Master System Round-Up #5

They're probably looked back on now as a bit of a gimmick; a silly novelty gadget of limited use, but the Master System's 3D Glasses were actually quite an innovative peripheral for their time. Unlike Nintendo's pointless R.O.B. (Robotic Operated Buddy) for their Famicom/NES, or ridiculous third-party nonsense like Mattel's Power Glove, Sega's glasses actually did something for one thing.

Indeed, by using some manner of spooky wizardry involving shutters in the glasses and flickering images on the screen, they were able to give the impression of actual 3D graphics in games that were made to take advantage of them. You might think that a dazzling, cutting edge technology like this would cost a bomb but, as I recall, they cost a little more than a standard game at the time. When my ultra-splendid parents agreed to help in my acquisition of my soon-to-be-treasured Master System back in 1987/8 (I forget exactly when now), I was lucky enough that they separately added a pair of 3D Glasses to my bundle - a result, I suspect, of my OutRun infatuation - but some lucky MS owners such as my good friend Luke received them with the console itself in the form of the might Super System set! I can't remember if he ever got around to getting any games that actually used them though, besides Missile Defence 3D which was built into his console (I'll have to ask him), but I certainly did.

As I have detailed elsewhere, I was lucky enough to receive three games along with my MS, one of which was OutRun 3D which I played extensively, and I also managed to later obtain Space Harrier 3D as well. Sadly, that weren't too many more games even available for use with my swanky new glasses - there would ultimately only be eight in total, if I'm not mistaken, including the two I had. Of the others, I did play Line of Fire which, despite undergoing a dramatic change from an into-the-screen 3D shooter to a vertical-scroller during the conversion process, actually had a secret 3D mode when a special code was entered, but I never played any of the other 3D titles. Their names, however, like the names of most MS games, have long been lodged in my mind, more so than with any other system, so I've often found myself wondering exactly what they were like. Now it's finally time to find out if any are good!

Zaxxon 3D (1987)

Probably the biggest name of the titles featured here, Zaxxon 3D was unsurprisingly an adaptation of Sega's hit 1982 coin-op, itself a 3D game, albeit one of an isometric persuasion. It's now a 'proper' 3D behind-the-ship shooter and is actually much more reminiscent of Sega's other 1982 arcade shooter, Buck Rogers: Planet of Zoom (but not as fast). The seemingly infinite rounds are all made up of the same three parts - one in space where you have to shoot the oncoming enemy ships, then a trench run where you have to do the same as well as navigate numerous barriers, and then a boss fight. There are a few small additions as you get further into the game but the main difference between rounds is simply the speed and number of enemies. Despite this lack of variety, and the fact that I didn't play it in its day, I rather enjoyed this one. The early rounds are easy enough to get a bit boring on repeated plays but it's addictive and quite satisfying to see how far you can get. It's not the prettiest game around but the 3D effect gives the graphics added depth perception and it works well, and the music is nice too. Best one yet! ... 7/10

Missile Defence 3D (1987)

Unlike the other titles featured in this post, I have at least seen this one played before as my friend Luke received it bundled with his 'Super System' back in the day, as opposed to the Hang-On and Safari Hunt I received with my 'Master System Plus'. The main reason I remember it, though, is because of how much Luke hated it - he even refused to consider it a real video game as I recall. Chortle! It is quite a unique game actually, being (as far as I know) the only game to require both the 3D Glasses and Light Phaser to play. Despite this peripheral-heavy setup, however, it is very simple to play - there are just two stages which charge you with saving 'East City' and 'West City' respectively. As the name suggests, this is achieved by shooting the missiles that have been launched at each with the light phaser, which is done over three sections for each city. Succeed and the game recycles the two stages over and over, with more missiles each time. The 3D effect is used on the missiles as they fly 'towards' you or over the landscape and it's not bad. Very simple and repetitive though, and won't hold your attention for long. Weak even for a freebie... 3/10

Maze Hunter 3D (1987)

Another very-accurately-named 3D game which you probably won't be shocked to find is a maze game. It is viewed from overhead and gives you the job of traipsing through 20 mazes in total, split evenly over five themed areas - Metal, Rugged, Jungle, Ice, and Blaze. Enemies are despatched using a stick but there are power-ups to be found which include different types of suits and boots, though the enemies respawn too, so they should just be avoided where possible. It's quite a slow-paced game and the graphics are rather garish in most areas, so I can't help thinking it would've been better with some small changes - faster pace, perhaps make it a run 'n' gunner with more numerous enemies, and certainly more palatable colour schemes - but it's still not bad as it is. Again, it's simple and there isn't that much to it from a gameplay perspective (there aren't even any bosses), but it is notable for its excellent 3D effect which is arguably more effective here than in any other 3D game. The music isn't bad either. More enjoyable than it first appears to be... 7/10

Blade Eagle 3D (1988)

This was probably the 3D game I'd known the least about prior to this feature - I wasn't even sure what genre it was if I'm honest - and my first impressions of it weren't all that great once I did start playing it either. It's a vertical shooter which immediately means it's competing against the mighty Power Strike, and this isn't the most obvious kind of game to show off the 3D effect either. It wasn't too long, however, before I realised I was wrong on both counts. I had assumed it would be some half-arsed concoction just to have another 3D game out there but it's actually a decent little shooter. It doesn't look great thanks to its small sprites and mostly plain backgrounds but it has nine stages, extra weapons and power-ups, and the 3D effect is used well by placing targets on three different planes, with a button used to cycle through them. It's a nice idea and it works well. The only downside is that the game can't be played without the relevant glasses, so nowadays few people will even get to try it properly, and I'm not sure it's great enough to buy the full set-up for... 7/10

Poseidon Wars 3D (1989)

This is another one I didn't know a great deal about beforehand, and it's another that seemed a little whiffy on first impressions too. It stars you as a new naval recruit who has to 'save the country from crisis', which I'm guessing means the US. I'm not sure why they couldn't use an established officer for this, or indeed the whole US Navy, but never mind. Doing as they ask takes the form of an into-the-screen shooter with you presumably in control of a naval vessel's cannon, taking out other sea vessels, aircraft, and incoming missiles, by way of an on-screen crosshairs. My first thought was to wonder why in the blue blazes Sega didn't make it a Light Phaser game. My second thought was that it looked like it would get boring quickly. There are eight missions in total but the only difference really is the differing colours used to show different times of day. None of the enemies ever get close enough to look cool and the gameplay is exactly the same all the way through. There is a 2D mode for players without glasses but she 3D effect isn't the most pronounced of the titles here. I'm not sure why you'd bother anyway though... 4/10


So there you have it. Or rather, I should say, there I have it. I truly don't know why I didn't put some effort into playing these games decades ago, but I finally have now after all this time and... they're better than I thought they would be overall! It's just a shame there were so few - just seven dedicated titles developed with the 3D Glasses in mind before Sega dropped the hardware. What was the reason? Some users had claimed that prolonged use gave them a headache (I never had any problems though) but presumably it was simply down to poor sales.

That said, if the 3D option in Line of Fire was deemed sufficiently insignificant that it could be made a mere secret option, it can't have been too difficult to add support to subsequent games, so why didn't any others get it? Games like Operation Wolf or Gauntlet could've been great with their own 'secret' 3D modes! I suppose it's a little ironic that the only two 3D games I ever had with my original MS and 3D Glasses, namely OutRun and Space Harrier, both had 2D modes, while four of the five I never played do not. This obviously makes it rather difficult for anyone to play them these days, although Maze Hunter did get a release on Nintendo's 3DS which is apparently quite good, but the rest? Even if you have an MS now and wanted to buy the relevant peripheral and game{s}, you would need to have an original Master System as the redesigned Master System II doesn't support them. Boo hoo!

So I guess the big question is: Are the games worth the effort it takes to play them now? I suppose that depends on how deep your pockets are. Predictably, the glasses themselves cost a pretty penny, as do some of the titles (I believe OutRun and Blade Eagle are the most expensive). For normal people like me though, with a wife, car, mortgage, etc, I would probably have to say no, they probably aren't worth it. OutRun, Space Harrier, Poseidon Wars, and Line of Fire can all be played without the glasses, and the first two obviously have dedicated 2D versions which are probably better in terms of actual gameplay anyway. Missile Defence wasn't great in its day and hasn't aged well. That just leaves Zaxxon, Maze Hunter, and Blade Eagle, and while I did enjoy all three of these, they aren't worth spending hundreds on.

For well-off collectors or those with more money then sense, however, Sega's 3D Glasses are of course a wonderful curio and a fascinating part of videogames history. I'm very happy to have owned them in the past and equally happy to have now played all the games that supported them, and there are more corkers than stinkers overall. I guess it's just a shame Sega would get a bit too carried away in terms of peripherals and add-ons in future years...