For a system that tanked against the NES, the Sega Master System sure has some fans. After Tuesday's RetroCity podcast, I heard from a lot of listeners and readers that harbor nothing but good will toward Sega's 8-bit console. The Master System is also now on the Virtual Console, getting some long overdue love from gamers that may have passed over the console due to the vastly superior marketing of the NES or, well, the awesome-ness of Super Mario Bros.

Downloading Master System classics on the Virtual Console is a good way to atone for past sins, but there is no comparison to actually buying the original games and slapping them into a real-deal Master System. Master System games had a rep for coming in boxes with absolutely horrid art (the Black Belt and Pro Wrestling boxes are real standouts), which makes them entertaining gaming artifacts. Those white boxes with their silver grids will look great on your shelf when friends some over to raid your game collection. But, believe me, I'm not encouraging a museum mentality here. Old games are still games -- and they deserve to be played.It's time for you to buy in on the Master System. In the past, we've put Buyers Guides on IGN Retro to help you out when assembling a library. But those were just suggestions and helpful hints. This list is most certainly not. When putting together the list of the seven Master System essentials, I immediately discounted arcade ports because the majority were released as more accurate ports in later years, save for a few unfortunate stragglers like Quartet. I also discounted anything that also appeared on the Genesis, like Castle of Illusion starring Mickey Mouse AKA One of the Best Platformers You Will Ever Play. Instead, I zeroed in on the absolutes -- the games that were Master System only here in the States. Sadly, this meant I had to leave out Ghostbusters , which dropped on many systems but is best on the Master System.So, these are the games you need to immediately seek out and buy. These are the Master System games you need to dump all your time into. These are the games that will save your cred when you let something slip like praise for Donkey Kong 64. These are the seven Master System games you need to own.

Is there any Master System game more revered than Phantasy Star? This epic role-playing game pre-dated Final Fantasy's North American arrival by two years and Dragon Warrior by one, making it the first big exposure to a hardcore Japanese RPG for audiences here. Compared to many RPGs of the era, defined by games like King's Quest and Ultima, Phantasy Star was revelation. The Master System, consistently proving itself to be technologically superior to the NES when in the hands of a capable developer, provided fertile ground for an adventure spanning three planets and dozens of hours. As you gathered up a party to avenge the death of tour brother, you engaged in hundreds of turn-based battles against large, colorful enemies. The overworld maps were lavishly detailed. The game is easy to play and understand, definitely more so than some of the esoteric RPGs that flooded in its wake on the NES.

Japanese commercial for Phantasy Star.

Phantasy Star was not a cheap game for the Master System. Toys R Us sold it for almost $80 when it debuted since the cart had more memory as well as battery back-up. It was almost a dare to gamers. If you were fortunate enough to score Phantasy Star in 1988, though, you were gifted with the doorway to an incredible escape. The game is not exactly cheap to find now, either. But if you want to have any sort of respectable Master System collection, you absolutely must start here. Otherwise, you're just painting over rust. Alex Kidd in Miracle World has already received a high amount of praise here at IGN retro, and this is likely going to be the last you read of the game for a little while. However, it cannot be repeated enough -- this is a criminally underrated game. Alex Kidd in Miracle World was Sega's attempt to mount any sort of resistance to Mario, and while it failed miserably if you go by such trifling metrics like sales numbers and install bases, the game remains one of the best platformers of the 8-bit generation.

Watch Alex Kidd beat back a bull and explore a cave.

Overbite+in+action.

Alex Kidd in Miracle World has not yet arrived on the Virtual Console. But even if it does in the near future, that's no reason to not add this to your Master System collection as soon as possible. The adventure will take several tries to get all of the rock-paper-scissors patterns down, but once you do, you can power through this ultra-colorful adventure with a big ol' smile on your face. This is your second must-buy.Penguin land is an action-oriented puzzle game starring Overbite, a penguin agent assigned to move fragile eggs to the bottom of polar bear-filled ice shafts. Overbite can break through ice bricks one at a time and nudge the egg along with his beak. The egg cannot fall more than three spaces, or else it shatters and you must start over. The egg must also not be smashed by falling bricks, or touched by polar bears and hawks. There are 50 puzzle screens in Penguin Land, each successively more difficult to master than the last. And the production values are great. The bright colors and the sharp sprites are buttressed by a fun jingle that plays in the background.Penguin Land was another not-so-cheap game for the Master System due to the included battery that saved your self-made puzzle screens right to the cartridge for later play. This level editor adds longevity to an already lengthy game. Penguin Land wasn't the most popular game for the Master System, but it certainly deserves to be so now. Buy it third.