• Tag Archives 32X

  • EGM 2 (March 1996)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    egm2-issue-021-march-1996-page-001

    Source: EGM 2 – Issue Number 21 – March 1996

    The mid to late 1990s was such a boom time for video game magazines. In fact, one 200-300 (or more) page magazine wasn’t enough for EGM so for a few years they published a second 100-200 page magazine each month called EGM 2 (or EGM^2 or EGM “squared” I guess). The March 1996 issue includes:

    • Insert Coin – This months editorial opines on the superiority of the games being developed overseas vs. the full motion video crap that seemed to be a craze (among developers at least) in the U.S. at the time.
    • Interface: Letters to the Editor – The letter of the month is about the constant delay in games being released at the time. There are also letters regarding Virtua Cop, Twisted Metal, Doom on the Super NES, the CD-i and what has happened to it, the downfall of the Jaguar, and more.
    • Press Start – The news this month includes: Atari denies changes to gaming business despite rumors otherwise; Sony and Sega release sales numbers (400,000 for the Saturn and 800,000 for the PlayStation); Sega stops manufacturing the 32X and Sega CD; 3DO releases device (3DO Game Guru) that acts as a memory card for saving games and as a Game Shark-like device for modifying games; ; Sony enters negotiations with Squaresoft for producing RPGs on the PlayStation; ACME (American Coin Machine Expo) comes to Orlando; Time Warner Interactive up for sale by parent company Time Warner Inc.

    • Previews
      • Carnage Heart (PlayStation International Preview, 100% complete)
      • Virtual On (Arcade, 60% complete)
      • NBA Shoot-Out (PlayStation, ?% complete)
      • Spot Goes to Hollywood (PlayStation, ?% complete)
      • Frank Thomas Big Hurt Baseball, ?% complete)
      • Raven Project (PlayStation, 90% complete)
      • Mortal Kombat II (PlayStation, ?% complete)
      • Winning Post (Saturn, ?% complete)
    • Tricks of the Trade – The trick of the month is for Toy Story for the Genesis and shows you how to get invincibility and level select. There are also tricks and cheat codes for Agile Warrior F-IIIX (PlayStation), Defcon 5 (PlayStation), Gex (PlayStation), Virtual Fighter 2 (Saturn), Earthworm Jim 2 (Super NES), Fifa ’96 Soccer (PlayStation), Street Fighter Alpha (PlayStation), Panic Bomber (Virtual Boy), NHL All-Star Hockey (Saturn), Viewpoint (PlayStation), Galactic Attack (Saturn), Last Gladiators (Saturn), Toy Story (Super NES), and Raiden Project (PlayStation).

    • Strategies
      • Casper (multisystem) – A detailed walk-through for this 3D adventure game featuring the friendly ghost.
      • Resident Evil (PlayStation) – A strategy guide and maps for this classic survival horror game.
      • Clockwork Knight (Saturn) – A stage by stage guide of this unique adventure game.
      • X-Men: Children of the Atom (Saturn) – A guide to this fighting game including tips for different modes and a guide to all of the characters.
      • Cyberia (multisystem) – A walk-through that provides the easiest routes in this cyberpunk themed game.
      • Real Bout Fatal Fury (Neo Geo/Arcade) – A guide to all the characters and their moves for this classic 2D fighter.
      • Avengers in Galactic Storm (Arcade) – Another fighting game guide. Despite also featuring Marvel characters, this one by Data East isn’t as good as X-Men by Capcom.
      • Kill Instinct 2 (Arcade) – Yet another fighting game guide. This one also features codes for stage selects, speed-ups and more.

    …and more!


    📂This entry was posted in Retro Games 📎and tagged

  • Sega 32X

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    32x-1

    Source: Next Generation – Issue Number 1 – January 1995

    Sega’s 32X is certainly an odd beast. It was introduced only about a year or so before the Sega Saturn and while it was quite a bit cheaper, it still couldn’t exactly be called inexpensive at the time at $159 (plus the cost of a Genesis if you didn’t already have one). It plugged in to the cartridge port of the Genesis. You could then plug in either standard Genesis carts and it simply acted as a pass through or you could plug in special 32X cartridges that took advantage of the 32X hardware. It could also be used in conjunction with the Sega CD for 32X enhanced CD games.

    As an add-on, the 32X was a pretty powerful device. In included two Hitachi 32bit RISC processors running at 32 MHz (compared to the 7.6 MHz Motorola 68000 CPU of the Genesis) as well as a new Video Display Processor with 3D capabilities. It enabled 32,768 simultaneous colors (compared to the 61 colors at once out of a palette of 512 available on the Genesis) and added 4 Mbit of RAM. The CPUs were essentially the same ones used in the Sega Saturn.

    So why did Sega release this system only a year before the Saturn would be released in North America? There were a couple of reasons but it retrospect it was a bad idea.

    The 32X was originally conceived as a stand alone console that would compete with Atari’s Jaguar. As it would turn out, this was completely unnecessary but apparently Sega was worried about competition from Atari at the time. They instead made it an add-on so as not to alienate Genesis owners though an all-in-one Genesis/Sega CD/32X was planned but never released.

    The other theory that Sega apparently had was that the Saturn would not be a mass market item because of its price and it would be the Sega Genesis/CD/32X systems that would compete for the dollars from the masses. I guess they envisioned a video game class system of sorts. In the end, this was a huge mistake for Sega and the start of their downfall in my opinion. They rushed the 32X to market to compete with the Jaguar and get out ahead of the Saturn and the games suffered for it. Then they rushed the Saturn to market to beat the PlayStation and there really weren’t any games available for it for a while. In addition, the Saturn was initially priced much higher than the PlayStation. Part of this was probably due to system cost but I think part of it was due to their concept of a video game class system. They did a pretty good job of resolving these types of issues once the Dreamcast came out but it was already too late for Sega.

    Only 40 games would ever be released for the 32X (36 in North America) including 6 that were CD based.

    I’ll leave you with one of the more cringe-worthy ads for the 32X (or any other video game or system for that matter). The ad below as well as all of the images above are from the premiere issue of Next Generation magazine from January 1995.




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  • Electronic Gaming Monthly (August 1995)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    electronic_gaming_monthly_073_-_1995_aug_-001

    Source: Electronic Gaming Monthly – Issue Number 73 – August 1995

    There were a vast number of home video game systems to chose from in the mid 1990s and EGM covered them all. From the older but still viable 16-bit classics to Segas frankenstein add-on system to the latest and greatest 32-bit systems and systems that were never really mainstream, they were all here. It makes today’s video game scene look tame by comparison. The August 1995 issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly includes:

    Cover Story – Super NES, Genesis, PlayStation? Which system will have the best translation of Mortal Kombat 3? Check out this issue’s cover story!

    • Departments

    • Insert Coin
    • Interface: Letters to the Editor
    • Press Start
    • Review Crew
    • EGM Hot 50
    • Gaming Gossip
    • Special Features
    • Arcade Action
    • International Outlook
    • Next Wave
    • Tricks of the Trade
    • Team EGM
    • Lifestyles
    • Advertising Index

    Fact-Files

    • Super NES – Save the kiddies from the baddies in SWAT Kats!
    • Genesis – Go on a deadly adventure with Indiana Jones!
    • Sega CD – Drive a bus across the desert and back again in Penn & Teller!
    • 3DO – Play s a brain on a scavenger hunt in Daedalus Encounter!
    • PlayStation – Wear a cosmic powersuit in the futuristic RPG Space Griffon!
    • Game Gear – Stop the evil terrorists with the portable game, Jungle Strike!

    Features

    • Which System Will Be Crowned King of the Home Translation of MK3? – The Super NES, Genesis and PlayStation will be battling this holiday season for the best translation of the arcade smash, Mortal Kombat 3. The Genesis version, although a bit grainy, contains smooth animation and excellent sound. The Super NES version has everything from the Versus Screen with the secret code on the bottom to the Continued Screen. Don’t forget the PlayStation version with its fantastic graphics, and the game might even be shipped with the system. It’s up to gamers now to judge the winner!

    • It’s Mario’s 10th Anniversary and Nintendo Celebrates with Yoshi’s Island! – Mario, the famous plumber, is in trouble again and it is up to Yoshi to help his Italian pal out. Super Mario 2: Yoshi’s Island will be slamming onto the Super NES. In this issue, we have hot pictures, secrets and a cool two-page map of the game. This cart falls in nicely with the other Mario games and sticks to its genre, with all the Mario secrets, techniques and loads of levels. However, this time the classic look is traded for an almost childlike perspective with crayon style graphics and cuteness at every angle.

    • EGM Travels to the Tokyo Toy Show to Bring Back Exclusive Pictures – The Tokyo toy show is one of the most highly anticipated shows in Japan and EGM was there! Housing tons of video game companies and toy manufacturers, we received exclusive pictures on Rockman 3 (Mega Man X3) and Final Fight 3. Also check out the shots of Mickey Mouse 3, DarkStalkers for the PSX, RayTracers, Zeitgeist, Hat Trick Hero, Darius Gaiden (Darius 3 in the U.S.), Race Drivin’, Clockwork Knight 2, Kabuki Fighting Lore and many more. Also, EGM snuck in and photographed the highly anticipated 3DO M2 unit!

    More than 60 games are reviewed, previewed or otherwise covered in this issue.