Five Genesis Games I Wish I Played in the 90s

During the great console wars of the 90s I supported Nintendo against the rebellious upstart Sega. Their aggressive marketing and blast process meant nothing compared to my love of Nintendo platformers and the great mustachioed plumber. How dare Sega try and do what Ninten-don’t!

In truth, the console wars were extremely silly. Marketing non-sense designed to create division among the brands. It worked fabulously from a business perspective. Driving sales during the 16-bit generation. While I loved my Super Nintendo, over the last few decades I’ve played many great Sega Genesis games that I missed out on. Games I wish I played in the 90s.

Here are five games that make me wish I had a Genesis in the 90s.

I’ve already reviewed this one, but Ristar is too good to skip on this list. Platformers were my favorite genre for most of my gaming life. This was a big reason party of why I didn’t want a Genesis. Except for Sonic, I series I like but don’t love, I saw the Genesis as the home of action and sports games. The SNES was where I’d find the platformers I wanted. Ristar easily holds up against any Nintendo platformer.

Sadly nobody who had a Genesis in my small northern Ontario town owned RiStar. Not to my knowledge anyway. I’d seen bright and fun ads in EGM and GamePro. They caught my eye, but ads weren’t enough to sell me on a system. I missed out on creative levels, tight controls and colorful characters.  10 year old me would have loved this game.

I played it for the first time on the Wii virtual console, wanting to see what all the hype was about. Well the hype was accurate. It’s insanely cool, well designed and a ton of fun. Two player co-op run and gun action through colourful levels jam packed with enemies. Gunstar Heroes sits alongside action greats like Contra 3: Alien Wars. A rare case of a game absolutely living up to the hype.

But I have a love-hate relationship with the game. For how much fun I have with it, I suck at Gunstar Heroes. I’m terrible at most action games to be honest. I tried and failed to beat Contra 3 many times. Had I played Gunstar Heroes in the 90s it would have occupied the same space in my heart. A game that kicks my butt, makes me want to tear my hair out, and yet I’m always up for playing.

Had I owned a Genesis, this would have been a great rental. Couch co-op is essential to really experiencing Gunstar Heroes. Picking it up for a weekend with a friend would have been perfection. Now it can be picked up on Steam for less than $2.

Mega Turrican is shooting and platforming done to perfection. Badass weapons, tight controls, and pulp sci-fi art style. Level design is more open ended than most action games. Rather than left to right corridors, you have open spaces, hidden platforms and vertical areas. This gives Mega Turrican a different flavor from Gunstar Heroes.

The only downside to Mega Turrican is it being single player only. I love co-op action games, but in this case I understand the decision. The open level design encourages exploration. Two players exploring massive areas would require split screen or lead to frustration. Single player best suits the world design.

Getting an original cart is expensive. Prices range from $60-$300. I love this game, but I cannot recommend spending that kind of cash. Thankfully Factor 5 released a compilation for Switch and PS4. I need to pick it up and experience the rest of the Turrican series.

Castle of Illusion was in plenty of my friend’s Genesis collections. The cart sat alongside Sonic 2. You can guess which one actually got played. In the 90s everything had to be Xtreme! Why would anybody choose Mickey over the Blue Blur?  What a fool I was.

Castle of Illusion, starring Mickey Mouse is a charming platformer. Not too hard, not too easy. It strikes a very Mario balance of difficultly. The controls are simple and responsive. Level design is engaging without leaving you feeling lost. For a kid who loved Super Mario 3 and Kirby’s Adventure, Castle of Illusion would have been a perfect Genesis title.

If you don’t have a Genesis, don’t worry. Castle of Illusion received an amazing remake in 2013. Released on 360, PS3 and PC it recaptures the magic of the original game. Grab it on Steam today and enjoy this wonderful platformer.

Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse is a game I bought for $5 in a drug store. Castlevania IV I got in a trade for Spiderman on SNES, best trade ever. Symphony of the Night is one of my favorites games of all time. I gobbled up Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon and Ritual of the Night. The Netflix anime is amazing. Castlevania forever!

Had I owned a Genesis, Castlevania: Bloodlines would have been in my collection. No doubt about it. You get two main characters. John wields the classic Vampire Killer whip, while Eric uses a spear and has a massive jump. Their fighting styles feel unique, giving you a different experience in each play through. Double the content long before the upside down castle of SOTN.

Bloodlines can be found in 2019’s Castlevania Anniversary Collection. In many reviews people call this one of the worst Castlevania titles. Ranking it closer to Dracula X or Castlevania II. While it’s far from the best the series has to offer, it’s still a great game. Man, I wish I’d played it back in the 90s.

Summary

Reflecting on these older titles makes me nostalgic. I know playing these in their heyday would have been a blast. Gaming memories I’d carry into today, the same way I do with my Super Nintendo games. Reality is that I’d likely never have stumbled upon many of them. Mega Turrican was an obscure action game when it was new, only receiving attention as retro games exploded into popularity in the mid 2000s..