If there’s one thing Sega knows how to do, it’s rehash the biggest stars of the Genesis era. Before the numerous compilations released on modern consoles, the Sega CD was among the first machines to get hit with the cash run wave. Home to not one but two editions of the Sega Arcade Classics Collection (the only difference being one game), the add-on gave Segaphiles their first taste of watered down ports. The worst part? Sega didn’t even wait until the Genesis was discontinued before it started to butcher its library.
Sega CD Reviews
Ninja Warriors
Taito released plenty of games for the Genesis, but its Sega CD library wasn’t quite as robust. Some of the games that made it onto the add-on seem to have a “B grade” quality to them, and after playing The Ninja Warriors for the Japanese Mega CD, that assessment might actually be too generous. Granted, the source material isn’t that deep to begin with, but one questions why the CD technology seemed to only be used for redbook audio. What a waste.
Wing Commander
The PC classic Wing Commander made its way to the Sega CD in 1994, and there was some compromises that had to be made in order for Origin Systems to squeeze the game onto Sega’s add-on. It mostly made the transition intact, and it picked up some great audio along the way as well.
Bug Blasters: The Exterminators
When the Sega CD went under, it took with it a lot of games in development, and little by little those games are coming back in some form or another. Penn & Teller’s Smoke & Mirrors was recently leaked onto the Internet, and a few others have even been finished up and sold. Among those available for purchase is a long-forgotten FMV game by those champions of mediocrity, Sony Imagesoft. Bug Blasters: The Exterminators goes beyond camp, and the game is so laughably bad that it gives anti-FMV stalwarts all the ammunition they need to say “’nuff said” any time the topic comes up.
Heart of the Alien
The original Out of This World was an incredible game, combining awesome storytelling with a solid gameplay experience. The sequel, Heart of the Alien, was released for the Sega CD (along with the first game, all on a single CD), and it received less fanfare than its predecessor. Is it because it’s an inferior game, or did the media just pass by this one entirely?