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Sega CD/Mega CD Appreciation Thread of Welcome to the Next Level

People mostly talk about the platform bits because the much more successful and widely-known version is the original cartridge release and is 100% platforming; the CD version is essentially a port with driving sections stuck in between the stages.

The Adventures of Batman & Robin CD game is by the same team and is 100% driving stages with cutscenes that were animated and voiced by the studio that did the TV show. It's a great technical showpiece but I don't think it's much fun.

People should just see the platform bits as a bonus and nothing more . You can play the driving game on its own and the driving game alone as more tracks and more stages that most standalone driving games on the MD what with 5 levels each with 6 stages to beat

Adv Of Batman &Robin isn't as smooth or as fast there far less parallax scrolling. Technically is doing more (and maybe too much) but its doesn't look as good and doesn't play as good either. John O'Brien was the master of the ASIC chip inside the Mega CD
 
This thread couldnt have come at a better time. I recently got a model 1 genesis with a model 2 cd. I grabbed RGB cables from retroconsoleaccesories and it's been bliss.

so far I've only spent a few hours playing fatal fury CD. As a big fan of the Haggar character this game is the GOAT.

The main thing that stands out to me is the audio. Switching between CD and Genesis games is almost painful.

Keep the game impressions coming ! I cant wait to get into some of them.
 
The SEGA CD also had it's collection of popular ports of the time:

nba_jam-front.jpg


U-048-S-00860-A.jpg


Earthworm_Jim_-_Special_Edition_(Sega_CD)_(U).png
 

sörine

Banned
The Sega Genesis Mega Drive was already pretty niche in Japan, so I could only imagine that the Sega Mega CD was even more of a niche product. The PC-Engine CD-ROM probably has a larger selection of JRPG's released for it overall in Japan, because it really was a more popular alternative.

The Sega CD version of Snatcher never saw a Japanese release as there was already a port of it on the more popular PCE CD-ROM that was released a couple years earlier.

But with that said, there still are a few obscure RPG's that were left behind in Japan that weren't picked up by Working Designs or Sega. Looking at this list of Wikipedia these are the few that I can spot:

A-Rank Thunder Tanjouhen
After Armageddon Gaiden
Alshark
Aisle Lord (this one is a first person dungeon crawler by Wolf Team)
Arcus 1-2-3 (another first person dungeon crawler, also by Wolf Team)
Burai
Cosmic Fantasy Stories
Daihoushinden
Dark Wizard
Death Bringer: The Knight of Darkness (another FP Dungeon Crawler)
Fhey Area
Genei Toshi: Illusion City
Magical Girl Silky Lip!
Record of Lodoss War
Seima Densetsu 3×3 Eye
Shin Megami Tensei

I am probably still missing more than a few from that list. I'm not really familiar with most of these, but I think many of them were ports from the PCE CD-ROM or are based on licensed Manga and Anime.
Sega did publish Dark Wizard in the west, it's a pretty decent srpg. I remember hearing way back that Working Designs was going to do After Armageddon after Lunar 2 but ended up cancelling it and moving full force into Saturn.

I really wish Illusion City had come over on some platform. It hits all the right notes visually and aurally for me, I really get the impression it'd have been considered a cult classic had it released in english. Maybe some day we'll see a fan translation when the community runs out of FC/SFC/GB games no one asked for. :/
 

Maou

Member
Maybe I posted the thread at a bad time, or maybe I wasn't fawning enough over the crappy Sega CD games that I played at the time. I'll say, Night Trap is overrated, no one talks about Wirehead and Double Switch, and Sega CD is not fun to play, but it is fine camp.
I think your problem was right there: you were playing all the wrong games, the FMV junk that flooded the international release of the system. If you look closely at the games brought up in this thread, I think you'll find that a majority of them are NOT on the list you just mentioned, and your older thread specifically said it was uninterested in Lunar etc. because they were available in better forms (highly debatable, despite the better tech) on other systems.

Shorter version: Mega CD as a "camp system" of bad American FMV games is amusing for a bit and may get a reply or two, but Mega CD as Sega's response to the PC Engine Super CD ROM2/DUO with a bunch of high-quality games with animated cinemas throughout (Lunar 2 has nearly an hour, more than its remake! It's incredible) is a very different conversation.
 

Tigerfog

Member
Are there any games whose best version is on the sega CD?
I've been checking out the site Hardcore Gaming 101 for info about that, but I don't remember all the info from that massive site.

Off the top of my head:
-Earthworm Jim 1: Though the PC versions have either more levels (win95) or better colors (can O' worms), the Sega CD version has those versions' music.
-Lunar Silver Star: Redbook music and slightly different story compared to the PS1-GBA versions.
-Lunar Eternal Blue: Redbook music and a few more events compared to the PS1 version.
-Popful Mail: Has cutscenes and arguably better gameplay compared to the PC88 and SNES versions.
-Snatcher: Different soundtrack from the PC Engine version (which was mostly based off the already excellent MSX soundtrack), uncensored graphic violence that got censored in the later releases.
-Shining Force CD: updated ports of the Game Gear chapters.

Any other games worth mentioning that have unique features or are best played on the Sega CD?
 

Soltype

Member
People should just see the platform bits as a bonus and nothing more . You can play the driving game on its own and the driving game alone as more tracks and more stages that most standalone driving games on the MD what with 5 levels each with 6 stages to beat
I agree the driving sections are easily some of the best from that gen.That sewer level with the jumps was incredible.
 

Mzo

Member
Off the top of my head:
-Earthworm Jim 1: Though the PC versions have either more levels (win95) or better colors (can O' worms), the Sega CD version has those versions' music.
-Lunar Silver Star: Redbook music and slightly different story compared to the PS1-GBA versions.
-Lunar Eternal Blue: Redbook music and a few more events compared to the PS1 version.
-Popful Mail: Has cutscenes and arguably better gameplay compared to the PC88 and SNES versions.
-Snatcher: Different soundtrack from the PC Engine version (which was mostly based off the already excellent MSX soundtrack), uncensored graphic violence that got censored in the later releases.
-Shining Force CD: updated ports of the Game Gear chapters.

Any other games worth mentioning that have unique features or are best played on the Sega CD?
I'd say Working Designs fucked up Popful Mail both in the localization and by messing with the difficulty.

To add to the list:

-Ecco and Ecco: ToT has better music and extra stages
-Heart of the Alien is the Sega CD exclusive to Out of This World, also included on the disc.
-Flashback on the Sega CD has bad CG cutscenes
-Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure is great on it
-Final Fight has voice acting and a new intro cutscene as well as CD music
 
-Final Fight has voice acting and a new intro cutscene as well as CD music

Also in comparison to the SNES game, it has two player mode, all three characters, the missing levels and boss Rolento, bigger sprites, less flicker and slow down, background objects that were missing from the SNES game and Poison and Roxy back. It still had some minimal censorship. But nothing too noticeable. It is a really impressive port.



sörine;181232282 said:
Sega did publish Dark Wizard in the west, it's a pretty decent srpg. I remember hearing way back that Working Designs was going to do After Armageddon after Lunar 2 but ended up cancelling it and moving full force into Saturn.

Whoops, so it was.
 

MikeMyers

Member
Released: April 2nd, 1993 (EU).

Although that was just UK. Italy, Sweden, and Australia also received the original Mega CD shortly after the UK. The rest of Europe/PAL had to wait until September 1993 for the release of the Mega CD 2.

Units Sold: 2.24 million

Probably doesn't include third party models such as Victor Wondermega, Aiwa CSD-G1M, and Pioneer LaserActive Sega PAC. None of those sold massive amounts anyway.
Seems like sales range per source. I think maybe setting it as estimated 2-3 million might be better.
 

lazygecko

Member
Final Fight on SNES was on a mere 512kb cartridge, so of course there were going to be some large concessions to fit it in there. Capcom just chose the wrong kind of concessions. I think SoR1 was also 512kb but they fit a whole lot more content in there, thanks to smaller sprites with less animation frames, more repetetive background tiles, etc. Final Fight CD has an entire disc they can fit data on, so they got all the base content in there and sprite sizes are almost the same as the original (just scaled down horizontally I think, since CPS games use really wide resolutions.).
 

Tigerfog

Member
I'd say Working Designs fucked up Popful Mail both in the localization and by messing with the difficulty.

Oh right... I forgot to mention that. It's a small minus in my book.
I used to play WD games, but after learning Japanese and importing the original Japanese versions of the games I used to play, I was dismayed to notice how much the WD translations strayed from the original JP scripts. It's one thing to localize to make the Japanese jokes more palatable to a western audience, but when it goes a bit too far and changes the original mood/feeling/intentions of the devs who made the games, I feel like I'm missing out.
Thankfully, Popful Mail and Lunar games are available on Sega CD in Japanese in their original difficulty and scripts. I know there are people who appreciate WD's localizations but for those who don't, we can at least still play the JP versions.
Apparently WD changing the difficulty of games made some of them almost impossible like EXILE on PC Engine!

-Ecco and Ecco: ToT has better music and extra stages
-Heart of the Alien is the Sega CD exclusive to Out of This World, also included on the disc.
-Flashback on the Sega CD has bad CG cutscenes
-Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure is great on it
-Final Fight has voice acting and a new intro cutscene as well as CD music

Good point! I didn't know Ecco games had more stages on Sega CD... but music by Spencer Nielsen (Sonic CD, Sonic 3D) is always awesome!
I'm surprised Heart of the Alien was never re-released elsewhere. Maybe it was because the creator preferred to stay with an open ended conclusion to his first game?
And I think Final Fight on Sega CD was the only version which had Jessica wearing only a bra in the intro.

jessica-segacd.png
 

sörine

Banned
I'd say Working Designs fucked up Popful Mail both in the localization and by messing with the difficulty.
I'd agree with that. I love the game but the US release really is a chore to play these days.

Hopefully some day someone does a patch for it restoring the original difficulty. I think that happened for Silhouette Mirage PS1?
 

sörine

Banned
Oh right... I forgot to mention that. It's a small minus in my book.
I used to play WD games, but after learning Japanese and importing the original Japanese versions of the games I used to play, I was dismayed to notice how much the WD translations strayed from the original JP scripts. It's one thing to localize to make the Japanese jokes more palatable to a western audience, but when it goes a bit too far and changes the original mood/feeling/intentions of the devs who made the games, I feel like I'm missing out.
Thankfully, Popful Mail and Lunar games are available on Sega CD in Japanese in their original difficulty and scripts. I know there are people who appreciate WD's localizations but for those who don't, we can at least still play the JP versions.
Apparently WD changing the difficulty of games made some of them almost impossible like EXILE on PC Engine!
For Popful Mail WD also added additional background scrolls and generally touched up the visuals. I wish we could get a version with both the original difficulty and improved graphics.
 

cj_iwakura

Member
I'm surprised Heart of the Alien was never re-released elsewhere. Maybe it was because the creator preferred to stay with an open ended conclusion to his first game?

The creator had nothing to do with HotA and has pretty much disavowed its existence. I can understand why, but still, I really enjoyed it.
 

Maou

Member
Hmm, this wouldn't be a bad place to ask how people are running their MCD games lately. I have all my games, but of course it's a chore get the Mega Drive and the MCD and their two (?!?) AC adaptors in place. I tried running my old discs on Kega or similar, but it was having none of the external USB DVD drive. I assume that after twenty years, it's just being finicky and it shouldn't be difficult to load MCD games in an emulator?
 

cj_iwakura

Member
Hmm, this wouldn't be a bad place to ask how people are running their MCD games lately. I have all my games, but of course it's a chore get the Mega Drive and the MCD and their two (?!?) AC adaptors in place. I tried running my old discs on Kega or similar, but it was having none of the external USB DVD drive. I assume that after twenty years, it's just being finicky and it shouldn't be difficult to load MCD games in an emulator?

I use two opposite ends of a surge protector. Emulation(Gens+) is really easy too.
 

sörine

Banned
I've been replaying Keio Flying Squadron on my hacked n3DS XL in Retroarch/Picodrive. Flawless performance and 16-bit games look fantastic on that low res IPS screen. It's like it was made for them. I've also got that custom Sega CD theme installed on my home menu, I could listen to that track forever.
 
Dark wizard cover art makes me very interested.
Of course I gotta check out the soundtrack first.

You will be pleased---there are very few themes due to the exact moment in history the game was made and how they went about it, but at least a few of them are absolutely killer for the style they chose.
 

Khaz

Member
Hmm, this wouldn't be a bad place to ask how people are running their MCD games lately. I have all my games, but of course it's a chore get the Mega Drive and the MCD and their two (?!?) AC adaptors in place. I tried running my old discs on Kega or similar, but it was having none of the external USB DVD drive. I assume that after twenty years, it's just being finicky and it shouldn't be difficult to load MCD games in an emulator?

the Sega Trio is a single AC adaptor powering the Megadrive, Mega CD and 32X at the same time. A bit expensive but terribly useful. It should be in the OT imo.

http://retrogamecave.com/

I've had no problem playing original Mega CD discs on the computer with Kega. Check your settings.
 

Maou

Member
I use two opposite ends of a surge protector. Emulation(Gens+) is really easy too.
sörine;181245848 said:
I've been replaying Keio Flying Squadron on my hacked n3DS XL in Retroarch/Picodrive. Flawless performance and 16-bit games look fantastic on that low res IPS screen.
I've had no problem playing original Mega CD discs on the computer with Kega. Check your settings.
Music to my ears! Thanks, team, thanks MCD thread!

MEANWHILE:

Another angle to add to the discussion is everyone's experiences with the much-sought-after combined units, the Multimega/CDX as well as the third party Wondermega and other curios. I've never seen one of them in real life---if you ask old shopkeepers in obscure parts of Akiba, they'll say they maybe see one Multimega every few years, and I've never seen one in the country, either, which usually has better stuff. I've never looked in the US or Europe.
Buying it overpriced online is for lamers.
 

Neifirst

Member
Christmas 1993 was the absolute best: I got Sonic CD, Lunar the Silver Star, and Silpheed (the Star Fox killer according to Ed Semrad of EGM). Like a few other posters, I was also really into Dark Wizard and must have watched those 4 animated intro movies 100 times each. The Sega CD also had one of the biggest disappointments I've ever experienced - Vay was just utter garbage compared to Lunar.
 

Tigerfog

Member
This thread couldnt have come at a better time. I recently got a model 1 genesis with a model 2 cd. I grabbed RGB cables from retroconsoleaccesories and it's been bliss.

so far I've only spent a few hours playing fatal fury CD. As a big fan of the Haggar character this game is the GOAT.

The main thing that stands out to me is the audio. Switching between CD and Genesis games is almost painful.

Keep the game impressions coming ! I cant wait to get into some of them.

Ah, a fellow RGB user!
I have the same models as you do. Just curious, but do you have issues with the volume control?
If you're using the RGB cables I think you're using (plugging into the headphone jack at the front of the Genesis 1), maybe you had this problem:
-Genesis 1 is attached to the SegaCD, but only the Genesis power adaptor is plugged:
The volume is uncontrollable and will often randomly get set to its maximum without you playing with the dial at all.
-Genesis 1 is detached from the Sega CD:
The volume can be controlled and doesn't randomly change.
Therefore, be careful.

On topic, I've been to Japan this August and obviously went to retro game stores like Traders or Super Patato in my quest for a PC Engine Duo. I didn't find that, but I did see a Wondermega JVC... it was super expensive though, I think 30,000 yen.
Right next to it was a famicom twin, I think, which was just as relatively expensive.
From what I gather, Wondermega consoles enhance the sounds of the Sega CD games. I'd be very curious to hear the difference... there are youtube videos that compare the sound quality of various Genesis models, maybe someday, someone will make one for the Sega CD models.
 

Mzo

Member
Apparently WD changing the difficulty of games made some of them almost impossible like EXILE on PC Engine!

They did, Except it was Exile 2: Wicked Phenomenom that was rendered nearly impossible.

I don't like the changes to saving in Lunar 2 myself.

Like someone mentioned, Silhouette Mirage is another notable game that was tampered with and broken.
 

Tigerfog

Member
They did, Except it was Exile 2: Wicked Phenomenom that was rendered nearly impossible.

I don't like the changes to saving in Lunar 2 myself.

Like someone mentioned, Silhouette Mirage is another notable game that was tampered with and broken.

Oh, it was the second one! Oops.
Still, it's a bit sad that a game can be rendered almost impossible to finish due to a few arbitrary changes to its balance.

In Lunar 2 on Sega CD, paying Magic Points for saving was pretty harsh... I wasn't a fan of it either.
Didn't the cost also scale according to how many times you saved before, or where you are in the game? I remember it changed every now and then. It often made me think twice before saving.

From time to time, I look at photos of the Sega CD Model 1 and think it looks really kickass when combined with the Genesis Model 1...
P1000848.jpg

I almost want to buy one myself even though I have a SegaCD Model 2, but the idea that I might have to repair it every now and then for various defects is a bit daunting.
If it uses the same power adapter as the Sega CD model 2, I might bite the bullet... so pretty!
 

Flink

Member
Are there any games whose best version is on the sega CD?
I've been checking out the site Hardcore Gaming 101 for info about that, but I don't remember all the info from that massive site.

Off the top of my head:
-Earthworm Jim 1: Though the PC versions have either more levels (win95) or better colors (can O' worms), the Sega CD version has those versions' music.
-Lunar Silver Star: Redbook music and slightly different story compared to the PS1-GBA versions.
-Lunar Eternal Blue: Redbook music and a few more events compared to the PS1 version.
-Popful Mail: Has cutscenes and arguably better gameplay compared to the PC88 and SNES versions.
-Snatcher: Different soundtrack from the PC Engine version (which was mostly based off the already excellent MSX soundtrack), uncensored graphic violence that got censored in the later releases.
-Shining Force CD: updated ports of the Game Gear chapters.

Any other games worth mentioning that have unique features or are best played on the Sega CD?


Flink :)

flink_box_us.jpg
 
Ah, a fellow RGB user!
I have the same models as you do. Just curious, but do you have issues with the volume control?
If you're using the RGB cables I think you're using (plugging into the headphone jack at the front of the Genesis 1), maybe you had this problem:
-Genesis 1 is attached to the SegaCD, but only the Genesis power adaptor is plugged:
The volume is uncontrollable and will often randomly get set to its maximum without you playing with the dial at all.
-Genesis 1 is detached from the Sega CD:
The volume can be controlled and doesn't randomly change.
Therefore, be careful.
.

Interesting! I've never used my model 1 separate from the cd and always have both monster adapters plugged in. I'll try it tomorrow and report back !
 
It seems to be 50/50 split...I don't hate the JP Sonic CD OST (In fact its really good), but I prefer Nilsen's NA soundtrack. In fact, I feel he did consistently good work for Sega's NA Sega CD efforts...its a shame he didn't do more soundtracks afterwards.

As an FYI he released an album in 88-89: Architects of Change that is also pretty good if you have any love for New Age music.
 
Are there any games whose best version is on the sega CD?
I've been checking out the site Hardcore Gaming 101 for info about that, but I don't remember all the info from that massive site.

Off the top of my head:
-Earthworm Jim 1: Though the PC versions have either more levels (win95) or better colors (can O' worms), the Sega CD version has those versions' music.
-Lunar Silver Star: Redbook music and slightly different story compared to the PS1-GBA versions.
-Lunar Eternal Blue: Redbook music and a few more events compared to the PS1 version.
-Popful Mail: Has cutscenes and arguably better gameplay compared to the PC88 and SNES versions.
-Snatcher: Different soundtrack from the PC Engine version (which was mostly based off the already excellent MSX soundtrack), uncensored graphic violence that got censored in the later releases.
-Shining Force CD: updated ports of the Game Gear chapters.

Any other games worth mentioning that have unique features or are best played on the Sega CD?

There are more to add to what's been talked on here


Son Of Chuck - Amazing real-time intro and also the Mega CD versions features better spot effects; smooth scaling of the bird, 360 rotation on the boulders. Also ace music and better sound effects

Fifa Soccer Champ Ed- More teams, better AI, amazing full screen intro, Dolby support and the some of the best use of the 8 channel PCM sound chip

Wing Commander - Best non-PC version of the game with full voice acting and full use if the Mega CD ASIC chip for rotation and scaling

Rise of the Dragon - Full voice acting

Eternal Champions - At the time the deepest fighter ever made and so much better than the MD version

Eye Of the Beholder - Voice acting in the intro and then there's the Yuzo amazing soundtrack

NHL Hockey 94 - Amazing full screen intro, better sound effects and audio that adds to much to the atmosphere of the game

Mickey Mania - Just a really nice soundtrack

Puggsy- Better music and sound effects and also new bosses that make full use of the ASIC chip

Pitfall - Great music score and much better sound effects

AnotherWorld - Just a stunning new music score

Sensible Soccer - The best chants to any any football ever made and adds so much to the game

Cliffhanger - Stunning sound track taken straight from the movie , loads of FMV bits and also 2 stunning 3D snowboard sections that make great use of the ASIC chip thanks again to John O'Brien coding skills on the 3 system

3 Ninja's Kick Back - Better music and sound effects, some nice FMV and 2 bonus sections that make great use of the ASIC chip
 
There are more to add to what's been talked on here


Son Of Chuck - Amazing real-time intro and also the Mega CD versions features better spot effects; smooth scaling of the bird, 360 rotation on the boulders. Also ace music and better sound effects

This is actually a pretty underrated platformer, and it made good use of the Sega CD hardware. Mickey Mania on the Sega CD is great too.
 

cj_iwakura

Member
Interesting that this thread wouls show up. Just broke out my Sega CD Model 1 the other day. Me and my brother played through...



Man.. it was terrible.

I still play it every so often for TV show nostalgia. Boy is it bad, though.


And Cliffhanger, oh god. That game is a nightmare.
 

Patryn

Member
Are there any games whose best version is on the sega CD?
I've been checking out the site Hardcore Gaming 101 for info about that, but I don't remember all the info from that massive site.

Off the top of my head:
-Earthworm Jim 1: Though the PC versions have either more levels (win95) or better colors (can O' worms), the Sega CD version has those versions' music.
-Lunar Silver Star: Redbook music and slightly different story compared to the PS1-GBA versions.
-Lunar Eternal Blue: Redbook music and a few more events compared to the PS1 version.
-Popful Mail: Has cutscenes and arguably better gameplay compared to the PC88 and SNES versions.
-Snatcher: Different soundtrack from the PC Engine version (which was mostly based off the already excellent MSX soundtrack), uncensored graphic violence that got censored in the later releases.
-Shining Force CD: updated ports of the Game Gear chapters.

Any other games worth mentioning that have unique features or are best played on the Sega CD?

I'd argue that Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete on PS1 is better than the Sega CD version, but Lunar: Eternal Blue on the Sega CD is better than Lunar: Eternal Blue Complete on PS1.
 

Maou

Member
I'd argue that Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete on PS1 is better than the Sega CD version, but Lunar: Eternal Blue on the Sega CD is better than Lunar: Eternal Blue Complete on PS1.
The pinnacle of sensibility. I completely agree. On the other hand, as discussed in the various other Silver Star threads, the MCD and SS/PS versions of the first game are so different that they really feel like separate stories and it's possible to enjoy both as very different experiences. By contrast, the MCD Eternal Blue is fathoms beyond the shoddy remake, which falls short of the SS/PS Silver Star remake in so many ways as well, and which brings very little new to the table.
 
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