Arcade Power - The Sega System 18

Sega had many arcade system boards. Here we look at its System 18, an upgraded System 16 variant.
I'm now on Patreon! Help support the channel.
www.patreon.com/segalordx
Check out my Sega Lord X merchandise page!
segalordx.threadless.com/
If you would like to support the channel directly:
www.paypal.me/segalordx
Head over to Facebook to hear me ramble about various things:
segalordx/
I'm now on Twitter!
Sega_Lord_X
Opening "Sega" jingle is from Astal for the Sega Saturn.
Ending Music during the credits is from Batman for the Sega Genesis.
SLX Logo
By: Jan Neves
KZbin Page - kzbin.info
Intro by Evan S.
portfolio.tsestudios.com/
Episode Notes:
1. I used MAME for the captures.
2. Most of these games are 3 and 4 player co-op.
3. Most of these still have no modern console versions.
4. Laser Ghost had an energy gun that put you in mind of the Ghostbusters proton glider. I'm surprised Sega didn't get sued.

[@yousefslimani99]

Thats why I love SEGA Arcade games, they have the most amazing looking arcade games that we never saw before during 80's and 90's

[@Monhamd1000]

Sega is the king of the arcades.

[@elgatofelix8917]

If Sega is king then SNK is King of kings

[@vintagetvandexciting]

And their arcade cabinet creativity for deluxe is top notch!

[@philipcohen7192]

Sega is everything… well at least to me

[@graymars1097]

@@elgatofelix8917who is still alive?

[@cliffchampion5501]

Then Capcom must be the god if those kings.

[@BigSnipp]

I played Moonwaker in the arcade as a kid. It's a pretty good game. This era of graphics may be my favorite.

[@jamarjohnson6077]

This era is my favorite

[@marceltiel7919]

Shadow Dancer did have a great home conversion on the Amiga.... That one and Moonwalker were at my favourite arcade back then, along with other excellent SEGA titles of that era; Crackdown, G-loc and Golden Axe of course ...Moonwalker big 3 player cabinet one day stood were the 4 player Turtles cabinet used to stand...

[@SomeOrangeCat]

Alien Storm is my favorite of the bunch, and that Genesis version is fantastic.

[@EoR_2B4GOT10]

I actually saw a Moonwalker arcade cabinet for the first time this year. It was at the national videogame museum in Frisco Texas. Great expirience I have to say. One of the highlights of my trip.

[@SegaLordX]

I really hope more gaming/arcade related museums pop up and secure the legacy of these gems.

[@Des_Zee]

Yeah that Moonwalker arcade game was rare when it was out even in NYC. I remember being mesmerized by older people playing it because the gameplay looked so smooth and fast.

[@Choralone422]

Great video! I think the System 18 is often forgotten about as there were no breakout hit games released for it, especially compared to the Capcom CPS. Plus, it also didn't help that I don't remember seeing any of those games, with the exception of Moonwalker, in any of my local arcades back them. The arcade version of Moonwalker was overshadowed in the media by the Genesis version of the game as well.

[@thecunninlynguist]

I loved that moonwalker arcade game. Was excited to hear of a genesis moonwalker game only to be disappointed it wasn't a port

[@michaelsriqui7898]

My local arcade museum has a copy of the Moonwalker arcade game, I had a ton of fun playing it with my cousin a few years ago.

[@Guernicaman]

I was always surprised Michael Jackson's Moonwalker Arcade never made it home as a SEGA CD game. You'd think that, w/the better audio & sprite work capabilities it would've gotten a port & showed off that add-on's technology. What a missed opportunity!

[@58jharris]

They were to busy making lousy FMV games lol.

[@budyll1]

I'm glad. I wouldn't be too keen on having my kids playing the game in which the main character is a pedophile.

[@cdw3088]

@@budyll1You believe the lies? 2 minutes of googling and you’d see that he was innocent.

[@theguest103]

After the PR debacle that caused SEGA to deny all direct correlation with Michael Jackson in Sonic 3, there was no chance for any new Michael Jackson games or ports so soon afterwards...unless I'm forgetting something.

[@nicolaashamman6201]

I did see once that the arcade game's assistant director ROPPYAKU TSURUMI shared some screenshots of a document, showing the MEGA DRIVE version's director TADASHI KOIZUMI was planning on making a MEGA-CD game called MICHAEL JACKSON'S DANGEROUS, but clearly that was cancelled.

[@ep688]

Just want to say thanks for all the hard work and dedication you put into your content!

[@SegaLordX]

I appreciate that! Many thanks for your kindness.

[@OolalaFive]

Looks like a few of us here in the comments were lucky enough to have played Moonwalker in the arcade. Michael Jackson's partnership with SEGA, of course, continued all the way up to Space Channel 5 Part 2. I'd love to see Sega Lord X do a video covering every game he was involved in. Yes, including Sonic 3.

[@anthonygange2550]

I remember playing moonwalker as a young kid one time at a lasertag never saw it again but I really liked it and when I played the genesis version I was very upset as a kid that it wasn’t the arcade game man I miss those days

[@XVa-uj8m]

Looks at SLX: "I've been hit by....i've been hit by...a smooth criminal."

[@orkoto6057]

While Monwalker on megadrive is a good game, the arcade is an absolute beast.... Strange conversion though

[@Scott.B.Chapin]

Great video! My local arcade / pub actually has a Moonwalker unit - forgot how fun that one was.

[@Stu2be2]

I’m pretty sure as a child I remember playing the wheres Wally game at Skegness in the UK it’s the sounds takes me back

[@tsunamirider9895]

Great video. I remember playing Moonwalker in the arcade. Great game (especially in multiplayer). It's a shame it never got a home console release.

[@1lichfield]

Moonwalker was a pretty popular cabinet in the U.K when i was a kid, played it loads, always in pubs/amusements by the seaside.

[@AdmiralBison]

Everytime Sega Lord X shows an Arcade classic I whip out my Handheld gaming PC (OneXplayer 2), start up RetroArch and add that game to my favorites list. These Arcade games are not lost, people just need to be informed they can play them anytime they want and it's so easy to do.

[@AceTrainerX3]

12:24 Just a note, but Waldo was also known as Wally in the UK (and probably some other European markets as well)

[@metaljo666]

Really dig your videos. Keep it Up !

[@SegaLordX]

Glad you like them. Thank you.

[@PixelPipes]

I must be five years old because "You're more likely to find a steaming pile of unicorn shit" made me laugh out loud

[@sonicmario64]

I was fortunate enough to find an arcade cabinet of "Michael Jackson's Moonwalker", which I remember seeing at a restaurant during an 8th grade field trip to Washington, DC back in 2000.

[@gabrielesquaratti5709]

alienstorm was MINDBLOWING to me when i first saw it in the arcades!

[@LowKeyContender]

enjoying all the videos. thank you.

[@elgatofelix8917]

Last time I was this early, it was still "only two weeks to flatten muh curve"

[@demgreens]

Besides more sprites and layers, the main advantage that the Mega Drive VDP added to the System 16 was going from 3bpp backgrounds to 4bpp ones, and in titles like Clutch Hitter, it makes a massive difference.

[@atomicskull6405]

The YM7101 was actually way more capable than what was possible with it's implementation in the Megadrive/Genesis. It had pins for external color ram and color pallets (the chip supports up to 16 pallets this way) as well as a second 64k bank of VRAM that effectively doubled it's video memory access speed (the two banks were interleaved and accessed at the same time) that were left unconnected on the Genesis motherboard. Leaving those pins as no connects and not bringing them out to the expansion port or cartridge slot was an inexplicably bad decision by Sega. I think they would have been better served to just leave the Master System compatibility off and use the money saved by dumping the Z-80 and it's 64k for the second bank of VRAM and some external color pallet RAM.

[@demgreens]

@@atomicskull6405 I think the Masami Ishikawa interview stated that 128k of VRAM was part of the Mega Drive spec at one point by the performance increase wasn't enough to justify the increased bill of materials. I agree about color - If the Mega Drive removed Master System functionality that would free up space on the VDP due for more color, and there might have been even enough to realize the sprite scaling that was originally supposed to be a feature. And without a z80 there's No point in having the bus arbiter chip so then you'd have even more die space for features.

[@atomicskull6405]

@@demgreens It's not just the performance double the VRAM doubles the number of unique tiles and sprites that can be used at once.

[@miaouew]

I still sometimes boot up arcade Shadow Dancer on Retroarch to this very day. Love that game

[@melvinblackburn195]

Another great arcade board video. These are right in my wheelhouse. Clutch Hitter is still my second favorite arcade Baseball game next to the nearly unbeatable Baseball Stars 2 on the NEO GEO.

[@SegaLordX]

I'm a big fan of both as well.

[@NewportBox100s]

Another great video, as always!

[@mrnicktoyou]

It's weird how Sega pioneered 3D polygon graphics in the arcade but completely missed the mark with the Saturn, only adding extra 3D power at the end of it's development as an afterthought.

[@chrismeservey]

Alien Storm is one of my favorites! Great video!

[@PapetsuChannel]

Great review once again.

[@barryklinedinst6233]

Love your videos. Love Sega. Keep up the awesome work

[@charliepalmer3244]

I was lucky, that growing up there was a Moonwalker at one of my go-to arcades. It's probably been 30 since I've played that cabinet version.

[@joshoshea3194]

Excellent episode. I'd very much like to see episodes on all of these arcade boards.

[@djvoid1]

The Moonwalker arcade game was so awesome. It was incredibly disappointing not to get a home conversion

[@Rationalific]

Very interesting video about a system that I didn't know existed until now!

[@BobbyHo2022]

I beat Shadow Dance arcade. Graphics are amazing. Game is torture at time. I died over 400 times I'd say before I beat the lady last boss and the space shuttle takes off.

[@bigbaddawg101]

I loved Alien Storm for the Genesis. I don't even remember how I acquired the game, but I played it all the time. And sometimes, my mom would even grab the second controller and start playing too.

[@mattb6522]

I recall seeing Alien Storm and Laser Ghost in the arcades as a kid, but I never actually played them. I definitely want to check out some of these titles now. It is a shame that the only way to play many of these (not counting the Genesis ports) is via MAME. I always wished Sega just would release an arcade game compilation on modern consoles.

[@SegaLordX]

Sega's back catalog is long overdue for modern consoles.

[@mattb6522]

@@SegaLordX Very much so.

[@socialistprofessor3206]

Once my son and I return from the Fall festival today, we're going to fire up this romset on my Steam Deck. Thank you for helping me make our weekend even better!

[@maroon9273]

I can't wait to see your review on the systems 24 and c series.

[@dexocube]

ThanksSega Lord X, I didn't know that much about this board.

[@djstyles97]

Always wanted Clutch Hitter at home. That was my favourite baseball game from that era. The World Series games on the Genesis were decent but lacked that faster arcadey baseball that Clutch Hitter offered. It's like Baseball Stars with a more grounded presentation.

[@sammylane21]

At times I forget that not all arcade releases are tournament based. I wonder how MK would have done if it were a early '90's beat'em up side scroller?

[@orderofmagnitude-TPATP]

Great topic. So many do system 16 and 32 model 1 2 3 but never the 24 or 18!!

[@davidline2454]

Discovered arcade Moonwalker on holiday and spent ages on it. That year I got a mega drive for Christmas and a copy moonwalker, the disappointment was a travesty 😂

[@hababacon]

I remember being so pissed off the Genesis version of Michael Jackson Moonwalker was nothing like the arcade. And yeah, it was rear at arcades, I can only recall playing it two times when I was a youngster.

[@dhall888]

Def never saw moonwalker in arcade, what a gem

[@fazares]

I played some of these on the Astro City Minis....the only one i really never heard of was that Tetris clone at the beginning...cool stuff

[@jasonz7788]

Awesome thanks

[@ThomasSerruques]

shadow dancer is my favorite on sys 18. desert break looks nice.

[@shinningserpent2]

I haven’t seen these games in ages. I would purchase these games.

[@MikeRox83]

Arcade Club has Moonwalker as a cabinet. I never got around to playing it but I guess I'll have to make a trip there for it soon!

[@TechyMantis]

I remember playing moonwalker in the arcades and loved it, I just wished it was ported to the consoles

[@laurenalexander4438]

"Now you're more likely to find a steaming pile of unicorn shit than (Michael Jackson's Moonwalker arcade). Arcade near me has it.

[@SegaLordX]

That's awesome. Not many can claim the same.

[@thejervis86]

Same here

[@Theiconofs1n]

I first saw the arcade moonwalker at a corner deli when I was a kid back in Hempstead long island. Sadly I never got the chance to play it

[@djstyles97]

Funny you mention how rare Moonwalker was as I have at seen it at least 3 different arcades in Toronto back in the day.

[@Kokomadeta]

I played Moonwalker Arcade on MAME for Xbox. It was WAY fun. I like that game a lot.

[@jeremybowers3181]

Sega lord x video? Highlight of the night🤘😎

[@ReoAard]

Thanks

[@HrvojeGrahovac]

Kudos for using Moonwalker OST during your conclusion

[@danielliveforenterta]

Just got some snacks for this video. Nice!

[@gracekim25]

Had me at the word arcade ❤

[@DreamcastQ]

Awesome games

[@projectmayhem6898]

Thanks!

[@SegaLordX]

Always appreciated. Thanks.

[@alexisjohnson]

My local arcades had the Genesis console version of MoonWalker so you can imagine my surprise when i tried to play it on MAME and saw the version shown here. 😃

[@mjdf122]

Sega Lord X back again

[@Dacangri2]

I would love to see a video on your favorite shoot them ups

[@unexpecteditem7919]

Instructions unclear, am covered in Unicorn shit

[@thejervis86]

Our local arcade thankfully has a working Moonwalker cab

[@Oysterblade84]

Very enjoyable, i'm really enjoying the arcade stuff you showcase. Couldn't agree more that if it wasn't for emulation, these games would all be lost to history as nearly all of them have never been re-released on anything. What Sega were focusing on in the home market was very different to what they were doing in the arcade market which is why many of their games with the same name are completely different on the Master System and Mega Drive. Laser Ghost sticks out the most to me as the arcade original was clearly influenced by Ghostbusters while the Master System home port in 1991 took inspiration and influence heavily from a 1988 horror movie called ''Poltergeist III'' many of those later levels that featured parked cars coming to life, giant grotesque hands, elevators, glass windows with faces in them and long walking hallways is all in the film and the girl resembles the late Heather O' Rourke. Alien Storm seems to take a similar influence from Ghostbusters but in a more brawler-style way. Shadow Dancer on the Master System is actually very similar to the arcade original as many of the same levels and bosses are present, but it only has 4 stages of play and can be completed in 20 minutes, so a heavily scaled back port in other words.

[@frankflores6793]

I remember playing moonwalker at the pier 39 arcade in SF

[@SuperballsSupervidsOnYT]

I bowled in a league when I was a kid and the bowling alley I bowled at had Michael Jackson's Moonwalker. I loved it.

[@zanegandini5350]

I always assumed Shadow Dancer was just a System-16 game, and had no clue the System-18 even existed. Honestly though, I can see why it's forgotten. While Shadow Dancer and Desert Breaker are good games, none of these measure up to the hits made for the System-16 and System X/Y boards.

[@ninjasec]

Was a different time back then for those of us who grew up with arcades ,emulation is a great way to enjoy them as well as other games.

[@sexshit1107]

great video.I always thought of Alien Storm as a spiritual.successor to the golden axe arcade game.Shadow Dancer though was a good game but lacked the oomph factor you had on the genesis games.

[@JohnDoe-wq5eu]

It was certainly an interesting little moment in time. One that yes thankfully is preserved thanks to MAME and emulation.

[@SolitudeChrist]

Laser Ghost is what the Ghostbusters games on SNES and Genesis should have been.

[@EhHold]

As much as I loved the Genesis, I was kinda pissed their arcade games still looked way better with higher resolution, sounds, colors, and awesome effects we weren’t getting at home. Look at the original arcade Alien Storm vs the home port! Years later, I def like the Genesis version of Shadow Dancer better than the arcade. I’m glad Sega brought out the Astro City Mini to play a lot of these games!

[@jenningsmills5398]

I lost count of how many dynamo hs-5 moonwalker cabinets I've seen converted to street fighter 2.

[@tylerensminger]

I actually went to an arcade that had the moonwalker arcade system. I never played it but I really liked it. It is difficult though

[@C3Muscle]

“Where’s Wally” was ported to the Genesis as “Where’s Waldo”

[@SegaLordX]

Same license but very different game.

[@mercster]

Thanks Lordster! I always thought Shadow Dancer was the best looking Genesis Shinobi. SEEEEEEEEGAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

[@axguzman-gq9fz]

Me gustan mucho estos gráficos

[@johncraw8572]

Awesomeness video please do more thanks ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@SegaLordX]

Appreciate the comment. Thanks.

[@avivmizrachi4382]

Dude, just the intro music is worth starting one of your videos. Not to mention the immersive journey. SLX rules.

[@papermariottydfan1]

I have been lucky to find a cabinet of Micheal Jackson's moonwalker in the UK city Newcastle at a excellent arcade bar called four quarters it's got all the great classics Sega rally, simpsons arcade game, smash tv, street fighter 2 champion edition, point blank, original tmnt, asteroids, 2 pacman machine's Lucky and wild, dancing stage (dance dance revolution), house of the dead 2 and jurassic park the lost world to name a few sadly didn't get a chance to play the machine as by the time me and my pals got there they were shutting in 15 minutes still nice to see some rareish Sega history

[@SegaLordX]

Places like that are a gem and few and far between where I live.

[@papermariottydfan1]

And laser ghost is a game I've played a lot as it came in the bundle with mine that I got from a friend of the family and loved it's nods to horror films And the challenge of keeping your main character from getting hurt in the stages.

[@papermariottydfan1]

@@SegaLordX yeah same for me go to arcade places as and when I can when I am up in glasgow or edinbrugh for the place called NQ64 and always on the look out for arcade machines in shops wherever I go. there's just something magical about finding a new arcade machine you haven't tried yet.

[@StevenCusic]

Played moonwalker at Golden ring mall in Baltimore county

[@williamwright9079]

The lass in Alienstorm could be Tyris Flare!

[@adamofgrayskull7735]

Ohh hell yeah.🤘😆🤘

[@Marc_Araujo]

Alien Storm is an underrated classic...both the arcade and its Genesis port. P.S. Man was that Astro City Mini V a disappointment...so much input lag.

[@joaogabrielgama4925]

Well, Genesis Homebrewlers have source material for convertions for years .

[@Riz2336]

I don't think I saw any of these in the arcades back when they were current titles

[@elgatofelix8917]

Same here. Except Moonwalker

[@jamesburchill7522]

Heeeeyyy. I have a system 18 PCB. Pain in the ass, that one 😂

[@catholicactionbibleonlyist1813]

I have seen moonwalker at a arcade/backroom of a gymnastic center

[@shaggymcdaniel3216]

Michael Jackson laying waste to his enemies. Lmao