There may be a lot of you out there that are like “Sega Master System? Sonic the Hedgehog? Don’t you mean the Sega Genesis?” Nope, I do not. While not very popular here in the US, Sega had a system out before the Genesis called the Sega Master System that was the 8-bit competition to the NES system and Sega supported it well into the Genesis’ life-cycle so they, of course, made Sonic for the Master System as well. The reason I am reviewing the game is because many people may not realize that instead of a dumbed down port of the Genesis game, it is actually a whole new game and therefore worth a look for platform game fans.
The Master System was 8-bit as I mentioned so the hardware was not as good as the Genesis so do not expect something on par graphically with the Genesis version, but they took the strengths of the system to make a great game. You still play as Sonic running through levels that are similar to their Genesis counterparts but with different layouts. You still collect rings (and 100 give you an extra life) but now due to the hardware limitations you will only see 1 ring fly out of you when you get hit leading to an extra challenge. All sacrifices aside, there is still great level design and the same sense of speed you get the Genesis version.
The graphics are colorful still with enemy sprites being a smaller size and not the same special effects as the Genesis version, but better looking than many NES games of the time. You will get some of the flicking common with games in the 8-bit era, but not as much. The sound is also very close to the Genesis games with the same music and sound effects used.
While many may not have a Master System ever let alone now (or the Power Base Converter that lets you play Master System games on your Genesis) this is now available on the Wii’s Virtual Console which is how I was able to play and do this review. As with all Master System games it will run you 500 Wii Points ($5).
3.5/5 Stars – While not as great as its Genesis big brother, still a great 8-bit platformer that offers plenty of new stuff over that version for fans to want to play. While dated today, the gameplay is still extremely fun and highly recommended.
