Sega Master System Reviews S-Z

I hated the "normal" Space Harrier on the Master System, but quickly changed my tune with this 3D edition. Yes, I am a hypocritical bastard. The original Space Harrier struggled mightily to convey depth via scaling sprites, and the result was rudimentary at best and ugly at worst. The fact that this version has real depth makes it so much easier to judge incoming hazards. As in the original game your guy runs and flies toward the horizon, but the setting is a little more advanced and the visuals more refined. The ground moves beneath your feet to convey speed and I always get excited when I see that futuristic city looming in the distance - even if I know I'm never gonna get there! The game even uses futuristic colors like "mauve" and "fuchsia" so take that! Metallic pillars and mutant plants appear on the horizon, and while they still sport that "stamped sprite" look, it's not nearly as offensive as it was in the original game. Jet fighters and tie fighters enter the fray from the sky, unleashing huge, spherical missiles. It's hard to see what's going on at times, especially when those square "explosions" obstruct approaching enemies. Each stage is set on a different planet which apparently gave the developers license to use all sorts of random shapes and loud color schemes. The musical score dishes out some nice melodies that call to mind the 16-bit Sonic titles. If only the stages didn't tend to drag on for so long and wear out their welcome. Despite that, Space Harrier 3D conveys real excitement on the strength of those 3D glasses. You have to love futuristic technology - especially when it was invented in the 1950s! © Copyright 2011 The Video Game Critic.

If you're a big Streets of Rage (Genesis, 1991) fan like myself you may be interested to see how other versions of the game turned out. All things considered this 8-bit version is fairly stunning. The opening city skyline and ominous music is not far removed from the Genesis. You get all three fighters (Axel, Adam, and Blaze) with all their trademark moves like Adam's roundhouse, Axel's backhand, and Blaze's flip kick. Memorable thugs include sliding turtle dudes, leaping kung fu masters, and dominatrix babes who pretend they're hurt until you turn your back. The weird juggler dudes throw circular blades instead of fire. All the bosses are present including the boomerang-tossing sailor, the werewolf guy with claws, and the fire-breathing fat man. The first stage features gitzy storefronts with great lighting and reflections. The characters are smaller in this version, and Blaze's dress is so short you can see flashes of her underwear! I like how it's easier to toss enemies over your shoulder, causing them to bounce into oncoming foes. The collision detection is extremely loose, and you can usually keep enemies (and even bosses) at bay by rapidly punching from a safe distance. The weapons don't have much range and enemies easily elude them; it's like trying to hit a fly with a baseball bat. This version lacks those satisfying shrieks when you dispatch enemies, which makes defeating bosses feel anticlimactic. The police backup attack is so awkward that I never even use it. You have to press the pause button on the console and then a button on the controller. Not only is this awkward but it's really easy to accidentally press reset! The audio/visual prowess of this game is remarkable. The stages exude atmosphere and the 16-bit tunes are surprisingly well reproduced. Only when I tried to play this with my wife did I discover its major downfall - it's one player only! This Streets of Rage is kind of a sad case. It's a remarkable technical achievement almost completely overshadowed by its superior Genesis counterpart. © Copyright 2019 The Video Game Critic.

I've had a thing for submarine shooters ever since In The Hunt (Saturn, 1995). In this somewhat obscure side-scrolling import you'll blast your way through coral reefs, shadowy caverns, and lost undersea civilizations. Your stylized sub and colorful scenery have a vague Yellow Submarine (The Beatles) influence. One button fires torpedoes while the other tosses mines, and you can hold both to maintain constant fire. The action begins slowly as you navigate sparse seas with the occasional mine, ship, or helicopter above. How large air bubbles could damage your submarine I have no idea. The game gains traction in stage two where power-ups are dispensed early and often. The caverns are beautifully rendered but I can never tell when it's okay to touch the walls. When your ship is flashing that is not a good thing, as I learned the hard way. Should you manage to snag two or three "A" (attack) icons, you can obliterate everything that tries to enter the screen. It might make the game easy for a stretch, but enjoy it while you can because once you reach stage four (the Lost City) you'll need all the firepower you can get. Giant floating stone heads can absorb a lot of hits before they bum-rush your sub. A few factors mitigate the difficulty, like the way your shots cancel out incoming projectiles. After dying you pick up right where you left off - even during a boss battle! The game offers alternate routes which enhance the replay value. I just wish your score was displayed on the screen instead of between rounds. Submarine Attack feels a little uneven at times, but it packs a degree of firepower rarely seen on an 8-bit system. © Copyright 2018 The Video Game Critic.

This disappointing shooter lets two players forge their way through stages set in various stages of history. It plays a lot like Ikari Warriors or Rambo, but Time Soldiers isn't nearly as fun as those games. The box cover shows two grizzled veterans, but on the title screen they look more like two frumpy housewives! The randomized stages include "primitive times" (dinosaurs and cavemen), ancient Rome, medieval Japan, World War II, and a future world. If you're expecting to see some fantastic scenery, you're going to be disappointed by these plain-looking stages. I did find it amusing how the Roman stage is full of ruins. It seems to me that if you went back in time, they wouldn't be "ruined" yet, would they? There also seems to be an excessive number of marshes to slowly slosh through. Most of the time you move up the screen, but some stages are side-scrolling. Your enemies are poorly rendered, and in fact, it's hard to tell what some of these things are supposed to be! Most of the dinosaurs look more cute than realistic. Occasionally you'll pick up a special weapon, which you'll probably want to save for the bosses. The programmers went crazy with the bosses - each stage has no less than FOUR. Most look pretty cool, like the hydra, minotaur, medusa, and Tyrannosaur Rex. The sub-bosses die pretty quickly if you just whale away at them, but defeating the "big" bosses can take forever! Besides that major annoyance, the controls are not very good. My shots never seem to go where I want them to. I normally enjoy games like this, but the lousy controls, uninspired graphics, and emphasis on bosses turned me off. Note: You can "continue" repeatedly by tapping the fire button after using your last life. You'll lose your weapons but your score will not reset. © Copyright 2004 The Video Game Critic.

This side-scrolling beat-em-up has attractive visuals but absolutely wretched controls! The two buttons let you punch and kick, and hitting both causes you to jump straight up (whoopie!). In theory it's possible to perform a jump-kick, but I've only been able to execute that by accident! The first few low-lifes are easily dispatched by a well-timed kick or punch. Should an approaching thug get too close, he'll grab hold of you and rapidly drain your health, forcing you to wiggle frantically to escape. The thing is, enemies soon begin approaching from both sides, and since you can't defeat both, one will always grab you and inflict mandatory damage. By stage two the controls become downright unresponsive as thugs just walk right up and grab you at will. If somebody designed this game specifically to piss me off, he did a great job! Your one saving grace is the nun-chucks weapon, which make it considerably easier to dispatch these bullies. One thing I do like about Vigilante is its vividly detailed graphics. In the first stage you walk down a street lined with interesting business establishments and billboard advertisements. The second stage takes place in a junkyard but boasts a gorgeous orange sunset. The third stage features a spectacular New York skyline in which the twin towers are visible. The bosses are generally push-overs, and I was able to defeat the first one by punching him in the crotch about 30 times in a row (please kids, don't try this at home!). The music is standard Master System fare (toddler at a toy piano). Vigilante is a good-looking game rendered barely playable by poor controls. So if you need more frustration in your life, reach for Vigilante! © Copyright 2014 The Video Game Critic.

Wanted is exactly what you would expect from a light gun shooter set in the wild west. The screen scrolls slowly to the right as outlaws appear in windows and peek around corners. If their gun is drawn you'll need to shoot them before they shoot you. Killing an unarmed fellow causes a "missed" message to be displayed (hardly!) and that costs you some life. It's kind of frustrating when you know a guy walking across the street is about to pull out his gun, but you still have to wait for it! Distractions come in the form of dames in dresses and good guys who appear with their arms up. It's easy to shoot innocents, and often you feel relieved to have missed! Certain stages let you take aim at outlaws riding horses across the horizon. When you hit them it looks like there's blood splattering from their necks! Like Stampede (Atari 2600, 1981) there's an occasion stationary target that's really hard to hit. Wanted also has challenge stages where you shoot bottles or coins for bonus points. The light gun controls are surprisingly accurate (especially if you crank up the brightness) but it's hard to hit targets along the left edge of the screen for some reason. The detail in the graphics is good. The saloons and hotels have posh furniture, textured surfaces, and pictures on the walls. The game-over screen features a goofy guy in a grave who looks digitized! Lively piano tunes do a nice job of setting the mood. I noticed enemies always appear in the same patterns, but three skill levels help make up for that. Wanted doesn't pack many surprises but makes perfectly good use of Sega's light gun accessory. Note: The light gun will only function on an old-style CRT TV. © Copyright 2016 The Video Game Critic.

Picking up where Wonder Boy in Monster Land left off, Dragon's Trap features better graphics, more involved gameplay, and expansive levels. To be honest, I didn't have a good first impression of Wonder Boy III. It begins by dropping you into a confusing first dungeon with little explanation. Only when you emerge does the title screen appear and the storyline is revealed. But the more you play Wonder Boy III, the more you appreciate it. I grew to love it. Like the Wonder Boy in Monster Land, you control a knight who battles monsters, navigates platforms, and can purchase items to make his life easier. The gameplay is not completely linear, but it's usually pretty evident where you need to go next. What really makes Wonder Boy III unusual is how the main character transforms into various creatures after facing each boss (similar to Megaman). You'll assume the form of a fire-breathing lizard-man, a wall-crawling mouse-man, a swimming piranha-man, a powerful lion-man, and a flying hawk-man. Each stage is tailored to the specific character, and the gameplay is dramatically altered in each case. The graphics are first rate, with beautiful, varied stages and interesting creatures. You'll encounter headless skeletons, cyclops, genies, crabs, ninjas, goblins, cobras, and dragon bosses. The only creature I do NOT like is the pesky "cloud" that always drops fire on you - he's a real pain in the butt. Defeated enemies drop items, and I like how the number of coins they drop has a random element. I also appreciate the wide selection of items you can purchase, including some expensive "mystery" items. The problem is, you can only access the item screen via the pause button on the console, which is a pain. Wonder Boy III is far deeper and more challenging than other Wonder Boy games, and it provides unlimited continues and a password feature. This may be the best game I've ever played on the Sega Master System. © Copyright 2004 The Video Game Critic.

Zillion is an exceptional action/adventure title that reminds me of Metroid (NES) and Flashback (Genesis). Your goal is to penetrate an underground base, save your friends, and blow the whole thing up. Fortunately the main base computer has a "self destruct" code. Who programs these things anyway? Anyway, in order to infiltrate the hidden reaches of the base, you'll need to utilize computers, cards, and pass codes. Each room is like a little puzzle, with a set of platforms, a computer system, traps, and cylinders that contain secrets and bonuses. You'll need to enter the correct codes to turn off traps and access hidden areas. At first this isn't too hard (some codes are provided up front), but as you progress, you'll need to use more complex combinations. In addition, guards are shooting at you at every turn. Luckily, you're well armed with your "Zillion" laser, which can be powered-up. Your character is easy to control, and can jump and duck to avoid enemy fire. This guy is so agile that he can crawl faster than the guards can run! Zillion is a pretty elaborate game. As you progress, you'll meet other characters, increase levels, and gain dexterity. The graphics are good, and the music isn't bad either. Zillion does have a few flaws. First, you'll often need to remember a series of odd symbols, and the manual recommends writing them down. I don't like games where you need to take notes. Secondly, there's no save feature, so you'll have to complete you mission in one sitting. You do get three continues though. Overall, this is a fine title that does a good job of combining action and puzzle solving. © Copyright 2001 The Video Game Critic.

You gotta love the title of this futuristic platform shooter. My friend Brent pointed out that Zillion II: The Tri Formation manages to reference no less than three different numbers that have absolutely nothing to do with each other! Amazing! This futuristic platformer begins with a high speed, side-scrolling "turbo cycle" sequence through a remarkably long space ship corridor. It takes quick reflexes to blast enemy robots while jumping over spikes and pits. The developer must have been really proud of this stage because it recurs constantly throughout the course of the game. Unfortunately the shoot and jump buttons are reversed from every other game you've ever played. Frustration sets in quickly as you shoot when you mean to jump and vice versa. I prefer the on-foot stages where you leap between platforms, save hostages, and fry robots that look a lot like the ones from the Will Smith movie "I, Robot". I really love the high-tech scenery with the all the fancy electronics, blinking lights, and occasional views to deep space. Once again however, the controls could be better. You can't move and shoot at the same time, and it's hard to quickly duck or jump. That's a problem because enemies can appear on platforms just as you're landing on them! Using a turbo attachment goes a long way to compensate for the substandard controls. The game seems to offer no continues, but the manual provides a continue code. Wait what?! Why not just put that in the game? Zillion II is hampered by its lackluster controls and questionable design, but I still find this game very exciting. © Copyright 2016 The Video Game Critic.