@@Rationalific I actually asked him in a previous video a few years ago why didn't he had a top 10 genesis list. He replied that it was simply too difficult to narrow down the amazing genesis library into 10 entries... and he didn't lol he found a way to put 24 games into a top 10 genesis games. And with some big omissions too (imo), like Beyond Oasis and Alien Soldier. That's how amazing the genesis library is.
On my other account, I had to ask on every video for months lol he said it'll be some time for that video and I waited and a few more months later, blam! The list 🤩 I watched his other top ten for games I should play to see what he saw in them and I noticed he didn't have a mega drive/Genesis one. My brother and I made our list to guess what games he would rank where just from snippets or praises he gave on the games when he referenced them. I got like two correct lol
@@rickydicky5889 as much as emulation is a nice thing to have and it easily and readily available I prefer playing on real hardware, especiallyas a collector.
Lol, I was thinking the same thing. a Top 10 list with several honorable mentions and alternate games for every entry in the list! Should have just made a top 25!
My top 3 Genesis games are Shining In The Darkness, Shining Force II & Phantasy Star IV... I'm a huge Jrpg fan so it makes sense why those are my top 3
Man...shining in the darkness was balls hard. I remember getting so far, not being able to find a way out, did not have a feather and died. I quit playing it after that. I was so disheartened. And a huge bitch for quitting. That game was unique and fun. Just hard with no map.
As much as I love my Dreamcast and Saturn, the Genesis will always be my 1st love. Will always remember when my bro and I beat Contra Hard Corps and almost had a heart attack
Yea I remember me and my friends just called all video games Nintendo until the Genesis came out. Wether you were a fan or not there's no denying the Genesis changed everything when it released.
wow, that's actually an excellent idea for a format - to include nostalgic vs newly found games in the same spot, and you're right, it is cool to share why we love the games we do, this video for example definitely convinced me to give your # 1 a go! my list is way different from yours, but it's interesting to realize how some of the earlier releases didn't stand the test of time as well as the others, especially SOR!! I guess the third game IS more technically superior in the long run, even if the second is more aesthetically pleasing.. very well done list and, again, I appreciate the pixel perfect scaling lol !!
Agree completely! I'm going to hopefully try everything you've mentioned, good or bad on the emulator on my PS3.... I'm sure my choices wouldn't be exactly the same, but that's what makes it fun. I'm pretty sure there's plenty of games we could agree on, disagree on and still enjoy every single second of the bickering back and forth. Well, as long as I get to play too, even if it's taking turns lol Go grab a beverage, kick your shoes off and grab that controller.... Let's play some games!!! 🙃😁
@@williamburbidge2407 it's a weird one, but here is my top30: another world aero the acro-bat streets of rage 2 beyond oasis rolling thunder 2 minnesota fats: pool legend prince of persia vectorman flashback cannon fodder dune: the battle for arrakis moonwalker toejam & earl radical rex madou mononogatari I jurassic park (+rampage edition) landstalker golden axe 3 puyo puyo 2 soleil earthworm jim mortal kombat 3 ultimate ecco jr earnest evans el viento phantasy star 2 battle mania 1+2 battle golfer yui cadash lost vikings
That is one of the stupidest things I have ever seen and the first time I haven't enjoyed a SLX video. A top 10 is a top 10....Not a top 16. Not a this and that and what could have been or I'm older now, whatever your top 10 is, it is.
I really enjoyed this list. I loved what you said at the end and I would like to share some of my personal favourites from the Mega Drive. I love Shinobi III, Aladdin, The Lion King, Sonic 2, Road Rash 2, Gunstar Heroes and the original Streets of Rage. What I loved about Streets of Rage was the soundtrack and I had a blast playing it with members of my family and my friend. Speaking of the soundtrack, the mix of chill beats and powerful action packed themed songs made it so easy to immerse myself into the game. The visuals just stood out so much to me where even though it isn't as impressive as other games on the MegaDrive, it was how the locations looked that hooked me. I loved the moves in the game as well and how you could call for backup. Sonic 2 was the first Sonic game that I played and it was what got me hooked on Sonic. As a kid, I had a book kinda like Where's Wally, but Sonic 2 themed. Sonic 2 was the game that got me hooked on the checkered pattern and the music. Emerald Hill Zone has a perfect starting song as it is upbeat and gets the player ready for adventure. The music matches what the stages look like perfectly. I especially loved the music for Mystic Cave Zone as I am a fan of horror. It is a game that greatly enhanced my love for video games. Aladdin and The Lion King are games that not only have fantastic visuals, but great music as well that are faithful to how the soundtracks of the movies sounded, but with that Mega Drive touch. Yes, the difficulty was annoying, but the gameplay felt smooth and was enjoyable. That Hakuna Matata stage though... How I didn't throw the game out the window because of that stage is beyond me. Road Rash 2... What can I say. The music is so good. I loved the variety, whether it be a rock theme, or the music for the Hawaiian stage where it felt thematically appropriate. It is visually pleasing with everything looking nice and colourful and the level of detail was really good. Racing and taking out the other racers was a blast. Buying new bikes, seeing new locations and improving how I played the game was truly a fantastic experience. Gunstar Heroes is one of those games that it is easy to fall in love with because of the reasons that you mentioned. I used to play it with my friend. I started playing Shinobi III later when I reached my 20's. I love how it is challenging as when I got better at the game, it felt so good to apply that knowledge. I liked the visuals, but I loved the look of the stages more. I didn't play it with a loud sound; so I didn't get to hear how good the soundtrack was. I just checked out the soundtrack now on TH-cam and I regret not having played the game with louder sound as it is fantastic. There are more games that I really enjoyed, but those are a few and those are the reasons that I love playing them. The Mega Drive truly was an amazing console.
Your #5 is two of my personal Top 5 Genesis titles. Thunder Force IV is just freakin' incredible looking and sounding, and Phantasy Star IV is amazeballs, totally agree that it's the best of the original canon titles. I'm literally in the middle of a play-through of it right now. ;)
Thanks for giving SoR3 some love. Playing this game with friends until we could beat it starting with one life on the hardest difficulty makes for some of my best memories.
@@ronindebeatrice I don't really agree with that, most of the Top Snes lists are put together by groupthink or whatever's the most popular choices, ad populum. And of course, 1st party Nintendo stuff. Great they are definitely classic games yes but still... It's all about personal taste. I find Hagane, Wild Guns, Ninja Warriors Again, Space Megaforce, Super Punch Out, UN Squadron, Cybernator etc to all be Top 10 worthy games, but rarely any of them are on lists because they're very action oriented (most of them linear) which usually get the shaft to more explorative games and rpgs (Super M, Earthbound, Final Fantasy etc)...and imo the very best Gen games are linear action games (Alien Soldier, Shinobi, Thunder Force, SOR2 etc, so the whole library overall naturally gets more overlooked as a result of the mainstream's or MOST ppls personal taste.
@@retrosoul8770 I love both but now I'm a grown up I have new found love for the Genesis games.They tend to be shorter but sweeter,quicker paced (MUCH more so),and more hidden gems and lesser known titles.The SNES has its classics of course but Genesis has more Pick up and play titles IMO
@@matiasfernandez4973 I'd thumbs down just for having a cool sounding device, but I won't do that to someone. But, I hope you can feel the jealousy lol 😂 Hope you enjoy it (or continue to do so) Does it play multiple systems? I didn't look it up yet. Throw Boogerman on that bad boy 😁 Yes, it's just as goofy as it sounds, but it's fun to strain before farting to kill those villains 😂😂😂
I'm really glad I found you, and the fact we have so much in common, I'm 41 and maybe it's the year I was born but Sega will always be my favorite console :) GREAT LIST, I'm with you on alot of it
Not only that, but Castlevania: Bloodlines was one of the first games in the series to be set in a different era: in this case, 1917. The music also offers a nice balance between "traditional" Baroque-sounding pieces and modernist atonal tracks, like the music for the "Pisa" stage.
Bloodlines remains really underrated, and I can't help but to think it's because it wasn't released on a Nintendo platform. It was way overlooked due to the console wars and a lot of people never went back.
@@dsgitlin It's exactly the reason that it's overlooked and underrated. To this day Nintendorks still get sniffy about Castlevania on the Mega Drive/Genesis, and it seems to cause them physical pain to even admit that it's a great game. For some sad souls the early 90's playground console wars clearly never ended.
I’ve been following your channel for a couple years now. Your channel made me want to play games I don’t really remember too well or weren’t aware off. By the way, I’m in my 40’s as well. Thru emulation, I now can try out a lot of your suggestions. Your presentation and knowledge keeps me coming back. Thanks again. Also, love the new intro.
The genesis library is so awesome that SLX managed to put 24 games into a top 10 genesis games. The only ones I would consider "omissions" are Beyond Oasis (Story of Thor) and Alien Soldier. My favorite game btw is contra hardcorps, I love run-and-gun games and I not only think is the best contra but the best in the genre overall. Second would probably be Beyond Oasis, artstyle is gorgeous, combat and puzzles are well designed and addictive
Much respect for revealing your age Sega Lord X. Your channel and Gaming Historian are by far my favorite TH-cam gaming channels that I actually watch.
My favorite Genesis games: Sonic 3 & Knuckles, Castlevania: Bloodlines, Virtua Racing Deluxe, Zombies Ate My Neighbors, Vectorman, Task Force Harrier EX, Mortal Kombat 1-3, Shinobi III, the Streets of Rage games, Jurassic Park, Contra: Hard Corps, and Battletech.
I was literally yelling "Both! You make both lists! 14-year-old SLX and 46-year-old SLX!" and then you went and did it and this is why you are awesome!
Pretty solid list. I'd replace Castle of Illusion with World of Illusion on my list. Castle is great no doubt. But World was just that much better to me. Being able to also play as Donald was cool. And it's a great co-op game. I feel that game never gets the proper attention it deserves compared to Castle.
Man, I love that game but it's just every time I boot it up, that menu confuses me. Constantly resetting the game just to get things running... If you're trying to crack a couple of cold ones and you don't have it down pat... God, that can be frustrating. Just a personal gripe, I guess though... Otherwise, definitely a great game. P.S. what button is to confirm your selections? So I can write it down
@@olschoolTonyCarter I'll be honest, it's a game I've never played. Looks gorgeous though. A good shout however and one I think I should explore. Think I will add it to my Sega Mega Drive Mini and try it out.
Huh. I didn't discover Streets of Rage 2 until about 10-15 years ago and it's been one of my favorites ever since. I've put some time into 3 but never got hooked, but watching you play in that footage of BK3 looks like some kind of jedi magic, really smooth and interesting looking combat there and it really has me intrigued to give it another look (in Bare Knuckle 3 form). Great video as always!
Such a great video and a great idea for the format you chose. It's strange because as a kid I was big on RPG's but as a 30 year old I've become a SHMUP lover. It's the quick play throughs of them that appeal to me so much.
I love your content, this list is very insightful. I don't have room to give details but judging by what I recall my playtime being, these would be my Top 10 Master Of Monsters Yu Yu Hakusho Ringside Angel featuring Cutie Suzuki Truxton Shinging Force II Aerobiz Madden 93 Bulls vs Lakers Bare Knuckle III/Streets of Rage 3 Dungeons & Dragons: Warriors of the Eternal Sun
This might be the obvious choice, but I couldn't see any other game at the top of my list but Sonic 3 & Knuckles, no other 2D platform game has ever come close to being as perfect in music, level design and control as S3&K. If I had to pick a game that wasn't in the Sonic series, I would go with either Shinobi 3 or Splatterhouse 2.
Sonic 3 & Knuckles = GOAT. Until Mania came out, S3&K was the last truly great Sonic game ever. The 3D games can all walk. Not every game has to go 3D just because it's state-of-the-art. I have the original cartridges, the Sonic Mega Collection Plus rerelease, and a ROM and emulator for when I don't feel like playing on original hardware. My PS2 memory card has at least one clear file in S3&K with all Chaos and Super Emeralds found, thus unlocking Hyper Sonic. Ditto a save state on my emulator of choice. Why so many, you ask? Redundancy. As the Courier said to Arcade, "If Caesar takes the dam and cuts off power, it'll be chaos all over New Vegas." Streets of Rage was the first Genesis game I ever played. I remember when I was 7, visiting with my older cousins. One of my aunts had a wedding that weekend, and two of my cousins and I played one of the Streets of Rage games. I don't remember which one it was, though. All I remember is that I always wanted to main Blaze. I could say that SoR helped contribute to my egg hatching in the long run. Now, I'm a year into HRT and living as my true, female self. My love for these games has never changed.
Well sonic the hedgehog 2 is still better than sonic 3 and knuckles because you need two different cartridge to play sonic 3 and knuckles as one game while sonic 2 is a full game on one cartridge Plus the mecha eggman is the best boss battle in the sonic franchise
Makes me wish my Genesis mini and my actual Genesis weren't buried in the middle of my Pods right now! Definitely need to get the patched Bare Knuckle 3 among others in the list loaded on to that mini! Thanks for the comprehensive list of games I should have been playing when I was younger!
I was just thinking I wouldn't mind getting a repo cart of that. Streets of rage 3 has always been a let down to me whereas bare knuckle 3 was the proper version. And of course annoyingly they based a lot of decisions on the new Streets of rage 4 off of Streets of rage 3 not the original game. It's not all bad but I kind of don't like that they kept some of the redesigns and stuff.
It's no surprise that I find myself agreeing with a lot of the inclusions on this list and the idea of presenting a list that changed over time is an excellent idea. Some of my own favorites have changed over the years, but one constant is that Phantasy Star IV has been my favorite game of all time ever since I first played it in the mid-90's. Every time I replay it, I'm still fascinated by just how good it is, how fun it is to play, and by how much I notice myself connecting to a game. I hope everyone can find at least one game out there that brings them a similar experience.
That was an excellent idea to show the difference between your young and old self. My young self would have put Shining in the Darkness (I loved dungeon crawlers at that time) and Landstalker (the isometric perspective, the Zelda-like style and story made it for me). But there is one game that I am missing on this list: Flashback (I bought it by chance at the time because the packaging looked nice and I was blown away).
Awesome list and great video as always. As I watch this going into my 40s and look back I realize I grew up with the wrong console - the SNES lol. I love sports games, shoot em ups and beat em ups and hated RPGs and Adventure games - kind of still do for the most part. Thank God for emulation and flash carts. Being able to experience the Genesis today has been great, and videos like this help point me in the right direction to keep trying new games to me I missed out on in my teens. Much appreciated!
Great List. Sonic 2, Puyo Puyo 2, Phantasy Star 4, Super Hang on, Tiny Toons, Sonic 3 & Knuckles, Streets of Rage 2, Puyo Ppuyo\Dr Robotnik Mean Bean Maachine, Revenge of Shinobi and a guilty pleasure of mine "Mario Andretti Racing" Would be in my top 10 list.
In no particular order- Sonic 2, Streets of Rage 2, Shinobi 3, Golden Axe, Gunstar Heroes, Alien Soldier, Rocket Knight Adventures, Thunder Lightning IV, Contra Hard Corps, Castlevania Bloodlines.
I love seeing Quackshot get some love! it was the first game I got for the Genesis (aside from Sonic that came with the console) and loved every second of it. I still remember the first time I beat it, me playing and my brother watching while my parents were out. Good times!
Great stuff, only addition I'd make is Dynamite Headdy. So fun and creative and well-made. Been meaning to play Phantasy Star IV and Shining Force 2 for years. I should finally get on that.
Castlevania Bloodlines and Streets of rage 2 are absolutely stunning games with god tier soundtracks, gameplay and visuals that are completely timeless 👏👏👏
Some of the games like Hyperstone Heist and Castlevania Bloodlines is very expensive. But if it's one thing I can respect about those games, is how good they are. Really good top 10 here in my opinion!
My personal top 10: 1. NHL 94 2. Mutant League Hockey 3. Castlevania: Bloodlines 4. Pirates! Gold 5. Rocket Knight Adventures 6. Contra: Hard Corps 7. Phantasy Star IV 8. Zombies Ate My Neighbors 9. Ghouls N Ghosts 10. Lightening Force Honorable mentions: Ms. Pac Man, TMNT: Hyperstone Heist, Lost Vikings, Shinobi III, Mutant League Football.
Great video and the way you approached the selection of the entries (as in past you vs present you) really resonated with me, I've been gaming for 30+ years now and definitely my taste in video games has changed over the years. Again great watch, kudos!
Nice list. For me it’d be; 10) Revenge of Shinobi 9) Quackshot 8) Ghostbusters 7) Comix Zone 6) Dynamite Headdy 5) Rocket Knight Adventures 4) Sonic the Hedgehog 3) Sonic 2 2) Sonic 3 & Knuckles 1) Streets of Rage 2 So many to choose and so many still unplayed. Only just played Ristar for the first time this year!!!
Commendable selection as always, Lord. Here's my contribution. 10) Wiz n' Liz 9) Sonic 2 8) Mega Bomberman 7) Mega Turrican 6) Toejam & Earl 5) Thunder ⚡ Force 4 4) Revenge of Shinobi 3) Rocket Knight 2) Streets of Rage 1) Gunstar Heroes
Top Ten is a very hard list on the Genesis because there are so many great titles on it. This is my list of some of my favorites: -Herzog Zwei: this was a game like no other for its time. From Technosoft who brought you the Thunderforce series, it was the first console real time strategy game. I spent countless hours going through each map, defeating the game at its highest difficulty and doing it again playing the other side (Red vs Blue). And then to top it of this game had 2 player split screen. -Gunstar Heroes not the first gem from Treasure, but among its most memorable. No Contra on the Genesis? (at the time), No problem! Gunstar Heroes brought all of the crazy run n gun action of a traditional Contra game plus threw in some beat em up melee action to boot. Grab enemies, some projectiles and other objects and throw them! 2 player and 2 different attack schemes featured here -Outrun, the Genesis managed a very good port of this arcade classic. Played this one for hours. -Revenge of Shinobi, a launch game for the Genesis and it looked and played like it was straight from the arcade. Yuzo Koshiro soundtrack too -Sonic the Hedgehog (and sequels), don't know if we would have some of the other platformers (like Rocket Knight Adventures) without the inspiration from Sonic. -Streets of Rage (and sequels), at a time when Nintendo had acquired the home rights to arcade beat em up legend Final Fight, Sega digs deep and presents a winner of their own. They also provide the one thing the SNES game did not at the time, two player simultaneous. -Street Fighter 2:SCE, the Genesis hosted a very good port of this fighter, and paired with the 6 button gamepad (or arcade stick) it was exceptional. -Thunderforce series, played this series since the first one on the Genesis TF2. Each new entry just outdid the previous one, helped launch a thirst for shooters that not many other games quenched. -Ghouls N Ghosts, yes this game was hard, it made you go back do the whole thing over again to gain the ultimate weapon, but it was great early visual game that capture most of the arcade originals goodness, and kept Capcom's crisp controls. I'm glad this came home, I'm pretty sure I could spend more that the cart's price at the arcade and still not beat it there. -Musha, Vertical shoot em up with great graphics, awesome parallax and soundtrack. -Phantasy Star series, played the original on the Master System, and the 3 sequels on the Genesis kept the goodness going. -Mystic Defender, a different action platformer, had great graphics and a unique soundtrack -Strider, more Capcom goodness, the first 8 MEG cartridge! (megabits not megabytes). Came very close to the arcade original, spotting the differences only on side by side comparison. -Target Earth/ Assault Suit Leynos, another unique shooter for the Genesis having more action components. You pilot a mech with limited abilities at first, as you progress, you can acquire new guns, shields, weapons, and other add ons. -Granada, and overhead omni directional shooter, where you control a tank. great, varied stages, and big boss fights. -Forgotten Worlds, unique Capcom 2 player shoot em up, Sega managed a working control scheme even though the arcade original has a rotary/ joystick. Captures most of the arcade (missing some levels) -Castle of Illusion, great platformer, great soundtrack, awesome levels. -Quackshot!, Donald Duck gets his solo epic, great Raiders of the Lost Ark theme throughout... There are much more that I owned and played, many on SLX's list, just impossible to organize them into a top 10.
definitely not surprised to see some of these entries not change at all, just shows some of em can stand the test of time! surprised gunstar heroes missed the cut but I could see those flaws being an issue. that late game stuff can be pretty rough.
Me and my friend played streets of rage 2 for years basically on a daily basis. Any game that gives you memories like that deserve to be number 1. All I have to do now is hear the soundtrack and it rattles my nostalgic bones. Great list SLX. Great content
I like monster world 3 i tried 4 on the mini but cant get into it its hard to find where to go maybe i should give it another chance. And wonder boy in monster land is one of my all time favourites but its not on genesis i dont think.
Different from my top ten, but most of the brawlers would stay on there :) Here is a few of my favs: - Hyperstone Heist - Streets of Rage 2 - Mystic Defender - Buster's Hidden Treasure - Earthworm Jim - Sonic 3 - Moonwalker - Splatterhouse 2 - Zombies Ate My Neighbors - Bubsy Thanks for the video!
Hey I like the new intro. I gotta do this: Strider, Ghouls N Ghosts, Forgotten Worlds, Bloodlines, TMNT Hyperstone Heist, Shadowrun, Panic on Funkotron, Lethal Enforcers, Comix Zone and E-Swat.
Definitely AS, certainly AS is better than Castle of Illusion or Batman lol imo at least. It's Top 3 material for me. But some just prefer simpler games as far as gameplay and mechanics so I understand. Also Monster World IV even though not also a US release.
Road Rash 2 is definitely in my Genesis top 10. It was my introduction to the series back when I was a young teen. I remember when I was 13 and my brother in law invited me over to his work friend's place and I played it for the first time while eating hot wings. It was also cool for me because I was the only kid there and I felt special to be playing videogames with adults. We played Rampart too, but those 2-player Road Rash memories will always ensure Road Rash 2 has a special place in my heart.
What a list of games! Most of those would be tough to beat on an all time best list, for any system. After watching this, your infectious enthusiasm has me all fired up to play 'em all again for the millionth time. I dunno how you managed to decide on your order, because I can just never quite bring myself to pick one over the other with classics like these. That past/present dual list idea was a fun twist too.
Great picks and a great way to present the top picks with an alternate one that fits your older self tastes. I'd make suggestion for you to make more videos about mega drive fan translated games that were exclusive to the Japanese market and unavailable to the US and European market, games like Rent a Hero for instance, with 100% working translations available. I really enjoyed playing Rent a Hero from start to finish... the game is a little clunky and rough around the edges with a lackluster soundtrack but still at later stages RAH graphics were quite surprisingly above average and as nice bonus the game features a decent amount of quirky humor. A second suggestion would be talking about the best intros and title screens for the Genesis, Sega CD, and Saturn (the best graphics and audio, for instance Ranger X and Gustar Heroes for Genesis)
@@markxv2267 I never knew what the genesis was until around 1996. Where I grew up there were not stores that sold video games. I got a genesis that had sonic 2 packaged. When I got a copy of SofR 2 it was the best thing in the world. A kroger started to rent games than I rented shinobi and loved it too.
Great format here. We do grow and change. I didn't enjoy shmups in my younger days, but enjoy them quite a lot now. And despite loving run-and-guns, I didn't like Gunstar Heroes at first. But I kept hearing how much and why so many other people like it, so I have it a second and third chance, and I ended up loving it finally. That doesn't always work, but it's always worth at least considering another look. As for the list, while we actually have similar tastes(including old cartoons, as I was and still am a big Voltron/GoLion fan), our lists would be a lot different. I think that says a lot about the Genesis library. If you look at top-game lists for the SNES, there's often a lot of similarity. With the Genesis, there are many great games, but there's less of a consensus. That makes lists a bit more interesting, in my opinion, and makes it a bit easier to find overlooked stuff, like Ranger X(nice to see that, along with Mega Turrican during your opening montage to this video). While I've never been a huge RPG fan, Phantasy Star IV really appealed to me and sucked me in quickly. It's so well done. I like to think Sega infused some of their arcade philosophy into it as the game moves at a very brisk pace, both in game speed, but also in story progression. As for "best game on the system", I often see Castlevania Bloodlines and Shinobi 3 mentioned by people. I love them both, and largely agree with those who suggest those for the top spot. I tend to lean toward Shinobi 3, but I can see it from both sides. Castlevania Bloodlines is definitely a fantastic game as well, in my opinion. I just come back to Shinobi 3 so often, so it would probably get my top spot. But that's no criticism of your list -- it's yours after all -- and it was enjoyable to hear your thoughts.
Coming up, my consoles of choice were Super NES and Neo Geo. Being a much bigger fan of fighting games and RPGs than any other genre, the Genesis didn't offer much toward my taste, typically sitting in my peripheral view because of it. Later on, as I started getting my own games, Genesis started to seep into my personal rotation. And while I can't say there are any of its library in my own all time Top 10, I definitely enjoyed a few titles. 1. Beyond Oasis 2. Streets of Rage 2 3. CastleVania Bloodlines 4. Shinobi 3 5. Gunstar Heroes 6. Crusader of Centy 7. Phantasy Star 4 8. Phantasy Star 2 9. Phantasy Star 3 10. Streets of Rage 3
I loved your Top Ten list. Games such as Quack Shot, Castle of Illusion, Shining Force 2, Sonic 3 & Knuckles are all games I love so much. They are the reasons why I had a Sega Genesis as a kid
Like always, an amazing list. Funny enough, my two favourites (Sonic3&Knuckles aside) are missing. One would be the shooter "M.U.S.H.A Aleste" with its challenging gameplay and amazing soundtrack, and the other Splatterhouse 2. A game that I loved for being myself both a games and a big fan of 80s horror movies.
SLX, I implore you to give X-Men 2 a shot (and a review, perhaps!). I'm not saying it would make your list, but I think you would definitely consider it one of the best licensed games for the system!
X2 Clone wars. They actually let you play as Magneto. Such an underrated gem. It always gets overlooked because people usually remember the first game and how hard it was.
It’s funny how I’ve played more of these games recently on compilations or my hacked Vita than I did as a kid with a Genesis. But Gunstar Heroes may be near the top of my list, rather than an honorable mention.
1. Sonic 3 2. Sonic and Knuckles 3. Phantasy Star 4 4. Shining Force 2 5. Warsong 6. Shining Force 7. Sonic 2 8. Uncharted Waters: New Horizons 9. Shadowrun 10. Sonic 1 HM: Dynamite Heady General Chaos NHL 94 World Series Baseball '95 Tecmo Super Bowl NBA Jam TE Greatest Heavyweights Landstalker Langrisser 2 (because it wasn't localized) Phantasy Star 2
These videos really take me back to some happy times. Great list of games here, I had pretty good taste as a kid because many of these are my favorites and have incredible memories associated with them.
I played a lot of sports games on genesis as a kid, they made for much better games to play with friends! NHLPA 93, Joe Montana Sports Talk, cyberball, Bulls vs Lakers . . . so many sports games.
Phantasy Star IV was a real revelation for me, I had never played anything like it in terms of scope. Really incredible when I was twelve anyway. I definitely put more time into Streets of Rage, Road Rash and a bunch of other games not on this list though, like Syndicate, X-Men and General Chaos!
I can't believe in all the years I've been watching you that this list has never been done.
@@Arjay82 That's the Sega Lord. I'll be dead before he runs out of ideas for new videos :)
That's exactly what I was thinking as well!
@@Rationalific I actually asked him in a previous video a few years ago why didn't he had a top 10 genesis list. He replied that it was simply too difficult to narrow down the amazing genesis library into 10 entries... and he didn't lol he found a way to put 24 games into a top 10 genesis games. And with some big omissions too (imo), like Beyond Oasis and Alien Soldier. That's how amazing the genesis library is.
Ots a great List.
On my other account, I had to ask on every video for months lol he said it'll be some time for that video and I waited and a few more months later, blam! The list 🤩 I watched his other top ten for games I should play to see what he saw in them and I noticed he didn't have a mega drive/Genesis one. My brother and I made our list to guess what games he would rank where just from snippets or praises he gave on the games when he referenced them. I got like two correct lol
Retro bird's list:
1. Rocket Knight Adventure
2. Rocket Knight Adventure
3. Rocket Knight Adventure
4. Rocket Knight Adventure
...
Mans got a point though.
SLX, you're one of my hidden gems channels. You've given me so many games to play and a ton of content to enjoy. Nothing else to say other thanks 😊
If you didn't grow up with them and have actual nostalgia for them, just download and emulate.
@@rickydicky5889 as much as emulation is a nice thing to have and it easily and readily available I prefer playing on real hardware, especiallyas a collector.
Interesting. I’ve changed the exact opposite. I used to like longer RPG’s, now I prefer the quick pick up and play arcade style games.
"Ok, how in the HECK did he narrow it down to just 10?!"
*profiles 24 games*
"Ah."
Lol, I was thinking the same thing. a Top 10 list with several honorable mentions and alternate games for every entry in the list! Should have just made a top 25!
The "Then and Now" aspect was a perspective I really appreciated! 👍👌
This guy has a great voice for narrating retro videogames nostalgia.
My top 3 Genesis games are Shining In The Darkness, Shining Force II & Phantasy Star IV... I'm a huge Jrpg fan so it makes sense why those are my top 3
YES! Shining!
Nobody went broke betting on PS4 being a good game.
Shinining Force 2 is the best video game ever made!
@@arnmrs1660 Shining the Holy Ark is actually my favorite. Shining Force 3, is my favorite Shining Force game however 2 is very close.
Man...shining in the darkness was balls hard. I remember getting so far, not being able to find a way out, did not have a feather and died. I quit playing it after that. I was so disheartened. And a huge bitch for quitting. That game was unique and fun. Just hard with no map.
As much as I love my Dreamcast and Saturn, the Genesis will always be my 1st love.
Will always remember when my bro and I beat Contra Hard Corps and almost had a heart attack
Same here, as much as I love the PS1, Nintendo 64, PS2, and PC.
Yea I remember me and my friends just called all video games Nintendo until the Genesis came out. Wether you were a fan or not there's no denying the Genesis changed everything when it released.
Revenge of Shinobi not being in your top 10 just made my head explode
wow, that's actually an excellent idea for a format - to include nostalgic vs newly found games in the same spot, and you're right, it is cool to share why we love the games we do, this video for example definitely convinced me to give your # 1 a go! my list is way different from yours, but it's interesting to realize how some of the earlier releases didn't stand the test of time as well as the others, especially SOR!! I guess the third game IS more technically superior in the long run, even if the second is more aesthetically pleasing.. very well done list and, again, I appreciate the pixel perfect scaling lol !!
Agree completely! I'm going to hopefully try everything you've mentioned, good or bad on the emulator on my PS3.... I'm sure my choices wouldn't be exactly the same, but that's what makes it fun. I'm pretty sure there's plenty of games we could agree on, disagree on and still enjoy every single second of the bickering back and forth. Well, as long as I get to play too, even if it's taking turns lol Go grab a beverage, kick your shoes off and grab that controller.... Let's play some games!!! 🙃😁
What's your top ten dude??
@@williamburbidge2407 it's a weird one, but here is my top30:
another world
aero the acro-bat
streets of rage 2
beyond oasis
rolling thunder 2
minnesota fats: pool legend
prince of persia
vectorman
flashback
cannon fodder
dune: the battle for arrakis
moonwalker
toejam & earl
radical rex
madou mononogatari I
jurassic park (+rampage edition)
landstalker
golden axe 3
puyo puyo 2
soleil
earthworm jim
mortal kombat 3 ultimate
ecco jr
earnest evans
el viento
phantasy star 2
battle mania 1+2
battle golfer yui
cadash
lost vikings
That is one of the stupidest things I have ever seen and the first time I haven't enjoyed a SLX video. A top 10 is a top 10....Not a top 16. Not a this and that and what could have been or I'm older now, whatever your top 10 is, it is.
@@teddym2808 Jesus wtf dude XD as Peter Parker said in Spider-Man 3: "I missed the part where that's my problem"
Your commentary actually adds to the video and the description of the games, most don't.
I always hoped you'd to a Genesis top 10, and have been eagerly awaiting this for a long time.
Same
This mad man made a top ten list with 28 entries, I love it
I really enjoyed this list. I loved what you said at the end and I would like to share some of my personal favourites from the Mega Drive. I love Shinobi III, Aladdin, The Lion King, Sonic 2, Road Rash 2, Gunstar Heroes and the original Streets of Rage. What I loved about Streets of Rage was the soundtrack and I had a blast playing it with members of my family and my friend. Speaking of the soundtrack, the mix of chill beats and powerful action packed themed songs made it so easy to immerse myself into the game. The visuals just stood out so much to me where even though it isn't as impressive as other games on the MegaDrive, it was how the locations looked that hooked me. I loved the moves in the game as well and how you could call for backup.
Sonic 2 was the first Sonic game that I played and it was what got me hooked on Sonic. As a kid, I had a book kinda like Where's Wally, but Sonic 2 themed. Sonic 2 was the game that got me hooked on the checkered pattern and the music. Emerald Hill Zone has a perfect starting song as it is upbeat and gets the player ready for adventure. The music matches what the stages look like perfectly. I especially loved the music for Mystic Cave Zone as I am a fan of horror. It is a game that greatly enhanced my love for video games.
Aladdin and The Lion King are games that not only have fantastic visuals, but great music as well that are faithful to how the soundtracks of the movies sounded, but with that Mega Drive touch. Yes, the difficulty was annoying, but the gameplay felt smooth and was enjoyable. That Hakuna Matata stage though... How I didn't throw the game out the window because of that stage is beyond me.
Road Rash 2... What can I say. The music is so good. I loved the variety, whether it be a rock theme, or the music for the Hawaiian stage where it felt thematically appropriate. It is visually pleasing with everything looking nice and colourful and the level of detail was really good. Racing and taking out the other racers was a blast. Buying new bikes, seeing new locations and improving how I played the game was truly a fantastic experience. Gunstar Heroes is one of those games that it is easy to fall in love with because of the reasons that you mentioned. I used to play it with my friend.
I started playing Shinobi III later when I reached my 20's. I love how it is challenging as when I got better at the game, it felt so good to apply that knowledge. I liked the visuals, but I loved the look of the stages more. I didn't play it with a loud sound; so I didn't get to hear how good the soundtrack was. I just checked out the soundtrack now on TH-cam and I regret not having played the game with louder sound as it is fantastic.
There are more games that I really enjoyed, but those are a few and those are the reasons that I love playing them. The Mega Drive truly was an amazing console.
I just found your channel one night and now it’s one of my favorites dude.
I miss Sega Genesis IP's. I wish Sega would bring some back
Like streets of rage 4?
Dude! Best video to date! I had flashbacks of childhood sleepovers playing gunstar heros and phantasy star 4 till we got yelled at to go to bed.
Your #5 is two of my personal Top 5 Genesis titles. Thunder Force IV is just freakin' incredible looking and sounding, and Phantasy Star IV is amazeballs, totally agree that it's the best of the original canon titles. I'm literally in the middle of a play-through of it right now. ;)
Thanks for giving SoR3 some love. Playing this game with friends until we could beat it starting with one life on the hardest difficulty makes for some of my best memories.
Actually, he separated Bare Knuckle 3 from SoR3 as a different game, since the japanese release was in fact better in some regards.
I'm always so interested in people's Genesis top tens because there tends to be a bit more variety than in SNES lists, at least in my experience.
I think the top on the SNES are just leagues above the rest, so the top games are universally hailed, while the Genesis library is wider.
@@ronindebeatrice I don't really agree with that, most of the Top Snes lists are put together by groupthink or whatever's the most popular choices, ad populum. And of course, 1st party Nintendo stuff. Great they are definitely classic games yes but still...
It's all about personal taste. I find Hagane, Wild Guns, Ninja Warriors Again, Space Megaforce, Super Punch Out, UN Squadron, Cybernator etc to all be Top 10 worthy games, but rarely any of them are on lists because they're very action oriented (most of them linear) which usually get the shaft to more explorative games and rpgs (Super M, Earthbound, Final Fantasy etc)...and imo the very best Gen games are linear action games (Alien Soldier, Shinobi, Thunder Force, SOR2 etc, so the whole library overall naturally gets more overlooked as a result of the mainstream's or MOST ppls personal taste.
@@ronindebeatrice I don't think that's the case. I liked Sonic better than Mario world, and I love Mario games. Must be another reason.
@@jc.1191 Genesis games do tend to be shorter,more intense,and more difficult
@@retrosoul8770 I love both but now I'm a grown up I have new found love for the Genesis games.They tend to be shorter but sweeter,quicker paced (MUCH more so),and more hidden gems and lesser known titles.The SNES has its classics of course but Genesis has more Pick up and play titles IMO
Konami and treasure games in génesis are amazing
Love how you do a childhood list as well as one for today.
interesting to see how some things change and some stay the same
It's really what I was shooting for. Not just to show how tastes can change, but also that sometimes a game is so good, it stands the test of time.
I’m really curious to see what your top 10 favorite games of all time would be
That Would definitely be a great vídeo!
Just when I was about to find some Megadrive games for my new retro handled console ♥️ Thanks perfect timing will help me a lot
Hi what console did you get?
@@transcendingthedyad5663 I have the Anbernic RG351V it's amazing i absolutely love it.
@@matiasfernandez4973 I'd thumbs down just for having a cool sounding device, but I won't do that to someone. But, I hope you can feel the jealousy lol 😂 Hope you enjoy it (or continue to do so) Does it play multiple systems? I didn't look it up yet. Throw Boogerman on that bad boy 😁 Yes, it's just as goofy as it sounds, but it's fun to strain before farting to kill those villains 😂😂😂
I'm really glad I found you, and the fact we have so much in common, I'm 41 and maybe it's the year I was born but Sega will always be my favorite console :) GREAT LIST, I'm with you on alot of it
Not only that, but Castlevania: Bloodlines was one of the first games in the series to be set in a different era: in this case, 1917. The music also offers a nice balance between "traditional" Baroque-sounding pieces and modernist atonal tracks, like the music for the "Pisa" stage.
Bloodlines remains really underrated, and I can't help but to think it's because it wasn't released on a Nintendo platform. It was way overlooked due to the console wars and a lot of people never went back.
@@dsgitlin The irony was that the sequel to Bloodlines (Portrait of Ruin) was later released in 2006 for the Nintendo DS.
@@dsgitlin It's exactly the reason that it's overlooked and underrated. To this day Nintendorks still get sniffy about Castlevania on the Mega Drive/Genesis, and it seems to cause them physical pain to even admit that it's a great game. For some sad souls the early 90's playground console wars clearly never ended.
I’ve been following your channel for a couple years now. Your channel made me want to play games I don’t really remember too well or weren’t aware off. By the way, I’m in my 40’s as well. Thru emulation, I now can try out a lot of your suggestions. Your presentation and knowledge keeps me coming back. Thanks again. Also, love the new intro.
The genesis library is so awesome that SLX managed to put 24 games into a top 10 genesis games. The only ones I would consider "omissions" are Beyond Oasis (Story of Thor) and Alien Soldier.
My favorite game btw is contra hardcorps, I love run-and-gun games and I not only think is the best contra but the best in the genre overall. Second would probably be Beyond Oasis, artstyle is gorgeous, combat and puzzles are well designed and addictive
Monster World IV is also a severe omission
Much respect for revealing your age Sega Lord X. Your channel and Gaming Historian are by far my favorite TH-cam gaming channels that I actually watch.
My favorite Genesis games: Sonic 3 & Knuckles, Castlevania: Bloodlines, Virtua Racing Deluxe, Zombies Ate My Neighbors, Vectorman, Task Force Harrier EX, Mortal Kombat 1-3, Shinobi III, the Streets of Rage games, Jurassic Park, Contra: Hard Corps, and Battletech.
I was literally yelling "Both! You make both lists! 14-year-old SLX and 46-year-old SLX!" and then you went and did it and this is why you are awesome!
Pretty solid list. I'd replace Castle of Illusion with World of Illusion on my list. Castle is great no doubt. But World was just that much better to me. Being able to also play as Donald was cool. And it's a great co-op game. I feel that game never gets the proper attention it deserves compared to Castle.
Man, I love that game but it's just every time I boot it up, that menu confuses me. Constantly resetting the game just to get things running... If you're trying to crack a couple of cold ones and you don't have it down pat... God, that can be frustrating. Just a personal gripe, I guess though... Otherwise, definitely a great game.
P.S. what button is to confirm your selections? So I can write it down
I'm with you on that. Castle is a great game, but World of Illusion is just that bit better for me.
Agree. World has unique co op. Looks better too
@@jamesbarker5535 Mickey Mania
@@olschoolTonyCarter I'll be honest, it's a game I've never played. Looks gorgeous though. A good shout however and one I think I should explore. Think I will add it to my Sega Mega Drive Mini and try it out.
Always a good sign if when my number 1 starts the honorable mentions.
Huh. I didn't discover Streets of Rage 2 until about 10-15 years ago and it's been one of my favorites ever since. I've put some time into 3 but never got hooked, but watching you play in that footage of BK3 looks like some kind of jedi magic, really smooth and interesting looking combat there and it really has me intrigued to give it another look (in Bare Knuckle 3 form).
Great video as always!
2 destroys 3. It’s awkward he took this stance.
Such a great video and a great idea for the format you chose. It's strange because as a kid I was big on RPG's but as a 30 year old I've become a SHMUP lover. It's the quick play throughs of them that appeal to me so much.
This is a really cool idea for a list. I like that you're mixing things up with these video ideas.
I love your content, this list is very insightful. I don't have room to give details but judging by what I recall my playtime being, these would be my Top 10
Master Of Monsters
Yu Yu Hakusho
Ringside Angel featuring Cutie Suzuki
Truxton
Shinging Force II
Aerobiz
Madden 93
Bulls vs Lakers
Bare Knuckle III/Streets of Rage 3
Dungeons & Dragons: Warriors of the Eternal Sun
My favorite basketball game is Lakers vs Celtics
This might be the obvious choice, but I couldn't see any other game at the top of my list but Sonic 3 & Knuckles, no other 2D platform game has ever come close to being as perfect in music, level design and control as S3&K.
If I had to pick a game that wasn't in the Sonic series, I would go with either Shinobi 3 or Splatterhouse 2.
Sonic 3 & Knuckles = GOAT. Until Mania came out, S3&K was the last truly great Sonic game ever. The 3D games can all walk. Not every game has to go 3D just because it's state-of-the-art. I have the original cartridges, the Sonic Mega Collection Plus rerelease, and a ROM and emulator for when I don't feel like playing on original hardware. My PS2 memory card has at least one clear file in S3&K with all Chaos and Super Emeralds found, thus unlocking Hyper Sonic. Ditto a save state on my emulator of choice. Why so many, you ask? Redundancy. As the Courier said to Arcade, "If Caesar takes the dam and cuts off power, it'll be chaos all over New Vegas."
Streets of Rage was the first Genesis game I ever played. I remember when I was 7, visiting with my older cousins. One of my aunts had a wedding that weekend, and two of my cousins and I played one of the Streets of Rage games. I don't remember which one it was, though. All I remember is that I always wanted to main Blaze. I could say that SoR helped contribute to my egg hatching in the long run. Now, I'm a year into HRT and living as my true, female self. My love for these games has never changed.
@@DarDarBinks1986 While I disagree with you about the 3D games, Sonic 3&K is still the best in the series bar-none.
@@Spewa-em8cm probably the only problem with S3&K was them separating it into two games, but it was understandable
Rocket Knight and Ristar have better level design
@@SuperHns O can slightly agree with Rocket Kmight, but in no way does Ristar have better level design than any of the Sonic games.
Everyone else’s top 10 is the honorable mention for SLX! That’s why I love this channel!
Got to be honest, my jaw dropped when I saw S3&K as an "Honorable mention".
he always said Sonic 2 was his favorite sonic game and I agree with him
On the Super Nintendo video he had... Chrono Trigger...as an honorable mention!? 👀 to each their own i guess.
@Benjamin Jagun YES EXACTLY
Well sonic the hedgehog 2 is still better than sonic 3 and knuckles because you need two different cartridge to play sonic 3 and knuckles as one game while sonic 2 is a full game on one cartridge
Plus the mecha eggman is the best boss battle in the sonic franchise
@@christian9146 Opinions are like assholes, everybody has one.
Makes me wish my Genesis mini and my actual Genesis weren't buried in the middle of my Pods right now! Definitely need to get the patched Bare Knuckle 3 among others in the list loaded on to that mini! Thanks for the comprehensive list of games I should have been playing when I was younger!
I was just thinking I wouldn't mind getting a repo cart of that. Streets of rage 3 has always been a let down to me whereas bare knuckle 3 was the proper version. And of course annoyingly they based a lot of decisions on the new Streets of rage 4 off of Streets of rage 3 not the original game. It's not all bad but I kind of don't like that they kept some of the redesigns and stuff.
It's no surprise that I find myself agreeing with a lot of the inclusions on this list and the idea of presenting a list that changed over time is an excellent idea. Some of my own favorites have changed over the years, but one constant is that Phantasy Star IV has been my favorite game of all time ever since I first played it in the mid-90's. Every time I replay it, I'm still fascinated by just how good it is, how fun it is to play, and by how much I notice myself connecting to a game. I hope everyone can find at least one game out there that brings them a similar experience.
Nice top 10’s and love that “Streets of rage”music in the background🤗
That was an excellent idea to show the difference between your young and old self. My young self would have put Shining in the Darkness (I loved dungeon crawlers at that time) and Landstalker (the isometric perspective, the Zelda-like style and story made it for me). But there is one game that I am missing on this list: Flashback (I bought it by chance at the time because the packaging looked nice and I was blown away).
Contra & Gunstar Heroes just as honorable mentions? No way...
Awesome list and great video as always. As I watch this going into my 40s and look back I realize I grew up with the wrong console - the SNES lol. I love sports games, shoot em ups and beat em ups and hated RPGs and Adventure games - kind of still do for the most part. Thank God for emulation and flash carts. Being able to experience the Genesis today has been great, and videos like this help point me in the right direction to keep trying new games to me I missed out on in my teens. Much appreciated!
Great List. Sonic 2, Puyo Puyo 2, Phantasy Star 4, Super Hang on, Tiny Toons, Sonic 3 & Knuckles, Streets of Rage 2, Puyo Ppuyo\Dr Robotnik Mean Bean Maachine, Revenge of Shinobi and a guilty pleasure of mine "Mario Andretti Racing" Would be in my top 10 list.
In no particular order- Sonic 2, Streets of Rage 2, Shinobi 3, Golden Axe, Gunstar Heroes, Alien Soldier, Rocket Knight Adventures, Thunder Lightning IV, Contra Hard Corps, Castlevania Bloodlines.
I love seeing Quackshot get some love! it was the first game I got for the Genesis (aside from Sonic that came with the console) and loved every second of it. I still remember the first time I beat it, me playing and my brother watching while my parents were out. Good times!
I don’t think Quackshot gets the respect it deserves. Most see Donald Duck and the name and write it off.
@@SegaLordX and that's sad. SEGA made really good Disney games back then. Thanks for highlighting it, more people should learn about it and play it.
Great stuff, only addition I'd make is Dynamite Headdy. So fun and creative and well-made.
Been meaning to play Phantasy Star IV and Shining Force 2 for years. I should finally get on that.
Dynamite Heady has to be one of the best platformers on the system!
You know this list about to be some heat when S3&K is an Honorable Mention. 😳
Castlevania Bloodlines and Streets of rage 2 are absolutely stunning games with god tier soundtracks, gameplay and visuals that are completely timeless 👏👏👏
WOW Revenge of Shinobi was only honorable mention. Dang. That’s my fav
Some of the games like Hyperstone Heist and Castlevania Bloodlines is very expensive. But if it's one thing I can respect about those games, is how good they are. Really good top 10 here in my opinion!
My personal top 10:
1. NHL 94
2. Mutant League Hockey
3. Castlevania: Bloodlines
4. Pirates! Gold
5. Rocket Knight Adventures
6. Contra: Hard Corps
7. Phantasy Star IV
8. Zombies Ate My Neighbors
9. Ghouls N Ghosts
10. Lightening Force
Honorable mentions: Ms. Pac Man, TMNT: Hyperstone Heist, Lost Vikings, Shinobi III, Mutant League Football.
Great video and the way you approached the selection of the entries (as in past you vs present you) really resonated with me, I've been gaming for 30+ years now and definitely my taste in video games has changed over the years. Again great watch, kudos!
I was playing Madden on my Genesis last week, after 16 years in a box.
Still remembered some plays.
Nice list. For me it’d be;
10) Revenge of Shinobi
9) Quackshot
8) Ghostbusters
7) Comix Zone
6) Dynamite Headdy
5) Rocket Knight Adventures
4) Sonic the Hedgehog
3) Sonic 2
2) Sonic 3 & Knuckles
1) Streets of Rage 2
So many to choose and so many still unplayed. Only just played Ristar for the first time this year!!!
Commendable selection as always, Lord. Here's my contribution.
10) Wiz n' Liz
9) Sonic 2
8) Mega Bomberman
7) Mega Turrican
6) Toejam & Earl
5) Thunder ⚡ Force 4
4) Revenge of Shinobi
3) Rocket Knight
2) Streets of Rage
1) Gunstar Heroes
Bro your top 10 is good, and your right the Genesis is hard to pick a top 10 i just know #1 is phantasy star 4, still my favorite game of all time
Top Ten is a very hard list on the Genesis because there are so many great titles on it. This is my list of some of my favorites:
-Herzog Zwei: this was a game like no other for its time. From Technosoft who brought you the Thunderforce series, it was the first console real time strategy game. I spent countless hours going through each map, defeating the game at its highest difficulty and doing it again playing the other side (Red vs Blue). And then to top it of this game had 2 player split screen.
-Gunstar Heroes not the first gem from Treasure, but among its most memorable. No Contra on the Genesis? (at the time), No problem! Gunstar Heroes brought all of the crazy run n gun action of a traditional Contra game plus threw in some beat em up melee action to boot. Grab enemies, some projectiles and other objects and throw them! 2 player and 2 different attack schemes featured here
-Outrun, the Genesis managed a very good port of this arcade classic. Played this one for hours.
-Revenge of Shinobi, a launch game for the Genesis and it looked and played like it was straight from the arcade. Yuzo Koshiro soundtrack too
-Sonic the Hedgehog (and sequels), don't know if we would have some of the other platformers (like Rocket Knight Adventures) without the inspiration from Sonic.
-Streets of Rage (and sequels), at a time when Nintendo had acquired the home rights to arcade beat em up legend Final Fight, Sega digs deep and presents a winner of their own. They also provide the one thing the SNES game did not at the time, two player simultaneous.
-Street Fighter 2:SCE, the Genesis hosted a very good port of this fighter, and paired with the 6 button gamepad (or arcade stick) it was exceptional.
-Thunderforce series, played this series since the first one on the Genesis TF2. Each new entry just outdid the previous one, helped launch a thirst for shooters that not many other games quenched.
-Ghouls N Ghosts, yes this game was hard, it made you go back do the whole thing over again to gain the ultimate weapon, but it was great early visual game that capture most of the arcade originals goodness, and kept Capcom's crisp controls. I'm glad this came home, I'm pretty sure I could spend more that the cart's price at the arcade and still not beat it there.
-Musha, Vertical shoot em up with great graphics, awesome parallax and soundtrack.
-Phantasy Star series, played the original on the Master System, and the 3 sequels on the Genesis kept the goodness going.
-Mystic Defender, a different action platformer, had great graphics and a unique soundtrack
-Strider, more Capcom goodness, the first 8 MEG cartridge! (megabits not megabytes). Came very close to the arcade original, spotting the differences only on side by side comparison.
-Target Earth/ Assault Suit Leynos, another unique shooter for the Genesis having more action components. You pilot a mech with limited abilities at first, as you progress, you can acquire new guns, shields, weapons, and other add ons.
-Granada, and overhead omni directional shooter, where you control a tank. great, varied stages, and big boss fights.
-Forgotten Worlds, unique Capcom 2 player shoot em up, Sega managed a working control scheme even though the arcade original has a rotary/ joystick. Captures most of the arcade (missing some levels)
-Castle of Illusion, great platformer, great soundtrack, awesome levels.
-Quackshot!, Donald Duck gets his solo epic, great Raiders of the Lost Ark theme throughout...
There are much more that I owned and played, many on SLX's list, just impossible to organize them into a top 10.
definitely not surprised to see some of these entries not change at all, just shows some of em can stand the test of time! surprised gunstar heroes missed the cut but I could see those flaws being an issue. that late game stuff can be pretty rough.
Me and my friend played streets of rage 2 for years basically on a daily basis. Any game that gives you memories like that deserve to be number 1. All I have to do now is hear the soundtrack and it rattles my nostalgic bones. Great list SLX. Great content
I couldn't make one of this without Monster World 4 and RiStar.
Ristar was hands down one of my favorite games as a kid.
Ristar was awesome. I also really liked Kid Chameleon.
I like monster world 3 i tried 4 on the mini but cant get into it its hard to find where to go maybe i should give it another chance. And wonder boy in monster land is one of my all time favourites but its not on genesis i dont think.
@@martymartin2894 MasterSystem
@@georgehancock2307 what about master system.
Different from my top ten, but most of the brawlers would stay on there :) Here is a few of my favs:
- Hyperstone Heist
- Streets of Rage 2
- Mystic Defender
- Buster's Hidden Treasure
- Earthworm Jim
- Sonic 3
- Moonwalker
- Splatterhouse 2
- Zombies Ate My Neighbors
- Bubsy
Thanks for the video!
That's a great list, would definitely add Beyond Oasis, Dyna Brothers I & II, monster world IV and maybe an honorable mention of dynamite headdy
Hey I like the new intro. I gotta do this: Strider, Ghouls N Ghosts, Forgotten Worlds, Bloodlines, TMNT Hyperstone Heist, Shadowrun, Panic on Funkotron, Lethal Enforcers, Comix Zone and E-Swat.
Great list, the only one that’s really missing is Alien Soldier, even though I’m aware it wasn’t properly released in the US.
Definitely AS, certainly AS is better than Castle of Illusion or Batman lol imo at least. It's Top 3 material for me. But some just prefer simpler games as far as gameplay and mechanics so I understand. Also Monster World IV even though not also a US release.
Road Rash 2 is definitely in my Genesis top 10. It was my introduction to the series back when I was a young teen. I remember when I was 13 and my brother in law invited me over to his work friend's place and I played it for the first time while eating hot wings. It was also cool for me because I was the only kid there and I felt special to be playing videogames with adults. We played Rampart too, but those 2-player Road Rash memories will always ensure Road Rash 2 has a special place in my heart.
I would also have most of these games but with Crusader of Centy, Ecco: The Tides of Time and Herzog Zwei somewhere on my top 10.
What a list of games! Most of those would be tough to beat on an all time best list, for any system. After watching this, your infectious enthusiasm has me all fired up to play 'em all again for the millionth time. I dunno how you managed to decide on your order, because I can just never quite bring myself to pick one over the other with classics like these. That past/present dual list idea was a fun twist too.
Shinobi 3 is the best 16 bit ninja game ever created. I wish it kept the dog from shadow dancer though.
I liked shinobi 1 the best the arcade version.
Great picks and a great way to present the top picks with an alternate one that fits your older self tastes.
I'd make suggestion for you to make more videos about mega drive fan translated games that were exclusive to the Japanese market and unavailable to the US and European market, games like Rent a Hero for instance, with 100% working translations available. I really enjoyed playing Rent a Hero from start to finish... the game is a little clunky and rough around the edges with a lackluster soundtrack but still at later stages RAH graphics were quite surprisingly above average and as nice bonus the game features a decent amount of quirky humor.
A second suggestion would be talking about the best intros and title screens for the Genesis, Sega CD, and Saturn (the best graphics and audio, for instance Ranger X and Gustar Heroes for Genesis)
Before I watch this. My favourite game for this system was Streets of Rage 2.
Ouch. Well we didnt know better at the time.
@@markxv2267 I never knew what the genesis was until around 1996. Where I grew up there were not stores that sold video games. I got a genesis that had sonic 2 packaged. When I got a copy of SofR 2 it was the best thing in the world. A kroger started to rent games than I rented shinobi and loved it too.
Good list!
Castlevania and Contra were both some of my favorite, along with GSH and Landstalker.
Shadow Dancer is one of the most underrated Genesis games. I absolutely loved it back in the day, and it has a fantastic soundtrack
Got it for Xmas back in 90s still one of my favorites got the arcade version on emulator genesis version beats it all the way
I used to love Shadow Dancer but honestly I just don’t care for the one he kills anymore, like SLX, I’ll probably pick Shinobi 3 over it.
Great format here. We do grow and change. I didn't enjoy shmups in my younger days, but enjoy them quite a lot now. And despite loving run-and-guns, I didn't like Gunstar Heroes at first. But I kept hearing how much and why so many other people like it, so I have it a second and third chance, and I ended up loving it finally. That doesn't always work, but it's always worth at least considering another look. As for the list, while we actually have similar tastes(including old cartoons, as I was and still am a big Voltron/GoLion fan), our lists would be a lot different. I think that says a lot about the Genesis library. If you look at top-game lists for the SNES, there's often a lot of similarity. With the Genesis, there are many great games, but there's less of a consensus. That makes lists a bit more interesting, in my opinion, and makes it a bit easier to find overlooked stuff, like Ranger X(nice to see that, along with Mega Turrican during your opening montage to this video).
While I've never been a huge RPG fan, Phantasy Star IV really appealed to me and sucked me in quickly. It's so well done. I like to think Sega infused some of their arcade philosophy into it as the game moves at a very brisk pace, both in game speed, but also in story progression. As for "best game on the system", I often see Castlevania Bloodlines and Shinobi 3 mentioned by people. I love them both, and largely agree with those who suggest those for the top spot. I tend to lean toward Shinobi 3, but I can see it from both sides. Castlevania Bloodlines is definitely a fantastic game as well, in my opinion. I just come back to Shinobi 3 so often, so it would probably get my top spot. But that's no criticism of your list -- it's yours after all -- and it was enjoyable to hear your thoughts.
Coming up, my consoles of choice were Super NES and Neo Geo. Being a much bigger fan of fighting games and RPGs than any other genre, the Genesis didn't offer much toward my taste, typically sitting in my peripheral view because of it. Later on, as I started getting my own games, Genesis started to seep into my personal rotation. And while I can't say there are any of its library in my own all time Top 10, I definitely enjoyed a few titles.
1. Beyond Oasis
2. Streets of Rage 2
3. CastleVania Bloodlines
4. Shinobi 3
5. Gunstar Heroes
6. Crusader of Centy
7. Phantasy Star 4
8. Phantasy Star 2
9. Phantasy Star 3
10. Streets of Rage 3
The sports games was a nice touch, I agree Madden was amazing back in the day. We played it and NHL for hours and hours.
No Beyond Oasis, Alien Soldier and Splatterhouse 3??
I loved your Top Ten list. Games such as Quack Shot, Castle of Illusion, Shining Force 2, Sonic 3 & Knuckles are all games I love so much. They are the reasons why I had a Sega Genesis as a kid
Like always, an amazing list. Funny enough, my two favourites (Sonic3&Knuckles aside) are missing.
One would be the shooter "M.U.S.H.A Aleste" with its challenging gameplay and amazing soundtrack, and the other Splatterhouse 2. A game that I loved for being myself both a games and a big fan of 80s horror movies.
I really enjoyed that format. Really unique getting picks from your youth and modern times. Kudos
Thank you very much!
SLX, I implore you to give X-Men 2 a shot (and a review, perhaps!). I'm not saying it would make your list, but I think you would definitely consider it one of the best licensed games for the system!
X2 Clone wars. They actually let you play as Magneto. Such an underrated gem. It always gets overlooked because people usually remember the first game and how hard it was.
It’s funny how I’ve played more of these games recently on compilations or my hacked Vita than I did as a kid with a Genesis.
But Gunstar Heroes may be near the top of my list, rather than an honorable mention.
I have most of these games and I agree with your selections and analysis.
Totally agree with you regarding Bare Knuckles III/STR 3. Thé improvements to gameplay are often overlooked.
1. Sonic 3
2. Sonic and Knuckles
3. Phantasy Star 4
4. Shining Force 2
5. Warsong
6. Shining Force
7. Sonic 2
8. Uncharted Waters: New Horizons
9. Shadowrun
10. Sonic 1
HM:
Dynamite Heady
General Chaos
NHL 94
World Series Baseball '95
Tecmo Super Bowl
NBA Jam TE
Greatest Heavyweights
Landstalker
Langrisser 2 (because it wasn't localized)
Phantasy Star 2
YES! Sonic 3 supremacy
These videos really take me back to some happy times. Great list of games here, I had pretty good taste as a kid because many of these are my favorites and have incredible memories associated with them.
I still think Sonic 2 was a tighter and better game than Sonic 3 & Knuckles
Shocked Strider didn't make the list... That alone made me lament on only having a SNES
I played a lot of sports games on genesis as a kid, they made for much better games to play with friends! NHLPA 93, Joe Montana Sports Talk, cyberball, Bulls vs Lakers . . . so many sports games.
NFL 94 Sports talk with Joe Montana. If you mastered the spin move you were unstoppable.
Very interesting number 1 pick, didnt expect it
Sonic the hedgehog is number one on my list. 😀👍🎮
Nice, very nice. 'Streets of Rage 2' and 'Revenge of Shinobi' would be my top two, but great to see some love for 'Quackshot'.
Some really awesome games
Great video! Novel take on the format - I’ll start looking at my top 10s this way too. Also Bloodlines! My number 1 too.
Phantasy Star IV was a real revelation for me, I had never played anything like it in terms of scope. Really incredible when I was twelve anyway.
I definitely put more time into Streets of Rage, Road Rash and a bunch of other games not on this list though, like Syndicate, X-Men and General Chaos!
General chaos was amazing...Herzog zwai was well underated as well!
Same here. I was 11 or 12. I remember beating Zio and thinking that was the end of the game. Totally blew me away
Honestly genesis/mega drive had so many good games that it's really hard to make top 10 list