I often fight with myself mentally on what my favorite video game console is. Sometimes it's the NES, sometimes the SNES, sometimes the PS2, and so on. But the one that almost always wins over is the Sega Genesis. Perhaps with it being the system I had during my adolescence that's what plays a big factor in why it always remains in contention as my all time favorite. Plus, it had a solid library of games. Platformers, action games, fighting games, and while scant compared to the SNES, a solid library of RPGs. And I'd love to cover all of my favorites, and maybe over time there'll be more Genesis reviews to come, but today I figured the best way to pay tribute to the almighty black box is to review 100 of its games at once. But since that would take forever to do them in my normal long form, I'll review each with a total of one or two sentences (though mostly just one). So, let's do this.
1. The Addams Family: Despite being somewhat weaker than the SNES port, it still plays quite well on the Sega Genesis.
2. The Adventures of Batman And Robin: An amazing run and gun game with an amazing techno soundtrack. Don't let the high difficulty keep you from enjoying this excellent game
3. Animaniacs: Well built puzzle platformer that feels true to the animated series. Despite the frustrating challenge in places, playing as all three Warner siblings is fun.
4. Awesome Possum Kicks Dr. Machino's Butt: Frustrating platformer that could have been fun if the game was programmed better. Annoying talking mascot and ham fisted environmental message muddy it further.
5. Barney's Hide and Seek Game: Gameplay as hollow and annoying as the "I Love You" song. The ultimate definition of a cheap cash-in title.
6. Batman Forever: Maligned beat-em-up that mashes Mortal Kombat style gameplay to disastrous results.
7. Batman Returns: A disappointing platformer that controls poorly and suffers from frustrating difficulty.
8. Beavis & Butt-Head: Excellent use of the license that blends a collect-a-thon game with an action platformer. Might be frustrating if you don't know what item goes where, but after you get the hang of it, it's a solid title.
9. Boogerman: A Pick and Flick Adventure: Decent platforming at best saves this game from just being a weak grossout game.
10. Bubsy In: Claws Encounters Of The Furred Kind: Frustrating platforming and an annoying talking protagonist. Suffers from the same problems that Awesome Possum went through.
11. Columns: Simple and addictive puzzler that often gets overlooked nowadays.
12. Comix Zone: Well built beat-em-up that suffers from perhaps being to difficult for its own good.
13. Contra: Hard Corps: Contra comes to the Genesis with one of the series' most intense titles. Excellent graphics and soundtrack mixed with that classic high Contra difficulty.
14. Cool Spot: Surprisingly decent platformer using the classic soda mascot, but the lack of level variety soon begins to wear the title thin
15. Disney's Aladdin: Excellent sprite animation and solid action gameplay helps make the game iconic, but it does feel too short for its own good.
16. Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine: Despite the wacky reskinning of Puyo Puyo to sell it to America, the core gameplay is still there and just as addictive and challenging as you'd expect from the classic puzzler.
17. Dynamite Headdy: Treasure's bizarre platformer is a sight to behold, but suffers a bit from annoying difficulty spikes.
18. Earthworm Jim: Solid run and gunner with a great sense of bizarre humor that makes it a system classic.
19. Earthworm Jim 2: Even stranger than the original, but somewhat suffers from not feeling as fun as the original game.
20. Ecco The Dolphin: Beneath the game's calm demeanor lies one of the system's must frustrating games.
21. Eternal Champions: An ambitious attempt from Sega to get into the fighting scene, but suffers from annoying challenge.
22. Fantasia: Extremely broken game that doesn't do the Disney masterpiece the justice it deserves.
23. Flicky: A Mappy-esque title that is fun in brief spurts, but nothing I'd say is all that special.
24. Frogger: A faithful adaptation of the arcade classic that may have come out way too late in the system's life to be fully appreciated.
25. Gargoyles: High challenge may ultimately hurt what is a really good game adaptation of the Disney animated series.
26. General Chaos: A fun and frantic RTS game that still holds up as one of the console's finest multiplayer titles.
27. Ghostbusters: The best adaptation of the franchise in this era of gaming. Lack of Winston aside, the gameplay is fun and frantic with lots of replay value.
28. Ghouls N Ghosts: An excellent port of the arcade classic, and one of the console's best early titles.
29. Global Gladiators: Bizarre McDonald's tie-in doesn't overshadow a decent at best action platformer.
30. Golden Axe: A great early beat-em-up title from Sega that still holds up well enough today.
31. Greatest Heavyweights: A solid update on Evander Holyfield Boxing that ups the challenge and adds more legendary boxers to hit the ring against.
32. Greendog: The Beached Surfer Dude: An okay at best early attempt to continue to build more mascot titles for the system.
33. Gunstar Heroes: Treasure delivers yet again with a game that's pure run and gun bliss. One of the absolute best of the console.
34. Home Alone 2: Lost in New York: A decently built platformer that surprisingly stays true enough to the movie.
35. Incredible Hulk: A mediocre platformer with one of the easiest final bosses in video game history.
36. Judge Dredd: A poor action game that feels right at home with the mediocre Stallone movie it's based on.
37. Jungle Book: A fun take on the classic Disney movie with great graphics and gameplay. Not as good as Aladdin, but comes rather close.
38. Jurassic Park: Playing as the Raptor is fun, but the game's annoying difficulty in places hurts the game from being worth coming back to
39. Jurassic Park: Rampage Edition: A far more well built update on the original, but still suffers from painful difficulty spikes.
40. Krusty's Super Fun House: Perhaps the best of the Simpsons Games for the Genesis, but tedious gameplay does hinder it from being worth plowing through.
41. The Lion King: Another faithful Disney adaptation to the 16-bit systems. Some annoying difficulty spikes may hinder it, but doesn't keep it from being a fun time.
42. McDonald's Treasureland Adventure: Mixing the weirdness of McDonald's and the bizarre stylings of Treasure somehow creates a fun and unique Genesis platformer.
43. Mega Bomberman: A faithful adaptation of the Bomberman series that often gets overlooked in comparison to other console versions
44. Mickey Mania: The Timeless Adventures of Mickey Mouse: A beautiful looking take on the iconic mouse's classic shorts is hindered by terrible hit detection and annoying difficulty spikes.
45. Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers: A simplistic fighting game that offers what the SNES version sorely lacked: Lots of Zord action.
46. Mortal Kombat: While not the best looking version of MK, it still beats out the SNES by keeping the blood intact via a cheat code.
47. Mortal Kombat II: All the good will that Sega gets for the MK series gets taken away thanks to Probe's poor port. Still a fun play, but graphically the weakest console port.
48. Mutant League Football: A fun subversion on the madden engine that allows for the most chaotic game of football out there.
49. NBA Jam: Tournament Edition: A faithful Arcade port that keeps the 2-on-2 basketball action fun and frantic.
50. NHL '94: The pinnacle of Hockey gameplay on the Genesis and a game still talked about almost a quarter century later.
51. Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures: A strange sequel that suffers from the annoying gimmick of trying to get Pac-Man to do what you want him to do.
52. Phantasy Star IV: One of Sega's pivotal RPG titles. With great gameplay and a solid story, it's one not to sleep on.
53. Pit-Fighter: While infinitely better than the mess of a SNES port, it's still not a fun game to revisit.
54. Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure: A well built action platformer that feels fresh enough, while staying true to the classic. Speaking of which, you can also play the original Pitfall in the game.
55. Predator 2: Isometric action game that feels works quite well as an adaptation of the film it's based off of.
57. The Punisher: Classic arcade beat-em-up gameplay works perfectly for this action game based on the iconic Marvel vigilante.
58. Quackshot: Quality Disney platforming comes through again in this awesome globetrotting title that brings out the best in Donald Duck.
59. Ren and Stimpy in: Stimpy's Invention: Simple platforming befits a game that represents the bizarre Nickelodeon cartoon perfectly.
60. Revenge of Shinobi: Solid ninja action and high challenge makes this game one of the system's best adventure games. Plus what other game has you fight Spider-Man, Batman and Godzilla?
61. Ristar: A colorful and cute adventure game that seems to get lost in the shuffle of Genesis classics. Difficulty spikes in places, but otherwise it's well built and fun to play through.
62. Road Rash: Hard hitting and challenging motorcycle action keeps this game from being a forgotten classic.
63. Robocop VS The Terminator: Fun and brutal action makes this one of the best adaptations of both franchises on the console. Mowing things down with the ED-209 gun is a blast.
64. Rocket Knight Adventures: Konami's take on the animal mascot craze brings us a fun and frantic action title that should not be overlooked.
65. Scooby Doo Mystery: The lovable mystery solving canine works well in this point and click title.
66. Shadow Dancer: A unique variation on the Shinobi franchise still pulls out a great arcade platformer for the console.
67. Shaq-Fu: An unpolished mess of a game that's more remembered for being one of the more bizarre ideas for a video game than anything the game actually does.
68. Shining Force II: A brilliant take on the tactical RPG genre and one of the console's brightest titles.
69. Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master: The ultimate Shinobi title with great gameplay, graphics, and the right level of challenge.
70. The Simpsons: Bart Vs The Space Mutants: A mess on the NES, and just as bad on the Genesis. It doesn't even have the classic Simpsons theme song for some reason.
71. The Simpsons: Bart's Nightmare: Confusing gameplay and frustrating challenge makes this one just another game in the pile of bad Simpsons titles.
72. Skitchin': Despite the unique premise of skitching the back of cars, it lacks the gameplay quality that titles like Road Rash managed to pull off.
73. Sonic 3D Blast: A game I feel gets too much hate for its own take. Definitely a weaker title in the Sonic franchise, but still has some fun qualities to it.
74. Sonic Spinball: A concept that seems great on paper, but sorely lacks in execution. Despite that, it still plays well enough.
75. Sonic the Hedgehog: A solid first run for the Sonic franchise, but gets overshadowed quick by the games that follow it.
76. Sonic the Hedgehog 2: Improves upon almost everything the original Sonic created, and gives us the lovable sidekick Tails.
77. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles: Two great games that go well together. The pinnacle of 2D Sonic platforming on the Sega Genesis.
78. Spider-Man: The Animated Series: A decent, though somewhat maligned, action platformer. Despite some difficulty issues, it play well and does feel true to the Spider-Man experience.
79. Spider-Man Vs the Kingpin: Spidey's first start for the Genesis is a challenging yet fun adventure that could have benefited from some improvements in the gameplay area.
80. Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage: Hard as hell beat-em up that stays faithful to the comic saga that it's based off of.
81. Spider-Man and The X-Men: Arcade's Revenge: Interesting concept game muddied by poor play control and annoying difficulty.
82. Street Fighter II: Special Champion Edition: While not as clean as Street Fighter II Turbo, this Genesis port is still a solid take on the Street Fighter franchise.
83. Streets of Rage: Great beat-em-up action with excellent graphics and one of the console's greatest soundtracks.
84. Streets of Rage 2: Improves upon the original Streets of Rage with better graphics, greater music, and far better gameplay.
85. Streets of Rage 3: A good sequel, but some missteps and poor localization keep it from being as good as it could be.
86. TaleSpin: While it tries to be faithful to the classic Disney animated series, it lacks quality control and seriously lacks fun factor.
87. Taz-Mania: A spirited take on the animated series that is hindered with bad play control and annoying difficulty spikes (that mine cart level...)
88. Taz in Escape From Mars: A more polished take on Taz-Mania that plays much better, but still suffers from some gameplay issues.
89. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist: While not as polished as Turtles in Time for the SNES, this Turtle Beat-Em-Up is still hard hitting and fun.
90. Tiny Toon Adventures: Acme All-Stars: A fun mix of soccer and basketball with all your favorite toonsters. More games should allow you to play as Fifi LaFume.
91. Tiny Toon Adventures: Buster's Hidden Treasure: A Sonic-Lite that plays pretty well, despite some difficulty spikes throughout the game. A good use of the license.
92. Toejam and Earl: A fun top down game that does get boggled by too much randomness.
93. Toejam and Earl In Panic On Funkotron: A solid platformer that somehow loses a bit of the magic that the original game had.
94. Toy Story: Annoying difficulty wears down on what is a solid adaptation of the hit movie.
95. Ultimate Mortal Kombat III: A well built port of mortal kombat, packed with so much stuff that it's incredible that it's all in the cart.
96. Vectorman: A good example of the console's graphical prowess while in itself also being a well done shooter.
97. Virtual Bart: It's Bart's Nightmare without the annoying hub world. The tomato game is fun at least, but everything else is worth avoiding.
98. Wrestlemania: The Arcade Game: A better port than the SNES port, keeping everything intact, but graphically weak compared to other versions.
99. X-Men: A solid use of the Marvel heroes, but difficulty concerns can keep it from being a must-play
100. X-Men 2: The Clone Wars: Fixes the issues of the original game, giving one of the best adaptations of the franchise on the console.
And that's all 100 reviews. Hope you enjoyed reading it, and it opened your eyes to many great games on the console. Will I do this with another system? Maybe, but for now, I enjoyed giving my favorite console some much needed spotlight.
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