Genesis Quick Reviews

Dozens of Games at a Glance

A - B - C - D - E - F
G - H - I - J - K - L - M
N - O - P - Q - R - S - T
U - V - W - X - Y - Z

Action 52: Game Type: Multi-Game; Rating: 10/100; A collection of pathetically bad programs written especially for this cartridge by Action Industries. (Who?) Legal but of course produced without Sega's approval.
Aero Blasters: Game Type: 2D Side-View Shooter; Rating: 70/100; Excellent gameplay and graphics, but slightly inferior to the TurboGrafx version due to fewer colors being available.
Air Diver: Game Type: Flight Simulator; Rating: 20/100; A Wing Commander-esque dogfighting flight sim. Boring, graphically unimpressive.
Aladdin: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 80/100; Fairly solid gameplay, extremely impressive graphically with stunning color and great character animation.
Alien Soldier (Mega Drive): Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 80/100; A Japan-only release from the makers of Gunstar Heroes. Somewhat similar to Contra but with many more move available. Loud graphics and louder audio. Looks very cool and plays decent. Worth import if you're a devout Gunstar worshipper.
Alien Storm: Game Type: Depth Movement Brawling/Aim and Shoot; Rating: 70/100; Golden Axe in a semi-futuristic setting mixed with crosshair shooting levels (no light gun support). The action is passable but it pales next to Streets of Rage.
Altered Beast: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 30/100; One of the first games released for Genesis, and the graphics show it. To make matters worse there are only 5 levels and very few enemy types. Still, the gameplay is decent, and the 5 forms you take on help out.
Amazing Spiderman: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 40/100; Unimpressive graphics and gameplay. Swinging on webs could've been a nice feature but this game doesn't implement it well. Don't bother.
Animaniacs: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 60/100; Completely 2D, unlike its SNES counterpart. Has a heavy puzzle-solving slant. Plusses include colorful graphics, and of course the Animaniacs.
Arrow Flash: Game Type: 2D Side-View Shooter; Rating: 30/100; Shooter with primitive graphics and weapon systems. Yawn.
Atomic Runner: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 20/100; The title led me to expect a faster pace. Has strange play mechanics for a platformer and is graphically unimpressive.
Awesome Possum: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 40/100; Standard platform game. The gameplay and graphics are merely passable and the annoying, frequently used voice samples add nothing to the game.
Bad Omen (Mega Drive): Game Type: Ball and Paddle; Rating: 40/100; Bad graphics, bad control, bad game. The idea of scrolling Breakout is original, but thanks to the ball's seemingly random reflection angles this game just doesn't work.
Ballz: Game Type: 3D Fighting; Rating: 30/100; Although I'm impressed that a 3D fighter was pulled off without any enhancement chips and the graphics are fairly smooth, the gameplay is pretty lackluster.
Batman: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 30/100; Lacks the stellar gameplay of the NES version, leaving a mediocre sidescroller.
Batman Returns: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 20/100; Even worse than Batman gameplay-wise (if that's possible). Not much to be said for the graphics, either.
Battletoads: Game Type: Depth Movement Brawling; Rating: 70/100; Although the NES version was far ahead of its time, this port should offer at least small improvements. Still, if you can stand the extreme difficulty, Battletoads is worth checking out.
Beyond Oasis: Game Type: Overhead View Adventure; Rating: 80/100; A Zelda-like game with great character art and animation, and Street Fighter- style special moves. Not many enemy types but decent gameplay and great graphics. Yuzo Koshiro did the classical soundtrack but it's not on par with his techno tunes.
Bimini Run: Game Type: 3D Action; Rating: 20/100; Steer a speedboat through treacherous waters. Awful graphics, as with most 3D games on Genesis, and mediocre gameplay.
Blades of Venegance: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 40/100; Choose one of four characters and run, jump, and bash your way through a passable but not noteworthy platformer.
Blaster Master 2: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 50/100; A spectacular game from the NES that just doesn't stand out on the Genesis, despite some graphic enhancements.
Blockout: Game Type: Puzzle; Rating: 60/100; A 3D top-down version of Tetris. Pieces can be rotated along all 3 axes and are placed anywhere within a 3D well (the dimensions of which you can configure.) Spartan but colorful graphics. Of course, the pace is sluggish.
Bonanza Brothers: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 50/100; A cutesy game where you play a robber trying to sneak past security guards and traps to get the loot. Requires a bit of strategy. Slow-paced but fairly entertaining.
Boogerman: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 80/100; Another platformer similar to Aladdin or Earthworm Jim in graphic (colorful), animation (great), and gameplay (fair) quality.
Bubba and Stix: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 50/100; Barely a platformer at all, the emphasis on puzzles is too heavy. The animation quality is great and the game is hilarious. Too bad the puzzle solutions never make sense. Don't plan on beating this without a hint guide.
Buck Rogers: Game Type: Strategy; Rating: 40/100; A strategy game players can't hope to comprehend without reading the thick manual cover to cover. Graphically unimpressive, too. I'm no simulation buff but I think players should at least try more current offerings first.
Burning Force: Game Type: 3D Chase-View Shooter; Rating: 50/100; A 3D shooter that strives for 2D playability, but falls short of the mark. The graphics are appealing, at least. If you enjoyed Space Harrier II this might be a good followup.
Buster's Hidden Treasure: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 70/100; Somewhere midway between the NES and SNES Tiny Toons games in terms of graphic quality. Not too shabby gameplaywise, either, and rather fast-paced.
Castle of Illusion: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 70/100; This Mickey Mouse game is a bit slow paced, but is nonetheless fairly playable. The graphics have aged gracefully. Not spectacular but still appealing.
Castlevania - Bloodlines: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 80/100; Features a choice of two characters, the usual solid Castlevania gameplay, graphics to rival the SNES Castlevania games, and lots and lots of blood. I don't like it as well as Castlevania IV but it's still worth a try.
Chakan: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 50/100; Although a hot item when it was first released, Chakan's gameplay and graphics aren't even worthy of mention now.
Chiki Chiki Boys: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 70/100; Colorful, cute graphics with a heavy Japanese influence. Gameplay is only average. Otaku should take a look, others should not.
Clayfighter: Game Type: 2D Fighting; Rating: 50/100; A Street Fighter parody featuring digitized clay figures instead of hand-drawn characters. Doesn't offer many features compared to current fighters but the gameplay is passable.
Columns: Game Type: Puzzle; Rating: 90/100; Long regarded as Tetris' nemesis. Arrange falling jewels to form a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal group of 3 of the same color. Has a more serious atmosphere than most current puzzle games, and the graphics are beginning to show their age a bit. The gameplay is still great, though.
Contra - Hard Corps: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 80/100; Equals the SNES' Contra III in graphics, exceeds it in play options and length. Four characters to choose from, each with their own set of weapons. Fantastic gameplay and insane difficulty, as always.
Cool Spot: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 90/100; You play as 7up's awesome mascot. The character animation is awesome and the gameplay is great. Unfortunately some of the scenery is recycled in the later levels, and the ending may not be worth the considerable frustration involved in clearing the last part of the game.
Cotton Panorama (Mega Drive): Game Type: 3D Chase-View Shooter; Rating: 75/100; A 3D version of a series of shooters starring a little witch on a broomstick. The gameplay is actually halfway decent, with lots of oncoming walls to dodge. Graphically the game is astounding, from the beautiful animesque cinemas to the polygonal (yes, polygonal) backgrounds that rush by. Unfortunately the enemy scaling is as usual rather choppy. No competition for Starfox 64, but man, was it cool for its time.
Crusader of Centy: Game Type: Overhead View Adventure; Rating: 90/100; The similarity to Zelda III in terms of graphics and gameplay cannot be coincidence. The quality is also a close copy, so this is worth a look if you liked Zelda. Now if only your animal helpers didn't look so cheesy as they followed you around - they are always one step in back of you, which means they hover over pits and pass through walls sometimes.
Cyborg Justice: Game Type: Depth Movement Brawling; Rating: 50/100; Lets you construct a robot from parts with different attributes like jumping ability and attack power, and then use that robot in a highly repetitive and graphically unimpressive brawling game. Bearable but not great.
Darwin 4081 (Mega Drive): Game Type: Overhead-View Shooter; Rating: 50/100; It was never released in the States, not because it had a strong Japanese flavor (it doesn't) but because it's just not that cool. Basic, ugly graphics and weak gameplay. It's not awful but it's hardly worth importing.
Dynamite Headdy: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 80/100; Although it's from Treasure, makers of the almighty Gunstar Heroes, and the gameplay is passable, it lacks Gunstar's oomph. The bizarre setting (a puppet show?) doesn't help matters. Worth a look but be sure to rent first, buy later.
E-Swat: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 50/100; Although based on one of my favorite arcade games of old, the Genesis version has been changed to the point that it no longer stands out from the host of other platformers. Don't bother.
Earthworm Jim: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 80/100; Stellar graphics and animation, and a hilarious main character. The gameplay is only passable but it's well worth a look. Has an extra level not in the SNES version, though some of the SNES's graphic effects aren't found here. Groovy!
Earthworm Jim 2: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 80/100; Basically more of the same from EWJ1, but that's not a bad thing. Lots of subgames including an isometric shooter; you can go a long time without getting back to a standard sidescroller.
Ecco the Dolphin: Game Type: 2D Adventure; Rating: 70/100; The main character, a dolphin, is well thought out with beautiful animation and control. This would be a great game if not for the incomprehensible puzzles. (To get out of the first stage you have to jump as high out of the water as you can, but you're never told this directly.)
Ecco - the Tides of Time: Game Type: 2D Adventure; Rating: 70/100; More of the same except that now you can change into other sea creatures. The puzzles are still ridiculous.
El Viento: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 50/100; From the makers of the Valis series, and very similar to Valis in gameplay and overall style. The anime-style cinemas are great, the game itself is only passable.
Earnest Evans: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 10/100; Aaaaak! I often wondered why they didn't use rotation to animate a characters limbs more smoothly; now I know why. This game looks awful and plays worse. Avoid, avoid, avoid!
Eternal Champions: Game Type: 2D Fighting; Rating: 50/100; A Street Fighter clone that would be unimpressive even if its gameplay were on par with SF2. Don't waste your time.
Ex-Mutants: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 40/100; A lackluster platformer featuring nobody's favorite X-Men wannabes, the Ex-Mutants. Yawn.
Flashback: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 70/100; Like Out of this World it features great polygon-animated cinemas, stellar character animation, and cool graphics. Unfortunately, also like Out of this World, it is way too strategy-oriented and frustrating for me, although the gameplay has its moments. Well worth a look for gaming masochists.
Flintstones: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 70/100; Not to be confused with the movie-based game. Features colorful graphics and decent gameplay.
Forgotten Worlds: Game Type: 2D Side-View Shooter; Rating: 50/100; Passable gameplay but the graphics are beginning to look a bit dated. Devoted shooter fans may want to try.
Gaiares: Game Type: 2D Side-View Shooter; Rating: 80/100; A challenging shooter with a great weapon system that lets you drain weapon energy from enemies for your own use, giving you many weapon types. Awesome anime-style intro and ending, too.
Galahad (European Mega Drive): Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 50/100; Developed by Psygnosis. The control is quite solid and the special effects are good for the era. The levels are difficult to navigate, though, the color pallette is drab, and the artwork is hideous.
Garfield - Caught in the Act: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 80/100; Great animation and colorful graphics. The gameplay is nothing to write home about, though. Garfield fans won't be disappointed, but I'm not as much a Garfield fan as I used to be.
Gargoyles: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 80/100; Has a dark atmosphere and great animation, like the series. The gameplay is a bit awkward, though. Rent first.
General Chaos: Game Type: Action/Strategy; Rating: 70/100; Guess I just can't get into strategy games, but if you like the genre I recommend checking this out, as I can see how a strategy buff might get hooked, bad.
Ghostbusters: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 50/100; Sure as hell beats the NES Ghostbusters games. The boys in ectoplasm get the super-deformed treatment. Graphics aren't great but the gameplay is decent.
Ghouls 'n' Ghosts: Game Type: 2D platform; Rating: 90/100; Colorful graphics and awesome gameplay. Two gripes, though. Once you jump you're committed to a landing spot even if there's an enemy there. Also, after clearing the first 6 stages you have to go back and play through the game again. Still worthy of mention in the same breath as Sonic.
Golden Axe: Game Type: Depth Movement Brawler; Rating: 70/100; I had many a happy hour with this medieval beat-em-up back when it was the height of technology, especially in vs. mode. Now, with Streets of Rage available on the same platform, it doesn't stand out as much. Try this after SoR.
Golden Axe 2: Game Type: Depth Movement Brawler; Rating: 70/100; About the same as Golden Axe, but I'm really peeved that Gillius lost his cool rolling move. Yes, that's my only gripe. Try it if you liked the first.
Greendog: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 50/100; This is what happens when Sega tries to create a popular mascot and fails. The main character is too awkward to like, and the fact that the game itself is lame doesn't help.
Gunstar Heroes: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 90/100; Contra who? Gunstar adds the ability to throw enemies at each other when you get close to the standard run and shoot formula. Colorful, cartoony characters and enemies, and some really awesome graphic effects. And the bosses!
Haunting: Game Type: Isometric-View Strategy; Rating: 50/100; You play a restless spirit and must possess different furniture around the house to scare off the residents. Amusing at first but ultimately wears thin.
Heavy Nova: Game Type: 2D Fighting; Rating: 10/100; Awful robot fighting game with a platform mode added in. Avoid.
High Seas Havoc: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 60/100; A decent but not extremely addictive platform game with a cool main character. Worth a rental but probably not more.
Incredible Hulk: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 50/100; The animation is good, the character design and programming are not. Uncompelling graphics and sound, only passable gameplay.
Insector X: Game Type: 2D Side-View Shooter; Rating: 50/100; Shooter with an unimpressive weapon system and uncompelling gameplay. The visuals aren't too bad but nothing makes this game stand out from the crowd.
James Pond: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 40/100; Swim around and accomplish various objectives to clear the level. Noteworthy for neither graphics nor gameplay.
Junction: Game Type: Puzzle; Rating: 50/100; A ball rolls along pieces of track cut into a slide puzzle. You must slide the tiles around to keep the ball from rolling off the side. Enjoyable at first but gets frustrating in later levels. Puzzle addicts should try it.
Jungle Book: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 50/100; The stunning graphics of the SNES version are gone, leaving only the great animation and passable gameplay. Try it if you don't have a SNES.
Jungle Strike: Game Type: 2D Isometric-View Shooter; Rating: 80/100; The term shooter is used extremely loosely here, as the Strike series is more slow paced and controls very differently. You pilot a helicopter on several missions, in each of which you must fulfill many objectives. Can be tedious at times but overall it's enjoyable.
Kid Chameleon: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 50/100; If you don't have a SNES but need a Mario game, this may fit the bill if you don't mind the ancient graphics. You can take on several different forms during the game, which adds a little variety.
Klax: Game Type: Puzzle; Rating: 80/100; Klax itself is a fast-paced, awesome puzzle game. The Genesis conversion, however, isn't the best available. Lacks the color of the TG-16 version, and the cool music of the NES version. Still worth a look, since it's probably the only version you'll be able to dig up a copy of.
Last Battle: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 50/100; This was apparently a Fist of the North Star game that lost its title in its pilgrimage to the states. Punch and kick your way through the side scrolling scenes on your way to one-on-one arena bouts with the bosses. The graphics and gameplay aren't especially impressive.
Lemmings 2: Game Type: Puzzle; Rating: 90/100; A decent port of the sadistic strategy game. If you haven't played Lemmings you're missing out bigtime. The sequel offers tons of new tricks the Lemmings can do. Should keep anyone who can stand a little frustration busy for eons.
Lethal Enforcers: Game Type: Light Gun Shooting; Rating: 70/100; Cheezy digitized graphics and sound bring down the score of an otherwise decent shooting game. Uses the specially designed Justifier light gun (and a second player's gun can be had for a price), or offers crosshairs with the control pad (yecch).
Lightening Force: Game Type: 2D Side-View Shooter; Rating: 70/100; The sequel to Thunder Force 3. Passable gameplay, colorful graphics, and a fairly complex weapon system. Worth a look.
Lion King: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 80/100; Not as colorful as the SNES version but that's about the only difference. Excellent animation and two characters to play as (cub and later adult Simba). Potentially frustrating in later rounds, and the ending isn't worth the effort (but saying you beat the game is).
M.U.S.H.A.: Game Type: 2D Overhead-View Shooter; Rating: 80/100; Great gameplay and versatile weapons systems. I'm annoyed by the ancient Oriental look of all the enemies but that's about my only gripe. From Compile, makers of the almighty Space Megaforce.
Mega SWIV (European Mega Drive): Game Type: 2D Overhead-View Shooter; Rating: 80/100; The SNES version was released in the U.S. as Firepower 2000. Though SWIV is inferior as far as graphics and sound, the stellar two player gameplay is intact, and the levels and enemies have been changed. This is worth considering if you can't get FP2K, or have played the SNES version so much that you're desperate for some variation.
Menacer 6-Game Cartridge: Game Type: Light Gun Shooting; Rating: 70/100; Six small games included with Sega's massive light gun, the Menacer. Most feature colorful graphics, and all are pretty playable. Whack Ball (yes, Whack Ball) uses the gun like a mouse.
Mercs: Game Type: Overhead View Action; Rating: 50/100; A Commando-like game with lame graphics and gameplay. Don't bother.
Mickey Mania: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 85/100; Good gameplay, fantastic graphics and animation. Lengthy and fairly challenging. Rent this at least.
Mortal Kombat: Game Type: 2D Fighting; Rating: 40/100; Even if I liked Mortal Kombat I'd still be disgusted with the horrible graphics and sound on this version. Get MK2 or even MK3 first and if you still have to have the original, get the SNES version.
Mortal Kombat 2: Game Type: 2D Fighting; Rating: 80/100; The SNES version is still the one to have since the color is better, but at least that's about the only thing separating the 2 versions now. MK2 has the best gameplay of the series in my opinion, but that ain't saying much.
Mortal Kombat 3: Game Type: 2D Fighting; Rating: 75/100; Offers more options and characters than MK2. A passable translation if you liked the arcade. Go play Street Fighter, dammit!
Mystic Defender: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 50/100; Appealing but unimpressive graphics, lackluster gameplay. Even if you could find a copy it wouldn't be worth your time.
PGA Tour Golf 3: Game Type: Golf Simulation; Rating: 40/100; Any effect the graphics might have is lost due to the 6-10 seconds it takes to render each view of the hole. If you're not into golf sims, this isn't the place to start, and you should avoid it even if you are. Try any other PGA game.
Pacmania: Game Type: Isometric-View action; Rating: 40/100; A 3D Pac-Man game with the arguably unnecessary ability to jump added. The graphics aren't impressive enough to warrant the loss of playability.
Phantasy Star II: Game Type: RPG; Rating: 90/100; Cool graphics, likable characters, and an intriguing story. Not as complex as later games but an absolute must-see for any RPG lover.
Phantasy Star III: Game Type: RPG; Rating: 50/100; Aaaack! Where did they go wrong? PS2's sharp graphics are nowhere to be seen. The game itself isn't too enjoyable, either.
Phantasy Star IV: Game Type: RPG; Rating: 90/100; PS4 puts the series back on track. The graphics are in much the same style as PS2, although the radiant color is gone. The story is told in awesome manga- style cinemas. The game is quite lengthy. Although it's well scripted the plot dies halfway through. (Venegance is a powerful motive but what's left after you're avenged?) Still worthy of mention in the same breath as the Square epics.
Phelios: Game Type: 2D Overhead-View Shooter; Rating: 70/100; A playable but otherwise unimpressive shooter. Worth a glance but little more.
Pulseman (Mega Drive): Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 80/100; Like Ristar before him, Pulseman strives for Sonic's level of perfection, and falls just short. It's just a little too easy to get hit when you're going at full speed, and you're required to use his strange special move where he bounces off walls like a billiard ball a little too much. But hey, anything remotely close to Sonic is better than almost anything else out there. Try it.
Quackshot: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 50/100; An uninspired jump-n-shoot starring Donald Duck. Average graphics, average gameplay.
Ranger X: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 80/100; Features eye candy galore, with graphics tricks not attempted in any Genesis game before or since. Too bad the gameplay isn't quite as stunning.
Revenge of Shinobi: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 80/100; Despite the appearance of 3 Shinobi games on Genesis, none has managed to recapture the awesome feel of the arcade. RoS, the first, is nonetheless an enjoyable and challenging game.
Richard Scarry's Busy Town: Game Type: Edutainment; Rating: 80/100; I was bored while at the game store one day, okay? Besides, Richard Scarry rocks. Anyone with a preschooler looking to make use of big brother's old Genesis should check this out. Not a game, per se, but a series of interactive demos with cute characters and lots of voice samples. Should even amuse 20-year-old kids.
Ristar: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 80/100; Bionic Commando meets Sonic the Hedgehog. The design and control for your character are fantastic, but the gameplay is hampered by poor enemy and stage design. The puzzles are intriguing and simple enough to solve but this game could do without them. The graphics and music are great, though. So very close to being a great game...
Rocket Knight Adventures: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 90/100; A cartoony Contra. You play Sparkster, an opossum in armor with a jetpack strapped to his back. Challenging and highly playable. Great graphics.
Rolling Thunder 2: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 70/100; Not much graphics-wise but very playable. Very challenging, too.
Rolling Thunder 3: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 80/100; Offers 9 weapons and all the usual gameplay. The early levels are a breeze but the game suddenly gets impossible later, which is frustrating.
Samurai Shodown: Game Type: 2D Fighting; Rating: 70/100; The characters are full-size, unlike the SNES version, but as a result Earthquake is gone (to save memory), the characters jump off screen too easily since the view doesn't scale back, and many frames of animation are gone. The control is bad, to boot. Try both but I like the SNES version better (barely).
Shadow of the Beast 2: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 40/100; The animation is incredible, the graphics are nice, and the gameplay is decent, but the occasional puzzles that break up the action are decidedly unwelcome.
Shadowrun: Game Type: RPG; Rating: 80/100; An awesome concept, a passable game. Unlike the overhead-view action scenes, the sequences where you jack into cyberspace to hack corporate computer systems are both graphically impressive and fun to play. Unfortunately every computer system starts to look alike after a while. The plot's decent but is told in broken segments so it's hard to enjoy. Might be worth purchase but rent first.
Shining Force: Game Type: Strategy/RPG; Rating: 90/100; Instead of the typical group battle approach of other RPGs, you maneuver individual soldiers into position on a battlefield and then watch the cinemas as they cast spells or spears at their enemy. The list of playable characters is huge. The storyline lacks but that's my only complaint. Very enjoyable.
Shining Force II: Game Type: Strategy/RPG; Rating: 90/100; Basically the same as the first but with an even larger character roster. Buy this first but be warned that you'll want the original as well later. A welcome break from the old Final Fantasy formula.
Shining in the Darkness: Game Type: 3D Maze RPG; Rating: 70/100; The graphic style is decent, but with little to advance the plot (and little plot to advance), a tiny spell list, and no opportunity to leave the cramped labyrinth, the game can get repetitive quickly. RPG fans may enjoy it nonetheless.
Shinobi III: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 90/100; Fast-paced, challenging, and very playable. Your character has tons of moves. Gets tough towards the end, but only enough to guarantee you won't beat it in the first couple weeks.
Socket: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 80/100; A Sonic the Hedgehog clone that got everything but the character design right. If four Sonics aren't enough for you this one's worth a look.
Sonic the Hedgehog: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 90/100; My favorite game mascot in my favorite platformer. This game is FAST. The graphics are colorful, the music sticks in your head, and the gameplay is second to none. Buy this game even if you have to buy a Genesis first.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2: Game Type: 2D platform; Rating: 90/100; Offers graphics improved over even Sonic 1, more neato tunes, a new 2 player split-screen race mode, and my second-favorite game mascot, Tails the fox.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 90/100; Unfortunately they reworked the character graphics for this one, and I don't like Sonic's new look. The stages aren't designed for speed like before, and you encounter a boss in every stage (no more playing for the fastest time). The new levels and graphic effects are great, but there's only 6 worlds.
Sonic and Knuckles: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 90/100; Sonic 3's character graphics were retained, Tails was ditched, and a new character, Knuckles, was brought in. The cartridge port on top allows you to plug in a Sonic 2 or 3 cartridge so you can play as Knuckles in either of those games, which is a nice feature if you want to sell Sonic games.
Space Harrier II: Game Type: 3D Chase-View Shooter; Rating: 70/100; A slight reworking of the arcade with new enemies, but otherwise the same. The scaling of enemies is of course pretty choppy, but the checkerboard effect on the ground is cool. Fairly playable but it doesn't offer much else.
Storm Lord: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 30/100; By the time this game was released in the States the naked faeries weren't naked anymore, leaving no reason to mess with this mediocre action/puzzle game.
Street Fighter II - Special Champion Edition: Game Type: 2D Fighting; Rating: 80/100; Since Super Street Fighter II adds 4 more characters and retains everything found in this version, there's no reason left to get it (except maybe a lower price). If you've played Street Fighter Alpha 2 this will seem primitive, anyway.
Street Smart: Game Type: Depth Movement Fighting; Rating: 30/100; One on one fighting, Double Dragon style. For reasons now unclear to me I liked this game in the arcade, but even I couldn't bring myself to like this downright boring home version.
Streets of Rage: Game Type: Depth Movement Brawling; Rating: 80/100; Although eclipsed by later Streets of Rage games, the original sports more moves and variety than any other brawler on Genesis, and has the techno soundtrack that made composer Yuzo Koshiro famous. Worth a look (and a listen).
Streets of Rage 2: Game Type: Depth Movement Brawling; Rating: 90/100; Adds one more playable character for a choice of four, plus new moves for everyone. The soundtrack is every bit as awesome as in the first game.
Streets of Rage 3: Game Type: Depth Movement Brawling; Rating: 90/100; Still more moves are available, the lumbering Max has been replaced with a cooler character, and two more hidden characters can be added to the four standard ones. No brawler before or since has offered better gameplay or variety. Too bad Yuzo didn't do as well on the soundtrack this time; some of the tracks are awful. (There are still a few winners on there, though.)
Strider: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 70/100; The first 8 megabit cartridge game, or so Sega claims. It doesn't compete as well with today's games. The gameplay is decent, and Hiryu has tons of techniques, but the game could move a bit faster. Formerly glorious.
Strider Returns: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 70/100; Basically the first game with new levels. You might want to consider the original before buying this.
Subterrania: Game Type: 2D Side-View Shooter; Rating: 70/100; Having to constantly fight gravity a-la Lunar Lander can get annoying when you have to worry about people shooting at you as well. Not a true shooter, so it won't necessarily appeal to shooter fans, or anyone else for that matter.
Super Street Fighter II: Game Type: 2D Fighting; Rating: 90/100; The best fighting game available for Genesis, though it pales in comparison to the 32-bit fighters. A huge 16-character roster, great graphics, and great playability.
Super Thunderblade: Game Type: 3D Chase-View Shooter; Rating: 40/100; Graphically primitive, extremely short, and not at all replayable.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Tournament Fighters: Game Type: 2D Fighting; Rating: 40/100; The SNES version is a great Street Fighter II clone, but for whatever reason the Genesis has totally different graphics, characters, and gameplay. It's much the worse for the changes, too.
Terminator 2 - The Arcade Game: Game Type: Light Gun Shooting; Rating: 50/100; The graphics were of course slaughtered in the process of bringing this arcade gun game home. The game is still passable as long as you have a Menacer, though.
Tale Spin: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 50/100; I'm annoyed that one of Disney's greatest series to date was reduced to this humdrum platformer with mediocre graphics. Not awful but not worthy of the license.
Target Earth: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 70/100; A challenging side-view mech game with a great storyline and manga-style characters throughout. The gameplay is a bit sluggish but if you liked the Strike series you might like this.
Tazmania: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 50/100; The graphics are pulled straight from Taz's series and look fantastic, and the game is long, but when it's this frustrating that's not a good thing. When he spins Taz builds up incredible speed, making him impossible to control.
Taz in Escape from Mars: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 50/100; The same lame gameplay as in the original, but now the pretty backgrounds are gone. Sega, why for you bury Taz in the cold, cold ground?
Thunder Force 2: Game Type: 2D Overhead-View/Side-View Shooter; Rating: 50/100; The passable side-view scenes are broken up by boring overhead-view scenes every other stage. Decent graphics but not gameplay.
Thunder Force 3: Game Type: 2D Side-View Shooter; Rating: 70/100; The overhead perspective is gone now, leaving only the fairly enjoyable side-view sequences. The weapons system is decent. Impressive graphics. I wasn't hooked but you might be.
Thunder Fox: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 10/100; An extremely slow and graphically lame run-n-shoot game. Avoid.
Toe Jam & Earl: Game Type: Overhead-View Adventure; Rating: 70/100; A cute and funny semi-action game where you simply walk around trying to find parts of your crashed space cruiser. The stages are randomly generated but since they all look a like it doesn't add much variety. Allows 2 players at once. For a game with no gameplay it sure is fun to play.
Toe Jam & Earl 2 - Panic on Funkotron: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 70/100; The stupid and rather ugly natives of the first game, the Earthlings, have hitched a ride back home with you on your completed spaceship. You must search every nook and cranny of your home world to eliminate them. TJ&E2 switches to a side-view perspective, and has many graphic improvements. Not as funny as the first.
Trouble Shooter: Game Type: 2D Side-View Shooter; Rating: 30/100; A cutesy Japanese shooter with only passable weapons, graphics, and gameplay. Try it if you're into Japanese culture, avoid it if you're not.
Truxton: Game Type: 2D Overhead-View Shooter; Rating: 30/100; Barely passable gameplay and awful graphics. Avoid.
Ultimate Qix: Game Type: 2D Arcade; Rating: 80/100; Has the same basic gameplay as Qix but the enemies are now giant monsters that bounce around the field. Unfortunately Qix's simplistic but appealing graphics are gone. If you don't mind that one fault it's a unique and addictive game.
Urban Strike: Game Type: 2D Isometric-View Shooter; Rating: 90/100; A mix of action and strategy. Pilot several vehicles, mainly helicopters, on a variety of complex missions. Slow-paced but very detailed and highly enjoyable once you get into it. Graphically improved over Jungle Strike.
Valis 3: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 70/100; An aging but playable and graphically passable platformer. You play any of 3 women armed with swords and spells. The anime-style cinemas are fantastic, and the heroine is of course scantily clad.
Vectorman: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 80/100; Graphically impressive, well animated (due to the abstract characters with nothing but thin air between their joints), and fairly playable. Challenging.
Viewpoint: Game Type: 2D Isometric-View Shooter; Rating: 60/100; Very impressive graphically but the awkward perspective hampers gameplay a bit. Frustratingly hard and laden with slowdown.
Warsong: Game Type: Strategy; Rating: 60/100; Worthy of a strategy buff's attention but difficult to pick up and unrewarding graphically for anyone else. Don't even try to play if you don't have a manual.
Whip Rush: Game Type: 2D Side-View Shooter; Rating: 50/100; A decaying shooter that might have been up to par when it was released. Not anymore.
World of Illusion: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 70/100; Play as your choice of Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck. The gameplay isn't stellar but a two player option helps out, and the graphics are colorful and appealing. Too easy but it's worth a rental even if you don't have younger players in the house.
X-Men: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 50/100; A mediocre platformer that was popular anyway, for obvious reasons. Play as any of four X-Men, see cameos from many more. Passable graphics, poor animation, frustrating gameplay.
X-Men 2 - Clone Wars: Game Type: 2D Platform; Rating: 80/100; Ah, much better. The gameplay is infinitely enhanced, and as before you can play as several different characters over the course of the game. A must-see even if you're not an X-men fan.
Zero Tolerance: Game Type: First-Person Shooting; Rating: 80/100; Fairly playable and decent graphically. The only Wolfenstein clone in existence for Genesis, but offers strategy far beyond Wolf3D. Waaay too long, though, and the game gets tedious before you're halfway through, especially when you have to hunt down EVERY monster. (Hence the title.)
Zero Wing (Mega Drive): Game Type: 2D Side-View Shooter; Rating: 50/100; Moderately playable, and the ability to catch and throw enemy ships with a tractor beam is a nice innovation, but a limited powerup system and awful ship designs hurt this title. All text is in English but is so poorly translated it's hilarious (literally, I haven't laughed so hard in months).
Zoom: Game Type: 3D Action; Rating: 50/100; A Pac-Man clone with a pseudo-3D view. This title could have been extremely cool, with all kinds of fancy 3D effects and a solid game concept, but the control is weak, and once a stage is almost completed it's nearly impossible to see what tiny sections you haven't covered yet. You might want to try it anyway, because it's oh-so-close to being incredibly cool.