Choose Your Sega All-Stars (Genesis/Mega Drive Edition)

[pierrot]

I've been stewing on this idea for a bit now, and decided to just get a thread up. I'll be back to post my own list, but for now I'll just outline what I mean:

If you were to assemble your personal all-star team of Genesis/Mega Drive games, what would it look like? In other words, think of putting together a set of games, like the Mega Hit Series, but without, necessarily, having the criteria of best sales numbers.

A list of personal favorites is fine, but feel free to add some other criteria: Make a list of all-star crap games; Limit your list to games from a certain number of developers; Combine two or more other criteria. Just be sure to include the criteria, if any, that went into the construction of your personal set of all-stars. It would also be great to see multiple sets of games based on separate sets of criteria. An orthodox list is just as appreciated, though.

I would like to limit this specifically to games on the base console (no Sega CD, or 32X games) for the purposes of this thread, unless a set is constructed solely from one of those other two libraries. Otherwise, the entire retail Genesis/Mega Drive library is fair game.

[samsonlonghair]

Sega Genesis was pretty strong in certain genres. You could make an all star collection of beat ‘em ups, shoot ‘em ups, or run-n-guns.

[pierrot]

Absolutely!

That idea made me think of doing an all-star per genre, but that's kind of tough. I'm going to wing it, anyway:

• Platformer: Sonic 3 & Knuckles
• Action Platformer: Monster World IV
• Beat-em-up: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist
• Run 'n' gun: Contra Hard Corps
• Top-Down Action: The Chaos Engine(? --There seem to be a lot of good choices, I'm just not that familiar with them. Predator 2 seems good, also.)
• Fighting: Ballz 3D (Obviously)
• Shmup: Thunder Force IV
• Pinball: Devil Crash MD
• Racing: Dashin' Desperadoes
• ARPG: Light Crusader (I don't think this genre has a single dud on the console, though)
• JRPG: Dragon Slayer: Eiyuu Densetsu
• Puzzle: Mega Bomberman

I skipped over a few genres I don't really ever play, like strategy, and sports, but I think that's the gist of it.


Also, while I'm here, I may as well put together a set of platforming all-stars (action platforming included). I'm of the (unpopular, I'm sure) opinion that the Genesis handily beats every other console of its generation in this department.

• Adventures of Batman and Robin
• Aladdin
• Castlevania: Bloodlines
• Chiki Chiki Boys
• Dynamite Headdy
• Earthworm Jim
• Earthworm Jim 2
• The Great Circus Mystery Starring Mickey and Minnie
• High Seas Havoc
• Magical Taruru~to-Kun
• McDonald's Treasure Land Adventure
• Mega Turrican
• Mickey Mania
• The Misadventures of Flink
• Monster World IV
• Mr Nutz
• Pulseman
• Quackshot
• Ristar
• Rocket Knight Adventures
• Rockman Mega World
• Shinobi III
• Socket
• Sonic the Hedgehog
• Sonic the Hedgehog 2
• Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles
• Sparkster
• Wiz 'n' Liz
• Wonder Boy in Monster World
• World of Illusion

Still feels a little incomplete just because there are a bunch of platformers I haven't really played much of on the console. By the way, has anyone ever played Spirou? It looks pretty amazing.

[nightrnr]

[*]ARPG: Light Crusader (I don't think this genre has a single dud on the console, though

This, Totally!
Yes, so the Genesis has an all star line-up of ARPG's.
Beyond Oasis
Crusader of Centy
Gauntlet IV
Landstalker
Light Crusader
Wonder Boy in Monster Land
Y's III

I would have bought the system for just those 7 games (owned and played Y's III on SNES though due to a Funcoland order screwup back in the day). Need to replay some of those.

Honorable mentions:
Arcus Odyssey
Sword of Vermillion
...and maybe Super Hydlide...

not sure what else, maybe fighting Allstars:
Clay Fighter
Eternal Champions
Fatal Fury 2
Mortal Kombat 1-3
Samurai Shodown
Street Fighter II: CE
Super Street Fighter II
TMNT Tournament Fighters
Weaponlord

With an official Sega 6-button gamepad, this was also worth owning the system on their own (back in the day anyways, there are better ports of most these days).

And then there are shooters, but they were more a good bonus for me. I still am pretty bad at them.

I just like thinking of all the games I enjoyed or could enjoy within a single genre. I think this is how I'll organize them when I finally get to everdriving for the Genesis (only haven't because I have a pretty good cart collection as is).

Thinking of one more general "action all-stars" list. I used to have a lot of fun with my Genny (in almost all genres).

[dunpeal2064]

This sounds fun. I'll go with the more quirky approach and make some smaller, more restrictive and fun, silly lists.


We Have No Quarter: Arcade ports that turned out (arguably) better/unique to their original versions.

Atomic Runner
Gauntlet IV
Slap Fight MD
MERCS
Marble Madness MD

Genesis Does: "But mom, why are all these Nintendo games on that other machine!?"

Mega Man: The Wily Wars
Castlevania: Bloodlines
Contra: Hard Core
Tetris
TMNT: Hyperstone Heist

Segabber: In case you ever end up having to run a show in Rotterdam in the 90's

Adventures of Batman & Robin
Streets of Rage 3
Red Zone

Foxtrot: A showcase of Genesis composers, complete with full, lossless rips.

Time Trax (Tim Follins)
Sub Terrania (Jesper Kyd)
Streets of Rage 2 (Yuzo Koshiro)
Verytex (Hitoshi Sakimoto)

[pierrot]

I dig these sets, y'all. Great ideas you had there, dun. Here's one right back at ya.


The Saturday Morning Lineup You Never Knew You Needed As A Kid

Bonanza Brothers
Comix Zone
Decap Attack
Dynamite Headdy
Gunstar Heroes
Kid Chameleon
Monster World IV
Mystical Fighter
Ranger X
Rent a Hero
Ristar
Toejam & Earl

We Have No Quarter: Arcade ports that turned out (arguably) better/unique to their original versions.

Slap Fight MD

What was different about the MD version? I've only played it a bit on the MD, and that was several years ago.

[dunpeal2064]

What was different about the MD version? I've only played it a bit on the MD, and that was several years ago.

It has an arcade mode, which (After putting in a code to have the arcade-style shields) plays pretty accurately. But, it also has an Arrange mode, with all new stages and an added bomb, and the OST here is done by Yuzo Koshiro, imo blowing the original game away.

Basically, it has everything the arcade version does, and a whole bunch more.

[pierrot]

I totally forgot about that special mode. When I was playing it a bit, I didn't really diverge from the arcade mode at all. Nice thinking.