MetalFRO
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Posts: 3014
Awards: 2014 RFGen Top Shmuper
 
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« Reply #47 on: April 15, 2020, 11:27:42 AM » |
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Okay, here's my list:
1. Lightening Force - There's no doubt this was going to be my #1 pick. The BEST shoot-em-up of the 16-bit era, bar none. This game is Technosoft's crown jewel, with amazing levels, graphics that pushed the Genesis to the limit, an astounding soundtrack that is among the most famous of its time, and legendary difficulty. This game has everything you want from a shooter, and is just so good, nothing else can even touch it.
2. Gunstar Heroes - This game sees Treasure beating Konami (who formerly employed several of these designers) at their own game. This is arguably the finest "run and gun" game of the 16-bit era, with amazing set pieces, fun weapons to use, colorful graphics, interesting locations, cool game mechanics, and a wacky sense of humor that permeates the whole thing. If Contra: Hard Corps hadn't been made more difficult in its localization, it's possible that could have been a contender, but ultimately, Gunstar Heroes just does almost everything better.
3. Streets of Rage 2 - THE quintessential console beat-em-up game, this took the original game's formula and amped it up in almost every conceivable way. The character sprites are bigger, more detailed, and better animated. There are 4 characters to choose from now, instead of just 3. The action is better, with more moves, and individual super moves, instead of just callig in reinforcements. And Yuzo Koshiro's soundtrack is masterful, and one of the most iconic of the era. A must-own for action game fans.
4. Shinobi 3 - Many would point to this game's predecessor, Revenge of Shinobi, as the favorite, but I believe this is arguably the better game. While not a Yuzo Koshiro soundtrack, it's still a fantastic set of chiptunes to listen to. Also, the game's levels are interesting and varied, and the addition of the jump kick move gives the game even more versatility. The new autoscrolling levels bring in more variety, as well.
5. Street Fighter II: Special Champion Edition - 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.
6. 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.
7. Sonic the Hedgehog - Most people would expect to see the game's sequel on the list, but I still prefer the original. Yes, the spindash was a great upgrade, but the level design in the original is tight. The graphics are colorful, without being too bright and garish, and the soundtrack is sublime. The sequel is a worthy game, but the original will always have my heart.
8. 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.
9. Ristar - 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.
10. Golden Axe 2 - Objectively a better game to the original Genesis conversion of the arcade hit, this game sees improvement in the graphics and music, as well as to the overall formula, even if those improvements are slight. Most noticeably, the magic system is upgraded, allowing you to hold down the button to decide how much magic power to use, or press once for a small magic attack.
11. Flashback - 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.
12. Starflight - A game I spent countless hours on as a kid (the PC version, anyway), this space exploration sim gives you a large galaxy to explore, lots of things to do, fun ways to upgrade your ship, a variety of different alien species to recruit as crew members for your star ship, and enough story and RPG elements to help it cross over. The procedurally generated universe also meant that each time you started a new campaign was a unique experience.
13. Earthworm Jim - Most of the highlights of the Genesis library would be Japanese games, but this is a Western developed title that deserves recognition. Earthworm Jim is an unlikely, yet affable hero that has loads of personality. The game won audiences over with smooth animation, fun music, and a lot of good sight gags. Underneath all that, there's a pretty good action platformer here, as well!
14. Outrun - I'm no fan of racing games, but Outrun was always more of a driving game, seeing you cruising the countryside in your Ferrari, while cranking up great tunes on the car radio. The Genesis port isn't 1:1 with the arcade game, but it does a pretty good job of capturing that experience as much as it can, on the hardware. The Genesis renditions of the different music in the game do an admirable job of sounding like their arcade counterparts.
15. Quackshot: Starring Donald Duck - This is an early example of a "Metroidvania" lite kind of experience on the Genesis. It's also one of the best non-Capcom Disney licensed games out there. Rather than killing most enemies, you stun them with your plunger gun, to safely walk on by. You also use plungers to help you climb walls, and solve puzzles. You find new things to aid you in your journey to find lost treasure as you go, and some backtracking will be required to complete a couple levels. It's a very charming game, with great graphics, a great soundtrack, and a lot of personality.
16. Bio Hazard Battle - 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.
17. Columns - Sega's answer for the popularity that was Tetris. The primary game mode can be quite punishing, but the endless mode is a ton of fun, with the game slowly ramping up speed and difficulty, giving the player an opportunity to score massive amounts of points. The 3 songs complement the game's minimalist, zen presentation, and are memorable companions while you play.
18. Decap Attack - 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.
19. Vectorman - Sega's answer to Donkey Kong Country on the SNES, Vectorman was visually impressive, as well as being fun to play. Vectorman as a character lacked something, but it did allow you to kind of put yourself in his place, since he's just a blank avatar.
20. Bill Walsh College Football - This game doesn't get the love that Madden gets, but it's essentially the same engine. I have fond memories of playing this game during a sleepover, and despite being terrible at sports games, it was still a blast.
I realize after doing the list, there are a couple changes I would make now, having had even more time to consider it, but it's okay. It was still fun to come up with the games on the list.
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