The Genesis, not the Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins band, was largely known as the Mega Drive outside of North America and was SEGAs fourth-generation 16-bit home console. Although it struggled to make an impact in Japan against the Super Famicom (SNES) it did considerably better in other territories which accumulated in 30 million first-party sales worldwide. Mascot Sonic the Hedgehog was there to support the machine along with a host of other great titles, here are just ten you must play.
MICRO MACHINES
With Micro Machines everyone felt the pain of falling off the table on the last corner and finishing second. This racer themed around the toy range of the same name offered a fun pick-up and play multiplayer experience for all.
TOEJAM & EARL
Toejam & Earl was a very unique game, especially for its time. This Sega classic tasks you with guiding the titular heroes through a fixed OR randomly generated world to find all of the pieces of their broken rocket ship. With fantastic sound effects and a FUNKY soundtrack, this is a game experience not quite like any other.
STREETS OF RAGE
Playing solo or with a friend, choose from one of the three characters and fight your way through grimy streets, industrial complexes and beyond. Streets of Rage had you facing off against a range of street thugs and bosses all inspired by classic 80s and 90s icons to the sound of a memorable soundtrack.
COLUMNS
Columns was Sega’s attempt to provide fans with a Tetris style experience after acquiring the rights to the game in the late ’80s. The premise was similar and involved matching falling gems by colour. The rest, well the rest is pretty universally known at this point.
MORTAL KOMBAT
Street Fighter II set the bar impossibly high back in 1991, so Midway needed to do something pretty special to drag the crowds of children to their new beat-em-up instead. They did just that by adding layer upon layer of ultra-violence! And if there’s one thing young impressionable kids like more than fighting, it’s ripping their opponents beating hearts out of their chests.
GUNSTAR HEROES
Gunstar Heros is a run and gun shooting platform game that originally released back in September of 1993. The game offers co-op play, weapon upgrades and acrobatic manoeuvres as the battle against an evil empire ensues. The concept of Gunstar was initially the vision of a small team working for Konami before they broke away and formed their own company, Treasure, to see the project through to completion.
SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3
Sonic the Hedgehog was as essential to the 1990s as flannel shirts and hightop sneakers. In fact, despite how it might seem to today’s gamers, Sonic was a GIANT of the gaming industry, who for the longest time truly rivalled Mario for the number one spot. Of course, the moustachioed plumber would win the console war, but it didn’t stop Sega from chucking out some really great titles and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 was one of the best. Improved graphics, sound and gameplay make this one of the very best video game sequels ever made, and when combined with Sonic & Knuckles it was something else.
ZOMBIES ATE MY NEIGHBORS
This action platformer with added zombies hit the spot offering the perfect mix of action and item collection. It is simply a must.
BART VS THE SPACE MUTANTS
There’s no denying that Bart vs the Space Mutants was a highly flawed (and insanely difficult) game back in the day, but it remains an all-time favourite whenever you ask people about their favourite Simpsons video game memories.
ROAD RASH
Road Rash is a brutally epic racer by EA, before they did the inevitable with the franchise. Set in a world of illegal road racing the aim was simple, win by any means necessary. Featuring an alternate two-player mode it was an instant hit for gamers. The game was so successful it spawned a heap of sequels and is must play.
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TWO BEARD GAMING 