by Brett Weiss
Golden Axe Warrior
ture.
Publisher: Sega. Developer: Sega. Third-Per-
son Action Role-Playing Game, 1 player. 1991.
Great Baseball
Publisher: Sega. Developer: Sega. Sports/Base-
A noteworthy addition to the Golden Axe
ball, 1 or 2 players (simultaneous). 1987.
series, Golden Axe Warrior looks and plays a lot like The Legend of Zelda (NES), but adds towns In Great Baseball, the pitching and batting
(where players purchase such items as swords,
viewpoint is from behind the pitcher (ala Bases
shields, armor, and magic) to the already fun
Loaded for the NES), but when the ball gets hit formula. The evil giant Death Adder has stolen
into play, gamers are given a larger, overhead
nine crystals from the city of Firewood and
view of the field, and the runner automatically
hidden them in nine labyrinths, and it is up to
heads toward first base. Batting, pitching, run-
a brave, quick-moving adventurer to find
ning, and fielding are simple and intuitive, and
them. This involves: exploring deep, dark
players can select from four different types of
forests; sailing across vast, stormy seas; moving
pitches: fast ball, left curve, right curve, and
rocks to find secret caves; solving puzzles (such
change-up. In addition, there are fake throws,
as turning lava to ice); finding treasures and
balks (a rarity for a video game), relief pitch-
keys; chopping down trees with a battle axe;
ers, pinch hitters, 26 generic teams to select
killing monsters to earn horns (which act as
from, and a home run contest, the latter of
money); and much more. As in Zelda, there’s a which gives players 20 perfect pitches to see
large overworld, with dungeons down below.
how many home runs they can hit. Unfortu-
Followed by: Golden Axe II (Genesis), Golden nately, fielders, runners, and the ball (after it
Axe: Return of Death Adder (arcade), Golden has been hit into play) move painfully slow,
Axe: The Duel (arcade, Saturn), and Golden bringing everything to a virtual grinding halt.
Axe: Beast Rider (PS3, Xbox 360).
Scratchy voice effects add to the “fun.”
Golvellius — Valley of Doom
Great Basketball
Publisher: Sega. Developer: Compile. Third-
Publisher: Sega. Developer: Sega. Sports/Bas-
Person Action Role-Playing Game/Adventure,
ketball, 1 or 2 players (simultaneous). 1987.
1 player. 1988.
The only U.S.–released hoops title for the
Boasting lush visuals and a robust musi-
Master System, Great Basketball features the cal score, Golvellius — Valley of Doom is one of standard elevated side-view perspective of the
the more impressive (if somewhat underappre-
five-on-five action, but it breaks down in terms
ciated) titles in the Master System library.
of gameplay. Shots that appear off mark will
Armed with a sword and shield for fending off
frequently go in. Pushing and charging fouls
mutated bees, spiders, frogs, bats, snakes, skele-
are often called when two players simply get
tons, and other creatures, players must explore
close to one another. The short, squatty play-
the deserts, mountains, oceans, forests, and
ers appear to be wearing diapers, and the bas-
graveyards of the titular valley, searching for
ketball they use moves as though it were a half-
the lovely Princess Rena. While on the world
deflated beach ball. The court is green, the ball
map, players should swing the sword at rocks
goes out of bounds far too often, and the
and enemies to uncover entrances to under-
boundary lines on the end of the court are in
ground caves, which come in two forms: side-
front of the baskets. On a less scathing note,
scrolling platform and overhead view action.
there’s a cheerleader halftime show, and players
SEGA MASTER SYSTEM
233
The Sega Sports Pad trackball controller, which is compatible with Great Ice Hockey and Sports Pad
Football.
can select from eight international teams:
ing (field goals and punts), safeties— many of
U.S.A., Canada, U.S.S.R., Japan, Cuba, Czecho-
the barebones rules of football are here, but it’s
slovakia, Italy, and Hungary. In addition, a “vi-
all decidedly ordinary (at best).
tality point” system lets gamers adjust the abil-
ities of their players, such as shooting, passing,
Great Golf
and jumping (though it’s tough to tell if these
Publisher: Sega. Developer: Sega. Sports/Golf,
changes actually affect gameplay).
1–4 players (alternating). 1987.
Great Football
A solid (if slowly paced) entry in the “great”
Publisher: Sega. Developer: Sega. Sports/Foot-
series, Great Golf features two game modes:
ball, 1 or 2 players (simultaneous). 1987.
Head-to-Head Match Play and Stroke Play, the
latter supporting up to four players. There’s no
Great Football is decent looking (despite
caddy, but gamers can select 14 clubs for use on
flickering players) and even playable (as long
the 18-hole course, which features such haz-
as there’s a buddy to join in), but it’s hardly a
ards as roughs, trees, bunkers, water, and out-
great game. There’s no tournament mode, no
of-bounds. Wind plays a factor as well. After se-
player stats or ratings, no sideline details, and
lecting a club, players adjust the stance of their
all 12 team names are generic (Foxes, Beavers,
feet (which determines slicing, hooking, and
Dukes, and the like). Worse, the one-player
low and high trajectory), set the angle of the
mode is offense-only against a computer team
shot, and set the power of the shot (using a
that gets spotted a random number of points.
power meter). Great Golf doesn’t quite live up There are eight offensive plays from which to
to its hyperbolic title, but it’s certainly playable.
choose (but no defensive), each of which must
be cycled through every single play. When the
Great Ice Hockey
desired play is highlighted by the computer,
Publisher: Sega. Developer: Sega. Sports/
players should push button 2, but do so with-
Hockey, 1 or 2 players (simultaneous). 1986.
out the other gamer noticing (meaning bluffs
are in order). Musically, the game is not bad,
Great Ice Hockey looks decent (the over-
but the crowd noises are scratchy and redun-
head view rink evokes Ice Hockey for the NES) dant. Passing, running, scrambling, punting,
and sounds fine (the music is surprisingly
extra points, tackling, field goals, punts, block-
peppy), but it plays terribly, thanks in large part
234
CLASSIC HOME VIDEO GAMES, 1985–1988
to the game’s requiring the use of Sega’s
Germany, and Argentina. The scrolling, six-
dreaded Sports Pad trackball device. Rolling the
on-six action is viewed from overhead, but
ball furiously to get onscreen players to move
penalty kicks feature a behind-the-player, third-
sluggishly makes goals hard to score and the
person perspective. Penalty kicks are featured
game in general virtually unplayable. There’s
during standard play and in a penalty kick con-
no tournament mode (games are single matches
test. Certain rules of real soccer apply, such as
only) and no penalties, but there are two
kickoffs, corner kicks, throw-ins, and slide
difficulty levels: junior and senior, both of
tackles, but there are no headers or bicycle
which are hard, thanks to the awful controls.
kicks. As soon as the ball gets near the goal, the
The action is five-on-five, and gamers can play
player will automatically assume control of the
against several international squads, but are al-
goalie. Great Soccer is playable (though hardly ways cast in the role of the U.S. team.
great), but the high-pitched music is ear-split-
tingly bad.
Great Soccer
Publisher: Sega. Developer: Sega. Sports/Soc-
Great Volleyball
cer, 1 or 2 players (simultaneous). 1987.
Publisher: Sega. Developer: Sega. Sports/Vol-
leyball, 1 or 2 players (simultaneous). 1987.
The only U.S.-released soccer title for the
Master System, Great Soccer lets gamers play as Featuring side-view, six-on-six action,
or against eight international teams: U.S.A.,
Great Volleyball lets gamers play as and against Japan, Italy, Great Britain, Brazil, France, West
eight different international teams: USA,
USSR, China, Korea, Japan, Brazil,
Cuba, and France (flags and na-
tional anthems are included). Each
team plays the same, and all the
players look alike (hair and uni-
form color notwithstanding), but
gamers can distribute points to
strengthen the speed of their team
in three categories: serving, spik-
ing, and receiving. Other moves
include jumping, setting, dink-
ing, blocking, delayed attacks,
and dummy attacks. Modes of
play include Goodwill Match,
Tournament, and Practice, the
latter of which lets players perfect
their serving and spiking (but not
receiving) skills. The controls are
fairly complex (patience is re-
quired to learn all of the moves),
but Master System owners who
give Great Volleyball a fair chance
will discover that it is far superior
to the other games in the much-
maligned “great” series.
Hang-On/Astro Warrior
Four games in the Master System’s much-maligned “great” se-Publisher: Sega. Developer: Sega.
ries: Great Volleyball, Great Football, Great Baseball, and Great
Motorcycle Racing/Vertical
Golf.
Scrolling Shooter, 1 player. 1986.
SEGA MASTER SYSTEM
235
Hang-On/Astro Warrior was packaged
Championship (and to stick it to Nintendo,
with one of the versions of the Master System
publishers of Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! ). As
console that did not include a Light Phaser.
Douglas, players battle a series of boxers in
Viewed from behind the motorcycle rider,
hopes of winning the championship title belt.
Hang-On has players cruising through five
Boxers move left and right and can block and
twisting, turning stages (including Seaside,
throw right and left jabs and crosses. During
Monument Valley, and City Night), racing past
each match, boxers can also throw three super
other bikers, dodging obstacles, and trying to
punches (which must be charged up). Unlike
reach the end of each course within a set time
the much easier to find Genesis cartridge,
limit. Each course is supposedly four kilometers
which was adapted from Taito’s Final Blow ar-long, and the motorcycle players ride has three
cade game, the relatively scarce Master System
gears: low, second, and high. Astro Warrior is a rendition is similar to the European SMS ver-vertical scrolling shooter that was also released
sion of George Foreman’s KO Boxing.
as a single game sold separately.
Joe Montana Football
Hang-On/Safari Hunt
Publisher: Sega. Developer: Sega. Sports/Foot-
Publisher: Sega. Developer: Sega. Motorcycle
ball, 1 or 2 players (simultaneous). 1990.
Racing/Light Gun Shooter, 1 player. 1986.
Sporting an overhead view of a side-
Hang-On/Safari Hunt was packaged with
scrolling field (with players shown at a side
the version of the Master System console that
angle), Joe Montana Football is a fairly typical, included a Light Phaser. Hang-On, which is es-largely playable video rendition of the popular
sentially Pole Position on a motorcycle, is based sport (though it’s light years behind the enjoy-on Sega’s 1985 coin-op classic, but lacks the
ment found in Tecmo Bowl for the NES). Joe
novelty of the arcade game’s motorcycle-style
himself gives tips on play-calling, and there are
controls. Predictably, the arcade version also
17 offensive and six defensive plays from which
has sharper graphics. Safari Hunt is similar to to choose. There are three difficulty levels (be-Duck Hunt for the NES, but has more detailed ginner, normal, and professional) and 28 se-graphics and a wider variety of targets, includ-
lectable teams (each named after an American
ing fish, rabbits, spiders, bats,
monkeys, panthers, birds, ar-
madillos, bears, and, of course,
ducks. The shooting action takes
place in three different environ-
ments: Lake, Jungle, and Forest.
James “Buster” Douglas
Knockout Boxing
Publisher: Sega. Developer: San-
ritsu Denki. Sports/Boxing, 1 or
2 players (simultaneous). 1990.
A much different game than
its Genesis counterpart (the side-
view in the SMS game is from fur-
ther back and doesn’t scroll, for
example), James “Buster” Douglas
Knockout Boxing for the Master
System was produced to cash in on
Hang On/Safari Hunt was the pack-in cartridge with the ver-Buster’s surprising victory over
sion of the Master System console that came with the Light Mike Tyson for the Heavyweight
Phaser gun.
236
CLASSIC HOME VIDEO GAMES, 1985–1988
city). When the quarterback passes to a receiver
ledge of fairy tales), it is easy to die a cheap death or hands the ball off to a running back, the gamer
as movements must oftentimes be precise. To
begins controlling that player. Other features
help in solving puzzles and warding off ene-
include kickoffs, fumbles, interceptions, punts,
mies, players can find a dagger, a pouch, a car-
field goals, and team stats. Also released for the
&nbs
p; rot, a golden egg, a fiddle, a mushroom, and
Genesis. Followed by: Joe Montana II Sports
numerous other objects. See also: King’s Quest
Talk Football (Genesis) and other sequels.
V (NES).
Kenseiden
Kung Fu Kid
Publisher: Sega. Developer: Sega. Side-
Publisher: Sega. Developer: Sega. Side-
Scrolling Platform, 1 player. 1988.
Scrolling Combat, 1 or 2 players (simultane-
ous). 1987.
Kenseiden puts players in control of Hay-
ato, a samurai warrior who must traverse 16
Kung Fu Kid is the type of cheap, slapped
nicely rendered provinces of ancient Japan,
together game that is playable, but ineptly de-
climbing up and down staircases, hopping on
signed. The music and colorful backgrounds
platforms, and using a sword to battle such
evoke the theme effectively enough, but the
creatures as skeletons, fire demons, lizards, and
gameplay needs an overhaul. The titular mar-
snakes. After defeating each of five tough-as-
tial artist (referred to on the box as “the invin-
nails bosses (warlocks who have stolen the
cible Wang”) can kick, jump (extremely high),
Sword of the Dragon King and the Five Secret
and throw talismans, but he cannot punch the
Scrolls), players are given a new ability or attack
monsters, lobsters, frogs, and other ill-fitting
method: high jump; crushing head attack (at-
enemies he will encounter. One strategy is to
tack from overhead); splitting the helmet (cut
simply run and jump past the standard ene-
downward while jumping); cutting the air (at-
mies, straight to the bosses. If a boss wins, the
tack both front and rear); or wild wheel sword
player is sent all the way back to the beginning
(swing sword in windmill fashion). Special
of the level, causing certain frustration.
training rounds let players dodge arrows and
spears to increase their life meter or earn a tal-
Lord of the Sword
isman of protection. Kenseiden is similar to Publisher: Sega. Developer: Sega. Side-Castlevania (NES), but not as good (there are Scrolling Combat/Adventure, 1 player. 1988.
no special weapons, for example).
In Lord of the Sword, a man named Lan-
King’s Quest: Quest for the Crown
dau, looking to prove his worthiness to become
Publisher: Parker Brothers. Developer: Parker
king, embarks upon a quest to pass three tests
Brothers. Third-Person Graphic Adventure, 1