Sonic 2 is the correct #1 choice.
My Top 10 Genesis Games
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 On 12/20/2013 at 03:21 PM by Casey Curran See More From This User » |
It's funny how when moving up the systems by date, I also move up on how much I like them. I never owned a Genesis, but I got to play it a lot as a kid between going to friends and family members' homes. It was always a good time. So here's my top 10 Genesis games, some are multiplatform, but I played these on the Genesis so that's what matters.
10. Bonanza Bros
Another game I only got to on a collection and one of the few early stealth games that was actually good. Robbing every building in this game just worked for me, it was so satisfying to be able to sneak through the area undectected. Also has some great music.
9. Ristar
A really fun and solid platformer with some great, colorful graphics. Ristar's controls initially turned me off, not that they were bad, but he just moved too slow for my taste. But the game designed the levels really well around him and the game won me over.
8. Aladdin
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One of the few games that captured the tone of the movie perfectly while also being fun in its own right. Aladdin looked amazing, its music was a perfect 16 bit rendition of the movie's tracks, and was pretty damn fun with just enough twists to the levels to keep things interesting the whole time. One of the reasons I want a Retron 5 is to revisit this.
7. Ecco the Dolphin
Ecco is one of those games I don't think I'd like if I didn't play it as a kid. It seemed like everyone I knew who had a Genesis had this and Sonic for it, so I played it a lot. While the game does have some awkward controls, building up speed to get a huge jump through the air is so relaxing and fun while the game also has some fun yet really challenging level objectives.
6. Toy Story
Toy Story didn't have any music on par with Aladdin's and Lion King's to help it really nail the movie's feel, but it got the look of it down as perfect as a 16 bit game could manage. The game was always keeping every level fresh, one second you'd be racing Buzz then you'd be driving RC then riding on Rex. But god damn this game was tough.
5. Phantasy Star 4
Another game I didn't get to until a Genesis collection, I probably spent more time with Phantasy Star 4 on my PSP than any actual PSP game. The story and world were fun and unique. The combat didn't do anything new or different, but I actually liked that. It was one of the best examples of turn based combat, things went fast, but had just enough depth and you kept gaining just enough new options to keep things interesting.
4. The Lion King
Aladdin was a great first success with translating a Disney movie into a game, but The Lion King really nailed it. The game captured the movie's tone just as perfectly, especially in the "Can't Wait to Be King" level while the levels felt really distinct yet fun. The transition to Adult Simba later also kept things fresh.
3. Streets of Rage 2
The perfect beat-em-up in my mind. All of the characters felt just different enough to make me want to play the game multiple times. The game also made beating up enemies so incredibly satisfying for me. Have a lot of great memories beating each other up while playing it with my cousin.
2. Gunstar Heroes
I kept reading how great this game was in EGM and when I finally got to play it when I got a Wii, it did not disappoint at all. The two weapon ammo slots made experimentation a blast while the levels did so much to keep themselves distinct and memorable. This is about as good as 2D shooters get.
1. Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Any of the Sonic games could really take this top spot except maybe 1. It was still really good and 3 and Knuckles are great, but Sonic 2 was perfect in my mind. The level design was top notch, they had a great balance of speed, platforming, and gimmicks. I always thought 3 and Knuckles went a little overboard with the elemental shields, they just took away from the speed gameplay. 2 it was all based around making the speedy bits satisfying, and it really showed when you got to run super fast. But unlike the GBA and DS Sonic games, speed was not all there was. There were slower platforming segments to make you appreciate the speedy bits more. Add in that this game has my favorite soundtrack in any game and you have one of my all time favorite games.
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