25 Best Sega Genesis Games #15 – #6

Speaking of polygons, Vectorman and its sequel, the aptly named Vectorman 2, used them to great effect in creating a shape-shifting hero with a healthy smattering of '90s 'tude. The gameplay is reminiscent of Earthworm Jim, only with more emphasis on gunplay and less on finnicky platforming. But the thing that really set Vectorman apart from his contemporaries were his transformations. Like Inspector Gadget, he had a mode for every occasion: helicopter, roller skates, drills. You name it, he's got it. Plus, the music is a funky score of bass-heavy electronica that helped set the funktastic mood without overpowering the rest of the game.

Time traveling, telekinetic dolphins. It may sound like the content of an eleven-year-old girl's fan fiction, but it's actually what Ecco: The Tides of Time is about. You'll swim around, trying to fix the future and occasionally utilizing the powers of other sea creatures. The level layouts are confusing at times, but you won't mind because of the game's soothing soundtrack and how much fun it is to haul ass underwater, dolphin-style.

What did Batman say to Robin before getting in the car? "Get in the car, Robin." Bad jokes aside, Gotham's locked in a dire winter thanks to Mr. Freeze. Batman and Robin take to the mean streets to combat this unnatural cold, tossing batarangs, bolos, and the occasional punch or headbutt to any bad guys who get in their way. They face off against Harley Quinn's malicious machine, they stop thieves from robbing a gem expo, and they leap from car to car until reaching the Joker in his insane hot air balloon. Once they've taken him down, the game transitions to darkness, and the player is presented with a message: Stage Two. That's when you'll realize that the game developers just crammed in an entire Batman movie's worth of awesomeness into the first freaking stage.

Much as the afro screams "1970's", and acid-washed denim bellows "1980's", tiny spectacles and ponytails are an indubitable trait of 1990's comic books. Comix Zone is about a comic artist's greatest fear: his creations turning against him and trapping him in the comic of his making. Gameplay-wise, Comix Zone is a single-player brawler similar to Streets of Rage. What really sets it apart, however, is the presentation. You're confined to the panels of a comic book, swinging from panel to panel to progress. As you do, your archenemy Mordus draws new enemies into existence and forces you to fight them to survive. It's fun, it's quirky, and it's instantly recognizable. It's just a shame that more video games don't have the gumption to present themselves in such fourth-wall-breaking styles.

While it's not uncommon for TV shows and movies to begin with a cold open, (jumping into the story before the credits have begun to roll), it's not something video games tend to do. With X-Men 2: Clone Wars, the second you start the game is the second you start playing. You won't even get to see the title screen until you've finished the first level! That aside, this is a game that any X-Men fan will go nuts over. It comes jam-packed with a surprising number of playable characters, like Psylocke, Nightcrawler, Wolverine, and, yes, even Magneto. Plus, unlike its predecessor, you can use your mutant powers as much as you please, making you feel like a true X-Man.

Before Phantasy Star went online, it was bringing the awesome in full force to the Sega Genesis. It's been touted as one of the greatest RPGs of all time, and for good reason. The graphics are clean and colorful, the story, characters, and setting all memorable, and the RPG combat surprisingly deep. You could establish time-saving Macros to speed through random battles by pre-programming in your party's moves, and sequence specific attacks together to create entirely new combination attacks. Life is just a Phantasy, can you live this phantasy life?

Possum? Check. Rocket pack and energy sword? Check. Badass '90s 'tude? Doublecheck. Sparkster, the titular Rocket Knight himself, battles it out against an army of pigs and their diabolical machines to save the Zebulos Kingdom from being overtaken by the stinking swine. Rocket Knight Adventures is fast-paced and colorful, with each stage managing to vary up the gameplay from the last. You'll fly, you'll swim, you'll traverse a burning castle while a miasma of fire chases you, you'll ride a blisteringly fast mining platform and duke it out against a malevolent train. Don't like hedgehogs? This possum will do.

Landstalker is an action/RPG, with a heavy emphasis on both. The environments are presented in an isometric 3D perspective, and you can jump and swing around like a crazed Elven Donkey Kong. In addition to the game's fairly lengthy main quest, you can also complete several side quests, some of which grant you things like increased health or additional abilities.

TJ & E's home planet is in trouble! Obnoxious human tourists have descended and are annoying the hell out of the local populace. They're blinding people with their cameras, grilling in fire hazard zones, and letting their little jerk kids run amok. Only the two funkiest guys on Funkotron can stop them. Toejam and Earl in Panic on Funkotron is the kind of game you could play for your entire life and yet you might still not have seen everything there is to see in it. This game is so jam-packed with secret nooks and crannies it's a wonder it even fits in a Sega Genesis. Behind every tree, rock, or bush there could be pretty presents, wacky weapons, or even a gateway into the dopest of all secret areas: the Hyper Funk Zone.

Arguably the grandaddy of all beat 'em ups, Golden Axe is set in a low-fantasy world filled with barbarians and monsters. You can either play as Ax Battler, the sexy, muscle-bound barbarian dude, Tyrius Flare, the sexy, muscle-bound barbarian chick, or Gillius, the neither-sexy-nor-muscle-bound dwarf. The gameplay is a little simplistic compared to later brawlers, but that also means that it's easy for any gamer, young or old, to pick up a controller and start pounding on Death Adder's evil forces.