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Due to Sega’s eventual inability to compete with Nintendo and Sony that put them out of the console market, many gamers overlook their home consoles today. This is a mistake for any retro gaming fans, as the Mega System had numerous excellent releases that are still enjoyable to play today. To give such games their due praise, here are some of the best Sega Master System games.
Updated on November 4, 2021, by Jack Pursey: Sega’s retro consoles have had an unexpected spotlight on them recently, following the Sega Genesis’ inclusion in the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack, which has been criticized for its anti-consumer price and perceived lack of effort in porting the games. Still, the expansion does have a great selection of games, and it could see a large crowd of players wanting to try more retro titles.
For those who are looking to try some more classic games, the Sege Genesis’ predecessor, the Sega Master System, provides some excellent options. So, we’ve updated this list by another five entries, to highlight some more of the best Master System games.
15 California Games
1987’s California Games was developed by Epyx, who were best known at the time for their Summer Games and Winter Games series’. As the name suggests, California Games implements a range of casual, outdoor sports that were popular in California during the 80s. The playable sports are:
BMX Flying Disc Footbag Half-pipe Roller Skating Surfing
Like most critically-acclaimed sports games from the 80s, California Games’ gameplay is very simplistic, especially when compared to modern sports games, but it offers tight-knit and well-balanced gameplay that is still thoroughly fun today.
14 R-Type
R-Type is a side-scrolling shooter that was developed by Irem. The game was first released on Arcades in 1987, before coming to the Master System the following year.
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Like most coin-operated arcade shooters, R-Type is brutally difficult, to ensure that players couldn’t get too much playtime for their coin. Due to how often players would replay the opening sections, the first boss Dobkeratops became an iconic villain during the 80s.
13 Shinobi
Shinobi is the third entry in a row on this list that was initially released in 1987. Sega’s game enjoyed enormous commercial success, and soon become one of the highest-grossing titles of its year. Shinobi was soon released on the Master System and NES, before coming to home computers. Just over a decade after its release, the hack and slash game was released on the Nintendo Wii’s Virtual Console and Xbox Live Arcade.
Shinobi’s success also sparked a long-running series of games, with the most recent release being Shinobi for the Nintendo 3DS which hit back stores in 2011.
12 Out Run
Out Run was initially released in 1986 and immediately stood out with its beautiful, sunny visuals that looked head and shoulders above most games at the time.
Out Run’s visuals weren’t the only feature that raised the bar for games at the time, however, as Sega’s game was also a pioneer in high-quality gaming soundtracks, and non-linear gameplay. Out Run’s efforts were recognized by the Golden Joystick Awards, who awarded the game their prestigious Ultimate Game of the Year accolade.
11 Golden Axe Warrior
Golden Axe Warrior was released in 1991 by Sega and was a spin-off to the popular Golden Axe series, which predominantly featured side-scrolling hack and slash gameplay.
Golden Axe Warrior, however, is a top-down adventure game that is unapologetic in how closely it resembles the groundbreaking first entry in the Legend of Zeldaseries which first hit stores in 1986. Although the game falls short of The Legend of Zelda’s quality, it was still a solid attempt at the same formula that provided a decent alternative to Master System owners.
10 Operation Wolf
Operation Wolf was initially released on the Sega Mega System in Europe back in 1990, before coming to North America the following year. The game had previously been released in arcades and on the NES and was highly anticipated by Mega System owners, following continued praise from fans and critics. In fact, the game was awarded the Golden Joystick Awards’ Game of the Year award in 1989, beating the highly regarded runner-up Starglider II.
9 Road Rash
With the stunning trailer for Forza Horizon 5 recently being shown at E3, it’s easy to forget just how far visuals have come in gaming during the industry’s relatively short lifespan thus far. Road Rash may not hold up visually, but its simple yet addictive gameplay is still thoroughly enjoyable today, along with its extreme violence that adds an interesting dynamic to the racing mechanics.
The Sega Genesis version of Road Rash was developed and published by industry giants Electronic Arts, who recently made major waves in gaming’s racing genre following their acquisition of Codemasters.
8 Prince Of Persia
The original Prince of Persia was first released on the Apple II in 1989, before coming to the Sega Master System three years later.
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Prince of Persia is regarded as the first cinematic platformer ever released and consequently had a huge influence on the platforming genre. Not only did the game heavily influence other cinematic platformers like the iconic Another World, but its influence can also be more indirectly seen in critically acclaimed modern releases like Limbo, Inside, and Little Nightmares.
7 Alex Kidd In The Miracle World
Following the release of the legendary Super Mario Bros. in 1985, the gaming industry soon took a sharp change in direction as studios tried to capitalize on the enormous critical and commercial success of Nintendo’s mascot platformer.
One such release was Alex Kidd in the Miracle World, which hit stores in 1986. Although Sonic The Hedgehogis remembered as Sega’s response to Mario, it was Alex Kidd that first tried to compete with its brand of platforming gameplay that didn’t hide its influences from the original Super Mario Bros. Coincidentally, a remake of Alex Kidd in the Miracle World is set to release on June 22, 2021, in Brazil; before releasing worldwide two days later.
6 Psycho Fox
Following on from the previous entry, Psycho Fox was another one of Sega’s attempts to dethrone Mario from the head of the platforming genre before Sonic The Hedgehog was released in 1991 and finally offered some true competition.
Psycho Fox didn’t come close to Mario’s commercial success, though it did offer a few interesting ideas, in particular the ability to switch between characters who offered different skills. This concept of morphing into different characters or having interchangeable abilities is still seen in the platforming genre today, with Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time and Kaze and the Wild Masksbeing two recent examples.
5 Land Of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse
Land of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse was one of Sega’s numerous attempts to challenge Nintendo with the use of recognizable IPs. Along with Mickey Mouse, the game also featured multiple other iconic Disney characters like Donald Duck, Minnie Mouse, and Goofy.
Land of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse didn’t try to reinvent the wheel and kept its core gameplay very similar to other respected platforming titles from the time. Although it lacked innovation, the game was extremely well received by fans and critics and was considered to be among the best platforming releases of the early 90s.
4 The Lucky Dime Caper Starring Donald Duck
Land of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse wasn’t the only Sega Master System release to center around one of Disney’s most iconic characters, as Donald Duck received his own game two years before the aforementioned Land of Illusion.
The game was also released on the Game Gear and had a handful of differences from the Master System version, including platform and enemy positions, along with changes to the star system.
3 Asterix
Asterix was yet another attempt from Sega to find success in the platforming genre by using a popular IP. The franchise began as a comic book series all the way back in the 1950s, before branching out into other forms of media such as film, TV, and of course, gaming.
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Asterix’s gaming franchise has recently had a new breath of life, following the remaster of Asterix & Obelix XXL 2 in 2018 and the release of Asterix & Obelix XXL 3: The Crystal Menhir in 2019.
2 Sonic The Hedgehog
Sonic The Hedgehog was the final game released for the Mega System in North America, following the Sega Genesis’ release in 1989. The version that was released on the Mega System was the 8-bit iteration, which differentiated itself from the Sega Genesis’ 16-bit version in a handful of ways.
Differences included Chaos Emeralds being found in regular stages rather than specific levels, Sonic being unable to re-collect rings after taking damage, and stages being simplified with no vertical loops.
1 Phantasy Star
The Phantasy Star series is best known to gamers today for the free-to-play Phantasy Star Online 2 and the recently released, shared universe game Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis.
The original Phantasy Star was first released on the Mega System in the late 80s, before coming to multiple other consoles since including the Sega Genesis, Game Boy Advance, and PlayStation 2. The RPG received huge praise from fans and critics and helped Sega gain ground on Nintendo. However, the ground gained was limited, as Phantasy Star had the unfortunate timing of releasing in Japan just two days before the original Final Fantasy.
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