Sonic the Hedgehog and more: 20 best Sega Genesis video games as classic console marks 30th anniversary
- The Sega console was released in Japan in October 1988 before hitting North America 10 months later. Next month an anniversary US$80 Genesis Mini goes on sale
- Sonic the Hedgehog, Ecco the Dolphin, Super Street Fighter and NBA Jam games series owe their longevity to their launch on Sega’s rival to Nintendo
The Sega Genesis – released in Japan in October, 1988, before arriving in North America in August, 1989 – was one of the definitive video game consoles of the 1990s and the primary competitor to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES).
Though Sega would follow up with new consoles like the Saturn and the Dreamcast, the Genesis – known as the Mega Drive outside North America – is easily the company’s most celebrated piece of hardware. To mark the console’s 30th anniversary in North America, the Sega Genesis is coming back in September with an US$80 mini version.
The company managed to break through with hit games such as Sonic the Hedgehog and Ecco the Dolphin, and continued to invest in wacky new franchises including Earthworm Jim and ToeJam and Earl. By the end of its six-year lifespan, the Genesis had a strong enough library to fuel debates between Sega and Nintendo fans for days.
Here are what many gamers say are the 20 best Sega Genesis games.
Sonic 3 & Knuckles (1994)
Sonic the Hedgehog isn’t just Sega’s mascot – his early games helped define a generation of platforming games for both the Genesis and Super Nintendo with their focus on fast gameplay, memorable level design, and iconic music. Sonic 3 & Knuckles was also a pretty impressive work of 1990s technology. The game allowed players to stack two existing games, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic & Knuckles, and combine elements of both games. It was groundbreaking for the time.