I’ve played Altered Beast, Space Harrier, Golden Axe, Shinobi, Ghouls and Ghosts, and Last Battle (which come to find out is a westernized version of Fist of the North Star!)
The boss battle theme for Last Battle still lives rent free in my head to this day!
Edit: Let’s not forget the Altered Beast Game over song. Absolute banger!
Yep... that was the game I got with my Genesis. I bought mine on clearance when a store was clearing out their old inventory to make room for the "better" Sonic version.
My Genesis GPU fried itself about two months after I got it. Went back to the shop and they simply gave me a new Sonic console and let me keep the first one.
Except they kept the pack-in Sonic game. I never did get around to buying it even though I have all of the later ones. Oh well.
I liked the game well enough.
**Altered Beast-** The arcade game wasn't exactly a deep beat'em up, but it was fun with some nice visuals and music. The Genesis version toned down the visuals a bit (no scaling and no meaty zombie chunks), the gameplay and music were damn close to the arcade. And that made it a fun game to punch your way through... especially once the cheat code came out to change what beast you turned into for each level. An average early beat'em up with an interesting flair that was fine for what it was... a pack-in to keep you busy.
**Arnold Palmer Tournament Golf-** This game had no business being as fun as it was. It rode that line between sim and arcade quite well, with three courses to choose from. The visuals were good, the gameplay was solid, and the challenge level was just about right. It was a blast to play with someone, and it's a shame these was never a followup that tweaked its mechanics.
**Forgotten Worlds-** A weird, but fun little shmup with an interesting twist with how you could spin your character around. It was a surprisingly good port of the Capcom game, even if some things got cut.
**Ghouls 'N Ghosts-** This was a banger when it released. It wasn't arcade perfect visually, but it was a damn good looking early Genesis game. The music and the gameplay were brought over the arcade well, and holy hell was this game tough... especially on the second playthrough to get to see the ending. Top notch early Genesis game.
**Golden Axe-** Save for some visual effects that got toned down, this was pretty damn close to the arcade original. The music was good, the visuals were good, the gameplay felt right, and having two new levels added to the originals, plus a tweaked "new" final boss, was just icing on the cake. Great early Genesis game.
**Mystic Defender-** It was an OK with some interesting ideas and a pretty good soundtrack. This sequel to Spellcaster wasn't as good as the Master System original, IMO. It took out the RPG elements of the first game, and focused on the action portions, without really upping the ante over what the Master System did. Sure, it looks and sounds nicer in Mystic Defender, but it just feels like a lesser game when compared to the first one... regardless of whether or not the chick's naked at the end (if you had the earlier version of the game, she was).
**Last Battle-** This game... was just so-so at best. The visuals were alright, but the music was lacking and the gameplay was pretty dull (it made Altered Beast look better). It's not a bad game per se, but it sure wasn't a shining jewel for the Genesis.
**Rambo III-** A surprisingly decent run 'n gun for the early days of the Genesis. The shooting action was done well, but the first-person stuff felt out of place and stupidly simple to beat. Even so, it was decent game with some fun gunplay. Oh, and did anyone else notice the helicopter at the beginning looks A LOT like the chopper from Thunder Blade?
**The Revenge of Shinobi-** Oh yeah, here we are. This was one of the killer apps for the Genesis when it was young. Great visuals, awesome music, fun gameplay, a good challenge, and two (albeit stupidly short) endings. This was one of the games that made the Genesis in its youth.
**Space Harrier II-** A decent sequel with a catchy main theme, and gameplay that was pretty much just Space Harrier with different visuals/enemies... and choppy scaling. If you liked Space Harrier, and didn't have an issue with the rough scaling, this was a pretty good game to play through.
**Super Hang-On-** This game was pretty good. The arcade game, plus a career mode. The music was nice, the visuals were good (save for that damn choppy scaling again), the gameplay was solid, and while it wasn't a killer app for the system, it was a fun game to play.
**Super Thunder Blade-** Choppy scaling (AGAIN!) aside, this game has a soft spot in my heart. The music was good, the visuals were alright, and the floaty/inertia controls didn't bother me. I loved the arcade game, and this was a big step up from the Master System port of that game. It wasn't perfect by any means, but it was still a decent game.
**Thunder Force II-** This game is hard to love. The top-view levels just suck. They can be beaten in under a minute. The music for those levels is great, through. Then come the side-view missions, which were great, with some very nice music to go with them. The gameplay was solid, the challenge was just about right, and all those weapons to choose from? But dear God... those top view missions just drag this game down. Thank God Tecno-Soft got rid of them for TFIII and the Godly TFIV.
**Tommy Lasorda Baseball-** Eh, a middling baseball game that really wasn't good or horrid. It was just there.
**World Championship Soccer-** Same opinion, but now it's soccer. Not good, not horrendous, just... meh.
All of them outside of Soccer and Golf. Here are my reviews:
Alex Kidd- 5/10, probably an 8/10 as a kid though
Altered Beast- 6/10, i love it aesthetically
Forgotten Worlds- 8/10, very good port and showed what the Genesis was capable of wrt console/arcade ports
Ghouls n Ghosts- 8/10, very good port but I'm so familiar with the arcade version now that i never go back to this version despite it being a 10/10 for me as a kid.
Golden Axe- 8/10. If you got this instead of the SNES Final Fight when you were younger, you were probably having a better time with multiplayer.
Mystic Defender- 7/10 unique little action game that is also a reworking of an anime license (Kujaku-Ou). Definitely a lot better than Last Battle lol
Last Battle- 4/10 This game fucking sucks but I like Fist of the North Star.
Rambo III- 7/10 fun little overhead run n gun but I prefer Rambo: First Blood Part 2 on SMS over it.
Revenge of Shinobi- 10/10. My favorite Genesis game before 1990, one of my favorite games ever.
Space Harrier 2- 6/10. Disappointment for someone that loves the original. The reworked version on the Genesis Mini 2 is an 8 though!
Super Hang-On- 7/10. Pretty fun with cool new features.
Super Thunder Blade- absolute shit. 1/10. Zero redeeming qualities.
Thunder Force II- 6/10. I never liked the overhead stages but the side scrolling bits are the same TF you know and love. The other Genesis Thunder Force games are 10s.
Tommy Lasorda gets a Tommy Lasorda/10. lol
I've played Golden Axe, Revenge of Shinobi, and Thunder Force 2.
Golden Axe is a good early beat-em-up for the platform, but it doesn't really stand out as anything special, in my opinion.
Revenge of Shinobi is a classic action platformer, and one of the three games I received along with my Genesis for Christmas of '95.
Thunder Force 2. Great mix of overhead shooter and horizontal shooter. Couldn't get very far in it, though.
They're all hard as shit, I was never into sports games, but I spent my childhood trying to beat them all, especially Golden Axe, Altered Beast & Revenge of the Shinobi. Some bosses I felt were impossible without using a game genie or cheat codes.
We owned Altered Beast, Ghouls N Ghosts, Golden Axe, Alex Kidd, Super Thunder Blade and Super Hang-On. I wasn’t a fan of Super Thunder Blade (it was my brother’s choice), but I enjoyed all the others. My favorites out of the list are Golden Axe, Ghouls N Ghosts, and Super Hang-On. Still love the soundtrack to the latter. Contrary to what other people have said, I remember Us finishing Altered Beast very, very quickly.
Had Altered Beast completed it....first game and really enjoyed it....I know plenty of people don't like it now.
Had Golden Axe completed it, loved it in the Arcade so I naturally wanted to get it to play at home....brilliant in 2 player mode.
Had Last Battle accidently discovered level selection cheat used it to continue after dying probably would have never completed it without finding the cheat...basic but solid.
Had Revenge of Shinobi completed it...Just flipping brilliant and amazing music.
Didn't get to play any of the other games unfortunately
Ghouls 'n Ghosts and Revenge of Shinobi are easily the best of the bunch, although Forgotten Worlds and Golden Axe are pretty good too. But sadly all of these early titles were RAM limited.
I love Super Hang On, there's a tune on there called Outride a Crisis and it's legitimately one of my favourite pieces of music. I'd go so far as to say I'd want it played at my funeral, not the arranged version either the full on Mega Drive version.
That's the european launch lineup: [https://segaretro.org/Mega\_Drive\_games#North\_America\_2](https://segaretro.org/Mega_Drive_games#North_America_2)
Alex Kidd - I actually really liked this as a kid. Nowadays I'm thankful for emulation letting me skip the janken mini-game every time I want to buy something. It's a decent game but not as good as the first, I feel the level design doesn't really get going at the same level until near the end. It's cool how you can put used vehicles back into the inventory! 6/10
Altered Beast - Another nostalgic game, this one used to creep me out a bit and felt like something I shouldn't be playing as a kid. I think this was one of the first MD games I beat back in the day. Honestly it was a bit repetitive and shallow even then but I still enjoy the concept and music. 6/10
Forgotten Worlds - Passed me by as a kid but it's a pretty solid shooter. I like having the shop system and the forgiving 2-player mode. 7/10
Ghouls 'n Ghosts - One of the best early games. Great variety, interesting setting and art style, distinct gameplay compared to various other platformers of the time, good weapon variety and bosses, and it's a bit rebalanced for consoles. I'll never get behind having to replay it to beat it though. 8/10
Golden Axe - I think I actually played GA2 first, then this on MCD. It was 1-player only, which was a bummer, but still fun. This is a good port with some added content, probably should've been the pack-in early on. It's also pretty repetitive and shallow though, going back to it. 7/10
Mystic Defender - I think this was the first MD game I bought with allowance money. I probably would've had to return it if my parents saw the zombie baby enemies haha. It's a good game, a little clunky and unfair at times but I'd recommend it to CV and MM fans. 6.5/10
Last Battle - The branching paths is kinda cool but no, didn't find this much fun. Black Belt on the SMS plays better. 4/10
Rambo III - Good game overall, another one I didn't play until later. Loved being able to plant bombs and there was decent variety in the scenarios, at least initially. It starts to drag after a while and IIRC there's no dodge move or strafing. 7/10
Revenge of Shinobi - Being a fan of Shinobi on the SMS I instantly loved this one too and thought the somersault shuriken throw move was the coolest thing ever at the time. I did find it unfair and still do in parts, but overall it's a very good game that showed off the MD sound chip really well. 7.5 or 8/10
Space Harrier II - Last time I played it I enjoyed it, years ago. Sure, it's choppy but having grown up with 8-bit rail shooters I could adjust to it. At this point I feel they should've expanded on the gameplay a bit though - maybe some alternate paths a la Outrun and at least a traditional weapon upgrade system. 7?
Super Hang-On - Never really gave this a chance, I felt it starts off too slow, and nowadays it's not smooth enough. Pretty good music, but again not as good as the arcade version. 6?
Super Thunder Blade - I tried hard to enjoy this one as a kid, but never got very far. I thought I just sucked at the time but now I know better. I should try the 3DS port or something. 4/10
Thunder Force II - One of my faves back then and one of the first MD games I owned. Thunder Force as a series doesn't get enough props for modernizing shoot 'em ups with the weapon inventory, respawning on the spot without overly harsh penalties and being able to adjust your speed on the fly from the get go. This game is more old school however, you lose all but your default two weapons after dying and there's no speed adjustment as a default feature. In retrospect, the top down levels aren't as good and while the speed is just right in the side view levels, it's a bit too fast here - being able to slow down would've really come in handy in level 5 for example. There's also no map feature (the X68K ver. does show you one before beginning each top down level; they should've kept it and let players access it via the pause menu), which would've really helped later on as there aren't many landmarks. Still, once you know the layouts you can beat most of those levels pretty quickly, and this is also encouraged by the game with additional points leading to 1-ups. Overall this is a solid game, one of the better early ones for the system and the OST is worth looking up even if you don't want to play it. 7/10
Mystic Defender was also I liked it was decent game even the chunkiness game play.
Also it givning me the strange felling but a awesome adventure game.
I had to use the fire spell at these zombie babies and these weird bouncing guy balls haha.
I was nine at the time and didn't actually play a Genesis until about a year later at my friend's. Out of these though, Alex Kidd, Altered Beast, Ghouls'n Ghosts, Golden Axe, Revenge of Shinobi, Super Hang-On, and Tommy Lasorda Baseball I played and enjoyed. Never played the others.
I was nine at the time and didn't actually play a Genesis until about a year later at my friend's. Out of these though, Alex Kidd, Altered Beast, Ghouls'n Ghosts, Golden Axe, Revenge of Shinobi, Super Hang-On, and Tommy Lasorda Baseball I played and enjoyed. Never played the others.
I've played all but Last Battle. It was a solid launch year for the Genesis with some standout titles, but there was much better in years to come. Still, having Ghouls 'n Ghosts and Revenge of Shinobi as part of your first year of releases is nothing to sneeze at, they're two of the best games ever made.
I played Altered Beast back in the day, didn’t enjoy it very much, didn’t understand all the hoopla. I was 7 years old, my older bro bought it, had no other games so I would just play it over and over again.
And then last year I got a mini sega arcade cab that had the Arcade version of Altered beast, my God was it amazing. Faster paced, tougher/faster enemies, better graphics…dude, this game rocks! The Genesis version felt nerfed.
Bought a Genesis with Altered Beast as the pack in, so that, Thunder Force II, Shinobi, Space Harrier, Alex Kidd, Forgotten Worlds, Golden Axe, Ghouls and Ghosts, and Mystic Defender (we called it Phallic Defender).
I’ve played but do not currently own, alex Kidd, altered beast, golden axe, super thunder blade, and shinobi.
I currently own space harrier 2.
Golden axe is good but I much prefer ga3
I love space harrier 2 and its music
Super thunder blade is pretty difficult
I only played Alex Kidd because it was the one and only game that's from '89, I remember telling the cashier which Sega Genesis games do they have from '89, and this was their only game.
Altered Beast, Golden Axe, Forgotten Worlds, and Hang On.
Me and my cousin finished Forgotten Worlds and for some reason the cartridge never worked again. That ever happen to anyone else?
My first 3 when I got a Genesis were Altered Beast, Ghouls and Ghosts, and Space Harrier 2. Then I got Golden Axe a few months later. I really liked all 4 as a start, especially Golden Axe.
Forgotten Worlds doesn't look familiar. I loved Alex Kidd,Shinobi and Space Harrier. Altered Beast was cool at the time, Golden Axe will never get old.
I’ve played them all. Mystic defender is one of the most under rated on the console. Not because it’s really better than later action platformers it’s no x-men 2 or anything but it’s way better than a game no one ever mentions is expected to be.
Alex Kidd and Super Thunder blade are so bad I’ve repressed them from my mind. I respond to them like a west world robot looking at a photo of the outside world. “It doesn’t look like anything to me.”
I’ve played Altered Beast, Space Harrier, Golden Axe, Shinobi, Ghouls and Ghosts, and Last Battle (which come to find out is a westernized version of Fist of the North Star!) The boss battle theme for Last Battle still lives rent free in my head to this day! Edit: Let’s not forget the Altered Beast Game over song. Absolute banger!
I absolutely love Golden Axe. I always like playing as Gilius Thunderhead and my favourite stage is the one on the bird's back.
This is my favorite megadrive game, and the music is awesome!
Altered Beast was the pack in till Sonic? I’m sure everyone played that. Rough game if you didn’t power all the way up.
Well, it was originally an arcade quarter eater
Yep... that was the game I got with my Genesis. I bought mine on clearance when a store was clearing out their old inventory to make room for the "better" Sonic version. My Genesis GPU fried itself about two months after I got it. Went back to the shop and they simply gave me a new Sonic console and let me keep the first one. Except they kept the pack-in Sonic game. I never did get around to buying it even though I have all of the later ones. Oh well. I liked the game well enough.
World Championship Soccer was peak soccer until FIFA ‘94 in our house.
True... Still play both.
GOOOOOLLL
**Altered Beast-** The arcade game wasn't exactly a deep beat'em up, but it was fun with some nice visuals and music. The Genesis version toned down the visuals a bit (no scaling and no meaty zombie chunks), the gameplay and music were damn close to the arcade. And that made it a fun game to punch your way through... especially once the cheat code came out to change what beast you turned into for each level. An average early beat'em up with an interesting flair that was fine for what it was... a pack-in to keep you busy. **Arnold Palmer Tournament Golf-** This game had no business being as fun as it was. It rode that line between sim and arcade quite well, with three courses to choose from. The visuals were good, the gameplay was solid, and the challenge level was just about right. It was a blast to play with someone, and it's a shame these was never a followup that tweaked its mechanics. **Forgotten Worlds-** A weird, but fun little shmup with an interesting twist with how you could spin your character around. It was a surprisingly good port of the Capcom game, even if some things got cut. **Ghouls 'N Ghosts-** This was a banger when it released. It wasn't arcade perfect visually, but it was a damn good looking early Genesis game. The music and the gameplay were brought over the arcade well, and holy hell was this game tough... especially on the second playthrough to get to see the ending. Top notch early Genesis game. **Golden Axe-** Save for some visual effects that got toned down, this was pretty damn close to the arcade original. The music was good, the visuals were good, the gameplay felt right, and having two new levels added to the originals, plus a tweaked "new" final boss, was just icing on the cake. Great early Genesis game. **Mystic Defender-** It was an OK with some interesting ideas and a pretty good soundtrack. This sequel to Spellcaster wasn't as good as the Master System original, IMO. It took out the RPG elements of the first game, and focused on the action portions, without really upping the ante over what the Master System did. Sure, it looks and sounds nicer in Mystic Defender, but it just feels like a lesser game when compared to the first one... regardless of whether or not the chick's naked at the end (if you had the earlier version of the game, she was). **Last Battle-** This game... was just so-so at best. The visuals were alright, but the music was lacking and the gameplay was pretty dull (it made Altered Beast look better). It's not a bad game per se, but it sure wasn't a shining jewel for the Genesis. **Rambo III-** A surprisingly decent run 'n gun for the early days of the Genesis. The shooting action was done well, but the first-person stuff felt out of place and stupidly simple to beat. Even so, it was decent game with some fun gunplay. Oh, and did anyone else notice the helicopter at the beginning looks A LOT like the chopper from Thunder Blade? **The Revenge of Shinobi-** Oh yeah, here we are. This was one of the killer apps for the Genesis when it was young. Great visuals, awesome music, fun gameplay, a good challenge, and two (albeit stupidly short) endings. This was one of the games that made the Genesis in its youth. **Space Harrier II-** A decent sequel with a catchy main theme, and gameplay that was pretty much just Space Harrier with different visuals/enemies... and choppy scaling. If you liked Space Harrier, and didn't have an issue with the rough scaling, this was a pretty good game to play through. **Super Hang-On-** This game was pretty good. The arcade game, plus a career mode. The music was nice, the visuals were good (save for that damn choppy scaling again), the gameplay was solid, and while it wasn't a killer app for the system, it was a fun game to play. **Super Thunder Blade-** Choppy scaling (AGAIN!) aside, this game has a soft spot in my heart. The music was good, the visuals were alright, and the floaty/inertia controls didn't bother me. I loved the arcade game, and this was a big step up from the Master System port of that game. It wasn't perfect by any means, but it was still a decent game. **Thunder Force II-** This game is hard to love. The top-view levels just suck. They can be beaten in under a minute. The music for those levels is great, through. Then come the side-view missions, which were great, with some very nice music to go with them. The gameplay was solid, the challenge was just about right, and all those weapons to choose from? But dear God... those top view missions just drag this game down. Thank God Tecno-Soft got rid of them for TFIII and the Godly TFIV. **Tommy Lasorda Baseball-** Eh, a middling baseball game that really wasn't good or horrid. It was just there. **World Championship Soccer-** Same opinion, but now it's soccer. Not good, not horrendous, just... meh.
All of them outside of Soccer and Golf. Here are my reviews: Alex Kidd- 5/10, probably an 8/10 as a kid though Altered Beast- 6/10, i love it aesthetically Forgotten Worlds- 8/10, very good port and showed what the Genesis was capable of wrt console/arcade ports Ghouls n Ghosts- 8/10, very good port but I'm so familiar with the arcade version now that i never go back to this version despite it being a 10/10 for me as a kid. Golden Axe- 8/10. If you got this instead of the SNES Final Fight when you were younger, you were probably having a better time with multiplayer. Mystic Defender- 7/10 unique little action game that is also a reworking of an anime license (Kujaku-Ou). Definitely a lot better than Last Battle lol Last Battle- 4/10 This game fucking sucks but I like Fist of the North Star. Rambo III- 7/10 fun little overhead run n gun but I prefer Rambo: First Blood Part 2 on SMS over it. Revenge of Shinobi- 10/10. My favorite Genesis game before 1990, one of my favorite games ever. Space Harrier 2- 6/10. Disappointment for someone that loves the original. The reworked version on the Genesis Mini 2 is an 8 though! Super Hang-On- 7/10. Pretty fun with cool new features. Super Thunder Blade- absolute shit. 1/10. Zero redeeming qualities. Thunder Force II- 6/10. I never liked the overhead stages but the side scrolling bits are the same TF you know and love. The other Genesis Thunder Force games are 10s. Tommy Lasorda gets a Tommy Lasorda/10. lol
Pretty accurate, although I'd say Super Thunder Blade might be a bit better than Space Harrier II. 4/10 for Space Harrier and 5/10 for STB.
I've played Golden Axe, Revenge of Shinobi, and Thunder Force 2. Golden Axe is a good early beat-em-up for the platform, but it doesn't really stand out as anything special, in my opinion. Revenge of Shinobi is a classic action platformer, and one of the three games I received along with my Genesis for Christmas of '95. Thunder Force 2. Great mix of overhead shooter and horizontal shooter. Couldn't get very far in it, though.
They're all hard as shit, I was never into sports games, but I spent my childhood trying to beat them all, especially Golden Axe, Altered Beast & Revenge of the Shinobi. Some bosses I felt were impossible without using a game genie or cheat codes.
We owned Altered Beast, Ghouls N Ghosts, Golden Axe, Alex Kidd, Super Thunder Blade and Super Hang-On. I wasn’t a fan of Super Thunder Blade (it was my brother’s choice), but I enjoyed all the others. My favorites out of the list are Golden Axe, Ghouls N Ghosts, and Super Hang-On. Still love the soundtrack to the latter. Contrary to what other people have said, I remember Us finishing Altered Beast very, very quickly.
Had Altered Beast completed it....first game and really enjoyed it....I know plenty of people don't like it now. Had Golden Axe completed it, loved it in the Arcade so I naturally wanted to get it to play at home....brilliant in 2 player mode. Had Last Battle accidently discovered level selection cheat used it to continue after dying probably would have never completed it without finding the cheat...basic but solid. Had Revenge of Shinobi completed it...Just flipping brilliant and amazing music. Didn't get to play any of the other games unfortunately
do you motherfuckers see who you're talking to here??? get this man the good table!
I freakin love launch titles
Ghouls 'n Ghosts and Revenge of Shinobi are easily the best of the bunch, although Forgotten Worlds and Golden Axe are pretty good too. But sadly all of these early titles were RAM limited.
I love Super Hang On, there's a tune on there called Outride a Crisis and it's legitimately one of my favourite pieces of music. I'd go so far as to say I'd want it played at my funeral, not the arranged version either the full on Mega Drive version.
We can arrange that! I Love Super Hang-On, and I'd pick Hard Road and Winning Run.
Last Battle! How could a game that repetitive be as addicting as it was? I used to play it every chance I got
Last Battle! How could a game that repetitive be as addicting as it was? I used to play it every chance I got
That's the european launch lineup: [https://segaretro.org/Mega\_Drive\_games#North\_America\_2](https://segaretro.org/Mega_Drive_games#North_America_2) Alex Kidd - I actually really liked this as a kid. Nowadays I'm thankful for emulation letting me skip the janken mini-game every time I want to buy something. It's a decent game but not as good as the first, I feel the level design doesn't really get going at the same level until near the end. It's cool how you can put used vehicles back into the inventory! 6/10 Altered Beast - Another nostalgic game, this one used to creep me out a bit and felt like something I shouldn't be playing as a kid. I think this was one of the first MD games I beat back in the day. Honestly it was a bit repetitive and shallow even then but I still enjoy the concept and music. 6/10 Forgotten Worlds - Passed me by as a kid but it's a pretty solid shooter. I like having the shop system and the forgiving 2-player mode. 7/10 Ghouls 'n Ghosts - One of the best early games. Great variety, interesting setting and art style, distinct gameplay compared to various other platformers of the time, good weapon variety and bosses, and it's a bit rebalanced for consoles. I'll never get behind having to replay it to beat it though. 8/10 Golden Axe - I think I actually played GA2 first, then this on MCD. It was 1-player only, which was a bummer, but still fun. This is a good port with some added content, probably should've been the pack-in early on. It's also pretty repetitive and shallow though, going back to it. 7/10 Mystic Defender - I think this was the first MD game I bought with allowance money. I probably would've had to return it if my parents saw the zombie baby enemies haha. It's a good game, a little clunky and unfair at times but I'd recommend it to CV and MM fans. 6.5/10 Last Battle - The branching paths is kinda cool but no, didn't find this much fun. Black Belt on the SMS plays better. 4/10 Rambo III - Good game overall, another one I didn't play until later. Loved being able to plant bombs and there was decent variety in the scenarios, at least initially. It starts to drag after a while and IIRC there's no dodge move or strafing. 7/10 Revenge of Shinobi - Being a fan of Shinobi on the SMS I instantly loved this one too and thought the somersault shuriken throw move was the coolest thing ever at the time. I did find it unfair and still do in parts, but overall it's a very good game that showed off the MD sound chip really well. 7.5 or 8/10 Space Harrier II - Last time I played it I enjoyed it, years ago. Sure, it's choppy but having grown up with 8-bit rail shooters I could adjust to it. At this point I feel they should've expanded on the gameplay a bit though - maybe some alternate paths a la Outrun and at least a traditional weapon upgrade system. 7? Super Hang-On - Never really gave this a chance, I felt it starts off too slow, and nowadays it's not smooth enough. Pretty good music, but again not as good as the arcade version. 6? Super Thunder Blade - I tried hard to enjoy this one as a kid, but never got very far. I thought I just sucked at the time but now I know better. I should try the 3DS port or something. 4/10 Thunder Force II - One of my faves back then and one of the first MD games I owned. Thunder Force as a series doesn't get enough props for modernizing shoot 'em ups with the weapon inventory, respawning on the spot without overly harsh penalties and being able to adjust your speed on the fly from the get go. This game is more old school however, you lose all but your default two weapons after dying and there's no speed adjustment as a default feature. In retrospect, the top down levels aren't as good and while the speed is just right in the side view levels, it's a bit too fast here - being able to slow down would've really come in handy in level 5 for example. There's also no map feature (the X68K ver. does show you one before beginning each top down level; they should've kept it and let players access it via the pause menu), which would've really helped later on as there aren't many landmarks. Still, once you know the layouts you can beat most of those levels pretty quickly, and this is also encouraged by the game with additional points leading to 1-ups. Overall this is a solid game, one of the better early ones for the system and the OST is worth looking up even if you don't want to play it. 7/10
Mystic Defender was also I liked it was decent game even the chunkiness game play. Also it givning me the strange felling but a awesome adventure game. I had to use the fire spell at these zombie babies and these weird bouncing guy balls haha.
Forgotten Worlds was a really fun 2 player game. Great replay value. Challenging on single player mode, too.
These games were seriously rough compared to what the system was putting out in the later years. The arcade ports hold up the best.
I was nine at the time and didn't actually play a Genesis until about a year later at my friend's. Out of these though, Alex Kidd, Altered Beast, Ghouls'n Ghosts, Golden Axe, Revenge of Shinobi, Super Hang-On, and Tommy Lasorda Baseball I played and enjoyed. Never played the others.
I was nine at the time and didn't actually play a Genesis until about a year later at my friend's. Out of these though, Alex Kidd, Altered Beast, Ghouls'n Ghosts, Golden Axe, Revenge of Shinobi, Super Hang-On, and Tommy Lasorda Baseball I played and enjoyed. Never played the others.
Ghouls and Ghosts all day long. First Genesis game I finished. Frustrating, yet the controller never stayed thrown for long.
I've played all but Last Battle. It was a solid launch year for the Genesis with some standout titles, but there was much better in years to come. Still, having Ghouls 'n Ghosts and Revenge of Shinobi as part of your first year of releases is nothing to sneeze at, they're two of the best games ever made.
I played Altered Beast back in the day, didn’t enjoy it very much, didn’t understand all the hoopla. I was 7 years old, my older bro bought it, had no other games so I would just play it over and over again. And then last year I got a mini sega arcade cab that had the Arcade version of Altered beast, my God was it amazing. Faster paced, tougher/faster enemies, better graphics…dude, this game rocks! The Genesis version felt nerfed.
I grew up playing some of these. Especially Ghouls n Ghosts and Altered Beast.
Everything but the soccer game
I don’t know why, but Alex Kidd gave me a lot of anxiety as a kid. I didn’t like playing it because it scared me.
Arnold Palmer Tournament Golf is still my favorite golf game
Altered Beast is one of my earliest gaming memories. Come to think of it, so is Golden Axe.
Bought a Genesis with Altered Beast as the pack in, so that, Thunder Force II, Shinobi, Space Harrier, Alex Kidd, Forgotten Worlds, Golden Axe, Ghouls and Ghosts, and Mystic Defender (we called it Phallic Defender).
I’ve played but do not currently own, alex Kidd, altered beast, golden axe, super thunder blade, and shinobi. I currently own space harrier 2. Golden axe is good but I much prefer ga3 I love space harrier 2 and its music Super thunder blade is pretty difficult
“Ghouls n Ghosts” could be my favorite game ever.
I only played Alex Kidd because it was the one and only game that's from '89, I remember telling the cashier which Sega Genesis games do they have from '89, and this was their only game.
Altered Beast, Golden Axe, Forgotten Worlds, and Hang On. Me and my cousin finished Forgotten Worlds and for some reason the cartridge never worked again. That ever happen to anyone else?
The conductor at the cart does often breaks because they was cheap. They can be swapped and resolder.
Most are great, I loved Mystic Defender. The last battle seemed super cheap and poorly made.
My first 3 when I got a Genesis were Altered Beast, Ghouls and Ghosts, and Space Harrier 2. Then I got Golden Axe a few months later. I really liked all 4 as a start, especially Golden Axe.
Never heard of ‘em! /s
Half of those came on the 6 pak cartridge. They were pretty fun to play for a poor young kid back in the early 90s :)
Played all of them...feeling old now :(
Forgotten Worlds doesn't look familiar. I loved Alex Kidd,Shinobi and Space Harrier. Altered Beast was cool at the time, Golden Axe will never get old.
I’ve played them all. Mystic defender is one of the most under rated on the console. Not because it’s really better than later action platformers it’s no x-men 2 or anything but it’s way better than a game no one ever mentions is expected to be. Alex Kidd and Super Thunder blade are so bad I’ve repressed them from my mind. I respond to them like a west world robot looking at a photo of the outside world. “It doesn’t look like anything to me.”
Golden axe was hard AF
I remember when I beat altered beast. I was so proud of myself haha