"The introduction of the 32X has got to be one of the smartest moves in gaming history."
- GameFan October 1994
Sega CD-ROM The Sega CD version of Jurassic Park is completely different from its cartridge counterpart, replacing that game's standard action/platform fare with a somewhat more cerebral point-and-click adventure. In a way, this CD is sort of like a prehistoric version of Myst with some action scenes thrown in to spice things up. That being said, the puzzles and full-motion-video actually work pretty well together in Jurassic Park, and the looming threat of dinosaurs around every corner as you attempt to escape the island can be pretty compelling. Spencer Nilson's atmospheric soundtrack is also worthy of note, with a surprisingly varied array of dinosaur sounds emanating from every corner of the park. Even the park kiosk sequences (where Dr. Robert T. Bakker educates players about various forms of dinosaurs on the island) are fun to watch, and help to lend a certain amount of credibility to the game's setting that it might not otherwise have had. "This is one of those point and click games that I don't get into very much. I think those games should stay for the computer. Although there are some action sequences, I just found the pace of the game too slow." |
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Tengen 8 megabits Tengen quietly released this Dragon's Fury sequel in 1994, but from what I can gather it is generally not considered to be as good as the original game. |
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Vic Tokai CD-ROM Mansion Of Hidden Souls for Sega CD is perhaps most notable for the fact that it was one of very few games on the system to spawn a remake for the 32-bit Saturn. "An interesting first-person perspective game with fluid graphics and great sound effects. Move from room to room in a giant mansion, looking for items and other hidden secrets." |
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Acclaim CD-ROM The Sega CD version of Mortal Kombat includes additional animation and sound effects not found in the Genesis conversion of the game, but is otherwise largely the same (unless you count the inclusion of the famous Mortal Kombat commercial to be a major feature...). "Graphically, MKCD is a huge improvement over the other home renditions. The digitized graphics and smooth, fluid animation truly bring the arcade feeling home." "The graphics aren't greatly improved over the Genesis version nor are the sounds. However, it plays better and has more accurate control. CD fans will be happy to know the access time was cut down and it doesn't bog down game play." |
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Gametek 4 megabits I've never really understood the appeal of video games based on game shows, but Jeopardy! Sports Edition seems to have been designed to entice an even smaller niche audience by concentrating entirely on questions about sports... "Unless you are a big sports fan, this game probably won't appeal to you because that is what all the questions are about." |
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Tengen 8 megabits Yet more Genesis baseball action from Tengen, the people who brought you lots of other Genesis baseball games... "An enjoyable sports game, yet nothing new." |
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Activision 8 megabits This Shanghai sequel apparently features more "exciting animation" than the first game. I wouldn't have thought animation played much of a role in the appeal of a puzzle game like this, but Activision's marketing department seems to have felt differently. |
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Dynamix CD-ROM 3D polygonal shooters like Stellar Fire and Cybermorph seemed to be popular among developers in the mid-nineties. Unfortunately, the Sega CD hardware was not really powerful enough to do this sort of game justice, so perhaps Dynamix would have been better off sticking to the PC for a few more years... |
