All NES Vs Master System Games Compared Side By Side

[@HellTantrumbull]

Amazing how good so many master system games looked for the time. some of them looked like early 16-bit titles because the coloring was so good.

[@RetroComparisons]

The visuals are pretty astounding for a console of its time. It's basically the middle ground between the NES and the PC Engine.

[@nononemesis]

they wanted to be better, but just didnt have enough power. still very impressive though

[@machinesbreathe]

@@nononemesis- The SMS had plenty of power. Nintendo locked them out of competing in North America with their exclusive agreements with 3rd party developers. Or was that what you were referring to?

[@jetfrog4574]

Even before the Genesis, Sega did what Nintendon't.

[@litjellyfish]

@@jetfrog4574true. Still with Megadrive the SNES color wise did what SEGA did not. More or less the reverse situation of NES / master system ironically

[@FiremanKevin]

Sadly, or not, I was a SEGA guy all the way until the company stopped making systems. They had so many great games

[@Justforvisit]

I was a Nintendo and later on Sony guy all my life and I regret that I never have played Sega as well as a kid. Especially the Sega Genesis had and or still has such a great library of games. Which I had owned both consoles as a kid.

[@SLICK8116]

Definitely sad😅😂

[@cjsvinyl]

@kevinzalac8945 Like what kind of games? I owned an NES, Sega Genesis, Sega CD, and an SNES as a kid. The biggest (and most original) library was owned by Nintendo despite Sega's false advertising. What great original titles aside from the Sonic franchise and Comix Zone could you get on the Sega Genesis, that you couldn't get on the SNES?

[@FiremanKevin]

@@cjsvinyl streets of rage series, vectorman 1 & 2, Shining Force 1 & 2, Powerstone 1&2, toe Jam and Earl 1, contra hard corps, Rastan, Golden Axe series, Dark Wizard, two crude dudes, Dragon Force, General Chaos, Shinobe 3, pig skin football, Shadow Dancer, Burning Rangers, the first UFC game ever, Desert Strike, Jungle Strike, Rock n Roll Racing, Resident Evil Code Veronica, Road Rash series, Afterburner, Quintet, Alex Kid series, Out Run, Crazy Taxi, Out Runners, X-Men, X-Men 2 (cant remember it’s actual title, children of the atom or something), Dinos For Hire, Crusader: No Remorse, Fighting Vipers, Virtual ON, TMNT Hyperstone Heist, Mortal Kombat without blood/gore nerf, Alien Trilogy. These are Sega titles in general that I liked on their systems. Shining Force 1 & 2 are two of the best RPGs period. And two of my favorite games of all time. also. Strider. Virtua cop 1&2, Die Hard Arcade

[@gamerofthesith5275]

​@@FiremanKevinAnd Haunting Starring Polterguy.

[@mtubr]

Thank you for all your hard work. These comparisons are great and usefull for us who loves RetroGaming

[@RetroComparisons]

My pleasure, thank you for watching these:)

[@JustMe99999]

I had both as a kid... the SMS was a GREAT system... it was capable of much more detailed and larger sprites than the NES; you can really see it on the "cartoon" games like Alladin, Jungle Book, Lion King. It's really unfortunate that it never really caught on in the US.

[@RetroComparisons]

I remember seeing the SMS & 7800 in Sears catalogues and really wanting them even though I knew nothing about them. It's a shame the SMS was so uncommon in America that I didn't have a friend that had one so I could have played it back then.

[@MCBRemakes]

Not true. NES and SMS have the same sprite sizes, limits of sprites per scanline and max number os sprites on screen.

[@christopherarnold8410]

Wow, as someone who owned a master system and then transitioned to the snes, I had no clue how amazing it looked compared to the nes. Truly stunning and I had no idea lol. Miss those days, gaming felt more genuine and exciting. Thanks for the video.

[@RetroComparisons]

Thanks for checking this out! The SMS was like an NES Pro at least visually. It's crazy how good a lot of these looked.

[@pika62221]

newer technology generally looks better. Master System was based off Mark III which was released in 1985, while NES was the Famicom from 1983. They did do some clever things with NES later in its life, but it should have been as powerful as a Master System had Nintendo bothered to update their hardware beyond a disk system.

[@TextRich]

My friends and I growing up in the late 80's were all NES players and I had no idea how much better all the SMS games looked in comparison until now. Thank you very much for this amazing comparison videos!

[@RetroComparisons]

You're very welcome, I really appreciate you taking the time to check out these videos. I was really surprised too to see how much better the SMS looked in so many of these. The NES had an incredible library but visually it couldn't compete. BTW in case you're interested, I put together a 9 hour video that has every single Sega vs Nintendo game ever released.

[@TextRich]

@@RetroComparisons I just started collecting Master System and Genesis. I do have an extensive NES/SNES library. So your videos have been helpful for me to decide which version of a title I would like to get. Yes, I just found that 9-hour epic. I appreciate the heads up!

[@RetroComparisons]

@@TextRich Oh nice! I hope you find some great deals on your quest to find SMS & Genesis games:)

[@ilkeryoldas]

SMS almost looks 16bit in comparison to NES

[@RetroComparisons]

It looks way better than I expected for a lot of these.

[@Flo_Resolution]

Uses 16 color tiles like 16-bit systems like the Genesis, SNES, and TG16

[@ronaldclayton4232]

The Master System version of Double Dragon is what i was expecting when i got the NES version for Christmas in 1988 and was very disappointed.Segas version was so much closer to the arcade and had what i liked most about the game,2 player simultaneous.

[@RetroComparisons]

The lack of 2 player is both baffling and a major issue. Beat em ups are always more fun with a friend. And it's not like they couldn't do it due to console limitations since Double Dragon 2 had 2 player support.

[@willpowerrazorblade6436]

You just mentioned the number one reason why I became a SEGA gamer!!!! The original Double dragon!! My all-time favorite game when I was a kid and I was also a huge fan of the nes until Double dragon came out for it. I was heartbroken at the abomination that was the nes version!!! I will never forget it!!!

[@str8duval]

I remember going to the store and this kid said it wasn't two players although it said two players on the back. To this day still one of the biggest disappointments of all time

[@str8duval]

​@@willpowerrazorblade6436absolutely the number one reason. What's definitely my favorite game and the lack of a two-player mode was devastating. Final fight on SNES was the last straw and made me go to Genesis lol

[@ChickenAndACanOfCoke]

I remember walking into Dixons as a kid and being blown away by the graphics of the master system 🤯

[@RetroComparisons]

When I first heard about it I always assumed it was on par with the NES and I didn't realize the graphics are way, way better.

[@hectorrenesegovia779]

The NES/SMS battle was the exact same as the VHS/Betamax battle. The inferior system won-out in the end due to the licensing and library.

[@RetroComparisons]

Great analogy!

[@barryschalkwijk9388]

Tazmania on the SMS is very impressive as it displays all the colors and animations the SMS could deliver with almost 0 flicker. It really looks like an early megadrive game.

[@jrjefferson01]

NES has better sound , but the master had better graphics capabilities. Awesome side by side.

[@RetroComparisons]

Thanks for watching! You're spot on, they each had their own advantages.

[@brunocordeiro4117]

No way...NES sound is garbage.

[@rafaelsevero5891]

Yes, friend, the NES is good at sound processing, they used several channels, for square, triangle and noise for beat and explosion effects, the master was in the video graphic process, bigger sprites and more color details both in scenes, and larger color palettes, but the sound was just the squares, it was a sin because it lacked noise and triangles, as in the case of nes

[@brunocordeiro4117]

@@rafaelsevero5891 but the result is poor. The sms soiund is more agradable to my ears

[@jjprulz]

​@@rafaelsevero5891 Also, the NES had different duty-cycle settings and envelope and sweep features for the square waves, all of which makes a big difference.

[@spamman6369]

Amazing differences. I'm impressed with the Master System.

[@pika62221]

it should be noted it's newer tech as the Famicom came out in 1983, and the Mark 3 in 1985.

[@ArranVid]

I'm impressed with both the NES and the MS.

[@spamman6369]

@@ArranVid I think that kind of goes without saying, no? I've had an NES since 1986. I've never not been impressed with it. I wasn't aware of the Master System until recent years, and this video shows that its ports have superior graphics almost across the board.

[@Flo_Resolution]

​@@pika62221true, but the SMS was pretty much a souped up SG 1000. Doesn't take away how great the games look tho. The NES already looked and sounded better than most of it's competitors (SG1k & MSX) at the time it was released. It's not mind blowing esp before mappers, but it was better than anything else on the market, until the SMS released.

[@kostasbousbouras2654]

Master system is closer to 16bit than to NES. Incredible machine, let's not forget it came in 1986...

[@RetroComparisons]

It's pretty astonishing how good it looked for a console from 86. Even the output was great with it offering native RGB, something even the N64 didn't have.

[@BagOfMagicFood]

The Famicom was also impressive for coming out in 1983, the same day as the SG-1000!

[@RetroComparisons]

@@BagOfMagicFood That is very true. It was only a year after the ColecoVision to put it in perspective.

[@recensioniveloci]

I love this kind of content! Fantastic job! Well done!

[@RetroComparisons]

Thanks so much for checking this out!

[@antonio_carvalho]

Thank you for the comparison video, I didn't know the game libraries had so much overlap between the two systems!

[@RetroComparisons]

Thanks for watching! I was surprised too. Actually that happens a lot for these videos. I go into it thinking there's like 30 games overlapping and then it turns out to to be like 80+.

[@lukasvesely7494]

Wow... The Master System totally kicks ass.

[@RetroComparisons]

It's super underrated, at least in America it is.

[@TampaTec]

I had Sega master system with light gun and 3d glasses and brother had NES. Games like super Mario bros, punch out, legend of Zelda, Metroid is what made NES better not graphics.

[@RetroComparisons]

Both had a ton of classics but it's hard to beat those games you mentioned.

[@island_hammock903]

The Master System was a truly exceptional console, deserving far more recognition than it ever received. By every conceivable metric, it outshined the NES. Fortunately, in Australia, the Master System reigned supreme, dominating the 8-bit era as the console of choice. Almost no one owned an NES. This success story should have been echoed around the globe.

[@RetroComparisons]

I totally agree. Almost anyone I ask here in America about the Master System doesn't even know what it is outside of retro game enthusiasts. Most of my friends around my age call the Genesis "The Sega" and think it was their first console.

[@opa-age]

Wow the music on the NES Altered Beast is amazing

[@maverickhuntermeta4954]

At least it doesn't have that distorted scream that the SMS has.

[@DeAthWaGer]

Great! But lol at that Bart vs the World footage, and you should have put the NES titles for the Wonder Boy games (Adventure Island)

[@The_OiGAMER]

I grow up with the NES in the late 80s and early 90s and all of my friends had a NES too at this time but wow this comparison Video show the power of the master System the graphics looks much better compare to the NES Versions. Very cool Video ❤

[@RetroComparisons]

Thanks for watching! The NES had a stellar library and a lot of other things going for it but the SMS was like a NES Pro when it came to graphics.

[@thomasbeall9069]

Was Sega’s third console and released years after NES making the graphics process more advanced.

[@shotgunl]

What can I say except thanks for taking the time to put this together, Bill. BTW, I saw some arguments on reddit about what you were running the games on with your PS1 vs DC video a couple weeks ago. So, I forgot to mention it in the time since, but maybe you should include a little note on your recording setup in the description (or in a pinned comment) of the big videos like this to, possibly, quiet the naysayers. On that note, I don't recall if you said you own an SMS or if you just play SMS games via everdrive (or Power Base Converter) on the Genesis etc. So, I believe I've said before that I bought (I think I actually traded a couple of games for) a used Power Base Converter in '99, maybe 2000, that a sort-of local used game/VHS/music shop called couch potato video had. It had 3 games with it (just carts no boxes/manuals), and those are the only 3 master system games I own: Spy vs Spy, Shinobi (THE reason I decided to buy it), and Rambo (the overhead Commando/Ikari-like one). I actually enjoyed all 3, so that was a decent buy. Mine's mutilated though because I cut the entire back of it off with a dremel because it didn't fit on my Genesis (I didn't know it wouldn't when I bought it, and people in newsgroups said to just chop it off...that did work though even if it uglied it up...). Also, I bought a Master System at a thrift shop in the early 00s during college, but it didn't work. And, I couldn't fix it, so I got rid of it. I've not really felt the want/need to get another one, especially since I got a Genesis everdrive. That's not a knock against the SMS: there's a number of games I really like on it, but I just don't have really any nostalgia for it. I should at least pick up a copy of Double Dragon though...I thought about it before, but never did. From what I watched here and my own experience, I think for the games that are cross-platform releases on both the NES and SMS, I'd probably lean slightly towards the SMS though maybe also give them a tie. Most games look at least a little better on the SMS, while some look a lot better due to colors. There are some SMS games though, like Ultima IV which stuck to the computer versions' tile-based movement (though you have the same issue with the NES Miracle Warriors) or the choppy scrolling in Gauntlet on SMS which is an issue in other games that are not in this list, that favor the NES because of performance. And, of course, you have a lot more flicker in SMS games which is instantly apparent when you play Double Dragon. But, some of the games certainly look nearly a generation apart due to 16-color tiles on the SMS. So, even with the sprite flicker/drop-out, I'd give the SMS the win in graphics. Sound is a totally different matter. The SN76496 was fairly old by the time the SMS came out, but it was still 'okay enough' compared to the NES (and massively better than the TIA in the 7800 though in the few games that used it, I prefer the Pokey over the SN76496). I suppose the SN76496 had to be there for SG-1000 compatibility (at least in Japan), but in the vast majority of games here, I prefer the NES sound when we are just talking PSG. But, for the games that support the FM Sound Unit, well that's a whole 'nother story. The FM soundtrack in SMS Double Dragon is by far the best of the early home ports, and I prefer it to even the Genesis rendition of the soundtrack. Of course, the Famicom also had the expanded audio with the FDS and carts with add-in chips, so though I like the OPLL FM soundtracks in some SMS titles, I don't think it's necessarily a huge advantage over something like Konami's VRC7, which has fairly similar FM audio just with some bigger limitations. So, stock PSG sound chips? I'd give the NES the win though the SMS can sound good in the right hands. With expansion audio? Closer to a tie. If we are taking JUST this cross-platform subset of games, I'd, as I said, probably slightly lean towards the SMS overall even though, of the ones I've played, I do prefer a few games on the NES side like Double Dragon (yeah, the SMS leans to being more arcade accurate, has an amazing FM soundtrack and decently good PSG soundtrack, and is 2-player simultaneous...but, to ME, the NES game just feels better to play...if some of hit detection and gameplay stuff were just tighted up a bit, the SMS would be the clearly better version for me). But, for me, I love the NES and had so much fun with the games that are on Nintendo's system that are NOT on the SMS. It'll always be my favorite for that generation of consoles both from a nostalgia standpoint as well as just simply having such a broad variety of titles and amazing exclusives. I do respect the SMS (in terms of actual commercially-released games, it certainly was a better competitor to the NES than the 7800) and have had fun with many of the games I've played for it though I have more love for the hardware in the form of the Game Gear.

[@RetroComparisons]

So well said my friend! I couldn't sum this up any better than you did. My opinions for the most part mirror yours when it comes to these consoles. The SMS did look better for the most part but didn't always have the better gameplay. Double Dragon is the first one that came to my mind too where the NES was inferior in pretty much every way but I would go for the NES port every single time if given the choice. Conversely, Renegade is a great example of a beat em up that feels leagues apart graphically and the SMS kills it with gameplay whereas the NES is bottom of the barrel. Then you have games like Altered Beast where it looks really good for the SMS but plays like trash. The NES isn't much better but is still so much more playable. Ugh yeah for the PS1 vs DC video I was getting pretty annoyed by the comments. Like I specifically waited on doing anything for the Dreamcast until I had a viable solution for getting the best quality out of it. For the PS1 I actually did emulate some stuff, specifically the 480i games because the OSSC is not good at getting a clean signal for that and I thought wouldn't make for a great comparison considering it would look great going through something like the Retrotink 5x. But I think people just assume the PS1 looks crappy by default because they've used composite cables and don't know how good it cleans up with a scart cable being line doubled by the OSSC. I've considered it a few times of putting a disclosure in the notes but I figured the people that shit all over the videos won't take the time to read it anyways. Side note, I've gotten a ton of "this isn't a fair comparison" lately too which makes me roll my eyes as if I'm trying to assert the Dreamcast's superiority over the Playstation. As for the SMS it's a mixed bag of what I used and I'm not even sure what's what without going back and looking at the timestamps for when I recorded the footage as the overwhelming majority were not recorded for this video specifically. Before the channel even existed I did emulate some stuff and captured footage because I figured I may want to use it for a potential channel some day so a small percentage may be those. Then when I started doing the SMS vs Genesis season early on it was all running through a Genesis model 1. Then I eventually got an Everdrive for the SMS so there's footage from that too.

[@mikec3260]

Interesting, I never really thought about how they are played!

[@mikec3260]

​@@RetroComparisonsUnfair comparisons makes zero sence other than to compare one system to another with the same game. I have been most intriuged by the quality and efforts of the ports not so much a game may pass through different generations. It is a no brainer a game "Should" look better on a newer generation but it doesn't always which makes the power of a side by side comparison so strong. Keep up the badassery man!

[@shotgunl]

@@RetroComparisons You should find the cheapest, most absolutely worn-out 45+ year old color CRT you can find, hook up the consoles via RF, record them off-camera on a VHS camcorder in super long-play with plenty of shaky camera movement, digitize while keeping the interlaced combing artifacts, and then present your split-screen comparison but split horizontally with each footage of the TV squished vertically and stretched horizontally to fill their half of the frame...

[@shotgunl]

@@RetroComparisons Also, I forgot to mention it in my original comment, but the fact that both Klax and Krusty's Revolting Outhouse are not just in the video but one right after the other seems like a personal attack lol .

[@ofonruiz]

If you mute the video master system is the clear winner, if not.... it's complicated

[@RetroComparisons]

Lol very true

[@aervaealtonelty9850]

Except the gameplay on NES was much better. Now compare titles that are exclusive. Master System can never beat TSB or TMNT3.

[@st1ka]

@@aervaealtonelty9850 Gameplay was mostly the same for almost every game. When there's differences, it's usualy 50/50 as to who wins imo

[@KittyMeow1984]

That sure was an interesting watch, thank you very much for making this. Other than the obvious Wonder Boy/Adventure Island, I didn't have the faintest idea that so many Sega games had crossed over to the NES.

[@RetroComparisons]

Thanks for checking this out:) I was really surprised too at the sheer number of games that crossed over. In case you're interested, I also did a similar video comparing all Genesis vs SNES games.

[@Turbo-D]

That was long overdue, thank you very much for that, love it 😍. i always prefered the nintendo sound chips they used in the older systems back then over the sega earmelter audio mayhems 😂

[@RetroComparisons]

Thanks so much my friend! This is wayyy overdue. It's been on my radar now for at least 3 years.

[@Turbo-D]

@@RetroComparisons these are the two systems that started the gaming journey for al lot us (retro) gaming freaks i guess

[@SinjaEs]

and for this reason there are some retro emulators where you can choose between different soundchips for the master system and mega drive

[@roberto1519]

Great video, the only game that is lacking a good comparison on this list is Bart vs. The World where it shows the card mini game instead of the actual action stages, interestingly, the only 16-bit version of this title went to the Amiga, the Master System looks almost as good as that one but lacks the story elements present on the NES, which I believe is the original release.

[@CuteBaby-Planet]

Master System is better in every and all games!

[@f.k.b.16]

While the SMS usually has better graphics Nintendo always had a better legal team! 😂

[@RetroComparisons]

Lmao! They're the Disney of video games when it comes to legal.

[@mateuszamadeusz6894]

Nes 8bit SMS 10bit 😁😄

[@asmascarado9250]

Realmente, os crimes de monopólio da BigN ameaçando as softhouses de expulsá-las do seu time era terrível. As desvantagens gráficas do seu console era bastante evidente. O jeito era jogar sujo.

[@rafaelsevero5891]

sms: better, graphics, colors. nes:in sounds and larger library, even though there are many unlicensed

[@mrjfrostbite]

@@rafaelsevero5891sad thing is the NES wasn’t actually a larger library. They were just banned from releasing most of their games thanks to Nintendo’s legal team strong arming stores.

[@gialactusfighterzpsn7527]

Wow, looks like for a lot of games, the Master System was already a next gen console compared with NES

[@JD.78]

The Master System was usually the more competant console for multi-platform games. I loved the NES, but the MS was amazing. If Nintendo never had a water tight grip on the 5 game rule for developers the 8-Bit gaming landscape could have been so much more different. Only Europe saw the best of what the MS really had to offer during that era (except Brazil in later years of course). Cheers.

[@RetroComparisons]

It would have been very interesting to see an alternate reality where Nintendo didn't have that iron grip. Sega broke through in America anyways with the Genesis but I wonder what would have happened had the SMS had more of a fair chance.

[@JD.78]

@@RetroComparisons It would've been interesting in a fair North American head to head with both 8-Bit machines going at it. At least we can enjoy the best of both these days. Cheers.

[@mrflamewars]

The different audio tracks from the left and right speaker is a great old school video arcade kinda sound.

[@CSProduction12]

I was the odd kid that ended up with a Sega Master System because my Dad found one used cheap and thought it was the same thing as a NES lol! My friends would make fun of me for it. Then one day we actually set up two tvs and compared Shinobi,Double dragon side by side. It shut them up real quick! I was still secretly jealous though because they had mario, zelda and punch out!

[@RetroComparisons]

Haha oh the tribalism we had as kids:) I would have been jealous too if I had the SMS and my friends had that incredible NES library of games to choose from but they're both amazing consoles.

[@sabishiihito]

​@RetroComparisons let's be real, if our parents had bought us both we probably wouldn't have been so divided 😂

[@pgl79]

Its interesting to see how much faster the NES games seem to play. The colour palette of the SMS certainly makes the games much more visually appealing in my opinion

[@greenmagicdragon]

The Sega Master System - the most criminally underrated console of the 8-Bit era! End of story! Great side by side video by the way!

[@RetroComparisons]

Thanks for watching! Yeah the SMS is vastly underrated, at least in North America.

[@nobruga]

In Brazil It kicked Nintendo`s ass!!

[@giuset.6416]

And I would like to see. It also came out two years after the Nintendo NES, so it was more advanced

[@RetroComparisons]

@@giuset.6416 Very good point. Though these were the two main consoles that competed in the third gen, the SG-1000 was the console that originally competed with the NES/Famicom.

[@deathtollwrx]

I was in the SMS camp. I couldn't find SMS games at Fedco or most places, made me sad. I forgot how amazing it looked in comparison.

[@RetroComparisons]

I figured the SMS would look better seeing as it was released after the NES but I didn't think it would look as good as it did in comparison. The SMS is like the mid point between the NES and the PC Engine.

[@patoche6620]

Many games like Aladdin, Astérix, Batman returns have the same title, but are totally differents, because they come from other editors

[@barbarianbros]

Love the Side-By-Side comparison for graphics and animations... but no-one can compare sound/music when sound tracks from both consoles are played together : without headphones the result is an unbearable audio mess (had to mute the video sound to get to the end when I played the video on my TV). It's better whith headphones, but listening to totally different soundtracks in each ear is a very tiring process. Maybe you could alternate sound from one console to another with a 'speaker' icon next to the console name to indicate which one is currently active.

[@BaccarWozat]

It seems to come down to framerates, flickering and color picking arrangement, more than hardware specs.

[@NathanSeraph]

This is a nice video, but listening to two different versions of the soundtracks the whole time meant that I had to turn off the sound at some point.

[@StevieDrawStuff]

Imagine if Nintendo didn't corner the 3rd party market for the most part back then what we could have had on the sms. It was just a better system.

[@Agave011]

It’s a shame the MS didn’t get the same developer support as the NES.

[@RetroComparisons]

If it had the same 3rd party support I think it could have been as big in the US as it was in Europe and Brazil.

[@toyfarmer2129]

Oh my word...Choplifter on my master system.one of my favorites along with Rastan!

[@RetroComparisons]

Those are both such fun games!

[@prefeitobear9209]

How about the price of each game and release year? I think nes were cheaper and were released earlier.

[@markchambers3833]

Certainly not in Europe, where the Master System battered the NES. In the UK NES games were £40, premium Master System games were £30 and budget games were £10. Don't know about the US, but I can't imagine Nintendo failing to ratchet prices up there when they gained control of the market. Sad really that Americans missed out on the far superior console.

[@prefeitobear9209]

@@markchambers3833 wow. Still expensive anyway. I recall it took 2 allowances (plus "collecting" unwanted changes from my parents) to buy 1 game, like a 1 MB simple master system game.

[@diamondsmasher]

I think it would help to list the developers as well, as clearly anything Capcom or Konami put out on the NES would be favourable compared to LJN’s crap. That’s not really a Sega vs Nintendo hardware issue, more of a “who is actually good at porting this.”

[@ginormousaurus8394]

Part of it was a hardware issue. The Sega Master System had a larger colour palette and could display more colours on screen at a time than the NES.

[@pika62221]

@@ginormousaurus8394 but Nintendo worked around that with their MMC chips. Hence why they had MMC chips.

[@animemaster4861]

With some of those games it's not even close like if you look at the sprites on heroes of the lance. Also it's pretty amazing how close that Master system Lion King looks to the 16-bit lion kings

[@RetroComparisons]

The graphics on some of these SMS are amazing for an 8 bit console. Not in this video of course but Road Rash is one that really blew me away with how good it looked.

[@StNashable]

I thought that some of these games were master system only like fantasy zone2 and shinobi.

[@RetroComparisons]

Same here. Alien Syndrome was another that I always thought was a SMS/Game Gear exclusive.

[@Viczarratt]

What the --hecc-- did they do to smash tv on the master system?

[@RetroComparisons]

Yep pretty crazy right?

[@Viczarratt]

@RetroComparisons Like crazy choppy, it reminds me of US Golds version of Street fighter 2 for DOS, only that at least had nice looking sprites.

[@PlasticCogLiquid]

NES always looked worse but the gameplay was always tighter and the sound was usually better.

[@RetroComparisons]

In a way it's a bit like the Game Boy vs Game Gear series that I'm working on right now. The Sega console often looks better and more vibrant but the Nintendo console has the more detailed sprites and better sound. Of course that's not always the case but it seems to happen in many instances.

[@timmturner]

​​@@RetroComparisonsGameGear was awful IMO, the Nomad was awesome though. Oddly the Lynx had some impressive graphics but we never knew until emulation because the display was terrible. Same with the TurboDuo, great graphics with a terrible display but I had a TG16 so I knew how bad the display was on the Duo.

[@RetroComparisons]

@@timmturner The Nomad was so cool and I wanted that so bad as a kid (and as an adult lol). I've never seen a TurboDuo in person but from the videos I've seen that looks so awesome.

[@timmturner]

@@RetroComparisons yeah the Nomad was really cool, the TurboDuo was also but the screen was tiny, had major ghosting, and awful washed out color. It was still awesome.

[@lolcowtv4666]

Err, you mean the TurboExpress, the Duo was the one with integrated CD ROM drive.

[@megaboymegaboy1987]

Snes looked better the sega Genesis most of the time IMO but i guess SEGA did it first with better looking master system games compared to NES interesting learned something new this morning 11/27 4:01 AM

[@RetroComparisons]

Thanks so much for watching! I hope you got to sleep after an early morning or late night. This was an interesting time where Sega had put out 2 different consoles in the same generation with the SG-1000 and the SMS which both competed against the NES.

[@pliniomsann]

The only problem with this debate is when people , usually Americans, that love the NES for nostalgia think that the SMS is trash and only the Nes had top quality games …

[@RetroComparisons]

When it comes to the library in America it's a no brainer but when you consider the vast amount of European & Brazilian exclusives on the SMS it makes for an interesting debate on who had the best games.

[@jjprulz]

@@RetroComparisons What's important to note is that the NES (Famicom) beat the SMS in Japan as well, so the majority of games we got here in the States were top-shelf Japanese games, which we loved.

[@MrZillas]

Since when do americans know what is good taste? .... They vote for an idiot like Trump and eat rotten fast food and consider this real "food".

[@henrygreenwood3927]

I had a Sega master system growing up. We also had a beta max. It seemed like everyone else had the NES and VHS. We eventually had to get them both if you wanted the variety of games and videos.

[@RetroComparisons]

In some ways you had the superior products with the SMS and beta max but unfortunately they ended up being on the losing side of history.

[@pika62221]

Nintendo did shitty things to make themselves number one by forcing stores to either carry only them, or they'd pull their product from the shelves, and only sell what minorities had.

[@alexojideagu]

You must be American if you had to buy an NES for games

[@RetroComparisons]

@@alexojideagu Yep, I was born in this generation but grew up more in the Genesis/SNES generation. But everyone that I knew who had an older sibling had a NES. Here in American the SMS was a rarity to see.

[@johnboydojo]

Alladin looked incredible on the Sega Master System. That 3d effect on the buildings was really good!

[@RetroComparisons]

It's so cool to see what they could pull off on 8 bit hardware, especially since by that point the SMS wouldn't have been the #1 priority.

[@hunters_fine2731]

It’s disappointing how nes was only limited to 4 colors per tile. While master system was limited to 16. I love the colors selected to the master system but hate the controls of only there was a console that would meet in the middle of both.

[@markchambers3833]

Wow, the NES is taking an absolute beating here! Relentless 😂

[@RetroComparisons]

Lol!

[@19Gardens]

Loved my Master System but I preferred the NES controller. I remember trying to play Alex Kid by sticking a fork in the port.

[@RetroComparisons]

Lol! The NES controller is so much better just by default of having a Start button.

[@linhasdiagonais6053]

Como pequenas decisões de design de hardware muda tudo . O master system tem um chip gráfico mais potente, porém , como a memória de vídeo não é acessível diretamente pela CPU , isso da uma limitada na flexibilidade do que pode ter na tela . Já o NES , para cortar custos , juntou tudo em um barramento só , como efeito colateral , a CPU do NES consegue manipular os sprites e modos de tela com muito mais agilidade. Inclusive trocando o modo de tela durante o frame.

[@Canaldacultura-t6m]

o nes é mais rapido

[@rafaelsevero5891]

O nes é superior,o som tem mais canais,e o sprites é mais rápido,e são menores e tem coloração mais puxado pro roxo e vinho,da mais agilidade

[@ChrisG9978]

The SMS hit a year after the NES...the SMS definitely had a better color palette. I always thought Arcade ports over to the SMS were superior to the ports for the NES (the side-by-side proves it), largely because the color palette of the NES was so limited, so a number of games were downright ugly on the NES. Where the NES shined was its overall game library...and most games sounded a lot better on the NES. Both consoles were great, but the NES wins hands-down for its broad assortment of games...this was an area where Sega could not compete.

[@RetroComparisons]

That's a perfect summation of these consoles. And just as a side note, next year I'll be exploring every game on both systems that was an arcade port so it will be interesting to see how those games stack up on these 8 bit consoles.

[@ChrisG9978]

​@@RetroComparisonsWill look forward to it. For Arcade ports the SMS versions will most likely look vastly better.

[@ArranVid]

Both the NES and the Sega MS had good looking games, but the Sega MS just edged the victory. Neither system had 'ugly' looking games.

[@Flo_Resolution]

​​@@ArranVidthe only thing I'd say is ugly about NES graphics might be the yellows in the palette, but that's it Oh and this 6:59

[@andredominguez2594]

Different approaches. MS had more graphics by sacrificing the scope of the viewport, but NES has better playability and more fluid gaming in most of the titles.

[@troybilko]

If only Nintendo didn’t have strangle hold contracts… what could have been

[@osretrogames64]

That would be incredible, luckily the Master System was still standing with its success in South America...

[@jasoneverett]

I never even knew about the Master System when I was young. Looks way better.

[@RetroComparisons]

Most people that I know who were into gaming in the late 80s/early 90s thought the Genesis was the first Sega console and I can see why. Outside of Europe and Brazil the Master System was hardly promoted and not part of the cultural zeitgeist.

[@AIRetroGamesComparison]

Nice

[@RetroComparisons]

Thanks!

[@hunterkline7972]

As a lifelong Nintendo fanboy, I have to acknowledge the fact the sega games generally look better for the most part. I was born too late to have any sega consoles but I’m sure I would’ve loved them. The fact that it came out in 1986 is truly incredible.

[@RetroComparisons]

The SMS was pretty incredible looking for its time. it's hard to believe a console had graphics that great in 1986 not to mention it offered RGB via a scart cable natively.

[@aminekostone1411]

I had no idea the Master System was so great!! Thanks

[@RetroComparisons]

Thanks for watching! Yeah I started to put this together I didn't realize how much of a graphical improvement most of these SMS would be.

[@costasvasilogiannakis7816]

Great video great work

[@RetroComparisons]

Thanks so much!

[@nononemesis]

master system was more robust, but choppier. seems nes had better sound. a shame the master system never came to true fruition.

[@erics8192]

hold up, they made after burner for the NES?

[@RetroComparisons]

Yep, that and Altered Beast really surprised me.

[@enkidux88]

Master System graphics wins🎉

[@Turbo-D]

yes, in fact, i would have never excpected that there is so much difference

[@SomeOrangeCat]

Except when they don't. This is full of examples where "more color" is all it has going for it, but its missing effects, or sprite detail that the NES game has. Then you have examples like Smash TV where the SMS version looks like an early alpha build compared to the NES game.

[@RetroComparisons]

@@SomeOrangeCat Captain Silver really shows the difference that you're talking about too.

[@SomeOrangeCat]

@@RetroComparisons Then there's the elephant in the room of sound design. SMS regularly loses to the NES there.

[@meta2006]

@@SomeOrangeCat Thanks for pointing that out, I never thought that the SMS graphics were so superior comparing to the NES, I can think of Ninja Gaiden, as you said NES had more detailks into it, the SMS seems more minimalistic.

[@leebobb8204]

Wow i didn't expect the sms games to look on the whole way better !

[@RetroComparisons]

Me neither, they look fantastic.

[@ChaossX77]

Wish you alternated the music or something. Hearing them both at the same time is like a form of torture.

[@RetroComparisons]

Lol! It sounds better with headphones but yeah with a speaker it can be a mess.

[@Flo_Resolution]

I remember a year speaking on this list, pretty good, although there were some games that were missing such as Black Belt/Hokuto No Ken (Fist Of the North Star), Ninja Gaiden or Puyo Puyo

[@RetroComparisons]

Thanks for watching my friend! I was actually referencing the list you had sent me when doing this video which I very much appreciate you helping out with:) I decided to hold off on those 3 particular games. The Hokuto No Ken ports are technically considered different entities in the series and the same goes for Ninja Gaiden where the SMS one I believe is considered the 5th in the series. Puyo Puyo is basically the same thing as Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine though that's another one of those weird grey areas where I guess technically they're not the same game even though they pretty much are. For example, the Genesis & SNES both have straight ports of Puyo Puyo in addition to Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine/Kirby's Avalanche. Anywho, these were just judgment calls when piecing this video together but I agree those 3 could technically make the list. Thanks again for your list on this:)

[@Flo_Resolution]

@@RetroComparisonsNo Problem dude

[@Flo_Resolution]

@@RetroComparisonsYeah, I guess when different people/companies get their hands on intellectual properties, they have different ideas, hence the Same Name, Different Game Phenomenon. To be fair too, I forgot that Aladdin was shared by both consoles. And I didn't think of Super Off Road, good choice. And there will be those games where they're similar, but because they're in the same series, like Commando (NES)/Mercs (SMS), Kung Fu (NES)/Vigilante (SMS), Kid Kool (NES)/Psycho Fox (SMS) and BattleToads (NES)/BattleManiacs (SMS). Also games like Tennis (NES)/Super Tennis (SMS) and Ice Hockey (NES)/Great Ice Hockey (SMS) are suspiciously similar, despite being from Nintendo or SEGA respectively. And they both have a "Pro Wresting" but both of those games are separate games from both companies again.

[@RetroComparisons]

@@Flo_Resolution Those are all great examples. In fact, that would be a fun video to do in its own right of games that are basically the same thing but technically considered different entities.

[@SucculentChineseMeal]

Black Belt was easily my favourite side scrolling beat'em up, i still play it every once in a while for a bit of fun

[@magdcs]

Crazy question. Does that mean the sega genesis is really just an updated master system? The sms looks leaps and bounds ahead of the nes. Did nintendo make a huge leap in tech from nes to snes, while sega just did a smaller hop forward?

[@RetroComparisons]

The leap from the NES to SNES was pretty huge because there was a 7 year difference between initial releases (Famicom - 1983, Super Famicom - 1990). Sega had one of those weird anomalies where they had 2 consoles in the same generation. The SG-1000 came out on the same day as the Famicom in '83 and then they put out the Master System 2 years later in '85 with a huge improvement to everything. There was only a 3 year difference between the Master System and Mega Drive (1988) so I guess long story short; the leap from the NES to SNES was more impressive than the SMS to Genesis but for several key factors. Sorry for the long response.

[@magdcs]

@@RetroComparisons not long at all. Really appreciate it

[@SucculentChineseMeal]

@@magdcs SNES was really impressive when it came out and blew the Mega Drive/Genesis away. I still had both and loved them both for their own offerings but always felt SNES was the better of the 2.

[@str8duval]

​@@SucculentChineseMealit definitely didn't blow the Mega Drive away lol. It was actually a bit underwhelming at the beginning with a small launch lineup and games like final fight massive Slowdown and lacking a proper two-player mode

[@SucculentChineseMeal]

@@str8duval Yeah it did blow it away mate, both graphic quality and game sales were superior plus the expanding game catalogue, it wasn't underwhelming at all. If it wasn't for Sonic, Sega would've been buried. Super Mario, Sim City and Pilotwings initially showed what it was already capable of then came Super Castlevania 4, Zelda and Streetfighter 2 blew Sega away...everyone wanted Final Fight as opposed to Streets of Rage and then Mario Kart & Donkey Kong Country absolutely obliterated Sega...SNES then pushed its capabilities further with games like Starfox, Another World and Killer Instinct. Like I said, i had both and loved them differently for what they offered but SNES was clearly superior in every way.

[@jubiladoatope]

Sega looks better

[@papa_sloth_gaming547]

😂

[@chuckobscure5622]

Doesn't sound or play better, though.

[@somedude6647]

I’ll take the worse graphics on the NES if it means I don’t have to hear that awful screeching that is the Master System’s sound. Also the NES has a way better library.

[@alexojideagu]

​@@somedude6647Spoken by an American who never played the master system or knows any of its library

[@alexojideagu]

​@@chuckobscure5622Have you even played it? Americans are so brainwashed by the NES it's sad

[@OMundodosRetroGames]

It's funny how the Master System version of Ghostbusters is actually a good game, but the NES version sold better in the US because... ...well... ...it is the NES.

[@RetroComparisons]

Lol yep exactly. The Master System bombed in America so there's a good chance that for most of the games in this video the NES version was played way more at least in the US.

[@themidcentrist]

When I clicked to watch this video, I expected that the two systems would be pretty evenly matched, with 50%-ish being better on Sega and 50%-ish being better on Nintendo. I knew the Master System was a bit more powerful but I didn't think it would make much difference. In reality, it turns out the Master System was clearly better. Too bad it never got a Mega Man or Castlevania game. Stupid Nintendo and their dirty business practices meant we could never get ports of those games. The Master System was also much more reliable than the piece of garbage that is the NES front loader...

[@RetroComparisons]

If Sega had the resources and Nintendo wasn't operating as a Monopoly I think it could have competed everywhere in the world with the NES. Not only do the games look better for the most part but it's crazy to think that the SMS had native RGB SCART in 1985! It had a better output than even the N64.

[@NeoLimp]

its like take all the code of the NES games, and put new skins on them

[@donniewhy6582]

This is always a real pleasure to watch your huge compilation videos. My friend, I must tell you that to fully appreciate your work, sometimes I have to watch them over several days. That's because most of time, I can only watch just before going to sleep, and I must confess I often run out of stamina pretty quickly, as my working days are sometimes pretty hard. In overall, I would say that the master system has better graphics, thanks to its larger palette of colours. However, the sound on the nes has this nasty bass that the master system lacks of. Music on the master system are most of time pretty annoying.

[@RetroComparisons]

Thank you so much buddy for your continued support of the channel! That means a lot to me. Oh I know what you mean, a video like this would probably take me a while to go through too as it's a lot for 1 sitting. The only longer videos I can usually do at once is something I can listen to without having to necessarily watch which this obviously isn't an example of. It is very interesting to see that even with mostly superior visuals the SMS doesn't always win out. The NES more often then not wins out with audio and it can go either way for gameplay.

[@victorfernandez79]

SEGA siempre ha sido superior a NINTENDO , solo hay que comparar Master System con NES, Mega Drive con SNES o el ejemplo mas claro la GAME GEAR con GAME BOY ( aquí la Game Gear pisoteaba a la Game Boy x mil), pero no se que le dio a la gente por Nintendo, sobre todo en la Game Boy, que terminó por delante. Yo me quedo con SEGA, por supuesto.

[@cliffchampion5501]

Master system almost looks half way to 16 bit.

[@I_vantheory]

Rygar was on the SMS? WHATTTTTTTTTTTT'''''''???????

[@aervaealtonelty9850]

The NES version is FAR better though.

[@nisnga147]

As a NES owner as a kid i never really realised how much more advanced the Master System was than the NES - really impressive. I always saw it as something inferior - how wrong i was. Seems Nintendo managed to switch things around in the 16bit era with the megadrive coming out a little too early and lacking a bit comparitively.

[@RetroComparisons]

Nintendo had the big edge when it came to an incredible game library but the visuals on the Master System blew the NES away. I really didn't know how big of a difference there was until putting this video together.

[@ClarkPotter]

Interesting experience listening with headphones.

[@mrpissed]

If you watch at 2x speed, then you have Left Ear: NES (2x speed) Right Ear: Sega Master System (2x speed)

[@OMundodosRetroGames]

I love both consoles. Here in Brazil, they're both very popular (well, if you count people who knows the NES by its clones). In most of the cases where the games are the same, the Master System version has better graphics, and when it have compatibility with the FM Sound Unit, the sound is also better. But there's games that are completely different games between consoles, and that's were the personal liking comes in. But Alien Syndrome (even if it is a Sega game) is very more faithful to the arcade version, and it has the simultaneous 2P co-op mode, that makes it automatically better than the Master System version LOL Anyway, both systems are great! Both in a good spot in my heart!

[@RetroComparisons]

Thanks for checking this out! It's amazing to me that the SMS is still technically supported in Brazil decades after it stopped having games in the US, Europe and Japan. The graphics on the SMS are super impressive for the time but there definitely are some NES games that are better even with lesser graphics. Alien Syndrome like you pointed out is a great example.

[@OMundodosRetroGames]

@@RetroComparisons Yeah. Space Harrier too, I think Sega planned to do a game with large objects to make it look "next-gen" and be faithful to the arcade, but Takara did a way better job in the NES by just using smaller sprites, so the game runs at solid 60FPS. Sunsoft also did a great job on porting Fantasy Zone to the Famicom (specially when you realize Sega forgot the radar in the Master System version), making it more faithful to the arcade, and improving the overall experience. But they're still all very good games.

[@madiganfilms]

Nice! On most of these Master System wins on graphics (if not clearly!), but not the case necessarily on sound and def not gameplay.

[@yod1213]

The SMS is a whole generation after the NES, the NES was made in Japan in 1983, whereas the Sg-1000 was what competited with that. The SMS (Sega Mark III) was made in 1985 as a generation after the NES.

[@RetroComparisons]

This is one of those cases where the same video game company released 2 consoles in the same generation. Atari did it with the 2600 & 5200 and SNK with the Neo Geo AES & Neo Geo CD.

[@davidwood9964]

Sega's lighting is what makes them come out on top with these 2 ..

[@Mackadotious51]

I know its typically a matter of preferences as both systems have its high points, but jeez.... seeing these side by side and you can definitely see how better a lot of these games looked on the Sega Master System.

[@RetroComparisons]

The Master System was a beast of an 8 bit console. It even had native RGB output, something even the N64 didn't have.

[@Mackadotious51]

@@RetroComparisons definitely is. Shame that it didn't quite have the recognition as the NES did in the US. I hope they have a resurgence for it as they're doing with the Genesis nowadays.

[@Justforvisit]

The Master System had they way more detailed sprites for sure, amazing, these were already close to what the SNES spriteworks would look like in my opinion! :o

[@RetroComparisons]

The visuals are pretty astonishing for a console that competed in the same generation as the NES & 7800.

[@mizmera]

Wow. Master system was so much better.

[@t0mc636]

Rainbow Islands & Speedball 2 😍😍 I played these on AMIGA, good memories

[@RetroComparisons]

Those are both really fun games.

[@sacamedeaca]

Sega Master System had better graphics but Nintendo Entertainment System had smoothier moves and I believe more frames per second.

[@HenriquePereira-azulbebê]

But miss pac-man have tengen too (1990)with mastem system too why you not make ms pac-man tengen nes?

[@RetroComparisons]

The Tengen SMS Ms. Pac-Man is on there and both versions of the NES game (Tengen & Namco) are compared to it back to back.

[@HenriquePereira-azulbebê]

​@@RetroComparisonsOk

[@trip2themoon]

Master System Aladdin looks not far off the Mega Drive version. If Capcom and Konami were not locked into illegal contracts with Nintendo and produced for Sega back then the Master System would have blown the NES away.

[@RetroComparisons]

That port in particular does look incredible. It's a shame that Nintendo was basically running a monopoly back then.

[@snowcena7957]

Master system was better

[@frisco01]

Is the master system the same as the genesis?

[@RetroComparisons]

The Master System was the predecessor to the Genesis. It was basically the NES to the SNES. Interestingly enough, the Genesis had an adapter that you could put on which would allow you to play Master System games on it.

[@maxpctech2595]

In The Addams Family ( Master System ) the character looks Very Dark ... ?

[@RetroComparisons]

Yeah I thought that was weird

[@cowtippneo9010]

Thank you for the great video and all the hard work that it entails. I humbly have one little critique. Why in heaven's name do you play the sound for both games at the same time? I understand it might be a technical limitation, but the noise it creates made me mute the video. This is a shame because it make difficult to compare the sound as well as the visuals.

[@RetroComparisons]

Thanks for checking this out! I appreciate the feedback on this. There's not a great way to demonstrate the audio at the same time. It can either be done 1 at a time which I do for a lot of my single game videos but the overwhelming feedback I've gotten over the years is to split the audio hard left and hard right so each ear corresponds to the matching port on screen. I agree that without headphones it does become quite messy.

[@RasPiBR]

much better master system, the Nintendo in comparison seemed like an outdated console

[@dukerx]

The graphics were better on the Master System, but the frame rate was smoother on the NES. And i had a Master System and not a nes.

[@litjellyfish]

Frame rate depended on the game really on not on the console.

[@aervaealtonelty9850]

@@litjellyfish Guarantee you he meant the animations were smoother, which they were on NES.

[@litjellyfish]

@@aervaealtonelty9850 ah ok makes sense. Got it! Thanks 💚

[@str8duval]

​@@aervaealtonelty9850not in every game