Hi everyone, and welcome to another one of my Mixtapes. In case you're not sure what a Mixtape is, here's an explanation...
A Mixtape is a playlist of a certain genre, band or era. The list is generally 80 minutes long, the same length of a blank CD, with further recommendations if some of the songs aren't to your taste. Remember kids, downloading is wrong!
The Sega Mega Drive (or Genesis if you're from the US) is one of my favourite consoles. It was the first console I ever had as my own, and it holds a very strong sentimental value. Some of the music from this 32-bit era was truly tremendous. It's amazing how much power the console had at the time, in terms of producing great tunes. The 64-bit era and beyond changed music in video games forever because they could play actual genuine music, but back when the Mega Drive was around that wasn't the case.
So I wanted to showcase my favourite songs from my favourite games from this era of video gaming. If you want to see an actual list of my 50 Favourite Mega Drive Games, simply click this link here. But as for the music, here's the playlist below, with links to each individual song!
Title Theme - Street Fighter II Championship Edition
Hey there. Welcome to the final part in my Top 50 Favourite
Mega Drive games list. Every day for the past 50 days I’ve been revealing one
game per day, in my biased opinion, my favourite games on this absolutely
amazing console. I’ve had a blast, reminiscing over these 49 amazing games. I
hope you’ve enjoyed it too, and maybe remembered some games you may have
forgotten before, or even, found new games in this list you never heard of, and
enjoy. We’re at the end now.
Here’s quick recap of my list from #50 to #2…
#50 - Columns III – 1993 - ***1/2
#49 - World Cup Italia '90 – 1990 - ***1/2
#48 - Virtua Fighter 2 – 1996 - ***1/2
#47 - Jurassic Park – 1993 - ***3/4
#46 - Road Rash III: Tour de Force – 1995 - ***3/4
#45 - FIFA International Soccer – 1993 - ***3/4
#44 - Mega Bomberman – 1994 - ***3/4
#43 - Golden Axe III – 1993 - ***3/4
#42 - Micro Machines – 1993 - ***3/4
#41 – Columns – 1990 - ***3/4
#40 - Zombies Ate My Neighbours – 1993 - ***3/4
#39 - Sylvester and Tweety in Cagey Capers – 1993 - ***3/4
#38 – Flicky – 1991 - ***3/4
#37 - Taz in Escape From Mars – 1994 - ***3/4
#36 – Aladdin – 1993 - ***3/4
#35 - Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle – 1989 - ***3/4
#34 - Sonic 3D Blast – 1996 - ****
#33 - Streets of Rage 3 – 1994 - ****
#32 - Ayrton Senna's Super Monaco GP II – 1992 - ****
#8 - Michael Jackson's Moonwalker – 1990 - ****3/4
#7 - Sonic the Hedgehog 2 – 1992 - ****3/4
#6 - Shining Force – 1992 - ****3/4
#5 - The Revenge of Shinobi – 1989 - ****3/4
#4 - Quackshot starring Donald Duck – 1991 - ****3/4
#3 - Streets of Rage 2 – 1992 - ****3/4
#2 - Sonic and Knuckles – 1994 - ****3/4
Okay then, this is it. My favourite game on the Mega Drive
is…
#1 – Gunstar Heroes
Released: 1993
Genre: Action
Rating: ****3/4 stars
Best Moment: Black’s Dice Maze. It’s just lots and lots of
fun.
Yes, my favourite Mega Drive game is Gunstar Heroes. I don’t
think any game since Gunstar Heroes has been able to compactly put so much
chaos on screen while maintaining a decent flow of entertainment. I really mean
that. This game has so much stuff going on, you shoot through hundreds and
hundreds of bad guys, but it just doesn’t get old, doesn’t get boring, and
doesn’t get stale. It’s so entertaining, and the game has a brilliant sense of
humour, awesome music and the sound quality is absolutely sublime. This game is
so exhilarating it’s incredible. It’s simply one of the most action pumped
games ever made and is a thrill to play, even 19 years later. Gunstar Heroes is
a game you simply have to experience before you die. It’s such a shame the game
isn’t acknowledged more, in comparison to other games in this list. Nothing
against those games. But Gunstar Heroes is simply one of the best games ever
made, and is my favourite game ever to be released on the Mega Drive.
Well that’s it! We’ve finished! I hope you’ve enjoyed this
list, and reminiscing over these brilliant games, games released between 1988
and 1996, the epitome of 2D gaming. I love all 50 of these games and I’m sure
there’s something in this list for everyone. If there’s any games here that
have given you some great memories, please, comment below. Is there any games
on here you’ve never played before and it being on this list made you try it?
Let me know, comment below.
If you know me personally, you know I’m a stats guy, and
here are two interesting graphs you may like.
This graph really interested me. I didn’t take into
consideration the year of each game’s release until the list was fully
complete. The year 1993 having 13 entries out of 50, that’s over a quarter of
the list, was an intriguing statistic. It makes sense though. Sonic 1 was
released in 1991, and that really set the Mega Drive off to not only compete
but to equal Nintendo at one point in the video game wars. Two years later and
game after game after game was released that were outstanding. I’m not really
surprised that most of my favourite games were released in 1993, but it’s very
interesting. If you were wondering, the earliest released game in this list is
Super Hang-On, the only game released in the year 1988, and the latest game was
Sonic 3D Blast, which was released on November 30th 1996. Nine years
of video games. Amazing.
This graph isn’t surprising at all, but it’s still cool to
see what genres were included the most. No surprise really that its action and
platformers that dominate my list. There were some awesome action games out on
the Mega Drive, and five of the 10 platformers are Sonic games. Beat ‘em ups
were high in tally inclusion as well, which isn’t surprising either as there
were some solid beat ‘em ups on the Mega Drive. I wasn’t expecting so many racing games mind, but it goes to show
that racing games were pretty good on the Mega Drive too. My favourite genre of
game is the RPG, but, as mentioned a few times, the Mega Drive really didn’t do
RPGs, hence the lack of tally in the list.
To conclude, the Mega Drive is one of the best consoles ever
made, and it’ll always have a strong place in my heart. It was my first ever
console, and it really opened my eyes to the beauty of video games. It changed
my life, quite simply. I love the Mega Drive. One day, I’d love to own all 50
of these games, preferably in Mega Drive format (bar Columns III, Golden Axe
III, Splatterhouse 3 and Gain Ground, which weren’t released on the Mega Drive
in the UK). It’s a long-term ambition, one I’ll hopefully be able to achieve
when I can afford to! Thank you so much for joining me in this countdown. I’ve
had a blast doing this list; it’s always a pleasure doing these listings. I
hope you got something out of it too. Until next time!
20 down, 30 to go. I hope you’re enjoying the list so far!
#30 – Golden Axe
Released: 1989 (1990 in the UK) Genre: Beat ‘em Up Rating: **** Best Moment: The magic sequences, as I said for the entry for GA3, they’re just so cool, even by today’s standards.
I’m sure a lot of you would rate Golden Axe higher than the 30th best game on the Mega Drive. I suppose in an unbiased list I would put this game higher. I do really like the Golden Axe series, but I prefer other games, that’s all. One thing that’s not for dispute is how legendary this game is; only the Streets of Rage games can compare in the beat ‘em ups on the Mega Drive. And I don’t think they’ve ever beat the original, all three games are good but I think this one is simply the best.
#29 – Mortal Kombat
Released: 1992 Genre: Fighting Rating: **** Best Moment: A bit of an odd one, but just booting the game up! I love the music and intro section, it’s perfectly done and it’s just so cool.
Well, what can I say about Mortal Kombat that hasn’t been said already? It’s just simply one of the best fighting game series of all time. Not bad for a Street Fighter ripoff huh? Mortal Kombat was so influential; it pretty much started horror and gore in video gaming. Not many games really did it, or at least, brought it to commercial gaming until Mortal Kombat did. But even taking the controversy away from the game, it’s still fantastic. The fighting was decent, the music absolutely brilliant, and the fatalities are just well, iconic. Mortal Kombat is a true classic.
#28 – Splatterhouse 3
Released: 1993 (Never released in the UK) Genre: Beat ‘em Up Rating: **** Best Moment: Putting on the Terror Mask and using your
superpowers, it’s just really cool if not a little gruesome, or it by 1993
standards anyway!
Yes... I emulated this. How else could I play it? It was
never released here in the UK. The Splatterhouse series was one I discovered
only a good three years ago I’d say. They’re pretty good; combining horror and
beat ‘em up elements made a great game. I’ve heard the Splatterhouse remake was
pretty poor, but the three Splatterhouse games were all good, and the third was
probably the best. Why? Because of two things; firstly the horror. This is a
really horrific game, especially for back in 1993. Some of the things that can
happen are pretty grim, and some of these things weren’t really done in such
detail back at this time in video game history. And secondly, adding a time
limit to every level anted up the panic levels somewhat. You really wanted to
get to the end of each level in the time limit as you knew there would be
horrible consequences if you failed. Splatterhouse 3 was a really awesome game,
it really should be ported to the UK sometime in the future; I’d love to
download it on Xbox Live Arcade!
#27 – Sonic the Hedgehog
Released: 1991
Genre: Platform
Rating: ****
Best Moment: Believe it or not, getting a Chaos Emerald!
They’re really hard to get in the first game, it’s always an accomplishment to
be honest.
There will be mixed reactions to Sonic being
only at #27. Some of you may not understand, while others will. If you don’t
understand, there’s a very simple reason – Sonic got far better in its sequels.
The original Sonic is a classic and it’s brilliant, don’t get me wrong, but if
you’ve played any of the sequels on the Mega Drive it’s amazing how much better
they are than the original. Sonic 1 is a great game however, hence the 4 star
rating, and it did transform the platformer genre dramatically at the time,
only to trump itself over and over again with its sequels. That’s my take on it
anyway. One thing is for sure, is that Sonic 1 is a game you must play before
you die. It’s still more than playable now, I still play it once in a while and
it just never gets old.
#26 – Theme Park
Released: 1994 Genre: Simulation Rating: **** Best Moment: Building a full park, full of awesome rides and other bits and it being really full of customers... when business is really booming.
Do-do-do, do-do-do do do-do, do-do-do, do-do-do do do-do, do do-do do do... okay it’s not that fun writing that out but that tune really sticks in your head when you play this game... or even think of playing it! If you’ve played this game before I’m willing to bet money that the tune is in your head right now! Theme Park was awesome, it was such a different game at the time being a simulator, and a Theme Park simulator at that! It was just so awesome at the time, building your own Theme Park, and it felt quite realistic and ground breaking for its time. It’s a shame other versions of Theme Park did very little to add to the formula and only really updated the graphics, and the series has been pretty much lost to obscurity since. But it was still a great game, and is still good to put on once in a while!
We’re at the half way point now in the Top 50. Here’s a recap from #50 to #26...
#50 - Columns III – 1993 - ***1/2
#49 - World Cup Italia '90 – 1990 - ***1/2
#48 - Virtua Fighter 2 – 1996 - ***1/2
#47 - Jurassic Park – 1993 - ***3/4
#46 - Road Rash III: Tour de Force – 1995 - ***3/4
#45 - FIFA International Soccer – 1993 - ***3/4
#44 - Mega Bomberman – 1994 - ***3/4
#43 - Golden Axe III – 1993 - ***3/4
#42 - Micro Machines – 1993 - ***3/4
#41 – Columns – 1990 - ***3/4
#40 - Zombies Ate My Neighbours – 1993 - ***3/4
#39 - Sylvester and Tweety in Cagey Capers – 1993 - ***3/4
#38 – Flicky – 1991 - ***3/4
#37 - Taz in Escape From Mars – 1994 - ***3/4
#36 – Aladdin – 1993 - ***3/4
#35 - Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle – 1989 - ***3/4
#34 - Sonic 3D Blast – 1996 - ****
#33 - Streets of Rage 3 – 1994 - ****
#32 - Ayrton Senna's Super Monaco GP II – 1992 - ****
#31 – Lemmings – 1992 - ****
#30 - Golden Axe – 1989 - ****
#29 - Mortal Kombat – 1992 - ****
#28 - Splatterhouse 3 – 1993 - ****
#27 - Sonic the Hedgehog – 1991 - ****
#26 - Theme Park – 1994 - ****
Up to date? Cool. Well let’s start the second half of my countdown of my personal favourite Mega Drive games!
#25 – Ghostbusters
Released: 1990 Genre: Action Rating: **** stars Best Moment: The bosses. They’re a lot of fun and challenging in different ways.
What a game Ghostbusters was. I don’t know anyone else that’s played this personally, the Mega Drive version of Ghostbusters was different to the more popular versions released on the NES and Game Boy, but I really liked this. Really liked it. It was quite a hard game but challenging enough to be more than enjoyable, and the different guns you can buy were a lot of fun. The levels were usually harder than the bosses, which were really entertaining to go against and were animated incredibly well. I’d highly recommend you play this.
#24 – Micro Machines Turbo Tournament 96
Released: 1995 Genre: Racing Rating: ****1/4 stars Best Moment: Constructing a really well designed track. I remember making a really awesome slippy slidey track that was tough as nails but was a lot of fun to race on.
Calling this game an update on Micro Machines 2 is a little unfair. The tracks are different and the custom track builder makes this a separate game on its own in my eyes. They really did pull all the stops to make this the most complete Micro Machines game ever back in 1995, and boy it was fantastic. Making your own tracks was just such an awesome tool, I loved trying to make tracks on this game. And the character roster was pretty big too. Micro Machines 96 packs a mean punch, and is probably the most complete Micro Machines title ever released... just not the best.
#23 – Blood Shot
Released: 1994 Genre: FPS Rating: ****1/4 stars Best Moment: Destroying an armed plasma node at the end of a
level, and getting back to the start of the level in the time limit given.It gets harder and harder as the levels go
on.
I don’t know how many of you have played Blood Shot, which
was also known as Battle Frenzy. It’s a British FPS game. I don’t think you
realise how rare that is. Not only is this a Mega Drive game that’s a first
person shooter, but it was made in Britain. Not many FPS games existed at the time, and as Blood Shot goes, it’s a pretty damn good FPS. Some say that Doom
was THE first person shooter for the early nineties, and I don’t dispute that.
But Doom wasn’t a Mega Drive game. What was the best FPS for the Mega Drive? We
got Blood Shot. Not as good, but it’s pretty solid, and well worth a play if
you haven’t played it before.
#22 – Super Hang-On
Released: 1988 (1991 in the UK)
Genre: Racing
Rating: ****1/4 stars
Best Moment: When you approach a tough turning with three
other motorbikes in front of you, and you take them all on in one go. It’s a
difficult and risky manoeuvre.
I never knew Super Hang-On was released in 1988,
well even earlier, in 1987 if you include the Arcades. It’s a lot older than I
realised, and it makes me respect the game that much more. Sure, there might be
far more technical motorbike games out there. Road Rash for instance, combines
the blueprint Super Hang-On brought forward, and added violence to the mayhem.
But... I don’t think there was a motorbike game in the 16-bit era that replaced
Super Hang-On. And this game came out in 1988, three years before the Mega
Drive truly boomed as a force to be reckoned with, after Sonic made the console
so attractive to video game makers. Even by 1996, when the console pretty much
died, no motorbike game that was released since on the console replaced it.
That’s eight glorious years of gaming. That’s impressive, and it shows you how
good this game was. And is. I still play it once in a while, it’s still
playable now. It’s just a great game; it just has to go down as one of the most
important and best motorbike games ever made.
#21 – Sonic the Hedgehog 3
Released: 1994
Genre: Platform
Rating: ****1/4 stars
Best Moment: Hydrocity Zone Act 2. I named my Top 10
Platformer Levels of all time on this site (go here to read it) and that was
rated at #1. It’s truly the best platformer level of all time; an absolute
blitz of pace, beautiful scenery, awesome music and it epitomises what’s so
amazing about the Sonic the Hedgehog series.
You may be equally as surprised to see Sonic 3
as low as it is as you may have been of how low Sonic 1 was. Why is Sonic 3
rated out of the Top 20? Well, as much as I love Sonic 3 (and trust me, I love
Sonic 3) I prefer other Sonic games on the Mega Drive. Do you know what the
main problem with Sonic 3 is? It’s too short. It’s the shortest Sonic game on
the Mega Drive; it only has 12 levels. That’s just ridiculous really. And there
are some awesome levels on here (Hydrocity as mentioned above being absolutely
amazing) but is it really that good a game, when Sonic 2 and Sonic and Knuckles
gave you far more bang for your buck? Sonic 3 as a game is truly incredible;
it’s one of the best Mega Drive games ever. But it is just too damn short.
Sorry.
