Remember These Classic Sega Genesis Games?

PHOTO, CAPTION: Sega killed it with these great Genesis games

In 2022, video games consoles can produce graphics so hyper-realistic that it can make you feel like you’re playing out a movie, with massive open worlds that will allow you to get lost in them for many entertaining hours. However, video games obviously haven’t always been as polished as nowadays, and back when the technology was more in its infancy, gaming consoles were nowhere near as powerful. This meant instead of trying to wow gamers with graphics, they had to instead wow them with their gameplay. If you’ve ever asked yourself how are video games made, then you already know just how difficult that must have been.

One older console that seemed to produce many quality games though, was the Sega Genesis, which was first released into American homes in 1989. The 16-bit machine was part of the fourth-generation of home consoles and found itself in direct competition with the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Gamers either lived in a Nintendo household or a Sega household, and the rivalry was fierce. If you were team Sega, then you’ll recognize these classic Genesis games. If not, don’t worry, go find an online emulator and play these remarkable bits of gaming history.

Streets of Rage 2

A criminal enterprise known as The Syndicate have risen again, and headed by their evil leader Mr X, have once again made Wood Oak City a dangerous place full of violence. Four vigilante characters have had enough, and must return to deliver peace. How do they accomplish this? Well, they simply take to the streets and beat the absolute living snot out of any enemy that crosses their path, of course.

This is the narrative of Streets of Rage 2, and it beautifully sets up not only one of the best side-scrolling beat ‘em ups of all-time, but straight up one of the best games of all-time. Don’t just take our word for it, as numerous others have written about why Streets of Rage 2 is still the perfect game, even thirty years on.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2

Sonic burst onto the video game scene in 1991, and the speedy blue hedgehog quickly became an icon for Sega. Whilst the first game in the series was amazing, the sequel, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, took everything good and made it even better. The colours shone brighter, the levels were longer, the music was even catchier, and somehow Sonic seemed to race across the screen even faster.

If that wasn’t enough, the geniuses over at Sega HQ also included Tails for the first time, which meant you could palm off the second controller to your whiny little brother/sister, and no-one could complain you weren’t including them, as you happily continued racing round the screen as Sonic.

The most mesmerising level of the game is Zone 4: Casino Night Zone, which basically blasts Sonic inside a gigantic slot machine. The glittering lights and neon bumpers immediately conjure up the Las Vegas Strip, and it’s clear to see that the game designers must have had gambling on their mind when they designed this definitive level.

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Ecco the Dolphin

The games we’ve talked about till now have been frantically fun, as were most of the titles on the Genesis, however this choice is a much more laid back affair. Ecco the Dolphin eased its way onto the console in 1992, and allowed the player to take control of a bottlenose dolphin. This might sound too peaceful, but don’t worry, it was a dolphin who travels through time to destroy aliens in the Earth’s oceans, and then eventually even on their spaceship.

It was an incredibly soothing experience to play though, as a mix of the oceanic sounds, paired with the glee that came from getting Ecco to echo-locate his way around the many aquatic levels, washed you over with a wave of tranquillity, that not many other games could muster.

Josh Yang