The 30 Most Graphically Impressive Sega Mega CD Games

[@YaowBucketHEAD]

I remember when I was a lad and going insane over the Genesis, Sega CD, and 32X. I thought these add ons, the games, and what Sega was doing was the most interesting thing going on in gaming at the time. My family was pretty poor so all I had then was the NES at the time (and trust me, I played it ALL THE TIME) while longing for Sega's offerings everytime I went into Target or read a video game magazine. Years later I keep telling myself I need to play some of these games via emulation at least. Snatcher, Dune, Ground Zero Texas, Night Trap, Double Switch, Prize Fighter (I think that's what the FMV boxing game was called), Sonic CD (got it for my 360, still haven't played it), and the Sega CD version of ETERNAL CHAMPIONS (just so I can witness the absurdity of that game). The 90's was an amazing and strange time in gaming. I loved it.

[@GOPSlayer]

I have spent the last few years going through and playing all of the old consoles I never got as a kid. The Neo Geo has by far been the most interesting. I never even knew about it until two years ago.

[@ophidianmind333]

This is a great list. The Sega CD had many games that played as great as they looked and are still worth playing. Snatcher stands out as one of the most visually impressive games of the 16-bit era and still holds up well to this day.

[@djhenyo]

Vay looks like shit in terms of graphics. Shouldn't be anywhere near consideration for this list.

[@gaminggoddess85]

@@djhenyo Maybe they included it for the anime cutscenes, in which case they probably should have shown some of the anime cutscenes. I've noticed they often call those out but then don't give us any footage to see for ourselves. Also Vay is hard as balls because the localization company, Working Designs, thought it would be a grand idea to reduce exp and money from battles while increasing enemy stats and item prices by huge amounts. I think I read the basic healing potion had its price spiked by 1000% or something crazy. WD did that with pretty much every game it localized, like Lunar, Alundra and Silhouette Mirage. So while I have nostalgia for Vay, I have more memories of frustration than of fun.

[@djhenyo]

@@gaminggoddess85 I don't think showing gameplay footage for the Vay segment indicates that it was included on the list because of the cutscenes, and the anime cutscenes look like some of the most un-lively slideshow garbage compared to the ones in Snatcher. It's just an all around horrible game for graphics.

[@indiangamingfactshistory4642]

Hello I m from India I didn't knew about this console. But I knew recently that sega cd was released in 1992 and I think it was huge deal back then because this is only console which has 3d rendered games although I know that 3d games started in 1996 in n64 psx.

[@bigbabatunde1218]

@@indiangamingfactshistory4642 Starfox on SNES was doing 3D polygon type graphics with its super FX chip and didn't cost £300 extra like the Mega CD did. The Mega CD was a colossal flop due to poor games and poor sales. I lived through that time period and didn't want one just as countless others didn't want one either. I just stuck with my Megadrive.

[@ZEKESPILLEDINKMUSIC]

The Sega CD could have been so much better if the company had actually known what it was doing instead of bombarding customers with multiple add-ons and consoles released almost at the same time.

[@PsychomachineryEBM]

Tom Kalinske and japanese staff ruined SEGA

[@opaljk4835]

Yeah, it’s over and done with though, and there’s a lot to learn and enjoy from then and there

[@gaminggoddess85]

@That guy with the brain. Well the SNES was going to have a CD add-on joint-developed between Nintendo and Sony with Secret of Mana as a launch title, but Nintendo saw how the Sega CD flopped and stopped development. Sony continued on to make the Playstation so it's not like we didn't get anything from the SNES CD's death.

[@bigbabatunde1218]

@@gaminggoddess85 The Mega CD was just too expensive and released and marketed too soon. Nintendo/ Sony partnership falling apart and Sony hitting the market a few years later with the PlayStation was just at the right time as it was less expensive and seemed fresher.

[@marianokaz1503]

Imagine if we had a port of Castlevania: Rondo of Blood for the Sega CD!

[@CanalWarpZone]

Snatcher is one of the best, awesome graphics, for sure :)

[@bigbabatunde1218]

Only official English translation available as well to my knowledge. Konami dropped the ball BIG time by not doing the right thing when including the Japanese only language version with the PC Engine coregrafx mini and expecting Western audience to not be annoyed. The TurboGrafx/ Coregrafx mini could have sold a lot more if it included the English language Snatcher and wasn't an Amazon exclusive. Honestly, do these big companies have to have their hand held every time? It's almost as if they do these mishap blunders on purpose.

[@kristoferstoll587]

I really loved Jaguar XJ220 for the SegaCD. It not only had great scaling effects but it was a really fun game to play. It also had upgrades, which made it stand out from other racing games at the time. The music was also memorable.

[@budsunny]

Snatcher is an amazing game. Such an emotional and beautiful masterpiece by Hideo Kojima.

[@SparkyMK3]

So many amazing games on this list! Thunderhawk could easily pass for an early PS1/Saturn title! If only I could afford to get a Sega CD for my Genesis again, because I would love to play Silpheed one more time!

[@Equ3strianGam3r]

I absolutely love the Lunar games. I never got to play them on Sega CD but I owned both of the PS1 re-releases and played through both of them multiple times. They are probably my favorite PS1 releases. If I had to choose one over the other, I think I'd go with Lunar 2 Eternal Blue because of the extra epilogue adventure that you get to play after you finish the main game. I still know the words to the intro song to Lunar 1 and Luna's song on the ship from the PS1 version. They've just been cemented in my head kind of like a shrine to the game, I guess. I know they did another re-release of the first game on PSP but I didn't like it at all. They changed voice actors, rewrote songs and just changed too many things I found great from the other version. The only thing I thought was kind of cool was they added a game introduction where you got to play as the original 4 heroes (Dyne, Ghaleon, Mel, and Lemia) similar to what they did in Lufia and the Fortress of Doom on SNES.

[@ronwisegamgee]

The audio and sound quality for Sega CD was way ahead of its contemporaries.

[@johnriddlebaugh7436]

If Sega realized the full potential of the 16-bit's add-ons, and released a version of their console that included both the 32X and Sega CD, that system might've had more life to it.

[@eskanda3434]

Not a chance by the time 32x was released the Playstation and N64 were on the horizon. They could not compete with that

[@gaminggoddess85]

Wasn't there a 32X CD? I thought AVGN did a video on it. Or I imagined it in a sleep-deprived stupor, idk.

[@bigbabatunde1218]

@@gaminggoddess85 Think there was some games that needed the 32X and the Mega CD to work but you'd struggle to come across anyone that actually cared enough to spend money at that point buying it all to find out.

[@opaljk4835]

This is more of just a list of good games than anything else

[@CIRIL03]

What?! The KZbin video title have been dreaming with for years ^^. Sega CD - the best ever made 16 bits console period!

[@ZacharyDietze]

On a somewhat related note, who else is hyped for Sonic Origins? I never got to play a Sonic game before, (Even as an adult, shocking I know) so I’m very happy that all of the main games are coming out in one big collection, let alone in the same remastered quality that the Sonic Mania team did for the mobile ports, as well as finally bringing back Sonic 3 & Knuckles after all these years. I’ve had Mania Plus for a few years already too, but I never got around to playing it yet since for whatever reason it just feels wrong to me to see it without the context of the other games that came before it that it’s celebrating, so I’m excited that we get to play all of the main games on the same system now for all generations of gamers to play, There’s also Spinball, 3D Blast, and Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine on the Genesis/Mega Drive Collection, so that’s cool too. Really the only released classic games that are missing is the arcade titles SegaSonic the Hedgehog (Which is where Mighty and Ray came from) and Sonic the Fighters, as well as Chaotix from the 32X, but for the time being at least I don’t mind them being missing, and other than those three we pretty much have every single unique classic title now that isn’t from the Master System and Game Gear. (Which I suppose would also be nice to have them all in a simpler collection, but I honestly don’t mind them that much. Maybe if they included all of those and the later portable games from stuff like the GBA and DS though, then I’d be excited for something like that too) But in any case, it’s definitely a good time right now for classic Sonic fans, and I hope we can see more other official projects from the Sonic Mania team in the future. (Regardless if they are ports of older Sonic games, or newer ones like a Sonic Mania sequel, which I’m pretty sure everybody would like to see. I think using Feels the Rabbit would be a particularly interesting concept as well since that was his prototype design, as well as an inspiration for Ristar, but they can also do plenty of other stuff with such a game too, so who knows)

[@andromedaone3640]

Sega's next project should be Mega CD mini

[@mentalhell4846]

They should have bumped up the color limitation on Sega CD add on.

[@mikebrasoljr8857]

Awesome and well-made video! Excellent showcase of some great Sega CD games!

[@mashk]

I would have thought the best version of Final Fight would have been the X68000 version. Admittedly that was exclusive to Japan but still..

[@BeyondDaX]

Nah Final Fight CD is the best version, hands down.

[@cireza_]

If the SEGA-CD had been a failure, it would not have received so many fantastic games. Don't fall into the trap of haters and ignorant people. This add-on encountered pretty good success, this is why it was supported from 1991 to 1996. There are also many great games that stayed in Japan.

[@puzzlepiecegaming4583]

Sega Cd didn’t get as much love and attention that it probably could have. I have been looking to find one mainly for Snatcher but some of the other games on this list as well.

[@bigbabatunde1218]

The Mega CD was too expensive and released too soon to an audience that couldn't be bothered.

[@MaxAbramson3]

@@bigbabatunde1218 By 1995, the addon was marked down to just $99. A combined Genesis CD could be had for less than $200. That's what SEGA should've hit the market with for 1994-95, not the 32X, IMO.

[@gametourny4ever627]

Wow. What a great list! There were about 13 titles I need to add to the Sega Cd collection here. Problem is the games are so pricey now adays for a good shape copy.

[@rodrigo-oliveira-86]

Great list, but I need to make one correction: the best Final Fight home adaptation is the Sharp X68000 version. Take a look at it!

[@Shazbut0191]

Wow, Flink's soundtrack is...interesting...

[@rodzandz]

Why do people think Sonic CD is an impressive SegaCD game? It's just regular sonic with CD music. Nothing more.

[@socalboogie1099]

The game is huge due to each level having a past, present and future version. Was only possible on the CD platform at that time. More animations, better sound effects and the CD soundtrack. In my opinion, the graphics appear to be cleaner and sharper.

[@lmcgregoruk]

@@socalboogie1099 A lot of people love Sonic CD, I personally don't, I think it's how "busy"? the backgrounds are, the design just gives me a headache, looks to me like they left placeholders in, and then never removed them. Also the loading transition seems out of place in a sonic game, which should be all about going fast.

[@socalboogie1099]

@@lmcgregoruk - To each their own. I actually like the backgrounds. However I’m sure we can agree it’s not just a regular Sonic game with a CD soundtrack.

[@francyszz3]

you forgoto to mention, Snatcher was a Kojima game that´s make even more curious

[@kengoku3498]

Got Fatal Fury wrong SNES had more background scrolling and animation just smaller characters

[@gilnelson3217]

Dark wizard, 3rd world War, the lunar series, vay, shining force. All great.

[@esotericmissionary]

Great list, but that zoom in effect when thee text leaves the screen is the worst

[@soulreaver1983]

Absolutely outstanding 👏 The Sonic Graphics are simply amazing!!!!!😎👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@bigbabatunde1218]

Never played Sonic CD and didn't think it was good enough looking to justify buying a Mega CD. The colours looked garish as well.

[@atsz.]

CD is so much better than 32X, I really wish Sega didn't waste their time and resources on 32X when the Saturn was already on its way.

[@ShinFighter]

Habrán algunos más pero creo que has puesto la mejores juegos de Mega CD.

[@screwthenet]

Good stuff. Sadly never had a sega cd, justa Genesis and other things over the years.

[@thehumbleone1983]

Love the Mega Cd great video 👍

[@vinciusccarvalho]

The only thing is that Silpheed does not showcase any polygons really, besides the tiny ship and enemies, everything else is just an FMV background. It's a neat trick, and a great game, but it was no showcase of geometry capability of the platform as it was advertised at the time.

[@goatbone]

Which Sonic CD soundtrack are you referring to?

[@lazarushernandez5827]

It has to be both. Many gamers were only exposed to one (Japanese/Pal) or the other (U.S./North America). I had the U.S. Sega CD, so my first taste was that regions OST. Later ports included the option to hear/play with the Japanese soundtrack, which made the Past soundtracks make sense. I genuinely like them both.

[@Jopovania]

Uff de acá derechito a escuchar la OST de Snatcher, cómo amo ese juego!

[@zsiles]

Although some games are amazing and needed mega CD to be made as Batman, Star Wars Rebel Assault (not mentioned) or Silpheed, others are megadrive ports or totally affordable in megadrive alone.

[@rubendarioreymartinez2073]

Excelentes juegos de sega cd 💿 ya casi es imposible conseguirlos originales . Saludos desde colombia 🇨🇴

[@bluenomad73]

Add Batman & Robin, BC Racers and Jaguar XJ220, forget Sol-Feace, Lords of Thunder and Fatal Fury Special. Flink isn't in the top 30 either, it's just the Mega Drive/Genesis version with CD sound. Then rather Wonderdog or Rebel Assault.

[@yahirthevyond]

What about the most graphically Genesis games? I can’t wait for that video to be made soon!

[@mansenclockworx8215]

Great vid, thank you 💪🏼

[@dunamis1382]

Amazing video! What a crisp presentation and we'll curated list. I just subscribed you your channel. Keep up the good work! I wanted to asked a similar question that I did in your N64 intro video (very entertaining btw) I want to star playing Sega CD games but it's hard going with the original hardware route where I live. I wanted to asked you if you used emulation and if so could you share what emulator and recommended settings to use? Or what was your setup for getting those clean pixelated graphics 🤤?

[@BitsBeats]

Many thanks! I usually use Retroarch for emulation, with no filters. The image is crisp because the recording process (with OBS) at a very high bitrate. Also the rendering process is done with the highest bitrate options. Every video takes a long time to render with huge size files... But I prefer that to offer you the best image quality possible

[@perryturner6343]

Great video. Saves me from having to find these. They are hard to find with the amount of horrible looking games on the system.

[@Lossrof]

The Next Episode is Games from SEGA 32X?

[@miguelangelceballosvicario6070]

I miss B.C. Racers too…

[@corocorozproductions9442]

00:00 what’s the song called?

[@BitsBeats]

It's from Snatcher soundtrack

[@gaminggoddess85]

It's "One Night in Neo Kobe"

[@Nischenliebhaber]

Hey, great videos! One suggestion: Make a liste about 2D PSX games! :-) Or a list about japanese exclusive games whichwe can play without knowledge in japanese language.

[@BitsBeats]

Many thanks! I have a video about PS1 2D games

[@OGM_OriginalGameMusic]

I'd say do a video on sega 32x CD games but there's soooo little

[@user-dv2hc8zt3o]

Gonna mod my mini Genesis with some Sega CD games!

[@johnnada6855]

Check out the JAPANESE exclusives on the Mega CD, there are several interesting JRPGs and visual adventures that need english patch (please)., my recommendations are Ilusion City a very interesting Cyberpunk jrpg and Shadowrun., yes Shadowrun had a japanese exclusive version different from the Genesis and Snes games., and looks very good., there are many others., check them out

[@inceptional]

For a machine that cost $400 on top of the console you had to own just to use it, I can see why this wasn't the most beloved device in that era. These games are a minor improvement on the stock Genesis titles for the most part, plus CD audio and crappy FMV everywhere. The machine just didn't prove its worth imo.

[@casaospinatores1009]

Joyas en MEGACD - SegaCD

[@michaelcarson8375]

Rise of the Dragon was a good Sega CD game!!!

[@HeavyWeapon44]

🎯

[@ChaossX77]

Wow, Flink was an ugly game.

[@geminielectro]

Dune is one of the most impressive. Beast II is also impressive compared to the Megadrive version.

[@pal-of-pals]

Snatcher isn't a platformer, it's a text adventure game

[@BitsBeats]

Copy paste mistake, sorry

[@blackhawk65589]

And a FPS :p

[@whyareyoureadingmynickname8158]

Suggestion for a future video: list of the most annoying retro enemies (examples include Lakitu from Mario, Medusa heads from Castlevania, Red Devils from Ghosts and Goblins etc.).

[@abdulrahmanaqeel3433]

I remember downloading Snatcher, it took all night to download (it was around 100 MB) at the time this was huge 🤗. A fantastic game

[@wobblingpixels3921]

Great vid and and choice. Hard to see all the awesome looking titles and knowing that Mega CD had so much more potential. :(

[@wobblingpixels3921]

@NÄFYUS 2049 You never know :) Sega droped the Mega CD after a short time and many devs didn't put much effort into high quality games e.x. all the FMVs games. Similar to the Sega Saturn.

[@supersexysega]

The Sega CD didn't really have more "potential". As far as traditional 2D games went you were just going to get Genesis games with redbook audio and potentially more content with the CD storage. We saw the ASIC put to good use in games like Batman Returns, Soulstar etc. It wasn't an efficient design at all so the cost was always going to be an issue. When the price of the unit announced all the major Japanese 3rd parties scoffed at it knowing it would never gain casual matket penetration.

[@wobblingpixels3921]

@@supersexysega I think that was one of the main reasons why Mega CD was economically a flop. The devs made simple or even lazy ports adding cd audio and thats about it. The potential of the hardware was never pushed to the limit IMO (maybe with some exceptions)

[@aweirdredtoad3637]

The problem was that Sega pushed multiple add-ons during the time of the Sega CD, which was definitely a bad idea in the long-run. They should've focus on one add-on and it grew success with its potential, then maybe they could put out another one to capitalize on it.

[@wobblingpixels3921]

@@aweirdredtoad3637 agreed

[@Hello-hz7gj]

Cool, can you do this with 32X games aswell?

[@WorldRetroGames]

Ahhh irei comentar em português mesmo, que vídeo lindo!!

[@dropkickrabbit6168]

All great choices. One of the other best things about the Sega CD was that a good chunk of its library had amazing soundtracks. The Terminator one alone is a banger.

[@alejandrogutierrez1079]

Often this add on is called home of awful games But you can't deny there's always something great to find.

[@DissociatedWomenIncorporated]

I’m surprised not to see Puggsy, or either of the Ecco the Dolphin games on this list. If you’re unfamiliar, they’re well worth a look!

[@7_wd40]

Love to see Popful Mail up there, underrated gem

[@evilblader7]

Hola siento llegar tarde... XDDDD día de locos... Pues que decir? Para empezar que no conocía NINGUNO...pero definitivamente me intereso, me compraron D: si sale uno a la venta y tengo el dinero por supuesto que la compraré... Ese del lunar eternal blue se ve que está chivisimo.

[@evilblader7]

@Carlos Eduardo Espinosa Sánchez Ya lo creo D: definitivamente profundizaré más en el catálogo D:

[@adrenaline_raphxdlate7376]

I swear this channel should be bigger

[@awakenedsoul2638]

If only SEGA used the true hardware capability of the CD and added the hardware specifications of the 32X on the SEGA CD combined, it will be a MARVELOUS ADD ON FOR THE SEGA GENESIS and might have continued its life until the Era of the Dreamcast for a few years before SEGA discontinued it. The games I have still looked 16 bit and no improvement taking advantage of the CDs hardware. If they only properly designed the screen and battery life of the Nomad it could have been successful and another competitor for the Gameboy. The SEGA CD was enough as an add on and they should have never made the 32X and spending 200 million dollar aggressive commercial campaign instead spent it on the development of the SEGA Saturn and the future Dreamcast. SEGA would have not be in a big financial lost.

[@MaxAbramson3]

We could probably have seen games like Crash Bandicoot, Resident Evil, Tomb Raider, and Metal Gear on the Sega CD. With cutbacks? Sure, but the Sega CD would've been a much bigger market if SEGA had put their 32X budget into game development for the CD.

[@awakenedsoul2638]

@@MaxAbramson3 Yeah right! Direct and straight up SEGA CD with 32-Bit power with FULL SUPPORT! Who needs another 32X add on Tape?

[@lasersnake]

Nice collection and great presentation. However the swiping transitions are so bright white that it gets quite tiring to watch the whole video. I get blinded every time. Anyone else?

[@BitsBeats]

I will tweak that a little bit for the following videos

[@lasersnake]

@@BitsBeats 👍and thanks for the reply.

[@captainernest95]

Truly a greatest creation of old 3d graphics era, especially silpheed and starblade

[@AlfonsoECruz]

Great 👍🏼 ✨ Video Thank You Very Much for this, your Hard Work is much appreciated, I can’t imagine the amount of editing that goes into these videos and research as well.

[@BitsBeats]

Yes, there is a lot of work behind each video. above all documentation, recording and editing so that the entire video is coherent and entertaining to watch. but I really enjoy it. Many thanks!!!

[@AlfonsoECruz]

@@BitsBeats You’re Welcome and more importantly Thank You Very Much for your Content and these Videos.

[@gaminggoddess85]

Totally should've mentioned that Snatcher was created by genius writer Hideo Kojima of Metal Gear fame! Policenauts was too! Is that first review implying Sonic didn't have good music before Sonic CD? Because Sonic 1, 2, 3 and & Knuckles all beg to differ. Wanna know something "funny" about Shining Force? Sega's official release of it on the Google Play store crashes every five minutes. So was that level of Android Assault a bad example because I don't see anything special about the graphics compared to Sol-Feace or the other featured space shooters. Watching that clip of Yumemi Mystery Mansion made me feel like I was going blind.

[@NinjaCacodemon_IsSus]

You should include JP version of Sonic CD because the music is way better.

[@douglasmurphy3266]

i really wish there were a legit next generation console between the snes/genesis and the caveman days of rudimentary 3D. The cd/32x hardware had great capabilities but wasnt brought to the market correctly, cause the installed base to fail bringing on dedicated developers like later snes games had.

[@wmfsgachaanimationsandgame3583]

Ever Silpheed Sega Cd Used Md.Emu This Game Became Crash After Completing Stage One

[@muggo882]

pretty dumb to not even upgrade to a 256 color palette onscreen. games could have looked amazing if they did.

[@ghaleon1103]

Great video! Liked, already subscribed, commenting for the algorithm

[@SiincereARC]

I needed a new use for my MiSTer. Kudos.

[@StevesPetCreeper]

I know I'm gonna get alot of hate for this but most of these games just seem really bad and uninteresting I love retro game consoles but there are so many other games for other consoles at the time of the sega cd that are much much better in my opinion I'm not all that impressed with the game lineup or the graphics on the system

[@iwanttocomplain]

Yeah that plane game. I played it. Worst looking game on the system which is impressive. This console only adds video, scaling, sampled and cd music. But BC Racers looks nice. It's scaling loads of sprites. Sewer Shark and Tomcat alley are simple games with cool video so that's a concept that kind of is what the CDi was for. You could make interactive rock documentaries for dads and classical music things for grandads I wish all the fmv gallery gun games supported the light gun. Which is about 20. Only Lethal Enforcers does and that's not a fmv game and you need the Justifyer..

[@socalboogie1099]

Wonder Dog had some of the best use of the Genesis color palette. It sported a super high resolution for the time, along with some nice effects and huge bosses. Should be on this list in my opinion.

[@rezneba101]

Final Fight looks better on the snes... c'mon where this system gets its boost is in audio.

[@BeyondDaX]

Snes only has one player and with only two characters or the Guy only version whereas Final Fight CD has all three and two players

[@rezneba101]

@@BeyondDaX fair point, although this video speaks of impressive graphics...

[@R34-q7h]

This system must have been very cool to own when it came out. How much was it in the USA at launch?

[@gaminggoddess85]

According to someone else's comment, it was $400 new. I got mine at Goodwill for like $20 lol

[@R34-q7h]

@@gaminggoddess85 $400 in the mid eighties and early nineties, Thats a lot!! What was SEGA thinking?!?. Crazy.

[@Rlotpir1972]

Model 1: $399.99 in 1992 with demo CD (including Genesis games) Model 2: $229.99 in 1993 with Sewer Shark CDX Model: $299.99 in 1994. Not compatible with 32X adapter

[@lucas18314]

CD cant save Genesis fart sounds

[@bigbabatunde1218]

Spot the Nintendo fan boy.

[@lucas18314]

@@bigbabatunde1218 ???

[@lucas18314]

@@bigbabatunde1218 I'm only a nintendo 64 fan that had bad sound quality too, I'm not that type you're insinuating

[@bigbabatunde1218]

@@lucas18314 If you say so. 🙄