#sega mark III

[segacity]

'Alex Kidd BMX Trial' was released on the SEGA Mark III 37 years ago today in Japan. Support us on Patreon

[lamazmorradelandroide]

'Rambo III' Sega Master System (1988)

[segamastersystem]

Takara TOMY Yujin capsule toys from the SEGA History Collection (2004).

Each item is missing a few bits and bobs here and there (and the dust cover is also damaged / loose on the Mark III), but I'm still glad to have found these neat little capsule toys for what I paid for them. Complete and in collectable condition, these toys are often listed for exorbitant prices on ebay and elsewhere.

I'm sure you can imagine, it was a real challenge to photograph such tiny objects! Nevertheless, I hope I've still been able to capture some of the impressive details present on each model.

To give an impression of scale (and for fun), you can see how the model SMS controller compares in size to the real thing. It barely spans the SEGA logo!

Images of the complete collection with all accessories present can be found here.

[pitagain]

#365DaysOfVGM Day 204:

MAIN THEME (Space Harrier; including the “Sega Superstars Tennis” version, the “Sega Mark III” version, and the SPACE HARRIER ARRANGE VERSION ~ MAIN THEME version [Galaxy Force ~G.S.M. SEGA 1~], among others [1985/2008/1986/1988])

An almost 40-year old classic, one that yelled the optimistic “outer space future” feel of 80s music in the east, even into the 90s!

It’s quite difficult to find a better way to express such an era in video game form, with so many different versions that I had a hard time narrowing it down to just 4 selections for today’s listing. “GET READY!”, cuz all of these are fairly long for its time!

(Length before loop [Original]: Nearly 3 minutes, [Sega Superstars Tennis]: 2.5+ minutes, [Sega Mark III]: Nearly 3.5 minutes, [ARRANGE]: Nearly 5 minutes)

[ntscdreams]

Astro Flash December 22, 1985 // Sega Mark III

Hilariously titled TransBot in English-speaking territories, you'll never believe this, but this game features a plane that transforms into a robot. Crazy, I know. Astro Flash is actually a very nicely-made horizontal shooter that has some of the best graphics of any game I've played from this year. It's not true parallax since nothing overlaps, but it uses multiple layers of background scrolling at different speeds to give the illusion of it, and it looks really nice. The power-up system is also fun: shoot the resupply truck to start a roulette at the top of the screen, and you can get one of seven different power-ups, including the one that turns your plane into a robot. The main issue is that the game is disappointingly short: a single loop takes less than 20 minutes to complete, and although the backgrounds change, it is essentially only two levels long.

[gamemories]

[soldmoondoggie]

Sega Mark III (1985)

[randomisedgaming]

New promotional artwork drawn for the 2023 release by ININ Games, Bliss Brain & Ratalaika Games:

Wonder Boy Anniversary Collection

Gameplay and impressions video here: https://youtu.be/hFNO014fx-s

Follow Randomised Gaming on Tumblr, for video game, art, reviews, features, videos and more. You can also find us on YouTube, Twitch & Twitter for even more gaming & video content! Buy us a tea on Ko-fi

[holmesoldfellow]

"Loretta no Shouzou: Sherlock Holmes" by SEGA for the SG-1000/Mark III (1987)

[mac-lilly]

Still sad we never got a glimpse of Luke's bedroom.

We never got to see his bedroom walls, which are plastered with posters that all sport similar grim faces and wild hairstyles that are 90s punk bands.

We never got to see the Disney-themed wallpaper that's hidden underneath those posters. (Look closely, and you can catch a glimpse of Mickey, Donald, and Goofy waving cheerfully - right next to Billy Joe Armstrong, who looks extra grumpy.)

We never got to see his desk and shelves that are cramped with knickknacks - guitar picks, chewed-up pencil stumps, music magazines, tapes, crumpled-up sheets of paper with discarded lines. There's also a Care Bear sitting on his nightstand. Mysteriously, there's no evidence of school books, though. There's a tiny TV with a built-in VHS recorder, a Sega Mark III, and several stacks of VHS tapes that include a surprising number of Disney animated movies. (I am convinced that 11yo Luke loved Oliver and Company when it came out in 1988. 'Why should I worry' is such a Luke song. Sue me! )

There's a papier-mache solar system he made for his elementary school's science fair (it actually earned him a ribbon), an empty hamster cage (Reggie was so jealous ... and extremely heartbroken when Kurt died), and in one corner sits Luke's very first guitar. He got it when he was 8yo because that summer, he couldn't attend summer camp because he had chickenpox.

We also never got to see that Luke's bedroom hadn't changed in the past 26 years because his parents never had the strength to clear it out. They don't want to say farewell to their son.

PS: Something changed in 2020, though. As if by magic, the Care Bear just disappeared. Weirdly, its disappearance coincided with a Molina family movie night during which they watched the first 3 Toy Story movies.)

[retrotariotr]

The Master System is an 8-bit third-generation home video game console manufactured and developed by Sega. It was originally a remodeled export version of the Sega Mark III, the third iteration of the SG-1000 series of consoles, which was released in Japan in 1985 with improved graphical capabilities compared to its predecessors.

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'Fantasy Zone: The Maze' was released on the SEGA Mark III 37 years ago today in Japan. Support us on Patreon

[pluralzalpha]

One last little run of classic games consoles? These are all 80s and early 90s machines, so we're coming into the era of things I was actually playing with first time round.

The Sega Master System of 1986, the western version of the Sega Mark III, and below, the somewhat cheaper 1990 Master System II. In my day, you were either a Sega or Nintendo household. We were resolutely Nintendo, but we played the Master System II at our neighbour's (that was permitted by the terms of rivalry).

The 1987 European model Atari 7800. Never used the Atari, they were waning by the time I was playing, but I love the design. They had backwards compatibility, which it took forever for the others to catch onto.

The Casio P1000. Short-lived, Japan only, but God, isn't it gorgeous? From 1983. I feel like you could climb inside and live TRON.

The Action Max by WoW from 1987. Beautiful looking bit of kit, but it played games on VHS tapes! You had to plug the Action Max into a VCR and the VCR into the TV. Some games were based on movies which must have led to some error purchases.

The Amstrad GX-4000, a British console released in 1990. Cheap but with great graphics, but the games were crap so it flopped.

VTech Socrates from 1988. Known in European markets as translations of Professor Know-It-All. This was an educational system with limited games but it's a lovely design.

The Systema TV Boy Mk. II (1992 I think). I had one of these, it was terrible. It had over 100 games programmed in, but they were shoddily ported knock-offs of Atari games.

The Sega Mega Drive, or the Genesis if you're American. The original version came out in Japan in 1988, we got it in 1990. I played a lot on these at friends' places after they upgraded from the Master System, until we got:

The Super Nintendo Entertainment System, 1992 UK edition. Abbreviated lots of ways, we always called it the SNES. In Japan it was the Super Famicom, released 1990. The Mega Drive might have looked cooler, but the SNES had the very best games - OK, half of them were the same, but Sega didn't have Mario or Donkey Kong.

[archoneddzs15]

Sega Master System - Alex Kidd in Miracle World

Title: Alex Kidd in Miracle World / アレックスキッドのミラクルワールド

Developer/Publisher: Sega

Release date: 1 November 1986

Catalogue No.: G-1306

Genre: Platform Adventure Action

FM Sound: No

Alex Kidd in Miracle World was one of my favorite pastimes when my brother bought a Master System II which had this game built in. This Japanese Mark III version is pretty much the same as the Western Master System release apart from it being in Japanese. It is the first of several games in the Alex Kidd series, starring a character that would serve as the company's mascot for half a decade before being replaced by Sonic the Hedgehog for years to come.

[fictionz]

New Fiction 2025 - January

"Matthew" ed. Richard Challoner (1752)

I know this story.

"Mark" ed. Richard Challoner (1752)

Oh, okay, I know this story again.

"Insipidities" by Marie Calloway (2016)

Peaceful in the silence.

Full Moon Fever by R.L. Stine (1999)

Don't look up unless you're ready.

"Boots" by Rudyard Kipling (1903)

Keep up.

"David Lynch Teaches Typing" by Rhino Stew Productions (2018)

I learned a lot.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle dev. MachineGames (2024)

I finished the story and started digging around for photos and notes I missed, but I realized I don't need to hunt these things down for 2 more weeks. I still loved the game, even if it's not as Indy-ish at times due to how much time the player spends alone with no one talking. The post-game is especially vacant since all the story mode characters are gone. It kinda feels like playing a Far Cry game but with a good mystery to keep the player engaged throughout. I think I've relearned the same old lesson of open world/sandbox games: leave some sidequests for the post-game if you want interesting things to do besides collect-a-thons.

Thank Goodness You're Here! dev. Coal Supper (2024)

There's a sequence I won't tell you about that is the greatest montage in all of human history.

The Song Out of Space dev. Pixel Noire Games (2022)

It's compelling and has an intriguing mystery going, but the resolutions are ultimately not varied enough to justify the multiple playthroughs that the game asks of the player.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles dev. Konami (1989)

There was so much good stuff here that gets bogged down in unnecessarily high difficulty. Double the rate of pizza drops and the game might have been more fondly remembered.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game dev. Konami (1989)

I know this one is a big deal because whoa they fit the whole beat-em-up arcade game onto a NES cartridge, but it felt too long. They added two levels and I have to wonder if it was necessary. And this'll always remind me that we could've had The Simpsons arcade game on console if Fox had wised up and given the console license to Konami instead of Acclaim.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Manhattan Project dev. Konami (1989)

Like the previous entry, the game is slightly too long or lacks a little more variety in the gameplay. A chunk of the environments are also too similar since it's the same New York region. But I appreciate all the new elements and the final level moving things beyond New York.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time dev. Konami (1989)

The NES beat-em-up games both felt like they were lacking a little something, and this SNES entry of the series more than makes up for them. It's a fantastic port of the arcade game with the excellent art, animation, gameplay, and level design that I remembered. The levels are brilliantly varied but short enough that it doesn't feel like the player spends too much time in any of them. The trips through time are fun as well. It's a great way to cap off the TMNT games of this era.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The HyperStone Heist dev. Konami (1989)

It's tough to judge this one fairly as a standalone title when it is clear that this was an attempt at bringing the brilliant Turtles in Time to Sega consoles, but something went wrong along the way. It's a competent game, with excellent control and visuals. But the level design feels half-hearted and environments are reused a couple of times. I would expect to see all of the animal mutant rogues' gallery but we instead get just a couple of appearances by familiar characters and the strange appearance of a human villain no one knows or remembers. Only a sprinkling of elements from Turtles in Time makes its way into this one. I would've been glad to have this as a Sega kid but would still have glanced with envy at my friends' SNES version of the experience.

"Disney Adults..." dir. MeatCanyon (2024)

Lest ye be judged.

"Wacky Lesbian Hour" dir. Keith John Stack (2025)

Do not give up your antics.

"A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor's Hammer" dir. Leythum (2011)

I miss that guy.

"The Consultant" dir. Leythum (2011)

Stretched thinner than it should be.

"Item 47" dir. Louis D'Esposito (2012)

What happened to these two?

"All Hail the King" dir. Drew Pearce (2014)

Turns up in the strangest places.

"Werewolf by Night" dir. Michael Giacchino (2022)

Stylized is the way.

"The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special" dir. James Gunn (2022)

Blegh.

The Count of Monte Cristo dir. Matthieu Delaporte & Alexandre de La Patellière (2024)

French cinema aspires to Bollywood heights.

The Damned dir. Thordur Palsson (2024)

That final moment can be blocked out.

A Complete Unknown dir. James Mangold (2024)

A lot of stuff that happens.

Kiss the Girls dir. Gary Felder (1997)

The ones at home don't wish you well.

Babygirl dir. Halina Reijn (2024)

Uncertain failures.

Kraven the Hunter dir. J. C. Chandor (2024)

Cut the middle.

The Fire Inside dir. Rachel Morrison (2024)

Tough going.

The Last Showgirl dir. Gia Coppola (2024)

We'll all be the last.

Paprika dir. Satoshi Kon (2006)

Exploring the psychonautical nature of being.

Den of Thieves dir. Christian Gudegast (2018)

Always in to con the cops.

Den of Thieves 2: Pantera dir. Christian Gudegast (2025)

He got me.

Better Man dir. Michael Gracey (2024)

That's the musician biopic I was missing.

The Prosecutor dir. Donnie Yen (2025)

Remember: justice. Don't forget.

Harbin dir. Woo Min-ho (2024)

The way they triumph.

Peter Pan's Neverland Nightmare dir. Scott Jeffrey (2025)

What an absolute failure. You know you didn't need to portray the characters this way, but you did it anyway.

Octopus with Broken Arms dir. Jacky Gan (2024)

Another entry in the burgeoning trafficking genre.

Wolf Man dir. Leigh Whannell (2025)

The title is partially true.

Nickel Boys dir. RaMell Ross (2024)

Give them an inch, they take your heart.

The Brutalist dir. Brady Corbet (2025)

Epic mood.

One of Them Days dir. Lawrence Lamont (2025)

It can turn around just like that.

Section 31 dir. Olatunde Osunsanmi (2025)

It'll need time to marinate.

Presence dir. Steven Soderbergh (2025)

I appreciate the shifted perspective.

Inheritance dir. Neil Burger (2025)

A thriller in the purest way.

The Twilight Zone - Seasons 2-3 (1986-1989)

More misses than hits, but still a fascinating snapshot of the time.

I Am Groot (2022-2023)

Shorts are the best way to Marvel.

Moon Knight (2022)

Intriguing possibilities, but there's a lull in the middle.

Echo (2024)

That's a personal journey.

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022)

Making a sitcom was an inspired choice.

Secret Invasion (2023)

Just bleak all the way through.

Loki - Season 2 (2023)

Time fuckery my beloved.

What If...? - Seasons 2-3 (2023-2024)

It sags in the second but gets us away from the usual suspects in the third.

Agatha All Along (2024)

Darker stories always get me.

[gamemories]