Dynamite Dux (Sega Master System review)

Developer: Whiteboard
Publisher: Sega Enterprises, Ltd.
Released: 1990

Dynamite Dux is a beat-em-up that was originally released in the Arcade in 1988.

+ Has a nice range of weapons that are slowly introduced to keep things interesting as you advance through the levels.

+ Super Punch is a gratifying way to defeat multiple enemies and mastering it is essential for beating the tough bosses.

+ Diagonal scrolling areas help to add variety, and there's plenty of opportunities to top up your health metre.

- Despite varying scenic backdrops, the five stages feel very similar and there's no memorable moments throughout.

- Collision detection is entirely broken, with the Super Punch having the ability to hit enemies from several feet away!

- Jump kick attack is completely pointless, as you always seem to take damage whenever you attempt to use it.

- Omits characters and stages found in the Arcade original, and the two-player co-op mode is also absent.

Basketball Nightmare (Sega Master System review)

Developer: Sega Enterprises, Ltd.
Publisher: Sega Enterprises, Ltd.
Released: 1989

Basketball Nightmare is a sports game that's exclusive to the Sega Master System.

+ Timing-based shot mechanic rewards skill, and impressively there's six different court locations available.

+ Close-up dunk animations look amazing and have much more fluidity than seen in Double Dribble (1987, NES).

- The game's main attraction is its ghoulish teams, yet in multiplayer you can only select normal human players.

- Sprite flicker and minuscule ball size make it astonishingly difficult to see who has possession during gameplay.

- A.I. is dumb, as teammates avoid defense and opponents defer wide open dunks in favour of random backcourt passes.

- CPU follows pre-set lanes, and cheap wins can be gained by blocking their path until they hand over the ball!

- B-movie music during gameplay does fit, but the short track loops endlessly and there's no option to mute it.

Bomber Raid (Sega Master System review)

Developer: Sanritsu
Publisher: Activision
Released: 1989

Bomber Raid is a vertically-scrolling shooter and the last Sega Master System game released in Japan.

+ Ample power-up opportunities, and like TwinBee (1985, Arcade) you can continually blast icons to cycle through upgrades.

+ Makes you feel like a destruction machine when fully powered-up, and it's satisfying mowing down foes with ease.

+ Excellent range of enemy types with unique patterns, and there's only minimal slowdown despite tons of on-screen sprites.

+ Has a manageable level of difficulty and even shoot-em-up novices have a good chance of progressing deep into the game.

- Levels are drawn-out and the stage design doesn't create enough memorable moments to keep your interest peaked.

- Holding a button down to rapid fire is pointless due to its pathetic shooting rate, meaning constant tapping is required.

- When upgraded to full speed, your ship moves too fast and trying to make precise movements is a nerve-racking task.

Bank Panic (Sega Master System review)

Developer: Sega R&D 2
Publisher: Sega Enterprises, Ltd.
Released: 1987

Bank Panic is a shooting game that was originally released in the Arcade in 1984.

+ Expands on the lighthearted action found in Wild Gunman (1985, NES), but with new wrinkles to heighten the tension.

+ Frantic gameplay has a fun multitasking element, and the difficulty curve is ideal for easing in newcomers.

+ Waiting for bad guys to draw their weapons before you shoot is nerve-wracking, but the extra points are a worthy reward.

+ Has a deceptively deep scoring system, with certain conditions enabling you to net huge special bonuses.

+ Includes detailed, chunky sprites, and the catchy jingle has both an upbeat and sombre version depending on your play.

- Would have been amazing if the game supported the Light Phaser alongside the controller for increased immersion.

- Takes a while to restart after a failed attempt, and the game can become repetitive due to the lack of additional scenery.

Dick Tracy (Sega Master System review)

Developer: Sega Technical Institute
Publisher: Sega
Released: 1991

Dick Tracy is an action game that was also released on the Sega Mega Drive / Genesis in 1991.

+ Does an admirable job of mirroring the 16-bit version and crams in many of the levels, bosses and story cut-scenes.

+ Clever attack implementation due to pressure sensitive inputs that dictate foreground or background shooting.

+ SMS exclusive special move evens things by wiping out all foes on-screen, similar to Streets of Rage (1991, Sega Genesis).

- Controls are terribly stiff and there's noticeable animation lag when trying to attack that affects the flow of the gameplay.

- Lots of reused locations, and like Karate Kid (1987, NES) you can abuse the sprite limit and trail enemies to the exit.

- Car stages omit the distance metre, and the dumbed down bosses can be beaten by rapid firing while remaining static.

- Bonus Stage only includes two of the three targets, yet the lack of face buttons could have been aided by the d-pad.

Dick Tracy (Sega Mega Drive / Genesis review)

Developer: Sega Technical Institute
Publisher: Sega
Released: 1991

Dick Tracy is an action game that was also released on the Sega Master System in 1991.

+ Expands on the duck and cover gameplay seen in Rolling Thunder (1986, Arcade) by allowing you to shoot while jumping.

+ Switching attacks against foreground and background enemies is awesome, and Stage 5 brilliantly flips things 180°.

+ Cool scoring mechanic that rewards skilled play, as you gain bonus points by punching foes and avoiding scenic damage.

+ Car chase scenes are a fun diversion, and the between-stage cartoon strips look excellent and keep the story progressing.

- Punch-only stages can be brutal, especially as the hit detection goes to pieces when trying to attack annoying knife foes.

- Controls can feel quite stiff when you're surrounded by multiple enemies, and the boss battles are rather repetitive.

- Reuses stage backgrounds later in the game and the reflexes needed for the Bonus Rounds becomes comically tough. 

Black Belt (Sega Master System review)

Developer: Sega R&D 2
Publisher: Sega of America
Released: 1986

Black Belt is a side-scrolling beat-em-up that's exclusive to the Sega Master System.

+ Gameplay can be enjoyable in short bursts due to its rhythmic flow and endless waves of incoming enemies.

+ Encourages full use of your attack arsenal, as each boss has a weak point that must be identified for maximum damage.

- However, the action suffers from extreme repetition and is too derivative of Kung-Fu Master (1984, Arcade).

- Damage is unavoidable when enemy sprites overlap, as you can only hit one bad guy at a time, leaving you vulnerable.

- Poor collision detection (especially during boss fights) and your attacks can have no effect despite making clear contact.

- Would have benefited from a smoother difficulty curve, as even the first boss is hard as nails and there's no continues.

- Using the d-pad to jump leads to many accidental leaps, and having to press Down then Up for a high jump is cumbersome.

Great Golf (1986) (Sega Master System review)

Developer: Sega R&D 2
Publisher: Sega Enterprises, Ltd.
Released: 1986

Great Golf is a sports game that was only released in Asia and is unrelated to the similarly titled Great Golf (1987, Sega Master System).

+ Tournament mode can be played by up to four players (sharing two controllers) for couch-based competition.

+ Courses are meticulously crafted, with slivered fairways and staggered islands that test your ball striking accuracy.

+ Has an intuitive four-step process before each swing, and the mechanics on the putting green are uncomplicated.

- On-screen HUD doesn't tell you how far away the ball is from the cup, leading to awkward calculations and guesswork.

- Doesn't allow you to scroll the camera to peek ahead, and there's no clear indication of where the ball will travel.

- Could have used more wide open fairways during the first few holes to ease players in and help them learn the basics.

- Lack of crowd SFX make for a muted round of golf, and the isometric viewpoint isn't ideal when trying to avoid hazards.

Great Soccer (Sega Master System review)

Developer: Sega R&D 2
Publisher: Sega Enterprises, Ltd.
Released: 1986

Great Soccer is a sports title that was only released in Europe and Japan.

+ Does a respectable job of auto-selecting the nearest teammate, and the difficulty options are well balanced.

+ Curling shots is a joy and is reminiscent of the crazy amounts of spin you can add in the Sensible Soccer games.

- Replayability is low, as the game contains only two teams with no discernible difference apart from their jersey colour.

- Extremely light on content, as single matches are your sole option and you can't customise the length of each half.

- Players have exactly the same statistics regardless of their position, making every match a repetitive experience.

- There's a noticeable delay when attempting to execute passes, and the game frequently ignores your button inputs.

- Controlling a defender and goalkeeper at the same time can be problematic and leave the net wide open when marking.

Great Volleyball (Sega Master System review)

Developer: Sanritsu
Publisher: Sega of America
Released: 1987

Great Volleyball is a sports game that's exclusive to the Sega Master System.

+ Practice mode is a great way to develop your serving / spiking skills, and the eight national anthems are a neat touch.

+ Strategy is afforded in the way of points that can be used to upgrade your team's service, spike or receiving abilities.

- Ball frequently exits camera view after a push shot, and it's difficult to perfectly time a spike when it's on the way down.

- Physics are floaty and unpredictable, and it's genuinely unnerving trying to line up a player to receive an incoming serve.

- Doesn't always select the nearest player, resulting in lost points as your team casually watch the ball hit the floor.

- No difficulty options, and despite the simple premise the gameplay is tough with the CPU showing no mercy.

- Tournament only consists of three matches (with no gauntlet mode), and the cup outcome isn't shown if you exit early.

Teddy Boy (Sega Master System review)

Developer: Sega Enterprises, Ltd.
Publisher: Sega Enterprises, Ltd.
Released: 1986

Teddy Boy is an action-platformer that was first released in the Arcade in 1985.

+ Figuring out the best position to safely attack each level is enjoyable, and the intelligent enemy A.I. is tough to outwit.

+ Shrewdly adds extra intensity by collapsing your current platform if you haven't moved within a set amount of time.

+ After losing a life, the game doesn't reset the stage and instead remembers how many foes you have left to destroy.

- Mid-air adjustments are overly sensitive on the horizontal axis and it's unbearably easy to miss your intended target.

- Early difficulty spike is enormous and there's nothing that prepares you for the speed and aggressiveness of enemies.

- Buttons are reversed which can cause issues in the heat of battle, and the repetitive music grates the more you play.

- After a handful of rounds, you've seen everything the game has to offer and it doesn't improve on its initial core ideas.

Marcel Desailly Pro Soccer (Nokia N-Gage review)

Developer: G Artist
Publisher: Gameloft
Released: 2004

Marcel Desailly Pro Soccer is a sports game that was also released on the Sony PlayStation (2002) and Sony PlayStation 2 (2002).

+ Good range of modes on offer, along with lots of tactical formations and a decent selection of club / international teams.

+ Coaching aspect of managing team fitness levels during matches is fun, and your progress is saved in cups and leagues.

+ SFX do an excellent job of creating a raucous atmosphere, and there's some humorous animations when you score a goal.

- Sprites are incredibly tiny and the minuscule map of your teammates is all but useless for locating their whereabouts on the pitch.

- Suffers from the occasional animation delay whereby button inputs will eventually register a few seconds after being pressed.

- A.I. is dumb, as your teammates rarely put in the effort to tackle and opponents sometimes dribble the ball out of bounds.

- Presentation lacks flair and excitement, and the game doesn't even have the decency to show you replays of your goals.

Operation Shadow (Nokia N-Gage review)

Developer: Torus Games
Publisher: Nokia
Released: 2004

Operation Shadow is a third-person action game that's exclusive to the Nokia N-Gage.

+ Objectives are varied and there's a nice range of vehicles (including helicopters and jeeps) to compliment the on-foot action.

+ First two missions are enjoyable, especially for fans of the Contra series, and the game saves your high score after each one.

- However, the difficulty then skyrockets to an absurd degree with swarms of tanks that can instantly kill you from off-screen.

- Vehicles are severely under-powered and ammo is too scarce to make them a valuable tool in your combat arsenal.

- It's impossible to get close enough to most targets without first taking damage, meaning skill-based play is thwarted.

- Mission objectives sound simple, but they typically have a confusing nuance that's only decipherable through trial-and-error.

- Narrow draw distance, low polygon count and extreme pop-in magnify the game's woefully unpolished feel.

Colin McRae Rally 2005 (Nokia N-Gage review)

Developer: Ideaworks3D
Publisher: Codemasters
Released: 2004

Colin McRae Rally 2005 is a racing game that was released on numerous systems including the Sony PlayStation Portable (2005).

+ Lots to keep you occupied in solo and multiplayer modes, with a whopping 64 courses split across eight different countries.

+ Difficulty caters well to both newcomers and experts, and the amazing course design mixes in wide turns with narrow, twisting roads.

+ Optionally, those who enjoy customising their car will find plenty of options to tinker based on factors such as weather / road surface.

+ Limited repair times at midway intervals force you to strategise on the most important adjustments for the second leg of the race.

+ Detailed graphics, excellent draw distance, and your co-driver gives you ample notice to prepare for upcoming turns.

+ Smooth performance and the seriously impressive frame-rate wipes the floor with Sega Rally Championship (2004, Nokia N-Gage).

- Controls can be tricky to become accustomed to, and for a while it can feel like you're trying to wrestle the car into staying on track.

Aztec Adventure: The Golden Road to Paradise (Sega Master System review)

Developer: Sega R&D 2
Publisher: Sega of America
Released: 1988

Aztec Adventure: The Golden Road to Paradise is an action game that was released in Japan as Nazca '88.

+ Has an excellent mixture of enemy types and hazards that are gradually introduced to give players new challenges.

+ Concept-wise, recruiting an enemy to fight alongside you by exchanging money is a great idea to open up the gameplay.

- However, in practice they're completely useless, as they rarely attack foes and prefer to wander around aimlessly.

- Difficulty is brutal due to twitchy enemies / bullet swarms, and cycling through items in the heat of battle is cumbersome.

- Enemies are often found lurking near entrances, and as soon as you enter the screen you'll take unforeseen cheap damage.

- Your sword has a very short range and the questionable hit detection leads to uncertainty over whether your attacks will land.

- Demon targets take an age to defeat and the majority of your special weapons lack impact, making you feel under-powered.

Andre Agassi Tennis (Sega Game Gear review)

Developer: TecMagik
Publisher: TecMagik
Released: 1993

Andre Agassi Tennis is a sports title that was also released on the Sega Genesis (1992) and Sega Master System (1993).

+ It's slightly easier to return the ball compared to the 16-bit original, and there's some cool crowd sprites in the background.

- Still requires exact positioning to hit the ball, but the jittery animation makes it hard to line up with a cross court shot.

- Action is too zoomed-in and you can't even see your player on the near baseline when the CPU is about to serve.

- Annoyingly, there's a noticeable delay for each animation sequence to activate in relation to your button presses.

- Opponent A.I. is seemingly unfinished, as they can look like a world beater before forgetting to swing their racket.

- Crowd is eerily silent throughout each match and there's no difficulty options to tailor the game to your liking.

- Skins Tournament mode is absent from this 8-bit port, which was the only redeeming feature of the Sega Genesis version.

Andre Agassi Tennis (Sega Master System review)

Developer: TecMagik

Publisher: TecMagik
Released: 1993

Andre Agassi Tennis is a sports title that was also released on the Sega Genesis (1992) and Sega Game Gear (1993).

+ It's slightly easier to return the ball compared to the 16-bit original, and there's some cool crowd sprites in the background.

- Still requires exact positioning to hit the ball, but the jittery animation makes it hard to line up with a cross court shot.

- Annoyingly, there's a noticeable delay for each animation sequence to activate in relation to your button presses.

- Players often dive for the ball in the wrong direction and there's a strange bug where a sprite will jump to another location.

- Opponent A.I. is seemingly unfinished, as they can look like a world beater before forgetting to swing their racket.

- Crowd is eerily silent throughout each match and there's no difficulty options to tailor the game to your liking.

- Skins Tournament mode is absent from this 8-bit port, which was the only redeeming feature of the Sega Genesis version.

Andre Agassi Tennis (Sega Mega Drive / Genesis review)

Developer: Epyx, Halestorm
Publisher: TecMagik
Released: 1992

Andre Agassi Tennis is a sports title that was ported to the Sega Game Gear and Sega Master System in 1993.

+ Skins Tournament mode has real promise, as instead of a fixed match prize it offers a variable purse for each shot.

- Requires exact positioning to hit the ball, but the players move so slowly that it's hard to line up with a cross court shot.

- Animation is light on frames and there's a noticeable delay for each sequence to activate in relation to your button presses.

- It's weirdly challenging to judge spatial distance between your player and an incoming ball, making every return a nightmare.

- Opponent A.I. is seemingly unfinished, as they can look like a world beater before forgetting to swing their racket.

- Crowd is eerily silent throughout each match and there's no difficulty options to tailor the game to your liking.

- Prior to each CPU serve the game randomly forces you to press the Start button, which is an unnecessary step!

Ariel the Little Mermaid (Sega Game Gear review)

Developer: BlueSky Software, Disney Software
Publisher: Sega
Released: 1992

Ariel the Little Mermaid is an action title that was previously released on the Sega Genesis (1992) and Sega Master System (1996).

+ Ability to call upon your fish friends is a charming mechanic that can net you treasure and open new pathways.

- However, using button combinations to summon them is clunky and they sometimes wander off-screen without helping!

- Frame-rate is dreadful, the game randomly speeds up and down, and the scrolling is so jerky it'll hurt your eyeballs.

- Controls are wildly unreliable and you're never quite sure if a light d-pad tap will make Ariel inch forward or zoom ahead.

- Checking the map to locate polyps is tedious and it also takes a painful amount of time for the graphic to draw-in.

- Ariel frequently gets stuck on the scenery, and the adventure is all too brief as there's only four short levels.

- Bosses are extremely disappointing, as you can stand in one spot and blast away at the static foe in front of you.

Ariel the Little Mermaid (Sega Master System review)

Developer: BlueSky Software, Disney Software
Publisher: Tec Toy
Released: 1996

Ariel the Little Mermaid is an action title that was previously released on the Sega Game Gear (1992) and Sega Genesis (1992).

+ Ability to call upon your fish friends is a charming mechanic that can net you treasure and open new pathways.

- However, using button combinations to summon them is clunky and they sometimes wander off-screen without helping!

- Frame-rate is dreadful, the game randomly speeds up and down, and the scrolling is so jerky it'll hurt your eyeballs.

- Controls are wildly unreliable and it's clear this was a dirty port of the handheld version due to smaller resolution windows.

- Checking the map to locate polyps is tedious and it also takes a painful amount of time for the graphic to draw-in.

- Ariel frequently gets stuck on the scenery, and the adventure is all too brief as there's only four short levels.

- Bosses are extremely disappointing, as you can stand in one spot and blast away at the static foe in front of you.

Ariel the Little Mermaid (Sega Mega Drive / Genesis review)

Developer: BlueSky Software, Disney Software
Publisher: Sega
Released: 1992

Ariel the Little Mermaid is an action title that was also released on the Sega Game Gear (1992) and Sega Master System (1996).

+ Ability to call upon your fish friends is a charming mechanic that can net you treasure and open new pathways.

- Gameplay is mind-numbingly repetitive in its collect-a-thon nature, and Ariel frequently gets stuck on the scenery.

- Levels are poorly constructed with monotonous layouts, and there's barely any distinctive moments throughout.

- Controls are wildly unreliable and you're never quite sure if a light d-pad tap will make Ariel inch forward or zoom ahead.

- Frame-rate is dreadful and the game randomly speeds up and down, even when there's no enemy sprites in the vicinity.

- Checking the map to locate polyps is tedious and an on-screen radar would have stopped the constant interruptions.

- Bosses are extremely disappointing, as you can stand in one spot and blast away at the static foe in front of you.

Asterix and the Secret Mission (Sega Game Gear review)

Developer: Sega CS2
Publisher: Sega Enterprises, Ltd.
Released: 1994

Asterix and the Secret Mission is an action-platformer that was first released on the Sega Master System in 1993.

+ Playing as Asterix or Obelix yields different layouts, and fans will enjoy seeing minor changes versus the SMS version.

+ Unique abilities of both characters give you distinct ways to tackle the stages, especially as Obelix can't double-jump.

+ Secret areas / hidden items are in abundance and it's fun exploring off the beaten path to see everything available.

+ Has a more comprehensive finale compared to the previous Asterix game (1991, SMS) and it packs a greater challenge.

- Even though slowdown isn't as egregious as the console version, it still exists and causes timing snags with platforming.

- Layouts are by-the-numbers and exhibit little of the clever stage design and playfulness found in the preceding game.

- Special weapons are no longer used in interesting ways to navigate the environment, and there's some collision issues.

Asterix and the Secret Mission (Sega Master System review)

Developer: Sega CS2
Publisher: Sega Enterprises, Ltd.
Released: 1993

Asterix and the Secret Mission is an action-platformer that was also released on the Sega Game Gear (1994).

+ Playing as either Asterix or Obelix yields entirely different layouts, and even some of the shared puzzles are modified.

+ Unique abilities of both characters give you distinct ways to tackle the stages, especially as Obelix can't double-jump.

+ Secret areas / hidden items are in abundance and it's fun exploring off the beaten path to see everything available.

+ Has a more comprehensive finale compared to the previous Asterix game (1991, SMS) and it packs a greater challenge.

- Slowdown is rampant from the opening level and it causes platforming issues when the action keeps fluctuating in speed.

- Layouts are by-the-numbers and exhibit little of the clever stage design and playfulness found in the preceding game.

- Special weapons are no longer used in interesting ways to navigate the environment, and there's some collision issues.

Summer Games (Sega Master System review)

Developer: Zap Corporation
Publisher: Sega
Released: 1991

Summer Games is a sports title that was released on numerous platforms including the Atari 7800 (1987).

+ Similar to Track and Field (1983, Arcade), each event includes a pre-set World Record to give you a benchmark.

+ Presentation is excellent with high-quality chip-tune versions of all eight national anthems and tons of catchy jingles.

- However, the game makes you listen to them on repeat and the tunes irritatingly hold up your attempts at each event.

- 100m Dash has little excitement, as the CPU pacer runs at a pathetically slow speed and you'll always be miles ahead.

- Platform Diving is choppier than the Atari 7800 version and Gymnastics has a crude way to consistently gain a top score.

- Pole Vault has finicky timing over 5.10 height, and 100m Freestyle favours button bashing over the 7800's stroke cadence.

- Only five events and the judges' scores can vary wildly, with the difference sometimes being a whole 2-3 points.

Surf Ninjas (Sega Game Gear review)

Developer: NuFX
Publisher: Sega
Released: 1993

Surf Ninjas is an action title that's based on the 1993 movie of the same name.

+ Offers on-the-fly strategy, as you can press Pause at any time to exchange gold for special weapons and upgrades.

+ Stage 1's restaurant setting is a great opener, and locating the hidden cave to obtain the Kwantzu item is rewarding.

- However, the majority of the game's other stages are mundane with copy/paste layouts and bland scenic backdrops.

- Animation is jerky and button presses are frequently delayed or refuse to register entirely in the heat of battle.

- Double jump is unreliable, which leads to cheap deaths in later stages where precision platforming is expected.

- While checkpoints are fair, the game can spawn you in front of enemies who immediately deliver uncontested attacks.

- Suffers from a low frame-rate, and Johnny's pedestrian walking speed forces you to constantly jump to move quicker.