Retro Arena: Master System Classics

[trev1976]

The first time I saw one was round a mates house and he had wonderboy on it , I was blown away at how close it was to the arcade so had to have one.

Eventually sold it to fund a MD

[Leon Retro]

which culminated in little lord fontleroy (me) screaming the house down, getting under the dining room table and locking all chairs in around me like a fortress with my feet and arms until they promises to by me one

My course of action was to always pester my parents, telling them how "amazing" the thing I happened to want was. Pestering definitely helped me to get a lot of computer & console stuff. It usually led to my friends being a bit jealous and then pestering their parents for things.

But pestering didn't get me a Neo Geo.

After that, I loved it when I grew up and could afford to buy all the stuff I wanted. That's when I started collecting things, with much of it still in my collection today.

[chipsgravy]

I had a master system with a small handful of games, Mickey Mouse Castle of Illusion, Donald Duck Lucky Dime Capers, and others I forget. Anyway when I left the family house to move into a one bed apartment I gave it to my sister to store for me as I hadn't the room. A while later I got my own house and asked for it back. She had no recollection of me asking her to store it and swears it isn't in her house. Curious! She either got sick of storing it and got rid or its still there somewhere tucked in the back of a cupboard or loft space. Great machine although I did always prefer the NES.

[trev1976]

She sold it

[Team Andromeda]

I still have my boxed Master System, light gun pack, and I got Outrun, and Fantasy Zone at the same for Christmas. I can still remember my Granda and Uncle playing Outrun, and my Uncle who was a speccy legend, enjoying the boss battles on Fantasy Zone. Great memories, wondeful machine.

I came from the ZX Spectrum too lol . My gran used to love watching me and my brother play The Master system together while she was babysitting and used to laugh at how easy it was, all she had to do was let me and my brother play the MS on the big TV downstaris lol

The MS was such a special time in my gaming life, I don't know why it was but in my school and out of all my mates both close and school friends. The MS was the must have Christmas present in 87 and even non-gamers and the girls all got one for Christmas in my aera. It was so brilliant going back to school after Christmas and everyone talking about Master system games and their fav games and being to have a lend of each other MS games.

Also, the MS was and still is the system to own for Light Gun games Gangster Town, Marksman Shooting, Sarfi Hunt, Shooting Gallery, Operation: Wolf, Rescue Mission, Rambo III were just awesome

[Arashikage]

I like to think it was because of the Master System that I met my oldest mate in school. I remember sitting next to him on the very first day and started talking about how cool Kenseiden was. Turns out he had an Atari ST and that’s when I started down the road of 16-bit computers. I’m still friends with him to this day.

[Team Andromeda]

I still have 2 school friends that are still best mates too this day just off the back the Master system Christmas 87 love-in.
I think what really helped in my area/school was its a rural mining village and back in the 80's all the local Clubs/pubs used to run the miners trip down to the seaside in the summer (Either Barry Island or Porthcawl) and they were always full of SEGA Arcade games in the 80's which all us kids played when the parents got pissed in the Dirty Duck. Combine that, with almost every 80's home shopping catalogue at the time having a Huge section for the upcoming Master System launch and games, made sure it would be a massive seller in my area

[Arashikage]

Barry Island was awesome back in the day, it’s a shadow of its former self nowadays.

I always remember the video game displays in Toys R Us being absolutely dynamite. Even though everything was behind glass it was brilliant to see all the consoles running the games. And the Argos catalogue used to be like a sacred document around Christmas time.

[Team Andromeda]

Barry Island was awesome back in the day, it’s a shadow of its former self nowadays.

I always remember the video game displays in Toys R Us being absolutely dynamite. Even though everything was behind glass it was brilliant to see all the consoles running the games. And the Argos catalogue used to be like a sacred document around Christmas time.

Barry Island was the only place I ever saw (and got to play) Firefox the laser disc game (which was bloody awesome) It was also the 1st Arcade I got to play Soccer Champ (Hatrick Heroes) and Hard Driving; It was also the place when I went to that 360-degree pirate ship and also pooed my pants. That fairground ride while brilliant going forward, was really rough going backwards 360 degrees lol.

Fab times, sad to see than no Club now does the seasea trip in the summer

[Arashikage]

I'm pretty sure I played Firefox there too. I know I definitely saw it in Weston-Super-Mare, along with Star Rider; which was the only time I ever saw it. I couldn't even remember the name of it until this year, I thought I had imagined it.

I remember the galleon there, never quite got the nerve to jump on it but it was always a spectacle to see in action. You could always tell when you had arrived in Barry Island when you could see the Log Flume, it was pretty much the first thing you saw. Ahh they were great days.

[Leon Retro]

along with Star Rider; which was the only time I ever saw it. I couldn't even remember the name of it until this year, I thought I had imagined it.

You're lucky that you got to play it -- even if it's now a very vague memory. An arcade game I really wish I had experienced back in the 80s.

[Arashikage]

That's the one. I distinctly remember the eye encased in metal, the hoverbikes and the psychedelic backgrounds. I thought that it might have been a little too advanced for when I saw it so it was understandable when I found out it was a laserdisc game. Apparently it's even difficult to emulate in Daphne nowadays so I guess the few videos on Youtube are all we have of it.

A Star Rider Master System port needs to happen

[Leon Retro]

That's the one. I distinctly remember the eye encased in metal, the hoverbikes and the psychedelic backgrounds.

Looks a bit like a modern Indie game. I would have been truly amazed back then.

A Star Rider Master System port needs to happen

Even the Mega CD would have struggled to do it justice.

[Team Andromeda]

I remember the galleon there, never quite got the nerve to jump on it but it was always a spectacle to see in action. You could always tell when you had arrived in Barry Island when you could see the Log Flume, it was pretty much the first thing you saw. Ahh they were great days.

The Log Flume was iconic, looked brilliant and like something out of Flintstones the movie. I used to love the Pirate ship and being in a group of boys thought the 360 version would be nothing.... It was great going forward but going backwards was really rough for me.

Barry Island was great for some of the those Laser disc based units. I played Firefox there, GP World and MACH 3 while in Barry

[Arashikage]

Yeah there were some pretty awesome arcades there. In fact it was still pretty good about 10 years ago, there was an arcade on the end by the Log Flume that had loads of imported Japanese cabs like Afterburner Climax, F-Zero GX, Planet Harriers and Time Crisis 3 with black guns. They are sadly all gone now though.