Mega CD/Sega CD recommendations.

awc · Post by **awc** » Tue Jun 07, 2005 6:21 am

Now that I got Snatcher Sega CD, I plan getting something to play it on. I was thinking of getting a JVC X'Eye or a Wondermega system. Can anyone please tell whether or not these play JP cartridges and/or CDs?

As well, what are some CD SHMUPS or domestic rpgs worth owning for this system that are timeless and can hold it's own?

Nemo · Post by **Nemo** » Tue Jun 07, 2005 6:40 am

A Wondermega and X'eye are the same system, just different region (JP and US respectively) and will only play their regions' CD games. The X'eye is nice because it has a square cart slot so you can play any MegaDrive game that doesn't have a region lockout without cutting up plastic. For games like Alien Soldier and Pulseman you will still need a game genie or other override device.

Games worth owning:

US
Lunar SSS
Lunar EB
Vay
Popful Mail
Sol-Feace
Lords of Thunder (only if you don't have the Duo version)
Robo-Aleste
Keio
Android Assault
Shining Force CD

JP
Devastator (part shooter, part platformer)
Fhey Area

Non-Rpg and non-shmups that are fun in case you're interested:

Final Fight CD
Revenge of the Ninja
Time Gal
Flink

Bar81 · Post by **Bar81** » Tue Jun 07, 2005 6:46 am

First off, you cannot simply play all region games on the Sega CD as the units have a region BIOS lock. The only way to play games outside your region is to get the unit switched or use a Datel CDX cart. The CDX cart is a pain in the ass to get a hold of and quite expensive as well as not working on anything besides the Mega CD models 1 and 2 (no specialty units) and there are an assload of revisions showing different compatability between games and Mega CD units/revisions.

As to games worth owning, there is a good amount, particularly RPGs on the US market. The good news is that there really isn't anything JP or Euro only that is essential or even particularly good imo:

Keio (excellent shmup)
Revenge of Bari-arm (excellent shmup)
Silpheed (excellent shmup)
Lunar: Eternal Blue
Lunar: Silver Star Story
Snatcher
Shining Force CD (collection of the two game gear games in the series)
Popful Mail

Nemo · Post by **Nemo** » Tue Jun 07, 2005 7:04 am

There are actually two carts that let you play any region Sega CD games, the CDX and CD+ carts. The former is junk and doesn't work with a lot of games, the latter will work with any Sega CD system outside of the X'eye (Sega CDX included) and works with most games. There aren't a lot of reasons to find a way to play Mega CD games, but there are enough:

Extremely less expensive Keio
Non-edited Final Fight CD
Anet Futatabi
Devastator
Fhey Area (if you like Rpgs)
Earnest Evans CD (the game pretty much sucks but the music rawks)
Sengoku (if you don't have the Neo version)

Bar81 · Post by **Bar81** » Tue Jun 07, 2005 7:11 am

Nemo wrote:There are actually two carts that let you play any region Sega CD games, the CDX and CD+ carts. The former is junk and doesn't work with a lot of games, the latter will work with any Sega CD system outside of the X'eye (Sega CDX included) and works with most games. There aren't a lot of reasons to find a way to play Mega CD games, but there are enough:

Extremely less expensive Keio
Non-edited Final Fight CD
Anet Futatabi
Devastator
Fhey Area (if you like Rpgs)
Earnest Evans CD (the game pretty much sucks but the music rawks)
Sengoku (if you don't have the Neo version)

Anet Again and Earnest Evans are UTTER AND ABSOLUTE shit. The fact that you recommend those two makes me question your sanity.

As to the others, Sengoku is a crap beat-em-up even on the Neo and Final Fight is severely overhyped and definitely not worth importing for the street walker characters. If you like beat-em-ups those two are not ones you should waste your time on as the Genesis/Mega Drive and SNES/SFC have vastly superior titles.

If you know Japanese a reason might be the supposedly excellent Mega CD Shadowrun game.

And the CDX Plus isn't some type of non-shit converter cart. It is a little better than the early revisions of the CDX but it's incompatible with a lot of stuff too and isn't any different than the late revision CDX carts.

Nemo · Post by **Nemo** » Tue Jun 07, 2005 7:20 am

Bar81 wrote:
Nemo wrote:There are actually two carts that let you play any region Sega CD games, the CDX and CD+ carts. The former is junk and doesn't work with a lot of games, the latter will work with any Sega CD system outside of the X'eye (Sega CDX included) and works with most games. There aren't a lot of reasons to find a way to play Mega CD games, but there are enough:

Extremely less expensive Keio
Non-edited Final Fight CD
Anet Futatabi
Devastator
Fhey Area (if you like Rpgs)
Earnest Evans CD (the game pretty much sucks but the music rawks)
Sengoku (if you don't have the Neo version)
Anet Again and Earnest Evans are UTTER AND ABSOLUTE shit. The fact that you recommend those two makes me question your sanity.

As to the others, Sengoku is a crap beat-em-up even on the Neo and Final Fight is severely overhyped and definitely not worth importing for the street walker characters. If you like beat-em-ups those two are not ones you should waste your time on as the Genesis/Mega Drive and SNES/SFC have vastly superior titles.

Different strokes for different Gary Colemans I suppose. I'm giving the guy knowledge, what he does with it is up to him.

Specineff · Post by **Specineff** » Tue Jun 07, 2005 7:38 am

If you can rip your Sega CD game to ISO format, you can patch it to run on pretty much any other region. I played the Euro Lunar that way.

roushimsx · Post by **roushimsx** » Tue Jun 07, 2005 11:04 am

Even though it was censored, Rise of the Dragon was a good bit of fun on SegaCD as well.

Other games I had a good bit of fun with:

The Adventures of Willy Beamish
Dune (though oddly enough I didn't get a chance to play it until AFTER I had become hopelessly addicted to Dune II on PC)
Eternal Champions: Challenge From the Dark Side (Hasn't aged well though, sadly)
Heimdall
Mickey Mania
Panic! (it's stupid and pointless, and I think that's the attraction

Never could bring myself to buying the PS2 rerelease)
Power Monger
Wing Commander

I also recall having a good deal of fun with the Ecco games, but I really haven't played those in over a decade so it might just be nostalgia clouding my judgment (much like with Greendog

)

SheSaidDutch · Post by **SheSaidDutch** » Tue Jun 07, 2005 12:20 pm

Sonic CD
Final Fight CD

Post by **Shatterhand** » Tue Jun 07, 2005 1:29 pm

Heimdall was released for the Sega CD? Interesting...

Is it the 1st game or the 2nd game, could anyone tell me?

There are other 2 games that I find to be extremely good

Heart of Alien
Formula 1 - Beyond the Limit

The 1st one is the sequel to Another World (AKA Out of this World), only available on Sega CD, and it's awesome.

Formula 1 - BtL is an excellent racing game. Maybe it hasn't aged all that well, but back at time, it was the Sega CD game I most played. The atmosphere was great, and the racing was very solid.

Diabollokus · Post by **Diabollokus** » Tue Jun 07, 2005 2:20 pm

Euro lunar>?????????????!

Specineff did you just say lunar the silver star /eternal blue is available in pal format for the sega mega cd???? SERIOUSLY is it true

SheSaidDutch · Post by **SheSaidDutch** » Tue Jun 07, 2005 4:34 pm

Diabollokus wrote:Euro lunar>?????????????!

Specineff did you just say lunar the silver star /eternal blue is available in pal format for the sega mega cd???? SERIOUSLY is it true

I'm not sure, but I think he was talking about patching his ISO so the translation is into English

Cthulhu · Post by **Cthulhu** » Wed Jun 08, 2005 12:09 am

Bar81 wrote: Anet Again and Earnest Evans are UTTER AND ABSOLUTE shit. The fact that you recommend those two makes me question your sanity.

...
If you know Japanese a reason might be the supposedly excellent Mega CD Shadowrun game.

For some reason I get a kick out of Earnest Evans but it's not a great game by any means...

I have Shadowrun for the MCD... it's kinda cool, but it hasn't aged all that well. It also has a lot of "adventure" portions where you MUST be able to read Japanese well or you won't be able to move on. It's a cool collector's item, and perhaps a good game for 16-bit RPG fans who can read Japanese... but I wouldn't recommend tracking it down to most people.

Specineff · Post by **Specineff** » Wed Jun 08, 2005 3:19 am

Diabollokus wrote:Euro lunar>?????????????!

Specineff did you just say lunar the silver star /eternal blue is available in pal format for the sega mega cd???? SERIOUSLY is it true

I'll confess I downloaded an ISO image off a French site. And when I ran it through the patcher program, it reported the image was European. In english. Then again, it might have been a US image patched to Euro, and I simply re-patched to USA region.

ST Dragon · Post by **ST Dragon** » Wed Jun 08, 2005 8:06 am

SEGA MEGA CD games worth getting:

After Burner 3
Android Assault - The Revenge of Bari-Arm
Earnest Evans
Flash Back
Heart of Alien
Keio Flying Squadron
Lunar Series
Lords of Thunder
Popful Mail
Robo Aleste
Silpheed
Sonic CD (U)(920)
Sol Feace

Bar81 · Post by **Bar81** » Wed Jun 08, 2005 8:22 am

ST Dragon wrote:SEGA MEGA CD games worth getting:

After Burner 3

WTF??? That's Sega's insult to gamers everywhere. It's a HUGE and UNADULTERATED POS and a stain upon the After Burner name. Now I know you don't know wtf you're talking about. And Earnest Evans. Dude, you have shit for taste, that settles it.

Dartagnan1083 · Post by **Dartagnan1083** » Thu Jun 09, 2005 12:18 am

Afterburner 3 was a dissapointment.
But Earnest Evans wasn't THAT bad, it's actually quite nice & tolerable with the level-skip code. It ain't exactly good as the cream, but for $7 it's better than hundreds of other titles on other systems.

ST Dragon · Post by **ST Dragon** » Thu Jun 09, 2005 7:31 am

I don'tthink After Burner 3 was any worse than After Burner 1-2 on the Genesis. I found the zooming out of the cockpit quite cool & the overall graphics were good.

The 32X version is the most faithful console port though, but I like the PCE version the most. (It's even better than SEGA's own Genesis port, with scalling & rotation especially on the Aircraft Carrier & refueling Bomber!)

But I'm not an After Burner Fan so...
It's just a fun series to play for 10-15 minutes when you're really bored.