Sega Genesis (Mega Drive) - Fourth VideoGame Generation Recap - Adam Koralik 

“It did Pretty well in South America” *is literally the longest lasting console of all time*

The Sega Genesis. The console that raised me as a child more than my parents did.

The trademark was owned by Mega Drive Systems Inc, a computer hardware company.

I wonder if Pamela Anderson is compatible with the 32X.

I completely agree with your SNES vs. Genesis battle being kind of pointless with how good these two systems are. I wish more people took this point of view. Can't go wrong with either.

Back in the day we owned a Sega Master System and Sega Mega Drive. My cousins owned one, my friends owned one. But no one, and I repeat, no one that knew owned a NES or Super NES. I'm not even sure if it was well known in Australia. Personally, I had never even heard of Nintendo until I purchased a VHS copy of Toy Story back in 1995 or 1996 and the Super Nintendo was mentioned in the advertisement for the video game tie-in before the movie started. Years later I saw The Wizard, but the NES never jumped out at me. The first Nintendo console that I ever saw was Nintendo 64, a friend had one and was playing Goldeneye on it, but I ultimately picked the Sony PlayStation over it. We didn't own a Saturn or Dreamcast, but until 2002 or 2003 there was even gigantic arcade called Sega World, it was full of games and rides and so forth. Sega certainly left its mark on Australia.

Dear Adam, I am writing to inform you that I enjoy your content, and implore you, for the love of sweet baby children, to never stop making videos. You are not only informative but your general tone and presentation of said information is easy to listen to. I thank you, Regards Barron Von Strumpfl

Another great vid. I'm fortunate to have grown up during the Genesis vs. SNES console war. What a glorious time it was!

Adam, John Petrucci the guitarist in the prog-Metal band, Dream Theater did the soundtrack for one of the Sonic games.

The Genesis is a fantastic console. I was born in 92 so I was a little young but I remember having one in the mid 90s and my favorite game bar none is Puggsy. Between the amazing music and the innovative physics mechanic, to me is just such an incredible game. I've since got a High Definition Graphics model one recently with a model two Sega CD bundled together at a local game store. I was blown away at how nice they looked. They seriously look like it was sealed and was just recently taken out of the box.

There are actually a lot of good licensed game on the Genesis. Toy Story, believe it or not, is visually on par with Donkey Kong county and is a lot of fun.

I'm rewatching some of your old vids Adam and that "McDonald's!" made me laugh so hard lmaooo

I love Sega Genesis/Mega Drive. That Sega console was a masterpiece.

+Prince Vegeta That's not how that works. The Super 8 replicates the hardware/software. It's not built into the console. To call that backwards compatibility is like saying the Wii is backwards compatible with Atari 2600 games because it uses emulators. The Genesis had all the Master System hardware built in since day one, the only thing it lacked was the cartridge shape.

Thank you very much for your videos Adam, (i' m also a shenmue fan from france, i even made a fancard game about it ^^). This video is 4 years old and i'm sure you know this story already but i read somewhere that macdonald treasure land was a cornerstone concerning the birth of treasure and is somehow linked to gunstar heroes, making the macdonald game was a way to earn the right to make gunstar heroes. There, i found the story : " Treasure was founded on June 19, 1992. Around the time of founding, the company had just over ten people. Even though most of the staff made games for the Super NES at Konami, they wanted to develop Gunstar Heroes for the Sega Genesis because the system's Motorola 68000 microprocessor was necessary for the visuals and gameplay they were striving for. Treasure approached Sega for a publishing contract. At first, they were not granted approval because they lacked a track record, but Sega instead contracted them to develop McDonald's Treasure Land Adventure (1993). Several months into development, they were granted approval to work on Gunstar Heroes. Treasure staff was split into two teams to work on both games in parallel. They had a staff of around 18 people at the time, most being ex-Konami programmers. The staff felt they had more freedom working under Sega than Konami. McDonald's Treasure Land Adventure was completed first, but Treasure decided to finish and release Gunstar Heroes first because they wanted their debut to be an original game". Again, thanks a lot for your videos, old and new. Waiting for shenmue 4 ^^

I have my snes and genesis hooked up right next to each other looks so good

I liked what you said about the best games being lesser known. I've always felt that as well as the way the genesis appealed to older gamers has led to this bias that is very common today that the snes completely outclassed the Genesis. In the console wars book they talk about marketing to college campuses and teens that probably dropped out of gaming when sega died off or when they got busy with their careers nowadays. Meanwhile the snes very much marketed to the elementary age market who just now are in prime nostalgia age which lead to the idea that some people have that sega was never good. Plus the way Nintendo and square and others have still been keeping the public aware of franchises that were in their stride on snes.

No Sega model 1 with a CD model 1 with a power base? My heart is broken!

Adam, I have to say my brother’s favorite console....Saga Genesis. My brother was born in March ‘79 and I have a sister born in November ‘81. We all have memories playing video games. I remember when we got the Genesis....we would play Golden Axe & Altered Beast for hours!!!!!

Hey Adam, great video as always! I wanted to let you know about some things that you might not be aware of: All versions of the CDX support RGBS however there is a problem with the video output so only certain RGBS cables work. You need one with boosted C-Sync. Also, the Genesis 3 works with the 32X/PBC, but it requires an easy mod. Also, there is a true digital HDMI mod on the way for the Dreamcast. It bypasses the DAC chip that creates analog video so you get a true digital signal. It is better than VGA. There is a true digital HDMI adapter for the GameCube right now. It just takes the Digital AV port's digital audio/video signals and converts them to usable digital DVI-D signals over HDMI and Digital Audio signals over TOSLINK. It isn't in cable form yet because we cant get the connector needed. Since it requires soldering to the mobo, it works on DOL-101s and allows 480p on those models.

Wohooo I just bought a Megadrive (i am from germany) and a PS 1 on the flea market!!! so rewatching you realted videos now :) great content mister!!!

This series is such a treat and well worth a long wait. Your passion for this stuff really shows.. Tnx man..

Boy, that look at all those MegaDrive/Genesis revisions was hilarious! Also hooray for both the MD and SNES, really gotta love them both.

Lol I started with the PS2 era 🤣🤣🤣 feels like I missed out

The best part about the model 1 was the headphone jack + volume slider, so you could play at night without your parents knowing it...

Genesis does what Nintendon't, I always love that Advertisement. Even I am a Nintendo Fanboy. XD

I got my Genesis late in it's lifespan, around 1995 for my sixth birthday, and I loved it. Got so much mileage out of the 6-Pak cart that it came with. The only thing that annoyed me in hindsight was that Majesco (who took over production of the console or so I've heard) is that they just bundled the console with the three-button controller and not a six-button one

Learning a couple of weeks ago the passing of your mother and when u mention her n ur videos warms me she gave u great video game memories

+Manuel Toscano You need to enable replies. In response to what you said, I said Rocket Knight Adventures, which was made by Konami, was similar to Mega Man. I never said Mega Man was made by Konami.

I actually laughed out loud at the Pioneer with the 32x in it. :D

Man, when you put in Sonic and Knuckles into the top of the 32x I just realized that the SEGA was growing and my first thought was SEGA Destructicons

I love this video. The Mega Drive/Genesis is and will always be my favourite console you really did the console justice with this vid. Cheers

Great vid =) Love the Genesis and found some of the stuff you talked about very interesting!

Always nice to see you geek out about this stuff lol. I grew up with Nintendo consoles and I have to admit Sega was always way more interesting with their hardware and software. I think the best thing about the Genesis by far is the soundchip, the Streets of Rage games sound amazing on a good soundsystem. Annoys me to see people shit on Genesis sound a lot.

You have a talent to just relax and be your self in front of the camera and it makes for a great video. Thanks for sharing all your info , it’s a pleasure to watch!

Thanks for the video Adam. I like that you added games with the console review. Especially the lesser know ones. The recaps are some of your best material.

I simply have to suggest the game Garfield Caught In The Act. It's a licensed game, but it's a really fun platformer that you can get really cheap.

19:38 - the original Tower of Power lol

I love getting the history on these things that I didn't know as a kid. I was an original adopter of the 3DO back in 1993, but I only understood the business model and its impact on that console when I saw your video on it this year. Keep these things coming all the way to the beginning!

Adam, I'm legitimately glad not only that you decided to make these console generational videos, but also that I came across your channel on RU-vid. Seriously man, this takes me back to my early days playing with my Super Nintendo while my cousins were on their Sega Genesis... without even knowing we were actually becoming fan boys (hate that term btw) of our respective systems. I haven't owned a console since Nintendo 64, and have been a PC Gamer since Unreal Tournament 99 came out. ..however I might start a collection of the past consoles since I have so many good memories of the experiences on them as a kid. In summary... keep kicking ass man. Great perspective pieces on each generation, and enjoying all the info that wasn't really available at the time.

sega advertising guy: what are you making? Nintendo:a snes. sega:put a Genesis in there ohh wait.

Want to know something horrible, the Dreamcast had LJN games on it. Easily the worst games on the system.

After a long wait this is so satisfying to see in my sub box

They should've aggressively marketed the all-in-one unit that was a Genesis, Sega CD, and karaoke machine! It could've been a hit for house parties across all ages.

you forgot sega 32x with 32x.

Genesis was clearly the better system...even the music was badass. Streets of Rage 2 music was awesome, and so was Mickey Mouse Castle of Illusion...play it inebriated and thank me later.

My favorite console of all time. Ps1 was my favorite until I watched your videos. Your love for sega is contagious. I have tower of power and a few model 2's. Such a great console. Want a complete set one day. Great video and one day I will play McDonald's treasure land adventure.

I would have liked to have both consoles in my early days of gaming. I grew up with the Genesis back in the early of 2000s and I never got a Super Nintendo until 2019.

The Terminator comparison with Sonic is a bad one. Terminator 2 is subjectively better than the Terminator to some people. I find Terminator 1 a far superior film.

all those add on combos really amazed me, never knew about those. Thnx for the video!!

Master System was such a great console. Many happy times playing my hero when I was a kid.

Thanks Adam! i love this type of videos! There is always new stuff to learn!

Hey you should make more videos like this or in this format. This honestly is the best made video I've watched about retro gaming.

michael jackson was also in ready to rumble boxing round 2 on the dreamcast. seem's he appeared on sega consoles allot lol. loved the genisis (mega drive for me) one of my fav consoles ever :)

Dude, you're hilarious, love your work ! I found your channel a few days back and thanks to your recaps, I've learnt more gaming history in 1 week than I had in 1 year ! cheers, and subbed !

European kid from 86 as well: i still have my Sega consoles at home and i can say i love you man ❤️ your vids are exquisite and it’s refreshing to see someone my age extremely passionate about videogames!

Definitely my favorite console, prices do seem to have risen and they are becoming increasingly rare in the UK (all I can find is a ridiculous amount of football games, shitty ones at that). One of my favorite games on it is Mickey Mania but the music in Thunder Force IV is goddamn bad ass!

Christmas 1993 is when I got my Megadrive too, and it was the model 2 bundled with Sonic 2, and also Sonic 1. I was only three years old at that point though, so probably spent the first 6 months or so watching my mum or dad play it more than I did.

Sega Channel was the best. $13 a month for 50ish games. So so good. Better than renting games before buying. Sega Channel is how I found Flicky, Ristar, Streets of Rage 2, and Biohazard Battle. In my opinion, Sega is the most innovative console company ever. People can argue Nintendo, but Sega did so much stuff that often gets overlooked.

Great video. Your passion for the Mega Drive (Genesis) really comes through :) Props to the great Tom Kalinske for his part in making the Mega Drive so successful.

It was a great time to be a kid, and a gamer. Love your videos Adam.

Thinking bout getting a genesis so really appreciate the video didn't think there were so many variations. My first game might either be Comic Zone or Rocket Knight

Awesome video Adam! :D Michael Jackson was also in Ready 2 Rumble Round 2 aswell, but i'm sure you were already well aware of that :)

I watch this video to feel better. Your energy and excitement is contagious. +1 to top comments over 600.

Another fantastic video.. a trip back through history ..brilliant !

Love these videos! Most of what I know about Sega I read in the Console Wars novel as well as a couple of other books. It's interesting to hear this kind of a perspective on the hardware, though.

So much props for mentioning Rocket Knight Adventures! I love it and it's perhaps my favorite Genesis game. Great video, I can't wait for the next one.

Awesome video man! Keep it up your my favorite retro video game youtuber by far!

Your video convinced me to buy a Genesis. Love the vids. Also, I would love to see a 3rd gen recap!

As ever top quality work!! I had a Mega Drive, a model one version bought when it was first out for which I paid £189 - plus the Power Base and then eventually the first version of the Mega CD. It was wildly popular over here in Britain, with the Nintendo competition coming a very distant second - we played basically played Sega! I'm 45 and remember those years very well - some of the games I remember having are Populous, Ecco the Dolphin, Sonic, Altered Beast, Dick Tracey, Madden with the amberlance coming onto the field and a load of others lost in the mists of time!!

Thank you for making this kind of vídeos. History about consoles is fascinating!

I must say, as a new owner of a bitchin' Japanese Sega Megadrive 2, this is actually my favourite video in your long list of Amazing videos!

The Sega Genesis was my first system ever and it was awesome. Streets of rage 1 and 2! Hey Adam, I enjoy your content, but dude , you be low key flexin', love it!! He showed the genesis, yet have other versions noice! 💪🔥

That montage was very funny! I also can't believe the Sega Channel thing, that's insane.

The first two Streets of Rage still get regular play in my house. And the music was just the icing on the cake. Desert Strike was also a favorite back in the day. Never had the add ons though I may have to check them out after watching. Adam's enthusiasm and passion shines through so hard sometimes I swear he's radioactive.

Hey Adam from the UK! I'm a big fan of the show and it's turned me on to Sega, a company which I largely missed. My housemates bought me a Mega Drive for my 21st birthday yesterday and I cannot wait to start collecting some awesome stuff! Keep it up bro.

great video Adam, if it wasn't for the uber greatness of the Amiga I would have had my Megadrive for longer in the early 90's. Loved the console.

Yes!Looking forward to this.

This is my 1st time hearing about Pier Solar. I just googled images it. Damn, it looks awesome. A real good full use of the power of the genesis Fantasy game. I gotta find that game.

Love these series of videos. One note on the six button controller. It was NOT added just to one-up the SNES (exclusively)... it was actually released in conjunction with Street Fighter 2. Unlike the SNES it had the the same layout as the Street Fighter 2 arcade stand up unit. I remember saving all my money as a kid to get SF2 AND two 6 button controllers. Personally I love the six button controller and it became my favorite controller for the Genesis. Love the series.

as always great videos, learning so much with them!

I got the Sega Genesis for the arcade classics...Altered Beast and Golden Axe :)

Well done. I owned a Nomad while deployed overseas in Bosnia during the late 90s. I remember playing Comic Zone and it was so damned hard.

Adam, don't ever stop making your videos. I feel nostalgia every time I watch you talk about these system's. I truly feel something is lost or something is missing with these new systems. Granted there are great games on the new generation consoles but with all the problems of dev's and there shit riddled day 1 fixes and charging dlc for every freakin game I'm starting to hate gaming on any system. What I hope for is another video game industry crash so we can finally go back to where we started.

Hey this was released on my birthday thanks for the awesome video Adam.

Loved the video Adam! This is actually my favorite console of all time. Just wanted to mention that my CDX supports RGB, I just use the same cable as the Model 2. I hook all my consoles to my SACRT TV and the CDX looks as good as the previous models. My friend got one a while ago and when using RGB, everything looked "dim". So maybe there are different board revisions out there?! Maybe my friend's system needs some new caps?! I don't know.

wait... what!? jacko secretly did music on sonic 3?!!?! thats mental! man, this was such an awesome video. my favourite console as a kid, my absolute all time favourite in terms of nostalgia, and still a console with so much to give.. theres dozens of games on my shelves ive yet to play.. really well done mate. lots of obscure and fascinating info in this vid.

@AdamKoralik that cranberry analogy had me laughing for 5 minutes staright,your awesome man. love your videos.

Imo, the great video game system ever made, so I was looking forward to this recap the most and, as expected, it was great.

you're best video so far -of the ones I've seen anyway. Thumbs up.

Your awesome dude, i love how enthusiastic you are about what you are showing us, subbed (y)

I love this video I always watch it like every 2 months.

Oh aswell, part of my ritual when getting a new game was to read the manual on the bog before comensing play....

Another great video Adam. Keep them coming. The Mega Drive went down great here in the UK,it's awsome.

Hearing you talk about your momma in this video broke my heart been watching you for a while. Hope you’re okay Adam. Love your videos

Loved the video Adam I like these retro video laurn alot from these

Loving the beard, dude. Keep up those awesome reviews!

Great video Adam, very well done.

Oh man I would have mentioned the version of Castlevania for the Genesis. That game is amazing!! Very awesome video none the less :)

I was quite stunned when you showed all the different versions and add ons for it.