Released as the Mega Drive in Japan and Europe, the Genesis is Sega's 16-bit console.  It was the successor of the Sega Master System and predecessor to the ill fated Sega Saturn.

It had a production run lasting from 1989, when it was first released in Japan, up untill 1997 when it was finally discontinued.  It sold 29 Million units worldwide, 14 Million of those being sold in the USA alone and its best selling game was Sonic the Hedgehog 2 with 6 Million carts sold.

To make it seem cooler than its main opposition rival, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System or SNES, Sega's Marketing Department came up with the term "Blast Processing" to imply that the Genesis/Mega Drive had more power and was more capable of rendering sprites on screen faster than a SNES.

During its 8 year production run it was expanded upon numerous times adding a Power Base Converter, allowing it to play 8-bit Master System games, as well as the Sega CD and the 32X.  A smaller model was also released later in the console life cycle, "Genesis II"

The Genesis had two main versions its controller.  The first was slightly larger and had three face buttons and a slightly "sharp", hard-plastic thumb pad.  Though recieved as distance, as the popularity of game's like Street Fighter II rose, there was demand to produce a six button controller. 

Sega finally did release a six button controller, this one with a slightly stream-lined look and feel, a softer thumb pad, and naturally three more face buttons.  Many later Genesis games recommended the use of this secondary controller (many of them fighting games), as games played with the original controller that were designed for the new six button one would need to tap the start button to switch the three face buttons to the function of the other three.

Specifications

Hardware

Processor: 8 MHz 68000 4MHz Z80B
Memory: 74K main, 64K video
Expansion port: Access to I/O bus for hardware peripherals (Mega-CD / Sega-CD etc.)

Graphics

Resolution: 320 x 224
Colours: 64 on screen, 512 colours palette
Sprites: 80
Sound: Custom FM chip, 12 channel stereo output

Genesis - Recent Games

		Name	Platforms	Developer
		Super Thunder Blade released on Sept. 17, 2007	GEN, PSP, WSHP
		Wonder Boy in Monster World released on April 23, 2007	GEN, SMS, WSHP	Westone Co. Ltd.
		Bio-Hazard Battle released on Feb. 26, 2007	GEN, WSHP
		Bonanza Bros. released on Jan. 29, 2007	AMI, GEN, SMS, CPC, AST, C64, SPEC, TGCD, ARC, WSHP
		Beggar Prince released on May 22, 2006	GEN	C&E INC.
		SEGA AGES 2500 Vol.22: Advanced Daisenryaku - Deutch Dengeki Sakusen	GEN, PS2	3D Ages
		Frog Feast	GEN, SNES, CDI, JAG, SCD, NGCD	Rastersoft
		Battle Frenzy	GEN, SCD	Domark Software, Inc.
		Mega Games 10	GEN	Epyx, Inc.
		Show do Milhão Volume 2 released on Jan. 1, 2001	GEN	Tec Toy S.A.
		Show do Milhão released on Jan. 1, 2001	GEN	Tec Toy S.A.
		Puyo Puyo 2	GB, GG, GEN, SNES, PS1, SAT, TGCD, WSC, NGPC, WSHP	Compile
		Brian Lara Cricket '99	GEN, PS1, PC	Codemasters
		NBA Live 98 released on Nov. 11, 1997	GEN, SNES, PS1, SAT, PC	Electronic Arts
		Madden NFL 98 released on Nov. 2, 1997	GEN, SNES, PS1, SAT, PC	Stormfront Studios
		NHL 98	GEN, SNES, PS1, SAT, PC	Electronic Arts
		FIFA 98: Road to World Cup	GB, GEN, SNES, PS1, SAT, N64, PC	EA Canada
		Romance of the Three Kingdoms V	GEN, PS1, PC	KOEI Co., Ltd.
		NBA Hangtime released on Jan. 7, 1997	GEN, SNES, N64, ARC, PC	Funcom Oslo A/S
		Sonic Classics	GEN	Compile

Genesis - Upcoming Games

		Name	Platform	Developer
		Michael Jackson's Moonwalker	GEN, SMS, ARC	Sega
		Legend of Wukong expected release 2008	GEN
		Batman Forever expected release 1995	GB, GG, GEN, SMS, SNES, PC	Acclaim Studios London
		X-Men 2: Clone Wars expected release 1995	GEN	Headgames, Inc.
		Comix Zone expected release 1995	GBA, GEN, WSHP, PC	Sega Technical Institute
		NHL 95 expected release 1995	GEN, SNES, PC	Visual Concepts, High Score Productions, EA Sports
		Mortal Kombat 3 expected release 1995	GB, GG, GEN, SNES, PS2, PS1, ARC, PC, RZON	Midway Games, Williams Electronic Games, Inc.
		Chiki Chiki Boys expected release 1993	AMI, GEN, AST, ARC	Capcom
		NHL '94 expected release 1993	GEN, SNES, SCD	EA Canada
		Dragon's Fury expected release 1992	GEN, TG16, WSHP	Compile