Retro Gamer Issue 61

[Skull Commander]

just read the Jon Hare article, nothing against him as I love the old sensi games on the Amiga but I'm bored of hearing about how great Sensible were blah blah.

maybe I'm in the minority but I've seen enough articles about him, Archer McLean and Jon Ritman now, there must be more tales to tell, people to interview from this era ?

I'm in full agreement. My heart always slightly sinks when it's these guys AGAIN.

[Duddyroar]

Surprised not to see a mention of Sylpheed (unless it's in there somewhere and I didn't catch the mention). That was the one game that had me considering purchasing the system back in the day for its visual originality alone

Again, space meant that I couldn't really mention everything, and while I love Silpheed I don't think it's one of the best games on the system. It looks fantastic and was really jaw-dropping back in the day, but the actual gameplay is pretty average.

It still has one of the best intros in the history of games, though.

[samanosuke]

I'm in full agreement. My heart always slightly sinks when it's these guys AGAIN.

Throw Matthew Smith into that group too!

[samanosuke]

maybe I'm in the minority but I've seen enough articles about him, Archer McLean and Jon Ritman now, there must be more tales to tell, people to interview from this era ?

LMFAO, check out this post I saw over at rllmuk:

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post Yesterday, 07:46 PM
Post #24


Group: Members
Posts: 1,841
Joined: 15-May 03




QUOTE (Goose @ Mar 2 2009, 08:33 PM) *
The Jon Hare interview is good too. Have you got another lined up? (Joffa?)

Yes

Jon Twiddy
Archer Maclean
Scott Addams

[Team Andromeda]

Again, space meant that I couldn't really mention everything, and while I love Silpheed I don't think it's one of the best games on the system. It looks fantastic and was really jaw-dropping back in the day, but the actual gameplay is pretty average

Yeah I tend to agree, I can still clearly remember The 1st time I saw that space ship blow up into a millions pieces on the 1st level , it was truly was a 'true' jaw dropping moment .
It's quite sad that only CORE and GameArts made as developers , and tried to make use of the system , because when used the system was very powerful

Matthew Smith

That man is legend, and to be fair to him, I don't think he's given many interviews

read the Jon Hare article, nothing against him as I love the old sensi games on the Amiga but I'm bored of hearing about how great Sensible were blah blah.

Trouble is no football game comes close to Sensi, even now , in fact its the most perfect football game in terms of control and headers , I've played
The only trouble I have with Hare, is when he talks about the current gaming and how this or that game should be made better , when he's done nothing of note since the death of the Amiga

[samanosuke]

It's quite sad that only CORE and GameArts made as developers , and tried to make use of the system , because when used the system was very powerful

I'd argue that others did too, just not so consistently. Games such as Dune (Cryo/Virgin), Wing Commander (Orion/EA), The Adventures of Willy Beamish (Sierra/Dynamix) and Cobra: The Space Adventure (Hudson) could not have been released on cartdridge or, at the very least, they would have to have had to have been severly compromised. Games such as these, while not taking advantage of the extra graphical effects or featuring hours of FMV, did utilise the incredibe storage space (for the time) offered by the CD format.

Other companies used the CD format to create bigger games than the cartridge versions, in particular The Terminator (Probe/Virgin) and Shin Megami Tensei (Atlus). Incidentally, Shin Megami Tensei is not only superior to the Super Famicom version but it is also one of the few Japanese-developed, third-party games to use the Mega CD's ASIC chip for its first-person perspective. Quite ironic considering the Japanese 'don't do FPSes'.

Of course, as you mention Game Arts and Core Design, along with Sega themselves, were the developers who consistently utilised the medium rather than released cartridge games with Redbook audio.

Ultimately I feel it was Sega's own fault for the deluge of lazy cartridge ports; while the Mega-CD was a nice piece of kit it was prohibitively priced. As the user installed base of the Megadrive/Genesis was high, undoubtedly Sega would have sold more MCD units had it been more attractively priced. This in turn would have encouraged developers into taking more risks with the format, rather than creating the vicious cycle we ended up with. With the user installed base for the MCD comparitively low, who can blame developers for taking the safe bet by re-releasing cartridge games instead of creating exclusive content? And then, with so few exclusive games that pushed the hardware, who can blame consumers for not wanting to pay so much to play such a small number of exclusive titles?

[Team Andromeda]

I'd argue that others did too, just not so consistently. Games such as Dune (Cryo/Virgin), Wing Commander (Orion/EA), The Adventures of Willy Beamish (Sierra/Dynamix) and Cobra: The Space Adventure (Hudson) could not have been released on cartdridge or, at the very least, they would have to have had to have been severly compromised. Games such as these, while not taking advantage of the extra graphical effects or featuring hours of FMV, did utilise the incredibe storage space (for the time) offered by the CD format.

Wing Commander on the Mega CD is the best port of the game on the consoles , and there's a reason for that , as GameArts did the porting duties . Rise of the Dragon is another brilliant Mega CD port (I'm sure again handled by GA) .

Its just that most corps tended to use Mega Drive code , and just wake on a CD track, CORE and Game Arts went that extra mile and used the extra chips inside the Mega CD . Everyone goes on about Sonic CD, I was gutted the Mega CD scaling chips were never used for the spirits/UFO's on the 3D section , and little use of the 8 PCM chip for the sound effects in game .

That's the worst part is how little SEGA used the console its self , the Mega CD could have handled pretty decent ports of Hang On, Super Hang ON, Out Run ECT..
That said Switch was one of the few games that used the Mega CD to its fullest , and a game that just could be done on any other machine at the time , and is still to this day, just utterly brilliant

[samanosuke]

Everyone goes on about Sonic CD, I was gutted the Mega CD scaling chips were never used for the spirits/UFO's on the 3D section , and little use of the 8 PCM chip for the sound effects in game .

Actually for most (if not all) of the 'past' levels the PCM channels are used for the soundtrack. That's testament to the high quality of those added PCM capabilities; when they are actually used it's difficult to tell between what is chip and what is Redbook music. For further proof, just try putting the CD in a CD player and playing any of the past tracks. I think maybe one or two of the 'good future' tracks were PCM too.

[samanosuke]

That's the worst part is how little SEGA used the console its self , the Mega CD could have handled pretty decent ports of Hang On, Super Hang ON, Out Run ECT..
That said Switch was one of the few games that used the Mega CD to its fullest , and a game that just could be done on any other machine at the time , and is still to this day, just utterly brilliant

That's a bit harsh! Sega did use the scaling chip for games such as Heavenly Symphony and Joe Montana NFL, even though the latter was a pretty crap game. Other Sega games, while not using the scaling chips, did use the CD format well such as Yumemi Mystery Mansion and Jurassic Park. Even when Sega themselves ported a cartridge game - Eternal Champions - they made significant improvements to the original, using the storage space that the format offers.

[Team Andromeda]

Actually for most (if not all) of the 'past' levels the PCM channels are used for the soundtrack. That's testament to the high quality of those added PCM capabilities; when they are actually used it's difficult to tell between what is chip and what is Redbook music.

Yeah I know all that , but find it so strange that ST made all that effort and then for the rest of the game hardly used the 8 PCM chip and just reused the Mega Drive sound effects , seemed such a waste . One game that made great used of the extra channels was FIFA onthe Mega CD , while the CD was used for the crowd chants , the 8 channel PCM sound chip was used for some sunning sound effects, with great thuds , and a great noise for when the ball hit the side netting .

And I still can't work out why Sonic Team made such great use of the scaling/rotation hardware for the bonus Garden option, but never used the chip 3D inthe bonus sections , with no scaling at all onthe UFO's and a pretty basic Mode 7 effect .

Sega did use the scaling chip for games such as Heavenly Symphony and Joe Montana NFL

I'm sorry I really meant Sega Japan . In the Mega CD they had a system that could have given us the best home consoles ports of their scaling coin ups and they never hardly used the extra hardware , with only the likes of Switch and F1 using the scaling effects.

One only has to look at the 3d sections in Batman Returns and Cliffhanger , to see the Mega CD could have done pretty good and close ports of Space Harrier, AB, OutRun ECT. Credit to SEGA America they used the system far more , but then got caught up in that FMV hype , when they should have continued to use the talents of John O'Brien .

You are right thought, Jurassic Park is a great game , and one that really uses the system and makes decent use of the licence, and to me at the EC onthe Mega CD was the deepest fighter on a home system

[Leon Retro]

I don't think the MegaCD had a chance. Like any hardware, there were some devs who tried hard to push the envelope, but many didn't show any real commitment. In the end the system was seen as not "The next big thing" .. and soon faded away from the gaming scene. If the 3D0, PS1, Saturn, hadn't arrived in 94, maybe devs & gamers would have taken more of an interest in the MegaCD. It may have some nice games, but.. it was never going to succeed in the market of the time.

Games like Batman, Soul Star, did show what could be done with 16-bit tech if you added special chips and a cd-rom.

I still think Star Fox on the snes was more exciting than any MCD game, though. There is no doubt that the MCD & quite a few of its games are worth owning and enjoying.

[Team Andromeda]

For a add on the Mega CD sold well , what some 5 million units sold there's not many add ons that's sold better . Trouble was for me it was just such a wasted potential, it came out in 1991 and SEGA Japan did next to nothing with it for years , in my view it should have be porting its Sprite Sacling coin ups In-House very early in .

I can't help but feel that After Burner III sounded the death nail , I remember everyone at the time thinking this would be the game to show off the Mega CD hardware , and the bloody Mega Drive version of Part II looked and moved much better , when at the time I think people were hoping to see Mode 7 killing effects
Its a shame, it was good and powerful hardware at the time, but SEGA them self's did really make enough use of it , and if SEGA didn't make use of it, it's hard to expect 3rd parties too

And for me Batman Returns is more exciting and a better game than StarFox

[samanosuke]

I'm sorry I really meant Sega Japan .

Sega Japan did make a game that, while not using the scaling chips, utilised the capabilities of the Mega CD very well. If you haven't already seen it, look up some videos of Record of Lodoss War. Shame the gits never translated it for the Western market

But yeah, you're right - Afterburner III was a complete travesty.

And I found Dennin Aleste to be much more exciting than Starfox, but then I guess that wasn't quite the answer Leon was looking for!

[Leon Retro]

And I found Dennin Aleste to be much more exciting than Starfox, but then I guess that wasn't quite the answer Leon was looking for!

Some people here, for many reasons, have the wrong impression of me. I love the SNES, but always show love for other machines. I'm not a fanboy; even if my enthusiasm towards the SNES gives that impression.

Anyway, when it comes to Star Fox, I enjoyed Axelay far more. There is no doubt( at the time especially ) .. that Star Fox is a great game. It wasn't some fancy 'tech demo' ... The gameplay and design were what made the game; not the 3D visuals, which weren't amazing even back then.

The problem with the MegaCD is that it was a bad idea. No one needed it back in 91-93. The MD & SNES were delivering excellent games - so that was enough for most gamers. The fact that the MCD didn't launch with games that blew peoples minds, was the first nail in its coffin. Batman should have been a benchmark standard for the machine, but.. it was more of a unique game amongst a sea of mediocrity & lameness.

Sure, there are quite a few nice games for the machine, but.. no gamer can honestly say they can't see why it didn't set the gaming scene on fire, unless they are blinded by an obession for it.

I think the handful of good games for the machine are well worth owning now, and can be appreciated much more than they were back in the day. These days there aren't any expectations focused on the MCD, so when you discover a gem for it, you just smile and enjoy it for what it is. No one is expecting amazing things from it.

I personally only knew of one person with a MCD back in the 90s. It's surprising to hear that it sold 5million+ .. That is a figure I find hard to believe, but if it's true.. it shows how much faith people had in Sega back then.

[Team Andromeda]

The problem with the MegaCD is that it was a bad idea. No one needed it back in 91-93. The MD & SNES were delivering excellent games - so that was enough for most gamers. The fact that the MCD didn't launch with games that blew peoples minds, was the first nail in its coffin. Batman should have been a benchmark standard for the machine, but.. it was more of a unique game amongst a sea of mediocrity & lameness.

Its rubbish to say the Mega CD was a bad idea , It gave at the time what a lot of MD developers were asking for , Snes style scaling and rotation effects , a much better sound chip , and no limits of Cart sizes , and CD-Rom was the seen as the future . It just at launch cost a bomb at didn't enjoy decent levels of support , until the system launched it the USA

Batman should have been a benchmark standard for the machine, but.. it was more of a unique game amongst a sea of mediocrity & lameness.

Batman was and is in so many ways still is The trouble is everyone tended to focus on the platform bits , instead of going on about the stunning 3d sections , which was a full game in its own right , but bar the Mega Tech review, everyother reviews always marked the game down for the platform sections. The funny part is, with Batman & Robin on the Mega CD I so wished SEGA included the platform sections from the Mega Drive version .And I really don't get the point about the unique game, It was a driving game , only one that looked and moved as good as any SEGA coin up around at the time .

here are quite a few nice games for the machine, but.. no gamer can honestly say they can't see why it didn't set the gaming scene on fire,

CD-ROM in those days seems liked you were taking part in the future , even the FMV games felt you were taking part in something new at the time .

I think the handful of good games

That's the usual typical respouce and it tends to come from people that oly every played the system in the shops, or owned a Pal system, and always say the only good games were Sonic CD, Final Fight, ThunderHawk
There was quite a lot of very good games on the system , sadly a few of the best ones remained Import only

It's surprising to hear that it sold 5million+

Some say it sold more , I don't know why you sound so surprised, it sold ok-ish in Europe and sold decent in the USA on its launch it was a complete sell out for months .

Sega Japan did make a game that, while not using the scaling chips, utilised the capabilities of the Mega CD very well. If you haven't already seen it, look up some videos of Record of Lodoss War.

I have most of SOJ Mega CD games , and it still hurts me that 3X3 Eyes was never translated too.

But I remember all the hype for the Mega CD was it was 1st announced , and as soon as SEGA said it had extra chips in the machine for scaling and rotation effects , almost every magazine I knew run reports and showed all these possible Arcade games that could be coming to the system , with Night Striker being a fan . But to many early games onthe system never used the chips , but all the hype was After Burner III was going to be the showcase game , the game to show off all that extra hardware and effects .

I remember it all too well , even the bloody intro and music was sh8t , it did'nt use one ounce of the Mega CD. If it scaled and rotated like the AB II coin up I think it would have made a lot of difference . I remember after that game , MEGA (the gaming mag) run a interview with a so called developer, who said the Mega CD didn't even support Hardware scaling and Rotation

Switch is the best game to come from SEGA japan onthe system . There was a game that just couldn't be done on any system at the time ,used every effect you could think off, was simply massive , and a brilliant game to boot . Still one of the best games around even today