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    Genesis

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    After the cult success of their 8-bit Master System, Sega decided to give gamers a taste of their arcade capabilities with a 16-bit console. Known worldwide as the Mega Drive but called Genesis in the US, it provided graphics and sound a couple of steps below their popular System 16 arcade cabinets. The Mega Drive/Genesis turned out to be Sega's most successful console.

    Top 5 Genesis (exclusive) games...

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    The_Ruiner

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    #1  Edited By The_Ruiner

    Brad wanted to know..so here you go...

    1. Sonic 2

    2. Shinobi 3

    3. Streets of Rage 2

    4. Beyond Oasis

    5. Strider

    please bear in mind I have never played Phantasy Star or Shining Force...I probably should one of these days...

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    AndrewB

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    #2  Edited By AndrewB
    • Revenge of Shinobi
    • All of the Sonic franchise main games (if you want me to choose, Sonic 3)
    • Sub Terrania
    • Columns
    • Road Rash (I guess Road Rash isn't exclusive, but that version of it is).
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    Snail

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    #3  Edited By Snail

    As I skimmed through the forums I read a portion of this thread's title, and for a while was happy with the thought that I was going to list top tracks.

    Or band members.

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    Maajin

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    #4  Edited By Maajin
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    Ravenlight

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    #5  Edited By Ravenlight
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    laserbolts

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    #6  Edited By laserbolts

    Phantasy Star 4 is the greatest RPG of all time so it is a must buy.

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    Bell_End

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    #7  Edited By Bell_End

    mega drive!!!

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    NeoGecko

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    #8  Edited By NeoGecko

    @Snail:

    1. Peter Gabriel
    2. Phil Colins
    3. Tony Banks
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    Video_Game_King

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    #9  Edited By Video_Game_King

    How has nobody said anything about Ranger X? Or Dynamite Headdy? Or Granada or Panorama Cotton o-

    @Ravenlight said:

    Cyborg Justice. I will fight and/or ignore anyone who says otherwise.

    This is worse than the exclusion of the previously listed games.

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    camp7203

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    #10  Edited By camp7203

    1. General Chaos
    2. Mutant League Hockey/Football
    3. Eternal Champions
    4. Sonic 2
    5. Streets of Rage 2
     
    Honorable Mention for the Phantasy Star series

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    Ravenlight

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    #11  Edited By Ravenlight

    @Video_Game_King:

    It's a brawler where you can customize your own awesome robot with the pieces of your enemies. How is that not awesome? Or are you some sort of robo-racist?

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    jonnyboy

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    #12  Edited By jonnyboy

    Top 10 Megadrive games:

    1) Shinobi 3

    2) Robocop vs Terminator

    3) Moonwalker

    4) Streets of Rage 2

    5) Castle of Illusion Featuring Mickey Mouse

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    Video_Game_King

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    #13  Edited By Video_Game_King

    @Ravenlight:

    That would be awesome if your enemies weren't randomly generated from the exact same pool of parts you use to create your robot at the beginning (not only so you could tell your own robot apart from others, but also to make customization mean something). Or if there was any damn incentive to change weapons. Or if the gameplay was actually fun, or if the game was pleasing to look at, or if the controls didn't suck dick....

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    Snail

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    #14  Edited By Snail

    @NeoGecko said:

    @Snail:

    1. Peter Gabriel
    2. Phil Colins
    3. Tony Banks

    They all rank equally high up.

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    mesoian

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    #15  Edited By mesoian

    Herizog Zwei

    Sonic 3 + Knuckles

    Streets of Rage 2

    Rocket Knight Adventures

    Gunstar Heroes

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    Palmlykta

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    #16  Edited By Palmlykta

    I think Ghostbusters for the Mega Drive was pretty cool, whether you count it as an exclusive or not I do not know... It is its own game for sure.

    Also Alisia Dragoon.

    Strider.

    Castle of Illusion.

    Wonder Boy in Monster Land Sonic 1

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    RAMBO604

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    #17  Edited By RAMBO604

    Vectorman 1&2 then drop the mic son.

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    JasonR86

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    #18  Edited By JasonR86

    Where the fuck is Phantasy Star 4 you son of a bitch.

    EDIT:

    Just so I don't come off as a yelling old man and that's all here's my personal top 5 (out of order cause that's how I do things).

    -Sonic 1

    -Sonic 2

    -Phantasy Star 4

    -Landstalker

    -Alladin

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    Ravenlight

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    #19  Edited By Ravenlight

    @Video_Game_King said:

    @Ravenlight:

    That would be awesome if your enemies weren't randomly generated from the exact same pool of parts you use to create your robot at the beginning (not only so you could tell your own robot apart from others, but also to make customization mean something). Or if there was any damn incentive to change weapons. Or if the gameplay was actually fun, or if the game was pleasing to look at, or if the controls didn't suck dick....

    To be completely honest, I don't think I've ever played Cyborg Justice sober. Cyborg Drinking is a much better game than the one you're describing.

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    Video_Game_King

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    #20  Edited By Video_Game_King

    @Ravenlight said:

    To be completely honest, I don't think I've ever played Cyborg Justice sober.

    I don't think I've stopped drinking since Cyborg Justice. But that goes without saying.

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    Ben_H

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    #21  Edited By Ben_H
    @camp7203 said:
    1. General Chaos 2. Mutant League Hockey/Football 3. Eternal Champions 4. Sonic 2 5. Streets of Rage 2  Honorable Mention for the Phantasy Star series
    Yeah General Chaos! That game was AWESOME
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    Laksa

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    #22  Edited By Laksa

    My top 3 games on the mega drive. Played them everyday back when i was younger.1. Thunder Force 3 2. Shining Force. 3. Bare Knuckles. Games that stand the test of time. Wish i could say the same of this gen.

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    Worcanna

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    #23  Edited By Worcanna

    ^_^ Yay shining force love! hehe.

    Sonic since it was kinda cool

    Shining Force or Shining in the darkness.

    Beyond Oasis/Story of Thor

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    Oldirtybearon

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    #24  Edited By Oldirtybearon

    No Altered Beast?

    Seriously?

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    Wong_Fei_Hung

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    #25  Edited By Wong_Fei_Hung

    These lists need MUSHA...

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    blackbird415

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    #27  Edited By blackbird415

    @The_Ruiner: I believe strider has a crappy nes version as well so technically it is not an exclusive game to genesis

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    GunstarRed

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    #28  Edited By GunstarRed

    The Mega Drive was fucking awesome. Sonic 1&2, Streets of Rage 2, Dynamite Headdy, Gunstar Heroes, Aladdin, Sub Terrania, Shinobi.

    And Turtles Tournament Fighters was better on the MD.

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    Kidavenger

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    #30  Edited By Kidavenger

    @RAMBO604 said:

    Vectorman 1&2 then drop the mic son.

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    Rebel_Scum

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    #31  Edited By Rebel_Scum

    In no particular order and one extra thrown in

    Sonic 2

    Landstalker

    Shining Force

    Combat Cars

    Ecco the dolphin

    Sub-Terrania

    Honorable Megadrive mentions even though they weren't exclusive

    Flashback

    Jungle Strike

    Fantastic Dizzy

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    development

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    #32  Edited By development

    @Mesoian said:

    Herizog Zwei

    Sonic 3 + Knuckles

    Streets of Rage 2

    Rocket Knight Adventures

    Gunstar Heroes

    yeah, Rocket Knight!

    5. Sonic 1

    4. Sonic 3 + Knuckles

    3. World of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck

    2. Sonic 2

    1. Rocket Knight Adventures

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    csl316

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    #33  Edited By csl316

    Oh man...

    1. Sonic 3 & Knuckles - One of the most epic experiences of kid me. Though I love the whole series.

    2. Streets of Rage 2 - Incredible music, still super fun. I kind of prefer the faster pace of 3 but I've played this one over 100 times.

    3. Contra: Hard Corps - Intense, fast paced, with plenty of different paths and characters to keep you coming back.

    4. Dynamite Headdy - Such a creative, challenging game. Also features some incredible music.

    5. World of Illusion - I've always preferred this to Castle, mainly since I played it with my cousins so damn much. Awesome levels, fun gameplay, and plenty of nostalgia. No one mentions The Great Circus Mystery anymore, but I've always felt that it's right up there with the Illusion games (though it's not exclusive).

    Basing these on the fact that I played them all in the past year and they were all still bad ass. The SNES may have the more easily identifiable classics that belong on overall top 10 lists, but the Genesis had so many good games. Comix Zone, Vectorman, X-Men 2, Quackshot, Revenge of Shinobi, General Chaos, Gunstar Heroes, its version of Aladdin, I guess all those RPG's I haven't played... the list just keeps going.

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    John1912

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    #34  Edited By John1912

    @laserbolts said:

    Phantasy Star 4 is the greatest RPG of all time so it is a must buy.

    I never played 4, least not far. Why was it better then 3?

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    D_W

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    #35  Edited By D_W

    My favorite two Genesis games are Contra: Hard Corps and Starflight. Seriously if you've never played Starflight. Go find the version for genesis and play it and be in awe how far ahead of it's time it probably was.

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    Vextroid

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    #36  Edited By Vextroid

    Streets of Rage 2, Revenge of Shinobi and Columns and World of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck (best MD game of all time IMO) are all that define the Mega Drive for me. Played ours of all the 4 (though with Streets of Rage 1) with friends back in the day.

    I would love to see Jeff and Vinny( or Brad) play through World of Illusion.

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    ahgunsillyo

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    #37  Edited By ahgunsillyo
    1. Sonic the Hedgehog 2
    2. Gunstar Heroes
    3. Michael Jackson's Moonwalker
    4. Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master
    5. Pulseman

    If you haven't heard of Pulseman, I don't blame you. It was never released in the US for the Genesis. However, they did feature it on the Sega Channel, that strange and amazing cable Games-on-Demand-esque service, and it finally officially made its way over to the States as an import title on the Wii's Virtual Console. This game was actually made by Game Freak before they became "the Pokemon people," and it's a really amazing game. If you have a Wii and enjoy 2D platformers, you should really consider picking it up.

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    musubi

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    #38  Edited By musubi
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    Terramagi

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    #39  Edited By Terramagi

    S3&K is the best 2D platformer of all time, and I will fight anybody who claims otherwise.

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    Laiv162560asse

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    #40  Edited By Laiv162560asse
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    deactivated-5e4c09d3ba1b3

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    I agree with all these lists. All I know is that Gunstar Heroes and Revenge and Shinobi go on mine. Everything else is a toss-up.

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    RuthLoose

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    #42  Edited By RuthLoose
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    Funrush

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    #43  Edited By Funrush

    Altered Beast hasn't been mentioned yet? Loved that game...

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    Nottle

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    #44  Edited By Nottle

    Man i'm glad I didn't own a genesis. Some of these games don't seem that great. Granted I'd like to try some of these out. I never had a Genesis and have been on a retro game kick lately. I hate old Sonic games. Gunstar Hero's I have played before and that is awesome. I should play some Gunstar heros again.

    I actually tried out the demos of Phantasy star 2 and Golden Axe on XBLA recently and was not that impressed granted judging an RPG on a demo is never fair.

    If I were to play the Phantasy Star games should I start with 1 and work my way from there?

    To me these genesis games people are listing seem like arcade games, kind of short and linear, where the SNES seems to have more games that are about immersing you in a world.

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    The_Ruiner

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    #45  Edited By The_Ruiner

    I thought for sure someone would scream for Toejam and Earl....huh...

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    Spoonman671

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    #46  Edited By Spoonman671
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    killacam

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    #47  Edited By killacam

    GUNSTAR HEROES mafuckaaas

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    Laiv162560asse

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    #48  Edited By Laiv162560asse
    @Nottle said:

    To me these genesis games people are listing seem like arcade games, kind of short and linear, where the SNES seems to have more games that are about immersing you in a world.

    I think it's accepted that the SNES had the edge when it comes to RPGs, but I listed Rings of Power precisely because of that sense of world immersion that you mentioned. It was Naughty Dog's first real game for home consoles - back in January, in the 3DO TNT, Ryan said that Way of the Warrior was Naughty Dog's first game, but that was wrong; RoP is and pre-dates Way of the Warrior by like 3 years - and the world is simply massive. It was the Oblivion of its day, although to appreciate what I mean by that you need to appreciate the serious criticisms that some people bear towards Oblivion and Bethesda RPGs. Namely, it was a little soulless and there were some serious problems with stilted graphics and controls. Still, it was way ahead of its time in terms of immersive RPGs, especially considering Daggerfall on PC with its cult following came like 5 years later.

    @The_Ruiner said:

    I thought for sure someone would scream for Toejam and Earl....huh...

    Dude, I totally did, check last page.

    @Spoonman671 said:

      Kid Chameleon was definitely my favorite Genesis game.   

    I had Kid Chameleon and it ranks as my deepest and most ingrained sense of buyer's remorse ever. Not that it was bad... it seemed kind of OK and I was excited about how it supposedly had such a huge amount of levels and whatnot. But after dying over and over in the first couple of levels and getting overwhelmed by the mad teleport system, I used a cheat by which you could warp to the end boss from the end of the first level. Big purchase, was psyched for it, then I never saw like 95% of it.

    Then just last week I re-acquired it as part of the pre-order bonus for Hell Yeah!. Again I tried to play it properly. Again I couldn't. Some day. Some day. Seriously, that game is like a psychological scar for me, as long as it goes without me playing it properly.

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    KaneRobot

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    #49  Edited By KaneRobot

    Not counting arcade ports as making it "non exclusive" since no one used it as a basis of comparison ("Hmmm...should I buy the Genesis version, or the arcade cabinet?")

    No particular order:

    Castle of Illusion starring Mickey Mouse

    Streets of Rage 2

    Thunder Force III (some changes were made and it was ported to the arcade as Thunder Force AC, and the arcade version was ported to the SNES as Thunder Spirits...besides the changes, both had worse music & sound than the Genesis version, so I'm counting it)

    Super Monaco GP

    Sonic the Hedgehog

    Loved Strider but it didn't crack my top 5. Phantasy Star IV seemed incredible between the little I played of it and what I've read, but didn't get enough into it to have an informed opinion.

    @blackbird415 said:

    @The_Ruiner: I believe strider has a crappy nes version as well so technically it is not an exclusive game to genesis

    It's a completely different game, so it absolutely should count. Only similarity is the main character and the game's title.

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    DoctorWelch

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    #50  Edited By DoctorWelch

    Sometimes I wish I just lived in some kind of late 80's early 90's time paradox where me, and all the other nerds of the world, could spend every day playing and discussing this generation's games.

    This edit will also create new pages on Giant Bomb for:

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