Most fun SMS/Genesis Games - relive the console wars :)

[Tanooki]

In hopes to seeing more active topics I figured I'd throw some discussions down and see what people think.

Back in the 8 and 16bit eras we got a lot of new franchises, many that live still on to this very day. Are there any games that stood out to you on the SMS or Genesis that really hit home with you and were the most fun and do you have a reason why?

I only had a SMS in more recent years and don't anymore, or any Sega systems for that matter, but damn did I ever really enjoy stuff like Golden Axe Warrior and Wonderboy 3. On the Genesis I do have a Retron5 and despite not wanting to have more games around right now two of my favorites were of all things PC conversions of Star Control and Dune 2 Building of Arrakis(think that's the subtitle.) They're truly fantastic games, one being a tactical combat game of good and evil on a map and then in top down ship combat. The other is Westwoods original RTS, before they were Command & Conquer cool yet with all the familiar basic designs and tactics of the franchise when it debuted except it's not tiberium it is spice and with 3 sides to choose to play for. Of course I could throw out the Konami and Capcom gems that slid in on occasion but those two were gold.

[megasdkirby]

I only had a SMS in more recent years and don't anymore, or any Sega systems for that matter, but damn did I ever really enjoy stuff like Golden Axe Warrior and Wonderboy 3.

Never got into Golden Axe Warrior, but I LOVED Wonderboy III.

Games I adore on the SMS:

Rastan
Castle of Illusion
Eswat
Kung Fu Kid
Alex Kidd in Miracle World
Fantasy Zone II
Ghost House (I remember hating it, then loving it once I managed to finish it)
R-Type
Golvellius
Cosmic Spacehead
Prince of Persia
Ys

Its my favorite system, together with the Atari 2600.

[Ozzy_98]

The problem I run into on the SMS, is many of their games are ports, and I have better versions of said games. I'm still undecided on ghost house, and the version of Ys on it is messed up (Not as bad as the famicom version though), so on SMS it'd be Phantasy Star. Gens I'd have to think about for a few days.

[bb_hood]

Most fun Sega Genesis game? Dynamite Headdy

[WCP]

A really fun Genesis game for me is Kid Chameleon. I can always pop in Kid Chameleon and have a good time. Such an under appreciated gem of a game. Sure, it may have just been a cheap Mario clone in a way, but it's a DAMN good one!

[retroman]

If you said name only one for each said systems I could answer, but name a few? My list would be endless.

[MidnightRider]

Master System would require some thinking as it's unfortunately not a console I've become overly familiar with over the years.

Genesis(I'll go with exclusives, as far as the 2 major 16-bit consoles go):
The Streets of Rage trilogy - I love beat 'em ups, and these are about as good as it gets on home consoles
Chiki Chiki Boys - This port of the arcade game Mega Twins is just a lot of fun. Some adventure elements in being able to buy upgrades between stages.
Obviously the Sonic series - Making your screen blitz around is just fun
Ristar - slower paced, but the stretching arm/grab mechanic is great to work with
The Shinobi games(including Shadow Dancer) - Arcade ninja action at it's finest
Strider - see Shinobi
The Adventures of Batman & Robin - BatContra. Fun, but challenging as all hell.
Contra and Castlevania - Should be no brainers.
Rocket Knight Adventures/Sparkster - Good series, that I'm actually in the middle of playing now.
Gunstar Heroes - Possibly the best run 'n gun of it's era.
The previously mentioned Dynamite Headdy -The fact that it looks like a staged puppet show, the grab mechanics, and the various powerups make this a great one.
Beyond Oasis - An action adventure that's almost more beat 'em up.
Crusader of Centy - Another action adventure, with cool power-ups in the various animals you collect.
LandStalker - Yet another action adventure that's one of the most puzzle heavy.
Alisia Dragoon - Great platformer with chain lightning mechanics, and 4 dragons to choose from, that are each good for various scenario's/bosses
The Ecco series(F the haters) - Great underwater adventuring.
Disney(Aladdin, Castle of Illusion, World of Illusion, Quackshot, etc.) - Just a great series of games, in spite of Capcom
Ghouls 'n Ghosts - Good arcade port of a great, but incredibly challenging game.
Target Earth - I enjoy it a lot. Challenging first game in the Assauilt Suit series.
Tinhead - Excellent hidden gem platformer. Jumps are tricky to get used to, but it works out.
Columns - More depth than Tetris, while remaining just as fun.
Desert Demolition Starring Road Runner & Wile E. Coyote - Quick and easy, but damn fun. Especially as Road Runner, which almost becomes a 5th Sonic game.
The Thunder Force series - Some of the best the shoot 'em up genre has to offer.
Comix Zone - One of the most creative games of all time.
The Mutant League series - Making sports fun, by allowing you to literally murder the other team(of ghouls).
The Road Rash/Skitchin' series - Dirty racing at it's best.
Spider-Man vs. The Kingpin - Probably the closest it ever feels like to be Spider-Man in the 2D era.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist - May not be perfect, but it's damn good for what it is.
The Vectorman games - Good series of run ' guns.
The X-Men games - I even like the first, though I know a lot don't. The 2nd is just one of the best X-Men games of the era.
The Namco sequels(Splatterhouse and Rolling Thunder) - Just as good, if not better than the #1's.
Zoom - Fun puzzle game.
Wiz 'n' Liz: The Frantic Wabbit Wescue - Fast, fun port of an Amiga classic.


...Like Retroman, I could go on and on for a long time. Underestimating this console is your own ignorance.

[wizardofwor1975]

Well Golden Axe has already been mentioned so I'll throw in Golden Axe 2. Golden Axe 2's music and fantastic two player action is very hard to beat. I would have liked to have thrown in Mega Lo Mania/Tyrants but its lack of mouse support kinda of squashes that idea. Although I love Mega Lo Mania on the Genesis and the Amiga the lack of mouse support for the Genesis handicaps it big time. Mouse support on the Genesis is very fustrating. Populous II has mouse support but none for the original Populous??? Recently I picked up Powermonger which is another great game for the Amiga in the hopes that it had mouse support. Not surprisingly it too had no mouse support on my Genesis 2.

[jammajup]

On the Sms I spent the most time with World Grand Prix (using track editor),Ghost House and Alex Kidd In Miracle World , on the Megadrive I would say Sonic The Hedgehog and Streets Of Rage I/II , I know pretty regular MD games but it is the truth.