For me, I most certainly grew up as a NES kid. My parents had an Atari VCS when I was born that initially provided exposure to videogames at an early age. Around my fifth birthday though I also received a Nintendo Entertainment system. Immediately I was thrust into the midst of Nintendo-mania that had been taking the country's children by storm. I really can't complain about this one bit as I loved my NES (and still do), and it's easily one of my favorite systems of all-time. However, I was also fortunate enough to be able to experience the NES's competition at the time, including the Sega Master System and the Atari 7800, to name a few.
Looking at the the Master System in particular, my earliest memories with it stem from a set of neighbors my age down the street that owned one. Often times on Fridays or Saturdays I would stay overnight at their house and we would play the Master System until early in the morning. Be it After Burner, OutRun, Alex Kidd, or even the snail game built into the system, I have plenty of fond memories of the system and games. Eventually--and unfortunately--my neighbors also received a NES and would go on to sell their Master System. For many years after I would not have the opportunity to touch a system again, and not even until well after the SNES was available would I even have personal access to non-portable system outside of my NES. All the way through the 16-bit generation and even into the middle of the 32-bit generation, those old memories of the Master System would still stick out like something that just happened yesterday. They were always well-cherished, well-remembered.
Later down the line in the late '90s I began collecting. Naturally I started with platforms I fondly remembered from being a small child. The 2600 came first (and was the most easily accessible), and the second would be the Sega Master System. The games and accessories were dirt-cheap back then and I would eventually rack up quite a large collection of titles. I was able to relive some of my memories from a young age, and of course I discovered several classics I initially missed out on, many of which I didn't know exist. With that, here are some of the stand-out games on the platform, from my perspective. You may not agree with these entirely, but these are ones I have fond memories of for one reason or another:
Alex Kidd in Miracle World/Alex Kidd: The Lost Stars: These were two games I played frequently at my neighbor's house. They were both very different from one another, yet we as kids didn't think twice about this (likewise with Super Mario Bros. to Super Mario 2, Castlevania to Castlevania II, and Zelda to the Adventure of Link). I have especially fond memories of The Lost Stars, and I think this is mostly because it had very large, colorful visuals, very distinct stages, and strange, strange enemies and bosses. That and I think I was the only one of my friends that could finish it (this was the case with a lot of games back then). I still love to go back to this one especially, but regardless, both are excellent platformers in their own right and prove to be great Master System games.
Gangster Town: Now THIS is a light-gun shooter. This is another I played at my neighbor's house while very young. It was fast-paced with tons of action on-screen, and the bonus stages were great. I especially liked the brick-wall shooting sections where you had to find a key. Playing this game more recently, I have to say, this has to be one of THE greatest lightgun shooters up until Sega's own Virtua Cop in the mid '90s. The action is fast and frenetic, something very unlike most other non-arcade light gun shooters of the day. It holds up very, very well.
Time Soldiers: There was a campground that my family would drag me to on a regular basis, and the small arcade gameroom they had often had this cabinet. I fell in love with the game as it was just a blast to play. Everything was done so well, from the music, to the sounds, to the smooth visual style, to the awesome control with the rotary joysticks. As a kid in pre-internet times though, it was tough to find out what was available on home consoles, and naturally I wouldn't find out there was a SMS release until later on. By the time I did get to try it, I was of course a little disappointed, but thanks to my fond memories of the arcade game, I still enjoyed it. Despite the necessary cutbacks, I think it is still a solid port, and outside of the arcade game, it's essentially a SMS exclusive. The time travel mechanic gives it a slightly deeper feel than other games in the genre, and it definitely holds up as one of the better Ikari Warriors-style console games of the day, in my opinion.
Wonder Boy/Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap: The original Wonder Boy has always been a standout title to me and much like Alex Kidd: The Lost Stars especially, I have fond memories of it. The unique gameplay style, the large sprites and colorful visuals and the fun, addicting gameplay make it stand out. Naturally I would eventually discover the Adventure Island series and fall in love with that as well, but that is another story altogether! Anyways.. While collecting Master System games, I eventually discovered both SMS follow-ups--Monster Land and the Dragon's Trap. Monster Land was interesting for what it was, but seemed like a downgrade from the original. The Dragon's Trap, on the other hand, really stood out to me. Sure, it was still different, but I really enjoy this hybrid of action and adventure, and I certainly got hooked to it. Despite never completing it, I plunked a lot of time into it and made it quite far. The semi non-linear gameplay is great, and again, the large character sprites, interesting scenery and great soundtrack add well to the addicting find-items-and-defeat-bosses-to-unlock-other-areas gameplay style it has going for it. Definitely a must-have if you remotely enjoy games like Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, and Ys III: Wanderers From Ys.
Fantasy Zone/Fantasy Zone II: Fantasy Zone is another unique SMS title (that I didn't find out until later was originally an arcade game) that sticks out easily, much like the Alex Kidd games, for its own specific quirks. I didn't get to play Fantasy Zone II until I began collecting for the system, but when I did I was naturally hooked thanks to it expanding and improving on the original's concept in just about every way. Both are still excellent games though, and Master System must-haves in my opinion!
So, what are some of your own memories? Do you have any personal favorites? If so, why? How about some interesting experiences or stories to share? Post a response below!














