Finally got my Sega CD up and running! Game suggestions?

[Austin]

Pitfall is good, and it's also one of the cheapest *quality* Sega CD games you can get. Good visuals, great soundtrack (much better than any of the cart versions), smooth gameplay, fast framerate, cool environments, and some great classic Pitfall throwbacks. I recommend it.

[+Cafeman]

... great soundtrack (much better than any of the cart versions) ...

 

Agreed there.

 

Yesterday after work I sat down and played the game for two hours - two games each played to the end. The first one I explored around and the second I tried to beat it quickly yet getting the letters. I failed to get all the letters AGAIN. The first "L" in PITFALL in particular is stumping me. You can see it, you run underneath it, but I haven't discovered the path to it yet. I love the fact the game is beating me. It isn't hard to play through it to the end but you have to gain some skills and familiarity and explore all the nooks and crannies to find everything.

 

This morning I woke up and found myself playing back one of the levels' music in my head. The Sega CD version's soundtrack is really cool as you work through the game. Great use of bass & electric guitar, but it isn't rock music with a 4/4 drum beat thankfully. Good instrumental tracks, I should burn a CD of them and listen in the car.

[+Cafeman]

For some reason I've been really enjoying my Sega CD this December. I'll just keep adding to this thread rather than adding a new one.

 

I just found very affordable and good-shape copies of Battlecorps and F1 World Championship: Beyond the limit. I had played both in the past and wanted to see how I'd view them now.

 

Battlecorps: control a walking mech blowing stuff up with "Iron Man" types of weapons! This is by Core who I always considered a technical type of team, coding to the metal etc etc. The game's technology is far beyond what the Genesis could do since it uses the Sega CD's scaling and rotation. Frame rate is pretty smooth.

 

I basically played the practice level and mission1 trying to get the feel of the controls. The weapons are pretty cool- guns, more powerful guns, bombs you lob at 45 degree angles, then sets of 3-bombs at a time, locking missiles, and ... a flamethrower which is pretty awesome. The flamethrower in particular has a nice bassy sound as you use it. If you like pixel explosions you'lll love the graphical style here. There is plenty of CD-era 'dialogue' and instructions, but you know, I couldn't understand what the guy was saying at all. I think Core put an echo on the voice and it muddies it. This isn't a favorite genre for me, but the game seems pretty awesome if you like slower mech-based mission gameplay (reminds me a little of Ghen War on Saturn, but with more destruction).

 

Formula One World Championship: Beyond the Limit: I was very interested in trying this out (again), because back in the day, after drooling over screenshots, the game greatly disappointed me. I played it 2 hours last night looking for its appeal, and I think I found it.

 

This game is not an arcade racer. It's more a sim. It was evidently created for the Japanese market who love the sim aspects - I read the Japanese version is much more difficult than the NA version. So if you understand the game's intended slant, you may find more respect for it, like I did. My analogy of F1WC -- imagine going to a nice restaurant with beautiful surroundings, attractive servers, nice music, nice settings, but the actual meal is nothing special.

 

The FMV and still graphics, music, options, screens, and detailed settings for front & back wings / handling/ brakes / tires are collectively very satisfying. The heart of the game is all this technical set-up and planning, and PRACTICING. The actual races are just something you get through. The graphics have lots of detail that look nice in screenshots, but the redraw/frame rate is choppy. Lines on the road don't scroll smoothly - they jump. Other opponent F1 cars kind of blink on and then off as they appear "in view". Controlling your car seems to be done by subtle taps left/right. One tap usually is enough to staighten out - it takes getting used to.

 

The biggest disappointment in last night's game session (I did the practice, qualifying, and actual race for the 1st course) was that I was given rain tires at the start of the actual race, and nothing forced me to change my tires the entire 12-lap race. Thus I went from position 21 to finish in position 3, even though I'm not that good and I'm constantly running in the grass and even hitting barriers. Your car does not actually collide with billboards - you magically pass thru them.

 

It's a curious game - not one for instant fun & gratification, but I've read it was fairly popular in other places of the world - Japan and Brazil for example. I'm going to give it some time and see how the game feels after several races. I just realized one thing about it - there is a 1993 mode where you a placed in the cockpit of a real racer and you have a goal - pass a certain opponent , etc. That seems pretty interesting.

Edited December 19, 2012 by Cafeman

[Atariboy]

I love sim racer's and have enjoyed many a realistic F1 racer. But to me, the short draw distance and the choppy frame rate just killed it for me. It looks nice in screenshots though.

 

Do you have Jaguar XJ220? That and the version of Super Monaco GP on the Sega Classics 5 In 1 Pack are my favorite Sega CD racers.

Edited December 19, 2012 by Atariboy

[+Cafeman]

Do you have Jaguar XJ220? That and the version of Super Monaco GP on the Sega Classics 5 In 1 Pack are my favorite Sega CD racers.

 

I have neither. I never see Jaguar XJ220 in the wild. It was a very early release, I'd have thought it to not be all that great. Why do you like it?

 

I have never seen the "5 in 1". I have the "4 in 1" - Golden Axe (1-player only for some reason), Columns, SOR, and Revenge of Shinobi. I assume the SMGP CD version is the same as the Genesis but maybe with better sounds? That'd be good enough for me, but like I said, I have never seen it.

[Atariboy]

It reminds me a lot of the Gremlin racers like the Lotus games on the Amiga computers, the Top Gear trilogy on the Super Nintendo, etc. And I loved all of those games so I had fun with it even though it's not as good of a game as any of those. I even have the Redbook soundtrack on my 360 and occasionally fire it up when playing something like Forza (Along with the music from the Gremlin developed racers and a lot of Sega arcade racing music).

 

The only difference from the 4 in 1 is the addition of SMGP. It's just a bit of audio enhancements (Much clearer voices and the music received some enhancements).

Edited December 19, 2012 by Atariboy

[+Cafeman]

I beat Jurassic Park CD. Its a lot easier towards the end if you utilize the 'infinite gas cannisters' trick - put the T-rex CD into a CD-slot on the wall which is to the right of Muldoon's door. I don't think I knew of that cheat back in the day. There is one more secret I haven't figured out - in the Galli area, you use the bolt cutters on an unmarked branch or something, and then you go to the old Galli nest (with a field in the distance) and you will see T-rex vs Trike battle.

Edited December 21, 2012 by Cafeman

[Austin]

Jaguar is very much like the Lotus games. My problem with it though is that it's hard to control. It seems that no matter what speed you are at, your car constantly veers to the outer edge of the track much faster than it should. Leaves a lot to be desired, IMO. It's not quite OutRun, or the SNES Top Gear, or even the Lotus games. Probably a step below. Everything else about it is decent though.

[+Cafeman]

Update on opinions:

 

F1: Beyond the Limit - it all gets very samey from race to race. Visuals don't change , only the layout changes. Not recommended unless, like me, you are curious of how an F1 might be done using Sega CD hardware. I had grown to get used to its choppiness, but then I popped in Genesis Super Monaco GP which is far smoother and even has a great rear view mirror (which you use to block oncoming opponents).

 

Oh, and if are curious what happens when you get all the Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure letters .... see screenshot. This is a great platformer. It took me a while to discover all the locations for the letters.

[Austin]

Oh, and if are curious what happens when you get all the Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure letters .... see screenshot. This is a great platformer. It took me a while to discover all the locations for the letters.

 

 

Ahahaha.. "Now is a good time for a photo to document your triumph!" That's awesome.

 

I take it that was it? Nothing else given for managing that feat?

[+Cafeman]

Nope, that was the only difference between the regular game-ending and the "all letters found" game-ending.