The Best of the Sega Genesis system... trying to prove it was better than the SNES. [Archive]

swlovinist

10-23-2009, 02:52 PM

Now, I love my SNES. I still say it�s the greatest system in existence besides the PSX. However, I know that a lot of people said back when I was in elementary/middle school that the Genesis was superior. I think they are insane, but maybe I�m biased. For my money there is no better combination of games such as Earthbound, Donkey Kong Country, Yoshi�s Island, Secret of Mana, and Mega Man X.

Caution long polite ramble due to aftermath of sugar rush from eating unhealthy food :)
Prove me wrong.

We are ALL biased in one way or another :)

To me, it is like comparing apples and oranges. Both systems had some killer games, exclusives, strengths, and weaknesses. I too owned and still own the "16 bit wars" systems(including the TG-16), and there are arguments for all three being the best.

I can say with complete honesty that although I am both a huge Sega and Nintendo fan, the SNES has held up quite well, as is quickly becomming one of my favorite top five video game systems to PLAY. I love both systems equally and feel that both were neck and neck back in the day for totally different reasons. Either system has a great library of over 700 games that would keep anyone busy.

Now, back to the question at hand. There was a window of time there that the Genesis was the best selling video game system in the US. To me it was an edgier system, one that catered to more an adult audience, as well as having some amazing arcade and sports titles for the time. The Phantasy Star Series and Shining Force Series also was played very heavily with me and my friends. Rennovation labled games also were in high demant at my house(Gain Ground, El Viento, Master of Monsters) With that being said, some of its strengths were also its weaknesses. Becasue it was an amazing system for sports titles, everyone and their mom was making sports titles for it. Also, every company seemed to be trying to duplicate the success of Sonic, so there also was a ridcioulous amount of average platform mascots on the system as well. I have my Sega CD/32X combo hooked up, with a Genesis 6-pak cart in it at all times. Golden Axe is the most played game at my house.

What the Snes lacked in processor speed it made up with color and overall more polished quality to many first party titles. Titles like Super Mario World, Zelda, Metroid, among other great exclusives were very well done, holding up today in terms of varied gameplay, length, and replay value. The Snes is the system that I see my wife always asking about, and one that I would play more when I am in family settings.

I will not prove you wrong becasue in some ways you are right. The Genesis was not equal to the Snes, in some ways it was flat out better(processing speed, arcade style gameplay), and in other ways it was much worse(graphics, and the dreaded god awful sound)

While the Genesis did have a "window of time" in which it was on top, I feel that honestly the Snes has aged more graceully...but I still play my Sega and consider them both on par for different reasons.

Robocop2

10-23-2009, 02:56 PM

Because SEGA did what Nintendidn't i.e. copius amounts of Gore and less censorship. The Genesis was definitely the edgier console and was better for it I think. The SNES did somewhat more colorful graphics plus Nintendo's name and I think the last one was really what made it succeed in the long run not to mention Sega fragmenting their market so much with the CD/32X. I enjoyed them both but I preferred my Genny for the most part

Aussie2B

10-23-2009, 03:10 PM

The Genesis has manlier games. More sports, more shooters, more arcade action, etc. The SNES has more lighthearted, colorful, family-friendly games and also more games that make you stop and think (RPGs, strategy, etc.) as opposed to the more visceral Genesis library.

They're both great in their own ways.

Baloo

10-23-2009, 03:47 PM

MissingNo_1231

10-23-2009, 04:00 PM

For my money there is no better combination of games such as Earthbound, Donkey Kong Country, Yoshi�s Island, Secret of Mana, and Mega Man X.

I couldn't have said it better myself. SNES is my favorite system ever, and Donkey Kong Country is my favorite video game ever. I also love DKC2, Super Mario World, Chrono Trigger, and the SNES version of Aladdin is the best in my opinion.

I love the Genesis too, but it's just not as good for me.

Soviet Conscript

10-23-2009, 04:05 PM

i just really disliked the genesis back during the "16-bit" wars. i'm not a nintendo fanboy at all but being an rpg guy and someone just as unlikely to play a sports video game as i am to acually play the sport i found the genesis library horrible and the colors very drab compaired to the snes.

that being said the genesis has acually grown on me quite a bit in the last few years especially with my discovery of alot of great games i didn't know exsisted for the system back in the early 90's.

Trebuken

10-23-2009, 04:09 PM

Turbo Grafx...left out again...

I loved my TG. But yeah the SNES...if I HAD to choose.

Lemmi_Is_God

10-23-2009, 04:42 PM

my SNES was my mario system
and my Genesis was my NHL system (and my games consist mainly of sports titles, 26 of 59 titles are sports)

i played stanley cup on SNES and i almost threw up on my system
when i played NHL on the SNES my friends would beat me, mainly because of the controller, but if they played me on the Gen i beat them because of the controller :D
i dont really like the SNES controller and most of the controllers that followed on other systems that took that same design .. ugh pretty much all of them right?

oh and i bought the TG16 before the 2 listed above just because they had a Hockey game were you could have many people on the same team, then NHL came out months after i bought the tg16, and my tg16 turned into my Bonk/Pinball/Tennis system :)

but my Genesis has been hooked up since i got it, and my SNES has only been hooked up for maybe 2 years total since 1993ish

eskobar

10-23-2009, 05:48 PM

PC-ENGINE HELL

10-23-2009, 05:49 PM

Both have a equal amount of bad ass titles really Im sure if you had to do the hard math and went looking on both systems, but in the end you have to choose what suits you best. Graphically though I do got to toss in, composite out hurt the Genesis visually for me, as Snes composite was at least pretty good and able to provide better clarity. If you use s-video or RGB with your Genesis, that tends to really show the games graphics off a lot better, and shows the Genesis wasn't all that weak visually with color and detail.

Picking between the two, I will always pick the Genesis. Genesis got games, or ports of games, that I like to play more then Snes did. Off the top of my head these are some of them.
The Terminator
Streets of Rage series
Splatterhouse 2-3
Golden Axe 1-2
Rambo 3
TMNT Hyperstone Heist
Mercs
Shinobi 3
Traysia
Thunderforce series
Shadow Dancer
Double Dragon
Robocop vs Terminator
Castlevania Bloodlines
Time Killers
Road Blasters
Pit Fighter
Outrun
Whip Rush
Ranger X
Gaiares
Sol Deace
Ys3
Exile
Valis 1,3, Syd
Final Zone
Wonder Boy in Monster World
Mega Turrican
Vapor Trail
Air Buster
Atomic Robo Kid
Twin Cobra
Altered Beast
Fatal Fury
Super Street Fighter 2
Sonic 2
Gunstar Heroes
Strider
Eternal Champions
Lethal Enforcers
Gain Ground
Smash Tv
Viewpoint
Phantasy Star 2-4
I cant even think of that many Snes titles Im die hard for honestly (though Im sure others can).

thom_m

10-23-2009, 06:09 PM

I was on Sega's side during the 16-bit wars and, although I have a SNES now and love it, the Genny (Mega Drive here) still has the most special place in my heart. What it didn't do in graphics or sound, it compensated in fun and creativity. You would never see games like Haunting starring Poulterguy or Chakan on the SNES and that's what I love about the Sega system.

P.S.:For Earthbound, Donkey Kong Country, Yoshi’s Island, Secret of Mana, and Mega Man X, I give you Kid Chameleon, Toejam and Earl, Sonic 2, Road Rash and Gunstar Heroes. :)

tom

10-23-2009, 06:20 PM

Europe

By 1992 Nintendo had sold 2 million NES in Europe (source: Game Over). Kinda pathetic.

In 1990 Sega came with Mega Drive, had arcade-like games on offer, and conquered.

SNES? What SNES?

retroman

10-23-2009, 06:27 PM

I also own both. Back then, and still today, i to like the Genesis better than the Snes.

UK Collector

10-23-2009, 07:04 PM

Be a winner. Use both and forget they are 'rivals'. They are both methods of playing games, and just enjoy them for that.

Greg2600

10-23-2009, 07:28 PM

I had the Genesis first back then, but was never a Nintendo loyalist. But I simply had to have the Super NES after seeing Super Mario World, Mario Kart, and many of the other "Super" titles. I have a decent amount of games for both systems now. The SNES had better console games, full, complete games, from start to finish. The Genesis had the arcade fun, as well as the better multiplayer games. Madden, NHL, NBA Jam, Toe Jam, Sonic 2, General Chaos, we played all the time. More people had the Genesis. Hard for me to pick a favorite. The SNES was the superior system in nearly every way, but the Genesis is more fun.

pseudonym

10-23-2009, 07:37 PM

I had a Genesis and a SNES that I bought back in 1991, even objectively, I don't think you'll find a majority toward the Genesis. I think it was close, but the SNES was better overall.

c0ldb33r

10-23-2009, 07:45 PM

just fyi, this month's retro gamer has a feature about the nomad and includes the best of the mega drive.

SegaAges

10-23-2009, 07:51 PM

You already know what I am going to say, but the array of games on the genny was awesome.

I actually got a genny from my parents before a snes. This was before I was a Sega fanboy. I actually wanted a SNES. Well, I remember playing Sonic when I was a kid, and since then I have never looked back. I did actually start my genny playing when Sonic 2 came out, not Sonic 1.

Push Upstairs

10-23-2009, 09:20 PM

I'm a Sega guy. I love my NES, but I went Sega with the Genesis.

About the only thing I can think of to say in this "debate" is that (IMO) the Genesis can replicate explosion sounds better than the SNES. Both "Super Mario World" and "Batman Returns" have anemic, flat sounding explosions.

obesolete

10-24-2009, 12:09 AM

http://www.geocities.com/mansonofsamfish/splatterhouse2.gif

I'm in love. <3

I just picked up a sega about a month ago after finding my old one under the stairs lost and forgotten and about the darker shade of the NES with mildew.
I had fogotten how many awesome titles there were gens only, but I don't have to tell you that.

j_factor

10-24-2009, 01:32 AM

Both are great systems, but I definitely prefer Genesis. Genesis seems to be superior for all kinds of action games (platformers, shooters, run and guns, beat 'em ups, etc.). And I don't mean the hardware, I mean the library selection. Shooters in particular, SNES only has a few worth talking about, whereas Genesis has an excellent lineup (as does the Turbo). In general, Genesis seems to be home to more challenging games, which I prefer. A lot of SNES games are too easy. SNES is better for RPGs, but not by a huge margin -- SNES has more of my absolute favorites, but for total RPGs worth playing, they're almost equal. It would've been a huge margin, if every RPG in Japan had come over, but looking at just US releases, SNES doesn't have so huge of an advantage (Mega Drive wasn't so popular in Japan, and consequently it has few Japan-only RPGs). I also don't like censorship, but that's a whole can of worms.

mobiusclimber

10-24-2009, 01:45 AM

Seriously, there is no reason you shouldn't be playing BOTH systems. You want some games to play on Genny? Here you go:

Sonic 1-3 & Knuckles
Phantasy Star 2-4
Shining Force 1 & 2
Shining in the Darkness
Rocket Knight Adventure
Shadowrun
Master of Monsters
Road Rash
MUSHA
Ristar
Landstalker
Beyond Oasis
Crusader of Centy
Warriors of the Eternal Sun
Sorcerer's Kingdom
Ecco The Dolphin & Tides of Time
Dune II
Buck Rogers
Arcus Odyssey
Alisia Dragoon
Splatterhouse 2 & 3
Streets of Rage 1-3
Mortal Kombat
Wonderboy in Monster World
Castlevania: Bloodlines
Wardner
Ghouls & Ghosts
Wings of Wor
Golden Axe I & II
Ghostbusters
Dynamite Headdy
Gunstar Heroes
Michael Jackson's Moonwalker
Fantasia
Syd of Valis
Primal Rage
Contra: Hard Corps
Shinobi series
Toejam & Earl
TMNT Hyperstone Heist
Wiz N Liz
Herzog Zwei
Rings of Power

And this isn't counting games for the Sega CD.

Icarus Moonsight

10-24-2009, 04:03 AM

Genny > TG16 > SNES

That's my preference, and I loves me some SNES. 16bit era was the win/win/win era of console gaming IMO. SNES really lags for me because the shmups are so hit or miss... Mostly miss.

exit

10-24-2009, 05:56 AM

I'm a SNES fan plain and simple. My brother had a Genesis, yet he would constantly take my SNES out of my room as I was sleeping and it would be a constant battle for years to come. The only games that the Genesis had that I would love to play were Streets of Rage, Sonic 2, Ren and Stimpy and Quack Attack, other than that I didn't care much for the system. I discovered over the years that I simply hate the Genesis sound chip and it would sometimes ruin a game for me, which is strange because I'm normally never that picky about that kind of thing, but to each their own I guess.

DigitalSpace

10-24-2009, 08:13 AM

Imo, the SNES was the better of the two, but the Genesis gave it a good run for its money. However, I do think it topped the SNES when it came to shmups and sports titles.

Zebbe

10-24-2009, 11:16 AM

IMO the Mega Drive is the better of the two, with franchises such as Sonic, Phantasy Star and Thunder Force being key titles. I also like the soundchips better than the one in the SNES, and the Mega-CD add-on which has many, many more awesome titles and another dimension of game design (no, not FMV!). Still, I played a lot of SNES in the childhood and enjoyed some titles quite a bit.

chrisbid

10-24-2009, 11:36 AM

the sound chip in the genesis was fantastic, but it was a straight up 8 bit synthesizer, it didnt do sound samples very well, and it didnt do midi-type orchestra sounds. the snes on the other hand didnt do hard-edged sounds well.

basically, for either system to sound great, the music had to be written for the particular sound chip. you dont write symphonies for a three piece punk band, and you dont have orchestras play techno music. that is what happened too often with third party genesis games, company x had a game that was going to be released for the genesis and snes, and generic music was written to be played on both systems. more often than not, it sounded bad on the genesis due to the lack of orchestration. but if music was written for the genesis specifically, it kicked ass. listen to the music in the sonic series, streets of rage series, toejam and earl, and other sega exclusives and the music is catchy and great, these pieces would sound like mud on the snes.

the other often overlooked advantage the genesis had over the snes was the controls. you can debate endlessly on personal taste of button layouts, but the genesis had tighter controls. action games on the snes often have just the slightest lag between a button press and the corresponding action on the screen. notice how hard you press the dpad down on an snes controller during an intense session of gaming, a natural reaction to a slight action delay is to press on the button or dpad harder, with the genesis this doesnt happen as often. this has to do with hardware and programming. the tight/loose controls are a function of tight coding. eugene jarvis spent over a month tinkering with the controls of robotron 2084 to get the controls as tight as possible, so blaming the joystick after death would never be an option.

but i am with the majority on this board and will say both systems are great, and they really complimented each other quite well. newer generations of systems really do not differ that much from one another. but as a gamer that appreciates actions games as much as rpgs and adventures, the genesis is a great system that has distinct advantages over the snes.

Damaramu

10-24-2009, 12:01 PM

Heavy preference for the Genesis here. I love the SNES, but mainly for it's awesome selection of RPG's, a handful of arcade conversions, and a select few 1st party games.

If I want a great variety of action, shooters, platformers, etc.; the Genesis is my go-to machine.

For the "16-bit" era, my preference is GENESIS, SNES, TG16...in that order.

OH yeah. The 6 button Genesis controller beats the snot out of the SNES pad ANY day of the week.

SegaAges

10-24-2009, 12:15 PM

Of all of the games listed, I do not see General Chaos listed.

That is up there with the Sonic games. It is absolute badass

vrikkgwj

10-25-2009, 01:03 AM

Of all of the games listed, I do not see General Chaos listed.

That is up there with the Sonic games. It is absolute badass

Agreed! I actually own General Chaos complete in box. The game rocked so hard.

kupomogli

10-25-2009, 01:24 AM

The SNES owned the Genesis, however the Genesis is an awesome system and no doubt has a ton of great games.

One thing about the Genesis is that it seemed there were far more first party titles than Nintendo had on their systems. Nearly all their first party titles are great games.

Icarus Moonsight

10-25-2009, 01:39 AM

OH yeah. The 6 button Genesis controller beats the snot out of the SNES pad ANY day of the week.

Yub yub, also the wireless OEM Sega 6 button pads are really great. It was the Wavebird of the nineties. :D

I always preferred Genny over SNES versions of SF2 because of them. SNES sticks had weird button layouts for the most part (2-over 4-under).

Push Upstairs

10-25-2009, 01:52 AM

the sound chip in the genesis was fantastic, but it was a straight up 8 bit synthesizer, it didnt do sound samples very well, and it didnt do midi-type orchestra sounds. the snes on the other hand didnt do hard-edged sounds well.

This is true. SNES did some stuff well, but for pure techno-type stuff...the SNES couldn't pull through.

I really don't think the SNES could do bass as well as the Genesis (and not just for explosions). Streets of Rage Level 6 (the factory) has some wicked bass that I don't think I've ever heard an SNES game do.

Steven

10-26-2009, 01:57 AM

It just comes down to preference. Never got those who tried to "prove" one was better than the other. Both systems have high and low marks, but mostly high ones. Which system one likes better is up to that individual. Sharing the love is cool, trying to convince others your opinion is the end-all, be-all truth though is not too cool.

Bottom line, play what you like. Why waste time trying to prove others?

T2KFreeker

10-26-2009, 11:20 PM

Why does nobody bring up Mystic Defender for the Genesis? Awesome game which was a sequel to an amazing Master System game, Spell Caster! Awesome stuff on the Genesis. Castlevania Blood Lines comes to mind also.

timewarpgamer

10-26-2009, 11:56 PM

I used to be hardcore Genesis/Mega Drive ra ra ra! The years have tempered me, though. Now, I look back on the infamous 16-bit console wars and two things are evident: 1) It's amazing that the TurboGrafx-16 died so young outside of Japan, and 2) It's incredible that the Genesis put up such a great fight against the technically superior SNES. That said, I still dearly love my Genesis and here's my list of top Genny games:

http://timewarpgamer.com/topgames/gen.html

kupomogli

10-27-2009, 12:51 AM

That said, I still dearly love my Genesis and here's my list of top Genny games:

http://timewarpgamer.com/topgames/gen.html

Strider is Capcom, but it was ported over to the Genesis and published for the Genesis by Sega. You only listed Capcom. I'd say Sega deserves more credit for the Genesis version since they're the only ones who did anything with it. Either that or Sega/Capcom under developer.

Dire 51

10-31-2009, 03:09 AM

Why does nobody bring up Mystic Defender for the Genesis? Awesome game which was a sequel to an amazing Master System game, Spell Caster! Awesome stuff on the Genesis.
Seconded. It's one of the best Genesis games ever, I say. Loads of atmosphere, the R-Type charge meter, fun weapons to use, good difficulty curve and officially Sega-sanctioned nudity. Great stuff all around.

tomaitheous

11-01-2009, 12:42 AM

I really don't think the SNES could do bass as well as the Genesis (and not just for explosions). Streets of Rage Level 6 (the factory) has some wicked bass that I don't think I've ever heard an SNES game do.

That's absurd. Just because you haven't heard ultra low base from the SNES, doesn't mean it can't be done. Matter of fact, SOR is the only game on the Genesis that does do it. If it never did, you'd probably think it was capable either. Even the TG16 can put out ultra low base like that in SOR. I've some sample playback on a single channel with low base lines. And the SNES being the best for sample res output (filtering really helps with low base lines too because it remove aliasing in the sample).

Ed Oscuro

11-01-2009, 01:47 AM

Ehh, Mystical Fighter / Maou Renjishi hasn't been mentioned. If Mystic Defender is the way I remember it...I don't see the appeal there. I don't have lots of time in it either though. Neither (probably more significant an omission) ESWAT: City Under Siege!

On the SNES vs. Genesis argument, well, I think I like Sparkster on the SNES more than either of the Genesis titles. Rocket Knight Adventures on the Genesis is certain to win fan polls out of the three, though. Sparkster Genesis, and Kupo & I agree on this, is just bad.

Also! Pulseman, Monster World IV (and Alien Soldier, to round out a trilogy of games Bratwurst has "released" domestically). All seem pretty solid (I've yet to put a lot of time into Pulseman though).

On the shooters side - near and dear to my heart recently - there isn't really much I consider competition-worthy on the Genesis, which isn't to say there aren't great games there - they're just more cinematic and less obsessively scored than I care for. Well, there is the exception of Undead Line, I suppose, and possibly Elemental Master. Certainly I like the Toaplan ports, though almost all of them (Daisenpuu / Twin Hawk is better on the Genesis though, although the PC-Engine's ports of Fire Shark and Truxton kick its ass certainly in the color department - this coming from a guy who swore by the Genesis ports of Twin Cobra and Fire Shark and still will probably play them first).

The PC-Engine comes out far, far ahead here with the caravan style games - even Coryoon does this. And the Mega Drive doesn't have R-Type III, or Super Aleste (which also has the caravan mode, not to mention the Caravan Shooting Collection for the Super Famicom), either.

RPG_Fanatic

11-01-2009, 09:01 AM

Why does nobody bring up Mystic Defender for the Genesis?

Mystic Defender (when I first saw the multi-scrolling backgrounds I was like holy shit!!! It was 1990 the NES couldn't do it) and MUSHA are my favs. on the Genesis.

RPG_Fanatic

11-01-2009, 09:10 AM

Seconded. It's one of the best Genesis games ever, I say. Loads of atmosphere, the R-Type charge meter, fun weapons to use, good difficulty curve and officially Sega-sanctioned nudity.

I sold my original copy of Mystic Defender that had the nudity. I bought 4 used copies and they all had clothes on the chick so it must of been only on the original print run. I wish you could tell the original print run from the other ones.

vivaeljason

11-01-2009, 10:32 AM

Honestly, both Genesis and SNES are great systems, but it comes down to which genres you prefer.

In my opinion, for fighting games, sports games, racing games, and shooters you can't go wrong with the Genesis.
For RPGs, puzzle games, and platformers, it's the SNES (even with the Sonic games).

Other genres (action) are a push.

vrikkgwj

11-01-2009, 10:58 AM

I saw someone mention that the Sega CD had a lot of really good games, but beyond the two Lunars I own, Vay, and Snatcher, what is there?

MachineGex

11-01-2009, 11:03 AM

We are ALL biased in one way or another :)

To me, it is like comparing apples and oranges. Both systems had some killer games, exclusives, strengths, and weaknesses. I too owned and still own the "16 bit wars" systems(including the TG-16), and there are arguments for all three being the best.

I can say with complete honesty that although I am both a huge Sega and Nintendo fan, the SNES has held up quite well, as is quickly becomming one of my favorite top five video game systems to PLAY. I love both systems equally and feel that both were neck and neck back in the day for totally different reasons. Either system has a great library of over 700 games that would keep anyone busy.

Now, back to the question at hand. There was a window of time there that the Genesis was the best selling video game system in the US. To me it was an edgier system, one that catered to more an adult audience, as well as having some amazing arcade and sports titles for the time. The Phantasy Star Series and Shining Force Series also was played very heavily with me and my friends. Rennovation labled games also were in high demant at my house(Gain Ground, El Viento, Master of Monsters) With that being said, some of its strengths were also its weaknesses. Becasue it was an amazing system for sports titles, everyone and their mom was making sports titles for it. Also, every company seemed to be trying to duplicate the success of Sonic, so there also was a ridcioulous amount of average platform mascots on the system as well. I have my Sega CD/32X combo hooked up, with a Genesis 6-pak cart in it at all times. Golden Axe is the most played game at my house.

What the Snes lacked in processor speed it made up with color and overall more polished quality to many first party titles. Titles like Super Mario World, Zelda, Metroid, among other great exclusives were very well done, holding up today in terms of varied gameplay, length, and replay value. The Snes is the system that I see my wife always asking about, and one that I would play more when I am in family settings.

I will not prove you wrong becasue in some ways you are right. The Genesis was not equal to the Snes, in some ways it was flat out better(processing speed, arcade style gameplay), and in other ways it was much worse(graphics, and the dreaded god awful sound)

While the Genesis did have a "window of time" in which it was on top, I feel that honestly the Snes has aged more graceully...but I still play my Sega and consider them both on par for different reasons.

^This is exactly how I feel only I never could have put it so eloquently.
Man,swlovinist, you hit the nail on the head!

vivaeljason

11-01-2009, 11:04 AM

I saw someone mention that the Sega CD had a lot of really good games, but beyond the two Lunars I own, Vay, and Snatcher, what is there?

Sonic CD, Shining Force CD, and Eternal Champions: Challenge from the Dark Side are all very good, if not great. Some of the 2D Shooters are good too.

Oldskool

11-01-2009, 12:26 PM

No one is mentioning MUSHA for the Genesis. I think MUSHA is probably THE best shooter on ANY 16-bit console. Followed closely by the Thunder Force series. I personally like the Genesis more than the SNES, even though I do realize that the SNES is technically superior... there is just something about the Genesis that I adore. Maybe it's just because I grew up with one.

Arkhan

11-01-2009, 01:11 PM

I got a Genesis one year before the SNES. What ended up happening is I didn't really give two shits which one I was playing as long as the game I was playing was fun.

Super Metroid one day, shining force the next, Pirates of dark water (Snes), Maximum Carnage (genesis). I almost bounced around both systems. Hell I still do.

I just beat brain lord again because I like to damage myself emotionally and mentally, and then I put in vector man for genesis :)

They both kick ass. my only complaint about SNES is that the stupid frigging color scheme sucks. gray and purple? bah. Should have been gray and black, with some red trim.

Deadman

11-01-2009, 01:31 PM

my only complaint about SNES is that the stupid frigging color scheme sucks. gray and purple? bah. Should have been gray and black, with some red trim.

I think your point is valid in that the SNES was just the big brother of the NES - an improved game system, with better graphics and sound but the types of GAMES didn't grow up. I was finishing high school and entering college during this time and the Genesis was flashy, sexy, and had games for a maturing audience. I was blown away by the speed of Sonic, the graphic blood-letting of Mortal Kombat, and the hours of play on Madden, Golf, and NHL games. As a late-teenager, the SNES had Mario. And Donkey Kong. And something named Kirby.

Looking back today they are both great and I have them both - but most of us made our choices back then based on where we were at the time. "Older gamers" preferred the more grown-up Sega, while younger, newer gamers liked the SNES - and probably still do!

Ed Oscuro

11-01-2009, 02:35 PM

No one is mentioning MUSHA for the Genesis. I think MUSHA is probably THE best shooter on ANY 16-bit console.
Too easy, not much replayability. Fun to look at.

Any of the PC-E caravan-including games (Final Soldier and Soldier Blade are a couple favorites) kick its butt in that department, as do even the lowly Toaplan vert ports. Good game, though; it's been lodged in my Mega Jet for months (I just haven't been playing it). On top of that, it commands too much dough right now on the 'Bay ($100 for the import? Haha)

PC-ENGINE HELL

11-01-2009, 02:41 PM

Too easy, not much replayability. Fun to look at.

Any of the PC-E caravan-including games (Final Soldier and Soldier Blade are a couple favorites) kick its butt in that department, as do even the lowly Toaplan vert ports. Good game, though; it's been lodged in my Mega Jet for months (I just haven't been playing it). On top of that, it commands too much dough right now on the 'Bay ($100 for the import? Haha)

I was gonna say too, I feel that Spriggan is better then Musha personally. Musha is nice, but its been topped easily by shooters on PCE.

Ed Oscuro

11-01-2009, 02:45 PM

Spriggan is okay, I guess. It has some of the style of Sorcer Striker / Mahou Daisakusen, but the orbs just make me laugh. Strange powerup system too, causes me endless trouble in the Caravan modes. :)

Black_Tiger

11-01-2009, 03:08 PM

For my money there is no better combination of games such as Earthbound, Donkey Kong Country, Yoshi’s Island, Secret of Mana, and Mega Man X.

I don't think that those games are a fair example of what makes the SNES library good. Earthbound is the worst/most overrated. Even if anyone loves the style, it's still a very crude bare-bones game by any standards (RPG or otherwise). I'd rather play Dragon Warrior 1 on NES.

I don't think that Donkey Kong Country is complete garbage like many crazed Genesis fanboys do, but isn't it generally agreed upon by now that it's nothing special gameplay-wise and that the graphics have aged terribly? The obvious comparison of a unique to Genesis series would be Sonic games, of which there are 5 games of versus DKC's 3.

Secret of Mana is neat since I enjoy adventurey games, but it's another (Square) game that got over hyped at the time because of the aesthetic style, but is only "good" at best and suffers from the SNES/Square/non-art cart tiles syndrome. The opposite of a SNES Square game on Genesis that is also adventurey is Beyond Oasis which is much more of a 32-bit preview than DKC.

Yoshi's Island again sucked in most people with it's unique-for-the-time visual style, but pales in comparison to SMW and Super Mario All Stars.

Although I didn't like Megaman X 2 and 3 too much, the SNES X games are still cool, but I'd rather play Megaman 1 - 3 on Genesis/Mega Drive any day.

I would've expected Super Mario's, Zelda, Super Metroid, Star Fox, Final Fantasy's and Chrono Trigger to get mentioned before anything else. Not that I think that they crush everything on the Genesis or anything.

Ed Oscuro

11-01-2009, 03:22 PM

I don't think that Donkey Kong Country is complete garbage [...] the graphics have aged terribly?
Wouldn't the same be true of Vectorman or that one Contra-like by Playmates?

There are at least two more games in the Secret of Mana series overseas on the Super Famicom (Seiken Densetsu 2 & 3 iirc), so going only by the first one seems a bit lame (obviously few people were playing them in regions where they weren't released, but it's worth saying).

Black_Tiger

11-01-2009, 03:28 PM

I saw someone mention that the Sega CD had a lot of really good games, but beyond the two Lunars I own, Vay, and Snatcher, what is there?

Shining Force CD, Lords of Thunder, Final Fight CD, Cobra The Space Adventure, Popful Mail, Dark Wizard, Keio Flying Squadran, Robo Aleste, Mickey Mania, Dungeon Explorer, Heart of the Alien, Flashback, Batman & Robin, Batman Returns, Dune, Soul Star, Thunderstrike, Sonic CD, AD&D, Flink, Eye of the Beholder... plus some cool imports.

Wouldn't the same be true of Vectorman or that one Contra-like by Playmates?

There are at least two more games in the Secret of Mana series overseas on the Super Famicom (Seiken Densetsu 2 & 3 iirc), so going only by the first one seems a bit lame (obviously few people were playing them in regions where they weren't released, but it's worth saying).

Yes, Vectorman 1 & 2 looked terrible to me even back in the day. As much as DKC uses cgi to pre-render ugly art, what's the point of pre-rendering abstract art?

Secret of Mana is Seiken Densetsu 2. Seiken Densetsu 1 is Final Fantasy Adventure. Seiken Densetsu 3 is the pinnacle of SNES graphics for die hard Square fans, but it also takes the non-art aesthetic and SNES special effects abuse to the extreme. But SD3 would be the game I'd list if I were a SNerd trying to "pwn" the Genesis.