Alien Storm Master System Review

Alien Storm was a Sega arcade game made by Sega's Shinobi Team released in 1990. It was the second game to use the "Sega System 18" arcade hardware. It came out one year after Golden Axe a very well known fantasy based scrolling beat'Em up and has a lot of similarities to it leading to people considering it to be the sci fi equivalent. Alien Storm likes to mix things up a little more than Golden Axe though as not only is it a scrolling Beat'Em Up, it also breaks up the action by occasionally offering up running Shoot'Em Up and Rail Shooting sections.

The arcade game allowed for up to 3 players to take on the role of one of 3 characters, a man, a woman or my personal favourite a robot. One thing I love about the game is that it has a very B-Movie sort of feel to it, and a sense of humour to match.

So you pick your character or characters depending on how many of you are playing and your tasked with the job of destroying the hoards of aliens who are invading the Earth. Many of the aliens are disguised as a variety of everyday street objects; such as telephone booths, oil cans, trash cans, mailboxes, and some of them are even humorously unconvincingly disguised as people. I have to admit that despite having played most of Sega's arcade games back when I was a kid Alien Storm was not one I can remember ever really seeing, as far as I can remember my first experience with Alien Storm was when I got a Japanese import copy of the Mega drive game. So in order to compare the Master System version I had to play a fair amount of the Arcade game via Emulation.

Alien Storm on the Master System tries its best to try and recreate the Arcade experience in the home with far less processing power but in order to do this things had to be substantially cut. Only two out of of the three characters from the arcade are available in this version the Robot and the Guy. The game also has less levels than its arcade counterpart but I will give it serious credit in that it manages to breaks up the Beat'Em Up action by occasionally offering up running Shoot'Em Up and Rail Shooting sections just like its arcade big brother, I honestly thought that at least one of these type of gameplay would be cut so I was very pleasantly surprised that this was not the case.

Obviously the graphics are incredibly basic when compared to their arcade counterpart. For an 8-bit version of this game though with the limitation of this system and the size of the cart they didn't do a bad job at all, the levels look unique, there are detailed, multiple characters, weapons and bosses not only this but everything is well presented. They made very wise decisions when making this game the choice of colours used throughout the game are sensible, everything stands out and there is none of that awful clashing you see in some low powered games. I think the sound in this game is great there are plenty of good quality sound effects but even more importantly Music plays throughout the game providing some very catchy tunes.

The Master system version has Simple yet effective controls one button shoots, another does a forward roll. if you hit the forward roll button then press the fire button you perform a diving attack. Which would be great but annoyingly, the hit detection is a little wonky and on top of this it is sometimes a little too difficult to line up your attacks an enemy will appear to be on the same plane as you yet you'll frequently have to shift a few pixels up or down in order to actually hit them with an attack this makes the game feel far more clumsy than the arcade version. Personally for me at least the parts of this game that are best are the rail shooting Operation Wolf Style sections, I think I would have ramped these up for this version as they are the bit that not only works best but feel the most fun. I would give this game a 5 out of 10 I think it was a valiant but flawed attempt at trying to recreate its arcade big brother which although decent in short doses just doesn't live up to the task.

Looking online a loose cart of the Master System version will cost about £7 which is not the worst price in the world for what it is... If you own Multiple systems then I would recommend that you get Mega Games 3 for the Megadrive a loose cart of this will cost around the same £7 but has the Awesome Megadrive version of Alien Storm on it which I have previously reviewed as well as the bonus of having Super Monaco GP and Super Thunder blade on it.

The Retro Gamer Unofficial Podcast Episode 1

Sega Master System Hang-On Review

So here is my 4th Master System arcade Conversion review, if you prefer the written medium then my written review is below the video 

H

ang-On was an arcade racing game released by Sega in the arcades in 1985 in which you control a motor bike racing against computer-controlled bikes. It was one of the first arcade games to use 16-bit graphics and uses the Super Scaler arcade system board, The deluxe cabinet version also introduced a motion-controlled arcade cabinet, where the player's body movement on a large motorbike corresponds with the player character's movements on screen. Hang-On started the trend of motion simulator games in the late 1980s, which Sega followed up with Space Harrier, Out Run (1986) and After Burner all of which I have already reviewed. The introduction of these interesting cabinets helped the arcade video game market grow during the late 1980s. Hang-On has been recognized as a well-remembered and influential arcade game. Several sequels were later made for arcades, as well as video game consoles. Every time I jump on a Arcade Machine with a bike I cant help but think of this game, not long ago I was on holiday and I played a few Bike related arcade machines including Super Bikes 3 and Moto GP and for a brief time it transported me back to my youth playing Hang-On.

Yu Suzuki began development of Hang-On after deciding to design a motorcycle racing game as a way to use a torsion bar in an arcade game, however in the end this particular item wasn't actually used in the game cabinet. Market research was conducted and the results suggested that GP 500 racing was popular and so this is what the game was based upon despite the fact Suzuki originally wanted to go with Dirt Biking an idea he would later return to.

Hang-On was very popular it was the highest-grossing arcade game of 1986 in both Japan and the United States. It received an overwhelmingly positive critical reception with people being impressed by its realism, its graphics, and the cabinet, it was just amazing at the time controlling the bike on screen by riding the model bike attached to the arcade machine., Apparently there was some initial controversy in Japan over modesty concerns involving female players with the bike cabinet.

OK So now lets talk about the Master System conversion obviously the graphics have been scaled down to meet the capabilitys of the machine, but it is instantly recognizable as being Hang-On. The music provided on the title screen is really good, but unfortunately it's the only music you'll hear in this game. Once you start playing the game you wont hear any music all you are going to hear is sounds of the motorcycle revving, and your tires screeching, I have never been a fan of this sort of sound choice for games,. Ideally I would like music with engine noises and tire screeches lower in volume just there in the background but if that's not possible due to memory constraints or something id sooner have a basic tune and not bother with engine noises and screeching tires if I cant have both.

So the objective of the game is to avoid the other bikers and race against the clock making sure to hit five checkpoints and then reach the finish line. 60 seconds are available per section, although any remaining time is automatically added to your total time once you pass a checkpoint.

The controls are simple Button 2 is the accelerator, Button 1 is the brakes, the d-pad Up/Down directions are used for changing between the three gears and left and right are used to control your bike. It was a long time since I had played this port and when I first started to play it I was going all over the shop, constantly coming of the bike not making it to any check points and on the verge of turning the air blue. After some practice though the game just seemed to click, basically you have to learn to properly manage your gear changes and I would also add you need to learn to ignore the break, what I found myself doing was letting go of the accelerator and then taping it while going round corners or trying to swerve and then putting my finger back on it when on clear straight road, this kept the sliding to a minimal and made sure I stayed on the road and helped me avoid other bikes. Soon using this method I was hitting checkpoints, over taking bikes and beginning to enjoy the game

I think that Hang-On on the Master System is a good conversion, obviously its not quiet up the standards set by the Arcade Version but I think it is a good representation of what this little machine can handle and it provides something that is in the spirit of its bigger arcade brother, I do think you need to bear with it a little and get through some teething pains to get the most out of the game. I would score this game 7 out of 10.

If you want a cart of it, well when I looked around online you were looking at about the £10 mark, at the experience of giving away what a future project might be I would Recommend you grab Mega Games 1 a multi game cart that includes the Mega Drive game Super Hang On as this can be grabbed for around the £3 mark online and includes not only a version of Hang On but 2 other games for far less than this will cost you.

Sega Master System OutRun Review

Here is my review of OutRun the Sega Master system conversion. If you prefer your reviews to be written then my written review is below the video

Out Run was an arcade driving video game developed and published by Sega it was released into Arcades in Japan in September 1986 with its American and European release following before the end of the year. The game was very well known for many reasons including its graphics, its nonlinear gameplay, an amazing selection of selectable musical tracks and in particular for its amazing hydraulic motion simulator deluxe arcade cabinet which was such a sight to behold when I first saw it in the Arcades as a child. I was born in 1981 so the first time I had seen this I would have been a pretty young kid so the machine seemed like this giant shining beacon of fun.

The game was designed by Yu Suzuki, who apparently visited Europe to gain inspiration for the game's stages This sounds like a pretty expensive step in designing a game, on hearing that you'd think Sega had given Suzuki bags of cash and yet he only had a small team to work on the game and they were only given ten months to develop the game. The game was a huge success though both critically and commercially. In fact it was apparently the highest-grossing arcade game of 1987 worldwide not only that though it was also Sega's most successful arcade cabinet of the entire 1980s. So I bet you can guess what this kind of success leads to right? It led to a whole bunch of ports to lots of video game consoles and home computers. Outrun became one of the best-selling video games at the time selling millions of copies worldwide and spawning a number of sequels.

You read the title when you clicked on this though so you know what I am going to be talking about that's right I am going to be talking about the Sega Master System port.

Even though this game might look a little basic by now days standards you have to try to put yourself in the position people would have been in at the time. In 1987 The Master System released in Europe people often compare it to the NES and see it as Sega's response to this but in truth in England at least very few people had even seen a NES, we were mostly weened on various Micro computers some of which even after taking an age to load couldn't display enough colours to challenge the drawings you had done in school at the age of 5 let alone an arcade machines visuals.

In my humble opinion The Master System port of Outrun really manages to overcome the limitations of its hardware to deliver what at the time would have been an absolutely stunning home video game experience, sure its not the equal of its arcade counterpart but it certainly would have felt pretty close to a kid back in those days.

Outrun is at least on the surface a very simple game, it is a driving game where you are not racing against any individual, sure there are cars on the road which get in the way but there not your opponent the only opponent you have is the clock, you have to beat the clock and make sure that you keep on reaching the next checkpoint before the timer hits zero. This basic premise works almost perfectly on the Master System, the game feels pretty much just like it did in the arcade and that's the most important part of any conversion.

The visuals have received the expected downgrade but it is very clear that a whole lot of effort went into providing the same variety of settings seen in the arcade, the game features the same beach track, the same rolling green fields, the same night time driving. this game looks so much clearer than my previously reviewed game Space Harrier. Obviously its a step down from the arcade but enough detail is provided in both the foreground and the background to create a proper game world that you feel more than happy to travel through.

Sound-wise, the music in OutRun on the Master system is great but there is some difference depending on how your playing if you are playing a European copy of the game you will get what they call PSG sound, if your using Japanese Hardware with a FM chip, or hardware modded to add FM in or using an emulator with FM, then things will sound quiet different, in honesty I like both kinds of sound, the music is good no mater how your playing your Master System copy of Outrun, the only thing I am not majorly keen on is the skidding tire sound, its an annoying sound and to be its too loud in relation to the music.

Overall I would give Outrun on the Master System an 8 out of 10, I think its one of the very best arcade ports on the system its only limitations for me come from being based on an Arcade machine. Arcade ports can be a lot of fun but these games are essentially written from the ground up to munch on coins and provide quick thrills so they don't tend to have what it takes to play for hours and hours again and again in a home setting.

If you want a cart of this game then CEX charge £10 for it when they have a loose cart with the copies I can find elsewhere on line going for a little more.

Space Harrier Master System Review

Here is my YouTube Review of Space Harrier, if you prefer to read your reviews a written copy is located directly below the video.

Space Harrier is a third-person arcade rail shooter game which was both developed and published by Sega hitting the arcades in 1985. Originally Sega's idea had been to make a realistic military-themed third-person game which would feature a fighter jet, but technical and memory restrictions resulted in Sega developer Yu Suzuki deciding instead to go with the idea of a jet-propelled human character flying through a fantasy setting. 2 years later Sega would return to the military Jet Fighter idea and we would get After Burner a game I have already reviewed.

The Space Harrier arcade game is controlled by an analogue flight stick as well as featuring a simple stand up version the game also came in a deluxe arcade cabinet which featured a cockpit-style hydraulic motion simulator cabinet that tilted and rolled during play, this probably sounds very familiar if you watched my After Burner Video.

Space Harrier was a highly commercially successful arcade machine leading to the game being ported to over twenty different home computer and gaming platforms, some of which were done by Sega with others being handled by outside developers

Ok so on to The Master System version now how does it fair? Well I certainly think that Sega put a lot of effort in to trying to downscale this arcade game on to a Master System cart but I do have some issues with it, lets put it this way it in some areas excels but in others its problematic.

The most obvious thing to grab you is that the graphics not only are a serious downgrade but they also don't fully work, the limited colour palette, and the lack of proper backgrounds are to be expected and wouldn't really hurt the game, my biggest issue is the incredibly blocky edges around both enemies and obstacles they don't look like they are part of the actual game world, they look awful and it really breaks my immersion, it actually makes the game look like it was never properly finished. When you get to the glitchy first boss swirling round you will wonder if there is a problem with your cartridge, trust me there is not this is how the game was programmed.

This graphical issue is an absolute crying shame, because if you can get past this then the gameplay in this version is not too bad at all, your characters movement is good firing feels right, its not a bad game to play at all, its fun if you can push past these issues.

For me the best thing about this Game on the Master System is the sound. The music has been ported across from the arcade game wonderfully, the music is awesome and it really meets the fantasy feel of this game.... Maybe it has something to do with my Dad watching a whole lot of reruns of Blakes 7 with him but one of the Tracks in this game really really sounds like a remix of the Blakes 7 them but maybe that's just me. I also have to point out that they did an amazing job of porting two of the Arcade games voice samples across, you will hear both the phrase, “Get ready!” as well as the main characters death cry. Sure there are other voice samples which are missing from the arcade machine but the ones that are here are done brilliantly and really add to the feel of the game.

If I was to give this game a score I would give it a 6 out of 10, despite the fact Sega Used a large Master System Cart they just didn't manage to do quiet enough in my opinion, if only they had found a way to iron out some of the jagged graphics this would be better.

If you want to get a copy of this for the Master System well copies seem to be a bit thinner on the ground than they were for After Burner... Apparently CEX sell it for £4 for a loose cart but at present there are no copies of it available. the cheapest copy I could find online anywhere was a boxed copy missing its manual for £18 including postage and that's not a price I would recommend people to pay for this game.

My After Burner Sega Master System Review

Here is my YouTube Review of After Burner for those who prefer it there is a written version below.

After Burner is an arcade Jet fighting combat game developed and released by Sega in 1987. The player takes control of an F-14 Tomcat fighter jet, and must clear each of the game's stages by destroying incoming enemy jets, using a machine gun and heat-seeking missiles. The game used a third-person perspective the same as Sega's earlier games Space Harrier (1985) and Out Run (1986), and runs on the Sega X Board arcade system, It was the fourth Sega game to use a hydraulic arcade cabinet, in this case the cabinet is made to look like the insides of an aircraft cockpit, with flight stick controls, a chair with a seatbelt, and hydraulic motion technology that allowed it to moves, tilt, roll and rotate the cockpit in sync with the on-screen action.

Obviously this kind of arcade machine was a real show stopper, the sort of thing that kids and adults alike would flock to. In the old days it was always hard to try and bring the arcade experience in to the home with the fact the most home consoles had no way near the power of an arcade machine, this was what made arcades popular you could experience games that simply were not possible in the confines of the average home.

The master system version might have lost the fancy cabinet, ditched the flight stick for a joypad and lost a whole lot of power but it still has a lot of heart. What you have here is Sega trying its darn best to ram this massive arcade machine into the confines of a tiny Master System Cartridge and in all honesty I don't think they did too bad a job of it. Sure the Graphics had an obvious downgrade but they seemed to be able to maintain a good sense of speed which makes the game feel just as action packed as the arcade version and given the power on hand I feel the graphics are respectable. As for the sound well its all very basic but its pretty cool when you take off to hear the game say ''get ready''. Although the music is not as good as the Arcade machine I still feel it is very catchy and matches the game well.

If you play this game today out of its historical context then its probably not going to blow your socks off but I still think its a fun distraction, if you look at what they managed to achieve at the time scaling what was advanced hardware down on to the humble little Master System I think they did a fantastic job. Over all if I was to score this game in comparison to what is available on this particular system then I think I would give it a 7 out of 10. Having a quick look around online you should be able to get a cart of this delivered for around the £7 to £10 price range.