Scanned from 2000AD Prog 712 cover date 05/01/1991

VIDEO GAME CONSOLES 2: SEGA & THE REST

SEGA MASTER SYSTEM

Although overshadowed by its new 16-bit stablemate, The Mega Drive, the £80 Master System has carved itself a sizeable chunk of the UK console market with sales of over 500,000 units!
Carts plug in the top, stuff comes out the back and there's much fun to be had in between, thanks to a selection of over 80 games, priced between £10 and £40.
Like the Nintendo, it has an 8-bit CPU, 16K of RAM with 64 colours and can address up to 4Mb of cartridge-held code.
Early games for the Master System were rather simplistic, but recent releases have been startlingly good. Titles like Alex Kidd in Material World (an arcade adventure with superb graphics and mega-sweet gameplay) and GolfMania (just about the best golf simulation out) are every bit as meaty as the cream of the NES, if not a tad tastier.

SEGA MEGA DRIVE

Currently the coolest kid on the block, this £189.95 16-bit monster really does bring arcade quality action into the home.
This is due in no small part to the powerful 16-bit central processor, 64K of RAM, 512 on-screen colours and a healthy collection of 8Mb cartridges!
Gameplay is taken seriously with artful high-resolution graphics, icy-smooth animation and mouth-watering, multi-plane scrolling.
Just plug in the arcade hit Altered Beast (bundled in with the system) and watch the thing go. through its paces. The display is awesome.
Over 40 cartridges are out to support the launch of the Mega Drive, priced between £30 - £45, including blinding versions of Golden Axe and Super Harrier II.
Like Nintendo's hand-held Game Boy, there's a certain amount of global compatability for Mega Carts. Japanese and British drives are pretty much identical and the software is interchangeable. In the States, the Mega Drive is known as the Sega Genesis, but it is possible to have an unofficial modification made to the Brit version which allows it to run American titles too.
In addition to the high-resolution graphics, the system also offers digital stereo sound. Irritatingly, though, this is only available through the headphone jack. There's a direct AV output on the back of the machine, but it's only wired for mono! For such a clever console, this is pretty dumb!
There's also an external plug for an as yet unseen CD-ROM drive (surely the format for computer gaming in the future) and a £30 Powerbase converter that allows the Mega Drive to run Master System games.

THE REST

Unwilling to let the Japanese have the video console market to themselves, both Commodore and Amstrad have jumped on the 8-bit bandwagon with sub-£100 machines. Commodore's C64GS console (£99.99) is (surprise, surprise) a stripped down version of the familiar and venerable C64 home computer while Amstrad's GX4000 (£99) is a i somewhat more interesting dedicated deck with fine graphics and stereo sound.
Neither, however, can currently match the range of software available for the Nintendo and Sega machines. How they will fare in the rapidly-expanding console market remains to be seen. Though one thing is for sure, I'll be watching.
Meanwhile, at the extreme opposite end of the scale is the Neo Geo, another Japanese console system which redefines the word 'mega' in every way. 64K of RAM, 64K of ROM, 68K of screen memory. Around £350 just for the console with carts around £200 a pop. This one's for very rich, very serious gamers only!
Currently there is no sign of the Neo Geoappearing in your local Dixons, but I'll certainly keeping an optic scanner on its progress.

THE UNITS - HEAD-TO-HEAD

MASTER SYSTEM

Made by: Sega,
CPU: 8 bit. 16K internal. 2Mb* in ROM carts
Sound: Mono
Supplied with: Two control pads. AC adaptor, aerial connector. Alex Kidd in Miracle World game.
Accessories: Light gun. 3D glasses, arcade quality joystick
Software support: Over 80 titles in the UK and growing monthly.
Recommended price: £79.99
Game cartridges: £10 • £40
Positives: Massive library of games.
Negatives: Overshadowed by the Mega Drive and outgunned in the shops by Nintendo's Turtles package.
Remarks: Dwarfed in Japan and American by Nintendo but fighting back with some superbly crafted software.

MEGA DRIVE

Made by: Sega.
CPU: 16-bit. 64K internal. 8Mb+ in ROM carts
Sound: Mono (stereo via headphones).
Supplied with: Deluxe control pads. AC adaptor, aerial connector. Altered Beast game.
Accessories: Arcade quality joystick. Powerbase converter (to run Master System software)
Software support: Over 40 titles in the UK. growing monthly, plus dozens of compatible titles in Japan.
Recommended price: £189.95
Game cartridges: £30 - £45
Positives: Arcade quality graphics and gameplay, huge expansion potential, formidable library of titles.
Negatives: Inadequate connections for stereo sound.
Remarks: The ultimate gaming experience to date. Needs to be seen to be believed. Coupled to the Powerbase converter it offers an unbeatable combination of processing power and game choice -- but at a price.

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