I never owned a Genesis in the 90's, but just picked one up at a yard sale. What games should I be on the hunt for? I'm down for anything classic that holds up, or really is of any historical significance. Lay it on me people.

Vector Man was pretty unique back in the day.

Shining Force II, General Chaos and Mutant League Football

I spent most of my childhood playing these games. Although General Chaos is best played with somebody else, I never really liked the singleplayer mode.

Ballz 3D.

... Okay, I'm not that cruel. Gunstar Heroes and Contra: Hard Corps are two of my favorites.

The core Sonic games (1, 2, 3 & Knuckles), Landstalker, Phantasy Star 2 and 4.

Cool Spot.

I had it on the GameGear and it was a great little platformer. I believe the Bombers have said good things about it as well. Just, whatever you do, Avoid the Noid (and the Commodore 64)

Gain Ground, Eternal Champions, Sonic 1 and 2, Streets of Rage 2

@MrKlorox said:

Vector Man was pretty unique back in the day.

I cannot recommend this enough! I loved Vector Man as a kid, even though I was terrible at it. I should go back and play it some time...

If your a good person you will play all the sonic games

Quackshot, Sports Talk, Side Pocket and of course, Lethal Enforcers with the Justifier. (Although you'd need a CRT for the Justifier.)

Sorry, I forgot Shaq-Fu.

I am tempted to send you my copy so I can forget that it exists again.

Columns, motherfucker.

You only need Sonic the Hedgehog 2.

Almost forgot Comix Zone and Crack Down (mostly for the music, to be honest)!

Goldenaxe, surprised no one had mentioned it already. Comix Zone was pretty cool as well.

Golden Axe, Cyborg Justice, Sonic 1 and 2, Gain Ground, and Toejam and Earl.

can't back gunstar heroes and general chaos enough!

Vector Man was pretty unique back in the day.

Herzog Zwei.

Streets of Rage 2. Gunstar Heroes.

I notice several recommendations for Comix Zone. I've played it recently, and it does not hold up. To a lesser extent, neither does Golden Axe. But I seriously doubt if anyone would want to play Comix Zone for more than five minutes.

The Megadrive/Genesis has a lot of good shmups which still hold up very well. Try to get Fire Shark, Thunder Force 3 and 4, Hellfire, Gynoug, Steel Empire, Truxton, Elemental Master, Zero Wing, Grind Stormer, Sagaia, Twin Hawk. Some of them might be a bit expensive, some of them aren't.

I heard great things off Gunstar Heroes

Altered Beast, Boogerman, McDonald's Treasure Land Adventure

...I don't know much about Genesis but I think people wouldn't mention these little gems much so I listen them anyway.

Alien 3, Dune II, any Shinobi game, Streets of Rage games and Beyond Oasis/The Story of Thor (as its called here in europe) its a bit like Zelda but not shit.

Ranger-X if you can find it. It is a great game with very catchy music.

Shining Force and Shining Force II off the top of my head. Some others would be Comix Zone, Sonic Spinball, Kid Chameleon.

Shadowrun, Tiny Toons, Phantasy Star II, III and IV, Landstalker, Beyond Oasis, Warsong, Contra: Hard Cops, Sonic 3D, Streets of Rage 3, Rocket Knights Adventures, Gunstar Heroes, Earthworm Jim, Flashback, ToeJam & Earl, Ecco the Dolphin, Lost Vikings, Rock & Roll Racing, Castlevania: Bloodlines, TMNT: TT, TMNT: HH, Altered Beast, Ghouls & Ghosts, Revenge of Shinobi, Space Harrier II, Golden Axe, Mortal Kombat games -uncensored, unlike the SNES games-, Afterburner, Michael Jackson's Moonwalker, Strider, Ghostbusters, The Lion King, OutRun, Road Rash, Splatterhouse, Zombies ate my Neighbors, Street Fighter 2, Puyo Puyo, Sonic Spinball, Samurai Showdown, Lunar, Doom Troopers, Mega Bomberman, AAAHH! Real Monsters, Pirates! Gold...

I enjoyed playing Road Rash back in the day on the Genesis. Late at night, after having too much sugar, I would load up the Hawaii map and find the highest hill that had a sign on it, drive straight into it, then watch and laugh while my guy flailed his arms in the air before landing. Simple pleasures. An actual game to play for fun? I enjoyed Zombies Ate My Neighbors.

I'll give another vote for Vectorman, Sonic 2 and Sonic & Knuckles.

You don't have to ask.

One of these does not belong...

Dynamite Headdy is, straight up, the best platformer ever made.

Streets of Rage 2 is the best game ever made, period.

Oh and whatever you do, do NOT play Sonic 3 and Sonic and Knuckles separately. They're intended to be one game and should only be played as such.

Sonic 1, 2, 3, Sonic and Knuckles, The Lost Vikings, Mickey Mania (always thought the art style was so unique).

Contra: Hard Corps.

Mutant League Football, Any Tecmo Bowl you can find.

Gunstar Heroes.

@JasonR86 said:

The core Sonic games (1, 2, 3 & Knuckles), Landstalker, Phantasy Star 2 and 4.

This and Shining Force, Rocket Knight Adventures, Granada, that Batman/Robin game, Ranger X, Pulseman, and a billion other obscure games that I'm sure nobody listed in this thread.

I think Dynamite Heady is great.

Castlevania: Bloodlines, in addition to most o the others already mentioned.

Toejam and Earl maybe?

Been so long I can't even remember what's good. But that popped into my head.

Also Earthworm Jim and I have fond memories of Mortal Kombat 2.

Road Rash

@cstrang said:

Castlevania: Bloodlines, in addition to most o the others already mentioned.

That game was preeeeety good for a Castlevania game, and it had one of the best soundtracks, to boot!

James Pond
Technocop
Shaq Fu

The Lion King on genesis is one of the best movie games ever made. Play it!

You only need Sonic the Hedgehog 2.

I'd say get Ecco The Dolphin. I only recommend it because it was one of my first Genesis/Megadrive games and when that black hole appears in the sky out of nowhere I freaked out, turned the game off and didn't go to the beach for months. Man when I was, like, 5 years old that shit was terrifying. Good stuff.

Honestly, it's not an amazing game, nor does it hold up as well as say Sonic The Hedgehog 2 or, if you ask me, Vectorman, but it's worth seeing though at least once.

Gunstar Heroes

General Chaos, one of the best co-op games of that system. You can literally win a war by kicking someone in the nuts.

Otherwise, Streets of rage 3 is another swell choice. For phat beats I'd go Toejam and Earl.

NBA Jam

Sonic 1

NHL '93