First released back in 1988 in Japan, the Sega Mega Drive, or Genesis, is one of the most popular home consoles of all time, thanks to a slew of great titles and iconic franchises leaving their mark. The Mega Drive also had an incredible controller when compared to it’s competition and even allowed backwards compatibility with the Sega Master System, something we still struggle with today. Here are our top 10 games for the Sega Mega Drive.
10 – Ecco The Dolphin
Look, there was no way I was making this list and not inlcuding Ecco The Dolphin, one of the most bizzare settings for a video game ever, but it’s actually fun? You play as a dolphin who utilises time travel to defeat aliens. I’m not lying. Atlantis even makes an appearance. The gameplay is a fun mix of action combat and various interactable objects, with one of the unique aspects being an air meter which requires you to surface for air every now and again to avoid drowning.
9 – Thunder Force IV
Thunder Force IV, or Lightening Force: Quest for the Darkstar was a classic shoot ’em up, but probably the pinnacle of what the genre can achieve. The game featured horizontal scrolling as you would come to expect but also vertical scrolling, which was a big deal. The game also makes use of parallax scrolling backgrounds, which is when parts of the world move at different speeds to evoke more depth. There are other great Thunder Force titles, but this one is the culmination.
8 – Earthworm Jim
Earthworm Jim is somewhat of an underdog in the world of platforming mascots, these days he rarely gets a mention, but back in the glory days of the Mega Drive, he was soaring. The game is a 2D sidescroller with plenty of platforming and
