SEGA of America has officially announced that the SEGA Master System will be on the Wii Shop Channel for US Wii consoles.  Pricing for each title will start at 400 Wii Points or $4.  This make the games the cheapest available in the Wii Shop Channel.  To kick it off, the company has named their launch titles:

• WonderBoy - As Tom-Tom the Wonder Boy, it’s up to you to rescue your girlfriend Tanya from the vile clutches of a monster that has kidnapped her. To do so, you must navigate through a series of worlds in a race against time to reach your goal, as you battle off foes and collect fruit that will add to the amount of time you have to complete your mission. You can also collect helpful power-ups from various eggs, but make sure to avoid the “bad” eggs and poisonous mushrooms that sap your precious vitality. Find the magic doll in each level that opens up the hidden areas, and make it to the very end to rescue your one true love!
• Fantasy Zone - Take command of the spaceship Opa-Opa and blast your way through various fantastical levels as you try to take out all the enemy bases in each stage. Once you’ve destroyed the bases, you’ll have to beat the stage boss in order to move on to the next level. By using your guns and bombs wisely, you’ll be able to take down your enemies and explore each of the crazy environments in this side-scroller. You can also buy upgraded weapons for your ship by accessing the shop. Various SEGA games through the years have referenced the Opa-Opa – now you can play the game that started it all!

No timeline was given as to when we can expect to see these in the Wii Shop Channel, but SEGA revealed they will be coming soon.

I didn’t hear about the Master System until I was playing a Genesis at a friends place when I was a kid.  They pulled out a bigger than normal cartridge and I asked what it was.  It’s a wonder SEGA kept going with the steam Nintendo had with the NES, but I’m glad they did.