I remember, when the 32X came out, a few friends of mine actually bought it at launch. People forget but there was actually some amount of hype for that add-on. But as we all know, the product was doomed to fail. On a personal note, one of my friends who got a 32X had a very negative outcome for buying it. Since the thing failed so quickly, his parents basically became fed up with video games and refused to buy him anymore after that. So this friend, he had his 32X in his room, would never plug it in. It sat around like this cruel reminder of what he had lost.
I bought my 32X in 1997 for less than the cost of a Genesis game at the time! It’s a shame it was so poorly rolled out it was a noticeable improvement in performance and graphics.
I got a Genesis, Sega CD, & 32x -- shrinkwrapped and all of the cables hooked up (with the power adapters) for $20 at a game shop in the early 00s. I let a friend borrow it and it was lost, unfortunately. :( Definitely some gems on the 32x and CD. Too bad there's almost no chance of a "CD/32X mini' type of device being released.
Well the main reason it was so poorly rolled out besides the small mostly crappy library was that the Saturn was right around the corner (and I believe it was already out in Japan) rendering it obsolete basically instantly
I actually loved 32X. Just playing the almost arcade-perfect Space Harrier and After Burner was worth the purchase of the system, not to mention the awesome Virtua Racing Deluxe.
I was really hesitant to add this one to my collection. (I own every console that I judge worthy of my time today, all ready to play on a CRT). I don't include a console when I judge it doesn't have any unique games or mostly inferior ports of good games (3do didn't make it for example). I ended up getting 32x and don't regret it as I find the library contains enough unique titles to warrant its place. I would add Kolibri to honorable mentions. It's a very artistic game and kinda feels like the missing link to my "Ecco the Dolphin" collection, same as a Sonic game collection doesn't feel complete without Knuckles Chaotix.
I remember getting 32X the following Christmas after its release. I had motocross championship, afterburner and virtua racing. I'd constantly rent cosmic carnage and virtua fighter. I loved my 32X I just wish sega would have stuck with it longer.
Fun fact sell wise the 32X was the best selling 5th Generation system in 1994 with 600,000 sells in the US compared to the 500,000 Sega Saturn sells in Japan and the 300,000 Playstation sells in Japan. In my opinion the US launch title line up on the 32X was better than the Launch title line up of the Japanese Saturn and Japanese Playstation. Im sure there is someone that worked with Sega that believes it was just not a good move to stop the support of the 32X in the US. In Japan fine but in the US if they would have kept supporting the system and putting out software. Who knows the 32X possibly could have outsold and been more popular than the Saturn here in the US. Not hating on the Saturn because its one of my favorite Systems of all time but I my self was very pleased and blown away with the 32X when my Parents bought me one in 94'. We were blown away by Virtura Racing Deluxe (which in my opinion is the best Virtura Racing port between the Genesis, 32X and Saturn). The 32X also arguably has the best Virtura Fighter 1 port too. Much Props to Sega Of America they knew what they were doing with the 32X. Even though the Sega Saturn launch in Japan was successful it was not more successful than the 32X launch around the same time in the US. Much respect to Sega as a whole they were killing it sell wise in 1994 with the 32X in the US and Sega Saturn in Japan.
Virtua Fighter proves that there was some power in the 32x. It's a shame we never got to see what could have been done after devs learned how to code for it.
He probably brainstorms lists of ideas for new vids, and then just picks which ones to make. That's how I imagine it lol. He is really good at finding a million topics to cover in his vids...
Yeah, normally I'm against content creators making multiple videos per week since it usually means stuff gets rushed, but there is zero drop in quality here. Every video he has put up has been well put together and very informative.
Well lets do a checklist..lack of irritating dubstep music? CHECK! No clickbait? CHECK! No e-begging or super intrusive sponsor message in the middle of the FREAKIN video? Triple CHECK!
This makes me hope for a mini system of the Sega 32x and CD (both systems, combined). They could include all of the games you listed here, including the honorable mentions, plus Kolibri and Cosmic Carnage, 16 Sega CD games, and 2 CD32x games, and that would give it 32 games total. Sega suggested that they might do a Sega CD Mini if the Genesis Mini was successful, and it was. They're obviously not gonna do a Saturn Mini for another 5-10 years, so why not just include some of the 32x library in a CD Mini?
So sad that they won't make a sega saturn mini or dreamcast mini. A saturn mini with panzer dragoon would sell like crazy and even drive the saturn mini price up as well
To this day, I'm still baffled at how Time Warner Interactive managed to botch Virtua Racing on the Saturn, yet the same game is so awesome on 32X, a seemingly lesser hardware. Different developers, different approaches, I guess. Have good one, Sega Lord X!
I've seen it sharpened up via 4K boost on Yabause emu and it looks damn good! That coupled with the extra content made me wish they really spent time making that port worthwhile particularly in the performance and visuals department
You hit the nail on this one : it's not about the console. It's all about the developers. That's how console wars are won. By the company who's able to convince top first and third-party talent to develop on their systems.
They didn’t have any of the original code, and basically had to eyeball all the physics. Sega deserves some blame for not giving them the tools they needed.
It's a quite bad port. Clearly inferior to the Jaguar port, and if you knew the original PC game at the time, you'd have turned away in disgust. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely don't doubt, that it was certainly great fun if that was your 1st encounter with Doom or even FPS, but it was not a great version, albeit it was impressive, that they technically pulled it off on the Genesis.
@@frankschneider6156 The Jaguar is more powerful than the 32x, so it being inferior isn't surprising. Given time you could do better, it was a very rushed port, so much so it released before the Jaguar port it was based on, but it was still more playable than the SNES version, which doesn't get as much hate. The music is really the biggest flaw. The Genesis's Yamaha OPN2 is plain superior to the PC's Yamaha OPL2. The farting noises aren't a result of being rushed, they just didn't give a damn.
@@anss321 I mostly agree, and that they got Doom running on the 32X was indeed a minor miracle, but that still doesn't make the port really "good". (Just like the Halo port to the Atari 2600). If that was all the Doom you had, I don't doubt that you could have had fun with it. I've never played the SNES version, so can't comment, but wouldn't wonder if it would be equally bad or worse.
Owning a Sega CD at the time, I didn't spring for the 32x. However my brother did and I remember being really impressed by Metal Head, Doom, and Star Wars Arcade. Those games were eye popping to me at the time.
Good timing for a video, I got a 32X a couple of weeks back. It needed to be dismantled and cleaned but it works perfectly. It’s been great revisiting Virtua Racing and Star Wars Arcade again, although both could do with their difficulty being tuned down a bit!
Ahh, the 32X. I remember when people were giving them away which is how I came to own mine 4 yrs ago, now they are selling for $100+.... WHY? Also good video like always.
I remember picking one up from Caldor's for $14.99 and it came with two free games of your choice. They really couldn't give them away back in the day.
I can't remember the year anymore but once the 32X went bust, I remember seeing them on clearance at Toys 'R' Us for $20 each, new-in-box. You know what's even funnier? A month or so later, I saw the same pyramid of them at Toys 'R' Us for $10!
I had one of these and loved it. I also just picked one up the other day to complete my tower of power. I really wish this thing took off, I would have loved to see what else it was capable of.
Darxide is one of the best games on 32X in my opinion. People rarely plays after the 1st level and think its an "asteroids clone" but every mission (level) is different. It's also the only 32X game (that I know) to use texture map and the soundtrack is outstanding. Recommended to the 3D shoot'em up fans.
The Genesis hardware was simply better at platform games than 32X was, even though it was older. Therefore backgrounds were generally left for the Genesis to handle, while 32X would often handle effects and sprites. I was impressed how much better Wrestlemania The Arcade Game looked on 32X versus other platforms. But then Digital Foundry mentioned its actually 30 fps on 32X versus 60 fps on Genesis.
Still blows my mind how they pulled off Virtua Racing; wish I could’ve afforded one back in the day. But at least I could have a go in store and dream about owning one.
They were easy to afford back in the day because it flopped in less than a year. I got mine from the bargain bin a month or so after it flopped for $25. Buying freshly flopped consoles was how I afforded a large collection of systems and game library on a meager allowance
@@ryanyoder7573 Wow I am sorry to hear that. I was jaded after the segacd even though it had some great games, just too short of support. I waited this time and bought mine on clearence... wait, I think I bought mine when it was around $100. I bought a second one when they were on clearence with VF. All of this is what led to me not getting a Saturn till around 99.
neozeed1964 don’t be sorry it was a great memory as my brother and I bought the Genesis over Christmas when I was in eighth grade and the 32X when I was a senior in high school. I hadn’t seen him much since he was in college and we had a blast that Christmas. The 32x is important to me for personal reasons and I think it’s an underdeveloped addon. Some day I plan to code something for it. I was thinking it would be cool to port a flight simulator to it.
@@ryanyoder7573 If there was only some way of getting analog control on 32x Virtua Racing. Without having a real arcade settup it still feels the best to me even with digital controls. I love hearing that kinda genny love. I will wait for your release. At 3fps I loved f22 from EA, I know you can do better!
People crap on the 32X but I've been enjoying quite a few of their games (through emulation) that I never had a chance to play back during their initial releases. Knuckles Chaotix, Tempo, Star Wars Arcade, Virtua Fighter, Virtua Racing Deluxe, MKII and others. Yes the system could have been better, but these quarantine days have given me an appreciation for what they tried to do.
I've been emulating the 32X during the quarantine as well. Virtua Racing and Virtua Fighter are most impressive. Had a fun time with them. Tried to emulate them on my hacked PS Vita, but sadly they're a bit on the slow side. Have to use my PC for any 3D game. Later on I'm gonna put all the good 32X games on my Shield tablet for my kids to enjoy. I appreciate Sega for trying...
I can still remember walking into Toys R Us and finding 32x systems with big red 20.00 clearance stickers on them. Nobody wanted them then, but now they go for more than original retail on the secondhand market. Crazy stuff.
I remember my friend Jake rented a 32x back in 1995. We had a blast playing star wars arcade, Virtua fighter, Virtua racing, mk2, nba jam t.e, and even doom.
I remember going into the arcade in Shenmue & Shenmue 2 to play arcade perfect versions of Space Harrier & Out Run in 1999. A sign of the times when a background game was playable within the in-game universe of a much larger game when just a couple of years prior that much smaller game was actually considered to be a "must have game" all on it's own for the systems predecessor. What's even more remarkable is that the Megadrive was only a mere 11 years before the Dreamcast. That's a massive leap in video gaming evolution when put into perspective that the Xbox 360 was a whopping 18 years ago. The same cannot be said for gaming progression in that length of time and it's highly unlikely that we'll see the ground breaking evolutionary leap forward that we saw inbetween the Megadrive & SNES to the Saturn & Playstation ever again.
The only games I ever had for the 32X were Virtua Fighter and Knuckles Chaotix. I did rent a nice handful of games, Shadow Squadron being my favorite mostly because of the fun co op mode. The 32X came and went so fast, similar to Nintendo's Virtual Boy.
I own three of those games in the top 10: Viruta Racing Deluxe, Virtua Fighter, and Star Wars Arcade. Knuckles' Chaotix is a mixed bag. The graphics look pretty and show what the 32X is capable of. The music is catchy. But I don't like the gameplay. The tether mechanic adds a learning curve and can send you flying all over the place. There's not enough hazards and enemies to make things interesting. Not having these challenging elements makes for a game that isn't fun to play. The Spin Dash is nerfed, forcing you to rely more on the hold-and-release mechanic.
I really enjoy how each character has somewhat different play styles. Like Vector has an air-dash move which probably makes him one of the most enjoyable characters to playthrough as.
Not sure how i accomplished it exactly, but in mine I got hit just as my partner was coming back on screen and we never tethered. Suddenly I was basically playing sonic 2. P2 just followed but never was attached.
Yeah you just need to hold the run button and it's a great little game. I love the stage of attacking the train, and the stage that seems like you're inside a haunted house lol
I had a 32X, I have great memories of a two player coop dive into the Death Star in Star Wars Arcade and hours of setting up tournaments in Virtua Fighter which was superior to the Saturn version in content if not graphics.
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As a kid who had the 32X, I never saw it as a "bad" console, just an under utilized console. There were so many games in the works for 32x, that were either cancelled or ported to the Saturn instead. It's a shame "what could have been".
The worst thing about the 32X is knowing that every game you mentioned would have been better on the Sega Saturn. These games could have had better 3D, higher resolutions and CD audio. The load times would have sucked but it's a small price to pay considering what we could have gotten.
I was putzing around with 32X NBA Jam TE on my Genesis mini and it’s definitely the best home version of any of the NBA Jams, before the Hangtime series. NBA Jam is another home conversion title where I felt a little robbed back in the day after spending that $60-$70. This 32X version is pretty good and captured 90% of the arcade experience.
I love the 32x. My complaint with the whole thing was Sega's attitude in abandoning it. I remember getting the games at the time and enjoying them a great deal. My disappointment with Sega would come again years later when they abandoned the Dreamcast. Come on sega! lol
I got a 32X for Christmas in '95. I got Virtua Fighter with it and, all things considered, it was a good port. Later I bought Knuckles Chaotix and Doom. I loved Knuckles Chaotix. As for Doom, I didn't play the PC version before hand so I had nothing to compare it to back then. So I was pleased with the port at the time. Eventually I played the better versions on PC, PS1, etc. so I trade the 32X port out years after. In recent years I got Star Wars Arcade, VR Deluxe and Tempo.
Motocross Championship has the dubious honor of being the only game to make me feel motion sick, and I try experimental VR games regularly! Feeling burned by that game definitely didn't help endear me to the 32X...
I could only play the game for about a minute before having to turn it off. (Really, with this game only playing for a minute is a good thing though) Just watching the footage of it on this video made me feel a bit woozy.
Ya know, looking at it now, the 32X kinda seems to have a problem that the PS4 and XBOX ONE suffered really early in life: Something I call "remaster-itis", basically a young console's library has so many ports and remasters that the lack of its own compelling, must-own software stifles public opinion and its reputation. Sadly, unlike the aforementioned modern platforms, the 32X never lived long enough to rise out of that mire
I'm pretty happy as a 32x owner since near launch. I got it for Christmas with Virtua Racing Deluxe and Starwars that year. Played the hell out of those games [along with sports games on genesis] til the ps1 came out. Nothing impressed me about the Saturn except for Daytona USA, Virtua Cop, and Virtua Fighter 2. But I was mad that Sega discontinued my beloved 32x so fast, so I got a ps1 instead. I still play Virtua Racing 32x semi regularly now and it's still very enjoyable. And FYI DOOM 32X is way better than people say. It runs very fast and the controls are very easy to get used to. As with Starwars, it would have been much better if given a few more weeks of development.
Again, another well done episode. Really top tier stuff! Keep it up! I love the 32X and I am proud to say I have all the games on your top 10 list and the honorable mentions. They are just some fun games. Back in the day I has hoping for the 32X to be the home of Sega's 32 bit arcade games and super scalers and the Saturn for everything else. Too bad Sega was to busy fighting internally to really define and support their platforms like Nintendo did. Thanks again for the great work!
Great video! Surprised you didn’t cover Kolibri, it’s a beautiful game. Knuckles Chaotix is a must have for Sonic fans, but damn it’s confusing as well. I’d consider After Burner Complete the absolute #1 must have for any Sega fan. The game we all deserved years after the arcade release.
If they had of had more 32x consoles ready for Christmas... when it came out.... the story would be very different,, when it first came out... people wanted it.. doom , virtua racing and afterburner at home....we got one for Christmas and absolutely loved it .... we were totally blown away.... it started my love affair with doom that lasts till this day
Motocross is actually decent when you learn how to play it. Make sure you hold up, so your biker runs faster and corners faster, and hold down while jumping.
I had virtua fighter, virtua racing, afterburner, and WWF arcade. Those are the only 4 I remember playing on the 32x. I do remember them being awesome compared to the genesis versions. Let them all go in a yard sale around 1999.
I loved the WWF games on SNES and especially Genesis. Didn't get to try the 32x version until much later in life but that's when I realized something, the button mashing in those games is atrocious. There is a rom hack fix for I believe it's Royal Rumble on Genesis that makes it much more manageable and fun by fixing how much you have to mash buttons in a grapple.
great video! A lot of these games you listed had audio compromises like you said. I wonder why NONE of them had a 32x CD version. i wish there was more than just fmv games on sega 32x CD
I owned Doom, Virtua Fighter, Primal Rage, Star Wars Arcade, Star Trek & Metal Head as a kid.. my two most played were Doom and Virtua Fighter. Great memories.
Got all the 32x games on my ps classic x, very underrated system to say the least. I wish i still had the original hardware, but emulation is still better in the long run for preventing wear and tear. And i still play virtua fighter, tempo, virtua racing, star wars arcade, and a TON of time playing wrestlemania the arcade game. Thanks for showcasing another great sega system man, your the best
32X top 10s are always fun since it’s a quarter of the library. I think my top 10 is probably along these lines: 1. After Burner, I love that game in the arcade and the 32x is remarkably impressive, well made music, nearly arcade perfect visuals, and the framerate is good enough although worse than arcade. It was the best home port until Saturn. 2. Space Harrier, I absolutely love that game in the arcade too and the 32x version is nearly perfect, it has worse framerate than the arcade but better than After Burner and it feels good to play, and the music on 32x is basically perfect. It also wasn’t topped until Saturn and blew every previous port out of the water. 3. Kolibri, beautiful graphics, lovely sound and music, and impressive framerate considering its 32x 4. Star Wars Arcade, I love the arcade version more but the 32x version is remarkably impressive even with the shoddy music. No other game has made me feel like I’m actually flying an X-Wing quite like that game. 5. Virtua Racing Deluxe, great home port of the arcade game and looks really good too, the rock solid 20fps is pretty good and it controls quite well. I love the arcade version more but this is still arguably the best home port and the new features are fun. Soundtrack is lacking but decent enough too. 6. Virtua Fighter, I’m not the biggest fan of the game itself but the 32x port is really impressive, graphically it’s a major downgrade but all the characters still look like themselves and the framerate is a locked 30, perfectly matching the arcade, and in some ways it’s preferable to the Saturn port, that version didn’t look hugely better and had loads of clipping polygons and glitchy flickering. 7. Knuckles’ Chaotix, it’s absolutely beautiful and I love the music, I wish the gameplay was better but it makes smart use of the 32x for scaling and sprites, it definitely could’ve been used more but unfortunately the 32x is so flawed that going much further might’ve ruined the framerate. 8. Star Trek Bridge Simulator, this game is on SNES too but it looks and sounds way better on 32x, I love the aesthetic and it’s pretty fun to see such a good Star Trek game with lots of variation in ships and enemies. Shame the framerate is so poor in both versions though. 9. Stellar Assault, I haven’t played much but it looks really impressive for the 32x and it looks like a fun rail shooter like Star Blade, it does some fun stuff with colour cycling too to make the framerate feel a bit smoother. 10. Blackthorne, I love the art direction of the SNES game way more but the 32x’s new pre-rendered sprites and backgrounds don’t look bad, they just clash a bit, it’s also got more content and new levels so it’s definitely the superior way to play if you don’t mind the art. Honourable mentions: Night Trap, Corpse Killer, Fahrenheit, I love these on Sega CD but they’re all far better on CD32x, especially Fahrenheit which looks leagues better due to the extra colours. I almost put these in the main list but decided against it as they’re all kinda one hit wonders, I don’t fancy playing them again any time soon. We actually have a lot of the same games, so that’s fun. I even agree with most of your hall of shame, that Pitfall port is just disgusting, but it does highlight the problems with the 32x hardware, they couldn’t even put part of the foreground rendering on the Mega Drive to reduce the pressure on the 32x because the two layers would go out of sync…
Another great video, love to see what you think of the latest news on streets of rage 4 having all the old characters and music included and what you think on the satiator add on for the Saturn?.
32x was crazy, I remember seeing it quickly drop precipitously in price at the mall....not a good look for Sega :( We did have fun with it though, at a bargain price!
I often find myself wishing someone could create a game now (20+ years later) and show us how much the 32X was actually capable of. I still find myself desiring the system though, despite its failure.
I always wanted to see something akin to the late NES releases for the 32X and the Jaguar/CD. Im referring to the games that pushed the console to its limits - stuff like Little Samson or Mr Gimmick. I dont think we ever got to see the true potential of the 32X or the Jaguar/Jaguar CD. The design of the Jaguar had a lot to do with that too as it had the extra processors that made it more difficult to program for supposedly.
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hey, awesome, I think in very similar lines (and have a Jag as well). The answer is simple actually: if the Jag had been fully mastered (and had more powerful companies developing for it like Capcom and Konami), the Jag could have been bigger than the SNES, and actually changed the whole gaming industry. Here's why: imagine games like Skyhammer, Rayman, Phase Zero, Battlesphere Gold and AVP. Now imagine all these games released by the hundreds, making the entire Jag's library actually amazing. Now imagine that 2 years earlier than the PS1 or Saturn. Yeah, the Jag would have dominated the market. The catch is very simple: neither these games came in 93 or 94, nor Konami or Capcom developed for the Jag, hence it's failed history.
Just for the record: the 32X was not "ill conceived"... Technology speaking, it was pretty good actually (please check the proof of concept video available somewhere on UA-cam). That system was born out of necessity: the Genesis was still performing well in the US, therefore there was no point in rushing the launch of the Saturn. Sega of America (thought) they had a deal with their counterpart in Japan, and therefore this add-on was designed in order to extend the life cycle of the 16 bits console. What happened is Sega Japan lost patience and released the Saturn only 8 months after the lauch of the 32X.... As usual with Sega, this was due to mismanagement and bad communication...The 32X was just a casualty.
No point in asking people to cough up U$ 150 for a stop gap between generations, especially since you already released the Sega CD. They could of just released more games with the SVP chips and gotten very similar results. This thing makes no sense.
@@radracer8889 Well, the thing is we didn't know it was a stop gap at the time. Actually had Sega JP hold up their end of the bargain, we would have never known... The SVP was indeed promising, but it could not push as much polygons as the 32X... Besides, the chip was extremely expensive to produce, going for 100 buck... The 32X was still a viable option for people wanting to experience the 32 bits revolution at an affordable price (Saturn 399USD).
@@radracer8889 Like the Sega CD it was more forgetting most consumers are idiots and lazy, they don't want add ons they just want things to work and will complain regardless. a AIO adapter like the 32x would lower production costs for carts so save the consumers who purchased more than a few games during its lifetime, sadly the consumer just saw the up front cost and refused to pay.
Very true. If given a few more months. The 32x would/could have had a lot more awesome exclusives and ported more arcade games that would have been a huge jump over the genesis versions [like afterburner and space harrier]. There were a few promising games canceled as soon as they heard sega was releasing the Saturn and abandoning this 32bit add-on. SoJ really messed up by forcing out the Saturn with little warning and killing the 32x so fast.
When comparing the 3DO, the Jaguar, and the 32x...the 32X was such a massively under appreciated piece of tech. It was able to pump out 2D and 3D graphics that were far better than the other two competing pieces of hardware. The problem really stems from the insolent self sabotaging that came from the Japanese offices. They just seemed to refuse to try and understand US consumers. The 32X should have been given more attention from Sega themselves, and pushed the Saturn back a year...or at the least to release the same time as the PSX/one. The only reason I feel that the better games feel "weak" is simply due to rushed development and publishing. At least a softmodded SEGA Genesis Mini can emulate a majority of 32X titles rather faithfully.
I understand the Jaguar, but Isn't the 3DO far better than the 32X? I don't think there is any game on the 32X that looks as good as Road Rash or Need for Speef from a 3D perspective or as SSFII Turbo in a 2D perspetive, just to give an example
@@oscarzxn4067 The 32x ran hardware that was in the line of the same chipsets found in the Saturn, but not as nearly powerful. Now, if we just play the "what if" angle, take the tower of power. Use the scaling and rotation capabilities of the CD, the base power of the Genesis/MD, and the 3D strength of the 32x...and put the games on a CD, I dare dream that we would have seen titles that would have been extremely impressive. With the looming release of the Saturn, the system just never got a chance.
Sega released it with really high price and without any feature for platformer games No big improvements overall sega should definitely have took some time like Nintendo to release the console
I had a nice childhood w my nes, snes, and genesis. Those were my childhood consoles. I had to play the hell out of each and every game because I didn't have much.
Great vid. I'm a big fan of the 32X even though it bombed. Just a slight correction on the 32X version of WWF Raw as it was a bit more than a color upgrade as they added some new moves, new weapons, and had an exclusive playable character in Kwang (a.k.a Savio Vega). It's definitely the best version of Raw bar none.
i enjoyed watching this video while imagining a potential nostalgia i could have had. in march of 97 for my 11th birthday i had the option of getting the 32x, virtual boy or the n64. 32x i believe was the older system but my console up to that point went from atari 2600 to nes to the sega genesis. i was a big fan of the genesis so an upgrade to the 32x seemed like the obvious choice. the store my parents brought me to didnt have the 32x in stock. i was then back looking at nintendo products. nes was an awesome system so a new nintendo could be a lot of fun. i seen this fancy, high tech system called the virtual boy and i wanted it! my dad noticed that out of all the test/display models VB was the only one that didnt have a working model. 32x had the test/display model. same with the n64. nothing for VB. the more he looked and used commen sense the more he pushed me to just get the newer, more reliable n64 option. so that was the system we ended up leaving the store with, the Nintendo 64. to this day that is still my favorite system of all time (even though the early 3d games have aged so poorly!). i loved those days of 4 player couch coop. so many good memories. while watching this i see what i could have ended up with. wither on of 2 failed systems. with the sega being my number 1 choice. still, could have been me playing all these games you have listed. thank god (or my father) for not letting me get the damn virtual boy though. that would have traumatized me! hahha
I could never beat Knuckles' Chaotix cause at a certain point the game would hard lock and freeze on me. Supposedly was related to using that edge connector terminator on your genesis or some BS. I didnt even get that part with my 32x either as far as I remember. Got my 32x for like $55? $75? Got doom with it then kolibri out of the clearance bin at kmart for $9.99. I remember my dad was pissed cause we had to go buy a model 2 RF switch since the TV i was using didnt have composite video on it and thats the cable that came with it. Nobody used composite video back then. Then lol I still remember my dad fuming trying to hook it up. Then inserting those metal tabs he had a fit. Hooked it up nothing. I think we flipped flopped some cables. Then tried again and got it working. Still have my OG 32x.
Thanx man for what you put out at this time. Im a keyworker and also have a channel with a small but very loyal and leaned on fanbase and i too am having to try and keep them 'going' - but sometimes i need a distraction... and mr Lord X. I know; we are so far apart and for once I believe you are actually older than me (lol) - but as young'uns... you and i would of really got on well... i really miss my sega collection and its a heavy regret of mine. Good bye sir. Much love from a channel way way over in that weird direction and niche!
Knuckles Chaotix was good, although I wish they would have released a new Sonic sequel on the 32X instead. Had they made a Sonic the Hedgehog 4 on the 32X I think that alone would have sold more units.
@MultiTarded Try "Retro Core" (an English guy living since 20+ years in Japan) that channel is excellent. He does a weekly show every Saturday "Battle of the Ports" comparing (mostly) Arcade ports across all systems (consoles, computers, handhelds) to the original. Very professionally made. He is now at 300+ episodes on that. Sometimes he does other stuff, be it 1h specials on certain consoles and computers (eg FM Towns, Sega PC-FX), reviewing the cheapest Chinese handhelds he can find (quite similar to the early "Ashens") or some "Living in Japan" videos. I'd say somewhat different focus, but same level of professionalism and quality as Gamesack. Another quite good channel is "SNES drunk". Quite comparable to Sega Lord X in style, content and how the show is made, just somewhat less Sega and somewhat more Nintendo, but like this one also not totally dedicated to a single company. So after Classic Game Room is gone forever, these 4 (Gamesack, Retro Core, Sega Lord X and SNES drunk) are imho the best, most competent and most professional gaming related channels you can find on UA-cam. Oh and "Kim Justice" might be of interest. He/She whatever .. makes excellent historical retrospectives into Gaming history, especially of companies and specific game series. There are of course at lot more but not of this quality level (or at least not that I know of).
I very much enjoyed the review. The Genesis was just the beginning of my video game ambition, as I always wanted a 32x w/ Doom and Star Wars Arcade. Maybe one day I could find one of these for sale?
I am convinced that all Sega really needed in the end of 94 was releasing Virtua Racing 3d chip + 1 extra 16 colors pallete (making it 5 in total) as standalone 50$ cartridge. That's it. Marking games for it Genesis+ Virtua Racing chip for real 3D obviously and 1 extra pallete because you often need just 1 more set of colors either for backgrounds or hud or characters instead of sacrificing something big time. With price everyone will be ok to pay.
I remember, when the 32X came out, a few friends of mine actually bought it at launch. People forget but there was actually some amount of hype for that add-on. But as we all know, the product was doomed to fail. On a personal note, one of my friends who got a 32X had a very negative outcome for buying it. Since the thing failed so quickly, his parents basically became fed up with video games and refused to buy him anymore after that. So this friend, he had his 32X in his room, would never plug it in. It sat around like this cruel reminder of what he had lost.
I hate it when parents have black and white mentalities which makes them deny their good fun experiences.
@@claydogg234 Sadly, a lot of people are not good parents. Some people just don’t have the temperament for it.
@@leeartlee915 60% of people would be atrocious parents
@@Manicman746 I might bump that up to 70%… but that’s me.
I kinda want one
I remember when Toys R Us had tons of 32x's for $20 the year after it was released.
Yep I bought one. I think the games were 10 or $15.
That would have been incredible
I bought mine in the box from a flea market for $20
I bought my 32X in 1997 for less than the cost of a Genesis game at the time! It’s a shame it was so poorly rolled out it was a noticeable improvement in performance and graphics.
I got a Genesis, Sega CD, & 32x -- shrinkwrapped and all of the cables hooked up (with the power adapters) for $20 at a game shop in the early 00s. I let a friend borrow it and it was lost, unfortunately. :(
Definitely some gems on the 32x and CD. Too bad there's almost no chance of a "CD/32X mini' type of device being released.
@@AunCollective you can add 32x and sega cd games to the mega drive mini. Google ‘project lunar’.
@@AunCollective the MegaSD flash cart can play Sega CD games without a Sega CD. You do need a 32x for the 32x games though
Whats up bro love you you proudly display your genesis in background all your vids!
Well the main reason it was so poorly rolled out besides the small mostly crappy library was that the Saturn was right around the corner (and I believe it was already out in Japan) rendering it obsolete basically instantly
The humorous irony in the “Hall of Shame” segment was very off-brand for you, but I think it worked out pretty well
yes, I really liked his overly enthusiastic voice, actually 😆
He's showing his versatility! It was hilarious. 🤣🤣🤣
Lol. You didn't have to talk about Pitfall that bad, lol. That was wrong.
Are you the arbiter of his personality?
@@JAYg33t4r hahahaha
I actually loved 32X. Just playing the almost arcade-perfect Space Harrier and After Burner was worth the purchase of the system, not to mention the awesome Virtua Racing Deluxe.
I agree
Wow, it’s amazing to see footage of Knuckles Chaotix being played well!
I think Doom definitely deserves a place in this Top 10, it's literally the first console conversion of the game ever and it was amazing for the 32X
Agreed! I want to complete my Tower of power. . and play DOOM on it! Wish had bought one for under 20 bucks back in the day.
That wasn't the jaguar version?
32x Doom was the best Doom. The end credits song happy dead bunny or something like that it’s called. So good
The Jaguar version was developed first, but released later.
I bought the 32X specifically for doom. I’d say I was even better than the pc version because of the full screen layout.
I think you have some of the best Sega reviews on UA-cam. Hands down
Yeah, except for this one.
32X hater!
@@MaxAbramson3 🤣
32x is definately a case study.. The amount of interest back then and now is so diferent! It's a guilty pleasure, nobody can't resist this story :)
I was really hesitant to add this one to my collection. (I own every console that I judge worthy of my time today, all ready to play on a CRT). I don't include a console when I judge it doesn't have any unique games or mostly inferior ports of good games (3do didn't make it for example). I ended up getting 32x and don't regret it as I find the library contains enough unique titles to warrant its place. I would add Kolibri to honorable mentions. It's a very artistic game and kinda feels like the missing link to my "Ecco the Dolphin" collection, same as a Sonic game collection doesn't feel complete without Knuckles Chaotix.
@@acharat6Kolibri was a great title for sure.
I remember getting 32X the following Christmas after its release. I had motocross championship, afterburner and virtua racing. I'd constantly rent cosmic carnage and virtua fighter. I loved my 32X I just wish sega would have stuck with it longer.
I liked Cosmic Carnage for some reason. I liked the look I guess. I was young. Like 5.
Kolibri is one I always go to, it’s great
Yeah but def not worth buying now. I'm lucky to have snagged it like 15 years ago for like $10.
I just wish the emulators could,get it to run better. It is my #1 pick personally.
@@fearanarchy runs great on kega fusion
@@fearanarchyRuns fine on Picodrive (Retroarch).
Fun fact sell wise the 32X was the best selling 5th Generation system in 1994 with 600,000 sells in the US compared to the 500,000 Sega Saturn sells in Japan and the 300,000 Playstation sells in Japan. In my opinion the US launch title line up on the 32X was better than the Launch title line up of the Japanese Saturn and Japanese Playstation. Im sure there is someone that worked with Sega that believes it was just not a good move to stop the support of the 32X in the US. In Japan fine but in the US if they would have kept supporting the system and putting out software. Who knows the 32X possibly could have outsold and been more popular than the Saturn here in the US. Not hating on the Saturn because its one of my favorite Systems of all time but I my self was very pleased and blown away with the 32X when my Parents bought me one in 94'. We were blown away by Virtura Racing Deluxe (which in my opinion is the best Virtura Racing port between the Genesis, 32X and Saturn). The 32X also arguably has the best Virtura Fighter 1 port too. Much Props to Sega Of America they knew what they were doing with the 32X. Even though the Sega Saturn launch in Japan was successful it was not more successful than the 32X launch around the same time in the US. Much respect to Sega as a whole they were killing it sell wise in 1994 with the 32X in the US and Sega Saturn in Japan.
Virtua Fighter proves that there was some power in the 32x. It's a shame we never got to see what could have been done after devs learned how to code for it.
The PS1 library.
There is a Tomb Raider port for it now.
You legitimately drop some of the best UA-cam gaming content several times a week. I don't know how you do it.
He probably brainstorms lists of ideas for new vids, and then just picks which ones to make. That's how I imagine it lol. He is really good at finding a million topics to cover in his vids...
He knows this stuff so well I bet the only hard part is figuring out the order.
Yeah, normally I'm against content creators making multiple videos per week since it usually means stuff gets rushed, but there is zero drop in quality here. Every video he has put up has been well put together and very informative.
Consistency and dedication 🙏
Well lets do a checklist..lack of irritating dubstep music? CHECK! No clickbait? CHECK! No e-begging or super intrusive sponsor message in the middle of the FREAKIN video? Triple CHECK!
I love the 32X. I have every game you listed plus the honorable mentions. Wish there was an indie developer making games for it, I would buy it.
This makes me hope for a mini system of the Sega 32x and CD (both systems, combined). They could include all of the games you listed here, including the honorable mentions, plus Kolibri and Cosmic Carnage, 16 Sega CD games, and 2 CD32x games, and that would give it 32 games total.
Sega suggested that they might do a Sega CD Mini if the Genesis Mini was successful, and it was. They're obviously not gonna do a Saturn Mini for another 5-10 years, so why not just include some of the 32x library in a CD Mini?
So sad that they won't make a sega saturn mini or dreamcast mini. A saturn mini with panzer dragoon would sell like crazy and even drive the saturn mini price up as well
@@MoonKast_TV Saturn games are too hard to emulate so I doubt it will happen. A Dreamcast mini could eventually happen.
To this day, I'm still baffled at how Time Warner Interactive managed to botch Virtua Racing on the Saturn, yet the same game is so awesome on 32X, a seemingly lesser hardware. Different developers, different approaches, I guess. Have good one, Sega Lord X!
I've seen it sharpened up via 4K boost on Yabause emu and it looks damn good! That coupled with the extra content made me wish they really spent time making that port worthwhile particularly in the performance and visuals department
What version did YOU play? Virtua Racing on the Saturn has tons more tracks, cars, and modes.
The 2 major problems with saturn vr is the collision detection and the sound effects,its a shame because it has alot of appeal
You hit the nail on this one : it's not about the console. It's all about the developers. That's how console wars are won. By the company who's able to convince top first and third-party talent to develop on their systems.
They didn’t have any of the original code, and basically had to eyeball all the physics.
Sega deserves some blame for not giving them the tools they needed.
I'm surprised you didn't have Doom at least as an honorable mention. That was my first time playing a FPS and I loved it.
Yeah. While it isn't a brilliant port, it's not outright bad, and certainly better than most of the crap on the system.
darthwisner47 true, although the screen was shrunken down and sound was botched, but framerate was good.
It's a quite bad port. Clearly inferior to the Jaguar port, and if you knew the original PC game at the time, you'd have turned away in disgust. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely don't doubt, that it was certainly great fun if that was your 1st encounter with Doom or even FPS, but it was not a great version, albeit it was impressive, that they technically pulled it off on the Genesis.
@@frankschneider6156 The Jaguar is more powerful than the 32x, so it being inferior isn't surprising. Given time you could do better, it was a very rushed port, so much so it released before the Jaguar port it was based on, but it was still more playable than the SNES version, which doesn't get as much hate.
The music is really the biggest flaw. The Genesis's Yamaha OPN2 is plain superior to the PC's Yamaha OPL2. The farting noises aren't a result of being rushed, they just didn't give a damn.
@@anss321 I mostly agree, and that they got Doom running on the 32X was indeed a minor miracle, but that still doesn't make the port really "good". (Just like the Halo port to the Atari 2600). If that was all the Doom you had, I don't doubt that you could have had fun with it.
I've never played the SNES version, so can't comment, but wouldn't wonder if it would be equally bad or worse.
I was/am a 32X fan. Doing barrel rolls in Afterburner was fun. Virtua Racing and Doom were my favorites.
I always thought a 32X port of Outrun would've been really cool and a different, more chill kind of super scaler game
Just want to send a huge thanks for putting these videos out.
Owning a Sega CD at the time, I didn't spring for the 32x. However my brother did and I remember being really impressed by Metal Head, Doom, and Star Wars Arcade. Those games were eye popping to me at the time.
Good timing for a video, I got a 32X a couple of weeks back. It needed to be dismantled and cleaned but it works perfectly. It’s been great revisiting Virtua Racing and Star Wars Arcade again, although both could do with their difficulty being tuned down a bit!
Star Wars Arcade is the reason I could blast through Star Fox and Star Fox 64 with no deaths.
Star Wars Arcade is a brutally hard experience!
@@mikec3260 Excellent! Yeah Star Fox is a walk in the park compared to Star Wars Arcade! 😂
Too bad you didn't me tion the special stages of knuckles and chaotics since they are completely in 3D and really showcased the power of the 32x.
But the camera angles on those were just plain awful
I bought the 32x on day 1 with Doom, Star Wars, and Virtua Racing. Doom is what I played the most.
Ahh, the 32X. I remember when people were giving them away which is how I came to own mine 4 yrs ago, now they are selling for $100+.... WHY? Also good video like always.
I remember picking one up from Caldor's for $14.99 and it came with two free games of your choice. They really couldn't give them away back in the day.
I bought one for $10 almost brand new in the box a few years ago.
I can't remember the year anymore but once the 32X went bust, I remember seeing them on clearance at Toys 'R' Us for $20 each, new-in-box. You know what's even funnier? A month or so later, I saw the same pyramid of them at Toys 'R' Us for $10!
Same with Saturn soon after. Well maybe not that cheap but close to it.
@@n0isyturtle Wow. When I got one they were $19.99 at Toys R Us with no game and $29.99 with Virtua Fighter.
Knuckles Chaotix was probably my favorite game for the system. Wish I could have played Blackthorn. Looks like a great game.
I had one of these and loved it. I also just picked one up the other day to complete my tower of power. I really wish this thing took off, I would have loved to see what else it was capable of.
Darxide is one of the best games on 32X in my opinion. People rarely plays after the 1st level and think its an "asteroids clone" but every mission (level) is different. It's also the only 32X game (that I know) to use texture map and the soundtrack is outstanding. Recommended to the 3D shoot'em up fans.
Great video as Always. Would be awesome a video of Dreamcast hidden gems.
Yes that would be awesome!
Just what I needed for the quarantine blues... Thanks SLX!!
Funny thing about tempo is that it mostly used the genesis except for some visual effects
The Genesis hardware was simply better at platform games than 32X was, even though it was older. Therefore backgrounds were generally left for the Genesis to handle, while 32X would often handle effects and sprites.
I was impressed how much better Wrestlemania The Arcade Game looked on 32X versus other platforms. But then Digital Foundry mentioned its actually 30 fps on 32X versus 60 fps on Genesis.
Still blows my mind how they pulled off Virtua Racing; wish I could’ve afforded one back in the day. But at least I could have a go in store and dream about owning one.
They were easy to afford back in the day because it flopped in less than a year. I got mine from the bargain bin a month or so after it flopped for $25. Buying freshly flopped consoles was how I afforded a large collection of systems and game library on a meager allowance
I got one when it launched and bought Virtua Racing and Star Wars. My brother and I pooled our funds and played it over Christmas break.
@@ryanyoder7573 Wow I am sorry to hear that. I was jaded after the segacd even though it had some great games, just too short of support. I waited this time and bought mine on clearence... wait, I think I bought mine when it was around $100. I bought a second one when they were on clearence with VF. All of this is what led to me not getting a Saturn till around 99.
neozeed1964 don’t be sorry it was a great memory as my brother and I bought the Genesis over Christmas when I was in eighth grade and the 32X when I was a senior in high school. I hadn’t seen him much since he was in college and we had a blast that Christmas. The 32x is important to me for personal reasons and I think it’s an underdeveloped addon. Some day I plan to code something for it. I was thinking it would be cool to port a flight simulator to it.
@@ryanyoder7573 If there was only some way of getting analog control on 32x Virtua Racing. Without having a real arcade settup it still feels the best to me even with digital controls.
I love hearing that kinda genny love. I will wait for your release. At 3fps I loved f22 from EA, I know you can do better!
People crap on the 32X but I've been enjoying quite a few of their games (through emulation) that I never had a chance to play back during their initial releases.
Knuckles Chaotix, Tempo, Star Wars Arcade, Virtua Fighter, Virtua Racing Deluxe, MKII and others.
Yes the system could have been better, but these quarantine days have given me an appreciation for what they tried to do.
I've been emulating the 32X during the quarantine as well. Virtua Racing and Virtua Fighter are most impressive. Had a fun time with them. Tried to emulate them on my hacked PS Vita, but sadly they're a bit on the slow side. Have to use my PC for any 3D game. Later on I'm gonna put all the good 32X games on my Shield tablet for my kids to enjoy. I appreciate Sega for trying...
I can still remember walking into Toys R Us and finding 32x systems with big red 20.00 clearance stickers on them. Nobody wanted them then, but now they go for more than original retail on the secondhand market. Crazy stuff.
I remember my friend Jake rented a 32x back in 1995. We had a blast playing star wars arcade, Virtua fighter, Virtua racing, mk2, nba jam t.e, and even doom.
Actually really enjoyed star wars on 32x . Great video as always 👍
I remember going into the arcade in Shenmue & Shenmue 2 to play arcade perfect versions of Space Harrier & Out Run in 1999. A sign of the times when a background game was playable within the in-game universe of a much larger game when just a couple of years prior that much smaller game was actually considered to be a "must have game" all on it's own for the systems predecessor. What's even more remarkable is that the Megadrive was only a mere 11 years before the Dreamcast. That's a massive leap in video gaming evolution when put into perspective that the Xbox 360 was a whopping 18 years ago. The same cannot be said for gaming progression in that length of time and it's highly unlikely that we'll see the ground breaking evolutionary leap forward that we saw inbetween the Megadrive & SNES to the Saturn & Playstation ever again.
The only games I ever had for the 32X were Virtua Fighter and Knuckles Chaotix. I did rent a nice handful of games, Shadow Squadron being my favorite mostly because of the fun co op mode. The 32X came and went so fast, similar to Nintendo's Virtual Boy.
Thanks brother for continuing to provide amazing quality videos during these hard times!
surprised not to see kolibri on here. Never played it but I always heard it was one of the better 32x games
I was not a huge fan of Kolibri. It’s ok, but nowhere near as good as these 10.
I own three of those games in the top 10: Viruta Racing Deluxe, Virtua Fighter, and Star Wars Arcade.
Knuckles' Chaotix is a mixed bag. The graphics look pretty and show what the 32X is capable of. The music is catchy. But I don't like the gameplay. The tether mechanic adds a learning curve and can send you flying all over the place. There's not enough hazards and enemies to make things interesting. Not having these challenging elements makes for a game that isn't fun to play. The Spin Dash is nerfed, forcing you to rely more on the hold-and-release mechanic.
I really enjoy how each character has somewhat different play styles. Like Vector has an air-dash move which probably makes him one of the most enjoyable characters to playthrough as.
Not sure how i accomplished it exactly, but in mine I got hit just as my partner was coming back on screen and we never tethered. Suddenly I was basically playing sonic 2. P2 just followed but never was attached.
I loved Metal Head, for me one of the best technical achievements on 32X, Beat it from start to finish
Yeah you just need to hold the run button and it's a great little game. I love the stage of attacking the train, and the stage that seems like you're inside a haunted house lol
I really wanted to like that game, but I was stuck with a 3 button controller so it was pretty difficult to play.
I had a 32X, I have great memories of a two player coop dive into the Death Star in Star Wars Arcade and hours of setting up tournaments in Virtua Fighter which was superior to the Saturn version in content if not graphics.
As a kid who had the 32X, I never saw it as a "bad" console, just an under utilized console. There were so many games in the works for 32x, that were either cancelled or ported to the Saturn instead. It's a shame "what could have been".
I would give anything to go back to the mid 90s
32x is one hell of an upgrade. Imagine if sega used the sega cd and 32x for the doom port. It would have been amazing.
The worst thing about the 32X is knowing that every game you mentioned would have been better on the Sega Saturn. These games could have had better 3D, higher resolutions and CD audio. The load times would have sucked but it's a small price to pay considering what we could have gotten.
Hahahaha your sarcasm in the 'worst of' section had me in stitches. Well played.
I was putzing around with 32X NBA Jam TE on my Genesis mini and it’s definitely the best home version of any of the NBA Jams, before the Hangtime series. NBA Jam is another home conversion title where I felt a little robbed back in the day after spending that $60-$70. This 32X version is pretty good and captured 90% of the arcade experience.
I love the 32x. My complaint with the whole thing was Sega's attitude in abandoning it. I remember getting the games at the time and enjoying them a great deal. My disappointment with Sega would come again years later when they abandoned the Dreamcast. Come on sega! lol
I got a 32X for Christmas in '95. I got Virtua Fighter with it and, all things considered, it was a good port. Later I bought Knuckles Chaotix and Doom. I loved Knuckles Chaotix. As for Doom, I didn't play the PC version before hand so I had nothing to compare it to back then. So I was pleased with the port at the time. Eventually I played the better versions on PC, PS1, etc. so I trade the 32X port out years after. In recent years I got Star Wars Arcade, VR Deluxe and Tempo.
Motocross Championship has the dubious honor of being the only game to make me feel motion sick, and I try experimental VR games regularly! Feeling burned by that game definitely didn't help endear me to the 32X...
I could only play the game for about a minute before having to turn it off. (Really, with this game only playing for a minute is a good thing though) Just watching the footage of it on this video made me feel a bit woozy.
Zaxon's Motherbase was pretty good.
When do you have SEGA CD, Genesis/Mega Drive, 32X and Master System Adapter do you build a Happiness Megazod
Vicior 317 and the supernes is like oh shiiittt
Amen to that, son
as far as I remember (yes, I had all parts), the master system adapter didn't work with the 32X. I allways had to pull out the thing
Eu tenho agora todos eles😁 Para ligar todos juntos precisa de um filtro de linha😂
@@ricardobarros1090 tá ligado Ucolecionador, ele tem até o modem do Mega hahaha
Ya know, looking at it now, the 32X kinda seems to have a problem that the PS4 and XBOX ONE suffered really early in life: Something I call "remaster-itis", basically a young console's library has so many ports and remasters that the lack of its own compelling, must-own software stifles public opinion and its reputation. Sadly, unlike the aforementioned modern platforms, the 32X never lived long enough to rise out of that mire
star wars arcade was my first taste of the 32x when I played it on an emulator.
I'm pretty happy as a 32x owner since near launch. I got it for Christmas with Virtua Racing Deluxe and Starwars that year. Played the hell out of those games [along with sports games on genesis] til the ps1 came out. Nothing impressed me about the Saturn except for Daytona USA, Virtua Cop, and Virtua Fighter 2. But I was mad that Sega discontinued my beloved 32x so fast, so I got a ps1 instead. I still play Virtua Racing 32x semi regularly now and it's still very enjoyable. And FYI DOOM 32X is way better than people say. It runs very fast and the controls are very easy to get used to. As with Starwars, it would have been much better if given a few more weeks of development.
Those magazine 32X ads...I remember them vividly ha! Actually still have them around.
Again, another well done episode. Really top tier stuff! Keep it up! I love the 32X and I am proud to say I have all the games on your top 10 list and the honorable mentions. They are just some fun games. Back in the day I has hoping for the 32X to be the home of Sega's 32 bit arcade games and super scalers and the Saturn for everything else. Too bad Sega was to busy fighting internally to really define and support their platforms like Nintendo did. Thanks again for the great work!
Great video! Surprised you didn’t cover Kolibri, it’s a beautiful game.
Knuckles Chaotix is a must have for Sonic fans, but damn it’s confusing as well.
I’d consider After Burner Complete the absolute #1 must have for any Sega fan. The game we all deserved years after the arcade release.
If they had of had more 32x consoles ready for Christmas... when it came out.... the story would be very different,, when it first came out... people wanted it.. doom , virtua racing and afterburner at home....we got one for Christmas and absolutely loved it .... we were totally blown away.... it started my love affair with doom that lasts till this day
Motocross is actually decent when you learn how to play it. Make sure you hold up, so your biker runs faster and corners faster, and hold down while jumping.
Lol please. That’s the worst game on the system.
@@Rountree1985 I kindly disagree :)
Absolutely love how often you’re putting out great content. Keep it up please.
I had virtua fighter, virtua racing, afterburner, and WWF arcade. Those are the only 4 I remember playing on the 32x. I do remember them being awesome compared to the genesis versions. Let them all go in a yard sale around 1999.
I loved the WWF games on SNES and especially Genesis.
Didn't get to try the 32x version until much later in life but that's when I realized something, the button mashing in those games is atrocious.
There is a rom hack fix for I believe it's Royal Rumble on Genesis that makes it much more manageable and fun by fixing how much you have to mash buttons in a grapple.
Awesome review! Thanks for giving us the insight and run-down on the 32x.
great video! A lot of these games you listed had audio compromises like you said. I wonder why NONE of them had a 32x CD version. i wish there was more than just fmv games on sega 32x CD
I owned Doom, Virtua Fighter, Primal Rage, Star Wars Arcade, Star Trek & Metal Head as a kid.. my two most played were Doom and Virtua Fighter. Great memories.
Got all the 32x games on my ps classic x, very underrated system to say the least. I wish i still had the original hardware, but emulation is still better in the long run for preventing wear and tear. And i still play virtua fighter, tempo, virtua racing, star wars arcade, and a TON of time playing wrestlemania the arcade game. Thanks for showcasing another great sega system man, your the best
32X top 10s are always fun since it’s a quarter of the library. I think my top 10 is probably along these lines:
1. After Burner, I love that game in the arcade and the 32x is remarkably impressive, well made music, nearly arcade perfect visuals, and the framerate is good enough although worse than arcade. It was the best home port until Saturn.
2. Space Harrier, I absolutely love that game in the arcade too and the 32x version is nearly perfect, it has worse framerate than the arcade but better than After Burner and it feels good to play, and the music on 32x is basically perfect. It also wasn’t topped until Saturn and blew every previous port out of the water.
3. Kolibri, beautiful graphics, lovely sound and music, and impressive framerate considering its 32x
4. Star Wars Arcade, I love the arcade version more but the 32x version is remarkably impressive even with the shoddy music. No other game has made me feel like I’m actually flying an X-Wing quite like that game.
5. Virtua Racing Deluxe, great home port of the arcade game and looks really good too, the rock solid 20fps is pretty good and it controls quite well. I love the arcade version more but this is still arguably the best home port and the new features are fun. Soundtrack is lacking but decent enough too.
6. Virtua Fighter, I’m not the biggest fan of the game itself but the 32x port is really impressive, graphically it’s a major downgrade but all the characters still look like themselves and the framerate is a locked 30, perfectly matching the arcade, and in some ways it’s preferable to the Saturn port, that version didn’t look hugely better and had loads of clipping polygons and glitchy flickering.
7. Knuckles’ Chaotix, it’s absolutely beautiful and I love the music, I wish the gameplay was better but it makes smart use of the 32x for scaling and sprites, it definitely could’ve been used more but unfortunately the 32x is so flawed that going much further might’ve ruined the framerate.
8. Star Trek Bridge Simulator, this game is on SNES too but it looks and sounds way better on 32x, I love the aesthetic and it’s pretty fun to see such a good Star Trek game with lots of variation in ships and enemies. Shame the framerate is so poor in both versions though.
9. Stellar Assault, I haven’t played much but it looks really impressive for the 32x and it looks like a fun rail shooter like Star Blade, it does some fun stuff with colour cycling too to make the framerate feel a bit smoother.
10. Blackthorne, I love the art direction of the SNES game way more but the 32x’s new pre-rendered sprites and backgrounds don’t look bad, they just clash a bit, it’s also got more content and new levels so it’s definitely the superior way to play if you don’t mind the art.
Honourable mentions: Night Trap, Corpse Killer, Fahrenheit, I love these on Sega CD but they’re all far better on CD32x, especially Fahrenheit which looks leagues better due to the extra colours. I almost put these in the main list but decided against it as they’re all kinda one hit wonders, I don’t fancy playing them again any time soon.
We actually have a lot of the same games, so that’s fun. I even agree with most of your hall of shame, that Pitfall port is just disgusting, but it does highlight the problems with the 32x hardware, they couldn’t even put part of the foreground rendering on the Mega Drive to reduce the pressure on the 32x because the two layers would go out of sync…
Another great video, love to see what you think of the latest news on streets of rage 4 having all the old characters and music included and what you think on the satiator add on for the Saturn?.
I think someone should build a Saturn version of SoR 4 and license it from Dotemu.
Yup my top 5 are 1 vrd, 2 vf, 3 doom, 4 afterburner, 5 space harrier
Great timing, I've been playing catch up on your videos today.
32x was crazy, I remember seeing it quickly drop precipitously in price at the mall....not a good look for Sega :( We did have fun with it though, at a bargain price!
I often find myself wishing someone could create a game now (20+ years later) and show us how much the 32X was actually capable of. I still find myself desiring the system though, despite its failure.
That ad at the beginning is just brilliant, the good old days.
I always wanted to see something akin to the late NES releases for the 32X and the Jaguar/CD. Im referring to the games that pushed the console to its limits - stuff like Little Samson or Mr Gimmick. I dont think we ever got to see the true potential of the 32X or the Jaguar/Jaguar CD. The design of the Jaguar had a lot to do with that too as it had the extra processors that made it more difficult to program for supposedly.
hey, awesome, I think in very similar lines (and have a Jag as well). The answer is simple actually: if the Jag had been fully mastered (and had more powerful companies developing for it like Capcom and Konami), the Jag could have been bigger than the SNES, and actually changed the whole gaming industry. Here's why: imagine games like Skyhammer, Rayman, Phase Zero, Battlesphere Gold and AVP. Now imagine all these games released by the hundreds, making the entire Jag's library actually amazing. Now imagine that 2 years earlier than the PS1 or Saturn. Yeah, the Jag would have dominated the market. The catch is very simple: neither these games came in 93 or 94, nor Konami or Capcom developed for the Jag, hence it's failed history.
32X for Life..Enjoyed this so much . Wonderful day for a review of the system & games. Thanks
lol, "mommy, what are those two sega machines doing?"
Always loved that ad as a kid.
It's the story of the birds and the bees.
Literally. Kolibri happened.
"they are isolating their fan base dear"
I didn't like the ads lol. They could have like showed the girls in Night Trap 32x or something like that.
Great videos man.. been watching you for a year or so now. Content, info, and commentary are great. I loved the shame games at the end.
Just for the record: the 32X was not "ill conceived"... Technology speaking, it was pretty good actually (please check the proof of concept video available somewhere on UA-cam). That system was born out of necessity: the Genesis was still performing well in the US, therefore there was no point in rushing the launch of the Saturn. Sega of America (thought) they had a deal with their counterpart in Japan, and therefore this add-on was designed in order to extend the life cycle of the 16 bits console. What happened is Sega Japan lost patience and released the Saturn only 8 months after the lauch of the 32X.... As usual with Sega, this was due to mismanagement and bad communication...The 32X was just a casualty.
well said.
No point in asking people to cough up U$ 150 for a stop gap between generations, especially since you already released the Sega CD. They could of just released more games with the SVP chips and gotten very similar results. This thing makes no sense.
@@radracer8889 Well, the thing is we didn't know it was a stop gap at the time. Actually had Sega JP hold up their end of the bargain, we would have never known... The SVP was indeed promising, but it could not push as much polygons as the 32X... Besides, the chip was extremely expensive to produce, going for 100 buck... The 32X was still a viable option for people wanting to experience the 32 bits revolution at an affordable price (Saturn 399USD).
@@radracer8889 Like the Sega CD it was more forgetting most consumers are idiots and lazy, they don't want add ons they just want things to work and will complain regardless. a AIO adapter like the 32x would lower production costs for carts so save the consumers who purchased more than a few games during its lifetime, sadly the consumer just saw the up front cost and refused to pay.
Very true. If given a few more months. The 32x would/could have had a lot more awesome exclusives and ported more arcade games that would have been a huge jump over the genesis versions [like afterburner and space harrier]. There were a few promising games canceled as soon as they heard sega was releasing the Saturn and abandoning this 32bit add-on. SoJ really messed up by forcing out the Saturn with little warning and killing the 32x so fast.
When comparing the 3DO, the Jaguar, and the 32x...the 32X was such a massively under appreciated piece of tech. It was able to pump out 2D and 3D graphics that were far better than the other two competing pieces of hardware. The problem really stems from the insolent self sabotaging that came from the Japanese offices. They just seemed to refuse to try and understand US consumers. The 32X should have been given more attention from Sega themselves, and pushed the Saturn back a year...or at the least to release the same time as the PSX/one. The only reason I feel that the better games feel "weak" is simply due to rushed development and publishing.
At least a softmodded SEGA Genesis Mini can emulate a majority of 32X titles rather faithfully.
I understand the Jaguar, but Isn't the 3DO far better than the 32X? I don't think there is any game on the 32X that looks as good as Road Rash or Need for Speef from a 3D perspective or as SSFII Turbo in a 2D perspetive, just to give an example
@@oscarzxn4067 The 32x ran hardware that was in the line of the same chipsets found in the Saturn, but not as nearly powerful. Now, if we just play the "what if" angle, take the tower of power. Use the scaling and rotation capabilities of the CD, the base power of the Genesis/MD, and the 3D strength of the 32x...and put the games on a CD, I dare dream that we would have seen titles that would have been extremely impressive. With the looming release of the Saturn, the system just never got a chance.
Ultimately the 32X was a victim of those who created it.
Sega released it with really high price and without any feature for platformer games
No big improvements overall sega should definitely have took some time like Nintendo to release the console
it didnt deliver enough power, I wanna dissect one to see what chips are in there!
I had a nice childhood w my nes, snes, and genesis. Those were my childhood consoles. I had to play the hell out of each and every game because I didn't have much.
Great vid. I'm a big fan of the 32X even though it bombed. Just a slight correction on the 32X version of WWF Raw as it was a bit more than a color upgrade as they added some new moves, new weapons, and had an exclusive playable character in Kwang (a.k.a Savio Vega). It's definitely the best version of Raw bar none.
i enjoyed watching this video while imagining a potential nostalgia i could have had. in march of 97 for my 11th birthday i had the option of getting the 32x, virtual boy or the n64. 32x i believe was the older system but my console up to that point went from atari 2600 to nes to the sega genesis. i was a big fan of the genesis so an upgrade to the 32x seemed like the obvious choice. the store my parents brought me to didnt have the 32x in stock. i was then back looking at nintendo products. nes was an awesome system so a new nintendo could be a lot of fun. i seen this fancy, high tech system called the virtual boy and i wanted it! my dad noticed that out of all the test/display models VB was the only one that didnt have a working model. 32x had the test/display model. same with the n64. nothing for VB. the more he looked and used commen sense the more he pushed me to just get the newer, more reliable n64 option. so that was the system we ended up leaving the store with, the Nintendo 64. to this day that is still my favorite system of all time (even though the early 3d games have aged so poorly!). i loved those days of 4 player couch coop. so many good memories.
while watching this i see what i could have ended up with. wither on of 2 failed systems. with the sega being my number 1 choice. still, could have been me playing all these games you have listed.
thank god (or my father) for not letting me get the damn virtual boy though. that would have traumatized me! hahha
I could never beat Knuckles' Chaotix cause at a certain point the game would hard lock and freeze on me. Supposedly was related to using that edge connector terminator on your genesis or some BS. I didnt even get that part with my 32x either as far as I remember. Got my 32x for like $55? $75? Got doom with it then kolibri out of the clearance bin at kmart for $9.99. I remember my dad was pissed cause we had to go buy a model 2 RF switch since the TV i was using didnt have composite video on it and thats the cable that came with it. Nobody used composite video back then. Then lol I still remember my dad fuming trying to hook it up. Then inserting those metal tabs he had a fit. Hooked it up nothing. I think we flipped flopped some cables. Then tried again and got it working. Still have my OG 32x.
Thanx man for what you put out at this time. Im a keyworker and also have a channel with a small but very loyal and leaned on fanbase and i too am having to try and keep them 'going' - but sometimes i need a distraction... and mr Lord X. I know; we are so far apart and for once I believe you are actually older than me (lol) - but as young'uns... you and i would of really got on well... i really miss my sega collection and its a heavy regret of mine.
Good bye sir. Much love from a channel way way over in that weird direction and niche!
Knuckles Chaotix was good, although I wish they would have released a new Sonic sequel on the 32X instead. Had they made a Sonic the Hedgehog 4 on the 32X I think that alone would have sold more units.
Very happy and thrilled to see an brand new Sega Lord X video 👍🤓👍
I just downloaded a sega 32x bios on my piwkiddy max 2 today and it works. Looking forward to playing some games
I have never heard of Tempo before, what a beautiful title for the 1990's.
I’m glad I started collecting for the 32x when most the games were cheap
You and Game Sack. We appreciate your videos on Retro gaming.
@MultiTarded
Try "Retro Core" (an English guy living since 20+ years in Japan) that channel is excellent. He does a weekly show every Saturday "Battle of the Ports" comparing (mostly) Arcade ports across all systems (consoles, computers, handhelds) to the original. Very professionally made. He is now at 300+ episodes on that. Sometimes he does other stuff, be it 1h specials on certain consoles and computers (eg FM Towns, Sega PC-FX), reviewing the cheapest Chinese handhelds he can find (quite similar to the early "Ashens") or some "Living in Japan" videos. I'd say somewhat different focus, but same level of professionalism and quality as Gamesack.
Another quite good channel is "SNES drunk". Quite comparable to Sega Lord X in style, content and how the show is made, just somewhat less Sega and somewhat more Nintendo, but like this one also not totally dedicated to a single company.
So after Classic Game Room is gone forever, these 4 (Gamesack, Retro Core, Sega Lord X and SNES drunk) are imho the best, most competent and most professional gaming related channels you can find on UA-cam.
Oh and "Kim Justice" might be of interest. He/She whatever .. makes excellent historical retrospectives into Gaming history, especially of companies and specific game series.
There are of course at lot more but not of this quality level (or at least not that I know of).
Glad I found this channel good work mate. Greetings from the UK
I very much enjoyed the review. The Genesis was just the beginning of my video game ambition, as I always wanted a 32x w/ Doom and Star Wars Arcade. Maybe one day I could find one of these for sale?
Aw, no mention of Zaxxon Motherbase 2000.
It's not perfect and harder to get into from that slow first stage but it's pretty fun.
I am convinced that all Sega really needed in the end of 94 was releasing Virtua Racing 3d chip + 1 extra 16 colors pallete (making it 5 in total) as standalone 50$ cartridge. That's it.
Marking games for it Genesis+
Virtua Racing chip for real 3D obviously and 1 extra pallete because you often need just 1 more set of colors either for backgrounds or hud or characters instead of sacrificing something big time. With price everyone will be ok to pay.
Nice to see Shadow Squadron getting some love, that game was a treat.