My dad used to give me a quarter to play the arcade Roadblaster outside our Walmart every time we went there. I had no clue there was a Genesis port. I'm gonna pick it up in memory of him.
Yeah. I love modern gaming, and I'm very happy to be alive in a time when 3D and even VR are easily available. But there's just something special about the 8 and 16 bit generations. The art styles that were born out of needing to maximize expression with a limited number of pixels are still magical to me. Even when buying new games, a new pixel-art game will catch my eye just as easily as the latest HDR 4k extravaganza.
I gotta give my mom some love. I was getting bullied by some dbags that ironically became my good friends in HS so she ordered me the Genesis from a place in the States on launch day through an ad in EGM despite the Canadian dollar worth 50% and shipping alone was 150 bucks all told I think it was around 800 she spent.I remember the day so clearly when Loomis pulled into our townhouse complex while all us kids were playing hockey outside and they watched me unbox it
I had the SNES and my best friend had the MegaDrive. We used to exchange systems quite often, and we grew up playing and loving both systems too. Even nowadays you still see comments out there claiming one system was much better than the other, or one is the best and only 16bit system they care for... and I think man, you are missing so many amazing games, what a shame.
If you come back so drained after work, I think you need to start soul searching what you REALLY want to be doing with your life. Getting happiness from a TH-cam video as though it's an opioid is not really a good sign hey.
@@jackrussell3084 Wise comment. Too many people are seriously addicted to social media. They literally use it like a drug. It's like painting over dirt. Probably one of the reasons they are always tired, as well. But it's a complex mental health issue, when grown ups in their 30's and 40's fight their depression by watching short videos about old videogames.
Just commented something very similar lol. There is also Light Crusader, Sword of Vermillion, wonderboy in monsterworld. Yeah it had quite a lot of adventure games, more than run and gun games for sure. So it is weird that they were not their own category. Beyond Oasis is crazy good and might as well be the second best zelda-style adventure game of that generation.
So glad Gauntlet 4 got a mention for best music. For my $ it is without question the #1 title in that regard. That soundtrack is just insane & absolutely blew me away the first time I heard it. It really does sound like something that doesn't seem possible on the Genesis & the instrumentals almost sound real. It's incredibly impressive!
I spent lots of evenings playing RR2 and 3 with my friend, bashing each other and the enemies and laughing at the hilarious cutscenes. Good times and good memories from my childhood. 😎👍
Comix Zone could easily be on Graphics, Music and Beat'Em Up categories. And we had it translated to Spanish and other languages, rare thing on the 90's... Incredible game.
@@Rohaldos I really like the gameplay. You have a lot of freedom of movement. And being able to shoot to the right while moving to the left was extremely rare back then.
A bit weird tho. Even if we count games of the same style - contra hard corps and alien soldier are just better. Better colors, better sprites, better animations. Ranger X only has meh pseudo 3d as an excuse to put it on top.
@@Bloody-Butterfly moving backward while shooting is nice, but it has nothing to do with graphics. Category we are discussing is best graphics on sega. p.s. I also like this game quite a bit, but that's not what I am talking about.
11:13 - Couldn't agree more. As a child, this was the first game where my parents took me to a local shop (I honestly can't even remember the name, only that it was in Granada Hills, CA), and my parents said I could pick any game I wanted. I chose this because of the amazing box art. Was immediately hooked to it and have loved the soundtrack as a kid. It was brutally difficult for me back then, but the satisfaction of finally beating it about 20ish years later is an experience I'll never forget. I'm so happy to have my original game complete in box with the manual.
A superb console, the Megadrive! We'd get back mashed from the pub and I'd go into a zone on Columns, unbeatable! Glad you mentioned Vectorman, so classy, that one. I loved the Dragons pinball games, Crue Ball too. Good times!!
It makes me a little wistful that Rocket Knight Adventures didn't win any awards (I did see it as a runner-up in the expanded list in the description, though) but honestly, I can't disagree with a single winner or runner-up in the video, these games are all simply stellar!
Its a better game than Contra Hard Corps even though on paper that game is my dream. The graphics suck too much and Rocket Knight is just more enjoyable
Rocket Knight Adventures is my absolute favourite game on the Mega Drive - Konami honestly released some bangers on the system, Castlevania: Bloodlines (or The New Generation over here) being another. Awesome video and great list.
Nice list! I was a total Sega Genesis kid growing up in the 90s so I'm getting all nostalgic seeing these games. I was very surprised to see the Yuyu Hakusho fighting game though. I played that on an emulator.
Gunstar heros is easily the best run/gun game I've ever played in my life, not a single contra release even comes closer to it. The only title I'd consider better in anyway is METAL SLUG but I don't know if I could call metalslug more fun, nothing beats the fun madness you can have in gunstar heroes
Hi, long time subscriber first time commenter. Just wanted to thank you for the great content you provide us with, the love you share for this games is truly contagious, I always loved Sega and the Genesis even when I mostly owned Nintendo platforms, recently my fiance asked me what I wanted for Christmas and you helped me make my mind... I want the console I always wanted and never had... I want a Sega Saturn. Keep up the good work!
I have often thought about making a top ten Genesis games and gave up. There’s just too many that deserve that top spot. But I will say this is easily the best SEGA Genesis list I’ve seen on TH-cam. Fantastic job! Also thank you for considering Mazin Saga, that game is still very unknown and I always enjoyed it.
My top ten 1.sonic 3 & knuckles 2.shinobi 3 3.streets of rage 2 4.phantasy star 4 5.shinning force 2 6.road rash 2 7.super street fighter 2 8.ultimate mortal Kombat 3 9.castlevania bloodlines 10.thunder force 4 11. X-men 2 clone wars 12.Jurassic park 13.ristar 14.rocket night adventure 15.the lion king 16.mega turrican 17.pulseman 18.alien soldier 19.Contra hard corpse 20.😢 But sega genesis cannot be narrowed down to a top ten because there is too many games and too much will be left out and everybody might have a totally different top ten list . It breaks my heart to do a top ten and leave out some games . Like scooby doo mysteries ,zombies at neighbors, earth worm Jim.
Overall, very solid picks with good reasonings behind them. The only thing I would have changed was to separate the RPGs into RPG and turn based strategy since they're entirely different styles of gameplay. With that said: Top RPG: Phantasy Star 4. Runner up: Shadowrun. Top Turn based Strategy: Shining Force2. Runner up: Warsong or Master of Monsters Technically you could also separate RPGs further into turn based and realtime as well; which would take the top and runner up pick for Top RPG as the tops in their respective categories with new runner ups. Lastly, I'd add one more category for real time strategy; with Herzog Zwei and Dune 2 being the winner and runner up.
I just recently started play Herzog Zwei and it's so amazing. It took me awhile because it was hard to figure out at first but once you do it's Freakin great!
There are not too many strategy rpgs on genesis really, 6 in total. Bahamut senki, lagrisser 1 and 2 (warsong), shining force 1 and 2 and master of monsters. From which only 4 were released outside of japan, and I mean at that point is basically 50/50 chance of them appearing on the list. There are also not a lot of turn based rpgs on the genesis, specially released outside of japan and during the genesis lifetime. So putting those together doesn't bother me. I would though separate adventure games/action rpgs from the bunch. So that we give games like beyond oasis, crusader of centy and landstalker a chance. Not to mention real time strategy games... we are talking here about the time where the genre was being created. I think you just missed populous lol. So at that point there is really not a point in calling them the best, is like saying that sonic is the best physics-based speed platformers on the genesis. Actually I think there are more of those than Rts games.
@@Marcus_K very true, annoying so. I also strongly prefer Super Hang on. Love the campaign mode. The campaign bike ends up being better than the one you play with in the arcade mode.
Great List. I dismissed Greatest Heavyweights when it first came out, because it looked too much like Evander Holyfield Real Deal Boxing (I played that game a lot). I didn't play Greatest Heavyweights until like 20 years later (via emulation), & realized how much more improved/polished the fighting engine/mechanics were over EHRDB. I was so impressed, I bought a CIB physical copy of it a short time later (which I still have). As the saying goes: "Better Late Than Never." You sold me on Comix Zone. At first I was like, 'huh???' My favorite racing game would be Super Monoco GP. A very good port of the arcade version, that ran smoothly. Super Street Fighter 2 was a better port than Special Champion Edition in my opinion. SSF2 had a mode you could select (that I believe was exclusive to the Genesis version) where you could fight every character. Strider, Vectorman, & Alien Soldier would be on my list as well.
Yes I said the same thing Golden axe was almost one to one as an arcade port. Also strider and ghouls and ghosts were pretty damn good too.ghouls and ghosts was almost one to one as well
This is by far your best video. Your choice of 2 games per genre is a smart one. Also adding Categories as Sound, Graphics and Arcade port was just a genius move to cover some games which deserves to be in a TOP list. Other than Road blasters I agree with every game you call on all categories.
All great choices. The Revenge of Shinobi's sound track made the best impression on me. That game is what sold the Genesis as a serious gaming platform when it came out.
Genesis is my favorite 16bit system... the first console that was MINE... not for the whole family. Its one of the only systems I still use original hardware for... everything else I use a Mister. Great video as always. It's such a good feeling seeing a new SLX video posted!
Great ass game .!! Played till my controllers broke I was so waiting for a sequel. My little Brains keep saying next time they will. Make u able to regenerate body health at the round break and a stamina bar to regulate spamming punches And a better crowd .. maybe like wwf arcade game .
I am the same age as you... i never was a console kid... i had a dad that was an engineer... I had a Tandy TL/2 in 1989... An XT clone in the 80s... but I aboutly love your content.. and the love you had for the consoles as a kid... i always dreamed about having a console, always bought the magazines... played my buddies consoles... SNES came out in 1991... finally bought my first snes with my paperboy job a year. after the release
I love the choices you picked despite disagreeing with Sonic 2. S3&K had such a story to tell that you could see in game and from the Archie comics that I consider it peak 16 bit platforming, Sonic 1, 2, and CD hold a special place in every SEGA kid’s heart I simply can’t argue with. A tip of the hat to Vectorman 1 and 2 for OSTs though, those were a cut above.
20:40 once the category came up i was like the winner will be SOR2 im calling it. Then you said "you knew this had to be here" by far the best beat em up ever made!
Thanks for the video, this was a fun watch. You hit on pretty much every Genesis game I'd have in here. I'd throw Dynamite Headdy a mention for graphics/platformer, Mega Turrican for music, and MUSHA for schmup. Happy to see Ranger X on here!
Honestly, I think I would have gone for a top three games format for each genre to this best of the best compilation. The Sega Genesis and its library deserved it.
Based on the comment section, so many people were disappointed when their personal favorite didn't get mentioned... ...so, for that reason, I think it would have been better to simply mention the Top 5 Nominees, then give & explain the Winner. ...Altho, having a Top 3 (Bronze, Silver, & Gold) is a cool idea... He said that he didn't want to make the video too long. ...Whereas, with most Award Shows, they simple give mention to all the nominees before declaring the winner.
My all time favorite SEGA Genesis game is Burning Force. I loved this Space Harrier clone. The music was great and it was simple arcade fun. This was an early hidden gem from Namco. Most people wouldn’t be impressed with this today, but I still love it as it takes me back to 1991 when I discovered the Genesis.
@Benjamin Jagun are you trying to tell me I don’t love Burning Force? You don’t have to like it. I love the game and am entitled to my opinion. I’m not insulting your taste. Please don’t insult mine.
The Lost Vikings is SUCH an underrated gem on the platform. I'm so glad you gave it a shoutout. It's sequel Norse by Norsewest on Saturn is also superb.
i actually picked it up today on his recommendation (got it for free in a buy 2 get one free deal) - never knew it had extra levels on the genesis, so here's looking forward to it
Lord X, your videos are like a time machine, which takes you back to the good old glory days. The way you talk about it with all your energy makes me feel like a growing-up again...back to the days where 16-bit was the bang and it meant the world to us. Thank you so much for your work, pls keep on
This was a great episode. The reason why I needed the genesis mini two so badly, is to play Games like Crusader of Centy and Ranger X officially. The Genesis was a remarkable system and I find myself appreciating it more and more each and every day.
Very respectable list, my lord. The only changes I would make would be NHL 94 as the 'Winner" in the "Sports" category, Rocket Knight Adventures and Sonic 3 & Knuckles as the "Runner-Up" and "Winner" in the "Platformer" category and Super Street Fighter II as the "Winner" of the "Fighter" category over Special Champion Edition.
I had Genesis and SNES when I was a Kid. I enjoyed both of them. After more than 30 years, I can say Genesis had some special feeling on it. Kind of a magic that you couldn't find on SNES.
Immaculate SELECTION 👌 As far as I'm concerned, I would have add Landstalker as one of the best RPG and gave the best OST to SOR2. Rocket Knight deserves as well but that's just the way it us when you make games lists 😅
The problem with categories at times are when you get stuff Herzog Zwei, Gain Ground, etc. They are a little harder to define. RPGs could also have been subdivided further with the SRPG (squad) versus Western (solo) or even Adventure RPG etc. Good picks overall and showed the hardware well.
What a console, and great video! Personally, I have Landstalker and Wonderboy on my lists somewhere, but there are so many great games I can see how some get left off. And NHL 94 I think was an oversight :)
As someone who grew up on Nintendo systems, it's nice to see these Best Ofs from a competing system. I've been playing a lot more Sega games over the years & these videos help point me in the directions of games I may have overlooked. Thanks
Definitely play it. If you like Contra this fits the bill, it has all of the action of the Contra titles but also has a great sense of humor, and lots of innovative effects.
Good list. Everyone will have their favorites. Best graphics for me would be Toy Story runner up, Panorama Cotton as best. Both were late releases but do things never thought possible as far as sprites and backgrounds go. But I can't forget the Genesis's polygon library to! When everyone was bragging about the snes's scaling and rotation ablitites, the Genesis was already pushing polygons. People often forget that fact when analysing gaming history. Thanks for the video, its an impossible task to pick just 2 of each category considering the hundreds of outstanding games on that system.
Sega's loading screen when turning it on was the best sound in the world at the time. And, i'll go one step further... these games are better than the "retro" 16 bit games released NOW that are supposedly modernized. Genesis did what almost nobody does now.
Dude... this made me feel like a kid again for a few minutes.. your video came on my home page.. you got yourself a sub from me.. can't wait to watch all your videos! I was a hardcore Sega kid growing up... late nights playing sonic 1,2 and vector man was my childhood...
Contra Hard Corps was butchered in the US. The Japanese verion has 3 hit deaths and a 30 lives code. So, play that verison on NSO or ROM if you want to get more than 3 seconds in.
I loved the Genesis, it was my first console and I was obsessed. But even then, being a kid with only allowance money, I never realized everything I was missing out on. So many cool games on this list I wish I'd spent my money on instead!
Man, this really is an eye opener into just how strong and varied the Genesis library was. The Super Nintendo may have excelled in certain genres more, but the Genesis might have the more interesting library as a whole.
Wow that generation was wild. Every time I go back I realize just how great it was and how far it pushed the aged hardware inside the Genesis even further to the limit. So masterful what people did back then.
You left Kid Chameleon off…it is hands down the best game on the Genesis! It is probably the most difficult, most diverse, most visually interesting. It could be the best platform, best action, best sound. Only the most hardcore could beat it in 1992 and I couldn’t for almost 15 years w/ save states. It deserved a sequel and deserves a remake now
@Benjamin Jagun The only flaw in the game was not having passwords or saves. It was a visual masterpiece of a game. I respect your opinion...to me it was one of the best games ever made for the Genesis.
I'll admit that I always thought Comix Zone looked really good on the Genesis, but that is definitely not a pick I would have expected. You were definitely right about it being divisive, but you have a point on your reasoning for selecting it. Nice job.
Good video, I like a lot of the picks. Some I'd differ on... Sports, absolutely taking Tecmo Super Bowl - I loved Tecmo Bowl on the NES, but the first Genesis version, I still play to this day - and roster updates are still available. It's literally the best football game ever made as it's so replayable. Runner up, while I loved the boxing game, would have to be NHL 94, which I still play till this day. Racing, I'm going with Super Monaco GP - the basic career system, at the time, was amazing and offered you a reason to keep playing. Puzzle would be the original Columns, I had never heard of it or played it until I got it with the pack-in CD with the Sega CD, and man did I play the hell out of it. Arcade port, I'm going with the launch title, Ghosts n Goblins. In 1989, it was so far beyond anything else available, and the EGM game of the year. Strider would be next for me. Best graphics, I'm going off the board here and picking Altered Beast. I know, but, I still remember the shock and awe I had when I booted up the Genesis on Christmas 1989, and I was STUNNED that you could get graphics that good on your television. I literally thought you had to use a computer monitor to get such high definition graphics on a screen. I mean, the thing looked BETTER than an Amiga, using a computer monitor, it was remarkable.
@@DerekMoore82 for music, Ghouls 'n Ghosts was my go to -- that and Golden Axe. I remember being a nerd in high school, doing TV production, and getting audio from the games to use during very stupid commercials we'd make for the morning announcements.
Genesis was always my secondary system. I got one when I still had a NES, at the price drop and inclusion of Sonic as the pack-in, and I just had a ton more games for the NES and I'd go to that rental shelf first before looking for Sega games, and after I got a SNES the Genesis was just a less appealing option. I thought of it as being more for sports titles, arcade ports, and edgy cool gimmick games while the other systems generally had better gameplay. I've probably played the least Genesis games out of the three platforms over the years, and I'm glad to find new classics now, so thanks for this.
If you're looking for good Genesis titles you missed out on, some I've not seen mentioned in the comments yet include Battlemania 2, Panorama Cotton, Dragon's Fury, Landstalker, Alisia Dragoon, and Tanzer. Plus many sports gamers still swear by NHL '94; if anyone reading this is a fan, can you explain what makes it different than every other EA sports game from the time period?
@@juststatedtheobvious9633 I've tried to get into Alisia Dragoon since I saw Pat the NES Punk's review of it, but I don't really get how it's meant to be played. I played all the NHL games though, and personally I liked the first one the best, just titled NHL Hockey. After that I'd say '93 had the best gameplay tweaks. I don't know sports either, I'd guess it's a 'roster that year' thing.
Thanks for the list of possible treasures. For the puzzle category, I'd nominate Namcot's "Megapanel", a Japanese release unlike the many other puzzle games out there. The mechanic is based on the "sliding tiles" concept, but you try to line up the matching colors. New rows pop up from the bottom as time progresses, with you having to make a set number of matches before the highest tiles gets pushed off the top of the screen.
Excellent choices! I just miss the Action RPG category for running games link Wonder Boy V, Crusader of Centy, Landstalker, Beyond Oasis, Light Crusader, The Immortal... etc.
I really need to give Road Rash 2 another shot on my Genesis Mini. I played the first few stages and had a blast, but was distracted by Bloodlines. Great video btw - could really tell the care and effort which went into it, and how hard it must have been for you to choose the best of the best!
Unless the person never played it, it is IMPOSSIBLE for anyone to call GunStar Heroes a Contra clone for it's anything but that. Anyway. GREAT LIST. I enjoyed it immensely. Of course, many things are subjective but hey, it's still a great list.
With so many great games on the genesis, I cannot but accept these choices, even if I don't always agreed with them. I do think that rpgs/strategy rpgs and adventure games were worth separating. If just to give a chance to games like Beyond Oasis, Crusader of Centy, Monster World 4, Landstalker, etc. Ironically, the genesis might have more zelda-style adventure games worth talking about than the snes. Also I am obliged to give a shout out to Alien Soldier, just because it is awesome.
7:53 that is my favourite track in the game. The slow pace, the odd instrumentation combined with the hammer-on guitar solos make for something pretty unique amongst the hundreds of game tracks ive heard
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My dad used to give me a quarter to play the arcade Roadblaster outside our Walmart every time we went there. I had no clue there was a Genesis port. I'm gonna pick it up in memory of him.
Roadblasters was my dad's favourite C64 game. This game has always had a special place in my heart.
Such a GREAT CONSOLE! The 90s was the golden era
Genesis was 80's technically, but I agree lol.
SNES was the best console.
@@chivalrous_chevy1163 SNES was amazing but PS1 probably edges it out, at least in RPGs.
@@Vulpas it doesnt kid LOL
Yeah. I love modern gaming, and I'm very happy to be alive in a time when 3D and even VR are easily available. But there's just something special about the 8 and 16 bit generations. The art styles that were born out of needing to maximize expression with a limited number of pixels are still magical to me. Even when buying new games, a new pixel-art game will catch my eye just as easily as the latest HDR 4k extravaganza.
I gotta give my mom some love. I was getting bullied by some dbags that ironically became my good friends in HS so she ordered me the Genesis from a place in the States on launch day through an ad in EGM despite the Canadian dollar worth 50% and shipping alone was 150 bucks all told I think it was around 800 she spent.I remember the day so clearly when Loomis pulled into our townhouse complex while all us kids were playing hockey outside and they watched me unbox it
I’m so lucky that I had the best of both worlds back in the early 90s. I had both A Sega Genesis & a Super Nintendo & I loved them both so much
I had the SNES and my best friend had the MegaDrive. We used to exchange systems quite often, and we grew up playing and loving both systems too. Even nowadays you still see comments out there claiming one system was much better than the other, or one is the best and only 16bit system they care for... and I think man, you are missing so many amazing games, what a shame.
@@elbitxo5945 The Super Nintendo was clearly better, and I know that because I've played hundreds of Genesis games : D
But which one did you love more?
@@madspunky if I had to pick one then I'd go with SNES but that doesn't take anything away from Genesis.
@@whosaidthat84 Thanks! Would you care to say why you preferred the SNES? Yeah, the Genesis was also a must own console!
Poor Rocket Knight. I'm sure that was a hard one to leave out.
ikr. i'm about to drop 200 Canadian on that one.
Yeah, that's a great one! My two first games on this console were Truxton and then Rocket Knight Adventures!
@@Cellfix greeeeennnnndooooogggg
@@donkeyparadise9276 😆
@@donkeyparadise9276 Bob Cornhole would love that game 🤣
after a long crappy day at work this is exactly what I need to cheer me up, thanks Sega Lord X!
lots o chumps at work tbh
If you come back so drained after work, I think you need to start soul searching what you REALLY want to be doing with your life.
Getting happiness from a TH-cam video as though it's an opioid is not really a good sign hey.
@@jackrussell3084 check out mark Dice
@@jackrussell3084 Wise comment. Too many people are seriously addicted to social media. They literally use it like a drug. It's like painting over dirt. Probably one of the reasons they are always tired, as well. But it's a complex mental health issue, when grown ups in their 30's and 40's fight their depression by watching short videos about old videogames.
@@jackrussell3084shut up
Beyond Oasis is the game that made me fall in love with what videogames could be. Still go back and play it every once and a while
I can't wait to see the Master System episode
Really great picks. I would’ve included a “Best Adventure” category.
Runner up: Beyond Oasis/Story of Thor
Winner: Crusader of Centy/Soleil
Amazing choices! Such great gameplay and soundtracks.
I'd add an adventure-action genre to include Monster World IV, Centy and Beyond Oasis.
Just commented something very similar lol. There is also Light Crusader, Sword of Vermillion, wonderboy in monsterworld. Yeah it had quite a lot of adventure games, more than run and gun games for sure. So it is weird that they were not their own category.
Beyond Oasis is crazy good and might as well be the second best zelda-style adventure game of that generation.
Or the criminally overlooked Pirates! Gold. This game deserves more attention than it gets and is one of the best on the system, IMO.
@@bmwolgas Just played that for the first time the other day and it was another one to add to the "I wish I had this back in the day" list!
The video is great but that is a glaring omission in the genre department. Not sure how that was missed. Too bad. Great games you mentioned up there!
thanks for making ristar at least a runner up the game is phenomenal i wish more people were aware of it's majesty. it's my fav game of all time
I will play it now that ai know. Yay
Hot take: Ristar is better than Sonic.
It has so much polish. Really deserved more attention.
@@laughingseal2282 It is. There are actually a few platformers better than sonic on the genesis/megadrive, like the Rocket Rackon games.
It does look cool, I missed that one in it's day.
So glad Gauntlet 4 got a mention for best music. For my $ it is without question the #1 title in that regard. That soundtrack is just insane & absolutely blew me away the first time I heard it. It really does sound like something that doesn't seem possible on the Genesis & the instrumentals almost sound real. It's incredibly impressive!
Was hoping Road Rash 2 would be #1, that game was played by me and everyone in the neighborhood almost everyday! Truly a great game
🎮🏆
Hell yeah.!! Road rash 2 is so damn awesome.!! Shinning gem on the genesis .!!
I spent lots of evenings playing RR2 and 3 with my friend, bashing each other and the enemies and laughing at the hilarious cutscenes. Good times and good memories from my childhood. 😎👍
Comix Zone could easily be on Graphics, Music and Beat'Em Up categories. And we had it translated to Spanish and other languages, rare thing on the 90's... Incredible game.
This console defined my teen years in the 1990s
I’m so happy you gave Ranger X an award. It is my #1 favorite Game on the Genesis.
I owned the japanese version Ex-Ranza I still play it every now and than and the special effects still impresses me today. Such an incredible game!
@@Rohaldos I really like the gameplay. You have a lot of freedom of movement. And being able to shoot to the right while moving to the left was extremely rare back then.
I agree. Definitely one of my top favorites.
A bit weird tho. Even if we count games of the same style - contra hard corps and alien soldier are just better.
Better colors, better sprites, better animations.
Ranger X only has meh pseudo 3d as an excuse to put it on top.
@@Bloody-Butterfly moving backward while shooting is nice, but it has nothing to do with graphics. Category we are discussing is best graphics on sega.
p.s. I also like this game quite a bit, but that's not what I am talking about.
11:13 - Couldn't agree more. As a child, this was the first game where my parents took me to a local shop (I honestly can't even remember the name, only that it was in Granada Hills, CA), and my parents said I could pick any game I wanted. I chose this because of the amazing box art. Was immediately hooked to it and have loved the soundtrack as a kid. It was brutally difficult for me back then, but the satisfaction of finally beating it about 20ish years later is an experience I'll never forget. I'm so happy to have my original game complete in box with the manual.
You’re the man! 👍
A superb console, the Megadrive! We'd get back mashed from the pub and I'd go into a zone on Columns, unbeatable! Glad you mentioned Vectorman, so classy, that one. I loved the Dragons pinball games, Crue Ball too. Good times!!
It makes me a little wistful that Rocket Knight Adventures didn't win any awards (I did see it as a runner-up in the expanded list in the description, though) but honestly, I can't disagree with a single winner or runner-up in the video, these games are all simply stellar!
ikr
Its a better game than Contra Hard Corps even though on paper that game is my dream. The graphics suck too much and Rocket Knight is just more enjoyable
Rocket Knight Adventures is my absolute favourite game on the Mega Drive - Konami honestly released some bangers on the system, Castlevania: Bloodlines (or The New Generation over here) being another. Awesome video and great list.
Couldn't agree more with your RPG picks Segalord. Great taste!
Sir, the quality of the content you keep pumping out is unreal! What an amazing channel! Greetings from Rome, Italy.
Nice list! I was a total Sega Genesis kid growing up in the 90s so I'm getting all nostalgic seeing these games. I was very surprised to see the Yuyu Hakusho fighting game though. I played that on an emulator.
Gunstar heros is easily the best run/gun game I've ever played in my life, not a single contra release even comes closer to it. The only title I'd consider better in anyway is METAL SLUG but I don't know if I could call metalslug more fun, nothing beats the fun madness you can have in gunstar heroes
Contra fired the Spread Gun so Treasure could fill the screen with homing shots.
Hi, long time subscriber first time commenter. Just wanted to thank you for the great content you provide us with, the love you share for this games is truly contagious, I always loved Sega and the Genesis even when I mostly owned Nintendo platforms, recently my fiance asked me what I wanted for Christmas and you helped me make my mind... I want the console I always wanted and never had... I want a Sega Saturn. Keep up the good work!
I was a Sega and Sony kid back in my days before I got into Nintendo and Microsoft.
I have often thought about making a top ten Genesis games and gave up. There’s just too many that deserve that top spot. But I will say this is easily the best SEGA Genesis list I’ve seen on TH-cam. Fantastic job! Also thank you for considering Mazin Saga, that game is still very unknown and I always enjoyed it.
My top ten
1.sonic 3 & knuckles
2.shinobi 3
3.streets of rage 2
4.phantasy star 4
5.shinning force 2
6.road rash 2
7.super street fighter 2
8.ultimate mortal Kombat 3
9.castlevania bloodlines
10.thunder force 4
11. X-men 2 clone wars
12.Jurassic park
13.ristar
14.rocket night adventure
15.the lion king
16.mega turrican
17.pulseman
18.alien soldier
19.Contra hard corpse
20.😢
But sega genesis cannot be narrowed down to a top ten because there is too many games and too much will be left out and everybody might have a totally different top ten list .
It breaks my heart to do a top ten and leave out some games .
Like scooby doo mysteries ,zombies at neighbors, earth worm Jim.
Makes me happy to see others with Road Rash 2 so high on their list. Love that game!
Overall, very solid picks with good reasonings behind them. The only thing I would have changed was to separate the RPGs into RPG and turn based strategy since they're entirely different styles of gameplay. With that said:
Top RPG: Phantasy Star 4. Runner up: Shadowrun.
Top Turn based Strategy: Shining Force2. Runner up: Warsong or Master of Monsters
Technically you could also separate RPGs further into turn based and realtime as well; which would take the top and runner up pick for Top RPG as the tops in their respective categories with new runner ups.
Lastly, I'd add one more category for real time strategy; with Herzog Zwei and Dune 2 being the winner and runner up.
I just recently started play Herzog Zwei and it's so amazing. It took me awhile because it was hard to figure out at first but once you do it's Freakin great!
There are not too many strategy rpgs on genesis really, 6 in total. Bahamut senki, lagrisser 1 and 2 (warsong), shining force 1 and 2 and master of monsters. From which only 4 were released outside of japan, and I mean at that point is basically 50/50 chance of them appearing on the list. There are also not a lot of turn based rpgs on the genesis, specially released outside of japan and during the genesis lifetime. So putting those together doesn't bother me. I would though separate adventure games/action rpgs from the bunch. So that we give games like beyond oasis, crusader of centy and landstalker a chance.
Not to mention real time strategy games... we are talking here about the time where the genre was being created. I think you just missed populous lol. So at that point there is really not a point in calling them the best, is like saying that sonic is the best physics-based speed platformers on the genesis. Actually I think there are more of those than Rts games.
Shadowrun rocks. Great ambience and music.
Would you put mega lo mania into RTS or TBS?
My all time fav genesis game is Super Hang on. The campaign mode is so challenging and fun and the soundtrack is so good.
It's one of the best Genesis racing games and also a superb arcade port. Tends to get overlooked because of Road Rash I guess.
@@Marcus_K very true, annoying so. I also strongly prefer Super Hang on. Love the campaign mode. The campaign bike ends up being better than the one you play with in the arcade mode.
Great List.
I dismissed Greatest Heavyweights when it first came out, because it looked too much like Evander Holyfield Real Deal Boxing (I played that game a lot).
I didn't play Greatest Heavyweights until like 20 years later (via emulation), & realized how much more improved/polished the fighting engine/mechanics were over EHRDB. I was so impressed, I bought a CIB physical copy of it a short time later (which I still have).
As the saying goes: "Better Late Than Never."
You sold me on Comix Zone.
At first I was like, 'huh???'
My favorite racing game would be
Super Monoco GP.
A very good port of the arcade version, that ran smoothly.
Super Street Fighter 2 was a better port than Special Champion Edition in my opinion. SSF2 had a mode you could select (that I believe was exclusive to the Genesis version) where you could fight every character.
Strider, Vectorman, & Alien Soldier would be on my list as well.
I had no idea the music in Gauntlet was that good.
this is the video we needed right now! these games look so good still, for how old they are
Really cool to see you put Sword of Vermilion on the list of Best RPGs. It's an underrated gem and very good for its time.
Sword of vermillion wasnt selected it was phantasy star 4 and shining force 2...
@@joshuamackey2326 It's on the list in the description of additional runner-ups.
It had a charm, but had some problems.
@@tolani05 I really liked the graphics, level design and combat too.
NHL 94 is arguably the greatest hockey game of any console past or present. They still have organized tournaments around the country to this day
Good choices overall. Kind of surprised though that Golden Axe wasn’t considered anywhere. That would have been my choice for Arcade Port for sure.
I agree. Golden Axe and Stryder I don’t think had much room for improvement in translation, and they are early releases.
Yes I said the same thing Golden axe was almost one to one as an arcade port. Also strider and ghouls and ghosts were pretty damn good too.ghouls and ghosts was almost one to one as well
Absolutely loved Gunstar heroes and wish it could get a revival on modern platforms. Glad it's on this list- and should be on many others.
I played it first with my friend mike on 360 (he showed me). Epic game. Xbox had a lot of Sega gems like guardian heroes.
Your video created fantastic moments, filled with nostalgia, for me this morning. Thanks very much.
Genesis was 16 Bit witchcraft. Those games still look good today
i agree
It was impressive for an 80's machine, no doubt.
Indeed. I'm always amazed how SNES came 2 freaking years later and was not so superior at all.
Super nes > genesis
@@ph_stufflol. The snes was better by a large margin.
This is by far your best video. Your choice of 2 games per genre is a smart one. Also adding Categories as Sound, Graphics and Arcade port was just a genius move to cover some games which deserves to be in a TOP list.
Other than Road blasters I agree with every game you call on all categories.
5:08 "This is the best 16-bit boxing game ever created." Errrrr, ahem Super Punch-Out would like to have a stern word with you Sir!
Super Punch Out is not a simulation of the sport.
All great choices. The Revenge of Shinobi's sound track made the best impression on me. That game is what sold the Genesis as a serious gaming platform when it came out.
Genesis is my favorite 16bit system... the first console that was MINE... not for the whole family. Its one of the only systems I still use original hardware for... everything else I use a Mister. Great video as always. It's such a good feeling seeing a new SLX video posted!
Yes! Greatest Heavyweights. Great selection. It was such a good game!!
Great ass game .!! Played till my controllers broke
I was so waiting for a sequel.
My little Brains keep saying next time they will.
Make u able to regenerate body health at the round break and a stamina bar to regulate spamming punches
And a better crowd .. maybe like wwf arcade game .
Never happened 😔 it should have been an annual franchise ..especially when they made the 2k brand
I am the same age as you... i never was a console kid... i had a dad that was an engineer... I had a Tandy TL/2 in 1989... An XT clone in the 80s... but I aboutly love your content.. and the love you had for the consoles as a kid... i always dreamed about having a console, always bought the magazines... played my buddies consoles... SNES came out in 1991... finally bought my first snes with my paperboy job a year. after the release
That Golden Axe music. Goosebumps!
Yeah Golden Axe 2 in between stage music (when you get health/book pickups).
I love the choices you picked despite disagreeing with Sonic 2. S3&K had such a story to tell that you could see in game and from the Archie comics that I consider it peak 16 bit platforming, Sonic 1, 2, and CD hold a special place in every SEGA kid’s heart I simply can’t argue with. A tip of the hat to Vectorman 1 and 2 for OSTs though, those were a cut above.
20:40 once the category came up i was like the winner will be SOR2 im calling it. Then you said "you knew this had to be here" by far the best beat em up ever made!
Thanks for the video, this was a fun watch. You hit on pretty much every Genesis game I'd have in here. I'd throw Dynamite Headdy a mention for graphics/platformer, Mega Turrican for music, and MUSHA for schmup. Happy to see Ranger X on here!
Honestly, I think I would have gone for a top three games format for each genre to this best of the best compilation. The Sega Genesis and its library deserved it.
Agreed, the Genesis has enough great games that it could have been Gold, Silver and Bronze. The almost made it list is full of winners as well.
Based on the comment section, so many people were disappointed when their personal favorite didn't get mentioned...
...so, for that reason, I think it would have been better to simply mention the Top 5 Nominees, then give & explain the Winner.
...Altho, having a Top 3 (Bronze, Silver, & Gold) is a cool idea... He said that he didn't want to make the video too long.
...Whereas, with most Award Shows, they simple give mention to all the nominees before declaring the winner.
This is undoubtedly a great list!
Man, I really miss playing Road Rash.
I just bought all 3 ! What is your favourite ?
Fantastic list. You're totally right about Ristar. It plays so well I should've played it years ago.
Best Music is a difficult matter. But I cannot think of any other game than Toejam & Earl. The sound maybe is simpler but man, that groove...
@@tolani05 hmmm no, sorry. Gauntlet doesn't make me humm the melody all day :-P
My all time favorite SEGA Genesis game is Burning Force. I loved this Space Harrier clone. The music was great and it was simple arcade fun. This was an early hidden gem from Namco. Most people wouldn’t be impressed with this today, but I still love it as it takes me back to 1991 when I discovered the Genesis.
@Benjamin Jagun are you trying to tell me I don’t love Burning Force? You don’t have to like it. I love the game and am entitled to my opinion.
I’m not insulting your taste. Please don’t insult mine.
They Hyperstone Heist had slightly bigger sprites, better color, and faster frame rate than Turtles in Time on the SNES 🐢
Your VO adds so much to this content! Such a compelling narration throughout, really genuinely television-level. Love your channel, man
The Lost Vikings is SUCH an underrated gem on the platform. I'm so glad you gave it a shoutout. It's sequel Norse by Norsewest on Saturn is also superb.
i actually picked it up today on his recommendation (got it for free in a buy 2 get one free deal) - never knew it had extra levels on the genesis, so here's looking forward to it
The 3 player especially. I mean this game was MADE to be 3 player. So much fun. It's the latest game we're playing.
I bought the Blizzard Collection that has the definitive versions of both The Lost Vikings 1 and 2. Great games for sure.
Lord X, your videos are like a time machine, which takes you back to the good old glory days. The way you talk about it with all your energy makes me feel like a growing-up again...back to the days where 16-bit was the bang and it meant the world to us. Thank you so much for your work, pls keep on
Streets of Rage 2 is legit the greatest Beat ‘Em Up of all time, across every platform ever made.
This was a great episode. The reason why I needed the genesis mini two so badly, is to play Games like Crusader of Centy and Ranger X officially. The Genesis was a remarkable system and I find myself appreciating it more and more each and every day.
Video has literally just come in time for me to download to watch on a flight. Love this, thanks SLX!
Damn you posted this video around 2-3am for me😂 still watching it
Madden Championship Edition and NHL 94 are the correct answers
Very respectable list, my lord. The only changes I would make would be NHL 94 as the 'Winner" in the "Sports" category, Rocket Knight Adventures and Sonic 3 & Knuckles as the "Runner-Up" and "Winner" in the "Platformer" category and Super Street Fighter II as the "Winner" of the "Fighter" category over Special Champion Edition.
I had Genesis and SNES when I was a Kid. I enjoyed both of them.
After more than 30 years, I can say Genesis had some special feeling on it. Kind of a magic that you couldn't find on SNES.
Thank you so much for making content. You're one of my favorites. Can't wait to check this one out
Immaculate SELECTION 👌 As far as I'm concerned, I would have add Landstalker as one of the best RPG and gave the best OST to SOR2. Rocket Knight deserves as well but that's just the way it us when you make games lists 😅
The problem with categories at times are when you get stuff Herzog Zwei, Gain Ground, etc. They are a little harder to define.
RPGs could also have been subdivided further with the SRPG (squad) versus Western (solo) or even Adventure RPG etc.
Good picks overall and showed the hardware well.
What a console, and great video! Personally, I have Landstalker and Wonderboy on my lists somewhere, but there are so many great games I can see how some get left off. And NHL 94 I think was an oversight :)
Sonic two is probably the greatest platformer ever besides super Mario three
As someone who grew up on Nintendo systems, it's nice to see these Best Ofs from a competing system. I've been playing a lot more Sega games over the years & these videos help point me in the directions of games I may have overlooked. Thanks
Gunstar heroes does look pretty cool. Never heard of it before unfortunately.
Definitely play it. If you like Contra this fits the bill, it has all of the action of the Contra titles but also has a great sense of humor, and lots of innovative effects.
@@lazarushernandez5827 Sounds good. Thanks
Good list. Everyone will have their favorites. Best graphics for me would be Toy Story runner up, Panorama Cotton as best. Both were late releases but do things never thought possible as far as sprites and backgrounds go. But I can't forget the Genesis's polygon library to! When everyone was bragging about the snes's scaling and rotation ablitites, the Genesis was already pushing polygons. People often forget that fact when analysing gaming history. Thanks for the video, its an impossible task to pick just 2 of each category considering the hundreds of outstanding games on that system.
Best 16 Bit ever.
Sega's loading screen when turning it on was the best sound in the world at the time. And, i'll go one step further... these games are better than the "retro" 16 bit games released NOW that are supposedly modernized. Genesis did what almost nobody does now.
Comix Zone is indeed the best looking game on the Genesis. Great pick.
Great game!
Perfect video man Thanks for all the work... Honorable mention: the mighty "Rocket knight adventures" what a great experience beating this game
NHL 94 was robbed!
Dude... this made me feel like a kid again for a few minutes.. your video came on my home page.. you got yourself a sub from me.. can't wait to watch all your videos! I was a hardcore Sega kid growing up... late nights playing sonic 1,2 and vector man was my childhood...
Contra Hard Corps was butchered in the US. The Japanese verion has 3 hit deaths and a 30 lives code. So, play that verison on NSO or ROM if you want to get more than 3 seconds in.
I loved the Genesis, it was my first console and I was obsessed. But even then, being a kid with only allowance money, I never realized everything I was missing out on. So many cool games on this list I wish I'd spent my money on instead!
Man, this really is an eye opener into just how strong and varied the Genesis library was. The Super Nintendo may have excelled in certain genres more, but the Genesis might have the more interesting library as a whole.
The Genesis was the best 16 - bit console, and one of the most important of all time. I just loved my Sega Genesis and Mega Drive (I had both)
Excellent writing in this video @SegaLordX, the rewrites obviously paid off!
Дедуля! Ты как всегда великолепен!!!!
Wow that generation was wild.
Every time I go back I realize just how great it was and how far it pushed the aged hardware inside the Genesis even further to the limit.
So masterful what people did back then.
You left Kid Chameleon off…it is hands down the best game on the Genesis! It is probably the most difficult, most diverse, most visually interesting. It could be the best platform, best action, best sound. Only the most hardcore could beat it in 1992 and I couldn’t for almost 15 years w/ save states. It deserved a sequel and deserves a remake now
It's absurd how dense that game is. I'm always in awe of it every time I pick it up
@Benjamin Jagun The only flaw in the game was not having passwords or saves. It was a visual masterpiece of a game. I respect your opinion...to me it was one of the best games ever made for the Genesis.
I'll admit that I always thought Comix Zone looked really good on the Genesis, but that is definitely not a pick I would have expected. You were definitely right about it being divisive, but you have a point on your reasoning for selecting it. Nice job.
When I picked up the Ninja Turtle collection, I was surprised to find Hyperstone Heist was my favourite of all the games, arcade included.
Good video, I like a lot of the picks. Some I'd differ on...
Sports, absolutely taking Tecmo Super Bowl - I loved Tecmo Bowl on the NES, but the first Genesis version, I still play to this day - and roster updates are still available. It's literally the best football game ever made as it's so replayable. Runner up, while I loved the boxing game, would have to be NHL 94, which I still play till this day.
Racing, I'm going with Super Monaco GP - the basic career system, at the time, was amazing and offered you a reason to keep playing.
Puzzle would be the original Columns, I had never heard of it or played it until I got it with the pack-in CD with the Sega CD, and man did I play the hell out of it.
Arcade port, I'm going with the launch title, Ghosts n Goblins. In 1989, it was so far beyond anything else available, and the EGM game of the year. Strider would be next for me.
Best graphics, I'm going off the board here and picking Altered Beast. I know, but, I still remember the shock and awe I had when I booted up the Genesis on Christmas 1989, and I was STUNNED that you could get graphics that good on your television. I literally thought you had to use a computer monitor to get such high definition graphics on a screen. I mean, the thing looked BETTER than an Amiga, using a computer monitor, it was remarkable.
As a kid I used to turn on Shadow of the Beast and just let it run for the music. I'd fall asleep to the soundtrack.
@@DerekMoore82 for music, Ghouls 'n Ghosts was my go to -- that and Golden Axe. I remember being a nerd in high school, doing TV production, and getting audio from the games to use during very stupid commercials we'd make for the morning announcements.
Genesis was always my secondary system. I got one when I still had a NES, at the price drop and inclusion of Sonic as the pack-in, and I just had a ton more games for the NES and I'd go to that rental shelf first before looking for Sega games, and after I got a SNES the Genesis was just a less appealing option. I thought of it as being more for sports titles, arcade ports, and edgy cool gimmick games while the other systems generally had better gameplay. I've probably played the least Genesis games out of the three platforms over the years, and I'm glad to find new classics now, so thanks for this.
If you're looking for good Genesis titles you missed out on, some I've not seen mentioned in the comments yet include Battlemania 2, Panorama Cotton, Dragon's Fury, Landstalker, Alisia Dragoon, and Tanzer.
Plus many sports gamers still swear by NHL '94; if anyone reading this is a fan, can you explain what makes it different than every other EA sports game from the time period?
@@juststatedtheobvious9633 I've tried to get into Alisia Dragoon since I saw Pat the NES Punk's review of it, but I don't really get how it's meant to be played. I played all the NHL games though, and personally I liked the first one the best, just titled NHL Hockey. After that I'd say '93 had the best gameplay tweaks. I don't know sports either, I'd guess it's a 'roster that year' thing.
Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Greatest Heavyweights has Paterson but not Liston OR Foreman. Paterson was a cruiserweight for Pete's sake!
Thanks for the list of possible treasures. For the puzzle category, I'd nominate Namcot's "Megapanel", a Japanese release unlike the many other puzzle games out there. The mechanic is based on the "sliding tiles" concept, but you try to line up the matching colors. New rows pop up from the bottom as time progresses, with you having to make a set number of matches before the highest tiles gets pushed off the top of the screen.
Excellent choices! I just miss the Action RPG category for running games link Wonder Boy V, Crusader of Centy, Landstalker, Beyond Oasis, Light Crusader, The Immortal... etc.
I really need to give Road Rash 2 another shot on my Genesis Mini. I played the first few stages and had a blast, but was distracted by Bloodlines. Great video btw - could really tell the care and effort which went into it, and how hard it must have been for you to choose the best of the best!
Glad to see some love for Lost Vikings. This game and its sequel on the Saturn are great.
Fist bump for TF4 as Shmup winner. That soundtrack F'ing shredded.
Unless the person never played it, it is IMPOSSIBLE for anyone to call GunStar Heroes a Contra clone for it's anything but that. Anyway. GREAT LIST. I enjoyed it immensely. Of course, many things are subjective but hey, it's still a great list.
With so many great games on the genesis, I cannot but accept these choices, even if I don't always agreed with them.
I do think that rpgs/strategy rpgs and adventure games were worth separating. If just to give a chance to games like Beyond Oasis, Crusader of Centy, Monster World 4, Landstalker, etc.
Ironically, the genesis might have more zelda-style adventure games worth talking about than the snes.
Also I am obliged to give a shout out to Alien Soldier, just because it is awesome.
7:53 that is my favourite track in the game. The slow pace, the odd instrumentation combined with the hammer-on guitar solos make for something pretty unique amongst the hundreds of game tracks ive heard
Oh God, Shining Force II is amazing! One of my all time favourite games.
In the 90's i remember going to Blockbuster and renting the Sega Genesis and a couple games for the weekend! It was always a treat!