10 Best Video Game Consoles - Ranked By Exclusives

8. Sega Genesis

Best exclusive titles: Sonic 1/2/3, Sonic & Knuckles, Shinobi 1/2/3, Streets of Rage 1/2/3, Golden Axe 1/2/3, Strider, Phantasy Star, Shining Force Aladdin, Rocket Knight Adventures, Contra: Hard Corps, Gunstar Heroes, Kid Chameleon, Road Rash, Beyond Oasis, Mega Man: The Wily Wars, Elemental Master, Gynoug, Dangerous Seed. The Genesis may have always played second fiddle to the SNES, but Sega's most successful console still made a damn good fight of it. Sonic's outings on the Genesis helped make him the second most iconic video game hero of all time. The Streets of Rage and Golden Axe series proved that when it came to old-school beat-'em-ups, Sega had things nailed, while Strider and Shinobi were tough platformers that dominated the genre until Mario World turned up a few years later and took everything over once again. Beyond Oasis was an awesome top-down adventure that was unfortunately overshadowed by Link to the Past, while the side-scrolling shooter Rocket Knight Adventures would've fared better if its opossum hero didn't try to cram himself into a Mega Man suit. With that said, the Mega Drive did eventually get Mega Man: The Wily Wars - a solid remake of the first three Mega Man games on the NES. Moving away from the familiar titles, Elemental Master, Dangerous Seed and Gynoug are just a few among tens of overlooked bullet-hell games for the Genesis, and those looking for deep and immersive experiences could dive into a solid RPG lineup with Phantasy Star and Shining Force. It's just a shame that so much of what the Genesis offered was overshadowed by the SNES.