Mega Drive/32X

"Change the way you play."
The short-lived 32X add-on for the Mega Drive was a huge blunder for Sega. It was meant as a stopgap system, something to give players a taste of the future (polygon graphics n' stuff) before the 5th generation came out. Trouble is, there was no gap: in Japan, it came out a few days after the Saturn and the PlayStation. In the USA, nobody was impressed either, as it came out a full year after the 3DO and the Jaguar. It was soon discontinued, ending up with a pitiful library of 40 games, worldwide, with only a few worth getting. It could also be combined with the Mega-CD for a monster of a system with six games, none worth much attention.
==The 32X List==
Box Art	Title 	Genre 	Description
 	After Burner Complete 	Arcade Shooter 	Near arcade perfect port of a classic. Also re-released on many other formats.
 	B.C. Racers 	Racing 	A Mario Kart style racing game with a good sensation of speed and a prehistoric setting. Also available on PC, Sega CD, and 3DO but the 32X version is the best one.
 	Blackthorne 	Adventure / Platformer	Good Blizzard platformer with the manliest man wielding a shotgun. You should save your kingdom from orcs with shotguns and free your people. Cause you are a king. Who was trapped in the earth realm. I know that does not make much sense but this game rocks! And this version has one unique level, which can't be seen in the SNES and PC versions. The backgrounds were changed to a more CGI look. Some like it and others don't.
 	Doom 	FPS 	The first console port of Doom released (the Jaguar one was in development first, but came out later). There's a few things removed from this versions (levels, complex designs, enemies, the BFG, Ep. 3), but it has the gore the SNES version hasn't. However, the music sounds like farts. Also doesn't run like ass, unlike the 3DO, SNES, or Saturn ports. As always, the PC version is the best.
 	Knuckles Chaotix 	Platformer 	Like Sonic, but you tag-team between players to clear randomly selected stages. Is the first game to feature Vector, Espio, and Charmy, who would reappear in some sonic games later one, such as Sonic Heroes (playable) and Shadow (not playable). Only game to have Mighty the Armadillo, or 'sonic with a red hoodie'. SegaSonic the Hedgehog (yes, really) is an arcade game with Sonic, Mighty and a flying squirel named Ray (yes, really). In game physics are a bitch to learn, but rewarding once you get the hang of it. Level design is less inspired than core Sonic games, but still enjoyabale. DAT SOUNDTRACK.
 	Kolibri 	Shoot 'em Up 	Play as a bird and shoot flies... Made by the people behind Ecco so you know it's gonna be a weird ride. Greatest use of the 32x's color palette available and some solid gameplay to boot. Levels vary between free-roaming shoot 'em ups, fixed scrolling 2D shootan, pseudo-escorts, and labyrinth puzzle/obstacle courses. Look up the story because the game gives no fucks about it.
 	Metal Head 	Action 	Play as a robot mech thing, in 3D! Gameplay varies between destroy all enemies, destroy a specific target, and reaching a certain location. Definitely one of the 32x games that tries the hardest in terms of graphics. Has a hilarious as fuck secret code to unlock anime team portraits that replace a George HW Bush knockoff with a random anime woman.
 	Mortal Kombat II 	Fighter 	The best port of the best Mortal Kombat ever. Nuff said. Music is still inferior to the SNES and Arcade version due to reusing the Genesis soundtrack, but the graphics and load times are the best you'll get on a home console.
 	NBA Jam Tournament Edition 	Sports 	Hey! Hey you! Do you want to be on fire? Do you want to throw 3 points like it's no one's business? Well, now you can! The most goofy take on basketball out there by midway. It's 2on2 street basketball but with NBA stars. Take your friend with ya and start jamming. Boom-shacka-lacka.
 	Shadow Squadron 	3D shooter 	A good space 3D shooter, some of the best 32X visuals, and quite more enjoyable than Star Wars Arcade. Play as Feather 2 for an easy run, Feather 1 for hard. Protip: Tap B twice at max speed to use after burners. It's impossible to finish Mission 6 otherwise.
Known as Stellar Assault in Japan and Europe. Received an update/sequel on the Saturn (Stellar Assault SS), though its pretty rare and expensive.
 	Space Harrier 	Arcade Shooter 	Near arcade perfect port, shooting things is fun! WELCOME TO THE FANTASY ZONE! GET READY.
 	Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Starship Bridge Simulator	Space Simulator 	Pretty decent Space Sim and a fantastic enhanced port of the SNES original. Might be a bit too complex for non-fans of Star Trek.
 	Tempo 	Platformer 	Platformer with nice music theme, though some of the tunes are a bit awkward. It's arguably Japan's answer to our goofy-cool stuff like Earthworm Jim, with similar humorous elements, such as what may be the weirdest invincibility ever. The game was developed by Red Entertainment, the same guys behind the weird and strange Bonk series. This does explain why the game is a bit strange.
A sequel is on Saturn, Super Tempo, but it plays notably different. A "remix" is on Game Gear, called Tempo Jr., but it sucks.
 	Virtua Fighter 	Fighter 	This was pretty much the reason to own a 32X! Forget about the Saturn port, this is the definitive home version. Although the graphics and sounds are weaker here, the gameplay is identical to the arcade, unlike the rushed Saturn port.
 	Virtua Racing Deluxe 	Racing 	Like the Genesis/Mega Drive version but with better graphics, more levels and vehicles, and better controls. While the Saturn port has even more content and the SEGA AGES PS2 port has fancy shadows and 60 fps, everyone seems to consider the 32x version as the superior home port due to the Saturn version suffering from frame-pacing issues and stiff controls, and the some of the remix soundtrack sucks, while the PS2 version has darker colors and also suffers from stiff controls, not to mention the botched difficulty (4 laps per race compared to 5 laps in the arcade original).
150px 	WWF Wrestlemania Arcade 	Fighting 	Great arcade port, this game was somehow popular back then. And hey, it was done by Midway, so quality is on a high level! Nice cheesy wrestling action, which doesn't take itself serious. Stay away from WWF Raw, it sucks.
==Videos==
DF Retro's Failed Consoles-DF Retor - Sega 32X - We Play Every Game -Part One-
DF Retro's Failed Consoles Sega 32X - We Play Every Game Part Two
Category:Fourth Generation
Category:Sega
Category:Add-on