PTE49: Anniversary of the Mega Drive's Genesis

[Neon Ignition]

October 29, 1988

Yes, we've just passed the 25th anniversary of the first launch of Segas 16bit console. I'm sure many will have many memories of the console and its numerous games and add-ons.

What are your memories of the machine?

[DeathAdder]

Only got one miles after the event, but loved and still do love many of the coin-ops that made its way onto the Megadrive. Even now most of them have held up very well. Golden Axe, Streets of Rage, Alien Storm, Altered Beasts (yeah, I know, it's only me that likes it), Outrun, the superb Cotton game on it and Captain America and the Avengers are all, in my opinion, still great fun to play today.

[gambit6613]

Blimey 25 years ago, doesnt quite seem posible. I remember getting my Mega Drive for Xmas 1989 with sonic and for some reason my parents also got me a carry case for it. I think the most stand out memory was Sonic 2, i dont think i have antipciated a sequal to any game since this, the build up in the mags as crazy. I remember buying Sega Power every month just for a snippet of info or even a screenshot. Sonic 2sday was just a brilliant bit of marketing.

[nakamura]

I was a SNES owner but my friend had a MD and we considered ourselves lucky to have both. MD memories include multiplayer Streets of Rage and Golden Axe. Plenty of Sonic and Road Rash crammed in too. Despite some games looking really harsh due to a lack of colour, the MD is timeless. My only issue is I cannot play it with TV sound as a good stereo adds much needed depth to the audio.

[vanpeebles]

Awesome machine, with so many highlights and top games. Buck Rogers my all time fave RPG, the Streets of Rage series, NHL Hockey and EA games actually being good. Best setup for me, Megadrive 1 and Megacd 1.

[CMcK]

Even after all these years the Mega Drive is still the console I use most. It has a huge range of games with something to suit everyone. If any system could be considered an essential purchase this is it.
I know Sega made a few unwise choices when designing the system but you would never know it.

It was the system that really got me into scrolling shooters and has some fantastic examples of the genre. I remember stumbling across Thunderforce IV by accident in the local Virgin games shop. Got it home, fired it up and it just blew me away. That intro, the colorful graphics, catchy music, tight controls and Engrish speech samples.
Sonic 2 took me by surprise as well. I preferred the Master System version of Sonic the Hedgehog to the Mega Drive version but sequel was something else. Ok it didn't take long to complete but I still play it today.
It's a shame the UK didn't see all of the games Japan did. We missed out on a lot of really good shooters and platform games too. Stuff like Snow Bros and New Zealand Story (although the MS version is better).

And over the years I have come to realise the FM audio of that era was actually great when done well. So much better sounding than muffled SFC or even the Amiga. 10 channels for the win. Just listen to soundtracks like Vapor Trail, SOR games and Mega Turrican. Fantastic chip tunes.

Even the design of the console has aged well. As for the controller - perfection.

[ExMosquito]

Blimey 25 years ago, doesnt quite seem posible. I remember getting my Mega Drive for Xmas 1989 with sonic and for some reason my parents also got me a carry case for it. I think the most stand out memory was Sonic 2, i dont think i have antipciated a sequal to any game since this, the build up in the mags as crazy. I remember buying Sega Power every month just for a snippet of info or even a screenshot. Sonic 2sday was just a brilliant bit of marketing.

89? Sonic wasn't released until 91'



I picked up my Japanese Megadrive in Christmas 90' with Eswat. The Megadrive is probably my fav console of all-time. I was obsessed with arcade games growing so the Megadrive ticked all the right boxes for me. Also the Japanese box art was always excellent, the half arsed Pal version paired in comparison.

[Strider]

Recently got a mega drive again. What a great console. Just spent evening playing Thunder Force III.

[Mayhem]

It was pretty close, with some excellent games on both sides, but I feel the SNES just edges the MD for quality, especially in the RPG area.

[Yakumo]

For me the SFC (SNES) and Mega Drive are two different beasts. Both kick some serious arse and both are needed for the true 16bit gaming heaven. Many dual format ports were better on the SFC and pretty much always looked and sounded better on the SFC but I don't give a **** about them. I'm talking about original games. I'd say that the Mega Drive just slightly edges over the SFC when it came to original titles because I love shooters and scrolling fighters. The Mega Drive blew away the SFC when it came to the amount of quality shooters (the SFC did have some epic ones too mind you) and when it came to thumping soundtracks, again the Mega Drive's pure FM synth was best when in the right hands (99% of the time, the Japanese) Pretty much every US and many Euro programmed MD games just sounded like **** due to the awful stock GENs sound engine they used. Playing a fighting game on the Mega Drive felt like you were really giving those bad guys a thump while on the SFC it didn't. Saying that, the SFC had some of the best arcade ports and some of the greatest games that Konami and Capcom had ever made. It also had a sound chip that for the first time could produce orchestral masterpieces that really did surpass anything else available at that time.

[nakamura]

They are both so finely balanced, it truly was a great era.

[Wools]

25 years... That makes me feel old!

It was a fine console when Sega were in their golden era, before the lull of the Saturn and their final,creative out bust with the Dreamcast.

My first console was a Master System and a few years on when my Mum & Nan knew I was into games, decided on buying me a Mega Drive for Christmas. We walked past Dixons one weekend and I saw Sonic being played in the window and after a bit of persuading, they dropped the money and I had to wait an agonising few weeks before I opened it on the 25th. From the boot up screen, the logo scrolling through these beautiful green hills and when I looped the loop, it was truly something special.

I got nostalgic about the console a few months ago during the summer lull and picked up a Mega Drive with some classics, although the console and games are still brilliant, I must admit that I was a little bored of them. That says nothing of the console itself (I would say the same about the SNES, Wii, 360 or PS2 if I picked one up now, purely because I've played all the games I wanted over a decade or 2 ago) the 2D titles are still beautiful and play perfectly, Sonic 2, Ecco, Streets of Rage II and Desert Strike, especially.

I love the Mega Drive era as that's when 2D gameplay and graphics were meeting a point of perfection, just before the bleeding edge of 3D graphics entered the Arcade and the Home consoles. Going back to the 8bit and under days is a little difficult for me as that's when design and graphics were still sometimes not perfectly put together and instant death and bland graphics were the order of the day. The 16bit era was the dawn of beautiful backdrops, amazing sprite work, scaling and boundaries were pushed.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and 2 player Streets of Rage II would be in my Desert Island Discs. Just perfect!

[randombs]

Dad got us a Megadrive with Altered Beast and Eswat. It was our first console.

Eswat was amazing. We spent ages on the first level confused as to where to go until I fell off the building by accident and landed on the platform for the helicopter boss. Then the music kicked in...

A mate here bought it on VC a little while ago and it was great fun playing it again.

I do like playing Altered Beast randomly these days. It's naff but nostalgically so