5 of the Worst Sega CD Games You Need to See to Believe

[@johnhancockretro]

More bad games videos bit.ly/3iM8cDW

[@TheGamingCircle]

Adventures of Batman & Robin a great game..

[@jaybrooks1098]

The football game looks like the alpha preview laserdisc console football game.. even the selecting play matches..

[@ophidianmind333]

The Sega CD library is rather hit and miss, but at least the good games are as very good as the bad ones are very bad. Dark Wizard, the Lunar games, Shining Force CD, and Snatcher are some of the best games of the 16-bit era.

[@freddyvidz]

I can agree

[@kenterminateddq5311]

The Sega CD port of Mortal Kombat 1 is really good (despite the Anthem-esque amount of loading time). Plus, Knuckles Chaotix is the most unique game of the Sonic series.

[@judyhopps9380]

@@kenterminateddq5311 chaotix is atrocious. Its unique because they learned never to repeat it

[@LaceyFilm]

Sadly Shining Force CD is a bit a mess compared to the Mega Drive games.

[@freddyvidz]

@@LaceyFilm It is and I didn't find it too different from the Genesis game.

[@Gappasaurus]

8:28 Lousy gameplay aside, the mechanic of defeating enemies by rubbing your butt on them is certainly a unique one 😅

[@AvariciousOne82]

That's how my ex defeated me so yeah. It works lol

[@erichquinones683]

Da dum tss

[@MrStrangermoon]

its look like fido dido unrelased mega drive game.

[@timconnell5878]

I remember having the genesis, sega cd and the 32x all hooked up at once. You had to have a power strip for the 3 plugs. Seeing your video takes me back in time. Great videos!

[@lo1bo2]

Me too! Still have it all. I was such a fanboy I bought the official Sega power strip.

[@JMFSpike]

Would have been very nice and convenient to have an all-in-one console. Yes, I know all about the CDX and project Neptune, but I'm talking *both* the 32X and CD add-ons. One power cord and one TV cable like every other console, and you could play anything Genesis related.

[@redstratus97]

I loved AVGNs take on that. That Genesis is on life support! Lol!

[@timconnell5878]

@@lo1bo2good times. I remember at least 2 versions of the sega cd.

[@ccricers]

Wow, you were really playing with super power! Oops, wrong company...

[@mikicerise6250]

I think a lot of people these days forget how awesome those awful, grainy videos embedded in our 16-bit games seemed to us as kids at the time, after a lifetime of flat sprites. ;)

[@mondoprime]

Damn I can remember convincing my parents to get me Blackhole Assault when I was a lad. The box art made it look so awesome. I was VERY disappointed.

[@jasond2831]

I remember back in 95 to 97 hanging out in the video store in town after hours with the boss and staff. Him and another guy would play that san Francisco vs dallas sega cd game for a good 6 hours on end. Of course they were both fans of the teams. Me, I just fired up another tv and threw on whatever playstation game that was hot at the time that stayed in the shelf.

[@bahbahblacksheep311]

John I’ve loved your games by publisher reviews for the Sega Genesis. I would LOVE a similar series for the Sega CD. If not publisher, maybe sorted by genre? Sports, platformer, RPG etcetera. I love Sega CD content

[@suedenim]

NFL's Greatest brings back hazy memories of this predecessor, a 1983 arcade game with a laser disc of actual NFL action. I saw the Redskins-Cowboys version, but since it was at Ocean City, MD, I naively assumed there was a localized version for every NFL market.

[@JMFSpike]

Criminally underrated console/add-on, but all consoles have their fair share of terrible games. Sega CD unfortunately came out when FMV's were a new thing and all the developers wanted to use them. Problem was that they used them far too heavily in those first few years. Took awhile for them to figure out the best way to make use of FMV's, which is to enhance the gameplay rather then basically replacing it. Sadly, this problem has returned in modern gaming, only they don't use FMV's anymore. Instead, it's just run down narrow, linear paths until you trigger the next cutscene.

[@ericthe7177]

The 49ers-Cowboys game looked a lot like a prototype of the NFL Head Coach series.

[@alcala315]

SegaCD brought me Lunar Silver Star which was a great experience as a kid.

[@redneckreviews3016]

I had it too. Wish I would have kept it. Worth so much money. Same with popful mail. Damm

[@johntracy72]

Both Lunar games have aged very well on Sega CD.

[@DarKKnightt07]

Please do worst original game boy games and worst Neo Geo games.

[@johnhancockretro]

Worst Arcade games for sure.

[@luvmenow33]

The jump from disk/cartridge to CD Format was rough in the early years. The reason IMO was alot of companies/programmers forgot the #1 Rule which is that No matter how advanced the technology, the game still has to be fun to play. Programmers got REALLY carried away with the Graphics, or directing their B-Movie cut scenes. Myst. People look back on it and love it. When I first played it it was amazing looking. But even the programmer said over 50% of people had the same experience as me and never made it off the first island

[@nessadvantage9447]

Someone should tell that 1st rule to modern game developers of today. People like to complain about sega cd's overuse of fmv games, which is a fair point. At the same time praising modern gaming which is 80%cutscenes and 20% gameplay.

[@gnntech]

Good video (as always) but you missed the mark on NFL's Greatest. It's not a traditional football game at all. It's actually a coaching simulator and considering that fact it's not too bad. You select your plays based on strategy (down/distance/score/etc...) and see how things play out. Most simulators at the time were very simple graphics (or just text) so having the videos while certainly TERRIBLE quality did bring something interesting to it. All of the other games you noted are complete trash though.

[@xxnoxx-xp5bl]

Yeah I was going through sat the same thing. It reminds me of the reviewer who gave Football Manager a negative review for not being a football game.

[@Tommy-ri1lo]

Sometimes I wake up in the morning with a Wild Woody.

[@maynardwayward12]

Wild Woody...now there's a D-listed video game mascot if I've ever seen one

[@stevethefishdotnet]

I was in high school at the time when the Sega CD was around. At the time, all I knew of the Sega CD were those dumb video generators: INXS, Kriss Kross, and Marky Mark. I thought it was crap as well as the 3DO. It wasn't later that I learned of Snatcher.

[@kevinroberts1888]

Though one of my biggest regrets of gaming is selling my Sega CDROM and games after getting a PSX, those games are not part of that regret. LOL I remember that I really didn't like the way live action FMV looked on the system, though animation wasn't too bad. Though I was aware of most of those games the only one I remember owning was Wild Woody. I'm sure I had a lot of buyers remorse on that one. That was back during my collage years so I didn't have a lot of money to be throwing around on bad games.

[@shawnwithlove]

I was literally dumbfounded by how horrible Sewer Shark was. I couldn't even believe that trash was the pack-in game. For me, this game was the beginning of the end for Sega.

[@acdc09]

I've always wondered why nearly all Sega CD video looks like it only uses 5 colors on screen at a time when it could display about 61 colors. Does anyone know why this is?

[@ChrisSmith-gt6lg]

1:49 Robots fighting in front of giant bacon! Lol. I like your picks of bad games. Very entertaining and fun to watch.👍

[@johnhancockretro]

Thank you!

[@DuckMcKrush]

Sold my Sega CD with console 5 months ago. Only had 2 games for it, Sewer Shark and Adventures of Batman and Robin. Honestly don't miss it.

[@StormsparkPegasus]

All FMV "games" fall into this category with the possible exception of Road Avenger. Amazingly, you managed to dig up 5 games I never heard of, despite owning a Sega CD when it was new.

[@UltimateGamerCC]

SEGA CD was a cool experiment but in the end it hurt SEGA as it blew a lot of money unnecessarily, real fans will WAIT for the next console, putting the Genesis on life support was a costly error, so many of the titles could've been better utilized on the Saturn.

[@Progger11]

I actually love the DOS version of MegaRace, but I think it's nostalgia talking. Lol.

[@ZEKESPILLEDINKMUSIC]

The Sega CDX resolves all the problems that the Sega CD/Mega CD had, because the CDX functions as a stand-alone console with integrated CD and cartridge capabilities. If only Sega had been consistent with marketing the Sega CD with just the CDX, maybe it would have lasted longer.

[@caucasoidape8838]

The bouncers look kind of like Cool Spot. .....Ok got to the part where you said it in the video. lol

[@DissociatedWomenIncorporated]

You know, while I don’t dispute the terribleness of the games that chased new technology like FMV, like that football game or Lawnmower Man, I’m grateful to them for existing. Using a new technology in a bad way helps developers (both the ones who poorly implemented it and others) to learn what mistakes to avoid in the future when using that tech, and even _sometimes_ how to take a bad idea and improve it to make it good.

[@luisreyes1963]

You made a valid point there. ☺️

[@TEEN1DOL]

Never owned the Sega CD, but I do own a copy of The Lawnmower Man that I found at a yard sale over a decade ago. I bought it for $5 haha

[@johnsgamingandmore1237]

Love this series of bad games. Btw, Eternal Champions came with my console when I got it for Christmas many years ago

[@johnhancockretro]

Awesome fighting game. Definitely underrated

[@johnsgamingandmore1237]

@@johnhancockretro Blade was my fighter and my brother was good with Larson

[@enriquejimenez8693]

"You know, the graphics are nice"... suddenly another stage appears at 2:58 and, hell, I don't think so, it looks like some crappy free game included in my cereal.

[@crshovveride]

For me only 2 come to mind. Those are Power rangers (just a full on movie) and sewer shark. Both are horrible, but still a guilty pleasure of mine. Great video!

[@matthewjohnson1891]

I remember sewer shark, played for hours straight. The end was intense. Fun game

[@illustriouscampbell994]

@@matthewjohnson1891 you actually beat sewer shark? I could never get the hang of it. i always got lost and crashed into the wall. i didn't understand to clues for which direction to take.

[@adultmoshifan87]

I hope we get a PAL official repro release of Snatcher, similar to that NTSC Limited Run release of TurboDuo title Rondo of Blood! If I lived in an NTSC country and had a Turbo CD or TurboDuo, I defo would’ve bought that!

[@CormacWrites8]

"In my opinion, the worst sports game on the entire Sega Genesis library." Wow, I never thought that anything could beat "Mike Ditka Football" for that title.😱

[@khaosklub]

I loved playing bouncers with my siblings as a kid. it was a lot of silly fun

[@CommodoreFloopjack78]

No list of horrid Sega CD games is complete without a mention of the unmitigated disaster that was "Scotty Pippen's Slam City." Dear Lord, what an amazing dumpster fire. The FMV was incomprehensible garbage and the controller inputs lagged for DAYS. Obliterating that unholy monstrosity with a freaking claw hammer was definitely one of my better life choices.

[@narcopsy]

Wild woody is so unsettling, what a creepy character

[@johnhancockretro]

Yes it is.

[@jasonshouseoffunandvideoga7169]

The sega cd is my favorite system to collect for. I was fortunate enough to have owned one when it was released. I agree with the majority of your list but 2. Lawnmower man, agree hands down is tough to defend. I actually enjoyed the puzzle aspect of it. The first movie was really good. The sequel, not so much. Wild woody I enjoy. Although you make valid points to the hit detection it's an interesting game indeed. 👍

[@Religious_man]

I like the scenic look in _Bouncers._ The game may be horrible, but the graphics are great to look at, for all its worth. I was never a big fan for all these consoles except for the original _Nintendo_ console. To each his own. I like this part here (3:00), a very nice tropical scene. We can only imagine.

[@poinoup]

A little tweak to Bouncers and it's a Mario Party 2v2 minigame.

[@The1stDuhZeez]

Mr. Immortal, you should do a PC games best/worst list for certain years like 85-90 or 90-00. Otherwise the PC master race may come for you...

[@jamesstaggs4160]

Man did I ever want one of these when they came out. Think I was about 11 or so. Way too expensive though. Even though we've got kuch better tech now, I still kinda want one. Too bad alot of the games are now more than the peripheral itself.

[@bobcook2800]

I googled blackhole assault and it turns out there are like 11 movies

[@OG-SherlockHolmes]

With a name like " Black hole " how am I supposed to even know it's a fighting game? Would of expected some sort of space game.

[@Onering80]

FMV, That is ONE gaming trend I am GLAD died off. They were a product of their time and a key stepping point in pushing the industry in a new direction, but they were AWEFUL. FMV sequences began to look better come the PS1 era, and I credit Final Fantasy 7 in shifting the paradigm from FMV to CG.

[@ericthe7177]

Well, Command and Conquer did FMV well enough that it is a series staple, plus FMV has made a bit of a comeback in a sense with games like Her Story and Telling Lies. Still, a good deal of the 1990s FMV stuff was pretty awful, as you said, and has been a staple of "worse ever" videos on KZbin for years.

[@Onering80]

@@ericthe7177 One could also differentiate the difference between "FMV Games" and games that just have FMV scenes in them. There are a lot of games that have FMV scenes that I really love. Resident Evil, Twisted Metal, Warhawk, a lot of the early PS1 games still used FMV in some fashion. But, the FMV games, especially the ones on Sega CD and Turbo-CD, and Sega 32x/CD combo (Corpse Killer) are just nearly unplayable. The video is is grainy, the acting is laughably bad (and often not in a good way like RE1 lines).

[@ericthe7177]

@@Onering80 Ah I was wondering if anyone would mention Resident Evil. That is a good point on the differences between FMV games and games that merely used them in cut scenes.

[@ENiceGeo]

@@ericthe7177 Those dance/rhythm/music games seem to be the main successful FMV games. Unfortunately they didn't really get to consoles until after the 16bit era.

[@computerdoc3588]

I remember a game very similar to Bouncers called Sam & Ed for the C64. It was a game you had to type in yourself which I think it was in Ahoy Magazine if I remember correctly back in the day. Took days to do type all those in back in the day but very rewarding with a full free game. Ahhh memories. Now I think I might bust out my C64 and play Sam & Ed lol

[@marksuper4920]

Yes! I came here to mention Sam and Ed. That was a really fun game 2 player.

[@computerdoc3588]

@@marksuper4920 It really was great game to play with a friend back in the day!

[@BCFHardHitterz]

I’m glad I was poor , we only had super Mario

[@dududu5189]

Oh yeah? My family was even poorer! We used to go to KFC to lick other people's fingers!

[@UltimateGamerCC]

@@dududu5189 YO MAMA!

[@michaelgariti8008]

I think that counting a SPORTS game as the worst FMV game was a bit of a cop-out. You could've counted that basketball game as the worst sports game, but Fahrenheit as the worst FMV game. Overall though, I remember my Sega CD very fondly; maybe even my favorite system.

[@kassanovajoneze]

John as a big fan of your segments & bags of popcorn where/when do you have the time to find such content. These games are awful & how as a developer could you be okay with releasing content like this without feeling some sort of shame that your about to defraud the consumer. Can you say M.O.N.E.Y. if you can then this DISCUSSION has ended. Again John thanks, a fan for life as long as I have MONEY. LoL.

[@Sucker_MC]

There's a Popcorn Museum in Marion, Ohio. One of only two in the world. Never been, but maybe someday.

[@johnhancockretro]

I schedule videos ahead of time(when I can) as well as the necessary research needed to do a video.

[@kassanovajoneze]

@@johnhancockretro I understand. Keep up the good work as I look fwd.to viewing your latest content.

[@dududu5189]

I bought a SEGA CD mostly to play *Final Fight.* Only 3 continues meant I couldn't play it all the way through with inexperienced friends. Heck, I barely managed to beat it myself on normal! Disappointing and I sold the CD add-on but kept my original Genesis.

[@dududu5189]

@@Rountree1985 With only *Three continues* regardless of 1 or 2 people playing... Did you actually read my original comment before rebutting?

[@xXRenaxChanXx]

Pretty sure if FMV games had been such a big craze their sales numbers would have reflected that. Developers obsessing over something doesn't mean it's what people actually want. There is a very big difference.

[@nickthetoycollector3360]

The SEGA CD was a massive let down. For every decent game it had, 5 bad ones would pop up right next to it. The bad far outweigh the good. I knew relatively early on after getting the add-on that it was going to fail. It was the beginning of the end for SEGA.

[@RedTabletTalk]

John looking like a Viking in the thumbnail saying Errrrrrrrr!

[@Chrozi]

Panic! Wasn’t even a game, really, it was pick a door and watch a thing happen. It was the only game I brought back to the rental store and demanded another rental

[@kjhoskins]

Good stuff, John. Or should I say bad stuff. I'm glad I avoided them. Thanks for the video.

[@johnhancockretro]

Glad you liked it!

[@nickynj454]

Funny how three of these games make my most played Sega CD list (Lawnmower,NFL,Bouncers) . Shows how weak the catalog was.

[@bl3ivids]

When you're done with the 5 worst of all consoles, will you be doing the top 5 worst ever? Would be fun to see.

[@dududu5189]

Too hard to calculate. The idea is to avoid such lousy games and warn people.

[@ZonicMirage]

Still wish my Sega CD didn't die right after the warranty expired. Missed out on a lot of stuff, both good and bad.

[@BlUsKrEEm]

Bouncers is a game that I bet sounded amazing when it was being pitched, but turned out to be a disaster half way though production, so they tried to salvage it with a cartoon.

[@StageRight123]

I had Sonic CD, Lunar The Silver Star, and Dark Wizard for SegaCD back in the day. All of them are great games.

[@jimbodanssondodge1011]

the worst one was the one who came with the console ----sewer shark ,,,dawm i hate that game so badly

[@JLAvey]

I don't need to see any of those. I've already seen them and have even played one of them. Android Assault is WAY better than Black Hole Assault.

[@Chris-Courage]

Blackhole assault is horrible. Not good on the Pc Engine either.

[@ManuRodriguezOficial]

Que gran pena black hole assault. Una banda sonora épica para un juego tan pobre

[@buckroger6456]

Love these videos, but today you made a mistake! You put Black hole assault in the wrong top ten 😭 so we can no longer be friends, well till your next video comes out, then we are cool again. All jokes aside, keep this awesome content going.

[@toejamandearl8110]

Comptons Encyclopedia, I'm still trying to have fun with this.

[@yellowcard425]

Ranking Genesis Ocean Games? Or LJN it would be funny. Love your channel/videos

[@travistaylor3186]

When the Sega CD came out I was excited until I played a few of the games. I missed out on the good games and only saw (or should I say smelled) the stinkers.

[@fatty3383]

When I had mine I had one or two good games....wasn't the mega cd a huge flop for Sega?? I enjoyed a game called snatchers..do you recall that one??

[@secondghost]

I thought Bouncers was fun. But I was a dumb 12 year old when Bouncers was released and after playing it again for the first time a couple weeks ago I can now say that its trash.

[@crazyclimber80]

I thought Prince Of Persia was pretty bad. The garbage dubbing over the anime scenes was hilarious, though.

[@brucestuckey7316]

What is your opinion on Ground Zero Texas?

[@ccricers]

I was waiting for Make My Video to show up and then I hear your criteria and you’re right, FMV games would be like cheating. Gotta say a sports game where you play as the ball feels pretty novel.

[@adavari17]

that nfls greatest "game" was such a scam.. it was like a choose my adventure fmv

[@RabidWolf1966]

Lawnmower Man....movie was TERRIBLE, had almost nothing to do with the story it was supposed to be based upon, so bad that Stephen King sued to have his name removed from it.

[@Boomer8003]

The one game that was fun to me yet many criticized was Courier Crisis.

[@mtshark7]

Nice selections John!

[@johnhancockretro]

Thank you

[@jimbobmccricket7480]

There's so many bad games on the Sega CD console. Decent games are rare for sure.

[@darktetsuya]

oh man bouncers... I think the only thing worth it is the cutscenes... Zap and the 'swords of death box trick' is probably my favorite. :P yeah I wasn't keen on most of the digital pictures fmv stuff I mean I kinda dug sewer shark but that was it really...

[@emanchevy]

Lunar 1 and 2 were my favorites back in the day!!

[@johnhancockretro]

Working Designs was a company that did the North American translations. I knew a few people that worked there.

[@dacowgomoo1677]

Hahahaha that football game was so bad, sega should be ashamed even today for that lol

[@chattingesque372]

Road Avenger kicked butt back then!

[@dugfreez]

Bouncers is a great and simple game....if you have friends to play with that know what they are doing. The frustration is simply from not being able to just jump in the baskets yourself. Losing because your opponent is using YOU to score should make you frustrated and mad. Having said that....nothing feels sweeter than using your competition like the tools that they are to make those baskets. So basically, if you are bad at the game or don't have any competent players to play with, you will hate it. If you get 4 reasonably competent players together that know how to play the game....it's great fun and one of my Sega CD favorites.

[@williamchico6553]

Hey, John Hancock! You haven't play the game Scarlet Nexus for PS4?

[@johnhancockretro]

Nope

[@williamchico6553]

@@johnhancockretro i played a little, but, it's hard like Doom Eternal. Maybe, I just can't wait to get a new PS4 console and a PS3 console for Christmas⛄🎄, right?

[@CarterDotson]

I clearly need to play it in modern times, but I loved Bouncers back in the day!

[@anonymityt2681]

I really liked android assault as a kid... Might have to find that one

[@luisreyes1963]

Had it not been for the garbage games (Sewer Shark & Night Trap come to mind), the SEGA CD would have lasted a little longer. The Japanese made FAR BETTER games for it.

[@nunchuckerz]

The Lawnmower man was good on the snes.

[@RuanAntunes7]

Have you ever done a Top 5 worst NES games? I would be very interested to see what you put on that list

[@johnhancockretro]

Not yet but coming

[@RuanAntunes7]

@@johnhancockretro Nice 👍. Definitely looking forward to that

[@j.goggels9115]

INXS make my video, Snatcher, Cadillacs and Dinosaurs, Dungeon and Dragon, Dragon's Lair, Penn and Taylor, Supreme Warrior, After Burner III, Soul Feece, Ground Zero Texas, Ninja Warrior, Wheel of Fortune, World Cup USA 94, Dark Wizard, BC racers

[@garrycowan4394]

Excellent video John 👍

[@johnhancockretro]

Thanks 👍

[@JHazard1000]

Lunar 1&2 are in my top 10 favorite games of all time.

[@dhoffnun]

How many rad sprites and chiptunes are lost to time because they're wrapped in terrible games?

[@dalmocalmo420]

4:54 Is that a Dyson vacuum cleaner?

[@mtgpackrat7945]

Joe Montana's football game was pretty terrible. Awful graphics and terrible game play from what I remember.

[@rolljack4779]

Wonder dog an brutal: pawns of fury could've made it too.

[@UltimateGamerCC]

it's sad, Brutal was an awesome premise, but they screwed everything up the way they tried to make it different from other fighting games. having to unlock your special moves through multiple plays? ruined...

[@rahmspinat]

Those games were so awful that this video made me actually mad.

[@Aringka]

they looked terrible, never really tried the sega CD, they were trying something different in order to compete with PC and move out of the cartridge games, more so when the playstation was new

[@Mr_x_19922]

I miss "The immortal" at the beggining