You can definitely see in this video how much better visually the Master System was than the NES. Great video, thank you.

As a public service to our American friends, here's some late system titles you should really check out. No "hidden gems" as such, as they're all well known in the rest of the world, but in the US many of them seem to remain pretty obscure. Asterix Asterix and the Great Rescue Alex Kidd in Shinobi World Batman Returns Bonanza Bros. Bubble Bobble Cool Spot Deep Duck Trouble (sequel to Lucky Dime with even better graphics) Daffy Duck in Hollywood Desert Speedtrap (Road Runner) Desert Strike Global Gladiators Impossible Mission Incredible Hulk James Pond 2 Jungle Book Krusty's Funhouse Lemmings (amazingly faithful port and technically extremely impressive) Land of Illusion (Mickey Mouse) Lion King Masters of Combat Ninja Gaiden Olympic Gold (if you like that kind of thing) Pac-Mania Populous Power Strike 2 (Aleste 2) Prince of Persia Rainbow Islands Road Rash Robocop vs Terminator Sagaia (Darius II) Sensible Soccer Sonic 2 Super Off-Road Taz-mania All Master System games are region free so will run on NTSC systems. Only game you're likely to have a problem with is Power Strike 2 as it's optimised for PAL systems - I understand it runs on NTSC but is so fast that it's unplayable. Great shame as it's probably the best 8 bit shoot em up ever programmed. There's no shortage of top class games on the Master System. You guys really missed out.

I was one of few kids who owned an SMS on my baseball team opposed to probably 5 or 6 kids who owned an NES. As a fan of both consoles I got the best of 2 worlds. Wonderboy in Monsterland (Wonderboy 2) on SMS is still one of my favorite 8-bit video games.

Great list of games here! I’ve honestly been far more intrigued about the SMS with your videos. Master of Darkness is one I always wanted to try out since I’m a big Castlevania fan. Zillion I need to go back and try out again, as I know you love that game. Awesome video as always, TC!

Agree with Dragon Crystal being a hidden gem as few people ever talk about it. I grew up in a Sega country so we had the games and they were in abundance till the mid 90's, and that's about when I rented Dragon Crystal, I was a massive RPG fan, so it REALLY disappointed me when playing it that it wasn't a traditional JRPG type, go to town buy armor, stay at the inn, save etc etc. But I played it again in 2010, 2011 or so and was instantly hooked. I beat it once, and only once, but even then it still has great replay value. mixture of skill and luck needed to beat it. The random effects of all the levels and items is a master stroke. Zillion is one I also played finally around the same time, definitely one of my favourite 8-bit games of all time. For the time it came out it is amazing. I hear the SMS get a lot of slack for its early box art, personally, I really liked the uniform minimalist design. grid paper with a small image, I found Zillions in particular the most intriguing and wanted to play it the most! Psychic World has been on my 'must play' list for quite sometime I hope to get round to it one day. Great vid btw, always appreciate SMS content.

Submarine Attack is the real surprise to me out of all the games mentioned here... And I will test it real soon!

Indiana Jones for Master System is not a Hidden Gem, but a Explicit Pain

Great video showing lots of thought, as always. For another time, maybe try out: Spellcaster, Psycho Fox, Ys and the other Donald game, Deep Duck Trouble.

very cool list, i agree with most of them. Gosh, Time soldiers and New zealand story are super underrated games!

I was one of those kids gifted a SMS instead of NES. I was lucky to have the top games for the SMS so I'll enjoy your video.

I remember playing Time Soldier back in the day, very good game. A hidden gem (or at least not on the list) is Kenseiden.

Really enjoyed that. A great list. Some new ones there for me and some I'd played and agreed not enough attention for sure. An SMS game I played quite recently I didn't think got enough attention is 'secret command'. A great run and gun in style of arcade Commando.

Having a Tiertex game on your list is pushing it a bit ;) Dragon Crystal is one of my favourite Master System games however.

I played the hell out of time soldiers as a kid. Master of Darkness was also a fantastic game. Imagine if they used what the sms was capable of to do Castlevania on it.

In retrospect, you've got to emphasis _THE YEAR_ in which each of these games came out: the 16 bit PC Engine is already out in 1987, and the Sega Genesis is out in 1989, _but 1988 in Japan._ Nearly zero of the games that people now love and appreciate on the Master System antecede the 16 bit era: it was a "late blooming" 8 bit system.

Those games look great! Gonna have to try some of these out! Great video as always!

I've played near all of them over the years thanks to emulation. Had this system as a kid, was massive here in New Zealand, I only knew one kid with a nes. Try Asterix (the first, the others get progressively worse) it's an excellent platformer. Many of the games have aged like milk but I used to love Bonanza Bros, Bank Panic, Teddy Boy, Buggy Run, Enduro Racer along with the usual popular picks :) also, a common cheat code on the system was up,down, left and right on the title screen. worked for enduro racer and teddy boy and im sure others im forgetting

I liked Master of Darkness, but I think it is a stretch to say it is just as good as Castlevania. Nice video!

Dragon Crystal was released on Game Gear in North America. It is for all practical intents and purposes an 8-bit console skin over the classic computer game Rogue.

Awesome list! Maybe it's because I'm not super familiar with the console, but I only knew of 3 games from that list and now I'm intrigued by the other 7 games, Dark Crystal in particular! Great video and keep up the good work!

DUDE! This list of games is awesome! I haven't played these, but they all look like games I would enjoy playing! I really need to start playing some Master System Games! Not only did you compile an excellent list, but you compiled the video in an awesome way and presented it in ways that made me want to play each and every one... even the Clone! (maybe especially the Castlevania Clone, as it seems to have a fun thematic tweak that I like)

I worked in a computer game shop in the UK late 80s early 90s. The 8bit nes was non-existent & we only ever sold one system that was got into order for a customer when teenage turtles came out. Master system had an entire wall of shop display. Yes nes was massive in America, yet with import tax & late releases over here it wasn't as popular.

Lucky dime caper was the first Master system game I ever beat, its a solid fun platformer.

Overall, a great list. I don't know how anyone can stomach more than five minutes of New Zealand Story, though. The music is like nails on a chalkboard.

My cousins had a master system but I didn’t realize that’s what it was until much later. I thought it was a genesis cuz that’s what they got later. Many fond memories of playing Alex Kidd in their basement. Psychic World and Master of Darkness is on my radar for spooky season coming up.

I loved my SMS growing up. There was plenty to love even with small library in the US. The more I learn about games in other regions, the more I want to download a bunch and have a great time.

Spellcaster is worth a look.

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm currently enjoying Time Soldiers as a result of your content. Thanks also for keeping interest up on the Master System.

Including Indiana Jones is questionable. It is ridiculously easy to die. I hope you have the book for Where in the World is Carmen San Diego. So much has changed between it's release and now. lol

Awesome list. I'll have to check out Time Soldiers. Looks fun

I owned a Master System and some of the games on this list, I never saw before.

I remember getting Submarine Attack as a kid. I was so excited because the graphics and gameplay looked great. And they were. But when I got home I beat the game on my first playthrough. It was only 5 or 6 levels and then it said game over. It probably took 30 minutes. I was so disappointed. I even felt stupid for how excited I had been :(

Carmen Sandiago is fun on all platforms, people need to play it if they haven't .

Another great list! I got Psychic World last year at PRGE. I should really give it a try.

The master System was the Switch of it's day. I can't believe how good a lot of it games looked when compared to newer systems like the Megadrive/Genesis or Snes.

I really need to hunt down a copy of Submarine Attack. Looks like a fun one. Quartet was a great gem. loved playing the arcade version. even though the master system version was only 2 players, it was still a blast to play and the music just transports you.

I really wanted a NES for Christmas but I guess my dad thought the SMS looked cooler so that's what I ended up with. I never even heard of it when I unwrapped it that morning but as soon as I stated played it I knew I loved it. I got Choplifter, Zillion, Black Belt, Fantasy Zone, and of course Hang on/Safari Hunt along with it and they kept me entertained for months.

awesome list ! thanks for giving us some ideas to play ! 🙂👍

Thanks for the video! I have only one question - where is Kenseiden?!

Definitely have a look at Power Strike II

Outside Japan and north America the Master System was more successful than the NES You may be interested in Laser ghost, Gangster town, Road rash, Micro machines, Mortal Kombat 2, Batman Returns, Sonic I & II. Maybe not all are really hidden gems but deserve to be mentioned.

I never had a master system as a kid SI jumped from The ZX spectrum To the Mega drive , I'm a fan of New Zealand story on both those platforms So would be great to play the master system version, Master of darkness looks like a Great game and who wouldn't want to play Indiana Jones, I'm planning to build an ambulance system very soon And the Marta system catalogue is definitely something I'm interested in getting into

This was a great list of games!!! I remember my sisters playing some of these when Sega was still a big thing!!!

Master of Darkness was fantastic!

I think you are doing for SMS what Sega Lord X did for the Mega Drive.

MAster of Darkness is one of my all time SMS favourites - great video dude

I had psychic world in the game gear. Awesome game. In that version they took away some levels. The final battle was unbelievable 😮 Dragon crystal is a rate example of an early roguelike. Once again, I had it on the GG

Great selections buddy. Time Soliders is one of my all time faves!!! I struggle a bit with Indiana Jones but perhaps that’s because I haven’t practiced enough 😄. Have a goodun. 👍😊🕹️

Nice list Seth!

Cracking video mate. I played psychic world a lot as a kid and loved it ✌ Lucky Dime Caper and Master of Darkness are also excellent games in my opinion. I still have nightmares about playing Indiana Jones on The Master System. It was God tier difficult 😂

Great pickups!

New Sub, Dryden, MI Nice Job, My friend had an SMS, but never let me play it... not really a friend I guess lol

When I was a kid, I could not figure Zillion out. I wanted to love that game so bad, but I had no clue what to do with the computer commands. I was like a blind man feeling out in the darkness with that game. I don't think I had the manual. I think Quartet is another hidden gem, and Penguin Land is a super great game that is a hidden gem. That game holds up great.

The idea that The Lucky Dime Caper, one of the most popular games on the system, is a hidden gem! 😂 Only in America... In Europe, the Master System was way more popular than the NES. Americans seem to be under the mistaken impression that it has a small games library - this is completely false. There's well over 300 games on it, the majority of which weren't released in the USA. There are at least as many good games on the Master System as on the NES - but the US missed out on most of them leading to the small library myth. Good news for US folk is that the Master System is region free and carts are available cheaply, along with everdrives and such like. The late system titles are probably the zenith of 8 bit gaming. There's no need for you to miss out any longer - you've bern saddled with the inferior NES for long enough.

Well done for finding positive things to say about Last Crusade. A bonafide turd.

asterix was one of my favourite platformers on the MS, tho perhaps not a hidden gem

That Donald Duck game looks awesome.

Anytime my master system gets turned on I play double dragon. I know not a hidden gem but I do think pit pot is very underrated for a puzzle type adventure game. Very little is ever talked about when it comes to pit pot

Funny that in Brazil and Europe the NES was shadowed by the Master System… I was there and remember how superior the console seemed compared to the nes

I picked up a sms at a thrift store with the box and about 25 games for 20 bucks. Master of darkness and govalius were great.

The sub game looks like what silent service should have been

Oh my childhood.. Master System was my first gaming console and i remembered long nights with Submarine Attack 🥲 Awesome list, thanks a lot !

Dragon Crystal is so difficult!!

Not really overshadowed. More Nintendos 3rd party policies. Could you imagine is capcom made games for the sms how amazing they would be

Master of darkness is a solid game

As an Australian who was introduced to gaming with the NES and hardly ever seeing a Master System in person before I can guarantee that it being more successful is greatly exaggerated, the pause button on yhe system instead of the controller and the often hilariously bad box art (I'm looking at you Alex Kidd) would've put so many people off

Some good picks, but Last Crusade was such eurotrash (yes, I had it growing up). For some reason I kept playing it though. I guess it managed to leech off some of that Indy atmosphere despite having no in-game music.

holy fuck i loved time solders!!!. i could never beat the last boss though

If you like Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, that's cool man. However as a public service I must say this: I owned the Game Gear version as a kid and it's a typical US Gold mess. Lousy controls, no music, weird falling damage, excessive difficulty due to poor design... think twice before you run out and add this "hidden gem" to your collection, my friends.

Psychic world ... . Quartet ?

Lucky dime caper is the game to play

👍🏿

Hidden gem my @$$, just ask any of the +200 million brazilians what their 5 favourite Master System games are and they'll give you 10.