Sega Master System Review

Before Sega made wave with the Genesis/Megadrive in the 16-bit era, it had its first international console release with the Sega Master System.  It didn’t have nearly the success in the US as the Nintendo Entertainment System, but it had large market share in Europe and Brazil and still has quite a following. 

Brief History:

The First version is the Mark III, which was only released in Japan (1985) and was basically an upgrade of the SG-1000 II, it looks similar and is backwards compatible with SG-1000 games.The Master System came out in 1986 in North America, EU and Japan in 1987.

Due to strong International support (mainly in European markets and in other regions like Brazil), the Master System is the second best selling Sega console with 13 million units sold, only the Mega Drive/Genesis sold more.

The Master System enjoyed a decade of strong sales in Brazil and other smaller markets when Nintendo did not sell the NES.

Their were no official mascots for the Master System, but Alex Kidd and Sonic are often thought of as being the unofficial mascots(But Sonic showed up on the Genesis first).   

Alex Kidd in Miracle World 1986

The Master System laid the technical groundwork for Sega’s portable Game Gear system.In the global market, the Master System was heavily overshadowed by the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES).
While early consoles typically came bundled with a game cartridge (such as Mario/Duck Hunt on NES), the Master System had games embedded in the console hardware.

The 3D Glasses ,light phaser or the control stick were an ambitious accessories

— especially for a first-party release.  They worked well and were innovative.

The best things about the Master SystemGood 8-bit Color Palette: 

 Better color palette than the NES, 64 colors to the 48 on the NES.  The SMS had up to 32 simultaneous colors available (one 16-color palette for sprites or background, an additional 16-color palette for background only) from a palette of 64 (can also show 64 simultaneous colors using programming tricks) 

Some Excellent Ports: R-Type, Alex Kidd games, Ghouls and Ghosts, Sonic 1, 2 and Chaos, Shinobi, Phantasy Star, Fantasy Zone (if it doesn’t render you blind) are all great on the Master System.   IThe SMS also has a better version of Castle of Illusion than on the Genesis/Mega Drive, even if it is very similar to Mario 2.

 Phantasy Star – It’s worth repeating that the original Phantasy Star (a wonderful RPG) is on the Master System.  Will complement the three sequels on the Genesis quite nicely.

 3D Glasses – An early example of Sega’s creativtiy in both hardware and software.  It created a number of its games to support the 3D glasses accessory.  They are rather hard to find, but worked surprisingly well.

 Strong Support in Brazil – Classic Sega systems are still quite popular in Brazil and the Master System received many games published well after the machine had died off elsewhere.  Games included ports of Street Fighter 2 and Dynamite Headdy (from Treasure)  .

Very Durable Console Hardware: The machine itself (Master System 2 mainly) holds up well to coffee spills, kickings and overplaying surprisingly well. I’ve broken a Master System 1, but I’ve had the same Master System since 1991.

Play On the Genesis With Power Base Convertor: Even if you don’t have a Master System, but do own a Genesis/Megadrive you can play Master System games, just put a Master System Converter into the console and you’re set.  The Genesis sound chip is actually the same processor as the Master System’s CPU, so everything runs perfectly.

Master System and Genesis/Megadrive Controllers Interchangable: That’s right — Master System and Genesis controllers use the same connector and are backwards/forwards-compatible with each other.  (and Atari joysticks too)  So if you prefer Genesis controller or just have a bunch laying around, don’t worry about hunting down Master System controllers.  You can also use Master System controllers with your Genesis/Power Base Converter combo for more authenticity 

Solid Game Boxes: The game boxes are of good quality, none of that cardboard NES, SNES and N64 stuff

The worst things about it

• Limited Game Library: The Master System had about 300 games compared to the NES’ 500+  classics.
• Most Multi-Platform Games are Inferior: Despite having a few excellent ports (see above), most games that showed up on both NES and SMS seem to be inferior.
•  Difficult to Find in the US: Both the consoles are hard to come by games in America compared to the NES or Genesis.

The Master system Hardware Variations

Sega Mark 3

Master System (Model 1) / Mark III
The original Sega Master System was manufactured by Tonka. It was known as the Mark III in Japan .  The original Master System and the Mark III included a card reader. The cards being slightly smaller than credit cards held less data than a cartridge, often lacking an ending to the games, there were very few card games.

Master System II

After a period of decline and the rise of the newly-released Sega Mega Drive, Sega constructed the Sega Master System II for overseas markets.The Master System II removes many features (usually unpopular ones) in an effort to cut costs. There is no card port (and by extension, no 3D Glasses support), the unused expansion port was removed and the reset button has been omitted in favour of a larger pause button. The swinging, hinged cartridge slot doors of the original model are replaced with a sliding cover (which cannot be closed with a cartridge inserted), and the number of video output options reduced (usually to just RF). Also missing is a power LED and the BIOS screen introducing the console when powered on.

The Master System 3 is a console released by Tectoy exclusively in Brazil in 2008. It is a continuation of the long-running Sega Master Systemline seen in the country, succeeding the line of "Master System 3 Collection" consoles (which in turn followed the "Master System III Compact"). Like the last two models of its predecessor, this Master System 3 lacks a cartridge slot, relying solely on built-in games. It has a shorter name and also opts for a radically changed design over previous consoles, presumed to be unique to Tectoy products.

One of the key design features of the Mega Drive is its compatibility with its immediate predecessor, the Master System, as the Mega Drive's design is based upon the Master System's design, albeit enhanced and extended in many areas. As the cartridge slot of the Mega Drive is shaped differently than that of the Master System, and because its games could not be played directly through the Mega Drive, Sega released the Power Base Converter, an accessory that is placed between a Master System cartridge and the Mega Drive, allowing the user to play the previous generation of Sega games without the need for an extra console.

Coleco Sonic, also known as PlayPal Portable Player in Canada and Pocket Gear in Europe, is a handheld game console released in 2006 by Coleco. It features 20 built-in games from the Sega Master System and Sega Game Gear.[1] All the games can be played either on the backlit integrated 2.4" TFT LCD display, or output to a TV via composite video. Its name references the Sega mascot, Sonic the Hedgehog, who stars in some of the games.

The Built-in Games

Master System 1 & 2 came with different Games built in,here's a list:
•Hang-on
•Hang-on/Safari Hunt
•zaxxon 3D
•Alex Kidd
•Sonic the hedgeogh

Master system merchandising 

Tv commercial

Sources:

Sega retro

Racketboy

Wikipedia