Introduction Ghouls’n Ghosts was developed by Capcom, released as an arcade game in 1988 before being ported to the Genesis by Sega, reaching the console in 1989 as one of the system’s earliest and most technically impressive third-party conversions. Players control the knight Arthur, once again battling through a demon-infested kingdom to rescue Princess Prin…
Introduction Vectorman was developed by BlueSky Software and published by Sega, released for the Genesis in 1995 as a run-and-gun platformer built around a distinctive visual style combining traditional 2D sprite animation with pre-rendered 3D-modeled character graphics, similar in spirit to the technique Rare had used for Donkey Kong Country on the SNES the year…
Introduction Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was developed by Sonic Team, with additional programming support from Sega Technical Institute in the United States, released for the Genesis in November 1992 as the direct sequel to the original Sonic the Hedgehog. The game introduced Miles “Tails” Prower, a young two-tailed fox who could join Sonic as a…
Introduction Sonic the Hedgehog was developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega, released for the Genesis in June 1991, created specifically to give Sega a mascot capable of competing directly with Nintendo’s Mario. Character artist Naoto Ohshima designed the blue, super-fast hedgehog after winning an internal design contest, while programmer Yuji Naka built a…
Introduction Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island was developed and published by Nintendo, released on the SNES in Japan in August 1995 as a platformer that shifted the spotlight from Mario onto Yoshi, tasked with carrying baby Mario safely across a series of stages after the two are separated from Baby Luigi by the sorcerer…
Introduction Mega Man X was developed and published by Capcom, released on the SNES in December 1993 as a reboot of the long-running Mega Man series set in a new timeline generations after the original NES games. Directed by series creator Keiji Inafune, the game introduces X, a more advanced Reploid robot capable of acquiring…
Introduction Donkey Kong Country was developed by Rare and published by Nintendo, released on the SNES in November 1994 as a platformer built around Rare’s then-groundbreaking use of pre-rendered 3D CGI models compressed down into detailed 2D sprites, giving the game a visual polish that stood out sharply from most of its contemporaries. Players control…
Introduction Little Nemo: The Dream Master was developed and published by Capcom, released on the NES in September 1990, loosely based on the 1989 animated film Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland, itself adapted from Winsor McCay’s pioneering early-1900s newspaper comic strip. Players guide young Nemo through a dreamlike platforming world, using handfuls of candy to…
Introduction Shadow of the Ninja, released in Japan as Kage, was developed and published by Natsume, released on the NES in 1990 as a fast-paced action platformer set in a dystopian near-future America under the rule of the tyrant Emperor Garuda. Players choose between two ninja protagonists, Hayate and Kaede, each armed with a sword…
Introduction Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom was developed and published by Tecmo, released on the NES in Japan in June 1991 and North America that August as the third and final entry in the original NES Ninja Gaiden trilogy. Ryu Hayabusa returns once more, now investigating the assassination of his father and…
Introduction Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos was developed and published by Tecmo, released on the NES in Japan in April 1990 and North America that May as the direct sequel to 1988’s Ninja Gaiden. Players once again control ninja Ryu Hayabusa, fighting through side-scrolling stages against the Jaquio’s forces after the villain…
Introduction Batman: The Video Game was developed and published by Sunsoft, released on the NES in 1989 as a tie-in to that year’s blockbuster Tim Burton-directed Batman film. Players control the Caped Crusader through a series of side-scrolling stages set in a shadowy, industrial version of Gotham City, using batarangs and a limited melee attack…