Sega CD Classics

In a desperate attempt to take gaming to the "next level" and keep it's fans away from the likes of the emerging Playstation 1 and Nintendo 64, Sega started to put their winning Genesis console on life support by adding CD (Sega CD) and polygonal (32X) support. Since I had a large collection of favorite Genesis titles and was awed by the possibilities of adding video and games that could have hundreds of times the storage space of the past tucked into those large, hinged jewel cases was really exciting. Also, it helped bridge the gap into other platforms for me. I was the only gamer in my household (they were mostly into TV and Movies) as a young teen, so I was often looked at as the oddball playing with kids stuff. The Full Motion Video helped me feel like I could fit in with them. Also, I was the budding intellectual, but my family couldn't afford to get me a computer. The multimedia encyclopedia and educational titles made me feel like I had more than a gaming system. Also, I had the JVC X'Eye which had a very full featured, programmable CD player and came with a karaoke disc so I really felt like I had my own entertainment system.

Rank Game Release Date GameSpot Score Tigercatbrandon's Score
1

Sewer Shark

This was the display title at Montgomery Ward. With Sony's Play Station being announced, I remember I asked the clerk if they would keep selling games for my new Sega CD.. He smiled and said sure ..... Unsurely, I made off to try out the truly-impressive 360 degrees 3D FPS / Flying Decent game they were demoing in their PC department. Sewer Shark is often criticized for being a shameless excuse to use Full Motion Video backgrounds and excessive cheese-factor, I actually think these are some of the things that made it great. Flying around and exterminating sci fi stuff in a futuristic sewer for some jerk boss yelling at you through a video intercom was jolly fun until you wind up fighting to get back at the boss by uncovering his shady business.

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2

Wirehead

This was one of the FMV games that really made you feel like you were playing a movie. Who could resist the concept of sticking a remote-control in a guy's head and controlling him through the suburbs (and on a varied trip including on a plane and driving jeeps) ??? The gameplay was classic dragon's lair style: a simple matter of memorizing the right button-press at the prompt with hilariously filmed deaths if you tap the wrong choice... but the feeling of controlling an action movie was priceless.

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3

Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia

Although I was a smart kid, I did not come from an intellectual family. My step dad was a nuclear waste disposer and mom was a bank teller. So the odds of us getting a family encyclopedia were like finishing Contra on the NES on the first play through. But here it was: a full encyclopedia and a world of knowledge at my fingertips... before most people had the Internet. It had full articles, sound clips, and video clips. It was a pain to use the D-Pad on the Genesis to select letters to search, but it was great educational fun to browse and it helped with my homework and conversation.

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4

The San Diego Zoo Presents: The Animals!

Another educational title I loved. Because I like to learn and I like animals, it was a blast going through this since it had a game-like interface and very thorough animal encyclopedia with lifecycles, habitat, region, description, sound bytes, and video. They showed San Diego zoo sensibilities including showing staff caring for the animals. Thanks to this game, I'll provably visit the zoo someday if I get the chance !

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5

Sonic CD

When I stuck this in, I thought: I already have 3 great sonic games on the Genesis.. do I really need another one ? But the FMV Sonic Boom intro, haunting CD music, and the past/future gameplay system really drew me in. I remember thinking I was diving into obscurity by playing with the mascot from the last generation, but it turns out Sonic CD, designed around the same time as the legendary Sonic 2, would go on to be remembered as one of the most legendary and ported Sonic games of all time.
8.5
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6

Stellar-Fire

PROOF the Sega CD could handle polygons !! This was an odd title involving flying a floaty-hovercraft around a vast futuristic planet ground. It was fun, but the blockier-than-N64 graphics and short draw distance made it feel more like a futuristic prototype than a playable game.

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7

Mickey Mania: The Timeless Adventures of Mickey Mouse

I really liked this one. I could show off my platforming skills I developed in the Genesis era with a game that felt larger with FMV sprites and scenes while also taking advantage of some of the Genesis's best parallax technology.

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8

Prize Fighter

The black and white choice was odd, but I really liked how, with FMV, the coach and opponents would taunt, or in the champ's case, encourage you with true sportsmanship. Being a vetran of Mike Tyson's Punch Out on the NES, this felt like a more grown up experience. The gameplay, however, was tough to get used to because it was timing and fmv based... however, I became quite expert at it after I used the power-upgrade system to have a killer-right hook :)

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