10 Great Sega Genesis That Are Fun Right Away

For some reason, it feels like the Sega Genesis doesn’t get enough credit for what an impressive home console it really was. Its games were colorful and many times more fast-paced than those on the Super Nintendo. Plus, it had the better version of the Aladdin game (at least I think it’s the better one).

So many games were just as much fun, if not more enjoyable, from the get-go on the Genesis. And that’s not counting all their exclusive and first party titles. The system really did have a ton of amazing games come out for it over its lifespan that have influenced gaming to this day.

Some took some time to really get going, but this was an era of almost immediate gratification in most cases. Games back then didn’t waste time telling you how to play them, they just kind of threw you in the deep end and told you to swim. Despite that though, there were plenty of games on the Genesis that were fun right away.

10 X-Men

Children of the Atom

During an era where comic game tie-ins were primarily a cash grab, the X-Men game for the Genesis was a breath of fresh air. It wasn’t always the easiest game, but it did let you step into the shoes of your favorite mutants like Nightcrawler and Wolverine to take on the classic villains like Apocalypse and Magneto.

For comic book fans, this was about as good as it got at the time, even if it did end up being tough to beat. I definitely spend a lot of time replaying X-Men and still have my copy from when I was a kid.

9 Kid Chameleon

A Million Faces

What I find particularly interesting about Kid Chameleon is just what an extreme it took Super Mario’s power-up formula to. There were so many different characters that this kid could turn into, and you were introduced to several options very early on in the first few levels. Whether you wanted to be a samurai or a hard-headed rhinoman, this game had you covered and more.

Levels were varied in the types of challenges they’d present in order to encourage healthy use of the game’s many character facades. It could also become a very non-linear experience as you could end up bouncing from a later level to an earlier one and vice versa depending on what doors you went through. Kid Chameleon really was a one-of-a-kind game at the time that still hasn’t been emulated since.

8 Forgotten Worlds

Capcom's Sleeper Shooter

The home port of one of Capcom’s lesser-known franchises was actually one of the best Bullet Hell experiences to ever come out for a home console. From the second you started playing Forgotten Worlds, it was non-stop action as you and a friend took control of a roided- out dude with a jetpack for some reason and started shooting up lizard people.

Unlike many side-scrolling shooters, Forgotten Worlds had pop-up shops throughout its levels where you could upgrade your armor or buy a satellite to float around you and shoot at your enemies. Overall, it’s just a very surreal experience visually, but I guarantee you won’t be able to put the controller down until you’ve beat it.

7 Strider

A Futuristic Slasher

I feel like Strider is another underrated Capcom classic on this list. When it released, it was a very fast-paced hack-and-slash that gave you an interesting cadre of mechanical companions like a cyber tiger and robot hawk. The game dropped you on a roof and had you slicing up enemies from the start.

For the time, it was an almost perfect arcade port that really showed what the Genesis was capable of. Over the years, the character of Strider Hiryu has become well known by fans of the Marvel vs Capcom series and there have been a few more reimaginings of the franchise since the 16-bit days, but it never would’ve gotten this far if the first game wasn’t so much fun.

6 Golden Axe

Let's Play Kick the Elf

There were so many reasons that the port of the arcade classic Golden Axe was so good. The game introduced so many concepts, like crazy looking animals you could ride, elves you could hit for magic potions and even more than one route to take to get to the ending. The beat-em-up also had a lot of atmosphere with its dark medieval fantasy designs and some of the oversized dark nights you’d take on.

Golden Axe had everything you’d want from a game of its nature with a perfect blend of action and atmosphere. The scale and scope of what this game accomplished on a 16-bit console made for an amazing home gaming experience.

5 Altered Beast

Power Up!

As soon as you rise from your grave, Altered Beast has you punching the heads off of zombies and kicking bulls. Then you get roided out by grabbing power-ups before finally turning into a werewolf. And that’s all before the game’s first boss fight. It’s all still a very vivid memory etched in my head to this day.

While Altered Beast wasn’t the most complex game out there, the whole theme of being able to turn into a different creature of some sort in each level was enough to draw you in and keep you playing. The fact that the game auto-scrolled meant that it kept you in the action at all times.

4 Castlevania: Bloodlines

Whip It Good

Bloodlines is the only game in the Castlevania series to launch on the Genesis, and it stayed pretty true to the series’ formula but did make a few key changes. For instance, Bloodlines was made to be a faster-paced experience than previous entries in the series. It also lets you choose between two characters, one bearing the game’s iconic whip and another who carries a spear.

Like you’d expect, the game gets you into the action immediately. Everything felt more responsive and quicker than earlier Castlevania games and that frenetic action is part of what kept folks playing Bloodlines from sun up to sun down.

3 Streets of Rage

Taking It to the Streets

The first thing you notice when you pop in a Streets of Rage 2 cartridge is how amazing the soundtrack is. It’s known for getting heads bobbing before you even get into the action. And the action itself was a much more polished, refined the beat-em up experience than the first entry in the series. And because it was the 90s, it added a playable character who fought while wearing rollerblades.

Streets of Rage 2 made a lot of interesting choices when it came to game design, but they all seemed to pay off. The game is still seen as a shining gem in the franchise’s crown that gets you out in the streets and raging as soon as you hit the start button.

2 Sonic the Hedgehog

Speeding into Home (Consoles)

When it came to fast-paced action, the Sega Genesis really did seem like it was winning the race. Case in point, Sega’s iconic mascot, Sonic the Hedgehog, who began his quick rise as a video game idol on the Genesis. Talk about getting you right into having a good time. You literally took off running through the Green Hill Zone the moment the game began.

Sonic the Hedgehog’s focus on speed mixed large levels with more than one way to get from the beginning to end begged to be played through more than once to discover everything. It’s kind of crazy to think that if this first game wasn’t as good as it was that it probably wouldn’t be the flagship franchise that it is today.

1 Gunstar Heroes

A One of a Kind Adventure

Gunstar Heroes, simply put, is just wild, anime-inspired, run-and-gun action from beginning to end. Somewhat akin to Contra, it had players shooting their way through levels using various bullet options and even letting you combine different combos of two of them for even more weapon variety. Gunstar Heroes gameplay also wasn’t as lumbering as Contra’s, and you could do things like slide and grab enemies then throw them.

While the series never really had another entry, it has been ported several times over the years. If you can’t get your hands on an original copy, it’s definitely worth getting one for a more modern console as it still stands the test of time.