A la Card: Spy Vs. Spy & Shanghai | Segaiden 063
773Here's a sight: Not one but TWO games for Master System that have already appeared in other video works productions. Both Spy Vs. Spy and Shanghai either had appeared or would eventually appear on a Nintendo platform at the time of their launch for Master System, but in a wild and unexpected twist of events, these were the versions to play.
Spy Vs. Spy actually appeared simultaneously on Master System and NES, but this version includes quite a bit more content (read: twice as many levels) and a much richer screen interface that works more like the microcomputer original than the mediocre port that Kemco offered up. Not a bad farewell to the Sega Card format.
As for Shanghai, the game never made it to NES, so Nintendo fans received it instead via HAL Laboratory. There's no such thing as a bad HAL game (probably), but that version of Shanghai had to overcome the logistics of working on a small, monochromatic screen, which is why most people just play it with the alphanumeric tile set instead of the mahjong symbols. The Master System conversion doesn't quite overcome the limitations of screen resolution, but it definitely acquits itself better than most 8-bit console ports did.
Production notes:
Why watch when you can read? All 420 full-color pages of SG-1000 Works: Segaiden Vol. I are now in print at Limited Run Games (https://limitedrungames.com/collectio.... You can also grab the massive hardcover print editions of NES Works, Super NES Works, and Virtual Boy works as well. Look for NES Works Gaiden Vol. I and Master System Works Vol. I in 2024-25.
Video Works is funded via Patreon ( / gamespite ) — support the show and get access to every episode up to two weeks in advance of its YouTube debut! Plus, exclusive podcasts, eBooks, and more!
Master System footage captured from U.S. carts running through a cart adapter on Japanese Master System hardware and MiSTer (thanks to MiSTerAddOns). Video upscaled to 4K with RetroTink 4K. RGB cables courtesy of StoneAgeGamer.com and Allie Bellrose.
Thanks to Diamond Feit for the live camera work!