Sega Master System vs Nintendo NES! *32* Games Compared!

The clash of the century! (Well, the last century.) Which game console had the better games? The Sega Master System or the Nintendo Entertainment System? I take a look at just 32 games and determine which one I'd rather play!
Games Featured: Adventure Island, After Burner, Alien 3, Alien Syndrome, Altered Beast, Ariel the Little Mermaid, Batman Returns, Choplifter, Dick Tracy, Double Dragon, The Flintstones, Gauntlet, Ghostbusters, Ghosts 'n' Goblins, Ghouls 'n Ghosts, The Jungle Book, Klax, Marble Madness, Micro Machines, Ms. Pac-Man, Ninja Gaiden, Out Run, Pac-Mania, Paperboy, Rad Racer, Rampage, RoboCop Versus The Terminator, Shinobi, Star Wars, Smash TV, Super Off Road, Super Smash TV, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, The Simpsons: Bart vs. the Space Mutants, The Terminator, Wonder Boy
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[@GregsGameRoom]

Thanks for taking time out to watch the video! Check out my Instagram: instagram.com/gregsgameroom/ Every Konami NES Game: kzbin.info/www/bejne/d4CUoqWcr953qqs Nintendo NES vs. Atari 7800: kzbin.info/www/bejne/haWlYqmtidOnmdU 5 Minute History - Nintendo NES: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oZDSf52chLt1Zqc

[@RedLP5000S]

Ninety percent of the time, the Master System blew away the NES. It had a superior graphics engine and on screen color palette. Unfortunately Sega just didn't spend the advertising resources that Nintendo did and sales for the weaker system soared. Plus Nintendo scored so much third party support. I only knew of one friend who owned a SMS back in the day.

[@GregsGameRoom]

It had a lot of good games, but I think of it as a system with choppy scrolling.

[@alexanderarce3341]

Looking back the NES was overrated

[@drg5352]

You have to remember that Nintendo had forced exclusivity contracts during the NES' life time; only the big guys could get away with ports to other systems. Third party developers had to agree to two years exclusive to the NES to publish those games; leaving the Master System bereft of third party games that weren't a couple years old. It wasn't until SEGA offered more favorable terms did Nintendo change (and that was because EA threatened to sell their own carts and break SEGAs own lock out systems).

[@Halbared]

@@drg5352 This stems from the early 80's when Sega treated other software houses poorly (also accusations of Yakuza nonsense), so the other publishers didn't want anything to do with Sega; combined with the poor performance of the SG-1000 the other houses were happy to sign exclusivity deals with the yugely popular Famicom.

[@Halbared]

@@GregsGameRoom Quite, that's what seemed to let a good chunk of Master games down back in the day, look lovely, but play like poop. Not all of course, Master had many great games, but looking at the games overall, it's a stereotype that fits.

[@dominicsmith5588]

European here, several of my friends had the Master System and yeah it was a great concol. I had a NES as that was all my parents were prepared to buy me, they never even asked what I wanted. I would most likely asked for a Master System instead as it had Sonic and I was a huge fan. Regarding Alien 3, sorry to hear the movie did not click with you. I was not a fan when I first saw it, it was a massive let down after the first 2 movies and killing off Newt and Hicks between movies felt like such a slap in the face after we had grown attached to them. That said, many years later I went back to the movie and tried to appreciate it on it's own terms and watch the Directors Cut that added a lot more to flesh out the characters and I tried to focus a lot more on some of the excellent cinematography. I'm not saying I 'like' the film now or anything but I think if you go back at some point and try watching the Directors Cut you might find stuff to appreciate about it. You preferred NES Double Dragon?! I think if you had a friend to enjoy it with you would see the co-op mode makes this game, it's so hallow and empty without it. So I can't blame you for picking what is perhaps the better single player experience.

[@GregsGameRoom]

I actually have a published letter in Starlog magazine about how I hated Alien 3.

[@dominicsmith5588]

@@GregsGameRoom Ouch! But...have you seen the Directors Cut? Paul McGann is one of my favourite actors with his memorising scene presence. In Alien 3 he played the character Golic who had almost all his scenes cut from the Theatrical Version of the film so he's nothing but a background extra.

[@andrewcocos]

@@dominicsmith5588 problem is in Alien 3 ALL actors look (and sound) the same. Absolutely horrible casting.

[@macrosdovahkiin]

nice comperation, i really enjoyed it, i hope we will get more of this in future with different systems.

[@GregsGameRoom]

That’s the plan!

[@SvenElven]

The awesome music in Out Run puts you to sleep? You must be some kind of narcoleptic 😉 Kind of impressive that the NES version of Smash TV can handle so many onscreen sprites wthout any flicker! Cool video!

[@jinchoung]

just the sheer amount of additional colors on the sega vs the nintendo is really striking in this comparison.

[@pinebarrenpatriot8289]

I like both consoles but Wonder Boy in Monsterland (Wonder Boy 2) on the SMS is my favorite 8-bit video game. I always thought Sega should of used Wonde Boy over Alex Kidd as mascot (before Sonic and after Opa-Opa) Good video👍

[@GregsGameRoom]

Does Sega own Wonderboy? Maybe Hudson does?

[@pinebarrenpatriot8289]

@@GregsGameRoom wonderboy is a Sega arcade game. Hudson only came into the picture when it was ported to the NES and Sega made them change the character and title to adventure island

[@opaljk4835]

@@GregsGameRoom it seems that Westone developed it, and then sold the Wonderboy property to sega, and Hudson owns the adventure island property, but licensed the game design from westone. Or something. It’s a little unclear

[@troywalkertheprogressivean8433]

One of mine too. Fond memories.

[@hashbash]

Monsterland, is that where you transform into different animals? Mouse and whatnot. Loved that one! Alex Kidd in Shinobi World hit me very hard as a kid. Brilliant game, albeit pretty easy. edit: ok, Monster Land is the more basic platform adventure game. It's awesome.

[@joshoshea3194]

I've been waiting to see a video comparing these 2 consoles side by side for awhile and as far as I know you beat Sega Lord X to this one? I've always been more of a NES fan but you can't deny the fantastic colour palette of the Master System. Thanks for the episode 👍

[@GregsGameRoom]

He will probably be more in-depth than me. I just like to get a feel of the game.

[@demetriusstewart7636]

And Sir you are speaking facts.

[@rowjelio]

I was with you until you got to double dragon lol good video man

[@GregsGameRoom]

LoL, I knew that choice would ruffle some feathers.

[@Crying_Onion]

There is no doubt that the SMS is superior to the NES in several graphical aspects. In the sound section, the chiptune of the NES is more versatile. There is also no doubt that Sega put a lot of love into porting their classics. But in the end a console is better or worse because of its games and that's where Nintendo destroyed Sega by getting the support of the developers.

[@pinebarrenpatriot8289]

I would agree. The entire point of playing "Double" Dragon is to play with a friend. The NES should of just called it Dragon fighter or something. Its not Double Dragon. Even the Atari 2600 included 2 player co-opt play.

[@Vespyr_]

​@@GregsGameRoomI'm nostalgic for the NES game too myself but not having played the Sega version having two player on an arcade game like DOUBLE dragon automatically disqualifies the NES. You have to review these games from that perspective. That's what they were made for. 😊

[@Elgo2024]

Yup, same here. I ignored his Altered Beast pick as just preference but the Double Dragon one was where he lost me.

[@lurkerrekrul]

Alien Syndrome - The NES version is actually a fairly faithful port of the arcade game. The graphics take a hit of course, and it doesn't have the digitized speech, but the levels pretty much match the arcade originals.

[@piratesephiroth]

The NES version is also a 2 players game.

[@Brad-D]

Double Dragon on the Sega will always went out just because it actually has two player, whereas the NES in 1-player only. When the game has double in the title, you kind of expect to be able to play co-op.

[@YesterdaysMoose]

You're obviously playing SMS on an emulator because they usually turn on FM audio by default. For the true North American SMS audio experience this should be turned off to hear the PSG chip tunes. IMO, FM audio will always sound wrong because it's not what I grew up with.

[@markchambers3833]

Why would you want the "true North American experience"? 😂 The Master System was discontinued in the USA in 1991 before about 60% of the games on the console, including many of the greatest games on the system, were released. The North American experience of the Master System was vastly inferior to the rest of the world's.

[@Oysterblade84]

Have to agree with YesterdaysMoose. I wanna hear the authentic Master System experience the way I remembered it from that era. Here in PAL regions we never got the FM module and games like Alien Syndrome, Shinobi, Afterburner and all the early titles with bad artwork on the covers always had PSG-SN76489 audio.

[@anthonybernero9720]

Listen to this turkey. "Obviously because usually"??? "In my opinion it's wrong because it's not what I grew up with"? It's amazing how bratty kids never grow up and just become bratty adults.

[@Forte89]

Nes version of Flintstones looks like it was a regular platformer with the Flintstones graphics slapped onto it.

[@diablosv36]

SMS obviously had more colours, but It is very noticeable to see how much more detail the SMS generally has in its characters. NES looked like a blend of one colour Atari like graphics on its characters but with some extra details here and their especially in backgrounds.

[@prodos8]

My brother and I had both consoles back in the 80s. They both gathered dust as we played games on our C64 and Apple //e.

[@cramsa]

As a kid in the 80s, I did not even know Sega consoles existed until the sega genesis.

[@GregsGameRoom]

I knew about the SMS, but was all about Atari then.

[@pleasuretokill]

I had a friend who had the Master System before the Genesis came out. I loved the Wonder Boy games. They were ahead of their time for sure.

[@adg3]

We had the sms in canada at the same time! They were neck and neck. 77 kid here, I wanted the sms specifically because of Afterburner!

[@joshoshea3194]

Did you guys get the Master System 2 over there? It came preloaded with Alex the Kid, was a lot smaller and had a flip top lid like the NES. Also our NES had an orange Zapper here in the UK.

[@pleasuretokill]

@@joshoshea3194 no MS 2 here in the states. I had the "deluxe" set NES that came with R.O.B. the robot and a grey light gun with duck hunt and gyromite on different cartriges. This is before SMB was a pack in game and only black bix games were on the shelf. Early 86.

[@minantraXOX]

My mate had both systems, he preferred the NES over the SMS so let me borrow the SMS most of the time and it was clear to me the SMS had much better graphics and sound but you cant compete with Mario, Zelda, Contra, Castlevania etc. however, I was never really that interested as I felt that I wanted more so when the SNES and Megadrive consoles came out I went crazy and loved them both!

[@SteveBrandon]

OutRun has some of my all-time favourite videogame music although, admittedly, it's the music from the arcade version and the rearrangements in the sequel not so much the Sega Master System version and I'm in Canada so I obviously didn't get to experience the FM chip-enhanced version of the tunes in the SMS port. The PSG version of the music doesn't sound as smooth but, on the other hand, the FM version sounds rather like elevator music while the PSG music sounds more authentically "8-bit". When it comes to the first two Terminator movies, I preferred the sequel as a teenager but, now that I'm well into middle age, I find that the original movie works on more levels, both as a sci-fi horror movie and as a sci-fi film noir, while the sequel is more of a straight blockbuster sci-fi action thriller (which is fine, there will always be room on my Blu-Ray shelf for both of them and twice over since I never got rid of my DVDs of them).

[@cjwallace2193]

Stellar vid. Would be awesome if you did a comparison of flagship NES vs Master Sys games that are similar, e.g., Zelda vs GA Warrior, Mario vs Alex Kid, Ninja Gaiden vs Shinobi, etc..

[@GregsGameRoom]

I might do that. Although, I'm not really an RPG fan.

[@heilong79]

Alien 3 had good music on both systems.

[@SinistarPro_Mike]

Excellent! Some of these comparisons were rather close, and only a few minor differences between the two. I was thinking for a minute, where is Montezuma's Revenge, and then I remembered the NES version is a homebrew. Another great video my friend. 👍

[@GregsGameRoom]

Thanks man!

[@JGKingCrusher]

Never had a master system, but had the NES. Love these videos because it shows me the other side of gaming that I missed!

[@Albee213]

I really enjoyed seeing the difference in graphics on these machines. For the most part I always assumed that the Nintendo's were better. I owned a Master System as a kid and it was not a good experience for me. People can say it was good and blah blah, but I was the only one who had one. I was poor and not many game options. My friends were trading Nintendo games and playing Metroid, Zelda while I was playing the two built in games and that was it. Wasted a summers pay on it because the NES was sold out and the sales person at Toys-R-Us talked me into a Sega.

[@volvoguy804]

Same exact situation with the TG16 which a friend of mine bought. Everyone had an NES and at least ten games. Everyone was trading. They only ever got 5 games for their TG16 then SNES came out and they couldn't even give that system away.

[@itsjustagamechannel]

I actually liked the music in the NES version of Alien 3.

[@jehadorn]

I am a big fan of the SMS, and I think in many cases it has the better graphics, but I prefer the sound and music in the NES most of the time. Also, in the NES, I think the developers realized the limitations of the hardware more and made characters smaller and changed graphical features to improve the smoothness and fluidity of the game while Sega tried too hard to be arcade accurate in the graphics department. This sometimes created a choppy game and made it worse.

[@GregsGameRoom]

Graphics are the only thing you can show in a printed ad. No sound or animation!

[@pinebarrenpatriot8289]

I would agree. The original SMS library is fantastic with Zillion, Shinobi, the Wonderboy series, Phantasy Star, ect. But it just couldn't handle most Genesis titles being its an 8-bit console. I strongly recommend the SMS to any retro collector I would tell them stick with the old school library and avoid Genesis titles.

[@Freshbrood]

Literraly an extra sound channel is all the NES had over the SMS, likely why the music was better.

[@donjohnson7768]

I'm stoked I found your channel I'm loving these comparison vids!

[@BadDudesVsFletch]

It's funny how different regions favoured heavily on 1 console. Growing up in the UK the Mastersysem was king. From memory I think it was mainly a price point. I think the console and games were a landslide cheaper than the NES. I'd see magazines back in the day and scoff at the inferior graphics on the NES and figure we were in pole position. Boy was I wrong. Yeah the Sega had some gems. But we can't deny who won the 8 bit battle. New to your channel, nice work and keep it up!

[@Halbared]

I'm in the UK too, I had a Nes (then a Megadrive). Nes and Master were pretty even in sales, but the Megadrive dominated the 16-bit war. I used to buy Mean Machines just to see all the different games on the different systems.

[@BadDudesVsFletch]

@@HalbaredOK my reply keeps getting deleted, i think its because of the URL i'm referencing..... The MS outsold the NES almost 2 to 1. I wanted to include the source - but its not having it. To be honest though i was predicting it would of outsold it 3 or 4 times though! Guess i was wrong on that part.

[@Halbared]

​@@BadDudesVsFletch I've just tried to reply to you, and I went back to edit to add the data, but my reply wasn't there, and I never even added an url. The Master and the Nes sold the same, you can check wiki (sourced) and the website, neogaf. According to the independent mag, Edge, in their October 1993 issue, the Nes has sold 1,150,000 as of 1/1/93. The Master had sold 1,100,00 as of 1/1/93. The Nes sold another 275k units in 1993 and the Master sold another 148k units. According to EA both ended up roughly at 1.5 million apiece at the end of their run.

[@BadDudesVsFletch]

@Halbared it looks like our sources have conflicting info then. Google 'nes sales uk'. First hit goes to mechafatnick. This article basically supports my first comment. It has sega power may 91 backing up the stat's. Either way. I'm less concerned about being "right". My original comment my memory is my personal recollection in my region/school/friends etc. Whether it's factually correct or not I guess is another topic. Rather than continue to debate sales figures from consoles from 30 years ago, I'll wish you all the best. Cheers:)

[@asa-punkatsouthvinland7145]

When the Master System first came out I seem to remember hitting the market the same time as the NES which is not true. But I had a friend who almost bought a Master System and was debating between it & the NES. So because of my friend I had an early fascination with the Master System and kept up with it until it's discontinuation. I never myself owned one I almost bought one early in college at a pawn store, but it is a wonderful machine with some wonderful games I feel the major issue I have with it is is really only having 2 buttons on a controller as opposed to 4 like the NES. While not always an issue and the Master System did have a pause button on the console when playing games like the Legend of Zelda vs Golden Axe Warrior you will quickly notice those starting select buttons and how handy they are on the NES. I also consider the Master System sort of a half generation system because the original competitor to the famicom was the Sega SG-1000; the predecessor to the Mark 3/Master System. The SG-1000 was much closer to the Coleco Vision in architecture & the NES truly was next gen. So the Mark 3/Master System was slightly more advanced in grafics than the NES but not a 16 bit gen system either. Although more successful than the 32X the 32X being a in-between generation console is is similar to where the Master Systems position was.

[@Halbared]

The Master system was a beast technically, coming out at the end of 1985. The same year as 16 bit computers and only three before the Megadrive!

[@MondayNightRAWsRKO2024-xk9ew]

No way!!! NES was 2 yrs older than the Master System, that came out in 83 the Master System came out in 85 and was way better! NES was a piece of crap console even when was new- awful design. Master System did stay alive and became the Game Gear with better added colors and graphics, still love my Game Gear

[@pferreira1983]

Not bad although I disagree with a few of your choices. For example the SMS version of Star Wars is superior to the NES one because in the latter you take fall damage. That doesn't take into account that the SMS has better sound and graphics. Honestly the SMS was just a better console.

[@ArcadeFlashback83]

Great video! Bart Vs The Space Mutants was always a favourite on the NES growing up

[@PlasticCogLiquid]

Sad about Ninja Gaiden not being the arcade game, finally somebody with some good taste! EDIT: I'm now stabbing a voodoo doll of you after you said the NES version of Shinobi is decent.

[@GregsGameRoom]

LOL... Have you tried the graphic hack? I did a video about it somewhere...

[@shigshug8581]

Dick Tracy for the NES is one of the worst games I've played as a kid.

[@GregsGameRoom]

It's confusing, especially for someone like me who prefers arcade-style games.

[@kylekostamo1880]

Little Mermaid for Nes is a pretty solid game, played it a ton when i was a kid. Still replay it once in a blue moon to hit that nostagia bug.

[@dspiraluk]

Alien 3 and Ghostbusters are amazing games on MAster System

[@Oysterblade84]

Funny thing is, both movies had Sigourney Weaver in them.

[@atmaweapon2803]

I know some games for the Master System used a special FM music chip to enhance the music. Sounds like Rampage was one of those games? I could be wrong, I don't have a reference in front of me. The FM chip really improves the sound of games like Ultima IV and Ys.

[@GregsGameRoom]

Pretty sure I was not hearing the FM sounds.

[@atmaweapon2803]

@@GregsGameRoom I thought the snare drum sounded a bit more hi-def, but then again, I'm also barely functioning on four hours of sleep.

[@Rafael_Francisco]

@@GregsGameRoom your Shinobi had the FM sound, at least in this video.

[@KevinCruz-pu2ue]

Regarding Super Off Road; the NES version was also called Super Off Road; 'Super' is visible on the red bar above the picture of the truck, and in the title splash in the "O' in Off Road. As for what you couldn't put your finger on regarding the differences between the two, I can help: The NES stages are missing water pits. The Master System had them, as did the SNES version. I liked the NES's presentation better though, it felt more like the arcade game and supported four players where the SMS never got a control port duplicator.

[@bossK78]

Had a sms that came with 3d missle command... I loved that thing.

[@Jolt7800]

Awesome clash between these two console titans!

[@Vespyr_]

Sega had a strong appearance among Hispanics. So culturally we got access to a lot of cool ass games people can't imagine. Sega just had it's own vibe. It was more connected to anime in the 80s and wasn't afraid of giving the original experience while Nintendo was constantly trying to escape its arcade roots. Sega was more confident about its identity. But many people had both, since they weren't very expensive.

[@GregsGameRoom]

I always felt Sega leaned too hard into arcade ports that didn't translate well. Nintendo came up with a bunch of new IP which they still utilize today.

[@roadkill_52]

@@GregsGameRoom Sega had a lot of new IPs as well

[@lmk10000]

This depends of the country. In Argentina and some parts of South America SEGA was massive. However, in Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean countries, Nintendo was stronger. It's a myth that every Hispanic country was dominated by SEGA. Not true.

[@Vespyr_]

@@lmk10000 Early on the Master System was very dominant in Latin America but it is true that after the Genesis things got murky for them with the release of the SNES.

[@lmk10000]

@@Vespyr_ in my country in South America I can't name anyone who had a SMS. Unlike the NES which was relatively popular, much more so than the Atari 2600. Even SEGA Genesis was more popular than SMS. It wasn't until the release of the PSX that Nintendo had an incredible decrease in my country.

[@kyma1999x]

you missed some important titles in your comparison e.g. Bram Stoker's Dracula (very similar on both systems), a great arcade title like Fantasy Zone (which surely sms wins), sega and nintendo early sports games (which are different but quite similar in concept...), you missed also kick off....and Rainbow Islands??!! (nes has two completely different versions one of them identical to sms one).

[@GregsGameRoom]

I missed a lot. You might even say I missed them intentionally so I could do another video down the road…

[@kyma1999x]

@@GregsGameRoom another two very important titles, bubble bobble (sms here surely has no competitors better also than some 16 bit versions) and lemmings, again an easy winner for sms but interesting title.

[@thetechn1que518]

Prince of Persia would be another one. And for the “very similar” games there’s more too, like Rambo vs. Ikari Warriors, or the Pro Wrestling games.

[@fyom]

Sega Maze Hunter 3d and the 3d glasses. Supoib!

[@GregsGameRoom]

Gotta try it someday!

[@InfectiousGroovePodcast]

I was a big sms fan growing up. The two games that always come to mind for being better than the NES versions are Double Dragon and Rampage.

[@joesshows6793]

Yep

[@GregsGameRoom]

DD didn’t impress me as much as I thought it would.

[@dtester]

@@GregsGameRoom The SMS DD release got me excited back then but yeah, it did not age well. I think it was mainly having a game that played closer to the arcade and option of playing co-op which was kind of a big deal back then.

[@InfectiousGroovePodcast]

@@GregsGameRoom I remember it being a big deal that you could play 2 players on SMS and not NES

[@juststatedtheobvious9633]

At least the collision detection works like it's supposed to in the NES version. Sega fans will just have to console themselves with "Double Dragon at home." AKA Streets of Rage...the best arcade style brawler series ever made.

[@CoolTI-Daniel]

As someone born in Canada and growing up with an NES, I never realized that the original Sega Master System was technically superior in terms of graphics and performance potential. Which I should have realized as in Brazil a company made a very impressive port of Street fighter 2.

[@jogadorcomum3265]

Tectoy from Brasil! Published Street fighter 2 on Master System!

[@Halbared]

Yeah, the Master was created 2½ later; tech moved at a rapid pace back then, 16-bit computers had already come out by 1986.

[@meetoo594]

By the time Nintendo launched the NES here in the UK it looked very unimpressive with its drab looking expensive games and that odd robot thing. Sega had colourful current arcade conversions that everyone wanted to play at home whereas Nintendo had years old games that no one really cared for. Segas partnership with Mastertronic also put Sega games in corner shops and filling stations as well as the big chain stores so they had a huge retail presence which Nintendo just couldn't compete with. We also never had a video game crash and home computers, piracy and cheap games were the norm with consoles usually being secondary machines, unlike America where Nintendo basically had the entire market for themselves. I think the only mistake Sega made was removing the FM synthesis chip from the European model and never offering it as an add on as the sound was definitely its weakness. The Brazilian Tectoy machines are really cool, you can get one with the entire library built in that connects to the tv via a little tv transmitter in the console.

[@Halbared]

@@meetoo594 I never saw any Master system games in the flesh until a Toys'R'Us opened near me. I did see Nes games though in the places I went; Boots, makro etc. In the playground there was a buzz about Super Mario 2 and RC Pro-am, kids thought they were great. I can remember Commodore/Nintendo/Atari discussions ("ours is better" sort of thing).

[@meetoo594]

@@Halbared I never actually played any NES games until the internet and emulation were a thing. I didnt know anyone with one and dont recall any shops having them after the initial launch in 1987 until the turtles pack in 1990 was released, by which time it was prehistoric technology. We had c64s,spectrums,amstrad cpcs, st and Amigas mainly. Master system, megadrive and SNES were successful but most people had computers due to that sweet sweet piracy scene. Apart from the ST Atari didnt really appear on the radar after the 2600, their 8 bit home computers were rare as hens teeth, the 5200 was never released here and although the 7800 was, no one bought it.

[@choppergunner8650]

I don't know why, but usually, when playing SMS games on an emulator, the sound is nowhere as good as in the video. Huh... After Burner here sounds great, but the emulated version almost sounds like earrape...

[@GregsGameRoom]

I don’t doubt it. Emulated sounds aren’t usually as good as the real thing.

[@pliniomsann]

I agree with you except in Ninja Gaiden (only the NG 3 is better in the NES in my opinion), and Double Dragon with I believe the SMS is much better, for having 2 players, arcade style and better graphics

[@pliniomsann]

Yesssss! 👀

[@theinvestigator4078]

@GregsGameRoom it really takes you back in time when you hear the music.

[@GregsGameRoom]

I know right?

[@m.jordan5181]

Good stuff. SEGA's Master System was definitely the *superior* 8-bit machine, but the NES had the market on lockdown until SEGA brought forth the mighty Genesis The SNES and SEGA's Genesis console were neck and neck overall (for me). The trading people did with NES games was still going on during that next generation, just with Genesis games as well 🙂

[@ChrisKliewer]

Wtf, that dude's just break-dancing on the sidewalk, lmfbo! Gotta love paperboy..

[@nathanwallace3337]

I'd say the first work simulator was either tapper or the lumberjack game

[@DownandOutNYC]

Wow. Double Dragon NES over the SMS version? SMS wins hands down. I remember playing it as a kid and my friend would come over multiple times a week to play its 2 player mode, and he was a NES kid. Also, the audio of Double Dragon for the SMS in your video sounded way off. I'm guessing it was being played on a emulator with poor sound emulation, cause there are emulators that can reproduce the sound just like the original hardware.

[@GregsGameRoom]

I just felt jenky to me. DD for NES was much smoother and had better graphics.

[@kyma1999x]

double dragon on sms wins over 4-0, no way! first is closer to arcade, while nes version after 3rd stage is completely different. second, colors are closer to arcade and real world, nes version has psychedelic hallucinogen colors, purple stones, cyan rocks...and sprite design on sms is very close to arcade, on nes they seem drawn by a primary school kid! ....nes version however plays good and it is little easier than sms version, sound also is better than euro sms version with no fm chip inside but simply because sms has the worst sound chip ever designed with pure 3 square channels, nes apu has 2 channels with variable duty cycle, triangle channel, a dmc sample channel giving a punchier sound over sms msx or spectrum, only c64 in 8 bit world is superior.

[@ottosantiagolassus]

​@@GregsGameRoomno bro...just no

[@loveandrockets4life]

Great comparison! I disagreed on a couple, but overall, I think you nailed it!

[@AFFL1CTED1]

The Select and Start buttons on NES gamepads serve a purpose, besides pause, in many, many games. It's a four button pad with two action buttons. I think it's an important distinction considering you can't even pause on the Master System using its gamepad. Also, many people think the Master System has superior hardware, but really, both systems have pros and cons and the NES is much better than the MS in a some important ways. I recommend watching Sharopolis' video, "The NES Vs. The Master System - Which is more powerful?" He does a nice job illustrating both system's strengths/weaknesses.

[@GregsGameRoom]

Good point. Sega kinda bungled the SMS controller.

[@striderskorpion]

RoboCop vs. Terminator for the SMS is a port of the Game Gear version (just fewer colors). The NES version was never commercially released and so it's not quite fair to compare the two.

[@Sinn0100]

I got both the Nes and Master System in 1986. That was actually how I started gaming. I would say that Guantlet for the Master System moves quiet a bit faster than the Nes. My problem with it is it doesn't have any music...what a bad design choice. Ninja Gaiden on the Nes is my favorite 8-bit game of all time. I have beaten it more times than I care to count. While the Master System port was great it does not come close. The nes version has some of the best music ever created for a game, the level design is sublime, and the story for 1989 blew our minds.

[@Halbared]

Must have been pretty cool to have both a Nes and a Master.

[@Sinn0100]

@@Halbared Well...yes and no. Sure, I got/had/have all of the current consoles growing up but the cost was very high. You see, I was diagnosed with a severe medical disability at birth. You wouldn't know it to look at me but I have had eight neurological surgical procedures (brain surgeries) so far in my life with more to come! Further, my parents were divorced and were desperate to find anything for me to do that I would like. You see, I wasn't allowed a normal childhood. That means I couldn't do any of the normal childhood things one does growing up. Don't get me wrong I still did that stuff but it was usually very bad when I did. When I took to gaming my parents were relieved that I found something that was not destructive. So you see, it was a double edged sword...

[@Halbared]

@@Sinn0100 Thank you for the complete answer. It helps out things into perspective. I hope all future ops go well.

[@Sinn0100]

@@Halbared No worries my friend and thank you for the amazing response.

[@philwalkercounselling]

Great video. Still in process. Personally I always really enjoyed Ghostbusters for SMS but yes v bad music.

[@The_GenXennial]

Just picked up a mint master system from a friend this year. It’s truly an unknown gem of a console!

[@drhoads08]

I have always said that gamesack Joe is the worst Joe of all Joe's. Subbed!! XD

[@GregsGameRoom]

LOL

[@wongyc5585]

There are a couple of few more games to make comparison if you can include them. For terminator 2 ,the NES have an extra level of isometric motor bike chasing. Bram Stoker Dracula Bubble Bobble Bart Simpson vs the World Krusty Fun House Fantasy Zone Rampart Rainbow island Robocop 3 Other international release New zealand story Captain Silver Cloud master

[@Elgo2024]

Yea, you lost some credibility after selecting the NES version of Double Dragon. I tried to ignore your choice of the NES version of Altered Beasts, but the Double Dragon selection was just too much. I was an NES owner, but my close friend had a Master System and Double Dragon on the Master System was better than the NES version. The Star Wars comp where the SMS version looks quite a bit better than the NES version.

[@jasoncavill8179]

There's no way Double Dragon is better on the NES 😂 you knew it was coming...

[@brunocordeiro4117]

only for a blind person....

[@jamarjohnson6077]

Sega vs Nes the good ole days. This was the Equivalent Celtics vs Lakers, Bloods vs Crips

[@smallmj2886]

It seems clear from your comparison that the Master System had more capable hardware, but the programmers sometimes weren't given enough time or budget to make the game as fun as the NES version. Sometimes hard to justify the resources when your market share is low.

[@davidaitken8503]

Both systems do not have a two button controller. The NES was a 4 button controller with many games using the select button for actual gameplay functions. NES games also had the amazing ability to pause the action with the start button. Sega's controllers were always lacking in functionality compared to the competition on every single one of their consoles.

[@thetechn1que518]

The d-pad on the SMS was so bad that games would change their controls to accommodate it. For example, the SMS port of Vigilante has you press both buttons to jump, unlike the arcade and Turbografx game where you just push up. It’s too easy to accidentally hit up when trying to go left or right on the awful SMS controller.

[@pferreira1983]

I never felt we needed all those buttons on the SNES pad to play 16bit games.

[@davidaitken8503]

@@pferreira1983 Wow! TROLLBOTS are getting dumber. We're not even talking about the SNES. Even if we were though, your take is still bad as their are countless games that use every single button on the controller.

[@pferreira1983]

@@davidaitken8503 What troll bots? I'm telling you that Nintendo made a pad for a console that doesn't need so many buttons. Go back and re-read what you posted, I'm answering what you posted, dear oh dear. 🤦‍♂

[@davidaitken8503]

@@pferreira1983 Super Metroid, Metal Warriors, Street Fighter 2, Bio Metal, R-Type 3, Zelda: A Link to the Past, Doom, Star Fox, Contra 3, Pocky & Rocky, Cybernator, Total Carnage, Super Smash T.V., and literally hundreds more SNES games use most or all of those buttons in some very meaningful ways. Plenty of NES games were using all four of its' buttons. Your point is just plain ignorant.

[@biostemm]

I think more has to do with the team behind the game, their experience with the hardware, and the timeframe they were given to work within...

[@IoIocaust]

Im from Europe, and I hardly ever saw a master system. I knew what it was, but I dont think I ever saw one. Not even in stores. We had the GameGear though

[@MarcBarkyMarta]

I am also on the side that After Burner played better on the NES, despite less detailed graphics. It was actually programmed by Sunsoft, and adapted from After Burner II on the Famicom, with richer music in the Japanese cart. I would have also included Fantasy Zone in this comparison. Didnt see it.

[@GregsGameRoom]

There are at least 74 games that appeared on both systems.

[@MarcBarkyMarta]

@@GregsGameRoom that may be true, but it might be the only Sega game not included in your vid, AND has two Nintendo versions to make it more interesting/time consuming (depending on how you perceive the work making the video).

[@Smacsak]

Master system has my favorite 8 bit games, but NES soundchip is amazing.

[@AngryCalvin]

When both systems first came out in the USA the Sega Master System was much more appealing. The arcade ports were amazing. It looked the a better experience for those of us who were arcade goers. The graphics definitely looked better. Unfortunately the lack of 3rd party support and the Nintendo monopoly badly hurt the system. What could have been if Konami was making titles and if they had more hit games. Fortunately the Sega Genesis was a powerhouse and excelled where the Master System failed. The Msster System was more popular in Europe and Brazil. Those places had better titles. Still no match for the premier titles of the NES. But better arcade ports overall undeniably.

[@bazdaniels7420]

I think Sega slightly edged out Nintendo in this episode. I sorta lost count tho. Man, you should really put up the score on these!

[@GregsGameRoom]

I used to until I screwed up the count. After that I decided not to anymore.

[@Rafael_Francisco]

17.5 SMS - 14.5 NES

[@teddym2808]

Shinobi on the SMS has extra weapons and powers that are not in ANY other version, inc. arcade. Besides the weird vertical scrolling it is one of THE best ways to play Shinobi IMO.

[@teddym2808]

Thanks as always, marvellous.

[@gfdggdfgdgf]

Graphically it's not even a fair contest, SMS all the way.

[@GregsGameRoom]

Oftentimes true. The SMS has choppier animation in some cases.

[@MagisterHamid]

Outrun on SMS had FM Sound support and sounds much better even though it was a European release.

[@_OCPGAMING]

To be fair, Gamesack Joe talks highly of the Genesis Ghouls n Ghosts, not the SMS port. Edit: The first NES 3rd Party game was M.U.S.C.L.E. Tag Team Match in 1986, beating Paperboy to the NES by two years.

[@GregsGameRoom]

LOL, just sticking it to him. ;-)

[@Enraged-Gecko]

I always thought the Master System version of Batman Returns feels like a direct sequel to the NES Batman game released by Sunsoft. The NES version of Batman Returns feels like a Double Dragon style beat-em-up.

[@alexanderarce3341]

Imagine if both Sega Master System and NES had the same games ala Metal Gear, WWF WrestleMania, etc?

[@forcaportugal2012]

WWF WrestleMania Steel Cage Challenge did exist for both systems.

[@TurboXray]

the SMS music would still grate on your ears tho.

[@mikester1290]

I always wonder what R-Type would look like on the NES, looks damned good on the SMS.

[@sicedice]

On the Ghostbusters games did you get as far as climbing the stairs to goza, as the SMS version is impossible to get up the stairs without cheats compare to the NES version. You need unlimited ghost bait.

[@trip2themoon]

Alien Syndrome should have had a mega drive version or even the megs CD version could be close to the arcade version. Sega missed a trick not releasing all those great arcade to the CD or the 32X

[@m.jordan5181]

I'd give NES the win on the Double Dragon game too. It's not even close to being arcade accurate at all, but it still felt a bit more solid overall.

[@jimkrom]

Well I am fan of neither of the systems, I grew up with a zx spectrum and then jumped ship to an Amiga, but the sms version of Gauntlet is the clear winner, especially if we take into account the reasons you give for the NES win. The NES has equally (if not more) choppy sprites based on the video footage and actually runs slower (both scrolling and when character moves without scrolling the screen), plus shooting is so slow...

[@antopsyco]

17:38 i think some of your picks are incorrect from what you've mentioned?

[@NedTheBarbarian_]

It doesn't need to be this or that, both had very good games. Personally I have been replaying a ton of 8 bit lately and the Master System holds up far better than the NES in many ways. I wish I had played more of it as a kid.

[@quajay187]

to be fair, i think joe only praises Genesis port of ghouls and ghosts. Mainly because it was developed by sega lol.

[@GregsGameRoom]

He loves all versions surely. ;-)

[@anacoda8]

I think in many of the games you tried to have the consoles on a tie and that’s why in many games I didn’t understood your choices.

[@stofopdenaald132]

Master System was my first console, and imo it beats the nes by a mile.

[@tempestfennac9687]

The NES version of Altered Beast also had levels which the arcade and MS version lacked so that's something else in its favour.

[@hirschlord341]

And i like the NES controller more . The one we had in EU

[@johnnymack8442]

I always found that games that came out on both consoles looked better and played better on Sega. I feel it holds the same for Genesis and snes .

[@KrunchyTheClown78]

DD on the 2600 by a mile! You havnt played a good beat em up until your gaming senses have been graced by 2600 DD!

[@GregsGameRoom]

The best! ;-)

[@MrAlexthemachine]

Without showing the full sound capabilities of fm sound for the master system this comparison is kinda lackluster. Get yourself a power base mini fm and play the games again on a sega genesis with a pc speaker set up using the aux port on a model 1 genesis. The sound on double dragon and alien syndrome is just like a sega 16 arcade.

[@volvoguy804]

A friend of mine had the Master System. The system itself looked cool. The games were forgettable though.

[@MrSilksoul]

If you didn't pick Ninja Gaiden (pronounced as Ninja Guyden) for NES I would've quit the video. There's no contest between the SMS and NES version. Not just just graphically, but the game was the first to have a cinematic wide screen display in the story telling. NG for NES is regarded as a classic in just about every sense. The SMS version is more or less like, cool an alternate version.

[@GimpyDingo]

NES version of Ghostbusters is pretty similar to the Atari 2600 version. I owned the 2600 version (along with E.T. and Spiderman) and rocked out to the theme song all the time. 😂

[@JoystickVersusMachine]

All of the older 8-bit versions were ports of the C64 version. The SMS was the most 'enhanced' version of the game I've played. I seem to recall hearing the NES does something weird to the section forcing you to climb stairs at the end, making it nearly impossible to beat. I liked it on C64 and SMS back in the day, regardless.

[@GimpyDingo]

@@JoystickVersusMachine Cool. I'll have to play the SMS version in that case.

[@paulrobertson3079]

You can't judge these unless it's on a CRT TV

[@hirschlord341]

I did not know many of these games existed and i really know many .

[@Ryuujin1078]

You sound like the guy that does the SNESDRUNK videos

[@LavaCreeperPeople]

Why is ghostbusters NES here

[@ultramaximusreviews]

I loved Ghostbusters

[@Darkstorm16_shorts]

To me alien syndrome sms is favorite of all. Nes arcade. Id still take sms port thats the case of i did grewup and only knew that one version. Same thing i prefer contra on nes even over the arcade the jumping in the arcade seems bizarre and throws me off.