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30 |
Outrun |  |
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| Very respectable port of the arcade classic which turned out very competitive for its time. Master System Outrun is a fast and pretty smooth racing experience, with lots of colour, a variety of different landscapes, and a good illusion of speed. One of the most notable elements of the game is its branching paths, every so often there'll be a fork in the road which allows you to choose your route, leading to different environments and courses. These elements, coupled with the uninterrupted transitions between sections add a real, "adventure on the open road" feeling to the game. | ||||||
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29 |
Battlemaniacs |  |
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| Battlemaniacs was sent off and reviewed by magazines in the UK but for some reason never actually released. Thankfully Tec Toy came to the rescue and managed to give it an official release in Brazil, and we're lucky they did as the game must stand as one of the most impressive beat-em-ups on the system, with some of the greatest music and graphics of any SMS game released, and the all important 2-player mode, a feature which was sadly missing from most SMS beat-em-ups. The game plays superbly, and would've placed higher if not for a few of the levels missing music in the release version, which gives the game a mildly unfinished feel. | ||||||
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28 |
Masters of Combat |  |
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| This is an excellent, fast, and colourful SMS fighting game which is a little reminiscent of the Street Fighter series. Masters of Combat is an all-around great example of the genre, and whilst it takes a lot of elements from Street Fighter, it still manages to have a feel of its own due to some of its more unique features, such as a high emphasis on dash and evasion moves. Whilst Master's of Combat could've stood to have a few more characters, it definitely still stands as one of the best original fighters released for 8-bit consoles. | ||||||
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27 |
Kenseiden |  |
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| Kenseiden is a very classy platformer which really grows on you over time and is actually deeper and more rewarding to learn than it first seems. The game has a lot of atmosphere, with moody music and a very Japanese style to its horror theme. The gameplay gives you a lot of freedom (you can choose the order to tackle the stages), and includes some excellent adventure aspects in the form of the new moves you can learn which improve your character, ranging from higher jumping to a selection of different sword strikes. All in all, when given the chance Kenseiden becomes a compulsive play experience. | ||||||
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26 |
Micro Machines |  |
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| Racing around everyday locales in tiny cars in top down perspective may not sound like an idea for an all time classic, but Codemasters really saw the potential in the licence and ran with it, incorporating idea after idea and creating a selection of some of the most memorable courses in the genre. Micro Machines is great fun in single-player, but where it really comes into its own is the fun, and intensely competitive multiplayer aspect, definitely a game to put on and play when friends are visiting. | ||||||
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25 |
Gauntlet |  |
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| After a long wait gamers finally got an almost perfect home version of the popular Gauntlet with this excellent Master System game, the best home conversion of Gauntlet for the time (the Atari ST is also in the running, but doesn't scroll as well). The game is a top down shooter set in maze like dungeons filled to the brim with hoards of enemies, there's multiple exits to each stage to find, some interesting puzzle elements thrown in later, and a fantastic 2 player co-op feature which also helps to add a lot to the overall experience. | ||||||
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24 |
Bubble Bobble |  |
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| Taito really went to town when it came to creating this port of their single screen bubble blowing platform game Bubble Bobble. This version has ~30 new stages in comparison to the arcade version, a password system, some new objectives, and even includes two original, exclusive boss fights! the port itself is also extremely accurate, containing many of the important little details that most of the other ports of the time missed. Generally Taito simply excelled themselves in all respects here. | ||||||
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23 |
Prince of Persia |  |
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| Prince of Persia is an adventure game which rose to prominence on computers for its high quality animation and smooth movement, and strong emphasis on exploration, with a healthy dose of platform jumping, and climbing. The Master System port was a very impressive version at the time, sporting some much improved graphics (though admittedly later 16-bit versions did supercede it) on top of the well translated, and well fitting gameplay. | ||||||
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22 |
Lucky Dime Caper |  |
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| This is a Disney license game handled by Sega, and as can be expected the graphics, sound, and gameplay shine through in much the same way as they did with all of Sega's Disney games. Lucky Dime Caper is probably the most challenging of the games of their disney output, there's no real puzzle elements like those found in the Illusion games, nor adventuring aspects, like those of Quackshot, its just you, the enemies, and loads of treacherous jumps, and elaborate hazards to keep you constantly on your toes. Anyone who finds themselves thinking the Mickey games are too easy and wants to sink their teeth into a game with more challenge need look no further than the Lucky Dime Caper. | ||||||
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21 |
Wonder Boy in Monster World |  |
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| For those not familiar with the Wonder Boy series, it started off as a simple platformer (which many may know from the NES port Adventure Island) but slowly evolved into a more adventure inspired experience. By the 3rd game you were thrown into a huge Metroid style overworld gameplay structure, with only certain areas accessible until you acquired the relevant power-ups. This, the 4th and last Wonder Boy game for the Master System followed on from that gameplay with better graphics and presentation. I feel it's not quite a good as the third game (which is still to come) mainly due to it's easiness and the short distance of your weapon (I find it's easier to duck and stab) but it is most certainly still a phenomenal game. | ||||||
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