GameSacks AMiga CD32 Review

[Faerytale]

Check it out! They didnt seem to be to happy with its offerings  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9J_f24jjVIE

[polyp2000]

I never owned a CD32 but wanted one back in the day. I do remember feeling that most of the reviews of games I saw kind of mirrored the same sentiments of those guys.

Are there any games out there for the CD32 that really took advantage of the hardware. What kind of thing could we have expected if the CD32 had a longer shelf life and developers had had a chance to make the most of it.

Whats the most impressive CD32 title you have seen and how did it compare against the best of the competition at the time?

Lastly what kinds of title should the console have been able to handle but never surfaced?

N ...

[swoslover]

My memory of the CD32 was that Microcosmm looked pretty amazing but most of the games were straight ports of A1200 games like Soccer Kid.

I may be wrong though.

Would be amazing to see some homebrew stuff for the CD32.

[save2600]

Microcosm and Litil Divil was/is pretty impressive as is Guardian, which is similar to the SNES's Star Fox.

CD32 did fine (or should have) against its contemporaries when you compare like minded games. Sure, the library is lacking and there are too many un-enhanced Amiga "conversions", but at least today, we can say it has the capability of playing thousands of games.   :laughing:

Seriously under-exploited system to be sure. Other notable titles (no means a complete list) include:

Alien Breed 3D
Banshee
Battlechess
Brutal Sports Football (which plays smoother than the Jaguar version)
Defender of the Crown II
Exile
Fightin' Spirit
Gloom
Labyrinth of Time
Pinball Fantasies and Illusions
Pirates Gold
Prey: An Alien Encounter (similar to a SegaCD FMV game)
Project X
Super Stardust
Wild Cup Soccer
Worms
Zool  (both I and II)

[crawff]

Need to add Wing Commander and Liberation to the list as both these games were great on the CD32.

[agami]

Yes, the CD32 had a lot of potential. I remember seeing the Microcosm cut-scene playing on it in a store demo, I was blown away.

Against the SNES and Mega-Drive a.k.a Genesis it stacked-up nicely, especially since it had CD and 32 bit.
And it was expandable.

The following year Sony released the Playstation. Assuming Commodore didn't become insolvent, and If the CD32 had the right kind of development support and they released a decent expansion that bumped-up the CPU and added some improved graphics (maybe an Akiko II), it could have even competed with the Playstation. For a while at least. Maybe long enough to get the next console. I know, that's a lot of ifs.

Would they have called it DVD64? Or perhaps CD32/3D?
I wonder.

Anywho, I fulfilled my dream about eight years ago and got me a CD32 in the original box, some 30-odd games, 2 CDTV titles, and a SX-1 expansion.

[som99]

Need to add Wing Commander and Liberation to the list as both these games were great on the CD32.

Also Frontier: Elite II and Simon the sorcerer II.