Good list. But Contra Hardcorps, Ranger X, Batman & Robin (IMO most hardcore 16 Bit console special effects showcase of all time, plus great art design) definitely belong in this discussion as well, and probably 50+ more games as well. And the omission of Thunder Force IV is nothing short of criminal!1 😉
@@terrylodge4846 Keep at it! The game is extremely tough, but seeing every level is definitely worth it, as it gets more and more spectacular. These cheats might help: Level Select: To warp to any level while playing, hold Start and press B, A, Down, B, A, Down, Left, Up, C. Level Skip: While playing, pause the game and press B, A, Down, B, A, Down, Left, Up, C.
I'm not trying to start a console war or nothing, but I've seen far more extensive use of special effects in 16-bit games like Axelay, Yoshi's Island, Super Turrican 2, Super Macross: Scrambled Valkyrie, Rendering Ranger R2, the Donkey Kong Country trilogy, and dozens more that were only available on the SNES. I'm just saying.
Gargoyles, Ranger X, Bloodshot, Vectorman, Shadow Dancer, Tinhead, Landstalker, Spot goes T Hollywood, Chuck Rock 2, Thunder Force IV .... another 10 visually impressive sega games !
Comix Zone absolutely deserves to be up there. Thunder Force IV/Lightening Force would definitely be near the top of my list, probably along with VectorMan and Gun Star Heroes.
Mickey Mania is probably the most visually stunning game for me, and the rotating tower is probably the lesser impressive sections in it (and it’s impressive). The background elements, Mickey’s and everyone else’s animations, the moose chase. There isn’t a pixel in that game that looks off. Also Mega Turrican. Beautiful game. Looks so much more colourful than a Mega Drive game should. How good is Flink? Crazy detailed beautiful game. Racking my brain for outstanding Japanese games, but looking back most Sega Classics are British games. Sonic and streets of rage 2 and 3 are awesome, as is Story of Thor. But the Brits really made the mega Drive Shine. Aladdin, skeleton krew, Sonic 3D,
@@happyspaceinvader508 you are right. I thought Dave Perry being British kept making games there, but he moved to the US. I also thought Shiny was British, but it’s totally based on California. So earthworm Jim is a US game. Totally thought that was British too. My bad
@@Eigengrau608 I didn't say you couldn't have your own opinions. I just think your placing to much value on special effects over quality art design. Stop being so defensive and lighten up.:)
Great choices. I'd have to add The Lost World: Jurassic Park and Thunderforce IV to my own list, the latter looking like a Neo Geo game. Best soundtrack on the platform too.
I couldn’t find fun in red zone no matter how hard I tried . The on foot segments should have played like True lies . Instead characters moved liked they had a stick up the…🤐 And the plane parts could have had better field of vision..limiting rear and increasing forward or more vertical angle .
@@48hourrecordsteam45 Same here - it’s visually incredible… but frustrating how you spend most of the game being shot by things way outside your field of vision.
Great list. For me, I’d have to make space for Aladdin. The animation in that game is stunning and worthy of being in this discussion! A more wildcard pick from me would be Bodycount. The sheer volume of stuff going on in each section of that game blows me away.
Well I agree Aladdin is an amazingly good looking 16-bit game, but it’s pretty much the same team that worked on Earthworm Jim, and I would say graphically that’s the better game. By a small-ish margin
Personally I'm missing Dynamite Heady, Ristar, Aladin and Soleil. Dynamite Heady just screams visual showoff with some speedsections that cannot be matched on other 16 consoles. Ristar seems to be using the Mega Drive color palet to it's fullest at every turn. Everything oozes with color creating a beautiful scenery in every level. Aladin was animated by disney studios and everytime I go back I m amazed of what the Mega Drive was capable of. When you compare later disney games like hercules from the playstation to aladin the game looks just as impressive on a much less powerful system. Soleil has some of the smoothest character animations on the system and the enviroment is just gorgous.
My top 10: 1 - Story of Thor / Beyond Oasis 2 - Streets of Rage 2 3 - Ranger-X 4 - Shinobi III 5 - Gunstar Heroes 6 - Rocket Knight Adventures 7 - Alien Soldier 8 - Earthworm Jim 9 - Sonic 2 10 - World of Illusion Honourable mentions: Xeno Crisis, Demons of Asteborg, Soleil / Crusader of Centy, Mickey Mania, Monster World IV, Contra: Hard Corps, Thunder Force IV, Pulseman, Flashback and Paprium.
Flashback: The Quest For Identity, Rocket Knight Adventures, The Story Of Thor, etc. are still three of my most favorite Sega games ever. Other games that I think looked great: Disney's Aladdin and The Lion King, Ecco The Dolphin (very difficult game though), Ghostbusters, Landstalker: The Treasures Of King Nole, ToeJam & Earl In Panic On Funkotron, etc.
I'm view three and like three too. 100% likes so far, in other words! :) As for the best looking games, your picks are all solid. A few more are Phantasy Star IV, Ranger X, Monster World IV and Star Cruiser.
Great list and I would say your inclusion of Virtua Racing and comment about the SVP chip and what might have been is a tall diving board into a deep pool. If only more developers had access and time to get interested in that tech before the end of the 16-bit generation. Honestly, great list. I'd add Ristar and my always crazy fave Gunstar Heroes. Life is about dozens (2 more than 10, bro).
Mis 10 favoritos:Alien Soldier,Gunstar Héroes, Dinamite Heady,Robocop vs Terminator,thunderforce4,ristar,Streets of Rage 2,bare knuckle3,Sonic3,Megarurrican.
@@RetroGamerBoy 6th or 7th. I think the sprite work is absalutly beautiful in that game, and i remember being blown away by that fully 3d intro christmas day 1996
How sad that none of the Vectorman games didn’t get a mention. Those games REALLY pushed the graphical limit of what the Genesis/Mega Drive was capable of producing.
Wow, your at 400 odd negative games already, that's some hard-core collecting 👏 Gotta say you did well to cut it down to just 10 chosen! So many other titles could have made it.
My list in no particular order: Panorama Cotton, Batman&Robin,World of Illusion,Alien Soldier, Castlevania Bloodlines,Outrun, Thunder Force lV,Blades of Vengeance,Sonic 2 and Story of Thor.
Totally agree with the Story Of Thor. It is also my favorite MD game not only for graphics but also for gameplay and story. It was a birthday present back in the day that I lost years after when I gave away my entire MD + MD32X collection to my cousin (facepalm) when I moved in to the next level (Saturn). Now I happily enjoy it again playing with my MegaSD cartridge which runs smoothly on my MegaSG system. Happy days nowadays for retrograming. Thank you very much for another amazing video mate!
The Disney games should be on the list. Aladdin, Mickey Mania, The Jungle Book, and The Lion King are easily top tier. Mickey Mania should be number one, honestly. Garfield looked fantastic too
Shinobi 3 and aladdin were two games that I absolutely loved when i first played them. The graphics were amazing and still are to this day. Two of my favorite games of all time.
Tastefully compiled top 10! Thanks for the awesome tour Mike! 👍 My personal view is that Shinobi3 should be in the top 10. It was such a hit, with a great soundtrack and epic ninja abilities back in the day.
Really like the channel and the overall enthusiasm! First time I hear about that Marco football game! Pretty game with interesting concept. Although Streets of Rage 2 is the better game, I think that the 3rd one was more impressive visually. Games I'd add to this list are: Alien Soldier, Gunstar Heroes, Ranger-X, Skeleton Krew, Eternal Champions, Panorama Cotton, Flink, Aladdin.
In my opinion Earthworm Jim is technically _graphically_ superior to Thor. What I really like about Thor is the uncommon sprite size, the consistency and cleanness the artwork, how the chosen perspective works beautifully and is considered in terms of the environment and tessellation. The top two are unique to the Sega system and - fittingly - offer something unique in their vision.
Paprium is without a doubt the best-looking Genesis game I own. Colorful and varied backgrounds, amazing and huge character sprites, a ton of things going on screen at once, and some nice graphical tricks thrown in such as sprite-scaling. I know people are still mad at and don't trust Fonzie but for a game I thought I'd never receive, it totally blew me away!
1. Thunderforce 4 2. Streets of rage 2 3. Sonic the hedgehog 4. Mickey mouse castle of illusion. 5.quackshot 6.revenge of shinobi 7.ranger x 8.comic zone 9.dynamite headdy 10.toejam & earl 2
15. Sonic 3 14. E.W.Jim 2 13. Aladdin 12. Shinobi III 11. Mega Turrican 10. Toy Story 9. Castlevania N.G. 8. Gunstar Heroes 7. Musha Aleste 6. Batman & Robin 5. Ranger X 4. Contra Hard Corps 3. Thunder Force IV 2. Panorama Cotton 1. J.P. - Lost World
Beyond Oasis/Story of Thor definitely tops the list for me. But Batman and Robin, Mickey Mania, Ecco 2, Aladdin, The Lion King, Shining Force 2, Gunstar Heroes and, yes, Sonic 3D Blast, deserve a spot in this discussion too.
You missed a lot of games, ranger x, battlemania, hook, paprium, piersolar, alien soldier, gunstar heroes, second samurai... And flashback? And soccer boy?
Sonic 3 & Knuckles is the GOAT of Sonic games. I think it deserves a higher spot on the list. It told a story without using words and has such a great color palette given the technical limitations of the Genesis versus the Super Nintendo. Virtua Racing is best played via the 32X version. Castlevania Bloodlines is missing from the list, though. It used 3D effects for the boss fight with the gear monster and did it well. Didn't even need the SVP chip. Toy Story is another game missing from the list. It utilized 2D effects to produce pseudo-3D backgrounds. It's an example of a licensed game done RIGHT.
I remember being wowed at the game Puggsy, especially the intro with Puggsy's space craft arriving on the planet. I'm sure I noticed in your video, "3" came up twice.
@@RetroGamerBoy Man you NEED that. It's one of the best shmups ever made. And maybe the greatest killer app for the MD altogether with Streets of Rage 2, Sonic 2 and Phantasy Star IV.
IMO, several titles may be cited : - Batman & Robin ; - Contra the hard corps ; - Alien Soldier ; - Gunstar heroes ; - Super Shinobi 2 ; - Thunder Force 4 ; - XenoCrisis ; - X-Ranza .... But you're selection is great !
My list in no particular order; Landstalker, urban strike, streets of rage 3, gun star heroes, zero tolerance (for being 3D), light crusader, mortal kombat 3, shining force 2 (for the large sprites in battle), sonic 3D blast, pier solar
@@RetroGamerBoy im probably one of the few people in the world to play zero tolerance 2 player. 2 TVs next to each other and 2 mega drives. Extreme set up, and lots of fun!
Oooh, this is a hard one. Most definitely Ranger X, Mickey Mania, Castlevania: Bloodlines, Alien Soldier, Soliel, Pugsy and oh, Thunderforce IV haha. Great list by the way, Sonic 3 & Knuckles looks so vibrant and fresh even until this day.
You really should of done this as a "top 20" or "top 30" as there are MANY games with amazing excellent graphics you didn't even mention: 1) Shinobi III 2) Thunder Force IV 3) Monster World IV 4) Phantasy Star IV 5) Vector Man 6) Pulse Man 7) Gleylancer 8) Sonic the Hedgehog 2 ( namely the amazing 3-d like bonus stage) 9) Panorama Cotton 10) Batman & Robin 11) CONTRA HARD CORP 12) Rocket Knight Adventures 13) Alien Soldier 14) Gunstar Heroes
Minha lista: 1. Comix Zone 2. Vectorman 3. Adventure Batman and Robin 4. Demons of Asteborg 5. Paprium 6. Sonic 3 & Knuckles 7. Mickey Mania 8. Toy Story 9. Xenocrisis 10. Beyond Oasis Menções Honrosas: Contra Hard Corps, Ristar, Earthworm Jim 1 e 2, Alien Soldier, Castlevania Bloodlines, Aladdin, Thunder Force 4, Gunstar Heroes, Flashback, Another The World, Virtua Racing e Jurassic The Lost World.
Add 10 more: Crusader of Centy, Lightening Force, Vectorman, Rystar, Gunstar Heroes, Ranger-X, CastleVainia Bloodlines, Contra Hard Corps, Monster World IV, Adv. of Batman & Robin.....ugh Shinobi III, Mega Turrucan, TMNT The Hyperstone Heist & Dynamite Headdy were all awesome looking too and there’s something special about Robocop vs Terminator, Jusge Dredd, Demolition Man, True Lies & Stargate
I know that Aladdin and obviously Toy Story have better graphics from an objective standpoint, but I've always loved the beautiful animations in Quackshot. Still one of my favorite titles of all time, on any console.
Great list. I would add at least Gargoyles, Pocahontas, Vectorman, Vectorman 2, Ranger X, Alien Soldier, Shinobi III, Gunstar Heroes, Batman & Robin, Contra Hard Corps, Greatest Heavyweights, Lost World, Panorama Cotton, Aladdin, Streets of Rage 3, Paprium, Astebros., Garfield, Red Zone, Monster World IV, Strider and Quackshot
Nice list but... Flink ? Aladdin ? Batman & Robin ? Ranger-x ? Thunder force IV ? Contra : Hard corps ? Alien soldier ? I think the best pixel art is Flink, not my favorite game but the pixel art is the most detail in all games of Megadrive.
There were so many games I wanted to add. Dynamite headdy, and others you mentioned. But in the end I needed to narrow it down and I chose a few games that are equal to others but that don't get mentioned much to give people something new to explore.
I would prefer if you left out Genesis Mini titles and homebrew and instead focused on more hidden gems. Also hoping for a Master System video now and again for us 80's kids. This is still the best Sega channel out there despite my nitpicking🙏
Alien Soldier, Vectorman, Red Zone, Adventures of Batman and Robin. But I generally agree with the Thor. It was shame that back in the 90s I've got only a japanese version cartridge, so I couldn't progress far. Unfortunally, in Russia that game was exremely rare, none of my friends even never've heard about it.
Cool list ! Love Flashback and how realistic and smooth your player was moving ! it was mind blowing at the time ! I think also that Aladdin is a must... and i would add Ghouls and Ghost, Shinobi III and Thunderforce IV. Thanks
Contra Hard Corps is on my list. And maybe Ranger X. Both fairly difficult games though. Gotta get good if you really want to see they have to offer. Comic Zone is difficult too, bordering on cheap. I hate how you lose life when hitting enemies and objects.
10 beauties picked there Mike, comic zone to this day is stunning, I remember bitd people oooo and ahhh over Zelda but I always thought story of Thor was better visually like a Saturday morning cartoon I would put Flink in my top 10 that game just looks stunning Great video as always Mike 🧟♂️
This may have been a hard video for mike to make because he had both the idea of technical graphics and artstyle ingenuity in mind while compiling his list. Granted, there is a mix of both elements that make up the games however, I think seperating those 2 categories would have helped him make his choices more streamlined, hence why his thumbnail says "Best Graphics" while his video title says "Best looking". For example: Best Graphics - Virtua Racing, Vectorman, Rocket Knight Adventures, Demons of Asteborg, etc Best Artstyle & visuals - Marko's magic Football, Comix Zone, Earthworm Jim, Beyond Oasis, etc
I like your list. It's 10 best "looking" games for you and not necessarily the top 10 games that used all the hardware graphic tricks in the book (i.e., Ex-Ranza/Ranger X). I've never heard of Marko's Magic Football and it does look quirky but I'm sure it has a special place in the heart for you. For me, Strider Hiryu blew me away when I first saw it... I couldn't believe a Mega Drive could pump out graphics like that.
If you don't own Misadventures Of Flink on the Mega Drive, you need to get it, the graphics on that game look absolutely amazing even today, l loved that game so much I ended purchasing the Mega CD version aswell.
Not sure if you've yet added it to your collection, but Adventures of Batman & Robin on the SEGA Genesis/MegaDrive has some of the very best graphics & visual fx of that console. Without a doubt it definitely deserves a spot on such a list.
You forgot Sonic 3D Blast! Toy Story? Red Zone? No matter how you feel about these games I think they belong on a top 10 graphics any day. Also I dunno why you picked Streets of Rage 2 instead of 3. SOR2 might be a better game but 3 definitely looks better.
If I was making such a list of my favourite Genesis visuals, it would probably be at least 50% Disney games and I mean beyond Aladdin. Some of the late Genesis/Mega Drive life-cycle Disney games like Mickey Mania, Pinocchio, and Maui Mallard (featuring Donald Duck), plus Gargoyles, honestly look even better to me than Aladdin does, plus the earlier Sega-developed Illusion games. I'd also include Garfield: Caught in the Act since some of the levels were straight out of the primetime Garfield specials (primarily Garfield: His 9 Lives) and actual artists from Jim Davis's Paws, Inc. worked on the visuals. The only thing missing was sound samples from Lorenzo Music but we're only talking about visuals here. I think I'd also include a sports game (beyond racing games such as Virtua Racing). NHL '94 was my favourite non-racing sports game to play but, for visuals, I'd probably go for either one of the Genesis World Series Baseball games, since they included all of the actual Major League Baseball stadiums, or one of the FIFA games, since I like the animation of the tiny football/soccer players on that giant isometric football pitch. Finally, as an anime fan, I gotta include something with anime-style visuals and I'd go for Panorama Cotton for some of the best pseudo-3D effects on the console. I hope there's a Genesis/Mega Drive Mini Model 2 that includes this game (plus Rocket Knight Adventures, M.U.S.H.A., and many of the other notable absences from the first Genesis Mini).
Difficult choice! I agree with this list . Other games of interest: devil hunter hyoko, thunderforce III, alien soldier, quackshot.. There are so many gems on the md!!!!
I agree with your number one pick for sure, it's one of my favorite games of all time but not so much with Marko and Virtua Racing I personally would have put Ristar somewhere on the list, the game just looks stunning, Dynamite Heady, Flink, Batman & Robin and Ranger X. These games not only have technically impressive visuals but they excel in art direction as well
@@RetroGamerBoy definitely, I'm never able to limit myself to like a top 5 or a top 10 when it comes to things I love, I also suck at ranking things so I just kinda list stuff I love forever. That's what happens when we've seen and played so many games on so many different platforms over the years :)
Good list. But Contra Hardcorps, Ranger X, Batman & Robin (IMO most hardcore 16 Bit console special effects showcase of all time, plus great art design) definitely belong in this discussion as well, and probably 50+ more games as well. And the omission of Thunder Force IV is nothing short of criminal!1 😉
great picks
Yeah, I'm just playing through batman and robin for the first time on emulator. The graphical tricks they used in that game are something else.
@@terrylodge4846 Keep at it! The game is extremely tough, but seeing every level is definitely worth it, as it gets more and more spectacular.
These cheats might help:
Level Select: To warp to any level while playing, hold Start and press B, A, Down, B, A, Down, Left, Up, C.
Level Skip: While playing, pause the game and press B, A, Down, B, A, Down, Left, Up, C.
Ya this top 10 has about 60 games in it😅
I'm not trying to start a console war or nothing, but I've seen far more extensive use of special effects in 16-bit games like Axelay, Yoshi's Island, Super Turrican 2, Super Macross: Scrambled Valkyrie, Rendering Ranger R2, the Donkey Kong Country trilogy, and dozens more that were only available on the SNES. I'm just saying.
Gargoyles, Ranger X, Bloodshot, Vectorman, Shadow Dancer, Tinhead, Landstalker, Spot goes T Hollywood, Chuck Rock 2, Thunder Force IV .... another 10 visually impressive sega games !
Those are some amazing games there.
Comix Zone absolutely deserves to be up there. Thunder Force IV/Lightening Force would definitely be near the top of my list, probably along with VectorMan and Gun Star Heroes.
I still don't have TF4 😭
@@RetroGamerBoy You should be ashamed ... go for a physical copy nooooowwwww !
Mickey Mania is probably the most visually stunning game for me, and the rotating tower is probably the lesser impressive sections in it (and it’s impressive). The background elements, Mickey’s and everyone else’s animations, the moose chase. There isn’t a pixel in that game that looks off.
Also Mega Turrican. Beautiful game. Looks so much more colourful than a Mega Drive game should.
How good is Flink? Crazy detailed beautiful game.
Racking my brain for outstanding Japanese games, but looking back most Sega Classics are British games. Sonic and streets of rage 2 and 3 are awesome, as is Story of Thor.
But the Brits really made the mega Drive Shine. Aladdin, skeleton krew, Sonic 3D,
Mickey Mania 😎
Aladdin wasn’t a British game; it was made in California by Virgin Interactive USA.
@@happyspaceinvader508 you are right. I thought Dave Perry being British kept making games there, but he moved to the US. I also thought Shiny was British, but it’s totally based on California. So earthworm Jim is a US game. Totally thought that was British too. My bad
Yup there are some stunning games on the console. Mickey Mania is a great call as well.
My favorites: The adventures of Batman and Robin, Red zone, Sub terrania, Paprium, Gunstar Heroes, Xeno crisis
Xenocrisis is a great shout
@@SociallyDistancedGamer Red Zone is just flat out ugly. Special effects alone don't make a visually appealing game.
@@davidaitken8503 wow the entitlement is high with you. I can have my own opinions thanks.
@@Eigengrau608 I didn't say you couldn't have your own opinions. I just think your placing to much value on special effects over quality art design. Stop being so defensive and lighten up.:)
All of those are great. All the ones that I have in that list were originally in my top ten. I had 57 games to start with 😅
Great choices. I'd have to add The Lost World: Jurassic Park and Thunderforce IV to my own list, the latter looking like a Neo Geo game. Best soundtrack on the platform too.
excellent picks.. thunderforce 4 has phenomenal music also.. i feel like im on top of a mountain playing air guitar whenever that music is on
The track "Metal Squad" (stage 8) from Thunder Force IV is a top five Genesis/Mega Drive piece of music to my ears.
Great games there.
Red Zone really needs to be on the list, IMO. As is, the list leans awfully heavily to side-scrollers.
I couldn’t find fun in red zone no matter how hard I tried .
The on foot segments should have played like True lies . Instead characters moved liked they had a stick up the…🤐
And the plane parts could have had better field of vision..limiting rear and increasing forward or more vertical angle .
@@48hourrecordsteam45 Same here - it’s visually incredible… but frustrating how you spend most of the game being shot by things way outside your field of vision.
You don't play Red Zone, you listen to Red Zone. One of the best sound tracks ever.
It's all very subjective, that's why I want you guys to add yours.
There is a difference between having a few neat graphical tricks and looking good. Red Zone is flat out ugly.
Great list. For me, I’d have to make space for Aladdin. The animation in that game is stunning and worthy of being in this discussion! A more wildcard pick from me would be Bodycount. The sheer volume of stuff going on in each section of that game blows me away.
I thought Aladdin was going to be his num 1
Well I agree Aladdin is an amazingly good looking 16-bit game, but it’s pretty much the same team that worked on Earthworm Jim, and I would say graphically that’s the better game.
By a small-ish margin
There are so many great looking games on the console, it was hard to choose.
It was in and out of my list.
Personally I'm missing Dynamite Heady, Ristar, Aladin and Soleil.
Dynamite Heady just screams visual showoff with some speedsections that cannot be matched on other 16 consoles.
Ristar seems to be using the Mega Drive color palet to it's fullest at every turn. Everything oozes with color creating a beautiful scenery in every level.
Aladin was animated by disney studios and everytime I go back I m amazed of what the Mega Drive was capable of. When you compare later disney games like hercules from the playstation to aladin the game looks just as impressive on a much less powerful system.
Soleil has some of the smoothest character animations on the system and the enviroment is just gorgous.
You are not wrong on any of those they all deserve to be there.
Dynamite heady looks like a watered down paint pallet gone wrong, dont know if im missing something but i cant see the appeal to that game
Not watched a single second yet, for story of Thor always looked amazing. Let see if you agree...
Edit: seems you may of haha
😅
among the honorable mentions, I would say: Crusader of Centy.
You always bring up great contents!
I need that game in my collection
My top 10:
1 - Story of Thor / Beyond Oasis
2 - Streets of Rage 2
3 - Ranger-X
4 - Shinobi III
5 - Gunstar Heroes
6 - Rocket Knight Adventures
7 - Alien Soldier
8 - Earthworm Jim
9 - Sonic 2
10 - World of Illusion
Honourable mentions: Xeno Crisis, Demons of Asteborg, Soleil / Crusader of Centy, Mickey Mania, Monster World IV, Contra: Hard Corps, Thunder Force IV, Pulseman, Flashback and Paprium.
Some absolute classics there.
Flashback: The Quest For Identity, Rocket Knight Adventures, The Story Of Thor, etc. are still three of my most favorite Sega games ever.
Other games that I think looked great: Disney's Aladdin and The Lion King, Ecco The Dolphin (very difficult game though), Ghostbusters, Landstalker: The Treasures Of King Nole, ToeJam & Earl In Panic On Funkotron, etc.
Some awesome games there. The Disney games were great looking games.
Contra Hard Corps, Vectorman, Adventures of Batman and Robin, Gunstar Heroes, etc. Everyone has their own preferred genres though.
For sure, and like I've said to others, this top 10 actually has 50 games in it.
Great list! I was floored the first time I saw Comix Zone!
comix zone was the first perfect game i ever played.. had so much style.. for me everything was pretty much perfect
Same, stunning game.
I'm view three and like three too. 100% likes so far, in other words! :) As for the best looking games, your picks are all solid. A few more are Phantasy Star IV, Ranger X, Monster World IV and Star Cruiser.
Those are great looking games, awesome choices.
Great list and I would say your inclusion of Virtua Racing and comment about the SVP chip and what might have been is a tall diving board into a deep pool. If only more developers had access and time to get interested in that tech before the end of the 16-bit generation. Honestly, great list. I'd add Ristar and my always crazy fave Gunstar Heroes. Life is about dozens (2 more than 10, bro).
Or in my case I had 57 that need to fit in my top 10 😅
@@RetroGamerBoy cannot agree more. Top 57 or 58.
Aladdin, Ranger-X, Shinobi III, Thunder Force IV, and Vectorman should be on that list...😡
3 of them were, I was going back and forth a lot.
Minha lista do mega drive:
1 - Sonic 3 & Knuckles
2 - X- Men 2: Clone Wars
3 - Street Of Rage
4 - Then Revange of Shinobi
5 - Golden Axe
6 - Thunder Force 3
7 - Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3
8 - Doom Troper
9 - Castlevania: Bloodlines
10 - Alien Soldier
11 - Earthworm Jim
12 - Comix Zone
13 - Sunset Raiders
14 - Ghouls´n Ghost
15 - Final Fighter
16 - World of ilusion
17 - Raiden Traid
18 - Top Gear 2
19 - Aladdin
20 - Flashback
21 - Toki
22 - Toy Stori
23 - Chakan
24 - Quackshot
25 - altered Beast
26 - Kid Chamilion
27 - Alex kidd
28 - Victorman
29 - Toejam & Earl
30 - Gunstar Heroes
What a great list.
Mis 10 favoritos:Alien Soldier,Gunstar Héroes, Dinamite Heady,Robocop vs Terminator,thunderforce4,ristar,Streets of Rage 2,bare knuckle3,Sonic3,Megarurrican.
Great list there, some awesome looking games.
@@RetroGamerBoy Y no te pierdas juegos más actuales como Xeno Crisis,Tanzer,Ultracore,Tanglewood y Demons of Asterborg entre otros.
Super Street Fighter 2 was the largest size genesis game at 40mb and really looked great for a genesis game.
It was stunning at the time.
Back then it was more exciting than todays any graphics
Ya I feel the same. I'm numb to modern visuals.
It wasnt a question of if comix zone was on here, but where it placed. Great list mike, id have squeezed sonic 3d in somewhere myself though
Where would you put it?
@@RetroGamerBoy 6th or 7th. I think the sprite work is absalutly beautiful in that game, and i remember being blown away by that fully 3d intro christmas day 1996
If we are strictly talking graphics, Sonic 3D blast looks pretty damn good for 16bit.
It's was amazing what they managed to achieve with that game.
How sad that none of the Vectorman games didn’t get a mention. Those games REALLY pushed the graphical limit of what the Genesis/Mega Drive was capable of producing.
You've mentioned it here so people can check it out.👍
"Story of Thor" is very nice, but I am absolutely in love with "Landstalker".
Great game!
Wow, your at 400 odd negative games already, that's some hard-core collecting 👏
Gotta say you did well to cut it down to just 10 chosen! So many other titles could have made it.
Mate my top ten actually has close to 50 games in there😅
Castlevania bloodlines, thunder force 4,comix zone,shinobi 3 and Contra no corps came to my mind
Great games there.
They look more fun and better than Mobile games now
For sure
Please can we not forget Shinobi 3? I think those graphics were really great.
That is a fantastic looking game.
My list in no particular order: Panorama Cotton, Batman&Robin,World of Illusion,Alien Soldier, Castlevania Bloodlines,Outrun, Thunder Force lV,Blades of Vengeance,Sonic 2 and Story of Thor.
Great list, some stunning looking games there.
Totally agree with the Story Of Thor. It is also my favorite MD game not only for graphics but also for gameplay and story. It was a birthday present back in the day that I lost years after when I gave away my entire MD + MD32X collection to my cousin (facepalm) when I moved in to the next level (Saturn). Now I happily enjoy it again playing with my MegaSD cartridge which runs smoothly on my MegaSG system. Happy days nowadays for retrograming.
Thank you very much for another amazing video mate!
I need to get hold of a Mega SG, it's such an amazing bit of kit.
It seems a bit odd that Shinobi 3 didn't make the list.
It was in there for a bit along side a ton of other games. Hey by mentioning it though you've added it 😁👍
The Disney games should be on the list. Aladdin, Mickey Mania, The Jungle Book, and The Lion King are easily top tier. Mickey Mania should be number one, honestly. Garfield looked fantastic too
The Disney games are stunning. They have some great artwork in them.
Shinobi 3 and aladdin were two games that I absolutely loved when i first played them. The graphics were amazing and still are to this day. Two of my favorite games of all time.
Two stunning looking games right there, great choices.
Monster World 4 deserves some love too.
True, unfortunately I don't have it.
Toy story was also awesome.alien 3, ranger x,mickey mania,lion king,hokuto no ken,samurai showdown
Oh Samurai Showdown, such a great port.
Tastefully compiled top 10! Thanks for the awesome tour Mike! 👍 My personal view is that Shinobi3 should be in the top 10. It was such a hit, with a great soundtrack and epic ninja abilities back in the day.
It is a stunning game, thank you for adding it to the comments section.
Really like the channel and the overall enthusiasm! First time I hear about that Marco football game! Pretty game with interesting concept. Although Streets of Rage 2 is the better game, I think that the 3rd one was more impressive visually. Games I'd add to this list are: Alien Soldier, Gunstar Heroes, Ranger-X, Skeleton Krew, Eternal Champions, Panorama Cotton, Flink, Aladdin.
I had half of those in my pile. I actually had 57 games that I thought could all be in the top ten.
In my opinion Earthworm Jim is technically _graphically_ superior to Thor. What I really like about Thor is the uncommon sprite size, the consistency and cleanness the artwork, how the chosen perspective works beautifully and is considered in terms of the environment and tessellation. The top two are unique to the Sega system and - fittingly - offer something unique in their vision.
This is a great comment, thank you.
Barr Knuckle 3 looks way better than Bare Knuckle 2. Even looks better than part 4
100% this.
There were some great levels for sure and some larger sprites. That's a great call.
Paprium is without a doubt the best-looking Genesis game I own. Colorful and varied backgrounds, amazing and huge character sprites, a ton of things going on screen at once, and some nice graphical tricks thrown in such as sprite-scaling. I know people are still mad at and don't trust Fonzie but for a game I thought I'd never receive, it totally blew me away!
I would have loved to have add Paprium to the list. But I am still waiting for my copy.
1. Thunderforce 4
2. Streets of rage 2
3. Sonic the hedgehog
4. Mickey mouse castle of illusion.
5.quackshot
6.revenge of shinobi
7.ranger x
8.comic zone
9.dynamite headdy
10.toejam & earl 2
Ohhh great list there.
15. Sonic 3
14. E.W.Jim 2
13. Aladdin
12. Shinobi III
11. Mega Turrican
10. Toy Story
9. Castlevania N.G.
8. Gunstar Heroes
7. Musha Aleste
6. Batman & Robin
5. Ranger X
4. Contra Hard Corps
3. Thunder Force IV
2. Panorama Cotton
1. J.P. - Lost World
Some great looking games there.
Lightening Froce, Gunstar Heroes, Shinobi 3, Ristar, Mega turrican, Batman and Robin, RangerX, Aladdin, Earthworm Jim.
Some great great looking games there.
Beyond Oasis/Story of Thor definitely tops the list for me. But Batman and Robin, Mickey Mania, Ecco 2, Aladdin, The Lion King, Shining Force 2, Gunstar Heroes and, yes, Sonic 3D Blast, deserve a spot in this discussion too.
For sure, those game deserve to be in the top 10.
Adventures of Batman of Robin. That was a technical master piece.And a great game also. Not the SNES version. that's a whole different game.
It absolutely was, can't wait to add it to the list.
You missed a lot of games, ranger x, battlemania, hook, paprium, piersolar, alien soldier, gunstar heroes, second samurai... And flashback? And soccer boy?
Actually I didn't miss any, as this is my list. Of course you going to have yours and that's why I've asked everyone to comment on their favourites.
Sonic 3 & Knuckles is the GOAT of Sonic games. I think it deserves a higher spot on the list. It told a story without using words and has such a great color palette given the technical limitations of the Genesis versus the Super Nintendo.
Virtua Racing is best played via the 32X version.
Castlevania Bloodlines is missing from the list, though. It used 3D effects for the boss fight with the gear monster and did it well. Didn't even need the SVP chip.
Toy Story is another game missing from the list. It utilized 2D effects to produce pseudo-3D backgrounds. It's an example of a licensed game done RIGHT.
Unfortunately I don't have Bloodlines yet, that's why it's not on the list.
The Adventures of Batman and Robin will always be my fav along with Gunstar Heroes. Great list.
It's so damn hard though. It's like the beat'em ups version of bullet hell. Long levels with tons of enemies thrown at you.
Great video and I love the TV overlays
Thanks, I try to make a polished viewing experience.
I remember being wowed at the game Puggsy, especially the intro with Puggsy's space craft arriving on the planet.
I'm sure I noticed in your video, "3" came up twice.
That was a great game and they used some very cool tech in it.
If there is no Red Zone and Zero Tolerance, the list of the best looking Megadrive games is not full.
I had them there, but I need to get the list to 10.
I’m always amazed when I turn the MD switch on with my Thunder Force IV cartridge in. Mind blowing both musically and graphically.
I still don't have that game😟
@@RetroGamerBoy Man you NEED that. It's one of the best shmups ever made. And maybe the greatest killer app for the MD altogether with Streets of Rage 2, Sonic 2 and Phantasy Star IV.
IMO, several titles may be cited :
- Batman & Robin ;
- Contra the hard corps ;
- Alien Soldier ;
- Gunstar heroes ;
- Super Shinobi 2 ;
- Thunder Force 4 ;
- XenoCrisis ;
- X-Ranza ....
But you're selection is great !
Some amazing titles there. I had 57 in my original top 10😅
Pocahontas -
This game does has very nice graphics
Characters looks very nice and the environment
Fits the game perfectly
Most of the Disney games had stunning artwork.
My list in no particular order; Landstalker, urban strike, streets of rage 3, gun star heroes, zero tolerance (for being 3D), light crusader, mortal kombat 3, shining force 2 (for the large sprites in battle), sonic 3D blast, pier solar
Nice list, love the inclusion of Zero Tolerance in there.
@@RetroGamerBoy im probably one of the few people in the world to play zero tolerance 2 player. 2 TVs next to each other and 2 mega drives. Extreme set up, and lots of fun!
Oooh, this is a hard one. Most definitely Ranger X, Mickey Mania, Castlevania: Bloodlines, Alien Soldier, Soliel, Pugsy and oh, Thunderforce IV haha. Great list by the way, Sonic 3 & Knuckles looks so vibrant and fresh even until this day.
This list could have been 50 games to be honest.
You really should of done this as a "top 20" or "top 30" as there are MANY games with amazing excellent graphics you didn't even mention:
1) Shinobi III
2) Thunder Force IV
3) Monster World IV
4) Phantasy Star IV
5) Vector Man
6) Pulse Man
7) Gleylancer
8) Sonic the Hedgehog 2 ( namely the amazing 3-d like bonus stage)
9) Panorama Cotton
10) Batman & Robin
11) CONTRA HARD CORP
12) Rocket Knight Adventures
13) Alien Soldier
14) Gunstar Heroes
My top ten had 57 games to start with 🤣 I might do a top 50 at a later point.
Minha lista:
1. Comix Zone
2. Vectorman
3. Adventure Batman and Robin
4. Demons of Asteborg
5. Paprium
6. Sonic 3 & Knuckles
7. Mickey Mania
8. Toy Story
9. Xenocrisis
10. Beyond Oasis
Menções Honrosas:
Contra Hard Corps, Ristar, Earthworm Jim 1 e 2, Alien Soldier, Castlevania Bloodlines, Aladdin, Thunder Force 4, Gunstar Heroes, Flashback, Another The World, Virtua Racing e Jurassic The Lost World.
What a great list, I love it.
Add 10 more: Crusader of Centy, Lightening Force, Vectorman, Rystar, Gunstar Heroes, Ranger-X, CastleVainia Bloodlines, Contra Hard Corps, Monster World IV, Adv. of Batman & Robin.....ugh Shinobi III, Mega Turrucan, TMNT The Hyperstone Heist & Dynamite Headdy were all awesome looking too and there’s something special about Robocop vs Terminator, Jusge Dredd, Demolition Man, True Lies & Stargate
For sure, and those are some stunning looking games.
I know that Aladdin and obviously Toy Story have better graphics from an objective standpoint, but I've always loved the beautiful animations in Quackshot.
Still one of my favorite titles of all time, on any console.
The Disney games were stunning. I want to make a seperate video on these games.
@@RetroGamerBoy Definitely would love to see it! Truly gorgeous games.
Thunder Force IV and Landstalker are two remarkable examples of the great graphics MD could achieve.
They were, I don't have TF4 yet but Landstalker is a classic.
@@RetroGamerBoy Don't you? TF4 is a beast!!! Technically I would say it is one of the best. Love to see your review about it, once you get it.
When I first played Flashback I thought this is it.
Games will never look better then this. Lol
I've play a few games like that in the past.😂
correction: Comix Zone did get a PC release, played way back then during my Pentium PC days, & according to wiki also got GBA port as well.
It's had a few ports and is part of a few compilations, but no sequel sadly.
Thanks for the subtitles. I'm Brazilian and I follow the channel.
Cool, I hope they help.
@@RetroGamerBoy Certainly. there is a very large community of retrogames in Brazil, and we love the Genesis (mega drive) thank you.
Great list. I would add at least Gargoyles, Pocahontas, Vectorman, Vectorman 2, Ranger X, Alien Soldier, Shinobi III, Gunstar Heroes, Batman & Robin, Contra Hard Corps, Greatest Heavyweights, Lost World, Panorama Cotton, Aladdin, Streets of Rage 3, Paprium, Astebros., Garfield, Red Zone, Monster World IV, Strider and Quackshot
Nice list but...
Flink ?
Aladdin ?
Batman & Robin ?
Ranger-x ?
Thunder force IV ?
Contra : Hard corps ?
Alien soldier ?
I think the best pixel art is Flink, not my favorite game but the pixel art is the most detail in all games of Megadrive.
There were so many games I wanted to add. Dynamite headdy, and others you mentioned. But in the end I needed to narrow it down and I chose a few games that are equal to others but that don't get mentioned much to give people something new to explore.
I would prefer if you left out Genesis Mini titles and homebrew and instead focused on more hidden gems. Also hoping for a Master System video now and again for us 80's kids. This is still the best Sega channel out there despite my nitpicking🙏
The Master System will make an appearance. It was my first Sega console, I love that hunk of plastic.
Alien Soldier, Vectorman, Red Zone, Adventures of Batman and Robin. But I generally agree with the Thor. It was shame that back in the 90s I've got only a japanese version cartridge, so I couldn't progress far. Unfortunally, in Russia that game was exremely rare, none of my friends even never've heard about it.
Was there not even bootleg copies?
The Road Rash games tend to impress me. Even though them kinda racing games are common back then. Road Rash stands out.
Road Rash is a good call, Skitchen is in a similar league having used the same engine.
Thank you for adding a present. Game to this makes that had not heard of that. Probably should check it out someday.
Cool list ! Love Flashback and how realistic and smooth your player was moving ! it was mind blowing at the time !
I think also that Aladdin is a must... and i would add Ghouls and Ghost, Shinobi III and Thunderforce IV. Thanks
I did have a couple of those, but I was swapping games in and out as I was putting this list together.
Though be a old game, the *Super Monaco GP* has incredible digitalized graphics after a race.
That is true, I remember thinking it's the closest we will get to real graphics 🤣
Bro the ending 💀 def subscribing
I have just enough time each week to recover 😅
Great list! Games like these are why I am a retro gamer today, BTW, are you OK? That fall at the end looked pretty serious.
I always seem to recover in time for the next show
@@RetroGamerBoy Good.
Contra Hard Corps is on my list. And maybe Ranger X. Both fairly difficult games though. Gotta get good if you really want to see they have to offer. Comic Zone is difficult too, bordering on cheap. I hate how you lose life when hitting enemies and objects.
Two great games, I'm hoping to add them to the collection.
Man, I love The Story of Thor
It's such a great game.
10 beauties picked there Mike, comic zone to this day is stunning, I remember bitd people oooo and ahhh over Zelda but I always thought story of Thor was better visually like a Saturday morning cartoon
I would put Flink in my top 10 that game just looks stunning
Great video as always Mike 🧟♂️
Mate the console has so many great games.
This may have been a hard video for mike to make because he had both the idea of technical graphics and artstyle ingenuity in mind while compiling his list. Granted, there is a mix of both elements that make up the games however, I think seperating those 2 categories would have helped him make his choices more streamlined, hence why his thumbnail says "Best Graphics" while his video title says "Best looking".
For example:
Best Graphics - Virtua Racing, Vectorman, Rocket Knight Adventures, Demons of Asteborg, etc
Best Artstyle & visuals - Marko's magic Football, Comix Zone, Earthworm Jim, Beyond Oasis, etc
For sure I'm approaching my list maybe a little different than others do. Very astute of you to notice that.
Ristar, Panorama cotton, toy story, world of illusion, thunder force 4, monster world 4, dynamite headdy
You can see why this was a hard vide to make.
Cool channel! Love retro content.
Thanks 😁👍
Ecco tides of time is one of the best looking 16 bit games ever made.
It is a beautiful game 👍
Great video!! surprised Shinobi series wasn't on the list.
It was in the stack of games I was working through, I may have to do a few of these top tens to get in all the great looking games.
Good choices. I'm surprised Aladdin didn't make the list.
It was there, my top 10 originally had 57 games in it.
That was a very interesting list, great video! 👏🏻👏🏻💪🏻💪🏻
😁 thanks, it was hard to choose 10.
I like your list. It's 10 best "looking" games for you and not necessarily the top 10 games that used all the hardware graphic tricks in the book (i.e., Ex-Ranza/Ranger X). I've never heard of Marko's Magic Football and it does look quirky but I'm sure it has a special place in the heart for you. For me, Strider Hiryu blew me away when I first saw it... I couldn't believe a Mega Drive could pump out graphics like that.
Nice games there, yes I wanted to do my top ten so that everyone else would share theirs. There have been some great games mentioned.
One game...Thunder Force IV, that is all.
I don't have it in the collection yet 🤦
@@RetroGamerBoy
No worries man
If you don't own Misadventures Of Flink on the Mega Drive, you need to get it, the graphics on that game look absolutely amazing even today, l loved that game so much I ended purchasing the Mega CD version aswell.
I don't yet. It's on the list though.
Not sure if you've yet added it to your collection, but Adventures of Batman & Robin on the SEGA Genesis/MegaDrive has some of the very best graphics & visual fx of that console. Without a doubt it definitely deserves a spot on such a list.
It would have been in there if I had it. I'll do this video again when I have the full collection.
@@RetroGamerBoy - Looking firward to it for sure! 🙂👍
Phantasy Star 2 and Shining Force. BOOM!
Drops the mic 🤘😝🤘
You forgot Sonic 3D Blast! Toy Story? Red Zone? No matter how you feel about these games I think they belong on a top 10 graphics any day. Also I dunno why you picked Streets of Rage 2 instead of 3. SOR2 might be a better game but 3 definitely looks better.
We all approach these top 10s differently, you have a great selection of games there.
DEFINITELY need adventures of batman and Robin!
It would be there if I had it.
If I was making such a list of my favourite Genesis visuals, it would probably be at least 50% Disney games and I mean beyond Aladdin. Some of the late Genesis/Mega Drive life-cycle Disney games like Mickey Mania, Pinocchio, and Maui Mallard (featuring Donald Duck), plus Gargoyles, honestly look even better to me than Aladdin does, plus the earlier Sega-developed Illusion games.
I'd also include Garfield: Caught in the Act since some of the levels were straight out of the primetime Garfield specials (primarily Garfield: His 9 Lives) and actual artists from Jim Davis's Paws, Inc. worked on the visuals. The only thing missing was sound samples from Lorenzo Music but we're only talking about visuals here.
I think I'd also include a sports game (beyond racing games such as Virtua Racing). NHL '94 was my favourite non-racing sports game to play but, for visuals, I'd probably go for either one of the Genesis World Series Baseball games, since they included all of the actual Major League Baseball stadiums, or one of the FIFA games, since I like the animation of the tiny football/soccer players on that giant isometric football pitch.
Finally, as an anime fan, I gotta include something with anime-style visuals and I'd go for Panorama Cotton for some of the best pseudo-3D effects on the console. I hope there's a Genesis/Mega Drive Mini Model 2 that includes this game (plus Rocket Knight Adventures, M.U.S.H.A., and many of the other notable absences from the first Genesis Mini).
It's so hard to get this to just a definitive 10 games, I think Ill probably do a top 50 next.
IDK anythin about collecting but that looks like a pretty good collection ya got there.
It's slowly growing, I've just added some great hardware.
Difficult choice! I agree with this list . Other games of interest: devil hunter hyoko, thunderforce III, alien soldier, quackshot..
There are so many gems on the md!!!!
There are, it's impossible to choose ten, There are so many great looking games.
Adventures of Batman and Robin. Paprium.
Both awesome, I don't have them yet though. And Paprium remains a saw point until mine arrives.
I agree with your number one pick for sure, it's one of my favorite games of all time but not so much with Marko and Virtua Racing
I personally would have put Ristar somewhere on the list, the game just looks stunning, Dynamite Heady, Flink, Batman & Robin and Ranger X.
These games not only have technically impressive visuals but they excel in art direction as well
Those are some great looking games. I think this list could easily be a top 50.
@@RetroGamerBoy definitely, I'm never able to limit myself to like a top 5 or a top 10 when it comes to things I love, I also suck at ranking things so I just kinda list stuff I love forever. That's what happens when we've seen and played so many games on so many different platforms over the years :)
Lol i felt the same way about Thor !!! It was my Genesis Secret of Mana
That is a great comparison.
Great list! I agree with most of it. I would have probably included Virgin’s Aladdin and Pyron’s Street Fighter 2 Special Champion Edition edit.
Good call there, I think MK Arcade could also make it in there.