Who's into the Sega Master System?

I've been wanting to get into the Sega Master System. I'm not completely familiar with it, so I'd like to find out where to start.

Will I miss anything if I get the Power Base Converter? Or should I go for an actual console? What would you guys recommend as starter Master System games? Anyone have a good condition Power Base Converter for sale? :)

How do you like your Master System? What's your preferred setup? What are your top games? Are there some helpful resource sites and forums for the Master System? I simply want to start a discussion about it, since I don't see any current threads.

I'm also a little sad that there isn't a Master System icon!

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Originally Posted by FuturePrimitive

I've been wanting to get into the Sega Master System. I'm not completely familiar with it, so I'd like to find out where to start.

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I know a little bit about the Master System

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Originally Posted by FuturePrimitive

Will I miss anything if I get the Power Base Converter?

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Not really, there are a few games that don't work well, but these are earlier titles. Some games you need to use a master system control pad or modified Mega Drive/Genesis pad (snip one wire) F16 fighter comes to mind but please don't waste your time on that one. If your Genesis is modified (ie language, 50/60Hz switches) these will work for Master System games, some games will give a different title screen eg Power Strike / Aleste. You can wire in a FM board (from Viletim) but some games may not work, actually scratch that his latest board includes the Time Soldiers/Wonderboy 3 fix, so i may fully work.

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Originally Posted by FuturePrimitive

Or should I go for an actual console?

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Preference really, I have both model 1 modified and model 2 modified. My Mega Drive setup is seperate. 6 of one half a dozen sort of thing.

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Originally Posted by FuturePrimitive

What would you guys recommend as starter Master System games?

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Plenty, I prefer the Master System Ghouls n Ghosts over any other, not for graphics, but game play. It is it's own version and not as hard as the others.
Castle of Illusion, Land of Illusion, Asterix, Power Strike, R-type, Wonderboy series come to mind easy enough.

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Originally Posted by FuturePrimitive

Anyone have a good condition Power Base Converter for sale? :)

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No sorry, I sold mine to a mate yeeeaaaarrrss ago.

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Originally Posted by FuturePrimitive

How do you like your Master System? What's your preferred setup?

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I find it great! But I have a soft spot for them as it was my 1st console. As mentioned my Master System's are modified

Master System
FM board ver2.0 (built in language switch)
50/60 switch
dual port pause mod

Master System 2
FM board ver 1.1
50/60 switch
languae switch
AV
S-video
RGB
dual port pause mod
power on light in switch

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Originally Posted by FuturePrimitive

What are your top games?

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As above

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Originally Posted by FuturePrimitive

Are there some helpful resource sites and forums for the Master System?

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Absolutely! http://www.smspower.org/forums/ Is my first choice and http://shinobiman.proboards.com/index.cgi is another.

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Originally Posted by FuturePrimitive

I simply want to start a discussion about it, since I don't see any current threads.

I'm also a little sad that there isn't a Master System icon!

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The more knowledgeable Master System fans on these boards will probably fill in the majority of what you ask. : )

I'll just chip in with the following,

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Originally Posted by FuturePrimitive

Will I miss anything if I get the Power Base Converter? Or should I go for an actual console?

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You wouldn't be sacrificing anything in terms of game-play if you went the PBC route. (Personally I always prefer to have the original system all set up.)
I believe there's only one game that doesn't work with the Power Base Converter. And it's a poor game, in any case.

FYI, besides the PBC, there are other ways to play SMS games on your Genesis/MD.
This is one of them,

(not too sure whether Tototek still has stock of these)


http://i46.tinypic.com/33ymlcg.jpg

http://i50.tinypic.com/ncim3b.jpg

http://i45.tinypic.com/9gbvax.jpg


You lose Sega Card game support, but the cart based games work great.
It even has a "pause" button as you'd find on a regular SMS.

Throw in Mark III support into the mix as well, and you have a great little converter cart.


http://i48.tinypic.com/200y3ar.jpg

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What are your top games?

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-Fantasy Zone II
-Golden Axe Warrior
-Psycho Fox
-Castle of Illusion
-Golvellius
-Ninja Gaiden
-Alex Kidd in Miracle World
-Wonder Boy - The Dragon's Trap
-Master of Darkness

All really top games! There are many more, of course. Those are just the ones I enjoyed the most.

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What's your preferred setup?

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A Japanese Master System with that FM sound chip. And a converter to be able to play Western SMS games on it as well.



http://i49.tinypic.com/2r2qant.jpg

Yes japanese sms would be nice as it has 3d support built in and rapid fire (i think).

Oh and not having card support is no great loss, as they are only the smaller budget games. I think the best one would be hang-on (the only one i have). Which is just jim dandy for me as the built in game is hang on lol!

I have one, and the Master Everdrive, which I highly recommend. Also have the light phaser and 3D glasses. The worst thing about the SMS is the terrible music in most of the games.

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Originally Posted by FuturePrimitive

Will I miss anything if I get the Power Base Converter? Or should I go for an actual console?

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Not a whole lot honestly, if you're just looking to play the games I think the PBC will do you fine. However, there's nothing like having an actual SMS and I personally prefer to play games on my actual SMS consoles as opposed to the PBC. I usually just whip out the PBC if I have my Japanese MD hooked up and suddenly feel like playing an SMS game.

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Originally Posted by FuturePrimitive

What would you guys recommend as starter Master System games?

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These are some of my favorites:

Zillion
Wonder Boy III
Wonder Boy in Monster Land
Cyborg Hunter
Sonic the Hedgehog
Out Run
After Burner
R-Type
Power Strike
Fantasy Zone
Fantasy Zone II
Cyborg Hunter
Rampage
Master of Darkness
Shinobi

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Originally Posted by FuturePrimitive

How do you like your Master System? What's your preferred setup?

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I've always liked the SMS and it's perhaps my second favorite Sega system right after the Genesis/MD. There's plenty of great games for it and I'd highly recommend importing games as the SMS received a ton more releases in PAL regions than it did in either the US or Japan. My preferred setup is also a Japanese SMS with a converter to play non-Japanese games, but I also really dig my Mark III with an internal FM mod.

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Originally Posted by FuturePrimitive

Are there some helpful resource sites and forums for the Master System?

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http://www.smspower.org

My favorite Master game -"In your face Final Fantasy"-http://www.gazetadealgol.com.br/_med..._americana.jpg
And you cannot forget this one:http://www.sega-16.com/wp-content/up...stem-cover.jpg
Zillion too is a great game.Check out also Spellcaster, Kenseiden , Ys and Sonic the Hedgehog.

SMS tributes is the best Master site that i know of:http://www.smstributes.co.uk/

There's also a lot of brazilian exclusives for it too, such as Sonic Chaos and Virtua Fighter Animation(a Game Gear port).

SF2 looks amazing (like MD) but control is ass.

People have listed my favorite SMS games already such as Kenseiden, hell yes.

Double Dragon ha. Rambo, Trans-Bot, The Flash, Alien 3, Robocop vs Terminator, Streets of Rage 1, Sonic Chaos and Thunderblade are okay too.

Ghouls and Ghosts, Ninja Gaiden and R Type are great on SMS, as stated. I like Afterburner on SMS more than MD AB II.

Rampage and Master of Darkness is fun.

Why does VFA not zoom in like GG version, it's a port yes ? Why no round start zoom ?

Edit. I know there is a revision of PS, like 1.3. Why are there different versions of Phantasy Star ? I think 1.3 was from Saturn collection, but what are SMS versions ?

This is just plain overwhelming! Thanks for the highly detailed info and suggestions! You guys have passion!

There should be more Master System threads. :D

By going with original power base converter (not 4 others after it) you can play almost all games I think. But the cart sized converters are cool as hell, but no card support.

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Originally Posted by Thierry Henry

A Japanese Master System with that FM sound chip. And a converter to be able to play Western SMS games on it as well.

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Does this set-up improve music on Western Games?


My only set-up is the Power Base Converter but I have a second Mega Drive permanently set-up just for this.

Will a model 1 MD motherboard fit in a SMS 1 case which I think is Width: 365 mm, Depth: 170 mm, Height: 69 mm ?

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Originally Posted by Spaced

Does this set-up improve music on Western Games?


My only set-up is the Power Base Converter but I have a second Mega Drive permanently set-up just for this.

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Will improve only the games that take advantage of it, such as Phantasy Star and Ys.

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Originally Posted by Spaced

Does this set-up improve music on Western Games?

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With that particular setup I showed in that pic, as long as the game supports it, you get the FM tunes.

Master System should be easy to get into, the hardware and software both sell poorly. I've been trying to sell my SMS stuff for months and no takers. :(