The Sega Genesis brought the video game world into the 16-bit age, and it was a significant paradigm shift from anything that came before. Enhanced technology gave birth to hundreds of memorable games, some of which have gone on to become hidden gems that continue to stand the test of time, while others lag behind.
Some of these titles were quite popular back in the day, but have since fallen into obscurity. Others were largely overlooked by the gaming community, which is a shame given how great they are. Shooters, RPGs and platformers are just a few of the genres that crafted some of these wonderfully underrated Genesis titles.
Mystic Defender
Mystic Defender hit the Sega Genesis in 1990, and it became one of the most enjoyable side-scrolling fantasy action games for the system at that time. The arcade-style action centers around a sorcerer capable of wielding various types of destructive magic against some colorful and unique monsters.
The gameplay was extremely fast, the boss battles were out of this world, and the musical soundtrack was absolutely top-notch. This one rarely gets a nod, but it continues to stand the test of time, even today. It’s also got quite a hefty difficulty curve, but the rewards for mastering it are second to none.
Phantasy Star II
The Phantasy Star franchise isn’t unknown to modern gamers, but the second installment in the franchise tends to get overlooked. At the time, it was one of the most robust and dynamic RPGs of the 16-bit age, with an in-depth inventory system, an intriguing story, and some wonderfully kitschy Japanese music.
The story takes place in a sci-fi/fantasy future many years after the original game, which debuted on Sega’s 8-bit Master System. The combat mechanics took some trial and error to get used to, but the result was a fast-paced, deeply imaginative RPG who’s only real flaw lies in the repetitive tile-based graphics.
Revenge Of Shinobi
Ninja action games were all the rage in the 1980s, but Revenge of Shinobi was a hallmark title. It hit the Sega Genesis shortly after launch, and was renowned for its superb soundtrack, courtesy of composer Yuzo Koshiro, as well as some of the best side-scrolling platforming of the time.
Revenge of Shinobi opted for a different game formula in comparison to the original, but it worked well. It was sleek, stylish, and full of inventive designs, be they characters, environments, or boss battles. Diehard gamers remember it to this day, but for everyone else, it has slipped through the cracks. That’s a shame, as Revenge of Shinobi deserves to be considered as one of the few Sega Genesis titles to stand the test of time since its release.
Zero Tolerance
Bringing a credible first-person shooter to the Sega Genesis should have been theoretically impossible, but somehow Zero Tolerance made it work. It won’t hold up against many FPS titles of the time period, but it did create an effective, convincing, and enjoyable game focusing heavily on style and atmosphere.
Zero Tolerance came out less than a year after id Software’s original DOOM, but it was already up to speed on how the formula should work. Levels were sprawling and fun to navigate, the interface was remarkably intuitive, and it was easy to get caught up in all the action.
Thunder Force III
It was possible to throw a stone and hit a side-scrolling shooter in the 16-bit age, but few titles of the time period were as memorable as Thunder Force III. This game abandoned the top-down levels of its predecessor and opted for a straightforward 2D side-scrolling formula taking place on multiple planets with different ecosystems.
Boss battles were a major highlight of the game, as was the thumping and amazing soundtrack. Thunder Force III is widely regarded as the best in the series, and it’s easy to see why. It has just the right mixture of gameplay, visuals, and audio to stand at the top of the Sega Genesis shooter pile.
Target Earth
Barely anyone remembers Target Earth, but it was one of the most unique and challenging games of the Sega Genesis era, not to mention one of the most energetic. Players controlled a small mech with access to a vast array of high-powered weaponry, in order to do battle with a rival space force.
The game is notorious for having one of the most punishing difficulty levels of any game. Players wouldn’t just be damaged by enemy fire, but also enemy explosions, if they got too close. This added an extra, perhaps unnecessary challenge on top of the game’s baseline difficulty. Still, it’s an incredible game for those who don’t mind dying over and over again in order to learn the right techniques.
Castlevania: Bloodlines
Most gamers who think of Castlevania tend to remember the NES installments, or the much-lauded Symphony of the Night for the original PlayStation. However, one of the franchise’s best-kept secrets actually debuted on the Sega Genesis, and it turned out to be a major winner, not to mention one of the scariest titles on the Sega Genesis.
Nowadays, Bloodlines has somewhat faded into myth and legend. At the time, it was one of the best reasons to get a Genesis console. Not only did it stick to the Castlevania formula, but it also enhanced it with a much darker atmosphere, blood and gore, and the ability to choose between two different characters with unique paths.
Mutant League Hockey
EA was a major player when it came to sports games in the 1990s, and the Sega Genesis was their platform of choice for delivering some of the greats, such as NHL ’94. They decided to flip the script when they debuted Mutant League Hockey, which was actually a spinoff of a previous title called Mutant League Football.
Essentially, it was a standard EA hockey game with an added layer of zaniness thrown on top. Hockey teams comprised of robots, trolls, skeletons, and other horrors would do battle on the ice in hilarious ways. Team members could wield melee weapons such as chainsaws, hatchets, and sledgehammers to hack their opponents to death. Referees could be bribed, pucks could be rigged to explode on contact, and players could fall through holes in the ice. It was macabre, over-the-top, and addictive.
Buck Rogers: Countdown To Doomsday
This RPG from EA was loosely based on the popular Buck Rogers TV show, and originally debuted on the PC. At first glance, Buck Rogers doesn’t look like much, but the secret lies in the story, the RPG mechanics, and the turn-based battles. It won’t win any awards for its looks, but it’s got it where it counts.
Players control a fully customizable band of freedom fighters on a mission to stop a ruthless regime from getting their hands on a massive doomsday weapon. Battles take place in a variety of environments featuring a colorful assortment of enemies, and there are even ship-to-ship battles with an unusually fun interface. It’s best to stick with the title in order to get used to how it plays, but once the adjustment period is over, there’s definitely a hidden gem in there.
Strider
Capcom ported Strider to the Sega Genesis shortly after its arcade launch, and the transition was astonishingly close to the genuine article. It’s always been a sort of underground title, but Strider has managed to pull in a sizeable cult following, thanks to its inventive, speedy gameplay, and gloriously dramatic set pieces.
Strider is hard to characterize, due to how the game is presented. It feels more like a dream than a video game, with scenes melting into one another so fast that there’s barely a moment to stop and admire the scenery. It’s all about running, slashing, and doing cartwheel jumps to avoid some of the most wonderfully bizarre enemy characters in video games, to this day.
