When I got finally my first Genesis in 2001, I compiled a list of games for the system commonly regarded as the best for each genre. This list was a buying guide for me. It is a mixture of my own gameplay preferences and careful evaluations by experienced gameplayers and collectors.

SHMUPS

• Airbuster
• Bio-Hazard Battle (space shooter)
• Battle Squadron
• Gaiares (must-have, horizontal)
• Elemental Master (a bit like Phelios)
• Fire Shark (vertical)
• Forgotten Worlds
• Grind Stormer (vertical shooter, solid!)
• Hellfire
• Lightening Force (= Thunderforce IV, must-have!)
• M.U.S.H.A. (must-have, best shmup!)
• Phelios (mediocre space shooter)
• Raiden Trad (also on SNES)
• Sagaia (Darius Series!!)
• Sol-Deace (space shooter)
• Steel Empire (overhead space shooter, great level design, great graphics)
• Subterrania (underground shooter, frustrating)
• Thunderforce II (must-have!)
• Thunderforce III (must-have!)
• Thunderforce IV (called: Lightening Force, must-have!)
• Truxton (shooter like Fire Shark)
• Atomic Robo Kid (person)
• Arrow Flash (switch ship and robot)
• Insector X (person, scrolling shooter)
• Whip Rush (ship!)
• Wings of Wor (person, great graphics)
• Twin Cobra (helicopter)
• Vapor Trail (rare, doesn’t look good)

• Contra Hard Corps (absolute must-have)
• Demolition Man (action, platform, shooter)
• Gunstar Hereoes (by Treasure!!)
• Mega Turrican (wonderful!)
• Turrican (not as good as sequel Mega Turrican)
• Ranger X (sleeper, great graphics, unusual: character can walk and fly)
• Red Zone (Helicopter shooter, great graphics)
• Rocket Knight Adventures (great, innovative gameplay ideas)
• Sparkster (sequel to Rocket Knight Adventures, also on SNES!!)
• Subterrania (underground shooter, frustrating)
• Target Earth (2D mech game with great story and graphics)

• Alisia Dragoon (action/platform/shooter)
• Blaster Master 2
• Castlevania Bloodlines (absolute must-have!)
• Crusader of Centy (by Atlus, interesting Zelda clone)
• Ecco the Dolphin
• Ecco: The Tides of Time
• Pirates of Dark Water
• Shinobi Series (Revenge of Shinobi/Shadow Dancer/Shinobi 3: Revenge of the Ninja Master)

• Aero the Acrobat
• Aero the Acrobat 2
• Battletoads (like NES, slightly improved graphics)
• Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse (best platformer, must-have)
• World of Illusion Starring MM and DD (sequel to Castle of Illusion)
• Desert Demolition (beautiful graphics, Wily Coyote)
• Dynamite Headdy (by Treasure!)
• Sylvester & Tweety Cagey Capers
• Tiny Toons: Buster’s Hidden Treasure
• ToeJam & Earl (GREAT platformer)
• ToeJam & Earl 2 (good, not as good as original)
• Valis: The Phantom Soldier (decent platformer)
• Valis 3 (decent platformer)
• Vectorman
• Vectorman 2
• Wonder Boy in Monsterworld (great platformer)

• Beyond Oasis (third-person, realtime)
• Dungeons & Dragons: Warriors of the Eternal Sun
• Herzog Zwei (first RTS game)
• Landstalker
• Light Crusader (third-person, Treasure)
• Might and Magic: Gate to Another World
• Pirates! Gold (comes with poster-size game map!)
• Shining Force (strategy RPG)
• Shining Force 2 (strategy RPG)
• Shining in the Darkness (strategy RPG)
• Sorcerer’s Kingdom (early RPG, like Phantasy Star)
• Sword of Vermilion (early RPG, comes with HINT BOOK!!)
• Traysia (RPG for beginners)
• Warsong (strategy RPG)
• Y’s 3: Wanderers from Ys (THE top RPG, also SNES)

• Columns
• Haunting Starring Polterguy (innovative, scare inhabitants)
• Micro Machines (also on SNES)
• Triple Score (3 games: Columns, Super Hang-On, soccer game)