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[RAIDEN1]

As add-ons go, the Sega CD was probably as successful as Sega could have hoped for at the time...(considering its limitations...) here's a video showing the few games that pushed the Sega CD to its limits:

 

[Ash Sparrow]

Good selection of games. Never played Soul Star looks great!

 

[RAIDEN1]

Core Design were virtually the only ones who thought that yeah this piece of kit can do more than Sega would ever bother doing

 

[fart town usa]

The Model-1 Genesis/Sega CD combo is sexy as fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu.

 

[16bitwarzvet]

give me some Sewer Shark love!! SHOOT THE TUBES DOGMEAT!!

 

[Bakkus]

Definitely Snatcher. Couldn't believe this was done on a SEGA CD (yeah it wasn't originally released on there I know) when I played it last year.

 

[cireza]

Core Design were virtually the only ones who thought that yeah this piece of kit can do more than Sega would ever bother doing

Core Design were not the only ones to push the add-on.

 

[RAIDEN1]

Core Design were not the only ones to push the add-on.

Seems like it though they had more faith in the system somewhat than even Sega themselves...

 

[Majormaxxx]

I am partial because that was one of my favorite dos games, but I really like Rebel Assault on the Sega cd. It looks slightly worse but plays great. Amazing game.

 

[RAIDEN1]

I am partial because that was one of my favorite dos games, but I really like Rebel Assault on the Sega cd. It looks slightly worse but plays great. Amazing game.

That game looked AWFUL really brought the grainy visuals to the fore, and didn't showcase the system in any great way....

 

[Majormaxxx]

That game looked AWFUL really brought the grainy visuals to the fore, and didn't showcase the system in any great way....

That's why I said I'm partial.

For me it's perfect.

I played it on the ps3 via retroarch (great filters) as well as on the Sega mini (raw pixels) and to me it's awesome.

 

[cireza]

Seems like it though they had more faith in the system somewhat than even Sega themselves...

Core Design, as many European studios, were extremely competent developers back then. The level was simply very high.

However, SEGA made some great use of their own hardware.

You have both Batman games for example, which make use of the ASIC chip, Batman & Robin being super impressive. Pushing the system is not only about using that chip though, even if the results are the most obvious on screen.
A game like Dark Wizard is extremely ambitious, with a huge amount of content and a high quality soundtrack.
You might think that Ecco were simple ports, but the production value of the Mega-CD soundtracks were way above anything on 16 bits and even 32 bits consoles, only a few games add the same level of investment. None of the Core Design games have this level of ambition in sound design.
Final Fight CD is another good example of a game that uses well the add-on. The sound production is excellent, and the game was possible because of the storage space of the CD format.
The Formula One game was also a very ambitious sim, with a lot of content and it used the ASIC chip.
Popful Mail was redeveloped by SEGA and pushed the most impressive cut-scenes of the add-on with Lunar Eternal Blue.
Sonic CD was also a game that made great use of the hardware, with huge stages, 4 versions of each act, the ASIC special stages, a redbook soundtrack and it also used the additional sound chip for the PAST stages. And FMV intro. This used almost every single new feature.

The Mega-CD was built to offer a lot, but using everything in a single game does necessarily make much sense. At some point, depending on the game and what you want to achieve, you are going to use at 100% some features, but not all of them. For example Lunar Eternal Blue pushed the hardware a lot, but it does not play redbook audio and does not use the ASIC chip.

Finally, even if SEGA developed a limited number of games, they published a ton of them for the system. They were definitely supporting it.

 

[RAIDEN1]

It will always be a case of "What could have been" ie a port of Super Streetfighter 2 to the Sega CD with the level of audio on par with the 3DO version....that would have sold the add-on like crazy....