Sega CD Reviews S-Z

Originally a point-and-click computer game, The Secret of Monkey Island imbues its distinctive pirate theme with charm and personality. The main character is an ordinary fellow named Guybrush Threepwood who fantasizes about being king of the pirates. He'll explore islands, talk to people, and manipulate items to solve puzzles on his way to cracking the secret. The rich Caribbean scenery boasts moonlit townships, sunny beaches, dense jungles, and ominous caverns. While speaking to characters you'll see close-ups of their faces which exhibit a wide range of emotions. The fantastic audio track includes rollicking tavern tunes that are sure to put you in a swashbuckling mood. The outdoor areas have subtle natural sounds like crickets, seagulls, and waves. A cursor is used to guide Guybrush around the screen and interact with the scenery. The lower section of the screen allows you to select simple word commands and browse your inventory. You'll want to speak with most of the people you encounter and the dialogue is entertaining. The jokes come early and often, and there's even a brief cameo by George Lucas himself! The method in which sword fighting is facilitated by hurling insults back and forth is brilliant. Unfortunately, the game has to load whenever you do anything, including selecting a simple phrase, and all the waiting is a drag. The animation is sluggish as well, so dragging Guybrush from one side of the island to another can be a tedious exercise. But my biggest complaint about Monkey Island is the nonsensical nature of the puzzles which require you to combine items in unlikely ways. To put guard dogs to sleep, you need to combine a piece of meat with flowers? Some may find these head-scratchers endearing but most will be reaching for the FAQ. The Secret of Monkey Island is a genuine classic, but I'm afraid the fun is hampered a bit by this laggy Sega CD translation. © Copyright 2020 The Video Game Critic.

Who would have thought a Sherlock Holmes detective game would be so boring? Oh wait - that would be everybody in the whole wide world! I'm not the most cerebral gamer but I gave Sherlock Holmes the old college try. This thought-provoking/sleep-inducing title offers three separate mysteries to solve: The Mummy's Curse, The Mystified Murderess, and The Tin Soldier. Investigating a case involves visiting various characters, listening for rumors on the street, and looking through newspapers for clues. You begin with a notebook listing names of interest. I like how you can add additional names, but the method for doing so is anything but intuitive. Video clips are displayed in a small window in the center of the screen. The level of detail is modest, but the most important information is embedded in the dialogue anyway. Listen closely for names and places that might turn up new leads. The London directory contains hundreds of names, so it's critical to narrow down your suspects. Paging through about twelve newspapers is probably the most tedious part of the game, and the antiquated user interface doesn't help. The icons aren't descriptive at all, and the concept of tool tips hadn't even been invented yet. There's no uniform way to close windows, and why the unused C button wasn't used for this purpose I'll never know. And why in the world would anybody put a magnifying glass icon on a close button? You'll also have to deal with frequent disc accesses, although they tend to be short. Sherlock Holmes is the kind of game that requires patience and concentration, if only to keep track of all the names being bantered about. I think Sega greatly overestimated their target audience when they included this as the Sega CD pack-in game. My friend Chris was really gung-ho about this at first, but after about 15 minutes he was like, "I'm sorry, I can't do this anymore!" (as I laughed hysterically). Cerebral players looking for a challenge can bump up the grade by a letter, and the rest of you may find the D- grade a little generous. © Copyright 2013 The Video Game Critic.

Sonic CD gets off to a rip-roaring start with a lively animated sequence featuring the "Sonic Boom" theme song. Catchy and upbeat, it's got to be one of the best video game songs ever. I even find myself singing it around the house! Sonic CD has more 2D Sonic action than you can shake a stick at, although the box's claim of "over 50 stages" seems suspect. The first stage is the Tropical Rhythms zone, and the gameplay feels like classic Genesis action - with a few exceptions. The spin-dash move doesn't work as well. The stages are flashy and colorful, but not particularly memorable. The amount of slow-down exhibited by this game is shocking - especially during boss encounters. One innovative new feature is time travel. By touching "past" or "future" signposts and then maintaining a certain speed you are transported to a different version of the same stage. The animation of switching time zones is loud and obnoxious. The new time zones aren't any more interesting, although they do feature their own graphic style and music. Facilitating time travel are contraptions that propel your blue ass all over the place, and it's easy to time travel by accident. In fact, I found myself slowing down on purpose just to avoid it! The early stages are fun, but some of the later stages like Wacky Workbench and Stardust Speedway are irritating and repetitive. The special stages employ "mode seven" style graphics like F-Zero (SNES, 1991) but the depth perception is problematic as you attempt to bash hovering UFO's. That said, this CD gives you a heck of a lot of Sonic for your money, and there are several surprises in store including an encounter with Metal Sonic. The soundtrack is sensational, ranging from tropical steel drums to edgy electronics to soothing vocals. The moody rhythms of the Tidal Tempest zone are downright mesmerizing. Sonic CD's difficulty is fairly low and an autosave lets you continue on the stage where you left off. The manual makes a pretty big deal about the Q-Sound, providing expert audio advice like "don't place one speaker on a pile of books" (really?). Q-Sound is more subtle than real surround sound, but still effective. The laughter that envelopes you when you die is pretty creepy. Sonic CD didn't quite live up to its lofty expectations, but if you want classic 2D Sonic, it has plenty to offer. © Copyright 2014 The Video Game Critic.

Starting this up and seeing that vivid red Namco logo gave me flashbacks to 1995 when the company was flying high on the strength of groundbreaking titles like Ridge Racer (PS1, 1995) and Tekken (PS1, 1995). It's hard to believe Starblade arrived only a year before those two. At a glance this polygon-based space shooter resembles Shadow Squadron (Sega 32X, 1994) except the action is "on rails". You're just along for the ride, aiming a reticule and holding down the fire button to unleash rapid-fire laser shots. With no bombs, special weapons, or apparent strategy, Starblade feels remarkably shallow. The graphics aren't bad though. The mission briefing screens boast all sorts of elaborate 3D diagrams and cool statistical readouts, not unlike Call of Duty: Black Ops (Xbox 360, 2010). Once your mission begins you view the action from a first-person perspective. The polygon visuals look pretty sweet for the Sega CD, even if it only consumes about two-thirds of the screen. The framerate is quite smooth as you weave around space frigates and plunge into rocky ravines. You'll take aim at enemies ships flying across the screen and the explosions are satisfying. The wireframe enemies took me back to my old Atari ST days when I used to play a game called Starglider. The solid ships are impervious to your shots, and it sounds like someone tapping on a keyboard when you hammer their hulls. The hit detection is forgiving and that's good because the controls really suck. There's little precision when trying to aim with that digital pad. The audio is surprisingly weak. The radio guy seems disinterested, as if the programmers roped in some guy from HR to do the voice work. Some of his navigational alerts are suspect. "Now making a steep rise"? How does that even make any sense in space? Starblade is unimpressive, but it's kind of fun to play when you feel like turning off your brain for a while. © Copyright 2017 The Video Game Critic.

Many Sega CD side-scrollers are notorious for being straight Genesis ports with enhanced music. Terminator addresses this concern immediately in the instruction book: "The Terminator CD is not just an upgrade of the Genesis game. It is a unique product, containing 10 entirely new levels of backgrounds and animations along with cinematic intermissions and an original score." Obviously, Virgin put some effort into this, and they want you to know it. The game begins with a small video screen showing some post-apocalyptic scenes from the first Terminator film. To be honest, the video quality is so grainy that you can barely tell what you're looking at. Fortunately, the game screens look terrific, loaded with vibrant colors and large, detailed objects. Playing as Kyle Reese, you face tens stages of intense platform shooting action. You begin in the apocalyptic future, but eventually work your way back to 1984, where you explore city streets, rooftops, a police station, and even the "Technoir" Bar. Armed with a rapid-fire gun and grenades, Kyle faces Arnold look-a-likes, exoskeletons, tanks, and some wild spider-shaped droids. Kyle looks somewhat dorky (he kicks his legs when he jumps), but the terminators look fierce. The gameplay is unoriginal but undeniably fun and challenging. I especially like how you can shoot diagonally while hanging off ladders. The worst thing about the game is that touching a terminator means instant death, and it sucks when you jump down from a ledge and accidentally land on one. The most remarkable aspect of the game has to be the musical score. Presented in "Q Sound", the music is simply outstanding and very consistent with the soundtrack of the film. It will get your adrenaline pumping too. Overall Terminator is a terrific Sega CD title. © Copyright 2003 The Video Game Critic.

After a little research I learned Prime was a comic book hero created in 1993 by Malibu Comics. Deemed too weak to stand on its own, Ultraverse Prime was packaged as a "Double Deal" with the previously released Microcosm (Psygnosis, 1993). Its side-scrolling beat-em-up gameplay is pure textbook, borrowing many combat elements from better games. You control a hero in red-and-yellow tights fighting muscle men in rainy alleys, lizard men in sewers, and Rock 'em Sock 'em robots in computer rooms. The characters are small by 16-bit standards and the colors are badly oversaturated. It's as if the developers cranked up the colors in an attempt to show off the system's palette. That said, the game is still fun to play. The controls feel responsive as you rapidly unleash punches, kicks, and jump-kicks. The rapid-fire punches are just about all you'll need. In the opening stage you can even hoist an entire car or dumpster over your head. Some of the best moves are clearly inspired by Batman Returns (SNES, 1993) including the ability to hurl an enemy into a wall or knock two guys' heads together. If you get overwhelmed just press all three buttons to unleash your super move. Flying stages break up the monotony but they aren't very fun because even if you punch the incoming missiles and floating mines you still take damage. Ultraverse Prime feels undercooked. While walking around a sewer, shouldn't your feet be under the water? An omnipresent gray line across the bottom of the screen looks like a glitch. And the soundtrack is just bizarre, with songs that seem totally inappropriate! Stage one's theme sounds like Christmas disco music, and the other flute-laden tunes sound like they belong in an RPG. The game does offer a few nice extras including a video documentary and a dozen digitized Prime comic books you can read in their entirety! You'll need to zoom in and out to read the words, but hey - at least they made the effort. Ultraverse Prime might not be one of the best Sega CD games but it's one of the more interesting. © Copyright 2019 The Video Game Critic.

It's hard to believe Sega signed off on this weak platformer. They must have really been really hard-up for new Sega CD titles. Wild Woody begins with a mildly entertaining full-motion video cutscene introducing the main character as a pencil possessed by the spirit of Jim Carrey. The action begins with a pirate stage featuring nice harbor scenery and boats rocking to and fro. The platform action however feels kind of stale as you climb ropes, leap over flames, grab icons, and rub out enemies with your butt. Okay that last part might be new, but the controls are a mess. Woody stumbles around like he's drunk and it's hard to tell what you can jump or grab onto. Random projectiles like cannonballs rain down from the sky. Erasing an enemy with your butt may sound like a good time, but the controls are so loose you tend to incur damage in the process. Woody can also rub out certain walls and floors marked with red arrows. The graphics aren't particularly sharp and I couldn't even figure out what some of the enemies were supposed to be. Is that a pelican carrying a huge ball sack? Advanced stages like Mythology World and Cemetery World had great potential but turned out to be very cookie-cutter. The looping "music" is abrasive and the loud sound effects are irritating. Wild Woody's one ace in the hole is his ability to "draw" power-ups. You can sketch a kite to fly, a boat to cross water, or even a sexy mermaid to mesmerize your enemies. The game actually contains a naughty mermaid "glitch" which renders her topless! Unfortunately the mechanism for employing these sketches is awkward and time consuming. Worse yet, each sketch causes Woody to become progressively shorter. When you finally grab a restorative power-up Wild Woody will vigorously yank himself until he gets big again. Ahem. It's beginning to dawn on me that this entire game may have been predicated on a lame joke. Why did they even put this on CD? I'm guessing because they could. © Copyright 2020 The Video Game Critic.

Willy Beamish is basically a point-and-click adventure where you play the role of a rambunctious boy who misbehaves in school, antagonizes his sisters, and enjoys playing his "Nintari" video console. The story begins with Willy landing in detention after his pet frog dislodges the principal's toupee during a school assembly. The graphics are cartoonish but meticulously detailed, and the quirky soundtrack grows on you. The game's offbeat style borders on bizarre, but even its juvenile humor has a certain charm. The teacher running detention is a hideous witch who actually spits as she berates the kids. Willy's mom on the other hand is a certified hottie, and the well-endowed school nurse is quite a sight as well. Willy's deceased grandfather sometimes appears as an apparition to dispense advice. Escaping the school is your first challenge, and once you begin exploring the town you uncover a plot to blow up the sewer system. Much of the gameplay involves selecting between several lines of dialogue, and choosing the wrong one can bring the game to an abrupt conclusion. You can also manipulate items in your inventory, allowing you to do things like combine items or give objects to people. One pleasant surprise is the Monster Squad mini-game you play on your Nintari. This simple shooter packs more action than the rest of the game combined. The problem with Willy Beamish is its unresponsive interface and constant loading. After clicking on something you need to wait a few seconds for it to register, and it's really aggravating. Some actions trigger tedious disk accesses that cause the screen to freeze in place for a good 10 or 15 seconds. This turns what should be an enjoyable romp into a plodding ordeal. There is a save mechanism, but it doesn't appear in Willy's backpack until after he's left the school. The irreverent humor would appeal to kids today, but I doubt they'd have the patience for this. Willy Beamish has a lot of likeable qualities and a definite nostalgic appeal, but on a technical level it has aged poorly. © Copyright 2010 The Video Game Critic.

I have a soft spot for full-motion video (FMV) games but Wirehead represents the worst the genre has to offer. We're talking about cringe-worthy graphics, abysmal control, and gameplay that defies logic at every turn. You "control" (and I use the term loosely) a dorky middle-aged father named Ned via a remote transmitter. Ned is on the run from two clumsy agents who chase him through a neighborhood, airport, saloon (?), zoo, and cruise ship. In one scene Ned appears to be wrestling with a bear! You can only issue commands (mostly directional) at specific moments and see how they play out. The action scenes are interspersed with long stretches where you do nothing but watch bad acting. To be fair, It's hard to discern the acting quality from the severely pixelated visuals. I laughed when my friend Chris squinted at a woman on the screen and remarked "I think she's remotely hot". The video consumes the entire screen but most of the time it's so blocky and washed-out that you want to avert your eyes. During dangerous situations arrows appear on the screen prompting you to quickly choose the correct direction or face an untimely demise. The thing is, it's total trial-and-error. It's never clear if the directions are relative to Ned or the camera, and in either case you can't see enough to make a rational decision. Even when you choose the correct option Ned often heads in some other direction. I couldn't get past the first scene without an FAQ, but with Chris reading off the correct moves we were able to make substantial progress. It didn't come without a price however. Namely we were bored out of our minds! I got the sinking feeling Wirehead was filmed first and made into a game later. Suffice to say it sucks as a movie and blows enormous chunks as a game. © Copyright 2014 The Video Game Critic.