In the late 80s, the “16-bit” or fourth generation of video game consoles was booming. The Sega Genesis (Mega Drive) launched in Japan in 1988 and then in 1989 in North America, introducing us to some of the most amazing Sega Genesis games. The improvements on game controllers, parallax scrolling of multi-layer tilemap backgrounds, colors on the screen, stereo audio with multiple channels and digital audio playback, and advanced music synthesis make a game experience more exciting. Imagine being a teenager during this golden age! For older gamers of this console, the following list may be very familiar. For those who have never owned or played with it, this may serve as a guide to start collecting!
Must-have Sega Genesis Games
Below is a list of the ten best-reviewed Sega Genesis Games.
1. Sonic the Hedgehog
What character! Sonic is not just a video game. It is Sega’s mascot. Sonic is a super-fast hedgehog who has the mission to save the animals captured by Dr. Robotnik, our villain. For this, he must beat 6 levels, with 3 sublevels each one, and the Final Zone on different environments plagued with Badniks, Robotnik’s minions. Sonic The Hedgehog was Sega’s response to the big N’s beloved plumber, in the middle of the 16-bit console war. The company sold it as a pack with the Sega Genesis console in 1991, replacing other games like Altered Beast. The success of the game is not the product of marketing alone. The graphics quality, the movements’ fluidity, the effects, the music, and other technical details keep you focused and enjoying for hours.
2. Castlevania Bloodlines
Castlevania Bloodlines is the only Sega-exclusive game in the Castlevania Series. As Sega can present an exciting platformer that captures the saga’s original feeling, this is a bad thing. It stands out for its improvements in the settings because we left Dracula’s castle to take a walk through several European countries, unlike other installments of the franchise. Your mission is to prevent the resurrection of Dracula, with John Morris and Eric Lecarde’s help. With their own weapons, John with his whip and Eric with his spear, they face none other than Death, Medusa, and Dracula one after another.
3. Altered Beast
“Rise from your grave” It’s time to rescue Athenea, daughter of Zeus, from the hands of the evil Neff. The God of Thunder has raised his most loyal centurion for this task. With the power granted by the blue orbs of albino wolves, his inner beast emerges. Through 5 levels of play, this hero will have to defeat zombies, gargoyles, and strange creatures, in addition to all the altered forms of Neff. On each level, he takes different forms when he succeeds in transforming. The first level is the most exciting in that sense. You can see the complete transformation process into a werewolf. What other animals can you transform into? Find out while playing this undying classic!
4. Gunstar Heroes
Gunstar Heroes is one of the most praised run-and-gun games. Sold for the first time in 1993, it presents a novel alternative thanks to its versatility. Besides being cooperative in the most extreme way, the game allows selecting the order of the levels to overcome, the weapons and skills, which can also be combined along the journey. The futuristic plot centers around saving the world from Colonel Gray, who seeks to resurrect a destructive weapon named Golden Silver. Our heroes Red and Blue, have the task of preventing it by defeating his imperial army. Due to the undeniable sympathy of its characters, the striking graphics and animations, originality, and dynamism, it has been deemed by many as the best game of the Genesis.
5. Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Miles’ Tails’ Prower shows us that even the best games can always be improved. This new success of our favorite hedgehog found its fans in mid-1992. Sonic decides to take a vacation and finds more than a break: a new partner and a new adventure! Tails, a cute, little, two-tailed fox, now accompanies the renewed Sonic everywhere, defeating Dr. Robotnic and his Badniks again and recovering the emeralds of chaos. Sonic is not only more attractive and manageable, but it also has a new trick: the Super Spin Dash. It coils and spins rapidly on itself, gains momentum, and rolls off at full speed in the form of a ball. This exemplary duo must overcome 11 levels battling the new inventions of the evil Robotnik, including a metallic copy of Sonic: Metal Sonic.
6. Streets of Rage II
The second installment of the Streets of Rage saga reached the public at the end of 1992. This beat ’em up game for one or two players maintains its original theme but with improvements in many aspects. Among the novelties, we have special attacks in exchange for the player’s health. But if you don’t want to lose anything, a combination of buttons makes you attack almost as effectively as in special mode. A bonus! You will fight ninjas, robots, people in motorcycles; knives are thrown at will, and katanas that somehow cause more damage than any other weapon in the game. Cataloged as the best of its genre for the Sega Genesis console, it stands out for its soundtrack very adapted to the fashion of its time, vertical scrolling, and the variety of characters.
7. Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom
Unlike most games of this genre, with fantasy and medieval settings, Phantasy Star has a sci-fi aesthetic that stands out. A team of brave men takes on bio monsters, strange and violent aberrations of flora and fauna of Motavia in random battles and turn-based combat. This brings life to a true role-playing game classic. Individual characters maintain their own statistics and equipment that determine the character’s performance in combat, spells, and the so-called TP “Technique Points” from previous installments. Save Motavia and the Algol solar system from annihilation and defeat Zio in this amazing game currently recognized as one of the best role-playing games developed for Sega Genesis!
8. Mortal Kombat II
Let’s revisit one of the earliest episodes of this ubiquitous saga. Talk about a throwback! Chang Tsung has another chance to dominate Earthrealm, in a second tournament on which his life depends. This time he cannot fail the evil Shao Kahn. Liu Kang and Raider travel to Outworld to foil his plans alongside brave fighters! This fighting game presents 10 different scenarios, new characters, and special movements, without neglecting the classic encouragement at the end of the match to finish off the opponent. The AI is surprisingly strong. Beating the single-player mode is not easy for the uninitiated. Mortal Kombat II boasts better visuals in the fighters’ sprites and more fluid animations. The company marketed the game in 1993, a year after the first, reaching unprecedented success thanks to its praises and controversies.
9. Golden Axe
This adventure places us in the Yurias’s kingdom, where the villain Death Adder oppresses the people and kidnaps the king and his daughter. Three warriors are called to avenge the beloved royal family and restore order. A barbarian whose mother has been killed, named Ax Battler, possesses a long sword. Tyris Flare, the Amazon, lost her mother and father; she will fight with her short-range sword. For his part, Gilius Thunderhead, the dwarf with a hatchet and a combat specialist, will make the guilty party pay for his brother’s death. The cooperative mode in Golden Ax is not just so two can play. A good match must be created to get effective strategies to dodge and defeat threats. Soldiers with clubs and maces, women with axes, skeletons with a sword and a shield, giants with a mighty hammers, and knights who carry a long-range swords are the basic enemies in this game. Magic potions or food can be found in the sacks of the elusive gnomes. But be careful because they will try to rob you while you sleep. A fun and simple medieval fantasy-style beat ’em up with an attractive multiplayer option, which flirts with the role-playing game genre without actually being one.
10. Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master
If you played this when it first came out, chances are you were dazzled by the beyond gorgeous animations, sprites, and settings. It is a breathtaking action game that portrays arguably the most badass ninja ever, going through his unsuspecting victims slashing and ninja starring them to oblivion. The game has such a nice difficulty curve, as it starts so easy, then it becomes tricky, and in the end, it turns nightmarish. Music-wise it is probably one of the best sounding sega Genesis games, probably even better than those of streets of rage and Sonic the Hedgehog. A must-have game that takes the raw power of the Sega Genesis to its limit!
Afterwords — The Best Sega Genesis Games
All of us who had a Sega Genesis console know that its success in general lines was short; however, we enjoyed it in a big way. One can confirm it by the fact that many games are available on other modern consoles. There is no replacing using the original system, though. So go ahead and remove the dust of your trusty Genesis, or make sure of getting one ASAP if you don’t have it! Up Next: How to spot fake Sega Genesis Cartridges?
