Sega Genesis - North American 20th Anniversary

[Sonicwolf]

The Sega Genesis turns 20 here in North America on the 14th of this month and I thought it would be nice to have a show of respect for a great video game console.

I will always remember playing the Genesis whenever I went to my cousins when I was little. It was a lot of fun and a nice change from the Super Nintendo once and a while. I always found Sonic the Hedgehog 2 to be such a great game. Didnt get a Genesis until around 2003 though and now the Genesis ranks as the number one console in my collection for game quantity and for amount of complete game boxes.

[Dire 51]

I'm all for celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Genesis. Got mine hooked up right now and will be playing it soon, actually. It's my second favorite system after the NES. I remember devouring any scrap of info on it that turned up in the game mags at the time. Wish I still had some of those old issues of Game Players and VG&CE, actually, especially the ones with the initial previews.

So many great games for it... so many memories, a lot of which I talk about in my book Memoirs of a Virtual Caveman</shameless plug>. I still have quite a few of the games I bought for it initially, namely Space Harrier II and The Revenge of Shinobi.

[parallaxscroll]

Check out this 20th Anniversary MegaDrive thread
from last year when MegaDrive turned 20 on October 29, 2008

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=340372


BTW i *love* this cover from the August 1989 issue of VG&CE:

http://s4.tinypic.com/jtwax2.jpg

[Dr. Dib]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7nsBoqJ6s8

Now no one else can be in before the post of Genesis does what Nintendon't! Such an in your face ad, but I'm disappointed the advertisement described on Sonic-Cult has never been posted. It i missing from the site, but it was something about the people against SEGA Genesis society laying the grounds for the commercial.

Anyway, my own history with the console is also one where I regarded the Genesis with mystique. I never owned one as a kid, and every chance I got to play it was special. Usually I'd just end up playing Sonic games, but I remember playing a few other games like Toe Jam and Earl.

After many unsuccessful attempts to get a SEGA CDX at a cheap price, I finally got a Genesis 2 bundle in 2007. Since then I've been able to amass a collection of good and bad games. The greatest part about the Genesis today is how easy it is to collect for it. The games are more common than most other consoles and usually are sold for a decent price. Unfortunately most of those games are sports games, but whatever.

I'll be sure to remember to give my Genesis a play on Friday.

[parallaxscroll]

'Genesis Does What Nintendon't' was *not* SEGA's first marketing campaign for Genesis. That one started in the 2nd half of 1990, a year after Genesis was released here, well after launch.

SEGA's first marketing campaign for Genesis was:
'We Bring The Arcade Experience Home'
This is what actually helped launch Genesis in 1989.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nd-tH9fKuOo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ppui7nC-jFs

[Dr. Dib]

'Genesis Does What Nintendon't' was *not* SEGA's first marketing campaign for Genesis. That one started in the 2nd half of 1990, a year after Genesis was released here, well after launch.

SEGA's first marketing campaign for Genesis was:
'We Bring The Arcade Experience Home'
This is what actually helped launch Genesis in 1989.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nd-tH9fKuOo

Never said that it was the first, I just decided to post the Genesis Does What Nintendon't advertisement instead. I'd guess that one is more familiar in people's minds since that was one of SEGA's main marketing strategy up until some time in the Saturn era I think. Won't post a link to the Saturn ad in order to avoid going too much off topic.

[thom_m]

The good ol' Mega Drive deserves one hell of a party. It was my console of choiice during the 16-bit wars, and it's still one of my favorite systems ever. I play it whenever I get the chance.

As ar as I remember (and correct me if I'm wrong), the MD was actually released in Brazil BEFORE it came outthan in the US - the year was also 1990, but it was some months earlier (I can't find the exact date). It's probably the only time something like this ever happened; I think it was because the SMS (released here in 1989) was doing so damn well.

Another fun fact (that you already know, I guess) is that you can still buy a brand new MD here, although it's an ugly, overpriced, cart slot-less turd. And I really don't know if I'm happy that the Mega Drive is somehow still alive, or sad to see it's history tarnished by Tec Toy's current abomination.

[parallaxscroll]

Never said that it was the first, I just decided to post the Genesis Does What Nintendon't advertisement instead. I'd guess that one is more familiar in people's minds since that was one of SEGA's main marketing strategy up until some time in the Saturn era I think.

Oh okay, I just wanted to make sure people understood that, since the first advertizing campaign is usually not remembered, kinda like you mentioned :)


I wish I could find the very first Sega Genesis commercial for the U.S., it aired in late summer 1989. It was on Youtube about a year or so ago but got taken down. The commercial takes place in a large darkened room with lots of bored kids playing NES games, including Blaster Master. One guy walks down the center of the room upto a huge screen where Genesis' Altered Beast starts playing. It's the same as what is seen at the very end of this commercial (but this isn't the same one)
http://gameads.gamepressure.com/tv_game_commercial.asp?ID=9865
They probably shared the same assets/props.

[mobiusclimber]

The Genesis was my first console. Absolutely love it and agree there's a ton of great games on it at great prices. I'll have to play some regular Genny games to celebrate. I just beat Snatcher and was planning on firing up some Mega CD games, but since the Genesis is having an anniversary, gotta show my love for the original.

I never did beat Crusader of Centy so maybe that'll be the game I take on. :)

[Sonicwolf]

I cant share in childhood or first console experiences with the Genesis unfortunately since my parents decided upon a Super Nintendo as our first console. (Not that that was too shabby :) )

I am going to drag my Xeye out soon and play some Sonic the Hedgehog 3.

[todesengel]

I still remember getting a Genesis for christmas of 1992. Seeing Sonic The Hedgehog running on the demo unit at Toys R Us sold me on picking the Genesis over the SNES.

[parallaxscroll]

I got my Genesis in April 1990, although well post-launch, still well before the Sonic era started in mid 1991.

My first major purchase was Phantasy Star II. It was priced at $79.99 but I only payed like $24 for it. You see, Sega was offering a rebate for your choice of free Genesis game, for those that had purchased the Genesis system. I had selected Forgotten Worlds as my free game. I took my free FW to Toys 'R US and "returned" it for store credit! Got $62 'Geoffrey Dollars', used that towards PSII!

Still have the receipt for that transaction on April 17, 1990:
http://i35.tinypic.com/2mo5hkp.jpg

[Hawksmoor]

I absolutely LOVE the Genesis. Some of my fondest gaming memories involve Genny games, like staying up all night with friends playing through Shining Force 1 and 2.

Xmas of 89, when I got my Genesis, is also one of my best holiday memories. I had asked for a TG-16 that year, but my father and brother decided on the Genesis after playing both Keith Courage and Altered Beast at the store. I was initially a bit let down when I tore off the wrapping paper and saw the Genesis, but after hooking it up and playing Altered Beast that dejection quickly disipated.

[tomaitheous]

I got my Genesis in April 1990, although well post-launch, still well before the Sonic era started in mid 1991.

My first major purchase was Phantasy Star II. It was priced at $79.99 but I only payed like $24 for it. You see, Sega was offering a rebate for your choice of free Genesis game, for those that had purchased the Genesis system. I had selected Forgotten Worlds as my free game. I took my free FW to Toys 'R US and "returned" it for store credit! Got $62 'Geoffrey Dollars', used that towards PSII!

Still have the receipt for that transaction on April 17, 1990:
http://i35.tinypic.com/2mo5hkp.jpg

Hahaha. Nice :D

[DeputyMoniker]

That mag cover sure makes me miss the good 'ol days. You know, the ones before I had to learn 50 billion different button combos. Genesis was my third console. I got it used from Jake, a stoner kid from school. That was in 8th grade...I'd love to see where that kid ended up. I got the Genny 1, Terminator 2, the Menacer, Flashback, and Streets of Rage 2 from him. Man that was a great system. Good job Sega. Thanks for the memories!

[Sailorneorune]

I was actually late to the party for the Genesis. My first was a model 2 with Sonic 2, actually got it shortly before Sonic 3 came out. The second Genesis (for my brother) came with Sonic & Knuckles.

The first games we bought with our own money were Shining Force II and Beyond Oasis.

And then there was the Sega Channel, which was an extraordinary idea, especially for parents who didn't feel like having their kids fight over the weekend game rental. One also did not have to worry about that copy of Crusader of Centy that seemed to have been rented out since the day after its release. Sega Channel was also great because it bestowed upon us the gift of Pulseman. Good stuff.

[77punk]

Happy Bday Genny! How I always adored Sega hardware.. :-P

[jb143]

Growing up, me and all my friends only had NESes so I never actually even played a Genesis untill college (2001/02-ish). It seemed at the time that the 'SEGA' is what the "rich kids" had while everyone else had a 'Nintendo'. Now though, it's one of my favorite consoles to go back to. It has also been one of the best systems to collect for since boxes and manuals can usually be found in the wild.

[RPG_Fanatic]

Happy Birthday Genesis!!!!!! It was the first system I bought with my own money $189 that was a lot back then. Bought mine in early 1990. Altered Beast & Mystic Defender were my first games, the memories.

[Robocop2]

It was my first 16 bit console and I got one Christmas of '89. I had a SNES later and loved it too but the Genny will always be my first love and now 20 years later the one that I remember the fondest. Sure alot will argue the SNES had better sound but I always thought it sounded tinny personally and the Genesis had many more memorable games at least for me. Maybe due in part to the the fact that SEGA has made an attempt to keep its memory alive rather than Big N who really until the VC largely ignored the past systems.
either way happy birthday Genesis

[MASTERWEEDO]

wow, i cant believe that its 20. The genesis was my favorite console, even over the ps2. most of my favorite games for the system just got stolen, all boxed. i have a genesis hooked up in my media room, and one hooked up in the lving room.

[kupomogli]

Oh okay, I just wanted to make sure people understood that, since the first advertizing campaign is usually not remembered, kinda like you mentioned :)

I actually didn't even remember that commercial. Funny as hell though. "Dave, we got you Golden Axe."

Anyways. I've never owned a Genesis, and even so, I still think the SNES is better, but the system regardless is a great system.

Both of my friends owned a Genesis as well as a SNES, though I remember playing a wider variety of games over at my bestfriends(it was usually SNES at my other friends or mine.) I remember that my favorite game on the system once my friend picked it up was Rocket Knight Adventure but I also liked Phantasy Star 2 because I was an RPG fan.

It wasn't until when I visited family in New York and stayed with my cousin there for a few months that I played the Sega Channel. The most amazing thing I've seen in video gaming at the time. Since it allowed you to check categories, I checked RPG and Phantasy Star 4 was there. I played that game which I immediately though, and still do think, that it blew PS2 out of the water, and I continued playing that game until I finished it. That was also the first time I've played Aerobiz Supersonic(though this game is also on the SNES.) I played alot of other games on there, none that I can really remember too much, or atleast ones I haven't played before.

It also wasn't until a few years ago that I ended up emulating Castlevania Bloodlines. Castlevania being my favorite series, it's weird I haven't, but I'm not a big fan of emulation. I ended up emulating it a little before the PSP came out, but other than that and Strider, those were the only two Genesis games I emulated. Once I got my PSP and emulation became a big thing on it, I started finding the best Genesis games and ones I most enjoyed to put on there. I have rarely emulated anything on my PC because not a fan of it, but with the PSP, I emulate every system it can because I take the PSP around with me everywhere I go(usually put in in my car glove compartment.)

[Azraelscross]

happy birthday genesis. you gave me many memories. and i've still only beaten one game on you. I will have my vengeance.*its the power rangers fighting game btw* gonna see if i can finally beat the last part of sonic 2. i can run through the whole game in a sitting but i'll use up 30 someodd lives and 8 continues but i just can't do it.... VENGEANCE!!!!

[Hitman Tyler]

HAPPY EARLY BIRTHDAY SEGA GENESIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You where the very 1st video game system I owned and got me into gaming!!! An I still have the 1 that got me playing and it still works!

[Gameguy]

It was the first system I ever got way back in '91. I still have it along with the games I had back then, and it's my favourite system. I haven't really played anything for awhile as I've been busy, but I'm hoping I'll have some time soon so I can play a bunch of games again. There's so many great games for it, it's really one of the best systems out there.

[crom]

oh sega genesis...

I was in grade 7 when it came out, and loved it so much... also my 16-bit system of choice...

to this day, the system has the best looking cases for games...

[The 1 2 P]

The Genesis was my fourth console but it was the first one that I owned exclusively(didn't have to share with the family). After having so much fun with my Nes during those years, I turned my back on the kiddy looking Snes in favor of the much cooler looking Genesis and have never regreted it.

I remember playing Sonic 1-3, Spider-Man(the greatest Spider-Man game ever made at the time), TMNT: The Hyperstone Heist(much prefered over Turtles In Time), Mortal Kombat(with blood...take that Snes) and other classics. The Genesis was "the" system to have back in the 16 bit days and it's just as fun to play today. Although I had a model 1 and model 2 back in the day, my unit these days is my JVC X-Eye. With a Genesis and Sega cd combined, I get the best of both worlds.

[Baloo]

Ahh, the Sega-16, my personal choice of console and my first console along with the NES. My good old Hi-Definition Graphics Model 1 hasn't failed me yet. Playing classics such as TMNT: The Hyperstone Heist, Sonics 1, 2, and 3, Castle of Illusion, World of Illusion, Quackshot, Aladdin, NBA Jam, Michael Jackson's Moonwalker.

Not to mention the Sega CD and 32x add-ons, what a beast it is with those things on! And it's still one of the best looking systems of all time.

There's a reason why it's considered one of the best video game systems of all-time.

WELCO
METOT
HENEX
TLEVEL

SEGA!

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[mobiusclimber]

Not to mention the Sega CD and 32x add-ons, what a beast it is with those things on! And it's still one of the best looking systems of all time.


I have a CDX with 32X attachment, it looks like something out of Star Trek. All I need for it now is a cloaking device. LOL

[Sonicwolf]

I have a CDX with 32X attachment, it looks like something out of Star Trek. All I need for it now is a cloaking device. LOL

Or maybe a replicator?

Quantum torpedoes out of the disc drive?

[c0ldb33r]

I never had a Genesis until almost the end of it's life cycle. Until that time I had never owned (or even played) a Sega system. I bought it used for $40 and came with Sonic. I grew very fond of it and loved my Saturn and Dreamcast.

Ever since my first day with the Genesis, I've always wondered two things:
1. why a headphone jack?!?
2. what is the proper plural of Genesis? Genesises? Genesii? I've settle on Genesii.

[Baloo]

The headphone jack is for Stereo sound output. The Genesis' regular sound output is Mono.

Geneses is the plural of Genesis according to Wiktionary:

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/genesis

[Sonicwolf]

1. why a headphone jack?!?

For a time back in the 89/90 they had this promotion where you got stereo speakers to hook up to the Genesis when you bought the system. The speakers would plug into the stereo headphone port. The Genesis couldnt output stereo without addons otherwise.

[SegaAges]

I guess I am going to the used game store to get some genny games tomorrow.

Happy B-Day Gennesis.

[c0ldb33r]

Yeah I knew that the headphone jack was the only way the Genesis 1 could support stereo sound. I guess my question should have been, why design the Genesis 1 so that it would only support stereo sound through the headphone jack. To me, that's crazy.

[Baloo]

Yeah I knew that the headphone jack was the only way the Genesis 1 could support stereo sound. I guess my question should have been, why design the Genesis 1 so that it would only support stereo sound through the headphone jack. To me, that's crazy.

Probably because either the technology would be too advanced or too expensive at the time.

[Gentlegamer]

Yeah I knew that the headphone jack was the only way the Genesis 1 could support stereo sound. I guess my question should have been, why design the Genesis 1 so that it would only support stereo sound through the headphone jack. To me, that's crazy.I would guess its the same reason consoles up to PlayStation had RF as the standard connector: the general expected "level" of audio/video set-up in homes didn't support it.

When I first played Genesis at my home it was through a rented console (circa 1990, age 12). I had it all out on the floor in front of the TV with the headphones from my Walkman plugged in (rocking to Revenge of Shinobi and Ghouls 'n' Ghosts) while it connected to the TV via RF (my TV didn't have "RCA Jacks"). It certainly wasn't a stereo TV nor did I have a receiver to hook the sound output up to.

[Arcade_Ness]

Ah the Genesis, my second console. My brother bought it from a friend for like $100 I think. I was seven and the graphics blew me away at the time. Damn I feel old celebrating it's 20th Anniversary. I'll have to fire it up today and play ZAMN and Castlevania: Bloodlines.

[ncman071]

unfortunately i never owned a genesis growing up. i had the snes instead but about 8 years ago i got my first genesis..which was about the same time i really got into collecting. I actually went to funcoland and got the genesis model 2 along with sonic 2 for like $20. unfortuanatley the console was broken and i was unable to exchange it because they had no more in stock. anyway, few weeks later a friend of mine gave me his model 1 along with about 5 games including mk1 and mk2 and nba jam. Evern since, the genesis has absolutely been one of my favorite consoles right up there with the snes. now i have a genesis model 1, model 2, and a sega cdx system...Now the sega cd i can honestly say is not exactly my fav cup of tea given all the fmv crap but sonic cd is an absolute blast.

[The 1 2 P]

I've been thinking about getting a model 3 Genesis because of their ability to play imports. They pop up every now and then at a local game store but they usually want $30 for it, which seems a bit much to me.

[Nero 99]

I never had a genesis myself but I'll always rememer playing it at my freinds house. We spent hours at a time playing Sonic 2, Virtua Cop and Sonic& Knuckles.I didnt get one till late 08 but it has quicley be come my favorite console to collect for because of how cheap and easy they are to find boxed and complete.

[suppafly]

The genesis is my all time favorite console. Great games and easy on the pocket for collectors. Nuff said

[A Black Falcon]

Here's mine, from other forums (didn't realize that I hadn't posted this in this thread yet...). History of the system and my thoughts. :)

Yes, the Sega Genesis came out twenty years ago today, August 14th 1989. The system went on to great success, leading the generation for about five years before Sega's mistakes finally allowed for Nintendo to sneak past in 1994. The system is the most successful second-place major console ever worldwide, behind only the handheld PSP in this category, and ahead of the third-place second place system, the N64. The system sold 19 or 20 million systems in the US alone and somewhere between 36.5 and 40 million systems worldwide (see here for proof (http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=129693)), versus the SNES's 24 million US and 49 million worldwide.

(The N64 was 20.63 million US, 32 million worldwide, for comparison, using Nintendo's official shipped numbers. The Genesis numbers are just estimates as unlike Nintendo, Sega has never released actual sales numbers for its systems.)

Supported with new releases in the US from 1989 to 1998, it had an around ten year lifespan. While the Japanese version, the Megadrive, had done poorly, losing to NEC's PC Engine (TurboGrafx), in America Sega quickly, and surprisingly to many analysts, crushed NEC and took the next-gen lead. They did not get past the NES for the first year, thanks to games like 1990's Super Mario Bros. 3, but clearly led among next-gen owners. Even the release of the SNES in mid 1991 would not change that, as Sega released its big title at around teh same time, Sonic the Hedgehog. Sega's high point came after this, from 1991-1993. Sonic took over America and the Genesis was the number one system in the country. Sega also released two addons for the system, the Sega CD in 1992 (late 1991 in Japan) and the Sega 32X in 1994, several console revisions, and a handheld version of the system in 1995, the Nomad. The system initially came with Altered Beast, and later Sonic the Hedgehog once it was released in 1991. Sega-16's interview with Kalinske where he describes convincing Sega of Japan to let him give away the system's biggest smash-hit game for free with system sales is interesting. That interview is here, and it should be required reading! http://www.sega-16.com/feature_page.php?id=214&title=Interview:%20Tom%20Kalinske. "Sega does what Nintendon't" and better sports and action games marked it as the 'older gamers' system', though for Sega this mostly meant teenagers more than anything; Sony would expand gaming's base even farther. But compared to Nintendo's focus on children and 'all ages' games, Sega was expanding the base by aiming straight at people who considered Nintendo's focus to be aiming too young for them. Sonic was the perfect mascot to succeed with this teen audience and the attitude of the time. Here's Sega-16's history of the series: http://www.sega-16.com/feature_page.php?id=99&title=History%20of:%20The%20Sonic%20The%20Hedgehog %20Series. Sonic 2, which came a year later, was if anything even better than the first, and by 1993 Sega's marketshare was 50% industrywide.

The 32X marked the end of Sega's lead, however, as Nintendo's Donkey Kong Country showed how you didn't need a very expensive addon to get great graphics from your older system, and gamers got tired of Sega's splitting up the market between too many systems. Splitting Sonic 3 into two parts, Sonic 3 and Sonic the Hedgehog, much have increased sales, but also did cause some ill will once people realized that Sonic & Knuckles was just the second half of Sonic 3, but they had to pay full price for it. The failure of the live-action-video FMV game market in 1994-1995 also hurt Sega, as the Sega CD was best known for those titles. In addition, an internal war between Sega's American and Japanese divisions sapped Sega's strength as the fighting led to competing ideas of gaming's future and even consoles. Wanting to move on from the failed Japanese Megadrive to the hopefully more promising Saturn, Sega of Japan halted game development for all three systems in late 1995, along with the Master System and Game Gear. The last Genesis (Megadrive) game came out in Japan in late 1996. Sega of America continued Genesis and Game Gear game development until 1997, however, and there was one third party release in 1998, but it still meant fewer titles than before. The last few years were not the system's best, but still saw a few great titles, such as the Vectorman games for instance, Sega's answer to DKC graphically.

The Genesis (Megadrive) saw even more success in Brazil, with the last title there not being released until 2000.


I didn't own a Genesis myself during its lifespan, but I didn't have any game platforms other than PC and Game Boy during its lifespan. I did know several people who owned a Genesis though, versus very few with SNES, so the vast majority of my gaming time at friends' houses that wasn't on PC, GB, or NES (as with most people then I imagine, I knew a lot of people with a NES) was on Genesis. I've always been a PC and Nintendo fan first, but I liked the Genesis too, from after Sonic's release at least. I have little memory of it before then, but Sonic was an amazing game I've always loved. I finally got a Genesis in 2006 and have a good-sized collection now. The system just has too many great games to list them all, the list would probably go on into the hundreds... :)

I've also never been sure which system of that generation I like better, SNES or Genesis... they're both such great systems and compliment eachother so well, with different strengths and weaknesses. Really, just get both.


The best Genesis-specific site is http://www.sega-16.com, which is an extremely good site I highly recommend visiting. The top highlight of their content, I would say, are the many interviews with people who worked on the Genesis in some way, from Sega of America personnel (up to the various presidents) and various American and European Genesis developers. They don't have much stuff with Japanese developers, presumably because of the language barrier, but still it's a fantastic resource for anyone interested in the system.

The other top resource for Sega history is probably The Scribe's classic articles on the history of Sega from its founding to the end of 2000, written back in 2001-2002. This can be found here: http://www.goodcowfilms.com/farm/games/www.eidolons-inn.net/segabase/SegaBase-Genesis.html It is too bad that he never finished the Dreamcast section, from January 2001 to its end, and the entire set of articles is extremely biased, but still the sheer amount of depth really makes them must-reads for anyone who hasn't before and has any interest.


I'd post screenshots and such, but while I like writing posts I don't really like searching for screenshots, so I won't do that and hope someone else will, because this post needs some. :)

Also, where's that post with the awesome list of all Genesis games ranked by how genre and good the person thought they were... I need to link that too.

In conclusion, go buy some Genesis games, or a Genesis if you don't have one. It's one of the cheapest classic consoles around, and shouldn't cost you more than $25 or so for the system. Games are even more affordable; as very, very few US releases cost more than $8 or $10 so, in my experience. Most are well under that. Plus, there are lots of really good games... you really can't go wrong getting a Genesis.

[Sonicwolf]

The Dreamcast always reminded me of the Genesis. Greatness overshadowed in history.

[DigitalSpace]

Yes, it was released in Japan as the Mega Drive in October 1988. But just over 20 years ago, on August 14th, 1989, it launched in North America as the Genesis. The rest is history.

Today, Sega mostly publishes crappy licensed titles and shovelware, like the recently released Daisy Fuentes Pilates (well, considering how bad Pat Riley Basketball was, some things do remain the same). But back then, after getting pummeled by the NES in the Master System's heyday, Sega finally had a console that would make the company a household name.

1989 was quite the year in the gaming world. The NES was in its prime, the Game Boy changed the face of portable gaming, and the Genesis and TurboGrafx-16 were giving many gamers a first taste of the next generation of console gaming. Eventually, the Genesis and the Super Nintendo became the two biggest consoles in the 16-bit era. The Genesis wasn't able to top the Super Nintendo, but looking back at that library, they definitely gave them one hell of a run for their money, and there were many instances where Sega truly did what Nintendidn't.

Remember seeing Sonic in action for the first time? I do. My cousin had a Genesis, and introduced me to Sonic's first game. However, there wasn't a Genesis in my house until 1994, when my brother got the Lion King bundle for Christmas. I remember spending the next few days trying to beat it (and I eventually did). Over the years, my brother would acquire Sonic 2, Sonic & Knuckles, X-Men, Rocket Knight Adventures, Altered Beast, Lakers vs. Celtics, and Jordan vs. Bird. Most of those were sold off (along with the Genesis), but in 2004, shortly after I had added a Genesis to my collection, he found his copy of Rocket Knight Adventures. I offered to buy it off him, but he just gave it to me.

Shortly after joining Digital Press in February 2004, I added a Gamecube and Nintendo 64 to my collection (at the time I joined DP, I only had an SNES and a PS2), and the Genesis was going to be next. In April, I noticed a sale thread from a local DP'er, y-bot. I sent him a PM, and eventually met up with him (he was the first person I met off the site). He let me test out everything, and I left with a Pine Mountain Logs box containing a Genesis 2, hookups, two 6-button controllers, and a few games, including the first Sonic, Altered Beast, and Golden Axe II. Shortly after that, I went to a Software Etc. to see what Genesis games were still there (GameStop had discontinued taking in NES, SNES, Genesis and Dreamcast stuff and was clearing it out). There wasn't much, but I left the store with a Genesis 6-pak and an unlicensed Wisdom Tree cart that is still my rarest Genesis game - Joshua: The Battle of Jericho (the latter only cost me 63 cents after the clearance discount). Today, the Genesis collection (http://www.freewebs.com/jkwh/genesislist.html) stands at 149 games.

Also, here's a nice read on the Genesis hitting 20 from Sega-16. (http://www.sega-16.com/feature_page.php?id=408&title=Sega%20Genesis:%20%2020%20Years%20Young)

[Ed Oscuro]

I also think the Mega Drive / Genesis is my favorite system overall. Mega Drive yells SEE YOU AT DA PAHTY RICHTA to the SNES. While it took Konami too dang long to get onboard (and with rather funky or ugly games when they finally did, aside from the original Rocket Knight Adventures), other folks were faster to adopt it and it still has a large share of my own "must-have" titles.

Sega's own first-party titles are pretty uniformly superb - Wonder Boy games, E-SWAT, THREE Shinobi titles (all pretty dang legendary), and so on.

It didn't have wacky hardware transparency and funhouse mirror modes like the SNES did, but great games don't need those - and, looking at Axelay on the SNES, or some of the more far-out moments in Super Castlevania IV, they sometimes don't really contribute to great games. Give me the crazy inverted hallway from Bloodlines' last castle instead of holding down the whip button while the room rotates painfully slowly around me. (That said I like flying around in Secret of Evermore, or F-Zero, or Mario Kart, and it has far more utility than the psuedo-3D of Batman & Robin, or Duke Nukem 3D for that matter).

[c0ldb33r]

I've been thinking about getting a model 3 Genesis because of their ability to play imports.
I didn't know that. Can it play imports only because of the wide cart slot or does it actually play region locked games? A little off topic, can the Nomad do this too?

I used to have a genesis 3 and loved it. I have no idea what happened to it :(

[Blitzwing256]

I didn't know that. Can it play imports only because of the wide cart slot or does it actually play region locked games? A little off topic, can the Nomad do this too?

I used to have a genesis 3 and loved it. I have no idea what happened to it :(

The model 1 can only play early japanese games, you need a game genie to be able to play the later (like shining force 2) imports. but you can do the legendary pull out trick on the early genesis games.

[Gameguy]

I didn't know that. Can it play imports only because of the wide cart slot or does it actually play region locked games? A little off topic, can the Nomad do this too?

I used to have a genesis 3 and loved it. I have no idea what happened to it :(
A model 3 can fit import games into the cart slot without problems, but later games with a lockout still can't play on them. Even the model 2 systems can play early imports, same with the Nomad(they just won't fit properly). As long as the games don't have a lockout in them they will play.


The model 1 can only play early japanese games, you need a game genie to be able to play the later (like shining force 2) imports. but you can do the legendary pull out trick on the early genesis games.
The early model 1 doesn't have a lockout chip so it can play any import, the later model 1 systems have a lockout chip and can only play the early imports without the lockouts in them.

I don't really remember hearing about the pull out trick. Is that using a game with a lockout to get the system started, then pulling it out and using an import game while pressing reset so it will start up?

[PentiumMMX]

I like my Genesis, even though I never got one until long after is was discontinued (After all, I moved from an Atari 2600 to an N64; nothing in-between). I figured I'd share my experiences, both good and bad, with the system right here.

It was early 2002. I was still bitter about not having a Gamecube yet, though reading about Sonic Adventure 2 being brought to it made me interested in trying games on Sega systems. Come fall, and my grandmother had just moved to my hometown, and she mentioned she bought a "Sega" at an auction so myself and my cousins would have something to do when we come over, though she misplaced it while unpacking. This was great and all, but I wondered; what Sega system?

A few weeks later, she finally found it, and got it setup. It turned out to be a Sega Genesis model 2 with one 3-button controller, and it had about 12 games with it; a nice selection with only one sports game. The very first game I popped in was Sonic the Hedgehog 3, and I was hooked from the start. I tried some Sonic & Knuckles afterward, and out of curiosity, I plugged Sonic 3 into the cartridge slot on Sonic & Knuckles to see what would happen...and discovered it literally put both games together to form Sonic 3 & Knuckles (I had never seen anything like the Lock-On Technology before that day, so this concept was mind-blowing to me). Thus, I began my file as Tails and proceeded to play through the entire game.

I tried some of the other games too; Mighty Morphin Power Rangers was a guilty pleasure (I have a love for cheesy fighting games), Street Fighter II: Special Champion Edition was fun as hell, Toy Story wasn't too bad of a game, Barney's Hide & Seek was torture with how much I got forced to watch my youngest cousin play it, and the rest of the games where decent aside from that football game.

However, disaster struck by February 2003. It all started when I began to run a sort-of tournament with my younger cousins; where we had to complete a series of challenges I'd come up with to get a chance to play Sonic & Knuckles first. The older of the two won, and went up first; dieing early into Mushroom Hill as his turn came to a close. Thus, my turn began, and I was making it further into the game than I ever had.

It was then that trouble struck; being the spoiled brat he was, he began complaining about me taking a longer turn than him, and began insisting that it was his turn now. I tried to explain his turn had already come and gone and he had to wait until my turn had passed, but he was the typical "I want it now!" kind of kid, so there was no reasoning with him. Eventually, his mom overheard this, put two and nothing together, and began to lecture me on how I needed to act better. I was trying to keep my cool between her bitching about that which she does not understand and her whiny kid, when she made one wrong move; turning off the TV on me seconds from defeating Dr. Robotnic and making it to Flying Battery for the first time. Angered, I retaliated; doing what I felt I should have done every time over the past several years my aunt has angered me. As Captain Jean-Luc Picard once said, "The line must be drawn here!"

All I did, though, was throw the controller onto the floor pretty hard; the thick carpet absorbing all the force, causing no damage to anything. This caused my aunt to flip; demanding I get the fuck out of there and go to my mom. Not long after, my Mom came in, and I tried to explain to her what was going on, though my aunt came in and told everyone some over-exaggerated version of what happened (Claiming I threw the entire system, which she called a "Nintendo", at her). This lead to me being banned from the Genesis, and in the end, I felt miserable about it. My sister tried to help reassure me that nothing of value was lost, by telling me I have an N64, which is superior to the Genesis in every way, but I didn't care; I had already beaten every game I owned for it and it didn't have Sonic 3 & Knuckles, so it was inferior to me regardless of how many more colors and polygons it could push.

Several months went by, and everyone forgot about that entire incident, and I was able to start playing again; picking up where I left off (Carnival Night Zone). I had already beaten the game by then; having bought Sonic & Knuckles Collection for the PC, but it was a nice feeling to play it again on authentic hardware. By early 2004, I was the only one still playing with the system; the younger cousins had just got a Gamecube for Christmas, so they didn't care much about the Genesis anymore. Thus, my grandmother gave me the system and all the games she had for it, which I proudly took home and hooked up right next to my NES and N64.

Eventually, I got a Model 2 Genesis in better shape along with a Sega CD, and further expanded my collection; obtaining copies of the first 2 Sonic the Hedgehog games with ease. I enjoy my Genesis just as much as my Super NES, getting them out fairly often.

[betamax001]

I never did have a Genesis when it was around because I was like 3 years old. ^_^ I did however just buy a Model 1 (thats what it was listed under as Amazon.) Genny to add to my growing collection. Pretty good timing as the system hit 20 this month. Also, Dreamcast turns 10 next month. I guess 2009 is the year of anniversaries for Sega.

[zenethia]

the mega drive is my favourite console. mainly because i have so many great memories attached to it. it has so many brilliant games, which is what first springs to mind, but i suspect the fact that i was also growing up during the time i first actively played on one (i was only seven years old in 1990) has a lot to do with it as well.

i was given one as my christmas present in 1990, which i seem to remember being not too long after it first launched in england. my memory of it is quite fuzzy, but i remember getting the machine with altered beast and castle of illusion. for my birthday in april 1991 i got dick tracy and then i got sonic the hedgehog and decapattack towards the end of that summer. i don't really remember when i got many games after that, apart from quackshot, james pond ii and gynoug for christmas 1991. apart from sonic 2 & 3, i can't remember at all when i got new games. but i remember having about 20 of them by the time i eventually stopped playing in 1996. i would have probably had more, but a friend of mine convinced me i NEEDED a super nintendo and got bought one for christmas 1993, although i remember paying for some of it myself with money i'd saved up. i didn't get many games for it either, only for super mario world and starfox, as i had a friend at the time (the one that convinced me i needed a super nintendo) who was spoiled to fuck and had something like 30-40 SNES games by that point, which still blows my mind even today. i didn't really appreciate it at the time, but these days it's easily my second favourite console. even now the mega drive kind of takes over everything, heh.

one memory that always stands out is that i remember begging my parents for a NES throughout most of 1989 and 1990. i can't remember why they wouldn't buy me one in 1989, but i do remember them telling me it was pointless buying one when 16-bit machines were just starting to come through and they eventually convinced me getting a mega drive was the way to go. when i look back on it now, i think buying a mega drive for a seven year old, when it had only been out less than a month, was a bit overkill, but i'm glad they did.

anyway. i look back on 1990 until 1996, when i got a sega saturn for christmas, as the most enjoyable, satisfying and overall most memorable period of gaming i've experienced. the amount of brilliant games i got to experience was just staggering and i owe it all to the mega drive.

it's nice to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the console. it was good to last year, it'll be good to this year and it'll be good to next year, when it's the 20th anniversary of it coming out in england, haha.

(i apologize for all the rambling in this post -- the mega drive does that to me. i've been a long time lurker, although i signed up a little while ago with the intention of posting, but only got around to it now when i noticed this thread. cheers for the memories md/genesis!)

[sniperCCJVQ]

Funny things...this weekend I found the puck of "Mario Lemieux Hockey", kinda odd...don't remember about a pack-in puck...must somekind of mail offer ?

[heybtbm]

I owned an Atari 2600 (still have it) and NES prior, but the Genesis will always be my nostalgic favorite.

In September 1989, I sold my NES, and all my NES games (about 12 or so) to buy a Sega Genesis at Prange Way in Oshkosh, WI. I was the only person in school who had one prior to Christmas of that year so the only games I got to play were the few I bought myself. The local video stores didn't even have Genesis games to rent yet. I still have my Genesis hooked up as well as my original games (a few have been sold then re-purchased over the years).

Awesome system.

[The Clonus Horror]

Genesis was the first console I bought on my own as well. It was my first job, working at the Wisconsin Deer Park in the Summer of 1990. I was 14 and I thought I'd be selling tickets or deer food...boy, was I wrong. I literally was handed a metal bucket and a pooper scooper on my first day and I spent 40 hours a week for 3 months straight making $3.88 an hour SHOVELLING DEER SHIT and then THROWING IT ON THE GIANT MOUND OF DEER SHIT just to make some dough. At the end of the summer I bought a brand new Genny and Revenge of Shinobi. My friend Jeff bought one too along with Herzog Zwei, which is the only RTS I've ever been able to get into to this very day. Favorite games were/are Streets of Rage 2, Mutant League Football, Pigskin Footbrawl (for the sound effects and the Troll if-nothing-else), Arch Rivals, Golden Axe, Eternal Champions, Earthworm Jim, Out of This World, the list goes on...

[The Clonus Horror]

I owned an Atari 2600 (still have it) and NES prior, but the Genesis will always be my nostalgic favorite.

In September 1989, I sold my NES, and all my NES games (about 12 or so) to buy a Sega Genesis at Prange Way in Oshkosh, WI. I was the only person in school who had one prior to Christmas of that year so the only games I got to play were the few I bought myself. The local video stores didn't even have Genesis games to rent yet. I still have my Genesis hooked up as well as my original games (a few have been sold then re-purchased over the years).

Awesome system.

Holy crap, I haven't heard "PRANGE WAY" in forever!

[The Clonus Horror]

I just realized that I never actually owned, rented, or played a Sonic game until the recent Sonic's UGC on 360, though I loved my Genny just the same.

[Gentlegamer]

I've been having a Genny festival in honor of her twentieth birthday. Currently trying to beat Revenge of Shinobi. Gah! Much harder than I remembered!

[Icarus Moonsight]

I <3 Genny

[Melf]

Funny things...this weekend I found the puck of "Mario Lemieux Hockey", kinda odd...don't remember about a pack-in puck...must somekind of mail offer ?

No, it came bundled with the game, in a large box.