with the virtue scores, but it's an even bigger game with <b>two</b> world maps.

[indstr]

Pretty much. Ultima V (for PC) might be a little easier of an oldeth-school Ultima to get into, since it ditches the first-person dungeons and is more forgiving with the virtue scores, but it's an even bigger game with <b>two</b> world maps.

I used to play Ultima V for hours back when I was about 8 years old. Of course I had no idea what I was doing and would wander around randomly and die a lot. But at least it taught me about "jimmying" doors open. I've still got the strategy guide my dad printed out from some pirate BBS back in the day

[Lordstar]

BBS = nostalgia for me

[indstr]

BBS = nostalgia for me

Me too. I think everyone who BBS'ed has fond memories of the time. Internet killed the BBS star But ... I also think, we are probably living in a golden age right now as well and we will look back on this time just as fondly

[320x240]

What's up with the SMS version of Monster Land? The bosses can only take two hits each. And where are my hidden coins?

[ZOM]

What's up with the SMS version of Monster Land? The bosses can only take two hits each. And where are my hidden coins?

Don't remember the bosses' difficulty but the coins are there, just in different locations...

[Herr Schatten]

What's up with the SMS version of Monster Land? The bosses can only take two hits each. And where are my hidden coins?

There are plenty of hidden coins.

Although they are clearly easier than in the arcade version, I distinctly remember the bosses taking more than just two hits. If you want a challenge, though, just don't upgrade your sword.

[ROBOTRON]

Power Strike
Zillion
Astro Warrior
R-Type
Fantasy Zone I II
Transbot
Monopoly

[320x240]

Psychic World - one of my favorite games on the Master System.

That's a very nice game. I remember playing it briefly a few years ago but didn't get into it at the time. I realise now that it has a certain likeness with a game I'm developing myself at the moment.

[320x240]

Although they are clearly easier than in the arcade version, I distinctly remember the bosses taking more than just two hits. If you want a challenge, though, just don't upgrade your sword.

For some reason they still take only two hits for me. I'm playing through emulation so maybe this is a different release.

Incidentaly, for those of you who doesn't know it yet, there's a nes version of this game too, called Saiyuuki World. I haven't played it much but in the first cave at least it seems everything is laid out like in the original, even the coins, hourglasses and the hidden door. I like the setting of this one a lot better than the one in the original.

The second Saiyuuki World game is also a little bit like the Wonder Land series but plays a lot faster and instead of a sword you have a stick (like in Son Son 2 on the PCE). After the initial level you can choose which level to tackle next, like in the Megaman games.

[Skykid]

Don't listen to the Golvellius hate, it's just a fairly challenging game. I loved it back in the day.

[Matsunaga]

I liked Space Harrier and Spellcaster. Spellcaster was awesome, it had a cool story, good graphics, and lots secrets to find. I could never get past the damn pyramid, however.

[boagman]

Don't listen to the Golvellius hate, it's just a fairly challenging game. I loved it back in the day.

There was nothing wrong with the challenge level of the game. It was just a horrible, horrible exercise in futility that made me wish I had the psychic power to kill the developers of the game whilst they slept. What an awful, awful game.

[Ed Oscuro]

Don't listen to the Golvellius hate, it's just a fairly challenging game. I loved it back in the day.

There was nothing wrong with the challenge level of the game. It was just a horrible, horrible exercise in futility that made me wish I had the psychic power to kill the developers of the game whilst they slept. What an awful, awful game.

Do you like Psycho Fox?

Admittedly I haven't played much of either, but my assumption was that Golvellius (odd platforming segments and all) was the better game. I doubt the SMS and MSX versions are too different, but that's also worth checking out, perhaps.

[BrianC]

Although they are clearly easier than in the arcade version, I distinctly remember the bosses taking more than just two hits. If you want a challenge, though, just don't upgrade your sword.

For some reason they still take only two hits for me. I'm playing through emulation so maybe this is a different release.

Some bosses take only two hits, but later ones take more, even with the Sword of Legend. However, if you play the game in JP mode with a Genesis SMS adapter and a switched Genesis or on a JP SMS with adapter, the game will be in Japanese with the bosses taking more hits (I didn't notice any other differences with the difficulty, though). FM sound on a JP SMS too (sounds better in some ways, but it doesn't make full use of the FM).

Aside from the games I mentioned in the other thread, the SMS also has a sweet version of California Games that has some rockin' FM sound when played on a JP SMS with an adapter to play western games.

[boagman]

Don't listen to the Golvellius hate, it's just a fairly challenging game. I loved it back in the day.

There was nothing wrong with the challenge level of the game. It was just a horrible, horrible exercise in futility that made me wish I had the psychic power to kill the developers of the game whilst they slept. What an awful, awful game.

Do you like Psycho Fox?

Admittedly I haven't played much of either, but my assumption was that Golvellius (odd platforming segments and all) was the better game. I doubt the SMS and MSX versions are too different, but that's also worth checking out, perhaps.

I've never had the chance to play Psycho Fox. It came out so late in the system's life, and had so little market saturation, that I'm honestly not sure I've ever even *seen it in action*, much less had a chance to judge it for myself.

If Golvellius is a better game than Psycho Fox, then I've a feeling that the developers of both games were thrown deep into The Pit of Despair! Golvellius is just rancid trash...best left to the scarred memory, but impossible to do so, since the pain of the experience was so great. Truly an insipidly stupid game.

[louisg]

Psycho Fox is cool, but the controls are pretty inertia-y (like a lot of SMS platformers). I used to own it for the Power Base Converter-- I actually got a PBC for it and R-Type =) It's basically the same as Decap Attack and Magical Hat Adventure or whatever, which I really want to get.

[BrianC]

Psycho Fox is cool, but the controls are pretty inertia-y (like a lot of SMS platformers). I used to own it for the Power Base Converter-- I actually got a PBC for it and R-Type =) It's basically the same as Decap Attack and Magical Hat Adventure or whatever, which I really want to get.

I don't have Psycho Fox yet, but I have the NES Kid Kool and a collection with Decapattack. Kid Kool is another similar game. The controls also have some inertia to them. The funny thing is how similar things look in Kid Kool compared to Psycho Fox. Kid Kool even has similar animations to Psycho Fox!

[Herr Schatten]

Psycho Fox is cool, but the controls are pretty inertia-y (like a lot of SMS platformers). I used to own it for the Power Base Converter-- I actually got a PBC for it and R-Type =) It's basically the same as Decap Attack and Magical Hat Adventure or whatever, which I really want to get.

To be honest, Psycho Fox never really grabbed me. It's nice and all, but there are plenty of better platformers on the Master System. The semi-sequel Decap Attack/Magical Hat Whatever executes the mechanics from Psycho Fox much better and is actually an awesome game. (I'm preferring the japanese original to Decap Attack, because I like the art direction better.)

I can not recommend Sonic 1 on the Master System enough. Anyone who thinks it's a dumbed-down port of the Mega Drive game will be surprised, as it has completely different levels and plays more like a classic platformer (and an excellent one) instead of going for the signature high-speed gameplay, which couldn't have been implemented on the Master System hardware anyway.

[Ruldra]

Psycho Fox is good but the inertia makes it very frustrating. It's one of those games you'll feel like tossing the controller across the room.

[louisg]

I can not recommend Sonic 1 on the Master System enough. Anyone who thinks it's a dumbed-down port of the Mega Drive game will be surprised, as it has completely different levels and plays more like a classic platformer (and an excellent one) instead of going for the signature high-speed gameplay, which couldn't have been implemented on the Master System hardware anyway.

What did you think of 2? I've only played that one on the GG, and imagine it'd be a lot better if I could see the entire screen.

[Herr Schatten]

I can not recommend Sonic 1 on the Master System enough. Anyone who thinks it's a dumbed-down port of the Mega Drive game will be surprised, as it has completely different levels and plays more like a classic platformer (and an excellent one) instead of going for the signature high-speed gameplay, which couldn't have been implemented on the Master System hardware anyway.

What did you think of 2? I've only played that one on the GG, and imagine it'd be a lot better if I could see the entire screen.

To be perfectly honest, I don't think much of it. It has some nice and creative ideas, but it suffers from sloppy level design and dodgy hit detection. Seeing more of the screen doesn't make the game any better, unfortunately. It's not a terrible game and fairly enjoyable despite its issues, but in comparison to the stellar first game, it's a huge disappointment. It's still better than Sonic Chaos, though.

[Mortificator]

The SMS/GG Sonic platformers largely went downhill after the original. Sonic 1 is better than Sonic 2 is better than Sonic Chaos, then the quality shot up for Triple Trouble before dropping all the way down to G Sonic.

[Shatterhand]

The problem with Golvellius is that there's a lot of "Wandering without having any idea of what the heck to do next". Maybe its because I played the MSX version which is japanese, but most of the puzzles were solved by me doing completely random stuff. I got completely stuck at the 6th monster though, never found out what I was supposed to do to make its cave appear.

There was a "parody" of Golvellius for MSX called "Super Cooks", which had the same gameplay, but you played a cooking chef, and your enemies are vegetable and stuff. I also never made any far in this game because of the language barrier. It was made by Compile itself.

And there's also the oficial Compile remake of Golvellius for MSX2, which adds an amazing intro sequence, a new introducing level, gorgeous graphics (for the era) and a better soundtrack. This one at least got some fan-translations, but I never bothered to play it properly.

[doctorx0079]

The problem with Golvellius is that there's a lot of "Wandering without having any idea of what the heck to do next".

But I actually enjoy that instead of being led around by the nose.

Was there ever an Aleste for SMS or do you have to go to MD/Genesis?

[Shatterhand]

The first Aleste got an SMS port. In the US is called "Power Strike", but it retained the name Aleste on JP.

It's a lot inferior compared to the MSX original though, it's missing at least one level, it managed to have MORE slowdowns than the alread slowdown fest of the MSX version, etc etc.

Then there's Power Strike 2, which has no relation whatsoever with Aleste other than sharing the US title of SMS Aleste. It was released only in europe (Very weird, still made by Compile). It's absolutely awesome, and by far the best shmup for the system. Not better than Aleste 2 IMO, but still incredibly awesome.

[Ed Oscuro]

It's a lot inferior compared to the MSX original though, it's missing at least one level, it managed to have MORE slowdowns than the alread slowdown fest of the MSX version, etc etc.

I don't know, but some folks were confused about this - the first level of Aleste MSX is in the SMS version; it's just later in. So the stage order was messed around with a bit.

[Herr Schatten]

the first level of Aleste MSX is in the SMS version; it's just later in.

I'm 100% sure it's missing. The Master System version has definitely one stage less than the MSX original. I've completed both versions numerous times, and I've never seen this level in the Master System version:

[boagman]

The problem with Golvellius is that there's a lot of "Wandering without having any idea of what the heck to do next".

This is a *very* good synopsis of the biggest problem with Golvellius. Not the only problem, mind you...no, far from it. But it is the biggest problem with the game as a whole. "Puzzles" have clues, or at least some semblance of a direction in which to go in. I can remember completely maxing out my character with everything the game had to offer at multiple points, *just to see* if there was something that I might have been missing that might allow me to progress further. Replaying boss levels to see if I got a different result. Nope! The only ways to progress were basically random "You can only know this if you already know this!" things. What a bass-ackwards way to develop a game.

To the adjacent poster: I don't like being led around by the nose myself...the thrill of discovery should be just that: a thrill. There is, however, a difference between giving subtle clues which, in retrospect *should have* allowed me to uncover the correct path to progress, and giving no clues at all, as well as making a player do things in a *very* exacting way with no way to know any of it. That's reprehensible. That's Golvellius!