The way this game utilized a horizontal split-screen interface that allowed co-op players to coordinate their positions on the map meant that you weren’t limited to your partner’s movements. This was an interesting sneak peek at the future of the action genre. While occasionally clunky, those controls really opened up some new strategic possibilities that made this side-scrolling action title so much more ambitious than the other great games in that genre at the time. Genesis gamers with access to a six-button controller could actually use all of those buttons to independently control Ranger-X and his companion vehicle.
Ultimately, though, it’s this game’s controls that made it so fascinating. Seriously, some of the background effects and animations in this game push Genesis to its technological limits in surprising ways. You could make the argument that Ranger-X deserves to be on this list for the quality of its visuals alone. It would be years before we saw more platform games successfully utilize this title’s RPG combat elements (like inventory slots, companions, and alternate weapons) quite as well as Wonder Boy utilized them way back in 1991. Wonder Boy’s ocarina-based puzzle/exploration sequences, merchants/inns, and item-based environmental abilities will certainly make some Zelda fans go “hmmm.” Ultimately, though, Wonder Boy distinguishes itself via its combat. Actually, I honestly consider this game to be the better version of Zelda II: The Adventures of Link in many respects. If you can get past this game’s somewhat simple (though colorful) visuals, you’ll find that it’s actually one of the deepest and most mechanically creative action platformers of its era. While you could argue that this game ultimately tried to do a little too much, it’s hard to deny its ambition, creativity, depth, and desire to be different. Nearly every choice you make in this game has some kind of consequence, and you’re going to be forced to make a lot of choices as you navigate this massive adventure.
Completed shining blade bounty notice manual#
Then again, it’s not exactly easy to briefly describe a game that was so complicated that it came with an 85 (!) page manual filled with hints, strategies, and explanations.Įven with that book, you’ll have a hard time figuring out this game’s blend of sci-fi strategy combat, RPG overworld navigation, and ship-to-ship combat sequences. I suppose the easiest way to describe this game would be to call it a blend of classic XCOM concepts and tabletop D&D mechanics. With that out of the way, here are 20 Sega Genesis games that were truly ahead of their time. Finally, there is no one aspect that makes a game “ahead of its time.” Generally speaking, any game that featured innovative ideas in terms of its visuals, gameplay mechanics, or storytelling was considered eligible for this list.
Similarly, I tried to feature an array of genres and concepts, but there wasn’t a strict rule that determined how many of a certain kind of game could make this list. While I gave special priority to innovative games that also commercially underperformed, not every game on this list was a flop.Those peripherals were ultimately part of the Genesis’ legacy, and there were really only a few games released for either add-on that were seriously considered for a spot on this list. After some consideration, I decided to include Sega CD and Sega 32X games on this list.In other words, a game didn’t need to get a global release to be considered eligible. Any games released for the Sega Genesis, Mega Drive, or both platforms were considered eligible for this list.Ultimately, though, it came down to a select group of games that felt like they were pulled from the future and ported to the Genesis.īefore you take a look at those games, though, please consider some of the criteria I used to help during the selection process. There were so many games that I not only felt deserved to be on this list but that I personally really wanted to feature on this list simply to have the chance to talk about them a little more. There were so many Genesis games that were worthy of the title “ahead of their time” or simply deserved that deeper look they are too often denied. To tell you the truth, this was a tough list to put together. Indeed, in their effort to do just about everything a little differently from how Nintendo thought things should be done, Sega ultimately turned the Genesis into the home of many games that were underrated, overlooked, and quite simply ahead of their time. The Sega Genesis is one of the greatest consoles ever made as well as Sega’s best attempt at reaching the top of the console gaming world.
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