Games that were better on the Master System

[JDB]

What MD/SMS games do you think had the better version on the Master System... and why?

I just played California Games - BMX... (I used to play the SMS version as a kid), yes the graphics got an overhaul, but HALF THE MOVES ARE REMOVED!!!!111onenonenoeenoee

Master System wins this one (also because the 8-bit music kick serious bottom)

[Da_Shocker]

Double Dragon and Shinobi come to my mind.

[Nunzio]

Outrun...

[JDB]

you have to say why!

[havok666]

Double Dragon and Shinobi come to my mind.

Double Dragon for the Genesis is the best home port version (Music is weak due to GEMS). DD on SMS is way too flickery, the NES version is much better.

Shinobi (the original arcade game) was never released for the Genesis.

[Christuserloeser]

Sonic 1 on SMS is a great game, sometimes I think it's even better than the Mega Drive / Genesis version.

Castle of Illusion isn't really better but it's pretty good, and then there's also Land of Illusion and Legend of Illusion...

Lucky Dime Caper and Deep Duck Trouble might not be better than Quackshot, but they're still pretty damn good games.

Alex Kidd in Miracle World and Alex Kidd in Shinobi World are both better than Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle

Power Strike and Power Strike II are about as good as MUSHA Aleste

Phantasy Star... not sure about that. I loved the 4th part a lot but I still have to play the 2nd one.

Asterix and Asterix: The Secret Mission both are MUCH better than any of the Mega Drive / Genesis Asterix games (The Great Rescue and The Power of the Gods)

Dragon's Trap and Monster Land are great but not better than Monster World and Monster World 4.

Fantasy Zone, FZ2 and Opa Opa are about as good as Super Fantasy Zone.

Ninja Gaiden on SMS definitely is better than that unfinished beta that's available for Mega Drive / Genesis.

[Da_Shocker]

Double Dragon for the Genesis is the best home port version (Music is weak due to GEMS). DD on SMS is way too flickery, the NES version is much better.

Shinobi (the original arcade game) was never released for the Genesis.

I think he is comparing the NES to the SMS.

[kool kitty89]

Haven't we done this before (and recently)?

Anyway, I think I said it then and I'll say it again, I think SMS Galaxy Force is better than Genesis Galaxy Force II. (even with just PSG) More fun to play, and even looks better at some points.

Edit here it is: www.sega-16.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6249

[Alianger]

Road Rash - More impressive considering the hardware, better balanced difficulty, and better music (less abrasive, more dynamic).

Castle of Illusion - Faster paced, more secrets, slightly deeper gameplay

Wonder Boy III: Dragon's Trap > Wonder Boy in Monster World (but not MWIV) - Faster paced, more challenging, better music, animal transformations made the game world unfurl in a beautiful way. WBIMW did have better dungeons though, and save slots.

Super Space Invaders > Space Invaders '91 - Just personal preference I guess.

Phantasy Star > PS2 & 3 - 3D dungeons, better graphics(!), better balanced

Alex Kidd in Miracle World >>> Enchanted Castle > Shinobi World > Lost Stars

Asterix and The Great Rescue - It's less frustrating and more intuitive, but neither of them are great games.

[Baloo]

How is Space Harrier 3D in comparison to the other Space Harrier games?

[Alianger]

It's been about 15 years since I played it on real hardware with the 3D glasses equipped, but I remember it being awesome. Probably choppy compared to other versions though.

[kool kitty89]

Probably no worse in that respect than the regular SMS version though.

The Genesis never got a real Space Harrier port so that's not as easy to compare (sure you could use Space Harrier II, but I think I'd have prefered an updateded Space Harrier port to be honest). Of course, there's the near perfect 32x version... But for contemporary ports, from what I've seen the Atari ST version is pretty damn good, not full screen but fairly smoothe (software) scaling considering, and pretty colorful graphics given they all shared the same 16-colors, better looking than the Amiga version from what I've seen. (sound is fairly weak though -more or less on par with the SMS, but you can't help that, and the Amiga version's sound is rather dissapointing)


I was comparing Galaxy Force again, and I think the main reason I prefer the SMS version is your ship moved way, way, faster around the screen, on the genesis it's always painfully sluggish (particularly in the vertical), the flicker actually seems to be worse on the Genesis as well. (though they seem to be pushing it a LOT more) They probably should have cut it down more on the Genesis to reduce flicker, but again the sluggish controls are the biggest factor for me. The SMS version actually uses layered tiles for the tunnels opposed to the Genesis's scrolling corridors. (though they are rather tricky to navigate on the SMS)

One other difference is the lack of the energy timer in the SMS version, you've just got a sheild meter, which doesn't seem effected by time at all.

[Honey the Cat]

Columns is better on Master System than it is on Genesis because the graphics seem more varied and there's more variety (like being able to choose different kinds of blocks and up to 6 different colored blocks).
Double Dragon on SMS has better controls than the Genesis version, and is faster than the NES version.
Gain Ground SMS is a little easier than the Genesis version because the developers cut down for the SMS version.

[ThugsRook]

NOT Altered Beast or Golden Axe ;)

[Nunzio]

Double Dragon on SMS has better controls than the Genesis version, and is faster than the NES version.

It's also insanely difficult.

[grolt]

NOT Altered Beast or Golden Axe ;)

I don't know what it is, but I've always had a soft spot for the Master System version of Altered Beast. I think the soundtrack is better on the SMS, but that's because I'm not a fan (at all) of the Genesis processor. I like the way the enemies break into square blocks when they die, too. There's something more gratifying with that than the regular deaths in the Genesis version. Of course, the version is highly compromised - less levels, no backgrounds for the bosses, no "RISE FROM YOUR GWAVE!" sound sample, less beasts and a more simplistic ending. But it's charming. I don't know, I just like it.

Enduro Racer never made it to the Genesis, but I highly prefer the isometric Master System game to the behind view Out Run/Hang-on clone that is the arcade version. Being able to buy upgrades after each round added some depth for the console version, too.

I've spoken about how I don't particularly care for the omg speed of the 2D Sonic games, so I prefer the Master System Sonic to the Genny version. It's more platforming rather than speed, and that jungle world is just awesome. Probably my favorite zone in all the Sonics. The music is boss, too.

Ghouls'n Ghosts has that extra shop in the Master System that's not in any other version, and the whole game is ported quite handsomely to 8-bit.

Rambo III is much better on the Master System, but they are two completely different games. On the Genesis it's a Contra-type game, but on the Master System it's a fun first person light gun game. There just weren't enough of those on the Genesis.

I've never played the Genesis Spider-man, but the Master System version is pretty tough to top. The graphics aren't the best, but the gameplay is near perfect. Really responsive and a nice arsenal of moves and attacks.

There were many solid arcade ports on the Master System, from Out Run and Alex Kidd: The Lost Stars to Fantasy Zone and After Burner, but sad to say Space Harrier is not one of them. It's uber-choppy and sprites have large squares around them. It's almost impossible to play at the high speeds it gets to, since the screen is so slow to update. The 3D version plays a little better, and the effect is certainly nice, but it's not even comparable to the Genesis Space Harrier II. I'd almost call Space Harrier unplayable, but there really wasn't much SEGA could do, given the lack of scaling on the Master System.