Contra: Hard Corps

Contra: Hard Corps

Introduction Contra: Hard Corps was developed by Konami and released for the Mega Drive and Genesis in 1994, the only Contra game made for a Sega home console. It is set a few years after a devastating alien war and follows a special unit of the military, the Hard Corps, as they respond to a…

Herzog Zwei

Herzog Zwei

Introduction Technosoft released Herzog Zwei for the Mega Drive in Japan in 1989, reaching the rest of the world the following year, and its historical importance is hard to overstate: it arrived three years before Dune II and is widely credited as the first true real-time strategy game. Rather than a mouse cursor, the player…

Bonanza Bros Genesis box art

Bonanza Bros

Introduction Bonanza Bros was developed and published by Sega, ported to the Genesis in 1991 from its 1990 arcade original, casting players as one of two ghostly thieves, Robo and Mobo, sneaking through buildings to steal valuables while avoiding patrolling guards. Rather than direct combat, the core mechanic revolves around timing and stealth, players can…

Fatal Labyrinth Genesis box art

Fatal Labyrinth

Introduction Fatal Labyrinth was developed and published by Sega, released for the Genesis in 1990 as one of the earliest roguelike-style dungeon crawlers to appear on a home console, built around the same randomized, permadeath dungeon structure as PC roguelikes like Rogue and Mystery Dungeon. Players descend through procedurally generated floors collecting weapons, armor, and…

Flicky Genesis box art

Flicky

Introduction Flicky was originally released by Sega as an arcade game in 1984 before being ported to the Genesis in 1991, casting players as a small blue bird tasked with herding a flock of baby chicks called Chirps safely to an exit while avoiding cats and other predators roaming each single-screen stage. Its core loop…

Golden Axe II Genesis box art

Golden Axe II

Introduction Golden Axe II was developed and published by Sega, released for the Genesis in 1991 as a direct sequel to the original arcade-style fantasy beat ’em up, once again letting players choose between a barbarian swordsman, an Amazon warrior, and a dwarf axe-fighter as they battle through a sword-and-sorcery kingdom overrun by the tyrant…

Ristar Genesis box art

Ristar

Introduction Ristar was developed and published by Sega, released for the Genesis in 1995 as a platformer starring a star-shaped hero who navigates stages by stretching his elastic arms to grab distant platforms, enemies, and handholds rather than relying on a standard jump-and-attack moveset. Combat centers on grabbing enemies and headbutting them, a deliberately simple…

Soleil (Crusader of Centy) Genesis box art

Soleil (Crusader of Centy)

Introduction Soleil, released in North America as Crusader of Centy, was developed by Nextech and published by Sega, released for the Genesis in 1994 as an action-adventure heavily inspired by the top-down Zelda formula. Players control a young boy named Corona who can transform into animal forms and recruit talking animal companions that fight alongside…

Shining in the Darkness Genesis box art

Shining in the Darkness

Introduction Shining in the Darkness was developed by Sega and Climax, released for the Genesis in 1991 as Sega’s first entry in what would become the long-running Shining series, built as a first-person dungeon crawler in the tradition of Wizardry and The Bard’s Tale. Players create and control a small party exploring a labyrinth beneath…

Sonic Spinball Genesis box art

Sonic Spinball

Introduction Sonic Spinball was developed by Sega Technical Institute and published by Sega, released for the Genesis in 1993 as a pinball spin-off built around Sonic the Hedgehog’s speed and physics rather than his usual platforming stages. Set across four large, interconnected pinball tables inside Dr. Robotnik’s volcanic base, players launch Sonic like a ball,…

Castlevania: Bloodlines Genesis box art

Castlevania: Bloodlines

Introduction Castlevania: Bloodlines was developed and published by Konami, released for the Genesis in 1994 as the only mainline Castlevania game to appear on a Sega console during the series’ original run. Set in 1917 against the backdrop of World War I, players choose between whip-wielding vampire hunter John Morris or spear-fighting Eric Lecarde as…