Sega Anything: The 25 Best Genesis Games
Sega Anything: The 25 Best Genesis Games
Today is a special day in gaming history: On November 30th, 1990, the Sega Genesis (a.k.a. the Sega Mega Drive) was released in the PAL retail region of the world. Although it was previously released in Japan in 1988, and released in North America in 1989, its official release in the rest of the world marked the day when the Genesis finally accomplished its intended goal: giving millions of kids something to do that was way cooler than homework taking over the world. We spent a good portion of our childhood playing those 16-bit classics until our eyes were bloodshot red and our thumbs were covered with blisters, so it's only right that we celebrate today by counting down the 25 best games on the console. Not just because those were great times, but because things things were oh so simple then. *Blue blur flies past screen* SEGA!
#25. The Amazing Spider-Man vs. The Kingpin (1990)
Developer: Technopop
We're pretty big Spider-Man fans. But who isn't? The smart-mouthed wall-crawler has been a beloved comic book hero for years and when Technopop developed The Amazing Spider-man Vs. The Kingpin, he finally took over the video game world. Sure, the premise is a bit soft (the Kingpin shells out 10 large as a bounty for Spidey—10 grand and you call yourself a kingpin?!), but the game made up for lack of story with action-packed, side-swinging adventure, and fighting that would make Soulja Boy tweet "POW" ’til tomorrow.
#24. Golden Axe (1989)
Developer: Sega of Japan
Side-scrolling hack-and-slash never gets old—or at least it didn't before 3D gaming came along—which is why the first Golden Axe is a classic. While we were never fans of the super-pauseworthy barbarian, the sexy Tyris Flare, an Amazon out for revenge, was always good to look at. So this title will have you mutilating beasts for hours. Just don't let your homies catch you looking at the Ax Battler's golden package.
#23. The Lost Vikings (1992)
Developer: Silicon & Synapse
You might be surprised to see this title on this list, but the Lost Vikings crew (made up of Erik the Swift, Baelog the Fierce, and Olaf the Stout—sorry, no Cyhi da Prince) provided some surprisingly challenging puzzles to go along with their trademark humor. But the best part was that, unlike most Sega games, the game actually came with passwords; they were given out after you completed each level, so that you could return to said level even after you'd turned the game off instead of trying to beat it in one sitting like most Genesis games. Which makes us wonder: WTF did we ever do without memory cards?
#22. Ranger X (1993)
Developer: Gau Entertainment
The Megadrive had certain limitations in color rendering, which could make games look sluggish and repetitive. But X smashed through those barriers, rendering sprites perfectly and making the quasi-futuristic world seem fluid and real. The game should be ranked higher, but loses points because it was crazy difficult thanks to bosses who were like an army of mini-Galactuses—Galacti?—out to rip you limb from limb. Still, when you combine the cutting edge graphics with the variety of vehicles and weapons at your disposal, you got one fantastic game.
#21. Splatterhouse 3 (1993)
Developer: Namco Ltd.
Honestly, we consider the whole Splatterhouse series slightly overrated. Besides the fact that the game's hero Rick is an obvious ripoff of Jason Voorhees, we were never all that impressed with the level of blood and gore (even the Videogame Rating Council only gave it a MA-13). And sure, the remake looks bloody awesome , but that doesn't make this game any better in our eyes.
#20. NBA Live 95 (1994)
Developer: EA Sports
Live 95 elevated us to the higher heights of what basketball games could be. Do you even remember its predecessors, Bulls vs Lakers or Bulls vs Blazers? Of course not! You blocked it out because Live showed you the true way. The Buddha of all b-ball games had everything, from an unstoppable Penny Hardaway to a magically created player who played for the Bulls, wore number 23, and had a 99 in every skills category. But the best part were the bugs that allowed you to shoot fullcourt threes that bounced off the floor and went in or dunk in spectacular fashion from a standstill. Side-to-side crossovers FTW!
#19. NHL '94 (1993)
Developer: EA Sports
Often regarded as one the best sports games of all time, NHL 94 began EA's dominance of the '90s sports landscape, thanks in part to devastating moves like the "One Timer," which allowed you to shoot directly off a pass, and others simply dubbed "The Move" and "The Duper." Using the sports engine from NHLPA '93, this game was tweaked to absolute perfection from the movement of the puck to the stick and player movements on the ice. You could even break the glass! Add in realistic organ sounds for each team and multi-player modes, and this game developed a cult following that persists to this day (check nhl94.com). Even the boys from
Swingers knew this game was so money.
#18. X-Men 2: Clone Wars (1995)
Developer:
X-Men 2: Clone Wars
#17. General Chaos (1993)
Developer: Game Refuge Inc.
Here's a game that lived up to its title with a nice mix of shootouts and strategic location. Rather than being a turn-based game, General Chaos played out in real time and allowed players to pick a five-man team with a mix of soldiers and commandos that shoot it out on a small map—and even duke it out if they get in close contact. If only the situation in Iraq and Afghanistan was this simple.
#16. Disney's Aladdin (1993)
Developer: Virgin Interactive
Disney games are the most underrated games of the ’90s. Back when kids were still into animation, Disney not only made hit movies, but also some great games (corporate synergy, baby!) like Lion King and Toy Story. But none tops the excellent Disney's Aladdin. Sure, the film and the game probably peddled the kind of themes about Arabs that would make Edward Said spin in his grave, but the graphics were incredible. The animation didn't look digital, instead possessing the smooth hue of a cartoon. The creative team behind the game would go on to help create another Sega classic, Earthworm Jim.
#15. Road Rash (1991)
Developer: Electronic Arts
Forget the racing part—you know what made this game great? The ability to hurt people. Because seriously, who really cares about driving in circles? We were only in it so we could swing a chain in the air and hit the drivers next to us. That's why after playing this game, whenever we went outside to ride bikes with our friends, we used the patented Road Rash side-punch on anyone who got in our way. It was all fun and games, until someone got hit by a car. Yeah, good times.
#14. Comix Zone (1995)
Developer: Sega
Instead of playing like a standard side-scroller, Comix Zone took its hero, Sketch Turner (a starving comic book artist/part-time rock star/full-time awesome-blond-ponytail-rocker), inside the world of a comic and followed him from frame to frame. Incorporating elements of standard comics (including pop-up "POW!" animations and speech balloons) and the animator's hand (reminiscent of "Duck Amuck") with a nice mix of action and puzzles, if the game was released today it would probably get kids back into comics again. Well, maybe.
#13. Contra: Hard Corps (1994)
Developer: Konami Co., Ltd.
The actual plot of Contra: Hard Corps involves hackers and robots and saving the world and SNOOOOOOORE. Listen, kids, we're not big on the writing or reading so we're going to shoot straight: Contra is basically what happens when you combine every tough guy in the Expendables into one super-badass and send him on a fuckin' rampage to kick some cyber-ass, John Conner style. With awesome music, crazy effects, and a range of characters that include a genetically and cybernetically altered wolf/human thing, we only have on thing to say: Thank you, Konami.
#12. Boogerman: A Pick and Flick Adventure (1994)
Developer: Interplay Productions, Inc.
Everyone considers Sonic to be Sega's answer to Mario. But if you ask us, Boogerman ought to be considered Mario's true rival. Think about it: Mario is a freakin' plumber who goes through pipes in a Mushroom Kingdom filled with flowers and princesses. FOH. Meanwhile, thanks to a freak accident, Snotty Ragsdale (a.k.a. Boogerman) ends up in Dimension X Crement (get it?) and has to fart, cough, and flick his boogers to make it out. Now we ask you, isn't Dimension X Crement the kinda thing Mario ought to end up in after going through all those damn pipes? Exactly.
#11. Vectorman (1995)
Developer: BlueSky Software
Yeah, this game was kinda easy and the bosses were sort of uninspired, but that's only because BlueSky used every ounce of skill and brainpower they had to give this game a 3D feel in a 2D world. It was the smoothest platformer we'd ever played at that time, and Vector came with all sorts of cool tricks like turning into bombs, drills, and whatever else he needed to pulverize badguys. And it was beautiful. Nothing was safe, whether it be TVs or evil "orbots" ruled by the supreme orbot, Warhead. The game used pre-rendered graphics, giving it a computer game feel, and featured levels where you only faced a certain incarnation of the final boss. In fact, it's still fun to play to this day.
#10. Cool Spot (1993)
Developer: Virgin Interactive
Cool Spot may be the most surprisingly awesome game ever. The Cool Spot is the red dot on the 7-Up logo, but back then it was given limbs, a diddy-bop, and some cool shades to be transformed into a hero who shot soda bubbles like they were fireballs. The game’s surprisingly smooth graphics, genuinely enjoyable music, and challenging gameplay (including minigames that involved hopping on bubbles inside of a 7-Up bottle) were enough to overcome the commercial the game ultimately was. So hooray for product placement because one thing is for sure: After playing this, we never looked at a delicious, refreshing bottle of 7-Up the same way again.
#9. Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium (1994)
Developer: Sega of Japan
If the Genesis lacked anything, it was RPG titles, but Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium was a happy exception. The game picked up the storyline of the previous title with protagonist Chaz Ashley. Besides the high-quality gameplay, what made the title memorable was the variety of endings and outcomes it offered. Basically, every third-of-the-way through the game, you were given an option to either wife a chick with blue hair or wife a chick with red hair to create a future that was either inhabited by cyborgs or giant earthworms. In other words, the game provided the toughest decisions of our young lives. And gave us a bluehair fetish to this day.
#8. John Madden Football '92 (1991)
Developer: Electronic Arts
Nowadays, it's like you gotta be a damn junior-high graduate to figure out how to play Madden. Way before the days of nonsense like hitstick, playmaker, and QB vision, there was the OG Madden, keeping it simple and messy. Back in ‘92, we popped our extended cartridges in and just ran "Red Dog" every play on defense and "Fake Field Goal Pass" every play on offense. Plus, the ambulance was so hilarious we hoped our quarterback would get injured.
#7. Earthworm Jim (1994)
Developer: Shiny Entertainment
Earthworm Jim was the quintessential platform game for the Genesis. It had everything you could ever want: Contra-style shoot-'em-up action, constant platform challenges, and sometimes both at the same time! Not only that, the storyline was completely bizarre. You fought villains known as the "Psy-Crow" and "Bob the Evil Goldfish" in order to save "Princess What's-Her-Name." The humor was magnificently snarky, the graphics were gorgeous, and the soundtrack was 16-bit bleep-bleep goodness. Plus, the sequel was just as good as the original—kinda like another series we love. And yes, we're talking about Weekend at Bernie's.
#6. Street Fighter II: Special Champion Edition (1991)
Developer: Capcom
Before Playstation vs. Xbox, before Jay vs. Nas—heck, even before AOL vs. Netscape, the classic debate was Genesis vs. SNES. Sure, the two consoles had their differences, but they mostly had the same titles, including this one. We wasted enough quarters to fill every parking meter in America playing Street Fighter II in the arcade, so we were hyped when it dropped for Genesis. But honestly, this game was better suited for SNES. Unlike SNES, the standard Genesis controller only had three buttons. And this game had six types of attacks. Sega released a special six-button controller to accommodate the game, but who's gonna be able to convince their parents to buy a dedicated peripheral?
#5. Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (1992)
Developer: Sonic Team/Sega
One of the best-selling Genesis games of all time is an obvious pick for this list. Sure, Mario kinda had Sonic beat back in the day and is running laps on him now with his
endless barrage of titles, but Sonic 2 was still awesome because of its high-speed gameplay and stylized levels. Today, we're just thankful Charles Hamilton has happy memories of playing this game, because he probably doesn’t have many happy memories of the rap game.
#3. Shinobi III: Return Of The Ninja Master (1993)
Developer: Sega
Inspectah Deck immortalized this game's hero on Wu-Tang's classic "Triumph" when he boasted of "swinging swords like Shinobi." Of course Shaolin's finest had it kept it strictly for his ninjas—after all, Shinobi III: Return Of The Ninja Master was one of the best ninja games ever. The assortment of attacks the game offered made its hero that much cooler. Plus its variety of bad guys and inventive gameplay gave it more shelf life than even the best Sega games. The only drawback? The last level was freaking impossible!
#2. Streets of Rage 3 (1994)
Developer: Sega
The best beat-’em-up sidescroller EVAR. Streets of Rage 2 is pretty great too, but SOR3 had multiple endings and a larger cast of playable characters (Axel, Blaze, Skate, Dr. Zan, and secret characters Roo and Shiva),but most importantly, it finally fixed the series' main problem—the special attack. In SOR2, every time you used your special attack, you lost hitpoints. In SOR3, they added a recharging power meter that allowed you the occasional special move, which made a lot more sense. Either way, it was better than the special move from the original game: A police car would drive up and shoot a rocket at the ground. Seriously, that was the stupidest attack ever.
#1. NBA Jam (1993)
Developer: Midway Games
Who blended chaos and imagination better than NBA Jam? It didn’t bother trying to be realistic—and how could it be with a 16-bit drive?—instead focusing on gameplay that emulated the way we played as kids: Good defense meant fouling the shit out of someone and rules need not apply. Sure, Bill Clinton was never on our team doing a 360 dunk with a ball on fire while an announcer screamed, "Boomshakalaka!" But in our imaginations, that's exactly how we were playing.
