The 10th Hour 5.02.08: Top 10 Sega Genesis Games

Posted by Derek Robbins on 05.02.2008

Last week the 10th Hour covered the best of the Super Nintendo so this week it's only fitting that the Genesis gets its turn in the spotlight! From Sonic the Hedgehog 2 to Ghouls n' Ghosts, 411's Derek Robbins covers his top 10 Sega Genesis games!

Hello and welcome to the 10th hour! As always, before I get started there are a couple of things that I would like to hit on.

-As positive as I was feeling about Kerry Wood being the closer, it seems in just about every outing he's in…he faces some sort of trouble. He blew a game today that we REALLY should have won and now that great offensive start we've been having seems a bit over-shadowed by our bullpen issues. I say just put Marmol in the closer role and be done with it. He seems up to it and could very well be the next K-Rod. I love Wood as much as any Cubs fan should…but it's time for him to leave the closer role.

-Well I have been playing Grand Theft Auto IV…and I have to tell you, it's probably worth every bit of praise that it is getting. A brilliant social satire, a great story, improved gameplay…it's just something you need to experience. On top of all that, the world actually FEELS alive. No other game has simulated a city as well as this one. Seriously, the other day I heard news reports on the radio regarding an explosion I had caused. I don't care what anyone says, that is damn cool. Even if you didn't like last generation's grand theft auto titles, I would highly recommend you give this one a try.

Alright, now let's hit some reader feedback:

Reader Feedback

Last week's Super Nintendo list was hard to come up with and as a result…it seemed highly probable that I would forget something near and dear to many. Let us see what some other people thought…

Bruce tells us what his favorite SNES title is:

Super Castlevania IV was my all time favorite SNES game. :)


I admit that Super Castlevania IV is a really good game. I just was never really into it for some reason. I'm not a fan of backtracking and like the Metroid series…that seems to be something that the Castlevania franchise places emphasis in. I placed Super Metroid on the list because I felt it was a wonderful game…but I couldn't bring myself to put the fourth Castlevania on the list. It's good, but…I only had room for one side-scrolling adventure title. Sorry about that. I'll have to give Castlevania love some other time!

The next is from Vitamin D


This list must of been one of the hardest you had to make. Kudos to you sir.
Kudos!

I must flat out agree with your top 6. No arguement here.

I guess the gripe I have would be Super Mario World 2. Call it blasphemy
but...I just couldn't get into that game. Yes, it did look visually cool and
all...just I couldn't get into it. Maybe it's my fault, I don't know.

So I'd put Kirby at number 9 and place at number 7 Contra 3: The Alien Wars. I
remember my brother renting the japanese version of that game and playing the
crap out of it. To this day I play it (thanks to the Virtual Console, no longer
need to bring out the original). That game also had a lot of memorable moments.
The third stage boss who comes from the background, you see the claws and he
opens it up.

I know you put "and many others" but yeah....there's so many great
SNES games. Sunset Riders, Super Ghouls N Ghosts, Shadowrun, Kirby's Dream
Course, Super Castlevania IV, Super Bomberman, Saturday Night Slam Masters,
Pocky and Rocky, Breath of Fire series, the Super Star Wars games, Adventures
of Batman and Robin, Batman Returns, TMNT: Tournament Fighters, The Lost
Vikings, Blackthorne, Prince of Persia....so many others I probably forgot
too!

Keep up the good work!


You know, I totally did forget Contra III. It's not only challenging, but it surpasses the original contra in so many ways.

Honestly, I am a bit surprised that you didn't like Super Mario World 2. Maybe I'm weird, but the added emphasis on Yoshi made it a must-play for me. Ahh, but to each his own.

As for the other games you recommended…well you have a lot of classics there. I disagree with Batman and Robin, but the others seems really good. Especially TMNT: Tournament Fighters. That game was so much better on the SNES than it was on the Genesis or any other system.

Blah brings up a rather good point with the following comment:

I love the articles because I love seeing what other people think... but
seriously stop shoving Earthbound down our throats every chance you get.

Other than that good work.


I realize I've been pushing Earthbound rather hard…so that's why I decided that I'm going to try to stop talking about it for about two or so months. That's right, a temporary 10th hour ban on my favorite game ever! Man…well perhaps we'll start seeing some less biased listing around here, hah.

Beeker wanted to say the following:


Heh, good list but if you want to cheat a bit, you should make Super Mario
All-Stars + World as your #1. ;)


I really wish I could have. Super Mario All-Stars + World would have been number one on that list, easily. Without a doubt the finest compilation that the world has ever seen. The only time it's come close to being topped would have to be with the Orange Box and that was over a decade later. Impeccable job Nintendo.

JP got in next:


Good List, but honestly...

No Mario Kart?
Not even an honourable mention?

Cam annnnnn


Man, I can't believe I forgot Super Mario Kart. That game holds up extremely well today. It's a perfect counter to the now almost entirely luck based Mario Kart.

WadeMcG is up now:

TMNT: Tounament Fighters SNES version is my pick for best TMNT game ever. It
was so vastly superior to the Megadrive game with the same name that at least
one of the Sega mags admitted it in print. Even then, I wouldn't include it in
the ten.

By the way, what did you think of Actraiser? I've completed and enjoyed that
on Wii Virtual Console.


I think Act Raiser is a pretty good game. It is certainly worth your VC points, I must say. Is it good enough to make my list? Proooobably not, but it's a really impressive title that deserves recognition.

TMNT Tournament Fighters for the SNES blew the Genesis version out of the water. What makes me mad is that I BOUGHT the Genesis version and skipped out on the SNES version. I rented the SNES one and was saddened by what I had missed. That game…was so awesome! Can you imagine if a game like GTA IV came out on the 360 and PS3 with such noticeable difference? It'd be insane!

OmegaSox attempts to point out my hypocricy:

" No matter what 15-year-old gameFAQs users may tell you, Crono really
isn't that cool."

Yes, yes he is. And last I checked, Ness was pretty silent himself, so taking
beef with Crono for that is kinda nonsensical.

Of course, this 25 year old CT fanboy also has bias about himself as well. Good
column overall, although KI was much better than TMNT IV(which was a SHELL of
itself compared to the AC version...lol).


Yes, Ness was a silent protagonist…but what made him different than Crono – in my eyes at least – is that he showed some personality. Specifically in the world of Magicant (where his innermost desires are revealed) and in the seventh sanctuary zone, Lumine Hall. These two areas of the game have Ness show more personality than most other silent protagonists combined.

As for KI over TMNT IV…well…KI was a good game, I'm just not sure it's a GREAT game. While TMNT IV was not as good as the arcade counterpart it was still a wonderful game and I would still rate it as the best console beat ‘em up ever.

Mike Minoti of THE Exploding Barrel podcast likes Kirby Superstar:

No complaints here. Good job remembering Kirby Super Star.


There was no way I could have left it out. Kirby Super Star made Kirby into a gaming icon. I actually think that if it wasn't for Kirby Super Star, we may not have seen Kirby in the Smash Brothers games.

Actually, I'm probably wrong seeing as Smash Brothers was made by Masahiro Sakurai, the creator of Kirby…still though, even more people would be questioning his presence.

Owain J. Brimfield checks in now, he's another 411 columnist. He works on the Wonder Years!


I sense a lot of flak coming your way sir, but a good list with some interesting
choices for my money.


To be honest, I was expecting some too…especially after I mistakenly left Super Mario Kart off, but surprisingly I didn't get many complaints this week. The only thing I would have changed is…well…I wanted the Donkey Kong Country franchise on the list but I had to knock it off for some stupid reason.

Mark Salmela - the one man water cooler - of B3yond the Report is here!


Good list although I do agree with the person above on inserting Contra 3.
Probably because I'm not a big RPG fan *suck it*.

And sometimes I wish you would die... Just kidding, without the double team of
you and that Joe Q. Hater 360 writer every Friday I wouldn't have anyone to rag
on and ruin my weekend.


Hahaha, yeah…I remember hearing your hatred of the RPG genre. It's weird because I have been a fan of RPGs since…man, I have no idea. I'd say since Mario RPG, and I think I was about eight when I first played that one.

What can I say? Ruining weekends is what I live for. Derek "Ender of Joy" Robbins is what they call me in my neck of the woods.

Sean McCabe is next in line:

The lack of the greatest RPG of all time bar none in this list is immensely
disturbing. Chrono Trigger is overrated and Earthbound... well okay, I never
got to play that and probably should sometime.

But nonetheless, my number one, even above Link to the Past and Super Metroid
(my 2 and 3), is Secret of Mana. Wish someone would port that to the damn DS
already instead of continuing to defile it's name with subpar titles that carry
the name of Mana >_>


You should play Earthbound man! I think that's the sort of game that you would like. As for Secret of Mana, I admit that it's a good game…but I think I may be a bit biased against it. I blame it partially for Earthbound not succeeding over here. They were released around the same time and Mana did so much better. I know it probably isn't mana's fault, but…I just could never shake it from my mind.

Finally we have Chris


Great list, but you forgot one of the best parts about Chrono Trigger...the
massive ammount of endings!

And I know you never include sports games in your list, but I want to give a
shoutout to NHL 94, the best pure hockey game I've ever played. And the
ratings, it made so much sense that Gretzky was in the high 90's and scrubs
like Kris King were rated in the 30's, it made perfect sense that the top
players were so much better than the crappy goons. Nowadays, just about every
average player is rated in the 70's, and there is no distinction between the
players anymore.


I have given love to the endings in Chrono Trigger before, but for some reason I forgot to on the best SNES games list. Odd. Anyhow…I totally agree, that was one of the most remarkable things about that particular game.

Also, sports games aren't necessarily banned from this list. I usually just toss out cross-platform titles and typically sports games fall into the category. MVP 2005 is one of my top-10 favorite games ever and I didn't include it on any of the previous generation top-10 lists (which is sad, because I really love that game).

Now, as for your point about player ratings…I think the companies are afraid to hurt the poor players feelings. The main sports games of today are so mainstream that they really don't want the negative press from someone like Tim Rattay going: "WHAT!? I AM ONLY RATED 40 OVERALL!? BULLSHIT"

As an aside, I love Tim Rattay.



Last week I discussed the top-10 SNES games so I figured this week it would only be fitting to go on about the best Genesis games. Seeing as the Genesis was the number one rival of the SNES it just made sense. The general rule is that no SNES titles are allowed on the list. That is to say that games that appear on both systems are not allowed. The main exception would be entry number seven which I felt was enhanced on the Genesis.

This means that games like Zombies Ate My Neighbors and Earthworm Jim are excluded. Sadly.

I also had to have played the game.
Other than that everything is fair game, so let's get started:

10-) General Chaos I'm not sure if many people have heard of this game, but personally…I think it's a blast. General Chaos is like a really early RTS. It feels like a parody of your more serious war-games by having a pretty light-hearted tone. Alas, I am a fan of such parodies and thusly remember this game fondly. You had a selection of five different troops at the start of each battle and your goal was to use each one's strengths and weaknesses in order to overcome the opposing army. In a way, it made it a bit like "Rock-Paper-Scissors" with the matchups, but which strategy games don't get like that from time-to-time? Another interesting thing about this game was that EA – the creators – had a chip in the game that made the cartridge bigger. Thanks to this, the game didn't exactly look like a Genesis cartridge. It was much larger. You could easily pick it out of a lineup if the front cover was missing. I think EA did this with a couple of other Genesis games too, namely the Mutant League games, because I remember going into a store and seeing the special chip (or whatever it was) advertised on the box. Ahhh, but enough about the cartridge, let's continue talking about the game. As mentioned earlier General Chaos is a parody of what we've seen of the rather popular war genre. It even has spoofs of television shows such as Hogans Heroes – which attempted to sue EA over this but it ultimately failed. While this game may not be the first thing that pops into your head when you think of the phrase "classic Genesis game", it really was ahead of its time and deserves recognition for it. A fun, goofy, war-based game with RTS like elements…I think we're a bit over-due for another title like this, don't you?



9-) Sonic the Hedgehog - Without a doubt, Sonic ruled the Sega Genesis. Say what you want to about the blue blur now, but back in the day he was a legitimate gaming icon that was rivaled only by Mario. The Sega Genesis really helped put him over as one of the faces of gaming and did such a good job that even today, when his console titles are below sub-par, people think of him as a super star. Sonic the Hedgehog helped put the Genesis on the map with insane speed. That was Sonic's calling card after all. It played a bit like Mario as a 2D platformer, but whereas Mario was slow and plodding…Sonic was rather fast and meant to be played at break-neck speeds. Some people think that Sonic is a game where you just hold-down the right directional button and beat the level. While this may be true for some of the Rush titles, on the Genesis…there was a LOT of platforming involved with the little guy and some of the best levels ever are featured in those three games. This one in particular had fantastic level design, and the first level remains one of the most remembered in gaming today. The reason it places so low on this list compared to the other Sonic titles is that Sonic had yet to garner his move sets. At this point, Sonic was a fairly straightforward run and jump game. While some feel this is the case still, the later games give you more things to do and thus…are probably a bit better. Many hardcore Sonic fans will tell you that, in no matter what direction the series goes, the music has always been a high-point for the series and this game is so different. Every level has a distinct sound and if you were to play a tune from the game for someone who played the game in their childhood, odds are they would remember it as from Sonic…even if they haven't played the game in years. It really just sticks out. Without Sonic the Hedgehog, the Sega Genesis would have fallen at the hands of the Super Nintendo, so it's time to pay respect. Thank you Sonic for helping to put the Sega Genesis on the map.

- Where it all began.

8-) Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine - The second Sonic title on this list, but this one is far from traditional. A matter of fact, a lot of people probably consider this title non-canonical. (Yes, yes, even Sonic has fans that follow the plot religiously for whatever reason.) Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine is based off of the Saturday Morning cartoon show. No, it wasn't based off of the darker, more plot-based cartoon…it was based off of the silly one that I believe was dubbed "Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog." This game features many of Robotnik's baddies from the cartoon, but…as I mentioned before it doesn't play like a typical Sonic game. You're not running, jumping, and freeing small animals from their robotic prisons. No, you're facing off against Robotnik's baddies in a game of Puyo Puyo! That's right – a puzzle game! For those who have experience playing puzzle games, they'll surely know that they can be fairly addicting and once you get good…you can be at it for hours. Basically what you do is line-up same colored "beans". Doing so will cause the beans to disappear. Your goal is to create combos in order to make dark-hard to break-beans fall from the sky to befuddle your opponent. If your opponent's screen fills up and they are unable to make anymore beans disappear…you win! The single player mode goes on until you beat Dr. Robotnik…but the multiplayer mode is something that can last forever. Puzzle games are notorious for having obscenely fun multiplayer and this is no exception to that rule. If you get two people that are good at this game together it can even be really fun to watch. I didn't appreciate the game much when I was growing up – after all, I bought it assuming I'd be playing a more traditional Sonic game – but as I got older I began to understand it more. Now it goes down as one of my favorite games of all time. If you consider yourself a fan of the puzzle genre, you'd be remiss not to pick this title up.

- So much fun.

7-) Lost Vikings - Before Blizzard was taking the lives of many with games like World of Warcraft or Starcraft, they were making games like Lost Vikings (and Warcraft I guess but…that's a story for a different list). Odds are you might not have played this game or even heard of it, but let me assure you, this is something you need to play. Of course, you need to play this under optimal conditions. What do I mean by that? Lost Vikings is a game that was made to be a co-operative experience. There are three Vikings to control, and you take control of one at a time, and this really can get quite bothersome switching between the three during a level. Two people makes the experience so much more convenient, and in the process makes this game a blast to play. Many weekends were spent taking Erik, Olaf, and Baleog through many different worlds. Each of these characters had their own specific traits, which is why it required switching between them on the fly. Erik was fast and best for platforming, Baleog was good for close combat, and Olaf was good at blocking attacks, floating, and using his shield as a platform. I know some of you are saying, "Derek, why is there a port of an SNES game on your list?" Well, the Lost Vikings on the Genesis was gifted with extra levels, thus making it better and not a complete port. Since it is enhanced, it is eligible. Plus a part of me really wanted to get this game credit. So if you haven't played it yet, I would recommend you hunt down the Genesis version of this game ‘somehow' and give it a go. You will not regret it.

- Blizzard: Delivering Vikings of which can truly be described as lost.

6-) Ghouls n' Ghosts - Pointed out to me last week was the fact that I missed out on Super Ghosts n' Goblins. You are right, that game IS wonderful…but the difficulty curb is so steep that a lot of gamers who may have tried it probably quite soon thereafter. Hey, don't get me wrong, I liked it…I just wasn't as big on it being one of the top-10 SNES games. This one however…is worthy of being on the list. Unlike Super Ghouls n' Ghosts this game is forgiving! That's right, while it maintains the series tough difficulty, compared to other installments…this one is actually not so bad. The game features multiple difficulty levels and even a practice mode so you can get used to the mechanics and prepare to play on a tougher difficulty level. For those of you un-initiated with the series, what you do is take control of a knight attempting to rescue a princess from distress. It seems cliché, but this isn't exactly a game you would play for the story, ya' know? So on your journey to save the princess you fight through – you guessed it – a various assortment of ghouls and ghosts. You generally have two segments of health per life – a suit of armor and…your underwear – so you need to plan your way through levels very carefully if you don't want to waste what lives you have. For a game that is so difficult to be considered good though, the level design and gameplay need to be spot on, and…it really is. The levels are really nice to look at, and the gameplay – while deceptively simple – is a blast to play. If I had to compare it to any game out there, the very first thing that comes to my mind is Contra. Yep! This is a lot like Contra but in a mode medieval setting. Another trademark of the series, at least in my mind, is the music. Ghouls n' Ghosts, outside of the Sonic series and perhaps the Phantasy Star series, has the best music that you'll find on the Genesis. Again, this game is more beginner friendly than the SNES game "Super Ghouls n' Ghosts", so if you're not quite as confident about your skills this is the version I would recommend getting. It is one of the best games on the Genesis library.



5-) Comix Zone There have been games that imitate the comic-book art-style. I'm not talking about ‘cartoon' art-style as you would see in a cel-shaded game, I'm talking about…an art style that would make you feel like you are playing a comic book. Comix Zone takes this a step further by placing you IN the comic. That's right, you fight from panel to panel in an attempt to reach your main goal. Now, that concept is enough to sell the game to me alone, but the fact that it has a rather competent fighting system doesn't hurt it. The game itself is pretty short in all honesty, but it's so hard that it will probably take you a lot longer than you would expect to make it through the game's six levels spread across three episodes. I think what I like the most about this game is that it is different. It's a side-scroller beat ‘em up with a twist. While they could have easily just said: "Oh hey, you're in a comic book" and had it play just like Streets of Rage and had the game turn out pretty good, you have to admire that they'd have the game play in such a unique fashion. This is not side-scrolling perfection, but it is unique and fresh enough to give you an enjoyable experience. I'd recommend picking up Sonic Mega Collection plus just so you can have all the Sonic titles of the Genesis era ALONG with Comix Zone as an unlockable. A DS version of this game would be very interesting and I'd love to see them try to make something like that.

- Even today, Comix Zone still looks cool.

4-) Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Sonic the Hedgehog was released in 1991. Usually when a series has a sequel come out the following year the results can be…well, disappointing. Sonic 2 was set for release in November of 1992 and was set to sell a ton of copies for the suddenly popular Sega Genesis. Shockingly enough, Sonic's rival delivered yet again with more of what we loved…and THEN some. Introduced in this game was the (technically second behind Amy Rose) first of Sonic's sidekicks, Mile "Tails" Prower. Miler per Hour, get it? He just followed Sonic around, but if you had a friend…they could pick up the second controller and control tails for you! That was really cool as Sonic was a fun enough game solo…but a simultaneous co-op Sonic was something that was just damn cool. On top of Tails, new ways to get the chaos emeralds were revealed. You ran on a track with mines and rings. It was pretty straight forward but it was also rather fun. It's good that it was fun because you needed to get those emeralds to get the seven chaos emeralds to get the coolest of the new gameplay features. Super Sonic! If you gathered fifty rings while in possession of the seven chaos emeralds Sonic would turn golden, be invincible, and move really fast. It was just plain cool to see, even if it was a blatant rip-off of Dragonball Z. In my eyes, this helped launch Sonic into even further competitive territory with Mario. Sonic was already fast enough as was, but with Super Sonic…there was no way Mario could ever catch up! One final thing that was added into the game was the spin dash which was a good way to cause damage without leaving the ground…and also a good way to quickly accelerate. Once again, as was the case with the first Sonic game, Sonic 2 has a lot of memorable songs – specifically Emerald Hill and Mystic Cave Zone for me – and great level design. The levels in Sonic 2 put the later 3D Sonic stages to shame and…that's kind of sad really. When you go back to play the old Sonic titles it is a bit of a drag knowing that Sonic has fallen so far downhill since his heyday in the 16-bit era. If for whatever reason (I guess if you were a hardcore Super Nintendo fan) you have not played Sonic 2 yet, you really need to get on it. It's as close to definitive as a 2D experience can get.

- There was a pit in Mystic Cave zone that Super Sonic could get stuck in. It sucked.

3-) Rocket Knight Adventures - How I cam about getting this game was so peculiar. One day, my mother found it for relatively cheap (like five dollars or something ridiculous like that) and decided to buy it for me since it really wasn't that much. I guess compared to how much Genesis games were supposed to cost back then…that's pretty cheap. Usually when your parents buy you a game randomly, you don't have high expectations. Afterall, they don't play games…so what are the odds that they get you a good one? Well, not only was this a good game…this was a down-right GREAT game. It's a beautifully drawn platforming title with extremely fun – yet challenging – gameplay. Your goal is, yet again, to save the princess…but really, who cared about gaming stories back then? Hell even today…99% of the stories you'll find in videogaming are complete rubbish, even the supposedly ‘really good ones'. You go about your mission by fighting various baddies on a side-scrolling format. It's fairly basic swordplay except for one thing…you can use your jetpack! That's right! Thanks to the advent of the jetpack, this game goes from being a pretty good sidescroller to a damn good one. You need to aim it in a specific direction to scale walls sometimes, you need it to kill certain enemies…whatever the case is, you actually NEED your pack. It's not just a gimmick. Furthering this along are the levels where you are just using your jetpact to fly around and blast stuff. It feels like a side-scrolling shooter during those moments. One final thing I should mention is that the music found within the game is particularly good. I downloaded the boss-battle music because I found myself humming it randomly one day. I hadn't touched the game in several years. If you randomly hum music from a game you haven't played in ages, you know it made a lasting impact. Everything about this game screams quality and reminds me why so many gamers prefer the retro gaming to modern-day gaming. Sparkster could really use a next-gen title…but hopefully they don't mess it up. He deserves the very best.

- Sparkster at his finest.

2-) Gunstar Heroes - Treasure is one of the best gaming companies out there. Unlike Capcom, who un-lovingly shoves rehash after rehash down our throats, Treasure treats and every game like its child. Lovingly putting details in there for the sake of the fans, and I have to say…this game is no exception to that rule. What we have here is a side-scrolling shooter that many seem to compare to the classic Contra. Unlike Contra though, it's not one-and-done as far as being hit is concerned. You have a life bar. So when you're blasting away and dodging bullets, you don't have to worry if a stray one hits you. You'll be okay. I kind of like that because in games like Contra I would be zooming along just fine when a fluke bullet does me in. The level design and the characters all remind of an anime. The way everyone and everything looks…if you had told me that this was actually based off of an anime or manga I would have believed you. As with most of the games on this list, this title doesn't have much of a story. That's alright when you're this good. The levels, the characters, the music, the gameplay…everything is just so polished that it makes me wonder why this game wasn't a bigger hit than it was? It doesn't really matter, honestly…those who have played it know they have played one of the finest games in existence and those who haven't, well…they are really missing out. Treasure is the sort of company that you can buy every single game that they release because you know that they aren't going to let you down. They will try their hardest. Gunstar Heroes is the result of a ton of effort and it really shows. Download this on VC, get on the GBA, do whatever…just get this game.

- I always figured this boss looked a bit like M. Bison.

1-) Sonic 3 and Knuckles - I had made the comment earlier that Sonic ruled the Sega Genesis, and if you look at this list…you'd see that to be true. Three of the Ten entries are traditional Sonic titles and four of the ten are under the Sonic label. Now don't get me wrong, there are several great games that could have made this list but didn't (namely Herzog Zwei and the Phantasy Star series), but the Sonic games were just something special and they all deserved to be a part of this. Normally this sort of thing would require a separate entry – since technically they are two different games – but…with Sonic 3 and Knuckles they aren't really the same apart. I guess that's because they were originally designed to be the same game. What makes this game so special is that it combines the levels of Sonic 3 and Sonic and Knuckles – two games that felt incomplete – and makes it into one super game. Everything is bigger. You can collect 14 chaos emeralds, you can play as Tails in Sonic and Knuckles levels, you have access to all of the mini-games…really, it's what the third Sonic title should have been. What I really love about this is that, thanks to Sonic 3, there are glorious save files. No longer did you have to worry about making it to the very end of the game, dying, and being screwed…you could have a save file that not only saved your progress but logged how many emeralds you had. So you could beat the game and get four emeralds…and then beat it again to get the remaining three (or…10 if you're playing S3&K). That's pretty handy. By far, this game had the best level design of the series. The levels changed depending on who you played, and this is for a reason. If the levels just stayed the same…things would be horribly un-balanced for Knuckles, a character who could climb walls. Seriously, play Sonic 2 and Knuckles with Knuckles and see how broken that game becomes with him as the lead character. What I also like about this game is that unlike in Sonic 2…Tails and Knuckles actually play differently. Tails can fly a little bit and Knuckles can glide. Sonic gets special powers with different power-ups to compensate for this. So instead of getting two Sonic palette swaps…you'd get two unique characters which I really enjoyed. Combine the longer, more challenging gameplay and the chaos emeralds with the best music in the series – specifically Ice Cap Zone, perhaps the most fondly remembered Sonic song out there – you have a true winner. Sonic 3 and Knuckles was the high point of this formerly amazing franchise and shows that Sonic used to be quite the contender for best franchise out there. From the level design to the gameplay, there is not one thing about this game that is unlovable. No matter what your opinions of Sonic now are, this is a timeless classic that will be enjoyable now or ten years from now.

- The best Sonic character not named Sonic.

Honorable mentions: Herzog Zwei (was originally on the list), Phantasy Star series, Vectorman 1 and 2, Golden Axe 1 and 2, and many others.

Before I go, here are some links from around our gaming zone:

Theo Fraser pins the Nintendophiles. The most interesting thing in there for me this week is that Sonic Unleashed for the wii is being developed by Dimps, not Sonic Team. Given the way Sonic titles have been since the death of the Dreamcast perhaps that is a good thing, eh?

This week Owain J. Brimfield, who writes the Wonder Years, waxes nostalgically about Equinox. For the second week in a row, I have not played this game and for the second week in a row…I want to give it a go. So thanks once again for pointing it out, Owain!

Tommy Coloma writes the Negative Edge news report. He discusses how Sega has closed the final official server for PSO. He also mentions how you can use fan servers. When I played I was on the SCHT server and it was a pretty good time. That should still be up and it's free…so if you really need a PSO fix I'd hit that up

Vincent Chiucchi inducts Bubsy into his hall of shame this week and rightfully so. He was probably the lamest gaming mascot of all time. He tried way too hard to be hip and edgy and just seemed to always fall flat

Chris Scott writes the Red Snifit. This week he talks about game franchises that should be resurrected so a new, more shooter hungry audience can play them.

John Curry – The Curryman – writes the Checkpoint. This week he examines why in the hell there hasn't been a Fatal Frame on a next gen console yet. It's sad that innovative games like that just aren't popular

Rod Oracheski writes Achievement Unlocked. This week he discusses his top-10 best achievements. I actually think he's pretty dead-on with this list. I mean, I'd be proud to have those completed on my achievements list. Sadly…mine is comprised of stuff like: "COLLECT ALL OF AYANE'S SWIMSUITS" in DOA X2

Chris Evans writes the PC-Centric Extravaganza. He puts a lot of work into each one of these so it's worth a read if you're still into PC gaming.

Mark Salmela writes B3yond the Report. This week he discusses the awesomeness that is GTA IV and Metal Gear Online. I sure wish I could enjoy Metal Gear Online…if I owned a PS3 – and believe you me before MGS 4 comes out I will – I would be all over that

Joe Roche writes the Full Circle News report. He usually updates on the same day as I do so this isn't the most current one. Still though, you should check it out. Interesting stuff to be found here and Joe does a great job

AJ and Mike Minoti are the voices behind the exploding barrel podcast. Both guys do a really great job. If you haven't heard them yet, you really oughta'. Worthy of your time

Well that's it for this week. As always, if you want to praise or criticize me, talk about baseball or…whatever…write me an e-mail at [e-mail] or simply leave a comment below.

Next week will be a negative list, I promise! I feel the urge to be mean.

Well, that's all I have time for! If you want to play with me on GTA IV my X-BOX LIVE name is Croix22

Til' the Crossroads