Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Never reached it's potential..., August 15, 2007
Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars
I purchased my original front-loading Sega CD system the day it was released back in 1992. I had high hopes for this expensive ($300) Genesis add-on. The original Sega CD system was packed with a total of 7 games: A 5-in-1 Genesis compilation CD, the CD edition of Renovation's Sol-Feace, and a full-motion video Sherlock Holmes mystery game. Being packed with so many games seemed to justify the high price tag, especially considering that game cartridges routinely sold for around $60.00 at this time.
More than doubling the processing power of the Genesis, the onboard processor of the Sega CD ran at 12.5 MHz. It included hardware for scaling and rotation and a very nice 16-bit sound processor. Combined with the Genesis, this was a very formidable system for its day.
There were three categories of games available on the Sega CD: Full-motion video (FMV), enhanced genesis titles, and original (non-FMV) titles. The original titles were my favorites. These were games designed from the ground up to utilize the added processing power and storage the Sega CD offered. The result was higher resolutions, smoother animations and more detailed graphics (be sure to check out the images I uploaded!). Sonic CD is a great example of an original Sega CD title.
The enhanced Genesis titles were basically Genesis games with enhanced sound, thanks to the redbook CD audio and 16-bit sound processor. Some of these titles included animated cinemas as well. Otherwise, you were still playing a Genesis game. As an owner of a Sega CD system, I felt that when a certain game was released on BOTH cartridge and CD, I had to buy the CD version. The problem is that most Genesis games were not ported over to CD. So I found myself holding off for months for a CD version that would never come out. This must've had an impact on cartridge sales.
As for the full-motion video titles, this has become the stigma of the Sega CD system; there were way too many of these crappy games. Basically, these are nothing more than cheesy, pixilated movies with bad acting. The game player is given cues every so often, to control the direction of the video; you're not actually controlling the action. The only FMV games I liked on the Sega CD were the animated ones like Dragon's Lair, Road Avenger and Time Gal. These were a different breed than the Night Traps, Corpse Killers, etc.
For those pondering the purchase of a used Sega CD unit, by all means pick one up. There are certainly enough quality (non-FMV) titles available to justify the cost of a used unit. Several of these titles are among the greatest 16-bit games ever created; if you are a collector, you must own these. Here are the titles that should be considered: Sonic CD, Flink, Mickey Mania, Wonderdog, Chuck Rock 2, Ecco 1 & 2, The Terminator, Robo Aleste, Final Fight CD, Formula One World Championship, Lunar: The Silver Star, Lunar: Eternal Blue, Snatcher, Batman Returns, Eternal Champions, AH3 Thunderstrike, Earthworm Jim SE, Silpheed and Shining Force CD.
Have fun!
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Sega CD, October 29, 2005
Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars
The Sega CD was a very good add-on for the Genesis, but the major problem with it was all the crappy games that came out for it. They were a lot of FMV games which the whole game was just a horrible movie instead of a video game. Also they were a lot of Genesis cart to Sega CD convertions, or a lot of Genesis games get converted to the Sega CD format just for the redbook audio. They were some very good games for the Sega CD, here is a small list of some of the best games for the Sega CD:
Sonic CD
Snatcher (The rarest Sega CD game)
AH3 Thunderhawk
Android Assult
Any Working Designs published games
Silpheed
Robo Aleste
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
sega cd. A must have for the genesis , get the front loading version., June 6, 2009
Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars
When the sega Cd was relased in the early 90s... it boasted superior graphics..and high quality cd sound. it was and still is THE must have addition for genesis owners. it was in development for a few years in secrecy to beat nintendo's snes nintendo didnt get into disc gaming until the late 90s with the gamecube.
this was way before the playstation series and xbox series of systems and this was cutting edge, and ahead of its time..sure the turbo grafx 16 system had a cd drive modual also , but im my opinion is wasnt as cool as the sega cd (mega cd in japan)
there were 3 versions of the sega cd..one side by side manual open model and another model that was a all in one system (and quite hard to find) then there was the BEST version...the original that is mounted under the Genesis with the automatic front loading door. its a beast! but works perfectly. the sega cd system has extra graphics processors and extra memory that triples the power of the genesis! which means more detailed graphics,beter soundtracks, and animation...all said the sega cd rocks!
sure, it was expensive at the time at almost 300 this made most people shy away from it..another reason it was overlooked was that there werent many great games..i for one was never a fan of the full motion movie games. those never worked right and looked weird. But, there were a lot of great exclusive, and reworked genesis games that made the segs cs worth owning..
games such as THE TERMINATOR, FINAL FIGHT CD, SONIC CD, ANDROID ASSULT, made this a winner. combined with huge genesis library as well as the cd games...it made the genesis a powerhouse. however sega neglected, and poorly promoted its superior add on, and made way for the sega saturn system..which ws a great system in its own right.
the sega cd, was never given a real chance..it deserved better. its still popular with game collectors today. i got my front loading model last year at a classic gaming store for 40 dollars mint. and its worth it.
in the age of the Playstation 3, Xbox360 , and even the wii sega games are still fun and sction packed. i have all the next gen systems and sometimes i find that playing the genesis or any other classic are more fun. why? because the empathsis was on fun and quality games period.
still love the old sega tagline..GENESIS DOES WHAT NINTENDO'NT
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