No way man, the 6-button Sega pad has an EXCELLENT D-Pad. You might be thinking of the original 3-button controllers.
The 3-button Genny controller has the worst D-pad. The 6-button has the second worst D-pad. For some games it doesn't make too much difference, but if you're trying to play 4-way games like Ms. Pac or Ultimate Qix with a Genesis D-pad, forget it.
Selling collection, Atari through XBox. Send a PM with whatever games you're looking for.