The Sega 32X Memorial
Dedicated to the machine that was "a day late and a dollar short"

You never forget your first love, and in the field of video gaming, for me, that's my Atari 2600.  But probably my favorite system was my Sega Genesis.  There was a can-do spirit powering it in its early days that made it Nintendo's first serious competitor for the American video game market.

As time went on and Nintendo released the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Sega saw their little workhorse falling behind.  They tried a couple of things to spritz it up.  One was a CD add-on attatchment.  The other was the 32X.  Intended to bridge the gap between the Genesis and the Saturn, the 32X boosted the Genny's capabilities to rival the Super Nintendo Entertainment System with scaling, rotation, and an equal number of colors.

I know...doesn't sound like they thought this through.  That's true.  Instead of leap-frogging the Genny ahead and buying it some extra life, it only caught it up to a system that wasn't going to last much longer, anyway.  The sound was the same, which means good when handled properly, but not the crisp realistic sound the Playstation or Saturn (or even Nintendo's own SNES) was capable of.

Still, it was a brave little experiment, and not just famous for its folly.  Although not many of the titles were all that great when it was arround, there were still some good times to be had.  My dream of getting a hold of supplies to create and make my own 32X games is mothballed and collecting dust, alongside my dreams of flying the space shuttle, marrying Jaclyn Smith, and writing a movie script that will outgross Titanic, Star Wars, and Independence Day combined.  It's the file marked, "Sure, anything's possible, but get real."

There are approximately thirty-one (31) game cartridges released for the 32X here in the United States, not counting those CD games.  For the CD add-on, there are only five titles for that.  My current count as far as the carts goes is at 31--I have caught them all!  I also have all the 32X CD titles.  While this doesn't include prototypes, I wouldn't mind if any of those (like the Daytona USA that was reportedly in the works) came my way.  For the moment, I'll just stick with the official list.

The list of titles (U.S. releases):

After Burner
fly boy-n. 1. a pilot, usually of an airplane.  2. slang--a video game fanatic who tends to gravitate towards games that involve controlling a flying machine.  Believed to have originated with some sarcastic jackass about an hour south of Chicago.
    After Burner is one of those games that made us flyboys standing in front of the game slackjawed, and that occasionally included the one playing at the moment.  This was a true arcade experience.  There were no fuel gauges, no altimeter, none of that.  Just a supply of missiles, unlimited ammo in your Vulcan gun, speed control, and your skill.  If it moved, shoot it down.  The view was technically third person, right behind the jet.  But the jet stayed level.  The first time any player did a barrel roll, where the jet stayed put and the screen spun around as the rock music played, that did it.  They were hooked.
    The plot is simple:  there are two enemy installations for microwave communications.  That is not allowed.  So you are to fly your SSF-14 fighter jet into enemy territory and take them out.  If anyone tries to intercept you, get them, too.
    Graphically, this is the arcade game, with the screen wider instead of taller.  While the regular Genesis version After Burner II had the barrel roll and speed perfect, it had to keep the scenery sparse because it couldn't handle everything.  Not here.  The backgrounds maintain all the amazing detail and smoothness no matter what the speed.  But somehow, the 32X version isn't as much fun.  The Brian May-type background music that was killer in the arcade (and made more keyboard influenced on the Genesis, but still very faithful and engaging) sounds flatter than the Genesis version (but still an improvement of the Version 2 garbage on the Sega CD After Burner III).  Not bad, but get this only if you find the Genesis version too expensive.

BC Racers
Us Genny fans remember a couple of games by Virgin Interactive called Chuck Rock and Son Of Chuck.  These two games were harder than hell to master and an absolute scream, great fun.  Virgin began this game as "Chuck Rock Racing", probably in response to the Super Mario Kart craze that had begun at the time, but abandonned it.  Front Street took over the completion and release.
    The game becomes a strange blend of Super Mario Kart and Road Rash.  Not only are you racing, the passenger in your sidecar is trying to knock down and/or out the other racers as you pass them by.  Yes, a side cart, which presents the game's first logistical nightmare--you can only attack on one side.  While the scaling and rotation is okay, it is nowhere as good as Super Mario Kart and makes it hard to like the game.  Add to that the fact that the quirky humor and thought-out layouts are missing from here, the only grins coming from the names of some of the racers, and you wonder if Virgin dumped the project because the 32X was dying, or if they realized the joke just wasn't going anywhere.  The usually high standards of the company that spawned this got watered down by Front Street, which, to my knowledge, has never released another game on another system.
    And thank God for that.

BlackThorne
If you're one of those people who decries the lack of a Prince Of Persia or Flashback--The Quest For Identity on the 32X, well, get ready to lose those blues, buddy.  BlackThorne came and went, but can still be found.
    The above gives the impression that, whatever this is, it is envisioned by a comic book artist who likes big guns, macho men, and lots of flash over substance.  You would be correct.  BlackThorne starts off with a backstory that would be terrific for a fantasy adventure novel.  A leader of the world of Thuul has two sons, who are pretty much equal, so neither is the automatic heir.  The father leads them to the desert.  The two sons return, each carrying a crystal, one light, one dark.  They explain their father became the crystals, and each will guide the populous.  So the citizenry splits in two.  Those following the dark crystal, though, don't realize it is consuming all their resources.  A fellow named Sarlac realizes it, though, and instigates a war against their peaceful neighbors with the light crystal.  From the time you were born, you were destined to liberate all people and restore order.  After being hidden away on Earth, you return to your planet to play Guns 'N Moses.
    This is not a typical action game.  The controls are very detailed, and actions alter depending on whether you are holding your shotgun (with unlimited ammo) or not.  You can fire in either direction without turning, but each shot requires your character to cock the shotgun again, creating a slight delay.  You can talk to other prisoners on your quest to destroy Sarlac.  You also run, jump chasms, climb ledges, and so on.  Like I said, very Prince Of Persia.
    BlackThorne has the makings of an interesting game, but one problem:  control.  It is very sluggish, making you wonder if you even pressed the right button.  Also, if the bad guys shoot you, they stop, look at the camera, and laugh evilly.  You recover before they stop laughing, making them sitting ducks.  It feels phony.  This might be to make up for the sluggish controls, but give me a break.  Interesting play mechanics, but you are definitely better off with one of the games that inspired this.  So so.

Brutal--Above The Claw
This review is not complete, and won't be complete.  Why?  This game has bugs, goddammit!
    The Brutal franchise started off interesting, but the execution lacked.  The first game (Paws Of Fury) was released on the Sega CD.  It was a one-on-one fighting game with anthropomorphic animals as the combatants.  Each was also supposed to have their own art as well, but there didn't seem to be any difference except in the area of special attacks.  These were occasionally cartoony and funny, and unique to the characters.  Well, once you got them.  You start off with no special attacks, and you are rewarded with them as you advance through the matches.  This kind of negated the purpose.  If you could beat all your opponents without specials while they had theirs, you didn't need to learn them.  Result:  a game that wasn't as much fun because it didn't seem fair.
 All my complaints about my Sega CD version hold up.  First, the idea of being taught special moves instead of having them immediately available returns, is still an interesting idea, but once again, all the other fighters already have all their special moves, so things start off a bit unfair.  Add to that that the first character I faced (I believe it was always Pantha) has a taunt move that also lets him recover strength.  Once again, you start the game with no special moves, so your health bar remains however it is.  The collision detection is a bit annoying, but the worst thing is the clock.  One of my techniques in playing fighting games is, when I face opponents to tough for me to fight, I wear them down just below my strength level and let the clock run out.  Since my opponent's strength meter is lower than mine, I win.  But when I tried this with Above The Claw, my game froze up when the clock ran out.  I tried cleaning the game, but that wasn't it.  It has to be a programming problem.  Get this game if you want to complete your collection, but for serious one-on-one fighting, look elsewhere.

Cosmic Carnage
One thing the 32X has in short supply is fighting games (actually, what the 32X has in short supply is ANY games). Cosmic Carnage had an open option to do something special.  Not only was there not much competition on the unit for fighting game attention, but this would be a chance to show off something with high quality visuals--something to make people who bought a 32X not feel like they got ripped off.
    Alas, it is not to be. Cosmic Carnage starts off with an interesting story, interesting presentation, and interesting other stuff, but can't maintain.  The storyline concerns a prison starship that crashes.  There are equal number alien criminals and enforcers on the ship, and only one lifepod remaining.  Whichever character you choose has to defeat everyone else in one-on-one combat to get away.
    So the plot doesn't make much sense.  Neither does the choice of imagery.  The action zooms in and out as pioneered in Art Of Fighting, but it doesn't have anything to underscore with the technique.  All the enforcers have armor, that looks neat, but, like Fighting Vipers on the Saturn, doesn't really seem to have any effect--damage is about equal with or without it.  The colors are rather bland, with big, hulky characters that look rough, not crisp and clear.  With the storyline, it would have been nice to see the characters battling their way through the ship, with some of the damage appearing in the background (ruptured pipes, red alert lights, etc.).  Nothing really here, and some of the backgrounds, like one that apparently takes place outside the ship with asteroids drifting by in the background, might make a casual observer go, "Wow," but if you're caught up in the game, it just seems incongruous.
    Some of the attacks fit the characters, but they don't seem that original.  What's more, the controls are not intuitive.  They could be easier to grasp so that you aren't wondering, "What kind of basic attacks do I have again?"  The music is pretty good, but that's about it from a so-so fighter.

Doom
I think I'm one of the three people on Planet Earth that doesn't have Doom on his computer (I do have Quake, though, so I'm not beyond hope).  I've heard plenty of Doom purists say this is the weakest version of the game, and not just because the view doesn't take up the whole sceen.  It has the fewest levels, you can't get the BFG 9000 super gun, and the animations are only for the characters facing head on, so you can't tell if you are sneaking up on an enemy and they don't see you or what.
    Suppose you are like me and don't have it on other formats.  Is the game acceptable?  Yes.  All the trademarks of Doom's gameplay are here.  It is a first-person shooter that you wouldn't think is that involving, but the atmosphere makes the game maddeningly effective.  Even if you get bored with all the first-person stalk and kill shooters out there, you still hear a growl and immediately take up a position to scan your surroundings and blast anything that moves.  If you are one of those people that knows all the in's and out's of Doom, this is going to seem watered down.  If, like me, you don't mind as long as it's an enjoyable experience, you'll get some thrills.  Although you'll be annoyed if you restart a level and don't even have any of the weapons you brought with to that point.

Golf Magazine Presents 36 Great Holes....
My, that's so nice and sporting for Sega, Golf Magazine, and Fred Couples to plug Atari's late, lamented portable game system, isn't it, folks?  ;-)
    Golf games are golf games.  They can be cutesy, sure, but for the most part, you know what you're getting.  Having mastered the intricacies of Golf on my Atari 2600, I never really considered golf to be more than a quaint diversion.  I understand club selection, how the angle and type affects distance, the lay of the land, and so on.  But ultimately, golf just doesn't grab me.  So expect a real bias in this review.
    Because of the bias mentioned above, my experience with golf games is very limited.  There's Golf and Miniature Golf on my 2600, some arcade games with a track ball to determine your swing, Arnold Palmer Golf on my Genny, and Golf on my Game Boy.  That pretty much covers it for me, both in experience and expectations.  To me, a golf game is a basic test of skill and reflex that doesn't require much button-mashing.  So it doesn't take much for me to be occupied with a golf game (enthralled is another matter).  As such, Golf Magazine Presents blah blah blah blah.... is just fine.  Graphics are nice, game play keeps you interested, a grand old time if you've forgotten your nitro tablets.  Not exactly a game I would reach for for an afternoon of fun, but not something to be brushed away.

Knuckles' Chaotix
Nintendo has Mario, Sega has Sonic The Hedgehog as a video game franchise mascot.    Sega made Sonic games for it's systems, the CD, the Game Gear, the Genny of course, and the Master System (release in England, not in the U.S.  Ugh).  But the 32X didn't get Sonic.  It got Knuckles, a supporting character and misunderstood villian first introduced in Sonic 3.  He's been shown to be a good guy and Sonic's pal, and is rewarded with his own title on the 32X, which is akin to being the MVP of the CBA.
    Us dyed in the wool Sonic fans heard that there was a Sonic game in the works for the 32X and we practically started drooling over our video game mags, thinking about how fast this game would run.  Knuckles, however, does not have Sonic's speed, and neither does any of his supporting cast except in rare incidences.  An amusement park is built on Knuckles' island, but Dr. Robotnik moves in to claim the Chaos Rings and take over the world.  So Knuckles and his pals, including Vector the Crocodile, Charmy Bee, and a couple of bomb-type robots that escaped Robotnik, try to get the rings first and destroy Robotnik's devices.
    The game does have an innovative technique:  there's your character (I almost always choose Knuckles) and a partner.  Unlike Tails with Sonic, though, you and your partner each carry a magic ring.  A star trail connects them, and using it's elasticity, you can build up speed or drag your partner with you or use him to reach tough areas.  The rest is like the Sonic games, stages and level ending bosses and rings to gather.
    This game may be a letdown if you were expecting a Sonic game, but taken on its own, it's still a pretty slick time.  The fact that you can try as many times as you like with no limit on lives makes exploring the huge (if somewhat disappointingly linear) levels is a big plus, as well as saving your progress.  Approached with a little strategy, the game is actually quite fun.  The bonus levels, an "over the shoulder" view as you rush through tunnels to gather rings, is the only letdown.  The jumps can get very tricky and at times your death there feels cheap.  Still, a very solid title on its own merits with great scenary and characters with real personality.  The stand-still animations are all appropriate for each character, from the restless but patient Knuckles to Vector, who wears headphones and gives you the thumbs-up as he picks up speed or starts jamming to the music and dancing.  The music is variations on a theme, but is pretty perky and enjoyable.  Here's another one that should be in a casual 32X gamer's collection.

Kolibri
Ah, Novotrade...the company that brought us Ecco The Dolphin.  I really liked the Ecco games.  But if you think the Ecco games were hippie crap, Kolibri will change your mind by comparison.
    The story for the game is that the Earth is a living organism.  A dark crystal falls from space to Earth, corrupting the planet's life force and creating mutations and disease that threatens to ruin life.  The Earth Spirit summons all its strength and gives it to Kolibri, a hummingbird.  It then falls to Kolibri to destroy the corrupting influence and save the world.
    Ooooookay.
    Kolibri is a meek looking creature that can fly and hover.  He also shoots laser rays.  Trust me, he shoots laser rays.  A variety of them, in fact.  He can fly normal or dart.  He uses these abilities to locate corrupted life sources, like flowers and such, and nullify/neutralize/blow up these things.  A narrative is introduced, but it's effect is negligable.  The graphics are very nice, if a little artificial looking.  I think it's the parallax scrolling.  It doesn't look quite right, like you are flying in front of cardboard backdrops.
    Unlike Ecco, where you could conceivably believe this was an adventure a dolphin might have, Kolibri is shooter that makes you wonder where the laser rays and such come from.  That, combined with flowers that spit out weapon power-ups but no apparent health and an infinite number of attackers ruins the illusion of actual events.  So it makes you focus on the game, which despite some gorgeous graphics, is not really exciting or engaging.  This game is hard to come by, so be prepared to compete for it.  Just don't compete too hard.

Metal Head
People looooove mechs.  The idea of piloting a giant robot, basically a technological way to realize childhood, "I am Godzilla, destroy the city!" fantasies, is simply too cool.  With the advent of Robotech and Battletech, mechs have become engrained in gamer culture, a natural fit if there ever was one.
    Metal Head brings mech combat action to the 32X, and unlike Battletech, this is a first-person adventure.  Your view is usually from the cockpit of your mech.  Since your peripheral vision is limited, and since this is a mech so it takes time to turn, two buttons on the six button controller shift the view to outside the mech on the left or right, giving you an instant view of what is going on on the side.  In a nice touch, the mech controls the exact same way during this view, so you don't need to adjust your control scheme if you do this on the fly.  Very nice.
    The plot is unimportant.  The city has rogue mechs running around.  Blow 'em up.  You get a radar overlayed on the cockpit view, drawn in white and making it hard to see against light buildings, that pinpoints where the enemy is in a roughly two block radius.  There are weapon power-ups and so on here, so get hunting.
    Although the slowness of the mechs takes some getting used to, other mechs have the same problem, so everything is kept fair.  The graphics are a tiny bit jerky, but not bad.  The visuals are very nice and detailed as you roam the city.  The targeting system is crisp and responsive.  Use a six button controller since that gives each function its own control.  It won't set the world on fire, lacking the crisp animation of Doom or crystal clear sound effects, but that doesn't matter.  This is a very solid action title that may not break new ground, but definitely delivers the goods.  Not a bad way to spend quality gaming time.

Mortal Kombat II
I loooove Mortal Kombat.  Up until MK4, that is, when the whole thing suddenly went south.
    But here is MKII, in all its bloody glory.  You get all the characters in what could possibly be the closest you can get to the arcade aside from MKII on the Saturn.
    A group of seven martial arts warriors defeated the villian Shang Tsung at the Mortal Kombat tournament.  Intended to syphon souls from Earth to the evil warlord Shoa Kahn in a realm called Outworld, Shang Tsung realizes that his goose is cooked unless he comes up with a plan.  So he offers to continue the tournament, bringing the fighters to Outworld where Shoa Kahn can defeat them himself.  This appeals to Kahn's ego, and he brings the tournament to his realm.
    Compared to the Genny version, this is no contest.  The graphics, although a bit blocky in spots, are vastly improved, close enough to the memories of the arcade.  The voices are there, too.  But once again, this version is hamstrung by the sound limitations of the Genny.  The music sounds a bit weak, with the music especially suffering compared to the 8-bit custom chip in a SNES.  Also, the difficulty is bad.  No matter what the setting, the first fighter is a pushover and everyone afterwards will school you big time.  A challenging fight is one thing, but this feels downright unfair.  But if you have the 32X, get this and only get the regular MKII for the Genny for your Nomad.

Moto Cross Championship
Every once in a while, you find a game that is a victim of its own ambitions.  Thanks to processors that can push polygons, the good old racing days of the original Monaco GP are over.  This isn't to say that a game without that stuff can't be good.  Super Monaco GP on the Genny is an absolutely classic racer that is plenty fun without polygons.  In fact, the Genny can't even scale and rotate without heavy duty help (like from the CD or 32X), and still pulls off a sweet game.
    Motocross Championship tries to run a race, kind of like an over-the-shoulder view of Excitebike.  But you aren't going to give up your 8-bit for this.  The game lets you race a variety of track with a variety of bikes, and you can even knock your opponents around (there's that Road Rash influence again).
    The game's problem, very simply, is that it can't do what it wants to do.  The animation as you run around the track is very choppy, not enough that you can't keep track of the activity around you, but enough to ruin the sensation of movement and becoming just an exercise where you are conscious of pressing the buttons and tilting the control pad.  There's no real involvment, no matter how hard you look.  Pass on it.

NBA Jam:  Tournament Ediditon
    This is my favorite sports game on the 32X.
    Hell, yes, I'm biased.  But I admit it.
    Considering this game is on just about every system except the Timex/Sinclair 1000 (joke, but not by much.  I have this exact version on my Game Boy, Genny, Saturn, Atari Jaguar, and now, my 32X), most people should know what they're getting.  It is arcade basketball.  There is some consideration for resting your basketball players and such, but that's not the main appeal.  It's the fast 2 on 2 action, the occasional power-ups, and those cool ass dunks.
    The little things from the arcade, like how the characters get a bit smaller as they move further from you on the court, are here.  So, to sum up:
    The bright side:  it's NBA Jam!
    The down side:  it's NBA Jam.
    There isn't much difference between the 32X version and the others (except the Game Boy, which seems a bit sluggish), so while I love the game, I look at how many versions of this game and wonder, "Am I crazy?  How many do I need?"  Well, I needed at least this one, but I don't think I need any more copies.  So get it if you do not have it on any other system, but the two versions I prefer are my Saturn copy (with crystal clear sound and CD music) and my Genesis version, which I can play on my Nomad.  Grab on the cheap.

NFL Quarterback Club
    Basketball is my game, but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy a good sports game.  It just means it takes a little something extra to provide the thrill.  In the realm of pigskin contests, I quite enjoy Super High Impact, NFL Blitz (a.k.a. Super High Impact Version 2), and no gamer, football fan or not, will ever deny the Madden games, the undisputed king with the crown.
    Acclaim's NFL Quarterback Club is probably a hit for some reason, but I can't really figure out why.  There really doesn't seem to be anything special about it.  The graphics are adequate, but they don't really grab you.  The football games on my plain old Genny look more engaging.  I'm not sure if it's just that they don't look quite right, but there you go.
    The sound?  Even for the 32X, it's kind of weak.  It's like listening to a tape on a microcassette recorder of crowd noise and music.  You know what it's supposed to be, but it just doesn't register with you.  Unlike other games which operate within the sound limitations and find ways to make them work, this sounds more like they just digitized the sound and music and let go.
    The game play?  Selecting the plays, even in one player mode where the computer can't see what you're choosing, is a reflex contest.  You only get three plays to choose from at a time, and so many cycle through so quickly, you're not quite sure if you picked the one you wanted.  The actual gameplay just doesn't feel exciting.  The old fade back for a pass or find an opening to run on offense, or try to find a hole or cover a likely passer on defense.  This game does nothing to grab you.  There's no real acknowledgement of your skill or strategy.  It's a by-the-numbers football game that is an also ran.  Hell, Football on my Atari 2600 is more entertaining than this.  Not a spiffy effort, it should be sent to the showers.

Pitfall--The Mayan Adventure

Primal Rage
    Yeah, I've felt like this picture after waking up sometimes.
    If my memory serves me correctly, this game came out just before that branch of Atari Corp. was bought up by Williams.  Atari clearly was betting on this to save them.  They should have tried reviving Pit Fighter instead.
    The story is that the Earth has undergone an apocolypse.  There are now seven areas, each with its own monster ruling it.  You pick one monster, and try to conquer the other lands of New Urth.
    Yes, you can duke it out as giant monsters like in a Godzilla movie.  The animation looks like Ray Harrihausen designed them.  This normally isn't so bad, but for some reason, it doesn't seem as detailed (certainly, Harrihausen would kick these graphics artists' butts).  The scenery looks nice, but doesn't really grab you.  And the gameplay isn't very engaging.  No matter the difficulty, you still feel like you've played better than this and why aren't you playing it now?
    A better twist on the whole "battling monsters" thing is King Of The Monsters from SNK on the Neo Geo or in the arcades and the ever classic Rampage.  This just doesn't quite cut it.  Not involving enough.  Good idea, lousy execution.

RBI Baseball '95
    The RBI Baseball games have always been my favorite baseball titles, even more than Sega's own Clutch Hitter.  Fun, arcade-style baseball that was great solo or with a trash-talking opponent.  As baseball games have gotten more and more sophisticated, Atari's RBI titles have tried to tread a fine line between enacting special features other games are incorporating (player stats and such) and keeping it simple for us noncompulsives who still haven't figured out how players can see the pitcher release the ball and adjust their swing to aim to a certain part of the field.
    Not much of a baseball nut, the RBI appeal never quiet registered with me.  Proudly released by Atari's then owner, Time-Warner, this game is still fun to play.  You get plenty of options, like the home run derby (perfect for practicing your swings without getting frustrated about losing a regular game).  Control is tight, and the game more than succeeds at its goal.  The graphics are not only nice, there are some terrific touches here, too.  In a regular game, players in the outfields stand around.  Once the pitch is selected, they hunker down and get ready for action as the pitcher goes into his wind-up.  Very nice.  The graphics seem a tad artificial, but not bad, and they still have a certain charm all their own, just like the first RBI in the arcades and on the NES all those years ago.  While there certainly aren't enough differences to make this worth picking up if you have the previous year's model, on it's own, it is very good, and holds up well compared to the other baseball titles on the Sega combo.  Hmmm...if only they could have put the Sportstalk feature in there...nah, that would have moved it too far from the arcade style.  But it still would have been cool.

Shadow Squadron
This is my personal favorite on the 32X, and one of my favorites on my whole Genesis/CD/32X/Master System combo, so expect some bias in this review.
    This is another of those "You are the only pilot left to fight the huge alien armada."  But it actually uses the 32X polygon-pushing hardware to draw all the objects.  Because of this, you are given incredible freedom of movement.  You can attack your opponent from literally any direction--from above, below, the side, anywhere.  The enemy fleet ships seemed to be built along the lines of Lego blocks in that you can destroy sections of it at a time, or find the one weak spot and blow it all at once.  The enemy fighters are also fairly agressive, too, and the music is some of my favorite on a game system.
    This isn't to say the game doesn't have problems.  For one thing, the instruction manual isn't very clear about objectives or (especially in the case of the last level with the solar detonator) how exactly to proceed.  This is remedied by choosing the Feather 2 ship and selecting autopilot, so it flies you to your target and you know what you are looking for when you fly solo.  The Feather 1 ship with it's autotargetting is a joke and I can't make the shield work right.  You can also hit super speed or super slow, but how isn't explained in the instructions.  What fighter pilot doesn't understand his machine when he climbs in it?  The Feather 2, in fact, is easily the better choice.  The ships fly aerodynamically in space (I know it's impossible, but hey....), and some enemy fire moves slow enough that dodging could put you off your target.  The Feather 2 can actually shoot down enemy fire, enabling you to clear the road when you have tricky manuvering to do, like when you fly inside the superstructure of the ship in Level 5 to blow up the power core.  The barrel roll feature is as worthless as down feather pillow at a bungee jump.
    Still, as long as you pick the Feather 2, the game is rollicking fun, and the solar detonator at the end blows up real good.  One of the few "must-have" titles on this system.

Space Harrier
My first experience with Space Harrier was on my Master System, and God! I love that game.  I still play it, in fact.  I also enjoyed the slightly choppier but expanded Space Harrier 3D and Space Harrier II on my Genny.  When I tried Space Harrier in the arcades, though, I was disappointed.  The game moved so fast, it gave you the feeling of a thrill ride than an actual adventure.  It was a case where the inferior home systems stepped up and carried through, creating a more lasting impression.
    The 32X version of Space Harrier is almost arcade perfect, and as you might have guessed, that isn't exactly a compliment.  The music sounds more synth-metal and seems to repeat more often than any other version.  The action is blistering fast, and while the enemies zoom in and out quite smoothly thanks to the scaling hardware, the movements and collisions don't feel right.  Being able to continue only from certain levels is annoying as hell, when you crash and burn close to the end of twelve and you can only continue from level 6 or 13 and only when you actually reach them.  A diversion, but stick with the better ones for the other systems in the combo.

Spider-Man:  Web Of Fire
This, folks, is one of the highlights of the 32X exhibit.  The first games released were Doom and Star Wars Arcade.  Coming full circle, we have this, the last game made and released for the 32X.  It was also one of the last for the Genny, but not THE last (that honor goes to an arcade perfect conversion of Frogger).  This game is difficult to find, but I wouldn't call it the rarest.  This will fetch some bucks, but not that many.  Some dealers trumpet it's place in 32X history and it's uncommonness and will try to extort a lot of cash for it, so watch your wallet.
    The plot of the game is that Hydra has spread a laser net over the city.  The Web Of Fire will not allow anyone in or out unless the city coughs up $1 billion in ransom.  Daredevil attempts to run down the source, but he gets captured, so it's up to our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.
    The game controls similar to the first Spider-Man on the Genny, only web fluid icons abound through the game, so the picture taking aspect is history.  Spidey runs, jumps, swings, shoots webs, and he packs a wicked punch.  Plus, once you free Daredevil, you can pause the game and get his help.  Nice fellow.  You have to track down all the generators throwing the Web Of Fire over the city and smash them to bits, defeating the generators' guardians as you go.
    First up, the graphics.  They are very, very nice.  The opening cinema, with the Web Of Fire over the city is a great image.  The settings look very nice, although the best graphics go to the Webhead himself.  Spidey animates beautifully, with his different punches having plenty of frames.  When he starts swinging away, watch out.  Also great looking is when he's crawling on walls and flips onto a floor or ceiling.  The movements are wonderful.  Some moves are standard looking, like the web swing, but that's fine.
    So how does it play?  It's one of the best on the system.  No one can say the 32X didn't go out with a bang.  The control is wonderfully tight, with little time required to (pardon the pun) get in the swing of things.  You'll be moving like you've been Spider-Man your whole life in no time.  It takes some trial and error to get the lay of the land.  You'll crawl down a building side and the scene will reset, taking away one of your lives, with no warning or explanation.  In a testimonial to the game design, being forced to start over again isn't frustrating as long as you are smart with your web fluid.  If you are, you look forward to the challenge again instead of wanting to slam the control pad through the floorboards.  The designers also thought about their subject matter very hard.  Spidey does some things you expect someone with his dexterity to do, like use a clothesline as a trampoline.  His running and jumps suggest the strength his frame carries.  A terrific title, and one very much worth seeking out.

Star Trek-Starfleet Academy
This is one of those games where those who live and breath the subject matter will do best at (which is why I am continually getting my butt kicked in Pokemon).  This takes place at Starfleet Academy on Earth.  You are a cadet of your limited choice--gender, first name, last name, skill level, all human and not a single Minbari in sight ;-).  You are given a series of training missions in the simulator as well as chances to interact with the other cadets.  This is to make you a great Starfleet officer.
    When you aren't flying your simulator around, you are sitting in your quarters reviewing grades and basic info on the Star Trek universe.  You can also go to the classes to learn some basics, and you can go to the lounge to talk with your simulator crew, and if that isn't fun at the old ball park, I don't know what is.  They have rudementary personalities, although some are just plain rude.  You can also shoot pool there, a game I have yet to master and this isn't any easier, since the stick limits the amount of power you put in your shot.
    The biggest problem with this game is the menus.  Just trying to pause the game can't be done at any time, even with something as mundane as playing pool.  Not only that, but there are not many options on the different menus on the bridge, creating some confusion as to what you have control over and what you don't.  It takes some annoying trial and error to learn what is supposed to be common knowledge in the Trek universe.  The whole thing runs a bit sluggish, too.  The music is annoying as hell, too, a take on the TV and movie music that sounds like it was played on one of those first generation Casio keyboards.  Moderating diverting, but not much oomph to the title if you aren't that into Trek.  It uses a password save system, too, so grab your pen and paper.

Star Wars Arcade
God, I hate this game.  For those of us who grew up with Star Wars, the idea of Rebel Assault where you could actually fly around instead of riding on rails is too tempting to resist, a temptation rivaled only by the scenario, "Bill Clinton's in the dunk tank.  Three balls for a dollar."  You get to be an actual X-Wing pilot and take on the Empire single-handed (hey, it's a video game.  You didn't really expect a support squadron, did you?), so buckle up, Spanky.
    So what's wrong?  Plenty.  First up, you don't have complete freedom of movement.  You can yaw (turn left or right) 360 degrees, but up and down is limited.  You climb or dive, but immediately level off and fly straight when you release the stick or reach the ceiling or floor of the play area.  The lasers on the X-Wing (four of 'em, one on each wing) are obvious designed for something approaching rapid fire, with four burst coming close on each others' heels.  But the fire rate here is way too slow.
    Another problem:  you don't really get a feeling for the size and movement of your fighter.  In the second level of the arcade version, you fly through a trench on a super star destroyer (which is chronologically incorrect--this is the Death Star battle off the planet Yavin from the first movie.  Super star destroyers weren't introduced until Empire Strikes Back).  Collisions with the walls are frequent because, from your perspective, the walls look far on either side but are actually a breath away from scraping your wings and costing you shield strength (a full unit, no less, instead of just a tiny "curb feeler" amount).  Also, the enemy fighters actually fly behind the trench graphics so your fire can't reach them, but they can still attack, so you have less time to react when the fighters and their lasers emerge from the protective cover.  Combine this with how crowded this part gets, and no autotargeting to help out, and you have a game that will frustrate you incredibly.  Bad move, bad game, save your time.

T-MEK
Welcome to a gloomy future and a very slick conversion of the arcade game.
    The arcade game was a strictly second-teir title from Atari.  You have a better chance of spotting Sasquatch than finding a T-MEK machine (and since there is one about an hour from where I live, I guess I better get my camera ready and Time/Life Books on the speed dialer).
    The game is an arcade tank simulator.  Well, not regular tanks, but special hovertanks.  You are a T-MEK pilot who has chosen to participate in the T-MEK tournament.  The warlord who controls the planetary system only wants the best, so destroying other pilots is the way to go.  You compete for points based on kills and circumstances, like if someone blows up your T-MEK and the next pilot you boom is the one that got you, you get a revenge bonus.  You get six vehicles to choose from, and you'll need them.  It's a looooooong climb through the tournament rankings.
    The view is from the cockpit, and the layout is impressive.  The readouts are all organized so that you don't get confused keeping track of things, from your super weapons left to the point rankings of the pilots in the round (and yes, that includes you).  Very nice, reducing your chances of misreading something in the heat of battle and screwing up.  Well, if you do, you have no excuse.  It's your own damn fault.
    Despite the system's sound limitations, the sound engineering is very good, among the best on the system.  The tanks have their own sounds, as do the reload platforms.  When you hear an audio cue, you focus, think, and adjust your strategy.  The controls are blessedly intuitive, but even that won't help in later levels.  You want to advance, you need skill.  Practice.
    As you may have guessed, the game is quite challenging on the later levels.  The enemy T-MEKs actually use strategy and are as aggressive as you, so this isn't going to be a cakewalk.  The only complaint is that some of the super weapons don't seem all that super.  Seeing some heavy damage occur would be nice.  But that is a side issue.  The core is a very solid contest and a great game.  Anyone who grew up on Battlezone in the arcades is advised to pursue this title.

Tempo
A cutesy platform adventure that is nonetheless frustrating.  You play a grasshopper named Tempo who enters a television dance contest with your girlfriend, Katy Did (I'm laughing on the inside.  Really).  But the trophy is stolen, and you have to get it back.  Tempo can walk, jump, hover but not fly, run, slide, and occasionally dance.  This last move, like Michael Jackson in Moonwalker, makes all enemies dance along until they collapse from exhaustion.  And people say comic books aren't realistic.
    It is very easy to get lost in the huge levels, which have very nice graphics.  It takes some experimenting to find your way through.  But the level ending bosses?  That's a son of bitch.  You spend the whole level building up your strength and attacks, but the bosses' weak spots are hard to locate and even harder to hit.  Often, you get killed and start the boss fight over.  With NO power-ups.  It doesn't seem fair.  If you can't beat the boss with the enhancements, what chance do you have without them?  You should at least have a chance to go out and gather them up again.
    Not bad, although the synth-metal soundtrack gets repetitive after a while.  One of the better platformers for the system.

Toughman Contest
There's one-on-one fighting games that are martial arts contests, and there's sports fights.  This is the later, based on toughman boxing.  The marqee name here is a Mister Eric Esch, a.k.a. Butter Bean, a.k.a. The Battling Butter Bean From 'Bama, pictured in the box art here.  The King Of The Four Rounders, as he is also called (how did he get so many nicknames?  I've only got one.  Well, two if you count "Sarcastic Jackass") is the fighter you are training to meet and beat in this.
    This is not a typical boxing game, which usually don't come across as that much fun.  This one is intended to be more of a fan draw, and the game mimicks this well.  You can bounce your opponent off the ropes and you have moves like "The Windmill Windup" (pop quiz, cartoon fans:  what do you think this is?), and, if you do it right, you can actually knock your opponent not on his can but out of the ring.  This is flashy and a bit more raw, the boxing equivalent of the old ABA.
    So how does it play?  It plays very well, actually.  It takes a lot of practice to get the hang of.  In fact, Electronic Arts thoughtfully has supplied a card with the game that acts as a sort of quick reference cheat sheet.  The animation is nice, and there are a lot of nice little touches reflecting the game's attitude.  A very well animated round card girl strolls across the ring, and the crowd cheering is drowned out by whistles and wolf calls.  Chauvanist, sure, but that is the atmosphere of this place and EA opted not to pretend it doesn't exist.  It actually supplies a bit more atmosphere, making it seem like the crowd is a bit more than just background noise.
    As us gamers have come to expect from EA's sports line-up, this is fun and deep.  As I said, it takes quite a bit of practice to get good at.  This may discourage the casual gamer, but if you're looking for an experience, this provides it and can be quite rewarding if you take the time.  A definite addition to the library of the 32X fan, just don't expect any skills you gained from Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat to help you here.  Nothing can prepare you for this.  ;-)

Virtua Fighter
Sega has apparently put a lot of effort into the whole Virtua Fighter series.  People who study martial arts tell me it is as accurate as you can get.  That's great, but for those of us with minimal study, there isn't that much to see.
    The idea of VF is you pick your fighter and battle all the others until you reach Dural, a robot with the abilities of all the fighters you have faced.  That's it.  There is no story line or characterization.  Everything is based on your characters skill and abilities.  And this is straight martial arts, more or less.  There are no fantasy-style special moves, like fireballs or teleportation, just stronger kicks and such.
    The play is very tight, much tighter than VF on my Sega Saturn.  And I recognize that the block imagery is part of the whole VF package, but to me, it just distances me from the action, especially since there isn't much in the way of character or story.  This becomes a fighting game where it is stripped down to the barest essentials.  Hence, if you don't like what is there, there isn't much of a chance that this will grow on you.
    The game takes practice.  Lots of it.  But for some reason, it just doesn't connect with me like other games on the system do.  I know it is lame to say "try before you by," especially with something like 32X software that is very hard to do that with.  So my recommendation goes something like this:
    If you like fighting games because you are serious about the martial arts and have noticed inconsistencies playing games like the Mortal Kombat series, then you will easily love this game.  If you don't notice those details and play for a challenge, you should also enjoy this.  If you are looking for more than that, something with a storyline and other things you can talk about with friends after the game, this will be a casual enjoyment, but not much more.  There is no denying that the game is well made.  It just doesn't have the same qualities as other fighters, and that will take some getting used to.  Don't be surprised if it takes a while.

Virtua Racing Deluxe
I'm not much into sports games, and racing games are the dullest of all for me.  The old comedian's line about, "Watching racing is watching a bunch of guy drive around in a circle," rings especially true for me.
    Racing games have gotten more enjoyable lately with new techniques like the powerslide introduced in Daytona USA (the franchise that is still king in my book) and Ridge Racer. Virtua Racing was an evolutionary step in the arcades, but it still fell under my, "I'm bored.  Where's the Mortal Kombat machine?" heading.
    VR is already out on the Genesis, with a special chip to help handle all the visual data.  The 32X already has most of that built in.  The result is, while VR on the Genesis is fine but doesn't do anything, Virtua Racing Deluxe on the 32X is actually quite fun.  The visuals, while hardly perfect, are clear enough you can see the road ahead and react to it.  There are actual SHADES to the scenery, instead of what appeared on the Genesis to be one color regardless of slope or angle.  The other race cars are iffy, though.  The polygons used to draw them become less distinct the further they get in the distance, making you wonder if what you are seeing is part of the scenery or your opponent.
    The music and voices are much clearer.  You no longer feel like you are playing with cotton in your ears.  And the tracks take a little technique and strategy depending on which of three cars you choose to drive.  Yes, three different cars.  You have the classic Formula 1 racer, the stock car, and a prototype.  There's plenty more tracks with this go-around, too.  The control feels much more precise, too.  It is one of the few racing games that calls me back, making me go, "You know, a game of that about now would really be fun."  Definitely better than the version on the Genny, this is a great addition to the collection.

World Series Baseball....
Actually, the full title is World Series Baseball Starring Deion Sanders.  What's with these long titles?  Did Fiona Apple work for Sega before she went into music?
    Baseball games are difficult for me to get into, but Sega's own have always been a little tougher for me.  I'm not sure why, they just seem to lack that something that, say, Madden has.  Sega puts more effort into gimmicks (like the SportsTalk feature from years ago) than actually making the sports titles stand out.
    As you may have surmized, World Series Baseball is like this.  As far as I can tell, it has plenty of features that baseball fans love in the games, but for some reason, it doesn't have the hook that makes a non-baseball fan want to play.  Maybe it isn't straightforward enough for me.  Chances are, purists are going to see my glowing recommendation of RBI Baseball '95 and my casual dismissal of this and scream, "Is he crazy?"  No, just not into it.  Think about it, but don't rush to grab this one.

WWF Raw
Just like Spam, professional wrestling is a joke.  It's scripted, everyone involved admits it.  This isn't to say it can't be enjoyed, just that I don't enjoy it.  It consists of mostly boring macho posturing and occasional repetive action.  Mike McShane from Whose Line Is It Anyway? is better at mimicking the speeches, and he's clever enough to make them interesting.  But no one ever said wrestlers were smart, except Bobby "The Brain" Heenan.
    If wrestling action is what fans want, you'd think the video games could provide it.  Especially with the limitations of cartridges, there should be no room for mind-numbing dialogue, just action action action and everyone has a cigarette. WWF Raw is actually a later edition of wrestling, but I can't see much improvement over the annoying Pro Wrestling from the NES.  You beat your opponent dizzy, occasionally winding up outside the ring.  Just keep fighting and fighting and fighting until one drops.
    I couldn't detect much of a technique here.  Unlike Mortal Kombat, which required you to study your opponent's moves, techniques, and weakness, this just seems to be moving around, not much dodging, and some moves take so long to wind up, dodging them is quite easy.  You can still lose, but it's not like that's how it is for a long time.  Not much practice is needed to become proficient at this title.  Long and boring, and the graphics don't look like 256 color 32X graphics.  Hell, they don't look much better than the aforementioned Pro Wrestling.  The only real perk is it doesn't have PW's extremely annoying background music.  Fight fans are better off sticking with the far more fun Toughman Contest.  Unless you are such a wrestling fan your mind fills in the blanks of what's missing, like us Amidar fans playing the 2600 version.  I know it's kind of weenie to fall back on that kind of recommendation, but somebody's gotta be buying this stuff.

WWF Wrestlemania
This game actually predates WWF Raw.  It was the first of the two wrestling games on the 32X to come out.
    So what?  So the first one was not just better, but much better.
    Yes, you get wrestlers, with an announcer naming the match-ups.  The graphics are digitized.  How does it play?  It's actually a lot of fun.  The special moves make the game look and act like a cross between Mortal Kombat and Battletoads.  The controls are wonderfully simple, and the special attacks have very amusing animations.  They range from Doink the Clown's shoes or gloves swelling up to super size before a wicked hit to...well, plenty.  The game is quite inventive and grows on you very quickly.  The controls actually feel right, there's no button pushing that seem illogical.  The difficulty is just right, too.  You play the game with a sense of anticipation, wondering not only what will happen, but what you will see as well.
    This game is kind of iffy when it comes to availability, but it does pop up.  When it does, 32X collectors are advised to pounce on it.  It's great fun at a great price.  By the way, the game box notes that it contains "realistic violence."  Uh huh.  Yeah.  I see those special moves happen everyday.

Zaxxon's Motherbase 2000
Pathetic is the easiest way to describe this.  The original Zaxxon, another of those "lone pilot against the armada" titles, moved at a good clip, the plane controlled realistically, there was an element of strategy in what targets you destroyed and ignored, the physics were pretty realistic considering (flying through space cut your fuel consumption amazingly), and, if it was at the local beach and you touched the metal stick while wet, you got a tiny jolt.  Hey.  I was a kid.
    Zaxxon's Motherbase 2000 (which wasn't even called Zaxxon in Japan, but Parasquad) has the 3/4 diagonal perspective of it's namesake ancestor, but the comparisons end there.  Story?  Haven't the foggiest.  All I remember is I read it in the instruction manual and said, "Huh?"  The game?  Instead of controlling the vertical and the left-right, you control all horizontal movement.  To get over things, you have a lame "jump" feature that lifts you roughly three times the height of your ship in the air for a few seconds..  This is also how you power-up your ship--if you jump on certain enemies or your own supply ships, you "hack" into their control system and control them and their weapons.  Not a bad idea, but for an interstellar conflict, the weaponry is really weak.  Falling girders pop up, giving you little time to react, which doesn't seem fair.  The game moves slow and choppy, with none of the crispness of the arcade Zaxxons.  The graphics are washed out, too.  It's hard to tell what is part of the floor pattern and what is a gaping hole that will make you fall to your death (in the weightlessness of space?  Someone explain that to me).  The graphics are drawn with polygons, making the enemy robots look big and impressive, taking up almost the entire screen, but causing really annoying slowdown.  Instead of this misfire, Sega should have just updated the original franchise.  Don't get this unless you are a completist.
 

The 32X/Sega CD combo:
There was some talk among developers that the Genny with the 32X and Sega CD attachment was "90% a Saturn," Sega's next generation system at the time.  I'm not sure I agree, the graphics on the Saturn (when done right) leave the 32X combo in the dirt, and don't even get me started on the sound quality.
    What should have been an interesting 1-2 punch for us Sega-philes turned into a sideshow that never really did anything.  There were five games released for the 32X/Sega CD combo here in America, and they were all games available on the regular Sega CD with no marked improvements aside from cleaner visuals and (maybe) slightly improved sound.  Logical choices for the upgrade, like Ground Zero Texas, Dragon's Lair and Space Ace never appeared, and some that would have been nice like Sewer Shark likewise never appeared.  Perhaps the ultimate irony is the plain Sega CD was still having talk about developing games for it, like Myst, with no mention of any such thing for the 32X combo, and anyone that thinks Myst with 64 colors is better than Myst with 256 colors needs to get punched in the head.
    Ironically, this system set-up was more actively supported by a third-party licensee than by Sega itself.  Digital Pictures, attempting to do its thing without Sony helping, released four titles, with Sega releasing one.  They were the infamous FMV games, a.k.a. Full Motion Video.  These emphasized actual actors while you tried to control the surroundings.  Unfortunately, these games are kind of a fringe taste, a lot of people hate them.  I'm kind of partial to them, so expect a bias.  Incorporating actors and movie-quality storylines wouldn't happen until the Sony Playstation encouraged 3D polygon adventures, when the craft itself was refined.  With polygons providing more control than the static actor's footage, FMV never really caught up to its hybridized cousin, losing its status as a video game evolutionary benchmark and going the way of other annoying cultural artifacts like The Bay City Rollers, Millenium Fever, and the Two Party Political System (well, I'm dreaming about that last one).
    As this is technically a seperate system, it gets a seperate mention on the page here.  Herewith, the titles and reviews.  Keep in mind, I am also a movie buff, so these reviews will likely be a bit longer than usual.  They are touted as interactive movies, after all.
    NOTE:  I am also including the number of discs each game has.  Forewarned is forearmed.

Corpse Killer

Fahrenheit (2 CD's, one for the regular Sega CD [the "key disc"] and one for the 32X)
This is a FMV game that illustrates why computer animation and polygon-pushing software became the norm.
    You are a new firefighter.  You start off meeting your cheif and the rest of the crew.  You go on emergencies to burning buildings, searching for different objectives, especially people trapped inside.  You are on a timer, so move quick.  Your oxygen supply doesn't last forever.  Fortunately, finding fire sources increases your oxygen reserve, buying you some extra time.
    The problem is in the game's execution.  When you enter a building, the camera pans left and right to show you the room, then you are given the directions on the D-pad to illustrate where you can move.  The problem is, the view is a bit disorienting, creating confusion.  In the first house, I kept wandering in circles, going through the kitchen and garage, constantly forgetting that pressing the D-pad one direction does not send me up the staircase but into the room I just came from.  You only get ten seconds to decide.
    Also, you have to make choices.  You will find, say, gas pipes, three of them, and must use the buttons to pick which one to switch off.  You don't get advance warning or investigation, and it took me three tries to get the right one.  Or you'll be asked, here's a door, do you open it, ignore it, or touch it to test for fire?  Once again, you only get ten seconds, creating a bit of panic.  I opened the door before I touched it, blowing the fireman out over the atrium before I realized what the last option was.  The access time isn't bad, with nice scene animations that keep things rolling as the next movement it chosen.  Being able to control how far you turn and then choosing to go forward, like in the Sega CD version of Jurassic Park, would have made the exploration so much easier.
    The acting is probably the best in the FMV games on the system, and Sega had a reputation for picking the worst ones (anyone play Rapid Deployment Force?  I rest my case).  All the actors fit the roles and act very natural, although the Captain is a bit stiff in spots.  The directing is nice, too.  It conveys an emergency situation like on a TV show, setting up the situation quickly and getting you moving.  Not a bad game to watch, but playing is a bit frustrating because, once again, you don't always feel in complete control of the situation.  Grab on the cheap.

Night Trap (2 CD's)
    This was one of the first games released for the old Sega CD unit.  It also was one of the titles that started our great politicians seeking to protect us from things we couldn't handle.  (It also gave Sega a chance to really shine.  While Nintendo sidestepped the questions with, "Games are played by kids, that's why we have our rigid guidelines," Sega challenged Congress on subjects like parental responsibility and freedom of expression, pointing out most of us gamers are above legal age and don't need the government telling us what is too disturbing for us to play.  A round of applause for him, please.)
    Taken off the store shelves until the rating system was in place, Night Trap was famous for having scenes of violence.  Wooo.  That is disturbing.  I better put down the controller and watch a movie like True Lies instead.  But sarcasm aside, this was one of the games that demonstrated what CD technology could do for games.  If only they had done something better with it.
    The backstory of Night Trap goes like this:  there's this big spooky house owned by the Martin family, alleged winers (they make the drink, not plead annoyingly).  Five teenagers were invited over for a sleepover party (don't ask me), and the Martins say they left Sunday night.  The girls were never heard from again.  S.C.A.T., an undercover law enforcement team, is investigating.  They decide to try to draw out what is going on by sending their best undercover agent, Kelli Medd (played by Dana Plato) in with the next batch of girls.  The night before the sleepover, a S.C.A.T. team member sneaks into the house and discovers hidden surveillance cameras all over the house in eight key locations.  There are also a slew of booby traps around the different rooms.  The cameras and traps can all be controlled from the basement of the Martin's house.  The agent has spliced a control override into the trap system, which is where you, the gamer, comes in.  Your job is to bounce between the different camera views, trying to trap creatures called Augers that periodically enter the house to kill the girls while lurching around like Torgo on speed.  You do this by waiting for them to come near one of the booby traps and activating it.  You get a meter that tells you when they are close enough to capture.  Also, before I forget, you have to watch out, since the house system has a security code that gets changed periodically through the game and you must discover what it is or the traps won't work.  Other duties, in case you aren't busy enough, are to save the girls, especially Kelli, and also, protect the splice--it's right outside the door in the main hallway.  If anyone spots it and disconnects it (plot point!), you don't control dick and the game is over.
    Okay, the plot doesn't make much sense, even less than Blast Corps.  The logic is wrong.  Why would the cable splice be left out in the open in the hallway where a casual glance will pick up on it?  If the splice lets you control the cameras and traps, why can't you also control the security code and change it to suit yourself?  But all that is beside the point.  Clearly, the game is meant to signal the feelings associated with exploitation splatter films, what with the slumber party, girls in scanty clothes, cheap monsters, and events and actions that don't make much sense.  Ever wonder why things don't happen certain ways in the movies?  Here's your chance to handle it.
    The game actually isn't all that bad as far as public decency goes.  Some of the violence, like when the Augers put a clamp around a girl's neck with a drill that aims for the jugular, is more implied.  There is easily worse in Troma films.  Hell, there's worse in regular films and ECW wrestling, and those get more kids watching.  But enough posturing about the politics.  How does it play?
    Actually, it's kind of boring, occasionally frustrating.  Part of the play is to watch the footage of people in the house so you can learn details, like who the Augers are and what the hell is going on.  But having to switch to find the Augers roaming through the house means you will miss out on things.  Since the game always follows the script every time with no deviation, the game becomes a question of learning what happens when and going there.  Net result:  lots of trial and error to get through the different plot points of the game.  Whereas Sewer Shark used your score to determine if you would continue or not, with Night Trap, the standards are vague and you are never sure if you did something right until it's too late. (I should note, if you lose, the game shuts down completely, returning you to the main Sega CD screen and spitting out the disc if you have a slide-drawer CD unit.  A little insulting, sure, but they couldn't just let the game start over?)
    The acting is fine.  A bit cheesy, but this is supposed to be an exploitation film the game is centered around.  Dana Plato actually provides a good performance.  She may not have been Meryl Streep, but she could play a scene well.  A lot of little details are slipped in well, like when one of the Martins says something sinister and Plato looks to the camera (hence, you, the gamer) as if to say, "Are you paying attention to this?"  It's not intrusive, and implies a certain risk for her character:  she knows she's in danger and is counting on you, but is trying to keep from blowing her cover.  That little touch alone makes the part of the game with her more involving.  The other actresses, though, are typical party girls, so if one gets offed, you just put down the controller and wait for the game to reset the system so you can try again.  A little better casting and a little more involvement in the performances would have helped.  With the exception of Plato, the cast seems a little preoccupied with their performances, like they can't believe they're acting in a video game--"I gave up a public access commercial for THIS?!?"
    The sound is clearer than the Sega CD version, but the biggest improvement is the visuals.  It's much easier to see what is going on.  But the whole thing feels artificial, like you are intentionally hamstrung not out of the situation, but by game designers unsure how to adequately incorporate ideas into a game.  Not bad, as long as you aren't too into it.  If you want to get involved in the game, however, expect a lot of work.

Slam City With Scottie Pippen (4 CD's)
    "Slam City?"  More like "Slammed Silly."
    The notion of a basketball game starring the man fondly called "No Tippin' Pippen" in the Chicago area doesn't exactly fill me with delight.  He doesn't exactly thrill me in NBA Jam, either.  But here he is.
    The idea of this game is you get to play one-on-one basketball with a variety of street basketball players.  They are full motion, so you get jerky, MTV-style views of your opponents manuevering from over the shoulder of your superimposed player.  Your guy doesn't move much as your opponent moves around.  You have the control pad that is supposed to move around, but the motion seems the same no matter which way you move.  You can shoot with the standard "press to line up the shot, release to shoot."  Access time is not bad, shorter than 1.8 seconds (have I mentioned I don't like Scottie Pippen?).  You can also break around your opponent for a better shot.
    The game comes with a hip music soundtrack, which sounds okay, especially considering the limitations of the system.  The graphics are nice with some nice backgrounds during the opening intro, but the sets where the basketball action takes place are kind of sparse.  There's nothing to really catch your eye, just lights shining down, no crowds, no court details, and no chairs for throwing (have I mentioned I don't like Scottie Pippen?).  For a game that tries to give you the feeling of a basketball game, you never shake the feeling you are watching events filmed on a soundstage.  The actors look the parts and have the street slang of the era down pretty good.
    Your opponents talk trash very well, and it's damned annoying.  You never get a good sense of movement, so you never know if you are doing something right or wrong.  There also seems to be some lag time between when you enter the command and when the action occurs on the screen, giving you the opportunity to overcompensate.  It takes a lot of practice to figure out which shots feel right, so you get a lot of jawwing until you get the hang of it.  This gets annoying, especially when you can't jaw back--well, you can yell at the TV screen, but you look damned silly to others in the area.  It's a little more dignified yelling at the players watching the NBA Finals than this.  Not only that, the AI is sorely lacking.  Once you figure out certain moves, the computer opponents fall for them continually.  Compared to the Madden football games, where the AI keeps track of the plays you call and takes advantage of ANY trend it finds, this is really lame.  Better to stick with a regular basketball game.
    Have I mentioned I don't like Scottie Pippen?

Supreme Warrior (missing, working on finding)
 

Technical Specs (for those of us who don't understand them, but are easily impressed):

The main processor is actually two-two-two processors in one.  Those are Hitachi 32-bit puppies running under that hood with a clock speed of 23 MHz.  These work in tandem with the processors in the Genesis (I'm guessing the division of labor went like this:  the Genesis held memory and game calculations, the Z80 [the main processor for the Sega Master System and the source of the backwards compatability] did sound, and the 32X did the graphics and possibly added two more sound channels).  This combo could manipulate 50,000 polygons per second, as well as doing texture mapping and handling scaling (zoom in and out smoothly) and rotation.

Not bad, in theory, but with the Saturn and Playstation ready to leap out of the starting gate (in fact, the Saturn was launched a few months earlier than intended, but paid the price in the software department), the 32X was DOA.
 

A bonus about Shadow Squadron:
Shadow Squadron, one of my favorite games on any system, was known in Japan as "Stellar Assault".  Surprise, it was known as that in England, too, where the Genny is known under the Japanese name of "Mega Drive".  Here's what the game looks like over there:

Easter Eggs
"Easter Eggs," also called "cheat codes," are little things done at some point to the game that make certain things happen, like a level select, extra lives, etc.  Here is a list of known 32X Easter eggs, culled from a variety of sources, including Electronic Gaming Monthly, Videogames (edited by Chris Gore), GameSages, and other places.  Quick reference key: if two buttons are seperated by a plus sign (A+Left, A+C), those buttons are to be pressed at the same time.

After Burner
If you want to choose your starting level, wait for the title screen to come up.  When the words "Start" and "Options" appear, press and hold A+B+C while pressing left or right to choose the starting level.

A test screen will appear, but it takes some work.  You'll need two controllers.  At the "Sega" screen, press A+C+Start on controller 2.  If you did this right, you'll hear a voice.  At the title screen, press A+B+C+Start on controller 1.  You'll then enter the test screen.

Blackthorne
Start at the level of your choice.  Here are the passwords.
2    FBWC
3    QP7R
4    WJTV
5    RRYB
6    ZS9P
7    XJSN
8    CGDM
9    TJ1F
10    GSG3
11    BMHS
12    Y4DJ
13    HCKD
14    NRLF
15    J6BZ
16    MJXG
17    K3CH

Cosmic Carnage
Play the game under its original Japanese title, "Cyber Brawl."  You need a six-button controller for this.  Hold X+B+Z while pressing Start.

What hath "Mortal Kombat" wrot?  For a fatality finishing move, wait until your opponent's life bar is very low and do a special attack.

Doom
First, here are some kickass codes with an unfortunate side effect--using any of these next few cheats will prevent you from advancing any further in the game than level 15.  So if you want to do any real huntin' and killin', you need to go at it straight.  These are just for laughs.

For all the weapons and keys, and unlimited ammo to boot, pause the game (you have to have a six-button controller) and enter either of these codes: A+B+C+X+Y+Z or Up+Mode+A+C.

For invincibility, take your six-buttoner and press:  Up+Mode+X+Z.  Your soldier's eyes will start to glow, and you will be mighty.

Okay.  Suppose you want to go through the game honestly and try to make it to the end.  Here's some tips to make it a little easier.

You can get a chaingun on Level 2.  Follow these simple instructions:  From the start, go to the middle of the room.  Go right, then hang a left.  On the left wall will be a brown patch.  Press it, and a switch will be revealed.  Flipping it will open a door in the area where the red key is found.  Go through it to find the chaingun and a buttload of ammo.

Sure, you can change weapons easier with a six-button controller.  But if you really want to do it quick on the fly, hold down the Mode button and one of the following buttons at the same time to instantly pull that weapon (if you have it) out for action:

Start    Fist/Chainsaw
A        Pistol
B        Shotgun
C        Chaingun
X        Rocket Launcher
Y        Plasma Rifle
Z        BFG 9000

The only way to make it to Level 16 and beyond is to start on Level 1 and work your way through.  There is a shortcut, however, that will take you to Level 17.  At the start of Level 3, there's a huge chasm.  Somewhere in the level is a switch that makes a bridge appear across the chasm.  Activate the bridge, cross it, and search.  There is another exit switch in here, and it will take you to Level 17.  This will NOT work if you have entered the unlimited ammo or life codes.

Golf Magazine Presents 36 Great Holes Starring Fred Couples
Got a six button controller?  Go to the Options screen and press the Mode button.  This will bring up the Scale Objects screen.  C lets you choose an object, B makes it grow, A makes it shrink.  Wheeeeeeee.

Knuckles' Chaotix
On the Sound Test screen, you can use the X and Y buttons to switch between stereo and mono sound and to change the tempo of the music.

Here's a trick I figured out when I first got the game, and some other people tumbled to it, too:  select a game to save.  When you play, finish the round and grab the Chaos Ring.  Save the game each time you grab the Chaos Ring.  If you miss the Chaos Ring, hit reset.  You will start from the last point you saved, with the Chaos Rings intact from just before the round you reset the game at.  With this, you can have all the Chaos Rings in very, very short order.

Want an easy 50,000 points?  After you have all the Chaos Rings, the giant ring at the end of the round (the one that appears when you have 50 rings or more) will appear as a wire frame.  Jump in it, and the fifty large is yours.

In Acts 1 and 2 in the Techno-Tower Zone, jump into a bonus zone and jump out.  Right when the screen fades from white to the zone, press Start to pause the game.  You will hear music from another zone for the rest of the act.  Timing is very critical here.

Kolibri
If the chameleon gets a hold of you, use your speed to get free.

Passwords!  Getcher passwords!
CXQYRTDR    Infestation
XVRXCGCH    New Infection
JRKTRFCW    Deep Seeding
HTYXMRBR    Plains Infection
VVGHMRBB    Terra Lesson
BDTDCLCH    Terra Decay
LTHLGLCZ    Cold Entrance
NJYHQKGX    Dark Cavity
CGLTKLBL    Dark Obstruction
NMFNXFCS    To The Light
LQVTTLBG    Infected Forest
WQLYHGCW    Old World Infection
CZBFHGCZ    Penetration
WPVLXQBP    Extraction
KHQFNLCK    Remission

Metal Head
Ya gotta have the six button controller for these next few.  First up, for a bankroll you'll love, at the title screen, A, B, B, A, X, Z.  Then go to the Options screen and select the Easy difficulty level.  When you get to the third level, kill as many robots as you can but ignore the boss, then kill your character.  At the weapons select screen, you should have $3,500.  Buy Laser, Grenade, Cannon, Extra Armor, and Flying Mines.  Go back and destroy the boss with ONLY THE LASER.  The next time you visit the weapons select screen, you'll have $61,000.  How do people find these things?

To chose your starting level, go Up, Up, Up, Down, Down, Down, A, B, C, X, Y, Z.

Chose a secret mech, at the title screen, press A, B, B, A, X, Z.  You have to do this fast.

At the weapons select screen, if you have $800, chose the chaingun for the right arm and hammer knuckle for the left.  Then chose the flying mine.  When enter the game, instead of flying mines you'll have a missile launcher.  And you got it on the cheap.

Mortal Kombat II
Test mode!  At the Options screen, select Done, then go Left, Down, Right, Right, Down, Left, Left, Left, Left, Right, Right, Right.  That brings up the test mode.

To fight Smoke, you have to be in the Blue Portal stage.  When the guy appears in the corner, press Down+Start.

To fight Noob Saibot, get 25 wins in a row.  Two player, anyone?

To fight Jade, in the round just before the question mark, fight using only the D-pad and low kick.  Win, and you go to her.

Motocross Championship
You don't want to run the whole race?  Here's some passwords, with track, then access code.  Some are missing, and I don't like the game enough to try playing to get them.  Anyone got them?

125cc bike:
2    vVwwBEJAOOA
3    8pgBDHQAQJB
4    O#QykKYA4pB
5    uRpSmOhAgKC
6    6dZSoSqA]rC
7    36BkJWyAwLD
8    ]#xULa7AYsD
9    9JS[MdCBANE
10    YuSWOgHBotE
11    kNL3viLBQOF
12    WzLox[QB4uF

250cc bike:
1    EDAAAAAAA]G
2    qWwwBEJAooG
3    cmYRjHSAQJH
4    LAZC[KVA0pH
5    jSxCnOdAcK]
6    uipD]SmAEr]
7    76ZEJWvAsLJ
9    R2SWtb4A0MK
11    xZT3OeCBAOL
12    n3DoQhGBouL

Super bike:
1    GDAAAAAAA]M
2    XWwwhEKAgoM
3    BrQBjHPAEJN
4    nHRykJVAopN
5    dW5CmMfA]KO
6    VrhTnPmAsqO
7    UAKU]TpAQLP
8    yQqUJUzA0rP
9    2[S1qV1AUMQ
11    oGjmNcCBUNR
12    CbT3OfKB8tR

NBA Jam:  Tournament Edition
If you want to change your whole team to another at halftime, wait for the halftime screen and press D+A+C for about eight seconds.

Tired of those NBA players (and who isn't tired of SOME of them), there are hidden players you can add to the game.  Adding them is a bit involved, though.  Here's how these codes work--suppose you want Wil Smith, the Fresh Prince, on your team.  During the "Enter Your Initials" screen, you move the cursor over the W and press any button, over the I and press the B button, then over the L and press the C button.  He will appear on whatever team you choose.  I will list the letter you put the cursor over and, in parathesis, the button on the controller you push if there is a specific one.  Here are the hidden players and what you have to do to get them:
Benny The Bull, the Chicago Bulls mascot: B (C), N (any), Y (B)
Crunch, the Minnesota Timberwolves mascot: C (any), R (B), N (A)
Hugo, the Charlotte Hornets mascot: H (A), G (C), O (any)
Gorilla, the Phoenix Suns mascot:  G (B), O (B), R (any)
Mark Turmell, Midway staffer: M (A), J (any), T (A)
Sal di-Vita, Midway staffer:  S (any), A (C), L (A)
Tony Goskie, Midway staffer:  T (A), W (any), G (B)
Frank "Big Hurt" Thomas, Chicago White Sox player: S (A), O (any), X (B)
Bill Clinton...I think he's the President:  C (B), I (any), C (A)
Hillary Clinton, alledged New York Knicks fan: H (any), C (B), _ (any)
Prince Charles, don't get me started: R (any), O (A), Y (B)
Randall Cunningham, Philadelphia Eagles player: P (C), H (A), I (any)
Jamie Rivitt, Williams staffer:  R (C), J (A), R (any)
Shawn Liptak, Williams staffer:  S (B), L (B), _ (any)
John Carlton, Williams staffer:  J (B), M (C), C (C)
Eric Kuby, Acclaim staffer (a.k.a. Kabuki):  D (A), A (B), N (any)
Dan Feinstein, Acclaim staffer (a.k.a. Weasel):  R (any), A (A), Y (B)
Asif Chaudri, Acclaim staffer (a.k.a. Chow Chow):  A (C), M (A), X (any)
Erik Samulski, son of an Acclaim VP (a.k.a. Air Dog):  A (B), I (any), R (C)
Larry Bird, Boston Celtic and coach of the Indiana Pacers:  B (A), R (C), D (A)
MCA from the Beastie Boys:  M (any), C (B), A (B)
Mike D. from the Beastie Boys:  M (C), K (any), D (C)
Ad Rok from the Beastie Boys:  A (B), D (C), R (any)
Wil Smith, the Fresh Prince:  W (any), I (B), L (C)
DJ Jazzy Jeff, Wil Smith's rap partner:  J (A), A (A), Z (C)
Heavy D., rapper:  H (B), V (any), Y (A)
Carol Blazewoski:  B (C), L (any), Z (C)
Neil "Ziggy" Hill:  N (A), D (B), H (A)
Jason Falcus:  J (C), F (any), _ (A)
Chris Kirby:  C (C), K (any), _ (B)
Jay Moon:  J (B), A (A), Y (any)
"MAD" Mike Muskett:  M (C), C (B), M (B)
Brutah:  L (any), G (B), N (A)
Facime:  X (A), Y (B), Z (B)
Moosekat:  M (any), P (C), F (B)
Snake:  S (B), N (C), K (A)

Have some fun by entering these codes after you choose your teams during the "Tonight's Match-up!" announcement.
Maximum power-R, U, L, R, B, D, A
Baby mode-B, A, B, U, D, L, R
Fire power-D, R, A, A, B, L
Shot percentage display-D, U, D, B, U
Turbo power-B, B, D, D, A, A, U, L
3 pointer power-U, D, D, L, L, R, U
Speed power-U, U, D, D, L, R, L, L, B, A
Quick hands-L, R, A, B, R, L
Push power-B, R, A, D, A, R, B
Goaltender-R, U, D, D, R, U
Offensive power-A, U, B, D, B, L, R
Dunks power-R, L, B, A, B, A
These next three don't give an on-screen confirmation:
Push other player-D, L, R, U, L, L, L, L, A, B
Slippery court-B, A, D, A, B, R, R, R, R, R
Teleport pass-D, R, R, A, A, D, L, L, R, B

NFL Quarterback Club
Broaden your horizons by entering these codes during the screen where you choose to play NFL or simulation.
For Iguana (game developers) and Acclaim (game publishers): B, C, A, C, A, B, C, C, A
For all teams:  A, B, C, B, A, C, B, C, A
For NFC and AFC:  C, C, B, A, C, A, B, B, C
For Jaguars and Panthers:  A, B, C, C, B, A, A, C

During the coin toss, just before the visiting team picks heads or tails, press START.  The home team will automatically kick off every time.

Pitfall:  The Mayan Adventure
All these tricks are done during the title screen, and you can mix and match.

If you want to play the game that started it all, you don't need an Atari 2600.  Press D then press A 26 times, then D.  You'll play the original Pitfall.

To start with 9 lives, press R, A, D, B, R, A, B, U, D

For full weapons, A, B, U, C, A, C, A

For the level select, C, A, C, A, D, U, D, L, D, U, U

To view the credits, C, R, D, C, R, D, C, R, D

For extra speed, B, A, R, C, R, U, D

To play the lever game, B, A, D, C, R, A, B

Primal Rage
Here's some good options for monkeying with this game.  At the "Start/Options" screen, press L, R, U, D, D, U, R, L.  It will bring up a new menu with No Damage, No Life, and other stuff.
 

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