Third VideoGame Generation Recap - Sega Master System (Mark III) - Adam Koralik

www.figureitoutproductions.com
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This is a discussion topic video about the third generation of videogame consoles. This will be part three of my five part mini-series. This will be a video about the Sega Master Sytem (AKA Sega Mark III.)
Hope you like it!

[@Brunn0121]

i love when you tell stories about your childhood about how you met a console or when you got one.

[@AdamKoralik]

+Brunn0121 Thanks for listening!

[@herczeus9341]

+AdamKoralik When is your next console video coming out?

[@slow71971]

@@AdamKoralik You know this system sold 12 million copy's.

[@waltersobchak7275]

@@slow71971 There’s really not much that he doesn’t know.That’s why we’re watching his videos

[@bricethompson1922]

@@slow71971 yeah but he is saying it failed in the US and he lives in the US

[@KylesGameRoom]

Fun Fact: Cartoon Network show "Regular Show" has lead characters Mordecai & Rigby play the Sega Master System. They've also done other references like the Power Glove.

[@GustavoValdiviesso]

I'm from Brazil and I want to clarify a few things: Yes, I can go to a store right now and by a new Master System. BUT, it is not the same. It is a hardware emulation in the sense that it doesn't use the original processor and it is not compatible with cartridges any more. You can play around 60 games, all from SEGA / Tectoy (SEGA's Brazilian subsidiary), all of them already in memory, but there's no cartridge slot. Somewhere around 2010 Tectoy launched a new console (not related to SEGA) and broke up because of it. This is when their software division was closed (a friend of mine was a Master System game programmer for Tectoy). So, technically, the Master System is still sold but as a stand alone unit, no cartridges, no new games. On the other hand, Tectoy has the only official port of Street Fighter 2 for an 8bit system! It is insane how these guys became good at this hardware.

[@youngballmac3256]

Gustavo Valdiviesso - yeaaaah right

[@deaundrebondscheeks2]

@@youngballmac3256 fuck you

[@nexusparadigm4062]

@@youngballmac3256 This sega can be bought in 2019 in Poland so it exists.

[@cyphaborg6598]

SFII on an 8bit system.. Now that there alone was worth my time reading.

[@HollowRick]

​​@@cyphaborg6598its actually not a bad port either considering the hardware

[@ProjectCOE]

Tectoy is actually SEGA's official distributor in Brazil, and while the glorious Master System is indeed still relevant there, it's not what most people think. Today the console is "on a chip" and games are all digital. The last game that Tectoy actually made was Mickey's Ultimate Challenge which came out in 1998. Since then the newest hardware iterations have all included the Master System games within the system. In 2008 the company released the Master System 3, which didn't include a cartridge slot, instead only having games built-in to the system itself. Great video as always Adam, just thought I would share that info :D

[@AdamKoralik]

+Project COE Thanks dude.

[@ProjectCOE]

No prob :D

[@SaturnTubes]

Here's my master system discovery story: I grew up in a large family, and I lived with my grandmother. My family always came to visit during the holiday and would always leave their game consoles and never come back. That's how I ended up with a Genesis and a Super nintendo at the same time in the Mid 90s, as well as basically all major consoles while they were relevant. So I was never a biased kid. But I never even heard of a Master System, it came out before I was born. One day while I was 10 I was asked to help clean the garage. While back there I found three things that puzzle me to this day. A SNES multitap, a copy of Hogan's Alley on the NES, and this bizarre Sega controller that I had never seen before. I asked about it, but nobody had any answers so I just held onto it. Years later I found a master system at a pawn shop and recognized the controllers next to it. That was how I acquired a Master System and a copy of Outrun for it....but to this day I have no idea where the mysterious Master System controller came from. I've held onto it all these years, and one day I hope to discover the lost console itself in that garage or basement. A few years back the search reopened when I discovered a boxed NES Mario 3 Challenge set, but it had Arch Rivals instead of Mario 3, and just last year I uncovered the most yellowed SNES I have ever seen in my life from that basement(still works, so I kept it.) Needless to say, my grandmother's house is like a tomb of old electronics, forgotten by my many relatives over the years

[@SaturnTubes]

Jishi Katsu Jesus, this comment was 4 years ago

[@muiscnight]

The coolest name for a console ever *Master System*

[@footyfam8990]

Mr Eighty Agreed!!

[@justinhenderson286]

Seems like it shouldve been named genesis then come out with "master system"

[@richief5451]

Adam's favorite line when he's about to show the games "I have more games that this, these are just examples". Or when he gets side track, "...but we'll talk more about that later"

[@AdamKoralik]

+Richie F Yeah, that's pretty on point.

[@CCNightcore]

He literally just said that when I was reading this comment. lol

[@MetzGaming]

UK viewer here, thanks for the great series of videos Adam. NES stuff isn't quite as rare as you make it out to be, but is less common than Master System. NES certainly is more common here than say the TurboGrafx was in the United States. The main reason that the Master System was so huge in the UK was that Sega had a massive fan base pre-built due to the numerous licensing of their Arcade titles to the home computer formats (Spectrum, Amstrad, C64). So when they went and did their own thing, with some very faithful arcade conversions, it was a no brainer... everyone lapped it up! NES was late to the party in the UK comparatively, and did absolutely great, but was a definitely #2 to Sega for this generation.

[@Halbared]

Metz Gaming nice comment, NES wasn’t rare and ended up with equal sales to the Master. I had a NES and a Megadrive

[@danyelperao]

Hi people I'm from Brazil and the fact about this console is: nowadays it has a certain fanbase, more like the collectors, and the local "Tonka" (Tec Toy) for some reason still launches weird new variations of the console with tons of games built in. But it is not a thing that actually makes diference in the market of games. It is just a curiosity, I really don't know if these sales are profitable or why they continue doing this (for the retro gamers only I suppose) I think it its because they had to do to maintain the rights of the Sega Games, I really don't know.

[@TheRPGChick]

+Danyel Perão That's really fascinating. Thanks for sharing! Do they still come out with Genesis/Mega Drive systems in Brazil as well?

[@danyelperao]

This is not really a common thing but you can find some weird genesis versions in some stores, with a lot of games included, just like the master system. It's something that is really rare now though (I think this company made this because of some strange contract with Sega, I really don't know).

[@TheRPGChick]

+Danyel Perão Ah, I see. So they're not currently still producing Genesis systems, like they are doing with the Master System?

[@danyelperao]

Not the models we know from the 90's... just some weird "official" consoles that you can put roms in it. Look this: www.tectoy.com.br/games/c/185 They are not the actual consoles, but are official authorized by Sega. Well, you can play Phantasy Star on these... so it's something!!!

[@Filsantos86]

The newer versions of the SMS are actually just an emulator on a box, but it is still popular enough as a "toy". My little brother got one because my parents thought it was a toy that works like a video game.

[@SlothyWoffy]

The Master System. Possibly the most underrated console of all time, and imagine if Nintendo didn't corner the Market in North America, with the Master Systems superior hardware/Graphics I reckon it would have gave Nintendo A really good fight. It's nice to see someone in America that appreciates the console, it's just a shame it didn't have the success there that it had in Europe and Brazil

[@lafayettecathey3409]

had several friends who had the SMS in the us growing up I had the Nintendo but I like the Sega more but unfortunately my brothers wanted the nes aside from that outrun and spaceharrier was my favorites!!!

[@taz0k2]

What are some really good games on the Master System that could rival Zelda, Mario 3 or the Mega Man series?

[@meatballmeatwad5730]

@@taz0k2 i know this comment is a year old now but the master system has the wonder boy games,golden axe warrior,master of darkness,govielious,zillion,phantasy star,mickey mouse castle/land of illusion,ninja gaiden,shinobi,power strike 1 and 2,alex kid in miracle world, and sonic 1,sonic 2, and sonic chaos

[@WhiteJarrah]

The Master System was also enormously popular in Australia. I had never even heard of Nintendo back then and to this day I'm not even sure if the NES was well known here.

[@2j4ez]

same here in the uk every game shop and nearly every supermarket has master system games. at school most of the class had master system. what a system it is. so many good games and better graphics than the nes . I love my Sega maser system

[@Halbared]

2j4ez every shop I went to had NES games and I built up a yuge library

[@Resvrgam]

The first generation Sega Master System only had one game built-in: Snail Maze. A Hang-On/Safari Hunt cartridge came in the box with the system.

[@chaospoet]

I knew one kid who had one back in the 80s. He had Double Dragon. I had Double Dragon on NES, so I was like "Yeah, I know this game." He hands me the second controller and I'm like "What?!" because the NES version is only one player. I know he had more games but that's the only one I remember. Still don't have one. I have the Power Base Converter and some Master System Games which is what's stopped me from getting one.

[@alexkiyoi6326]

I know this videos is around 6-7 years old, but it still remains one of my favorite videos of yours purely because my love of the Master System

[@badxreligionx]

master system is still my favorite retro system. I loved playing rescue mission as a child.

[@Filsantos86]

Fun fact: TecToy made translations and even ROM hack games and licensed them to the Master System in Brazil. Just to give an example: A game called 'Mônica no Castelo do Dragão' was actually just a ROM hack of Wonder Boy in Monster Land. Also, Phantasy Star was the first game to ever been officially translated to Portuguese-BR. I think the main reason the Master System was so damn popular in Brazil is because the NES was officially released only in 1993. So, the Master System here is basically what the NES was in the USA.

[@Janaquim]

@AdamKoralik - You might be aware of this at this point, but Sonic Spinball was officially released in Europe for the Sega Master System. That's why you found it in Portugal. I'm from Portugal, by the way, and like in the UK, Sega was huge over here. I only knew around 3-4 guys who had anything related to Nintendo. Otherwise, everyone had a Mega Drive, a Master Systems and/or a Game Gears - and later on, Sega Saturn. Sega ruled Portugal until the Playstation started taking over at the tail end of 1996. When 1997 came along, it was a done deal. We actually had around 13 games re-released in Portugal for the Master System in 1996, with purple cover art - they're pretty sought after. My brother has a complete master system collection - including US, Brazil, European, and Australian exclusives. If you ever need any info on the console and games, feel free to get in touch :). Great video dude! You got me all pumped up to play more Master System games. :)

[@doomed2063]

Being born in 1983 I was lucky enough to have a father who was into gaming in the early days and went out and bought an NES in 86 when it came out and picked up a Genesis around 1990 and got me my first official system with the SNES in 91. My father fell away from gaming shortly after the introduction of the SNES but if it wasn't for him in the late 80's and very early 90's I may never have got into video games as early as I did.

[@tykystykys]

Hey Adam, a Brazilian here. The Master System became so popular in Brazil because there was this company that had established a joint venture to mass-produce the console domestically, while simultaneously acquiring some of the rights of the hardware. That is why the console is manufactured to this day, albeit in quite a different packaging that I personally find atrocious, in blue accents bundled with over 100 games. Back in the day, it had a virtual monopoly over the market, and without the NES's anti-pirating chip, combined with loose Brazilian laws concerning these practices, it took us by storm. It took a while before Nintendo figured out a way to introduce its consoles in our market through a joint venture of their own, but by the time they had done so, we we’re in the 4th generation already. TL:DR, They got here first and there were lots of way to pirate these games. BTW, love the channel, keep up the good work!

[@carlosj.rodriguez7343]

I had a similar experience with the Master System. I played it at a cousin's house in 1994, then couldn't get anyone to tell me what it was. Years went by before I would ever play the system again. I never remembered what the system looked like as you did; but what made me remember what system it was, apart from the SEGA logo on the screen, was the ackward inverted joystick pad with the square knob on the right and action buttons on the left. To this day, I'm still blown away at the awesomeness of HuCards. It was the system that introduced me to the format.

[@stufaman]

NES didn't have the same impact in the UK for two main reasons. 1, It wasn't advertised nearly as well. I think exporters were a little arrogant and naturally assumed it would sell well in the UK as the country is similar to US. I'll be honest. Back then, I didn't know what the NES was. I thought it was some expensive robot that plays your games. That's how it was marketed over here. The robot got the NES going in the US, but not here. Oh, you clicked read more. Thank you. 2, The UK and EU region was radically different after the games crash of 1983. After the crash, UK companies and developers supported the imitate region. C-64, Spectrum and Amstrad were the most common 'formats'. Later we had Commodore Amiga which as I understand was more successful in this country too. The NES didn't look much better than a C-64 at first glance and it was a lot more expensive. But the SMS filled a nice gap in the market. It was cheaper, more colourful and loaded instantly. We loved that here.

[@Halbared]

The early NES games were very basic, but the later games were amazing to a C64 owner like myself. Nintendo did everything wrong in the UK at the start but towards 1990 they fixed that.

[@mattfromeurope]

I remember having a Master System II back in the day where the Genesis was "hot as hell". I live in Germany and back then I originally wanted a Genesis, but my parents couldn't afford one - so they got me a Master System II with Alex Kidd in Miracle World built in. It's one of the hardest platform games I ever played! Still remember the shape of the console, which nor reminds me of the Genesis Model 2 somehow.

[@singletona082]

They're still selling master systems in Brazil. Literally sega's oldest console outside of the SG1000 is still going strong. Mind. Blown.

[@pauloluciomachadodebrito8107]

Not going strong, nobody plays it in relevant way Here is all Xbox 360/PS3/PS4/Xbox One These master systems are weirdly cheap like 20 dollars, and they sell very few units each year.

[@singletona082]

@@pauloluciomachadodebrito8107 Fair point, but the fact it sels at all even as a cheapo grab something to shut the toddler up is dtill kind of amazing for a system that came out in the mid eiggties.

[@pauloluciomachadodebrito8107]

@@singletona082 yes it's amazing But I am just making a point that we play modern stuff. But we manufacture legally licensed old Sega consoles (under a native Brazilian company called tectoy) with the best games of the era built in. But few units. You wanna something interesting? Some few People all around the world come to buy it, although not the original stuff made by Sega its way more reliable and compatible with newer TV's. I personally had one back in the early 2000, jumped the 4th and 5th gen directly to the PS2.

[@accurate1983]

I greatly enjoy hearing stories about your history with games. The stories make me think back to my childhood and remember my first gaming experiences.

[@TechniqueSan]

I'm Brazilian, and like you said, it's still possible to buy brand new Master Systems in box with 130 built in games here. SEGA outsourced all the console and games during the 90's over here to a subsidiary called Tec Toy, they made pretty much every brazilian version of SEGA hardware. They are still alive, and are responsible for a standalone console named Zeebo, which i happen to own, and it's awful.

[@singletona082]

Are any of the tec toy master system clones/consoles worth importing as an american gamer? Like are there any that have the cartridge/hu-card ports? Any with anything that would be interesting if you don't know Portuguese (I... think Brazille's national language is Portuguese, sorry ifI got that wrong.)

[@TechniqueSan]

Andrew Singleton I mean, the Zeebo is a pretty novel console for a collector. It's made by Tec Toy, and you can get for dirt cheap. As for MS, the new ones have a blue/Sonic finish and have built in games. You can get older ones that have different colors and a cartdrige slot if you're lucky. Also, every single classic Sega console has a Tec Toy version with guides and manuals in Portuguese, though they will be kinda hard to find in-box. There's also Brazilian NES clones, the sort of thing that can run both NES and Famicom carts, if you're into that.

[@cassiodalcin]

I'd say stick with older models since that from newer ones you have a chance of getting one with RF as the only port. Also, Brazil had two different types of Master System II: one that looks exactly like model 1 (and comes with Alex Kid in Miracle World I believe), and another that resembles more the european model 2. Any version is easy to find around here on our versions of ebay, and cheap too (found a working old looking model 2 with font and no controllers for R$ 80,00 - around $ 25) but the sites are not in english and you'd have to get in touch with the vendor about sending it to you (and mind the fees involved). Try looking on www.mercadolivre.com.br which have good prices from what I've seen (again, nothing in english. portuguese only). Ultimately, I really don't know if the costs will be worth it for the console, but games (usually just the cartridge, no box or manual) are also very common and diverse, so they may be more worth it.

[@jacklazzaro9820]

I wish that the US stuck with Sega, because the Intellivision technology for their D-pad is the same as that from the Famicom by Nintendo. The Master System D-pad is far better than the Nintendo D-pad.

[@jacklazzaro9820]

I wish that the US stuck with Sega, because the Intellivision technology for their D-pad is the same as that from the Famicom by Nintendo. The Master System D-pad is far better than the Nintendo D-pad.

[@Zorbak962]

The same sort of trippy story with the Dreamcast, which was completely unknown here in Mexico. I'd seen one and I had to search online circa 2003 for "console with a screen on controller" cause that blew my mind haha

[@rubensretrogamer3445]

Hello Adam.I´m a big fan of your videos. I´m also a Brazilian, so I think I can shed some light on that subject. You see, it´s true that the Master System is still market around here, but they are not made directly by sega. Since the 80´s, Sega always had TECTOY, a brazilian company, handling the distribution of his products around here. The problems started when Sega left the hardware market. After Dreamcast, TECTOY (with authorization of sega) began to build his own versions of Sega Genesis (Mega Drive around here) and Master System (there are tons of that). Around 2005, the consoles became nothing more than SOCs with poor emulation and no catridge slot. It´s aimed for parents who doesn´t understand about videogames and want a cheap console to buy for his children. No serios collector would give a penny for this garbage. Nowadays, they only market a SOC master System and a version of the AT Games Genesis portable. So we don´t really still have a production of master system consoles and games running strong. This SOCs are nothing but a bad joke. Great video and sorry for my poor english.

[@DreamcastGuy]

This is the only Sega console I dont own. I really need to pick one up!

[@FlintG]

+DreamcastGuy Me too I own the genesis and dreamcast but I don't have a master system. If I end up getting one I will for sure be getting a scart cable for it since I have a scart to hdmi converter. I did get scart on my genesis and its amazing.

[@Jamazon]

Really? Even an SG-1000?

[@redey1290]

Unless you're a serious collector, why not get a Master Converter?

[@FlintG]

***** I only have a model 2 :(

[@redey1290]

+TheCrimsonDuelist wish it was compatible with all models :(

[@donaldsmith5667]

You’re officially my new favorite channel. I absolutely loved this video on the Master System. I got one for Christmas in 1986 or 1987 with the Hang On/Safari Hunt pack in. I also loved the HuCard slot. Only ever had F16 Fighting Falcon (horrible), but wanted Teddy Boy so damn bad. I share your enthusiasm for the system. Great video.

[@StrangeShootingGuy]

I really love to hear your stories and learning Gaming history from you - thank you very much for this awesome video series!

[@AdamKoralik]

Thanks for watching!

[@tbb033]

Only PCE/TG16 cards are HuCards (and technically the TG16 ones were renamed Turbochips), Sega's are MyCards (or simply Sega Cards outside of Japan). The Hu in HuCard is for Hudson, who made the format for NEC, but they had nothing to do with Sega's version.

[@AdamStephenTaylor]

It's cool hearing your memories about the master system - I remember as a child you could make new friends on the street, talk about video games and within minutes be inside their house playing on their games! I remember playing on sonic 1 on the master system and I remember having a similar reaction to what you describe. What blew me away was that each level had a 3D map before you started.. I don't remember seeing that again until I played crash bandicoot! Great memories

[@op2hudson]

I was born in 83 in the uk , as a young kid at school .. master system and nes ownership was pretty even between my friends. My cousin who is 20 years older than me had an ST .. he gave it to me when he left uni .. I remember thinking it was alot better than my nes.

[@feliperecco]

Hey Adam, great video. I'm brazilian and I played master system at lot. It is true, master system games are still produced, but not exactly by sega. When Sega first came to Brasil they licensed the console production and games distribution to TecToy, with whom they have a very good relationship. Thanks to that, Brasil got some exclusives games You will never see in others markets, such as Street Figters 2 and a serie of games with popular brazilian comics characters. After Sega quit making consoles, TecToy continued to do games and other at least 2 versions of Master System Hardware, with Sega permision, but only as a toy. Todays most sell consol here is Ps4 as in any other place in the world. Sorry for the Bad english.

[@AdamKoralik]

+Felipe da Silva Recco Thanks for watching!

[@Code1D10T]

+VnDsky I'm here in America and I still love the hell out of my Saturn since I bought it back in the mid 90s.

[@kentishmale1969]

I got a Master System I'm the late 80s when I was about 18 or so - as Adam knows it was all Sega over here in the UK, or home computers such as Sinclair Spectrum's, Amiga, C64, Dragon, Amstrad etc etc, Nintendo weren't even a player, let alone the top dog which is completely different to how it gets portrayed by some these days - I'm 46 and have lived all the way through the 'gaming' years, from pong to ps4, I dread to think just how much I've spent on computers, consoles and games over the years. We had a very different gaming history than the North American market had, which you'd never be aware of by watching most of the stuff on KZbin, but thankfully Adam is a lot more clued up than most and actually explains it as it really was rather than the Nintendo 'fans' and the 20 something gaming journalists might like to believe it to have been... I did a blog post on the revision of UK gaming history a few months ago. Keep up the great work Adam!!

[@shorty1k]

I can't remember if my earliest memory of gaming was either Super Mario 3 on NES or R-Type on the Master System 2. My brothers had both back when we lived in Canada. It was such a fascinating system to me at the time and I'm glad to have a model 1 now complete with an RGB monitor to play it on. I loved it so much I bought the FM synth mod mere months after I bought the system so I could enjoy Rtype again proper. Good god though, the psg sound on the system is by far the biggest flaw. Too few channels. Imagine if FM was stock from the start. Great video as always.

[@symphoniez]

Adam: just finished the recaps. Brilliant job!

[@garagegamer6484]

I got my very first Atari 2600 from my grandmother in 1988 after she bought herself a Sega Master System. I was 3 years old and those are my first memories of video game consoles before I ever saw a Nintendo NES.

[@waltersobchak7275]

“Holy shit this is what I played at Matt’s house......it was cool!!” I have watched this video at least 6 times. One of your best.

[@belinoreis]

I' m from Brazil and I first got my Sega Master System III in 1999 - the very same year in which Sega put out the Dreamcast. It was insanely popular back then and for many people the most affordable gaming console. It was not only easy to find a bunch of games, but also cheap to buy them - and it still is. Actualy, it is not Sega that still manufactures the SMS around here, but a brazilian company called TecToy that is licensed by Sega. Even now, the SMS is still available here in different versions. They all come with hundreds of built-in games, but without cartridge slots. Although you can easily find an used SMS for like 10 bucks. TecToy still sells like 150 - 200 thousand units every year :)

[@tndrunning3328]

This video made me smile all the way through. The Master System was my first console. The first game I owned for it was called Black Belt which was a simple scrolling beat ‘em up in which all you could do was jump, punch and kick wave after wave of inept enemies. That game blew my mind because up until that point I had only ever played a Commodore Plus 4 which was shockingly bad in comparison. I’m from the UK and you’re right about its popularity because you could buy games for this thing in the local grocery store and there were countless games for it here

[@shenmeowzo]

the Mark III is the coolest looking console of all time. hands fucking down. great vid Adam. this was the first console i owned, i won it in a Kelloggs competition where you had to write in and suggest the name of a new Sonic game. My mum actually came up with the name i think, don't recall what that name was tho.. maybe i'll ask her about it.

[@AdamKoralik]

+shenmueso That's random, and awesome.

[@dominictrofa4156]

+AdamKoralik I enjoyed your Master System video.For me,the Sega Master System was the first console I ever at the age of 2 (in 1997) in the UK as my uncle always enjoyed playing on it.I never knew it was a Sega condole until I was older with the Dreamcast;just thought it was a game console.

[@SuperKokuJin916]

Awesome video, Adam. As big of a fan as I am of retro consoles, it's great to still find out something new! One of my neighbors growing up had a Master System. I remember playing Rastan and Double Dragon (Finally, 2 players at home!) and was amazed. I thought it was just as good as the NES and I loved the design of the console itself. He had a classmate that lived on the other side of the military base housing area that also had one and they traded games all the time! I didn't know Brazil was STILL getting new Master Systems! I do know they actually got a port of Street Fighter II CE in 1997! It was good for what it was. No FM audio support really hurt the music but the voice quality of the announcer was amazing! I can't wait for more, but I don't have a choice! LOL

[@SRPC21]

The Master System is my first gaming console and the one I grew up with (I'm from the UK). I dug it out recently and have been playing it for the last six months. The games are amazing and I like it much more than the NES. It's a shame the US missed out on a lot of the killer titles. Adam, please do a review of the Retron 5 I'm thinking of getting one for Christmas and I respect your gaming opinion more than anyone else's!

[@AdamKoralik]

+Samuel Coe The only thing I would want to do with the Retron 5 is throw it away.

[@SRPC21]

+AdamKoralik I'm not sure if that's because you're a collector and like to play games as they were or if it's because the system itself fails on its promises? I love my console collection but I'm getting tired of buying 3 Mega Drives a year on eBay due to crashes. What could be so bad about playing your favourite games on a reliable system with a HD output!?

[@AdamKoralik]

+Samuel Coe That's a small part of it. The larger reason is the console is nothing but shitty clone hardware running stolen emulators. It's intended to pray on the people who don't know anything about how consoles are meant to operate. You couldn't pay me to use one of those pieces of shit.

[@SRPC21]

AdamKoralik I guess ignorance is bliss in my case. Hopefully I won't be disappointed

[@AdamKoralik]

+Samuel Coe Perhaps.

[@wschippr1]

The master system was a lot more popular in Canada than in the USA. Granted the Master System was before my time but I knew at least half a dozen kids who had one growing up.

[@MacsonTVdotCom]

Great vid. I grow up in Flint Michigan and I was the only one of my friends to have a SMS. I had madd games and I loved it. Thanks for the vid.

[@theretrogamer4061]

GREAT VIDEO. I still find it fascinating of how little knowledge there was of the master system in the US. Everybody has there own views living through the console wars. As a nerd computer gaming kid growing up in Australia in the 80's my experience was that the popularity of the master system just had the edge over the NES, but the Mega Drive kicked ass over the SNES. My mates who had the NES ended up upgrading to the Mega Drive. I will always be a huge Sega fan, but as a retro collector my heart is with Nintendo. Also... In regards to the cover art, the SMS covers only became more elaborate as time went on. I prefer the dull original ones - reminds me off my awesome childhood.

[@amphetaminelabs]

Thanks for this video! I just relived a part of my youth. I was so hoping you were going to talk about the 3D glasses for the SMS. I always wanted a pair, but they were more impossible to find than games on HuCards.

[@00AOD]

Thank you Adam for putting the spotlight on the underrated and awesome system. I was that one kid on the block who had an SMS. There were 114 unique SMS retail carts in the US.

[@AdamKoralik]

+Sega_Retro_Revival Thanks for watching!

[@dr.mofongo9001]

During my dive into retro games, I rediscovered the Sega Master System, my 8-bit console of choice as a kid. I was immediately drawn to the look, graphics, sound, and found it superior to the NES, which every other kid my age of course owned. In the process I’ve learned about its RGB/scart capability, which just adds to the experience. Crazy that this many years later the SMS found a way to surprise me. I picked up a console at a retro store last weekend, and they had a grand total of 4 SMS games. I ended up buying 2 of them (Black Belt, Choplifter), to start my new collection. About to relive a portion of my youth 🙂

[@rocfl59]

Wow is so crazy you your information has opened my eyes.... I thought I could had never ever find Sega Master, now I can. Thanks you and Brazil......

[@zeedee3929]

Master System was not as common as Nintendo for many reasons possibly the lack of 3rd party support. I will say as a kid Master System and Nintendo was on display at Toys'R'Us stores in my city and several cities near me. I was lucky enough in my life to have a console or several console from every generation. Not because my family had money because we certainly didn't. Rather I'm A GenX. Had my own lawn care business as a kid. Purchased my own push mower with saved birthday/Xmas money. Worked my butt off and acquired my own consoles and most games with my own money. Pushing a mower wasn't easy before I was 10 but well worth it.

[@Bonswally]

Master System was big here in Australia, I had one, my best friend had one. I remember you could still buy them new here in the mid to late 90s.

[@neetboss]

i forgot how much i love your stories jfc. what a great sentimental master system, gosh.

[@AdamKoralik]

Thanks for watching!

[@joaoa.5931]

Hey Adam! Don't forget that, although not so famous, there is a rare version of Master System. The Master System 3!! I believe that was only launched in Portugal and Brazil.

[@fernandofontenla8466]

+João A. A wireless version, right?

[@gabrielmenezesdemedeiros3624]

+João A. here in Brazil we have versions beyond 3, over 40 versions actualy and a Mega Drive (Sega Genesis) handheld

[@drPeidos]

Portugal also got the Master System III (3), which (if I'm not mistaken) was produced in Brazil by TecToy and imported to Portugal by Ecofilmes. Also, in France I believe the Master System II (2) as built in RGB Scart (like the Genesis model 1) instead of RF.

[@shouldershot]

I love your story on this system, makes me think of my history with the vectrex.

[@faisalalajmi8767]

Adam, bro i appreciate your efforts, i am huge sega fan. Thank you for expressing what we feel about sega. Love and respect 🙌 ❤

[@ornitorrinco9683]

Hey Adam, congrats for the great show. I'm actually Brazilian and you are right. We still got Master System being produced within our country. I spent my childhood playing Master System and Genesis and I still miss SEGA good old days a lot. Although we have all the latest consoles like PS4, X-box one and so one, In Brazil SEGA continues with the original partnership it had with TECTOY to produce SEGA consoles. We actually have Master System I, II and III and TEC TOY manage to have some games developed within our country during that time. Now we still have the Master System Evolution Blue that has 132 built in games, but no slots for Cartridges and we also have the Portable Master System, which is basically a Controllers with 30 games built in on it that you can plug and play directly in your Television. Anyway I just wanted to say hello and thanks for your videos!

[@ornitorrinco9683]

Here is link tot the Master system evolution Blue being currently sold for approx $40: www.americanas.com.br/produto/109966239/master-system-evolution-blue-com-132-jogos-na-memoria-tectoy

[@dominicdubois9767]

Very nostalgic for me. I grew up in Maine, and oddly enough my parents decided to buy the SMS over the NES for my older brother. I'm sure my father figured it was the better system on an objective level, not so much availability of games, etc,etc. The games I remember most were Shinobi, Missle Defense 3D, Bomber Raid, Double Dragon, (still a great game IMO) and there were some other obscure ones that I don't remember the title to now as this was 20+ years ago. Later our parents bought us a Genesis, and when my friends who had the NES came over and saw it, they were totally blown away and always bugged me to play it. I remember having the adapter to play the SMS games on the Genesis, but we rarely used it. This was a really great time in my childhood and was definitely a unique system in its day, especially in our region. I always wondered what that large port in the front was for, and now I know, I wish I had gotten to utilize it. Also, I never realized the SMS had built in games, very cool, great video thanks for making this!

[@wilton969]

Had a lot of great times with mine - I had Hang On built in, but picked up Thunder Blade and California Games (great version) with it. Notable titles were things like R-Type, Power Strike, Choplifter, Wonderboy in Monsterland, Fantasy Zone 2, Golvellius and Black Belt to name a few.

[@nalastreasurechest6909]

I look up rare systems and your page keeps popping up! Keep up the hard work!

[@AdamKoralik]

+Nala's treasure chest Thanks!

[@PhyuckYu619]

This is the first console I had. It was the summer of 88, the mega powers were running wild, and my parents were getting me a system for my birthday. My dad was at the store buying my present, called and asked if I wanted a Nintendo or a master system. Never knew exactly why, but seven year old me asked for the master system.

[@kobirob6864]

Awesome video. You really took me back to my childhood

[@gogosegaga]

This is a great series Adam, Master System was my first console! Loved it

[@AdamKoralik]

+gogosegaga Thanks for watching!

[@MrJsoeding]

I loved this video, I'm from Norway and my first console ever was the Master System II. There were a lot of MS1's and games around, even at video rental. They'd have walls full of MS games to rent. The MS1 period mostly had the bad cover art (hand drawn etc.) with the larger grey squares as backdrop, the later and more MSII stylized game covers had smaller background squares and much more advanced cover art.

[@AdamKoralik]

+ResidentDante Thanks for watching!

[@ReallyCoolSite]

My parents got me the Sega Master System in 1987 after I requested it for Xmas. I liked the graphics better than the NES. I didn't realize that the game library was so limited for great looking games. We had just moved and I spent that year converting the few friends I had to Sega fans with Tag Team Wrestling and Rambo for the system as "party games." One day while playing Rambo I had a small crowd of kids I didn't know looking up at my window one afternoon after school yelling up to me wondering what the heck I was playing. I yelled back "it's a Sega Master System" and not one of them knew what the heck I was talking about. So I didn't invite them in to play. Shoulda. But I was kind of a jerk about knowing your video games. :)

[@dekaoooo]

im brazilian and grew up playing master system. its is was indeed the most popular console in the 90s. it was also the first to be produced and officially launched by segas representative company called Tec toy which still makes games for that console.

[@PhilTalksSports]

picked up a master system yesterday. I know have all the American Sega consoles. very happy to add it to my collection

[@T00muchF00Dchannel]

Great video Adam, glad to see this gen recap

[@AdamKoralik]

+T00muchF00D Thanks dude.

[@danielfordsmand]

I am from Denmark in Europe. In Scandinavia, most people had a NES, but everyone knew about the SMS. But NES was the most popular. Scandinavia was actually the first in Europe to have the NES. In other country SMS came first. That might explain it.

[@DesMondesBlut]

I`m from germany and can confirm the sucess of the SMS in europe. Actually the SMS 2 was my first system as a child. It wasn`t only more affordable than the NES but also the "cool kids console". All my friends looked up to me having that piece of hardware and owning games like Master of Darkness or Bonanza Bros (interesting enough i was always envious about kids who had a NES).

[@gbarrancos1]

Another Brazilian SMS guy here. Got mine as a birthday gift in 1990 (rectangular one, with Alex Kidd in the Miracle World built in) I vividly remember how popular it was at the time, being all over the place on TV and magazines. Totally agree on how crazy its market developed here, we had all kinds of shit going on with this system: from exclusive ports(Mortal Kombat III) to romhack adapts like "Mônica no Castelo do Dragão" (a Super Wonder Boy version modded to to a very notorious brazilian weekly comic) with an officially translated RPG in the middle (Phantasy Star)

[@jamiehenry2976]

super glad I found this channel. luv tha videos.

[@2bitJesus]

Thats mind blowing about Brazil & the Sega MS man! I always loved playing on my friends Master System it just seemed more colorful than my NES.

[@Locomamonk]

These are really great, how do you do them, man!? You never run out of anecdotes and sentimental tales!

[@danstokoe4285]

Great video I had a mk1 here in the UK in the 80s/Early 90s and loved it Wonderboy 3 The Dragons Trap hands down best game.

[@aleksandarmilosevic4414]

Sms 2 my first console!!!! My first games Alex kidd,Air rescue,Wimbledon,GP rider. Great video!

[@doomed2063]

Growing up everybody had an NES. I only saw a Sega Master System once while growing up. It belonged to a friend of mine and at the time when I first saw it it was the early 90's and was already somewhat of a relic. Where as the NES remained relevant in the early 90's the Master System was already an old, discarded, little known big brother system to the much more popular Sega Genesis.

[@axelxbc]

The final fact you mentioned in the video freaking blows my mind also. I cannot freaking believe that. Holy S***!

[@vsear5911]

When I clicked this video, I knew you were going to mention Brazil. The MS is still popular here, even though, to some extent, the PS2 has been slowly taking over the rock-bottom-budget console market. At some point there even were "nationally developed" (shamelessly re-skinned) games for locally popular franchises. Mônica no Castelo do Dragão is undoubtedly the most popular - it has become somewhat of an in-joke for Brazilian retro gamers/indie developers.

[@brianschwartz1372]

You just blew my mind when you mentioned the system had games built in. I never knew that about the Masters System.

[@DarkMarron67]

Ok wow, that news at the end blew my mind away. I don't believe it. Dang, I feel like I need to start researching this stuff more often now on my own time.

[@superroboted]

This one of the best VG channels ever too btw. We are rare game console hunters too. We have a place here Edwin McKay where you can find old school games and systems.

[@AdamKoralik]

+bvzxa3 Thanks!

[@MalusLupus85]

They have like versions with digital games in Brazil, but they are made through other companies. TecToy had the licensing, if I'm not mistaken. Now, they had a Master System III (which is basically a repackaging of the Master System II), that ended up making it's way to Portugal, (published by Ecofilmes I think).. that I clearly remember seeing for sale in the second half of the 90's.. probably around the time that I got my N64.. so as late as '97, for a quite low price.. I recently was able to get my hands on one.. Although you mention Master system was more popular in europe, and I do remember some friends of mine having master system and mega drive, my first experineces with gaming were with teh NES in my neighbour's house (he also had an atari 2600 that belonged to his older brother.. but we didnt care much about that) and then later on the super nintendo.. so much that my first ever videgame was a gameboy and later on got the N64 as my whole first memories of gaming were linked to nintendo... mega man, mario... jackie chan and batman all on the NES.. and later on street fighter and donkey kong.. zelda on the SNES.. ahh good old times...

[@GendoIkari]

I receive the rgb-cable this morning! I can't wait to see the quality!

[@ErwinSchrodinger64]

I believe the reason why Sega included Hang-On was because it was such a large hit in the arcades. I got the Master System for one reason, because Sega had the technological powerful arcade division. Nintendo was behind in arcade in technology and wasn't a tour de force in arcade games like Taito, SNK, Midway, Data East, Irem, Capcom, and many other companies.

[@PunkOnARant]

Love this video, and love this series! Master System was my first console. My parents had a Commodore 64 that used cassette tapes and also some early Pong clone thing. But i remember seeing the NES and not until then actually becoming seriously interested in games. I must've been like 4 or maybe 5 years old, but my dad bought me a Master System II with Aex Kidd In Miracle World built in. Love that game, had a blast with the Alex Kidd- and Sonic games for it. It didnt come close to outdoing the NES here in Sweden but i suppose it was somewhat relevant because you could at least find games for it. Today it's a cheap console to collect for as i guess it hasnt reached the collectors hype yet, but i bet that in a few years we'll see Master System games prices rise. Anyways, love the video! :)

[@ivoasis]

An big hug from Brazil to you Adam, love your videos!! I have 2 "Master System 3" (i dont know why is "3" because it's exactly like the model 2), one with sonic 1 built in and the other with Alex Kidd in Miracle World. I have an exclusive cartridge too "Turma da Mônica em: O resgate" that is an hacked version of the game Wonderboy 3 but with the sprites of some popular characters in Brazil comics.

[@ivoasis]

But even though is an hack, it's still licensed by SEGA and was sold normally. As far as i know SEGA still makes new consoles over here but i really dont think that is still makes cartridges, they make some new model that have like 125 games built into the console and dont even have an slot for the cartridges like this one: www.casasbahia.com.br/Games/Consoles/Console-TecToy-Master-System-Evolution-c-132-Jogos-%E2%80%93-Blue-416589.html?gclid=CK7eiNbRgckCFQ8GkQod9UgEuA&GP_Search&Cpc&G_DSA&ef_id=Ve20MwAAAadeeHgl:20151108201306:s

[@AdamKoralik]

+ivoasis Greetings from the US!

[@creepercrewjakethefake9209]

"OH MY GOD THAT BOX JUST TAUGHT ME SOMETHING!" - Adam Koralik, November 8th, 2015. I laughed so hard XD.

[@AdamKoralik]

+CreeperCrew jakethefake Good. :D

[@bullseyestrat]

Never knew there were built in games on the systems. I bought the gen 1 version of the Master System back in 08. I'll have to try that soon

[@DaGeek117]

I own a Sega Mark III with the attachable sound unit and i love that system so much. im just trying to hunt down a converter to play the SMS RPGs on it. great system with tons of great games!

[@Scorpionbe]

The Sega master system was very popular in Belgium (Europe ).It was my first console with Alex Kidd build in. I think i was about 10 years old, now im 35. Time fly's

[@RetroReserve]

Just seen your video for the first time today. I enjoyed your stories about it first hand. Being in the UK its hard to imagine that there was little coverage for the system but it was the same for us regarding the NES. Over the years I've only found one NES and games at a car boot but there was always loads of master system stuff. Just to claify though the copy of Sonic Spinball you have is the Australian 'Ozisoft' version. It was also released in Europe but is one of the harder games to find.

[@Halbared]

RetroReserve it’s weird that. My experience is the opposite being a NES gamer since 1987 in the UK

[@livebyfaith74]

I have had my Master System since 1986, got it new for Christmas. Mine had a snail maze game built in. And while the NES did dominate, the Master System had more than 40 games. I think it was close to 200. Wikipedia says they sold about 2 million systems in the US. While that doesn't compare to Nintendo, but it was not unheard of at the time. I bought all my games at stores like Toys r us back then, so it was available mainstream in the US. I lived on Long Island at the time, so at least in that area it was not that uncommon and I even had a few friends that had one as well.

[@BawesomeBurf]

The whole video I'm thinking to myself, "Peel of that protective plastic, Adam!" Lol. Anyways, always love these types of videos from you, and I hope you get around to doing some handheld videos soon.

[@egotram]

Shinobi had the same box art here in England. The early art was very simple. Alex Kidd and the Lost Stars was my fave game on the Master System.

[@Noobsaibot21]

Is nobody going to mention the Game Gear SMS 'Master Gear converter'? Am I the only person who remembers having one? I believe that it played almost ALL SMS games on the Game Gear (another way to play Aladdin). Are you aware of it, +AdamKoralik? Also, regarding the box art, it was kinda 50/50 over here in Ireland and the UK too (sure, we had full artwork boxes but we had plenty of the more basic "graph paper" artwork too (the boxart for the fantastic 'Black Belt' cracks me up to be honest) :D Good video - Would have liked to hear more about stuff like the 3D glasses and all but the revelation that SMS (and SEGA) are STILL going today in 2015 is amazing!!! I honestly thought it lasted ages but finished up in 2007 or something. Still going? I mean, that's over TWICE the shelf life of the PS2!!! Adam - You should check your "youtube demographics" for this video in a year or so and see where it's most popular. I suspect Brazil will be in the top 5 :D

[@westhammer]

Great video! It's my first retro console that I ever got, when I got into collecting, I love the Master System. It's weird, because in my area the original model is the rare one ( Hungary) and the MS 2 is common as dirt. The cards are called Sega Cards, the HuCards are actually only on the TG-16, it's called HuCard, because it was developed by HudsonSoft. The Sega cards are kind of different, some of them are rewriteable. All hail the mighty Master System!

[@lucianochosen]

We're in 2020 and we can still buy new Master System versions at the stores. Last year I bought a Master System Evolution, which is a great console, despite what some people say. It doesn't have a cartridge slot, sadly, but it comes with 132 inbuilt games and have a great Sega and Taito games selection. I have other Master System variations as well, like Master System 3 Compact, which is similar to U.S. Sega's Master System 2 and a Master System 3 Collection with 74 inbuilt games and cartridge slot. Even though latest Tectoy (official Sega's partner in Brazil) products aren't as good early 90's, I love the fact they still produce Master System variations. I'm willing to buy a Master System Handy, which basically is a joypad with 40 inbuilt games that can be plugged on TV through composite, and is still produced over here. It's kindda like Master System Super Compact produced here in early 90's, but without cartridge slot and no TV antenna.

[@rickyrosay33977]

That is amazing the master system just won’t die 🤣