Sega Master System

The Sega Master System, or SMS as it is fondly referred to by fans, was released in North America in 1986. This came seven months after the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) was released to the same market. European markets later received the 8-bit gaming console in 1987, and would officially become Sega Master System’s preferred country of distribution.

SMS had its official home in Brazil and New Zealand, but was followed closely by Australia, along with other European markets, including the United Kingdom. In fact many SMS fanatics are now selling their games and other memorabilia for upwards of £50!

Sega could not effectively get through to North American gamers, due to the fact that these buyers had already had access to the NES for seven months before SMS was released, and so little interest was shown in the comparable gaming console. Later on, the Sega Genesis would experience popularity in 1993 with its release, followed by the Sega Saturn CD gaming console in 1995, which received very little fans.

The SMS featured 2 controllers, along with a light gun for target shooting games like Sega’s “Safari Hunt” and “Shooting Gallery”. It also produced many cult hits that are still played by European gamer today.

The SMS produced many hours of fun for gamers with games such as: Golden Axe Warrior, Ghouls & Ghosts, Batman, Batman Returns, Chuck Rock 1 and 2, World Grand Prix, along with Sega’s most notable – Sonic the Hedgehog series.

Brazil, New Zealand, and UK followers continued to support the SMS until 1997, when Sega discontinued support for their original gaming system. This paled in comparison to the original Nintendo gaming system, which received worldwide support until as recently as 2007.

You can buy Sega Master System Games from the Retro Games shop on Retro Garden.