25 Best Sega Games Of All Time - RANKED

Back when Sonic was but a glint in the eyes of his creators, programmer Yuji Naka and artist Naoto Ohshima, Sega was feverishly searching for a mascot of their own who could rival Nintendo's Mario.

While he would be unceremoniously dumped in later years in favour of Sonic, the original mascot Sega settled on was Alex Kidd, a strange-looking dude with a huge fist who liked to smash things.

First released in 1986 for the Master System, Alex Kidd in Miracle World is a 2D platformer that was Sega's answer to Mario's gameplay. Alex is more grounded than the portly plumber; although he can jump, the core of the gameplay revolves around punching objects and collecting cash, all the while dodging enemies that can, and will, kill you in just one hit.

The cash you pick up can be used to purchase cool new items for Alex such as a motorbike or helicopter, making traversal easier.

The game itself was widely critically acclaimed upon release, and although due to its one-hit death mechanic its a very tricky game to get through, it still holds up extremely well and is a lot of fun to play, just like the original Super Mario Bros.