The Sega Genesis was the first console I ever owned and as a young teenager, I bought into the hype of all of Sega’s technological promises such as the Sega CD and 32X.    OK, so I didn’t actually buy all the add-ons for myself since they were way out of my video game budget, but I lusted after them and tried them out at friends houses on numerous occassions.

I can’t quite remember where I first saw a picture of the Neptune, but I remember being captivated at the thought of having a Genesis and 32X in one sleek machine.  (At this point, the 32X was still a viable platform).  As you can see from the write below from MegaPlay magazine, the Neptune was supposed to be an upgraded Genesis that would include 32X technology at an afforable $200 price point..

As Sega was getting closer to releasing the Saturn as their 32-bit platform of choice, the Neptune was never made it past the prototype phase.  Since then die-hard Sega fans have always wondered “what if?” in regards to the Neptune’s possible success. Electronic Gaming Monthly didn’t help matters in 2001 when it used the Neptune as an April Fools Joke telling readers that Sega had a warehouse full of the machines and was looking to sell them off cheap online.

Most of us now have closure about Sega’s poor business decisions and their software-only, but some hardware hackers are determined to make the Neptune a realtity in one form or another.  The Longhorn Engineer has just published his adventure in converting a stock Genesis and 32X into a combined machine that actually fits into the Genesis Model 2 case.  The end result is quite elegant and is a thrill to see in action.

Now that he has been successful with the project, I can’t help but wonder if he would start making more and selling them off.  Or perhaps he’s be ok with others doing the same.  The base hardware is pretty cheap on the aftermarket, and I’m sure a number of Sega fans would be interested!

When you add a console to your collection, the first thing you want to do is get a handful of games to keep you busy with your new toy. However, most of us can’t spend afford to spend fat pile of cash for a few games. This budget-friendly list should help you quickly find which games will start you off well without emptying your wallet. (Prices listed are an average eBay price for US games, including shipping.)
Check out the other Cheapest Games Worth Your Time articles

Cheap Classics

Virtua Racing Deluxe: $6
At a time when 3D games were only to be seen in cutting-edge arcade systems or PCs, Virtua Racing on the 32X was jaw-dropping. In fact, the 32X is still considered superior to the later Sega Saturn version. The 32X did a wonderful job pushing the polygons in order to provide a smooth and enjoyable ride along a number of fun-filled tracks. Virtua Racing Deluxe also had a good selection of cars and tracks and remains as one of the main showpieces for the 32X.
Shop for Virtua Racing Deluxe on eBay
Shop for Virtua Racing Deluxe on Amazon.com

Virtua Fighter: $5
While it doesn’t compare with Virtua Fighter Remix on the Saturn, Virtua Fighter on the 32X was another game that made the 32X attractive to die-hard Sega fans. (That is, before they knew the add-on was doomed) Overall, the animation on the 32X version was quite good and the controls were excellent. It seemed like Sega actually took the time to do a quality job instead of a rush to get it out the door. The Virtua games proved that the 32X was not a bad platform on its own, but Sega just executed the whole 16-bit-to-32-bit transition incredibly wrong.
Shop for Virtua Fighter on eBay
Shop for Virtua Fighter on Amazon.com

Star Wars Arcade: $6
This on-rails shooter may seem pretty basic, but it is actually quite challenging (I can get very far) and, of course, it’s Star Wars. This port is actually a well done translation of the Model 1 arcade title. The sounds are suitably authentic and are a tremendous achievement for a cartridge based system. In the game, you pilot your X-Wing through each level, completing the assigned mission objectives as you go.
Shop for Star Wars Arcade on eBay
Shop for Star Wars Arcade on Amazon.com

Tempo: $6
Developed by the same folks as the Bonk Series, Tempo is a platformer that is actually built around the concept of gameplay as performance art.. Tempo The game’s levels are actually sets built inside a TV studio, and an unseen audience often vocally reacts to the action on-screen. While it’s entirely possible to play through the game as if it were any other platformer, skilled play and the use of the more complex moves available to Tempo is pleasing to the audience to rack up points. Tempo also used the 32X’s 2D power and color capabilities to infuse the game with fluid animation and vibrant background graphics. This is an hidden gem that is quite as steal if you can find it.
Shop for Tempo on eBay
Shop for Tempo on Amazon.com

DOOM: $4
The 32X version probably is one of the worst ports of DOOM available, but I still found it to be good for some hours of fun if you haven’t spoiled yourself too much with the PC or Jaguar version.
Shop for DOOM on eBay
Shop for DOOM on Amazon.com

A Few Must-Haves Slightly Over $10

Knuckles Chaotix: $13
There wasn’t a true Sonic game in the entire 32-bit era (Sonic R and Sonic 3D Blast don’t count), but Knuckles Chaotix was pretty close. Because of this a true 2D Sonic collector needs to get his hands on a 32X and Chaotix. The game has the same fundamental elements as the original Sonic The Hedgehog trilogy, but adds the gimmick of 2-player cooperative gameplay that revolves around a the special ring force bond between characters. Both players are at all times connected on one single screen while neither player acts as the dominant force to move the game forward. Besides the staple of traditional Sonic moves and individual abilities this means some new tricks can be executed with the elastic force of the ring bond. It adds a great deal of depth and challenge to the otherwise basic Sonic formula and is either loved or hated by 32X owners.
Shop for Knuckles Chaotix on eBay
Shop for Knuckles Chaotix on Amazon.com

Kolibri: $15
This 2D shooter puts you in the role of a humming bird on a mission to destroy insect invaders such as wasps. Because of this nature them, Kolibri has a bit of and Ecco the Dolphin feel to it. Kolibri also has some of the most stunning 3D graphics on the 32X, so it is a wonderful showcase of a game in addition to being an interestingly unique shmup.
Shop for Kolibri on eBay
Shop for Kolibri on Amazon.com

After Burner: $10
If you want some an arcade classic in one of its best console forms, the 32X version of After Burner is an excellent place to start.
Shop for After Burner on eBay
Shop for After Burner on Amazon.com

Space Harrier : $10
Space Harrier is the perfect complement (or alternative) to After Burner for top-notch on-rails arcade shooting.
Shop for Space Harrier on eBay

Other Cheap Favorites

Shadow Squadron : $6 – eBay / Amazon.com
Metal Head: $5 – eBay / Amazon.com

My Starter Picks For $50 Budget

If I only had $50 to spend on starting out a 32X collection, here would be my top picks (in order of priority):

• Virtua Racing Deluxe: $6
• Knuckles Chaotix: $13
• Virtua Fighter: $5
• Star Wars Arcade: $6
• Tempo: $6
• DOOM: $4
• After Burner: $10
• Total: $50

When there are a number of home versions of a classic game, you can’t help but wonder which version is the best. For older games, it is very hard to find some solid comparisons of various ports. Fortunately, every now and then I stumble across someone who is dedicated to a certain game and documents the various differences.

This time around, HighGear_IceMan from the Race Sim Central Forums went through a lot of effort analyzing the groundbreaking Sega racer, Virtua Racing. In a way it is surprising how many ports there are of VR, but at the same time you have to remember how many consoles Sega was supporting in the mid 1990’s.

Iceman’s comparison runs through both the arcade original and home console ports by way of various screenshots and a textual breakdown of each.

The versions included in this this comparison are

• Arcade (original) – running in MAME
• Sega Genesis (SVP-powered cartridge) – running on actual console
• Sega 32x – emulated in Kega Fusion
• Sega Saturn – emulated in SSF
• PS2 (Sega Ages) – running on actual console

Obviously, the Arcade version will be the top choice for purists, but the PS2 version does a great job and ads some shadowing effects. The 32X version, in most cases, comes out top as the Sega console version champ. The Saturn version is a bit laughable in places, but does “ok”. The Genesis version kinda pales in comparison to the arcade version, but is quite impressive for the Genesis hardware (even if it is using an extra built-in processor)

Of course, you should look at the original forum thread for all the details, but I have also mirrored the screenshots and most of the text with this Flickr photset.

A special thanks to roushimsx for helping me find this great resource!

Platformers

Obvious Choices:
Sonic the Hedgehog,, Toe Jam & Earl,

Featured Game: Ristar
Platformers were all the rage in the 16-bit era, so there were a number of gems that got lost in the mix. Ristar was a fresh adventure game in which the main character actually had some interesting capabilities. Ristar’s gimmick is simple, but effective: Ristar can’t jump very high, or do any feats of extreme acrobatics. Instead, he can stretch his arms about two Ristar-Lengths ahead of him, he can grab onto ledges, walls, handholds, ladders, and enemies. He can even climb walls by touching the wall multiple times, climbing up slowly.

As Ristar, you must use your arms as your weapons, grabbing onto whatever you can — to destroy things, to advance to new places, to get cool secrets. You can grab onto flying enemies, who will bring you to previously unreachable places. You can nimbly swing from poles and branches, among other things, without your feet ever touching the ground for moments at a time. Needless to say, Ristar will keep you fascinated for quite a while if you give it a chance.
Find Ristar on eBay

More Great Games:
Rocket Knight Adventures
Dynamite Headdy
Knuckles Chaotix (32X)
Bonanza Brothers
Donald in Maui Mallard
Pulseman
Cool Spot
Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mania
Disney’s Aladdin
Disney’s Lion King
Wiz ‘N’ Liz
Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master
Wonder Boy in Monster World
Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle
Quackshot Starring Donald Duck
Puggsy
Taz-Mania
Kid Chameleon
Marvel Land
Tempo (32x)

Action/Adventure

Obvious Choices:
Revenge of Shinobi, Ecco The Dolphin, Castlevania Bloodlines

Featured Game: Flashback: The Quest for Identity
Touted as a “CD-ROM Game on a Cartridge”, Flashback: The Quest for Identity was one of the most graphically impressive Genesis games in its day.

The game features fully hand-drawn backdrops and for its time remarkably fluid rotoscoped animation of walking, running and jumping movements, reminiscent of the earlier Prince of Persia.

In addition to is beautiful graphics, Flashback has some of the most engrossing gameplay and puzzles that you will find on the Genesis.
Find Flashback: The Quest for Identity on eBay

More Great Games:
Phantom 2040
Alisia Dragoon
Cannon Fodder
Adventures of Batman & Robin
Zombies Ate My Neighbors
BatteTech: A Game of Armored Combat
Jungle Strike
X-Men
Splatterhouse 3
Blackthorne (32x)
Adventures of Willy Beamish (Sega CD)
Road Avenger (Sega CD)
Spider-Man vs. the Kingpin (Sega CD)

Run-N-Gun Shooters

Obvious Choices:
Gunstar Heroes, Contra: Hard Corps, Vectorman, Earthworm Jim

Featured Game: Alien Soldier
This run-n-gun is considered one of the hardest games ever developed by the cult-classic factory, Treasure, and was released only in Japan and Europe. It is very difficult to find in either region.

As usual, Treasure really put a lot of creativity into Alien Soldier’s graphics and animation. The characters are large, extremely detailed and fluidly animated. And as opposed to most other side-scrolling shooters, the levels are notably short and easy before reaching a boss. This results in the game being mostly large boss fights.
Find Alien Soldier on eBay

More Great Games
Ranger-X
Target Earth
MERCS
Mega Turrican
Rolling Thunder 2
Rolling Thunder 3
Rambo III
Soldiers of Fortune

Shmups

Obvious Choices:
Zero Wing

Featured Game: MUSHA
This old Genesis shooter is a “holy grail” of sorts, having achieved near legendary status while being extremely hard to locate in cartridge form. M.U.S.H.A. (Metallic Uniframe Super Hybrid Armor) is certainly one of the best shooters you can get for the Genesis, and easily the best of the vertical variety.

The controls are surprisingly complex, but in turn, can bring forth some serious firepower. There are ton of ways to collect and configure your weapons in this masterpiece. The graphics are impressive, featuring large, detailed enemies and it does not suffer slow-down even when there is a great deal of action on the screen.. Unlike other shooters where you see the same enemies over and over again, MUSHA seems to have an inexhaustible supply of new targets. Many of the bosses are huge faces grafted into high-tech machinery, and they look wild.
Find M.U.S.H.A. on eBay

More Great Games
Robo Aleste (Sega CD)
Thunder Force II
Thunder Force III
Thunder Force IV (Lightening Force)
Panorama Cotton
Android Assault: Revenge of Bari-Arm (Sega CD)
Lords of Thunder (Sega CD)
Silpheed (Sega CD)
Soul Star (Sega CD)
Keio Flying Squadron (Sega CD)
Air Buster
Twinkle Tale
Sub-Terrania
Super Thunder Blade
Super Fantasy Zone
Fire Shark
Super Thunder Blade
Twinkle Tale
Eliminate Down
Forgotten Worlds

Dangerous Seed
Bio-Hazard Battle

Sagaia/ Darius 2
Afterburner Complete (32X)
Shadow Squadron(32X)
Space Harrier (32X)
Kolibri (32X)

Fighting/Beatemups/Hack-N-Slash

Obvious Choices:
Streets of Rage Series, Golden Axe, Street Fighter II: SCE, Mortal Kombat II, Eternal Champions, Ghouls ‘N Ghosts, Samurai Shodown, Strider, Battletoads, Double Dragon

Featured Game: Comix Zone
This brawler is an extremely original and visually impressive game which immerses you in a comic book world. It’s probably one of the coolest games on the Genesis. Instead of featuring a character that simply walked down a city street and beat people up, Comix Zone had the game’s hero sucked into his own comic book creation and battle the villains within actual panels of comic book pages.

You can leap out of the page and back down into the next panel, perhaps even shortcut to the panels below. Add in the ability to rip loose chunks of the page itself to make deadly paper airplanes, or the power to punch an enemy through the ink boundaries of the panel and you have a fresh twist to the beatemup genre.
Find Comix Zone on eBay

More Great Games
Yu Yu Hakuso: Makyo Toitsusen
Battletoads & Double Dragon
TMNT: Tournament Fighters
TMNT: The Hyperstone Heist
The Lost Vikings
King of Monsters
Gauntlet IV
Saturday Night Slam Masters
The Punisher
Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon
Dragon Ball Z: Bu Yu Retsuden

RPG

Obvious Choices
Phantasy Star II, Phantasy Star III, Phantasy Star IV, Lunar the Silver Star (Sega CD), Lunar Eternal Blue (Sega CD) , Snatcher (Sega CD)

Featured Game: Shadowrun
Based on a pen and paper RPG, the console versions of Shadowrun are an RPG that is set in a dark future. The gameplay is more similar to Western PC RPGs as opposed to traditional Japanese console RPGs. Because of this, it seemed to stay under the radar of mainstream console gamers.

Shadowrun offers the player an open style of gameplay, where one controls the main character, Joshua, in third person perspective during both exploration and combat. Battles are real time, and although of varying difficulty, tend to be brutally short. Initially, the player is restricted to a single area of the game, but shortly gains access to almost all other areas. Access to other areas is accomplished primarily by taxi, although various restrictions and other modes of travel also exist, such as requiring a visa, or bypassing the visa check with use of a helicopter.

Instead of using experience points that you find in most RPGs, which allow you to move up levels, Shadowrun uses karma points, which you earn one at a time. These Karma points are used to make your character more powerful in the aspects of your choosing.
Find Shadowrun on eBay

More Great Games
Dark Wizard (Sega CD)
Popful Mail (Sega CD)
Beyond Oasis
Beggar Prince
Eye of the Beholder (Sega CD)
Monster World IV
Warsong (Langrisser 1)
Crusader of Centy
Light Crusader
Landstalker
Shining in the Darkness
Faery Tale Adventure
Dungeon Explorer (Sega CD)
Vay (Sega CD)

Strategy

Obvious Choices:
Shining Force, Shining Force II

Featured Game: Herzog Zwei
Combining elements of real-time strategy and resource management into a shmup, Herzog Zwei is possibly one of the best games on Sega’s 16-bit powerhouse. Herzog Zwei is a two-player game in which the object is to destroy the enemy’s base. To accomplish this, the player was able to construct an assortment of units — including tanks, anti-aircraft guns, attack boats, infantry and armored cars.

Herzog Zwei was neglected by Sega at its release and was literally years ahead of its time. Nevertheless, it ultimately laid the foundation for games like Dune 2, Warcraft, BattleZone, and Command & Conquer by introducing most of the modern RTS conventions. The mechanics of Herzog Zwei make it a game with a slower feel than most modern RTS games, making for more
thoughtful play. I always find hybrid games like this to be interesting and such a neglected yet groundbreaking title should be shared with future gaming generations.

The single player game was good on its own, but it was Herzog Zwei’s multiplayer set the game apart. Players could engage each other on any of the game’s eight maps through the use of a vertical split screen. Against an actual breathing opponent, the game became much more complex and could make for hours of intense fun.
Find Herzog Zwei on eBay

More Great Games
Gain Ground
General Chaos
Aerobiz Supersonic
Dune: The Battle for Arrakis
Populous
Masters of Monsters
Gemfire
Starflight

Puzzle/Maze

Obvious Choices:
Ms. Pac-Man, Mega Bomberman

Featured Game: Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine
Even though the game wasn’t promoted a whole lot (other than the Sonic tie-in), Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine is the best puzzle games on the Genesis. The game itself is actually based on the established Puyo Puyo series that had been keeping Japanese gamers occupied for years.

There is not much complexity in the Mean Bean Machine’s gameplay. The player must group 4 or more different colored beans together so that they erase, and send Refugee Beans (aka Garbage) to the opponent. The more beans that link up, the more garbage is sent. Players may also activate step chains so that even more garbage is scored.

The one-player gameplay is very good as each “opponent” has a different technique and skill level. These different levels do an excellent job of testing your mastery of the game and have a great pace of difficulty. Beginners will not feel overwhelmed by the first level and will eventually progress until the final battle with Dr. Robotnik that will challenge even the most hardcore puzzle addicts.
Find Dr Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine on eBay

More Great Games
Zoop
Panic! (Sega CD)
Klax
Pac-Attack
Snow Bros. Starring Nick & Tom

Sports/Racing

Obvious Choices:
World Series Baseball, NBA Jam TE, NFL With Joe Montana, Virtua Racing, Road Rash, OutRun

Featured Game: Zany Golf
Zany Golf is an amazing mini golf game that started on the Apple IIGS and PC, but was later ported to the Genesis. It was programmed mostly by the man behind Marble Madness, Will Harvey. The gameplay is very similar to standard mini golf, but you must complete the course in a specific number of strokes. If you finish a hole within a specified time period or if you hit specific targets, you can earn bonus strokes.

Zany Golf featured a stunning 3D isometric viewpoint and was filled with nine inventive holes of mini golf. What made Zany Golf’s course so interesting is that each hole had a creative theme and features different obsticales that are not physically possible in real life such as jumping hamburgers, telportation devices, and moving anthills.

Zany golf had intuitive and precise controls, but still offered quite a challenge. Many gamers will need to play a hole a few times through to be able to get through it without running out of strokes. I still remember being filled with anticipation when I was able to clear one hole and see what mind-blowing course would greet me next.
Find Zany Golf on eBay

More Great Games
Skitchin’
Championship Pro-Am
Super Baseball 2020
Micro Machines
Combat Cars

After the success of the Genesis/Megadrive, Sega tried a little too hard to come out on top in the 32-bit generation. Even though they had the CD-Based Saturn in development, Sega also tried to offer existing Genesis owners a way to “upgrade” their console to a 32-bit machine that could offer more arcade-quality games.

The 32X was an add-on that had quite a bit of potential, but was abandoned early on and left many Sega fans stuck with an expensive piece of hardware sticking out of their Genesis.

Now it is quite easy to pick up a 32X on eBay for a relatively small amount of money and games for the system don’t cost much either. If you are looking to pick up a 32X as a collectors item or novelty gaming piece, here are a handful of games that gave the 32X its limited identity.

| Sega Genesis / MegaDrive | Sega CD | Sega 32X |

Virtua Racing Deluxe

In 1994, there wasn’t a hotter arcade racer than Virtua Racing. Racing was one genre that seemed to benefit the most from 3D gameplay due to the need for realistic handling and tracks, so there was quite an excitement when Virtua Racing showed up on the scene (even if it was blocky).

Virtua Racing remained a dominate title until Sega Rally, Daytona USA (Saturn) and Gran Turismo (Playstation) showed up on the later 32-bit systems.

At a time when 3D games were only to be seen in cutting-edge arcade systems or PCs, Virtua Racing on the 32X was jaw-dropping. In fact, the 32X is still considered superior to the later Sega Saturn version. The 32X did a wonderful job pushing the polygons in order to provide a smooth and enjoyable ride along a number of fun-filled tracks.
Full Review of Virtua Racing Deluxe

Virtua Fighter

While it doesn’t compare with Virtua Fighter Remix on the Saturn, Virtua Fighter on the 32X was another game that made the 32X attractive to die-hard Sega fans. (That is, before they knew the add-on was doomed)

Like Virtua Racing, it pushed the 32X’s 3D capabilities — enough to hold gamers over until the Saturn launched.

The 32X version actually performs quite similar to the original Saturn version of Virtua Fighter. Both have their issues such as flickering polygons, but running off of a cartridge on the 32X has its advantages (no load times). Here is a really great side-by-side comparison of the Saturn and 32X ports of Virtua Fighter.

Overall, the animation on the 32X version was quite good and the controls were excellent. It seemed like Sega actually took the time to do a quality job instead of a rush to get it out the door. The Virtua games proved that the 32X was not a bad platform on its own, but Sega just executed the whole 16-bit-to-32-bit transition incredibly wrong.
Full Review of Virtua Fighter

Knuckles Chaotix

There wasn’t a true Sonic game in the entire 32-bit era (Sonic R and Sonic 3D Blast don’t count), but Knuckles Chaotix was pretty close.

There is some debate on the subject, but some say that the game originated as the prototype known as Sonic Crackers (the name of the ROM image that has been floating around for a decade).

The game has the same fundamental elements as the original Sonic The Hedgehog trilogy, but adds the gimmick of 2-player cooperative gameplay that revolves around a the special ring force bond between characters. Both players are at all times connected on one single screen while neither player acts as the dominant force to move the game forward.
Besides the staple of traditional Sonic moves and individual abilities this means some new tricks can be executed with the elastic force of the ring bond. It adds a great deal of depth and challenge to the otherwise basic Sonic formula and is either loved or hated by 32X owners.

In addition to the gameplay tweaks, Chaotix also bumped up the image quality with some beautiful colors and sprites, and added some additional physics to deal with the bungee element. Chaotix also utilized the zoom effect in additional to some sprite scaling. While you may not fall in love with it, Chaotix is worth a try.
Review of Knuckles Chaotix

Metal Head

This was one of the first games I purchased for my 32X and it was very impressive to see so many polygons with textures running on expanded Genesis hardware.

While it looks pretty “bleh” by today’s standards, this was a fascinating game at the time of its release. The 3D environments were some of the most technologically advanced for the console and the animation wasn’t too bad.

I have to mention, however, that once the novelty of Metal Head’s graphics wears off, you will realize the game is pretty slow and somewhat shallow and boring. Again, I consider it to be a good demonstration of what the 32X could do — especially considering developers didn’t have much time with the add-on.
Full Review of Metal Head

Star Wars Arcade

This on-rails shooter may seem pretty basic, but it is actually quite challenging (I can get very far) and, of course, its Star Wars.

This port is actually a well done translation of the little seen, Model 1 arcade title. The 32X shines here by not only accomplishing little polygon break-up, but by also keeping pop-up to a minimum. Even the poor old Genesis sound chip outdoes itself especially in the opening “Star Wars Theme.” The sounds are suitably authentic and are a tremendous achievement for a cartridge based system.

In the game, you pilot your X-Wing through each level, completing the assigned mission objectives as you go. Controls are simple, and you have a choice of external or internal view of your craft. Another few nice touches are the two player option (you and a friend take control of a Y-Wing, acting as pilot and gunner), and the new 32X specific mode, which adds new gameplay features to the original.
Full Review of Star Wars Arcade

All The Games That Could Have Been

What probably defined the 32X more than anything is its potential and its complete commercial failure. The 32X was killed off very early in its life and there were a number of promising games that were slated for the add-on.

Some examples what was in store are Alien Trilogy, Alien vs. Predator, Castlevania V, Darkstalkers, and Virtua Hamster. Unfortunately, Sega had too many things up their sleeve at once and the developers were getting restless and moves on to the Saturn as well.

Honorable Mentions:

• After Burner & Space Harrier – These two on-rails shooter are good old-school fun, but are not as good as the ports to the Saturn and Dreamcast. If you can find them cheap, they aren’t bad.
• Cosmic Carnage – Some people liked it for the music and the breakable armor, but this 2D fighter received mostly terrible reviews and was looked upon more as a technical demo.
• DOOM – the 32X version probably is one of the worst ports available, but I still found it to be good for some hours of fun if you haven’t spoiled yourself too much with the PC or Jaguar version.
• Kolibri & Tempo – A unique 2D shooter and platformer respectively, there games were actually had decent gameplay and beautiful colors, but they weren’t groundbreaking or anything that couldn’t be nearly-replicated on a stock Genesis.
• Darxide – This import game has a StarFox feel to it. It handles surprisingly well with its smooth flying and entertaining shoot-em-up action.
• Shadow Squadron – This shooter has simple polygon graphics that move at a nice smooth frame rate. It has a good balance of enjoyable gameplay and a high challenge factor
• Enhanced FMV Games: Night Trap, Fahrenheit, etc – The Sega CD was well-known for its “revolutionary” Full Motion Video games, but they didn’t have quite the video quality as the PC or 3DO. There were 32X versions of some of these games that harnessed the power of both add-ons in order to create a fairly impressive (but bulky and expensive) gaming machine.

| Sega Genesis / MegaDrive | Sega CD | Sega 32X |

Other Parts:
Part 1 & Part 3 — Part 4 is on the way

Aliens vs Predator
There have only been a few times before the 21st century where I was amazed by how sweet a game looked in action. The only two that stay on the top of my mind are Sonic Adventure (on a pre-release Dreamcast) and Aliens vs Predator for the Atari Jaguar.

Of course, by today’s standards, the game looks pretty dated, but there was just something about how futuristic the game looked while most of were still playing on our SNES and Genesis. While it was the only game for the Jaguar that even tempted me to purchase Atari’s doomed console, I’m still intrigued about the game to this day.

When it was originally released, I was blown away by the graphics. Wolfenstien 3D was the only game that I had seen in this new genre and I felt that this was the holy grail of video gaming graphics. The textures accurately re-created the feel of the movies. The aliens could use a few more frames of animation for added realism, but this is a forgivable problem. AvP also had some really great sound effects to round out the package.
Full Review of Aliens vs Predator

DOOM
As you can quickly see, the Jaguar was bascially the first console for good First Person Shooters. The graphics in Doom were nothing short of phenomenal in its day. The walls, ceiling, and floor are all texture-mapped. There was a great attention to detail on the Jaguar port, as it was actually programmed by John Carmac.

If you compare it to the 32X version, the Jaguar version is full screen, has multiple views of the monsters, has more levels, includes networking support, has a better resolution, and has more sound effects. Here are some screenshots to compare in order to visualize the difference

The only things missing from the Jaguar version of Doom are a few of the monsters, the music, and a level or two. Otherwise, Jaguar Doom is an incredible accomplishment because it mimics the PC game so closely. I’m sure that by adding another 4 megabits, the Jaguar port could have been a perfect PC clone.
Full Review of DOOM

Rayman
Rayman’s graphics and sounds were beautifully engineered with some great themed levels full of soothing color and animation. All the graphics have been done using 65,000 colors and couldn’t look much better. The attention to detail on both the characters and scenery gives Rayman charmingly odd looks.

While gamers were getting excited by the early entries in 3D console gaming, Rayman showed that these more powerful consoles could be used to make some phenomenal 2D games as well.
Full Review of Rayman

Honorable Mentions:

• Iron Soldier – One of the Jaguar’s crowning achievements, Iron Soldier featured colorful graphics, a smooth frame rate and slick animation. The main complaint in the graphics departments is that about 90% of the buildings are just plain boxes with absolutely no texture mapping. (Review)
• Cybermorph – This pack-in title was the Jaguar’s first showcase game. It didn’t require any fancy FX chip like StarFox and was completely off-rails allowing you to fly anywhere you wanted. But overall it was a lousy game. (Review)

Primal Rage
Overall, the graphics in this arcade fighter are very well done and extremely smooth. With the visual acceleration of the Jaguar CD, you’ll find that Primal Rage moves just as fast as the arcade version. However, with such accomplishments, it does bring its share of problems to the table with the addition of image break up, and slow down in some areas of the fight.

If you were to have one reason to buy a Jaguar CD, this would probably it — especially if you are a 2D fighter fan like myself.
Full Review of Primal Rage

Brain Dead 13
Following point and click games such as Space Ace and Dragon’s Lair, Brain Dead 13 places you in the midst of a rather unusual story line and you must guide your hero through several different scenarios. Visually, the game is one of the better-looking games in the genre and if you’re into these types of games, Brain Dead 13 is probably your best choice.

Not only does Brain Dead 13 contain some of the best full motion video to be seen on the Jaguar CD, but also doesn’t pause in between scenes like Dragon Lair. The game flows from scene to scene with only the slightest of delays.
Full Review of Brain Dead 13

Iron Soldier II
The best-selling Jaguar CD game, this sequel builds on the original’s mission-based gameplay, smooth animation, and cool explosions, but brings enhanced graphics and more advanced controls. The intro features some cool cinematics of your mech wandering around a city blowing everything to bits.
Full Review of Iron Soldier II

Honorable Mentions:

• Dragon’s Lair & Space Ace – These were strong FMV Arcade ports and were one of the better console versions, but still grainier than the arcade.
• Myst – One of the better ports on the Jaguar, it matches the PC version pretty well.

Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo
The 3DO is another one of those systems that many people have forgotten about because it didn’t have many titles that stood out. It’s also sad that the system died out before developers were able to learn the ins and outs of the system. The 3DO had some great hardware under the hood, but unfortunately, it primarily received ports from either the PC or other consoles — nothing that was optimized for the 3DO.

While the 3DO didn’t have a lot of prime-time 3D action, Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo had enough eye candy to show off the system’s 2D muscle. SSF2 was the first Street Fighter game to promote big combos and flashy super move finishes. While the regular SNES and Genesis SSF2 ports got the job done, the 3DO brought the game much closer to the arcade original and was the only console for a while that featured the Turbo version — which introduced Akuma to the masses. It also topped the arcade version with CD-quality audio. The 3DO soundtrack even tops those of the Playstation and Saturn versions.
Full Review of Super Street Fighter II Turbo

Samurai Shodown
If you couldn’t afford a Neo-Geo, the 3DO version of Samurai Shodown was your best bet if you wanted arcade-authentic graphics. Although the graphics in the 3DO version aren’t quite arcade perfect, they are the best of the three console versions. While all the scaling, character animation, sprites, and background graphics seem to be fully intact, the game lacks some of the parallax scrolling from the arcade.

If you had played the 3DO version of Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo, then you will have noticed the same problem with the parallax in that game. This probably isn’t the fault of the programmers—it’s just that the 3DO had some major problems doing this effect. However, the game does looks a little bit sharper then even the Neo Geo version. This, in a way, makes up for the lack of parallax and makes the game a little easier on the eyes.

Like the graphics, the sound in the 3DO is easily the closest to the originals — you probably won’t notice any differences at all. From the sound effects to the amazing traditional Japanese soundtrack, it’s all here.
Full Review of Samurai Shodown

Honorable Mentions:

• Jurassic Park Interactive – I played a demo of Jurassic Park Interactive back in ‘93 and was amazed at how the game really made me feel like I was in the movie. I was severely disappointed that the Jurassic Park game for my Sega CD never was that exciting.
• Road Rash – This version of the biker classic blows the doors off of the Genesis, Sega CD, and SNES versions. It almost seems like a completely different game. The graphics, music, animation, and other little details (like the little old ladies crossing the street) make this 3DO title a real favorite. (Review)
• Night Trap and other FMV Games – Just like the Sega CD versions, these games showed off the full motion video capabilities of the console. However, the 3DO wasn’t tied down to the limitations of an aging 16-bit system and its small color palette. Instead, the 3DO versions of Night Trap and other games had not only bigger video frame sizes, but the colors were much more life-like.

Virtua Racing Deluxe
At a time when 3D games were only to be seen in cutting-edge arcade systems or PCs, Virtua Racing on the 32X was jaw-dropping. In fact, the 32X is still considered superior to the later Sega Saturn version.

The 32X did a wonderful job pushing the polygons in order to provide a smooth and enjoyable ride along a number a fun-filled tracks. As the Racing genre is one that definitely benefits from full 3D gameplay, Virtua Racing remained a dominate title until Sega Rally, Daytona USA (Saturn) and Gran Turisimo (Playstation) showed up on the later 32-bit systems.
Full Review of Virtua Racing Deluxe

Virtua Fighter
While it doesn’t compare with Virtua Fighter Remix on the Saturn, Virtua Fighter on the 32X was another game that made the 32X attractive to die-hard Sega fans. (That is, before they knew the add-on was doomed) Like Virtua Racing, it pushed the 32X’s 3D capabilities — enough to hold gamers over until the Saturn launched.

The 32X version actually performs quite similar to the original Saturn version of Virtua Fighter. Both have their issues such as flickering polygons, but running off of a cartridge on the 32X has its advantages (no load times). Here is a really great side-by-side comparison of the Saturn and 32X ports of Virtua Fighter.
Full Review of Virtua Fighter

Metal Head
This was one of the first games I got for my 32X and it was very impressive to see so many polygons with textures running on expanded Genesis hardware. While it looks pretty bleh by today’s standards, this was a fascinating game at the time of its release.

I have to mention, however, that once the novelty of Metal Head’s graphics wears off, you will realize the the game is pretty slow and somewhat boring. But I consider it to be a good demonstration of what the 32X could do — especially considering developers didn’t have much time with the add-on.
Full Review of Metal Head

Honorable Mentions:

• Cosmic Carnage – The gameplay may have sucked, but this fighter had a zoom effect similar to Samurai Showdown and had armor that could be broken off. Those who do enjoy this game will remind you that Cosmic Carnage also utilized the 32X’s enhanced audio chip to produce some enjoyable tunes. (Review)
• Knuckles Chaotix – Chaotix combined the fast-action Sonic gameplay, bumped up the image quality with some beautiful colors and sprites, and added some additional physics to deal with the bungee element. Chaotix also utilized the zoom effect in additional to some sprite scaling. (Review)
• DOOM – While it wasn’t one of the best DOOM ports in existence, the 32X version was still fun to play and ran fairly well.
• All The Games That Could Have Been – The 32X was killed off very early in its life and there were a number of promising games that were slated for the 32X. Some examples are Alien Trilogy, Alien vs Predator, Castlevania V, Darkstalkers, and Virtua Hampster.

X-Men vs Street Fighter
To most gamers, the Saturn is simply known as the system that lost the console wars to the Sony Playstation. The Playstation was built from the ground up to be a superior 3D machine in a generation that was hungry for this new technology. So it was an oft-overlooked fact that the Saturn was far superior in the area of 2D gameplay.

Possibly the best example of how the Saturn was the place to go for arcade-authentic 2D fighters and shooters, X-Men vs Street Fighter took full advantage of the 4MB RAM cart in order to keep the tag team action quick and seamless in addition to minimizing load times.

The sprites were as big and beautiful as the real Capcom arcade version. If you try playing the Playstation version of the game prior to experiencing the Saturn port, you will quickly realize how limited the Playstation is in terms of 2D action. In fact, as if the less-impressive sprites weren’t depressing enough the PSX doesn’t even offer the tag-team feature — one of the main selling points of the game.

Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter wasn’t far behind XMvSF. It had a larger character roster, but I just don’t feel that it was as polished as Capcom’s first crossover fighter.
Full Review of X-Men vs. Street Fighter

Shining Force 3
The last great installment of the Shining Force series was an amazing game in terms of gameplay, graphics, and presentation. Camelot Software Planning pulled off software-based transparency effects for polygons, which was originally thought to be impossible on the Saturn. It’s part of the reason why the SSF emulator still isn’t rendering spell effects and such properly.

There’s also the fact that Camelot not only utilized both video processors for the game, but they also made use of the audio chip to help with the graphics as well. In order to cut load times the game streamed the data while you move your character around and target enemies — even before you even confirm your selection. Shining Force 3 was an amazing piece of software, especially given that Camelot Software Planning wasn’t a large development team.
Full Review of Shining Force III

Radiant Silvergun
While some claim that this shmup is overrated, there is no denying that Radiant Silvergun pushed the 2D limits of what a 32-bit console could do. Just as they did with Gunstar Heroes on the Genesis, Treasure pushed the Saturn to its limits with Radiant Silvergun, using a great mix of sprites and polygons throughout the game. Absolutely huge bosses and other objects fill the screen. Most of the bosses (and there’s a LOT of them) in the game are done in polygons, and actually can be taken apart piece by piece.

The graphics of Radiant Silvergun are rendered sprites over polygonal backgrounds. The foreground sprites are nothing special, but the backgrounds are intricate and beautiful and they even effect gameplay, providing obstacles and cover for your ship. The gameplay is punctuated by the beautiful explosions and intense firefights the fill your journeys. If you are a shooter fan and, for some strange reason, haven’t heard of this game — you must try it!
Full Review of Radiant Silvergun

Virtua Fighter 2
The Saturn’s strength was 2D graphics, but there are a few 3D games that really push the polygon capabilities in order to compete with the Playstation. Virtua Fighter 2 ran The Saturn shows its hardware muscle by employing it’s High Resolution 720×575 mode (highest for a console game at that time) while running at a smooth 60fps. The polygons in VF2 were a great step above the original Virtua Fighter and made the character look a bit more realistic. (Looking back, its fun to think I thought these looked life-like)

Sega originally was planning on bringing Virtua Fighter 3 to the Saturn (possibly utilizing the 4MB RAM cart), but as they saw the Playstation take over the market, they held off until they launched the Dreamcast and Virtua Fighter 3TB. The closest thing Saturn owners got was Fighters Megamix which took the models from Virtua Fighter 2 and Fighting Vipers and threw in some of Virtua Fighter 3’s new moves. Megamix looked good, but lacked Virtua Fighter 2’s high-resolution feature.
Full Review of Virtua Fighter 2

Dead or Alive
A straight forward 3D fighting game based on the Virtua Fighter engine, it features slick and intuitive gameplay. This Saturn port looked stunning and many experts consider it slightly better than the Playstation version. Even in its Saturn form, Dead or Alive gain attention for its “jiggly” animation techniques.

It’s fun to look back at the 3D launch titles for the Saturn (Daytona USA and the original Virtua Fighter) to see how much progress was made. Sega seemed to rush ports of their popular arcade games to show that the Saturn had some 3D capabilities to counter the upcoming Playstation. So it’s amazing to see these later 3D titles show up when the developers had the time to learn the complicated architecture (there were many DSPs, individual controllers and chipsets).
Dead or Alive Review

Nights Into Dreams
Besides all of the exciting arcade ports, this game alone was one of the main reasons I wanted a Saturn. Sonic Team knew the Saturn wasn’t a 3D powerhouse so it created a “almost 3D” game that knocked everybody’s socks off. It was also the first game to bring out the Saturn’s bigger Saturn controller with an analog stick (which is an obvious parent to the Dreamcast controller).

Nights features a number of flashy colors, well-textured landscapes, and light-sourcing. Ground movement is full 360 degrees, with the ability to manipulate the camera to see a variety of viewpoints. However, you will quickly notice that most of the gameplay takes place in flight. Night’s flight mode is basically on rails, so you don’t have as much freedom as you might expect. However, the execution strikes a perfect balance of beauty and playablity. I couldn’t ask for much more (other than a Gamecube sequel!) Also worth noteing, is that Burning Rangers was a later Sonic Team title that used the Nights Into Dreams engine.
Full Review of Nights into Dreams

Honorable Mentions:

• Saturn Bomberman – This party classic isn’t on this list because of it’s cute sprites and animation, it is mentioned because it is the main motivation to stock up on Saturn Multi-Tap Adapters. Saturn Bomberman brings to possibility of 10 simultaneous human players to this classic franchise. (Review)
• Sonic Jam – considering the Sega had a hard time running a good Genesis emulator on the Dreamcast (with the Sega Smash Pack), it is amazing to see how good of a job they did emulating the 16-bit system on their 32-bit Saturn. On top of all this, the 3D “Sonic World” that greets you in this compilation is of high quality and may have been a start of the engine used for the elusive Sonic Xtreme. (Review)
• Panzer Dragoon Saga – This massive RPG took up a full 4 CDs and is regarded as one of the greatest non-Square/Enix RPGs of all time. The game is almost entirely 3D – the only noticeable use of the Saturn’s powerful 2D hardware is in the free-fly areas where it draws the ground as a far stretching 2D plane which you barely notice. The gorgeously smooth animation of the dragon, the surprisingly detailed areas you can walk around. (Review)
• Street Fighter Zero (Alpha) 3 – Yet another great example of how good the Saturn was with 2D. This late Capcom fighter not only utilized the 4MB RAM cart to hold every frame of animation from the arcade original, but it is probably one of the best console ports of Alpha 3. The only thing the PSX version has up on it is the controls are a bit tighter.
• Die Hard Arcade – I found Die Hard Arcade to be one of the best 3D arcade conversions to be found on the Saturn. The game engine allows zooming and panning to provide the best perspective of the beatemup action, but the game runs in a standard resolution (As opposed to the High-Res mode seen in VF2). The character animation is similar to Virtua Fighter 2 and also features texture-mapping, complete with facial features. (Review)

You Might Also Enjoy These Links:
Top Games That Nobody Played
Saturn Multiplayer Games – Best Multi-Tap Action
Shmups: Sega Saturn vs. Sony Playstation

Continue to Part 3!