Top 10 Best Sega 32X Games of All Time

The Sega 32X was one of Sega’s biggest commercial failures. It’s an add-on for the Genesis console which supposedly upped the system’s capabilities to 32-bits. That in and of itself isn’t a bad idea necessarily. What really sunk it is the fact that it came out just before the release of the Sega Saturn. This meant that the house of Sonic the Hedgehog had to divide their resources in making software for the two platforms. They clearly focused on the Saturn (which was the better decision honestly) and so this add-on (intended to be a stopgap for people who couldn’t afford a new console) was doomed from the start. It had only a handful of releases. With that said it did amass some pretty decent software. Today we’re here to take a look at the top 10 best Sega 32X games of all time.

#10. – Kolibri

Okay brace yourself. In the 90s various developers were trying their hand at non-violent games. Kolibri is one such effort. It’s a side scrolling shooter that’s sort of in the vein of Ecco the Dolphin. What I mean is that you play as an animal (in this case a hummingbird of all things) as you do battle against a variety of natural enemies. Kolibri is a very unique game which I found to be surprisingly charming. You have a pretty traditional power-up system which, paired with the focus on exploration, makes for some pretty interesting gameplay scenarios. Plus, which other video game can you actually play as a hummingbird in?

#9. – Star Wars Arcade

This was one of the Sega 32X launch games. It makes fantastic use of the hardware by utilizing 3D polygonal graphics in a way the Super Nintendo (even with the FX chip) just couldn’t. The end result is a very competent shooter, and the best version of the game at that. Star Wars Arcade recreates various scenarios from A New Hope and Return of the Jedi. You’ll find yourself blasting tie fighters and meteors in space, or flying along the top of space stations and more. It’s a fairly fun experience and feels like a Star Wars game through and through. Honestly Star Wars Arcade deserves better than what it got.

#8. – Metal Head

Facts are facts, and the Sega 32X simply wasn’t as powerful as the Sony PlayStation or even Sega Saturn. Metal Head is pretty much the only game for the platform that might make you question that. This is a first person mech action game where you complete various missions (usually these involve just destroying all of the enemies in any given area). It’s a clear step up from most other games for the 32X hardware because it’s clearly next generation in production values. The areas in Metal Head are a bit empty but it’s still quite fun to play despite this. You won’t find a prettier game on the platform.

#7. – Tempo

I suppose Tempo could be considered the mascot for the Sega 32X. Never heard of him? Well that’s not surprising. This is a musical themed platformer. The real draw here is the hand drawn graphics. Tempo animates with a great amount of detail, and despite this the game still moves at a great pace. The stage designs are the real highlight however. You’ll have a fair amount of obstacles and enemies with which to deal with. It’s pretty easy to see how this one was left in time however. Thematically it’s full of 90s attitude, and in the mascot races Tempo just didn’t have a lot to offer. Still, there aren’t a lot of games which are like this on the Sega 32X which is why Tempo stands out from the pack.

#6. – The Amazing Spider-Man: Web of Fire

Spider Man is one of the big comic book tie ins frequently licensed in video games. Not many manage such a good balance between gameplay and the super powers of this license. Spider-Man: Web of Fire manages this fairly well. You can sling webs like you would suspect and fight off foes as well. It also helps that Spiderman animates extremely well. Clearly above the levels present in any Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis game. The only thing I wish is that the stage designs were a bit more intricate. Nonetheless, Spiderman Web of Fire is still one of the best games you’ll find on the Sega 32X.

#5. – NBA Jam: Tournament Edition

Let’s get something straight. NBA Jam is going to be one of the best games on any platform that hosts it. The 32X (especially with its limited library) is of course going to highlight the arcade style basketball action. This two on two hoops game is easily the best sports title for the platform. It also helps that this is one of the best versions of NBA Jam for any console. This is thanks to the enhanced graphics and audio the hardware brings. The characters are large and animate extremely well, and cheers from the audience and announcer sound surprisingly good here.

#4. – Primal Rage

Primal Rage is a guilty pleasure of mine. It’s a Mortal Kombat clone where you play as dinosaurs and other prehistoric beasts in bloody matches of fighting game glory. There’s plenty of violence here and even fatalities. You also have the typical 90s attitude with one character that farts, vomits, and even urinates to defeat his foes. I really like the fact that you can eat the very humans cheering on the fight, and the diversity of playable characters is largely enjoyable. Primal Rage on the Sega 32X also benefits from more frames of animation and cleaner character models than what you would find on the Super Nintendo or Sega Genesis.

#3. – Mortal Kombat II

Even decades later the first sequel is still the best Mortal Kombat game. By far. That’s even if I was just counting the 16-bit iterations. This 32X release of Mortal Kombat II is better than both the SNES and Genesis releases, and by a pretty big margin. Provided of course you have the six button controller at your disposal. The soundtrack is basically the same as the Sega Genesis version (which is poor to say the least) but each character animates significantly better. In a fighting game that’s really all that matters. Mortal Kombat II on the Sega 32X is easily the best fighter for the ill fated add-on. Although it was soon destroyed by the Saturn iteration, this release still validated early adopters.

#2. – Space Harrier

I absolutely love Space Harrier. Even the bad console ports of this game have my attention because this 3D shooter was so far ahead of its time it isn’t even funny. Up until this 32X release every home iteration had choppy scrolling and was a mere shadow of the coin op release. Space Harrier on the 32X however was an absolutely perfect arcade port. At the time this was incredibly impressive. Space Harrier on the 32X is an amazing game. Before this the only thing holding back this title was hardware. I love that Sega cared enough even for failed hardware to push such an absolutely brilliant port of one of their most iconic titles for it. Space Harrier is timeless, and it’s even moreso on the 32X because of the smooth scrolling and amazing soundtrack.

#1. – Virtua Fighter

It’s most interesting that Sega basically set into motion their own demise with Virtua Fighter. Their arcade release was one of the first 3D fighting games, and it largely popularized polygonal fighters. Despite this they pushed 2D graphics with the Saturn before going back on their ideas, but that didn’t stop them from releasing a very capable port for the Sega 32X. The problem is the add-on already had one foot in the grave at the time. That doesn’t stop this from being one of my favorite versions of the game. Virtua Fighter on the 32X is a very close part of the original arcade release. It plays just as well too.

I absolutely love the depth of combat here. You can try to button mash but you won’t get very far. You need to memorize the strike distance and speed of every attack. For each character. You can, and should, spend a lot of time learning the nuances of this game. Virtua Fighter is just as rewarding here as in the arcade.

And there you have it! Those are the best Sega 32X games. Please let me know what you think in the comments section!