Top 50 Sega Genesis Games of All Time

Dune II is often considered the first mainstream modern real-time strategy game and established many conventions of the genre. Even though set in Frank Herbert's famous Dune universe, the game is only loosely connected to the plot of any of the books or the films based from them. Controlling either of the three Houses, the player must fight a number of battles against the other Houses. In the early levels, the goal is simply to earn a certain number of credits, while in the later missions, all enemies must be destroyed. The single resource in the game is the Spice, which must be collected by harvesters. The spice is converted to credits in a refinery, which are then spent to construct additional buildings and units. There are two terrain types: buildings can only be constructed on stone, while the Spice is only found on sand. However, units moving on sand attract the large sandworms of Dune, who are virtually indestructible and can swallow even large units whole. As levels progress, new and more advanced buildings and units are made available, including structures like a radar station, a repair facility or defense turrets and, for units, various ground troops, light vehicles and tanks. Each House can construct one unique special unit, and, after building a palace improvement, can unleash a unique palace effect.

Kickin' cyborg butt... That's what it's all about, dude. Jack into this game of genetic engineering gone bad. Real bad. It's five years after the mother of all wars ended - and things still aren't right. Your job is to fix it. The ever-popular Contra series makes its Sega Genesis debut with a pulse-pounding new storyline. At 16 megs, HARD CORPS pushes the technology to bring you over ten gut-wrenching levels with huge boss characters, great graphics and dynamic sound. Find high powered weapons such as the homing gun, crush gun, needle laser or mine setter. Do you think you can handle it? Trust me, you can't. You still here? Okay, then get ready for the fight of your life. Pick one of the four heroes and begin your search across many dark levels of doom. The ending changes, depending on the paths you choose - but every pass crosses boss characters that will blow you away. Literally!

Jurassic Park is a SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive game based on the first movie. The game was playable as either Dr. Alan Grant or a Velociraptor (presumably the The Big One). Grant is the default character but can be changed using the 'Player' option on the game's main menu to swich to the raptor.

QuackShot starring Donald Duck is a steady Disney run-and-jump platformer, with a little puzzle-solving element. Characters are mostly based on Disney's cartoon series Duck Tales. Donald and his three nephews get their hands on a treasure map and set out to hunt the big prize. Donald travels throughout the world, to places like Egypt, India, South Pole, and even Transylvania, while his nephews fly an airplane. As a weapon Donald uses plungers that can freeze the enemies or stick to walls which can then be used for climbing. Other wacky weapons are popcorn and bubblegum.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist, released in Europe as Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist and in Japan as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Return of the Shredder is a side-scrolling beat 'em up based on the comic book characters the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for the Sega Genesis.

The pace is intense. Enemies come at Alisia from everywhere. And nowhere. Battle hordes of crazed barbarians, mow down mobs of poisonous centipedes, and slay squadrons of winged gargoyels. Blast enemies in waves or one by one with multi-directional, auto-targeting laser fire. Recruit killer companions like the DragonFrye, Ball O'Fire, Thunder Raven and Boomerang Lizard. Use them to hurl blistering boomerangs, fireballs, and electrical attacks. With Alisia's super-tough fighting skills, fry enemies to a crisp. And prove once and for all that you can go hand-to-hand with evil and come out the champion!

Time refuses to forget the Belmont family's horrifying, bloody destiny. And in 1917 two of its descendants are summoned by fate into epic battle. Their enemy? The most evil incarnation of Castlevania legacy to ever rise from the grave, the vampiress Countess Bartley. This spine-tingling, 6-stage fear-fest overflows with graphic sights and sounds from your worst nightmares. As John Morris, the whip wielding vampire hunter, or Eric Lecarde, master lanceman, you'll pursue the demonic Countess all across Europe before she resurrects Dracula for a final reign of global terror. Alas, her trail of doom is laden with zombies, hideous mutants, grotesque giants, ghouls and ghastly creatures. Taste the sweat dripping into your mouth as you try rescuing yourself from diabolical traps. Feel the torturous strain on every muscle as you wield again and again sacred weapon power-ups such as Holy Water, the Battle Axe, the Crystal Blade Boomerang and the Mirror of Truth. But in the end, make sure you've saved enough strength to scream!

Alakazam! Here's classic Disney fun with your favorites, Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck! Transported into a world of wonder, Mickey and Donald must perform amazing feats of magic to defeat a crafty Sorcerer and find their way back home!

Batman Returns is a beat-em-up side-scrolling game designed for the Sega consoles. It was published by Sega.

Hit it big when you join Buster Bunny on a 33 stage hunt for treasure. So loaded with hare-raising animation, it's like playing in a whacked-out Tiny Toon cartoon! Do you dare to set paw on this mysterious island? Trip through 7 tangly territories that include an overly-enchanted forest, caverns of bubbling lava-lava, secret underground seas, plains that are just plain crazy, a freaky factory, a mega mountain and a spooky shipwreck rumored to be dripping in 14 carrot gold! Save Babs Bunny and the rest of your pals along the way and you'll really see some kooky island hopping. With Gogo Dodo as your guide, you can be sure this adventure is packed with tricks, traps, and hidden bonus areas!

A video game adaptation of the Taz-Mania cartoon, starring the Tasmanian Devil. One of several games based on the license, the Sega versions features the same story, but has a unique design and set of levels in the different platforms. Inspired by a tale his father told, Taz goes on a quest for the egg of a giant prehistoric seabird, which will lead him across the whole of Taz-Mania through 16 levels of platforming action. He must survive a desert, a jungle, a car factory, a mine and ancient ruins. Taz is able to run, jump, and spin fast to turn into his trademark whirlwind. While spinning, he can knock out most enemies he comes across. He can also pick up many different items and try to eat them or use them in another way. Most foods replenish his health, while eating hot peppers gives him a fire breath attack. Stars grant temporal invulnerability, while bombs should be thrown at enemies (and definitely not be eaten!).

Minnie Mouse has been kidnapped by the evil witch Mizrabel, and it's up to Mickey Mouse to venture through the mysterious worlds of the Castle of Illusion to rescue her in this 2D platformer (and collaboration between Disney and Sega).

X-Men is a side-scrolling action game based on the comic book series of the same name. The player can control one of four playable characters: Gambit, Nightcrawler, Wolverine, or Cyclops. In addition, it is possible to call upon four other X-Men in when necessary.

Several video games based on the 1988 Michael Jackson film Moonwalker. U.S. Gold published various games for home computers, released in 1989, whilst Sega developed two similarly themed beat 'em up video games in 1990; one released for arcades and another released for the Mega Drive/Genesis and Master System.

Batman is a video game developed by Sunsoft and released for the Sega Genesis in 1990. It was inspired by the 1989 Tim Burton-directed Batman film. The game is more faithful to the film's plot than the NES game of the game name and includes levels in which the player controls Batman's vehicles.