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The Sega Master System Game Guide
Started Monday, 25th November, 2002
Written by Matt Keller
Last updated Tuesday, December 21, 2004
Version 1.10
342 titles covered
319/342 entries complete (93.27%)
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Contents
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1. Overview
2. Explanation of Format
3. Game List
4. Unreleased/Unconfirmed Titles
5. Blank Form
6. Credits
7. Legals
8. Contact
9. Version History
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1. Overview
===========
This guide is intended to serve as a reference to all of the commercially
available titles on the Sega Master System. While it is currently a work in
progress, I hope that it could one day be touted as a comprehensive guide to
the games available on the system. This is the second guide of this nature
that I have written, with my long running Gamecube Game Guide being the first.
The guide currently caters to the games available for the system, but I would
like to one day expand it to cover the various different models of Sega Master
System hardware and the variety of peripherals that were once available.
Please note that I am unable to fluently speak Portuguese, so I apologise to
any South American readers if I make any glaring errors while referring to
popular culture which appears in some of the Brazillian SMS releases. My
Japanese abilities have suffered unmeasurably since the completion of high
school, so some of my translations may be less than acceptable. With the help
of the Master System community, I'd like to get these both up to scratch.
Also note that this is a WORK IN PROGRESS. There are still many glaring
errors in the guide, such as double ups and titles that don't exist. I am
aware of the majority of these errors, and am doing my best to correct them,
but keep in mind that these things take time.
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2. Explanation of Format
========================
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Name: Name of the game, preferably full title
Author/Vendor: Developer/Publisher
Year: Year of release
Region: Places it was released in
Language: All languages supported
Genre: Type of game
Cart Size: How many Megabit?
Players: # of players
Peripherals: What extra peripherals are supported
Premise: What the game is about
Impressions: What I think of the Game
Rating (1-10): A rating for the game
Comments: Any extra notes
Variations: Notes about versions on other consoles or clones
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3. Game List
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#
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Name: 20 em 1
Author/Vendor: Tectoy
Year: 1997
Region: Brazil
Language: Portuguese
Genre: Multi
Cart Size: ? megabit
Players: Multi
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: One of those cheap multi-game carts designed for children
who are so poor they can't afford to pay attention. (I kid,
I kid)
Impressions: Some of the games are visually pleasing, but they're all so
simple, most real gamers won't want to bother.
Rating (1-10): 3
Comments: A 20 in 1 cart bundle with some Master System III units.
Variations: The 50 in 1 coming with the 2002 Xmas SMS?
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Name: 4 Pak All Action
Author/Vendor: Open Corporation/Daou Infosys Corparation/HES
Year: 1995
Region: Australia
Language: English
Genre: ?
Cart Size: ? megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: The 4 Games are
1. Adventure Kid
2. Power Block
3. Twin Mouse
4. Cave Dude
Impressions: The games all appear to be simple pallete swaps of other
games or really simple homebrew efforts. Not really worth
the effort it takes to track a copy down.
Rating (1-10): 3
Comments: Only available in Australia, with a fairly hefty price tag,
now, one would imagine.
Variations: None.
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A
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Name: A Turma Da Monica em O Resgate
Author/Vendor: Tec Toy
Year: 1993
Region: Brazil
Language: Portuguese
Genre: Action
Cart Size: ? megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: See WONDER BOY III: THE DRAGON'S TRAP, but substitute the
various animal transformations for various character types.
Impressions: See WONDER BOY III: THE DRAGON'S TRAP
Rating (1-10): See WONDER BOY III: THE DRAGON'S TRAP
Comments: Roughly translates to Monica's Gang in: The Rescue. I don't
know the origins of the character.
Variations: Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap
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Name: Ace of Aces
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1991
Region: Europe
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: A bomber sim based during the second world war. You fight
as the Allies against the Germans.
Impressions: Horrible, to say the least. Sim fans might find a little
something here, but it won't keep their attention for long,
its just a bit hard to get a grasp of. Buggy, and feels
kind of unfinished.
Rating (1-10): 4
Comments: None
Variations: None
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Name: Action Fighter
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1986
Region: USA, Europe, Australia, Japan
Language: Various
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Bunch of terrorists kidnap the president, and send a bunch
of troops to storm the country, or something. You drive
a motorbike which can be upgraded into a car and even an
aeroplane.
Impressions: Action Fighter is to the Master System as Spy Hunter is to
the NES. Both very similar games, but I'd say Action
Fighter is a little better. Not great, though.
Rating (1-10): 6
Comments: None
Variations: None
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Name: Action Pack
Author/Vendor: Tec Toy
Year: ?
Region: Brazil
Language: Portuguese
Genre: Various
Cart Size: ? megabit
Players: 1-?
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: ?
Impressions: ?
Rating (1-10): ?
Comments: ?
Variations: ?
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Name: Addams Family, The
Author/Vendor: Flying Edge/Arc Developments/Ocean
Year: 1993
Region: Europe
Language: English
Genre: Action/Adventure
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Loosely based on the film starring Angelica Houston and
the late Raul Julia. Gomez must rescue various family
members scattered around the house and various other places.
Impressions: It's a bit meh, nothing really inspiring, but it isn't
totally awful like some Flying Edge efforts.
Rating (1-10): 5
Comments: Ported from another version?
Variations: SNES, Megadrive, PC and NES versions exist.
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Name: Aerial Assault
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1990
Region: Europe, Australia, USA
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: One of many fairly stock standard horizontal shooters on the
system. Fly an advanced fighter jet, and blow up everything
that comes your way.
Impressions: While it can't even put a dent in Fantasy Zone's title as
the best horizontal shooter on the system, it isn't all that
bad. Not terribly exciting though.
Rating (1-10): 6
Comments: None
Variations: None
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Name: After Burner
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1988
Region: USA, Japan, Europe, Australia
Language: Various
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 4 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: You're an ace fighter pilot. For wings you have an F-14
Thunder Cat, the most advanced jet fighter ever developed.
In the sky, you are the perfect match of man and machine.
The country's freedom depends on your success. Good Luck.
Impressions: A pretty impressive port, as the arcade machine was a little
more complex than the SMS hardware. Fun for the first few
missions, but becomes dull quickly. Boss fights are good
but there isn't nearly enough of them.
Rating (1-10): 7
Comments: Ported from the arcade game. Japanese cart contains FM
sound.
Variations: Arcade, Megadrive and Mega CD versions and sequels exist.
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Name: Air Rescue
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1992
Region: Europe, USA
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1-?
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: A helicopter based rescue game which takes place in the cold
war era.
Impressions: Not a patch on Choplifter, even though it offers a few
little extras. Controls are a bit naff.
Rating (1-10): 5
Comments: None
Variations: None
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Name: Aladdin
Author/Vendor: Disney/Sega
Year: 1994
Region: Europe
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 4 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Based on the hit Disney movie starring Robin Williams.
Impressions: Shares more in common with the SNES game than the Megadrive
one, but seems to be better. There's a few nifty chase
scenes in there, and the game generally feels a little like
Flashback on the Megadrive...if that's any concellation.
Better than I expected.
Rating (1-10): 8
Comments: None
Variations: Megadrive, NES, and SNES versions exist.
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Name: Aleste
Author/Vendor: Compile (reprogrammed by Sega)/Sega
Year: 1988
Region: Europe, Japan
Language: Various
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Another top down shooter, this time against various alien
ships
Impressions: Pretty good shooter actually, almost seems like a prequel
of sorts to Power Strike, the power up structure is very
similar.
Rating (1-10): 7
Comments: Japanese cart contains FM sound.
Variations: Very similar to Power Strike
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Name: Alex Kidd and the Lost Stars
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1988
Region: USA, Japan, Europe, Australia
Language: Various
Genre: Adventure
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: An evil monster Jiggarat steals the stars from above Planet
Aries, and it is up to Alex Kidd to stop him.
Impressions: Its very different, but I cannot say I like any of the new
themes in the slightest. Something went wrong here.
Rating (1-10): 4
Comments: Third game in the Alex Kidd series. Japanese cart contains
FM sound.
Variations: Arcade version exists.
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Name: Alex Kidd: BMX Trial
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1987
Region: Japan
Language: Japanese
Genre: Sports (bmx)
Cart Size: 4 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Paddle Controller
Premise: A BMX game featuring Alex Kidd, which was only released in
Japan.
Impressions: Due to the fact it uses a paddle controller, it's pretty
much impossible to give a fair and reasonable impression
on how the game is meant to play without having used the
said peripheral. Doesn't really control well with anything
else.
Rating (1-10): 5
Comments: For the last few years, I was under the impression that this
was an unfinished beta, but apparently it was a commercial
title for the Mark III. Japanese cart contains FM sound.
Variations: None.
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Name: Alex Kidd in High Tech World
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1987
Region: USA, Europe, Australia
Language: Various
Genre: Adventure
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Alex Kidd hears about a great new arcade in a nearby city.
Unfortunatly, his map has been torn up, and he must get to
the arcade before it closes at 4pm.
Impressions: Quite an odd story. The first mission is a very good
adventure game-esque fare, but then it breaks down into
platforming in the second. Fairly good, overall.
Rating (1-10): 7
Comments: Second game in the Alex Kidd series.
Variations: Known as Anmitsu Hime in Japan, features different
characters.
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Name: Alex Kidd in Miracle World
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1986
Region: USA, Europe, Japan, Australia
Language: Various
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Janken and his three henchmen Rockhead, Scissorhead, and
Paperhead, have taken the land of Radaxian hostage. They
have kidnapped Alex's brother, Igor, and the King has
mysteriously gone missing. Only Alex can save the day.
Impressions: The first in the series, and by far the best. Simple
platform action, with a few nifty gadgets thrown into the
mix. Paper Scissors Rock is pretty easy to memorize, but
that music has forever stuck in my head.
Rating (1-10): 9
Comments: Built in game for most people's Master System II's, but a
cartridge version exists.
Variations: None
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Name: Alex Kidd in Shinobi World
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1990
Region: Europe, Australia, USA
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: After ten thousand years, the once banished Dark Ninja
returns to make another attempt to take over Miracle World.
Someone's definitely got to stop him! Guess who dares to
meet the challenge? The Kidd, the prince who knows no fear.
He's the only one who can fight back.
Impressions: Its not too bad. Pretty much like Shinobi, with a few
extra little tricks thrown in (wall jumps). I can't seem
to enjoy it, however.
Rating (1-10): 6
Comments: 4th in the Alex Kidd series.
Variations: None
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Name: ALF
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1989
Region: Europe, Australia, USA
Language: English
Genre: Adventure
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: The world's favourite bad boy alien is back...on your Sega
System. It's Alf! And he's got a mission...get to Mars to
visit his friends Rhonda and Skip. The problem is his
space ship is broken. And the Alfer isn't about to grow
wings. So it has to be fixed...and that's where you come
in! Guide Alf as he searches for the things needed to fix
his ship. Pearls snatched from the jaws of giant clams...
space scooter fuel in the darkest caves, spacesuits,
costumes and more!
Alf's Sega adventure will take you from the bottom of lakes
to the moon, through houses and across busy streets. Some
things you will be able to find, others you will need to buy
and all the while you will have to keep on escaping from the
creepy clutches of the Alien Task Force. You never know
when they'll appear next!
Succeed and you will send the Alfer on his way to a happy
reunion. Mess up, and Alfer stays stuck on Earth. Do you
think you can do it? No problem.
Impressions: Absolute tosh! Alf looks like something runny and brown
that cracks porcelin, and the gameplay is a bit naff. If
you are looking for your Alf fix, get cable, or something.
Rating (1-10): 2
Comments: Based on the hit 80's TV show
Variations: None
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Name: Alien 3
Author/Vendor: Acclaim
Year: 1992
Region: Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Based on the third movie in the Alien series, in which
Ripley finds herself on an a prison planet. All seems to be
under control until the mother alien shows up.
Impressions: A little bit different from the movie in the fact you
actually have guns to dispose of the aliens. Fairly
standard shoot the baddies and rescue the goodies gameplay.
Rating (1-10): 6
Comments: None
Variations: NES, SNES, Megadrive, Game Boy and Game Gear versions exist.
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Name: Alien Storm
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1991
Region: Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Aliens invade earth, and three heroes, Gordon, a girl (who
I still don't remember the name of) and Scooter (a robot)
take it upon themselves to stop the extra terrestrial
threat. Based on the hit arcade game.
Impressions: Another technically limited arcade port. First off, the
female character is missing. Next, about 90% of the
animation is missing. The difficulty is non existant, too.
Barely resembles the arcade and Megadrive versions. The
first person shooter bits are probably the best bit now.
Rating (1-10): 5
Comments: None?
Variations: Arcade and Megadrive versions exist
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Name: Alien Syndrome
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1987
Region: Japan, USA, Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: A top down maze based shooter in which you must rescue
various hostages and deactivate bombs, kill aliens, you
know, the usual. Based on the arcade hit.
Impressions: I found it to be a little bizarre, and a bit tedious. Two
player action is alright if you can find someone willing to
play with you, otherwise it is a little dry.
Rating (1-10): 5
Comments: Japanese cart contains FM sound.
Variations: Arcade version exists.
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Name: Altered Beast
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1988
Region: USA, Europe, Australia, Japan
Language: Various
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Sega's newest arcade hit! You can transform into a wolfman,
dragon, tigerman and bearman. (promo)
Impressions: Missing a bit of the charm of the Arcade and Megadrive
versions, not to mention a lot of the animation, but it
does have a few charms of its own (I love the shattering
sprites). Better than the godawful NES port, for one thing.
Rating (1-10): 6
Comments: Despite what the promo says, the bear man is not in the
Master System game
Variations: Megadrive, Arcade, NES and TG16 versions exist.
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Name: American Baseball
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1989
Region: Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Sports (baseball)
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Well, erm, its a baseball game. And it has lots of modes
and stuff.
Impressions: Graphically pleasing, and the gameplay holds up, but it is
definitely something you will need a friend for to enjoy to
its maximum potential
Rating (1-10): 7
Comments: Non American version of Reggie Jackson's Baseball
Variations: Reggie Jackson's Baseball
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Name: American Pro Football
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1989
Region: Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Sports (football)
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Football, American style, with a bunch of tournament modes
and a two player option.
Impressions: It's not too bad, but not terribly great. Joe Montana
Football is a bit better in my opinion, but those football
fans out there can decide for themselves.
Rating (1-10): 5
Comments: European version of Walter Payton Football
Variations: Walter Payton Football
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Name: Andre Agassi Tennis
Author/Vendor: Lance Investments Ltd./Tecmagik
Year: 1993
Region: Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Sports (tennis)
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: A tennis game featuring the legendary Andre Agassi, back
when he had hair.
Impressions: It's alright, but weird animation and lacking control let it
down. Even so, it's one of the better tennis games on the
system, but pales in comparison to Wimbledon.
Rating (1-10): 5
Comments: None
Variations: Megadrive version exists.
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Name: Anmitsu Hime
Author/Vendor: Studio Pierrot/Sega
Year: 1987
Region: Japan
Language: Japanese
Genre:
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players:
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Looks to be exactly the same as Alex Kidd in Hi Tech World,
due to Alex Kidd being a failure in Japan, Sega obviously
decided to mix it up.
Impressions: Seeing as my Japanese skills are not what they once were,
I cannot give this a fair impression, but for all purposes
it's probably the same as Alex Kidd in Hi Tech World.
Rating (1-10): 7
Comments: None
Variations: Alex Kidd in Hi Tech World for the West
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Name: Arcade Smash Hits
Author/Vendor: Virgin
Year: 1992
Region: USA, Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Three classic Atari arcade games on the one cartridge.
Impressions: I hate these "classic" arcade compilations, but for those
who were around back then, this should be a blast from the
past, or a trip down memory lane, or some other cheesy
cliche.
Rating (1-10): 5
Comments: None
Variations: Many of these stupid compilations exist.
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Name: Argos no ju-jiken
see RYGAR
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Name: Ariel: The Little Mermaid
Author/Vendor: Tec Toy
Year: Unknown (not stated on box)
Region: Brazil
Language: Portuguese
Genre: Adventure
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Unknown, but I'd assume it was based on the movie or the
TV show which followed
Impressions: Yet another cut down Megadrive port from the looks of it.
Better off with Ecco for all of your underwater action,
though that's not saying much.
Rating (1-10): 3
Comments: Apparently, it's a port of the Game Gear version.
Variations: Little Mermaid games exist on the Megadrive and NES, but
they may be completely different.
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Name: Ashura
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1986
Region: Japan
Language: Japanese
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: You're a lone commando, and you get to shoot lots of things.
Need I say more?
Impressions: Not a bad little top down shooter, and a bit of fun in two
player mode, but I imagine that it is completely lacking
in the longevity arena.
Rating (1-10): 6
Comments: Is it just me, or does this use the same engine as The
Ninja?
Variations: Japanese version of Secret Commando and Rambo FBP2
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Name: Assault City
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1990
Region: Europe
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick, Light Phaser (special version)
Premise: A bunch of robots turn against their human creators, and
full scale war breaks out
Impressions: Stock standard light phaser game that doesn't really offer
much more than a few different sprites to shoot at.
Rating (1-10): 5
Comments: There was a special light phaser version.
Variations: None
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Name: Asterix
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1991
Region: Europe, Australia
Language: English, French
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 4 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Based on the popular comic book which originated in France.
Impressions: Excellent animation, smooth control, and all round fun, this
is definitely one that you should consider picking up,
even if you aren't a fan of the comics.
Rating (1-10): 8
Comments: Is it just me, or is the presentation very similar to
Castle of Illusion? First in the Asterix series on the
Master System.
Variations: There is one Asterix game on the Megadrive.
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Name: Asterix and the Great Rescue
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1994
Region: Europe
Language: English, French, German, Swedish, Spanish
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 4 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Unknown
Impressions: Seems to have taken the approach that the Megadrive game
took, as it bears resembelence to its 16-bit brethren.
The animation is a little less smooth (limited memory), but
more importantly, the gameplay is still there.
Rating (1-10): 8
Comments: Possibly ported from the Megadrive? Third in the Asterix
Series
Variations: None?
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Name: Asterix and the Secret Mission
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1993
Region: Europe
Language: French, English, German
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 4 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Asterix and Obelix must find various different herbs to
provide a cure for one of their leaders before full scale
war breaks out.
Impressions: Once again, Asterix displays brilliant animation and
gameplay that people who aren't fans of the comics can
enjoy.
Rating (1-10): 8
Comments: Second in the Asterix series.
Variations: Re-released as a Sega Classic
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Name: Astro Warrior and Pit Pot
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1986
Region: USA, Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Compilation
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Two games on the one cart, one shooter and one puzzle/maze
game.
Impressions: Value for money for all those cheapies out there, but see
the individual entries for game evaluations.
Rating (1-10): 7
Comments: Both available as separate carts.
Variations: None?
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Name: Astro Warrior
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1986
Region: USA, Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: A nice vertical shooter which requires you to blast the
bejeezus out of a bunch of aliens.
Impressions: Not bad as far as shoot em ups go on the system, but it is
a little tough for the inept (such as myself) and the
powerups are a little lacking to say the least. Worth a
look.
Rating (1-10): 7
Comments: Also on a compilation cart with Pit Pot
Variations: None
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Name: Aztec Adventure: The Golden Road to Paradise
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1987
Region: USA, Australia, Europe
Language: English
Genre: Adventure
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Welcome to the land of the ancient Aztecs, where money talks
and enemies can be bought. Your objective: reach the Aztec
paradise, where the tokens of wealth and happiness await.
(back of the box)
Impressions: Its a bit of a Legend of Zelda clone, but with a bit
superior graphics, but lacking the polish of Zelda. Worth
a look for adventure fans.
Rating (1-10): 7
Comments: None
Variations: Nazca '88
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B
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Name: Back to the Future: Part 2
Author/Vendor: Image Works/Mirrorsoft
Year: 1990
Region: Europe
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Based on the hit movie starring Michael J. Fox and
Christopher Lloyd, which tells a story of a young boy, a
crazy scientist, and a DeLorean that has been converted into
a time machine.
Impressions: To be frank, its a steaming pile of turds. Looks ugly,
plays pretty poorly, and the music is irritating. Just
stick with watching the movies, and you'll be alright.
Rating (1-10): 2
Comments: None
Variations: None
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Name: Back to the Future: Part 3
Author/Vendor: Image Works/Mirrorsoft
Year: 1991
Region: Europe
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Based on the hit movie starring Michael J. Fox and
Christopher Lloyd, which tells a story of a young boy, a
crazy scientist, and a DeLorean that has been converted into
a time machine.
Impressions: Laughably bad, but still manages to be better than the game
for the second movie (kind of an inversed relationship).
Rating (1-10): 3
Comments: None
Variations: None
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Name: Baku Baku Animals
Author/Vendor: Sega/Tectoy
Year: 1996
Region: Brazil
Language: English
Genre: Puzzle
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1-?
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: A puzzle game of sorts, which shares a little in common with
Compile's Puyo Puyo.
Impressions: The thing that it shares in common with Puyo Puyo is that I
have absolutely no idea how to play the damn thing.
Rating (1-10): 5
Comments: May be a Game Gear game, I am not sure (confirmation needed)
Variations: None
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Bank Panic
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1987
Region: Europe, USA
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 1/4 of a megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: You're in the old west, and you must take care of the bank
robbers, but be careful of the innocent civilians!
Impressions: It's not to bad once you get used to the mechanics, but
the game doesnt have too much staying power.
Rating (1-10): 6
Comments: Ported from the arcade.
Variations: Arcade version exists.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Bart vs the Space Mutants
Author/Vendor: Flying Edge
Year: 1992
Region: Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Blatant cash in on the early Simpsons popularity (when Bart
was the most popular character). Basically a bunch of
aliens with an attraction towards certain colours invade
Springfield, and Bart must grab spray paint, and change
their colour so the objects are not stolen.
Impressions: Its a fairly decent game, but it's frustratingly hard.
Simpsons fans and platformer fans might want to take a look,
but some may want to look elsewhere.
Rating (1-10): 5
Comments: Ported from the NES?
Variations: NES, Megadrive and PC versions exist
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Bart vs the World
Author/Vendor: Flying Edge
Year: 1993
Region: Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Don't exactly know what the premise is, but I take it Bart
has done something to annoy the world.
Impressions: Its the first of the Simpsons series which basically
consists of a bunch of poorly put together minigames.
Simpsons fans might want to look to Bart vs the Space
Mutants, or the Simpsons arcade game if they are interested
in a good game.
Rating (1-10): 4
Comments: Ported from the NES?
Variations: NES version exists.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Basketball Nightmare
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1989
Region: Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Sports (basketball)
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: You are the captain of the Hometown High School's basketball
team. You've won the tournaments and are trying to win the
All-Americans High School Championship! But one night you
had a very strange dream...(back of the box)
Impressions: Basketball with a plot, basically. As far as basketball
games go on the system, its probably the best one. Single
player is a little short, but the two player mode is sure
to cause a bit of rivalry between friends and family.
Rating (1-10): 8
Comments: None
Variations: None
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Batman Returns
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1992
Region: Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Based on the second movie in the Batman series starring
Michael Keaton, Michelle Pfieffer and Danny DeVito. It's
Christmas time in Gotham, and two new baddies have shown up,
Catwoman, and the Penguin. It is up to Batman to deal with
them.
Impressions: An interesting little game, reminiscent of Shinobi, though
lacking the same quality. You get to choose one of two
routes at the start of the level which is fairly nifty,
otherwise its just standard platform action.
Rating (1-10): 6
Comments: Completely different animal to the Megadrive version and the
SNES version. The SNES version is by far the best of the
Batman Returns games.
Variations: Different versions of this game exist on every platform
available around 1992. Also available as a Sega Classic.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Battle Out Run
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1989
Region: Europe
Language: English
Genre: Racing
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1-?
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Outrun meets Chase HQ, with just enough to separate them.
Impressions: Selectable levels and music is a bonus, and choosing your
kit mid mission is a bonus, otherwise it's just Outrun, with
a little destruction.
Rating (1-10): 6
Comments: Sequel to Out Run
Variations: Out Run appeared in the Arcade and on the Megadrive. A
further 16-bit sequel followed in the form of Out Run 2019.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Battlemaniacs
Author/Vendor: Rare/Tectoy
Year: Unknown (not listed on box)
Region: Brazil
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: A port of the Super Nintendo game Battletoads in
Battlemaniacs, a game by Rareware. 3 toad brothers must
save the world from an evil queen..or something.
Impressions: If you like cut down 16-bit games, you could go for this.
Less frustrating than the original game (which isn't on the
SMS), which automatically makes it 10 times better.
Rating (1-10): 6
Comments: Looks to be only 95% complete. It's a port of the SNES
Battletoads game.
Variations: Battletoads: Battlemaniacs on the SNES.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Black Belt
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1986
Region: Europe, Australia, USA
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Erm, you're this Kung Fu type guy, and you beat things up.
Impressions: It's generic button mashy action for the most part. The
main levels are a side scrolling affair, with a constant
flow of enemies (who shatter on impact) and the odd enemy
with a piece of equipment. Finally the boss fights are a
more Street Fighter 1 on 1 affair, though very simplistic.
Rating (1-10): 5
Comments: None
Variations: Hotuko no Ken/Fist of the North Star
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Blade Eagle 3D
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1988
Region: Europe, Australia, USA
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick, 3D Glasses
Premise: A vertical shoot-em-up which supports use of the 3D Glasses
peripheral.
Impressions: Highly ordinary shooter with a few tricks thanks to the
3D glasses. Nothing special here.
Rating (1-10): 5
Comments: Can be played without the 3D glasses. Japanese cart contains
FM sound.
Variations:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Bomber Raid
Author/Vendor: Activision/Sega
Year: 1988
Region: USA, Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1-?
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Take to the skies with Two-Mega fire-power in the gnarliest
fighter-bomber game ever. (promo)
Impressions: Fairly decent shooter with a good powerup system. Can get
a little frantic at times, and the framerate does suffer.
Rating (1-10): 6
Comments: Apparently there are two versions, an Activision one (US and
early EU release) and the Sega one (all other). The
Activision one is much more rare. Japanese cart contains
FM sound.
Variations:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Bonanza Brothers
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1991
Region: Europe, Australia, USA
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Two brothers, Robo and mobo are sent on a mission to clean
up Badville, by looting money from jewelry thieves and
counterfeit money runners, etc.
Impressions: Interesting little game which plays fairly well. Lacks the
co-operative mode that was in the other versions which is a
serious problem in the longetivity stakes. Collect the loot
and dodgy the security guards.
Rating (1-10): 6
Comments:
Variations: Arcade and Megadrive versions exist
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Bonkers Wax Up!
Author/Vendor: Tectoy
Year: 1994
Region: Brazil
Language: Portuguese
Genre: Action
Cart Size: megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Based on the Disney cartoon from the mid 90's about a crazy
cat who happens to be a police officer.
Impressions: Pretty much straight platforming action, nothing really
good or bad with the title. Take a look if you like the
original cartoon, otherwise there's nothing to see here.
Rating (1-10): 5
Comments: Port of the Game Gear version.
Variations: Bonkers on the Game Gear.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Borgman
Author/Vendor: Toho/Sega
Year: 1988
Region: Japan
Language: Japanese
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Most likely based on some form of mid 80's anime.
Impressions: Very weird side scrolling action game which employs two
viewpoints at once - may also require two pads to operate.
Rating (1-10): 5
Comments: Released on a special Gold cartridge in Japan.
Japanese cart contains FM sound.
Variations: Tyouon Sensi Borgman
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Bram Stoker's Dracula
Author/Vendor: Sony Imagesoft
Year: 1992
Region: Europe, Australia, USA
Language: English
Genre: Adventure
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Based on the 1992 movie starring Johnny Depp.
Impressions: As with all Sony Imagesoft games in the 90's, this one is a
load of crap. Poor animation, loose control, bad collision
detection and just generally bad to play.
Rating (1-10): 2
Comments: ?
Variations: Megadrive, Mega CD, SNES and Gameboy versions exist.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Bubble Bobble
Author/Vendor: Taito
Year: 1991
Region: Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Puzzle
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Bub and Bob are two average boys, with cute girlfriends.
At least until their girlfriends are kidnapped, and they're
tranformed into bubble blowing lizards.
Impressions: Definitely one of the top puzzle games on the system.
Trap your enemies in bubbles and pop them through about
200 levels. Just pray your brother doesn't accidently kick
the machine and wipe your progress :(
Rating (1-10): 8
Comments: Japanese cart contains FM sound.
Variations: Arcade, PC and NES versions exist, as well as a graphical
remake for the Game Boy Advance. Also known as Dragon Maze,
Final Bubble Bobble.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Buggy Run
Author/Vendor: Sega/Capcom
Year: 1993
Region: Europe
Language: English
Genre: Racing
Cart Size: 4 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Isometric racer in the vein of R.C. Grand Prix.
Impressions: Decent little racer, though not as polished as some others
on the system. Control is a bit off, unfortunately.
Rating (1-10): 6
Comments: Does a Capcom version exist?
Variations: None?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
==============================================================================
C
==============================================================================
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: California Games
Author/Vendor: Epyx/Sega (reprogrammed)
Year: 1989
Region: Europe, Australia, USA
Language: English
Genre: Sports (multi)
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1-8
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Compete in a bunch of sports that were popular in California
in the late 1980's, such as Skateboarding and Flying Disc.
Impressions: Good little compilation of sports titles that provide for
some enjoyable competitive action with your friends. Not
really much chop on your own, though. Avoid the sequel at
all costs.
Rating (1-10): 8
Comments: None
Variations: C64, PC, NES, Megadrive, Lynx and countless other versions
exist.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: California Games II
Author/Vendor: Epyx (reprogrammed by Sega)/Sega
Year: 1993
Region: Europe
Language: English
Genre: Sports (multi)
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1-8
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Push your courage and cool to their limits in four
innovative action sports from California. Showcase your
skills speeding around the skateboard track, body boarding
on foam breakers, hang gliding over the ocean and
snowboarding down perilous slopes.
Impressions: An absolute travesty, especially seeing the prequel was a
damn fine game. Stupid events which are impossible to get
the hang of. Luckily it had a small production run.
Rating (1-10): 1
Comments: Sequel to California Games
Variations: SNES and PC versions exist.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Captain Silver
Author/Vendor: Data East (reprogrammed by Sega)/Sega
Year: 1989
Region: Europe, Australia, USA
Language: English
Genre: Adventure
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: You're Jack Avery, a lad with a taste for treasure and high
adventure! In this hot Sega adventure you are fast on the
trail of the most feared sea pirate's treasure, Captain
Silver. It doesn't matter that he's dead. His ghost goes on
haunting the treasure... and all who try to find it... with
a bloodthirsty vengeance that has chased strong men to
their graves!
But you have no fear... or do you? With a tattered old
treasure map in hand, you must track down the sea dog's
golden board, battling creatures both from this world and
from beyond the grave! You'll start the game with your
trusty cutlass and your wits. Fight well and you'll be able
to increase the power of your sword, or purchase special
powers to slow down the hands of time and make yourself
temporarily invisible.
Wield your cutlass well and you'll face the ghost of the
Captain himself... with a chance to own all his buried
treasure. But fail in your quest, and who knows what
spirits will haunt you?"
Impressions: Very dull side scrolling hack and slash adventure. I never
knew that one could die by touching the water in a fountain.
Apparently, Jack Avery does.
Rating (1-10): 5
Comments: Arcade port?
Variations: Arcade version exists.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Casino Games
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1989
Region: Europe, USA
Language: English
Genre: Party
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1-?
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: A compilation of various games that you'd find around a
casino.
Impressions: Fine if you like computerised gambling, but the rest of us
will find it utterly tedious.
Rating (1-10): 5
Comments: None
Variations: None?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Castelo Ra Tim Bum
Author/Vendor: Tectoy
Year: 1997
Region: Brazil
Language: Portuguese
Genre: Adventure
Cart Size: 4 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: I don't know for sure, looks like it may be based on a
cartoon or TV show of the same name.
Impressions: One of the few original Brazillian titles available - could
be a fun game if I knew Portuguese
Rating (1-10): 7
Comments: None
Variations: None
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Champions of Europe
Author/Vendor: Tecmagik
Year: 1992
Region: Europe
Language: English
Genre: Sports (soccer)
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1-?
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Another soccer game, this time from a bird's eye
perspective.
Impressions: Strikingly similar to World Cup Italia 90, but not even as
fun to play, a bad thing considering Italia 90 was dire in
itself.
Rating (1-10): 4
Comments: None
Variations: None
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Championship Hockey
Author/Vendor: Electronic Arts/US Gold
Year: 1992
Region: Europe
Language: English
Genre: Sports (hockey)
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1-?
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Essentially it's EA Hockey from the Megadrive, converted to
Sega's 8-bit format.
Impressions: While EA Hockey rocked, this one is quite dull. Limited
animation, icky graphics and poor collision detection show
that your time would be better spent elsewhere.
Rating (1-10): 4
Comments: Port of EA Hockey
Variations: EA Hockey on the Megadrive
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Chapolim X Dracula
Author/Vendor: Tec Toy
Year: 1993
Region: Brazil
Language: Portuguese
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: 1-?
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: It's a pallete swap of Ghost House, with characters from
what I would assume is some form of Brazillian cartoon.
Impressions: See Ghost House, because they're exactly the same.
Rating (1-10): 6
Comments: Palette swap of Ghost House
Variations: Ghost House
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Chase HQ
Author/Vendor: Taito
Year: 1990
Region: Europe, Australia, Japan
Language: Various
Genre: Action/Driving
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: New York - to help eradicate crime, the Manhattan Police
have established a special investigation headquarters.
They call it Chase HQ - its objective: to arrest criminals
escaping in cars from the scene of a crime.
Impressions: It's a lot of fun, but a bit short lived, especially because
of its lack of difficulty.
Rating (1-10): 8
Comments: Sequel called Special Criminal Investigation
Variations: Arcade version exists.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Cheese Cat'astrophe
see SPEEDY GONZALES: CHEESE CAT'ASTROPHE
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Choplifter
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1985
Region: Europe, Australia, USA
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: You control a helicopter, and must fly around the
battlefield saving POWs, while trying to avoid being
destroyed.
Impressions: It's a fun game, but it can become very frustrating. Stick
with it, and you'll have a good time.
Rating (1-10): 7
Comments: SNES Sequel in Choplifter 3.
Variations: Arcade, Gameboy and C64 versions exist
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Chuck Rock
Author/Vendor: Virgin
Year: 1992
Region: Europe, Australia, USA
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Unga Bunga! Chuck Rock's wife, Ophelia, has been captured
by that no-good Gary Gritter. Can Chuck belly-butt his way
through five increasingly challenging stages, each one
packed with dozens of deranged dinosaurs and surprises
galore? Or is his love destined to end up on the rocks?
Impressions: Pretty stock standard platforming action. The graphics
are pretty impressive, though the background is entirely
black.
Rating (1-10): 5
Comments: Suspected Megadrive port.
Variations: Also on the Megadrive
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Chuck Rock II: Son of Chuck
Author/Vendor: Core Design
Year: 1993
Region: Europe
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Eighteen months after his victory over Gary Gritter, Chuck
Rock is now the owner of the hugely successful 'Chuck
Motors' and has become a father. Kidnapped by his evil
enemy Brick Jagger, Chuck Rock is likely to become Chuck
Dust unless somebody rescues him... A sudden crash as
Chuck Junior bursts from his play pen 'Goo Goo Gaa Gaa,
I'll be back'
Impressions: Pretty average platforming action, just substitute Chuck for
his son, and belly butting with a club.
Rating (1-10): 5
Comments: None
Variations: Also on the Megadrive
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Circuit, The
see WORLD GRAND PRIX
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Cloud Master
Author/Vendor: Hot B. Co. Ltd/Taito
Year: 1989
Region: Europe, Australia, Japan, USA
Language: Various
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1-?
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: You control a little boy on a floating cloud who proceeds to
blast the crap out of anything that moves. May or may not
be based on some form of Asian mythology.
Impressions: Unconventional in appearance, but nothing more than
standard horizontol shooter action in reality.
Rating (1-10): 5
Comments: None
Variations: ?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Columns
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1990
Region: Europe, Australia, Japan, USA
Language: Various
Genre: Puzzle
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Line up the matching jewels by colour, and lather, rinse and
repeat until you can't take it any more.
Impressions: One of the best puzzle games of all time. Simple premise,
but very easy to pick up, and hard to put down. A very good
alternative to Tetris.
Rating (1-10): 9
Comments: None.
Variations: Megadrive and Game Gear versions exist.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Cool Spot
Author/Vendor: Virgin
Year: 1993
Region: Europe, Australia, USA
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Play as the 7UP mascot Spot in his quest to become cool.
Thrilling, isn't it?
Impressions: Much better than your average Megadrive chop down job. The
background detail is gone, but much of the animation (which
was superb in the Megadrive game) is still there. Gameplay
is virtually identical, which can only be a good thing.
Rating (1-10): 8
Comments: Ported from the Megadrive(?)
Variations: Megadrive, Game Gear and SNES versions exist.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Cosmic Spacehead
Author/Vendor: Codemasters
Year: 1993
Region: Europe
Language: English
Genre: Adventure
Cart Size: megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Absorb your senses in this giant Extra Terrestrial Odyssey
of Cosmic discovery! Radical Adventure, Awesome Arcade and
super Sub-Games combine in Cosmic Spacehead's 50's Sci-fi
quest to prove the Earth's existence!
Impressions: Amusing little point and click adventure title, but there's
not nearly enough of it.
Rating (1-10): 7
Comments: Ported from the Megadrive? Had a special contoured cart.
Variations: Megadrive version exists.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Cyber Shinobi
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1990
Region: Europe, Australia, USA
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: An evil force known as the Zeed return to the world to cause
havoc, and only the super ninja type-bloke Joe Musashi can
save us all from the impending doom.
Impressions: This is a definite case of the old rose-tinted glasses. I
recalled this game being a nice beat em up with ninja powers
when in reality it's a farce and detrimental to the Shinobi
name. Limited animation and stupid difficulty ruin what
could have been a great sequel. The music is a blessing,
though.
Rating (1-10): 5
Comments: The official sequel to Shinobi
Variations: None.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Cyborg Hunter
Author/Vendor: Sega/Activision
Year: 1988
Region: Europe, USA
Language: English
Genre: Action/Adventure
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: You're the toughest bounty hunter in the galaxy. Fight off
swarms of deadly Cyborgs. (promo)
Impressions: It's got a nice idea in the fact that it displays a first
person and third person view at the same time, but the game
mechanics are quite flawed, and there's just a general lack
of direction within the game.
Rating (1-10): 5
Comments: Released by Activision in the USA.
Variations: None?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
==============================================================================
D
==============================================================================
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Daffy Duck in Hollywood
Author/Vendor: Probe Entertainment/Sega
Year: 1994
Region: Europe
Language: Various
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 4 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Daffy Duck goes to Hollywood, and all hell breaks loose. It
would appear that he is being stalked by some form of robot
duck.
Impressions: Must have been one of the last Sega Master System games
developed, as it features some pretty impressive graphics.
Gameplay is decent, but nothing you haven't seen before.
Other games do it better.
Rating (1-10): 7
Comments: None.
Variations: Megadrive version exists.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Danan the Jungle Fighter
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1990
Region: Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Action-RPG
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Danan is some form of barbarian type fellow, looking to
crack skulls and take names in this side scrolling action
RPG.
Impressions: Yuck. Poor graphics and sound, and very average controls
make Danan an absolute chore to play. You can get your RPG
kicks somewhere else.
Rating (1-10): 4
Comments: None.
Variations: None?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Dead Angle
Author/Vendor: Seibu Kaihatsu (reprogrammed by Sega)
Year: 1988
Region: Europe, Australia, USA
Language: English
Genre: Shooting
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: A third person shooting game.
Impressions: Interesting mechanics, as the player controls the game from
behind, yet has to control a targeting reticule as well.
Would have been much better as a light gun game.
Rating (1-10): 5
Comments: None.
Variations: None?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Deep Duck Trouble
Author/Vendor: Disney/Sega
Year: 1993
Region: Europe
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 4 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Uncle Scrooge gets cursed, and becomes bloated after finding
an artifact on one of his treasure hunts. Donald Duck gets
to save the day.
Impressions: Another quality Disney licensed game. This one is
structured similarly to Quackshot on the Megadrive, but
plays a lot like Castle and Land of Illusion.
Rating (1-10): 8
Comments: None
Variations: Sequel to Lucky Dime Caper.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Desert Speed Trap
Author/Vendor: Probe/Sega
Year: 1993
Region: Europe
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Play as the Road Runner, and run through a variety of levels
while dodging the pesky Wile E. Coyote.
Impressions: Probably the worst of the Road Runner games, but still
fairly playable. The time limits can be a pain in the butt,
and there are quite a few collision detection problems, but
there's still a bit of game in there.
Rating (1-10): 5
Comments: None
Variations: Various Road Runner/Coyote games are available on the Game
Gear, Megadrive and SNES.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Desert Strike
Author/Vendor: Kremlin/Electronic Arts/Domark/Sega
Year: 1992
Region: Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 4 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: With a fiery blast from your Hellfire missles, you must
annihilate a ruthless tyrant's military arsenal. Smoke his
private yacht and tear into his air force as you challenge
the madman's forces in a series of surgical strikes.
(back of the box, from the MD version)
Impressions: Still not that bad a game, even though a few things suffered
some major changes in the transition. However, the core
gameplay remains, and thats the main thing.
Rating (1-10): 8
Comments: Apparently a Sega version exists, but the majority was done
by Domark.
Variations: Megadrive, SNES, Mega CD and PC versions exist. The rest
of the Strike series appeared on the Megadrive, Saturn,
Playstation and N64.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Dick Tracy
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1990
Region: Europe, Australia, USA
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Based on the movie featuring Warren Beattie and Madonna,
not the comic books.
Impressions: It's a port of the Megadrive game, but it just doesn't feel
right with two buttons. It didn't help that the Megadrive
game was pretty mediocre to begin with.
Rating (1-10): 4
Comments: Megadrive port.
Variations: Megadrive version exists
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Dodgeball King
Author/Vendor: Game Line Co. Ltd.
Year: 1995
Region: Korea
Language: Korean
Genre: Sports (dodgeball)
Cart Size: megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Asian countries have a bit of a knack for kicking ass at
dodgeball, so it's only natural that they'd make a
videogame out of it.
Impressions: ?
Rating (1-10): ?
Comments: One of a few Korea-only releases.
Variations: ?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Doki Doki Penguin Land
see PENGUIN LAND
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Double Dragon
Author/Vendor: Technos Japan Corp./Sega
Year: 1988
Region: Europe, Australia, USA
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: When Marion is beaten up by an evil gang, martial arts gurus
and brothers Billy and Jimmy Lee go to get their girlfriend
back.
Impressions: Easily the best of the non-arcade port versions, and a solid
beat 'em up that excels when played with two players
co-operatively.
Rating (1-10): 9
Comments: Loosely based on the Arcade version
Variations: Arcade, Megadrive, NES, Game Gear and Game Boy versions
exist.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Double Hawk
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1990
Region: Europe
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: You control the action as John and Jack, two warriors hand-
picked by the United Nations, attempt to bring down a
terrorist organisation which is responsible for a worldwide
wave of violence. The terrorists are capable of launching
attacks from the sky, the sea and by land. Are you the one
person who can stop this reign of terror?
Impressions: Feels like a game that was designed with a light phaser in
mind. The fact you can't move your character and cursor at
the same time makes this game overly difficult and
frustrating.
Rating (1-10): 3
Comments: The guys on the box look a lot like Arnie and Stallone.
Variations: ?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Double Target
see QUARTET
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1993
Region: Europe
Language: English
Genre: Puzzle
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Palette swapped version of Puyo Puyo, featuring characters
from the then Saturday morning cartoon Adventures of Sonic
the Hedgehog. Well, all except Sonic and Tails.
Impressions: Puyo Puyo is a great puzzle game, so if you enjoy that,
chances are that you'll enjoy this.
Rating (1-10): 7
Comments: None
Variations: Megadrive, Game Gear versions exist.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story
Author/Vendor: Virgin
Year: 1992
Region: Europe
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Based on the Hollywood bio-pic starring Jason Scott Lee
(no relation).
Impressions: I was expecting it to be a port of the horrible SNES and MD
versions, but what I got was an interesting platformer/beat
'em up combination that's definitely worth a look.
Rating (1-10): 7
Comments: None
Variations: Megadrive and SNES versions exist
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Dragon Crystal
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1991
Region: Australia, Europe
Language: English
Genre: RPG
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: You're caught in a fantastic world of unearthly beauty and
deadly demons. You'll pass through thirty worlds in search
of the Magic Goblet. There's no way out of this musical
nightmare, until you find it.
Impressions: An interesting mix of a simplistic Action/RPG with a maze
game is actually quite a joy to play, especially for the
RPG inept such as myself.
Rating (1-10): 8
Comments: None
Variations: ?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Driving Pack
Author/Vendor: Tec Toy
Year: ?
Region: Brazil
Language: Portuguese
Genre: ?
Cart Size: megabit
Players: ?
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: ?
Impressions: ?
Rating (1-10): ?
Comments: ?
Variations: ?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Dynamite Duke
Author/Vendor: Seibu Kaihatsu (reprogrammed by Sega)
Year: 1991
Region: Europe, Australia, USA
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Another one of those over the should cursor based shooters
that are light on plot and heavy on action.
Impressions: Controls the way that Double Hawk should have, but manages
to botch up any enjoyment by not providing the slightest
bit of variety
Rating (1-10): 4
Comments: None
Variations: Megadrive version exists
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Dynamite Dux
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1989
Region: Europe, Australia, USA
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: An evil wizard has snatched your girlfriend, and turned you
into a duck. Kick his ass and get your girl back.
Impressions: Eh, it's pretty stock standard beat 'em up stuff which many
other games on the system do better. Stick to Double Dragon
Rating (1-10): 4
Comments: Ported from arcade?
Variations: Arcade version exists.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Dynamite Headdy
Author/Vendor: Sega/Tectoy
Year: 1994
Region: Brazil
Language: Portuguese
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 4 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick.
Premise: Interesting little platformer which requires you to beat
enemies to death with your head.
Impressions: The original version was developed by Treasure, who have
a pretty good track record, which remains intact here. The
SMS version takes a hit on performance and visuals, but
still looks very strong when compared with other 8-bit
peers. Novel idea, fun to play, check it out.
Rating (1-10): 7
Comments: Original version was developed by Treasure.
Variations: Also available on the Megadrive
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
==============================================================================
E
==============================================================================
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Earthworm Jim
Author/Vendor: Tectoy
Year: 1996
Region: Brazil
Language: Portuguese
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 4 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: A regular earthworm finds a powerful armoured suit, and
takes it upon himself to fight an especially nasty bird
named Psycrow, while saving the loverly Princess
Whats-her-name.
Impressions: It kicks ass, to be verbose and brief. Some obvious
graphic and framerate hits from the 16-bit version, but the
soul of the experience is still there.
Rating (1-10): 8
Comments: Ported from the Megadrive or Game Gear? Originally developed
by Shiny Entertainment.
Variations: Megadrive, Mega-CD and PC versions exist.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Ecco 2: Tides of Time
Author/Vendor: Novatrade/Sega/Tectoy
Year: 1996
Region: Brazil
Language: English
Genre: Adventure
Cart Size: megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Help Ecco save the marine life from a futuristic menace.
Impressions: Wasn't as good as the original on the Megadrive, and the
same goes on the SMS. Ecco can change into a few different
creatures now, but without the pretty graphics, Ecco might
as well find a new home with John West.
Rating (1-10): 4
Comments: Stripped down port of the Megadrive game? Game Gear port?
Variations: Megadrive, Game Gear versions exist
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Ecco the Dolphin
Author/Vendor: Novatrade/Sega
Year: 1993
Region: Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Adventure
Cart Size: 4 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: A great storm has come and stolen Ecco's family and friends,
as well as a vast majority of the ocean's ecosystem. It is
up to Ecco to save the day.
Impressions: While the Megadrive version was a thing of beauty, all of
the visual draw was lost when it went from 16-bit to 8-bit,
so its very hard on the eyes, and just not very fun to play.
Rating (1-10): 5
Comments: Stripped down port of the Megadrive game? Game Gear port?
Variations: Megadrive, Game Gear versions exist.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Enduro Racer
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1987
Region: Europe, Australia, USA, Japan
Language: Various
Genre: Racing
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Another racing game where winning allows you to purchase
upgrades, but this time it's on motorbikes, and there's lots
of jumps, and cars from a 1930's gangster movie out to stop
you.
Impressions: I don't know why those cars are there. Game plays alright
but isnt overly exciting, nor will it last you more than
an afternoon
Rating (1-10): 5
Comments: Japanese version includes extra pictures and tracks not seen
in the International versions.
Variations: None
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: E.S.W.A.T. City Under Siege
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1990
Region: Europe, Australia, USA
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Another one of those future of law enforcement types. You
start off as a normal cop on the beat, but then are
volunteered to be outfitted with some nice robotic
enhancements.
Impressions: More faithful to the arcade version than the Megadrive game
but lacks the polish required to make you want to play for
more than a few hours.
Rating (1-10): 6
Comments: Arcade port.
Variations: Megadrive and Arcade versions exist.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
==============================================================================
F
==============================================================================
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: F1 Championship
see F1
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: F16 Fighting Falcon
Author/Vendor: NEXA Corporation/ASCII (reprogrammed by Sega)/Sega
Year: 1985
Region: USA, Europe
Language: English
Genre: Simulation
Cart Size: 1/4 megabit
Players:
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Simplistic flight sim that looks to be taking after those
old vertex based games.
Impressions: For shooter fans who like games that attempt realism, but
fail due to limitations of the format.
Rating (1-10): 5
Comments: Ported from the SC-3000
Variations: Also available on card.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: F1
Author/Vendor: Domark
Year: 1994
Region: Europe
Language: Various
Genre: Racing
Cart Size: megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: The official game of the FIA Formula One world championship.
Impressions: As far as racing games go on the system, it's one of the
better ones, but it still has some glaring flaws and
annoyances that keep it from being a good game.
Rating (1-10): 5
Comments: None
Variations: Megadrive version exists
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Fantastic Dizzy
Author/Vendor: Codemasters
Year: 1993
Region: USA, Europe
Language: English
Genre: Adventure
Cart Size: megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Follow the exploits of a rather adventurous egg as he
attempts to save the love of his life.
Impressions: Fun little platforming adventure with a few unique things
such as an inventory screen, but the game's plot is rather
silly when you think about it.
Rating (1-10): 7
Comments: Uses a contoured cart.
Variations: Megadrive version exists.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Fantasy Zone
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1987
Region: Europe, Australia, Japan, USA
Language: Various
Genre: Shooter
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: You start out by building your own space ship. Then take
off for The Fantasy Zone. Fly through screen after screen
of perilous worlds, as you try to bring peace to a troubled
universe.
Impressions: Its a damn good shooter, one of the best on the system.
Kill things, collect money, upgrade your ship and take on
the bosses. Very colourful, very hectic, and very good.
Rating (1-10): 9
Comments: Two sequels exist on this system
Variations: Fantasy Zone 2, Super Fantasy Zone (Megadrive). Playstation
2 remake under the Sega AGES collection.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Fantasy Zone 2: The Tears of Opa Opa
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1987
Region: USA, Europe, Australia, Japan
Language: Various
Genre: Shooter
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Opa Opa is back, and is needed back in the Fantasy Zone,
where all hell has broken loose once again.
Impressions: Take the original, add some better visuals and a variety of
new power ups as well as a new set of levels, and you have
Fantasy Zone 2.
Rating (1-10): 9
Comments: Came on a Gold cart in Japan.
Variations: Fantasy Zone, Super Fantasy Zone
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Fantasy Zone: The Maze
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1988
Region: USA, Europe, Australia
Language: Various
Genre: Puzzle
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Somehow, Opa Opa has gotten itself stuck in a weird maze,
and it's up to you to get it out of there.
Impressions: A drastic departure from the original two games. The great
shoot 'em up gameplay has been replaced by some ridiculous
maze ordeal which makes this one an absolute chore to play.
Rating (1-10): 4
Comments: None
Variations: None
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Ferias Frustradas Do Pica Pau
Author/Vendor: Tectoy
Year: ?995
Region: Brazil
Language: Portuguese
Genre: Platform
Cart Size: 4 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Platforming game with the one-time famous Universal mascot.
Impressions: Bland platforming experience does little, if anything, to
capture the bratty antics of everyone's favourite little
woodpecker. Avoid.
Rating (1-10): 4
Comments: None
Variations: Translates to Woody Woodpecker's Frustration Vacation.
Also on the Megadrive.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: FIFA International Soccer
Author/Vendor: Tectoy
Year: ?
Region: Brazil
Language: Portuguese
Genre: Sports (soccer)
Cart Size: 4 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Soccer, by EA Sports, but cut down to the Master System.
Impressions: ?
Rating (1-10): ?
Comments: Has to be a Megadrive port, but I haven't managed to get
my mits on a playable version.
Variations: Available on the Megadrive.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Final Bubble Bobble
see BUBBLE BOBBLE
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Fire and Forget 2
Author/Vendor: Titus
Year: 1990
Region: Europe
Language: Various
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1-?
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Prepare to experience the most extraordinary arcade game
ever designed for a console. You will have to pilot the
Thundermaster II, capable of 850 horsepower on the road, and
able to convert itself into a genuine airborne attacker,
both equipped with sonic phasers and missle launcher.
(back of the box)
Impressions: Set it on fire, and forget about it.
Rating (1-10): 2
Comments: None
Variations: Sequel to Fire and Forget (obviously).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Fire and Ice
Author/Vendor: Tectoy
Year: ?
Region: Brazil
Language: Portuguese
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: ?
Impressions: ?
Rating (1-10): ?
Comments: Ported from the Amiga.
Variations: Also on the Amiga and NES.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Fist of the North Star
see BLACK BELT
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Flash, The
Author/Vendor: Probe/Sega
Year: 1993
Region: USA, Europe
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Electronics wizard Trachmann and master villian Trickster
have teamed up to take control of Central City and it's up
to The Flash to set things right. Use your wits and The
Flash's super speed to track down these villians before time
runs out (back of the box)
Impressions: The Flash's speed doesn't help him translate well into a
controllable videogame character. Standard platform fare
made close to unplayable by the sheer speed of the main
character.
Rating (1-10): 4
Comments: None
Variations: None
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Flintstones, The
Author/Vendor: Grandslam Entertainment
Year: 1991
Region: Europe
Language: English
Genre: Various
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Fred wishes to go bowling with Barney, but Wilma insists
that he must babysit Pebbles while she goes shopping. Paint
a wall, look after a baby and do other "enthralling"
activities.
Impressions: Anyone who has read my GameFAQs review knows how much I
loathe this game. Avoid, unless you are sadistic,
masochistic or both.
Rating (1-10): 1
Comments: None.
Variations: Based on the hit TV show. Many other Flintstones games
exist, and all are better than this one.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Forgotten Worlds
Author/Vendor: Capcom (reprogrammed by Sega)/Sega
Year: 1988, 1991
Region: USA, Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Ruins, destruction, wastelands - that's all there is to see.
The fiendish aliens have infested your planet! As a Warrior,
you swear to win back the Dust Planet for its rightful
owners, the Human Beings. Get ready to face brutal alien
fiends and risk your life in battle. Your only goal is to
stay alive long enough to destroy your most powerful enemy,
the War Tyrant! (back of the box)
Impressions: Quite a good multidirectional shooter with all of the
elements that make a goot shooter, except multiplayer, which
has been left out of this port.
Rating (1-10): 8
Comments: None
Variations: Arcade and Megadrive versions exist.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Fushigi no Oshiro Pit Pot
see PIT POT
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
==============================================================================
G
==============================================================================
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: G-LOC Air Battle: Loss of Conciousness by G-Force
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1991
Region: Europe
Language: English
Genre: Simulation
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Vigilante forces have raided government military
installations and "confiscated" planes, tanks, even
warships! Fly your G-LOC fighter to victory against the
guerillas!
Impressions: One of those arcade like flight sims. Think Afterburner
from the cockpit view, with missions that involve ground
combat as well as air combat, and you're on the right track.
Reminds me a lot of Top Gun 2 on the NES.
Rating (1-10): 5
Comments: None
Variations: Also on the Megadrive
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Gain Ground
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1990
Region: Europe, Australia
Language: Various
Genre: Strategy
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: A bunch of evil folk have taken over your land, and you've
got to get it back..or something that required killing a
lot of native folk.
Impressions: It's pretty dull by yourself, but worth a look with a
friend. Standard maze shooter action.
Rating (1-10): 5
Comments: None
Variations: Also on the Megadrive.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Galactic Protector
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1988
Region: Japan
Language: Japanese
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: ?
Impressions: Whatever it is, it involves Opa-Opa, and is almost
uncontrollable. May require a paddle or some other
peripheral.
Rating (1-10): 5
Comments: ?
Variations: ?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Galaxy Force
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1989
Region: USA, Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Shooter
Cart Size: 4 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: The future of the Junos Galaxy hangs by a thread. The evil
Fourth Empire is intent on domination, invading and
conquering all planets in its path. You're the galaxy's
last hope for survival. (back of the box)
Impressions: Plays like a poor man's Space Harrier/Afterburner hybrid,
but set in space. Shuttery animation is quite distracting.
Rating (1-10): 4
Comments: None
Variations: Megadrive sequel
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Game Box Series (4 games)
Author/Vendor: Various/Tectoy
Year: ?
Region: Brazil
Language: Portuguese
Genre: Various
Cart Size: ?
Players: Varies
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: 4 different compilation carts released by Tectoy, each
featuring games from a different genre. See separate
entries for more details.
Game Box Serie Esportes: Great Volleyball, Super Futebol II
and Wimbledon
Game Box Serie Radicais: California Games, Jogos de Verao
Game Box Serie Lutas: Shinobi, The Ninja, Kung-fu Kid
Game Box Serie Corridas: Super Cross, Super Monaco GP, World
GP
Impressions: Each of these packs looks to be good value, with at least
one good title in each.
Rating (1-10): 8
Comments: None.
Variations: Each game is available as a standalone.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Gang's Fighter
see MY HERO
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Gangster Town
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1987
Region: USA, Europe, Australia, Brazil
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Light Phaser
Premise: In the 1920's, working as an FBI agent, you are pursuing a
gang engaged in smuggling. After practicing your
marksmanship, shoot at the enemies in Car Chase, Downtown,
Saloon and Night Club scenes. (back of the box)
Impressions: It's probably the best light gun shooter on the system.
Difficulty levels adjust based on your skill, the game is
tough but forgiving, and the action is just all round
enjoyable.
Rating (1-10): 8
Comments: None
Variations: Arcade version exists?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Gauntlet
Author/Vendor: Atari/Tengen
Year: 1992?
Region: Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Take your pick of a barbarian, elf, valkyrie and sorcerer,
and set off for a fantastic maze based adventure game.
Impressions: Once again, these maze games are best played with friends,
but Gauntlet is a decent conversion and manages to do
justice to the much-revered original.
Rating (1-10): 8
Comments: Arcade port?
Variations: Arcade version exists. Series continues to this day.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: George Foreman's KO Boxing
Author/Vendor: Flying Edge/Acclaim Entertainment
Year: 1992
Region: Europe, Brazil
Language: English
Genre: Sports (boxing)
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Another boxing game, this time licensed by George Foreman.
Impressions: Silly button bashing mess that pretty much separates this
from any sort of serious boxing game. Stick with Rocky.
Rating (1-10): 4
Comments: This is from around the time where Foreman made his comeback
and won the heavyweight crown at age 44.
Variations: Megadrive version exists.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Gerraldinho
see TEDDY BOY
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Ghost House
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1986
Region: USA, Europe, Japan, Australia, Brazil
Language: English
Genre: Puzzle
Cart Size: 1/4 of a megabit
Players: 1-?
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Try to find the hidden treasure in this spooky romp through
Dracula's Haunted House.
Impressions: A bizarre maze game of sorts. I'm completely amiss as to
what the goal of the game actually is, but it plays fairly
poorly.
Rating (1-10): 5
Comments: None
Variations: Also available on card.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Ghostbusters
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1987
Region: USA, Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Simulation
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Ghosts. Ghosts. And more ghosts. They've decided to come
out in force. And they've picked your city to show their
stuff in. So who you gonna call?
Impressions: An interesting take on the Ghostbusters idea. Rather than
some cruddy action game, this is a simulation, much like
Transport Tycoon or Theme Park, but with Ghostbusting as
your service. Can be tricky at times, but its worth a shot.
Rating (1-10): 8
Comments: Based on the action/comedy starring Harold Ramis, Bill
Murray and Dan Ackroyd.
Variations: Based on the C64 version, not the horrid Megadrive game.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Ghouls and Ghosts
Author/Vendor: Capcom (reprogrammed by Sega)
Year: 1988
Region: USA, Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: O brave knight, save us from the Demon Lord and his
minions! He has seized your love, the Princess, and
carried her away to his dark delvings. Can you fight
your way through the many enemies and obstacles in you
path to save her - and her kingdom?
Impressions: The much renowned fiendish difficulty seems sorely lacking
in this conversion, but the rest of the game is there, for
the most part. Still worth a look after all these years.
Rating (1-10): 8
Comments: Sequel to Ghosts and Goblins
Variations: Known as Dai Makai Mura in Japan. Megadrive, SNES and
arcade versions exist.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Global Defense
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1987
Region: USA, Europe, Japan, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Earth is under attack! Deadly missiles have been launched
from the farthest reaches of space. Are you good enough to
earn the title of Global Defender.
Impressions: Rubbish horizontal shooter. You've got to control the
cursor to aim your guns, but it also controls your ships
movement as you press the button. Could have been a much
simpler system, but its a convoluted mess, unfortunately.
Rating (1-10): 4
Comments: None
Variations: Known as Strategic Defense Initiative in Japan
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Global Gladiators
Author/Vendor: Virgin/Tectoy
Year: 1993
Region: Europe, Australia, Brazil
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Strap on your Gooshooter and join Mick and Mack, the Global
Gladiators, on a quest to neutralise the monsters of Slime
World, The Mystical Forest, Toxi-Town, and Arctic World.
Check out the bodacious backgrounds, the 1,250 awesome
animation frames and the most spacious sound around!
(back of the box)
Impressions: It's fairly impressive visually, but just like the McDonalds
food, its bound to make your stomach upset.
Rating (1-10): 5
Comments: None
Variations: Also on the Megadrive.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Gokuaku Doumei Dump Matsumoto
see PRO WRESTLING
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Golden Axe
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1989
Region: USA, Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 4 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: The evil Death Adder has kidnapped the king and queen of the
land, and stolen their treasured Golden Axe. It's up to you
- Ax Battler - to end this reign of tyranny.
Impressions: Unfortunately, this version has been severely cut down from
the arcade version, with only one character selectable. The
others are there in spirit, as their magic is still
selectable, but you're better off giving this version a
miss.
Rating (1-10): 5
Comments: Based on the arcade game.
Variations: Arcade and Megadrive versions available.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Golden Axe Warrior
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1990
Region: USA, Europe, Australia, Brazil
Language: English
Genre: RPG
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: World peace is at stake! Death Adder, a wicked giant, has
stolen nine crystals from the kingdom of Firewood and has
hidden them in the 9 labyrinths he has created. These nine
crystals protected the people from evil - especially from
Death Adder's grasp. But now the crystals are lost, and
the world is defenseless! (back of the box)
Impressions: It's Sega's answer to the Legend of Zelda, and while it's a
solid effort, and even marginally better in presentation, it
has nothing on Miyamoto and co.'s effort. Good try, though.
Rating (1-10): 8
Comments: Some relation to the Golden Axe series.
Variations: None.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Golfamania
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1990
Region: Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Sports (Golf)
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1-4
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: A golf game, complete with various play modes, and an 18
hole course.
Impressions: Pretty standard stuff as far as golf games go. If you like
the sport, you mind find something here, provided you can
work out the interface.
Rating (1-10): 6
Comments: Has battery backup memory.
Variations: None
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Golvellius
Author/Vendor: Compile (reprogrammed by Sega)/Sega
Year: 1988
Region: USA, Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: RPG
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Another one of those games where something evil has happened
to the kingdom, and it's up to some pathetic little wretch
to save the day.
Impressions: It starts off as a platformer, and breaks down into an over-
head adventure title. Not too bad, but a little tough for
some players.
Rating (1-10): 7
Comments: None
Variations: None
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: GP Rider
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1993
Region: Europe, Brazil
Language: English
Genre: Racing
Cart Size: megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Another motorcycle racing game.
Impressions: It's got nothing on Hang On, which isn't saying much.
Rating (1-10): 4
Comments: None
Variations: None?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Great Baseball
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1987
Region: USA, Japan, Europe
Language: English
Genre: Sports (baseball)
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: You're the Manager. And you can field a total of 26 teams
to battle for the League leadership. Pick the team of your
choice. Designate a starting pitcher. Then, Play ball!
And get ready for some of the most exciting baseball since
the game was invented. Will it be a slugging match? A
pitching duel? Need a pinch hitter or relief pitcher? You
decide. It just takes the right strategy. A cool head. And
sure ball control. And if you want batting practice, call
up the Home Run Contest. A great feature of Great Baseball
lets you swing at 20 perfect pitches. It's going..it's
going..it's gone! (back of the box)
Impressions: A decent baseball sim with enough depth for fans of the
sport to get a few kicks. Utilises a behind the pitcher
view, which most should appreciate.
Rating (1-10): 6
Comments: None.
Variations: Known as Reggie Jackson's Baseball in the USA?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Great Basketball
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1987
Region: USA, Europe, Japan
Language: English
Genre: Sports (basketball)
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: This is basketball at the professional level. Full of
international competition from the first jump to the last
shot. Whether its four on three or three on two, the action
is fast and furious. And there are no favourites in this
demanding play. You'll be called for double dribbling,
cheered for every slam dunk, and carried off the court for
making the winning throw. But so will your opponent. So go
for it. Your tough offense can put up a fast break in the
opposing team's stride while your defense remains as solid
as a rock. But think fast - because only two can play at
this game - and only one can win! (back of the box)
Impressions: Very simplistic basketball game with opponents that wouldn't
trouble a week old infant. The game stops and starts too
much for my liking. Basketball Nightmare is superior.
Rating (1-10): 5
Comments: None
Variations: None
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Great Football
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1987
Region: USA
Language: English
Genre: Sports (football)
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Playoff fever grips you. And no wonder. You're the driving
force that can take your football team to the top in this
rough and tumble contest between the leagues. The outcome
of the game is in your hands. As the quarterback, you
select the plays. Line up the formations. Call the signals
and carry the ball. Cut down your opponent with deadly
blocking. Intercept a pass. Make a flying tackle. All you
need is skill. Strategy. Cunning. And nerve. For
non-stop action that charges across the screen. You decide
to pass. It looks good. Touchdown! (back of the box)
Impressions: The game feels as if it just doesn't work properly - passes
and play selection don't seem to be happening - could it be
that it needs the ill-fated sports pad?
Rating (1-10): 4
Comments: None.
Variations: Known as Walter Payton Football in the USA.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Great Golf (japan)
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1986
Region: Japan
Language: Japanese
Genre: Sports (golf)
Cart Size: megabit
Players:
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: ?
Impressions: ?
Rating (1-10): ?
Comments: Not related to the other Great Golf.
Variations: ?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Great Golf
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1987
Region: USA, Europe
Language: English
Genre: Sports (golf)
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: 1-4
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: You need raw nerves of steel for this course. Because
shrewd thinking and raw talent are your only allies in this
calculating competition. (back of the box)
Impressions: Poor interface and difficult control mechanisms make this
golf sim an exercise in frustration. Don't bother.
Rating (1-10): 3
Comments: None
Variations: Known as Master Golf in Japan. The Japanese Great Golf is
a different game.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Great Ice Hockey
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1986
Region: USA
Language: English
Genre: Sports (hockey)
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick, Sports pad
Premise: Welcome to the big leagues. Here's a rough and tumble
hockey game that takes a steady hand and quick reflexes.
Because your opponents mean business. Teams line up in
full defense. Tackle one another. Scramble for the puck.
Drive relentlessly for a goal. Victory for your team
depends on you. So you need sharp techniques. Quickness.
Power. And smooth stick-shifting ability. Show you have
the right touch, hit the puck straight into the goal. But
relax your guard, and you'll see why they call the game of
hockey "wrestling on ice". (back of the box)
Impressions: This one needs the sports pad by the looks of things.
Too simplistic to be enjoyable, once you get around using
the sports pad.
Rating (1-10): 4
Comments: None
Variations: None
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Great Soccer
see WORLD SOCCER
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Great Volleyball
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1987
Region: USA, Japan, Brazil
Language: English
Genre: Sports (volleyball)
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: So you wanna win the world championship? Give it your best
shot. Gonna take teamwork. Nerves of steel, Service...
spike...point for your side. Nice going. You're on your way.
Impressions: Volleyball can sometimes convert poorly into a videogame,
but Sega have done a respectable job here by creating a
somewhat enjoyable volleyball title. The repetitious nature
of the sport will get to you in the end, though.
Rating (1-10): 6
Comments: None
Variations: None
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Gunstar Heroes
Author/Vendor: Tec Toy (originally programmed by Treasure)
Year:
Region: Brazil
Language: Portuguese
Genre: Action
Cart Size:
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Earth gets invaded by a bunch of nasty aliens, and the
Gunstar Heroes are called in to solve the situation.
Impressions: The Megadrive game kicked ass, and this is a pretty
respectful port. A definite must buy for fans of platform
shooters.
Rating (1-10): 9
Comments: Hacked up port of the Megadrive game.
Variations: Megadrive version exists.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
==============================================================================
H
==============================================================================
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Haja no Fuuin
see MIRACLE WARRIORS
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Hang On & Astro Warrior
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1987
Region: USA, Europe
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: A combination of the Yu Suzuki motorbike classic, and the
popular top down shooter. Originally distributed with
certain Master System packs.
Impressions: Worth it, if you like the individual games. See their
individual entries for more.
Rating (1-10): 7
Comments: Packed in with certain Master System deals.
Variations: Hang on, Astro Warrior.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Hang On & Safari Hunt
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1986
Region: USA, Europe
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Combo cart featuring Hang on and Safari Hunt. See the
separate entries for more.
Impressions: See above
Rating (1-10): 7
Comments: None
Variations: Separate carts available.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Hang On
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1985
Region: USA, Europe, Australia, Japan
Language: Various
Genre: Racing
Cart Size: 1/4 of a megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Err, basic motorcycle racing game ported from the popular
arcade title of the same name.
Impressions: Eh, it was alright at the time, but other games did the job
better
Rating (1-10): 5
Comments: Released in the USA on a card.
Variations: Arcade and Megadrive versions exist. Also available to play
in Shenmue on the Dreamcast, and in Yu Suzuki's Arcade
collection for Game Boy Advance.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Heavyweight Champ
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1991
Region: Europe, Brazil
Language: English
Genre: Sports (boxing)
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: The challenger waits for an opening...a heavy right to the
midsection, a crunching left uppercut and a powerhouse right
to the jaw and the champ is down for the count! We have a
new heavyweight champion! Listen to that crowd! Heavyweight
Champ brings the power, pride and excitement of professional
boxing right into your home. When you hear the bell, come
out swinging! (back of the box)
Impressions: It's just about identical to George Foreman's Heavyweight
Boxing, but the game feels slightly less mashy, and has a
better interface. It's also devoid of any signs of
involvement from Acclaim, so think about it.
Rating (1-10): 5
Comments: None.
Variations: George Foreman's KO Boxing.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Heroes of the Lance
Author/Vendor: Tiertex/US Gold
Year: 1991
Region: Europe
Language: English
Genre: RPG
Cart Size: 4 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Discover the world of Krynn in this AD&D epic. Control the
Companions of the Lance in their quest to recover the Disks
of Mishakat. Only this can defeat the Queen of Darkness and
restore the balance between good and evil. (back of the box)
Impressions: Slow and dull AD&D adventure that will cure insomnia in
15 minutes flat or your money back.
Rating (1-10): 3
Comments: None
Variations: NES version exists.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: High School Kimengumi
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1986
Region: Japan
Language: Japanese
Genre: ?
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: ?
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Based on a rather obscure looking Japanese cartoon.
Impressions: ?
Rating (1-10): ?
Comments: Released on a special gold cartridge.
Variations: None
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Hokuto no Ken
see BLACK BELT
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Home Alone
Author/Vendor: Probe/Sega
Year: 1993
Region: Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Puzzle
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Based on the hit movie starring Maucauly Culkin (or however
you spell his sodding name). Kevin has to set up a variety
of traps so the bandits don't steal his parent's stuff.
Impressions: This is just taking the piss. Utterly shit game that nobody
should ever have been subjected to.
Rating (1-10): 1
Comments: None
Variations: Also on Megadrive, Game Boy.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Hoshi Wo Sagashite
see STORY OF MIO, THE
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
==============================================================================
I
==============================================================================
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Impossible Mission
Author/Vendor: US Gold
Year: 1990
Region: Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Agent4125: Halt the threat of world annihilation posed by
Elvin Atombender from his underground laboratory. Penetrate
his stronghold and dodge or deactivate the guard robots
while unscrambling the secret code that will allow entry to
the control center. The world awaits in fear. Your mission
is stamped impossible.
Impressions: I'm sure it'd be an interesting game if you had the
knowledge of how the game is supposed to work. It plays
well, at least.
Rating (1-10): 7
Comments: I think the game is supposed to be quite literally
impossible due to a bug.
Variations: C64, Amiga versions exist.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Incredible Crash Dummies, The
Author/Vendor: Flying Edge/Acclaim
Year: 1993
Region: Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Based on the popular cartoon series.
Impressions: It's a really awful set of minigames. Anyone with an ounce
of sense will want to avoid this one, well, at least past
the initial point of curiosity.
Rating (1-10): 2
Variations: Megadrive version exists
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Incredible Hulk, The
Author/Vendor: Probe/US Gold
Year: 1994
Region: Europe
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 4 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Another one of those side scrolling action/platformers,
featuring Marvel's the Incredible Hulk this time around.
Impressions: One of those rare cases where the Master System game is
better than the Megadrive one. Whereas The Hulk was a
sluggish, slow brawler on the Megadrive, the Master System
one is actually quite fast, and therefore, more fun. It
retains a reasonable amount of the graphical glitz, too.
Rating (1-10): 8
Comments: None.
Variations: Also on the Megadrive.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Author/Vendor: Tiertex/US Gold
Year: 1990
Region: Europe, Australia, Brazil
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1-2 (take turns)
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Based on the hit movie starring Harrison Ford and Sean
Connery.
Impressions: Standard platform action fare, but seemingly more difficult
than one might expect. Decent use of the license, at any
rate.
Rating (1-10): 7
Comments: Different to the Megadrive version, although they may appear
to be similar.
Variations: Megadrive version exists.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Itchy and Scratchy
Author/Vendor: Acclaim
Year: 1994
Region: Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Based on the cartoon-in-a-cartoon from the Simpsons.
Impressions: ?
Rating (1-10): ?
Comments: Not 100% sure this exists, just working from memory and a
copy of Sega Megazone
Variations: Megadrive version exists.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
==============================================================================
J
==============================================================================
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: James Bond 007 - The Duel
Author/Vendor: Domark
Year: 1992
Region: Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Based on the character created by Ian Fleming. Uses the
likeness of Timothy Dalton.
Impressions: Poor side scrolling platformer that contains none of the
elements of a good Bond flick. Sluggish pace, mediocre
graphics and poor collision detection only make things
worse.
Rating (1-10): 4
Comments: None
Variations: Also ont the Megadrive.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: James Pond II: Codename Robocod
Author/Vendor: Vectordean/Millenium
Year: 1991
Region: Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 4 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Evil Dr Maybe is destroying every game factory in the world
with his evil penguin bombs. You must dive to the rescue
as RoboCod - licensed to gill. Finning off bullets, scaling
walls of danger, and filleting fiercing killer caterpillars
in 8 cod smacking levels.
Impressions: Mediocre port of a fairly average game. There's a few nifty
things in there, such as the stretch ability, but the
otherwise standardised platform gameplay is fairly
offputting.
Rating (1-10): 5
Comments: Ported from the Megadrive.
Variations: James Pond series (MD)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Joe Montana Football
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1990
Region: Australia, Europe, USA
Language: English
Genre: Sports (football)
Cart Size: 4 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: American football has arrived! Joe Montana football gives
you the strategy and hard hitting action of pro football,
along with some advice from Joe Montant -- the best
Quarterback ever to play the game! You're the coach and star
player in this new sports thriller from Sega!
Impressions: Pretty good as far as football games go, but its fairly
simplified. Not bad for a two player bash though.
Rating (1-10): 8
Comments: None
Variations: Joe Montana series is also on the Megadrive and Mega CD.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Jungle Book, The
Author/Vendor: Virgin
Year: 1993
Region: Europe
Language: Various
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Get down to the bare necessities of life and escort Mowgli
through the jungle to the safety of the human village. Fight
the boggle eyed snake Kaa and defeat Shere Kahn the hungry
tiger in this exciting adventure based on Disney's classic.
It'll drive you ape crazy!
Impressions: Lacks the charm of its Megadrive brother. Just one of those
ports that cuts down on the fun, as well as the graphics,
animation, sound, and so on. You can give this one a miss.
Rating (1-10): 4
Variations: Megadrive version exists.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Jurassic Park
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1993
Region: Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 4 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Based on the hit movie directed by Steven Spielberg,
starring Sam Neill and Sir Richard Attenborough.
Impressions: A darn sight better than the Megadrive version - features
vehicle based shooter and platform based sequences. The
shooter bits are fine, though you might find that the
platforming bits haven't been thoroughly tested, as
collision detection and jump timing are severely off.
Rating (1-10): 5
Variations: Not a single one of the Jurassic Park games released is
similar to another.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
==============================================================================
K
==============================================================================
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Kenseiden
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1988
Region: USA, Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: An evil has overfallen the land, and you, a samurai (or
some other ancient warrior type) must vanquish it.
Impressions: Fiendishly difficult, and frustratingly long. Not too bad
if you're a patient person, which I am not.
Rating (1-10): 5
Comments: None
Variations: None?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: King's Quest: Quest for the Crown
Author/Vendor: Microsmiths Inc./Sierra Online/Parker Brothers/Tonka/Sega
Year: 1989
Region: Europe, USA
Language: English
Genre: Adventure
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: There's plenty of action, adventure and danger in this
animated video game based on one of the best selling
computer games...
In days of old, you and the gallant Sir Graham must rescue
King Edward and his beleaguered kingdom of Daventry. Your
mission: To travel to the kingdom, unearthing clues and
challenging adversaries to locate the King's magic mirror,
protective shield and chest of gold.
Use your knowledge and skills to make the right choices and
solve the riddles, while defying ogres and others along the
way. But keep Sir Graham away from the many pitfalls, or he
will die -- and you will lose the game!
There's endless challenge and entertainment in your battle
to inherit the kingdom of Daventry!
Impressions: One of the first, and arguably the most classic graphical
adventures to be released, and the Master System port is
quite faithful. Recommended to those looking for a break
from the Master System's vast array of action titles.
Rating (1-10): 9
Variations: PC versions exist.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Klax
Author/Vendor: Tengen/Domark
Year: 1991
Region: Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Puzzle
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Klax will make you move fast and think fast. Catch coloured
tiles as they come down the conveyor belt and arrange them
in stacks of three, vertically, horizontally or diagonally.
Sounds easy? It is, until they start tumbling so fast that
it will drive you crazy trying to catch them all - while
figuring out how to stack them before you run out of room.
Impressions: Well, if you like puzzle games, this is amongst the best
that you'll find on most systems. Easy to learn, tough to
master.
Rating (1-10): 8
Variations: Klax is on just about everything.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Krusty's Fun House
Author/Vendor: Flying Edge/Acclaim
Year: 1992
Region: Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Puzzle
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Hey Kids! Give a hoot! Help your old pal Krusty the Clown!
My official Krusty's Fun House is infested with rats! I've
got my loyal cadet Bart Simpson to guard the rat traps, but
I need you to lead those filthy rodents into those traps!
Then we blow them up! We laser blast them! We KRUSTERISE the
little stinkers!! Hoo baby! Making Krusty's Fun House vermin
free isn't a pretty task, kiddy cadets, but someone's gotta
do it!
Impressions: Run through the levels, rounding up rats into traps. Good
puzzle elements deliver an almost Lemmings-like feel to the
game, but some may begin to tire of its antics quite
quickly.
Rating (1-10): 6
Variations: Krusty's Super Fun House (MD/SNES)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Kujakuou
see SPELLCASTER
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Kung-fu Kid
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1987
Region: USA, Europe, Japan, Brazil
Language: Various
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: The wicked Madanda has awakened from a sleep of several
thousand years. Use your talents to save your village from
his terror.
Impressions: Highly mediocre scrolling fighter that has you smacking
identical enemies until you reach the right side of the
screen, where a boss fight takes place. Repeat ad naseum.
Rating (1-10): 5
Variations: Makai Retsuden (Japan), Sapo Xule O Mestre do Kung Fu
(Brazil)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
==============================================================================
L
==============================================================================
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Laser Ghost
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1991
Region: Europe
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick, Light Phaser
Premise: Poor Katherine is scared stiff. Ghosts and Goblins have
stolen her soul and imprisoned her. "Help me...somebody
please help me..."
Impressions: Katherine walks through level after level of crap, and it's
your job to protect her. Unfortunately, she's the most
docile being on the planet, and constantly walks EXACTLY
where you don't want her to, making Laser Ghost an exercise
in frustration.
Rating (1-10): 3
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Lemmings
Author/Vendor: Psygnosis
Year: 1992
Region: Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Puzzle
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: A unique puzzle game where you must guide the brainless
lemmings through to their goal, whilst avoiding a series of
death traps. Funnily enough, the blokes that made this one
went on to design Grand Theft Auto.
Impressions: Fiendishly difficult as the game progresses - I guarentee
that hair will be pulled out, and cuss words will be yelled.
Still a fun game, though.
Rating (1-10): 8
Comments: Possibly ported from the Amiga?
Variations: Amiga, PC, Megadrive and SNES versions exist.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Lemmings 2: The Tribes
Author/Vendor: Psygnosis
Year: 1993
Region: Europe?
Language: English
Genre: Puzzle
Cart Size: ? megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: The official Lemmings sequel, where the Lemmings have
formed various tribes based on their new skills.
Impressions: Lemmings was difficult enough, but the Tribes ramps things
up by giving you completely different sorts of lemmings with
each level, which can be rather confusing to those not
familiar with the game. Still a good game, but I think the
predecessor was just that little bit more solid.
Rating (1-10): 7
Comments: Not 100% sure this was released.
Variations: Lemmings series (various)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Les Schtroumpfs
see THE SMURFS
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Line of Fire
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1991
Region: Europe
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 4 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Just as you stole the enemy's secret weapon and started
back, the enemy spotted you! Now you must fight your way
back to safety. But be careful! You're in the line of fire.
Impressions: Vertical shmup with helicopters - not as good as it could
have been, but it also could have been much worse.
Rating (1-10): 5
Comments: None
Variations: None
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Lion King, The
Author/Vendor: Virgin/Tec Toy
Year: 1994
Region: Europe, Australia, Brazil
Language: Various
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 4 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Based on the hit Disney animation flick.
Impressions: While its just your usual cut down port of a Megadrive
Disney title, The Lion King manages to retain a bit of the
charm of the MD version, while converting the game into
a style that is more managable for the SMS. Fun to play,
and varied enough to set it apart from the masses of
platformers available on the system.
Rating (1-10): 7
Variations: Megadrive version exists.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Lord of the Sword
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1988
Region: USA, Europe
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Art thou the man who will be king or just another rogue with
a sword? Your name is Landau. Here's your chance to prove
your worthiness to the Council of Elders.
The followers of the evil Ra Goan have toppled the king from
the throne. None are brave enough to take his place. The
Elders have declared that any man who can pass three tests
will become King of Baljinya. Find the Tree of Merrill.
Defeat the Goblin of Balala Valley. Destroy the Statue of
Evil. It sounds easy, but the followers of Ra Goan are
waiting to stop you!
It's an adventure that will take you across rivers and
oceans, through swamps and over mountains. You have a
sword and a bow, but magical weapons may become yours, for
a price.
Pass the tests and you shall become king. But remember,
there's more to being a Lord of the Sword than hacking apart
your enemies.
Impressions: Fairly challenging and compelling action RPG title. The
combat may not be grand, and the story isn't the most
original thing under the sun, but the game is enjoyable
nonetheless.
Rating (1-10): 7
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Lucky Dime Caper
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1991
Region: Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Evil Magica de Spell has stolen the Lucky Dimes, and
kidnapped Huey, Dewey and Louie. Trek through six
treacherous lands with Donald to save his nephews and
retrieve the Lucky Dimes.
Impressions: It may look nice from the outside, but its just a standard
platform game, with very little in terms of uniqueness.
Rating (1-10): 6
Comments: Also came in a special gift set with a soundtrack cassette
with songs from various Disney films and a limited edition
Donald Duck t-shirt (only available in the UK)
Variations: None.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
==============================================================================
M
==============================================================================
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Machine Gun Joe
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1986
Region: Japan
Language: Japanese
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 1/4 of a megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick, Card
Premise: ?
Impressions: ?
Rating (1-10): ?
Comments: A Japanese only card game that's proving to be a real
bastard to find.
Variations: Also known as Comical Machine Gun Joe.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Mahjong Sengoku Jidai
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1986
Region: Japan, Korea(?)
Language: Japanese
Genre: Puzzle
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Puzzle game based around the classic Asian game.
Impressions: If you've played one mahjong game, you've played them all.
Well, that's my uninformed, stupid gaijin opinion.
Rating (1-10): 8
Comments: None
Variations: Translates to Mahjong: Age of Civil Wars. Alternate name
is Mak Jong.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Makai Retsuden
see KUNG FU KID
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Marble Madness
Author/Vendor: Virgin
Year: 1992
Region: Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Puzzle
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: The arcade sensation of the 80's comes to your Sega Master
System! Have you got what it takes to guide a lone marble
through six weird and wonderful courses packed with odd
obstacles and insane indestructable inhabitants? Find out
in Marble Madness.
Impressions: Guide a marble through 6 difficult courses. Frustrating
but still remotely enjoyable.
Rating (1-10): 7
Variations: Arcade and Megadrive versions exist.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Marksman Shooting/Trap Shooting
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1986
Region: USA, Brazil
Language: English
Genre: Shooter
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Light Phaser
Premise: Two in One cartridge combines Marksman Shooting and the
sport of Trap Shooting.
Impressions: Pretty self explanatory stuff here - good for a bit of
Light Phaser training.
Rating (1-10): 5
Comments: None
Variations: None
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Master Chess
Author/Vendor:
Year:
Region:
Language:
Genre: Puzzle
Cart Size: megabit
Players:
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: It's chess.
Impressions:
Rating (1-10):
Comments:
Variations:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Master Games I
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1993
Region: Europe
Language: English
Genre: Multi
Cart Size: ? megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: A compilation that includes Super Monaco GP, World Soccer
and Columns.
Impressions: See individual entries for more details. It's pretty good
value, nonetheless.
Rating (1-10): 8
Comments: Packed in with some Master System II units.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Master of Darkness
see VAMPIRE
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Masters of Combat
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1993
Region: Europe
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Choose one of four colossal fighters, each one with a number
of special moves and fighting techniques, and go head to
head with the other three! Take on a friend in exhibition
combat or make your way to the top in the one player
tournament, where you must fight for your life - and the
lives of all the people on Earth!
Impressions: Below average fighter with uninspired lineup of characters
and low quality fight mechanics. Stick to the Mortal Kombat
games for your fighting fix.
Rating (1-10): 4
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Maze Hunter 3D
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1987
Region: USA, Europe, Brazil
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick, 3D Glasses
Premise: You're trapped in a 20 level, creature filled maze. To
survive, you must fight your way to the bottom!
The odds are against you, but you have a few tricks up your
sleeve.
Impressions: Dull game, mediocre 3D effects. Your time is better spent
doing other things - like laughing at the silly box art.
Rating (1-10): 4
Comments: Released on a Gold cart with FM chip in Japan
Variations: Known as Maze Walker in Japan
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Megumi Rescue
Author/Vendor: Aicom (reprogrammed by Sega)/Sega
Year: 1988
Region: Japan
Language: Japanese
Genre: ?
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: ?
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: ?
Impressions: ?
Rating (1-10): ?
Comments: Released on a gold cartridge in Japan.
Variations: None
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Mercs
Author/Vendor: Capcom (reprogrammed by Sega)/Sega
Year: 1991
Region: Europe
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 4 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: You are a Merc, a professional mercenary. Use your awesome
fighting skills to rescue the former US president from the
hands of terrorists.
Impressions: Bears a lot of resembelence to Secret Commando, but it's
just not as good. In fact, it's pretty crap.
Rating (1-10): 3
Comments: None.
Variations: Also available in the Arcades and on the Megadrive.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Michael Jackson's Moonwalker
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1990?
Region: Europe, Australia, USA
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Based on the movie starring Michael Jackson.
Impressions: Its a bizarre game based on a bizarre movie, but its still
pretty good. Go through levels, find the kids, save them,
and then beat a few guys up, all to a few well known MJ
tunes.
Rating (1-10): 7
Comments: Altered port from the arcade version?
Variations: Arcade and Megadrive versions exist.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Micro Machines
Author/Vendor: Codemasters
Year: 1993
Region: Europe
Language: English
Genre: Racing
Cart Size: megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: It's miniature mayhem! Race micro cars, choppers, boats,
tanks and formula one! Whiz around the spectacular scale
mini tracks. Can you handle sand pits, pool tables and
school desk courses. It's excellent! (Promo)
Impressions: Quite a fun, fast paced game once you get used to the
partially screwy control method. An absolute blast with
a friend.
Rating (1-10): 8
Comments: Comes on a rounded cartridge
Variations: Micro Machines series (MD)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Mickey Mouse Castle of Illusion
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1991
Region: Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: The evil witch Miserable has kidnapped Minnie, and Mickey
must save the day, as he so often does.
Impressions: Beautifully animated, and fun to play, but it becomes very
unforgiving towards the end of the quest. Recommended.
Rating (1-10): 9
Comments: Similar, but different to the Megadrive version of the same
name.
Variations: Megadrive, Game Gear versions exist.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Mickey Mouse Land of Illusion
Author/Vendor: Disney
Year: 1992
Region: Europe
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 4 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Journey with Mickey Mouse through spooky castle ruins, dark
caverns, an enchanted forest and a toy shop gone crazy! Use
your wits and Mickey's magic to evade challenging traps,
explore secret passages, and restore peace and happiness to
the Land of Illusion!
Impressions: Pretty much direct sequel to Castle of Illusion - box art
even has the same blasted dragon that made me nearly destroy
the previous game (though, it's a red dragon). It may be
more of the same, but that's acceptable in this case.
Rating (1-10): 8
Comments: None
Variations: Also on Game Gear?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Mickey Mouse Legend of Illusion
Author/Vendor: Disney/Sega
Year: 1994
Region: Brazil
Language: Portuguese
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 4 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Once upon a mouse, there was a kingdom that was ruled by the
selfish king Pete. One day, a terrible shadow crept over the
kingdom, threatening the lives of its inhabitants. The
king's adviser said the only way to stop the shadow would be
for the king himself to travel out and to seek the cure. But
the cowardly king Pete preferred to stay in the castle, and
sent a simple laundry boy named Mickey instead!
As Mickey Mouse, you will travel through various levels in
this platform game. Mickey shoots an unlimited amount of
little balls on the enemies, can jump, climb on stairs, hang
on ropes, and perform other tricks. Mickey can also pick up
items and put them in another place, for example to access a
higher level or to break a treasure chest open.
Impressions: A different animal to the two previous Illusion games, with
this one taking a more adventure oriented approach, much
more along the lines of the Mickey games on the SNES, but
still contains a few classic platform elements. Not a bad
game, though.
Rating (1-10): 7
Comments: Ported from Game Gear.
Variations: Game Gear version exists.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Minigolf
see PUTT AND PUTTER
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Miracle Warriors: Seal of the Dark Lord
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1988
Region: Europe, Australia, USA
Language: English
Genre: RPG
Cart Size: 2 megabit + battery
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Fate calls thee to bar evil's way! The dark lord Terarin
has removed the Golden Seal from the Pandora Passage to let
monstrous creatures roam the five lands. An ancient
prophecy fortells of four brave warriors destined to battle
Terarin and return the Seal to its rightful place. Art thou
the one fated to lead the Miracle Warriors? Dost noble blood
flow in thy veins?
Join now in a fantasy role playing quest across time to a
world of swords and sorcery. Three companions await you...
if you can wake them from slumber.
Miracle Warriors has battery backup memory so up to 5 can
play and save their games! It's video gaming like you've
never played before...only from Sega!
Impressions: A much older style turn based RPG than Phantasy Star, but
it should appeal to fans of that genre. Everyone else may
be left a little bored.
Rating (1-10): 8
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Missile Defense 3D
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1987
Region: USA, Europe
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: megabit
Players:
Peripherals: 3D Glasses, Light Phaser
Premise: The day has arrived for nuclear warfare. You're armed with
The Eliminator and you must save the world.
Impressions: Another one of those games built on Cold War fever. Think
Defender in 3D, and you're on the right track. 3D effects
are kinda nifty, but the game could have been done without
them.
Rating (1-10): 6
Comments: Included in the Segascope Master System pack.
Variations: None
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Monica no Castle do Dragao
Author/Vendor: Tec Toy
Year: ?
Region: Brazil
Language: Portuguese
Genre: Action/Advenrture
Cart Size: ? megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Altered version of Wonderboy in Monster Land, with various
characters from the Monica series.
Impressions: Exactly the same as Wonderboy in Monster Land, I assume.
Rating (1-10): 8
Variations: Wonderboy in Monster Land
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Monopoly
Author/Vendor: Parker Brothers/Sega
Year: 1987
Region: USA, Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Puzzle
Cart Size: megabit
Players: 1-?
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Pass GO and collect $200!" "Go directly to Jail!" Everyone
knows MONOPOLY, the world famous real estate trading game.
Now, you can play the exciting MONOPOLY video game on your
Sega System!
MONOPOLY is fantastic fun for the entire family. You can
play against the computer - with skill levels you select -
or get up to ten players in on the action. It has special
features such as built-in battery so you can save games
and play them later.
Roll the dice with a push of a button. Your token comes to
life and moves around the board! Buy companies and
properties. Increase the value of your properties by
building houses and hotels. Land on "Chance" or
"Community Chest" and pick a card.
With strategy and luck, you can become a winner. But you
never know how the dice with roll! (Back of the box)
Impressions: It's essentially a computerised version of the board game,
and you'll find that the board game is probably a more
enjoyable experience.
Rating (1-10): 5
Comments: None
Variations: The board game of the same name.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Montezuma's Revenge
Author/Vendor: Parker Brothers
Year: 1988
Region: USA
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Guide Panama Joe through the 100 room labyrinth that is
Montezuma's Pyramid. Collect treasure and defeat various
foes along the way.
Impressions: Devilishly frustrating maze game made even more difficult
by some niggling control issues. Worth a quick look at
any rate.
Rating (1-10): 5
Comments: As far as I can tell, this is the only game that is a USA
only release.
Variations: PC(?) version exists
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Mortal Kombat
Author/Vendor: Arena/Probe/Acclaim
Year: 1992
Region: Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Fighting
Cart Size: 4 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: The Mortal Kombat tournament takes place every 100 years.
It sees the best warriors of the Outworld take on the best
of Earth Realm. The evil Shokan prince, Goro, has won the
tournament for the last 900 years. One more victory will
see the Outworld be allowed to consume the Earth Realm.
Pick a warrior, and save Earth realm. (back of the box)
Impressions: It's severely cut down due to the fact the arcade game
was much more advanced, but most of the principle is still
in place.
Rating (1-10): 8
Comments: Ported from the arcade game
Variations: Arcade, Megadrive, SNES, PC and Mega CD versions exist.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Mortal Kombat II
Author/Vendor: Arena/Probe/Acclaim
Year: 1994
Region: Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Fighting
Cart Size: 4 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: While Liu Kang saved the Earth from certain doom, the evil
Shang Tsung begged his master Shao Kahn to host another
tournament, this time in the Outworld. But something isn't
quite right...(back of the box)
Impressions: Once again, it's limited by the fact the arcade version was
advanced, and the Master System was really really showing
its age at this point, but it's still a solid game. One of
the last known Master System releases in the industrialised
world.
Rating (1-10): 8
Comments: None
Variations: Arcade, Megadrive, SNES, PC and Saturn versions exist.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Mortal Kombat III
Author/Vendor: Tectoy
Year: 1996
Region: Brazil
Language: English
Genre: Fighting
Cart Size: megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Shao Kahn, angered by the outcome of the last Mortal Kombat
tournament, invades Earth realm, and attempts to take it
over with brute force.
Impressions: Features only 9 characters, but the fact they managed to
cram a respectable conversion of Mortal Kombat 3 onto the
SMS provides great testament for the skills of Tec Toy.
Rating (1-10): 8
Comments: Ported from the Game Gear version
Variations: Mortal Kombat series (various)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Ms. Pacman
Author/Vendor: Namco/Tengen
Year: 1991
Region: Europe
Language: English
Genre: Puzzle
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: It's Pacman. With a bow.
Impressions: Slightly better graphics, a changed perspective, faster
gameplay and more sound effects make Ms. Pac-man slightly
better than her other half.
Rating (1-10): 9
Comments: None.
Variations: Arcade version exists.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: My Hero
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1986
Region: USA, Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 1/4 of a megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Your girlfriend has been kidnapped, so you've got to get her
back. Awe inspiring plot, eh?
Impressions: It's crap. Ugly sprites and dull, samey action. Probably
the worst action game on the system.
Rating (1-10): 2
Comments: Available on card as well as cart.
Variations: None
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
==============================================================================
N
==============================================================================
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Nazca '88
see AZTEC ADVENTURE
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: NBA Jam
Author/Vendor: Midway/Acclaim
Year: 1994
Region: Europe
Language: English
Genre: Sports (basketball)
Cart Size: megabit
Players: 2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Port of the arcade basketball title.
Impressions: NBA Jam was great at the time, especially in the arcades.
The fact someone tried a Master System port is admirable,
but you have to admit that it isn't a patch on the other
conversions.
Rating (1-10): 5
Comments: I'm not even sure this was released, but there is a rom
available.
Variations: NBA Jam series (various)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Nekyuu Kousien
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1988
Region: Japan
Language: Japanese
Genre: Sports (baseball)
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1-2?
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Another Japanese baseball game.
Impressions: Might be interesting if you like baseball, and have the
ability to read Japanese. Since most of you don't, you'll
be better served with one of the English baseball games.
Rating (1-10): 5
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: New Zealand Story, The
Author/Vendor: Taito/Tekmagick
Year: 1991
Region: Europe
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Take to the stars for the adventure of a lifetime in this
no. 1 arcade hit. Watch feathers fly as you guide Tiki
through the hazards of New Zealand, including mazes,
defeating fiendish foes, rescuing his kiwi friends and
finally facing the evil Wally Walrus in the ultimate battle.
Will you be the next dish on the fresh kiwi menu? Only time
will tell, and it's running out!
Impressions: Interesting if not slightly difficult platforming fair.
There's plenty of potential for enjoyment, and the game
isn't exactly short. Check it out.
Rating (1-10): 8
Comments: It's not about sheep ^_~
Variations: Megadrive version exists.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Ninja Gaiden
Author/Vendor: Tecmo (reprogrammed by Sega)/Sega
Year: 1992
Region: Europe
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: The Dragon Ninja village has been massacred! The powerful
scroll of the Bushido has been stolen! You are Ryu
Hayabusa, last of the Dragon Ninjas, and you must find the
Bushido before it can be used to unleash evil across the
Earth.
Impressions: A poor man's Shinobi. I know I might anger a lot of people
by saying that, but Shinobi is clearly the better ninja
game on the system. Not enough depth or enjoyment to
sustain continued interest.
Rating (1-10): 3
Comments: NES port?
Variations: NES versions exist.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Ninja, The
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1986
Region: USA, Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: You're a ninja, and you've got to kill the other ninjas in
this top down shooter.
Impressions: Not a bad little game, but a little too simple for some
tastes.
Rating (1-10): 7
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Nuclear Creature
see TRANSBOT
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
==============================================================================
O
==============================================================================
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Olympic Gold: Barcelona '92
Author/Vendor: US Gold
Year: 1992
Region: Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Sports (multi)
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: The official game of the Games of the 25th Olympiad.
Impressions: Yeah, it's not so bad, if you love mashing the hell out of
your control pads.
Rating (1-10): 6
Comments: None
Variations: Also on the Megadrive.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Operation Wolf
Author/Vendor: Taito
Year: 1990
Region: Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Shooting
Cart Size: megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick, Light Phaser
Premise: A coup d'etat in Cherigo gave birth to the political
leadership of the Communist Party. The new president of
Cherigo has already sent the ex-President, who is
pro-Carmean, and the Carmean Embassy staff into a
concentration camp. Now, it is your turn to go on stage! You
have just landed all alone on Cherigo, parachuting down into
the country. Can you help the hostages escape unhurt from
Cherigo?
Impressions: My dad loves this game. Pretty good as far as shooters go,
and it ain't easy. Graphics are simple, but pure gameplay
makes up for it.
Rating (1-10): 8
Comments: Sequels in Operation Thuderbolt and Operation Wolf 3
Variations: Arcade version and NES version exist.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Ottifants, The
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1993
Region: Europe, Brazil
Language: Various
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: All is not well for Bruno, the baby Ottifant. A father
captured by Aliens! Or so our Otti-infant imagines as he
follows the trail of sweets that will lead him to his
abducted parent. It's a trail of peril and adventure --
terrifying toys, a blood chilling basement and an office of
hi-tech horror.
Impressions: Graphically pleasing, but there isn't much here that sets
it apart from the slew of platformers available on the
system. Still, it's solid, and that counts for a lot.
Rating (1-10): 7
Comments: Based on a popular European TV series.
Variations: Megadrive version exists
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Out Run
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1986
Region: USA, Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Racing
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: You've got this neat-o Ferarri, and you get to drive around
highways, taking separate routes....for absolutely no reason
whatsoever. Kickass!
Impressions: The arcade version made the trip fairly intact, although
there was a slight graphical hit. Highly playable, but
lacking in the lasting stakes.
Rating (1-10): 8
Comments: Ported from the Arcade
Variations: Arcade version exists.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Out Run 3D
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1989
Region: Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Racing
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick, 3D Glasses
Premise: Strap yourself in and take a 3-D ride on the wild side.
Sega's Out Run 3-D is so close to reality it will leave you
breathless! As your car whips around treacherous curves and
over hills, you can almost feel the engine screaming and the
wind whipping through your hair!
Impressions: See Out Run, because they're practically the same if you
take the 3D glasses away.
Rating (1-10): 8
Comments: Also has a 2D mode.
Variations: Out Run
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Out Run Europa
Author/Vendor: Sega/US Gold
Year: 1991
Region: Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Racing
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Out Run, once again, but this time it's in Europe.
Impressions: All the European setting gives you is a few changes in the
backdrops and extra vehicles. See the Out Run entry.
Rating (1-10): 7
Variations: Out Run
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
==============================================================================
P
==============================================================================
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Pac Mania
Author/Vendor: Tengen
Year: 1991
Region: Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Puzzle
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Pac-man moves to an isometric perspective, and gains the
ability to jump - but watch out, because the ghosts learnt
how to jump as well.
Impressions: Yeah, it's just Pac-man with jumping, not much else has
changed, so if you like Pac-man, give it a look.
Rating (1-10): 7
Comments: None
Variations: None.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Paperboy
Author/Vendor: Tengen
Year: 1990
Region: Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: You've landed a job as a paperboy. Get the papers onto
the welcome mat or in the mailbox, or face the consequences.
Impressions: It's a solid port of the classic arcade game, but you'd have
to be a fan to want to play it all over again.
Rating (1-10): 6
Comments: Ported from arcade.
Variations: Too many to list.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Parlour Games
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1990
Region: USA, Europe
Language: English
Genre: Various
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: 1-4
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Choose from the exciting challenges and action of Billiards,
Darts, or World Bingo! In Billiards, choose nine-ball or
rotation. Play the Darts games 301 or 50. Or test your
luck in a high-stakes game of World Bingo!
Impressions: The billiards game is mildly enjoyable, and darts is okay
once you've sussed the odd control method out, but World
Bingo is just....weird.
Rating (1-10): 6
Comments: None
Variations: Also known as Family Games and Party Games.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Party Games
see PARLOUR GAMES
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Penguin Land
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1987
Region: USA, Europe
Language: English
Genre: Puzzle
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Welcome to Penguin Land. Your mission: bring fragile eggs
back safely to home from a foriegn land. Your journey will
take you deep into mysterious caverns where dangerous
animals await to attack and destroy your eggs.
Impressions: Enjoyable, but very challenging puzzle game. Includes an
editor to let you create you own levels, extending replay
time. May frustrate some gamers, though.
Rating (1-10): 7
Comments: Contains battery backup abilities.
Variations: Doki Doki Penguin Land (Japanese release)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: PGA Tour Golf
Author/Vendor: Sterling Silver Software/EA/Sega/Tengen
Year: 1993
Region: Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Sports (golf)
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1-4
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: A hush comes over the crowd surrounding the 18th hole.
After 27,012 yards, 71 holes and four grading rounds, a 23
foot birdie putt separates you and your first tournament
victory. This is the big time. PGA TOUR-Golf puts all of
the excitement, fun, challenges and rewards of the real PGA
TOUR right in your hands!
Impressions: A good little golf game...if you can stand the load times.
Tries to do more than is really technically possible on
the SMS, and the overall game suffers because of it. Pity,
because it's just about the best golf game on the system.
Rating (1-10): 7
Comments: None
Variations: Megadrive versions exist.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Phantasy Star
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1987
Region: Europe, Australia, Japan, USA
Language: Various
Genre: RPG
Cart Size: 4 megabit + battery
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: The time: Space Century 3240. The place: The Agol Star
System. It began when King Lassic turned evil and let
hordes of hideous, magical creatures run amok on the three
planets. When her brother was killed, Alis vowed to avenge
his death and put an end to Lassic forever.
Join her in a journey across time and space to a world where
creatures speak...where magic and science combine to take
you on the ultimate video quest.
Phantasy Star is total adventure role playing with towns
full of people and shops...16 level dunegons full of traps
and treasure...three companions who will help you if you
find them and some of the most awesome graphics ever put
in a video game. (back of the box)
Impressions: The Master System's best RPG, not to mention one of its
best games. Its got a lengthy quest and an interesting
story. Pity about those first person dungeons, though.
Rating (1-10): 9
Comments: None
Variations: Featured in compilations on the Saturn and Game Boy Advance
with an updated version being released on the Playstation 2
later this year. Sequels exist purely on the Megadrive.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Pit Fighter
Author/Vendor: Atari Games/Domark
Year: 1990
Region: Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Fighting
Cart Size: 4 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: In the Pit, it's mean, it's tough and it's no place for the
fainthearted. Take on all comers - the fighting's below the
belt and rules don't exist. Survival and the prize money
are all that matter. Welcome to the world of the
Pitfighter!
Impressions: Fun little fighter, but very, very shallow. Loses a lot of
the charm of the Arcade version on the way home, but then
again, the arcade game wasn't really that good, either.
Rating (1-10): 5
Comments: Loose arcade port?
Variations: Megadrive and Gameboy versions exist.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Pit Pot
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1988
Region: Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Puzzle
Cart Size: 1/4 of a megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: A witch has kidnapped the princess, so you've got to get her
back. Sounds thrilling.
Impressions: Nice little maze game, but very unforgiving.
Rating (1-10): 6
Comments: None.
Variations: Available in compilation with Astro Warrior. Known as
Fushigi no Oshiro Pit Pot in Japan
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Populous
Author/Vendor: Bullfrog/Tecmagik
Year: 1991
Region: Europe
Language: English
Genre: Strategy
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Now it's your chance to play God! Create the world in a week
and destroy it in a heartbeat. Conquer 5000 hostile worlds.
Unleash floods, volcanos, swamps and earthquakes.
Impressions: The quintessential God game. Not as good as the Amiga and
PC versions thanks to the lack of a mouse, but if you feel
the need to crush some meddling humans, then this is the
game to go with.
Rating (1-10): 8
Comments: None
Variations: Also on Megadrive, Amiga and PC.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Poseidon Wars 3D
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1988
Region: Europe
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick, 3D Glasses
Premise: Keep your eyes on the horizon and your trigger finger
twitching in this explosive 3-D naval battle game from Sega.
With dive bombers, missiles and torpedoes trying to send you
to Davy Jones' locker, you'll need every ounce of skill and
luck you've got to keep your attack cruiser afloat and to
destroy the enemy.
Impressions: Ordinary shooter type game that features no benefit from
3D whatsoever. Had Light Phaser support been included,
this might have been a better game.
Rating (1-10): 5
Comments: Features a 2D Mode.
Variations: None.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Power Strike
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1988
Region: USA, Europe, Australia, Brazil
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Your planet has been overrun by the meanest mutant
vegetation ever created in a genetics laboratory. It's
taken over buildings, labs, fighter craft...even people! And
it's getting bigger...and meaner...with each passing second.
But it hasn't taken over you. Now you're going in on a
mission to deliver a POWER STRIKE! You have a special attack
ship with the ability to use weapons you free from the
ground. The action is hot and heavy. The enemy is coming
faster than you could ever believe! So fight hard and fast.
If you don't turn the mutated vegetation into a giant tossed
salad, they'll turn you into toast!
Impressions: Easily one of the best shmups on the system, with a neat
power-up system, and cool boss fights.
Rating (1-10): 8
Comments: A special edition of the game was available in America, a
first, if you trust the blurb on the back of the box.
Variations: Sequel in Power Strike 2
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Power Strike 2
Author/Vendor: Compile/Sega
Year: 1993
Region: Europe
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 4 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: A lone pilot puts on his flight gear and gets ready. His
life has been leading up to this moment - he knows that the
time has come to take on the air pirates' sky forces! The
battle has begun. Are you ready to help in the fight to
free the skies from the clutches of the air pirates?
Impressions: The quality of the original with a new campaign and a bunch
of new power ups.
Rating (1-10): 9
Comments: None
Variations: Sequel to Power Strike
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Predator 2
Author/Vendor: Arena Entertainment/Acclaim
Year: 1992
Region: Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: The Predator is in town with a few days to kill!!! It comes
from a distant world...Invisible, it's armed with powerful
weapons unlike anything we know. It mercilessly stalks
humans...for sport. As Lt. Hannigan, it's up to you to
rescue innocent people from the clutches of the evil drug
gangs -- before they become trophies of the Predator.
Search the streets, rooftops and subways until you confront
IT. The Predator is on the hunt...find him before he finds
you!
Impressions: Enjoyable side scrolling run and gun shooter. A little
difficult, but light years ahead of the Megadrive game.
Must be the perspective.
Rating (1-10): 7
Comments: Based on the film starring Danny Glover.
Variations: Also on Megadrive and Game Gear.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Prince of Persia
Author/Vendor: Broderbund
Year: 1991
Region: Europe/Australia
Language: English
Genre: Adventure
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: You've been thrown into a dungeon, and have exactly one hour
to save the princess from falling into an eternal slumber..
or was it from being executed...oh well.
Impressions: Excellent adventure title, with well executed platforming
elements, thrilling fights and nasty puzzles. Gets pretty
difficult and frantic as you go along.
Rating (1-10): 8
Comments: None
Variations: On just about every system known to man.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Pro Wrestling
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1986
Region: USA, Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Sports (wrestling)
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: It's the video match of the year. A no-holds-barred battle
between you and a friend, or some of the biggest bruisers
this side of Madison Square Garden. Just try to pin The
Iron Soldier. Or wiggle away from The Giant Bull. Or just
survive the cruel Crusher Brothers. Body slam. Drop kick.
Pile drive. You'll even have the notorious German Suplex
Hold. All at your command. Go for the title. Mexican
League, Pacific League or World League. Whatever you do,
play rough. Play to Win.
Impressions: Hilariously bad on your own, but provides a few laughs when
played with friends. Go with Steel Cage if you need a
better wrestling game with a license.
Rating (1-10): 4
Comments: Has a very amusing box art.
Variations: Gokuaku Doumei Dump Matsumoto (Japanese title)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Pro Yakyuu, The
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year:
Region: Japan
Language: Japanese
Genre: Sports (baseball)
Cart Size:
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise:
Impressions:
Rating (1-10):
Comments:
Variations: Translates to The Pro Baseball
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Psycho Fox
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1989
Region: USA, Europe
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Psycho Fox is an adventure game centering around the
entertaining and thrilling escapades of a very special fox.
Psycho Fox ventures into many strange worlds to conquer
strange beasts and boss monsters he encounters.
Impressions: Surprisingly speedy platformer with some rather demanding
challenges. Give it a little time, and you'll enjoy it,
but don't expect to pick it up and be a master within 5
minutes.
Rating (1-10): 7
Comments: None
Variations: Sapo Xule vs Os Invasores do Brejo (Brazillian pallete swap)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Psychic World
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1992
Region: Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: In a science lab in the middle of no-where, Dr Knavik does
his research on ESP. The twin sisters Lucia and Cecile
work as his assistants. One day a section of the lab blew
up. The monsters which were kept in the lab for experiments
have kidnapped Cecile, and it is up to Lucia to get her
back, with the aid of a ESP booster given to her by Dr.
Knavik.
Impressions: Run and gun platform shooter which doesn't deliver on it's
enormous potential. Limited powerups and use of abilities
and poor graphics really hold this game back. Music is
catchy, for some unknown reason.
Rating (1-10): 5
Comments: None
Variations: None
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Putt and Putter
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1992
Region: Europe, Brazil
Language: English
Genre: Sports (golf)
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: The waves crash against the shore as you tee up. Ahead in
the distance...pinball bumpers? An outrageous combination
of mini golf and pinball! It's Putt and Putter!
Impressions: Fun little remix of mini-golf that adds in the use of common
pinball equipment such as bumpers, as well as a few crazier
contraptions such as conveyor belts. Of course, mini-golf
can be a little frustrating, but this game offers plenty
of enjoyment if you give it a chance.
Rating (1-10): 7
Comments: None
Variations: Minigolf (Brazillian title)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
==============================================================================
Q
==============================================================================
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Quartet
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1987
Region: USA
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Space colony Number Nine is being threatened by an invasion
of the most dangerous kind. Alien attack. Only you have
the power to stop this gruesome group. And save the colony
from certain collapse.
Impressions: Fairly simplistic side scrolling shooter which requires
a lot of jumping, blasting stuff, and collecting keys to
work your way into the next level
Rating (1-10): 6
Comments: Based on an Arcade game?
Variations: Known as Double Target in Japan.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Quest for the Shaven Yank
see REN AND STIMPY: QUEST FOR THE SHAVEN YAK
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
==============================================================================
R
==============================================================================
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: R-Type
Author/Vendor: Irem Corporation (reprogrammed by Sega)/Sega
Year: 1988
Region: Europe, Australia, USA
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 4 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: It's you against the creatures of the evil Bydo Empire!
Pilot the supersecret R-9 fighter spacecraft through the
waves of aliens and their deadly war machines.
Impressions: Egads! This one is a tough cookie. Serious shooter fans
shouldn't waste any time in playing this one, while any less
fanatical player might want to watch themselves, as this one
can be very frustrating. Otherwise, it follows a fairly
good formula, and remains faithful to the original.
Rating (1-10): 8
Comments: None
Variations: Ported from the Arcade(?). Future R-Type installments have
appeared on the Gameboy, SNES and Playstation.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Rainbow Islands
Author/Vendor: Taito
Year: 1992
Region: Europe
Language: English
Genre: Puzzle
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Bob and Bub return, this time in human form. Their girls
are kidnapped once again, and they have to use the power
of rainbows to save them.
Impressions: It's a solid title, but it lacks some of the magic which
Bubble Bobble oozed. Don't let that thwart your attempts to
play it.
Rating (1-10): 8
Comments: None
Variations: Sequel to Bubble Bobble.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: R.C. Grand Prix
Author/Vendor: Absolute Entertainment
Year: 1989
Region: Europe, Australia, USA
Language: English
Genre: Racing
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1-4
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: A radio controlled car race has begun -- right in your own
house. With this game you can enjoy the excitement of a
real radio controlled car race. Enjoy the thrill of
challenging a number of different race circuits, where four
radio controlled cars go head on against each other.
There's also a drag car race waiting.
Impressions: Solid little racing game with the ability to upgrade your
car. Unfortunately for you, the other cars get an equal
or better upgrade two races later, which makes the game
somewhat unfair.
Rating (1-10): 7
Comments: None
Variations: None
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Rambo: First Blood Part 2
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1986
Region: USA
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Based on the hit movie starring Sylvester Stallon and the
late Richard Crenna. After being imprisoned, Rambo is
offered an opportunity by his friend Colonel Trautmann to
return to Vietnam to search for lost American POWs.
Impressions: Exactly the same as Secret Commando, with a different title
screen. Given a separate entry because I like Rambo.
Rating (1-10): 7
Comments: Rambo II was a box office smash in the US in 1986, which is
probably the reason the US version was further localised.
Variations: Very similar to Secret Commando ;)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Rambo III
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1988
Region: Europe, Australia, USA, Brazil
Language: English
Genre: Shooter
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick, Light Phaser (required)
Premise: John Rambo, America's favourite soldier, makes a daring
rescue attempt on a Russian military base deep in war-torn
Afghanistan. A fast-shooting Light Phaser game that tests
your fighting skills to the limit.
Impressions: Pretty good as far as shooters go. Very easy though.
Rating (1-10): 7
Comments: None
Variations: A Megadrive game of the same name exists, but is an entirely
different animal.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Rampage
Author/Vendor: Bally Midway (reprogrammed by Sega)/Sega
Year: 1988
Region: Europe, Australia, USA
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Mass destruction has never been so much fun! And arcade
superstars Ralph the Wolf, George the Ape and Lizzie the
Lizard make a riotous wrecking crew. So go wild! Crunch
the concrete. Trash a trolley. Snack on a soldier. Have
an office building for lunch. Go on a RAMPAGE!
Impressions: Good fun for two people, but golly is it repetitive.
Good luck to anyone who actually wants to go through all
50 levels (I have done it, btw).
Rating (1-10): 6
Comments: Ported from the arcade. Three sequels, one arcade and two
console based. US version has a funky looking box with a
red stripe.
Variations: Arcade version exists
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Rampart
Author/Vendor: Atari Games/Tengen (conversion by Developer Resources)
Year: 1991
Region: Europe
Language: English
Genre: Strategy
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Rampart combines the best of strategy puzzle games with
dynamic action and medieval destruction. Rampart allows up
to 2 players at a time to travel back in time to the middle
ages, building fortifications and positioning cannons, just
as the powerful Lords and Barons once did...Now prepare for
all out battle!
Impressions: A war sim combined with a Tetris style rebuilding section.
Fun for two players, crappy on your own. The transition
from track ball to control pad hinders enjoyment a lot more
than expected.
Rating (1-10): 6
Comments: None
Variations: Ported from the arcade, also on NES and Megadrive
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Rastan
Author/Vendor: Taito
Year: 1988
Region: USA, Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Journey into the dark lands of Semia where no man dares to
tread. A princess has been kidnapped. If you rescue her,
untold riches will be your reward. But you're a barbarian
...a master of cold steel! And who really controls your
destiny?
Impressions: Think of it as a primitive Castlevania game, and you'll
enjoy it about 10 times more than you normally would. Hack
and Slash platformer saved by a nifty power up system.
Rating (1-10): 7
Comments: None
Variations: Arcade version exists. Sequels on Megadrive and Playstation
2/Gamecube.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Reggie Jackson Baseball
see GREAT BASEBALL
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Ren and Stimpy: Quest for the Shaven Yak
Author/Vendor: Tectoy
Year: 1993
Region: Brazil
Language: Portuguese
Genre: Action
Cart Size: megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Based on the hit Nickelodeon cartoon.
Impressions:
Rating (1-10):
Comments: 99% sure this is a Game Gear port.
Variations: Game Gear version exists
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Renegade
Author/Vendor: Technos Japan Corp./Taito/Sega
Year: 1993
Region: Europe
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: You're an iron-fisted vigilante out to save your city from
the evil Syndicate. Brawl down and dirty in the streets.
Challenge biker gangs to a dangerous highway battle! Punch
past armed thugs on your way through the Syndicate mansion
and the ultimate fight!
Impressions: Bears a lot of resembelence, move wise, to Double Dragon II.
An amusing brawler in it's own right thanks to some
hilarious cinematics, this one shines most when played with
a friend.
Rating (1-10): 7
Comments: None
Variations: Arcade port?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Rescue Mission
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1988
Region: USA, Europe
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Light Phaser
Premise: Your friends are trapped behind enemy lines. They're
wounded and need your help to escape. You're taking the
medics in...on a dangerous rescue mission.
Impressions: Much more fun than it sounds - protect your medic who's in
a rail cart while he attends to the downed soldiers.
Challenging yet still fun, and the variety of enemies can
be amusing (communist Australians :P)
Rating (1-10): 8
Comments: None
Variations: None
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Road Rash
Author/Vendor: Probe (conversion)/Electronic Arts (original)/US Gold
Year: 1993
Region: Europe, Australia, Brazil
Language: English, Portuguese
Genre: Racing
Cart Size: 4 megabit
Players: 1-2 (take turns)
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: The Challenge - Race for your life - there are no rules,
no speed limits and no going back! Watch out for road
blocks, oil spills and the cops! Reach speeds of at least
150mph whilst punching, kicking and clubbing your opponent
before he gets you first! The adrenaline is pumping...and
he's waiting for you...!
Impressions: Faithful port of one of the best games on the Megadrive, but
isn't without a few problems - mainly the ultra thin
characters and slowed sense of speed. Still technically
impressive and fun to play.
Rating (1-10): 8
Comments: Ported from Game Gear?
Variations: Megadrive sequels in Road Rash 2 and Road Rash III. Game
Gear versions also exist.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Robocop 3
Author/Vendor: Eden Entertainment Software/Ocean/Flying Edge/Acclaim
Year: 1993
Region: Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Old Detroit. The streets are full of danger. Only one man
can stand alone against such numbers. ROBOCOP! With state
of the art weaponry, a skin of steel and nerves to match, he
stalks his prey...evil doers everywhere!
Impressions: The worst game in the series is based on the worst movie,
what a surprise. Robocop walks like a bit of a nancy,
collision detection is non existant, the game looks like
the remnants of a Taco Bell feast, and just isn't any fun
to play.
Rating (1-10): 1
Comments: Based on arguably the worst movie in the Robocop series.
Variations: Also on Megadrive.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Robocop vs Terminator
Author/Vendor: NMS Software Ltd./Virgin Interactive
Year: 1993
Region: Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 4 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: In the near future, the worlds of RoboCop and The Terminator
merge into a single reality. You, as RoboCop, must save
mankind by destroying the Skynet super computer in this
possible future in which machines rule the Earth and Skynet
is supreme.
Impressions: Identical to its Megadrive brother - with the typical down
grades. Run and gun platform shooter with a bit of extra
gore - nothing we haven't all seen before. Better than
Robocop 3, though.
Rating (1-10): 5
Comments: Based on the Dark Horse comic series by Frank Miller.
Variations: Megadrive version exists.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Rock'n Bolt
Author/Vendor: Activision (reprogrammed by Sega)/Sega
Year: 1985
Region: Japan
Language:
Genre:
Cart Size: megabit
Players:
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise:
Impressions:
Rating (1-10):
Comments:
Variations:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Rocky
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1988
Region: USA, Europe
Language: English
Genre: Sports (boxing)
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: You're living the dream. Taking on all comers in your quest
to be the best. The heavyweight champion of the world! A
knockout adaptation of the boxing movie classic.
Impressions: It's a tough boxing game, with relatively limited moves, but
the training minigames are pretty fun. Two player makes
for a slightly extended life - boxing on the SMS (sadly)
doesn't get any better.
Rating (1-10): 6
Comments: Loosely based on the events of Rocky through Rocky IV.
Variations: None
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Romance of the Three Kingdoms 3
Author/Vendor:
Year:
Region:
Language:
Genre:
Cart Size:
Players:
Peripherals:
Premise:
Impressions:
Rating (1-10):
Comments:
Variations: Sangokushi III (Japanese title)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Running Battle
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1991
Region: Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: A neighboring city has fallen into the hands of the sinister
'M' and his 'Soldiers of the Darkness.' Get inside the 'Dark
Zone' and punch, kick and blast your way through to the
final conflict.
Impressions: Looks worse than any SMS game should, and plays absolutely
terribly. Limited moves and poor collision detection take
away any possible enjoyment.
Rating (1-10): 2
Comments: None
Variations: None
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Rygar
Author/Vendor: Salio Inc./Tecmo
Year: 1988
Region: Japan
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Home port of the popular arcade game.
Impressions: Straight up action with a few platforming bits. Nothing
especially interesting - the idea behind the NES version
might have been better suited to the SMS than this version.
Rating (1-10): 4
Comments: Released on a silver cartridge in Japan.
Variations: Arcade port. Argos no ju-jiken (Japanese title)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
==============================================================================
S
==============================================================================
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Sagaia
Author/Vendor: Taito
Year: 1992
Region: Europe, Brazil
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Darius, a peaceful planet much like Earth, was all but
destroyed some time ago by an unknown enemy. Two young
pilots managed to escape...Following a distress signal from
what remains of their home planet, they're headed back into
the fire
Impressions: Side scrolling shooter with all of the usual trimmings,
except with two fighter types instead of one. Give it a
try if you're a genre fan.
Rating (1-10): 7
Comments: Despite what the premise says, this version is for one
player only.
Variations: Also on Megadrive.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Sangokushi III
see ROMANCE OF THE THREE KINGDOMS 3
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Sapo Xule o Mestre do Kung Fu
Author/Vendor: Sega/Tectoy
Year: 1995
Region: Brazil
Language: Portuguese
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: A Kung Fu Kid pallete swap, with the Sapo Xule character
replacing the main protagonist.
Impressions: See KUNG FU KID
Rating (1-10): See KUNG FU KID
Comments: Translates to Stinky Frog: The Master of Kung Fu
Variations: Kung Fu Kid
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Sapo Xule SOS Lagoa Poluida
Author/Vendor: Sega/Tectoy
Year: 1995
Region: Brazil
Language: Portuguese
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players:
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Stinky Frog gets thrown into Astro Warrior
Impressions: See ASTRO WARRIOR
Rating (1-10): See ASTRO WARRIOR
Comments: Translates to Stinky Frog: SOS Polluted Lagoon
Variations: Astro Warrior
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Sapo Xule vs Os Invasores do Brejo
Author/Vendor: Sega/Tectoy
Year: 1995?
Region: Brazil
Language: Portuguese
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Stinky Frog gets thrown into Psycho Fox.
Impressions: See PSYCHO FOX
Rating (1-10): See PSYCHO FOX
Comments: Translates to Stinky Frog vs. the Swamp Invaders.
Variations: Psycho Fox
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Satellite 7
Author/Vendor:
Year:
Region: Japan
Language: Japanese
Genre:
Cart Size:
Players:
Peripherals:
Premise:
Impressions:
Rating (1-10):
Comments:
Variations:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Scramble Spirits
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1988
Region: Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: The Earth has been attacked by extra-terrestrial forces.
Their weaponry is fierce and their numbers are almost too
great to count. It will take a couple of fearless fighter
pilots to bring them into defeat. Feel up to the job?
Impressions: Forgettable vertical scrolling shooter that suffers from
minor problems such as a lack of power up variety and
excess sprite flickering (and thus slowdown).
Rating (1-10): 4
Comments: None
Variations: None
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: SDI: Strategic Defense Initiative
see GLOBAL DEFENSE
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Secret Commando
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1986
Region: Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: You know the drill - you're a lone soldier on an impossible
mission and you have to blast the stuffing out of anything
that moves.
Impressions: Difficult but rewarding vertical shooter. Some minor issues
such as poor collision on the arrows can infuriate the
player, but otherwise, this game is highly recommended.
Rating (1-10): 8
Comments: None.
Variations: Ashura (Japan title), Rambo: First Blood Part II (USA title)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Sega Chess
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1991
Region: Europe
Language: English
Genre: Puzzle
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: It's chess.
Impressions: Some nice features like switching between 2D and 3D boards
(technically impressive), but I'd rather use a real board
and real pieces.
Rating (1-10): 7
Comments: None
Variations: None.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Sega World Tournament Golf
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1993
Region: Europe
Language: English
Genre: Sports (golf)
Cart Size: ? megabit
Players: ?
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Challenging courses, a variety of modes and realistic
gameplay - Sega World Tournament Gold has it all!
Impressions: ?
Rating (1-10): ?
Comments: ?
Variations: ?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Sensible Soccer
Author/Vendor: Sensible Software/Sony Imagesoft
Year: 1993
Region: Europe
Language: English
Genre: Sports (soccer)
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: The best soccer game on the computer formats makes a belated
transition to the consoles.
Impressions: It's the best darn soccer game on any system. Plenty of
depth in play options, stacks of teams, and league and cup
modes to keep anyone glued to the game for months to come.
Don't forget about the multiplayer mode, either.
Rating (1-10): 10
Comments: None
Variations: Also on Amiga, PC, Megadrive.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Shadow Dancer
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1991
Region: Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 4 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: A violent terrorist group is trying to foil a crucial space
mission. You, as Takashi, the noble Ninja warrior, attempt
to take them out using your death stars, your mighty sword
and Ninjitsu magic.
Impressions: This is a direct port of the arcade game - a lot of the
graphical finesse was lost, because the game just looks
outright ugly. Nothing notable gameplay wise - the
one hit kill stuff can be a royal pain in the ass, though.
Rating (1-10): 5
Comments: The Megadrive game of the same name is a different animal,
centering around the exploits of the original Shinobi
protagonist Joe Musashi, who goes on a quest rescuing
kidnapped children
Variations: Arcade version exists.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Shadow of the Beast
Author/Vendor: Psygnosis/Tecmagik
Year: 1991
Region: Europe
Language: English
Genre: Adventure
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: From beyond the edge of darkness the warrior cries revenge.
Shadow of the Beast is unleashed on the Master System in a
superlative arcade adventure. Relentless combat as the
Beast battles over 100 different alien forms in 8 hostile
regions of a supernatural World. It feels so real - you can
almost taste knuckle.
Impressions: More adventure centric than the Megadrive game - I don't
know which is the more faithful conversion as I never played
the original computer version. Worth a look, even if it
doesn't have the cool soundtrack of the 16-bit game.
Rating (1-10): 7
Comments: None.
Variations: Amiga, PC and Megadrive versions exist.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Shanghai
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1988
Region: USA, Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Puzzle
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Steady your nerves and concentration. You're about to play
Shanghai! Shanghai is based on an ancient game that is over
25 centuries old. Over the years since, it has been a
favourite of pirates, smugglers, flappers and gangsters, pf
working men and the well-to-do. Now you can play it too on
the Sega System. The game is simple...the strategy complex.
Remove 144 tiles from a pyramid; two matching tiles at a
time. But be careful. Remove two wrong tiles and you're
left with no more matching pairs...game over! It's a game
everyone can play and enjoy.
Impressions: Simple in concept - just match the pieces with a free
side edge, but it quickly becomes challenging, and is one
of the most enjoyable puzzle experiences on the SMS. Highly
recommended
Rating (1-10): 9
Comments: None
Variations: None
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Shapes and Columns
see COLUMNS
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Shinobi
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1986
Region: USA, Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Powerful ninja Joe Musashi sets out to rescue a bunch of
kidnapped children from an evil crime sydnicate.
Impressions: Not as pretty as the arcade game, but retains all of the
necessary gameplay. Fun to play, long and as tough as nails
- essentially a game that every Master System owner needs
to have.
Rating (1-10): 10
Comments: None.
Variations: Arcade and Game Gear versions exist. Sequels in Cyber
Shinobi, Shadow Dancer and Revenge of Shinobi (MD).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Shooting Gallery
Author/Vender: Sega
Year: 1987
Region: USA, Europe
Language: English
Genre: Shooter
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Light Phaser
Premise: Have you got what it takes to last through four incredibly
intense shoot 'em up games? A sharp eye? Steady hand?
Split-second timing? Let's hope so. Because that's the
only way you'll survive the SHOOTING GALLERY.
Impressions: Simple but enjoyable Light Phaser effort that helps with
light gun skills, but doesn't really do much else. Can get
very challenging.
Rating (1-10): 6
Comments: None
Variations: None
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Sitio do Picapau Amarello
Author/Vendor: Tectoy
Year: 1997
Region: Brazil
Language: Portuguese
Genre: Adventure
Cart Size: ? megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Another game based on a Brazillian cartoon license.
Impressions: Original efforts from Tectoy seem to be few and far between
and are rarely any good. This one is somewhat playable, but
I'm afraid that those of us who don't speak Portuguese won't
enjoy it to its full potential.
Rating (1-10): 5
Comments: None
Variations: None
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Slap Shot
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1990
Region: USA, Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Sports (hockey)
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Chop That Shot! Get in on all the excitement of a game so
rough that it's sometimes called hand-to-hand combat on ice.
This game brings twenty-four of the best teams from around
the world into your living room for hours of fast-paced fun.
Impressions: Hockey is poorly represented on the SMS, and Slap Shot does
nothing to help. Stupid fight system, no face-off system
and goals wider than Aunty Fay's posterior.
Rating (1-10): 5
Comments: Not to be confused with the Paul Newman film.
Variations: None
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Smash TV
Author/Vendor: Flying Edge/Acclaim
Year: 1992
Region: Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: It's sometime in the not too distant future, and game shows
feature contestants locked in a battle for their own
survival, whilst winning all sorts of prizes. I'd buy that
for a dollar!
Impressions: Seriously fun in two player, but the difficulty level is
somewhat unforgiving. A top blaster, nonetheless.
Rating (1-10): 8
Comments: Ported from the Arcade game
Variations: Arcade, NES, SNES and Megadrive versions exist.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Smurfs, The
Author/Vendor: Infogrames
Year: 1994
Region: Europe, Brazil
Language: Various
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Gargamel has already kidnapped three Smurfs. Smurf to their
rescue! Smurf down the mountains riding on a sledge,
explore the labyrinths of the mine, travel on the back of
the stork...but beware of nasty enemies such as the Buzz
flies, the Angry Smurfs, the Howlbird, Azrael and..Gargamel!
Impressions: Above average, but not by much. Generic platformer with
little to offer - but at least the gameplay is solid.
Rating (1-10): 6
Comments: None
Variations: Les Schtroumpfs (French title)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Smurfs Travel the World, The
Author/Vendor: Infogrames
Year: 1995
Region: Europe
Language: Various
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Inquisite Smurf and Smurfette have broken the magic crystal
and now they are being taken off to various parts of the
world. Collect all the crystals to be found along your
route. To reveal them, brave the sea-lions of the North
Pole, the Indians of America, and the octopuses of the
deep... Only after you have smurfed all these challenges
and many others will you be able to return to the village
Impressions: Faster paced than the original Smurfs title, but still
suffers from being far too generic - but then again, how
many standout titles did Infogrames make?
Rating (1-10): 6
Comments: None
Variations: Les Schtroumpfs Autour Du Monde (French title)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Solomon no Kagi
Author/Vendor: Salio Inc./Tecmo
Year: 1988
Region: Japan
Language: Japanese
Genre: Puzzle
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Run through the maze and rescue the fairies.
Impressions: The game is pretty self explanatory, but the difficulty
level jumps through the roof quite quickly, leading to
frustration. If you can deal with that, you might enjoy
the game.
Rating (1-10): 7
Comments: Special silver cartridge. Full title is Solomon's Key:
Tears of Queen Sohita
Variations: None.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Sonic Blast
Author/Vendor: Sega/Tectoy
Year: 1997
Region: Brazil
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 8 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Think Sonic the Hedgehog meets Donkey Kong Country, and
you're about halfway.
Impressions: It's just another Sonic game to be honest, but this one has
pre-rendered sprites. Frame rate is a little questionable,
but Sonic fans should take a peek.
Rating (1-10): 8
Comments: Ported from the Game Gear Version
Variations: Game Gear version exists.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Sonic Chaos
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1993
Region: Europe, Australia, Brazil
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 4 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Dr. Robotnik's stolen the red Chaos Emerald, and it's up to
Sonic The Hedgehog to get it back! As Sonic or "Tails" the
two-tailed fox, you'll zip through the Zones, using your
quick moves and quicker thinking to collect rings and evade
Robotnik's latest batch of Badniks!
Impressions: Vast improvement over Sonic 2, but still just short of the
original games. Bigger levels, gadgets completely unique
to this Sonic title (Rocket shoes!), and the ability to play
as Tails help a lot, but it still can't stack up to the
16-bit Sonic titles.
Rating (1-10): 9
Comments: None
Variations: Also on Game Gear.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Sonic Spinball
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1993
Region: Europe, Brazil
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 4 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: From slimy sewers to monstrous machine rooms, Dr Robotnik's
latest fortress is a giant pinball machine! Will it
withstand a Sonic spin-vasion? Bounce from giant flippers
and hissing steam vents. Rev through dizzying loops and up
death-defying ramps!
Impressions: Not much a Sonic game, and not much of a pinball game.
Not much of anything really - but you can do much, much
worse.
Rating (1-10): 6
Comments: None
Variations: Also on Megadrive and Game Gear.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Sonic the Hedgehog
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1991
Region: USA, Europe, Australia
Language: Various
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Sega's popular blue haired mascot makes his first Master
System appearance.
Impressions: At the start of the game, one thinks that we're all set up
for another stripped down Megadrive game, but this one
breaks off on a tangent of its own. Keeps the gameplay of
the Megadrive game, but adds some much needed challenge.
One of the best on the system.
Rating (1-10): 10
Comments: None.
Variations: Game Gear version exists.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1992
Region: Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 4 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Sonic returns for another adventure, this time he's after
Dr. Robotnik, as his best friend Tails has been kidnapped by
the evil scientist.
Impressions: This one was a real botch up. The hang glider and mine cart
bits sounded rather fun, but they actually contribute toward
making this the worst Sonic game in existance. Avoid.
Rating (1-10): 4
Comments: None.
Variations: Game Gear version exists.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Space Harrier
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1986
Region: USA, Europe, Japan, Australia
Language: Various
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: A home conversion of the classic Yu Suzuki arcade game.
Blast your way through hordes of enemies to return peace to
the Fantasy Zone.
Impressions: Pretty poor as far as arcade conversions go. Space Harrier
never really translated well to home until the 32X, though.
For fans only.
Rating (1-10): 5
Comments: Port of the arcade game.
Variations: Arcade version exists. Has appeared in compilation on the
Game Boy Advance and Saturn (?), and also in Shenmue and
Shenmue II on the Dreamcast and Xbox.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Space Harrier 3D
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1987
Region: USA, Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick, 3D Glasses
Premise: 3D version of Space Harrier with support for the 3D Glasses
peripheral.
Impressions: Well, its virtually identical to the normal game, but looks
a little better if you have the 3D Glasses. Don't bother if
you don't have them.
Rating (1-10): 5
Comments: None
Variations: Space Harrier
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Space Gun
Author/Vendor: Taito
Year: 1992
Region: Europe
Language: English
Genre: Shooter
Cart Size: 4 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick, Light Phaser
Premise: From a crippled starship at the edge of the galaxy comes a
cry for help. Alien monsters have taken over, and it's up
to you to save what human crew remains! Choose your own
path down dark corridors and through deadly arenas in
non-stop shooting action!
Impressions: Disappointing effort from Taito, given their track record.
Slow pace, ugly graphics and bad art override the few
cool things in the game, such as the variety of special
weapons.
Rating (1-10): 5
Comments: None
Variations: None
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Special Criminal Investigation
Author/Vendor: Taito
Year: 1992
Region: Europe
Language: English
Genre: Action/Driving
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: This is high-powered excitement that starts just as soon as
you get behind the wheel! You are the police force's
finest, and you are up against criminals who are prepared to
do anything to carry out their plans. They've kidnapped the
mayor's daughter and you are her only hope.
Impressions: Think Chase H.Q. with a gun, and you're on the mark. Lacks
the music that made the original memorable, but still has
the same level of enjoyment in the chase sections, slightly
amplified by the enjoyment one gets from hitting a crim from
behind with a bazooka.
Rating (1-10): 7
Comments: None.
Variations: Sequel to Chase H.Q.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Speedball
Author/Vendor: Bitmap Brothers/Mirrorsoft
Year: 1990
Region: Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Sports
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Speedball is the action sport of the 21st century. Dodge
neck breaking tackles and bone crushing body slams to pass
a solid steel ball towards your opponent's goal. Hammer
your foe enough times and he will cry for mercy!
Impressions: One of your typical future sport type games, but this is
the one that really put that genre on the map in Europe.
Take your team into battle, and beat the crap out of the
opposition, while occasionally taking the time to score
some points.
Rating (1-10): 8
Variations: Available on various home computer formats.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe
Author/Vendor: Bitmap Brothers/Virgin Interactive
Year: 1992
Region: Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Sports
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Speedball 2. A violent quasi-legal future-sport with one
rule - slam a solid steel ball into your opponent's goal.
The only thing tougher than the brutal blood sport is the
thugs who play it. And they don't come any tougher than
Brutal Deluxe, new faces at the bottom of the league,
thirsting for blood and hungry for success.
Impressions: Improved version of Speedball with better pacing and league
play - something that developers of future sports titles
on current consoles need to include.
Rating (1-10): 8
Comments: None
Variations: Available on Megadrive and various computer formats.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Spellcaster
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1989
Region: USA, Europe, Australia, Brazil, Japan
Language: Various
Genre: RPG
Cart Size: 4 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: It's a Sega quest of a lifetime featuring graphic text
adventure and high-powered action scenes! You are Kane, the
SpellCaster warrior of Summit Temple. You have mastered
the art of shooting Ki Force from your fingertips. With
magic spells you have the power to call down the strength
of the Gods! Now an army of evil is sweeping the
countryside, destroying temples and villages. You have
been called into battle to discover who the enemy is...
and what is at the heart of their evil plans. It's an
adventure that will take you above and below ground,
across time, space and even into the Land of the Dead!
As you battle strange creatures and gain the use of
magical weapons, you'll learn the truth behind the attacks
and much about your destiny as an eternal warrior of truth
and justice! Live through the final battle and you'll
discover what it really means to be called SpellCaster!
Impressions: Moderately compelling plot with very half assed action
scenes - had they been tightened up a little, maybe this
game could have been up there with Phantasy Star.
Rating (1-10): 6
Comments: Includes password save option.
Variations: Kujakuou (Japan title), Warrior Quest (Brazil title)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Spider-man: Return of the Sinister Six
Author/Vendor: Flying Edge/Acclaim
Year: 1992
Region: Europe
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: The Sinister Six, a group containing some of Spider-man's
most formidable foes, such as Dr. Octopus, Electro and
Mysterio, have returned to make the Web-head's day just
a little bit worse.
Impressions: Nice pace, boring action, bad control, lacks the feel of
what a Spider-man game should be. Could have been much
more, but that's Acclaim for you.
Rating (1-10): 4
Comments: None.
Variations: NES version exists?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Spider-man vs the Kingpin
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1990
Region: Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: The Kingpin is back in town and his plan to destroy
Spider-man is by far his most devilish! He has planted a
bomb in New York and publicly blamed Spidey. Can you defuse
this desperate situation?
Impressions: Woeful port of a classic Megadrive game. Ugly sprites,
bad collision detection and frustrating control make this
one Spider-man game that you can skip.
Rating (1-10): 4
Variations: Megadrive version exists.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Sports Pad Football
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1987
Region: USA
Language: English
Genre: Sports (football)
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Sports Pad
Premise: Playoff fever grips you. And no wonder. You're the driving
force that can take your football team to the top in this
rough and tumble contest between the leagues. The ouctome
of the game is in your hands. As the quarterback, you
select the plays. Line up the formations. Call the signals
and carry the ball. Cur down your opponent with a deadly
blocking. Intercept a pass. Make a flying tackle. All you
need is skill. Strategy. Cunning. And nerve. For non
stop action that charges across the screen. You decide to
pass. It looks good. Touchdown!
Impressions: Fairly basic American football sim that uses the rather
uncommon sports pad. If you can find one of those, and
you like your football, you might find something worthwhile
here.
Rating (1-10): 6
Comments: None
Variations: None
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Sport Pad Soccer
see WORLD SOCCER
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Spy vs Spy
Author/Vendor: First Star Software (reprogrammed by Sega)/Sega
Year: 1986
Region: USA, Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 1/4 of a megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Two spies aiming at obtaining 5 items compete against each
other in trying to capture them. By utilising powerful
KICKS and PUNCHES, intelligenly ensnaring the opponent by
using the TRAP items and avoiding being caught.
Impressions: Even with two players it's rather dull, and a little too
hard to grasp off the bat for most players. Give it a miss,
even if you do like the comic in MAD.
Rating (1-10): 4
Comments: Also available on card. Based on the comic from MAD
Magazine.
Variations: None
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Star Wars
Author/Vendor: US Gold
Year: 1992
Region: Europe
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 4 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Based on the 1977 smash hit sci-fi flick starring Mark
Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher. An enhanced port
of the NES game.
Impressions: Mediocre platforming action to begin with, and when it all
looks as if its going to come together, it falls apart.
Pity that nobody got it right until Super Star Wars.
Rating (1-10): 6
Comments: Ported from the NES
Variations: NES and Game Boy versions exist.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Story of Mio, The
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1988
Region: Japan
Language: Japanese
Genre: Adventure
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Very little idea - seems like an adventure/dating sim.
Impressions: Unplayable without very sound Japanese reading abilities -
a lot of vocabulary is required (though there's not much
kanji)
Rating (1-10): 5
Comments: None
Variations: None
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Street Fighter 2
Author/Vendor: Tectoy
Year: 199?
Region: Brazil
Language: Portuguese
Genre: Fighting
Cart Size: 6 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: A second Street Fighter tournament is held, in order for
Sagat to get an opportunity to beat Ryu, the competitor who
defeated him in the first tournament. Many different
fighters show up, each with his or her own reasons.
Impressions: I'm suprised it even exists. I'm even more suprised at how
well it turned out. Uses portraits from Super Street
Fighter II, but resembles the original version more than
anything.
Rating (1-10): 8
Comments: Ported from the Megadrive?
Variations: Arcade, SNES, Megadrive versions exist.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Street Master
Author/Vendor: ?
Year: 198X
Region: Korea
Language: Korean
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: ?
Impressions: ?
Rating (1-10): ?
Comments: ?
Variations: ?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Streets of Rage
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1993
Region: Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 4 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: 3 ex-cops, Adam, Axel and Blaze go after a crime boss, Mr X.
to end his reign of tyranny.
Impressions: Decent port, but loses most of the graphical glitz, though
it is a bit faster. Good for curiosity, but most should opt
for the older and superior Megadrive version. The lack of
two player mode really hurts.
Rating (1-10): 7
Comments: None.
Variations: Megadrive version exists.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Streets of Rage 2
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1993
Region: Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 4 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Mr. X kidnaps Adam in an act of revenge for his defeat at
the hands of Adam, Axel and Blaze one year earlier. Axel,
Blaze and Adam's brother Skate set out to rescue their
friend.
Impressions: Faster than the Megadrive version, but much rougher, and
missing the vital two player component - the one thing that
really made the series what it is.
Rating (1-10): 7
Comments: None.
Variations: Also on Megadrive.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Strider
Author/Vendor: Capcom (reprogrammed by Sega)/Sega
Year: 1991
Region: USA, Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 4 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: The earth is under siege - Grand Master Meio has unleashed
his diabolical creations on an unsuspecting world. Strider
Hiryu faces the wave of terror alone, and needs your help
to wipe out the threat! The Master awaits!
Impressions: Retains the basic feel of Strider, but the SMS is just
technically incapable of a faithful replication of a
great arcade classic.
Rating (1-10): 4
Comments: None.
Variations: Also in the Arcades and on the Megadrive. The NES Strider
game is completely different.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Strider 2
Author/Vendor: Capcom USA/US Gold
Year: 1992
Region: Europe
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Strider, athletic commando and ultimate warrior returns!
This time his mission is to cut through 5 hazard packed
levels in order to reach the evil Grand Master and save the
Earth from destruction. This time there are NO LIMITS...
NO MERCY...NO SURRENDER!
Impressions: Capcom USA's rendition of Strider just doesn't keep up with
the Japanese arm's version. Mind you, as a conversion, it
is much better than the original Strider, but as a game, it
outright sucks.
Rating (1-10): 3
Comments: None
Variations: Also on Megadrive and computer formats.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Submarine Attack
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1990
Region: Europe
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: The Meta-creature has returned to haunt the citizens of
Balderia, who haven't yet recovered from their last
encounter with the monster 4 years ago! Guide Admiral
Mikan through the underwater dangers and into the enemy
complex, and help him get rid of the monster for good.
Impressions: Basic horizontal shooter with the main protagonist as a
submarine - nice for a change, but the game doesn't really
do much to expand on this concept.
Rating (1-10): 5
Comments: None
Variations: None
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Sukeban Deka 2
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1987
Region: Japan
Language: Japanese
Genre: Adventure
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: I assume that the main protagonist is a female college aged
detective.
Impressions: Unable to give adequate impressions due to level of Japanese
required.
Rating (1-10): 5
Comments: Never released outside of Japan. Released on a Gold cart.
Variations: Translates to Sorority Detective 2: Legend of the Masked
Girl (full title).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Summer Games
Author/Vendor: Epyx (adaption by Sega)/Sega
Year: 1988
Region: Europe, Brazil
Language: English
Genre: Sports (various)
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: 1-4
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: A compilation of various sports that feature in the Summer
Olympics (without the IOC license, of course).
Impressions: A good selection of events (100M Sprint, 100M Freestyle,
Diving, Gymnastics and Pole vault), and they're all easy
enough to get into. Control method is a bit bung, though.
Rating (1-10): 6
Comments: None
Variations: Jogos Olympicos (Brazil title). Available on Amiga.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Super Basket 2
Author/Vendor:
Year:
Region: Brazil
Language: Portuguese
Genre:
Cart Size:
Players:
Peripherals:
Premise:
Impressions:
Rating (1-10):
Comments:
Variations:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Super Boy II
Author/Vendor:
Year:
Region: Korea
Language: Korean
Genre:
Cart Size:
Players:
Peripherals:
Premise:
Impressions:
Rating (1-10):
Comments:
Variations:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Super Cross
see ENDURO RACER
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Super Futebol
see WORLD SOCCER
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Super Futebol 2
see WORLD CUP ITALIA '90
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Super Kick Off
Author/Vendor: Anco/US Gold
Year: 1991
Region: Europe
Language: English
Genre: Sports (soccer)
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Super Kick Off captures all the thrills and excitement of
the football field. Played at a blistering pace, this is a
true test of speed, control and footballing skill!
Impressions: The only real threat to Sensible Soccer on this system, but
some of the game's mechanics strike me as a little odd.
Fast paced, plenty of strategic depth and fun to play.
Rating (1-10): 8
Comments: None
Variations: Super Kick Off titles are available on the Megadrive.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Super Monaco GP
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1990
Region: USA, Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Racing
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Super Monaco GP's World Championship sends you and your pit
crew on a 16-race international circuit. Burn rubber with
the best drivers around in a piston-pounding test of speed,
road savvy, and endurance!
Impressions: Harsh, unforgiving and rather ugly grand prix game - better
than World Grand Prix, but not by much.
Rating (1-10): 4
Comments: Not a direct port of the arcade game.
Variations: Also in Arcades and on Megadrive.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Super Monaco GP 2
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1992
Region: Europe
Language: English
Genre: Racing
Cart Size: 4 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Experience the heart-stopping action of F-1 racing on the
most challenging circuits in the world! You are in control
of a precision machine, ready to test your skill and
abilities to the limit to win the ultimate prize: The
championship cup!
Impressions: Much improved over the original game thanks to better
graphics and a far superior handling system. If you have
to have a formula 1 game for the system, this is the one
to get.
Rating (1-10): 7
Comments: Sometimes referred to as Ayrton Senna's Super Monca GP 2,
as the late great driver is featured on the cover.
Variations: Also on Megadrive.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Super Off-Road
Author/Vendor: Leland/Virgin
Year: 1992
Region: Europe
Language: English
Genre: Racing
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Home port of the popular racing game. (I think)
Impressions: I've always had a soft spot for this game - easy to pick up
but the later tracks require a lot of patience and precision
not to mention well planned upgrades of your car throughout
the previous racers. A good compliment to R.C. Grand Prix.
Rating (1-10): 7
Comments: None
Variations: Based on Ivan "Ironman" Stewart's Super Off Road.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Super Racing
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1988
Region: Japan
Language: Japanese
Genre: Racing
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1-?
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: ?
Impressions: ?
Rating (1-10): ?
Comments: Released on a special gold cartridge
Variations: None
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Super Space Invaders
Author/Vendor: Taito/Domark
Year: 1991
Region: Europe
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Space Invaders is the most famous video game ever! Now Super
Space Invaders has arrived with a host of amazing new
features - wave after wave of weird and hostile aliens,
fantastic multiway scrolling playfields, huge end of level
mega monsters and secret levels for only the best to find.
It'll drive you crazy, but you won't be able to leave it
alone!
Impressions: Well, it's still Space Invaders, but I believe some things
are better left untouched. The new additions are okay, but
Space Invaders puritans should stick to the old machine at
the pub.
Rating (1-10): 6
Comments: None
Variations: Update of Space Invaders (arcade).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Super Tennis
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1986
Region: USA, Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Sports (tennis)
Cart Size: 1/4 of a megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Lob! Volley! Smash! It's deuce and you've got one set to go
for the match. All the details are here, bringing realistic
action and strategy on your home court.
Impressions: So close to Nintendo's Tennis game on the NES that you'd
think they'd have sued them. Fun little game, but for
serious tennis, go to Wimbledon.
Rating (1-10): 7
Comments: None
Variations: Identical game on the NES called Tennis.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Super Tetris
Author/Vendor: ?
Year: ?
Region: Korea
Language: English
Genre: Puzzle
Cart Size: 1/2 of a megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Same old Tetris, but with "Super" bunged in front.
Impressions: Looks like Tetris. Plays like Tetris. Smells like Tetris.
Must be Tetris. Well, it's Tetris with a pretty picture in
the background.
Rating (1-10): 8
Comments: None.
Variations: Tetris is on every bloody system.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Superman: The Man of Steel
Author/Vendor: Virgin
Year: 1993
Region: Europe
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Lois Lane has been kidnapped by Braniac. The Doom Star
orbits the Earth. The deadliest adversaries Superman has
ever encountered are running amok. What greater challenge
for the Man of Steel, his heat vision and the might of his
super punch?
Impressions: I'm not a big fan of Superman, but this game is at least
passable, considering some of the abhorrent games bearing
the license.
Rating (1-10): 5
Comments: None
Variations: Also on Megadrive
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Super Wonder Boy
see WONDER BOY
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
==============================================================================
T
==============================================================================
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: T2: The Arcade Game
Author/Vendor: Probe/Arena/Acclaim
Year: 1993
Region: Europe
Language: English
Genre: Shooter
Cart Size: 4 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Based on the smash hit movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Impressions: Not entirely horrible, but the conversion loses all of the
magic of the arcade original, given the huge technical
difference. Heck, I'm surprised they managed to pull
anything even slightly resembling the original game off on
an 8-bit console. No Light Phaser support is a bummer.
Rating (1-10): 6
Comments: None
Variations: Arcade, Megadrive, SNES, Gameboy versions exist.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Taz-Mania
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1992
Region: Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Join TAZ, the Tasmanian Devil, as he whirls off in search
of the world's biggest omelette. Nothing can stand in his
way for long as he munches his way through an island filled
with precarious plateaus, hostile jungles, eerie caves and
crumbling ruins.
Impressions: A simple, yet quick and enjoyable platforming romp. Not
a lot to it, but for some reason, it's just fun to play.
Completely different game to the Megadrive version, which
is probably a good thing given the high frustration factor
of the 16-bit game.
Rating (1-10): 7
Comments: None
Variations: Sequel in Taz: Escape from Mars
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Taz: Escape from Mars
Author/Vendor: Tectoy
Year: 1995
Region: Brazil
Language: Portuguese
Genre: Action
Cart Size: ? megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Taz gets kidnapped by Marvin the Martian, and has to escape
his clutches.
Impressions: ?
Rating (1-10): ?
Comments: ?
Variations: Direct port of the Megadrive game?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Tecmo World Cup 93
Author/Vendor: Tecmo/Sega
Year: 1993
Region: Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Sports (soccer)
Cart Size: ? megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Twenty-four teams from around the globe have come to
participate in this soccer showcase. Pick one and match your
skills against the computer in an exhibition match, take on
a friend, or put it all on the line in the World Cup
tournament! The action never stops!
Impressions: Decent soccer game with a quick pace, easy controls and
wide variety of teams. The AI puts up a decent fight, and
its fun to play with a few friends. Not as good as Sensible
Soccer, but worth a look for football fans.
Rating (1-10): 7
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Teddy Boy
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1986
Region: USA, Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Puzzle
Cart Size: 1/4 of a megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: A young lad gets caught in some bizarre world with nothing
but his shrinking ray.
Impressions: Very simple in design and concept - even has those old
levels where running out one side essentially makes you
appear on the other side. Bloody frustrating, though.
Rating (1-10): 6
Comments: None.
Variations: None.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Tennis Ace
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1989
Region: Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Sports (tennis)
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: On your first serve, the ball explodes off your racquet like
a fiery missile. Instinctively you move toward the net.
Your opponent returns your serve, but you're ready for him.
With lightning speed you raise your racquet and smash the
ball. He never had a chance. You're the Tennis Ace!
Impressions: Terrible tennis game - play Wimbledon or Super Tennis
instead, for the love of God.
Rating (1-10): 2
Comments: Features a password save option.
Variations: None
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Tensai Bakabon
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1988
Region: Japan
Language: Japanese
Genre: Adventure
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: A very Japanese adventure game.
Impressions: Unable to give accurate impressions due to lack of Japanese
vocabulary.
Rating (1-10): 5
Comments: None
Variations: None
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Terminator 2: Judgement Day
Author/Vendor: Arc Developments/Flying Edge/Acclaim
Year: 1993
Region: Europe
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: The second game to be based on the smash hit movie starring
Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Impressions: This is a direct port of the NES game, which happened to be
a fair bit better than the woeful 16-bit games. Follows
the events of the movie, mostly, and provides a rather
mediocre action experience - but it could be worse, trust
me.
Rating (1-10): 5
Comments: None
Variations: Also on NES, SNES and Megadrive.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Terminator, The
Author/Vendor: Virgin
Year: 1992
Region: Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Kyle Reese, a lone warrior from the future, returns to the
past to protect the one woman who holds the key to the
survival of the human race. Together they must face not
only everything Los Angeles has to throw at them, but also
the terrifying might of a cyborg known as the Terminator...
who will stop at nothing to kill them both.
Impressions: Closely resembles the Megadrive game, but the layout is
different - it feels a little more balanced, but at the
same time, just doesn't seem to impress as much.
Rating (1-10): 6
Comments: None
Variations: Also on Megadrive, Mega CD.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Thunderblade
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1988
Region: USA, Europe, Australia, Brazil, Japan
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Your mission: Save your country by destroying the rebel's
gigantic mobile fortresses! It's a battle you will fight
over land and sea...in cities, caves and refineries. This
time it's you...against all of them!
Impressions: Plain old vertical shoot 'em up, lacks any sort of power
up system, which makes it appear very bland amongst the
other shooters on the system.
Rating (1-10): 5
Comments: None
Variations: Super Thunderblade (Megadrive)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Time Soldiers
Author/Vendor: Alpha/Sega
Year: 1988
Region: USA, Europe
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Fight your way through the horrors of the past and future to
rescue your friends and save the world in this fantastic
voyage through time from Sega.
Impressions: Unremarkable scrolling shooter along the lines of Secret
Commando, but just not as good. Shooter fans should take
a brief look.
Rating (1-10): 5
Comments: None
Variations: None
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Tom and Jerry: The Movie
Author/Vendor:
Year: 1992
Region: Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Oooooh, that mouse! If there's one thing Tom can't stand,
it's a rascally rodent named Jerry, and if that mouse isn't
careful, Tom is going to nab him. But Jerry is pretty
tricky. So muster up all your feline courage, Tom, 'cause
there's a dangerous little mouse in the house!
Impressions: A novel idea, and some cute cartoon cliché can't save poor
execution and slow gameplay. A shame, really.
Rating (1-10): 4
Comments: None
Variations: None
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Transbot
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1986
Region: USA, Europe, Australia, Brazil, Japan
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 1/4 of a megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Ward off a computerised underworld invasion with your
transforming weaponry.
Impressions: It's a pretty cool idea, but doesn't seem to work as well
as you'd expect. The powerup system is nasty, and the
gameplay is somewhat more sluggish than it should be,
Rating (1-10): 3
Comments: Also released on card.
Variations: Astro Flash (Japan title), Nuclear Creature (Brazil title)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Trap Shooting
see MARKSMAN SHOOTING/TRAP SHOOTING
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Tri Formation: Zillion 2
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1987
Region: USA, Europe, Japan, Australia, Brazil
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: They're at it again! The dreaded Norsa Empire is back...
and stronger than ever before. This time they won't make
any mistakes. Others have tried to stop them and all have
failed. The evil Braon Ricks knows are you coming. And
it's a trap! But you're the galaxy's last hope. Can you
do what's never been done before?
Impressions: So it's not as bad as I originally made out, but you must
admit that it is a great departure from the quality seen
in Zillion. The developer has gone for a more action
centric game, and while it works to an extent, the first
is still the superior game. Holds its own against other
run and gun games on the SMS though.
Rating (1-10): 5
Comments: None
Variations: Alternate title is Zillion II: The Tri Formation.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Trivial Pursuit: Genius Edition
Author/Vendor: Horn Abbot/Domark
Year: 1992
Region: Europe
Language: English
Genre: Puzzle
Cart Size: 4 megabit
Players: 1-6
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Trivial Pursuit is the World's greatest and best selling
board game. This Sega version incorporates everything that
has helped make it so. Plus, Russell your animated and
friendly question master, superb sound and colour, wonderful
screen background and over 2,000 brain teasing questions.
Impressions: I'm not too fond of computerised versions of board games,
but big Trivial Pursuit fans might get a few kicks out of
this.
Rating (1-10): 7
Comments: None
Variations: The board game, stupid.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: TV Colosso
Author/Vendor: Tectoy
Year: 1995?
Region: Brazil
Language: Portuguese
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 4 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Based on a Brazillian cartoon of the same name that centres
around a group of canine companions.
Impressions: As far as I can tell, it's based on one of the three
Asterix games Sega did in the early 90's.
Rating (1-10): 7
Comments: None
Variations: Asterix.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
==============================================================================
U
==============================================================================
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar
Author/Vendor: Origin Systems (reprogrammed by Sega)
Year: 1990
Region: Europe, Brazil
Language: English
Genre: RPG
Cart Size: 4 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Lord British, the wise and compassionate ruler of Britannia,
wishes to erase the legacy left behind by the 3 Evil Lords.
To do so, he must find an Avatar! An Avatar is one who has
achieved enlightenment in the 8 virtues - Honor, Valor,
Sacrifice, Compassion, Justice, Spirituality, Honest and
Humility. Only the most virtuous of souls can complete the
journey that lies ahead! If you think you are that saviour
for whom Lord British is searching, then prove your worth
by taking the Quest of the Avatar! (back of the box)
Impressions: The PC RPG fans love it, and this is a perfectly good
conversion. Not recommended for those who don't like doing
a lot of reading, however.
Rating (1-10): 8
Comments: The first graphically based Ultima title.
Variations: Ultima series (various)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Ultimate Soccer
Author/Vendor: Rage Software/Sega
Year: 1993
Region: Europe
Language: Various
Genre: Sports (soccer)
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Everybody knows what soccer is. Apparently this version
of soccer is the ultimate one. A bit pretentious, no?
Impressions: Good, fast paced soccer title. Slightly reminiscent of
Sensible Soccer, although not as good. Still worth a look,
though.
Rating (1-10): 8
Variations: Megadrive version exists
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
==============================================================================
V
==============================================================================
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Vampire
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1992
Region: Europe
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: The shadow of Dracula has spread across Victorian England.
Make your way through strange and forbidding streets and
cavernous warehouses while fighting his army of monsters.
Find Dracula, the Master of Darkness, and rescue England
from his terrifying grasp. (back of the box)
Impressions: It's nothing more than a blatant, mediocre Castlevania
rip off. Get your vampire jollies on the NES, if you must.
Rating (1-10): 5
Comments: None
Variations: Master of Darkness (alternate title)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Vigilante
Author/Vendor: Irem Corp. (reprogrammed by Sega)
Year: 1988
Region: USA, Europe, Australia, Brazil
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Take it to the streets in a battle to rescue your girl from
some of the meanest baddies around. (promo)
Impressions: This serves as a great archived example of how plain some
80's action games were. Walk through the levels, down every
enemy in one punch, and then fight a really tough boss.
Repeat.
Rating (1-10): 5
Comments: Arcade port
Variations: Arcade and NES versions exist.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Virtua Fighter Animation
Author/Vendor: Tec Toy
Year: 1997
Region: Brazil
Language: Portuguese
Genre: Fighting
Cart Size: Unknown
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Virtua Fighter compressed to a 2D plane with only 8-bit
power behind it. You do the math.
Impressions: Very plain looking fighter.
Rating (1-10): 5
Variations: Virtua Fighter series (various)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
==============================================================================
W
==============================================================================
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Walter Payton Football
see GREAT FOOTBALL
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Wanted
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1989
Region: Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Shooter
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Light Phaser
Premise: The desperadoes are back! It's time for you to put on your
silver badge, strap on your Light Phaser and restore peace
to the quiet little western towns. It won't be easy...
because this time the bad guys are gunning for you.
Impressions: A good idea, but the calibration on the gun seems to be off
by a mile, and differentiating between the gun toting
bandits, and the innocent civilians is near impossible (in
the time you are required to take a shot) given that they
use the same goddamn sprite.
Rating (1-10): 4
Comments: None
Variations: None
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Warrior Quest
see SPELLCASTER
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego
Author/Vendor: Broderbund/Parker Brothers
Year: 1988
Region: USA, Brazil
Language: English, Portuguese
Genre: Puzzle
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Where in the World is Carmen Sandegio? and where has her
gang of thieves taken the loot? You're the detective
tracking down culprits in this globe-hopping mystery action
game. And as you work your way up the five challenge levels
from Rookie to Ace Detective, the mysteries get more
complicated and your suspect and his henchmen become more
aggressive, firing bullets and throwing knives you must duck
on-screen.
In each case, one of 10 elusive villains has stolen one of
90 national treasures and absconded to one of 30 foreign
cities. Chase your suspect around the world, racing the
clock and making crucial decisions: What city did he go to?
Where will you investigate, the Embassy or the Warehouse?
Collect pertinent facts from the special Almanac, and travel
the globe until you've got the goods on your crook. When you
know whodunit, visit Interpol and bring your suspect to
justice!
This bestselling computer game has been specially adapter
for the SEGA system to provide countless clues,
heartpounding excitement and challenging solutions that
will bring you many, many hours of 'round-the-world
detecting fun!
Impressions: Neat little adventure game that's good for teaching children
geography - something that the general populace of America
could use more of. Track Carmen and her cronies down, and
use various clues to trap them.
Rating (1-10): 8
Comments: None.
Variations: Also available on PC, Amiga and Megadrive. Sequel in
Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Wimbledon
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1992
Region: Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Sports (tennis)
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: It's tennis, but this particular game is one of the first to
be sponsored by the prestigious All England Club.
Impressions: It's the best game on the system as far as tennis goes.
Nice lengthy tournament mode which rewards players with
bonus attributes if they win. The quick pace may put some
gamers off, though.
Rating (1-10): 9
Comments: None
Variations: Sequel in Wimbledon 2. Also on Megadrive
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Wimbledon 2
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1993
Region: Europe
Language: English
Genre: Sports (tennis)
Cart Size: megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: You started out at the bottom, and unknown name in a field
of highly talented players. You worked your way up the
ranks, playing in America, Australia and France. And now,
the big day... the day you take on the best tennis players
in the world for the Wimbledon Open Cup!
Impressions: Pretty much the same as Wimbledon, with improved graphics.
Technically, it's the better game, but given its rarity,
only die hard tennis fans will need to bother tracking this
down, as the original should suffice
Rating (1-10): 8
Comments: None
Variations: Sequel to Wimbledon
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Winter Olympics '94
Author/Vendor: US Gold
Year: 1994
Region: Europe
Language: English
Genre: Sports (various)
Cart Size: 4 megabit
Players: 1-4
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: The official game of the 1994 Lillehammer Winter Olympics.
Impressions: A few decent events (bobsled), but the majority of the
game verges on being unplayable.
Rating (1-10): 2
Comments: None
Variations: Also on Megadrive.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Wolf Child
Author/Vendor: Core Design/Virgin Interactive
Year: 1993
Region: Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Some dude killed your mother and kindapped your sister, or
some cliché shite like that, and you have to use your
ability to turn into a wolf to save them
Impressions: Extremely dull platforming romp that moves so slowly, you'd
think that it was based on the moon.
Rating (1-10): 2
Comments: None.
Variations: Mega CD version exists.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Wonderboy
Author/Vendor: Escape/Sega
Year: 1987
Region: Europe, Australia, Japan, USA
Language: Various
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Brave deep dark forests. Cross endless oceans. Endure arid
deserts. All the while, fending off nasty creatures and
natural disasters. Until you find her. Until you rescue
your girlfriend, Tanya, from the clutches of a brutush king.
Impressions: A great game. Very simple in structure, but the execution
is brilliant. Does get a little tough later on, and is
slightly repetitive in the design, but these slight faults
do not take away from the game at all.
Rating (1-10): 10
Comments: First of the Wonderboy series
Variations: Arcade and Game Gear versions exist. Hudson Soft's
Adventure Island series is identical, due to Hudson and
Westone being the companies that once formed Escape.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Wonderboy In Monster Land
Author/Vendor: Westone/Sega
Year: 1988
Region: Europe, Australia, USA
Language: English
Genre: Action/Adventure
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Wonder Boy is back! But this time he's playing for keeps. No
more cute dolls, fruit or milk. Now it's swords, armor,
shields, labyrinths and fire breathing dragons. Help Wonder
Boy through 12 perilous, monster filled levels of
challenging adventure.
Impressions: A vast departure from the last game, but it was a risk which
worked very well. Collect swords, learn magic, buy armour
and shields. Make your way through the game to the
labyrinth. Various choices and a side quest are thrown into
the mix to make things a little easier for you once you work
them out. I never did beat that lousy dragon, let alone
find him
Rating (1-10): 9
Comments: Second in the Wonderboy Series
Variations: Arcade version exists.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Wonderboy III: The Dragon's Trap
Author/Vendor: Westone/Sega
Year: 1989
Region: USA, Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Action/Adventure
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Wonder Boy has been cursed! He critically wounds the ugly
beast, but its final breath turns Wonder Boy into Lizard
Man! The young fighter must now seek out the Salamander
Cross, the only force that can restore him to his normal
self. But first he must find it...
Impressions: Picks up at the end of Wonder Boy in Monster Land, with
the fight against the Mecha Dragon. Gameplay similar
to the second game in the series, with a lot of variety
offered by the various creatures you can transform into.
Some say it is the best game in the series, but that's
a disputable claim.
Rating (1-10): 9
Comments: Contains a password save option.
Variations: Released in Brazil as A Turma Da Monica. Not to be confused
with the arcade and Megadrive Wonder Boy III, which is
a horizontal shooter (!).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Wonderboy in Monster World
Author/Vendor: Westone Co. Ltd/Sega
Year: 1993
Region: Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Action/Adventure
Cart Size: 4 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: As the legendary hero Wonder Boy, it's up to you to rid
Monster World of the terrible creatures that have taken
over. Purchase your armor, weapons and spells, and embark
on a quest through fantastic lands in search of the source
of the evil monsters!
Impressions: More closely resembles Wonder Boy in Monster Land than
Wonder Boy III. More RPG elements - a slightly more free
form layout, and some very familiar looking level layouts
give it away. Interesting to note that the main character
of this game is not the same as previous games.
Rating (1-10): 7
Comments: Called "Wonderboy 5" in some circles. Re-released as part
of a budget line called Sega Classics.
Variations: Also on Megadrive and TurboGrafix 16
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Woody Pop
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1987
Region: Japan
Language: Japanese
Genre: Puzzle
Cart Size: 1/2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Paddle control
Premise: It's a breakout clone.
Impressions: Well, if you liked Breakout, and own the paddle control,
then you may well enjoy this.
Rating (1-10): 7
Comments: Also available on card.
Variations: None?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: World Class Leaderboard
Author/Vendor: Access Software Inc./US Gold
Year: 1991
Region: USA, Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Sports (golf)
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1-4
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: World Class Leaderboard simulates the challenge of the
world's toughest courses and features the custom designed
Gauntlet Country Club - the ultimate test of golfing skill!
Impressions: Lots of courses to choose from, but the interface is
more complicated than PGA's. Then again, it doesn't take
ages for the course to load up for each shot, so it's
really up to you to decide which you think is best.
Rating (1-10): 7
Comments: None
Variations: Also on Megadrive.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: World Cup '93
see TECMO WORLD CUP '93
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: World Cup USA '94
Author/Vendor: Tiertex/US Gold
Year: 1994
Region: Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Sports (soccer)
Cart Size: 4 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: The official game of the World Cup 1994 soccer tournament.
Impressions: Contains a few deep options, but the actual soccer section
of the game leaves a lot to be desired. Sensible Soccer
has all of your soccer needs covered, leaving WC '94
rather irrelevant.
Rating (1-10): 4
Comments: None.
Variations: Also on Megadrive
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: World Cup Italia '90
Author/Vendor: ING Olivetti SPA/Virgin Mastertronic ltd./Sega
Year: 1990
Region: Europe
Language: English
Genre: Sports (soccer)
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Go head to head with the most skilled teams in the World!
Prove your mettle in a Test Match, show off your
sharpshooting prowess in a Penalty Kick Contest, or go for
gold in the World Cup competition! Fast-paced and realistic
Impressions: A little lacking in depth, but the core game is a little
more solid than most other soccer offerings on the system.
Can't hold a candle to Sensible Soccer, though.
Rating (1-10): 5
Comments: None.
Variations: Also on Megadrive
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: World Games
Author/Vendor: Epyx
Year: 1986
Region: Europe
Language: English
Genre: Sports (various)
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: 1-4
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Compete in a series of unique sports events, such as
Barrel Jumping, Log Rolling, Bull Riding and the Caber Toss.
Impressions: A unique idea crippled by rather annoying play mechanics.
Gets better as you give it more time and learn the
intricacies of each game, but may become too frustrating
in the mean time for the majority of gamers.
Rating (1-10): 4
Comments: None
Variations: PC and Amiga?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: World Grand Prix
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1986
Region: USA, Japan, Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Racing
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Race the hottest cars in the world.
On the hottest tracks in the world.
And if that's not enough excitement for you, then build
and race on your own track.
Impressions: The track creation saves this one from being a total failure
but even that can't help the overall lack of excitement
offered by the title.
Rating (1-10): 4
Comments: None.
Variations: The Circuit (Japan title)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: World Soccer
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1987
Region: Europe, Brazil, USA
Language: English
Genre: Sports (soccer)
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Dribble, passes, corner kicks, etc. Retrieve the opponent's
ball by tackling. Get past his strong defense with an
overhead shot. Take advantage of a split second unguarded
goal and head the ball into the net. Also features Penalty
Kicks to decide a tie game.
Impressions: Looks like a dog's breakfast, general gameplay lacks flow
(players stop after each dribble!?) and is just too easy.
Rating (1-10): 4
Comments: None.
Variations: Super Futebol (Brazil title), Great Soccer (USA title)
Sports Pad Soccer (Japan title, with Sports Pad support)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: World Tournament Golf
see SEGA WORLD TOURNAMENT GOLF
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: WWF Steel Cage Challenge
Author/Vendor: Flying Edge/Acclaim
Year: 1992
Region: Europe
Language: English
Genre: Sports (wrestling)
Cart Size: megabit
Players: 1-2
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Put a bunch of your favourite WWF Superstars such as Hulk
Hogan and Bret Hart into a steel cage match.
Impressions: Very poor as far as wrestling games go - the NES ones are
your best bit for the 8-bit formats.
Rating (1-10): 4
Comments: None
Variations: Also on NES.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
==============================================================================
X
==============================================================================
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Xenon 2: Megablast
Author/Vendor: Bitmap Brothers/Virgin
Year: 1992
Region: Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Arcade style vertical shooter.
Impressions: It's not the worst shoot 'em up on the system, but is
plagued by some hideous slowdown which was not present in
other versions of the title (to my knowledge).
Rating (1-10): 5
Comments: Ported from the Megadrive version?
Variations: Megadrive, Amiga, Game Boy and PC versions exist. The
first Xenon is not on the Master System.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: X-Men: Mojo World
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1996
Region: Unknown
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 4 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Based on the popular Marvel comic.
Impressions: Plays a bit like its 16-bit brother, but pales in comparison
due to the fact the Megadrive was more powerful. Pick a
mutant, and beat the crap out of those who oppose you.
Rating (1-10): 7
Comments: Ported from the Game Gear version.
Variations: Game Gear version exists.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
==============================================================================
Y
==============================================================================
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Y's: The Vanished Omens
Author/Vendor: Falcom (reprogrammed by Sega)
Year: 1988
Region: USA, Europe, Australia
Language: English
Genre: RPG
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: You are Aron, the wondering swordsman. Find the 6 magical
books and set the Goddesses free. (Promo)
Impressions: Pretty stock standard Japanese RPG, with the usual "Save the
world" plot, but with simplistic real time fighting instead
of a traditional turn based system. Not one for those with
short attention spans.
Rating (1-10): 6
Comments: Spawned a long line of sequels
Variations: Sequels can be found on many consoles, including the TG-16,
Megadrive, SNES and NES.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
==============================================================================
Z
==============================================================================
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Zaxxon 3D
Author/Vendor: Sega
Year: 1987
Region: USA, Japan,
Language:
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players:
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick, 3D Glasses
Premise: Another shoot 'em up, this time in 3D.
Impressions: It's quite odd, really, and definitely made for use with
the 3D glasses peripheral, as ships come from the distance
and make their way inward.
Rating (1-10): 5
Comments: None
Variations: None
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Zillion
Author/Vendor: Tatsunoko/Sega
Year: 1987
Region: Australia, Europe, Japan, USA
Language: Various
Genre: Action/Adventure
Cart Size: 1 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Infiltrate the dangerous Norsa labyrinth to reach the main
computer and rescue your friends. This game calls for
brains as well as brawn.
Impressions: One of my personal top 10 on the system. A fairly deep
maze game, with a bunch of RPG elements and other strategies
thrown into the mix. The Norsa complex is absolutely
massive, and the game takes hours to finish. A password
system or battery backup would have helped, but would also
reduce the challenge. A great title, and one you should
definitely own.
Rating (1-10): 10
Comments: Released on a special gold cart in Japan
Variations: Known as Akai Koudan Zillion in Japan.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Zool: Ninja from the Nth Dimension
Author/Vendor: Gremlin
Year: 1993
Region: Australia, Europe
Language: English
Genre: Action
Cart Size: 2 megabit
Players: 1
Peripherals: Control Pad, Control Stick
Premise: Well, erm, you're Zool, a Ninja from the Nth dimension, and
you do all sorts of Ninjery type things.
Impressions: It looks pretty good, but the thing plays fairly plainly.
Certainly fast paced, though.
Rating (1-10): 5
Comments: Ported from the Amiga?
Variations: Megadrive and Amiga versions exist.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
==============================================================================
================================
4. Unreleased/Unconfirmed Titles
================================
Arch Rivals
Arcus Oddysey
Batman Animation
Captain Planet
CJ Elephant Fugitive
Cliffhanger
Die Hard 2
Dino Basher
Double Dragon II: The Revenge
Dropzone
Duck Tales
Excellent Dizzy
Ferrari GP Challenge
Ghostbusters 2
Hook
Impossible Mission 2
Light Corridor
Light Force
Monster Maker
Pat Reilly Basketball/Super Real Basketball*
Pengo
Quackshot
Quarterback
Robin Hood
Robocop
Shadow of the Beast II
Speedy Gonzales: Cheese Cat'astrophe
Spider-man vs. The X-Men
Total Recall
Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego
* Prototype exists
=============
5. Blank Form
=============
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name:
Author/Vendor:
Year:
Region:
Language:
Genre:
Cart Size:
Players:
Peripherals:
Premise:
Impressions:
Rating (1-10):
Comments:
Variations:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
==========
6. Credits
==========
Me - For thinking of this idea, and going through with it
SMS Power - For providing some release info on various games
Alex Kidd.com - For a relatively complete titles list
Sam Pettus - For the format idea, and guide idea
Sega - For getting me into gaming
M. Buchan - For information on a bunch of titles, and for fairly interesting
discussion (listening to my pointless banter ^_^;)
Thago Simoes - provided additional information for several Portuguese titles
Jorg Burkark - for providing information on alternates, and a number of
corrections
=========
7. Legals
=========
This document is © 2002-2004 Matt Keller.
All other trademarks duplicated herein are the respective property of their
owners and reproduced merely for the sake of reference.
==========
8. Contact
==========
You can e-mail me at mpkeller[at]iprimus[dot]com[dot]au, or contact me via
MSN Messenger
[email protected]
All impressions are to be sent via email, too.
I can be reached through my IRC channel; irc.austnet.org:6667 #videogames
Work on this guide will still continue, albeit slowly, but expect some major
additions and improvements in the coming months. I'm beginning to get closer
to college graduation, and after that my free time will decrease. My interest
in writing seems to fluctuate based on the day and the level of caffiene in my
system, but I promise I will have the guide as complete as I can possible make
it in the next couple of months.
==================
9. Version History
==================
1.0
---
Released Monday, November 25, 2002
Guide started.
1.01
----
Released Monday, December 2, 2002
Updated as much information as I could to try and finish the letter A.
Updated a few other isolated entries.
Received a little help from M. Buchan about various issues.
Added IRC chat into contact
Added Version History
1.02
----
Released Tuesday, January 21, 2003.
Minor update
Grammar and Layout corrected.
Premises for some games added and/or improved.
Expect huge update in the upcoming weeks.
1.03
----
So the huge update didn't come. Blame PALGN.
1.04
----
Completed Z
Worked on E, but some impressions are missing
Will try to finish the guide by the end of July break
1.05
----
Now 114 titles down, so that leaves 275 to go
1.06
----
130 titles done. Guide will be finished by March, come hell or high water.
1.07
----
156 titles done. Up to H is pretty much complete.
1.08
----
Guide is now 50% complete
A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, N, O, U, V, X, Y, Z complete.
Alternates chopped and changed
1.09
----
Counting was out on the last version, it was actually 59% complete.
1.10
----
Everything rescored on new 1-10 scale (Alphabetical provided too vast a range)
Rewrote Overview
Game List now 93% complete, with a few obscure Japanese and Brazillian titles
outstanding, some of which I suspect may be listed in the guide already.
Planning a new section to discuss hardware
Planning FAQ section
There's a lot of fine tuning that needs to be done, I hope to have these
things done soon.
I managed to get this update completed on the 14th anniversary of the purcahse
of my Sega Master System. Rather amusing.
==============================================================================
End of File
==============================================================================
