We need Phantasy Star 1 there

[Ikagura]

Is this possible to make the first game available on PC so we can get the first 4 games in the serie on Steam?

[Kill0byte]

That game was for the master system though.

[Ikagura]

Originally posted by Kill0byte:

That game was for the master system though.

Well it was ported on the Megadrive after (only in Japan tho).

I would love to see a Master System collection as well

[Kill0byte]

Phantasy Star Fukkokuban wasn't actually a port. It's still just the master system game board with a pinout converter similar to the power base converter put inside a mega drive cartridge. It's similar to how some early NES games were just the famicom game board with a 30-72 pin converter inside the cartridge shell.

[Ikagura]

Originally posted by Kill0byte:

Phantasy Star Fukkokuban wasn't actually a port. It's still just the master system game board with a pinout converter similar to the power base converter put inside a mega drive cartridge.

That's what a port is right? It's like when a game release on both the PS3 and PS4 for exemple.

Maybe Sega should make a "Sonic Mania" esque collection of the 4 game by improving the gameplay and graphisms for every game in the collection.

[Kill0byte]

No, a port is when the code of the game is ported to another platform. Kinda like how playing a PS1 game disc on a PS2 doesn't make the game a PS2 port. It's the same thing. The Genesis/Mega Drive still has the master system hardware inside of it, so it's fully backwards compatible, it just requires a special pin on the connector that switches the console into master system mode, which is what the power base converter did.

[Ikagura]

Originally posted by Kill0byte:

No, a port is when the code of the game is ported to another platform. Kinda like how playing a PS1 game disc on a PS2 doesn't make the game a PS2 port. It's the same thing. The Genesis/Mega Drive still has the master system hardware inside of it, so it's fully backwards compatible, it just requires a special pin on the connector that switches the console into master system mode, which is what the power base converter did.

Are you telling me that Sega has made retrocompatibility a thing way before it was cool?

[Kill0byte]

They sure did. The game gear was also capable of playing master system games with the appropriate cartridge converter as well, called the Master Gear.

[Ikagura]

Originally posted by Kill0byte:

They sure did. The game gear was also capable of playing master system games with the appropriate cartridge converter as well, called the Master Gear.

Interresting, that reminds me of the Nomad (it was a good way to play Megadrives game even if this sucked up the batteries at a fast speed)


I wish Sega could make the effort to take care about their JRPG serie like putting every game and the spinoff on PC and current consoles.

The only legal way to play PS I for me is to get the GBA collection once again

[Kill0byte]

There are quite a few ways. The original Phantasy Star was an unlockable game in Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection for the PS3/360. There's also the Phantasy Star Collection for the Japanese Saturn, and in addition to Sega Ages making Playstation 2 remakes of PS1 & 2, they also released a Phantasy Star Collection as part of the product line. The Saturn and PS2 games can all be purchased and run on a pc via emulator, and the Phantasy Star 1 remake has an english translation patch available.

Also, some people may disagree with me, but I play Phantasy Star in an emulator on my pc. I don't have a problem with emulation in general anyway, but I also own the original cartridge, so if you're concerned with the "legality", I would say just purchase a copy of the game in some format and then just play the game via emulator on your pc.

[jcnfinch]

The Japan-only MD PS1 is actually a port built on the 16-bit PS engine (PS2 and 3). It's quite a bit better looking and has much more detailed, larger sprites and backgrounds. I can't really speak to the rest of the game as I can't figure out how to leave the first town with the language barrier, but it is a weird omission in the Phantasy Star saga. Would love to see a fan translation, even if it uses the PlayStation 2 remake fan translation or the Master System original.

[Ikagura]

Originally posted by jcnfinch:

The Japan-only MD PS1 is actually a port built on the 16-bit PS engine (PS2 and 3). It's quite a bit better looking and has much more detailed, larger sprites and backgrounds. I can't really speak to the rest of the game as I can't figure out how to leave the first town with the language barrier, but it is a weird omission in the Phantasy Star saga. Would love to see a fan translation, even if it uses the PlayStation 2 remake fan translation or the Master System original.

Is there a way to see videos of the port?

Anyway I could have hoped that they took a new translation (like the SMS Power translation from 2006) with lowercase included in the font (to make it more readable)

Anyway the Sega Ages version deserves a port outside of the Switch

[Kill0byte]

Originally posted by jcnfinch:

The Japan-only MD PS1 is actually a port built on the 16-bit PS engine (PS2 and 3). It's quite a bit better looking and has much more detailed, larger sprites and backgrounds. I can't really speak to the rest of the game as I can't figure out how to leave the first town with the language barrier, but it is a weird omission in the Phantasy Star saga. Would love to see a fan translation, even if it uses the PlayStation 2 remake fan translation or the Master System original.

From Sega Retro:

"History
Sequels and re-releases
In 1994, Sega released a version for the Sega Mega Drive, Phantasy Star Fukkokuban (ファンタシースター 復刻版). This version is merely the Master System version on a Mega Drive cartridge PCB with the appropriate connector pin to signal Master System mode changed accordingly (which is how passthrough devices like the Power Base Converter work). The situation behind this release is unknown; the most prominent rumor is that it was a contest giveaway."

Also, I own the cartridge and I can confirm it's the exact same game.

[Ikagura]

Wasn't there some kind of hidden retrocompat inside the Megadrive to run Mark 3 games?

Or was it the SNES with the NES cartridges?

[Kill0byte]

The Genesis/Megadrive had the master system hardware built in. You just needed a cartridge passthrough with the pinout that activated the master system mode, allowing you to play master system games on the genesis/megadrive.

[Ikagura]

Originally posted by Kill0byte:

The Genesis/Megadrive had the master system hardware built in. You just needed a cartridge passthrough with the pinout that activated the master system mode, allowing you to play master system games on the genesis/megadrive.

This is good to know, why Sega hasn't marketted that back then?