Streets of Rage 2 is not only one of the most important video games in the history of the genre, but it is truly a magnum opus simulation of how to live a successful and valuable life. To this day, I still engage in fights with random street toughs, before beating up mailboxes and abandoned steel drums, in the vain hope of finding that all important, life healing road apple or street turkey!
@@kevingarth6682 And if there's one thing the world needs right now, it's enlightenment. That, and more young woman with the name of "Street Turkey". I'll see myself out.
Earthworm Jim pushed the processor to its limits and maybe even beyond- but the result was fluid, with memorable music and sound effects that were akin to Looney Tunes… this game had it all-nostalgia, replay value, and that addictive gameplay. All set in a hilarious, zany universe of its own. Therefore, that would’ve been my number one.
Some of my personal favourites - Shining Force 2, Comix Zone, Shadowrun, Road Rash 3, Golden Axe I and II, Mutant League Hockey, Pirates Gold. These are all awesome.
Omg I loved all those, including Phantasy Star. We had Sega Channel back then which is the only reason I got to play most of those at the time. Probably spent most of my time playing Shining Force and Shadowrun though.
I tell people shadow run for Sega will change the way u think for the rest of your life not to mention an awesome game but very few listen some one needs to take that game and randomly scramble the locations to give it even more replay value or some kind of sequel that runs on that engine
@@duanenichols8666 there is a pretty good shadowrun reboot/remake for consoles & PC. Its a turn-based strategy game based on the tabletop though. Not like the Genesis version which was like a one-off. Definitely its own thing and a great game.
Hmmm my top 10, in no particular order, would be: Gunstar Heros Streets of Rage 2 Castlevania Bloodlines Rocket Knight Adventures Phantasy Star 4 Beyond Oasis Shinobi 3 Contra Hard Corps (JP) Shining Force 2 Landstalker
@attilathehun0 moonwalker was awesome lol. Alien storm is the one that should be replaced. I would personally have road rash 2, but bloodlines is amazing.
My personal top 10: 10. Zombies Ate My Neighbors 9. TMNT: Hyperstone Heist 8. Ghouls N Ghosts 7. Phantasy Star IV 6. Lightening Force: Quest for the Darkstar 5. Rocket Knight Adventures 4. Pirates! Gold 3. Castlevania: Bloodlines 2. Mutant League Hockey 1. NHL 94
NHL '94 might be the all-time best ice hockey video game for simple pick up and play fun if you're like me and don't need current player stats. Ghouls N' Ghosts, Phantasy Star IV, and Rocket Knight Adventures would probably also be on my top 10.
@@NeverQuit87 I don't think I ever played '96. I might have rented '95 (not sure) but, if I did, I didn't find it different enough from '94 to bother upgrading.
@@NeverQuit87 Yes, it just may be the best hockey game on the system, but it's not the one I spent the most time with (this is a personal top 10 and not a "best of" list, yea?).
My list in no particular order would definitely have Phantasy Star 2&4, TNMNT, Mortal Kombat 2&3, Contra Hard Corps, Earthworm Jim 1&2, Aladdin, Eternal Champions, Mutant League Football, NBA Jam, Dessert & Jungle Strike, Thunder Force 3&4, Xeno Crisis, Jurassic Park, NHL 94 There are so many great Genesis games, any list is a good list. Great memories.
Castlevania: Bloodlines, Road Rash I & II, Truxton, Sonic Spinball, TMNT Hyperstone Heist, Aladdin, The Lion King, Comix Zone, ThunderForce III and the list goes on. lol
@@Blankult Sorry. I love Sonic Spinball. It came bundled with my first Sega Genesis in '94 when I bought it new. Loved the game ever since and it's one of my favorite Sonic games.
@@Blankult Hey man. It is all a matter of opinion. Thanks for commenting anyway. And once you get the hang of the controls. Spinball is a blast to play. Unlike a regular pinball game. You can control Sonic where you want him to go. And even in mid-air. lol
Yeah Alien Storm is certainly one of the best beat 'em ups on the system. I love that it breaks up the beat 'em up action a bit with the FPS and run n gun sections. Very clever alien designs too.
Probably one of my favorite Genesis games back in the day and right up to today was Zombies Ate My Neighbors. (Which did show up on other platforms as well, but the Genesis version was my favorite.)
Underrated game…yet beloved by those who played it. I preferred the snes version due to the superior sound, but I loved (and somehow owned) the Genesis version as well.
I personally discovered Gain Ground along with Crack Down, playing on emulators (didn't know about them back when I had the console), and loved'em. I think they're two greatly overlooked games for the Genesis.
Love the list as well as other people's picks. My personal fave is the original Toejam and Earl. 2 player split screen and random worlds everytime you play. Great replay value and fun game for all.
I just got Toejam and Earl based on a recommendation from a friend. I love how you can pick the option to play it with randomized levels. That was unusual for the time and there are still not that many games that do that.
Phantasy Star IV, Golden Axe, Golden Axe II, Sonic the Hedgehog II, Cadash, Shadow Dancer, Castlevania Bloodlines, Gauntlet IV, Wonder Boy IV and King Colossus. Genesis was a killer console
Great seeing X-Men on this list. Very underrated sega game at the time. I was stoked to get it when it released and played the heck out of it. Definitely on the hard side but a very fun game all the way through. Good times.
Comix Zone is very creative and rather unique among games. Still nothing quite like it today. I found it quite frustrating to advance in, but I still appreciate the game design.
My favorite is sonic 3 with sonic and knuckles. Its the perfect sega game. Good story, awesome graphics and gameplay, the ability to save your progress. Then theres being not just super but hyper sonic, tails or knuckles. Its just total perfection
Great list! The one title that you missed is Mickey Mouse Castle of Illusion. It's a classic, with smooth animation, colorful environments, crisp sound, cool enemies & interesting levels. Heck, Sega even paid Disney to re-license, in order to remaster the game in 2013.
I remember that game. My sister and I had loads of fun playing co-op mode. Solo mode took you on different routes depending on which character you chose. Overall great title. Edit: World of Illusion I believe it was. Different title, similar gameplay.
@@valladolid0711 Ecco the Dolphin and Ecco the Tides of Time would be my number one picks, but I count those as Sega CD games, because those were the better versions.
Castlevania Bloodlines!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I would trade Gun Star Heroes for Contra Hard Corpse. But... How could Castlevania Bloodlines not make this list? That game is a Sega Genesis masterpiece! I agree with the list, definitely not in the same order, except for Gun Star Heroes.
when it comes to Rocket Knight, you're correct. however it's sequel called Sparkster DID wind up having an SNES port. *the more you know theme plays* as for this list it's an interesting take, i dunno where to begin on choosing my top 100, let alone a top 10.
Good list. For me Mickey Mouse castle of Illusion and Micro Machines 2 have to be in the top ten but with so many good games every ones top ten is different and you had a lot of my favourites in here.
Some of my favorites were: Rock n Roll Racing, General Chaos, Earthworm Jim, Vectorman, xmen clone Wars, streets of rage 3, TMNT hyperstone heist, mutant league hockey, NBA Jam
Yeah and then people in the comments complain that THEIR favorite game wasn’t included. As if everyone has the same list of top 10 games, it’s quite ridiculous.
There's been a Rocket Knight on SNES, called Sparkster. And Tails can't save us from holes in Sonic 2, we can only fly manually since Sonic 3. (Sorry I couldn't help but point it out. ^^' ) Anyway here's my top: 10. Shadow Dancer 9. Kid Chameleon 8. Quackshot 7. Gunstar Heroes 6. Ristar 5. Aladdin 4. Super Street Fighter 2 3. Flashback 2. Earthworm Jim 1 & 2 1. all Sonic's (I cheated a little, it's difficult enough to choose just 10 on my favorite 2D console. xD )
@@FoxUnitNell No, that was only introduced in S3 as previously mentioned. Perhaps there's been some re-release or mod that enables that, but not on the original console.
Yeah Sparkster for SNES is a great game, it's no worse than Rocket Knight Adventures for genesis. Also for SNES, Konami made a mash up game that plays exactly like rocket Knight Adventures but uses pop n Twinbee characters, called Pop n Twinbee Rainbow Bell Adventures. It's sort of like a Parodius version of the Sparkster series, very colourful and bright but it plays the same.
The sega channel back in the day was the ultimate video games paradise it was cool having to play up to 40 games per month and having cheats and hints to help you pre internet days where the hardest game was insane to beat now I have the sega mini with almost every genesis game on it nostalgia I would think about it during school and play it with my best friend the good days
Man, I give you credit for even trying, but there are just too many great games. ToeJam & Earl, Ghouls & Ghosts Quackshot, Castle of Illusion, Road Rash, Gaiares, Comix Zone, Beyond Oasis, Shinobi: Shadow Dancer, NHL Hockey would be my top 10. Honorable Mention: Flashback.
I know most love it but I could never get into it. And I could never find a copy in my town back in the day. I didn't play it until probably 8 years ago. They now have it for Switch so that works!
I was going to say Herzog zwei also. I'm on moonwalker no shumps yet.... No Misha, no thunder force, Darius, none of the toaplan games... Ugh even grind Stormer( V-5 was much better then grindstormer).
Batman & Robin MUST absolutely be on every top 10 in my opinion. Other great ones: contra hard corps, comix zone, alien soldier, earthworm jim, zombies ate my neighbours.. and if we go to arcade ports, well all mortal kombats, nba jam, etc
Got some great choices there John! I think for me it's tough choices but I really liked Eternal Champions, Comix Zone, Toy Story, Aladdin, Sunset Riders, Lightning Force and a whole bunch more... idk if I'd be able to select my favorite 10.
Definitely an essential list. Mine would include Ghouls N Ghosts, Forgotten Worlds, Strider, Shadowrun, E-Swat as well. Bloodlines and Hard Corps. Honestly the library is so good picking 10 would be hard.
Genesis Shadowrun is the most under the radar game on any console ever. I still play through it once or twice a year. Hard to say if I would put it above Shining Force 2 - 1a/1b?
@@patricksinotte5015 I always wished we got a sequel with some kind of co-op. Keep the top down retro graphics, but allow real players to control each runner on their jobs. Imagine the Samurai is protecting the hacker from guards while he shuts down security, that kind of teamwork in real time would have been really fun.
@@DrGamelove Yeah, and healing him while he's facing down Black Ice. Even if it was single player, but you had the ability to switch runners during a matrix run. I would have loved a "more of the same" sequel on the Genesis or Saturn with a new story, more areas, maybe a couple cities you could fly between, new run types, etc. But really, there's nothing like it. I am always baffled when I don't see it in these "best games on the Genesis" lists - not even in the comments sections. So many people missing out.
There was a game where you controlled a squad of 3-4 soldiers, each with different weapons, and had to fight an enemy squad over a small battlefield with cover and obstacles. It had really nice graphics, big sprites, cartoony style of art. Forgot the name. But it was surprisingly fun to play. I can't remember the name.
@@brianjackson3031 Yeah I was thinking about it and I for some reason "Sargent Slaughter" kept popping into my brain. But then I thought ... isn't that a wrestler? So then I had an epithany! I THINK it was called "General Chaos"! *edit* And a quick googe search says it was! Haha! That was a great game. Lots of fun and very original.
Gotta say that I admire John not feeling the need to pick 10 games nobody has heard of just to seem smart and cultured in games. Heck some games are games you are always free to disagree with(like I myself wouldn’t put Moonwalker on the list but to each his or her own) But many game reviewers feel that need to be like “well everyone would say Sonic or Shinobi!” But of course we would, don’t be afraid to put together your top best list and add games everyone knows and talks about!
That's very true. I like a lot of weird games, but if I list a personal top 10 for all systems, some Marios, Castlevanias, Metroids, etc. are gonna take the lion's share of that list, and on Genesis, a lot of popular stuff was popular for good reason. Streets of Rage, Contra, the Capcom ports... it was mainstream because it was awesome. It's hard to leave off some of the great sports games like NHL '94 that have stood the test of time, too!
Great video, great list. Although I have to say one of my all-time favourites is QuackShot. So much fun. Looks good, plays well. I recently went back to play it again and I still thoroughly enjoyed it. Brought a smile to my face.
I know it’s very hard to pick only 10 best genesis games but wanted to point out how influential and great of a title Phantasy Star 2 was for rpgs fot the future of gaming. Also Strider and Space Harrier 2 were great titles for the genesis.
I think all of us have our own top list of Sega games :) For example, I like Ecco the Dolphin, Sonic 2, Robocop 3, Alien 3, Street of Rage, Quackshot, Dune, Pirates of Dark Water, Jurassic Park, Aladdin.
Great list for a great system! Rocket Knight Adventures is one of my favorite games on the Genesis, probably in my personal top 3, so I love seeing it get represented in lists like this one.
Yes! Such a fun game! Absolutely top 10. This dude's list was all beat 'em ups and Sonic. All fine games, but not all top 10. And his omission of Beyond and Phantasy Star IV is criminal.
So, from Jan 1988 to Jan 1993 I was in the Army stationed in Japan. I bought my Genesis in Japan after coming back from leave in the States. I had to borrow Sonic for my unit didn’t come with it but my buddy’s did. Of course, I bought the popular games such as Madden Football, Zelda and Populous. Another mention would be Toe Jam and Earl. There was another game I played but bought it in a suburb of Tokyo called Akihabara. It was 8 square blocks of nothing but electronics. The game I bought I couldn’t tell you the name but it was a WWII turn based rpg type game. I had to figure out how to save and load games and also upgrade units by trial and error.
The Sega Genesis was my jam when I was a kid. I remember getting it for Christmas and came with Altered Beast and Sonic. During that short time that sega was getting rid of old stock and giving the incentive of getting the new sonic game. Of course back in the day you played what you could. So with that in mind my top games in no particular order are: Arrow Flash - I thought this was the best side shooter ever. The music is great, the levels are so much fun. So good. Zombies Ate My Neighbors- Such a good game. I loved the over all exploration and zany feel for this game. This was our Zombieland. Super Street Fighter II - In my opinion the best version of Street Fighter and with the expanded roster of player characters. It just took a great game of Street Fighter II and made it better. MERCS - great arcade shooter. Use to play this one with my brother. Running and gunning, trying to get to the end of each level. Micro Machines - I begged my mom so many times to rent this game any time I was sick. I loved having the toys as a kid. So getting to play this was a lot of fun for me. Road Rash II - I wasn't into to many racing games. But this was so much fun beating other bikers up and thinking up little stories for each one to either hate on or avoid hitting them. Toejam & Earl - The randomized levels and over all silliness of this game was so much fun. Best when playing with a friend or family member. Haunting Starring Polterguy - I hate scary movies. I am still traumatized from seeing the two Poltergeist movies as a young lad. But for some reason I really got into this game. Sonic II - Yes, I totally agree that this was the best sonic game. I loved it when you could collect all of the gems as early in the game that you could and then any time you had enough rings and double jump after that. It would transform you into super sonic. Paperboy 2 - Before I had a sega genesis. My game console was an intellivision. When I saw the first paperboy on the NES and in the arcade I wanted to play it so bad. When I finally got to play Paperboy 2. I absolutely fell in love with this game. I am going to go a few more than 10 because I can and I don't want to limit it ;). So a few others I really enjoyed that would be hard not to have on my top games list for the Sega Genesis. Flashback: The Quest for Identity - I loved this game and it's setting. I would probably play Flashback a couple times a year. When I picked up a switch many many years later this was on the top of my list to pickup for the switch. Just so I could play it again. Disney's Aladdin - Tough game to play today. But the best Disney game on the sega genesis. Kid Chameleon - Meta when you think of it. That you play as a kid who is a cool totally BA video gamer that has to beat the hardest arcade game at the time. Great for long sessions of gaming. Trying to find the fastest path to skip levels. Jungle and Urban Strike - Both of these games are fun. If you played any of the strike series you know what I am talking about. Star Trek: The Next Generation - Being a TNG fan. This was as close as we could get to being crew on the enterprise. Crue Ball - Man, I had fractured my arm around this time and my left arm was in a half cast all the way up to the palm of my hand. This was one of the few games I could play for a few weeks. Streets of Rage II - I think Jon Riggs hit all the notes about this one. Honorable mention and a bit of a hidden gem for me. Cyborg Justice, it's a couple games wrapped into one. With a fighting mode and a beat em up mode. Where you play as a downed pilot who got turned into a Cyborg and now you are pissed off. The opening cinematic was great for this game. In the game you could start out with your selection of parts. But if you wanted someone else arm weapon. Just rip it off from them and use it for yourself. I never finished this game. But I always came back to it from time to time.
Sonic 2, Street Fighter 2, Streets of Rage, NBA JAM and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles : The Hyperstone Heist. I owned these games and played them religiously! ❤️
Many crap on the third Streets of Rage but I liked it a lot. Anways here is my top 10 Sega Genesis games: 1. Sonic The Hedgehog 2 2. Sonic and Knuckles 3. Alisia Dragoon 4. Streets of Rage 5. Streets of Rage 2 6. Shinobi 3 7. Revenge of Shinobi 8. Thunder Force II 9. World of Illusion 10. Quackshot
SoR is actually the best gameplaywise level design and depth. But The amthmosphere and musics ruined the experrience for some people. Music in 1 and 2 were too good. But I agree with you. A Top 10 is impossible. Top 40 was really to make an it's a minimum.
@@michaelromeo9567 All lists are subjective and can be clouded with nostalgia for many reasons for a game making a list and many may not be on everyone's respective lists because they may not have played a particular game. Like I have Alisia Dragoon on my list but I haven't seen that game on any RU-vidrs top 10 Sega Games list yet and I have likely seen at least 40 or so.
Top 10 Sega Genesis games: 10. Sonic the hedgehog 9. Disney's Aladdin 8. Kid Chameleon 7. Castlevania Bloodlines 6. Sonic 2 5. Ghouls and Ghosts 4. Altered Beast 3. Rocket Knight Adventure 2. Sonic 3 and Knuckles 1. Splatter House 2
Zombies ate my neighbors, ExMutants,desert jungle urban strike,Chakan,SF2 turbo Champion edition,xmen2,xmen,Boogerman,Earthworm jim,Beyond Oasis,Shinobi3,Mutant League Football,Streets of Rage,Rocket Knight Adventures..just so many great games for a top 10 could easily do a top 50
You have some great games in here. I am always a little suprized that the Zombies ate my neighbors don't show up in best of lists too often. That was truly a great quirky game.
Such a great list! I spent so much time playing Moonwalker in the arcade. Then they had it at the old Tiger Mart on Nob Hill, both on 3rd and 24th at one point.
My Top 10 Sega Genesis Games are: 10. Mickey Mouse Castle of Illusion 9/10 9. CastleVania: Bloodlines 9/10 8. Beyond Oasis 9/10 7. Alisia Dragoon 9/10 My Sleeper Gem 💎 6. Phantasy Star IV 9/10 5. Shinobi 3: Return of the Ninja Master 10/10 4. Sonic The Hedgehog 2 10/10 3. Shining Force 1 and 2 10/10 2. Gun Star Heroes 10/10 1. Streets of Rage 2 10/10
One of the most forgotten about Genesis games has to be Zoom!. Such a cool, fun, unique puzzle game, with great music & sound effects, I could play that game for hours. I also think Truxton should have made the list, an incredible shoot-em-up, so much fun, very difficult, just an all around great game!
NHL 93/94/95/96, NBA Jam, Mortal Kombat, Road Rash, Sonic, Bubsy, Madden 92', were all definitely some of my favorites from the Sega days. Baseball and Wrestling had a good game too.
