Yesterday was the 30th anniversary of the release of the Sega Genesis. Well, I’m fudging a little bit because it was the 30th anniversary of the Japanese release and technically that was the Sega Mega Drive, but hey, it’s all the same thing, right? I would be remiss if I didn’t capture some thoughts and memories related to this landmark console.
The first thing I’d like to say is: HOLY FREAKIN’ CRAP HAS IT REALLY BEEN 30 YEARS?!?!? AM I THAT OLD?
Yes. Yes, I am.
I first acquired a Sega Genesis as an eleven-year-old. I remember having to make the dreaded choice between a Sega Genesis and a Super Nintendo. I will admit that I completely fell victim to the marketing wiles of Sega of American and fully believed that Sonic the Hedgehog was cool, and Mario was lame. I told my parents that I wanted a Sega Genesis, and I got one. I played tons and tons of hours of Sonic the Hedgehog, truly loving every moment of that game. But a strange thing started to happen. I started to resent my decision and my Genesis.
The reasons are multi-faceted. One is that I struggled to find another game on the platform other than Sonic that I really liked. I would rent Genesis games on an almost weekly basis and always return to the rental store disappointed in whatever game I had chosen. There simply wasn’t much of the Genesis library that clicked with me. The second big event was that one of my friends got a Super Nintendo as a Christmas present and every time I went to his house and played Super Mario World I started to question all those TV advertisements. Yes, I loved Sonic the Hedgehog, but Super Mario World was a fantastically good game. Then my friend let me play The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and it was all over. I had made a huge mistake in selecting the Sega Genesis.
For months I refused to play my Genesis. My parents refused to buy me another $200 console and they wouldn’t listen to my pleadings to let me sell the Genesis and put the money towards a Super Nintendo. To them one video game console was as good as another and I should be happy with what I had. I didn’t want to be constantly reminded that I had thrown away my opportunity to get a Super Nintendo, so I boxed up the Genesis and stuck it in my closet. One day another friend was at my house and asked if we could play Genesis. I replied something snarky like, “Why would we play something stupid? I hate that thing.” My friend, in a rare moment of heartfelt seriousness, told me that I was being ungrateful. I had a video game console that my parents had gifted to me and I was being a greedy, petty little jerk.
In what was another rare moment, I took my friend’s words to heart. He was right after all. I listened and decided that I should be a better person. I hooked the Genesis back up and tried, without any preconceived notions, to love my 16-bit console.
You know what? I learned to love it. How many people can say that their Sega Genesis taught them to be a better person? To this day I remember that lesson that my friend taught me about being grateful and I try to live my life grateful for what I have.
Eventually I worked and saved and bought myself a Super Nintendo and then I realized the great joy of having two systems! Never again would console exclusive titles be lost to me. Both the Sega Genesis and the Super Nintendo lived in my bedroom in peace and harmony. By the time that console generation moved on I had quite a library for both systems and thoroughly enjoyed both systems.
Some highlight Genesis games for me were (in no particular order):
- Sonic the Hedgehog
- Sonic 2
- Sonic 3 and Knuckles
- Greendog the Beached Surfer Dude
- Batman
- Chakan the Forever Man
- Spiderman vs. The Kingpin
- Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker
- X-Men
- Street Fighter II: Special Champion’s Edition (shh, don’t tell anyone, but this is better than the SNES versions)
- Wonderboy in Monster World
After I stopped being a brat, my fondness towards the Sega Genesis grew so much that I eventually bought a Sega Saturn!
Even though I enjoyed my Sega Genesis at the time, it was one system that I didn’t go back to. It was eventually sold or traded, whereas the Super Nintendo continued to be a beloved and played system. It wasn’t until earlier this year that I decided to dip back into the Sega pool. I purchased a Sega Genesis, and then decided to completely trick it out with a Sega CD and a 32X. OK, I’ll be honest, the 32X doesn’t get a lot of play time, but I’m rediscovering and expanding my love for the Sega library. I’m having a huge amount of fun going back to the games I loved and I’m discovering that now, thirty years later, I’m appreciating substantially more Genesis games. I’m discovering new games that weren’t on my purview when I was eleven, like Alisia Dragoon, the Phantasy Star series, Gunstar Heroes, Castlevania Bloodlines, and many more. Look for those titles to make future appearances on this blog.
Happy Birthday, Sega Genesis. You were a great system. I am genuinely sad that Sega doesn’t make hardware anymore, but I love the fact that they do a good job representing their back catalog through re-releases and remakes. I wish more companies cared about their legacy as much as Sega seems to. It is a legacy to be proud of.
Until next time,
The Storyteller