George Horvath GuestSpotter

Now playing: King of Fighters 2000/2001 (PS2), Final Fantasy Tactics Advance (GBA), Panzer Dragoon Orta (Xbox), Mobile Forces (PC), Blowout (PS2), Maximum Chase (Xbox) Looking forward to: R-Type Final, Gradius V, Carve, Half-Life 2, Doom 3, Far Cry Finally getting: Kolibri, Virtua Fighter, and FIFA '96 for the 32X (No joke!)

32X: Short Name, Short Life, Big Fun

If someone said the words "Sega Genesis 32X," what would you say? Would it be, "32 what?"; "That mushroom for the Genesis?"; or "It never got a fair shot." For those who don't know what I'm talking about, you will soon. I consider myself to be one of the "lucky ones" who have this system/add-on. (Thank you birthdays!) While systems can come and go, such as the Virtual Boy and Game.com, some just don't seem to be remembered by anyone. (Who remembers Tiger's R-Zone? I do. I have one.) I feel that the 32X could have gone somewhere, especially in America. It was hyped and supported at the start and began fairly well. It seemed to be another Sega success. Unfortunately, this system failed and helped start Sega's downfall in the hardware business. In all honesty, the 32X had lots of potential, but it also probably had more planned titles canceled than any other system.

I don't get why people hate it. It looks harmless.

For those who want a history lesson on the 32X, here's a quick recap. It was a mushroom-shaped system that hooked onto the Genesis' cartridge slot. You could play Genesis games on it, so there was no need to remove it after attaching it. It was released in November 1994 to pretty much be a buffer for gamers who were going from the Genesis to the Saturn. It actually sold well at first--and sold out at many locations--even though the price was $159.99. Sega originally planned to have 1 million units ready for sale by Christmas, but it was only able to get 600,000 out. Sega foresaw success and had a pretty good launch game lineup, consisting of Doom, Star Wars Arcade, Virtua Racing Deluxe, Cosmic Carnage, and Metal Head. Even Europe and Japan received the system--called the Mega Drive 32X in Europe and the Super 32X in Japan--but by far, it sold the best in America. Sega even planned a Genesis/32X combo system called the Neptune. Only one prototype was apparently made.

Yes, a hummingbird shooter. It's also one of the good 32X games, both in graphics and gameplay.

Then the bad came... The 32X had its own separate AC adapter and wasn't exactly the easiest thing to set up. Also, it had two flimsy metal plates that weren't even needed, but they prevented electromagnetic interference. (So that's what they did!) Then people had trouble with their TVs, since some didn't work properly with the 32X. Finally, many games and systems were returned. But that's not all! Many of the future releases were either upgraded Genesis ports (like NBA Jam T.E., Brutal, Mortal Kombat II), or they were just plain average or bad (like Motocross Championship, BC Racers, Zaxxon Motherbase 2000). Then Sega surprised everyone when they released the Saturn four months earlier than originally planned. This confused everyone. What was Sega supporting? By then it was late 1995 and only a few more titles were released. The last big title for the 32X was Virtua Fighter, which many consider to be one of the best home versions of VF1--maybe even better than the rushed Saturn version. (Not Remix but the first version.) The last titles to be released were Spider-Man: Web of Fire, in America, followed by DarXide, in Europe. Both titles were sold in limited quantities and are now collector's items.

Funny thing is that this is the rarest 32X-related item to get. A video, a TV, coupons...but no demo?

OK, maybe that wasn't so quick, but oh well. You get the idea that the 32X went from potential best-seller to X-treme flop. (Ha! I made a pun!) Anyway, not all the 32X games were flops. By far, Virtua Fighter is considered to be one of the best games for the system. Those Europeans who were lucky enough to buy DarXide when it was released consider it to be one of the best-looking games for the 32X, easily pushing its abilities to the limit. Doom is very good, even though it's missing the entire third episode and some other levels. Star Wars Arcade is easily a fun but hard game. NBA Jam T.E. for the 32X is easily the best cartridge version of NBA Jam. Ecco the Dolphin creators Appaloosa Interactive created Kolibri, the well-known "hummingbird shooter." Blizzard got into the act by releasing Blackthorne for the system. It came with an exclusive Winter cave stage where you could meet the Lost Vikings. And what would a Sega console be without Sonic? Well, the 32X would know, since it never got a Sonic starring Sonic. Instead, it got Knuckles' Chaotix, which starred Knuckles and the Chaotix: Mighty, Espio, Vector, and Charmy. Now you know where Sonic Heroes' Team Chaotix came from. In all honesty, it's a good game. The bungee cord-system that linked the characters adds an interesting twist to the gameplay of the Sonic title. Including these and the PAL and Japan-only titles, there were 39 games released for the 32X--34 on cartridge and 5 on CD. America got every title except for three: FIFA Soccer '96 and DarXide, which are PAL-exclusives, and Sangokushi IV/Romance of the Three Kingdoms IV, which is the only Japan-exclusive title. Since all Japanese 32X games were limited in quantities, Sangokushi IV is the rarest 32X game, period. (Interestingly, you can play FIFA '96 on an American 32X.)

All of the Chaotix return in Sonic Heroes, except for Mighty. Where did he go?

Then there were the planned titles. Close to 50 titles were either announced or in development. Apparently, only two playable prototypes have been found. The first was Virtua Hamster, where you played as a hamster that had to escape from lab tubes on a jet-powered skateboard. I kid you not. Then there was X-Men: Mind Games, which used an engine extremely similar to the PSOne/Saturn flop The Incredible Hulk: The Pantheon Saga. As for proposed titles, there were plenty of big names, such as Alone in the Dark, Darkstalkers, Super Street Fighter II Turbo, and Daytona USA. There was also Dracula X (not the same as Castlevania: Symphony of the Night ), Descent, Rayman, and Virtua Cop. By far, these titles could have saved the 32X. And remember, this was just a small list of the many proposed titles.

All I need are Kolibri, Virtua Fighter, and FIFA '96 to make me happy. I have seen some very impressive collections; one had every American-released game! However, the 32X is even shunned by many game collectors, so those who do collect it can either be given praise or a weird look. But the main question is this: Was the 32X necessary? No. Should it have been given more praise than it got? That's up to you. For me, I have plenty of fun with my 32X. Unfortunately, it joins the Virtual Boy, Game.com, and R-Zone in the dark, dank closet of video game failures. Well, maybe not as far back in the closet as them. Maybe it would be closer to the light, next to the 3DO, Jaguar, and Sega CD.

Screenshots courtesy of VGMuseum.com and The 32X Memorial