You won’t believe it, but we’ve got yet another gaming birthday today! This time, it’s the Sega Mega CD’s 32nd birthday here in Japan, which was first released on December 12, 1991! So, to celebrate the occasion, let’s take a brief look at the system and some of its titles!
The Sega Mega Drive was originally released in Japan on October 29, 1988, and the Sega Mega CD, which came out roughly 3 years later, was intended to be part of the fourth generation of video game consoles. As a physical add-on to the Mega Drive, the Mega CD provided a considerable increase in data storage as it used CDs as opposed to cartridges, and therefore it could then provide CD quality sound as well. You could even play your own music CDs on the system if you wanted. Additionally, this added storage space on the CDs gave way to using full-motion video (FMV) clips in games and also lead to adopting this presentation style to an entire sub-genre of games: FMV games like Night Trap and Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective.
One of the main draw backs to the system back in the day was that each system required its own power source, one for the Mega Drive and another for the Mega CD. We didn’t exactly have large power strips like we do today, so that was a major hassle just trying to find where to plug them both in because you also had to have an outlet for the TV, too.
But likely the best games on the console were its RPGs, or at least they remain a huge part of my early gaming life. Let’s take a look at some of my top favorites as I look back on the Sega CD release, which didn’t reach the shores of the United States until nearly a year after its original release in Japan.
▶︎ Lunar The Silver Star
Released in December 1993 in the States, this game was one of my favorites for a very long time. I played so much of it, I eventually reached Level 99. I specifically remember listening to other music CDs in later playthroughs, some albums like the Pocahontas soundtrack and maybe even the Spice Girls. Wow, those were the days in the 90s! Oh, and who can’t forget Working Design’s unique flair for their localizations…
▶︎ Lunar Eternal Blue
Then came the sequel to Lunar The Silver Star, and although I also liked this one a lot, it didn’t quite come close to the first. There were a lot of gameplay enhancements, some unique changes to the mechanics like making it cost the player to save their game, but I specifically remember how this game was much more difficult than the first. There were moments when I even rage quit a few times. They also implemented a lengthy epilogue that was quite satisfying story wise, even if it was super hard to actually complete it.
▶︎ Vay
I had a very love/hate relationship with this game back in the day. The story was interesting, but gosh, the voice acting was bad, even for the 90s era. The monster encounter rate was out of this world and you’d often get into another battle after taking a mere 3 steps after the last one. The music, however, is very good and will keep you from going entirely insane.
▶︎ Dark Wizard
Again a game that possess the cheesy 90s voice acting, but it’s not necessarily bad. I don’t remember enough of the story to speak about it now, but I do remember that the game was an overall good strategy RPG with AMAZING character designs, animation, and music. I believe the main music that will play in stages will change depending on which of the four characters you choose to play, and I want to say that Amon’s theme is my favorite. I’ll add that as a bonus after the intro video below. One of the cons of this game, however, I’d have to say are the battle animations which take forever to load and are so lackluster, it may be best to turn them off.
In the end, I would highly recommend checking out these retro games if you’ve never had the chance to play them before. Some have aged better than others, but they’re all quite nostalgic to me!
So, do you have any fond memories of the Mega CD/Sega CD? Let me know in the comments below!
FirePress Japan by Blaze 'n' Rekka 
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