Could the Sega CD have pulled off Sega's arcade 'super scaler' games ?

[Sut]

We didn't really see good 'super scaler' conversions until the 32x.

But wouldn't the Sega CD scaling abilities been able to run a decent Out Run or Space Harrier ?
Looking at Soul Star and Battlecorps I can't see any reason why not ?

[parallaxscroll]

Decent? Sure, depending on how well programmed.

As good as the arcade versions with all the graphic detail intact and scaling just as smooth? No way.

[Black_Tiger]

The Genesis would do a better job with pre-rendered animation and a large cart size.

[Sut]

If Out Run or Turbo Out Run (we need a good home port of this!) could have moved anything like the driving levels of Batman Returns then I can't see why it wouldn't have been a hit. Perhaps Sega were too fixated with FMV.

[Gogogadget]

I imagine Sega didn't want to re-release too many Genesis games to stop the influx of buyers remorse. I mean a port of OutRun would of been really cool and that but nobody wanted an expensive addon to get a game Genesis owners already had.

Even though that happened anyway.

[Black_Tiger]

An enhanced OutRun game with 4 times the content could use an alternate title like "OutRun 4: World Tour" and would have been functionally a proper sequel, even if old tracks were included.

[tomaitheous]

If Out Run or Turbo Out Run (we need a good home port of this!) could have moved anything like the driving levels of Batman Returns then I can't see why it wouldn't have been a hit. Perhaps Sega were too fixated with FMV.

The driving levels of batman are like 12fps and 15 colors only (the plane that everything is rendered to). Yeah, better scaling - but choppier framerate and much less colors.

A mix mode like that jaguar racing game on the SegaCD would be a better engine to do a Outrun game on. I believe that one runs at 30fps ( or at least higher than Batman).

[Team Andromeda]

We didn't really see good 'super scaler' conversions until the 32x.

But wouldn't the Sega CD scaling abilities been able to run a decent Out Run or Space Harrier ?
Looking at Soul Star and Battlecorps I can't see any reason why not ?

Forget those games, Just look at what John O'Brien did with his 1st Mega CD game




Or the smoothness in the scaling in Jaguar XJ220 (Core 1st game to use the ASIC chip) Which did run at 30 fps



To see that a decent team given the time and source code could have handle very decent ports of the likes of After Burner II, Space Harrier, Super Hang-On and Outrun that would leave the Mega Drive versions standing and of course with the CD Drive and the 8 PCM of the Mega CD would would have got Arcade perfect music and Arcade quality sound effects . I really couldn't have cared if they would have hat to run in a window or 22 fps if we had full scaling and rotation and Arcade perfect music ...

I'll take that anyday over the MD versions , the MD version of OutRun was a joke . Its a crying shame that SEGA Japan didn't put it top CS team on the job of porting its sprite scaler coin up's or given the job to John O'Biren and his team to handle the ports for SEGA . The Mega CD fortunes and image would have been so much better if more games use the ASIC and did stuff the Mega Drive and Snes just simply couldn't handle

[Orchid87]

Forget those games, Just look at what John O'Brien did with his 1st Mega CD game




Or the smoothness in the scaling in Jaguar XJ220 (Core 1st game to use the ASIC chip) Which did run at 30 fps

Looking at this I wonder what is wrong with Road Rash on Sega CD.

[Team Andromeda]

Looking at this I wonder what is wrong with Road Rash on Sega CD.

Its just a simple case of using Mega Drive GFX and not the Mega CD ASIC chip , sadly the case for most Mega CD games

[OverDrone]

To see that a decent team given the time and source code could have handle very decent ports of the likes of After Burner II, Space Harrier, Super Hang-On and Outrun that would leave the Mega Drive versions standing and of course with the CD Drive and the 8 PCM of the Mega CD would would have got Arcade perfect music and Arcade quality sound effects . I really couldn't have cared if they would have hat to run in a window or 22 fps if we had full scaling and rotation and Arcade perfect music ...

I think the Mega CD could have had a good stab at those games for sure. Shrink the display area some and accept that the frame rate is going to be compromised, and like you say with a good team I can only envision ports that would shame the MD attempts. Or any other machine of around that time.

At least one Sega scaler port should have been ready for release at launch in Japan for the Mega CD.

Its a crying shame that SEGA Japan didn't put it top CS team on the job of porting its sprite scaler coin up's or given the job to John O'Biren and his team to handle the ports for SEGA . The Mega CD fortunes and image would have been so much better if more games use the ASIC and did stuff the Mega Drive and Snes just simply couldn't handle

Makes you wonder why Sega would have put that expensive hardware in the machine in the first place if all they were going to do was encourage third parties to make cart games with redbook audio and less action orientated stuff (presumably to push the multimedia aspect).

Sega should have targeted the SNES wholesale with this thing, really pushing the scaling and traditional games making use obvious use of the hardware, as well as all the FMV junk they made money off.

[Team Andromeda]

I think the Mega CD could have had a good stab at those games for sure. Shrink the display area some and accept that the frame rate is going to be compromised, and like you say with a good team I can only envision ports that would shame the MD attempts. Or any other machine of around that time.

Yeah spot on . Sure it would have had to run in a window and the frame would have taken a hit to 22 fps or so . But I would take that any day for full use of the ASIC chip . If OutRun , Super Hang-on , Space Harrier, Afterburner II, Galaxy Force II had come to the Mega CD ussing the ASIC chipset inthe way Batman Returns/Cliffhanger and Soul Star did with Arcade perfect music tracks being played directly off the CD and the PCM chip used for Arcade quality sound effects . Then it would have helped the Mega CD image no end and would have pleased so many SEGA fans

Makes you wonder why Sega would have put that expensive hardware in the machine in the first place if all they were going

Well you do have to lead by example too and SEGA Japan didn't at all . It makes me so sad when the Mega CD title screen is handling Sprite and rotation effects that the Mega Drive or Snes couldn't handle at all and not even the Neo Geo supported multiple rotation effects . Sonic CD should have used the ASIC chip for scaling and rotating bosses ECT. It's pretty sad that the only Platform games to make use of the ASIC chip in game was Son Of Chuck and Puggsy

[OverDrone]

I think the Mega CD would definitely have it's work cut out for it with Galaxy Force II. That one I don't see happening. The arcade was a monster that ran three 68000 processors at 12.5Mhz, and it always was the most impressive in terms of graphics compared to the rest of the 80's scaler games.

I played the Super Deluxe cabinet in '92 and it was still amazing. Dat bass.

[Team Andromeda]

I think the Mega CD would definitely have it's work cut out for it with Galaxy Force II. That one I don't see happening. The arcade was a monster that ran three 68000 processors at 12.5Mhz, and it always was the most impressive in terms of graphics compared to the rest of the 80's scaler games.

The Mega drive had a port of the game ,so did the Master System . Just play Soul Star to see the Mega Cd could have handle a decent port of the game

[Sut]

I never realised Jaguar used scaling, I just dismissed it as a lazy Amiga port job like the Lotus games.
Heavenly Symphony also uses scaling and rotation to nice effect although it is choppy.