My Top 10 Favorite Sega Genesis Games

Here are what I consider the best Genesis (Mega Drive) video games, according to my own tastes. The system had a profound impact on my gaming life when it was first released, and I continue to play it from time to time.
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#retrogaming #sega

[@GamingTheSystems1]

What Top 10 list should I do next?

[@hosam7609]

Atari 2600 and NeoGeo 😀

[@ashutoshJMJK]

Ps2:)

[@jackgreen7342]

Dreamcast

[@DrYohns]

SNES

[@GamingTheSystems1]

I haven't played enough Neo Geo to make a list, but the 2600 is very doable. I just don't think my audience would watch it.

[@lc1565]

I like seeing these more personal lists of games that aren't the 'canonical' greatest hits that everyone already agrees on. This is a much more useful way to learn about cool retro games.

[@robbiejmsn1]

Totally agree with you there. I'd never heard of Fire Shark and now it's one of my favourite Mega Drive games.

[@jermainepalk1832]

Yeah I feel the same way it was unique.

[@RemoWilliams1227]

Absolutely same here

[@ronaldg7522]

I love Fire Shark. Great game. I got my MegaDrive as a child in the 90s. My father wasn't interested in gaming, but one time he tried Fire Shark and he played it for hours and we passed on the controllers after every time we got shot down. We played it often together. Fire Shark and Columns. He passed away a couple of weeks ago, but these memories remain.

[@GamingTheSystems1]

Great story. It's good that you have those memories.

[@funbegins2371]

he probably wanted to spend time with you

[@MythicalMonk3y]

Interesting choices. I don't really have a top 10 but Streets of Rage 2, Skitchin', Road Rash 2 and Space Harrier 2 were some of my favorites as a kid.

[@cjwalker8701]

Skitchin’ was great.

[@rick330]

Well I immediately see that this guy and I would have been friends in school. I remember seeing a demo of ghouls n ghosts on good morning America and I taped in on our VCR watching it over and over before release. Castle of illusion is beautiful. Also Thunderforce 3 is incredible. My favorite shooter of all time. I could go on and on. I can even hear the music in my head.

[@GamingTheSystems1]

Indeed. That leap from 8 to 16 bits was amazing.

[@rick330]

@@GamingTheSystems1 that's what I tell people. They think the leaps now are big but don't understand the generational leaps from the 90s. do you have a discord or anything? I have a feeling your my age and liked the same games.

[@shaunsantos3140]

Castle of illusion is my ultimate genesis game it really does take me back too being a 5year old kid in 1993 ..❤

[@MrMarrekkk]

Thank you for this list, it's always worth to know what people like you think because it seems that many others just include in their lists what's most popular. I've just bought my Sega Mega Drive a month ago and i still try to beat Sonic, thank you for these ideas.

[@TheMultiGunMan]

Thuderforce 2 & 3, Outrun, Phelios, Streets Of Rage 2, Ghouls & Ghosts and Fire Shark are all awesome choices. I also learned about a few games I didn't know about. Thank you for making this video.

[@mymusic3354]

I just kind of stumbled across your video, this is a good video with an interesting list, subscribed to your channel!

[@Interstate_78]

I like that you’re an unapologetic Sega fan. We need more of yous out there

[@SteveBrandon]

I can see that you were only using it as a background visual but Alien 3 is borderline top 10 worthy for me. It's certainly a honourable mention for being the best-playing licensed Alien console game of the era that isn't the Konami Aliens arcade game and it captured the claustrophobic atmosphere of the third movie very well. It's probably my favourite Genesis game based on a movie that isn't either a Disney film or that one Dune game that wasn't exactly based directly on the 1984 David Lynch movie but rather the general universe of the Frank Herbert books (although it did use the movie logo).

[@visionop8]

Great list man and thank you for not being afraid to stand out. So many of these lists have the same usual suspects that I was never really a huge fan of.

[@lordgeyik]

I like this list. Not because these would be my top choices but because you took the time to explain your experience with the games and why you prefer them. And I also enjoy seeing a bit more alternative selection. Helps me discover stuff that I haven't heard before or overlooked.

[@TheMultiGunMan]

My Top 10 Sega Genesis game list would be (in order): Rambo 3, Phantasy Star 4, Truxton, Arnold Palmer Tournament Golf, Streets Of Rage 2, Sword Of Vermillion, Super Monaco GP 2, Golden Axe 2, Mortal Kombat 3 and Altered Beast

[@wwjd222]

I love the randomness of this list. Sounds like a childhood dream where you get a few games a year and just love them to death

[@shaqirseferi3463]

I think Gain Ground is one of my favourite games for this system. Pretty unique and an excellent 2P mode

[@PocketFullofGames]

Thank you for including Warsong! That takes the #1 spot for me :) General Chaos, Pigskin, Cyborg Justice, and Cyberball are also in my list. So you are correct in saying our lists are likely different but I really appreciate the love shown for Warsong :)

[@GamingTheSystems1]

I played a lot of Cyberball back in the day. My preference is for robots over humans in my sports games.

[@SylphidUndine]

i have outrun on the 3DS and it's amazing. plays just like the original but in 3D.

[@lestibournesw6673]

awesome vid, added 2 to my wishlist, keep up the great videos!

[@colinbaldwin7773]

Great list. Happy to see Thunderforce 3 in there, the first game i played on the system and my personal favourite. Oh, and the music is just perfect!

[@TheMentalBrute]

I used to work with a dude who whenever we said thank you, we would say "Thank you, Wonderman!" In caps voice from the avengers arcade game

[@robbdiabloservices]

Appreciate your time and passion!

[@tonycoffee7335]

Great video. Thank you for showing me new games to check out.

[@jtcaruanafan4617]

Wow! Thanks so much for including Tiger Shark. I got a data frog 2000 and couldn't remember the name of the game. just how amazing it was and lightning strikes too. so much nostalgia, be well thanks again

[@yuripetrovic7606]

I was expecting more obscure entries but still so good to see the Genesis get more love. Warsong being included was so satisfying (have you ever played Master of Monsters?) Hoping for a top 10 Saturn and Dreamcast episode in the future!!

[@GamingTheSystems1]

I have Master of Monsters on my shelf. Haven't played it yet.

[@truehare]

Well, you certainly started the list with a bang! Thunder Force 3 is also one of my favorites on the Mega Drive. And that music! I loved it so much, I even hooked my console up to the stereo and recorded the entire soundtrack on tape back in the day.

[@BitestheStuff]

I think that's a good sign that a game is among your favorites. Years after it's release, you still want to play it every now and then to re-experience it.

[@ifrit35]

I was familiar with the megadrive as a kid because my uncle had one and I used to visit him often. Then my parents got me a Nintendo 64 so the megadrive just became history. In 2009 I was trying to get rid of my old Lego bricks and I gave them to the local toy library. They were very pleased and asked if I wanted some old consoles they had lying around because they were obsolete and kids didn't play with them anymore. So I took a bunch home and among these was a megadrive II Virtua Racing pack. A that point I never heard about that Virtua Racing port and I was like a kid during Christmas. Admittedly this isn't an amazing port of the game nor an amazing megadrive title but I include it because this was a very memorable day. 10 Elemental master 9 Castlevania Bloodlines 8 Sonic 3 7 Virtua racing 6 Contra hard corps 5 Sonic 4 Aladdin 3 Musha Aleste 2 Devil Crash 1 Streets of rage 2

[@PongbyAtari]

I was getting ready to get away for a couple days and was looking for some genesis games I didn't already have on my Analogue Pocket so I picked up 6 outta all the games you listed I already had the rest. I would love to see more videos like this that aren't just the same old top ten lists.

[@Micro-Genius]

It's funny but my Sega favourite game is Alien 3. Which was behind you on the background all the time :)

[@scope5110]

Great list, wish I knew about that Warsong game back then. Loved Shining Force. Genesis I found was the first system to have good hockey with EA NHL yearly. Some of my faves not mentioned were Starflight, Gemfire and the two best imo were Toe Jam & Earl and Hertzog Zwei. Love the lists and quick reviews, thank you.

[@dgbdgb1]

NHL 94 would be in my top 10

[@XBC3-4GOTY]

My Top 10 Sega Genesis Games are: 10. Super Thunder Force 3 9/10 9. Darius 9/10 8. Mickey Mouse Castle of Illusion 9/10 7. Alisia Dragoon 9/10 My Sleeper Gem 💎 6. Phantasy Star IV 9/10 5. Shinobi 3 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

[@justsayin4632]

I feel bait-and-switched by that “Skitchin” box in the thumbnail.😂 I loved that game as a kid.😅

[@TwoOfDee]

First time running into one of your videos and it was awesome.

[@jizzmoat6520]

I was waiting for Alien 3 to be mentioned!!!! Nice list, bro

[@TheLadsBandLive]

Not only is Castle of Illusion my favorite Genesis game, it’s in my top-10 games of all time. I also love World of Illusion and Quackshot, and consider them all part of an unofficial trilogy.

[@Randoverse]

Good to see Forgotten Worlds make the list! Never got old.

[@JanTheMangaMan]

I'm one of the weirdos that has Dr Robotniks Mean Bean Machine in my top 10. It never gets old to play. I constantly go back to play it and have fun like almost none other. It just hits all the right chords with me. I liked seeing your very unique list! Need to give some of those shmups a try

[@Khoobus]

2:47 this game is soooooo much fun! I forgot about it but you reminded me this classic thanks😂

[@SolSeal]

Great list. Some of mine top 10 games are in your list. My number 1 is Alien Soldier.

[@BoyBlaze2002]

This is a very unique list, and I respect you for putting “Captain America and the Avengers” up here. I still have my original game, case, and manual. I think it’s about time people stopped mentioning the same typical top 10 when mentioning greats. Love it brother

[@chrisfern4699]

I liked your explanation for Outrun and Castle of Illusion. I enjoyed Outrun as child because I loved the sense of traveling and going to new places so it was cool to see the scenery change as if I was going somewhere new.

[@thegamingcorner4095]

Great List. Fire Shark is one of my to go to games.

[@PatrickIngham21]

was nice to see you shared 2 lesser known games on your list that i also played in my childhood, Phelios and Captain America Avengers, i still have CA Avengers but no longer have a copy of Phelious but seeing this video i might just fire it up on the everdrive, Im not very good at shooters i remember getting killed a lot by the boss you showed who fires the beams from her eyes lol. Avengers in 2 player was awesome! :)

[@STR82DVD]

Totally agree with your list young lad. Bloody brilliant choices. Thanks for the content. Great stuff.

[@74bobby]

I like knowing that there's other gamers in the world who love Shmups as much as I do and can admit that they aren't that great at playing them just like me lol. Great list...

[@Pikaroth]

Great choices! All of them! Out of your list, my number one would be Forgotten Worlds as that is an absolute classic. But great list!

[@angryretrogamer7313]

Im a little late to the party but still wanted to comment i like your videos and your collection is amazing. Thank you for sharing everything with us. Herzog Zwei is probably my favorite Genesis game but its hard to choose.

[@yxlplig33]

Great list, I can tell you actually play Genesis games and you've played a lot of them. The Genesis isn't like the SNES where all the best games and the well known games are one and the same (mostly). You should try Streets of Rage 3 JP (Bare Knuckle III). It's much closer to Streets of Rage 2 in quality. I think in recent years I might have played BK3 more than BK/SOR2.

[@yeahyeahwowman8099]

It isn't like that with the Snes either. Say most people who think the Snes is a certain type of way never really dug deep into the library and just make lists about Super Metroid or mario world. It's like I have had to introduce Genesis owners to games they never even knew existed.

[@UniversalSouls]

Kewl vid 👍 liked and subscribed

[@DrVernSFC]

Warsong is criminally underrated

[@BaronStVon]

I like the new desk/background setup

[@buckeyechad1]

Bought the Genesis for G'nG. Stayed with it because Revenge of Shinobi and Thunderforce II.

[@PaulRezaei]

Thank you for your list!

[@retromegabitsegadude]

Excellent list! We share a lot of favourites. It was really nice to see War Song and Phelios get some love. As for shooters; what are your thoughts Vapor Trail?

[@WhoniverseReview]

I loved Captain America & the Avengers. Enough that I made a VHS recording of myself playing years ago, ca. 1993.

[@AmbientWalking]

Thank you! Amazing!

[@darkviking84]

Forgotten Worlds is one of my all time favourites on the Genesis. I have fond memories of playing through this with my cousin. I recall we figured out during coop you had infinite continues as long as you didn’t die simultaneously. Was such a fun game!

[@cjwalker8701]

I would say in no particular order: T2, Beavis and Butthead, The Lion King, Aladdin, Desert, Strike, Urban Strike, X-Men 2, Outlander, the road rash series. And countless others.

[@stevehalle77]

Great list!

[@Fishydick]

When SoR 2 was brought up, I was thinking that I preferred the third one. Then BAM. HM. One game that is definitely in my top three that I don’t often see in top 10 lists is Dragon’s Fury.

[@jean-baptistegoupillon4795]

great personal selection !

[@farouqiamin7894]

I was 12 when Streets of Rage 2 came out, got my SEGA Genesis bundled with it, for 3-5 years my friend and I would play this game throughout multiple times a day, in the summer vacation some days we would start in the AM go play outside then hit up again in the PM, I still play it

[@Edoshmek]

Lots of great hidden gems and deep cuts on this list.

[@Prizrak-hv6qk]

Genesis fanboys (using the term without negative connotation, being one myself) typically come in two distinct shapes: Pre-Sonic and Post-Sonic. I belong to the latter group but only because of life circumstances... not that I wouldn't have loved to be able to enjoy a Genesis since launch. Anyway, most of your favorite games were released pre-Sonic and most of mine - post. While I can recognize the contextual importance and brilliance of many of "your games" and can imagine how amazing it must have been playing them for the first time, after years of NES graphics and sound, by the time I got to play most these, they seemed a bit dated and "clunky" compared to the more mature, refined 8+ Mb ROM efforts that I was renting or buying and my experience with them was commonly after I had already played the sequels, like Worlds of Illusion and Thunder Force IV. There are some many factors involved in perceiving something at a "favorite game" and overall game quality is only part of it. Your one post-Sonic game was Streets of Rage 2. My one pre-Sonic game is MUSHA. Fire Shark is probably my second favorite vertical shmup on the Genny though. Toaplan was great.

[@anthonyvasquez7640]

It is refreshing to see personal favorite lists. We all don't enjoy the same kind of games. It's like they think their list is the ultimate. The Genesis is one of my favorite game systems. I was in HS when it came out. My top ten with no particular order are 1. Lightning Force 2. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 3. Kid Chameleon 4. Whip Rush 5. Thunder Force 2 6. Revenge of Shinobi 7. Granada 8. Street of Rage 2 9. Ranger X 10. Bio Hazard Battle

[@ytguy2010]

Nice list. I also love some of the same games as you: Ghouls and Ghosts, Streets of Rage 2, and Forgotten Worlds. I also love Phantasy Star 4.

[@Punchatori]

Bro Idk what you did buy you're definitely improving on your vids. Keep it up.

[@ItsyoboyJordy]

I love tactics games but have never played warsong so thank you for that suggestion, gonna have to check that out!

[@Jasons_Arcade_PLUS]

Solid list of favorites for the Genesis. Yeah, you definitely can’t go wrong with shoot em’ ups!

[@MaximumRD]

Fantastic picks.

[@jothain]

Nice to see quite varying list.

[@christophorusvids]

A great list, I have the arcade versions of 3 on your list after owning them on the Genesis. As a fellow thunder force fan you may want to try Giares, it's another good shooter

[@mtwice4586]

Forgotten Worlds and Castle of Illusion are both in my top 5. Great list!!!!

[@adjustableisland8806]

Awesome setup you have there! Is it a pain to dust all that?

[@TehOneTrewIdjut]

Hellfire is my favorite shooter on Genesis. I absolutely love that game. I’ve never beat it, but I will one day.

[@teknomax7883]

I'm glad to see some love for Thunder Force III !

[@sbeaber]

Definitely a unique top 10. Cool list

[@mystacles]

Man that was an awesome list

[@elvismorales85]

Good list. Only one that haven't play is Warsong and not too interested but still will do. Among my very favorites are Phelios, GnG, SoR, and thanks for mentioning TF II, looove that one. I remember fondly Decapattack, Ghostbusters, Batman, Rambo III (back then I loved it, not many options anyways), Ranger X, TMNT, the Shinobis, Cool Spot, most of Disney's, Strider.

[@moxdragon1857]

We used to call Forgotten Worlds "The Home Shopping network " because of the weapons store LOL

[@leandronc]

That's a crazy list! But I loved seeing Fire Shark at the top, definitely my favorite shooter on the Genesis. The only flaw is that losing a life late in the game basically kills your run because you lose all powerups. But it makes it very intense, on the other hand.

[@stevenlamorte6330]

I have never played Fireshark but I love all the rest you mentioned!

[@catsaregovernmentspies]

9:50 "it is two player, if you have a buddy" I feel attacked 😭

[@GamingTheSystems1]

Second players can be hard to come by these days!

[@creativefreedom9143]

Caliber 50 is a criminally underrated Genesis game.

[@a-bas-le-ciel]

I know the Genesis library so well that (1) I listened to this in the background as audio only, knowing what every game looks like already, and (2) on some level I knew I was _only_ listening to verify the extent to which I'd disagree with you. ;-)

[@ArturoGonzalez-di6rd]

Thanks for giving Castle of Illusion some recognition. It’s one of my personal favorite games of all time.

[@user-nt6fi1kp5q]

Nice list! you have a lot of ones I've never played. Your No 1 Game looks a lot like TRUXTON which is one of my favorites. Maybe you can check out that game and see if it plays a lot like your Fire Shark. Thanks for your games list.

[@stevetb7777]

Great choices! I highly recommend the newer Castle of Illusion game on Steam. It is absolutely visually and auditorily stunning. I played through it in 3D (Nvidia 3D Vision essentially) on my projector... and I'd do it again.

[@DannyWelch]

So many great games on the Genesis! Here's my personal top 10: Master of Monsters Thunder Force II Thunder Force III Phelios Revenge of Shinobi Star Control Herzog Zwei Phantasy Star II Comix Zone Last Battle (it's not great, but I love it)

[@buckroger6456]

Great list. I will say I'm a little shocked you had streets of rage 3 in there and not one. My favorite is buck Rogers countdown to doomsday, I just never get bored of it. Love all the mainline sonic games, but I always end up playing the first sonic more then the others. Thunder force 3 is a classic and another one I pop in a lot as well as insector X. Starflight is another classic for me, game can be a slow burn till you know what to do and where to go.

[@wolfmel26]

I’m glad I ran across your list. I just got my genesis up and running, and building my library again. So many titles I never played in this list 😊 So my list is all about nostalgia because I haven’t played since I was a kid 10) sports talk baseball Barkley shut up and jam Bubsy Vectorman 2 Cool spot Samurai showdown Comix zone Sonic spinball Rocket knight adventures 1) sonic 2

[@heyWhatWho]

Very interesting list

[@DBEleven11]

FINALLY I found somebody who gives Fire Shark the credit It deserve. 😊 I also think FS is the BEST shmup on the Mega Drive, but Truxton is near...

[@Danfrombackhome]

I LOVE CAPTAIN AMERICA AND THE AVENGERS! Got it for my bday when I was like 7 years old. Castle of Illusion is great too! Just an easy platformer. And SoR2 is an all time classic. The first game I ever beat on my own as well!!!

[@cd4playa1245]

Shining Force 2 is one of my all time favorites. And then Air Buster and Musha would be tied at number 2.

[@BigPat216]

I remember I found that Captain America game somewhere and it was really fun.

[@legendodinson7082]

I really liked Captain America and the Avengers too. Had it as a kid and played it tons.

[@joeyjo-joshabadu9636]

I get the Fire Shark trance too. Highly underrated shooter

[@gregorys9629]

Very unique list - some great shmups in there! M.U.S.H.A is my favourite on the Genesis.

[@a-bas-le-ciel]

@1:40 _"I can play it at three o'clock in the morning, I can play it at eight o'clock in the morning."_ What do you do at 10:00 AM? Brush your teeth, stare in the mirror and ask, "By the dead gods, *WHAT HAVE I BECOME?"*