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[A Black Falcon]

I show every level here - someone familiar with the game might be able to spot the added levels: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifv6Vs5wKHE

I looked up Gamefaqs FAQs of both versions, and it seems that they added six levels to the CD version of Ecco 1 - 33 levels instead of 27. Five of them are in an all-new part of the game, the fourth one in the CD version, and the other new level is the first level of part 3. Pretty nice addition, even if it is just standard Ecco levels and not the stuff Ecco 2 CD does, which couldn't have been done on cart. I'll have to edit in mention of the added levels in Ecco 1 though.

 

[drugstore_cowboy]

Oh yeah Final Fight, really enjoyed that port as the Super Famicon's was such a let down.

Core's stuff was technically pretty cool but I could never shake off the euro demo scene look, still their work was much appreciated at the time.

 

[daninthemix]

I looked up Gamefaqs FAQs of both versions, and it seems that they added five levels to the CD version of Ecco 1 - 33 levels instead of 27. Five of them are in an all-new part of the game, the fourth one in the CD version, and the other new level is the first level of part 3. Pretty nice addition, even if it is just standard Ecco levels and not the stuff Ecco 2 CD does, which couldn't have been done on cart. I'll have to edit in mention of the added levels in Ecco 1 though.

Oh cool. The Mega Drive version was hardly a short game, anyway. For me, it's that lovely CD soundtrack that makes this one the best.

 

[A Black Falcon]

No Terminator? Must be played for the music!

It was my first SCD game and was exactly what I wanted, GEN/SNES level graphics with high quality audio.

Yeah, that's definitely one I'd like to get. Looks quite good.

 

[A Black Falcon]

Okay, I did a revision of the list. I rewrote the final paragraph of the Ecco CD review, in order to correct the multiple errors in the paragraph. I also corrected the Formula One Beyond the Limit developer citation; the game was developed and produced by Fuji Television, but Sega did the programming. In addition, I added notes that Mansion of Hidden Souls, Starblade, and Rise of the Dragon support the mouse. Added mention of the XE-1AP analog controller and the games that support it, namely Starblade, After Burner III, and Night Striker. Added mention of Flink's enhanced sound. Added mention of Mickey Mania's Playstation version and corrected developer citation (Traveller's Tales of course, not Eurocom).

 

[HyperZone<3]

holy crap, that is a thread. Thank you so much for all that info, so many interesting games I never even knew about.

very cool. Thank you sir.

 

[Square2015]

I went with the high estimate there. I probably should have explained that we really do not know how much the Sega CD sold, and estimates are everywhere from 1.5 million to 6 million. It is very likely that the system outsold the Saturn in the US, but the Saturn was only ~1.5 million in North America, so even if that 6 million number is twice the actual total, given that the Sega CD was more successful in the US than elsewhere, that's still probably more in North America than the Saturn sold.



Gah, Annet Futatabi! I don't own the game at the moment, but have played and beaten the game on my Sega CD, several years back... I should write something up for it because of that. It's an okay but frustrating beat 'em up.

As for Earnest Evans though, I haven't played that game for either Genesis or Sega CD, but given the consistently terrible reviews it gets, I've never really wanted to.



If the gameplay was as good as the story, it'd be in the top 10...

I have rough NPD numbers after '93...with some backward projecting it looks like the Sega CD sold almost 1.4m in the United States.
1992: ~150k
1993: ~380k
1994: ~440k
1995: ~250k
1996: ~150k

 

[A Black Falcon]

I have rough NPD numbers after '93...with some backward projecting it looks like the Sega CD sold almost 1.4m in the United States.
1992: ~150k
1993: ~380k
1994: ~440k
1995: ~250k
1996: ~150k

That's interesting, and great to know, but are they accurate? I mean, I thought sales were a bit higher than that in the US. There's a "2.7 million as of the end of '94" number out there, which Wikipedia claims. It cites two sources, one a German article which has some accurate numbers and some inaccurate, and the other some Screen Digest article that I don't think I've seen myself. If the system only sold 1.4 million in the US, there's no way whatsoever it was anywhere near 2.7 million worldwide lifetime, never mind as of the end of '94; the SCD only sold like ~350,000 in Japan (the exact number is known, but I forget it; it's around there), and it did poorly in Europe. No specific totals are known for Europe, except that by August '93 it had only sold 60,000 in the UK, but that's not a good number... and the system released there late, and faded early. If it was only 1.4 million in the US, I'd guess more like 2 million worldwide, instead of 2.7 million, but I don't know which of those is more accurate. I mean, we know that old NPD numbers (from the mid '90s and earlier) are NOT entirely accurate.

 

[trogdorddragon]

I loved what the Sega CD brought to the table.

It was fun and the 32x made it even better.

I disagree with you about tomcat alley.

I loved it.

But then, I was playing it when it released in the correct historical context, not three generations later.

 

[vilmer_]

One game that always sticks out to me from the Sega CD after all these years is Prize Fighter.

 

[Anth0ny]

Falcon you should make a website or something. These threads are too good!

 

[Dire]

Dark Wizard is definitely one of my top games of all time. I think the music also deserves mention. The music from start to finish in that game was just amazing. One tune I doubt I'll ever forget is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnLXQkkscy8 That's the theme for the protagonist when playing as the undead forces. Just top notch stuff.

 

[A Black Falcon]

Falcon you should make a website or something. These threads are too good!

I do have a blog. No one goes there, but I've been updating it regularly for the last few months by posting slightly revised versions of my old reviews and stuff anyway. I like forums the most, but having it as an archive of the stuff I've posted is nice, I think.

blackfalcongames.net

I've mentioned the site on other forums I post on, but I guess I hadn't on GAF... but yeah, it's there. Within a few months it should even have most of my stuff that I wrote years ago actually posted (I'm trying to post something every few days).

One game that always sticks out to me from the Sega CD after all these years is Prize Fighter.

I've seen the game regularly for quite cheap, but... first-person FMV boxing? I imagine it'd be something like Supreme Warrior, but with black & white boxing instead of martial arts... and I hate that game and dislike boxing, so I can't convince myself to buy the game.

Dark Wizard is definitely one of my top games of all time. I think the music also deserves mention. The music from start to finish in that game was just amazing. One tune I doubt I'll ever forget is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnLXQkkscy8 That's the theme for the protagonist when playing as the undead forces. Just top notch stuff.

That is pretty good, yeah! I'm not sure if I ever played as the undead guy... but yeah, great game. It's too bad that most console/handheld strategy games use square grids, because Dark Wizard shows how hexes are better.

 

[Square2015]

That's interesting, and great to know, but are they accurate? I mean, I thought sales were a bit higher than that in the US.

I believe they are accurate, they may even be too high.

What I've learned about how sales were "reported" in the olden days suggests we have overblown numbers on really everything.

Methods reported back then were the shipped out of factories or just manufactored units.

When "sold" figures were released they were actually sold TO RETAILERS not customers, as Nintendo would do.

Nintendo did this until 2000. Sony until about 2006. So most figures from prior are overblown.
[You'll notice how Famitsu tracking suddenly got accurate around 2001 as it pertains to NIntendo's figures...hmm.]

For example in my research we have the SNES "shipping" 23.35m to North America (or maybe just Americas), but actually sold within the US to customers was more like 17m... maybe a tad more like 17.2m. That equals 74% of what was reported not the expected 87% (including Canada's 10-13%, and I guess Mexico). You can apply this to all of NCL's consoles before 2000 and it seems to apply to Japan too, AND to software though I need to do further research on this.


Sony's numbers appear to be even more overblown as they included faulty manufactured units.

Sega's seem to be the most honest, they seem to have actually given shipped to retailers figures and I have data that says 1.45m CDs were shipped to N. America and I think it's accurate, if there were hybrids they may not be included in that figure though.

 

[Phediuk]

You are like a review robot with these threads.

 

[Robert at Zeboyd Games]

Great thread.

Lunar: EB was the whole reason I bought a Sega CD (and the main reason I got a Genesis) and I didn't regret it. Such an amazing game. I'm not sure I agree on the SCD version being better than the PS1/Saturn remakes though. Yes, the added fan service scenes are annoying & the reduced number of cutscenes is baffling and there were some situations I thought the SCD version handled better (like the village where you team up with Leo), but the added character customization via accessories is appreciated, the music is better, saves are free, and there are some bonus dungeons that weren't in the original. It's definitely a closer race than Lunar 1 (which I feel the PS1 is clearly superior overall) but what really puts it over the top for me is that it's just more enjoyable to play games on the PS1/PS2/PS3 than on the Sega CD. Better controls, no need to worry about save batteries dying, faster loads (and less finicky CD drive if you're playing on the PS2 or PS3), and better standard audio/visual cables.

 

[HolyBaikal]

I have Keio Flying Squadron. It happens to be one of my favourite games. I wish it were more popular.

I have the case in a zip bag and a plastic tub. Because I want to take care of it. I feel lucky to have it, it's a very expensive game. The discs for both of them in my consoles, though. There aren't many interesting games for the SEGA CD to me, so I just leave my copy of the game in the system.

I'd love it if they would port the game, though. It's kind of expensive.
This sort of thing is kind of why I'm hopeful about digital distribution.

Games like Keio Flying Squadron being so rare and expensive is one of the bad things about physical distribution. I would love to see Keio Flying Squadron on Steam so much.

 

[vireland]

For one thing, the game adds a pointless, but fanservicey, bath scene early in the game; this scene does not happen in the SCD version.

Actually, that first bath scene is completely consistent with the "humanization" of Lucia storyline and not pure fanservice. It's there as a contrast to the later scene where she's bathing in a lake by herself. In the first scene, she's completely oblivious to her nudity/sexuality. In the second scene later in the game, she's embarrassed when Hiro happens on her and shrieks/tries to cover herself, then jumps in the water. It's a progression of the character's awareness.

 

[A Black Falcon]

Actually, that first bath scene is completely consistent with the "humanization" of Lucia storyline and not pure fanservice. It's there as a contrast to the later scene where she's bathing in a lake by herself. In the first scene, she's completely oblivious to her nudity/sexuality. In the second scene later in the game, she's embarrassed when Hiro happens on her and shrieks/tries to cover herself, then jumps in the water. It's a progression of the character's awareness.

(warning: nsfw links of course)

She only shrieks and jumps into the water on the PS1, though. On Sega CD she's embarrassed in that scene, but doesn't react nearly so much: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kM5WticEEAM
No scream, and no jumping in to the water either. Just a surprised breath, she covers herself and then she tells him to wait outside. It does indeed show that she's gotten more 'normal' since the beginning, but not in an overdone way like it is on PS1.

I definitely think the SCD version is a lot better than the overdone PS1 version of the scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEF7_CoRWDI
She screams now, covers herself, and jumps into the water (from a rock that she wasn't on in the SCD; in the SCD she's standing in the water already).

There's a big contrast between these reactions, and the original version is better. The second one (PS1 version) is a bit of an excessive contrast, particularly from that first, added bath scene which the game really never needed to begin with...

 

[NEO0MJ]

The Sega Genesis CDX was the second console my family owned (we had atari before that) and our first (and only) Sega console. We had a lot of fun with it, though being the irresponsible kids that we were eventually ruined the lens.