The Sega CD sucked up alot of my childhood. Lunar 2 and Shining Force CD were two games I played so much that one summer, I actually forgot how to write in cursive and came back to school feeling like a retard.
The Sega CD sucked up alot of my childhood. Lunar 2 and Shining Force CD were two games I played so much that one summer, I actually forgot how to write in cursive and came back to school feeling like a retard.
I remember getting my Model 1 around 1993 I think. I had just gotten my Federal Tax check and used that cash to buy it from a local game store. My mom was not too thrilled ("you should save your money!") but after a bout with Sewer Shark, she was hooked and I was off of one. I've had an off-again-on-again relationship with that bugger since. Currently I don't have one but I'm on the prowl for a Model 1.
One of my fave games on that system is Sewer Shark. Cheesy, yes but it's a fun shooter that I keep going back to. The Lunar games are very awesome and I love Final Fight CD. Silpheed just plain rocks with the combo of SHMUP action and the 3D rendered backgrounds that really added to the experience.
Happy Belated B-Day Sega CD! You were so underutilized and misunderstood.
Originally Posted by Juganawt
Honestly, I think the FMV games get a bad rap. Some of them are absolutely horrible, no question, but there are a few shining examples. I think often times, the baby gets thrown out with the bathwater when it comes to the FMV games. The primary reason why everybody hates the FMV games, is because at the time, the publishers and developers of the games were basically saying that FMV was the future of gaming, and nobody wanted to believe that. To alot of gamers at the time, FMV was a threat to their way of gaming. They didn't want these so called "interactive" experiences. So basically, every FMV game was demonized as having no substance whatsoever. But I think some of the FMV games are actually pretty fun and entertaining, if you can accept them for what they are, and not what they aren't. Obviously, the "gameplay" is going to be very limited in these games, if not downright nonexistent. However, if you can accept their gameplay limitations, some of them can be quite engaging.
For example, I think Ground Zero Texas was one of the more enjoyable FMV games that came along. It's basically a shooting gallery type game, along the lines of Mad Dog McCree, but I think the semi-interactive storyline made it pretty unique. Night Trap gets criticized for basically boiling down to a memorization game, but there are many shmups that boil down to memorization as well, and they don't get anywhere near the level of criticism. Sewer Shark is a game that features a very simple gameplay concept, just remembering the jumpgate sequences, and then timing the button presses, and shooting the sewer rats, but I still think it can be quite enjoyable if you accept the game for what it is.
There isn't any question that there are alot of very horrible FMV games, that really have almost no redeeming qualities other than pure campiness factor, but I don't think all FMV games deserve the legacy they've been given. I think Ground Zero Texas, Sherlock Holmes, Sewer Shark and Night Trap are all pretty decent entertainment, if you accept their limitations.
Their limitation, which you also mention, is the problem. Good designers will create something great out of the limitations they are handed, but at the same time FMV's limitations were ridiculous. This is why I stand by Double Switch being one of the best FMV titles around. It wasn't a Dragon's Lair clone, it wasn't a cursor shooter and it wasn't an adventure title. It was a really great attempt at making a FMV title fast paced without falling back on the obvious solution (QTE-fest, cursor shooter or adventure...or really any genre game with FMV cut scenes).
...but what else is there to do with FMV? I guess my point is, FMV-intensive gameplay scraped the bottom of the barrel really, really, really quickly...practically matured out of the womb.
You know what else was being sold to us at the same time? "Digitized graphics"...!!! The future of video games was live actors in front of a blue screen. Well, they were partially correct.
-Sosage
WTF is a Dim-Mac?!?!?
Amazingly, I've never tried Double Switch. I'll have to try that. Even though Ground Zero Texas can be boiled down to a cursor shooter, I really liked it.
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