Some Sega CD Stinkers

[+RangerG]

I bought 30 loose Sega CD gameslast weekend really cheap at the flea market. Some of the games are pretty good (Sonic CD, Batman Returns, Android Assault, etc.), but some of these are games are the weirdest, slowest games I have ever seen. I played Corpse Killer Sega CD 32X, Willy Beamish and Sewer Shark. I had never played Full Motion Video games. The idea seems really fun, but the execution of it is so lacking. I assume this style of game died out or evolved? Some real stinkers in my opinion, but every system has them. Are there any good FMV games because, like I said, the style is different and enjoyable, but the gameplay drags?

[chrisbid]

yes, they evolved into Final Fantasy VII and beyond

 

in the day i really liked prize fighter, but there is no way in hell to play that game without the guides, and they only give you those in the first round

[SS]

SOME???

[chrisbid]

hey!

 

sonic CD

shining force cd

lunar

lunar 2

snatcher

sol deace

ecco the dolphin

vay

 

those are the one i can think of off the top of my head that are good games, there are even more

[jsoper]

Yeah, Silpheed and Robo Aleste are also supposed to be good.

But this is a system with what about 150 games (?). The ratio of good to bad is pretty poor.

[+Cafeman]

Stay away from all FMV games. Ugh.

 

Sega CD had some great games like Sonic CD, Silpheed, Spiderman vs Kingpin, Ecco the Dolphin, Eternal Champions CD, Batman Returns, Robo Aleste, EarthWorm Jim, Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure, Heart of the Alien, and many others.

 

One of the best things back then about the Sega CD was its great sound capabilities, a BIG step up from the Genesis. Not only do you get some great redbook CD audio music, but even the sound FX are sampled at a higher rate and more crisp. Some games took advantage of the huge CD storage capacity, such as the Ecco games and Eternal Champions CD (which is LOADED with hidden stuff!). Some games were Genesis ports but again had startling better sound FX and music and sometimes extra levels.

 

Concerning the FMV games, I really liked Prize Fighter and I beat it. The last opponent was very hard but you can learn how to handle him. It's really not too far of from the basic "Punch Out" concept you know. Except for the guy yelling at you all the time, I thought that Sewer Shark was pretty fun for a while. Tomcat Alley was fun but you could beat it in one sitting, hence a good rental but not much else. But the later FMV titles like Scotty Pippin and the Zombie one and the (gasp) FMV Warrier/fighting game, man they were crap.

[Swifty]

I had the misfortune of purchasing Supreme Warrior when it first came out -- $50 down the crapper. The gameplay in most FMV titles consists of hitting the right button at the right time and watching the subsequent "success" or "failure" sequence. Blah.

[Ringman]

Surgical Strike is one of the better ones out there. You can actually move around in the city instead of just control the crosshairs. Plus there are TONS of explosions and shooting action. I also liked the original Dragon's lair, and the game Road Avenger. While these are hit the button at the right time games, they have plenty of neat visuals to make it worth it, and for Dragon's Lair it doesn't tell you what buttons to hit when.

 

IMO what they need to do with FMV is combine FMV point and click adventure games ala myst with QTVR panoramas, cursor controlled shooting\ flying sequences, hit the button at the right time without telling you what to hit sequences, and inventory based adventuring with some rpg aspects mixed in. Add some QUALITY crisp sound and FMV and you have a FMV version of shenmue...

[Wester]

I also liked the original Dragon's lair, and the game Road Avenger. While these are hit the button at the right time games, they have plenty of neat visuals to make it worth it, and for Dragon's Lair it doesn't tell you what buttons to hit when.

 

But it does tell you in the Dragon's Lair manual.

[Gabriel]

I'd guess the biggest stinkers were the "Make My Music Video" ... "games."

 

Who bought those things? Who ever thought they were a good idea? Can we put these people on trial for crimes against humanity?

 

A few years ago, I found something from the SegaCD era and posted here about it. It was about a company called Rocket Science, and their introductory SegaCD game: Loadstar. The thing I found was a little pamphlet talking about how goddamn cutting edge Rocket Science was, and how totally fucking awesome Loadstar was. Beyond that, the pamplet was filled with merchandise unrelated to videogames: Rocket science caps, tote bags, mugs, etc.

 

Of course, Loadstar turned out to be quite appropriately named. It certainly was a load. I guess if Rocket Science had actually tried to make a GAME instead of going to interviews to tell how goddamn awesome they were and spent some money on development rather than tote bag merchandising, then things might have been different.

 

Aww, who am I kidding? Loadstar would have stunk no matter what.

 

Also, I don't know how anyone could make a list of the true greats of the SegaCD library and leave off Dark Wizard.

 

Edit: Why is this in Modern games?

Edited October 23, 2006 by Gabriel

[Tempest]

A few years ago, I found something from the SegaCD era and posted here about it. It was about a company called Rocket Science, and their introductory SegaCD game: Loadstar. The thing I found was a little pamphlet talking about how goddamn cutting edge Rocket Science was, and how totally fucking awesome Loadstar was. Beyond that, the pamplet was filled with merchandise unrelated to videogames: Rocket science caps, tote bags, mugs, etc.

 

Of course, Loadstar turned out to be quite appropriately named. It certainly was a load. I guess if Rocket Science had actually tried to make a GAME instead of going to interviews to tell how goddamn awesome they were and spent some money on development rather than tote bag merchandising, then things might have been different.

 

Aww, who am I kidding? Loadstar would have stunk no matter what.

 

 

I actually have a prototype of Loadstar. I've never been able to get far enough into it to see if its any different (not that I've played the original anyway). The game is interesting, but I find it hard because I'm not 100% sure what I'm doing.

 

Tempest

[SteveW]

I have to confess, there's a perverse part of me that enjoys playing FMV games. Yes, a lot of them suck, but some are fairly playable at least once. Surgical Strike was one mentioned to be good, and I have to agree. I didn't have a Sega CD at the time, so I used my Laseractive, and the disc kept getting stuck inside the machine, so I had to stop playing that one. Most FMV games are worth at least one play through, just for laughs if nothing else.

[SomeGuyWithDSL]

Willy Beamish is not a "FMV game," although like most SegaCD games it uses some digitized footage. It's an adventure game, born and bred by Sierra Dynamix for the PC before being ported to the SegaCD.

 

I'm not saying anything about the merits of the game, simply pointing out that it is substantially different than the other games mentioned in this thread.

[Avid Fan]

they made some good FMV games for PC like Dragons Lair, The Lawnmower Man, Cyber War, Johnny Mnemonic

[Vic George 2K3]

Willy Beamish was an adaptation of a SierraVision/Dynamix PC game that worked better there than it did on the Sega CD. Had an interesting story to it, but I couldn't play much further than dealing with the bully in the bathroom and haven't bothered picking it up since.

 

I also had Rise Of The Dragon, which was pretty interesting for a Mature game (also a SierraVision/Dynamix game), but I really didn't like trying to deal with trying to hook up wires within a limited time frame before getting electrocuted (which usually ends up happening to me).

[SteveW]

I also had Rise Of The Dragon, which was pretty interesting for a Mature game (also a SierraVision/Dynamix game), but I really didn't like trying to deal with trying to hook up wires within a limited time frame before getting electrocuted (which usually ends up happening to me).

I liked Rise of the Dragon to a point also, but my mind doesn't seem to work like these game creators do. I couldn't get all that far on that one. The same with FMV games like Burn:Cycle on the CD-i, PC, and Mac. I got to the point where I have to compete against some dude and solve some kind of puzzle that doesn't make sense. I couldn't get past, so I gave up.

[madhatter667]

I still need a Sega CD, stinker games and all... sad emoticon!

Serious, I have a power base converter, and the 32X... just need the CD add on.