• Tag Archives SMS

  • Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse (Sega Master System)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse was initially released for the Sega Genesis in 1990 with Sega Master System and Game Gear versions following the next year. This was the first in a line of several Illusion games for Sega systems.

    The Sega Master System is often overlooked as it was dominated by the NES during its life. However, games like Castle of Illusion showcase its technical abilities and the type of quality games it was capable of. The Sega Master System was actually slightly better than the NES on a technical level but it never had nearly the same quantity of games.

    The Sega Master System (and Game Gear) version of Castle of Illusion is very much like its Genesis big brother. The levels are essentially the same but the graphics and sound/music have been toned down somewhat. Also, some of the more gimmicky play mechanics were removed from SMS version (e.g. swinging on vines). Even though it can’t quite measure up to the Genesis version, it is a quality game in its own right and the graphics and sound are impressive for an 8-bit system. Beyond just the graphics and sound, it helps that the game if fun to play also. This is one of the better platform games that you will find on the Sega Master System and one of the best early ones for the Genesis as well.

    A remake was produced in 2013 and was released in downloadable form for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Windows, iOS, Windows Phone, Android and OS X.

    Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse (Sega Master System)

    http://darth-azrael.tumblr.com/post/164198500350/cidramanonce-upon-a-mouse-castle-of-illusion





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  • Choplifter (Sega Master System)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Choplifter for the Sega Master System (1986)

    http://darth-azrael.tumblr.com/post/158969554286/retrotari-choplifter-for-the-sega-master-system

    Choplifter is another one of those games with an interesting pedigree. It was originally developed by Broderbund for the Apple II and ported to a number of systems including the Commodore 64, VIC-20, Atari 8-bit computers, and Atari 5200 among others shortly thereafter. Then in 1985 Sega released a remake as an arcade game. This arcade remake was then ported to the NES and Sega Master System in 1986. Graphically enhanced versions were also released for the Atari 7800 and XEGS in 1988 though it isn’t clear to me what the source of those particular ports was.

    I am most familiar with the Commodore 64 version. The Sega Master System version certainly has fancier graphics but it had nearly four years of further development and an arcade port to work with. There is very little variation in gameplay in any of them. Basically, you pilot a helicopter, pick up (rescue) hostages and return them to base while avoiding and destroying enemy tanks and planes. Oh, and be careful not to accidentally shoot or crush the hostages you are trying to rescue. It is a pretty simplistic game but appealing nonetheless. It’s nice to pick up and play for 15 or 30 minutes at a time.





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  • Zaxxon 3D (Sega Master System)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Cover for Zaxxon 3D on the SEGA Master System.

    http://darth-azrael.tumblr.com/post/158962399035/thesegasource-cover-for-zaxxon-3d-on-the-sega

    Although it was forward scrolling as opposed to isometric like its arcade counterpart, Zaxxon 3-D did have the unique attribute of being in 3-D.

    Zaxxon 3-D made use of the “SegaScope” 3-D glasses for the Sega Master System with your view being from behind your ship. While not required to play (the game could be played in 2-D mode), it did add playability to the game. It was much more difficult to gage distances without being in 3-D mode. The 3-D version added much more sense of depth.

    Only six 3-D games were released for the SMS with Zaxxon being one of the earlier titles. The SMS was the first home consoles to provide 3-D gaming and while pretty crude by today’s standards it still worked rather well. Most of the few games released that made use of the SegaScope 3-D glasses made effective use of the 3-D effect. Unfortunately, the glasses are pretty hard to come by and will only work with the original model SMS (not the SMS II).





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