Sega Genesis Games Nobody Ever Talks About

There are a lot of games on Sega Genesis that people talk about for better or worse, but there are some that people just never talk about. Here are several of those games. Most are actually pretty decent but some others; not so much.
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[@JohnRiggs]

Every 5 STAR Sega Genesis game kzbin.info/www/bejne/anWYkHaqlJWqfJI

[@FatNorthernBigot]

Sometimes, people forget how much earlier the Genesis release was than the Super Nintendo's. It was a special console in so many ways.

[@thereviewsbrothers3854]

Yeah. I’m the same. I always assume they came out the same year. Very wrong!

[@simpleanswer8954]

Two years is a big gap when you're talking about current gen hardware. But when you're remembering it thirty years later, two is pretty small. The lack of 'console sellers' in the early releases doesn't help. Sonic didn't come out until SNES was already on the market. Sega may have been earlier, but they didn't become relevant yet.

[@MattyIcecubes]

It beat Nintendo to the punch by two years; but Sega didn't have much third party support until around 1993; Nintendo had all the third party support. The head start along with the timing of Sonic (Sega's first killer app) help them go toe to toe with Nintendo in the 16 bit era. Too bad they botched Saturn so badly.

[@retrodadgames2134]

I wasn't aware until I got older...my dad had a nes and snes and for Xmas I think 96 or 97 we got the Genesis

[@jeremysteelman2900]

Sega was always a little too early

[@stephenthomas1492]

I think about Toe-jam and Earl when Genesis comes up. Man, I had a lot fun playing that with my best-friend.

[@galadriusthemighty]

I'd like to throw a shoutout to Mystical Fighter in there. Great game.

[@JohnRiggs]

LOOOVE that one.

[@galadriusthemighty]

@@JohnRiggs It's just a fun brawler and the music is EXCELLENT.

[@Boogie_the_cat]

Red zone having sprite scaling, rotation, and FMV decompression (sure, it is just monochrome video) all done with software coding workarounds (as Genesis had no hardware support) is mind blowing for a Genesis game.

[@Retrosys]

Dragon’s Fury is the same game as Devil’s Crush… although technosoft made their own version of it, so it’s not actually made by the same people. It’s not just a port though. Has different sub rooms and bosses.

[@forcedfeedbackclassicgamer5499]

Dragon's Fury literally is Devil's Crush, localized to the Genesis by Atari under the Tengen label, probably one of my most played games on the system. The TG16 version has way better audio, though.

[@joeyjo-joshabadu9636]

Tengen were the U.S publisher but the game was actually developed/ported by Technosoft. And the music in both games is phenomenal!

[@julianceballos4655]

I used to love Chiki Chiki Boys as a kid : I came back to it a couple of years ago, and it aged really well

[@dinorocker8647]

Still is a great game, played it on my old Super Retrocade and on one of the Capcom arcade collections on my PS4.

[@Hiushisan]

The single game in this video that I actually owned as a kid. Never beat it, but it was tons of fun.

[@enigma776]

Puggsy and Galahad (Leander on the Amiga) was both done by Traveller's Tales. Same people that did Toy Story, Micky Mania and Sonic3D & R.

[@NipplesTheEnchilada2323]

Dragon's Fury is actually just a Genesis port of Devil's Crush from the TurboGrafx-16, just so you know. Also, Red Zone is actually a very technically impressive game, especially the full motion video sequences it has for a Genesis cart and rotating Background graphics, similar to SNES's Mode 7.

[@Boogie_the_cat]

I always liked Kid Chameleon. The few people I've seen talk about it on KZbin pretend it's a Mario clone, comparing the different helmets Kid puts on to Mario's power-ups. It's not really like that, your different forms drastically change your character's specific gravity, jumping or attacking abilities, you can become a samurai, a tank (with projectiles), a rhino, can Mario do that? Not to mention its strange art style, many warps and 100+ levels. The final boss is a huge head with about 20 eyes and, damn, you really get replay value out of it, as with the levels labeled "Elsewhere", you can proceed through a non-linear path.

[@Hiushisan]

Last year I tried so hard to grind through that game. I still have not beaten it. It is so stinking hard, and the amount of levels is crazy, it feels like it's never going to end. It's a great game, but man, it is hard. And yeah, comparing Kid Chameleon to Mario is like comparing Mario to Sonic. They're both platformers, but the details are so different.

[@ricardov.]

There's a nice and hard SNES homebrew called Hind Strike which looks like Red Zone. Worth a check.

[@Owazrim]

Cyborg Justice is a fun romp. Pulling off the other robots torsos and siphoning their energy is so satisfying. Just beware the bosses.

[@chrish6373]

Great game, and the boss fights were murder. Only issue I had was the game mechanics made the starting character mods not as important because you could walk-and-shop while you play.

[@Owazrim]

Once you got the hang of it yeah. If there was more variety in the game shopping different legs and arms could have been more important.

[@blackmesacake5361]

I completely forgot about Bubba and Stix!

[@bmwolgas]

2 adventure/RPG's that I would add: Priates! Gold and Buck Rogers: Countdown to Doomsday. The original DOS/PC versions of these get a lot of praise but I rarely see the Genesis remakes get much love, and both were big improvements over the originals.

[@dilbertfish]

@bmwolgas Starflight too.

[@bmwolgas]

@@dilbertfish Starflight is a game I've been meaning to check out for a while now.

[@Invidente7]

Yes, nobody talks about Pugsy anymore even thought it had interesting and unique gameplay mechanics.

[@cloudff72000]

Outlander also had on-foot gameplay to replenish supplies, like fuel, ammo, and health- it was supposed to be a Mad Max game, but the license got pulled.

[@Boogie_the_cat]

Outlander was incredibly ambitious. And you can really feel the Mad Max inspiration.

[@travisolson9413]

I remember really enjoying Outlander. But I also enjoyed parachute pants and those hypercolor t-shirts that changed colors.

[@bryanmoberg8408]

I was going to say, it looks like exactly that

[@joaobabler1584]

Chiki Chiki Boys in Brazil is a well knowned game. Great game, great fun

[@CHIEF_Games]

I still can't get over how these games were made in assembly. Such brilliant developers. A true lost art.

[@gru3som3rick]

When talking about Bubba and Stix, you talked about macro media flash and that's exactly what it reminded me of. The new grounds days. The main character actually kinda looks like Lenny Loosejocks

[@xyz-ns7ym]

Completed Puggsy recently. Good game

[@TheGameBeaters]

Robert’s editing style worked pretty well for this. Fun topic too.

[@JohnRiggs]

Yeah, it's perfect for how simple my videos already were. He just adds that little extra that I often don't bother with.

[@georged7627]

Pugsys intro when the space ships comes in and out of the screen is one of the smoothest animations in the 16bit era...check it out its a WOW factor 🙏🏽

[@catholicactionbibleonlyist1813]

I have Puggsy , love the soundtrack I pull the soundtrack up all the time

[@Benjamillion]

To be honest I don't really see a lot of people talking about Garfield Caught in the Act anymore. I guess once Garfield Kart came along they thought Garfield video games always sucked.

[@Hiushisan]

One of my childhood favorites. The final boss is crazy.

[@neoclassic09]

Gadget twins was an amazing Genesis game no one talks about

[@Xx1SailorScoutxX]

I've been watching wayyy too many videos about bobcats lately. Riggs said "Puggsy;" I heard "Bubsy."

[@Grind24hours]

I just got the 51 Genesis games, I am mostly playing Phantasy Star 4, a great rpg. Keep up the good work, John!

[@gurvmlk]

Phantasy Star 4 is excellent. Shame the other Phantasy Star games don't hold up as well. Not that the prior games are bad. Just very antiquated, and difficult to recommend for people who don't love very retro, outdated RPG mechanics and tropes. Whereas the fourth game I believe has aged much better, and is still very much worth playing to this day.

[@user-fx5ei8bw1l]

John, these games tell great story after great story.

[@nicholaslewis7208]

John, you missed Jerry Glanville's Pigskin Footbrawl a totally forgotten Jem of a game. Nobody talks about.

[@doug8171]

Puggsy is so unique, creative, and cute! Some of the music is truly gr8 too (Redwoods and Pirates Cove). My brother is afraid to play it due to frustrating object joggling but i can do it. just takes patience to get the controls down

[@matthewnikitas8905]

Most of these games have already been mentioned plenty of times as underrated or hidden gems before. Just putting that out there lol

[@TheGebs24]

Chiki Chiki boy is tremendous mate. What a great episode John. Keep them coming 🎉

[@joecasa85]

About Dragon's Fury: in fact, it was called Devil's Crush MD in Japan and even got a sequel in EU and North America called Dragon's Revenge.

[@thecunninlynguist]

damn haven't seen bubba n stix since the 90's

[@samuelallen2831]

One thing that caught my eye on Galahad, I saw the words “Traveler’s Tales” at the title screen. Also, Chiki Chiki Boys was one of 54 featured games on Sega Genesis and/or CD last year on ProJared’s Now in the 90s, and it was the first I knew of a Genesis port of it! I have played it on Capcom Arcade Stadium as well.

[@HyperHorse]

I can't believe that you didn't mention Mutant League Football. lol....

[@JohnRiggs]

I still hear people talk about it often.

[@walcodebruyn2135]

Mr Riggs i was just watching some of your other vids..sadly your store doesn't ship to my country but at least i can support you through KZbin membership like i have since it launched here ☺ really wanted a air freshener and signed 1up card though!

[@JohnRiggs]

aww, sorry to hear. Where is your country? If you email me I can ship without using the store since I can go to my local international shipping shop nearby.

[@mikewhitfield7000]

Bubba n stick loved that when was a kid didnt get far tho

[@ilj1259]

Space Invaders '91 doesnt get the mention that it should....a nice upgrade to the original with all sorts of different power ups. Also you fight different alien creatures on unique planets and top notch soundtrack & sound effects.

[@erneststackhouse1133]

I loved playing Pugsy back in the day reminded me of those Easter Island Heads. Another game I played at my friends house was Chiki Chiki Boys! My buddy also had the Trampoline of Terror that was stashed away. He stated it was like a Nintendo Game with a Sega title & he hated it. I really enjoyed that game! I never even heard of Socket I'll have to correct there here in the near future! You can call me "I gets" what ever John Riggs posts, I gets. Ha-Ha!

[@Addaesir]

Trampoline Terror! I know an arcade similar to this game. But the character reminds me of Indiana Jones. I forgot the name. It's an abandonware Arcade

[@pretzelcoatl_1121]

Bubble and Squeak is one that lives in my mind rent free. The soundtrack and animation are so good

[@MotherKojiro]

I've actually put a fair amount of time into quite a few of these (Chiki Chiki Boys, Cyborg Justice, Legend of Galahad, Mazin Saga, McDonald's), though admittedly, it is true that I don't talk about them all that much. Cyborg Justice is tough to get the hang of (there are a lot of moves I STILL don't know how to do), but the trick is to stun enemies, then rip their parts off; you can steal their arm weapon, and you can also steal their torso and drain it for health, and if you overcharge yourself, it even gives you a free guy!

[@WhitePointerGaming]

Dragon's Fury was actually a direct port of the TG-16 game Devil's Crush, with some added features. So it's not "just like those games", it IS those games! The series did actually appear on Nintendo as well, because there was a third game in the series called Jaki Crush, but it was exclusive to the Super Famicom and never got an English release.

[@RapideWombaticus]

The Mega Drive / Genesis is an integral part of console gaming. It defined an era and I adore it. Thanks John

[@supergeoff]

I have Played McDonald's TreasureLand countless times still enjoyable til this day

[@Punkski]

I think of games like Arrow Flash, Whip Rush, The Punisher, and Sorcerer's Kingdom. I rarely hear people talk about those games. The Punisher was the one I rented a lot as a kid before buying it used.

[@gurvmlk]

When somebody says Sega Genesis, first game that comes to my mind is Shining Force. Although Shining Force 2 is only my second-favorite Genesis game (closely following Phantasy Star 4), that and its prequel are definitely the games I most associate with the console. Both with how much I played them growing up, and how regularly I still revisit them. Cyborg Justice is great, if not very beginner friendly. To anybody considering playing it after seeing this video, my one bit of advice would be to start by looking up a pdf of the instruction manual, and reading it. Because there's a lot of moves you may not figure out by just experimenting, and a lot of those moves will be extremely valuable if you want to make any progress. As for Genesis games nobody ever seems to talk about, the first one that always comes to my mind is Ranger X. Been one of my favorites since childhood, but I practically never see anybody else acknowledge its existence. I swear the only times I've ever seen it brought up are in videos similar to this. And not even in the videos themselves, but the comments sections of those videos.

[@PezPirate]

Toe Jam and Earl! Some of my teammates and I got back to dorms late and the only game we could rent at Blockbuster was Toejam and Earl. Our lives changed that weekend. I wish podcasts and KZbin were a thing back then. The quotes that came out of our mouths over the following months.... We still talk about Toe Joe and Earl to this day! I own TWO physical copies, in case one fails.... 🤓😎

[@RrraverCrow]

I remember Cyborg Justice, I thought it was so cool that you could replace your parts with the remains of your fallen enemies.

[@Moulds45]

Editing is on point, good work! Great video I have been getting into older games after some modern game fatigue, played none of these growing up with a genesis 😮

[@shaunbaker2938]

Cyborg Justice was our jammmmm

[@jeffb.6642]

haha I can't see Puggsy without being reminded of the segue you did from Sword of Sodan in the ... 1-star Genesis games video... I think? "I'm watchin the spikes go right up her PUGGSY is a great game...." lmao

[@jaydub8085]

Man, I tried to order from your store. I wanted 2 of everything, BUT....The system would'nt let me. I got as close as I could. What I wouldn't GIIVE to have the tools that you do. (I'm a yackhouma subber, and receive emails from your radio station). Keep up the outstanding work!!!!!!

[@bestudesu4833]

Chiki Chiki boys is an absolute banger. Used to rent it all the time when I was a kid. One of the few games I could actually beat as a kid.

[@MichaelTaylor-qp2xf]

Dragon's Fury IS Devil's Crush ported to the Genesis.

[@z0m813]

Weaponlord is def underrated.

[@jamesz28]

Great list and video, John. I always mention Chakan The Forever Man. Difficult but underrated in my opinion.

[@pgstoetzer]

My eye was drawn to that Golden Axe box art, then I see that line at the bottom that says “16-Bit Cardtridge” … ?!

[@dandaddeadbeat8788]

Thank you! Loads of stuff I've never heard of. I've just set up a decent Genesis emulator in my living room too. Less obscure, but my 2 additions are Mickey Mouse World of Illusion and ESWAT. Both stunning graphics. WoI is overshadowed by Castle of Illusion, WoI is a lot easier but still well worth playing many times. ESWAT is more than hard enough, so I'm baffled no one talks about it. Both I've been playing since my childhood. I remember another McDonald's Genesis game called Global Gladiators. Could never get past the first level as a kid, but it looked pretty good.

[@JohnRiggs]

I remember more people talk about eswat early in the Genesis lifespan but probably because they didn't have as many other options to play.

[@jeffdaigle5487]

Exo squad was a cartoon first and then the toys and game came out. Still in top 5 of my favorite tv shows ever. Wish it would have gotten finished.

[@Hiushisan]

Gain Ground is an excellent one nobody talks about. A top-down shooter with a some strategy and planning involved. The sonic genesis collection for the PS3 introduced me to it and I've been hooked ever since. I also personally really like Izzy's Quest for the Olympic Rings and Garfield Caught in the Act, those fly under the radar a bit as well.

[@Bucky749]

I think Elvis Presley played a boxer called kid Galahad in movie not of the name of movie. .

[@VanDammage87]

Dragon's Fury doesn't get talked about enough. Awesome gameplay and one of the best soundtracks on the system. Demon's Tilt did a great job bringing retro video pinball to modern systems but you still can't beat the OG.

[@GameJunctionMedia]

Really great video John!

[@oldbordergeek]

pugsy had a bunny stage...

[@soxandbears]

played the hell out of cyborg justice, tried red zone but it was way too hard for me, another one that was beloved in our household was general chaos

[@mattnova18]

LOVE Dragon's Fury. It's a sorta censored and slightly upgraded version of Devils Crush. Hard, but addicting!

[@dnakatomiuk]

Wiz N Liz is another great game I loved to play back in my childhood days.

[@carlaustin1093]

Little more to Red Zone then helicopters Riggs! Play it a little more man, but your not wrong for having it on this list.

[@kumohara_319]

Puggsy has some mind-blowing effects on the Genesis

[@bdillmore40]

Socket actually looks really good (for a Sonic clone)! Very bright vibrant colors! Will have to look out for that one!

[@awesome6323]

Chelnov/Atomic Runner is one of my favourites. It‘s rarely talked about

[@opa-age]

I wish more people would talk about Master of Monsters, one of the rare hardcore Japanese strategy games that was ported over. Amazing music as well.

[@oneadamtwelve86]

yes cyborg justice. i completely forgot about it but i loved it

[@DeadnWoon]

Twinkle Tale is so atmospheric and so memorable, as well!

[@Tigerhawk1981]

sonic 1, sonic 2, Shining Force1, Shining Force 2, Ranger X (came with my first Gen Genesis).

[@pretzelcoatl_1121]

Pugsy was a beautiful game. Definitely don’t notice the lack of color palette

[@mymusic3354]

Another great video! I've got some new games to check out that I've never heard of before 😁 Sega Genesis was a great system, but SNES and NES (TurboGrafx 16 was good too) it was just a really great time period for game consoles, and games, so while I have newer systems, the retro consoles get the most use probably, maybe the nostalgia factor I don't know 😁 this is a great list though IMO 😁

[@chrish6373]

Eternal Champions - For when your mom says "we have Streetfighter II at home."

[@LoPhatKao]

*Star Control* is still my favorite obscure Genesis game

[@Metal-Josh]

I’ve often said this about weaponlord If it had, 1. Been an arcade game first 2. Came out a couple years sooner Then it would’ve probably done better meriting a sequel. A sequel that would’ve knocked out socks off

[@buckv9494]

A great genesis game I never hear about is gunstar heros , that game for the time was a master work

[@warrmalaski8570]

Exo Squad was a great TV show with a so-so game. The show had one continuous storyline with a very in-depth plot. The game on the other hand had a lot of modes. A fighting game, side scroller, and head-on shooter all rolled into one cart is cool in concept. But none of them were particularly polished. The show is an A+ sci-fi romp. Wile the game did stay true to the show. You can tell it was rushed. C+

[@Savitor]

RAMPART. Nobody ever talks about Rampart... Great arcade port for the time. 🎮👍

[@TheJamesShow00]

I thought of vectorman. played that game a lot and the sequel and ahh we loved cyborg justice.. that one jump got us a lot though. if you know you know.

[@Naedlus]

I'm still shocked at the quality of FMV for Red Zone's animation. They probably used similar tricks as they had for the animated SEGA logo on Sonic 3D Plast, but due to only using two colours, the length and quality make the game intro to 3D Blast look like a 2600 game. That they even have another game mode for on foot in bases was cool. That said, like Alien Soldier, you know the devs sorta knew they were pushing the console so hard for quality results, given it has a splash opening bragging about what the game has when starting. Weapon Lord went for slower and more deliberate action, because it was made to be compatible with Xband, and they didn't want to have players having as many worries about lag affecting their matches. A bit of a downer for lovers of quick and frantic action, but a thoughtful move given they were hoping to be one of the games shifting Xband modems off of shelves.

[@JohnnyParrotJoe]

Chiki Chiki Boys is, in fact, an arcade port.

[@goranisacson2502]

Anyone else here a fan of Garfield: Caught in the act? I wouldn't say it's superspecial or anything, but I really enjoyed it back in the day. Competent platxormer, wasn't always guaranteed that for licensed games.

[@DarkLordNick999]

These games slipped my radar, except Weaponlord, but I played the SNES version.

[@VEGANVANIA]

TFW the video says these are games nobody ever talks about... and you realize that within the last ten years you've had conversations about most of them...

[@BrettWebber]

Loved Red Zone! Played a lot of this game on Sega Channel!

[@Capng123]

Feels like you're kinda burying the lead on Cyborg Justice. Sure, you can customize your borg but the real secret sauce is that as you battle you can rip off your opponent's limbs and attach them TO YOU. Double Dragon and Golden Axe ain't doing that!

[@NickEnlowe]

You need to play further into Red Zone. The indoor levels are really cool.

[@MrSkyfish7]

No one doing these quick showcases ever gets into the combat section of Red Zone. They call it a Strike clone and move on. There's a whole other game inside there!!!

[@solo1870]

Chiki chiki boys did get a name change kinda like that. It was called 'Mega Twins'

[@MattyIcecubes]

One I don't hear a lot about is Zero Tolerance. I spent hours upon hours playing that game. It was my first FPS.

[@realprotomike]

Puggsy had some nice animations and effects.

[@gumorett]

Actually, Chiki Chiki Boys came with the name Mega Twins for America.