Dracula
 
   
70
Dracula on Master System
 
 
Good games that are based on a film licences are few and far between but Dracula fits this category easily, what we have here is a no nonsense well designed platformer with a well judged difficulty curve. The music and graphics can unfortunately be a bit of a let down but the gameplay still manages to shine through. Avoid other versions of the game as the Master System's is easily the best one out there and by no small margin either.
 
 
Marble Madness
 
   
69
Marble Madness on Master System
 
 
The classic arcade game where you have to roll a ball along to get to the goal is well translated to the Master System here with some impressive 8-bit graphics.
 
 
Fantastic Dizzy
 
   
68
Fantastic Dizzy on Master System
 
 
Must stand as being the most ambitious in the Dizzy series, Fantastic Dizzy is massive and spans many different locales ranging from Pirate ships to Graveyards. The basic premise in all Dizzy games is just to walk back and forth collecting and using items to solve puzzles which once complete allow you to progress further into the game.
 
 
Alien 3
 
   
67
Alien 3 on Master System
 
 
This is a great version of the multi-format game that looks and plays excellently, it involves you running around searching and rescuing survivors whilst shooting the Aliens and then making it to the exit (like a platforming version of Alien Syndrome).
 
 
Fantasy Zone
 
   
66
Fantasy Zone
 
 
Excellent, and under appreciated "cute-em-up" which breaks from the norm of the genre by allowing you to fly in any direction freely, with the aim to destroy all of each levels spawn bases, and collect money to buy power-ups. The game is very original, and the bosses are fun and interesting. Would've placed higher if not for the excellent sequels improving on the formula.
 
 
 
Solomon's Key
 
   
65
Solomon's Key on Master System
 
 
Very nice port of the puzzling classic where you have the ability to create and remove blocks (which can be used as stepping stones) with the aim to collect a key and then get to the exit. Unfortunately this was only ever released in Japan (the only game which actually made it into the list).
 
 
Super Monaco GP
 
   
64
Super Monaco GP on Master System
 
 
One of the most popular racing games for the system when it arrived. Monaco GP had nice graphics, with a fairly smooth and effective illusion of speed, and included loads of options for car customisation, it even featured a split screen multi-player mode which was pretty rare in those days.
 
 
Streets of Rage 2
 
   
63
Streets of Rage on Master System
 
 
A downgraded port of the 16-bit classic. It's all come out pretty well all things considered with good graphics and a nice soundtrack. The game is actually quite playable for its own merits, with fast pacing and often more ruthless enemies than those of the original Mega Drive game.
 
 
Bomber Raid
 
   
62
Bomber Raid on Master System
 
 
Bomber Raid is a great vertical shmup that plays kind of like the Aleste series (falling power-ups that upgrade your main gun) mixed with Sega's Scramble Spirits (support airplanes to your sides). The graphics are very good, the attack waves are interesting, and there's some cool boss battles along the way, but its the power-up system which is most interesting. Your main forward gun keeps powering up and changing incrementally for what feels like forever! every time you think you must be nearing full power it'll change and improve yet again, and on top of that you can choose different tactics for your support ships, and change the direction of their fire on the fly (by pressing both buttons simultaneously), which allows you to use the best tactics for each situation.
 
 
Klax
 
   
61
Klax on Master System
 
 
This is a popular block stacking puzzler which was originally planned to be a follow up to Tetris. The game has coloured blocks traveling towards you on a conveyer belt which need to be placed in rows of similar colours. It's a nice game that has appeared on many different systems over the years.
 
  previous next