Segaiden 84: Vigilante & Alex Kidd: High Tech World
Added 2025-05-28 12:00:53 +0000 UTCI've become aware of a curious dynamic with the Master System library. When I embarked upon this phase of Segaiden, my intent was to give Sega's 8-bit system a fair shake, approaching it with the some critical-but-fair mindset as I took with the NES (and would later use for Atari and INTV's releases from the same period). And for the most part, I think I've done a pretty decent job of adhering to that philosophy!
But I am finding it more and more difficult to find positive things to say about Master System software as we near the Genesis launch. That has nothing to do with Genesis, mind you. But I am highly mindful of the fact that something like Alex Kidd: High Tech World existed on store shelves alongside the likes of Mega Man 2 and Faxanadu, and that for all Sega beat Nintendo to the punch in getting meaningful role-playing adventures into American hands, most of their other stuff from this era of Master System doesn't quite work. I found a lot to enjoy in the Master System's early days, with all of those great-looking, simple, arcade-style creations, but once Master System attempts to do more it struggles. The unbelievable choppiness of Vigilante once again suggests to me that the underlying age and limitations of the console's CPU bears a lot of the blame—there's only so much a cool video chip can do to compensate for the fact that the chip at the heart of the console was already pretty dated back when it launched head-to-head against the Famicom in 1983.
Oh well! Sega will have a new story to tell soon anyway. For now, enjoy the struggle.
Comments
You've definitely given the Master System a fair shake, and the coverage has been excellent. The recent games are not the system's best to say the least, but there are some real gems awaiting on the other side of this nadir that got a surprising amount out of the system despite its ageing hardware. I'm talking top-tier titles like Alex Kidd in Shinobi World, Psycho Fox and Castle of Illusion. And then some truly good or decent titles such as Cloud Master, RC Grand Prix, Aerial Assault and even Moonwalker. While the US curtains drew after the excellent 8-bit Sonic the Hedgehog, many great PAL Master System titles saw release in the US via the Game Gear. Covering these GG releases could be a cost-efficient way of continuing to cover the 8-bit Sega library even after the Master System's US discontinuation? Of course, there remained the handful of great Master System games released in PAL territories, more top-tier titles like Asterix, Sagaia, New Zealand Story and Wonder Boy in Monster World. Plus the Master System versions of titles that differed from their Game Gear counterparts, whether different assets or whole experiences, namely Batman Returns, Streets of Rage 1 & 2, Power Strike II, Taz-Mania and Ninja Gaiden. And to round it out, there are more good or decent titles like Line of Fire, Special Criminal Investigation and Rainbow Islands, along with peculiarities like Air Rescue. Keep up the great work!
Justin Cartwright
2025-05-28 16:44:28 +0000 UTCHaha, it's OK. The first time I played and got a totally untelegraphed game over within five minutes for putting on a suit of armor, I laughed out loud.
Jeremy Parish
2025-05-28 13:13:05 +0000 UTCSaw High-Tech World in the subject line and reflexively yelled "Oh my god, I'm so sorry" at my phone.
Branwen Shoop
2025-05-28 12:59:39 +0000 UTC
