Besides neutopia any other Zelda clones?

[tbone3969]

I had owned Golden Axe and it is indeed awesome. For me I found it kinda hard.

Master system is a fun little system that gets overlooked. I think it had a lot of good looking games, lots of great games that can be had for cheap and a decent homebrew scene. I believe in brazil they still sell Sega Master systems in stores and I know they have huge list of import exclusives.

I might take the plunge into the Sega Master System soon.  It's one of the only retro systems I don't have.  I might start with the Game Gear adapter to play them.  I wonder if there is a Master System Everdrive out there?

[stinkoman]

I had owned Golden Axe and it is indeed awesome. For me I found it kinda hard.

Master system is a fun little system that gets overlooked. I think it had a lot of good looking games, lots of great games that can be had for cheap and a decent homebrew scene. I believe in brazil they still sell Sega Master systems in stores and I know they have huge list of import exclusives.

I might take the plunge into the Sega Master System soon.  It's one of the only retro systems I don't have.  I might start with the Game Gear adapter to play them.  I wonder if there is a Master System Everdrive out there?

I do believe there is one. I think really the systems biggest flaw is all the box art is terrible and eye sore.

[DragonmasterDan]

I do believe there is one. I think really the systems biggest flaw is all the box art is terrible and eye sore.

Pause button being on the system?
The library mostly consisting of arcade ports?
Very limited Japanese third party support?

The SMS has much greater problems than the box art

[stinkoman]

I do believe there is one. I think really the systems biggest flaw is all the box art is terrible and eye sore.

Pause button being on the system?
The library mostly consisting of arcade ports?
Very limited Japanese third party support?

The SMS has much greater problems than the box art

I guess your write and make good points about those.The pause button never bothered me. The mostly arcade ports also don't bother me. But I didn't buy any of the games when it was new nor played the arcade ports so my view is from a much later stand point,but could see how that could turn somebody off if they wanted something new when It came out.

The 3rd party support thing with nintendo really did hurt them.

[EmperorIng]

Isn't there already a SMS thread to discuss the system? Why clog things up?

Xak I&II are modeled off of Ys I&II, but there is overworld exploration, dungeon crawling, and whatnot. Xak III is more overtly Zelda-like, thanks to its attack-button (versus the previous games' hold-n-bump system a la Ys). There's a fan translation worth seeking out.

Similarly, Efera and Jiliora is a decent, but not extraordinary game in the top-down RPG mold. Like Xak, it's more modeled on Ys (RPG elements like buying armor, levels/stats), but it can be fun if you sort of know what you are doing (look up my thread on the game for a few hints/explanations). There's a reason the game is fairly cheap though, because its quality can be a little suspect. Same with Xak I&II, but those games are so fast-paced and generally a good-enough time that it doesn't stick in your craw as much.

Tower of Druaga is one of the earliest top-down adventure games along with Hydlide, except in arcade format. it too inspired Zelda. The PCE luckily got the best version of the game, an update/remake with more treasures, more accessible game design, and better graphics. Unless you play a translated romhack though, these improvements will be meaningless.

It's an arcade-styled title, not a sprawling adventure - you are limited to figuring out 60 top-down mazes and finding treasures (you get a hint each floor on how to do this). The game is fantastic though; I highly recommend booting it up via Turbo-ED or Ootake or something.

If you want to venture further you can try its sequel, Return of Ishtar; I have a hard time figuring out the game though.

[SignOfZeta]

The answer is no. There are no other Zelda clones on NEC systems. I don't know why people feel compelled to suggest games that are only seem similar if you are you are a 90 year old grandma. They must not understand Zelda very well.

This is a stretch, and it's not NEC, but I think the Thor games (MD/Saturn) are the best things that are close, but they really aren't that lose ether.

If you are comparing to Zelda II (which I'm sure you weren't) there are dozens games that are really similar, and usually even worse. Valis, Conan, and especially Ys III, but this comparison is more easily made because Zelda II is lame and doesn't have a "vibe" like most other Zelda games. A vibe Neutopia approximated better than anyone.