Sega Genesis Games Collection

The Sega Genesis (known as Mega Drive outside North America) was Sega's 16-bit console released in 1988 (Japan) and 1989 (North America). It competed directly with Nintendo's SNES and was notable for its 'Blast Processing' marketing campaign emphasizing faster processor speeds. The Genesis found success with arcade-perfect ports and edgier games appealing to older audiences, particularly the Sonic the Hedgehog series which became Sega's mascot. The console introduced the concept of add-ons like the Sega CD and 32X, though these were commercially unsuccessful. With about 30 million units sold worldwide, the Genesis established Sega as a major competitor to Nintendo and popularized sports games through EA's support. The Genesis controller's three-button (later six-button) design became iconic, and the console's library included influential titles like Streets of Rage, Phantasy Star, and the Mortal Kombat series (notable for keeping the blood and gore absent from the SNES version).