Great Basketball was developed and published by Sega for the Master System in 1987. It is part of Sega’s “Great Sports” series during the early days of the Master System.
The gameplay is simple enough, one button jumps and shoots, and one passes, and follows the rules of basketball. Although three are only two halves. Between the two halves is a halftime show, that isn’t too impressive, but it is at least possible to skip it.
Winning a match will let you take five winning shots for some reason, and depending on how many of them you score from, you can increase your team’s stats, interestingly enough. There are 8 teams to choose from, namely USA, Canada, Soviet Union, Japan, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Italy and Hungary. Just like World Soccer, a part of the country’s anthem will play as you select it.
However, this game is full of huge flaws. First of all, it is way too easy to foul. Just being near a player from the opposing team will generally lead to a foul, although it is completely random whether the foul is done by you or your opponent. This makes it pretty much impossible to steal the ball, I only managed to do that a few times, but usually had no idea I had done so and thus wasting the opportunity.
Also, shots that sometimes are completely off still counts as points at times since the ball randomly gravitates towards the basket, and the passing is a mess, and sometimes go to a completely irrelevant player.
Now, you might think I should go easy on this game, but it was released in 1987, the same year as Double Dribble for the NES, which is a much more fun basketball game. Great Basketball simply lacks what made a game like Double Dribble, or even some of Nintendo’s sports games like Ice Hockey for the NES, fun.
What really bothers me though, is that this game could have been quite fun if it was just a bit more polished. If the fouls were removed, if it was easier to steal the ball, and some tweaks the game physics, this could have been a fun arcade experience. Instead, this game is a mess.
Graphically, it isn’t very impressive either, it looks like an early NES sports title with more colours. The music that plays during the matches on the other hand is quite catchy, and probably the game’s strongest point. There are also quite a few voice samples in the game though, which might sound simple nowadays, but must have been quite impressive in 1987.
Overall, it might be named Great Basketball, but this game is not great at all. In fact it is pretty bad, and really lacks almost any sense of fun, at least if you are playing single-player. Multiplayer might be marginally more interesting, but this game is just full of way too many flaws that keeps it from being fun. Had this been a title from 1985 it might have been acceptable, but by 1987 Double Dribble was already out.
Is it worth Playing?
No, avoid this one. If you really want an 8-bit basketball game that doesn’t suck, check out Double Dribble for the NES, this game feel terribly outdated, even by 1987 standards. It is full of too many flaws, and it’s just too easy to foul for this game to be fun.
Shinobi was developed and published by Sega for the Master System in 1988. It is a port of the 1987 arcade game of the same name. A port was also released for the NES, interestingly enough, by Tengen in 1989.
The story is that a group of criminals has taken people hostage and it is up to the ninja Joe Musashi to save them and take out the bad guys.
Shinobi is a side-scrolling action game, you defeat enemies by throwing projectiles at them, although if they get close you will perform a melee attack. You can also use ninjutsu spells but these can only be acquired by completing the bonus stages.
There’s a total of 5 missions, with 3 stages and a boss fight per mission. Each of the stages have a unique look and design to it, so it never feels too repetitive and each level feels different.
The gameplay is fairly faithful to the arcade version, even if the graphics and sound has seen an obvious downgrade. There are some differences though. In the Master System port, you have a life bar, unlike the arcade port where you died in one hit. The hostages are also no longer mandatory to rescue, but they do give you points, extra lifes, power-ups and health upgrades, as well as letting you play a bonus stage at the end of the level where you can unlock ninjutsu spells.
Shinobi isn’t without its flaws, however. First of all, your movement is so stiff and slow, it really doesn’t feel like controlling a ninja. There’s also some really cheap enemy placement at times which can get really frustrating. Especially on the later levels which are full of bottomless pits, that not only requires you to avoid the enemies, but also to make pixel perfect jumps that can be tricky to pull off. It should also be noted that the ending of this game is probably the worst of any game. You get a black screen saying “Game Over”.
This, together with some genuine challenge, makes this game really hard. You only get three extra lives, no continues, and it is quite an achievement to beat this game. For less skilled players, there is at least a level select cheat.
Graphically, while it can’t quite compare to the arcade version, it looks really good for its time, although some of the choices of colour can look quite odd. The music, while it is quite good, lacks variety. There’s only one level theme, the bonus stage music and the boss music. So it does get quite repetitive after a while even if the compositions are quite good.
Overall, while Shinobi is okay, it feels a bit dated. It is a fine port of the arcade game, but it is a bit rough around the edges and seems to have been rushed. There’s not even an ending. With that said, it is still an okay game for the Master System, and is quite fun to play. But it does feel quite stiff and slow, and have some really cheap design elements which can get quite frustrating.
Is it worth Playing?
Despite its flaws, I still think Shinobi is worth checking out. It doesn’t come close to the 16-bit games released later in the series, but it is the start of the series on home consoles. So it is certainly a game you should try for the Master System. Just be aware that it is a bit rough around the edges.
Castle of Illusion starring Mickey Mouse was developed and published by Sega for the Master System in 1991 in North America and Europe, but not in Japan as the Master System had been discontinued there by 1991. It was also released for the Game Gear in all regions in 1991. While it shares the name with a game for the Mega Drive, it is not a direct port, even if it plays similar to its 16-bit counterpart.
In many ways, Castle of Illusion for the Master System is almost identical to the Mega Drive version. The story is the same, with Minnie being kidnapped by the evil witch Mizrabel. Mickey can still jump, and uses his butt to bounce on enemies. You do need to press the “1 button” in midair to perform this buttstomp, however, which I did find a bit annoying at times. Unlike the Mega Drive version, you can’t throw any projectiles, such as apples, in this game. Although you can pick up certain objects lying around, to throw at enemies. There are also two red stars hidden in the game which will increase your health meter with one extra hit.
Another difference I found is that this Master System version actually feels like it has a much faster pace than the Mega Drive version, which is a bit surprising since it is running on inferior hardware.
You start the game with having the choice of three different levels that you can clear in any order. After that you unlock two additional levels. This game features almost the same locations as the Mega Drive game, namely the Enchanted Forest, Toyland, Dessert Factory, Library and the Castle, it also features a Clock Tower level, while it doesn’t have a Storm level like the Mega Drive game. While the environments are similar, the levels in this game are completely unique and different from the Mega Drive game.
While it was a while ago since I played the Mega Drive version, I found this game a lot harder than that one, especially early on in the game. It didn’t feel like some sort of difficulty curve, but the first level, and its boss seemed a lot harder than what is normal for a game like this. The other bosses were generally quite easy, and the final boss was a joke and extremely easy (while I did have some trouble with it on the Mega Drive), although I did find the castle level quite tricky, mainly because it was very long. You do get 9 continues though, and extra lives are not very difficult to come by. There is also an easier difficulty setting called “Practice” but that one only lets you play the first three levels.
Graphically, while it can’t compare to its 16-bit counterpart, it looks really nice and colourful for a Master System game. As for the music, it is just an 8-bit rendition of the Mega Drive soundtrack, and while it is good enough, simply lacks the charm of the Mega Drive version, although that has more to do with the Master System’s soundchip than the compositions.
Overall, Castle of Illusion for the Master System is a great platformer, but I think it lacks some of the charm and magic of the Mega Drive version. The levels are well-designed, but there’s nothing spectacular here. The usage of Mickey Mouse certainly makes it more interesting to play, but at the same time, there isn’t really anything unique about this game. With that said, it is still fun to play and one of the best platformers I have played on the Master System.
Is it worth Playing?
While it isn’t a fantastic game, and not quite as good as the Mega Drive counterpart, Castle of Illusion is still an essential title for the Master System. It might not be a masterpiece, but I feel that it is on almost on a similar level to some of Capcom’s Disney games for the NES. So this is certainly a game you should check out.
Enduro Racer was developed and published by Sega for the Master System in 1987. It is based on the 1986 arcade game of the same name, but unlike many other Master System games, rather than being a port, this is more of a reinterpretation of the arcade game.
This is another game my sister had for the Master System, so I have many memories of it, such as my family members always trying to break the records. In fact, this is one of few games that even my mother used to play, when I grew up. Apart from some pinball games on the PC, she wouldn’t play a videogame again until we got Wii Sports.
While most arcade games ported to the Sega Master System were pretty much downgraded versions of the arcade game, with varying degrees of success, Enduro Racer is pretty much a completely different game. The arcade version has a behind the bike view, but this Sega Master System version plays from an isometric perspective, while the gameplay itself reminds me a bit of Nintendo’s Excitebike, which I must say was a good choice by Sega.
There’s 5 tracks, but in order to unlock the ending, you need to finish each track twice. There’s a time limit on each track, and they take place in different environments, such as on an island where you need to jump over water, in a desert and on a mountain. You need to reach the finish line before the timer runs out, and you must also avoid cars or other motorcycle, as well as other obstacles. Hitting them, or driving off the edge on the mountain track or into the water on the island track will increase your damage meter. I think that if it reaches 100 you will get a Game Over.
You will need to master the jumping in this game. By holding down on the D-pad, you will do a wheelie. By doing this right after a jump, and then quickly push up on the D-pad when you are jumping, you will gain in speed and be able to finish the race faster.
After each race, each car or motorcycle that you have passed will be converted into points. These points can then be used to buy upgrades for your bike, such as improving the acceleration, speed, or lowering your damage meter. However, these upgrades are only temporary and only lasts for once race. If you buy a new engine, which increases your speed, you will still need to buy another one for the next race. Also, after five races, the prizes of the upgrades will double, although I found that I still managed to pass double the amount of bikes anyway, so this felt a bit pointless. Spoiler alert, but the ending of this game is quite funny, in that it tells you that this game is apparently a metaphor for life itself.
It should be noted that the Japanese version of this game contains 10 unique tracks, rather than forcing you to play through tracks twice, and also includes some additional graphics, as well as a map screen at the end.
Graphically, this game looks alright, it is quite colourful, even if it isn’t anything spectacular. The music is fine, but also nothing special.
Overall, Enduro Racer is a great game, and I must say I enjoy it a lot more than Excitebike. Personally I would have preferred if the upgrades were permanent, and that they had kept the features of the Japanese version also in the West. Otherwise, it is a fun game with a fairly great sense of speed.
Is it worth Playing?
I would consider this a must play game for the Master System. If you enjoy Excitebike you will probably also enjoy this, although there’s sadly no track editor here. If you have the chance, you should check out the Japanese version of the game since that simply contains more things.
World Soccer was developed and published by SEGA for the Master System in 1987. In North America this game was released under the name Great Soccer, which should not be confused with the game also called Great Soccer that was released in Europe and Japan.
This was another game my sister had for her Master System as I grew up, and thus it was the first Football/Soccer game I played. I remember this being the game I played the least of our Master System games, and by the time my brother got a SNES with International Superstar Soccer, this game felt even more obsolete.
So, this is a football game (or soccer for all you yanks), and it seems to follow the rules very liberally. For example, there’s no free kicks or penalties here (at least I don’t think so), although you can be called off for offside. There’s 8 teams to choose from, namely Argentina, West Germany, France, Brazil, Great Britain, Italy, USA and Japan. I think some teams are harder to beat than others, but not completely sure about that. Now, why it is Great Britain instead of England, why they got Italy’s flag wrong, or why teams like USA and Japan are in this game, is beyond me, but the gameplay is what matters.
As for the gameplay, you can either pass or shoot, although I found the most successful strategy playing against the computer was to just use the shoot button, since the passes always got interrupted. When not in control of the ball you will tackle automatically if you get close to an opponent, and you can steal the ball this way. The controls however aren’t very fluent, but easy enough to get used to. If there is a draw at the end of the game you will also get to play a penalty shootout, which works well enough for an 8-bit game. You can also choose to just play a penalty shootout.
The menus, however, just feel quite unfinished, with just text on a black background, but at least the team select screen looks fine, and when you pick a team you even get to hear an 8-bit rendition of that country’s anthem, which is pretty cool.
Graphically, there is nothing special here, although the penalty shootouts look quite good for its time. Musically, there’s just the anthems, the main title theme, the theme when you win a match and the theme that plays during a match. All of them are decent and at least above average in my opinion. I also really love the anthems and think that is a neat touch.
Overall, World Soccer is decent, but nothing special. Playing against the computer does get old after only a few matches, but I could imagine the multiplayer being fun for a longer time. Otherwise, there isn’t really much to this game.
Is it worth Playing?
Not really, it simply hasn’t aged that well and lacks the fun of something like Ice Hockey on the NES to mention a contemporary sports game. You can avoid this one without missing anything. The only thing that I find interesting with the game are the anthems. That said, it is a decent game, but I can’t say that it is worth playing.
Hang-On was developed and published by Sega for the Master System in 1985 in Japan, 1986 in North America and 1987 in Europe. It is a port of the 1985 arcade game with the same name.
Hang-On is a game I played on my sister’s Master System growing up, since it was built into the system. I always found that really cool, that if you turned on the Master System without a game inserted, it would let you play Hang-On or Safari Hunt, although as our light gun was broken, I could never play Safari Hunt.
In many ways, Hang-On is similar to your typical arcade racing games of the time, like Out Run, where you have to race on a track, avoiding obstacles and other racers as you will explode if you drive into them, and trying to reach the checkpoint before the timer runs out. Unlike Out Run, the track is completely linear, with no branching paths, and you also drive a motorcycle instead of a car. There’s also manual transmission, with three different gears to pay attention too, although this wasn’t too complicated.
Each checkpoint contains a different environment, you start out driving on a circuit, then by the seaside, through a desert, in a city at night, and later in sunrise. Finishing the sunrise checkpoint will give you bonus points, then the game repeats at a harder difficulty.
Graphically, it looks decent and certainly a step up from NES games of the same era, but it can’t compare with the arcade version and lacks the speed of that version. There’s also no music, apart from the title screen, only the engine noise, which gets old after a while.
Overall, Hang-On for the Master System, is mediocre at best. It is decent in many ways but comes across as pretty boring and lacking in comparison to the arcade original. There are different environments, but you will have seen them all after around 5 minutes, and then there really isn’t much more to see, apart from trying to beat your high-score. It is decent for a built-in game showing off the Master System’s capabilities, however.
Is it worth Playing?
There really isn’t anything to Hang-On for the Master System making it worth playing, but if you have a Master System and this is built in, you should at least check it out. It is fun for about 10 minutes, and it is something of a relic of its time. Despite feeling nostalgic about it, there just isn’t much making it worth playing.
Wonder Boy was originally a game released in the arcades in 1986. It was developed by Escape, who would later change its name to Westone, and published by Sega. The game was ported to the Sega Master System in 1987, which is the version in this review.
Wonder Boy is not just a game I have many memories with. It might actually be the first videogame I ever played, at least it’s one of them. When I grew up, my sister had a Sega Master System, and Wonder Boy was one of the games for it. Together with OutRun, it was the game I enjoyed the most for the console. I never beat Wonder Boy until this review, I don’t think I ever got further than the 4th world playing it as a child, but I sometimes did watch my sister play and beat this game.
You play as Tom-Tom, a caveman-like boy, and your girlfriend Tanya has been kidnapped by the evil King. So this is your basic save the princess/damsel-in-distress type of story that used to be so common in videogames of the era.
Wonder Boy is a side-scrolling platformer in the style of Super Mario Bros consists of 36 levels spanning 9 areas. If you collect the hidden doll in every level, you will also get to play a 10th area. At the end of each Area you will fight a boss. All bosses are pretty much the same, but they do get gradually harder as you progress.
You also have to pay attention to your vitality meter at the top of the screen. The vitality meter will deplete constantly and you will lose a life if it depletes completely. You must collect fruit to avoid this from happening. The vitality meter is not a life bar, since everything kills you in one hit. There are a few obstacles which will not kill you instantly, and just deplete your vitality meter. You could see the vitality meter as something like a time limit.
Just like Mario, you can also obtain certain power-ups. The most common one is the hatchet, which works a bit like Mario’s fireball. You can also find a skateboard. This will make you constantly move forward, although you can slow down by holding left on the controller. It does make the game a bit faster and is great if you know the level layout, but it also makes some of the platforming really difficult. If an enemy hits you when you have the skateboard, you will not die, just lose the power-up, so you could see it as an extra hit point. You can also find an angel which makes you invincible for a while.
There’s no saves or passwords, however, so you must beat the game in one sitting. This game is quite long so having no password system is a shame. There is a level select code, but it prevents you from getting all the dolls.
The level design is decent enough, but it does get a bit bland, and sometimes it feels like you are playing the same few levels over and over again, just with different enemies.
The controls does take some getting used to, but they at least feels reliable once you get used to them. The momentum can be a bit odd, and you don’t have much control when jumping. While the controls are not perfect, they are at least acceptable.
Wonder Boy doesn’t start out too difficult but once you reach Areas 8 and 9 you are in for a real challenge. Even before those last few levels there are some really difficult sections, and at times there are some cheap level design. There are certainly some trial-and-error sections where you pretty much have to die the first time you encounter them. The game is at least forgiving enough to give you unlimited continues. Some levels, especially the later ones, also feel like they go on for way too long. If you die you lose the hatchet and there are certain sections where the game does not give you a new one for a while, making some sections really difficult. I will also admit that I hate the wasps in this game as much as I hate them in real life.
Graphically, this is a quite faithful port of the arcade original. Everything is very colourful and I could imagine these graphics being quite impressive for a home console in 1987. There are however some instances of major slowdown, especially in the later levels when there’s many enemies on screen at once. This can certainly be problematic at times, but I wouldn’t call it a deal breaker.
The music is fine, although it can be somewhat repetitive since most levels have the same music. The only exception being the levels containing a boss, which has a different song. There are also two boss themes, and an additional theme playing on bonus stages. I really like the bonus stage music and the music playing when fighting the bosses on the sky levels the most, while the rest of the soundtrack is just alright.
Overall, Wonder Boy is a good platform game, even if doesn’t quite reach the level of something like Super Mario Bros. It is a fun playthrough and it has aged fairly well compared to many other platformers from the same era. It does have some flaws in some cheap enemy and obstacles placements, as well as a somewhat repetitive level design. The fact that you have unlimited continues makes up for some of these flaws. Personally, I’m not a fan of the fact that you must collect a doll in every level in order to unlock the last four levels, but I guess it does give the game some replay value, and I don’t feel like I’m missing out too much even if I decide to not collect the dolls.
Is it worth Playing?
Whether Wonder Boy is worth playing or not depends on how much you like classic side-scrolling platformers. While it is certainly a good game, there are so many platformers out there that are much better. But if you really like 2D platformers or if you are just curious about a good game to play for the Sega Master System, check this game out. You can also play Adventure Island for the NES, which is essentially a port of this game, just with some different graphics and music.
Final score
7/10
Trivia
Adventure Island (NES)
Some people might see that the game is almost identical to Adventure Island for the NES. While Sega owned the rights to the characters and the name Wonder Boy, Escape/Westone still owned the rights to the source code, meaning that they could license it to Hudson Soft, who released Adventure Island based on Wonder Boy.
While the original Wonder Boy game is a side-scroller in the style of Super Mario Bros, future games in the series are less linear and incorporate RPG-elements. Hudson’s Adventure Island series, on the other hand, would continue with gameplay more similar to the original Wonder Boy.
Retro Viking Reviews 