290: The Genesis Effect

[Johnny Impact]

It's gratifying to hear people compliment the Genesis. I had one myself, played the crap out of it every day -- Sonic, Golden Axe, Phantasy Star, Gaiares, Streets of Rage, Lemmings, you name it. I never had sports or girls or lots of friends growing up so it's not much of a stretch to say without it I would have just sat in my room and stared at the wall all day....or read Lord of the Rings 105 times. My best friend, my savior, was a chunk of black plastic and silicon. Even now, at the age of 33, I have a similar black plastic hunk just behind me. It's got a different logo, and more power in its little finger than anyone dreamed a system would have in those halcyon days, but the principle is the same: For a few hours a night, I get to be someone else.

Can anyone solve this mystery for me? I can't seem to mention to anyone that I was a Sega kid without getting crapped on for not playing Nintendo instead. This strikes me like a Harry Potter fan calling someone a fag for liking Lord of the Rings. I've never understood that kind of thinking. Calm down, we're all geeks here.

 

[TraumaHound]

Wow, Russ, that's got to be one of the greatest love stories I've ever read.

I, too, had a Genesis (and scads of other consoles along the way (both before and after Sega's console era) but my fondest home-gaming memories are locked into the NES. So much school cut so I could ride my bike over to my buddy's (he had already graduated) so we could play the latest NES titles he'd gotten from Sears (the only place on Kauai with a steady stream of games and a generous return policy...it wasn't for some time that we finally got 1 video-rental/electronics store that would rent NES games.) Thanks for sharing the memories. I think, no matter the age of the gamer, we all can share a similar story with our consoles of choice.

 

[Snotnarok]

Wow another Sega Genesis fan, normally I just get told off about the other competing consoles having better bla bla bla or the Genesis wasn't worth it.

Yet here I am with a writer telling me about adventures he's played that I've yet to talk to anyone about, or rather hear/see it from someone else. Desert/Jungle/Urban Strike? Flashback?? Holy crap these are games that I thought I alone had, I grew up enjoying these titles on something ELSE that no one knows about SEGA CHANNEL. That was my gaming fix, straight through a coaxial cable line, I didn't even own a lot of the games I played originally because of that wonderful device.

Though like your NES story I had the dumb moment of my life where I said, I got SEGA Channel why do I need the games! So off went some rare titles that I regret selling...very much so, only to have to wait X amount of years to reacquire.

I still have my original Genesis gifted to me back in the christmas of '91 by my generous Grandmother that came with Sonic The Hedgehog (Not for Resale). And it's still hooked up to my TV and I still get a kick out of playing the games, just as much as before if not more. No messing about with collections and compatibility troubles.

The original Genesis, the real controllers and full on Blast Processing for the real nostalgic kick to the face.

SEGA!!!

 

[Truehare]

Way to remind me of my favorite console of all time, Russ!

I also have an interesting tale of love which involves the Mega Drive (as it was called here in Brazil). I got mine as a gift from my parents in 1991, when I was 16. That was only a few days before I found out my girlfriend was pregnant.

I don't know how most people would react in my place, but I chose to understand that news as another, far greater gift. I was terrified, exhilarated, even a little sad, but above all, I started feeling a new kind of love growing inside me, a love that was different because it was for a person I didn't even know yet. Most of those feelings didn't even cross my mind until later that night, when the shock started to pass and I was alone, playing Revenge of Shinobi on my Mega Drive like there was no tomorrow.

I don't want to imply the console was the only way I had to cope with the huge change that happened in my life being a teenage dad, but it certainly helped some. I would have other consoles over the years, but that Mega Drive, besides being the absolute best of them all, has a lot of sentimental value, and is the only one I never sold.

And sure enough, my son started his gamer life on that same Mega Drive. He'll be nineteen next June, and being a damn fine gamer is only one of the million reasons I have to be proud of him.

 

[Russ Pitts]

The Genesis Effect

The Sega Genesis arguably revolutionized console gaming, and inarguably, Russ Pitts' life.

Read Full Article

You probably know this, but nostalgia comes from two Greek words: nostos, meaning roughly "homecoming," and -algia meaning, strangely enough, pain. It really came into play in those Greek tragedies where the tragic hero would return home... only to find it was no longer home, either because of home had changed or because the hero himself had changed so much.

NES and SEGA both had that magic. It was a different type, depending on your age at the time, but magic nonetheless. It was discovery. It was the future coming into your home. And, because it was a gaming system, it was a portal to worlds you never imagined would be so readily available.

In a way, it's sad to think that a new video game technology won't really have that same magic. Maybe some magic, but almost certainly less. Gone are the days when simply "pulling a quarter from behind our ear" would leave us spellbound, and gone are the days when we are amazed to have arcade-level technology in our homes.

And so it is, when we look back at those moments that defined us, that we remember them fondly... but also heavily. You can only discover something once. As great as new experiences will be, they won't have that same sense of discovery or wonder. I had a similar experience with school band, and it changed my life. Now, as a teacher, a lot of the magic and mystery are gone, but I can at least relive them vicariously through a few of my students.

Perhaps being in your position, commenting on (and thus helping to define for posterity) the gaming world will continue to afford you that same opportunity.

Very thoughtful response. Thanks for that. You have put your finger on exactly the core reason why I write and why, when it comes to writing about games, I have ONLY written for The Escapist.

 

[Mr.Mattress]

I Actually own a Genesis right now, though all it has is Sonic 2. Once I can start making my own money, I plan on collecting all the Sonic Games for it (As well as the Sega CD and Sonic CD. Also Altered Beasts just because I hear it's really good), but I only really played Sonic 2 1 time for this dumb review I did of it (Which I still have on my Youtube, But I won't show it here unless someone PM's). It was fun, but growing up with an N64 (The Best Console EVER), I guess I have bias against it.

Great story anyways.

 

[Sad Face]

Amazing story.

Like Fappy, I played NES first, but the Genesis was the first console that I owned. I got it for birthday that year and I've never looked back. The thing is still hooked up to my TV and gets played regularly. Aladdin and Sonic were among my favourites, but there were so many great games for that console it's hard to pin down just one to be the favourite.

Dastardly has already said everything else I had to say.

Great article.

 

[Michael O'Hair]

The Sega Genesis didn't represent arcade-perfect conversions, in fact the first home console the featured an absolutely arcade-perfect experience was the Dreamcast. Many of the arcade conversions on the Sega Genesis were missing or lacking in the areas of video or sound. Sound for the Sega Genesis was especially lacking with its tinny sound and distorted voice cuts. Color palettes for arcade conversions seemed too dark and/or were missing noticeable frames of animation.

Desert Strike is a poor example of "arcade-like" gameplay. Yes, the action is fact and furious and challenging, but the game becomes boring looking for the next objective to destroy. And by boring I mean you could fly for at least 15 seconds to parts of a map and not face the threat of AA or AAA. In arcade games, the threat of defeat was ever-present. Desert Strike lacked that.

That brings me to why I enjoyed about the Genesis system: arcade-style scrolling shooting games. Compared to other contemporary systems the Sega Genesis had the largest catalog of arcade shooting-wannabes and conversions, second to the Turbografix-16. Thunder Force 3 & 4 definitely warrant mention.

 

[Mikester1290]

Amiga 500+ for me, but huge respect to Sega of course. Brings a tear to my eye thinking of the days when Sega used to produce some of the best video gaming hardware known to mankind.

 

[ripdajacker]

I loved the article, it reminds me of my obsession with the same console, although some other games. I still have the genesis lying around somewhere, but can't seem to locate the games. Good thing we have emulators

 

[Trogdor1138]

I've always loved the Mega Drive, as a kid it was basically my favourite system despite all the other advancements and "better" consoles out. There was something special about it to me, it was more arcade style and had a more broad range of games to me. Many memories of playing it with my brothers as a very small child.

 

[Exile550]

I feel the exact same way. ''This was the beginning of my gaming life'', couldn't have said it better.

 

[utopaline]

Great article. I love the story instead of the regular run of the mill point style writing. Usually a 3 page article gets skimmed. I read every word

as for your opinion on the Genesis being the first to port arcade games well, you are right. I see some comments about not perfect ports, well that's correct, not all ports are perfect, they had to be tamed down due to many things, like home TV's, the console and cartridge size (arcade machines are specifically built for each game).

I think where he was going was not just the look of the game, but more the true arcade feeling, for the first time you could rent or buy a game that looked and felt like you were at the arcade.

Thank you GENESIS I have many great years too.

My first gaming was at an arcade in Edmonton Alberta in 1981. $5 and an afternoon of bliss.
First console was the 2600 and owned quite a few since. Presently playing 360 and there's a Wii that my wife plays with sometimes.

I do miss the days of the arcade though.

uto