Summary
- Sega Master System was a solid alternative to the NES, with great games that are still enjoyable today.
- The console found success in Europe and helped ensure the release of Sega Genesis.
- Many of Sega's retro consoles, including the Master System, are still timeless and have had recent spotlights.
The Sega Master System was initially released in North America back in 1986, just under a year after the Nintendo Entertainment System's NA release. Sega's console had improved hardware compared to the NES, though it failed to compete commercially with Nintendo's console in North America and Japan. However, the Master System found success in Europe, which helped ensure the release of Sega Genesis just three years later.
Due to Sega's eventual inability to compete with Nintendo and Sony which put them out of the console market, many gamers overlook their home consoles today. This was unfortunate for any retro gaming fans, as the Mega System proved a solid alternative to NES, with several great 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 December 1st, 2023 by Stephen LaGioia: Sega's retro consoles have had an unexpected spotlight on them recently, following the Sega Genesis' inclusion in the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack. Between this, and some of the console's major franchises seeing revivals — like Sonic, Streets of Rage, and Prince of Persia — the 8-bit machine's timeless nature is apparent.
Despite sometimes getting overshadowed by Nintendo's retro machines, and Sega's own Genesis, the Master System remains a haven of classic games spanning many genres. And with several great, often overlooked Master System games, we thought we'd revisit this list, adding more gems from this NES competitor.
23 Marble Madness
GameFaqs Score: 3.47
As titles like Tetris and Minecraft continue to prove, the simplest gaming experiences can often be the most fun. Stretching back to 1984, this Master System Port managed to hold up well with its appealing and charmingly simple gameplay. As one might guess, players control a marble as they roll their way through a series of themed isometric grids.
Courses are littered with hazards that include tight, winding paths and ambiguous blobby foes. While lacking the smooth, intuitive feel of the arcade's trackball, the game controls surprisingly well given its 2D visuals and d-pad interface. Despite the campaign being quite short even for its time, every minute is packed with fun maneuvers and tricky trials.
22 California Games
GameFaqs Score: 2.8
1987's California Games was developed by Epyx, who was 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.
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.
The playable sports are:
- BMX, Skateboarding, Flying Disc (Frisbee), Freestyle Footbag, Half-pipe, Roller Skating, Surfing
21 Ghouls 'N Ghosts
GameFaqs Score: 3.77
Ghouls 'n Ghosts
Known for its grueling difficulty (even for the harsher standards of the '80s), Ghouls 'N Ghosts — like its predecessor — has remained an overlooked classic. Almost all 50 minutes and six stages of this spooky action p latformer are loaded with tough, thrilling gameplay. This mostly comes by way of a barrage of foes hellbent on stopping the protagonist King Arthur.
Players are tasked with trekking across a slew of diverse, but mostly ominous, scrolling maps, as they fend off demonic and zombified creatures. Meanwhile, gamers can unearth sleeker gold armor and new weapons laced with special attacks. This time, Arthur also shoots upward, though this does little to alleviate the punishing difficulty.
20 Sonic Chaos
GameFaqs Score: 3.47
Sega's lovable blue mascot has seen no shortage of renditions over the years, with more current outings being more mixed compared to his older classics.
This late entry of the Master System, also on Sega's handheld system Game Gear, isn't often thought of on the console front — though it's still a gem. While confined to 8-bit, Sonic's flavor of fast, intense platforming is not lacking here, as the experience brings elements more like his Genesis games.
Some added depth and speed, as compared to older Master System Sonic games, are injected here. This includes an extra-fast move that Sonic can use, and including the ability to play as Tails. These qualities helped make this the top-selling Game Gear game, though they also result in an overlooked Master System romp.
19 Bubble Bobble
GameFaqs Score: 3.98
Overlooked as a Master System title and as a game in general, this platformer brought tons of fun gameplay for those willing to look beyond its basic aesthetic. Taito offers hours and dozens of levels of bubble-popping chaos, which can be enjoyed simultaneously with another player.
Players are tasked with slaying baddies by trapping them in bubbles and popping them, all while grabbing items, and abilities, as well as bouncing on their own bubbles. With plenty of gripping content, unique bubble-popping mechanics, and great co-op, 1986's Bubble Bobble was ahead of its time, at least from a gameplay standpoint.
18 Wonder Boy 3: The Dragon's Trap
GameFaqs Score: 3.85
Westone and Sega's overlooked platforming adventure has seen new life with a cute, stylized remake in 2017. Still, the 1989 original manages to hold up with its solid mechanics, diverse gameplay, and rich presentation. For an 80s platformer, Wonder Boy 3 is also rather robust, taking several hours to venture start to finish through the Mecha Dragon's lair.
These attributes helped the game earn Electronic Gaming Monthly's "Best Game of the Year" in 1989, and it's still a cult classic among fans.
17 Double Dragon
GameFaqs Score: 3.6
While somewhat overshadowed by its arcade and NES counterparts, the Master System version shines in its own right for various reasons. This appealing co-op brawler is, in many ways, at its best on the console, as it adheres more to the arcade rendition.
It amps up the experience with more vibrant colors and the ability to display more enemies on screen. It also permits unlimited continues, a welcome inclusion given Double Dragon's brutality.
16 Streets Of Rage 2
GameFaqs Score: 4.2
Streets of Rage
Despite its Genesis variant dazzling more visually and musically (and also missing multiplayer and Max Thunder), Streets of Rage 2 is still among the best beat-em-ups on the console. This street brawler takes the appealing formula of the first game while refining the mechanics and amping up the action.
It does this while remaining fairly simple and accessible — which doesn't quite apply to the dynamic Streets of Rage 3. This game exemplifies Master System's slightly grittier, edgier sensibility, which Genesis would further run with.
15 Alien Syndrome
GameFaqs Score: 3.02
This 80s run-and-gun game from Sega may have taken a turn for the worse in subsequent decades, though its origins remain as stellar as ever. Players can lock and load in some thrilling co-op as they take the role of the soldiers Ricky and Mary. They'll blast their way through overhead-scrolling sci-fi biomes, staving off creatures and saving hostages along the way.
19 Best Sci-Fi Games On Switch
Though they may not seem like the console's main genre, there are tons of amazing sci-fi games awaiting fans on the Switch.
Alien Syndrome is akin to a game-ified version of a campy 80s sci-fi, a quality that's proven endearing to fans who like an intense thrill ride.
14 R-Type
GameFaqs Score: 3.81
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. The game keeps players on the edge of their seats with a pummeling of action through space combat and ominous foes.
Like most coin-operated arcade shooters, R-Type is a brutally tough, grind-it-out game, ensuring 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.