SCD The Secret Of Monkey Island + some thoughts of mine...

[SamanthaSamantha's icon]

One of the things that both pains me and fascinates me the most about gaming is that, sometimes, you truly can see the 'what ifs' and 'might have beens' that surround every peripheral and every vision that comes into being.

And I think that very few things provide such a clear example of it as the SEGA CD version of The Secret Of Monkey Island.

To me, this exactly what the add-on should have been all about: turning your 16-bit machine into an even bigger version of itself by allowing you to play games that, while compatible with the format, couldn't really fit on a standard cartridge.

Can you imagine how gloriously shiny the SEGA CD would have been like if they had dropped the need to show off half-baked FMV stuff and instead worked on porting Sierra and LucasArts stuff into it? I would have been all-over that shit, and this one proved that it was VERY doable... I mean, take a look:

I'm not saying that other games shouldn't have been made for the system (hell, many are very much worth it), but that they shouldn't have been the selling point, especially when the technology was that young.

Thoughts?

 

[Yousef Yousef]

It’s true the CD wasted its potential, but in a way, it was actually a warning for the future. Sonic CD may have been an earnest attempt at making a decent platformer with eargasmic sound quality, but I believe the industry was inevitably gonna go down the pipehole of making it its games “more cinematic”, it was a matter of time. Devs at the time just didn’t have the means to display their jealousy of Hollywood, but now they can. And any game that breaks this mold in the last 5 years will get written off as niche or indie or unpopular by game jornos.

So it seems, so it seems.

 

[RetroPixelLizard]

Maybe, but a point n click like Monkey Island doesn't get as much draw as FMV to most people before they realize how bad FMV games are. A Commercial for a system has to show off the new games with the fancy new tech to get the most out of the wow factor.

BTW: there was a commercial for the SEGA CD version. Great as Monkey Island Is, It wouldn't exactly sell to me back then... then again I'd be excited to get any new game back then.

 

[SamanthaSamantha's icon]

Maybe, but a point n click like Monkey Island doesn't get as much draw as FMV to most people before they realize how bad FMV games are. A Commercial for a system has to show off the new games with the fancy new tech to get the most out of the wow factor.

BTW: there was a commercial for the SEGA CD version. Great as Monkey Island Is, It wouldn't exactly sell to me back then... then again I'd be excited to get any new game back then.

I agree with basically everything you said... But that commercial would have totally sold me back then (hell, it still does).

 

[MajesticSiN]

Unfortunately FMV games were the next big thing so they were made a priority.

 

[HoyeBoye]

To me, this exactly what the add-on should have been all about: turning your 16-bit machine into an even bigger version of itself by allowing you to play games that, while compatible with the format, couldn't really fit on a standard cartridge.

Totally. I’ve been trying to play more SegaCD games while avoiding FMV games and couldn’t agree more. Like the point-and-click adventure games, RPGs like Lunar and Popful Mail are pure gems that benefit from the extra capabilities. I just started Snatcher last night and am thoroughly impressed!