Never reached it's potential... 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!
good 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
Sega goes CD! The Sega CD is a system that makes you play games in CD format. There are 2 models. The first one goes right beside your Genesis 2, and the second one goes under your genesis 2. Also the games are awesome.In Nba jam you can do helicopter dunks, and fly across the room, and break the backboard. In sonic CD, you play as Sonic trying to defeat Shadow. Get a Sega Cd now!
For The Time Period Hey this was a good system back in the day people downing it like they are rating it to what we have now and ofcoarse it wouldnt stand a chance hey i like this and plan on getting it
Ahead of it's time, but shoddy library kills it 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
Anything Goes Trivia
Last Kiss
Megaton Man
Trevor
