I don't know how many people work behind the scenes at DF; but the consistent stream of high quality content from the channel, especially features like DF Retro is incredible! Keep up the good work!
Just four of us. Rich, myself, Tom and Dave. We each edit, shoot, capture and produce our own videos (hence why they are often different in terms of style).
Every time I watch a new episode of DF Retro I think "that was the best yet. John can't raise the bar any higher." ...And then he does. Keep up the fantastic videos John, and the rest of the DF team for they matter.
I loved my Megadrive so much back then, that i upgraded it with both, the Mega CD and the 32X. My worse decisions in over 30 years as a gamer. Great video, btw.
I’m genuinely shocked by how incredible the backgrounds were on Sonic & Knuckles. I still have my Sega CD 32X and somehow always felt that due to the stunning Botanical stage from a color and detail standpoint. The music was also top notch. Seeing this shows how capable the genesis was if used properly. None of the backgrounds even look dithered given the 64 on screen color limit of the Genesis. Granted the gameplay is rough due to the tethered gameplay mechanic that slows everything down to a crawl at times even if you play it well. Tempo is even more impressive given how smooth the animation is. The worst part is actually the busy and insane background. That being said, this video is amazing and the sarcasm on the Motocross and Fred Couples sections was actually pretty funny.
Virtual fighter and virtual racing, I remember playing them in the arcade when we used to go sea side when we was little and it was INCREDIBLE especially considering I was used to playing games on an Amiga 500 at home... When they came out on home consoles later and you could play them it was mind boggling. Sega really were the true bleeding edge back in the day
I always loved the look of my Genesis attached to a Sega CD and a 32X and the Sonic & Knuckles cart with another cart attached. It looked ridiculous and was like playing with Legos. I had to buy a power strip just to have those three huge power bricks all plugged in at once.
This is awesome, John! It'd be fun to see the same thing with the Sega CD, if you get the time! I love the idea of doing retrospectives on failed hardware; the 32X is especially interesting.
Late reply I know but that might be a little difficult to do, given that there were only ever about 40 32x titles compared to 210 Sega CD titles released.
This is an amazing episode. Love seeing how the 32X was used for each games, that's just so interesting to me. Having a review of each games is great as well. Top notch work, thanks for this John!
As I understand it, some of the games turned out poorly, because Sega demanded they be ready by launch, regardless of how incomplete they were, including John Carmack's port of Doom. That's like telling DaVinci to recreate the Mona Lisa, in six hours, with crayons.
@@SammyRenard he’s overrated. Why is the 32X version so crap compared to the recent hack ‘Doom 32X Resurrection’ which uses both CPU’s instead of 1 and runs full screen and enemies can turn around... Also, why did he demand the Saturn version get remade in software emulation instead f the version programmed for using the hardware by Rage. Because it was warping too much? Can’t be worse than the 10fps crap that was shipped. Carmack is a nerd and a hack. His engines have been obsolete since the Quake 2 engine.
I think I'm in love. Love, love LOVE the idea behind this series and love the starting point. Thanks for the excellent vid (Looking forward to part 2 as well as any future dead platforms).
Oh man this brings back some good memories. I saved up for so long for a 32x as a kid when I found out Doom was coming to it. I wanted it so badly! When I finally got it, my mom agreed to buy me one game for it since I saved up well and was then obviously broke. I of course picked Doom! When we went to get it, the clerk told my mom it was for mature audiences only and she said no. My heart sunk! I ended up getting virtua racer though, and it was incredible and I now have so many fond memories of playing it with my friends as a kid. While I hated it at the time, that clerk in the long run made me so happy! I also loved Metalhead on it! I hope you cover that as well in part 2! /subscribed!
I noticed that you deleted a couple of fanboys comments. I really do appreciate that, since DF comment section turn out to be a war zone rather than a space for opinions.
DF Retro videos actually get far, FAR less crap clogging up the comments section that there other videos. So really, if people want DF to have a better comment section, then DF needs to slightly change how they do videos. One video for PC version and one for PS and one for Xbox - instead of X-vs-Y would help a lot, even if it doesn't get rid of it totally. Of course, something tells me those sorts of videos (head to head, between two different platforms) get far too much views/votes/comments for them to do it any other way. OR, they could do more non-fanboy stuff like DF Retro, just about something else other than a focus on something because its "retro" - then at least the number of videos inviting it would be less vs the totally number.
Sumit Upadhayay well not everyone on there are good only this guy and the older guy tom I think is the guy who is a Sony fanboy and always talks negative about xbox
Love your channel. Maybe I shouldn't have stayed glued to PBS space time almost exclusively for the last several years, no I'm not kidding. This is great. Everything is great here.
Thanks for talking so much about sound during this episode. I'd personally love to see a DF episode dedicated to examining how sound hardware has developed and been exploited over the years. It's especially interesting when you consider all the official and unofficial music creating software that has been released across various formats such as Music and Music 200 on the PS1, Korg Ds-10 on the DS and Beaterator on PSP to mention just a few.
Ive watched a full library video before but the tech aspects here are fantastic. Learning how the 32x and MD worked together is so cool and interesting! Thank you 🙏
Be sure to look up Primal Rage 2. It was never officially released but a rom is out there and it's now supported in MAME. It's pretty neat to see it out there.
I had the PC version back in the day which was pretty close to the arcade version. The concept of the game is neat, and it can be entertaining in short bursts, but it has all the depth of a kiddie pool.
Kolibri isn't even close to a platformer. It's a side-scrolling shoot-em-up like R-Type - it's just that you're a hummingbird in a forest, not a spaceship in alien-infested starfields.
Thanks for making these videos. Analysis, capture quality, production, all great. And some of these 32X games look better than I would've guessed... Might be time to expand my library a little.
While engaging in strenuous activities I sufferer from severe frame rate drops and dithering. I have to wear glasses because my draw distance has been greatly reduced. I also have frames of animation missing when I walk, all the frames of my left leg stepping forward are present but all the frames of my right leg stepping forward are completely missing, it looks extremely unnatural. I am a pretty bad port to be honest.
My port is by far worse than yours. Glasses cannot save my poor frame rate and while my animation is superb my RAM is lacking. As I've had attempted hotfixes to my CPU they still haven't found a patch to fix my memory leak (brain surgery). While many patches have been forthcoming my CPU has many glitches and I'm afraid any restarts will result in total failure. I must be a port of your port as my upper body works fairly good my bad knee animations can often lead to clipping issues like running into assets around my playing field....I think I just my be a 32X personified! ;)
I keep coming to this video over and over just to hear the Knuckles Chaotix music... love how John shows the music done by the console and by the 32x separately and at the end how great they sound together... love it..
+TruthHurts, more than likely you said some fanboy stuff. Maybe brought in xbox or Sony into the mix which has nothing to do with this video. Can't complain about deleted comments when you are part of the problem that people are getting tired of.
Or keep deleting comments because they have the right to shape their own digital ecosystem. They are the only channel that pumps out videos of consistent quality and focus on the topic of both software and hardware. That's rare.
John, you're my hero ! I advised a friend of mine to make a similar video seven years ago about the 32X and which of the Mega Drive or the 32X were making what. He published it on youtube but you did so much better with the comparison of musics in the same time, that's so good. Congratulations to take so many risks with hardwares which may not interest audiences. Don't forget to mention in your next video the arrival of the 32XCD relaunch of Surgical Strike 32XCD, made by fans, one of the rarest games only launched in Brazil at less than 500 copies maybe. It is going to be the sixth 32XCD game if I'm not mistaken. Midnight Raiders on 32XCD is supposed to be a fake, but we never found a proof because the Japanese collector never answered the mails. That's what I heard by the way. I can't wait to see the next one. And the soundtrack of Thunder Force V at the beginning, I was almost crying. Really good job. Why aren't you anymore on the main page of the Digital Foundry ? Is there a problem ?
I'm so glad DF focuses so much on framerate with their videos, so many people just flippantly handwave away framerate concerns; but that's short sighted and incredibly damaging to the industry on the whole. Framerate is ABSOLUTELY KEY. I'll take framerate over graphics any day of the week. This was a great vid and I can't wait for Pt2, and subsequent vids on different systems :D Thanks DF!
I'd love that! I really wanted an N-Gage back in the day. I vividly remember some game trailers for it, and being amazed how it was both a phone and game console!
Hero Crafters I have one and even if the screen is atrocious as far as its size goes, the taco talking and such... Some games are genuinely impressive. Pathway To Glory is a great strategy game, Glitterati is wonderful and the Tomb Raider port is superb.
I loved SEGA and bought the 32X for $150. Once they abandoned it there was the $400 Saturn or the $300 PlayStation 1. My choice was easy. I never looked back and got the rest of the PlayStaitons. But the last console I owned aside from the Sony brand...that damn 32X lol
Great work here, John. Really refreshing view on this add-on and a wonderful contrast to all the shallow "Lol 32x"-Videos and articles around the net. Thank you and keep up the good work.
Lovely feature yet again. Though the Saturn version of VF is much better IMO.The Gfx are done better the screen res is much higher, plus the music and hugely impressive sound effects (which are even better than the Arcade). It a much better game and that's before you move on the Remix
Yeah, it probably is overall, but the flickering polygons, stage draw-in and the like really aren't great. I wish they could have gone back and tried to get closer to the original arcade version rather going for textures and simplified models in Remix. I bet they could have done it with the experience gained from working on the system. VF1 was just so early.
In-game you don't see the flicking polygons on the floor that much, as your main focus is on the characters & they don't flicker in-game. There's no doubt AM#2 could have done a much better Saturn port, t with more time. VF used the VDP1 to draw not just the polygons but also the floor, that was changed for Remix and VF II; Saturn VF using the VDP II to draw the floor whitest retaining the old look of the Model 1 game, would have been much closer. Still, while the 32X version is brilliant in its own right. I much rather the higher screen res, better polygons, sound from the Saturn version. AM#2 really did made great use of not just CD-DA music, but fantastic use of the Yamaha sound chip
John Linneman back then it often came down to what year a game was ported and who did yhe port. I always felt probe did a horrible job porting MK1 and 2. I felt sculptured software did a much better job on MK3. if only the first two we're able to receive the same treatment. I mean they were only possibly the biggest games of the 16 bit era.
That underlying melody in chaotix is actually being made by the texas instruments psg chip, which was part of the mega drive. So the 32x really only does the drums.
This is why I subsrcibe to DigitalFoundry. The new the old, unbiased, unbashed full blown in-depth analysis of everything. Never been a channel like this before and won't be after.
Also fascinated to discover the mix of the different video components. Always thought the 32x overlaid mega drive/genesis video gen lock style. Brutal does the opposite, interesting technically despite its rubbish design otherwise.
I always thought it did too, I honestly wonder how they managed to add the backgrounds underneath. I guess it must’ve had the choice to add 32x on top of Mega Drive footage, or add Mega Drive on top of 32x. The video mixing technology the 32x uses is honestly really impressive, it’s very hard to tell if there’s any degradation from the process.
John, like always your DF Retro series are great man ! this kind of techinical detail is only avaiable here. Loved the mega drive and 32x layers. Keep up the great work man !
It's mostly a good video. Don't agree with everything though. I'd say Blackthorne for the 32X actually holds up better with the CG-look of the characters. And not sure how you can say that the fuzzy SNES version of MKII looks better than the 32X one. Knuckles Chaotix is also a surprisingly fun game once you get used to it. But it seems like you didn't play it enough and just think of the level design as confusing because of it. It's not perfect, but each type of the 5 stages succeeds at creating a different gameplay theme and feel.
I was one of the few people to buy a 32X...A huge Sonic fan and I missed out on Sonic CD, I wasn't going to miss out on Chaotix lol, and I was very pleased with it that Christmas. The only thing that annoyed me with the 32x was the second plug, and then later down the line realizing I'd brought an already dead add on...At the age of 11 I was easily led by the official magazine's hype. Still, I have fond memories of it.
Well done! I loved how you were able to show us how the 32X hardware was used in each game. I have a 32X and love it! I am happy to say I have nearly all the games you reviewed here. IMO the failure of the 32X came down to Sega of Japan not working with Sega of America. The 32X and Saturn could have co-existed with the 32X being home of many of Sega's 32-bit arcade games (which still never made it to a home console) and the Saturn could have been home for memory heavy and unique CD ROM games. Nintendo proves all the time how multiple platforms can be supported when they clearly define the purposes of each console. Oh well. Please keep up the great work. That Wolfenstein port was great! I know I would buy some third party 32X games if they were good like Watermelon Games did with the Mega Drive/ Genesis. Looking forward to part 2!
Great job!! Was so excited when the 32x came out!! It was the first good Doom port for console! Then it was all downgill from there .The original genesis added with the sega CD made for a huge awkward console. Great job you guys are covering everything these days!! Simply awesome!
JSN Gaming it had some great games but yes sadly it was a waste of my pocket money many years ago. Then I bought the PlayStation, changed my gaming world
Don't worry mate, the Jaguar may not have turned out to be the greatest purchase it was a darn site better than the huge mistake I made when I bought an Amiga CD32, that console cost a fortune and it bombed hard, saying it "bombed hard" is probably putting it too lightly, the thing fell flat on its face and totally crashed and burned in a ball of flames. Looking on the bright side though, it made the Playstation seem even more awesome to me when I got it a year or two later.
32X the original mid-gen refresh.... God I loved my 32x as a kid, even though I only had Doom and Star Wars. I played this isht out of those games. Still pissed that they made you think you could unlock the other levels in Doom.
Completely off topic, but would you add F1 2016 to the list for testing CPU's since that game can utilize all cores and threads of a CPU (~20?), it would be great to see how it would perform if games used every core and thread properly.
Nice work once again, John! I really, really enjoy these. I have to say I actually really enjoyed the Mega Drive version of Brutal. Also +1 for use of Soul on Desert! Looking forward to part 2!
SnekPL That's not the point, the intro says it "He plays the worst games of all time, horrible abominations of mankind". He is supposed to find and review the shittiest games ever. When he did a good game (SMB3) he had to stray away from the review and do the whole demonic NES thing just to create an introduction for the NES accessories video
I have to disagree about Mortal Kombat II. The Mega Drive version looks superior and sharper compared to the Snes version which is more smudged and blurry. While I disagree with some of your game criticisms I thought it was a good video. Still want to try out Brutal Paws of Fury, always wanted to get it for Amiga.
That Lut Gholein music.. My favorite act and town to just idle in. Ugh why can't I travel through time and relive those days. Oh yea, and good episode.
Noob People always cared about graphics, take a look at old game magazines, they're always saying stuff "Doom on Atari Jaguar blows Sega 32X version away!", or "Star Control II on 3DO looks even better than the PC version!". Heck, the entire 3rd generation were bit wars between the Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo Entertainment System.
The Sega 32x: A physical representation of how Sega lost the plot....Meanwhile back at Sony HQ...the arrival of the PSX would blow both the 32x AND the Saturn (and ultimately Sega itself) out of the window...
Great episode! I had no idea there was a near perfect Space Harrier for the 32x. I don't know how i missed that back in the day. Fun fact. Due too the special chips in the Virual Fighter and Virtua Racer Genesis games, in the mid 90s, you could often buy a 32x and both 32x versions of the games for less than either Mega Drive versions of the games.
![DF Retro's Failed Consoles: Sega 32X - We Play Every Game [Part Two]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/w0JnJjdiu7w/mqdefault.jpg)
![DF Retro's Failed Consoles: Sega 32X - We Play Every Game [Part Two]](/img/tr.png)
Every single game....Damn im ready for this episode.
i love you man
Kega Fusion. You can too.
I find this system so facinating.
think about the gameboy advance and what it could pull off despite having a slower cpu at 16mhz.
Didn't expect to see you here!
I love DF Retro. The amount of work you guys put in one video is awesome. Can't wait for the next episode!
I don't know how many people work behind the scenes at DF; but the consistent stream of high quality content from the channel, especially features like DF Retro is incredible! Keep up the good work!
Just four of us. Rich, myself, Tom and Dave. We each edit, shoot, capture and produce our own videos (hence why they are often different in terms of style).
Honestly, that's amazing! You guys must be the hardest working crew on UA-cam - Hats off to you all!
+John Linneman Yea guys, you are amasing, i just miss the Ryzen 5 test.
Can you guys please show how the Sega CD worked as you have done here with the 32x.?
As someone who lived those days, I love these videos. Lot of information and good (and bad xd) gaming memories. Thank you John!
Every time I watch a new episode of DF Retro I think "that was the best yet. John can't raise the bar any higher." ...And then he does. Keep up the fantastic videos John, and the rest of the DF team for they matter.
I loved my Megadrive so much back then, that i upgraded it with both, the Mega CD and the 32X. My worse decisions in over 30 years as a gamer. Great video, btw.
I’m genuinely shocked by how incredible the backgrounds were on Sonic & Knuckles. I still have my Sega CD 32X and somehow always felt that due to the stunning Botanical stage from a color and detail standpoint. The music was also top notch. Seeing this shows how capable the genesis was if used properly. None of the backgrounds even look dithered given the 64 on screen color limit of the Genesis. Granted the gameplay is rough due to the tethered gameplay mechanic that slows everything down to a crawl at times even if you play it well.
Tempo is even more impressive given how smooth the animation is. The worst part is actually the busy and insane background. That being said, this video is amazing and the sarcasm on the Motocross and Fred Couples sections was actually pretty funny.
I'd love a detailed analysis of the Saturn. While technically a failure the console has many positive attributes.
Yes, it's one of my favorite systems of all time. I'd love to do an episode in the future.
Again, yes please! I remember playing reloaded with my best friend on the Saturn!
The Saturn is a piece of sheet with no games
I got mine for $29 on clearance in '96 or '97.
Virtual fighter and virtual racing, I remember playing them in the arcade when we used to go sea side when we was little and it was INCREDIBLE especially considering I was used to playing games on an Amiga 500 at home... When they came out on home consoles later and you could play them it was mind boggling. Sega really were the true bleeding edge back in the day
That's why I loved my 32x. Virtua Racing and Virtua Fighter alone made the purchase worth it.
I loved my 32x, got it from Santa one year along with Virtua Fighter!!!! Man, those were the days
I always loved the look of my Genesis attached to a Sega CD and a 32X and the Sonic & Knuckles cart with another cart attached. It looked ridiculous and was like playing with Legos. I had to buy a power strip just to have those three huge power bricks all plugged in at once.
Aaah, Kolibri. Arguably the finest hummingbird-based shooter on the 32x.
John is a massive dork and not apologising for it. Don't ever change! :D
Yes, I am all the way nerd and love it!
And so are we! Another amazing episode!
Dorks of the world, unite! Grab a controller and control the world :D
Hes also very clever
Euronymous99199 D he's more than clever, insanely knowledgeable
This show just keeps getting better and better. Thanks so much for making it.
This is awesome, John! It'd be fun to see the same thing with the Sega CD, if you get the time! I love the idea of doing retrospectives on failed hardware; the 32X is especially interesting.
Late reply I know but that might be a little difficult to do, given that there were only ever about 40 32x titles compared to 210 Sega CD titles released.
Alright, everyone check your PlayStation and Xbox systems at the door. This is a Sega episode. No room for Sony or Microsoft here.
People will find a way to shove their modern consoles into these comments, even though it holds no relevance.
and politics as well.
John Linneman you've excelled yourself here mate! I LOVE SEGA! Keep up the great work!
I've lost my Dreamcast when I moved. I'm still sad :(
SEGA. S is in Playstation, and so is A,
ermm actually the ps4 is way better than the sega genesis yah nubs :P
I love old Sega
Юра Репин Me too.
This is an amazing episode. Love seeing how the 32X was used for each games, that's just so interesting to me. Having a review of each games is great as well.
Top notch work, thanks for this John!
Great video, I'm looking forward to watch part 2! You've made an incredible work with this video... well like all your videos actually :)
werewolfy6 How is this comment posted 21 hours ago?
Was up through the Patreon site yesterday
DigitalFoundry Ah, that makes sense.
Agreed, they did an awesome job on this.
I can’t imagine how much time and effort went into making this epic video. Thanks so much for the walk down memory lane.
As I understand it, some of the games turned out poorly, because Sega demanded they be ready by launch, regardless of how incomplete they were, including John Carmack's port of Doom. That's like telling DaVinci to recreate the Mona Lisa, in six hours, with crayons.
though it is one of the smoothest playing Doom ports.
John Carmack is not Leonardo DaVinci. He is a nerd and an engineer with no idea about game design.
@@ATARI800XLfan it was smooth but had terrible audio and music and was even missing song tracks.
@@iwanttocomplain yet he made that game design possible
@@SammyRenard he’s overrated. Why is the 32X version so crap compared to the recent hack ‘Doom 32X Resurrection’ which uses both CPU’s instead of 1 and runs full screen and enemies can turn around...
Also, why did he demand the Saturn version get remade in software emulation instead f the version programmed for using the hardware by Rage. Because it was warping too much? Can’t be worse than the 10fps crap that was shipped.
Carmack is a nerd and a hack. His engines have been obsolete since the Quake 2 engine.
This has been one or probably my favorite DF Retro episode. Thanks for the Primal Rage section!!!
Awesome - never had a 32X but always wondered what it was like, so absolutely loving this. Am fascinated by this video/audio passthru stuff.
I think I'm in love. Love, love LOVE the idea behind this series and love the starting point. Thanks for the excellent vid (Looking forward to part 2 as well as any future dead platforms).
Yashar Z Completely agree with you!
36 Great Holes!
FRED COUPLESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
36 Great Holes
Cumming soon in 3D
Astfgl Golf!
I suggest.. feather touch.
@@Krisztian5HUN why are companies remaking games like Resident Evil 2 and Link's Awakening when THIS is what people REALLY want?
Oh man this brings back some good memories. I saved up for so long for a 32x as a kid when I found out Doom was coming to it. I wanted it so badly! When I finally got it, my mom agreed to buy me one game for it since I saved up well and was then obviously broke. I of course picked Doom! When we went to get it, the clerk told my mom it was for mature audiences only and she said no. My heart sunk! I ended up getting virtua racer though, and it was incredible and I now have so many fond memories of playing it with my friends as a kid. While I hated it at the time, that clerk in the long run made me so happy! I also loved Metalhead on it! I hope you cover that as well in part 2! /subscribed!
I noticed that you deleted a couple of fanboys comments.
I really do appreciate that, since DF comment section turn out to be a war zone rather than a space for opinions.
T zero I haven't watched a single DF video until this video due to the stupidity of both PC and console fanboys in the comments.
Just because you can't see it, does not mean they deleted it, lol
T zero if too many people flag a comment it will be hidden from view until the uploader goes through and marks them as not spam
DF Retro videos actually get far, FAR less crap clogging up the comments section that there other videos. So really, if people want DF to have a better comment section, then DF needs to slightly change how they do videos. One video for PC version and one for PS and one for Xbox - instead of X-vs-Y would help a lot, even if it doesn't get rid of it totally.
Of course, something tells me those sorts of videos (head to head, between two different platforms) get far too much views/votes/comments for them to do it any other way.
OR, they could do more non-fanboy stuff like DF Retro, just about something else other than a focus on something because its "retro" - then at least the number of videos inviting it would be less vs the totally number.
Honestly, the fact that this has been done has convinced me to not watch this video.
DF Retro is quickly becoming my fav thing on UA-cam. Can't wait for part 2!
*I'm a simple man,I see DF retro and drop everything* (No babies were harmed during this process)
Eff that baby, dog!
Lol
I appreciate the amount of editing that went into this. Well done video all around!
You guys deserve a million subs
Sumit Upadhayay well not everyone on there are good only this guy and the older guy tom I think is the guy who is a Sony fanboy and always talks negative about xbox
and more subs = an even more toxic comment section.....still the worst thing about DF
DF only 400k but the fking Vacation Joe 2,8mill? I cant understand this...
petulant child
@@theonlyone1895 John left a comment right after the video came out and pretty much every single reply is complete ass
Love your channel. Maybe I shouldn't have stayed glued to PBS space time almost exclusively for the last several years, no I'm not kidding. This is great. Everything is great here.
I feel so ecstatic about any new digital foundry retro video, especially when it's Sega related! Sega fan to the bone here.
Thanks for talking so much about sound during this episode. I'd personally love to see a DF episode dedicated to examining how sound hardware has developed and been exploited over the years. It's especially interesting when you consider all the official and unofficial music creating software that has been released across various formats such as Music and Music 200 on the PS1, Korg Ds-10 on the DS and Beaterator on PSP to mention just a few.
"Episode 32"
I see what you did there.
@Jumpy Cat BUT 420 THO
Ive watched a full library video before but the tech aspects here are fantastic. Learning how the 32x and MD worked together is so cool and interesting! Thank you 🙏
Wow, the arcade version of Primal Rage looks amazing. Time for a remaster!!!
Be sure to look up Primal Rage 2. It was never officially released but a rom is out there and it's now supported in MAME. It's pretty neat to see it out there.
Even though Primal Rage is 23 years old the arcade version still looks impressive today.
I had the PC version back in the day which was pretty close to the arcade version. The concept of the game is neat, and it can be entertaining in short bursts, but it has all the depth of a kiddie pool.
Clownican Just get the Midway collection.
Maybe the only youtube vid that played through a game system's entire library. Excellent work!
Kolibri isn't even close to a platformer. It's a side-scrolling shoot-em-up like R-Type - it's just that you're a hummingbird in a forest, not a spaceship in alien-infested starfields.
AntiChangeling
Precisely.
AntiChangeling he said was a shooter. It was likely just grouped with the side scrollers
Thanks for making these videos. Analysis, capture quality, production, all great. And some of these 32X games look better than I would've guessed... Might be time to expand my library a little.
bit wars! 64 bits...32 bits...16 bits...8 bit... 4 bit! 2 bit! single bit! half bit! quarter bit! THE WRIST GAME!!!!
Arbiter099 Audio Video General Network?
DeadStrike99 A vagina
What on earth is going on here....
Arbiter099 Classic reference.
B Mac These are all quotes from a UA-cam show called The Angry Video Game Nerd, or AVGN.
Thank you so much for DF Retro. It's absolutely fantastic, and has helped make DigitalFoundry one of my favorite channels on UA-cam.
While engaging in strenuous activities I sufferer from severe frame rate drops and dithering. I have to wear glasses because my draw distance has been greatly reduced. I also have frames of animation missing when I walk, all the frames of my left leg stepping forward are present but all the frames of my right leg stepping forward are completely missing, it looks extremely unnatural. I am a pretty bad port to be honest.
Clarence Boddicker
But - Can you fly, Bobby?
This is by far the most underrated comment of all time.
You stupid, stupid airhead!
My port is by far worse than yours. Glasses cannot save my poor frame rate and while my animation is superb my RAM is lacking. As I've had attempted hotfixes to my CPU they still haven't found a patch to fix my memory leak (brain surgery). While many patches have been forthcoming my CPU has many glitches and I'm afraid any restarts will result in total failure. I must be a port of your port as my upper body works fairly good my bad knee animations can often lead to clipping issues like running into assets around my playing field....I think I just my be a 32X personified! ;)
I keep coming to this video over and over just to hear the Knuckles Chaotix music... love how John shows the music done by the console and by the 32x separately and at the end how great they sound together... love it..
I assume 3do is going to be featured in the later episodes?
+Tuden Jamir Oh yeah! Just doing some repair work on my system (new capacitors)
+TruthHurts, more than likely you said some fanboy stuff. Maybe brought in xbox or Sony into the mix which has nothing to do with this video. Can't complain about deleted comments when you are part of the problem that people are getting tired of.
Or keep deleting comments because they have the right to shape their own digital ecosystem. They are the only channel that pumps out videos of consistent quality and focus on the topic of both software and hardware. That's rare.
John, you're my hero ! I advised a friend of mine to make a similar video seven years ago about the 32X and which of the Mega Drive or the 32X were making what. He published it on youtube but you did so much better with the comparison of musics in the same time, that's so good. Congratulations to take so many risks with hardwares which may not interest audiences. Don't forget to mention in your next video the arrival of the 32XCD relaunch of Surgical Strike 32XCD, made by fans, one of the rarest games only launched in Brazil at less than 500 copies maybe. It is going to be the sixth 32XCD game if I'm not mistaken. Midnight Raiders on 32XCD is supposed to be a fake, but we never found a proof because the Japanese collector never answered the mails. That's what I heard by the way. I can't wait to see the next one. And the soundtrack of Thunder Force V at the beginning, I was almost crying. Really good job. Why aren't you anymore on the main page of the Digital Foundry ? Is there a problem ?
The GameCube deserves a spotlight, such an underrated system that unfortunately didn't do well.
The controller is shit.
@@dankrist5395did the hitmen get you?
I'm so glad DF focuses so much on framerate with their videos, so many people just flippantly handwave away framerate concerns; but that's short sighted and incredibly damaging to the industry on the whole. Framerate is ABSOLUTELY KEY. I'll take framerate over graphics any day of the week.
This was a great vid and I can't wait for Pt2, and subsequent vids on different systems :D Thanks DF!
Do a N-Gage episode lol
djalex1219 I would honestly like that.
I'd love that! I really wanted an N-Gage back in the day. I vividly remember some game trailers for it, and being amazed how it was both a phone and game console!
Yes please df!
Hero Crafters I have one and even if the screen is atrocious as far as its size goes, the taco talking and such... Some games are genuinely impressive. Pathway To Glory is a great strategy game, Glitterati is wonderful and the Tomb Raider port is superb.
I genuinely loved my NGage.
Great episode, the retro stuff is becoming my favourite part of this channel. Even the comments are less toxic!
Just being impatient, but does anyone have any idea when part 2 comes out?
Well done guys! What a very cool walk thru of all the games. 32X has always been special to me . Thanks and iam enjoying this.
What is the track playing during the Kolibri overview?
Yeah I'd like to know too! Nice and soothing.
quite sure it's the echo soundtrack, either from dreamcast or possibly sega cd.
Wow, great subject for an episode! Keep up the good work!
I loved SEGA and bought the 32X for $150. Once they abandoned it there was the $400 Saturn or the $300 PlayStation 1. My choice was easy. I never looked back and got the rest of the PlayStaitons. But the last console I owned aside from the Sony brand...that damn 32X lol
Great work here, John. Really refreshing view on this add-on and a wonderful contrast to all the shallow "Lol 32x"-Videos and articles around the net. Thank you and keep up the good work.
Fred Couples its the best game of the system!!
I chuckled a few times at your choice of background music on some of the games, especially Blackthorne, fun video.
Lovely feature yet again. Though the Saturn version of VF is much better IMO.The Gfx are done better the screen res is much higher, plus the music and hugely impressive sound effects (which are even better than the Arcade). It a much better game and that's before you move on the Remix
Yeah, it probably is overall, but the flickering polygons, stage draw-in and the like really aren't great. I wish they could have gone back and tried to get closer to the original arcade version rather going for textures and simplified models in Remix. I bet they could have done it with the experience gained from working on the system. VF1 was just so early.
In-game you don't see the flicking polygons on the floor that much, as your main focus is on the characters & they don't flicker in-game. There's no doubt AM#2 could have done a much better Saturn port, t with more time. VF used the VDP1 to draw not just the polygons but also the floor, that was changed for Remix and VF II; Saturn VF using the VDP II to draw the floor whitest retaining the old look of the Model 1 game, would have been much closer. Still, while the 32X version is brilliant in its own right. I much rather the higher screen res, better polygons, sound from the Saturn version. AM#2 really did made great use of not just CD-DA music, but fantastic use of the Yamaha sound chip
John Linneman back then it often came down to what year a game was ported and who did yhe port. I always felt probe did a horrible job porting MK1 and 2. I felt sculptured software did a much better job on MK3. if only the first two we're able to receive the same treatment. I mean they were only possibly the biggest games of the 16 bit era.
That underlying melody in chaotix is actually being made by the texas instruments psg chip, which was part of the mega drive. So the 32x really only does the drums.
Vectorman, not great? You take that back sir.
Fantastic video. Love your analysis and willingness to do deep dives on even the most obscure titles. Keep up the amazing work - big fan!
The real Fred Couples, 36 great holes, my sides XD
This is why I subsrcibe to DigitalFoundry. The new the old, unbiased, unbashed full blown in-depth analysis of everything. Never been a channel like this before and won't be after.
Also fascinated to discover the mix of the different video components. Always thought the 32x overlaid mega drive/genesis video gen lock style. Brutal does the opposite, interesting technically despite its rubbish design otherwise.
I always thought it did too, I honestly wonder how they managed to add the backgrounds underneath. I guess it must’ve had the choice to add 32x on top of Mega Drive footage, or add Mega Drive on top of 32x. The video mixing technology the 32x uses is honestly really impressive, it’s very hard to tell if there’s any degradation from the process.
Keep up the great work John :-D looking foward for the second part!
Holy crap no Xbox and Sony fights going on in a DF comment section? Did hell freeze over? Pigs flying? I win the lotto?
John has been deleting them now, so it's harder to find.
alan bane Alan, your writing hurts
alan bane fuck pc gaming
Thank you for the International Victory Goal music, this reminded me of "everyone's a hero", such à beautiful music !
That Golfing segment was almost good enough to be on GameSack
John, like always your DF Retro series are great man ! this kind of techinical detail is only avaiable here. Loved the mega drive and 32x layers. Keep up the great work man !
This is pretty nice, I did a video about the 32x and how it was created, it is insane the history behind it.
I did a video about Sega in general, and how the 32x was NOT the thing that stopped Sega.
Lord Rayken
No that was the dreamcast
Oh man, I can't wait for next week. Keep up the good work John!
It's mostly a good video. Don't agree with everything though. I'd say Blackthorne for the 32X actually holds up better with the CG-look of the characters. And not sure how you can say that the fuzzy SNES version of MKII looks better than the 32X one. Knuckles Chaotix is also a surprisingly fun game once you get used to it. But it seems like you didn't play it enough and just think of the level design as confusing because of it. It's not perfect, but each type of the 5 stages succeeds at creating a different gameplay theme and feel.
I thought the blurry mk2 was worse too.
I was one of the few people to buy a 32X...A huge Sonic fan and I missed out on Sonic CD, I wasn't going to miss out on Chaotix lol, and I was very pleased with it that Christmas. The only thing that annoyed me with the 32x was the second plug, and then later down the line realizing I'd brought an already dead add on...At the age of 11 I was easily led by the official magazine's hype. Still, I have fond memories of it.
When you spend a huge expense budget buying a complete collection and need to justify it to papa Eurogamer, hahaha. But really, good stuff.
Well done! I loved how you were able to show us how the 32X hardware was used in each game. I have a 32X and love it! I am happy to say I have nearly all the games you reviewed here. IMO the failure of the 32X came down to Sega of Japan not working with Sega of America. The 32X and Saturn could have co-existed with the 32X being home of many of Sega's 32-bit arcade games (which still never made it to a home console) and the Saturn could have been home for memory heavy and unique CD ROM games. Nintendo proves all the time how multiple platforms can be supported when they clearly define the purposes of each console. Oh well. Please keep up the great work. That Wolfenstein port was great! I know I would buy some third party 32X games if they were good like Watermelon Games did with the Mega Drive/ Genesis. Looking forward to part 2!
I wish Sega still made hardware.
Dom Matheson lol no
C'mon imagine a Dreamcast 2 :)
Dom Matheson
Never gonna happen
Sega is retired from that and unfortunately now they're a shell of their former selves ugh
No you don’t.
Great job!! Was so excited when the 32x came out!! It was the first good Doom port for console! Then it was all downgill from there .The original genesis added with the sega CD made for a huge awkward console. Great job you guys are covering everything these days!! Simply awesome!
Atari jaguar that's all i have to say
That is absolutely going to happen! Just working on obtaining more games for the Jag first.
John Linneman thank you i have been waiting for a jaguar game showcase since i first saw df retro #64>32
If you want a example of the Jaguar hardware being used properly, check out Zero 5, Iron Soldier 2, Missile Command 3D and Skyhammer to name a few...
JSN Gaming it had some great games but yes sadly it was a waste of my pocket money many years ago. Then I bought the PlayStation, changed my gaming world
Don't worry mate, the Jaguar may not have turned out to be the greatest purchase it was a darn site better than the huge mistake I made when I bought an Amiga CD32, that console cost a fortune and it bombed hard, saying it "bombed hard" is probably putting it too lightly, the thing fell flat on its face and totally crashed and burned in a ball of flames. Looking on the bright side though, it made the Playstation seem even more awesome to me when I got it a year or two later.
I am a HUGE 32X fanboy, and I simply cannot wait to watch this when I have time. Going to be great!!
32X the original mid-gen refresh....
God I loved my 32x as a kid, even though I only had Doom and Star Wars. I played this isht out of those games. Still pissed that they made you think you could unlock the other levels in Doom.
Jaqen H'Ghar not really a mid gen refresh as games were exclusive for 32x
dor113 It was a mid gen refresh for the Genesis that played exclusive games. Most of you on the internet love to argue.
Can we just take a moment to appreciate the use of the music from the Diablo 2 OST during the Blackthorne sequence? *chef's kiss*
Anyone else recognize Lut Gholein music from Diablo 2?
yeah I was like whuttt
nah dude just you
I've been waiting for a video like this since AVGN played unsuccessfully with his 32X years ago. Thank you Digital Foundry :)
Completely off topic, but would you add F1 2016 to the list for testing CPU's since that game can utilize all cores and threads of a CPU (~20?), it would be great to see how it would perform if games used every core and thread properly.
Ah, nothing like coffee and DF Retro on a sunny Sunday morning. Thanks, John.
1 year 😂 no wonder sega went software only. 😵
We need this series to continue! We need a Virtual Boy, Gizmondo and the several other ones I can't think about
FM music. 👌
Nice work once again, John! I really, really enjoy these. I have to say I actually really enjoyed the Mega Drive version of Brutal. Also +1 for use of Soul on Desert! Looking forward to part 2!
Avgn could take inspiration from this video
DeadEye Dude He would've need to watch this video and go back to the past to fix his old video.
SnekPL That's not the point, the intro says it "He plays the worst games of all time, horrible abominations of mankind". He is supposed to find and review the shittiest games ever. When he did a good game (SMB3) he had to stray away from the review and do the whole demonic NES thing just to create an introduction for the NES accessories video
Brilliant idea for a series! Hope I see a lot more of these in the future! Also, this must have taken some time to make, so cheers for the effort!
I have to disagree about Mortal Kombat II. The Mega Drive version looks superior and sharper compared to the Snes version which is more smudged and blurry. While I disagree with some of your game criticisms I thought it was a good video. Still want to try out Brutal Paws of Fury, always wanted to get it for Amiga.
That is quite subjective. Rather dithered and pixelated is better or worse than blurry and smudged. It's also a thing with the PS1 vs N64.
@@MrMarinus18 I agree. By all accounts the SNES version plays better so not sure now.
That Lut Gholein music.. My favorite act and town to just idle in. Ugh why can't I travel through time and relive those days. Oh yea, and good episode.
Remember back in the day when we were young and just enjoyed playing games and didn't care about graphics or even know about frame rates.
Noob lol you’re full of shit. Kids at school talked about graphics all the damn time, where the hell were you?
Noob People always cared about graphics, take a look at old game magazines, they're always saying stuff "Doom on Atari Jaguar blows Sega 32X version away!", or "Star Control II on 3DO looks even better than the PC version!". Heck, the entire 3rd generation were bit wars between the Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo Entertainment System.
Love the Diablo 2 music in the Blackthorne section.
Well, at least this comment section wont be toxic
(I hope)
Your mother was a hamster and your father smelled of elderberries!
This comment confuses me and scares me at the same time.
It's just a Monty Python quote.
I had a 32x growing up so this is fascinating! Thank you for all your quality work!
The Sega 32x: A physical representation of how Sega lost the plot....Meanwhile back at Sony HQ...the arrival of the PSX would blow both the 32x AND the Saturn (and ultimately Sega itself) out of the window...
Great episode! I had no idea there was a near perfect Space Harrier for the 32x. I don't know how i missed that back in the day. Fun fact. Due too the special chips in the Virual Fighter and Virtua Racer Genesis games, in the mid 90s, you could often buy a 32x and both 32x versions of the games for less than either Mega Drive versions of the games.