The Top Ten Games for the Sega Genesis

My choices for the Top Ten Games on the Sega Genesis video game system are not aligned with any popular vote or critical ratings from gaming sites. These are the games I recall having the most fun with, regardless of mass popularity.

10. Streets Of Rage - A side-scrolling street brawler game, you could be one of three characters and walk around punching and kicking bad guys. Your character choices were: white guy, black guy, or woman. Yes the characters had names, but more important to me was the fact that you had three full games you could play since each had slightly different moves when you used them. Of course it was the same game with just a different sprite slightly altered, but back then video games were just cool to have even if they sucked. I now have Streets Of Rage and its sequels on my PS3 thanks to the game Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection.

9. Castlevania: Bloodlines - Castlevania side-scrolling adventures are a classic staple in the collection of most any gamer. I enjoyed the fact that the story involved horror elements and generally would seek out the game for those reasons. I did not own this game, but rented it from time to time; never actually completing it I don't think.

8. Shaq-Fu - The basketball player known as Shaq came out with a weird fighting game and it was universally panned as bad. However, I owned the game and remember it fondly because it came packaged with a Shaq rap CD, which was the very first music CD I ever owned! Using Shaq's apparent ninja skills you would fight things such as a robot and a mummy. Or you could play as those and other characters to whoop Shaq's butt if you wanted.

7. Mortal Combat - Finish Him! Fatality. Everyone who has touched a video game controller should be familiar with the gory Mortal Combat fighting series. What I loved about it as a kid, was obviously the fact that you could kill your enemy with some gruesome move like decapitation. The only reason this isn't higher on the list is because I wasn't really a fighting game fan and I would usually have to watch someone else perform the finishing moves because I did not known the right buttons to push.

6. Battletoads - Basically the same game (only different) as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game, Battletoads was one that I would pick up on a regular basis. This beat'em up game features toads with attitude trying to save (what else?) a Princess.

5. Earthworm Jim - Fun adventure gameplay in this side-scrolling adventure was taken to the next level of cool by the interesting level designs/ environments. You play as an Earthwork given a boost of abilities to fight the crows, using your own head as a whip and even launching cows at baddies. Crazy fun!

4. Vectorman - A platform game where you play as a robot shooting other robots that were left to clean the Earth, yet instead went rogue. Actually, the base of the plot can be seen in the Disney movie Wall-E, well with the robots cleaning the dirty Earth anyway. Vectorman was just fun shooting action from start to finish and I enjoyed the sequel as well. Both games are included on the Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection, which I now own on my PS3.

3. Boogerman: A Pick And Flick Adventure - It almost doesn't get any better than a video game where you fart and throw booger to defeat your enemies. The only problem with Boogerman was the game was too easy and short, but that did not stop me from playing it over and over again. Anytime a friend came over, they would always have to see this fart filled adventure.

2. NBA Jam T.E. - NBA Jam Tournament Edition was a basketball game like no other. It's quick, arcade style pace complete with the ability to set the basketball on fire was awesome! This was the type of game I enjoyed alone or with friends, not even being a sports game fan. On top of the zany, fun gameplay was the ability to unlock hidden characters such as Bill and Hillary Clinton.

1. Sonic The Hedgehog 2 - Sonic became the mascot for Sega Genesis and rightfully so. Sonic games were just as cool as Mario Brothers was for the Nintendo and part 2 of Sonic came along with my Genesis when it was purchased. So, perhaps it is by default that Sonic 2 became one of my most played games on the Sega Genesis, being one of the only titles I owned for quite a while. Speeding through the levels was fun, but there was also adventure to be had by going slow and exploring for hidden spaces.