The 411 Games Top 5 11.05.09: Week 36 – Top Sega CD Games

Posted by Mark Salmela on 11.05.2009

Christmas comes early for one writer in particular. This week the 411 staff or at least those brave enough to participate take a look at the greatest games to come out of the Sega CD. Yeah, it was bound to happen eventually.

For the second week in the short-lived history of the 411 Games Top 5 I have taken over the column to promote my biased agenda. I'm not Todd Vote, I'm better. I really need this gig too. Seriously, this economy sucks. Being the Lead Dance Choreographer for Lady Gaga doesn't pay as much as it should. If you enjoy this column please write in to your local congressmen, as well as the comment section below to let Todd know how much he sucks.

Man, I didn't realize how rusty I am. Not to mention the incredible amount of stage freight I'm feeling right now. So many angry eyes… Hmm… I guess I'll just have to picture all of the readers as Lansdell in his underwear. No wait, Lansdell's Mom in her underwear. Oh yeah, that's better.

Now I'm not Todd Vote. I could answer the readers' comments and questions on behalf of Todd Vote. I've done it before when substituting for other writers in other columns in the past, but Todd actually took the time to send me some responses to comments from last week. So from Mr. Vote himself, here's Comment Time with Toddo!



Comment Time with Toddo

You all maybe to young to have played it but, no love for Ghosts and Goblins,for shame!
Posted By: hateman (Guest) on October 29, 2009 at 12:25 PM

Todd Vote: I haven't forgotten this game, but I never really considered it horror. Sure it is horror themed, but I guess I just never thought of it as a scary game. Similar to Zombies ate my neighbors, where the premise was in horror, but not necessarily a zombie game, now I know I have Ghostbusters as an honorable mention, but it was a slightly more serious effort than G&G, or Zombies Ate My Neighbors.


Todd...Ghostbusters? Really?!The only thing scary about that game is how broken the gameplay is.
Posted By: MissyNEVERWearssocksWithShoes (Guest) on October 29, 2009 at 04:06 PM

Todd Vote: I don't agree with that. I didn't think the gameplay was broken. Sure it wasn't great gameplay, but I found it to be a satisfying experience overall. We'll have to agree to disagree on that one.


Damn, youre right. It must be the WWE having messed up my mentality of the Low Blow. How could I forget Johnny Cage's hilarious shout when he did that split. I hang my head in shame.

Posted By: AG Awesome (Guest) on October 29, 2009 at 06:27 AM

Todd Vote: No worries sir, I am a firm believer that no man should ever knowingly hit another in the junk, so it was an honest mistake.


target terror deserves at least an honourable mention. The first time that terrorist jumped out from behind a box with a hostage i damn near shat myself.

Posted By: Guest#0815 (Guest) on October 29, 2009 at 11:09 AM

Mark Salmela: Ha. You're a good man guest 0815.







Yes, it is finally time. The Sega CD is quite possibly the greatest console ever made. The only thing that could make the Sega CD better would be a port of Target Terror. Kidding aside, two brave souls from the 411 staff have volunteered their services to this column. That's right, two other writers actually recognize the greatness of the Sega CD. Either that, or they heard what happened to Todd in my basement and decided that making this list would be less painful. Either way I feel grateful.

First up will be my serious list. Due to the lack of participation I made two lists. A serious list of legitimately good games that still hold up today, and a Games Only a Mother Could Love list. A list of games that are so incredibly bad they are quite possibly the best games ever created. So without further adieu, here's my first list.



Your Super Serial Writer of Games Only a Mother Could Love: Mark Salmela

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Shining Force CD, Lunar 1 and 2, and the other RPGs - I know someone in the comments section will complain if someone from 411 doesn't mention these "classic" RPGs. They're not for me, but I'm aware of them and recognize they're highly desired by the RPG fanbase.

Mortal Kombat - Who doesn't enjoy Mortal Kombat? People who suck at fighting games, that's who. This game is awesome no matter what console it's on.

Bram Stoker's Dracula - No seriously, this is a legit fun game. Kicking the crap out of bats, rats, knights, Dracula, you name it, it's in the game. There are reasons to hate the game such as the terrible sound/I guess you can technically call that music, but Bram Stoker's Dracula is actually pretty fun.

5.) Mickey Mania: The Timeless Adventures of Mickey Mouse - A lot of people prefer the other 16 bit versions of Mickey Mouse, but personally I'm a big fan of the Timeless Adventures. In Timeless Adventures each level is based on an original Disney Mickey Mouse cartoon. Steamboat Willie, Mickey and the Beanstalk, The Mad Doctor, and several other levels comprise the Timeless Adventures of Mickey Mouse. The jumping is a little floaty, but otherwise this is an awesome game that fans of the original Disney cartoons will enjoy.

4.) Earthworm Jim: Special Edition - This is one of a handful of Sega CD games that developers went the extra mile to make the Sega CD version the superior version. There's a reason the upcoming PSN and XBLA Earthworm Jim is based on the Sega CD version. The Sega CD version had superior audio quality, improved sprites, and an extra level not seen in any other version *maybe the PC version had it, but who the hell played Earthworm Jim on PC?*. Earthworm Jim is an awesome platformer, and if you had the choice of picking it up on any console, the Sega CD was the best choice.




3.) Final Fight CD - Another multiplatform game that played the best on the Sega CD. The Sega CD version retains nearly all the features of the arcade game which were removed in the SNES port. It included voice acting in the cut-scenes, an arranged soundtrack, and an exclusive time attack mode. Plus Poison and Roxy were actually in this version, unlike the censored SNES and Genesis ports.

2.) Snatcher - These two games are both legitimate classics that could be interchanged for the number 1 and 2 slot. For those who are unaware Snatcher is a Hideo Kojima game. It's one of the games he worked on between Metal Gear and Metal Gear Solid. Snatcher is classified as a "Cyberpunk Adventure" game that has an awesome storyline. Sure it takes a lot from Terminator and Blade Runner but Snatcher definitely has that classic Kojima look and feel and it has a lot of twists that the player won't see coming. There are dozens of cameos and Easter Eggs that fans of Konami games will love. For example the strip club in the game is named "Outer Heaven", already a nod to Metal Gear, and inside the strip club you can find Sparkster from Rocket Knight Adventures, Dracula from Castlevania, and the dudes from Contra. That's simply awesome. Good luck finding a legit copy of Snatcher though, it only came out for the Sega CD in North America and copies sell for $120 - $250 on Ebay.

1.) Sonic CD - I had to give this game the number 1 slot. It's the game that got me interested in the Sega CD. Up until Sonic Gems Collection on the Gamecube there were only two ways to play this game. You could get the awesome Sega CD version, or you could get the really crappy PC version that basically doesn't work on any operating system after Windows 98. Sonic CD is made by the original Japanese Sonic Team, which explains why it has the original Sonic 1 sprites despite coming out after Sonic 2. Sonic CD has awesome music, awesome level designs, and the whole time-traveling gimmick was way ahead of its time and added a lot of replayability to the game. Sonic CD is a game that deserves a proper port to the current consoles, as it is simply awesome.



The second part of the intro to Snatcher. That is some awesome jazz music.


Next up is Mr. Ask 411Games himself Lee Price. While Lee does ignor the fact that the first question Ask 411 Games received is about Target Terror, I will still pimp his email address. For all your gaming questions email Lee at [e-mail].

Lee Price

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Final Fight CD - Superior to the SNES version thanks to added voice acting and the fact that it kept most of the stuff from the arcade version.

5.Shining Force CD - This is essentially a couple of Game Gear remakes and it shows. The game doesn't hold a candle to either of the Genesis offerings, getting rid of any exploration elements and focusing solely on the tactical battles. Having said that the battle system in Shining Force was always fun so there is definitely fun to be had. It is also a bit of a collector's item these days, as are most good SEGA-CD games.

4.Snatcher - This is a Hideo Kojima game so you know the plot is going to be a little convoluted but at the very least interesting. And honestly Snatcher is one of the better gaming experiences to be had on the SEGA-CD. It's an adventure game, which is always a plus for me because I love me a good adventure game, and the shades of Blade Runner help keep the story interesting. If you can find a copy then I suggest you snap it up.



3.Prince of Persia - You can tell how much you need to stretch for quality SEGA-CD titles when a multi-format title hits third spot. Still the Prince's first outing is a classic game and is a master class in animation. The SEGA-CD version doesn't let the side down and replicates the game faithfully.

(Editor's Note: bullshit.)

2.Night Trap - Let's get this out of the way first and foremost. Night Trap is a god awful game. Pretty much all FMV games were. However Night Trap is also a very important game as, along with Mortal Kombat, it is cited as one of the primary reasons for the introduction of the ESRB ratings system. That alone gets it a spot on the list.

(Editor's Note: See previous Editor's Note)

1.Sonic CD - For a long time I'd heard about this game before playing it. That it had more depth than the Genesis Sonic game. That it played better. That it was the best Sonic game ever released. Outside of the depth issue none of that is true for me, I still think both Sonic 2 and Sonic 3 and Knuckles are better than Sonic CD. Having said that the game is still a masterpiece of platforming and is easily the best thing going on the SEGA-CD. The chase with Metal Sonic will always stick out for me and multiple endings and cut scenes were a nice little addition too.


Thanks Lee. While your hate for FMV games brings a tear to my eye I'll get over it.



Next up is the wind beneath my wing, the man who can't stop harassing my in his Monday news report, the man who will die a virgin, Armando Rodriguez.


Armando Rodriquez

Honorable Mentions:

Earthworm Jim: Special Edition This is the exact same game released on 16-bit carts, but it has better graphics, a killer soundtrack and expanded levels. The red book audio soundtrack is a real treat.

5. Snatcher: If you like Hideo Kojima's somewhat convoluted (but epic) stories, Snatcher is for you. The game is played from a first person perspective and allows you to interact with the items and people in it. Think of it as an action-based adventure, like a more action-packed Monkey Island. I am eagerly awaiting the sequel that is rumored to be in the works.

(Editor's Note: Same here buddy, same here…)

4. Shining Force CD: This game is the weakest of the series, but not half bad. The main change is that there is no exploration, you just move from tactical battle to tactical battle and the story feels a bit rushed. Still, it bridges the gap between Shining Force and Shining Force II in what is basically a port of two Game Gear games with 16-bit graphics.

3. Eternal Champions: Challenge from the Darkside: If you like Mortal Kombat, you are going to like the violence in this game. The characters are taken from different parts of history, which leads to a lot of variety. My favorites where Slash the Caveman and R.A.X., a kickboxer from the year 2345 that has robotic parts. Curiously. R.A.X. rhymes with Jax, the Mortal Kombat character with the cybernetic arms. Since this game came out before MK3, my guess is the MK team copied the idea.

2. Sonic CD: My second favorite Sonic game of all time (behind Sonic 3). I loved the concept of time travel and how the zones changed depending on what time you where on. This affected the enemies as well, as some of them become ineffective as time passes by.



1. Lunar Series: It is hard to pick between one and the other, so I am including both games as my #1. There are two reasons why this two games have been ported to multiple systems: They are awesome. The second reason is that Working Designs (or whoever is making them now) is lazy and refuses to make a Lunar 3. The anime-style cinematics where amazing for the time, the plot is absolutely killer and the characters are charming and interesting enough to make you care about them.


Well done Armando. You did totally avoid anything and everything full motion video in favor of RPGs, but I will forgive you. Maybe.



Now for the awesome list. As the lead Dance Choreographer for Lady Gaga and the writer of Games Only a Mother Could Love, I consider myself an expert on the Sega CD. I have a P.H.D., and on my business card I'm listed as a medical doctor. Of what you may ask? Love. Love my friend.

Sit back, relax, and enjoy the awesomeness of full motion video.


Your local AND NOT SO SERIOUS Games Only a Mother Could Love writer: Mark Salmela

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Crime Patrol - This will be the greatest list in the history of man. I mean look at the first honorable mention, Crime Patrol. The whole point of the game is shoot first and ask questions later. If you're wearing black, you're fucked, because my .45 cal doesn't give a shit. I hate Rent-a-Center, and Crime Patrol's first level has you mowing down every man, woman, and child inside of this god-forbidden store.

Bram Stoker's Dracula - You've had enough of Dracula's shit and you're out to kick him in the ass. There's no wooden stake B.S., you've got five years of karate experience and you're not afraid to roundhouse kick Dracula and his legion of animals right in the face. Bats, rats, snakes, spiders, if you're lurking around in the night you're about to get punched, square in the face. Hell, you even get to punch books in the grill. That's right you fuck up Dracula's library in this game.

Target Terror - No seriously, this was long overdue. Long overdue…

Mighty Morphing Power Rangers - The Power Rangers are gay, all of them. But that doesn't mean they don't know how to kick ass. In Mighty Morphing Power Rangers each level is an episode of the show. You interact with each episode by pressing a button on the directional pad to continue the story. It's gimmicky, but the dialogue of the original show is so bad you stop worrying about the gameplay mechanics.

Penn and Teller's Smoke and Mirrors - This game never officially came out, so I can't include it in the top 5. But this game is freaking incredible, and you need to download the rom *Penn and Teller said it's ok to download it since it never came out so go ahead*. But in this game there are absolute gems, such as the impossible mode. "Very difficult is wining the Nobel prize, impossible is eating the sun". I posted the video below. Oh, and Desert Bus is a real life truck driving simulator that takes literally 8 hours to beat. That's hardcore.

5.) Wirehead - If you've ever enjoyed a movie because "it was that bad", you will love Wirehead. Wirehead features the ultimate average Joe. No seriously, you play as a middle aged jewish father of 2 who just happens to have a radio built into his ear that makes him controllable via remote. Apparently in this future people who have hearing aids are discriminated against. Everyone and their mother is out to kill this guy. But like any "so bad it's good" movie this middle aged stay-at-home Dad can defy every law of physics. This guy spends the entire game giving Newton and his laws the middle finger. Hell, you jump out of a plane with nothing but an inflatable raft, and somehow the inflatable raft acts as a parachute. Even better is the guy lands the 2000 foot drop with an inflatable raft parachute in the water somehow right side up, then you proceed to go off a hundred foot waterfall and land safely hanging off a tree branch at the bottom.

4.) Dragon's Lair - Dirk the Daring has a rough life. Period. Every misstep in this game leads to a horrible and over-the-top death. In Dragon's Lair you have 5 inputs, 4 directions on the d-pad and the A button. At random moments you're supposed to input a button, but you have no idea what to input. It's completely random. That means that you have a 20% chance of survival each time you have to input a button to continue. And you have to make a lot of inputs throughout the game. That means your face will be chewed off by bats, you'll be covered in skin-melting acid, and you'll be burned alive in fire pits time after time again, all in the name of poon. Mario, you ain't got shit on Dirk the Daring.



3.) Slam City with Scottie Pippen - What'cha gonna get? Gonna get… Respect! In the 1990's this was the most fly, hip, and fresh game around. Fresh Prince ain't got nothing on Mad Dogg and Juice. Scottie Pippen hangs out at the most funky street court in all of Compton and you will be dominated on the street court. No seriously this game is impossible. I know what to do, I know how to play the game, but I've never scored more than 3 baskets in one game. I normally lose 7 – 2 if I'm lucky in this game. But it's ok, because each losing video is more over-the-top and awesome than the last. For example in one losing video a pimp rips a weed out of the ground, gives it to your girlfriend, and she leaves with his arm around her shoulder. That's right, lose in street hoops, and a pimp takes your girlfriend. Holy shit….

2.) Corpse Killer - Weed is a terrible drug. The entire cast of this game was baked, no question. I have never seen a production more influenced by hemp, and I've seen Cheech and Chong. The developers were probably baked too, because the game often glitches and produces zombies that are just a broken pallet of sprites. Otherwise you'll get crip-walking zombies dressed in ghetto clothes, zombies wearing pink sweaters, and zombies who fly across the screen not giving a shit whether or not they hit you. Once again I'm serious, some of the flying zombies will fly clear over you without ever hitting you, and nobody gives two shits about the fact that there are flying zombies. Corpse Killer, I love you :) .

1.) Night Trap - This had to be number one based on principle. This game along with Mortal Kombat send the US Congress into a panic and lead to the eventual formation of the ESRB. So for everyone who likes the fact that we have a rating system for video games, you have these child-molesting Augers to thank. The game isn't violent at all, and the whole reason Congress flipped out over this game is because they thought sucking the blood out of a teenage girl in a nightgown as the equivalent of raping her. But I still salute you Night Trap, because at the end of the game you get to kill Dana Plato after saving her from every bad guy in the game. Yeah, Dana Plato is dead in real life, and it may be in poor taste, but I still kill her in the game every time I beat it. It just wouldn't be right if I didn't.



This is what happens if you choose "Impossible" as the difficulty.

Alright thanks Mark. If you enjoyed this list feel free to check out my column Games Only a Mother Could Love, which is entirely about kickass full motion video games.

Dragon's Lair
Corpse Killer
Slam City with Scottie Pippen
Night Trap
Target Terror
Bram Stoker's Dracula
Supreme Warrior
Crime Patrol
The Masked Rider
Wirehead

Thanks for checking out the awesomeness of the Sega CD. Todd will be back next week, as I will be busy playing Modern Warfare 2. That, and Tattoo Assassins, an unreleased arcade game that is better than every Mortal Kombat rip-off. Hell, it might even be better than Mortal Kombat. With that said, it's the bonus video of the week. Thanks for reading, I'll cya when I cya!



P.S. Can you name all of these Konami characters as they reside in Snatcher's resident strip club Outer Heaven?

Bonus Video

Tattoo Assassins: