The world's premier resource for SEGA's arcade and console hardware legacy!
Coury Carlson has been making video game documentaries and videos for his YouTube show, “My Life in Gaming” since 2013. Recently, he filmed an excellent documentary on the making of the Sega CD classic Night Trap for its 25th anniversary. We chatted with him about the process, as well as his upcoming projects.
Considered one of the most controversial games in history, Night Trap earned the wrath of the U.S. Senate and helped usher in the ratings system. All the notoriety aside though, is it actually a good game? Well… no. Awkward gameplay fails to mesh with grainy video, creating an experience that’s ultimately unsatisfying. The 32X version at least had cleaner video, but this release doesn’t even have that going for it.
No one can argue that regardless of what you think of the game itself, Night Trap is a pretty important title. It was a major factor in the creation of the ESRB ratings system, and it is the poster child for the entire full motion video genre (for more on that, check out our Genre Spotlight article on the subject). In an effort to weed through all the speculation and opinions, Sega-16 sat down with the man who created the game: Rob Fulop himself. His gameography is a great one, with several classic Atari 2600 titles standing out, but no game has caused as much controversy as Night Trap.
When Digital Pictures released Night Trap upon an unsuspecting populace back in 1993, it set off a firestorm of controversy that got as far as the U.S. Senate. A year later, a version came out for the Sega CD/32X combo, it barely caused a stir. That was probably because by then, the FMV fad had run its course. Even so, this improved edition boasts clearer video and a much cleaner interface. It’s still the same game though, and as with most FMV titles, you either love it or hate it. Read the full review and see if this one’s worth giving a play through.