10 SEGA Genesis Games That Need To Be Resurrected

I was a 90s kid. Like anyone from the era, I’m trying to relive the “good ol’ days” when everything was fun and nothing sucked! Reboots are the big craze nowadays and everything from our childhood seems to be getting the treatment.

Among those just might be the Sega Genesis. Conceived and developed in the decade before the Millenium, the device was a game changer in that it looked and played like something from “the future.” We can debate forever over which console was better at the time – Genesis or Super Nintendo – but for me, I was a Genesis kid, so it has a special place in my heart.

While the days of Genesis have come and gone, some grew nostalgic enough to pull off the fantastic feat that was the 2017 release of Sonic Mania. With a simple vision and a little respect for how we played the game, the release became a slam dunk for Genesis fans everywhere.

If you ask me, Sonic is not the only Genesis classic that could benefit from a comeback. While list-making can have debatable results, I feel the following would see decent resurrections if given the chance. As before, all they need is a simple vision and a genuine respect for what worked.

Spoilers – Mortal Kombat, Madden and Disney-based games won’t make any appearances, as said franchises carried over well into the 21st century. 

 

10. Earthworm Jim

This one did not get my number 10 for any bad reason. It’s just so painfully obvious that this guy has been screaming for a return. This game left a solid mark in it’s day and it would be a shame to keep it on hold for another decade. Hell, Sonic earned his place in Super Smash Bros. Why not the earthworm with a spacesuit and a ray gun?

 

9. Comix Zone

This one’s up there with Earthworm Jim as another obvious masterpiece needing another chance to shine. While the days of comic books are seemingly behind us, Sketch Turner is still a dormant volcano waiting to erupt in an ash cloud of total badass-itude, and it’s only a matter of time before someone actually takes the time to bring him back.

 

8. Dinosaurs For Hire

The concept behind the whole thing is downright silly – three alien dinosaurs blowing the hell out of bad guys with machine guns. The game was largely based off a satirical comic series involving the same concept, but why not? It was fun then and had enough of a cult following that it just might be worth a return for laughs.

 

7. Altered Beast

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOEy6bvSNzA

I’m curious to see where this one could go. As one of the first games on the console, Altered Beast gave us a taste of what the Genesis had to offer. In 2005, this bad boy saw a re-release for the PS2 with mixed results. The big mistake with this one was that it strayed from the original formula. Where the Genesis version was set in Ancient Greece as a side scrolling beat ‘em up, the 2005 version had a modern setting with a survival horror feel to it. It just didn’t work. As long as you stick to the same setting and concept, it might create good competition with the God of War saga. Who knows?

 

6. Primal Rage

It’s a shame this game was never made into a movie – then again, thank God neither Paul W(hat)S(hit) Anderson nor Michael Bay ever got the chance to make this game into some godawful movie. Primal Rage is another fighting game of its time, except with ancient dinosaurs and other assorted beasts. At a time when Mortal Kombat and Jurassic Park left us frothing at the mouth, it made sense for Atari to make a subtle crossover. There’s not much else to it, but I still love it, so should you, and you should start a KickStarter drive to bring it back.

 

5. Ecco: The Dolphin

Odd as this game was (you play as a bottlenose dolphin), it was phenomenal for the Genesis. The Ecco franchise saw three releases on the console, all of which received positive feedback. As with Sonic Mania, its strength was in its 2D presentation, and a reboot with the same style would do the trick – along with, maybe, a kick-ass soundtrack from Vangelis.

 

4. ToeJam and Earl

Prior to “Sonic the Hedgehog,” Sega tried to pimp out these two as the faces of the new console. Though they didn’t rocket to the stars like Sonic, they made a decent enough impact in their day. Unfortunately, this particular game spawned a sequel and another for the Xbox, neither of which met the critics’ expectations. The good news is that HumaNature Studios will be releasing Toejam and Earl: Back in the Groove in the fall of this year. As far as I know, this is the only game on this list that is getting somewhat of a reboot that I’m asking for, so fingers are crossed for it.

 

3. Vectorman

I honestly have no idea where to start with this one. It’s such a gem. A reboot complete with a side scrolling approach and “pre-3D rendered models” would have tremendous impact in today’s digitized world – and with the story set in an environmentally-wrecked Earth, it might even get Al Gore’s eyebrow up.

 

2. Boogerman

I’m surprised this was never made into a TV show in the same breath as Earthworm Jim. For those lucky enough to experience it, this 2D platformer became legendary for its ridiculous storyline, oddly charming setting, and toilet humor rife with boogers, farts, and belch gags. Think of it as a playable Nickelodeon cartoon. Thankfully, I’m not the only one hopeful for a future comeback.

As early as 2013, reports surfaced that the developing company, Toy Ghost, was collecting funds for an official remake of Boogerman (with the option to play as Earthworm Jim in a co-op mode), but the lack of funding for their Kickstarter campaign left the project in limbo until further notice. While there are no signs of the Booger-meister making a comeback any time soon, all it takes it one drop to create a ripple effect.

 

1. Rocket knight Adventures

I’d say this is the quintessential underrated classic among the Genesis brand. Rocket Knight Adventures has an odd premise eerily reminiscent of Star Wars: a young knight embarks on a quest to save a princess from an empire armed with a secret weapon that can destroy an entire planet. The catch here; the good guys are mice and the bad guys are pigs (or lizards if you’ve played the sequel, Sparkster). It was an acid trip like no other, but there was something oddly innocent about the whole thing, and I think Sparkster would do quite well in the 21st century.

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