With only 114 U.S. game releases and fairly reasonable aftermarket prices, the Sega Master System is an increasingly popular target for collectors who want to try amassing a single console’s entire library. But as soon as you start, you find out that it’s a lot more of a pain in the ass than you’d imagined.
The 1990s were Sega's golden age, but they were also a golden age for those who loved Sega, because every year on December 25 you could bet there'd be millions of kids around the world waking up to find new consoles and hardware under the tree. Kids like Tyler Esposito.
Who gives a shit about unboxing modern games hardware. We all do it when we buy the thing, they come with basically nothing, and the documentation is woeful.
You die and die and die. Load up another save, maybe. Finally, you emerge triumphant over the boss battle or end sequence you've been struggling with. Nowadays, you're likely to get a big shiny, fully-voiced cutscene topped off with swelling orchestral music. But that wasn't the case thirty years ago.
One of the experiences that unites gamers is that so many of us have picked up a plastic gun and pointed it at our TV. History has given us dozens of light guns. Here, a gallery of greats and not-so-greats...
The Wii Virtual Console is due to get a double dose of 8-bit adventure soon, as the ESRB has rated Sega Master System spin-off Alex Kidd in Shinobi World and NES classic Blaster Master for Nintendo's service.
