The early days of the infamous console wars arguably began with the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and the Sega Master System. The truth is if someone owned one of these machines from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s, they were lucky either way, as both machines were fantastic in their day. Despite this, arguments between fans raged on as to which system was the best.

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As with today's PlayStation vs. Xbox discussions, it usually came down to taste, and the difference in power was negligible. The bar for making arcade-perfect ports on home consoles was a pipe dream back then. However, even though the NES and the Master System were 8-Bit consoles, the Master System could handle more colors. The Sega Master System can perform with 32 colors on the screen with a color palette of 64. The NES is more limited to 16 colors and a color palette of 52. As a result, many ports on both machines had an advantage when played on the Sega Master System. This list will outline some of the more popular games on both systems for comparison.

8 Street Fighter 2

Street Fighter 2 MS v NES
  • Sega Master System Release Date: 1997
  • Sega Master System Developer: Tec Toy
  • NES Release Date: 1992
  • NES Developer: Hummer

For owners that couldn't afford to upgrade to the Sega Megadrive/Genesis and the Super Nintendo, Street Fighter 2 running the NES and Sega Master System was an impossible dream. Interestingly, neither version was developed or produced by Capcom as they were too busy with newer hardware.

Developers Hummer gave the NES version their best shot in 1992 but compared to the 16-bit version of Street Fighter 2, the NES port wasn't well-received by fans or critics. The Master System version officially launched in late 1997. Sega's old system was still selling well in Brazil, and developers Tec Toy convinced Capcom to let them produce the 8-bit version themselves. The cart came bundled with a six-button controller, and the visuals and speed blew the NES version out of the water. The SMS version may have run better because Tec Toy had more modern tools to play with in porting to the 8-bit console. Whatever the reason, Street Fighter 2 on the Sega Master System played and looked closer to its 16-bit cousins.

7 Spider-Man: Return Of The Sinister Six

Spider-Man MS v NES
  • Sega Master System Release Date: 1992
  • Sega Master System Developer: Bits Studios
  • NES Release Date: 1992
  • NES Developer: Bits Studios

Before Marvel's Spider-Man on the PS4 and PS5, there was Spider-Man: Return of the Sinister Six. It may look a bit primitive by today's standards, but the video game that featured a rogue's gallery of supervillains was a novel theme in the early 90s. Thankfully, the difference between the NES and SMS isn't as significant but is noticeable when played side by side.

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The gameplay and animations are similar, but the characters appear larger and more colorful on the SMS version. In addition, the buildings in the background have more color and detail on Sega's machine than on the NES's one-tone color schemes.

6 Shinobi

Shinobi MS v NES
  • Sega Master System Release Date: 1988
  • Sega Master System Developer: Sega
  • NES Release Date: 1989
  • NES Developer: Tengen

Comparatively, Shinobi on the Sega Master System make it look like the games are a generation apart. There is more detail in the character models, the animation, and the backgrounds. Furthermore, the SMS version appeared to handle the sound design more accurately and closer to the arcade version.

However, the Sega Master System version includes all the weapons, whereas the NES version doesn't. Moreover, the NES version lost the series' famed verticality and replaced it with a more linear design.

5 Double Dragon

Double Dragon MS v NES
  • Sega Master System Release Date: 1988
  • Sega Master System Developer: Arc System Works
  • NES Release Date: 1988
  • NES Developer: Technos

Before Streets of Rage and Final Fight were cleaning up the streets of bad guys, Double Dragon was the best side-scrolling beat-em-up in arcades and on consoles. It features a single-player and two-player co-op, and the Master System did a great job with its port.

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However, the NES version differed significantly from the arcade and the SMS version. The NES had some nice animations but lacked enemy variety and color. It can only feature one enemy type on the screen at once, and the colors and shadows didn't measure up. More importantly and the biggest blow for Double Dragon fans was the lack of a two-player co-op mode.

4 Paperboy

Paper Boy MS v NES
  • Sega Master System Release Date: 1990
  • Sega Master System Developer: Sega and US Gold
  • NES Release Date: 1988
  • NES Developer: Eastridge Technology

Paperboy was a popular arcade game in the mid-1980s, and it launched on home console systems in 1986. The premise was simple, throw newspapers into subscribers' homes and avoid obstacles on a suburban street.

The Sega Master System version again takes the lead with an experience closer to the arcade game. It was faster, and the difference in color between the SMS and NES versions made the two versions look a generation apart.

3 Ghostbusters

Ghostbusters NES v SMS
  • Sega Master System Release Date: 1987
  • Sega Master System Developer: Compile
  • NES Release Date: 1988
  • NES Developer: Bits Laboratory

Ghostbusters is a beloved franchise of films, video games, cartoons, and toys. The original movie starred movie legends Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Sigourney Weaver, Ernie Hudson, and Rick Moranis. It's become a staple for many fans to watch every Halloween and Christmas.

It's a special series that deserves a great video game. Unfortunately, the 1984 Ghostbusters video game varied in quality depending on the platform. The Sega Master System version had better visuals and colors. It also added on-foot shooting galleries that weren't present in the original Commodore 64 version. Unfortunately, the NES version had downgraded graphics, an unfair difficulty, and the text had spelling and grammatical errors.

2 Asterix

Asterix MS v NES
  • Sega Master System Release Date: 1991
  • Sega Master System Developer: Sega
  • NES Release Date: 1993
  • NES Developer: Bit Managers

Often looked at as a Mario clone, Asterix is a fantastic platform game in its own right on the Sega Master System. The game is based on the comics and cartoon characters of the same name, as players take on the roles of Asterix and Obelix.

In the NES version, however, only Asterix is a playable character. Despite coming out two years after the SMS version, the visuals are a downgrade. Asterix and Obelix look so well animated that the game wouldn't have looked out of place on the Sega Megadrive/Genesis.

1 Star Wars

Star Wars SMS v NES
  • Sega Master System Release Date: 1991
  • Sega Master System Developer: TierTex
  • NES Release Date: 1991
  • NES Developer: Lucasfilm Games

Like the Spider-Man game above, the differences between the NES and SMS versions of Star Wars in its gameplay and story. However, the lack of color in the NES version highlights the differences between the two.

Luke Skywalker's character model is more detailed on the Sega Master System and shows distinct color separation in his clothing. The backgrounds also have more detail in Sega's version. Everything has a shade of green or blue instead of grey on the rocks and metallic colors on the Star Wars logo, C3P0, and other objects.

NEXT: The Best Sega Master System Games Of All Time