RFGen's Top 20 Sega Genesis games

[EZ Racer]

More also rans!

Single votes from 10-1

10th place

Vapor Trail
Phantasy Star II

9th place

NBA Jam T.E.
Crusaders of Centy- "A solid Zelda style game that doesn’t take itself too serious and is just as bright and colorful as you could possibly hope for."

8th place

Adventures of Batman and Robin- "As a huge fan of the show this game is just a great piece of fan service. Decent beat em up too."
Ayrton Senna's Super Monaco GP II- "One of earliest simulation style racers. Not perfect, and probably not for the casual player, but for diehard fans of the genre, it does so much right."
DUNE: The Battle for Arrakis- "Another 'IP' I love is DUNE. This game satisfied my love of DUNE, and tactical games.
Strider- "Sega takes on the task of converting Capcom's monster arcade hit action game to the Genesis, and succeeds admirably. Great graphics and sound, and all the crazy set pieces from the arcade game are here. It's a very faithful version of the arcade hit, and was an early boost to the library of the Genesis, to help set it apart from what the NES was capable of."

7th place

The Ooze- "Has it's flaws, but one of the most unique games I've ever played."
Streets of Rage 3- "While the mechanics of SoR 3 are improved over SoR 2, the game was a step back in pretty much every other way. Inferior soundtrack and level design, plus the localization was notoriously botched. Still a very solid beat 'em up, though."
NHL '94- "Growing up in Canada, made Hockey a staple. I played ice hockey as a kid, but I wasn't very good. I preferred Blades of Steel at 9AM, over getting up at 5AM, for REAL practices. Going from Blades of Steel, to the EA hockey games, was an evolutionary jump. Always a great couch CO-OP game."

6th place

Jewel Master- "I see this as a spiritual sequel to the early Genesis game Mystic Defender, as it takes the idea of a magic-wielding action game to the next level. More varied, and with more to do than Sega's own Alisia Dragoon, as well, this game brings solid level design, good graphics, a great soundtrack, and an interesting magic system to the table. As you play, you find and collect magic rings. Depending on which rings you wear, and in what combination, enables different types of magical attacks and effects, and finding the right combinations to use in different situations is key to the game. Highly underrated."

5th place

Micro Machines Turbo Tournament '96- "J-Cart allow 4 controllers without an adaptor and fantastic close racing"
Phantasy Star III- "This was my introduction to the Phantasy Star series, and the only one I have played on Genesis. I remember my first experience of renting it while on a sleep-over at my cousins. My cousin and I, both were and are, huge RPG/tactics game guys. We had played the Final Fantasy's on NES/SNES, and were curious, what Genesis had to offer. While we both still prefer the FF series, Phantasy Star III showed us, that there was indeed decent RPG's, on other consoles."

4th place

Maximum Carnage, Spider-man and Venom- "Takes a very cool comic arc and pulls all the awesome action heavy encounters from it to form a truly amazing beat em up. Lots of references to the source material and cool secrets to discover."

3rd place

Zombies Ate My Neighbors

2nd place

Michael Jackson's Moonwalker
Arcus Odyssey- "A fun little isometric dungeon crawler, shooter, RPG....basically all of my favorite genres all in one. 2 player mode is fantastic. Why do you not own this?"

1st place

Shadowrun- "In the near future, technology is even more so than now and magic has emerged, causing some people to spontaneously change overnight into elves, trolls, orcs, and other magical creatures. I fell in love with the IP in the mid 90's, and played many hours of both the SNES and Genesis games. I always preferred the Genesis version more though. Whenever I think of my favorite for Genesis, this game always comes to mind."


Plenty more to come, with several titles getting multiple votes, but not enough to make HM territory...

[Crabmaster2000]

3 more of mine down. Sounds like I need to add Jewel Master to my wishlist, not familiar with that one. Thanks to whoever had that on their list!

[MetalFRO]

2 more of mine down. My precious Jewel Master, when will you get your due?

[EZ Racer]

Rest of the Also-rans-

All these games got at least two votes, but not enough to make the top 20 or honorable mention.

Ghouls n Ghosts (#19, #18)
"I'm not a big fan of this series, and this game didn't change my mind, but it's the best of the bunch in my opinion."

Bio-Hazard Battle (#16, #16)
"Originally known as 'Crying' in Japan, this is the only shoot-em-up Sega ever developed themselves. The game has a unique approach, with 4 different flying insect creatures to control, and a bevy of weapons to choose from. The art style is true to the name as well, with various other insects & creatures as foes, and some body horror elements. The odd soundtrack helps set the mood, as well."

X-Men (#19, #11)
"Ok. I will admit, that this game is not the best. That being said, this game was released at a time, when Marvel's X-Men were at the peak of their popularity. You got to play as many of the core X-men, and several others were featured as "special attacks". The bosses were also cool and very niche for the time. (Mojo isn't too popular or well known). The soundtrack was enjoyable too. This was my favorite X-men game, until I discovered the Konami arcade game."

"This was one of those games as a kid I owned and was stuck with. It’s hard as hell, but eventually in my adult life I put the time and effort in to actually beat it. It’s one of the games I’m proudest I was able to complete so it has a special spot in my library."

Mortal Kombat (#15, #14)
"When Mortal Kombat came out for home consoles, the choice for me, was a no brainer. The Genesis version didn't require a code to see red blood, the play control was better, and Fatalities were as intended."

General Choas (#20, #9)
"This game is best enjoyed with a buddy. Pick your soldiers, based on their skill, weapons, etc, and sick em on the enemy, across the screen. Simple in concept, but surprisingly entertaining."

Contra Hard Corps (#15, #10)
"A great installment in the run n gun series for the Genesis. Tough as nails, but lots of fun."

"Absurd difficulty aside, this game can still be a lot of fun once you get a feel for it. It's my least favorite of the classic Contra games though."

Rolling Thunder 2 (#16, #9)
"A great run 'n gun action game that feels very different from most other games in the genre."

"I love the Rolling Thunder series and this is the best of the bunch. You get to choose from two great characters. Some outdoor levels, but definitely keeps the spirit of the series."

Decap Attack (#18, #8)
"A game that is somewhat unfairly criticized for being "slippery" due to the physics, this game took the original Japanese release, Magical Hat no Buttobi Tābo! Daibōken, and improved upon it in a number of ways, and gave players a wacky protagonist to control. The game's bright, colorful graphics, excellent soundtrack and overall sense of whimsy help elevate it above many of the other character-based platform games of the time."

Jurassic Park (#14, #9)

Beyond Oasis (#15, #8)

Ristar (#12, #9)
"A creation of Sonic Team, this fun platformer takes the colorful design of a series like Sonic the Hedgehog and takes it in a different direction. The grabbing/pulling mechanic is very tight, and is used in some fun and creative ways in the game. It's got great graphics and sound, and is very charming and fun to play."

"Super fun platformer and one of the best on the system. I have no idea why a series was never attempted for this character."

Haunting: Starring Polterguy (#17, #6)

Flashback (#11, #9)
"One of the earlier examples of the "cinematic platformer" sub-genre, Flashback took a very different approach than most platform games. Rather than make you a big-gun-toting hero character, who can blow away all the baddies, you are instead just a regular guy, suffering amnesia, and being assaulted by aliens. The game play is much more methodical, like Prince of Persia, and each area has various dangers to avoid, and puzzles to solve. The game's atmosphere really helps sell the experience."

Street Fighter II Special Champion Edition (#17, #5)
"While the SNES might have got in on the Street Fighter II action earlier, the Genesis game is arguably the better, and more complete, package. Bringing in the 4 bosses as playable characters, and consisting of both the "Champ" mode, and the "Hyper" mode (with Hyper Fighting rules), this game packed a lot of content into a single, 24 megabit cartridge, which was huge for its time."

Jungle Strike (#13, #7)
"Improved on Desert Strike in every-way."

That takes care of the also rans, lots of great games already, with the top 20 and honorable mentions dropping soon.

[Crabmaster2000]

Woot! Only one this time and it was one I didn't think would make the final cut anyway. More than half of my picks ranked this time around!

[MaterialHandlerMike]

I think half my list is gone!

[shaggy]

Holy cow 8 of mine were in the bottom 10.  I can't believe that because several of them were known games.

[shaggy]

3 more of mine down. Sounds like I need to add Jewel Master to my wishlist, not familiar with that one. Thanks to whoever had that on their list!

I have Jewel Master but haven't played it yet.  I do like the premise, though, from the back of the box.  I really need to play this one.  I think it's actually a sequel to a genesis or SMS game.

[shaggy]

I had none in the single vote top 10 but I had 3 in the double vote list.  I'm down to 9 games left. 

[Seno]

Damn 4 more of mine out, 11 still in the running.

[Disposed Hero]

Results are live on the front page, so I'm posting my list. I didn't have enough for an honorable mentions section this time.

1. Streets of Rage 2

Arguably the best beat 'em up of all time. An impressively deep moveset, a rockin soundtrack, great level and enemy design, and the game just oozes style. Always a co-op favorite for my friends, and it's a game that we play through very frequently.

2. Golden Axe

A great beat 'em up with a very distinctive style and feel. This is one of the very few games in existence that I actually wish was longer.

3. Shining Force

I feel like Shining Force II is the better game, but something about the original just stands out to me more. Shining Force just has more charm and character than most other strategy RPGs.

4. Golden Axe II

A little different than its predecessor, but still a great game that I love almost as much as the original.

5. Shining Force II

I rented this game a ton as a kid and will always have a certain nostalgia for it. A great strategy RPG that every fan of the genre should play.

6. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist

It's kind of a pale imitation of Turtles in Time, but this is still a great beat 'em up and well worth playing, even if you've already played Turtles in Time to death.

7. Streets of Rage 3

While the mechanics of SoR 3 are improved over SoR 2, the game was a step back in pretty much every other way. Inferior soundtrack and level design, plus the localization was notoriously botched. Still a very solid beat 'em up, though.

8. Streets of Rage

The beginning of a great series. It can feel a bit barebones compared to its sequels, but it's still a great beat 'em up that every fan of the genre should play.

9. Castlevania: Bloodlines

Sort of the black sheep of the series, but this is still a solid game that every Castlevania fan should play.

10. Gunstar Heroes

A great run 'n gun action game that is a definite must-play!

11. Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi

Tends to get overshadowed by Shinobi III, but this is the better game in my opinion.

12. Phantasy Star IV

I've often heard that Phantasy Star IV was Sega's answer to all the great SNES RPGs and is just as good as anything that Squaresoft was producing at the time. That ain't even close to being true, but this is still a pretty good RPG that's well worth checking out.

13. Sonic the Hedgehog 3

I'm not the biggest Sonic fan, but this game is the best of the bunch in my opinion.

14. Alien Storm

A fun and quirky beat 'em up that feels somewhat similar to Golden Axe, with the addition of those awesome first-person shooting stages!

15. Contra: Hard Corps

Absurd difficulty aside, this game can still be a lot of fun once you get a feel for it. It's my least favorite of the classic Contra games though.

16. Rolling Thunder 2

A great run 'n gun action game that feels very different from most other games in the genre.

17. Sonic the Hedgehog 2

18. Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse

Kind of a sluggish feeling game, but pretty fun once you get a good feel for it.

19. Ghouls 'n Ghosts

I'm not a big fan of this series, and this game didn't change my mind, but it's the best of the bunch in my opinion.

20. Shadow Blasters

Kind of a quirky game, but a decent action-platformer for the system.

[EZ Racer]

Results are live on the front page, so I'm posting my list. I didn't have enough for an honorable mentions section this time.

Thanks again for your contributions to the video, including going the extra mile with a special request.

[Disposed Hero]

Results are live on the front page, so I'm posting my list. I didn't have enough for an honorable mentions section this time.

Thanks again for your contributions to the video, including going the extra mile with a special request.

Not a problem! It was fun to do.

[shaggy]

I can't wait until we get to the more unpopular systems.  See what we can come up with with them!

[MetalFRO]

3 more of mine down. Sounds like I need to add Jewel Master to my wishlist, not familiar with that one. Thanks to whoever had that on their list!

I have Jewel Master but haven't played it yet.  I do like the premise, though, from the back of the box.  I really need to play this one.  I think it's actually a sequel to a genesis or SMS game.

You absolutely need to play Jewel Master! I don't know that it's a sequel, it just feels like a follow-up to Mystic Defender.