Since I already did an amazing review of the great original
Sega Master System 1 on Epinions here is one for the harder too find sequel. This little beauty here is the more compact 8-bit
Sega Master System II and if you love you some Sega then maybe this tiny console with it's new features might interest ya here?
First a little background though. The unit looks a bit more like the first Sega Genesis then the more blocky original Master System and now you have to open up a tray to insert the cartridge. The SMS II was released way back in 1990 for $99 Canadian and it meant to be a cheaper alternative to the then aging original console but to cut cost Sega had to take out a few features too like the Card slot and video outputs. That's definitely disappointing.
It isn't all bad though. The system no longer has that annoying Sega theme playing before each game starts and now there is just no sound a simple logo and that's it. One of the best reasons to pick up this old unit is the free game you get inside here. It is none other then the fun
Alex Kidd in Miracle World.
In the game you control this young hero named Alex Kidd (of course). This Kidd may look weird with his giant ears and odd red overalls but you wouldn't wanna meet this guy in a dark alley because he has been training for years to have the ability to break rocks with his bare hands. One day though he discovers that the once peaceful city of Radactian is now under attack from the evil Danken Master and his ruthless Paper, Scissors, and Rock army. There is no time to waste and he must go on long and dangerous mission to save this kingdom and his kidnapped twin brother. It won't be easy to say the least since this is such a big adventure but you do get some help.
Alex Kidd in Miracle World gets off to a really great start because the intro itself shows you a lot of the cool things you can do in this huge adventure like swimming, boating, flying, fighting the evil Janken the Great, and that's just a few of the fun things you get to do here. How do you make rock crushing warrior even tougher? For just 200 bucks in stage two you can give him a sweet motorbike to run right through enemies! Sadly, the bike doesn't last forever but it can sure help you get through the stage in a hurry, eh? Because there are a lot of different power ups and unique challenges like a boss fight featuring a game of paper rock scissors in the game here it really helps to keep everything very compelling.
The game is just like a lot of action platformers out there where you try to get from point A to point B but your hero just knows one speed and that's insanely quick. I like fast paced games but he can be a little hard to control at times especially during jumps. Alex can only take one hit as well without power ups so don't expect a easy game either. If you have the original Alex Kidd IMW button 2 is jump and button 1 is punch which can be confusing but here on the SMS II here this special re-release has the buttons reversed and it also sports a few new graphical changes like the more Japanese rice ball was altered to a hamburger.
That moves me to the visuals here because Alex Kidd IMW not only has good game play but it ain't too bad to look at either. Each of the different stages like the swamps, mountains, and castles are all very colourful and easy to make out on the screen. There are times when I wish the game had more detail since a lot of the backgrounds look flat but it still look great especially since it was one of the first Sega games for the old system.
The game even has a great list of cool musical soundtracks that are hard to get out of my head. You mostly hear the quick main theme of the adventure throughout the game but there are different tracks for different scenarios like using your Peticopter as well. The game sounds better then most Master System titles available.
The quick controls do take some time getting use to but all the good features definitely out weight the bad. All the game's unique power ups, diverse stages, wacky bad guys makes this a classic must own for SMS fans and it is easily one of the best games for the system. It is also way better then getting that crappy
Hang On game free with the console, eh? In Europe the SMS II came with other free games like Sonic the Hedgehog so there are others units out there to find with different titles if you are has nerdy as me.
Although the unit has the amazing Alex Kidd in Miracle World built right in and the new look is pretty cool too, overall though the SMS Power Base II is not recommend over the previous console. The reason for this is because you don't get the Card serial port so you can't play any of the special Card games or even 3D Sega Scope games as well. That's over 10 games right there you can't play. The SMS II also has no Reset button or A/V outputs to help keep the cost down for the unit even though these systems usually go for more money on auction sites since it's a rarer console now. If you don't care about the 3D and card games out there and you just want to play the standard cartridge games then this is still a good system to have especially if you find some cool games with it like
Wonder Boy III and
Phantasy Star. You also have to love a system called the Master System, eh?
SMS II overall rating: 70/100
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-StarSoldier1
Ryan Genno (2007)
