Surprisingly this wonderful game gets mentioned quite a bit around these here parts but I felt it was appropriate to give the Genesis port its own thread given the week's theme.
What a damn fantastic game, the graphics tend to be rather spartan at times but who cares? It's so vast that I play through it nearly every year or so and not remember everything. Exploring planets and robbing them of their natural resources remains absurdly addicting to this day.
When I first got ahold of this one it left me with a genuine feeling of being a starship captain, unlike the disappointing Star Trek Simulator on the Atari systems (which is what I had only been able to sample prior). Needless to say in 1991 I was cruising space just like Kirk and copping feels on my Elowan communications officer. Just like Kirk. Mmm, plant.
Also, if I am correct in my presumption, Starflight for the PC came out WELL BEFORE Star Control, and the Genny version comes in a plastic snap case, unlike Star Control's cardboard box. Starflight: 2-0.
Favorite race has to be the Veloxi though. That collective arrogance is too charming.