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All right, since there are so many great Genesis games out there, I had a hard time narrowing my list to just 20. So I am making this a top 25. Big difference, I know. But just cutting it down to 25 I was leaving out a lot of great titles. I couldn't decide which of the following I should leave out, since they are all on such a level field to me. So I expanded it to 25. Yeah.

Oooook, a few other things you need to know if you are following this list. My opinions have changed a lot since I made my Top 100 list... so you may find things in a different order. For example, if I ranked Earthworm Jim below Cool Spot on my first list, it doesn't necessarily mean that it will happen again on this list. In fact, I am pretty much disregarding the Top 100 list and starting from scratch with this one. There is a game on that Top 100 list that doesn't even make this one. Weird, I know. My mind changes a lot in a year. Also, there will be no ties on this list. I won't rank any "compilations", meaning that, for example, the Sonic games will all be ranked separately as opposed to just being lumped together.

All right, we shall begin.


#25: Eternal Champions


I highly doubt very many people will know this game. My memory is hazy as to when this first came out, but I recall it being Sega's answer to Killer Instinct or something like that. This title was pimped out all over the place in game magazines, and promoted to be, like, the fighting game to end all fighting games. I remember the storyline being compelling, which was a strong point of interest for me. I was one of the folks to get this game as soon as it came out.

As far as the game itself, it was bizarre. As soon as you turned the game on, it would take you to a screen with a million different menus. Just starting the single player campaign you had to scroll down and search for where to begin. It was all very confusing. They don't explain things very well. The characters and locales in this game are all very unique and different. The stages have built in hidden scenes that are kind of like fatalities. If you land the finale blow to an opponent while standing in a certain area, the background comes into play when that character dies. It's pretty cool. Each character has his or her own intricate backstory. The story is so good it makes you want to beat the game with everyone in it. Which is a lot easier said than done. This game was HARD. Frustratingly hard.

It starts out easy in the beginning, but as you progress the AI kicks into high gear and makes every battle a fight for your life. And if you die, you go back to the previous person you faced but the difficulty remains at a high level. Ugh. When you do make it to the final boss, he is nearly impossible to hit and can wipe you out in the blink of an eye. And if you die to him you start back at the beginning of the game. Double ugh. Because of this, I think I only beat the game with maybe 3 or 4 people. I tried with everyone, but I just couldn't do it.

Overall, when I think back to this game, the first thing to come to mind is rage. It's SO hard, it becomes tedious after a while. I mean, it is a fun game, and very clever and well thought out. The two player mode is fine. And there were also like a million zillion bonus stages and other things to do. But the single player was just so hard, and there was no way to adjust the difficulty. It really put a damper on my whole gaming experience with this title. Just memorable enough to crack the top 25!

#24: Red Zone


I don't really expect anyone to know this game either. It's a bit obscure even by my standards. We're at the bottom of the list, so bear with me people!

All jokes aside, this game was freaking amazing and well, well ahead of it's time. I rented it on a whim from Blockbuster because they didn't have Mortal Kombat 3. That was a fortunate thing for me, because this game >>>> MK3. For the most part, this game is an overhead view helicopter game, similar to the Jungle/Urban/Nuclear Strike games. You fly around, blowing stuff up and completing missions over enemy ground in a war environment. However, there is just sooo much more to this game. It isn't just blowing stuff up, the missions are extremely diverse and well thought out. It is also very, very difficult. Expect to be frustrated to the point of throwing your controller if you ever play this. If you can get past how hard it is, underneath the game is just so rewarding and fun.

In addition to the helicopter levels, there are also levels where you run around on the ground. The view is still overhead. You do a lot of things such as storming enemy bunkers, blowing up bases, solving puzzles, etc. This may sound like a silly comparison, but picture Zombies Ate My Neighbors with a war environment, and with soldiers and real people as enemies. That's what this is like. It's really difficult, but fun.

So, combine the fun and difficult helicopter levels with the fun and difficult foot levels, and you have yourself a very fun and difficult game. What really puts it over the top: the graphics are drop dead gorgeous for it being a Sega Genesis game. The musical score is riveting too. This game would probably score higher if I had actually bought it. Instead, I ended up renting it two more times and loved every minute of it. Underrated and awesome.

The main person who came to my mind when I thought of Eternal Champions was that robed wizard guy. I also fondly remember the reptile dude with the Trident. As much as I wanted to love the undercover cop and the guy with all the machinery, they sucked. I have a hard time remembering anyone else.

I just noticed how both of those boxes for #24 and #25 look so similar =o
Especially with the way the person in front is posed in both of them.

Dunno why this wasn't included in the last post, but here ya go:

Yeah, you can play as Magneto too, later on in the game. He owns!

I don't think anyone really has played much Sega Genesis around here. Just like in real life, all the cool kids had Super Nintendo! So I will probably end up rushing through this part of the thread so I can get to Super Nintendo or N64. I was actually thinking of doing N64 first because I didn't even own a Super Nintendo until about a year and a half ago. I may even save it for last.