Topic: Sega Master System Games Coming to the Virtual Console

[Kairon]

Fantasy Zone and Fist of the North Star will arrive in Japan in February.
 http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/newsArt.cfm?artid=15173

 With the announcement of two Sega Master System games planned for February in Japan, Nintendo's Virtual Console service for the Nintendo Wii has picked up another classic system. These games will be Fantasy Zone, a shooter, and Hokuto no Ken, a Fist of the North Star action game localized in America as Black Belt. They are slated to cost 500 and 600 Wii Points respectively.    

Games from the Master System are also confirmed for release in North America and Europe.    

Although the Sega Master System was known as the Mark III in Japan, the games will be released under the "Master System VC" moniker in the region. Additionally, Game Gear games are also expected to appear on the Virtual Console under the same listing, possibly due to the portable Game Gear hardware being similar in many respects to the Master System hardware.    

Thanks to BlackNMild2k1 for the tip!

[Robageejammin]

Nice find. But jeez, still no Gameboy?

[Kairon]

Well, the Game Gear is probably getting on there thanks to being what amounts to a handheld Sega Master System. Couldn't you even plug Master System Games into the Game Gear via a slot adapter accessory?

[bubicus]

So the most important question for me is: if an NES version of a game (say, Bubble Bobble...) has already been released on the VC, will there be no release of an SMS version if one exists, even if the alternate version is better? I sure hope they'll allow multiple releases, though I doubt they'd want to promote a non-Nintendo-console-related release. :-(

[Crimm]

Yes and no on the Master System/GameGear.  There was an adaptor, the MasterGear Converter, that let you play Master System games on the GameGear.  However, the GameGear had a higher color pallet, which means that the toolkit Sega is building for these games is probably based on a GameGear system.

Master System is just the "stronger" brand, I guess.

It's important to point out that while I do not encourage emulation, many emulators are capable of playing both.  However, since every VC game is bundled with the customized emulator the issue is somewhat moot.

[Morari]

THIS POST HAS BEEN CENSORED FOR YOUR PROTECTION

--Bureau of Internet Morality

[Svevan]

This is great news for those who grew up with the Master System; it has some pretty cool games that I would love to download for retro's sake.

[Crimm]

The NOMAD was simply a portable Genesis.  It never really caught fire because Sega spent all their time hyping (read: "suddenly releasing") the Saturn.

[Nick DiMola]

Quote
Originally posted by: Morari
I still have my Game Gear. I had be given the super-mega starter pack (carrying case, battery pack, magnifying screen, etc) as a gift a LONG time ago. I never did get too many games beyond that however.



I do know that there was a similar handheld that Sega had put out, called the Nomad. It played Master System games (I certainly don't think they were Genesis games) without any kind of adapter. They looked really cool too!

The Nomad played Genesis/Mega Drive games. The Game Gear was pretty much a handheld Master System.

EDIT: Damn it Crimm beat me to it.

[Crimm]

It also consumed batteries in a way that made the GameGear look like an Energy Star product.

[Ian Sane]

I've never played SMS before and I'm not that interested in it but this is great news!  The more systems supported on the VC the better.  But let's get some Gameboy action already!

[Kairon]

I'll take ANY system as long as they release RPGs and Adventure games for it.

[Nick DiMola]

Quote
Originally posted by: Kairon
I'll take ANY system as long as they release all of the terrible games that came out on it so I can buy them.

Fixed

[Uncle Bob]

Quote
Originally posted by: Ian Sane
The more systems supported on the VC the better.  But let's get some Gameboy action already!

I want my INTV.  Seriously, why haven't we seen Atari and Intellivision games yet? I know the current holder for the Intellivision properties has expressed interest in offering their games theough the various download services (Wii included).  What's the hold up? External storage?

[Ian Sane]

"I want my INTV. Seriously, why haven't we seen Atari and Intellivision games yet? I know the current holder for the Intellivision properties has expressed interest in offering their games theough the various download services (Wii included). What's the hold up? External storage?"

I don't know about Atari stuff but the Intellivision Lives compilation had problems with modern controllers not being able to handle the wacky Intellivision controllers.  Those things had a whole keypad and aside from using a keyboard or a replica of the original controller itself I don't see how you could do it.

I'd argue that pre-NES console games probably don't have as much commercial appeal as individual downloads.  They work fine in a compilation but some of them are kind of simplistic, lack name value and their graphics are perhaps too primitive to attract those who aren't already familiar with them.  Something like Pitfall you could probably sell by itself.  But a lot of other titles wouldn't sell and they probably think that lumping the less popular games in comps with the popular ones is the best way to balance things out.  A lot of pre-NES console games are ports of arcade titles and arcade perfect ports of pre-crash arcade games are easy to do on today's hardware.  A lot of them were knock-offs of arcade games to supply a similar type of game to another userbase.  You saw this a lot on the non-Atari console.  Atari's got exclusive rights to Space Invaders?  Fine, we'll just make a blatant rip-off.  I don't think there's a real market for those types of games anymore.  So if you take out the arcade ports and the knock-offs and the shovelware how many decent console games from that era remain?  How many of them would sell by themselves?  With Atari Anniversary Collection and Activision Anthology and Intellivision Lives out the majority of the best titles for those consoles are already available for a low price.  Now granted these collections need to be released on the Wii.

I wouldn't mind being able to buy Yar's Revenge for a buck on the VC (any higher price point would be insane).  But I would understand if this sort of thing just wasn't financially feasible.

[Crimm]

Yeah, the Intellivision controler is a bizzare thing to behold.  Keypad and dial?  

[GoldenPhoenix]

Yeah for Sega Master System, which had some great games (I loved my SMS). I hope Ghostbusters comes out on it because supposedly it is quite good.

[UncleBob]

Solution for Intellivision controller problem - download the controller to the DS.

[Ian Sane]

"Solution for Intellivision controller problem - download the controller to the DS."

You mean on the touchscreen?  You can't press two different points on the touchscreen at once and there's no tactile feedback.  Seems like it would provide at best the same amount of hassle that other controllers would.

[UncleBob]

er... you can't really touch points on the Intellivision Controller at the same time either...  Tactile feedback could be a problem though.

[Crimm]

The Intelivision controller also has 4 "shoulder buttons."

[UncleBob]

While there are four side action buttons on the Intellivision, there are only three different ones.  The two bottom buttons on either side are actually the same button.

[Crimm]

Are you serious?

Jeez, that controller was messed the hell up.

[UncleBob]

Sorry, I was wrong, it's the top buttons on either side that are the same button.  The bottom buttons are different.

Also: "The 12-number keypad duplicates the disc controller and the action keys, so you can either use the disc controller and the action buttons -- OR -- the keypad, but not both at the same time."

http://www.intellivisiongames.com/bluesky/hardware/intelli_tech.html#hand

I'm thinking some kind of program where the disc is replicated by the D-Pad, the shoulder and/or a/b/x/y buttons act as the side action buttons and the keyboard is replaced by the touchscreen.  Although Nintendo wouldn't license such a thing, I wonder if the Intellivision Productions crew could make some kind of keyboard simulator that goes onto the touchscreen of the DS and has like rubber nubbies on the bottom.  Pressing one of the buttons "touches" the touchscreen - and the whole thing gives you the Tactile feedback Ian wants.

[Bartman3010]

I thought Intellivision Lives was planned for the DS at some point. Though it seemed to have fallen off the face of the earth, which is kind of odd. I thought it would work?