411 Games Top 5 09.03.09: Week 27 - The Best Genesis Games

Posted by Todd Vote on 09.03.2009

This week the staff hops into what is sure to be a controversial subject. The best of the Genesis according to us. We got everything from Eternal Champions to ToeJam and Earl. From Gunstar to Vectorman. Come in to see if your favorites made the list.

Welcome back all to another exciting week of The Top 5. Last week we discussed our crowning achievements of gaming so to speak. Each of us detailed our accomplishments that made us proud, and hopefully you all enjoyed reading it. Perhaps it made you remember why you enjoy gaming.


Comment Time with Toddo!
I'm changing up the feedback this week, to help it flow a bit better hopefully. Plenty of comments from last week. Let's get right into it with this gem:

"I hate you and your anti-rpg bias. You must be one of those assclowns with an IQ of 80 who thinks we can't possibly get enough World War 2 shooters!!!!!!!!
Posted By: yeah (Guest) on August 27, 2009 at 03:24 PM"

I responded to Yeah in last weeks comments section, so I won't reprint that. But Toddo, why is this here then? You may be asking... The reason I am posting this again, is because don't you guys think life is a bit to short to get so angry because someone doesn't like something that you happen to like? It's called diversity, and it's not going away anytime soon. I may flip the Robbins' some shit from time to time about Street Fighter, but that is all in good fun, I'd never hold it against them, or think less of them as people because of it. There is a lot of hate out there for FPS games, but does that mean the people who don't like them are dumb? Or that anyone who doesn't like an RPG is obviously an ass clown? No it doesn't. Sure, we might be missing out on some great gaming experiences by sticking to what we like, but that is our choice.

I can't believe that no one mentioned beating Tyson in Mike Tyson's Punch Out. That was an awesome moment for me.
Posted By: Cory (Guest) on August 27, 2009 at 03:56 PM

Well Cory, I can't speak for the rest of the writers, but for me it was a simple fact that I still can't beat the son of a bitch. I still get the Nintendo out from time to time to try. But fail miserably each time I do.
This next batch of comments wanted to share with us their "Jesus Round".

Star Wars Battle Front 2: I was the last member of my army against the 74 man droid army on Naboo. I had to keep evading the big groups while slowly and stealthily taking out the entire army one by one. After about forty minutes I got down to the last man and we had a shoot out right in the middle of the map. After a little while I was finally able to kill him and claim victory.
Posted By: Dominick (Guest) on August 27, 2009 at 01:51 PM

A form of Jesus round...Gears of War 2, wingman. My ally died right off the bat and it left it with 2 teams at 14 kills (need 15 to win). I picked up a sniper and saw them fighting across the map, pulled out my sniper, shot and downed one. The other went for the execution but headshot took him out. Headshot to the downed guy and the game was safe until the next round...that is until I took out a third guy then another team of two to score 5 kills and a round victory point to get my team to 15 to steal the win from nowhere.

Also, 4-way ladder match in Smackdown: HCTP. we forget to change the match time so we had a 10 minute time limit, I won with 1 second left on the clock.

Also in HCTP, I had a 3 stages of hell match against a friend, he was Kurt Angle I was Rhyno. I won the first fall, he took the second, leaving us in a Hell in the Cell. I went for a Gore but he countered it right into an Angle Slam that I was able to counter, I landed hit the ropes and ripped him in half with a Gore to score the win in an amazing finish.

One I lost but was still pretty amazing, 4 of us were playing WWF No Mercy and had a battle royal. My little cousin was doing terrible and once we got to the final 4 we left him alone and all tried to eliminate each other. My cousin hit a move and managed to eliminate all three of us at once and won the match. He was amazed at his win and bragged for ever but the sight of him flying in and knocking one guy over the top and the other two off the apron all at once was something I have never seen before.
Posted By: Curtis (Guest) on August 27, 2009 at 10:01 AM

The closest thing to a "Jesus Round" I've ever had was getting eight head shots in a row on invading enemies during a game of TF2...it was incredible!
Posted By: Drew Robbins (Registered) on August 27, 2009 at 08:25 AM

Some impressive feats there to be sure. LISTS!! Who's got lists?

5. Winning my first XBL Madden match.
This is recent (as in three days ago) but I've been a Madden fan forever, yet I'm still average at best. I can beat most of my friends because I know how they play, but you bring in someone new and I go down quick. Winning my first XBL game was awesome.

4. Soul Caliber 2: DOMINATION
Talim. 15 wins. 9 seconds. Time Trial. That is all.

3. Beating Sonic 2
Sonic 2 was the very first video game I ever owned or played. Beating it was what got me addicted to gaming.

2. Beating FFVI
Simply put, Kefka is the greatest villain...EVAR. This game was awesome, and having a villain WHO DESTROYS THE WORLD is a big part of that. Beating said villain puts this at #2 for me.

1. KEEEEEEEL SCREEEEN
The setting is Jacksonville FL. I'm barely 12yrs old. I have $5 in quarters at the Clean Spin. I'm there for FOUR HOURS. Pacman is the game I've been wasting these hard-earned-and-stolen quarters on. The ghosts seem like blurs on the screen, but I'm in a machine-like trance. My hand is making the precise movements needed to dodge and evade. There's a row of fruit on my screen, and suddenly, the game freezes. I have never felt anything so heartbreaking up until that time and I literally broke down and cried. It wasn't until half a decade later that I realized how good that was, and by that point, nobody believed me. Alas...
Posted By: S. Masters (Guest) on August 27, 2009 at 01:05 AM

5. Andre The Giant Versus Me, as Eddie Guerrero in a Ladder match, Legends Of Wrestling II.

I loved Legends II, if only for this was the first wrestling game that had the weapons do actual damage (up to this point in the SD! Series, they were just a minor annoyance). I had an epic match again Andre, in a ladder match that went on for a whopping 30 minutes before I was beaten. It was such a good match.

4. My First Kill In Manhunt.
Literally mouth open, shocked at what I had just done to the man with a plastic bag. It was sickening... Then by mid game I had slowly realize I had become desensitized to the violence.

3. Virtual Rape in Rapelay.
Barely a game, downloaded out of morbid curiosity. I'll never get over the shock of the rapist protagonist smashing his fist into the big tittied mother's head before he sit her up for another round.

2. Rainbow Road 64 On Christmas Eve
My parents had just given me an N64 the night before Christmas and a copy of Mario Kart. Me and my sister played threw all the levels, right before bed I got to try Rainbow Road. I was blown away by the graphic at the time, and since then it's been tradition for me to race that track every Christmas.

1. Booting up my first PS2 game, WWF Smackdown Just Bring It.
Remember that badass rendered opening video? That blew me away. I got a total 30 minutes of play before I had to go to middle school, and dreamed delightfully of my joys I'd have later with my new Playstation.
Posted By: xLx (Guest) on August 27, 2009 at 04:39 AM

Freaking out when Nemesis busts through a door in the police station in Resident Evil 3.
Beating my first Mario game.
Spent $5 on quarters beating the x-men arcade game.
Buying my 1st game (MGS 3)
Posted By: Hdj360 (Guest) on August 27, 2009 at 07:41 AM

I'd hate to stop there, because there were so many great comments from last week, but I have to save some room for the rest of the column. Now, on with the show.


This column is approved by Christina Hendricks


So two weeks ago, we celebrated the birthday of the Gameboy. Someone, I don't remember who it was, reminded us that the Genesis also celebrated 20 years in August. It's only fair that we give the Genesis the same tribute, right? Turns out narrowing down to five games with a couple of honorable mentions is a bit harder to do with the Genesis. There really were a lot of great games on the system. Reader beware: With so much awesome on the Genesis, there is a fairly good chance some of the greats will slip our minds. Remember these are our favorites. Let us know yours down below.

HE'S BAA-ACK! Need further proof of how loved the Genesis is? It has caused the former B3yond the Super team to come out of their rigorous "Get Lebron a ring" training to give us a list. Mark still occasionally pops up for reviews and what-not on the site so keep your eyes peeled for those.

Your local B3yon… errr… umm… hell just your local Super Friends: Mark Salms and Shaq

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Golden Axe 3 - Ahhh it's good to be back. The Sega Genesis eh? This is a real console. You couldn't be more right Salmela. Games were so pure and innocent back in the day. The true golden age of video games.

Aladin - You know, I feel like I should throw in a bunch of Target Terror jokes, a bunch of jokes humiliating you, or a bunch of jokes about the Sega CD. But I just don't feel it right now. That's funny, your Mom was feeling it pretty good last night. Try all you want Shaqy, but this writer has changed for the better.

TMNT: The Hyperstone Heist - You're gonna waste our one time return being serious with the top 5? What fun is that? Like you said Shaqy, times were simpler back then. Why spoil a chance to talk about our childhoods by fighting back and forth? You realize that I was in the NBA when the Genesis was out right? DAMN you're old. Thanks…



5.) Streets of Rage 2 - If you haven't noticed yet I'm only picking one game from each franchise. Because to be honest I could fill the whole list with Sonic games. The same thing applies here. While Streets of Rage 1 and 3 were also awesome I have to give Streets 2 the slight nudge. Streets 2 improved on the basic mechanics of Streets 1, but wasn't quite as over-the-top and overproduced as Streets 3. It's a damn shame we never got that Sega Saturn or Sega Dreamcast Streets of Rage 4… Well we nearly did in Fighting Force, but thankfully Sega realized that game was a piece of garbage and took away the Streets of Rage name *the game wasn't developed by Sega before snarky commenters come in*.

4.) Gunstar Heroes - A lot of people like to give Sega Technical Institute the most underrated award of the 16 bit era. The team at STI developed Kid Chameleon, Comix Zone, and The Ooze. While those three games are all awesome, I have to give the most underrated award to Treasure along with Gunstar Heroes. As someone who has played and beaten Contras 1 – 4 I have to say that I think Gunstar Heroes is a better game than all of those. It has more personality, it has unique weapons, and I love the level design. Gunstar Heroes is one of my favorite 2D shooters.

3.) General Chaos - Speaking of underrated titles… General Chaos is an absolute gem of a real time strategy game. Hell, it's a strategy game with actual balls as well as good gameplay, something that you just don't see now days. Kind of like the situation at 411games, you just don't see a good writer with actual balls… Shaqy! Stop trying to get me into trouble. You promised you would behave. Sorry, I couldn't resist. You throw me up alley-oops and I just dunk them home. Well you kind of have to, because we all know you couldn't hit a free throw.

2.) Dr Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine - I love puzzle games. I love puzzle games with multiplayer that actually makes sense. When it comes down to it there are three puzzle games in this world that cannot be topped. 1. Tetris, 2. Dr Mario, 3. Dr Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine. Now I could own Shaqy all day in this game. This game sucks Mark, it doesn't make any sense. Don't hate the game because you suck. It's just a stupid Puyo-Pop rip-off. Besides, this whole thing is racist, segregating all the colors into groups. Shaqy the last thing we need is more commenters calling me/us racist.

1.) Sonic the Hedgehog 2 - As I said before you can change this game with any of the Sonic games. Sonic 1 is amazing, Sonic Spinball is amazing, and Sonic 3 & Knuckles is an absolute dream. But I'm giving Sonic 2 the slight node because it was the first game I ever played. So yeah, I'm biased. Get over it. I grew up a Sega fanboy, and while I love the Mario games, and while I can't stand the blue piece of shit Sonic creates today, Sonic 2 is an incredible game. Oh, and as far as I'm concerned Sonic the Hedgehog died in Sonic Adventure 2 along with Shadow. Hell, they all died a bloody death, probably at the hands of Metal Sonic..

Thanks Mark, always good to see you in the Top 5. Up next we have a man who has most recently reviewed Space Bust-A-Move for the Nintendo DS, Jeffrey Harris.

Jeffrey HarrisHONORABLE MENTIONS

Vector Man - A cool action adventure game that was a lot of fun. I loved the design style of this game and the graphics were incredibly impressive. We need a next-gen update for the Vector Man series.

5.X-men 2: The Clone Wars - The first X-men video game on Genesis was pretty cool, but the sequel was even better. Character models and graphics took a huge step up, and the gameplay was improved as well. Sucks to the haters on this game. Not only that, you could play as Beast who could jump off the walls, that's awesome!



4. Robocop vs. Terminator - The SNES version was rubbish, but the Genesis version was bloody freaking marvelous and glorious. Finally a Robocop game that was as awesome, bloody, and violent as the Paul Verhoeven movies. I'll always have a soft spot for this one as well as the comic crossover from Darkhorse.

3.Shinobi III - This is my favorite Genesis era Shinobi game. And you want to know what else? I liked Shinobi a lot on PS2. But I digress. To me this is a game that really fully used all the potential of the Sega Genesis. Awesome graphics and music, the gameplay pacing was great. This is a game that totally delivers so its one you want to try and pick up on the live arcades or networks if you can find it.

2.Streets of Rage - A classic game series on the SEGA Genesis that is IMHO the best beat 'em up series ever made. Yes, even better than Final Fight. Streets of Rage delivered with great graphics, soundtrack, and color palette for the Genesis. The variety of character baddies and environments were awesome. This is the all time great beat 'em up game you can play anytime.

1.Sonic The Hedgehog - Nintendo had Mario, and then Sega made Sonic their mascot. Its well earned with such a fun game series that began with Sonic the Hedgehog and a marsupial protagonist that has attacks based on his speed.

Thanks Jeffrey, another great list of Genesis games. Speaking of Sega games, be sure to check out this weeks Retronomicon where Lee looks at Sega's Shenmue for the Dreamcast.

Lee PriceHONORABLE MENTIONS

Wiz n' Liz - An insanely fun little platformer. Rabbit collecting was never this good in real life.

Revenge of ShinobiI still haven't managed to beat this game. I can get to Zeed but he just kills my ass dead.

Comix ZoneA rock solid game but superbly made and unbelievably fun. Never got its due on release.

World of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse and Donald DuckProbably the best example of the superb stream of platformers Disney released for the Genesis. Just edges out Aladdin.

5.Toejam and Earl 2: Panic on Funkotron - What a game. The first one was decent enough but this just blew me away. Going from essentially a top down exploration game to a beautifully designed 2D platformer in which the aim of the game was to catch all the escaped humans who were roaming Planet Funkotron using specialized jars, and then blast their asses back to Earth. This game was huge, and had more to explore than any game I had played prior. So many secret doorways and routes through levels. I just adore this game so buy it. NOW!

4.Streets of Rage 2 - Streets of Rage 3 is arguably the better game, in fact I've already made that point in a previous Retronomicon, but Streets of Rage 2 will always hold a slightly higher place in my heart. That's because this is the game that introduced me to gaming and the Genesis. I went round a friend's house for a party, we played this game, he stopped and I didn't. It took me over a year to get my own Genesis after that, my parents having graced me with an Atari 2600 until this "gaming fad" wore off, but this was the game that took my cherry. It helps that it is a top notch scrolling beat-em-up too mind.

3.Gunstar Heroes - I've already waxed lyrical about Gunstar Heroes in a previous top 5 but it definitely deserves mention again. This is, simply put, the best example of the run n' gun genre out there. There may be those who disagree but I don't care, I adore this game. The bosses are awesome, the level design is top notch (special mention to the game board level again) and the game flows like nothing else you will see on the Genesis. Organized chaos and every second of it is pure fun.

2.Crusader of Centy/Soleil - Not the most mainstream of choice, this game was essentially a Zelda clone. But what a clone! The graphics were beautiful and the game played like a dream. If you didn't know otherwise this could easily have fit into the Zelda series. On top of that you have the animal mechanic in which you gather animal allies throughout the game, with the ability to equip two at a time to follow you. As well as being able to protect you they all also offer up different abilities that can sometimes be combined for even more powerful abilities. Just a gem of a game and I suggest you hunt it down.



1.Sonic the Hedgehog 2 - This was one of the first games I got with my Genesis and I fell in love with it instantly. The level design in Sonic 2 is what makes it the standout of the entire series for me. It is just perfect and nothing in it feels unfair, a trait that the 3D Sonic games would do well to continue. On top of that there are the superb graphics, high speed gameplay and of course the introduction of both Tails (blurgh) and Super Sonic (yay). Tails I could do without, I always turned his useless arse off at the options screen, but Super Sonic has become a standard in the series too and we have Sonic 2 to thanks. More than any of this though, this is the first game that entered my Genesis so it will always have a special place.

Next up is a man with yet another brand new news report here on 411, Armando Rodriguez. Armando used to bring you the good the bad and the ugly of the gaming world, but he has a new column with a new style. Check out the Ultra Combo News Report when you get done here. He's got all the news on all the systems.

Armando RodriguezHONORABLE MENTIONS

Sonic the Hedgehog: The entire series was awesome. Sonic 3 is my favorite, but if you own a Genesis, you need to have them all.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms III: The Dragon of Destiny: A game so complex and full of numbers that it would make an accountant cry. The amazing thing is that it was a lot simpler back then, the last entries on the PS2 where just WAY TOO COMPLEX! Still, taking over China as you carefully managed your food supply, amount of soldiers, horses and weapons and also came up with policies and other political razzle-dazzle was very fun. This is the type of game that would kill people like Todd and Mark.

Cyborg Justice: A beat-em-up featuring killer cyborgs. The game was hard as hell and even with all the unique combinations (you could customize your robot's legs, arms and torso) you where restricted to certain legs if you wanted to make it all the way to the end. The cool thing was that each arm had unique special attacks, from the flame thrower, the laser shooter, the chainsaw and even a punch you could throw across the screen like a rocket. Legs where equally awesome, from the tank legs that let you shrink and perform a charge attack, to the Big Foot legs that can walk through traps without taking damage and the Pneumatic Legs that allowed you to jump big chasms (and are required to make it out of certain levels). Did I mentioned it had fatalities? Yes, you could rip someone's arm and equip it yourself and even rip off their torsos and destroy them to absorb their energy.

WWF Royal Rumble: Featuring 12 wrestlers and Royal Rumble mode with 6 wrestlers on screen, this game was a blast. The Genesis version came out before the SNES version, so it still had Hulk Hogan and also had guys like Hacksaw Jim Duggan and Papa Shango that where taken out of the SNES version.

5.Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium - Probably one of the greatest RPG's ever made. The story centered around Dark Force (or Dark Fallz as it is known in some countries) and you had to battle 3 different forces, plus the evil Zyo (that was probably the coolest RPG villain until Sephiroth) and it managed to tie up all the other three Phantasy Star games and conclude the story is a satisfying manner.



4.Streets of Rage 2 - I love all three Streets of Rage titles, but part two is my favorite, if only because it features Max, the bad-ass pro wrestler with the back-breaking grapples. Seriously, just picking up a goon and smashing him against the concrete is pure awesome.

3.Shining Force - My undeniable love for this series continues! This is the game that defined strategy RPG's, considering that Fire Emblem had only been released in Japan; Shining Force was the first of its kind to make it across the pond. The replay value is through the roof with all the possible combinations you can use to beat the game and the story was engaging, if a bit cliché.

2.Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 - Ah yes, MK. I own every single game in the series for the Genesis, but UMK3 is probably my favorite. First of all, it brought back Reptile and Scorpion, which are two of my favorites. Second of all, I still love pulling off brutalities, even if you can call them "Ultra Combo" knockoffs. When UMK3 was at its peak, it was like the SuperBowl: 6 or 7 friends, a ton of junk food and drinks and plenty of action and trash talking going on.

1.Shining Force 2 - My obvious #1, it improved upon the original in every respect. It was longer, the world was larger, it had more characters and classes, the story was better and it featured adjustable difficulty, with the hardest one being so hard only the clinically insane (and me!) would dare to try it. I got halfway through the game on that difficulty before I quit in frustration, but one of these days…

Thanks Armando. Man there were a lot of great titles on the Genesis. Next we have Mr. Fact or Fiction himself Drew Robbins. This week features yours truly verbally sparring with Sean Garmer. Check it out.

Drew RobbinsHONORABLE MENTIONS

Mickey Mania - Remember when licensed games were good? Sure, they are on the way back with hits like Arkham Asylum, but back in the day you could count on Disney to bring the heat with their games. Mickey Mania was no exception, not only was it a decent platformer, but it had pretty good graphical effects for the time.

Gunstar Heroes - I was a huge fan of Metal Slug, so when I picked this up for $3 you bet I was thrilled with what I had received. As opposed to the slightly standard lineup of weapons in Metal Slug, this had crazy combinations that always led to some exciting firefights.

Comix Zone - The idea of a game which traverses comic panels seems to be universally appealing, which is why it should be no surprise to see the tremendous love Comix Zone has received in the years after the end of the Genesis era. Only problem is how ridiculously difficult it is to beat on the Genesis, if you are looking to actually finish the game definitely go for the XBLA port.

Streets of Rage 2 - Screw Final Fight, this is the real man's beat-em-up. You know, besides the one with the Turtles, that one is the best.

5.General Chaos - As a general rule, nobody likes RTS games on consoles. Many have tried and most have failed. Laughably enough, EA got it right way back in the day with this forgotten gem. Single player was fun enough, but multiplayer is the real star of the show here. I can still plop down and play a few rounds of this against a friend for hours.

4.Vectorman - Vectorman is possibly one of the most bizarre creations of this time. A green robot that looks like it belongs in the game Ballz that shoots strange looking charges out of his hand. So obviously, it was incredibly awesome, so awesome that it nearly received a reboot back in the PS2 era. Didn't pan out so well.

3.Aladdin - In a time where Disney games were surprisingly decent, Aladdin reigned as the king of them all. Combining the obvious appeal of jumping across Arabian rooftops with the unique flair of the film, this game was a beast. Plus, the Genesis version was the only one with the sword. Felt good being a Sega fanboy in those days.



2.Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Hyperstone Heist - When people point back at how great Turtles games were, this is the one most commonly skipped over. It's always Turtles in Time or the Arcade game, but this one remains forgotten by many. But not I! Lacking a SNES in the days of yore, Hyperstone Heist was my main way of kicking some foot clan ass at home.

1.Sonic the Hedgehog 3 - This really shouldn't be a surprise. Sonic, topping a Genesis list? Surely you jest! While Sonic 2 tends to receive the popular vote, and the original gets the innovation vote, Sonic 3 is where the series truly reached its peak. Level design was ridiculously good, a save system was finally integrated, and who could forget plopping this bad boy into your Sonic and Knuckles cartridge to get the full, combined experience.

Thanks Drew, moving right along. Next up is Scott J Simpson. What can be said about Scott. He is responsible for a shit load of the news you read on this site each day. Be sure to thank him.

Scott J SimpsonHONORABLE MENTIONS

Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage – A fun beat ‘em up video game with Spider-Man and Venom as they team up to stop Carnage from taking over New York City. Compared to other Spider-Man games on the Sega Genesis (and there's quite a few of them), Maximum Carnage is one of the best. Not only can you play as Spider-Man and Venom, but the game also gives Spidey a wide assortment of web-based attacks, which I haven't seen in the other Spider-Man titles for the Genesis. However since the game is also available on the Super Nintendo, I'm not going to place Maximum Carnage on my "Top 5" list since it's not exclusive to the Genesis.

X-Men 2 in Clone Wars – A sequel that did everything right. The game gave you more playable characters and kept the same awesome gameplay mechanics that fans loved in the first entry. Best of all, X-Men 2 finally gave the player unlimited use of their mutant's powers. In the first game, the player could only use mutant powers sporadically. Every time you teleported with Nightcrawler, or shot off an optic blast with Cyclops, you consumed energy, and if you were too trigger happy with your mutant powers, you could quickly find yourself in a tough situation without your mutant's primary abilities. Luckily the sequel fixed this issue. Although an awesome game, I haven't had the time to play it very much, so it doesn't nab a spot in the "Top 5."

5.The Adventures of Batman & Robin – I'm a big fan of Batman: The Animated Series, and have been ever since I first laid eyes on the show when it was originally broadcasted on television in 1992. So when I spotted a video game based on the animated series at a flea market a few years ago, I decided to pick it up. Now even though the game is also available on the Super Nintendo, the version for the Genesis is vastly different. The Genesis version is a run ‘n gun style game with Batman and Robin as playable characters, whereas the SNES version was more of a beat ‘em up game with Batman as the only playable character. The Adventures of Batman & Robin for the Genesis is by far one of the hardest games I have ever played, and is also one of the more graphically impressive games ever made for the system. It's a must have for Genesis owners and fans of Batman: The Animated Series.



4.Tiny Toon Adventures: Buster's Hidden Treasure – Another great video game based on a cartoon series from the early 90s. The player takes control of Buster Bunny as he tracks down Montana Max who has kidnapped Babs Bunny and hidden some stolen treasure. The gameplay mechanics are similar to Super Mario World. The player chooses a level on a world map, kills enemies by stomping on their head and completes each stage by finding Gogo Dodo who transports Buster back to the world map and opens up a new level. Buster's Hidden Treasure is an extremely solid platformer that sports great graphics, a stellar soundtrack and challenging gameplay.

3.Aladdin – I've given Aladdin high praise in a previous "Top 5" list so I will keep this one short. Aladdin has everything you could want in a video game; great graphics, an awesome soundtrack, challenging gameplay and of course the ability to defeat enemies with a scimitar, something that was not available in the Super Nintendo version. Simply put, Aladdin is one of the best platformers on the Genesis and is a shinning example of how to produce a high quality video game based on a film.

2.Sonic the Hedgehog Series – Sonic has many great games on the Genesis and I could make an entire "Top 5" list strictly devoted to Sonic on the little black console, but in order to save room for other titles I've grouped his games into one spot. For the most part, I've enjoyed every Sonic game I've played on the Genesis, which includes Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic 2, Sonic 3, Sonic Spinball, Sonic and Knuckles and yes even Sonic 3D Blast. Of course Sonic truly shines in 2D form, which is why Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic 2 and Sonic 3 will forever remain some of the best Sonic video games ever made.

1.Gunstar Heroes – Although Sonic deserves the top spot in a list devoted to the best games on the Sega Genesis, I simply cannot give the blue hedgehog that privilege. Instead, the best video game on the Genesis is Gunstar Heroes. Just like Aladdin, I've also given praise to Gunstar Heroes in the past on the "Top 5," so I'll keep this short and sweet: this 2-D shooter features a great story, awesome action, kick-ass music and amazing boss battles. Because of those elements, Gunstar Heroes remains the greatest game on the Sega Genesis.

You know what? After this column, I'm strongly considering making the Genesis the next system I add back to my retro collection. Speaking of retro, have you ever wanted to read about great things from the 80s peppered in with your movie news? If so I highly recommend you check out A Fools Utopia Each week in the movie zone. It is one of my favorites on this here site. You won't regret giving it a shot.

Ron MartinHONORABLE MENTIONS

Comix Zone – It's funny. This one gets mentioned a lot in the "honorable mentions." I never owned it, but I played it at my buddy's house. The gameplay wasn't spectacular or even adventurous, but the reason it gets at least honorable mention is for the unique format and humor. I love the talking bubbles. I wish I could talk into bubble in my daily life.

Splatterhouse 3 – I'm not going to lie to you, these games were pretty simple and could have been crapped out by a five-year-old. However, being a horror geek, anytime I can piledrive a skinless blob while wearing a hockey mask and wielding a bloody weapon, it's going to get my attention.

General Chaos - This game always reminded me of Super Dodgeball. It pretty much replaced "Capture the Flag" for me. Why would I want to fight with someone over who tagged who first when I can beat up one of their guys and constantly throw grenades at him while he begs for medical help?

5.Vectorman 2 – This is just another variation on the Genesis shooting scroller which seemed to be the consoles bread and butter, but the east with which Vectorman moved always caught my eye. I've also always dreamed of having a disembodied voice narrate my life in short expletives. GOOD DRIVING! WAY TO TYPE! TIME FOR LUNCH!

4.Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist – I always have a soft spot in my heart of the Ninja Turtles, especially if they come in arcade style multi-player action. My only complaint would be that my favorite turtle, Raphael, is often the most difficult to play with. We're not recreating the genre or anything, but I had fun playing it.

3.The Haunting starring Polterguy – What's not to love? You're the ghost of a rebellious teen trying to scare off yuppies so that you can steal from them. Why hasn't there been a motion picture made of this, yet? Furniture comes alive people -- ALIVE! Just watch out for the damn dog.

2.Ristar – This was made by the same people who made the Sonic series, and it shows. The backgrounds and layout are almost identical in some parts. Sonic goes fast and spins. Ristar has long arms and swings really fast. Hey, they got their mileage out of both games, so who am I to judge. This is actually more fun to play than some of the early Sonic games.



1.Sonic the Hedgehog 3 – You knew this was going to be related to Sonic somehow, right? I mean the thing did get an entire restaurant franchise named after him. Sonic was Sega's claim to fame and certainly had his fans who were very anti-Mario. Sonic games are simple side scrollers but sometimes those are the funnest games to play. Let's not get too complicated. Sonic was the guy out front for the brand and this was the best game for this system, hence the #1.

Todd VoteHONORABLE MENTIONS

Eternal Champions - This one just barely missed my top 5. The game was built from the ground up by Sega, and was essentially a clone of popular fighters of the time. But any good fighter will separate itself from the pack with story. Eternal Champions premise was simple: pull the best fighters from history, and pit them against one another.

ToeJam and Earl - While my experience with this wacky pair may not be as extensive as others, I did play the games. They were hilarious, and that is worth an honorable mention if you ask me.

5.Earthworm Jim - Eat Crow. What more can I say about Jim that I haven't said in past columns? EJ is still one of my favorite platform games of all time. The music, the humor, the gameplay, hell the idea of using an earthworm in a supersuit is reason enough to play this game.

4.Skitchin'/Road Rash - It may be a copout to include both of these titles in the same entry, but other than one being on roller blades and one being on motorcycles, can you tell me the difference? They were both fun to play, and played very similar. So they get the same spot.

3.Sonic 2 - By far my favorite Sonic title ever.

2.Comix Zone - Another repeat on one of my lists. You may remember this one from the favorite download games Top 5. Well everything I said there still stands today.



1.Mortal Kombat - I've come to learn something since I started my tenure in the Top 5. Mortal Kombat, or Smackdown have always been a factor in deciding what system I choose to buy at the onset of each generation. I chose the Genesis for the MK blood (a,b,a,c,a,b,b). When I decided to go with the 360 instead of the PS3, aside from price, Smackdown vs. Raw being announced as non-exclusive was another factor in me biting the bullet and getting on the Xbox bandwagon. Come to think of it my console buying after the original NES has always been about one or two particular games. I bought the SNES for Killer Instinct.. I went with the N64 because I could have both MK, and KI. The PS2 was my choice due to GTAIII. Hmmm.. maybe there is something to all this exclusivity business. Anyway, yeah Mortal Kombat. I got this game from my father for Christmas the year it came out. One problem with that; I didn't have a Genesis. My dad told me that he thought it would be better if I just had to rent the system, instead of both the game and the system. It wasn't until I returned to my Mother's house that I finally received my Genesis. Christmas was good that year, until I dropped my Genesis, box and all in the snow.


Bonus Video:
Screw attack top 10 Genesis games, enjoy.

Video Games | ScrewAttack | Top 20 Genesis Games (10-1)

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

Well I guess that brings us to the end of another edition of the Top 5. Thanks for stopping in and reading week 27. We'll see you back in seven. Be sure to leave your favorite Genesis games, or whatever other comments down below. Next week, to keep the nostalgia train running, we will be presenting our favorite NES games.