Remember that the rankings below are dynamic and will change according to user ratings for each game in our database. Let’s see. Enjoy!
The selection of Sega Mega Drive/Genesis games that form part of the “Expansion Packs” of the Nintendo Switch Online subscription service include several selections from the 16-bit system’s library. While you may have had the opportunity to play many of these games in many other places, including on the Switch, in recent years, the ease with which more classic video games are now available on the Switch is always commendable. In addition, NSO’s lineup is surprisingly fulfilling!
But which are the best Sega Genesis games available on Nintendo Switch Online? We can answer that question with the help of Nintendo Life readers who rated titles in our game database.
The following list has been compiled using the user ratings (out of 10) given to each Mega Drive game available via the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack.Things to watch out for This ranking is not final Automatically fluctuates over time depending on assigned user ratings (and new additions to the NSO game roster).
Think any of the games below deserve to be high on the list? Simply click the ‘Star’ button to score. Your personal rating may increase your position in the overall rankings.
So enjoy the best Sega Genesis/Mega Drive games coming to Nintendo Switch Online…
the publisher: Sega / Developer: Sega
Virtua Fighter 2 is one of the best 1v1 fighters in video game history. When it was first released, it destroyed the competition, and even today many hardcore fans feel that Sega never really improved on the classic brawler.
But before we get too excited, this less impressive Genesis/Mega Drive port is no longer 3D but 2D, a move that causes all sorts of problems. VF2’s gameplay is supposed to exist in his third dimension, and removing one would make many of the previously available tactical brilliance impossible. While visually remarkably similar to his version of the 32-bit Saturn, Genesis’s VF2 is something of a mistake.
the publisher: Sega / Developer: Sega
Famously developed by Virtua Fighter creator Yu Suzuki, Sword of Vermillion was one of the first RPGs for Sega’s 16-bit systems…and it shows. A top-down in town, a first-person style perspective exploring terrain and caves between villages and cities, his 3/4 view of random real-time enemy encounters (which happen frequently), and a side of boss fights view. It’s very basic and repetitive in terms of audio, visuals and gameplay, but at least it’s put together well enough to be worth investigating. Especially when there’s a state of preservation that makes random encounters more bearable.
the publisher: Masaya / Developer: Masaya
Known as Target Earth in North America (the game was never released in Europe), Masaya’s 1990 run-and-gun shooter Assault suit Reynos It launched an assault suit series that followed SNES’ Cybernator a few years later. Previously available on the Wii Virtual Console in Japan, and now playable on the Mega Drive Mini in Japan, the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack is the easiest way to officially access this relentless gunner these days.
the publisher: Sega / Developer: Sega
Many of you have played Altered Beast as one of the first pack-in games that came with the system. Probably a lot more than the game itself warrants. Simply put, it’s an early effort and the most average arcade experience that doesn’t live up to the promise of its body-changing premise. Once you light the fire, remember it’s a little pants and move on.
the publisher: Sega / Developer: Sega
This rail shooter was one of Genesis/Mega Drive’s first titles, so it’s no surprise that Space Harrier II is as shallow as a puddle when compared to other similar games that came later. As a technical showcase for the Mega Drive and as a demonstration of Sega’s ability to bring super-scalar games into the home, it was a passable production. However, the immersion in the environment feels very limited and things get boring quickly. We may be able to forgive the sex, but it’s far from an essential classic.
the publisher: Sega / Developer: Sega Technical Research Institute
Sonic Spinball was an attempt to extend the Springyard Zone and Casino Night Zone pinball shenanigans from the first two Sonic games and then spin the entire game from there. The premise is promising and contains some great ideas, but unfortunately the result feels like an amalgamation of underwhelming pinball and bad platforming. I often wonder how this could have happened if I had used
Over the years, Switch with SEGA Mega Drive Classics and the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack (and even sega smash pack.
the publisher: Sega / Developer: NovoTrade International
When Ecco the Dolphin was released, it was perceived as something of an anomaly. A meditative game about dolphins saving their ocean world from ecological catastrophe on consoles. In that context, Ecco was a breath of fresh sea air, and while its visuals and overall idea were probably better than the execution here, I still look back fondly on Ecco’s adventures and the vibe of this game. I’m here.
the publisher: Sega / Developer: techno soft
Another early release for the Mega Drive, Technosoft’s Thunder Force II was a US launch game and a sequel to the 1983 original. This shmup features two viewpoints across various stages: a top-down free-moving view and a side-scrolling stage. The sequel is undeniably a great game, but Thunder Force II is also worth checking out, especially for shooting fans and those interested in the Thunder Force lineage.
the publisher: Sega / Developer: Johnson Voersanger Productions
With nostalgia glasses on, it’s easy to remember this as one of the best 16-bit games, but newcomers will find it dated in ways the best games of the era didn’t. It’s fun – there’s no argument there – but it moves very slowly with a variety of elements that feel unfair in the modern context (existences that negatively affect you, aliens you have little chance of escaping. Knocks you off the face of the planet and makes you tumble (several levels). Still worth getting into, but where other Mega Drive games age like fine wine, ToeJam & Earl is a little funky these days — for better or worse.
the publisher: Sega / Developer: compile
well known as Puyo Puyothe gooey block-falling puzzle game was given a sonic-based paint job to attract western players. Adventures of Sonic the HedgehogRegardless of Sonic’s window dressing, this is an excellent puzzle game, and if you’re a fan of Puyo Puyo Tetris and want to find out where Puyo Puyo started (at least on the Megadrive), you’ll have plenty of fun here. increase. .
the publisher: Sega / Developer: Sega
When Columns was first released, it was a blast. Nintendo had just released a version of Tetris with the Portable Game Boy, and Sega was quick to bring Callumus to market, expecting it to match Tetris in appeal.
The core gameplay is basic. When he lines up 3 gems of the same color, they disappear and new gems fall in 3 he stacks, allowing him to rearrange them before they fall to the bottom. It’s often hypnotizing, and if you really get yourself hooked, you’ll find it very engaging. You can’t get away from the fact that Evergreen lacks addictiveness.
the publisher: Sega / Developer: Sega
High-fantasy side-scrolling action Golden Ax appeared relatively early in the birth of the Mega Drive, demonstrating the power and potential of the system to provide a quality System 16 arcade port at home, although it wasn’t required. . It rides the arcade-sega nostalgia wave similar to the likes of Altered Beast (same designer), but fighting Yuria and giving Death Adder the sound her thrashing is better than wandering ancient Greece as a Beast. much more satisfying. The heroes of Streets of Rage add a touch of inspirational variety to the series.
