The Black Beast

I got this in an online goodwill auction a few weeks ago and it finally arrived. I was not really expecting it to be in good shape or work well for the price. My first surprise on opening the package was that it was packed inside an original Sega CD box.

I have to admit, I was always impressed with Sega's ability to make things to
plug into every orifice the Genesis had available. (Yes, I want a 32X, someday, too.)

I remember seeing these on the electronics shelf in Walmart and imagining how futuristic and cool CDs were as a kid. CD based games must be absolutely mind blowing, I thought. It would be a few years before I'd even get a music CD player. Memories of playing Sega always have the background music of Aerosmith's "Get a Grip" since it was the only CD I had for the longest time. Anyways, here's the beast after unpacking.

Sorry, Sega. I think that's
Goodwill's entire business model...

I don't think I've ever seen this combination. I used to rent the Sega Model 1 Genesis system every now and then as a kid and thought it was one of the coolest looking consoles ever. I actually owned a Model 2 system, which is usually what you'd see hooked up to the Sega CD unit.  So this is a pretty odd setup but looks pretty awesome.  Not only is it in excellent cosmetic shape, it's also in perfect working order. It came with a few Sonic cartridge games and one terribad Sega CD game called Sewer Shark (seriously...so bad.). All of them played flawlessly, though.

I had to try out a decent Sega CD game though and figured I'd try this...just to see.

I guess it wasn't a worry back then since CD Writers either didn't exist or were insanely expensive, but the burned Sonic CD game plays perfectly. Though I may grab some of the original games if I can find them cheap, it's nice to know I'll be able to play them without having to pay an exorbitant price to an eBay scalper. There's no way Sega could make money off these games anymore, anyways, so not too big a deal.

Though I ultimately loved the Super Nintendo more, there were some great games on the Genesis. The rivalry of the two systems was just as silly as the political candidate race we decide today: full of catchphrases, generalizations, and cheap shots in the advertising, but the world would really not have been the same without them both. And unlike the political process we have to watch today, the competition actually made the games from both consoles better.

Long live the 16-Bit war. We all won, in the end <3.