This page is for the original 1996 version. For the 2012 Retro Engine version, see Sonic CD (2012).
Key points
- Poor compatibility with newer versions of Windows. Sega PC Reloaded is recommended to patch and launch the game.
- FMV playback does not work with newer versions of Windows. The High Quality FMV Project mod can fix this issue.
- Only uses the North American soundtrack, even in the Japanese releases.[1] Use the High Quality Audio mod as a workaround.
Availability
Source |
DRM |
Notes |
Keys |
OS |
Retail |
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Use Korama's Sega PC Reloaded Installer to automatically turn off the disc check. |
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- A demo is available.
Version differences
- The original 1995 release (also known as the "DINO2D" version) was developed for Intel Pentium processors and was capped to 30 FPS compared to the Sega CD version. The later 1996 release uses DirectX 3 and supports 60 FPS.[1]
Essential improvements
Sega PC Reloaded
- Simple and easy-to-use launcher with many options and tweaks.
- Korama's Sega PC Reloaded is an fan-made installer, launcher, and patcher for some of Sega's older PC games. It fixes the need for Sonic CD to launch in 256 Color mode (not natively possible on later Windows OSs), creates the necessary .ini file to turn off the game's disc check necessity, and enables Vsync to maintain the game's original gameplay speed, among other features.
- Not compatible with the 1995 release.[2]
Installing the game with Sega PC Reloaded[3]
|
- Insert the Sonic CD disc into your CD drive, or copy the
GAME folder from the disc into your computer and then copy the all of the *.DLL files from the RDX folder to <path-to-game> .
- Download Sega PC Reloaded from the Sonic Retro forum thread here, run the launcher, select the
Install Game option, and then select Sonic CD .
- (Optional) Download this
pcm.cmp for higher quality sound effects here and place it into <path-to-game> .
- Select the
Select source option from the menu to install from the disc or the folder containing the game's files, then you will be asked to find the drive letter where the disc is located (e.g. D:\ ) or the game folder, afterwards the launcher will then ask you to create a new folder to install the game with the patches. Alternatively, you can install the patches into <path-to-game> by selecting the Already installed option to patch the game.
- If the Sega PC Reloaded launcher has detected the game, adjust the settings as desired, then click
Launch! to play the game. "Korama's patches active!" appearing on screen when launching the game.
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High Quality FMV Project
- Requires Sega PC Reloaded and the x264vfw Codec.
- Improves the quality of the game's FMV with higher quality video from the Sonic CD DVD Project that are compatible with newer versions of Windows.
Installing High Quality FMV Project[3]
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- Download the x264vfw Codec here and install it.
- Download the prefered
BADEND1.AVI , BADEND2.AVI , GOODEND.AVI , OPN.AVI , and PENCIL.AVI files from GameBanana here.
- Extract each of the
*.zip files that were downloaded from the link above and extract them too <path-to-game>\TITLE\AVI , replacing the original video files when prompted.
- Launch the game and wait at the game's title screen for the opening FMV to play. It should play the higher quality FMV instead.
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High Quality Audio
- Requires Sega PC Reloaded and
bass.dll
.
- Restores music playback and improves the overall music quality by using the original music from the Sega CD version. The Japanese soundtrack can also be played in the 1996 PC version with this mod and Sega PC Reloaded.
Installing High Quality Audio[3]
|
- Download
bass*.zip for Windows here from Un4seen Developments under the BASS section, then extract the bass.dll file from the archive and place it into <path-to-game> .
- Download the either the FLAC or WAV version of the US or Japanese soundtrack from GameBanana here.
- Create a new folder in
<path-to-game> with a descriptive name for the music files (e.g. AUDIO ).
- Extract the
*.flac /*.wav music files into the newly created folder where the game's music will be stored in.
- Launch Sega PC Reloaded, click Configure Game, and select Sonic CD (1996), go to Music under the Common settings section and click the
... button to point Sega PC Reloaded to where the music folder is and adjust the music volume as needed.
- Launch Sonic CD with Sega PC Reloaded and the game should be playing music from the files instead of the CD.
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Game data
Configuration file(s) location
- If using Sega PC Reloaded, the game's settings will be stored in
SONICCD.ini
in <path-to-game>
instead.
Save game data location
Video
Input
Audio
Audio feature |
State |
Notes |
Separate volume controls |
|
Music volume controls are present in the Sega PC Reloaded Launcher settings. SFX can only be turned on or off. |
Surround sound |
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Subtitles |
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Song lyrics and Sonic's voice samples are not subtitled. |
Closed captions |
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Mute on focus lost |
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Can be enabled in the Sega PC Reloaded launcher, the game will automatically pause when focus is lost. |
Red Book CD audio |
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Use Sega PC Reloaded to play music from hard drive instead. |
Localizations
Language |
UI |
Audio |
Sub |
Notes |
English |
|
|
|
Only for the stock vocal songs and a few Sonic voice samples. The 1996 PC version only comes with the North American soundtrack, even in Japanese and European versions. |
Other information
API
Technical specs |
Supported |
Notes |
Direct3D |
3 |
|
Executable |
32-bit |
64-bit |
Notes |
Windows |
|
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|
System requirements
Windows |
|
Minimum |
Operating system (OS) |
95, 98 |
Processor (CPU) |
Intel Pentium 75 MHz |
System memory (RAM) |
8 MB |
Hard disk drive (HDD) |
8 MB |
Notes
References