 |
| At least a Pause button would get added to the controller now... Right? |
Admittedly, if Sega was to actually go & make a Master System Mini, based on the company's competitor to the NES, it would be primarily aimed at two markets: Europe & Brazil. The console just wasn't able to really find footing in North America due to the NES' sheer dominance, & Nintendo's possibly illegal exclusivity agreement it forced upon third-party publishers, & Sega's only true success story in its home county of Japan was with the Saturn. Still, Europeans downright fell in love with the Master System (& later the Mega Drive), as Nintendo didn't really manage to take that market over due to the strong computer scene, & in Brazil the Master System is literally the best-selling video game console ever, due to Tectoy's marketing, exclusive releases, & continual re-releases of the hardware (among other reasons). If nothing else, make a hypothetical American release more of a limited product, though sharing Europe's roster, give Japan a Mark III Mini with its own roster that could even include some SG-1000 games (&, likewise, make it a limited release product), & let Tectoy go crazy with a Brazilian version that's filled with a bunch of its own exclusives (& winds up being the most coveted, in general).
Beyond all of that, though, is the major question: What games would even be included in a hypothetical Sega Master System Mini? Well, after looking over the list of games for the console, I came up with what I feel is a relatively realistic (if still semi-wish-list-y) roster, at least for a shared North America/Europe variant.
First, some ground rules, because this isn't simply a wild "wish list", but rather one that aims to be as realistic as possible. Obviously, this hypothetical Mini would also be done by the talented people at M2, just like the Genesis Mini. I then restricted this to just 30 games, just like the NES Classic, because it's a good, reasonable number; Sega was originally only going to do 30 for the Genesis Mini, but just got really excited over the product. Also, I don't have any of the (three) North American exclusives in this list, simply because I am taking into consideration that this would be aimed primarily at Europe, with an American release being more of a limited production run. Finally, I took into consideration trying to distribute between genres as evenly as possible, as well as trying to limit having to deal with licensing issues as much as possible. With all that out of the way, let's get to the list, which I'll actually be organizing by category, in batches of six, to explain my reasons as succinctly as possible.
Starting things off are what I'd consider the Blatantly Obvious Picks. Without a doubt, these six games would have absolutely no reason NOT to be on a Master System Mini. First up would be Alex Kidd in Miracle World, the 1986 game that Sega made in response to Super Mario Bros., starring the character that would be Sega's main mascot until the debut of Sonic the Hedgehog in 1991; it also became the built-in game for later versions of the Master System. I'm personally not a big fan of this game, but that doesn't blind me to the simple fact that the original Alex Kidd game would simply have to be on this thing. Following that would be 1986's Fantasy Zone & 1987's Fantasy Zone II: The Tears of Opa-Opa, two cute-em-up horizontal shooters starring Opa-Opa, who was essentially Sega's secondary mascot at the time. Both games are considered some of the Master System's absolute best, making them no-brainers for inclusion; also the Genesis Mini has Super Fantasy Zone, so might as well maintain continuity.
Up next would be the 1985's Hang-On, a port of Yu Suzuki & Sega AM2's iconic motorcycle racing arcade game from the same year. While there was never a standalone physical release of the Master System version in North America, it was part of two multicart releases, one with Astro Fighter & one with light-gun shooter Safari Hunt, with the latter multicart becoming a built-in game for Master System consoles with the Version 2.4 BIOS; Europe, however, received both cartridge & card releases for Hang-On by itself. While Super Hang-On didn't see inclusion in the Genesis Mini, the original game has more than earned its spot here. Fifth would be 1987's Phantasy Star, the first entry in Sega's iconic sci-fi RPG series & a game that many would argue outdid Final Fantasy & Dragon Quest at the time; really, there's nothing else to say here. Finally, the last of the obvious picks would have to be 1988's Shinobi, the port of the 1987 arcade classic that started one of Sega's most beloved franchises. Again, there's not much else to say here, because all six of these games would have to be on essentially anyone's list of games that would be on a hypothetical Master System Mini. It's with the next 24 games that we start getting interesting... & divisive.
Up next would be the 1985's Hang-On, a port of Yu Suzuki & Sega AM2's iconic motorcycle racing arcade game from the same year. While there was never a standalone physical release of the Master System version in North America, it was part of two multicart releases, one with Astro Fighter & one with light-gun shooter Safari Hunt, with the latter multicart becoming a built-in game for Master System consoles with the Version 2.4 BIOS; Europe, however, received both cartridge & card releases for Hang-On by itself. While Super Hang-On didn't see inclusion in the Genesis Mini, the original game has more than earned its spot here. Fifth would be 1987's Phantasy Star, the first entry in Sega's iconic sci-fi RPG series & a game that many would argue outdid Final Fantasy & Dragon Quest at the time; really, there's nothing else to say here. Finally, the last of the obvious picks would have to be 1988's Shinobi, the port of the 1987 arcade classic that started one of Sega's most beloved franchises. Again, there's not much else to say here, because all six of these games would have to be on essentially anyone's list of games that would be on a hypothetical Master System Mini. It's with the next 24 games that we start getting interesting... & divisive.
Up next is what I'd call the Most Interesting or Notable Ports; coincidentally, all of these are also 1988 ports of games originally released in 1987. The Master System is home to a variety of ports, especially of Sega's arcade games at the time, but I don't want to focus on the likes of After Burner, Golden Axe, Space Harrier, or Out Run; besides, I've already covered three iconic Sega arcade ports just earlier. This time, I'm focusing on ports that are either unique or cult-classics in their own rights. For example, the NES Classic included Double Dragon II: The Revenge over the original game, likely because it actually offered a proper two-player co-op mode. In that regard, Sega won out, because the Master System port of Double Dragon did indeed include two-player co-op, alongside being a more direct port of the arcade original, making it a perfect choice for a Master System Mini; it's also the very first game current IP owner Arc System Works ever developed. Up next I pick Golvellius: Valley of Doom, the remake of Compile's MSX original. Like many games released on the Master System (& early on with the Genesis), Sega handled the remake itself, and it changed around the dungeon & overworld layouts; in fact, Compile would do its own remake, Shin Golvellius, for the MSX2, which was based on Sega's version. Up next would be R-Type, the port of Irem's iconic arcade shooter. To this day, the Master System port is considered to be one of the best ports, even beating out the PC-Engine/TurboGrafx-16 port, which originally had to split the game up across two releases. The Master System port of R-Type was also the only third-party release on the system's (rather small) offering on the Wii Virtual Console, which resulted in it being delisted in 2011 when Irem left the video game industry, so this would definitely be a perfect way to give it more love & attention again.
Speaking of third-party releases, fourth in this list would be Rastan (Saga), the port of Taito's arcade hack 'n slasher. I chose this game mainly because the Master System was the only console to see a proper "port" of the game. It had various computer ports at the time, but wouldn't return to console until the Taito Memories/Legends collection on PS2, which was simply emulating the arcade original; therefore, Master System Rastan is definitely unique. Of course, it wouldn't be a Master System Mini if there wasn't some sort of Wonder Boy representation, as the series really made its (outstandingly & infamously confounding) name on the console. Therefore, to follow in Sega's "Mini" shoes, I'd include two games, with the first being Wonder Boy in Monster Land, the port of the arcade original that took the series from simple platformer to the action RPG that it's now renowned as; sorry, but the OG game won't be included here. While this port did see Wii VC inclusion in 2009, it's the arcade game that's since received the main attention with more recent emulations, so it'd be great to see the port given some love again. Finally, we end this category with what I'd consider easily one of the coolest picks I'd want on this hypothetical Mini, Ys: The Vanished Omens. This Master System port is the first ever English release for the Ys series, predating the MS-DOS port by one year & the TurboGrafx-CD Book I & II double pack by two. Because of that, the localization is charmingly wonky, complete with altered names like "Aron" & "Dark Dekt", but the gameplay itself is still pure Ys I, making it just as fun as it was back in 1988. Without a doubt, I would consider it imperative to get Ys on a Master System Mini.
Speaking of third-party releases, fourth in this list would be Rastan (Saga), the port of Taito's arcade hack 'n slasher. I chose this game mainly because the Master System was the only console to see a proper "port" of the game. It had various computer ports at the time, but wouldn't return to console until the Taito Memories/Legends collection on PS2, which was simply emulating the arcade original; therefore, Master System Rastan is definitely unique. Of course, it wouldn't be a Master System Mini if there wasn't some sort of Wonder Boy representation, as the series really made its (outstandingly & infamously confounding) name on the console. Therefore, to follow in Sega's "Mini" shoes, I'd include two games, with the first being Wonder Boy in Monster Land, the port of the arcade original that took the series from simple platformer to the action RPG that it's now renowned as; sorry, but the OG game won't be included here. While this port did see Wii VC inclusion in 2009, it's the arcade game that's since received the main attention with more recent emulations, so it'd be great to see the port given some love again. Finally, we end this category with what I'd consider easily one of the coolest picks I'd want on this hypothetical Mini, Ys: The Vanished Omens. This Master System port is the first ever English release for the Ys series, predating the MS-DOS port by one year & the TurboGrafx-CD Book I & II double pack by two. Because of that, the localization is charmingly wonky, complete with altered names like "Aron" & "Dark Dekt", but the gameplay itself is still pure Ys I, making it just as fun as it was back in 1988. Without a doubt, I would consider it imperative to get Ys on a Master System Mini.
Moving on, we have the Rare & Seemingly-Unlikely Games. Unlike Nintendo's NES & SNES Classics, which honestly both had rosters filled with "safe" picks (Star Fox 2 being the only exception), Sega & M2 have gone in the opposite direction with the Genesis Mini, putting as much of a focus on including games just about no one would have ever expected to see in a product like this as they did on including the "safe" games; the Japanese Mega Drive Mini took this idea to 11. Therefore, I'd expect a Master System Mini to do the same exact thing, and what better game to start with than 1990's Alex Kidd in Shinobi World? A later release, i.e. it never came out in Japan, it's a parody of Shinobi, replacing Joe Musashi with Alex, but otherwise is an extremely solid action platformer, also including some influence from Revenge of Shinobi. Personally, I prefer this to Miracle World, but both would be cool to see included, as they are the best two entries in the Alex Kidd series. Second would be 1991's Castle of Illusion: Starring Mickey Mouse, which I normally wouldn't include due to the fact that it's a Disney game. However, the fact that Sega managed to get the Genesis version of Castle, as well as sequel World of Illusion, for the Genesis Mini would mean that the possibility would certainly be there for the Master System version, which is actually a rather different game in a lot of ways; in fact, there is a contingent of fans who prefer it to the more iconic Genesis version. Then there's Golden Axe Warrior, a 1991 spin-off of the arcade classic that's effectively the Master System's closest equivalent to Nintendo's Legend of Zelda; luckily, it's also considered a very good game. Unfortunately, the game is also one of the absolute rarest Master System games in existence, with its only re-release so far being as an unlockable in Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection back in 2009. Out of all of the games in this category, Golden Axe Warrior definitely would benefit best from (hypothetical) inclusion.
When it was announced that MUSHA would be on the Japanese Mega Drive Mini, people got excited, because MUSHA's a cool vertical shooter for the console, and often considered to be the best entry in Compile's Aleste series; also, M2 currently owns the rights to the franchise, which is neat. Therefore, it'd only make sense for a hypothetical Master System Mini to include the original Aleste from 1988, better known abroad as Power Strike. Today, the game is considered to be a bit of a collector's item, especially since the American release was only available by mail order from Sega directly (that also explains why the cover is so... blue), so that'd make including this game all the more relevant, as barely anyone outside of Japan & Europe ever really had the chance to play it. Finally, we end with category with games that aren't rare, but have their own unlikely reasons. First up is 1989's SpellCaster, a action-adventure-platformer-RPG that's actually an anime/manga tie-in. Specifically, the original Japanese version from 1988 is Kujaku-Oh/Peacock King, as it's based on the same Young Jump manga by the late Makoto Ogino as the OVA adaptation that was coming out the same time in Japan, which itself is better known abroad under the name Spirit Warrior. During the late-80s, Sega of Japan developed numerous games based on anime & manga, and when Sega of America & Europe would localize them, they'd simply alter things just enough so that they could treat them as original properties; the second Kujaku-Oh game would see the same treatment on the Genesis, where it was renamed Mystic Defender. Still, it's a neat game, and one that would benefit from save states. As for the last entry here, this is a rare example of a game from this era that DIDN'T see any changes! 1987's Zillion is based on Red Photon Zillion, a Tatsunoko anime that Sega was actually a major sponsor of (for at least the first half), and because of that, the two companies worked together to make sure that the games wouldn't see any alterations when released abroad. In this game, which was heavily influenced by Impossible Mission (NOT Metroid!), you play as JJ of the White Knights as he infiltrates a Noza base, looking for floppy discs that will allow him to activate a self-destruct sequence & finding his friends Champ & Apple. Personally, I prefer the sequel game, which is more of a standard action-platformer, but I acknowledge that the first game is more iconic, and therefore would make for a better choice (& allow for better variety on the whole).
When it was announced that MUSHA would be on the Japanese Mega Drive Mini, people got excited, because MUSHA's a cool vertical shooter for the console, and often considered to be the best entry in Compile's Aleste series; also, M2 currently owns the rights to the franchise, which is neat. Therefore, it'd only make sense for a hypothetical Master System Mini to include the original Aleste from 1988, better known abroad as Power Strike. Today, the game is considered to be a bit of a collector's item, especially since the American release was only available by mail order from Sega directly (that also explains why the cover is so... blue), so that'd make including this game all the more relevant, as barely anyone outside of Japan & Europe ever really had the chance to play it. Finally, we end with category with games that aren't rare, but have their own unlikely reasons. First up is 1989's SpellCaster, a action-adventure-platformer-RPG that's actually an anime/manga tie-in. Specifically, the original Japanese version from 1988 is Kujaku-Oh/Peacock King, as it's based on the same Young Jump manga by the late Makoto Ogino as the OVA adaptation that was coming out the same time in Japan, which itself is better known abroad under the name Spirit Warrior. During the late-80s, Sega of Japan developed numerous games based on anime & manga, and when Sega of America & Europe would localize them, they'd simply alter things just enough so that they could treat them as original properties; the second Kujaku-Oh game would see the same treatment on the Genesis, where it was renamed Mystic Defender. Still, it's a neat game, and one that would benefit from save states. As for the last entry here, this is a rare example of a game from this era that DIDN'T see any changes! 1987's Zillion is based on Red Photon Zillion, a Tatsunoko anime that Sega was actually a major sponsor of (for at least the first half), and because of that, the two companies worked together to make sure that the games wouldn't see any alterations when released abroad. In this game, which was heavily influenced by Impossible Mission (NOT Metroid!), you play as JJ of the White Knights as he infiltrates a Noza base, looking for floppy discs that will allow him to activate a self-destruct sequence & finding his friends Champ & Apple. Personally, I prefer the sequel game, which is more of a standard action-platformer, but I acknowledge that the first game is more iconic, and therefore would make for a better choice (& allow for better variety on the whole).
Okay, I'll admit it: This section is pretty much a Semi-Random Collection of Games. I tried my hardest to bundle six games across five categories, but I just had some left over games that I simply couldn't find a common thread between, so there. Anyway, to continue the "technically an anime game" thread I started just before, up next we have 1986's Black Belt, which in reality is a Fist of the North Star game. The most amusing thing about this is that while the characters got their designs & names changed, the fact that enemies exploded after being hit by "Riki" was maintained, which effectively made Riki into the most powerful karateka in video game history; it also got the game banned for those under 18 in Germany until 2012. Still, the original Japanese version got both remade on the PS2 via the Sega Ages 2500 line (Volume 11, specifically), and the Mark III original even got added to the Wii VC in Japan, so I think it'd be time for the localized version to be given some love, hypothetically. Following that I pick 1988's Kenseiden, a platformer/hack-n-slash where you play as a samurai named Hayato who has to make his way through Japan in order to regain five scrolls & a sword in order to defeat Oda Nobunaga. After the first couple of stages, the game becomes a bit of an open-world-esque adventure, as you can choose multiple directions to go in, with some paths being nothing more than red herrings. It's also notable for the English release maintaining absolutely everything about its Japanese style, which at the time was intensely rare; the Korean version did change things up wildly, however. Then we have The Ninja, the 1986 conversion of 1985's overhead run-&-gun game Ninja Princess, but with the titular kunoichi replaced with your standard male ninja. Chauvinistic change aside, the game is a fun one, and I at least consider it a bit of an iconic game for the Master System; there was even a port to the SG-1000 that same year, too.
For the second half of the mish-mash category, we have 1989's Psycho Fox, the second of Vic Tokai's spiritual trilogy of platformers from the era, with the first being Kid Kool on the NES (though Psycho Fox came first in America) & the last being the much more well known Decap Attack on the Genesis. In this game, you play as the titular fox, who can transform into other animal forms, each with their own abilities, & also come across an ally named Birdfly, who Psycho Fox can throw at enemies & recover until he's hit. While Decap Attack is generally considered the most polished of the trio, Psycho Fox is still well liked & arguably is more iconic on the Master System than Decap is on the Genesis. Then we have a game that would obviously be included on this hypothetical Mini, 1991's Sonic the Hedgehog. The last Master System game to be released in North America, & later the last of the built-in console games for Europe, this 8-bit take on Sega's now iconic mascot is actually the very first game developed by Yuzo Koshiro's studio Ancient, and Koshiro himself handled the music (which is mostly tracks exclusive to this game), and while it doesn't move anywhere near as fast as the Genesis games, it's still a truly excellent platformer that shouldn't be ignored in place of its Genesis siblings. Finally, we rap up the hodgepodge category with 1989's Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap, possibly the most popular entry in the entire series. Of course, since Wonder Boy is such a convoluted franchise, I must point out that this should not be confused with 1988's Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair, which was never ported to the Master System; yes, Westone actually developed two games titled "Wonder Boy III". Anyway, today the game is most well known for its outstanding 2017 remake by LizardCube & DotEmu, two of the studios currently making Streets of Rage 4, so including the Master System original would kind of be a no-brainer here, honestly.
For the second half of the mish-mash category, we have 1989's Psycho Fox, the second of Vic Tokai's spiritual trilogy of platformers from the era, with the first being Kid Kool on the NES (though Psycho Fox came first in America) & the last being the much more well known Decap Attack on the Genesis. In this game, you play as the titular fox, who can transform into other animal forms, each with their own abilities, & also come across an ally named Birdfly, who Psycho Fox can throw at enemies & recover until he's hit. While Decap Attack is generally considered the most polished of the trio, Psycho Fox is still well liked & arguably is more iconic on the Master System than Decap is on the Genesis. Then we have a game that would obviously be included on this hypothetical Mini, 1991's Sonic the Hedgehog. The last Master System game to be released in North America, & later the last of the built-in console games for Europe, this 8-bit take on Sega's now iconic mascot is actually the very first game developed by Yuzo Koshiro's studio Ancient, and Koshiro himself handled the music (which is mostly tracks exclusive to this game), and while it doesn't move anywhere near as fast as the Genesis games, it's still a truly excellent platformer that shouldn't be ignored in place of its Genesis siblings. Finally, we rap up the hodgepodge category with 1989's Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap, possibly the most popular entry in the entire series. Of course, since Wonder Boy is such a convoluted franchise, I must point out that this should not be confused with 1988's Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair, which was never ported to the Master System; yes, Westone actually developed two games titled "Wonder Boy III". Anyway, today the game is most well known for its outstanding 2017 remake by LizardCube & DotEmu, two of the studios currently making Streets of Rage 4, so including the Master System original would kind of be a no-brainer here, honestly.
Finally, to end this list, we have the Post-America Games. While the Master System stopped seeing new releases after Sonic the Hedgehog in late 1991, Japan had already stopped after 1989, the system continued to see support in Europe & Brazil, with well over 100 games (nearly a third of the entire catalog!) coming out "Post-America"; Europe was discontinued in 1995, while Brazil's last new game, Mickey's Ultimate Challenge, was in 1998. First up here is 1993's Master of Darkness, which is best known for its international release on the Game Gear. Developed by SIMS, the game is truly the Master System's equivalent of Castlevania, except that the Belmont Family is replaced by Dr. Ferdinand Social, & the battle against Dracula takes place in London during the late-1800s. Still, it's an excellent "clone", and well worth including in a hypothetical Mini, by any standard. Moving on, since I already included the 8-bit rendition of Castle of Illusion, I figure I might as well go whole-hog & include the other two 8-bit games in the series: 1993's Land of Illusion & 1998's Legend of Illusion. While both games did see release on the Game Gear worldwide, the former did also see a Master System release in Europe, while the latter's console release was one of those uber-rare Brazil exclusives from Tectoy, which would make Legend's inclusion extremely unlikely but still well worth mentioning; really, it's probably the best Brazil-exclusive release to consider. Also, yes, I am completely ignoring the two Sega-developed 8-bit games starring Donald Duck... Sorry.
Similar to how I included Double Dragon as a bit of a direct response to the series' inclusion in the NES Classic, I am also including 1992's Ninja Gaiden for more or less the same reason, as the original NES game was on Nintendo's "Mini". Unlike that example, however, Sega's take on Tecmo's classic series, also developed by SIMS, is a 100% original adventure that also never saw a Game Gear version; it's also the first game in the series to not use the Shadow Warriors name in Europe, which the NES games were called. Today, Ninja Gaiden for the Master System is often considered one of the very best games on the system, & is heavily coveted by collectors, which would make this hypothetical Mini the perfect way to bring it to new eyes. Up next is a very interesting case, because Compile's Aleste series has its own bit of convoluted naming. You see, Aleste 2 would come out on the MSX in 1989, but there wouldn't be English release for it. However, Compile would develop Power Strike II for the Master System in 1993... And it has absolutely nothing to do with Power Strike II for the Game Gear from that very same year, as that was a localization of GG Aleste II. Yes, Aleste/Power Strike has, by name, three different sequels using the number 2, one using the Aleste name, & two using the Power Strike name. Anyway, the Master System game titled Power Strike II is generally considered about as good as the original, maintaining the Aleste series' standard of quality, & would make a great complement to the original in this not real Mini. Finally, we end this list with 1992's Sonic the Hedgehog 2, which like the first game is an utterly different game than the Genesis title of the same name (though this time Aspect is the developer) & in fact saw release shortly before the Genesis game, making this the proper debut for Sonic's partner, Miles "Tails" Prower. While the Game Gear version is the more known version for its annoying difficulty & poor use of screen space, the Master System version is much, much better in pretty much every single way. Without a doubt, Sonic 2's 8-bit rendition is a perfect way to end off this list.
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As I type this epilogue, Konami has literally just announced that it will be releasing a PC-Engine Mini for Japan, PC-Engine Core Grafx Mini for Europe, & TurboGrafx-16 Mini for North America, showing that, truly, no console may be considered impossible to Mini-fy. Therefore, we could very well see Sega announce a Master System Mini in 2020, and if that was to ever happen, then I hope this hypothetical list will be as accurate as possible. Sure, you can argue that I might have included a few too many iterations of series (2 Sonics, 2 Power Strikes, 2 Alex Kidds, 2 Fantasy Zones, 2 Wonder Boys, & 3[!] Disney Illusions), and you could remove some of those in place of games like Out Run, After Burner, or Space Harrier, but I do feel that the list I came up with is somewhat realistic, if maybe a bit hopeful. Regardless, should such a product actually come from Sega, I'd definitely buy one, because the Master System is a console that was understandably ignored by a large majority of the world's gamers, and something like this would be a great way to help reintroduce it to people.
[6/14/2019 ADDENDUM]
You know what? For the fun of it, here's a quick roster for a hypothetical Sega Mark-III Mini, too. I split it up between 20 Mark-III games & 10 SG-1000 games:
SG-1000:
The Black Onyx
Choplifter
Girl's Garden
Golgo 13
Ninja Princess
Wonder Boy
Star Jacker
Dragon Wang
Orguss
H.E.R.O.
Mark III:
Final Bubble Bobble
Hokuto no Ken
Golvellius: Valley of Doom
R-Type
Chouon Senshi Borgman (a.k.a. Cyborg Hunter)
Shinobi
Kujaku-Oh
Space Harrier
Bomber Raid
Fantasy Zone
Fantasy Zone II: The Tears of Opa-Opa
Woody Pop
Solomon's Key
Ys
Makai Retsuden (a.k.a. Kung-Fu Kid)
Phantasy Star
Aleste
Zillion
Alex Kidd in Miracle World
Rygar
Similar to how I included Double Dragon as a bit of a direct response to the series' inclusion in the NES Classic, I am also including 1992's Ninja Gaiden for more or less the same reason, as the original NES game was on Nintendo's "Mini". Unlike that example, however, Sega's take on Tecmo's classic series, also developed by SIMS, is a 100% original adventure that also never saw a Game Gear version; it's also the first game in the series to not use the Shadow Warriors name in Europe, which the NES games were called. Today, Ninja Gaiden for the Master System is often considered one of the very best games on the system, & is heavily coveted by collectors, which would make this hypothetical Mini the perfect way to bring it to new eyes. Up next is a very interesting case, because Compile's Aleste series has its own bit of convoluted naming. You see, Aleste 2 would come out on the MSX in 1989, but there wouldn't be English release for it. However, Compile would develop Power Strike II for the Master System in 1993... And it has absolutely nothing to do with Power Strike II for the Game Gear from that very same year, as that was a localization of GG Aleste II. Yes, Aleste/Power Strike has, by name, three different sequels using the number 2, one using the Aleste name, & two using the Power Strike name. Anyway, the Master System game titled Power Strike II is generally considered about as good as the original, maintaining the Aleste series' standard of quality, & would make a great complement to the original in this not real Mini. Finally, we end this list with 1992's Sonic the Hedgehog 2, which like the first game is an utterly different game than the Genesis title of the same name (though this time Aspect is the developer) & in fact saw release shortly before the Genesis game, making this the proper debut for Sonic's partner, Miles "Tails" Prower. While the Game Gear version is the more known version for its annoying difficulty & poor use of screen space, the Master System version is much, much better in pretty much every single way. Without a doubt, Sonic 2's 8-bit rendition is a perfect way to end off this list.
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As I type this epilogue, Konami has literally just announced that it will be releasing a PC-Engine Mini for Japan, PC-Engine Core Grafx Mini for Europe, & TurboGrafx-16 Mini for North America, showing that, truly, no console may be considered impossible to Mini-fy. Therefore, we could very well see Sega announce a Master System Mini in 2020, and if that was to ever happen, then I hope this hypothetical list will be as accurate as possible. Sure, you can argue that I might have included a few too many iterations of series (2 Sonics, 2 Power Strikes, 2 Alex Kidds, 2 Fantasy Zones, 2 Wonder Boys, & 3[!] Disney Illusions), and you could remove some of those in place of games like Out Run, After Burner, or Space Harrier, but I do feel that the list I came up with is somewhat realistic, if maybe a bit hopeful. Regardless, should such a product actually come from Sega, I'd definitely buy one, because the Master System is a console that was understandably ignored by a large majority of the world's gamers, and something like this would be a great way to help reintroduce it to people.
[6/14/2019 ADDENDUM]
You know what? For the fun of it, here's a quick roster for a hypothetical Sega Mark-III Mini, too. I split it up between 20 Mark-III games & 10 SG-1000 games:
SG-1000:
The Black Onyx
Choplifter
Girl's Garden
Golgo 13
Ninja Princess
Wonder Boy
Star Jacker
Dragon Wang
Orguss
H.E.R.O.
Mark III:
Final Bubble Bobble
Hokuto no Ken
Golvellius: Valley of Doom
R-Type
Chouon Senshi Borgman (a.k.a. Cyborg Hunter)
Shinobi
Kujaku-Oh
Space Harrier
Bomber Raid
Fantasy Zone
Fantasy Zone II: The Tears of Opa-Opa
Woody Pop
Solomon's Key
Ys
Makai Retsuden (a.k.a. Kung-Fu Kid)
Phantasy Star
Aleste
Zillion
Alex Kidd in Miracle World
Rygar
Hang-On © Sega 1985
Alex Kidd in Miracle World, Fantasy Zone, Black Belt, & The Ninja © Sega 1986
Fantasy Zone II: The Tears of Opa-Opa, Phantasy Star, & Shinobi © Sega 1987
Kenseiden © Sega 1988
SpellCaster & Psycho Fox © Sega 1989
Alex Kidd in Shinobi World © Sega 1990
Golden Axe Warrior & Sonic the Hedgehog (8-bit) © Sega 1991
Master of Darkness & Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (8-bit) © 1992 Sega
Castle, Land, & Legend of Illusion: Starring Mickey Mouse © 1990, 1992, 1994 Disney © 1990, 1992, 1994 Sega
Zillion © Tatsunoko Production © Sega 1987
Rastan © 1988 Taito Corp.
Power Strike © M2 1988, © Sega 1988
Power Strike II © 1993 Sega/M2
Wonder Boy in Monster Land © Sega/LAT 1987 © Sega 1988
Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap © Sega/LAT 1989
Golvellius: Valley of Doom © 1988 D4 Enterprise, Reprogrammed Game © 1988
Double Dragon © Arc System Works, Reprogrammed Game © 1988
Ninja Gaiden © 1988 Koei Tecmo, Reprogrammed Game © 1992 Sega
R-Type © 1987 Irem Corp., Reprogrammed Game © Sega 1988
Y's: The Vanished Omens © Falcom 1987, Reprogrammed Game © Sega 1988
A question that does not have to do with the post, do you plan a review of Next Dimension at some point?
ReplyDeleteAnd I know of rumors that when they were adapting the saga of Hades Inferno and Elysium Kurumada asked (or bargained) for Toei to make an RnK adaptation too, in a future anime of ND this can happen again? If it's true.
You're right, this has nothing to do with the post, but I'm a nice guy so I'll answer them, anyway.
Delete1. No plans at the moment, mainly because we have no idea when Next Dimension will actually end. Could it happen? Maybe, but if I was to write about ND then I'd have to write about the OG manga as well... And I have no plans to do that right now, either.
2. I don't put stock in Kurumada asking for an RnK adaptation, mainly because he's indicated that anime isn't a focus for him, in the first place. From what I can tell, RnK got animated to celebrate Kurumada's 30th Anniversary, & the first season did well enough to greenlight a second, which likely didn't do as well. The seeming only reason why Seasons 3 & 4 were even made was because the pachislot machines likely did really well, as Shadow's DVDs included ads for them, & Sekai Taikai-hen was even co-produced by Sammy. As for any future seasons, I really doubt it, because Toei has been all about Seiya ever since 2012, effectively making it impossible to make anything other than Seiya.
Hello mate great bblog post
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