SHORTCUTS: 32X (PAL)


AFTER BURNER COMPLETE
Great arcade port, much better than the Megadrive version. The game really gets your adrenaline pumping with its fast action, near to arcade perfect graphics and frantic music & sound. It lacks longevity though, it has only the arcade mode, no added extra’s.

COSMIC CARNAGE
What was Sega thinking, releasing this below par fighting game. Nothing makes this game stand out, game play is sluggish and characters have only about 4 special moves each. In an effort to use the capabilities of the 32x sprite scaling was added, but more strikingly, far too many colours were added. All the characters are very colourful which makes them look ridiculous. The backgrounds are uninspired, the music is irritating and the game has only one real mode of play

DARXIDE
The last PAL 32X game to be released (dated 1996) and it's not too bad. Graphically it gives and pretty good idea of what 32X could do. It's playable enough but the missions aren't that exciting.

DOOM
There are two ways to review this game: As Doom, or as a port from the PC version. As a port this version is below par. It runs in bordered view, has some slowdown, is really pixelated, but more importantly only two episodes are available and the strongest monsters are missing. Compared to other shooters released in 1994 this is a very strong game though, Doom is a real action packed classic.
/

FIFA '96
This game feels like a try out for a new generation of FIFA games, a stepping stone if you will. The graphical engine is massively different from the Megadrive version, especially the more modern zooming and rotating camera catches the eye. It’s a shame though that it doesn’t help game play at all, controls are irresponsive and the ball is hard to follow. The game has an unfinished feel to it.

METAL HEAD
Metalhead isn’t as bad as it you might think. It’s a good showcase of what the 32x could do. Nice texture mapped buildings and mechs. It’s just a shame that the draw distance is so short. Metal Head is a straightforward, action packing mech game. It does all you might expect of a mech game, but definitely not more than that.

MORTAL KOMBAT II
With bigger sprites, better sound, added animations, 32X Mortal Kombat II is a fair step up from its Megadrive brother. The best 2D fighter on the 32X by far.

MOTORCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP
This game seems rubbish at first. The graphics are ugly, especially the bikers themselves. The tracks scale nicely, but have very boring background to them. Worse there are only three different backgrounds in total. The sound & music is below average. But strangely the game is addictive, after playing the tournament mode for a while the fun increases, the chaos seems to make way for exciting races.

NBA JAM T.E.
NBA Jam is a mild upgrade to the Megadrive version, featuring more colours, better animation, sprite scaling and a tournament mode. NBA Jam is typical arcade fare, basketball minus the rules and plus impossible (but entertaining) dunks. It’s enjoyable for a while, but lacks depth. It’s a bit better than the Megadrive version, but I do not recommend buying this game if you already own that version

NIGHT TRAP (32X CD)
Night Trap's a game you'll either love or hate. The acting is really cheesy, but the game keeps you interested the whole way trough and most certainly keeps your adrenaline pumping. The game is less than 30 minutes long, but is very hard to complete. The 32x version has a larger video screen with better video quality. The intro has been re-shot and the interface is better.

SPACE HARRIER
Space Harrier is great classic and this 32x version ports the arcade game almost perfectly. There is some slowdown, but otherwise all it’s glory remains intact. The game features no extra’s though, which is a shame. Especially considering that the arcade game was almost ten years old at the time of this 32x release.

STAR WARS ARCADE
Star Wars Arcade is a very difficult shooter. The first thing you will notice is the excellent music, the Star Wars theme has been translated well for the meagre 32x-sound output. Graphics are great, good flat shaded polygons that rival those found in Virtua Racing. The game has two modes: Arcade and 32x; both playable in both single player and two player mode (the second player is an extra gunner). The difficulty is it’s downfall, the player not only needs to watch the ship’s shields, but the timer as well. Frequently a mission is lost because the timer ran out which can be really irritating. While it last though, fighting Tie fighters is fun.

TOUGHMAN CONTEST
Toughman contest was developed by Visual concepts, later well known for their great 2k sport series. Toughman is a boxing game in first person view, only the outline and arms of your boxer are visible. This method takes a lot of getting used to, the controls are too complex and the viewpoint is confusing. Toughman Contest for the 32x is disappointing upgrade to the Megadrive version, it adds almost nothing. Graphics are almost entirely handled by the Megadrive itself, the 32x hardly breaks a sweat.

T-MEK
Some loony paid over one thousand euro for this incredibly rare release a while ago. Well, it's definitely not worth that amount, but T-MEK's reasonable. Pick up some power-ups and shoot down the enemy meks in the arena. The game is playable en
ough but the dull arenas and lack of BGM let the game down.

VIRTUA FIGHTER
Arguably the most impressive 32X game released. It's (naturally) not as good looking as the Saturn version, but everything came across very nicely. A nice piece of history, but these days it's just not as appealing as some 32X-only projects.

VIRTUA RACING DELUXE
The best version of VR ever released. Graphically far superior to the Megadrive version, game play and soundwise far superior to the Saturn and Sega Ages versions. The game aged well, the flat shaded polygons give a classic look to Virtua Racing. Two tracks have been added to the original three from the arcade release. The added track are well made and do not look out of place between the arcade tracks. A championship mode is missing, which is a real shame.




^Top

   
All content ©1999-2007 Segacollection.com, for more information contact the webmaster