Sega 32X

[MarioMania]

I was just looking at some games on the System & reading about Proto's

If Sega released it like in 1992..it would have been success (Maybe) It had it fair share of Good games & Bad Games...As hard for me to say thing, I'm a Fan of the Doom Games..Sega rushed the 32X version, I like the System...Didn't use the Grafixs to the Max

[Graham Mitchell]

I dunno if Sega really rushed the 32X version of Doom. It's better than the SNES version. Apparently the Jaguar version was really good, and I've heard the 3DO version sucked. Haven't tried the SNES version, but I've heard complaints about it.

The point is that Doom on the 32X really was quite good at the time, especially considering that it was running on probably the weakest hardware on the market at the time. You could never expect a console to run the game as well as the PC did. Doom sold a ton of 32X's. I worked at Babbage's the Christmas of 32X, and while the 32X wasn't selling as well as Donkey Kong Country, there wasn't one 32X that left the store without a copy of Doom in tow. If I remember correctly, EGM rated it really high as well.

Virtua Racing, Star Wars Arcade, Space Harrier, After Burner, and Knuckle's Chaotix were all really good games, too.

[GM80]

Virtua Racing, Star Wars Arcade, Space Harrier, After Burner, and Knuckle's Chaotix were all really good games, too.

I also remember dropping Madden in favor of Acclaim's NFL Quarterback Club on the 32X, and Blackthorne on the 32X was my favorite of the Interplay games in that vein.

[cyberfluxor]

Blackthrone is great regardless of platform. Personally it was gold and really wish Blizzard and Interplay would do something more with the game today than just rereleasing it on the GBA.

[agbulls]

I have a 32x and about 5 games. But I don't have a power supply for it to attach to my genny. I really should go get one...I would have to assume that Radio Shack would have it. I've got Star Wars and Pitfall. I've heard really good things about Pitfall too.

[swlovinist]

Nothing would have saved the 32X from being a failure. Sega did with the 32X what Atari did with the XEGS game system. At the time they had too many systems they were supporting. Genesis, Sega CD, and game gear were also in full swing. The 32X was one add-on too many, as it confused many owners (such as myself) on what the hell to get. If you want to read a funny story about it, I wrote one in the DP advace guide lore section about 32X. I love sega, but dam did they shoot themselves in the foot with that system.

[xtremegamer]

32X had its good points, look at Wrestlemania the Arcade Game, 32X version is the only one to have all 8 characters, no loading time, and no slow down when you get 3+ characters in the ring. By far the best platform version of this game.

Raw had additional content not available on any other platform.

That's all I got. Yeah their not the greatest games in the world, but its proof that the 32X was better than you average 16 bit system.

[Graham Mitchell]

Nothing would have saved the 32X from being a failure. Sega did with the 32X what Atari did with the XEGS game system. At the time they had too many systems they were supporting. Genesis, Sega CD, and game gear were also in full swing. The 32X was one add-on too many, as it confused many owners (such as myself) on what the hell to get. If you want to read a funny story about it, I wrote one in the DP advace guide lore section about 32X. I love sega, but dam did they shoot themselves in the foot with that system.

Right, that's always the common complaint about Sega during that period, and is always suggested as the reason they lost their lead. But if they released the 32X in '92, like the original poster suggested, before the market was oversaturated with Genesis add-ons, would it have done better? Sega CD actually sold over a million units in the end, and had a pretty decent install base. A lot of people at my high school had one--even people who didn't seem like hardcore gamers. If the 32X came out before the Sega CD, or if the CD unit never existed people wouldn't have been so caught up in the full-motion-video craze, which probably means that the platform would have had more longevity. Plus, in terms of graphics, the 32X could do well more than the Sega CD. The only advantage the CD unit had over the 32X was that RPG's like Lunar could be humongous, and had voice acting (which is either a good thing or a bad thing depending on your preference).

Was the 32X ever released in Japan?

[lordnikon]

I have said it before, Doom on the 32X is great. For someone at the time who didn't have a PC to play games, being able to play Doom was a joy. The 32X version was, and still is a competant version of Doom.

Today, many Sega fans fear peripherals due to what they had to go through with the Sega CD and 32X. The thing is, at the time, the idea of a peripheral wasn't such a bad idea. The 32X was launched at the worst time period possible. Here is why:

The Saturn had launched in Japan with huge success, putting a virtual lockdown on Japanese 32X developer support. Had the 32X gotten more JPN dev support, such as SNK NeoGeo ports, the 32X would have picked up a lot more steam in the states. During that Christmas the 32X was a saught after item. The market was ripe for the 32X in North America. We wern't quite ready for a system like the Saturn, and the Genesis was still huge. Sega of America has gone on record to state that launching the Saturn in the US when they did was a huge mistake. Japan forced the launch on the US market, putting an end to the 32X.

I think the system had a lot of potential. It has a really quality software lineup, and while the hardware is a bit goofy to setup, I can't find many faults with it. The main problem is that the system was launched during the worst timeperiod. I am not sure when the right time would have been to launch the 32X.

[Melf]

The 32X was launched at the worst time period possible. Here is why:

The Saturn had launched in Japan with huge success, putting a virtual lockdown on Japanese 32X developer support. Had the 32X gotten more JPN dev support, such as SNK NeoGeo ports, the 32X would have picked up a lot more steam in the states. During that Christmas the 32X was a saught after item. The market was ripe for the 32X in North America. We wern't quite ready for a system like the Saturn, and the Genesis was still huge. Sega of America has gone on record to state that launching the Saturn in the US when they did was a huge mistake. Japan forced the launch on the US market, putting an end to the 32X.

I think the system had a lot of potential. It has a really quality software lineup, and while the hardware is a bit goofy to setup, I can't find many faults with it. The main problem is that the system was launched during the worst timeperiod. I am not sure when the right time would have been to launch the 32X.

There was only one problem with the 32X: Sega was never fully behind it. The reason it had almost no Japanese support is because SOJ basically left it to America to work with. The original model was basically a Genesis with more color, and Joe Miller was the one who beefed it up to the mushroom we eventually got. Sega of Japan wanted no part of it.

What really killed any hope of it all was Hayao Nakayama's decision to discontinue everything (Genesis, Sega CD, 32X, Game Gear) in order to concentrate exclusively on the Saturn. Sega had initially planned to support both, with the 32X being a stop-gap measure until people could afford to upgrade (former SOA president Tom Kalinske himself told me this).There were enough publishers lined up to give the 32X a decent enough library, but they all jumped ship when Sega announced it was pulling the plug.

[fishsandwich]

I dunno if Sega really rushed the 32X version of Doom. It's better than the SNES version. Apparently the Jaguar version was really good, and I've heard the 3DO version sucked. Haven't tried the SNES version, but I've heard complaints about it.

I believe that 32x DOOM was rushed through production so it could be available at launch. Looking at the specs of the 32x it's not hard to imagine the 32x doing DOOM full-screen with more frames of animation, more levels, and more enemies. 32x DOOM isn't bad but it could have been a lot better given more development time and increased programmer's experience coding for the hardware.

It was the "Super 32x" in Japan. Japan didn't get a lot of the games that were released in the States or the UK but it did have one exclusive game (Romance of the 3 Kingdoms 4 I believe.)

[Sweater Fish Deluxe]

Well, if Sega had released the 32X in 1992...it would have been the size of a tower PC and cost $1200, but yeah, aside form those problems, it sure could have been a big success.

If Sega could have added more on-screen colors in the Sega CD hardware in addition to the advantage sit already held, that would have been enough to make it a lot more attractive and therefore sell a lot more units and therefore drive the price down and get a lot more games written for the system. That would have been a good idea. Then they could have just skipped right over any need for the 32X, which did just come out too near to the release of the Saturn.


...word is bondage...

[MarioMania]

I believe that 32x DOOM was rushed through production so it could be available at launch. Looking at the specs of the 32x it's not hard to imagine the 32x doing DOOM full-screen with more frames of animation, more levels, and more enemies. 32x DOOM isn't bad but it could have been a lot better given more development time and increased programmer's experience coding for the hardware.

It was the "Super 32x" in Japan. Japan didn't get a lot of the games that were released in the States or the UK but it did have one exclusive game (Romance of the 3 Kingdoms 4 I believe.)

I was watching Icon's Episode about the Dreamcast, Former SoA Prez Bernie Stoller(sp) said Saturn was a mistake..I don't know the Business end of it, I think SoJ was stupid pulling the plug on the Mega Drive as well as the GG..they shot then selfs in the foot..in my view the 32X is powerful then the SNES if Sega realeased it in 92 & made the Game look like Mini Arcade

[jpark203]

Virtua Racing, Star Wars Arcade, Space Harrier, After Burner, and Knuckle's Chaotix were all really good games, too.
Knuckles Chaotix was alright, but I wasn't particularly fond of two characters being chained together by some bungee thing. Got kind of annoying sometimes.

One of my favorites though was Kolibri. It's sort of a free roaming shooter where you control a humming bird. The game had the best 2D graphics I'd ever seen on the 32X.

[Steve W]

I only bought a 32X because I wanted a home version of T-Mek. And I never played it too much, because both of the units I've tried tend to be fairly unstable and prone to freezing. I just wish Sega had come out with the Neptune all-in-one, so I wouldn't have to screw with that stupid add-on.

[Kevincal]

Sega should have just stuck with the 32X about 6 months to a year longer instead of rushing out the Saturn... That way there would have been atleast 10-20 more 32X games with some being great games I'm sure. Sega also would have been to smart to incorporate a way for the 32X to attach to the Saturn. And even better yet!, make the Saturn improve the 32X game's visuals and sound. That would have been cool.

[bangtango]

I also remember dropping Madden in favor of Acclaim's NFL Quarterback Club on the 32X, and Blackthorne on the 32X was my favorite of the Interplay games in that vein.

Unless I am mistaken, Quarterback Club was the only football game for the 32X. I just played it for the first time the other day and it is actually a pretty good 16/32-bit football title.

Obviously Acclaim didn't know anything about the 32X's capabilities, given their output for the console. They just looked at it as another platform to release their library of games. As a result, they didn't do much to improve the games that had the Acclaim name on them over the Genesis versions. I don't see how that type of thing is Sega's fault, yet people like to blame Sega for everything that was negative about the 32X. It is a whole different story compared to the Atari Jaguar. Atari was the one making the lion's share of the Jaguar games and they have nobody to blame but themselves for shipping flop after flop. What was Sega going to do? Call up Acclaim and tell them (or whoever was working on those ports) to "work a little bit harder" on their 32X games? Sega couldn't just alienate a company that was releasing a lot of product for their system. Especially since a lot of the 32X games that Acclaim had their name on were decent versions of the games that they were releasing. They may not have looked much different than other 16-bit versions but they weren't "bad." Not only that, they were selling.

It didn't help that Sega had to contend with the Playstation hype machine. I never saw so much print in magazines stating how great a gaming system was before it was even released, let alone one by a company who'd never released a gaming console before. If Sega had kept running with the 32X or Sega CD longer than they did, gaming magazines would have been relentless in attacking them. Sony was already in the heads of a bunch of writers, pundits and critics who suddenly wanted to see Sega fail miserably. I suppose Sega didn't have much of a choice but to quit on those two add-ons. They were probably under a ton of pressure over at Sega given the fact that critics everywhere were saying Sony would win that round before a price tag or release date had even been announced. I mean if Sega's only competition in the mid-1990's had been 3DO, Nintendo, Atari and TTI, then they'd probably have kept right on rolling with at least the 32X and Game Gear even after the Saturn had been released. But I could be wrong. Whatever the case, they'd have had no reason to continue with the Sega CD since having two cd-based systems would have been redundant, especially with one of them being painfully obsolete (no, it wasn't the Saturn no matter what EGM and Sony were saying).

Doom wasn't bad at all on the 32X. To this day, I've only played it on N64, the Game Boy Advance (via emulator) and the Atari Jaguar. I never did play the PC version so I am able to play Doom on the 32X without nitpicking over the things that are missing from the PC original.

[cessnaace]

Here is my two cents worth.

Some of what happened to Sega was Sega's fault, some of it wasn't. The 32X was a major mistake. The Genesis had just too many add ons for comfort. Somewhere I saw a picture of a Sega Prototype (the Neptune I think) that looked much like a Saturn, except it was a 32X. Behind the CD lid was a cartridge slot, I guess for cartridge based 32X games, although it would have been neat if it were backward capatible with the Genesis.

Personally, if I were the head of Sega at the time I would have cancelled the whole 32X project fairly early in the development stage, and concentrated on supporting the systems I already had. I would have kept the Game Gear (in fact developed a more advanced, backward compatible version), continued to support the Sega CD and Genesis, held off on the Saturn until it was ready, finally releasing a Saturn that was at least backward compatible with the Sega CD.

Hind sight being 20-20, I would have handled the Master System differently as well. Firstly, I would NOT have sold the U.S. distrubution rights to a company like Tonka. They did nothing to market it. Secondly, I would have used color packaging for the games. Thirdly, I would have made a big public stink about Nintendo's practices at the time. Most of the games released in the U.S. were by Sega themselves for this reason. And Sega, not having deep pockets, couldn't develop enough games. Lastly, I would have held on to the SMS even longer than they did (it lasted as late as 1997 in some countries!). I would have kept the card slot on all versions, and I would have ported some classic Commodore 64, Intellivision and ColecoVision games to the SMS - releasing them on cards as 'classics'. They'd fit! This would have greatly increased the SMS's library. Nintendo held on to the NES for over a year after the release of the Genesis.

A Game Gear Advance sure would have been nice!


Mark

[Garry Silljo]

I remember before Saturn came out everyone I talked too said the cartridge slot in the back was for Genesis and 32x games. Could you imagine if that was true? It probably would have sunk the PS1 even at the highter price. If only it were true.

[wallydawg]

I remember before Saturn came out everyone I talked too said the cartridge slot in the back was for Genesis and 32x games. Could you imagine if that was true? It probably would have sunk the PS1 even at the highter price. If only it were true.

Haha I just saw that rumor in a ShopGoodwill auction not too long ago. After a slight chuckle at the claim, I could only think to myself how damn cool that would have been.

[MarioMania]

I would have released the 32X in 92 to compete with the Super Nintendo, Putting out Good games..That was stated to be released on the Genesis. Putting Arcade Version of Mortal Kombat & Street Fighter 2 on the 32X, and Market the Sega CD right

As for the Game Gear, I would have better games for it & release a better LCD screen


Here is my two cents worth.

Some of what happened to Sega was Sega's fault, some of it wasn't. The 32X was a major mistake. The Genesis had just too many add ons for comfort. Somewhere I saw a picture of a Sega Prototype (the Neptune I think) that looked much like a Saturn, except it was a 32X. Behind the CD lid was a cartridge slot, I guess for cartridge based 32X games, although it would have been neat if it were backward capatible with the Genesis.

Personally, if I were the head of Sega at the time I would have cancelled the whole 32X project fairly early in the development stage, and concentrated on supporting the systems I already had. I would have kept the Game Gear (in fact developed a more advanced, backward compatible version), continued to support the Sega CD and Genesis, held off on the Saturn until it was ready, finally releasing a Saturn that was at least backward compatible with the Sega CD.

Hind sight being 20-20, I would have handled the Master System differently as well. Firstly, I would NOT have sold the U.S. distrubution rights to a company like Tonka. They did nothing to market it. Secondly, I would have used color packaging for the games. Thirdly, I would have made a big public stink about Nintendo's practices at the time. Most of the games released in the U.S. were by Sega themselves for this reason. And Sega, not having deep pockets, couldn't develop enough games. Lastly, I would have held on to the SMS even longer than they did (it lasted as late as 1997 in some countries!). I would have kept the card slot on all versions, and I would have ported some classic Commodore 64, Intellivision and ColecoVision games to the SMS - releasing them on cards as 'classics'. They'd fit! This would have greatly increased the SMS's library. Nintendo held on to the NES for over a year after the release of the Genesis.

A Game Gear Advance sure would have been nice!


Mark

[Push Upstairs]

An arcade perfect port of SF2 on the 32x would have spanked the SNES in seven different ways.

I really think the 32x was unnecessary and that perhaps it would have been better to just have the Saturn play both cartridges & CD's.

[MarioMania]

It would have Spanked the Super Nintendo Version big time...

Some of the Arcade Games at the time would fit perfect with the 32X like

King of Fighters(it never came out on the SNES or the Genesis)
Metal Slug
Duke Nukem 3D - FPS
Quake - FPS
Castlevania
Mega Man Extreme

alot of Side-Stroller Games would still be made for the Genesis..But for Shooter, Fighting & Racing Games the 32X would handle it

The Sega CD, Put on a Mega Man Collection

[Zadoc]

I agree with a lot of what has been said here. What killed the 32X was the same backwards thinking at SoJ that killed the Saturn in the end.

Nothing was worng with the 32X. As one poster has already correctly pointed out, the Genesis was enormously popular at the time, the 32X had a stellar launch that Christmas, it had a very solid software line-up, and the game press sung its praises in the beginning.

But SoJ never backed it. SoA scrambled to get as many games on the 32X as possible. A lot of excellent games were in development too. DarXide was just a prelude of what was to come if 32X had another year of Sega support.

Cancelled games include:

Sonic the Hedgehog 4
Castlevania: Bloodletting
Shadow of Atlantis (CD)
Darkstalkers
Alien vs. Preditor
Ecco the Dolphin Trilogy
Comix Zone
Virtua Hampster
Descent
Wingwar
Surgical Strike (CD)
X-Men: Mind Games
Alone in the Dark
Dracula X
Rayman
Virtua Cop
Super Street Figher II: Turbo
Daytona USA
Alien Trilogy

...Just to name a few of the roughly 50 32X games that were in development at the time that the axe fell.

32X was a great idea, in the right time, but with horrible support.

Here's the list from Eidolon's Inn:



Actua Football
Alien Trilogy
Alien vs. Predator
Alone in the Dark
B.I.O.S. Fear
Bike Messenger (CD 32X)
Blood Storm
Bump 'n' Run Driving
C2: Judgement Clay
Capital Punishment (CD 32X)
Casper: An Interactive Adventure
Castlevania V: Rondo of Blood
College Basketball's National Championship
Color TV (CD 32X)
Converse City Basketball Tour
Converse City Hardcore Hoops
Darkstalkers
Descent
Destruxor (CD 32X)
Dogfight (CD 32X)
Dragon's Lair 2: Time Warp (CD 32X)
Ecco the Dolphin
Firestorm: Thunderhawk 2
Flying Aces
Flying Nightmares
Frank Thomas "Big Hurt" Baseball
Garfield: Caught In The Act
Head-On? Soccer
Heavy Machinery
Helioblades
Izzy's Quest for the Olympic Rings
Jack Nicklaus Golf 95
Kingdom: The Far Reaches (CD 32X)
Loadstar: The Legend of Tully Bodine (CD 32X)
Loadstar 2 (CD 32X)
Maximum Surge (CD 32X)
Midnight Raiders (CD 32X)
Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers
NBA Action 96
NFL Instant Replay
NHL 95
Norse by Norsewest
Outpost
PGA Tour Golf 95
Prime Time NFL
Quarrantine
Quarterback Attack (CD 32X)
Race Drivin'
Ratchet and Bolt
Rayman
Revolution X
Road Rash 3: Tour de Force
Shadow of Atlantis (CD 32X)
Shell Shock
Sonic the Hedgehog 4
Soul Star X
Spiderman: Separation Anxiety
Spot Goes to Hollywood
Street Fighter: The Movie
Street Racer
Super Strike Trilogy (CD 32X)
Surgical Strike (CD 32X)
Tee Off
Tee Time
Tomcat Alley Deluxe (CD 32X)
Top Gear: Overdrive
Vara's Code
Virtua Hamster
Virtual Golf
Voyager Star 2
VR Troopers
Wing War
X-Men: Mojo World
Zorro

[swlovinist]

Nope, the 32x would not have benefited from an earlier release, and would have not done better in my opinion. At the time, the Genesis was doing amazingly well, and this would confuse customers that had recently bought into getting a Genesis 2 and games. The Snes was coming of age, and would soon take take the number one spot from Sega. The 32X coming out in 1992 would be not be considered a "hold over" machine but a true sequel to the Genesis. I think there would even be more of a backlash against it. Although the Sega CD was inferior to the 32X in many ways, its CD rom attracted many companies to make games for it. The 32x did not have this going for it among other things. It was lame next gen bullcrap that was using outdated piggyback hardware. Make no mistake, I am a diehard Sega fan to the bitter end. At least released later like it was, people such as myself did not have to painfully wait several years before the Saturn would come out. If I had to do my 32X purchase all over again, I would have waited on the dang thing and spent more money on Saturn games.

[Iron Draggon]

One of my favorites though was Kolibri. It's sort of a free roaming shooter where you control a humming bird. The game had the best 2D graphics I'd ever seen on the 32X.

agreed on Kolibri... if it had received all the attention and advertising that it should've received, it would've been a system seller... this game was on par with Ecco the Dolphin, and we all know what a success that franchise was

[fishsandwich]

It would have Spanked the Super Nintendo Version big time...

Some of the Arcade Games at the time would fit perfect with the 32X like

King of Fighters(it never came out on the SNES or the Genesis)
Metal Slug
Duke Nukem 3D - FPS
Quake - FPS
Castlevania
Mega Man Extreme

alot of Side-Stroller Games would still be made for the Genesis..But for Shooter, Fighting & Racing Games the 32X would handle it

The Sega CD, Put on a Mega Man Collection

I agree that the 32x could have done fine ports of all these games (assuming they used carts with lots of memory) except for Quake. I think the 32x was certainly up for Duke Nukem but Quake would have been too much.

[Graham Mitchell]

If they had released Rondo of Blood on the 32X it would have been incredible. I had no idea it was in the works. I bet people would have bought a system just to play it, if it was marketed correctly (which it wouldn't have been.)

[MarioMania]

I would get it also..

I was playing my 32X on my Japanese Mega Drive, I thought games would be locked out..I got Afterburner, I thought that game would be locked-out, it wasn't, same as Zaxxon........

[cessnaace]

The 32X never had a chance to succeed. In addition to SoJ's lack of support, and it launching so close to the Saturn's launch, there's the clutter factor. For instance. To run a Sega 32X CD game reguires not one, but TWO add ons. That's one too many.

I bought a 32X new at Toys 'R Us for $20, and 7 games for $5 each. That's how you do it with iffy platforms folks. I paid $30 for my Jaguar at Babbages, plus $7 per game. $80 for a 7800 at an outlets mall, which INCLUDED 20 sealed 2600 and 20 sealed 7800 games as part of the package. Maybe I'm just cheap! LOL!


Mark

[vahn401]

God, do I remember getting that damn 32X system. My mother had gotten me the 2nd gen. genesis the x-mas after it came out and I played the hell out of it. 2 x-mas's later I got the 32x and my exact words opening it was "what the hell is this?" I was young, and wasn't all into what was new so I had my mother explain to me what it was. Even worse, it took us 2 days to arrange the metal hinge things you had to put in the genesis just to play the damn 32X. I will admit though, the game virtua fighter came with it and to me, that game was amazing. Along with star wars and knuckles chaotix.

Another downfall was the power supply problem, what was it, 3 huge plugs just to run your system, 32X and Cd all at once?

[j_factor]

32x should've never been released, because it's simply not necessary. Many of its games were superfluous ports, and the rest would've served nicely as launch or near-launch Saturn games. All those people that bought 32xes may have bought Saturns instead, making the Saturn launch more successful.

There was simply no point in releasing an add-on to make the Genesis more powerful and yet less powerful than Sega's next real console. Any earlier, and it would've been too expensive. Sega CD had a real, tangible "point" to it, in that it allowed them to dabble with CD-ROM technology and prevent PCs from totally monopolizing CD-ROM based gameplay.

Consider also that just before the 32x launch was when the SNES surpassed Genesis in sales in North America. Perhaps Sega could have stayed on top if they'd devoted their marketing to further promoting the Genesis instead of new hardware specifically for existing Genesis owners. On another level, it kind of made Genesis look bad, like it "needed" an add-on to stay competitive against the SNES. I think Sega would've been much better served giving more hype to impressive Genesis games like Red Zone, seeing as Donkey Kong Country did so well for SNES sales.

32x does have a few nice games, but in terms of concept, it has zero going for it, IMO.

[bangtango]

God, do I remember getting that damn 32X system. My mother had gotten me the 2nd gen. genesis the x-mas after it came out and I played the hell out of it. 2 x-mas's later I got the 32x and my exact words opening it was "what the hell is this?" I was young, and wasn't all into what was new so I had my mother explain to me what it was. Even worse, it took us 2 days to arrange the metal hinge things you had to put in the genesis just to play the damn 32X. I will admit though, the game virtua fighter came with it and to me, that game was amazing. Along with star wars and knuckles chaotix.

Another downfall was the power supply problem, what was it, 3 huge plugs just to run your system, 32X and Cd all at once?

That is right, 3 plugs. A lot of surge protectors didn't have enough room to support them. Just to use the Genesis with either the CD or 32X, I have to put one plug into the surge protector and the other into the bottom of the same outlet the surge protector is plugged into.

I find it hard to believe anybody even plays the 32X CD games anyway since they all can just be played on the Sega CD by itself, albeit with crappier visuals. None of the half dozen games were even exclusive to 32X CD, as far as I know, so I guess I don't see the point of having all 3 running at once.

[j_factor]

Every single 32x CD game was also on regular Sega CD, and two of them were strictly released in a 2-disc set with both versions. The only good one was Night Trap, which was even better looking on 3DO anyway.

As for the 3 plugs conundrum, Sega actually made their own brand of power strip (6-plug) with the sockets spaced out to accomodate the bricks. I don't have one of those, but I do have a surge protector with similar spacing, they're very common.

[Zadoc]

Every single 32x CD game was also on regular Sega CD, and two of them were strictly released in a 2-disc set with both versions.


Nope, just one.

[vahn401]

As for the 3 plugs conundrum, Sega actually made their own brand of power strip (6-plug) with the sockets spaced out to accomodate the bricks. I don't have one of those, but I do have a surge protector with similar spacing, they're very common.

They may have been common, but when I was young, it was very hard to convince my parents to buy me anything outside of a holiday, thus reasoning the need of a power strip was very difficult. Was fun explaining to them how I could burn the house down when I was younger.

[MarioMania]

I don't see Darxide on ebay..How much does it go for

[gum_drops]

I don't see Darxide on ebay..How much does it go for

I dont remember the exact amount around 1200-1500 I think (complete).

Even the cart only copies fetch several hundred dollars.

Pirmal Rage 32x PAL is also a pain to find and will pull in hundreds of dollars also, once again I forgot the exact amount but i think it was around 600?

Some UK sega nut can probably quote you the exact amount.

[Technosis]

Pirmal Rage 32x PAL is also a pain to find and will pull in hundreds of dollars also, once again I forgot the exact amount but i think it was around 600?


Wow...I hope for that price it is a good game..Primal Rage on the SNES was a pretty weak title IMHO, I don't know how it fares on the 32X

[MarioMania]

Was there any plans to release Darxide in the States

[Zadoc]

Was there any plans to release Darxide in the States


There were, but after the axe fell they just finished up their UK release and called it quits. EA did the same with FIFA '96.

[bangtango]

Wow...I hope for that price it is a good game..Primal Rage on the SNES was a pretty weak title IMHO, I don't know how it fares on the 32X

It can't be any better than the PS1 version, which is a pretty good port. I'm sure it isn't "better" than the Atari Jaguar CD version either, which I have read on two or three sites actually beats out the PS1 version (I'll believe it when I see it). But I am sure the 32X version beats out the Super NES, Genesis and probably the 3DO versions.

Just so you know, I'm pretty sure the NTSC/US version of Primal Rage on 32X goes for a "normal" price.

[j_factor]

Primal Rage on 32x is a very good port. It's the best port for people who can't stand loading times, but slightly below the Saturn version otherwise. Although, it's still a lame game IMO.

Has anyone tried the 32x version of Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure? I have it for Sega CD, and I'm probably too enamored with the excellent soundtrack to switch versions, but I'm curious whether there are any real differences, or if it's just minus the CD audio and plus a few more colors.

[fishsandwich]

Has anyone tried the 32x version of Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure? I have it for Sega CD, and I'm probably too enamored with the excellent soundtrack to switch versions, but I'm curious whether there are any real differences, or if it's just minus the CD audio and plus a few more colors.

Indeed it does have more colours and the music is obviously not as good as that on the Sega CD.

There are several bonus levels not found in the SNES/Genny/Sega CD versions, though. I have never played them so I can't tell you if they are any good.

-----------------------

32x FIFA '96 is a great game (with a few bugs) that plays just fine on a NTSC 32x. It's not terribly expensive compared to the "big three" PAL 32x games... DarXide, T-Mek, and Primal Rage.

How are prices on other PAL 32x games? Last time I checked Knuckles and Kolibri were damned pricey.

[Zadoc]

Has anyone tried the 32x version of Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure?

I just bought it, and it hasn't come yet. It's the third most rare 32X game in the US.

Now I only need WSB and Spider-man for a complete 32X collection.

Anyways, I will write up some impressions when it arrives.

[MarioMania]

That's the DOS Version of the Game

[Graham Mitchell]

Um, which one? I posted screenshots from 2 different versions


The top pic is the 16-bit Sega CD version. I guess that means the bottom one is the PC version, though I've never played it so I can't say definitively.

[j_factor]

I can't confirm for sure what system that is just by a screen, but you're correct that the 32x CD version looks better. A lot better. Comparable to the 3DO.

Actually, I'm inclined to think that the bottom pic is indeed the PC version, because menu thingy on the bottom looks different, and I think the 32x version was identical.

[MarioMania]

My Virtua Racing Cart works on both my Genesis & Genesis 2..I though it couldn't because of the SVP chip

[j_factor]

The only incompatibility with Virtua Racing is that it won't work with the 32x in. I'm not sure if it works with the Genesis 3 either.

[MarioMania]

Virtua Racing Does work on my 32X...Not Deluxe, the Genesis version

[rcgamer]

I agree with a lot of what has been said here. What killed the 32X was the same backwards thinking at SoJ that killed the Saturn in the end.

Nothing was worng with the 32X. As one poster has already correctly pointed out, the Genesis was enormously popular at the time, the 32X had a stellar launch that Christmas, it had a very solid software line-up, and the game press sung its praises in the beginning.

But SoJ never backed it. SoA scrambled to get as many games on the 32X as possible. A lot of excellent games were in development too. DarXide was just a prelude of what was to come if 32X had another year of Sega support.

Cancelled games include:

Sonic the Hedgehog 4
Castlevania: Bloodletting
Shadow of Atlantis (CD)
Darkstalkers
Alien vs. Preditor
Ecco the Dolphin Trilogy
Comix Zone
Virtua Hampster
Descent
Wingwar
Surgical Strike (CD)
X-Men: Mind Games
Alone in the Dark
Dracula X
Rayman
Virtua Cop
Super Street Figher II: Turbo
Daytona USA
Alien Trilogy

...Just to name a few of the roughly 50 32X games that were in development at the time that the axe fell.

32X was a great idea, in the right time, but with horrible support.

Here's the list from Eidolon's Inn:


You nailed it!! That is exactly why Sega is where it is now. A lot of people say the 32x was what killed them but in my mind it was clearly the Saturn that should not have been made. The 32x never even got to utilize a fraction of its potential, let alone 32x+cd. If anything Sega should have came out with the Neptune(or whatever the all 3 in 1 was going to be called) project. Then customers who already owned the genesis could add on the components and new customers could just buy the neptune. They could have rode it for another 2 years while developing the next gen of console and getting a gigantic leap on everyone else . And they certainly would have not been in the financial hole they got themselves in either.

[raregamergirl]

The saturn should not have been made? One of the better overall systems ever created should not have been made? I love the sega saturn. Fairly powerful console that could handle anything the PS1 could with a (IMO) better controller. Sega made a few bad decisions but saying the saturn should not have been made is a ridiculous comment.
Sega always was ahead of the times and that is exactly what the saturn was- too much, too fast. It was so pricey and powerful at the time that it did not get the support it should have. Even with little support, it still gave us some of the best games ever created (IE, Panzer Dragoon series, Dragon Force, Guardian Heroes, etc and that is not even touching the import only releases, which makes it arguably the greatest system ever made when factoring in worldwide releases).

[bangtango]

The only incompatibility with Virtua Racing is that it won't work with the 32x in. I'm not sure if it works with the Genesis 3 either.

You're right. It doesn't work with Genesis 3.

[bangtango]

I agree with a lot of what has been said here. What killed the 32X was the same backwards thinking at SoJ that killed the Saturn in the end.

Nothing was worng with the 32X. As one poster has already correctly pointed out, the Genesis was enormously popular at the time, the 32X had a stellar launch that Christmas, it had a very solid software line-up, and the game press sung its praises in the beginning.

But SoJ never backed it. SoA scrambled to get as many games on the 32X as possible. A lot of excellent games were in development too. DarXide was just a prelude of what was to come if 32X had another year of Sega support.

Cancelled games include:

Sonic the Hedgehog 4
Castlevania: Bloodletting
Shadow of Atlantis (CD)
Darkstalkers
Alien vs. Preditor
Ecco the Dolphin Trilogy
Comix Zone
Virtua Hampster
Descent
Wingwar
Surgical Strike (CD)
X-Men: Mind Games
Alone in the Dark
Dracula X
Rayman
Virtua Cop
Super Street Figher II: Turbo
Daytona USA
Alien Trilogy

...Just to name a few of the roughly 50 32X games that were in development at the time that the axe fell.

32X was a great idea, in the right time, but with horrible support.

Here's the list from Eidolon's Inn:

There'd be a lot more people collecting for the 32X if some of those had been released. So was AVP going to be a clone of the side scrolling version or the Jaguar version?

[MarioMania]

It seems like mine got modded when I got the 32X in 95 or 96

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v112/MarioMania/P1010503.jpg

[rcgamer]

The saturn should not have been made? One of the better overall systems ever created should not have been made? I love the sega saturn. Fairly powerful console that could handle anything the PS1 could with a (IMO) better controller. Sega made a few bad decisions but saying the saturn should not have been made is a ridiculous comment.
Sega always was ahead of the times and that is exactly what the saturn was- too much, too fast. It was so pricey and powerful at the time that it did not get the support it should have. Even with little support, it still gave us some of the best games ever created (IE, Panzer Dragoon series, Dragon Force, Guardian Heroes, etc and that is not even touching the import only releases, which makes it arguably the greatest system ever made when factoring in worldwide releases).

I don't think anyone is saying the Saturn was bad or didn't have good games. But from a fiscal standpoint the development of it along with the 32x and Sega CD was a huge strain. Bringing it out while they were also bringing out the 32x was brainless. The 3d abilities were completely rushed to keep up with the ps1 and the system was just not programmer friendly. It isn't about wether you like the system or not , it's about what the move cost Sega. It was a killer for them financially and in the end turned off a lot of 3rd party support as well as fans for any of their systems.

[raregamergirl]

To some extent, you are correct. The 32x could have taken off but sega (for whatever reason) decided it was a lost cause. They needed a breath of fresh air at the time- a totally new console that had nothing to do with the genesis. Their answer was the saturn.

I agree, though, that it was not time at all to give up on the 32X. they wasted tons of money on it and basically did nothing. its a good idea in theory but they just gave up too soon. They could easily have supported both the 32x and the saturn (and forgotten about the sega cd) but they chose to put all their efforts into their saturn. Although it was a valient effort, lack of support really caught up to them in the US.

Technically, the saturn definitely did hurt sega in the US. but I really do not think it was their fault. I think that Sony just flexed its muscles and managed to get all the third party support, leaving sega in the dust. In Japan, though, the saturn did quite well for a long time. Sony just became the "It" system rather quickly in the US, so support for the saturn was virtually non-existent.

[Sweater Fish Deluxe]

If Sega hadn't released the Saturn they probably wouldn't have survived in the hardware business as long as they did. The Saturn was very popular in Japan, by far Sega's most popular system there and that popularity is what gave them the income and credit to stay in business as long as they did and put out the Dreamcast. Do you guys seriously think the 32X could have done that for them? Competed with the Playstation? Not a chance. Not in America. Not in Japan.

I agree that trying put out two two next generation systems at the same time was obviously a mistake, but I think Sega would have been a lot better off axing the 32X than the Saturn.

Or actually, what I think is that they should have taken advantage of the Virtua Racing cart's lock-on ability. The SVP chip in Virtua Racing can be accessed by the Sega CD and if Sega had wanted to they could have made the Virtua Racing cart a lock on cart like Sonic & Knuckles so that cartridge games could access the SVP chip, too. This would have given Sega the attention and prestige they needed as far as having a system that could do real polygon graphics and all that, but nobody would have thought that the Virtua Racing cart was a whole new system the way they thought the 32X was and so there wouldn't have been any illusions about what Sega's true next generation system was going to be. Also, as I suggested earlier in this thread, if Sega had made it so the Sega CD had been able to display more colors onscreen (easily), that would have made a hige difference as well.

The 32X did have some cool games and it's certainly a very interesting part of video games history, but I think it was pretty clearly a mistake on Sega's part. The Saturn wasn't.


...word is bondage...

[j_factor]

I don't think anyone is saying the Saturn was bad or didn't have good games. But from a fiscal standpoint the development of it along with the 32x and Sega CD was a huge strain. Bringing it out while they were also bringing out the 32x was brainless.

So wouldn't it have been better to just not bring out the 32x at all? Do you honestly think the 32x could've competed with Playstation?

Anything that came out for 32x or was planned for it either came out on Saturn, or would have. And most likely would've been better on Saturn too.

I've said it already, but it bears repeating: there was no point whatsoever in the 32x. Nobody needs a half-step system in between generations. People don't buy that many consoles.

And even if Saturn had been delayed by a year to accomodate 32x, that still would've been a horrible situation to be launching the Saturn in.


The 3d abilities were completely rushed to keep up with the ps1 and the system was just not programmer friendly.

The 32x had much lesser 3d abilities and it wasn't programmer friendly either...


It isn't about wether you like the system or not , it's about what the move cost Sega. It was a killer for them financially and in the end turned off a lot of 3rd party support as well as fans for any of their systems.

This statement really applies to 32x way more than Saturn. I think that, particularly in the US, people would've been more receptive to the Saturn if not for the 32x.

[fishsandwich]

To some extent, you are correct. The 32x could have taken off but sega (for whatever reason) decided it was a lost cause. They needed a breath of fresh air at the time- a totally new console that had nothing to do with the genesis. Their answer was the saturn.

I agree, though, that it was not time at all to give up on the 32X. they wasted tons of money on it and basically did nothing. its a good idea in theory but they just gave up too soon. They could easily have supported both the 32x and the saturn (and forgotten about the sega cd) but they chose to put all their efforts into their saturn. Although it was a valient effort, lack of support really caught up to them in the US.

Technically, the saturn definitely did hurt sega in the US. but I really do not think it was their fault. I think that Sony just flexed its muscles and managed to get all the third party support, leaving sega in the dust. In Japan, though, the saturn did quite well for a long time. Sony just became the "It" system rather quickly in the US, so support for the saturn was virtually non-existent.

Thanks raregamergirl. I couldn't have said it better myself unless I was piss-drunk and lying in the gutter.

[Zadoc]

There'd be a lot more people collecting for the 32X if some of those had been released. So was AVP going to be a clone of the side scrolling version or the Jaguar version?


Oh, the side scroller. Sorry, I should've been more specific!