The Sega Genesis is the proud home of some of the best action games ever made.
Here are the best of the best.
Well pay homage to games likeSonic the HedgehogandBeyond Oasisanother day.
Its certainly not the smoothest beat-em-up in the Genesis library.
Theres also something to be said for the attitude 90s style this game embraces without shame or remorse.
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14.
Desert Strike Return to the Gulf
Desert Strikehas always been something of an oddity.
However, what really made this one stand out was its surprisingly open-ended structure.
Honestly, this might still be the best helicopter game ever made.
What matters so much more is the quality ofVectormans action.
Well,Mega Turricanmay be the pinnacle of their considerable efforts.
X-Men 2: Clone Wars
EarlyX-Mengames were…hit-and-miss.
That created a lot of confusion about which games were actually good and which needed to be avoided.
Well,X-Men 2: Clone Warswas the biggest victim of that confusion.
Its such a shame it didnt get a little more love in its day.
Strider
The arcade version ofStrideris rightfully regarded as one of the most influential and exceptional action games ever.
Well, against considerable odds, Sega and Capcom managed to deliver a Genesis version ofStriderthat was nearly arcade-perfect.
Though still technically impressive in the proper context, itsStriders gameplay that hasnt aged a day.
Fortunately,Shinobi 3has somehow managed to actually improve with age in many ways.
Essentially, they turned Batman into a run-and-gun shooter hero.
That may sound like blasphemy, but the results are heavenly.
As well discuss later, that is one of the biggest compliments I can pay a Genesis action game.
With this game, Konami essentially asked How hard can we make aContra gamewhile still keeping it technically beatable?
The answer, dear reader, is Historically fucking hard.
Push through that part of this games deserved reputation, though, and youll findContraat its very best.
Challenges aside, though, its the sheer spectacle of the experience that makes it truly special.
In some ways, it is aCastlevaniaexperience re-imagined as a Genesis-style, arcade-like action game.
Yes, it is also just as awesome as that description would lead you to believe.
First off,Ranger Xmay just be themost visually impressiveSega Genesis title ever made.
Also known asLightning Force,Thunder Force 4is an absolute masterpiece of the genre.
Its a work of art that were fortunate enough to be able to interact with.
The best beat-em-up on the Genesis?
The best beat-em-up of its era?
Id have a hard time arguing against you.
One of the best action games ever made?
Honestly, I think there is a case to be made.
At their core, beat-em-ups offered the kind of pure gaming experience that turned arcades into destinations.
Well,Streets of Rage 2treats every element of that experience with the necessary level of creative respect.
Its the details that make the whole thing special, though.
The result is a game bursting with creativity, craft, and personality in every frame and pixel.
It was more than arcade-perfect; it was better than what you could find at the arcades.
