Game Review XII: "Sega Channel"

Okay, before I get into the topic of this post, I'm sure some of you are looking at me like: "Wolf, you're gonna talk about a game called Sega Channel?" If you don't know what that is, be patient for a sec. Now, have you ever dreamed of a game that had a lot of games packed in one cartridge or disc? Well, there was one of the sort for both the NES and the Sega Genesis called Action 52, which had 52 games packed in one cartridge. Sega Channel is sort of like that, but different. Let me explain...

Sega Channel Adapter
(Scientific Atlanta model)

Sega Channel kinda succeeded Action 52 in a sense. While Action 52 was unlicensed and multi-platform, Sega Channel was developed by Sega. Some fees had to be paid to use it, consisting of a one time activation fee of $25.00, and a monthly $14.95 to continue using it. With this, players had access to 50 games each month, with changes in the titles available. Of course, this was later reduced to 35 games in a two week cycle, which had nearly 70 games available each month. The access to these games were unlimited, as long as it was available in that period.This qualifies as an online service, though the external connection used both the Sega Channel Adapter and a cable cord, perhaps that of the TV. That said, it was obviously bigger than the standard Genesis Cartrige, something that the lock-on game Sonic and Knuckles couldn't compare to, in spite of its uniqueness.

Sega Channel Adapter
(General Instrument model)

Two versions of this was made. The original, which looked like an overly bulky adaption to the Genesis, was created by Scientific Atlanta. It was needlessly heavy that if you were to connect that to the other two adapters: the Sega CD and the Sega 32X, what was already a mess will look like even more of one. And with it's own AC adapter to connect to it, it's just one of those things that it's a pain to set up. There was another version made my General Instruments (no affiliation with General Electric, or GE) In any case, it was heavy, a bit pricey, but it was worth it. The service in general only lasted for about 5 years, which is a pretty good run on the Genesis.

Mega Man: The Wily Wars
(one of the 12 exclusives)

Aside from featuring games already released in the US, 12 games released in the PAL regions were put on here as exclusive titles for Sega Channel. Among which includes games such as Pulse Man, Golden Axe 3, and the 16-bit 3-in-1 game Mega Man: The Wily Wars. Of course, like many before it, the games (including the region exclusives debuting on Sega Channel) became emulated, both legal and not, on various platforms. Even so, I still believe that during it's 5-year run, Sega Channel did one hell of a job.

I can't exactly call it a game, as it was a hash of them in a bulky cartridge, but Sega Channel gets a 9 of 10 overall. Yeah, but to say that it's that good is an understatement for us nostalgic players.