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every 32x game sega never released

30/1/2018

15 Comments

 
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This might surprise you, but I didn't hate Sega's 32X.

You remember it don't you? Yes. Yes, you do. It was the other add-on for the Mega Drive - the cartridge-based one, rather than the one with the flat, shiny, roundies. It was able to play games with real nice 3D graphics and stuff, but get this: everybody in the land hated it.

I remember going to the UK launch, and being rather impressed with it. I was surprised by the amount of stick it got for all sorts of things - not least its version of Doom, which was played inside a smallish window that PC owners found hysterical. Really, though... by that point, I think people just wanted  reasons to hate anything Sega did.

Truth is, if you were a Mega Drive owner, being able to play any sort of Doom was still pretty impressive. Star Wars Arcade was decent enough. Knuckles Chaotic was an interesting - oh-hoh! - "spin" on the Sonic forumla, and there were respectable ports of Virtua Fighter and Virtua Racing.

So, in theory - in isolation - the 32X wasn't, in and of itself, bad. It refreshed the Mega Drive at a point where the Mega Drive needed refreshing. Unfortunately, timing is everything, and the 32X had the worst timing in gaming history. Indeed, were the 32X a stand-up comedian it would've taken a two-week holiday prior to delivering the punchline to the opening joke of its set.

Sega fans didn't want it, because they knew the Saturn was around the corner, and had been burned once already by an add-on - the Mega CD. Nobody else wanted it, because they were waiting for the Nintendo 64 and PlayStation. Not enough third-party developers made games for it. And, well, Sega pulled the plug after little more than a year.

Which meant that there were a lot of already-announced 32X games left in limbo. Some of these were reworked for the Saturn or other consoles. Some simply disappeared altogether. Here are ten of the latter.
VIRTUA HAMSTER
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After fighting and racing, the next logical extension of Sega's Virtua brand was, of course... hamsters. No, really; this actually existed... albeit not without generating some internal turmoil when the Virtua team objected to their brand being applied to a stupid game about little furry guys. Following this brouhaha, it was briefly retitled Virtual Hamsters, before development was halted.

Admittedly, you can sort of understand why. The game was designed to show off the 32X's polygon-shifting capabilities, and would've seen you racing a rocket-propelled hamster on a skateboard through various tunnels n' tubes - right into Richard Gere's bumhole!!!! 

​Allegedly.
32 XTREME
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Little is known about 32 Xtreme, beyond it being some sort of extreme sports title, with a number of different activities - including jet skiing, snowboarding, and,.. uhhhh... frisbee. Perhaps they would've made the frisbee-ing more extreme by requiring you to throw the frisbees... right up Richard Gere's bumhole!!!
DYNAMITE HEADDY
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One of the finest Mega Drive platformers - indeed, one of the finest platform games full stop - Dynamite Headdy was, apparently, coming to the 32X. It's unknown whether it was a brand new game, or a souped-up special edition. Either way, it simply highlights the sad fact that there has only ever been one Dynamite Headdy game.

​Why... why there no more Dynamite Headdy games, Sega?
ECCO THE DOLPHIN
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Another demonstration of how Sega didn't have a clue when it had a good thing going, the Ecco the Dolphin series never made it beyond the Mega Drive.

Yes, there was a Mega CD game, but after the cancellation of a proposed 32X instalment, Ecco was confined to history. 

Reports suggest that the 32X title may have - briefly - shifted development onto the Saturn. Either way - neither game got released. Ultimately, Ecco the Dolphin drowned when Sega bunged-up his blowhole with tissue paper.

All of which is a shame, as if rumours are to be believed, the action in the 32X version would've shifted from the deep ocean to the interior of Richard Gere's bumhole!!!!!
DAYTONA USA
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Yes: yes there was a version of Sega's arcade smash Daytona USA in development for the 32X.

Given that the Saturn version was derided for its weak, clippy, visuals and grinding frame-rate - and suffered terribly in comparison to Ridge Racer on the PlayStation, and likely contributed to the Saturn's defeat at the hands of its rival - there's little guarantee that a 32X version would have been any better.

In all honesty, I never hated the Saturn's version of Daytona as much as everybody else seemed to. I thought it played well enough that I could overlook the choppy graphics. Yes, Ridge Racer looked and played better on the PlayStation, but - for me - Daytona had more character and charm. I'm a sucker for charm.

​Charm me, daddy!
DIGITAL SHINOBI
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Another sadly forgotten Sega franchise, Shinobi was intended to continue on the 32X. Almost nothing is known about the proposed title, but even a scant hint of its existence is enough to make me howl with disappointment. You see, I loved Revenge of Shinobi on the Mega Drive.

Its immediate follow-up, Shadow Dancer, lacked something special, and every sequel since - there have been more Shinobi games released than you might have realised (most recently in 2011 on the 3DS) - has failed to live up to that first Mega Drive instalment.

Of course, the fact that Digital Shinobi was cancelled suggests it wouldn't have fared any better, but still... the grass is always greener (browner)... up Richard Gere's bum!!!!!
SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2: SPECIAL EDITION
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In much the same way that Sega failed to capitalise on its Sonic franchise by never releasing a bona-fide Sonic The Hedgehog game on the Saturn, it also dropped the ball on the 32X. Knuckles Chaotic was the closest the add-on got to a proper Sonic game, but there was also a proposed Special Edition of Sonic 2 in the works. Except: this is a big lie.

Despite rumours in the years since the 32X's demise, it's likely that Sonic 2: Special Edition never existed, and was merely the result of a cruel internet hoax. Like those rumours about Richard Gere.
SONIC MARS
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Of course, Sega did have a Sonic game in development for the 32X. Sonic Xtreme - the announced-but-never-released 3D Sonic title for the Saturn - started life as something called Sonic Mars (because Mars was the working name of the 32X, see).

By all accounts, Sonic Mars never got beyond a short proof-of-concept demo, and a pitch document which tied the game into the Sonic The Hedgehog TV cartoon series. 

Also: it was no relation to the pop singer Bruno. Do you see?
X-MEN: MIND GAMES
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A 2.5D platformer/beat 'em up/shoot 'em up hybrid, a leaked prototype of X-Men Mind Games shows the character of Bishop trapped inside a giant pinball table and fighting ninjas. It's not pretty to watch, but - as a 32X exclusive - it would've done alright, probably.

​No doubt Richard Gere would've preferred something called X-Men: Bum Games!!!!!!!!
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15 Comments
Rab
30/1/2018 09:12:09 am

I programmed up to 99% completion a 32X port of Max Carnage 2 - Separation Anxiety... Got canned before release...

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Ben Burton link
30/1/2018 09:17:58 am

Ecco did get a revival of sorts on the Dreamcast (and eventually a PS2 port) but i don’t think anyone bought it.

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Waynan The Barbarian
30/1/2018 09:23:06 am

Yeah I was sure it came out on the Dreamcast. I was beginning to think i'd imagined it.

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Mr Biffo
30/1/2018 09:55:00 am

Dammit. You're right. OF COURSE you're right.

WadaLoad
30/1/2018 11:41:17 am

Because of the exceptionally poor (or so I thought) screen-shot I was inspired to look up more information about Virtua Hamster. I must say that even as a prototype, it seems, at best, like a bit of a naff attempt at making the Sonic 2 special stages into a complete game.

I'm not convinced on the charm of the Saturn's Daytona USA. I remember it being very difficult to control, perhaps like a certain celebrity orifice?

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Biscuits
30/1/2018 01:05:55 pm

Wow, a 32X Dynamite Headdy! The mind boggles!

My friend had one of these and I remember absolutely nothing about it, past seeing it on top of his Megadrive. Mega CD had Night Trap and a few shoot em ups we liked, but I can't remember a single game for 32X.

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Bingo Rose
30/1/2018 01:47:18 pm

That X-Men screenshot looks like a Clayfighter game!

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Kelvin Green link
30/1/2018 03:08:24 pm

As I recall, the 32X came about because Sega of America thought the Saturn was too expensive at $399 and thought an interim product would be a better strategy.

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Jenny CIS
30/1/2018 03:26:21 pm

Dynamite Headdy rullleessssss

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Meatballs-me-branch-me-do
30/1/2018 03:47:43 pm

I own a 32X but found many of the games too short or easy.

Metalhead was a great mech stompy game, but I finished it the same afternoon I got it (rented, thankfully)

The motocross game was fun too, but easy and got repetitive.

Afterburner and Space Harrier are spot-on ports.

Virtual Racing is about the only must-have.

Zaxxon’s Motherbase is decent.

Knuckles Chaotix was cack. There, I said it. The new characters weren’t much fun and the stupid rings linked thing was just annoying.

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Dr. Budd Buttocks, MD
30/1/2018 05:11:52 pm

I've always found the idea of modular systems a fascinating one, and it's a shame that time and again it has proved to be a disastrous business model for products aimed at the average casual user. I can understand from a developer/publisher perspective why a fragmented user base is not appealing, but damn it, I'm a dreamer and idealist and I don't care about matters like profitability.

I wonder if the disappointing performance of the 32X and Mega CD directly resulted in Nintendo's decision to cancel the Sony CD project, leading to the N64 and PlayStation.

The thing about the 32X particularly is, it was not all that dissimilar to the previous practice of putting custom chips in game cartridges; which was common even going back to the NES, despite the small but not insignificant added cost. It’s just separating the custom hardware and the game ROM. Makes you wonder about the psychology of people happily paying £60+ for a game, but not a little bit more for a peripheral or upgrade.

In a way it’s become even more silly nowadays with people happily buying non-upgradeable phones and consoles despite them being made from mostly generic, standardised hardware and operating systems. Which will before long be heading to landfill prematurely.

The 32X is almost the quintessential example of a time when hardware development was still brave and weird and wonderful and sprouting off in unpredictable directions. Kids now are being born into an age when computers are disposable and taken for granted. It’s a shame.

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Kelvin Green link
30/1/2018 06:24:42 pm

I don't know about the MegaCD but the PlayStation was already on the way when the 32X was designed.

It seems that although Sega Japan was working on the Saturn the higher-ups weren't convinced that optical media was the future, so when Sega America proposed the 32X it was approved partly as a way for Sega to hedge its bets.

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James "James" Walker link
30/1/2018 11:58:22 pm

In the olden days I had a mega drive II off of
me mum and dad and there's no way I would have went out of my way to buy one of these bags o shite. Even in 1994 when I was on drugs and everything.

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John Veness
1/2/2018 07:50:46 am

Nine!

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David Heslop link
1/2/2018 10:56:26 am

Coming from an Amiga/PC background, I've never really understood why modular concepts, add-ons, or split marketplaces are considered "bad" in the console space. I mean, I get the financial realities of it, but since way back when I've been used to some games being "AGA Enhanced", or needing a 3D card, or running at 640x480 with the shadows turned off. How come the same doesn't seem to be true for console gamers?

If I remember rightly, Perfect Dark on the N64 required the Expansion Pack to run, but without it you could still play the multiplayer portion of the game (I think a two-player split but not a four-player split?). I kinda hope that one day - a couple of years from now - MS and Sony allow Xbox One X/PS4 Pro versions of games to have features that are essentially locked out on older systems - perhaps similar to how last-gen consoles couldn't cope with the first-person mode in GTA V. Surely that's not too arduous? I might have had an A1200, but I never had a top-end PC, so I've always been used to "it'll do" when it comes to gaming bells and whistles.

I dunno. Maybe consoles are just supposed to "work" but I kinda think that ship has sailed anyway. I can't argue with the market, and generally speaking all attempts to add extra gubbins tend to fail in the end, even if - like Kinect - they have a great launch. But like Dr Buttocks said above, I'm a dreamer too, and it'd be nice to see incremental changes or mid-generational upgrades that actually work and are popular.

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