Customer Reviews

Sega CD System - Video Game Console

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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!

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

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

While I can't stand the way Sega killed off their console marketshare with shoddy peripherals like the Sega 32x, I can't really berate the Sega CD. In all fairness, CD attachments were expected to be quite fashionable at the time-- The Turbo GrafX 16 and Atari Jaguar had them, and Nintendo was working with Sony to develop one for Super NES (which would later be released alone as the Playstation after Nintendo pulled out of the partnership). Then of course you had the Phillips CDI and a few other random CD-related doo-dads that never caught on. The CD age was coming, and everyone wanted to get their foot in the door early.

Unfortunately, customers didn't want to pay extra to access games on a system they already owned. The CD technology wasn't quite ready, offering slow loading periods and poor video quality. 64 colors on an image 1/4 the size of the screen didn't exactly feel "high tech" when even a crappy VHS cassette would have looked better. The massive storage, superior audio, and cool mode 7 effects were great additions to the Genesis's power, but unfortunately most American developers only used the Sega CD to unleash upgraded ports of games already found on the Genesis, because Sega sadly did not have enough dev kits to go around.

The system does have it's fare share of gems. Sonic CD, Snatcher, and Popful Mail are some of the system's brightest highlights, and then you've got a bunch of decent ports of old PC games. Sonic CD is probably the most notable though, because it's considered by many to be the best Sonic game ever made (it is also availible in the Sonic Gems collection for Gamecube and Japanese / PAL PS2, but the harcore player will always choose the original). If you find a Sega CD for a decent price, there's really not much excuse not to pick one up. How much you're willing to spend, is up to you. Considering this thing cost $300 when it came out, $25 at a yard sale is a steal.

I RECENTLY PURCHASE SEGA CD VIDEO GAME SYSTEM CONSOLE FOR MY MOTHER AND SHE LOVES IT.MY MOTHER IS 74 YEARS OLD AND SHE IS A OLD SCHOOL GAMER

Where to begin. First of all, I run into a lot of Nintendo fanboys who boast the superiority of the SNES. The SNES was superior in only one way to the Genesis. The Mode7 Faux3D graphics translation engine allowed it to fake 3D backgrounds and do things that no other systems at the time could do. But its audio processor was a poorly made little 8 channel surround Sony (with no surround support in the audio output). The Genesis, however, used a dual SPU system. Putting out through the Genesis' A/V and RF output was a tone generator that had higher quality than the Sony chip used by their competitor. Nice, but not spectacular. The model 1 Genesis, however, had an additional SPU. The Yamaha FM engine, putting out through the headphone jack, was the key to producing great sound on Genesis games. The SEGA CD was designed to take advantage of that. Using a mixing cable (not included, sadly), one could run the Genesis' stereo audio from the Yamaha SPU out through the SCD's input. The result was that the SCD acted as an amplifier for the signal, producing crisp, high quality stereo audio from even Genesis games. While I disagree about the model 1 SCD being better, I will admit that most of it was sturdy. Its flaw was the motorized drive tray (the major fail point of all such consoles). The model 2 remedied that with a top loading system that rarely fails. Both models work with both standalone Genesis systems, but the model 2 required a chassis extension for physical stability. The part that screws up most people is that the various models of each system and addon have different power supplies. The reason why is that they have different voltage and amperage requirements. A friend of mine went to buy an SCD in the store, and they tried to sell him a "Universal" PSU. The problem with that is the universal PSU is designed for a model 3 Genesis and a first gen SNES. He practically had to beat some sense into the store clerk.

Some of the best games of all time were released for the SCD. Some of the worst were too, however. But the one thing it's really missing is a game that was originally planned for it towards the end of its manufacturing lifespan. Phantasy Star 4, one of the greatest Genesis titles ever made, was originally intended to be an immersive, beautiful first person game for the SEGA CD. We got gypped by SEGA not realizing the game would have made people rush stores to get the console.

In short, even today, in an era of 3D graphics, fully rendered cinematics, and cheap gameplay with little plot, the SCD and its repertoire of games and capabilities is well worth the purchase.

I have seen reviews for this system yes it has it's goods and bads but truly had 5 or 6 games worth having. Mortal Kombat was a good port The Terminator Sonic CD Lethal Enforcers Ground Zero Texas Now Night Trap it's suppose to be cheesy it was made in the early 90's. Snatcher I would like but it's expensive I ain't busting all that money for a 14 year old game even if it's great. Surprise got it for Christmas! . People run around and call Sega CD a failure but the 100,000 units that were released sold out in 2 2 /3 months and sold 6 millon when all was said and done not a wild success like SNES but it didn't fail not good not bad just lukewarm sales. But 2 years later Sega would release 32X yes that was a big failure check my 32X review out on my view of that add on it's kinda brutal I show no love for it either now back to Sega CD. If you are interested in fmv games or games that play like arcade games give this extremely underrated sega add on a shot if it's for a decent price $35 to $45 try it out.

Released as an add-on for the Genesis, the Sega CD was a disc based console made in an attempt to give Nintendo a run for their money (which led to a botched deal with Sony, but that's a story for another day). The Sega CD managed to deliver games that featured full motion video in the games, so for some it was like playing an interactive movie. However, this really did nothing to enhance gameplay on the games (just give Night Trap or the Make Your Own Music Video series a look to see what I mean), a department which many of the games released for the Sega CD lacked. Ultimately, the Sega CD's shoddy library killed the system, but there were a few gems that could be found in the system's library, and they are listed below:

Lunar: Silver Star Story
Lunar 2: Eternal Blue
Shining Force CD
Sonic CD
Snatcher
Mortal Kombat
Eternal Champions
AH3 Thunderhawk
Silpheed
Ground Zero Texas
Popful Mail
Lethal Enforcers

It is a really good system but the one I got in the mail worked for a while until the thing that spins the cd fell off it got really annoying to fix it but when it works it really shines!

The first thing I want to say is that as a consumer, one shouldn't consider this another platform. It is a platform but in the lightest sense. It has plenty of different games, and different types of graphics, but as a whole, to me it has always acted as an add-on to the already uber-cool Sega Genesis platform.

If you are a newcomer and have never experienced the Sega in the 90s, or are unfamiliar with the Genesis or the 16-bit era as a whole, chances are you will be disappointed in the Sega CD Console.

Why? The graphical interface is not like your Xbox. It is often cheap 3D, pasted-on, with lots of oddities here and there. Occasionally you can find a truly remarkable game that looks beautiful in every way - Sonic CD, Phantasy Star.


However, on the other hand, if you remember the early 90s, you will not continue to see a shoddy, run-down graphical interface. You will see and experience nostalgia.

For me it was the 2nd grade, every Saturday going to Video World to rent one title for the weekend, video card and cool chain eagle wallet in hand, and the smell of fresh hot popcorn and subs next door filled the air. The floor was a creaky, crooked floor, and the store was manned by a single, quiet clerk reading a book behind the desk. Passing by all of the vhs and laserdisc racks, I made my trek all the way to the back where they had the "VIDEO GAMES" sign in the corner and about 50 titles on silly red wired storage racks.

There was no such things as Xbox or Playstation. There were Super Nintendo, Sega, and Sega CD Games. Incredibly simple. All of the art had been printed on copy paper in black and white. So cheap, but so inviting.

In those days Sega CD seemed so exquisite simply because they were on shiny discs. Discs were something fairly new and it wasn't something you'd throw around like a cartridge. Handle it by the edges, ok, will do, and put in the case as soon as you are done playing, check.

Though not breathtaking in the least by today's gaming standards, it remains a milemarker in time where cartridges were at the dawn of becoming an alternative in home video gaming.

Don't buy it for graphics. Buy it for classics and let the good times roll.