The SEGA Master System: I wish it lasted longer than it did.
Written: May 28 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great games, excellent 3-D system.
Cons: Flimsy controllers, didn't last too long in the game wars against Nintendo.
The Bottom Line: The Sega Master System is a worthy 8-bit system. It had all the potential to take on the NES.
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| zhouse's Full Review: Sega Master System |
Reflection: In the summer of 1988, my older sister and I wanted our parents to procure a new video game system because we wanted to play "harder and more challenging games." Although my choice was the Nintendo Entertainment System, my sister wanted to buy the Sega Master System.
The NES vs. The Master System....who would win out?
Unfortunately, my sister won my parents' attention because she was older and the Sega Master System was ours....
The purchase made by family was the magnificent SEGA Video Game System, also known as the SegaScope 3-D Set. These were the components that accompanied this collection:
The SEGA Master System/Power Base console
This console was designed without much consideration to the space it would take up. Decked in black with a bit of red, it comes built with two controller ports and two inputs for either a SEGA game cartridge or a SEGA game card. Plus, there is a reset button and a pause button on the console itself. The pause button located on the console is very inconvenient for gamers who are used to pausing their games on their controllers.
And the greatest accessory to the console is this: a secret built in game I affectionately call "The Maze Game." To access this secret game, you would turn on the console without inputting any cartridge or card. A warning screen would pop up stating that it doesn't recognize any game inputting into the console. Although I forget this (it's been many years), I think you then press up and both buttons at the same time and presto: "The Maze Game."
Very interesting indeed.
Two High Speed Control Pads
These two controllers were designed so similarly to the NES' controllers, except there are no select or start buttons on the controller. Decked in black, the controller sports a directional control pad and two buttons labeled "1" and "2" (very simple). I found the controllers to be of flimsy quality; they lasted only a few years.
The SEGA Light Phaser
Also decked in black, you can play shooting games with SEGA's version of a gaming gun. This is very useful because the system also comes with a shooting game.
Unfortunately, I found the Light Phaser to be made with the same quality as the game pads.
The SegaScope 3-D Glasses
The greatest part of this video game system. Designed with LCD shutters, the images they receive are synchronized with the images being fed to them by any SEGA 3-D game. The best part about this feature is that it really works. The images do appear that they are actually coming at you, and stages designed with 3-D realism have outstanding detail. Very cool for an 8-bit system.
And the glasses are very comfortable; you can easily wear them over your own reading glasses.
Missile Defense 3-D
And this is the game that comes with this system. It's a 3-D shooting game; your objective is to stop two warring nations (the East and the West) from obliterating each other in nuclear war. You must shoot down any in coming nuclear missles before they touchdown in the heart of the other nation's capital. It took me nearly 4-5 hours of continuous game play before I destroyed the nuclear arsenal of both nations and finished the game. It takes great shooting skill to destroy all the targets on the screen; as the game progresses the missiles become harder and harder to shoot down.
This is one of my favorite games of all time; the challenge is very inticing.
Overall - I found the Master System to be a very worthy choice in game playing. It gave great games with decent audio and video capabilities, had an advanced 3-D system available to it, and its game library was very nice. Despite the weak quality of the game controllers, I did love to play my SEGA. Unfortunately, the Master System lost in the 8-bit gaming wars and went the way of the BetaMax, and finally my parents bought the NES for me. If any of you can find a working Master System out there, I recommend you play one and see how great it is for yourself.
Thank you for reading, and feel free to comment on any aspect of this review.
I am Z HOUSE, and I have spoken. Read my words and trust in them. If you do not trust my words, then never read my works again.
Recommended:
Yes
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zhouse
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Member: Manny Z.
Location: Los Angeles, CA
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