The History of the Sega Genesis - Its Games, Competition with the SNES and Add-ons

A little bit of the history of the Mega Drive, with its arcade-inspired hardware, its launch, its add-ons, its competition with the SNES and its games.

Mega Drive

The Mega Drive, or Sega Genesis in the US, was released in 1988 in Japan, and was a competitor to the Nintendo and the newly created PC Engine. Its hardware was based on the Sega System 16 arcade system created a year earlier, which used the Zilog Z80 and M68k processors. In the MD, the Zilog Z80 was used as the sound coprocessor and the 68k as the main CPU. Its 68k processor was 16-bit and had 7.6 MHz and its Zilog Z80 coprocessor had 3.5 MHz. It also used the PSG SN76489 sound chip, based on the SG-1000 and Master System versions with 4 channels of PCM sound and a Yamaha 2612 chip with 6 channels of FM sound. Its GPU (video processor) was a VDP called Sega 315-5313 or Yamaha 7101 at 13.4 MHz, based on the Sega VDP of the SMS, which in turn was based on the TMS9918 of the MSX and SG-1000 (that is, the graphics part of Sega consoles was always based on that of their predecessor consoles). It also provided 512 colors with 64 simultaneous. And finally, it had 136kb of total RAM, 64 for the main system, 64 for video and 8 for audio.

The console had some peripherals, such as the Sega CD, released in 1991, which added games with modern digital sound and dimension and rotation, similar to the Mode 7 games for SNES, and the 32X, released in 1994, with games with more colors and polygons. Both used the MD hardware to enhance themselves. The MD also took advantage of them, such as acquiring better sound with the Sega CD and better colors with the 32X. The console also provided access to the network through the Mega Modem, which was connected to the back of the console and which allowed the download of some titles to the console through the Network System service. The accessory was released in 1990 in Japan, and made 24 titles available for download, most of which were games that were never released on cartridges. These were games of a maximum of 128kb, due to the network limits of the time. A game took on average eight minutes to download. The accessory and service were also launched in Brazil in 1995, both under the name Sega Mega Net. Unlike the original version that required a modem connected to the back of the console, this version worked with a cartridge that connected to the console's main input, with a cable to connect to the telephone line.

The success of the console, which was known as an arcade at home, given the various ports it received from these hardware, was soon consolidated. Regarding its cartridges, there was a difference between the Japanese and American ones, not in the board that was identical, but rather in the plastic casing, but they fit easily into any Mega Drive. However, there was a region lock in the console's hardware, unlike Nintendo consoles that had a physical lock, preventing games from other regions from working on their consoles made in other countries. In the US, the console was released in 1989, as Sega Genesis, because the name Mega Drive was already registered in the country. In Brazil, it was released in 1990, by TecToy, which already brought the Master System console to the country. The model and region were based on the American console. The second model of the console was released in Brazil in 1992, being the same device, but now, with Sonic The Hedgehog in memory, and no longer Altered Beast as in the first version. The third version of the console (inspired by the second American version) was compact and was the best-selling in the country from 1993 to 2001. The console with the Japanese system was never released in the country, but as most Japanese games were recreated in the West, few games remained unknown to Brazilians.

With the arrival of the SNES in 1990 and its success from 1991 onwards, competition with the MD became frenetic. Franchises such as Mortal Kombat, Fatal Fury and Street Fighter became one of the biggest battles between consoles, with ports that were sometimes better for one console, sometimes better for another. Other games competed with the SNES, such as DC Comics' Batman Returns, Marvel's Wolverine Adamantium Rage and Captain America, Disney's Aladdin and The Lion King, Warner's Animaniacs and Taz Mania, the Aero Acrobat, Aerobiz, Bubsy, Earthworm Jim, Double Dragon, Power Rangers, Robocop 3 and Terminator franchises, as well as Battletoads, Pitfall, Pit-Fighter, Rock'n Roll Racing, and countless other games.

As for its games, franchises such as Sonic The Hedgehog, Simpsons, Strider, Shining Force, Phantasy Star, Golden Axe, Streets of Rage, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Jurassic Park and Shinobi were very successful on the console. Other specific niches were also part of the console, such as racing games, such as the Road Rash, Super Monaco GP and Top Gear 2 franchises; sports games, such as the World Cup, FIFA Soccer and NBA Jam franchises; fighting games, such as Samurai Shodown, Art of Fighting and Primal Rage; RPG games, such as Wonder Boy in Monster World, Beyond Oasis and Dungeons & Dragons; simulation games, such as Urban Strike, After Burner II and Populous; Run and Gun games, such as Contra: Hard Corps, Alien Soldier and Zombies Ate My Neighbors; platform games, such as Comix Zone, Ghouls 'n Ghosts and Alien 3; and beat'em up games, such as Alien Storm, Tomjam & Earl and Altered Beast. Puzzle games, such as Puyo Puyo, Columns and Lemmings. Shmup games, such as the Thunder Force franchise, Darius II and Sub-Terrania. Anime games, such as Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball Z and Yu Yu Hakusho. Disney games, such as several Mickey games (such as Fantasia and Castle of Illusion), Mogli and QuackShot. Warner Bros. games, such as Bugs Bunny and some Tiny Toons and Taz Mania games. DC Comix games, such as the Superman and Batman franchises (such as Batman and Robin and Batman Forever) and the Justice League Task Force game. And finally, Marvel games, such as the Spider-Man franchise (such as Maximum Carnage and Spider-Man vs. The Kingpin) and X-Men franchise (such as Children of the Atom), as well as The Punisher. The Mega Drive had almost 900 games released in its nine years of life. The console was discontinued in 1997 with 30.75 million units sold.

Simulator: Aerobiz, Jungle/Urban/Desert Strike, Populous, After Burner II, King Salmon

RPG: Shining Force, Phantasy Star, Gauntlet IV, Light Crusader, Landstalker, Dungeons & Dragons: Warriors of the Eternal Sun, Wonder Boy in Monster World, Beyond Oasis

Puzzle: Columns, Puyo Puyo, Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine, Lemmings, Zoom, Blockout, Pac-Attack, Puzzle & Action

Run And Gun: Contra: Hard Corps, Alien Soldier, Zombies Ate My Neighbors, Ranger-X, Gunstar Heroes, Mega Turrican

Platform: Alien 3, Strider, Comix Zone, Ghouls 'n Ghosts, Shinobi, Judge Dredd, Sonic The Hedgehog, Simpsons, Jurassic Park, Pitfall, Battletoads, Robocop 3, Earthworm Jim, Terminator, Aero Acrobat, Bubsy

Beat'Em Up: Double Dragon, Tomjam & Earl, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Golden Axe, Streets of Rage, Altered Beast, Power Rangers

Racing: Out-Run, Road Rash and Super Monaco GP, Virtua Racing, Top Gear 2, Rock'n Roll Racing

Sports: World Cup, FIFA Soccer, NBA Jam, NHL (Hockey), WWF (Wrestling), NFL (American Football)

Fighting: Mortal Kombat, Fatal Fury, Street Fighter, Samurai Shodown, Eternal Champions, Art of Fighting, Primal Rage and Virtua Fighter II, Pit-Fighter

Shmup: Thunder Force, Darius II, Musha, Truxton, Sub-Terrania, 

Animes: Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball Z, Maruko Chan, Shin Chan, Hokuto no Ken, Patlabor, Slam Dunk, Yu Yu Hakusho

Disney: Aladdin, Lion King and Mickey Mania, Mickey (as Fantasia and Castle of Illusion), Toy Story, Mogli, Goofy, Pocahontas, QuackShot, The Little Mermaid

Warner Bros: Bugs Bunny, Animaniacs, Taz Mania, Tiny Toon, Taz Mania

DC Comix: Superman, Batman (as Batman and Robin, Batman Forever and Batman Returns), Justice League Task Force

Marvel: Spider-Man (as Maximum Carnage and Spider-Man vs. The Kingpin), X-Men (as Children of the Atom), The Punisher, Wolverine Adamantium Rage, Captain America and The Avengers, The incredible Hulk