What an amazing decade the 90’s was, and the SEGA Megadrive was a huge part of it. Home gaming really took shape in the early to mid 90’s, with the 8-bit era kicking everything off, the 16-bit SEGA Megadrive took the baton and ran with it, and it was a glorious time in games consoles, along with it’s later rival, the Super Nintendo.

We think of this as retro gaming these days, and it’s something we fondly remember. What were the best games back then? There’s one hell of a list of some good ones, but we’ve hand picked 10 from our childhood which brought us the most fun on the Megadrive.

Sonic The Hedgehog

Specifically Sonic 2, but it all began with Sonic. Sonic 2 was a huge hit, primarily because it came with the popular Megadrive II console along with a pack of other games too. The original Sonic was good, but the 2nd instalment took it to a whole new level, and something we played for hours on end.

Sensible Soccer

Probably the best football game we played, if not the most enjoyable. Sensible Soccer defined a generation, and we loved it on the Amiga, but more people had a Megadrive so playing it at friends houses meant playing that version. Organising mini leagues with friends was always so much fun, and using the editor too…Happy days!

FIFA International Soccer

The game made it’s debut in 16-bit and it was a step up from an old favourite, Sensible Soccer which is legendary in itself. FIFA brought us an isometric view rather than top down or side scrolling, and used motion captured technology for the first time. The first edition did not feature real players but was a massive success, and we know it’s gone on to become the biggest name in football with EA Sports.

Road Rash

We remember this game for being such good fun. It was a motorbike racing game where you could kick other riders, and were encouraged to do so to make it easier to win the race. There was P.E. No1, the villain who was of course Public Enemy Number One, and you could even come up against the police who would stop you and it would be game over.

Streets Of Rage

Another side scrolling classic game! Streets Of Rage, and the later sequels were amazing and provided hours of fun. The best part of games like these were the co-op modes, playing two players as a team and defeating the bad guys.

Golden Axe

A classic games from the arcades which made it on to the Mega Drive which we loved, Golden Axe. You had the choice of three characters to pick from, each with their own weapon and skill. Ax Battler, Tyris Flare and Gilius Thunderhead. Again this was a 2 play co-op which provided hours of fun for you and your friends.

The Revenge Of Shinobi

One of the original games we remember playing, the side scrolling platform taught us the word shuriken along with hours of fun throwing them at bad guys. The original ninja game for us to play, we always remember this being quite tough, with hard end of level bosses to fight.

Mortal Kombat

It was released on several platforms, but the SEGA Megadrive version Is the one we fondly remember. Playing as characters such as Sub Zero and Scorpion, it was a cool fighting game where you and a bunch of friends could play little tournaments against each other.

Altered Beast

A SEGA original, the classic Altered Beast was a beat-em-up side scrolling game, with the usual but addictive style of co-opping with a friend or playing solo and beating everything which stood in your way, then defeating the end boss. Not one of the favourites from us, but still loved and remembered.

NHL 95

NHL 95 was the top-down ice hockey game everyone has played, but never really understood the rules (What is icing, it has nothing to do with cake!). It was also almost impossible to score goals, which is why we played with no goalkeepers when we played against each other. Still, it was a fun game, and one we all remember playing.

We have of course not forgotten about others such as Street Fighter, but those were best played on other consoles such as the SNES, so you can read our top 10 SNES Games to find which made it into that top list. If this trip down memory lane is something you’ve liked then you should check out some gaming T Shirts from us. They’ll take you back to your childhood and you can reminisce in the style and comfort of wearing a geek shirt from us.