Sega Master System #3: After Burner

Developer: Sega

Publisher: Sega

Release Date: March 1988

It even has a decent box
 

Playing After Burner on the Sega Master System is an interesting experience for me because I have never played any other version of the game. It was originally a very popular Sega arcade game, and I think there are versions of it on all their consoles at least until the Saturn era. There was also a Tengen released NES versions, one only four Sega Games to make it onto the system. However I have played none of those. So I can’t base my review on how how it compares to any other version. It’s all Sega Master System for me. Luckily, I discovered something when I recently played it. This game is fun.

More self-promotion

 After Burner is simplicity perfected. You are a fighter jet locked in a constant struggle against enemy jets which you battle from a behind-the-back perspective. There’s no fuel gauge to worry about and no power-ups. It’s just shootin’ and dodgin’. The SMS handles it all fairly well too. The movement is mostly smooth and the graphics are sparse but crisp. It’s almost all skies and trees, but it’s nice looking skies and trees with a very pleasant 8-bit soundtrack. Also when your jet does get shot it has one of the biggest explosions I have ever seen in an 8-bit game. Only the game over in Missile Command compares in size. It’s just the kind of fun arcade game that Sega was most known for before Sonic the Hedgehog.

Shootin' and dodgin'!

 My main gripes are in the presentation. I wish that the score and lives were displayed on the screen at all times instead of only after deaths and at the end of certain levels. It does have an ending, but I can’t see anyone actually beating it legitimately very often. As usual there are no continues and tons of enemy shots to avoid. Because of this it’s much more of a high score game, and I wish this was emphasized more in the game. It should’ve had a a top ten as well. I could see my brother and me taking turns getting high scores, but that’s more fun with a list. As you know I love lists in general, so I always hope for the inclusion of more of them.

Do a barrel roll!

 Overall though After Burner was a pleasant surprise. I didn’t remember it being this much fun back when I originally bought it. When I got it I was buying a bunch of SMS games so I missed it. However, after spending some more time with it I can definitely say that it is a worthy game for the SMS library. It’s only the third Master System game I have ranked, but it is definitely the cream of the crop so far. It beats out Alex Kidd in Miracle World for its more consistant gameplay, and even inches above NES Double Dragon as my new number twenty-three. I don’t know how the overall quality is going to turn out for Master System, but if it ends up on the plus side it’s going to be because of fun arcade games like After Burner. Let’s hope there are more games like this one out there.

 

Sega Master System Quality Percentage: 2/3 or 66.66%

(Images courtesy of mobygames.com)

Sega Master System #2: Action Fighter

Developer: Sega

Publisher: Sega

Release Date: November 1987

Does this look like a real game you would want to play? Sega bungles it again.

There are a few things you can expect with Sega Master System games. They tended to have boring titles and bad cover art. There was also a frequent problem of the name on the box and cartridge not matching. Action Fighter doesn’t have the latter problem, but it has the first two. The name gives you no information about it whatsoever, and the box art is even more generic. The magnifying glass makes it look like it is about a highway detective. Nope it’s a Spy Hunter clone. I’ve never been the biggest Spy Hunter fan, and the knockoff version doesn’t change my opinion much, but it’s not a worthless game either. It’s just not a particularly interesting one.

This is definitely a picture of a spy in the middle of a hunt

 At least it’s more interesting than the title. I knew something was up when I got my first mission briefing. I was ready for some fast motorcycle shooting action when I discovered that I was going to be destroying some battleships. Getting from highway action to high-seas adventure did intrigue me enough to want to delve into the game further. It turns out you earn powerups which turns your motorcycle into a plane. What starts out as a motorcycle racer turns into a vertical shooter. It goes back and forth the entire game. Before you have to lose your lives there is a timer, so that helps you find the parts you need without having to worry about crashing too much. Sadly, the developers weren’t going to let the players get off that easy.

Yay for self promotion!

 Now I will admit that I am not the greatest gamer in the world, but I am not a die every five seconds gamer. That was the problem here. They decided since there is a timer instead of lives they would put loads of enemies to kill the player almost constantly. There are just too many enemies on the screen, and you are too big of a target to ever get very far along. Now I am sure that if I practiced I would get better, but it’s just not interesting enough of a game for me to want to put in the effort. The setup for every level is the same, and so if you don’t like the first level much you won’t like any of the others. There’s just not much motivation to move forward other than trying to get a better score, which I admittedly I always enjoy, but I don’t enjoy it that much in this game.

Here's those battleships I talked about

 So the first game alphabetically is a little bit of a disappointment. I also wanted to review it first and move through my games alphabetically, but I couldn’t find it at the time. So you were doubly disappointing to me Action Fighter. Have fun being number fifty! You’re still less frustrating than Dragon Crystal, but if I am going to go for a high score I’d rather be playing Galaxian. It is fun having a top 50 though. If anyone knows a better way for me to post my full list without putting it at the bottom of my posts every time please let me know. I want it to be available, but it’s starting to get a little long. I hope you don’t mind awkward screenshots until then.

Sega Master System Quality Percentage: 1/2 or 50%

1.  Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

2. Super Mario Odyssey

3. The Legend of Zelda

4. Galaga

5. Donkey Kong

6. Exodus: Ultima III

7. Pac-Mania

8. Wrecking Crew

9. Super Pac-Man

10. Pac-Man

11. Viva Pinata

12. Dragon View

13. Excitebike

14. Drakkhen

15. Todd’s Adventures in Slime World

16. Arc the Lad

17. Clu Clu Land

18. Tails’ Adventures

19. Scrapyard Dog (Lynx)

20. Artifact Adventure Gaiden DX

21. Mickey’s Racing Adventure

22. Metro-Cross

23. Double Dragon

24. Alex Kidd in Miracle World

25. Panic Restaurant

26. Felix the Cat

27. Adventure

28. Ice Climber

29. Gaplus

30. Dragon Spirit

31. Pinball (NES)

32. Ninja Golf

33. Fast Eddie

34. Super Soccer

35. Gopher

36. Walt Disney World Quest: Magical Racing Tour (GBC)

37. Entombed

38. Red Sea Crossing

39. Baraduke

40. Demon’s Crest

41. Brave Battle Saga

42. Evoland

43. Tennis

44. Renegade

45. Beethoven

46. Hogan’s Alley

47. Gamma-Attack

48. The Legend of “Valkyrie”

49. Galaxian

50. Action Fighter

51. Dragon Crystal

52. Cosmic Commuter

53. Hot Pixel

54. PocketBike Racer

55. Wild Gunman

56. Defunct

57. Gyruss (2600)

58. Looney Tunes Racing

59. Squidlit

60. Gordo 106

61. Baseball

62. Space Jockey

63. Home Alone

64. Birthday Mania

65. Bad Street Brawler

66. Burly Men at Sea

67. Wayne’s World

68. WeakWood Throne

69. X-Men (HyperScan)

70. My Name is Mayo

71. Marvel Heroes

72. The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends

73. Ben 10

(screenshots are from Mobygames.com)

Sega Master System #1: Alex Kidd in Miracle World

Developer: Sega

Publisher: Sega

Release Date: December 1986

Get used to some dull cover art

 Alex Kidd in Miracle World has me entirely baffled. How was this a game I was ever able to finish? It is one of the most difficult and obtuse 8-bit platform games. It has few lives and no continues, completely random rock, paper, scissors bosses, and just plain difficult levels. I am also confused as to why it is one of the marquee games on the Master System. Is it really all that good? I have to say I was a bit skeptical diving back in over after beating it all those years ago. However, after a few minutes my skepticism went away and I was able to enjoy it for what it is. It’s one of the most exciting games on the whole system and despite its shortcomings one of the most fun games to play.

It has great screenshots. Doesn't that look fun? 

Right from the start Miracle World sets out to be different. The first level is a punishingly hard vertical scrolling level that turns into a horizontal water level. Luckily Alex Kidd is a good swimmer, and the water levels are all fun. Typically the flatter, horizontal second level would be the first. Instead that one gives you the opportunity to buy a motorcycle which makes it a fast-paced action level. Just by flipping those two levels and adding items shows just how risky this game is. No two levels play exactly the same and so it’s a game that never lets the player get too comfortable. It’s a master class in 8-bit platforming. Almost every style is represented which is impressive for a game from late 1986. It actually predates most of the games that it appears to be inspired by. It’s older than Super Mario Bros. 2 or Wonder Boy in Monster Land but it has elements from both of those games without even knowing it.

His head is scissors in case you were wondering

 Of course being from 1986 there are bound to be the typical mid-80s flaws. I have already talked a little bit about the unfair difficulty, but it bears repeating. This game is hard. Alex’s main attack is a short punch which extends about an inch in front of his body. As much fun as it is punching kindly forest creatures into submission it is definitely too short of an attack. I feel like I am going to get killed every time I punch at something, and it is a game with one hit deaths. It also has a very confusing puzzle that has to be solved to progress at the end of the game. The clues are easy to miss too so playing it in 2021 is probably going to involve some googling. Most infamously however is all the rock, paper, scissors you have to play to progress. Every couple of levels you will be in a life or death struggle against a worthy opponent. Luckily there is an item that shows what your opponent is going to throw, but it’s easy to miss. Also, why are the bosses defeated by a game of chance? That is completely insane. It gets even worse later when the opponents become sore losers and start to fight back. Seriously how did I ever beat this game?

I don't remember this at all. I'm not as good as I used to be and couldn't get all that far

 So Alex Kidd in Miracle World is both a great game and an unfair contest of frustration. It’s a tale of great level design and sometimes annoying gameplay. I definitely recommend this one for anyone interested in Master System. It is not the best action game on the system though. For one thing the SMS has more good games that it is given credit for. Alex Kidd was Sega’s early mascot so this game got a good amount of press. I think it gets a bit overrated because it’s one that people actually remember from back in the day. It was also bundled with consoles for a while which always helps. It’s not quite as good as NES Double Dragon so I am putting it at #24. It’s a solid first title, but it’s on a console that can, and did, do better.

Evercade Almost Exclusive #1: Brave Battle Saga

 Developed By: Chuanpu Technologies

Published By: Piko Interactive

Release Date: 1996/2019

 

Brave Battle Saga was one of the main reasons I bought an Evercade. Just imagine the excitement Mr. RPG himself had at the prospect of playing a couple of obscure, Taiwan only games from the 16-bit era. Nothing gets me more exciting than 16-bit RPGs. Of course the cartridge that it came on, Piko Interactive Collection Volume 1, has nineteen other games on it from just about every genre, but it’s the four RPGs, including the also-Taiwanese Canon: Legend of the New Gods,  that really drew me in. I had a great time playing Drakkhen and Dragon View, but those made It to North America the first time around. Dragon View may be expensive but it is out there. So just how is this long lost RPG which is now part of the North American cannon? Well it’s a mixed bag.

Brave Battle Saga was originally made for Genesis in the mid 90s, and it has those peculiar advantages that only Genesis RPGs had. It moves very fast for one thing. Where so many RPGs from the era were in turtle mode this one bumps it into rabbit. Overworld exploration never gets tedious because of the fast movement. The text boxes move at a good pace too. It also has very simple controls. Since the Genesis only had three buttons, games had to be more streamlined. Most commands are mapped to the same couple buttons, but it never gets confusing. This is one of the big advantages of having an RPG on console. There are no complicated controls to get in the way of the tropey but engaging story. Expect the usual twists and betrayals along with some very good character development. If you are looking for an older game you haven’t played that has a decent story than this might be the game for you. Unfortunately there are some glaring flaws that are hard to overlook.

Your enjoyment of Brave Battle Saga is going to depend on your tolerance for boring combat and confusing dungeons. Typically I enjoy dungeons that require thought to traverse. They can especially be useful in a game where grinding is necessary. The most confusing dungeons can also earn the greatest rewards. But you can’t have the dungeons without the combat, and it’s a real chore in this game. It has an active time system like Final Fantasy IV, but like everything else it moves very quickly. Often by the time you have thought out a strategy it’s already too late. The best thing to do is either attack or spam the same spells over and over again. Monsters will have elemental weaknesses, but the ones they’re not weak too tend to be effective enough that it doesn’t matter. Also spells are bought at stores and go into your inventory in whatever order you buy them. If you don’t arrange them properly than everyone will have the same spell in a different place in their menu. This can lead to some real confusion. I know that they can be arranged, but in just about every JRPG I have ever played this has been done automatically. This all leads to countless battles of spamming the same moves. Since so many of the dungeons are labyrinths it get old fast.

Brave Battle Saga was a game I really wanted to like. Sadly, it falls just a little bit short. It’s still okay thanks to the story and setup, but the tedious battles bring it down. I am still glad I played it, but that might just be because I am a complete obsessive when it comes to RPGs. Even playing through every one of them wouldn’t be enough for me. Now that I have ten of them I am going to start an additional ranking of RPGs for extra reference. In my overall listings it slots in at #40 right ahead of Evoland because I think Brave Battle Saga is a more complete game. That also puts it at #7 in my RPG rankings. That doesn’t sound too bad for now, but once I’ve ranked them all it probably won’t be so well. It might not even make the top thousand. I guess you’ll just have to wait and see.

RPG Rankings

 

1. Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

2. Ultima III: Exodus

3. Dragon View

4. Drakkhen

5. Ark the Lad

6. Artifact Adventure Gaiden DX

7. Brave Battle Saga

8. Evoland

9. Dragon Crystal

10. Weakwood Throne