Sega Genesis & Mega Drive, 30 years later - Review & Retrospective 

I've been working on this monster of a video for the better part of 6 months! I had a ton of fun putting it all together and I just couldn't believe how much drama surrounded the Genesis, from the console wars to lawsuits to you name it... definitely quite the rabbit hole to go down and I hope you all enjoy watching the video as much as I did making it! Join the discord! --- discord.io/91tech​

The production value of this video is insane, you did such a good job!

Still my fav console of all time. I absolutely loved growing up with my model 1 mega drive and still play it to this day!

This is the best 90's console war documentary I watched on youtube in a quite long while

bro did you really make an hour-long retrospective of the best console ever? this is epic!

The Genesis, Saturn, and Dreamcast will forever have a special place in my heart.

The Genesis actually was more powerful than the SNES and it largely comes down to DMA (direct memory access) which equates to ram/memory speed. The cpu is also far more capable at 16/32 bits to the SNES 8/16 bits. The first number is memory bit depth or ‘external bus’ which is data being moved from the cpu to video and sound units. The Genesis had direct access to the cartridge at higher speeds to the SNES whereas the SNES dma unit was in the cpu itself (Genesis’s dma unit was in the video chip so did not interrupt cpu cycles), also cartridge access was speedier meaning working ram was less relevant as the whole cartridge rom could be used as if it was in the ram itself. Consider Contra on both systems. The SNES has more colour (32,000/15bit) and 16, 16 colour palettes. Each sprite or background tile on both systems has a limit of 16 colours. The Genesis only has 4 palettes and only 9bit/512 colour depth. But when it comes to sprite handling it’s far more complicated than you suggest. The SNES has only square sprites available at 4, 8, 16, 32 or 64 pixel squares available and two kinds usable maximum. The Genesis maxes out at 32px squared but also includes rectangular sizes and no limit of simultaneously used sizes. Also, sprite handling was much more capable overall. Again, look to Contra to see how the game dies not slow down despite a screen full of animated sprites. The SNES often suffered from slowdown due to these dma and cpu issues. Doom 32x plays smoothly and is not full screen but a lot better than the SNES Super FX version due to running smoothly. In terms of sound I disagree it often sounded similar. The 6 sound channels of the Genesis each used 4 oscillators which could be combined in different ways and the software would show a wide range of different implementations of this chip. The SNES 8 channel pcm (samples) sound card only had 64KB if memory and no direct cartridge access. So sound effects and instruments needed to be very small files to fit, leading to a surprisingly limited range of sounds, with a kind of synth-like trumpet/string instrument being found very often. Also, compulsory gaussian filtering prevented clicking and scratchy samples (from the 4bit samples) but resulted in less fidelity. Both systems are very unconventional in their architecture but the Genesis is a lot more powerful in terms of moving sprites, cpu processing and music. The SNES has more colours but is not as capable in any other area. There is a lot of bias in the internet to this matter and probably originated from a Nintendo print advert where they refuted Sega’s claims of technical superiority and claimed to opposite. Presented as a real article, it is very much flagrant lies but was so widely published it has stuck in people’s minds. But in the end the Super Nintendo is less fun to play mostly because of the delayed response on game controls. Not all. But take Lion King. It has a delay in the control responsiveness. This is very common across games on the platform, then add slowdown or an overall more slow moving game and you can’t claim the SNES is more powerful than the Genesis. It has more colour and mode 7, but overall game’s move and respond more slowly. The console market was in the doldrums when the Mega Drive came along. The NES was ancient and gamers were moving to pc. Sonic the Hedgehog changed everything. For the first time there was a game no pc could play even remotely. This lead to interest in games consoles in general and this bled over into Nintendo’s SNES in terms of interest. You could get 1 power adapter with three plugs if you had the Sega tower of power. The Saturn shipped at $399 with two controllers and Virtua Fighter. The PlayStation only 1 controller and no game at $299. A big problem was no good games on Sega CD despite powerful hardware and 32X not being allowed to be the budget Saturn option and not be pulled in fears of hurting Saturn sales. But at $150, the 32X offered great value. However, when the discontinuation was announced, game development was halted across the board and moved to other consoles. As for the Dreamcast that’s the biggest mystery of all. Just 6 months on UK shelves. 10 million sold in its brief tenure and 600 odd (mostly high quality) games. Then removed, pre-emptively, in anticipation of not being profitable in the face of the PS2 is quite difficult to understand. Why did Nintendo still bother with the N64? Why did Microsoft throw it’s hat in the ring if the PS2 is so assures to destroy the competition? The aftermath? 150mill PS2 sales, 22million GameCube’s, 24million Xboxes. But that is with a full 7 odd year lifespan each. In around 1 year the DC had managed half that AND it had online gaming built in. The DC and it’s early removal from the market is the biggest and most unexplained upset and mystery in video game history. The consoles were largely repurposed as Sammy Atomiswave arcade machines (replacing the 1gig gd-roms with cartridges) and went on to be the most successful arcade platform ever. The PS2 moved gaming into the bland, generic brown and grey military shooter. It’s sucky video output quality and complex architecture stymied game development and resulted in long derivative and poorly existed and conceived game design that perceivers to this day. I give the PS2 a 3 out of 10 and the DC a 9.

Great job on this video!! You’ve clearly put so much dedication and thought into it, and as we can see from the sheer quality and crispness, it’s paid off. This deserves so so many more views! Keep it up 🙌

You and me are pretty similar. I was born in the SNES MegaDrive era, but grew up on an NES instead.

Loved playing Sega...especially the lion king it was my go to after school full on play time....played it in 2007 when i was a 7 year old seems like yesterday 🥺💔

I just got mine last week!

The Genesis' CPU is 7.6 MHz Vs 3.58 MHz for the SNES. While a difference of 4.02 MHz may not seem like anything to someone who was born 20 years ago, back in the days, the was the difference between your game slowing down or keeping it's speed, hence why there was so many slow downs on SNES ports Vs Genesis ports.

I have just found your channel with this video being recommended. This has to be one of the best Sega Genesis retrospective video I have ever seen on RU-vid. The production quality is brilliant and second to none. You've just got yourself another subscriber 👏👏👏

Incredible job with this video! This is probably one of the best of its kind on this subject on RU-vid. I was fortunate enough to grow up in the 80s and 90s and lived through and remember all of this. Incredible time to be a gamer and you gave it it’s proper due. Well done!

oh my days, an 1 hour 91Tech video! we've been blessed

I am from brazil I still see the Master System selling around

I've watched history of sega genesis from many different RU-vid channels... but never from a 23 year old reviewer. You kids are a different breed. The future is in your hands

What a great video of gaming history. I hope you keep releasing more of these even though I discovered your channel from the old iPhone unboxings

Phenomenal video as always Josh! Incredible to see the amount of effort you put into this. It turned out absolutely fantastic, well done!

I grew up with genesis and as action games fan it was the best choice. Some games are still my all time favorites which I like to play every few months...gunstar heroes, musha, thunder force 4, Shinobi 3, streets of rage 2/3, Rocket knight, contra and many more!! When I had the chance to play SNES games i found some other 16 bit classics but the genesis will always be in my hearth and memories. The limited color palette, the crispy sound, tons of sprites and affects on screen makes that hardware unique.

I've started the video, told myself "Oh, I already watched this", then pursued to watch the whole thing again. That's quality right there.

Even though I prefer the Super Nintendo, I still love the SEGA Genesis and everything it brought to the table. It has in my opinion the most creative, diverse and out of the box game library of any console I have ever seen. Here’s my personal top 10 favorite Genesis games: 10. Comix Zone 9. TMNT: The Hyperstone Heist 8. Golden Axe 7. Phantasy Star 4 6. Castle of Illusion 5. Castlevania: Bloodlines 4. Disney’s Aladdin 3. Gunstar Heroes 2. Sonic 3 and Knuckles 1. Streets of Rage 2

Great content! Feels like a documentary, awesome!

Just stumbled across this channel, good stuff! Thanks for the trip down memory lane, I was 4 when the Genesis launched. Sadly the folks never upgraded our NES but still had great memories playing it at friends houses and every time we would go to rent videos!

One other thing... Everyone should go and play Ecco the Dolphin. It has precise and responsive controls, the music is sublime and the artwork is transcendent. Overall one of the most atmospheric and immersive games of it’s time. It’s not too hard but it is hard. Especially having to balance rocks on your nose and move them around. The ice stage is crazy difficult but it’s all the more reward when you succeed. One thing I got stuck on back in the day is a statue you have to sonar to open another passage. But we have walkthroughs now and there’s no shame in using them a bit.

Criminally underrated video! Can't wait to keep up on your content

Great video! You mentioned the cpu difference between the Genesis and Snes not being significant, but the Genesis clock speed was over 7mhz wheras snes was usually close to 3mhz. Ridiculously low clock speeds by today's standards, but notable

There are about releases for the Model 1. The first three or so have solid sound. The really early ones didn't have TMSS, which provided "Licensed By SEGA" upon each start. The capacitors were flaky as hell, but when it worked, the sound was great. The first six model 1's have the power port right up against the edge of the plastic. The last one, with the worst sound has it pushed over about half an inch with more room at the edge. Model 2s with the smaller motherboards are the best to get. The metal plate only covers about half of the vents on those. Awesome video!

oh man! this is great.

Fantastic job on this hour+ retro history of Sega and Genesis documentary!! Not to mention the great Genesis ost that played throughout👌 Actually learned a few things I'd never heard before, subbed happily!

Absolutely incredible video!!! Crazy talented!! Thank you!!! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

If you didn’t see and say “SEGA” either out loud or in your head along with the sound then you’re too young to watch this video and I feel sorry for you

Great video man! Really enjoyed it 💯

Good work on this video! Entertaining and I actually learned a lot more than I thought I would.

The memories and nostalgia are flooding in…wow! Brings me back to my childhood…what a time.

Love your vids, keep up the good work!

Excellent video. This was my childhood right there, as well as the Master System. Sega fanboy from the beginning. Stayed loyal through the Saturn (do a review, it’s not as bad as you think! Panzer Dragoon Saga is killer). And right through the devastation that was the discontinuation of the Dreamcast.

WOW. really awesome and thorough content. Loved this video of yours.

Your Mom rocks bro. Also thanks for taking the time into making those video I sat and listen through

Really liked how you shared your experience with the 16-bit machine. As an ex-Sega fan, it’s pretty easy to look back at the company’s messy history (even in its heyday), but considering today’s aspects in gaming we take for granted, there lies a beauty in the larger than life nature of Sega, Nintendo’s first genuine competition. As someone who stuck with Nintendo throughout my childhood, picking up a Genesis, a Dreamcast, and games for both was an exhilarating moment that I will never forget. Thank you so much for this video! Sega might be practically “dead”, but what came thence has and will forever endure. 🦔 🐬

The mega drive that you featured was the japanese version. The PAL Mega Drive had a white stripe where it was red in the US and Japanese version, the reset button was white, the gold 16-Bit lettering was smaller (similar size to the Genesis) and the Mega Drive font differs to the font used in the Japanese version which was placed on the bottom right hand corner

Brilliant video. Thank you 😃

Absolutely outstanding content, as always!

The Genesis was my only Sega console, but it was one of my favorite. It held me over until the N64 release, I do wish I could have gotten a Saturn as well, but the gaming parties at my house were lit! My goal is to release a game on the platform. It sucks you didn't speak of any of the newly released titles for the system, the console is very much alive in 2021.

This was great to watch!! Thank you!

Please make the Dreamcast video soon! Love these extra long and detailed ones, thank you for the work and massive amount of time required to do so! One of my favorite tech channels by far, to think I only found this channel in the last year or so

This really has that Gaming Historian feels especially with the length.

Great job! You done your homework here and it paid off. Its been very entertaining and enjoyable. Being someone who watched this console war unfold in person this video kinda took me back. Back in the day I had such high hopes and expectations from Sega but I do remember the utter confusion and excitement when they started pushing so many add-ons and consoles. I remember buying and supporting sega products from the Genesis on up. I actually bought the 32x at launch with Virtra Racing Deluxe and wasn't disappointed. Its my favorite version of that game up until this day.

For the record, I’m so glad that Sega made the CD and 32x, because I’m developing a game utilizing them both just to show what could have been done with it. And the model one Sega CD is GORGEOUS. It’s not weird looking dude. You’ve never seen it up close. It’s PREMIUM. Sega made a huge mistake not developing serious games for it, they should have done the Super Scroller arcade ports on it. Would have been a huge bonus.

Thoroughly enjoyed this. Also, cool mom you got there!

Very Indept vid! I enjoyed it

Really enjoyed this, great job man! I’m 28 so mega drive ( I’m English ) was my first home console, you unlocked a lot of good memories 🙂 great job man

I'm glad gamers like you exist most younger gamers don't understand retro games

I’m a huge fan of the Sega Genesis, or Mega Drive as it was known in PAL regions. I remember my brother used to bring home one of these back in the day. A few years ago, I found an original model Mega Drive at a charity shop here in Australia. It only cost $5AU and worked perfectly. It even came in a Nuby case, with two controllers!

I was a Nintendo kid growing up. I'm 41 years old now. Even though I always had Nintendos, I always wanted a Sega. Altered Beast and Echo the Dolphin were my favorite Sega games back in the day.

Great retrospective

When he said his mom had a Genesis back in the 90's - did anyone else suddenly feel old?

*Thanks for the memories , great video* As for the sound-system part @27:06 , yeah , the Genesis/MegaDrive had such a unique electronic/synthesizer capabilities , and my ears loved these sounds !! --P.S. Whoever isn't aware of this @ *the adventures of Batman & Robin* soundtrack ,shows what kind of incredible capabilities SEGA's console had for electronic music. *This game's soundtrack is a landmark in electronic/synthesizer sound and even today still remains flawless* (SEGA's version for this game was created by a different developer than the SNES one , thus the SEGA version is in a league of its own . So superior in everything !!! )

Really nicely presented review of the system. Perhaps someone pointed out already, but the HD graphics text = good sound isn't quite accurate. Sega had a number of board revisions, and the last "High Definition Graphics" was revision VA6, which could also be found in many of the earliest units without the High Definition Graphics text. The model to integrate the FM chip was VA7 and beyond. So it is quite possible yours has the discrete Yamaha chip. Know this since I got a Mega Drive (Europe) without the text on ebay recently. Was kicking myself since I didn't research the audio beforehand, and only looked it up AFTER I purchased it. I opened it up and lo and behold, it was VA6 and had all the discrete chips and same audio setup going as the previous model 1 boards! So I looked it up on some of the sega enthusiast forums and yes, this is indeed the case, and seems to be regardless of whether PAL (European) or an American Genesis. I guess the best way to summarise it is, if you get a model 1 with the High Definition Graphics text on it, then you can be guaranteed it has the good audio output. Otherwise it is a gamble..

Curiously the Genesis on Brazil had a bank application from Bradesco, a cartridge with a modem to dial-up to consult the account balance and other things. We had too a custom version of the Wonder Boy with comic characters from Turma da Monica.

Great Video. My favorite Sega CD game Sonic CD was updated in 2011. The digital release made Tails playable with new sprite artwork and you could choose either US or JAPAN soundtrack!

Great Retrospective 91. I would just add Blast processing is real you can 'blast data at the CPU (*and The SEGA cpu was x3 faster than the snes cpu) to temporarily output a higher colour palette. its just the marketing department made a huge deal out of it

I appreciate that although this system came out 10 years before you were born, you show appreciation for it.

It would be Brad Buxer, who worked with Michael Jackson, who'd get most of the credit for the music they contributed to Sonic 3. The music used in Ice Cap Zone is an instrumental version of a previously unreleased song "Hard Times" by Brad Buxer's band, The Jetzons.

I had Strider for the genesis. I got it when I was real young without knowing what it was and to me at the time it felt foreign and eerie somehow. Was fun as hell though. I had only learned many years later that it was a favorite.

Owned a genesis back in the days! Comix Zone was my favorite game at that time!

As an older guy, whenever people talk about old hardware and consoles i like making a deep look into the distance and say "I was there when it all began".

❤️ Sega mega drive / Genesis. 👍 Great video

Great 👍🏿 video 🇨🇦🔥👊🏿

17:00 YES THERE WAS. Revenge of Shinobi was the pre-Sonic Sega Mega Drive killer app. An exclusive designed from the ground up for Genesis and a sequel to a very popular arcade game, the arcade sequel was also put on the Genesis. So to adults I believe Shinobi was the mascot before Sonic ever came about.

I recently got a Genesis and now I'm geting games for it

Great video, if you haven’t watched/read Console Wars by Blake J Harris, it’s highly recommended (we also interviewed him for our podcast recently, along with Tom Kalinske and Al Nilsen). Such a great time in the industry, and it would have been good if you’d covered more about how Tom was recruited by Nakayama, etc ... still, any Sega content is good Sega content!

The Genesis didn't had built in instruments. Sound drivers were developed by programmers or composers themselves to have a set of instruments at disposal, but those were done from scratch, by ear, modulating each one of the sound channels. GEMS was one of those sound drivers and was commissioned by SEGA of America (AFAIK) to facilitate the composition and SFX creation process of various developers who didn't had enough experience with the FM and PSG sound chips of the console, but most of them instead of learning how to create new instruments they only used the default ones (Like examples) and in the process a lot of games sounded very samey, and in most cases pretty bad. Maybe you got confused with that, lots of games sounded pretty similar because they used the same instruments from that driver not because the console had them built in. There's a big list you can find on internet of all the sound drivers that were programmed back then and the games that used each one, you'll find a lot of GEMS ones. Mostly japanese developers had the edge using the Genesis sound hardware because FM was very popular there, almost every arcade and PC had FM sound chips, so it was natural for most of them.

It does not matter your age... What does matter is your love and knowledge of the device. And that we can see... Good video

Best video by far

26:24 EXCELLENT CHOICE! Chemical Plant Zone Theme is my jam.

I had a sega cd back in the days. Final fight was by far my fav game

"I don't think theres a better game to represent the 90s.." *Porceeds to look at Doom*

I had the model 2 in my teens, also had the first SNES, and I played the Genesis more. I also had model 2 SEGA CD and 32X (though I barely played the 32X as I had a hard time finding games and those I did have weren’t that fun).

This is awesome. Make a Super Nintendo one!

What I was expecting: A review of a console that came out 30 years ago What I got: A brief history of video games and consoles since the late 80's including how Sega went from the top to now just licensing their titles like Sonic the Hedgehog to other platforms, and how gaming culture evolved over the past 3 decades and how video games went mainstream. This is just simply amazing. Even I learned a lot from this!

I honestly don't know how you don't have more views on this. This was really well done. I was a teen/young adult around this time and really engrossed in the video game scene having had all three 16-bit consoles. I love the coverage of the game industry coming under fire from the US government. That Howard Lincoln was such a hypocritical douchebag but then again, I'm sure he was just doing his job making Nintendo look innocent.

i was born in 02 but i grew up with a gbc and og xbox and my dad had a dream cast, which i found again in the attic 2 weeks ago along with a n64, anyways i always loved the genesis i emulated the games a lot then in 2019 my dad got me a og model 2 genesis with Aladin , the lost Vikings, sonic 2 and toejam and earl 2, fun fact toejam and earl 2 was the first retro sega game i played , and it was on the Wii, i will always love Sega even though i never grew up Durning its hay day

Great content, I'm sure we all know that Michael Jackson mystery is deeper than you mentioned: SEGA had advertised that he was helping create Sonic 3, before its release. But then child charges blew up, and the actual release of Sonic 3 lacks any credit to him, but DOES have obvious content from him, while officially Sega denies that any of his contributions were kept in the final product, it's just obviously right there. Sonic 3 alone, ending theme = "Stranger in Moscow" and it's awesome. Knuckles' original theme was from Michael, as well as the songs for: Carnival Night, Ice Cap Zone (or at least his working-partner), Launch Base are all obviously from Michael Jackson. Though it's technically a conspiracy theory to acknowledge that, but it's just so blatantly obvious that his music really IS in Sonic 3 (alone). Interestingly, locking-on Sonic & Knuckles, already starts replacing some of the music from Michael: Knuckles theme is completely different, and no more "Stranger in Moscow" which is really one of the gems of enjoying Sonic 3-alone, you can just keep replaying the end credits, haha. I just wanted to mention in case people don't realize it's way deeper than the video quickly mentioned, mainly it's important to acknowledge that Michael's music REALLY IS THERE in Sonic 3-alone, and Sega just won't acknowledge it, but it's obviously there anyway.

Man, those were such better days. I had the tg16 first, then the snes a year or so later, then the genesis. They were all good systems, with real differences between them unlike today. I still play them often - there is just something so charming and fun about them. You need to do a Dreamcast video - Sega’s crowning achievement before they died.

Its 2023 and I'm still playing my sega genesis!

The Master System was very popular in regions other than North America, so the success of the Mega Drive/Genesis was no surprise here in New Zealand for example. The current Brazilian TecToy Sega consoles are just the equivalent of 'flashback' type consoles sold elsewhere, but openly making it easier to get(or include) more games. They're not using cartridges. The Mega CD addons were later sold at massive discounts here, for what was a bargain $nz50 then, though I still don't think they were very popular. And yes, I wish I bought a bunch and left them in the box.

10:47 In South America The Genesis 3 was released as the "Sega Family System"

The SNES has 8, 16 colour pallets. The first colour is used for transparency on sprites. So the actual number of colours on screen is 128 (without transparencies). The concept of the 32X is not confusing. It was not difficult to program for. The games sucked because they were rushed when it was decided, almost as soon as it came out, that it was to be discontinued. The concept was sound and poised for success. But following it’s cancellation, it was doomed.

As a 44 year old GenX bastard... who might be a tad drunk on a weekend, I love this so much. Joe Lieberman, I never so much as punched someone thanks to video games. I had sports rivalries mixed with alcohol for that level of stupidity. 1980's satanic panic over D&D all over again. America loves to clutching pearls over media, it is our real national pastime. This was a well produced and in-depth video essay about something I love, I look forward to more. Aloha and Mahalo.

At 28:15 you said Nintendo lied about the sell of the SNES. Where di you learn about that?

Is that model 1 displayed on a skate box at 8:20? That is pretty cool. Actually nevermind, it looks more like scaffolding. Great video though. thanks

Josh, you think you could a re-review of the iPhone 11 Pro series and see if its worth it now or to wait for iPhone 12 series to drop? Considering battery life on the 11 series is better than 12s i would appreciate it a video on this and daily use of these phones compared.

The Genesis' synthesizer itself doesn't have built-in instruments. The "samey" sounding games are due to the use of the same GEMS instruments by different American-developed games (GEMS being the music programming tool released to American developers).

1990 Neo Geo was the home console to beat for graphics, but good luck affording one and the library wasn’t nearly robust enough to justify it.

@91Tech your discord link doesn't work.

Apparently some model 1 consoles which lack the "High Definition Graphics" text on the top still have the same quality sound as the earliest revisions, but usually they have worse sound. Also, apparently some Model 2 consoles have significantly worse sound quality than others, with none of them being as good as the earlier model 1s. There is a common mod called the "triple bibass mod" which can improve video output quality (and options) as well as get the sound to the same or even better quality than the early Model 1s.

How cool is your Mom, bro?! She sounds AMAZING! Genesis was the first system I fell in love with and had me wander away from Nintendo....never to return, due to the Playstation after it then Xbox to next gens etc. but the 8 bit was my last care for Nintendo. Genesis sports games all day....NHL/Madden 96, having to do different things on controller for skills when creating a player in Madden.lol. I always had to get my brother to button mash the 40 yd dash to determine speed. Evander Holyfield boxing....the O.G Fight night franchise. Good times! Great job on all of your content.

Love this video and thanks for all the effort. I would politely disagree that the Genesis/Megadrive was “a near perfect version of the arcade games”. I’m a Sega fanboy but that wasn’t quite the case. The games were just way closer to the arcade versions than any other console or PC at the time😊

There are at least 2 excellent examples of what FMV could have been on the Sega CD; Stalker and Road Avenger. They use Anime instead of live action and I think that’s a great aesthetic choice.