View source for Sega Genesis

{{Infobox Platform
|name          = Sega Genesis / Mega Drive
|logo          = [[File:Genesis Logo.png|250px|North American logo]]<br/>[[File:Megadrive Logo.png|250px|European/Australasian logo]]
|image         = [[File:Sega Genesis Console Mod2.png|300px]] Sega Genesis/Mega Drive Model 2<br/>[[File:Sega Mega Drive JP Mod1 Console.png|300px]] Genesis/Mega Drive Model 1
|manufacturer  = Sega
|generation    = Fourth generation
|lifespan      = {{vgrelease|JP=October 29, 1988|NA=August 14, 1989|EU=November 30, 1990}}
|discontinued  = {{vgrelease|JP=1995|NA=1997}}
|unitssold     = 37.3 - 40.9 million
|media         = [[wikipedia:ROM cartridge|ROM cartridge]]
|CPU           = 7.67MHz [[wikipedia:Motorola 68000|Motorola 68000]] 16-bit processor, 3.58MHz [[wikipedia:Zilog|Zilog]] [[wikipedia:Z80|Z80]] 8-bit processor
|onlineservice = Sega Meganet, Sega Channel, XBAND
|topgame       = ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog (Genesis)|Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' (pack-in), 15 million<br />''Disney's Aladdin'', 4 million
|predecessor   = [[Sega Master System]]
|successor     = Sega Saturn ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sega_Saturn Wikipedia])
}}

The '''Sega Genesis''' is a [[wikipedia:History of video game consoles (fourth generation)|fourth-generation]] [[wikipedia:video game console|video game console]] developed and produced by [[wikipedia:Sega|Sega]]. It was originally released in Japan in 1988 as '''Mega Drive''' (メガドライブ Mega Doraibu), then in North America in 1989 as '''Sega Genesis''', and in Europe, Australia and other PAL regions in 1990 as '''Mega Drive'''. The reason for the two names is that Sega was unable to secure legal rights to the Mega Drive name in North America. The Sega Genesis is Sega's third console and the successor to the [[Sega Master System]] with which it has [[wikipedia:Backward compatibility|backwards compatibility]] (with the [[wikipedia:Sega Genesis#Master System compatibility|Sega Power Base Converter]]).

The Sega Genesis was the first of its generation to achieve notable market share in Europe and North America. The Sega Genesis was launched to compete with the [[Nintendo Entertainment System]] and NEC's [[TurboGrafx-16|PC-Engine/TurboGrafx-16]]. Two years later, Nintendo released the [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System]], and the competition between the two would dominate the 16-bit era of video gaming. While technically inferior to the newer SNES, the Sega Genesis enjoyed significant 3rd party support, in large part because it did not censor games as severely as the SNES, using a rating system instead. The rating system allowed for accurate arcade ports and controversial games to thrive on the console, and proved so successful that Nintendo adopted the rating system, leading to the [[wikipedia:ESRB|ESRB]].

The console and its games continue to be popular among fans, collectors, retro gamers, emulation enthusiasts and the [[wikipedia:fan translation|fan translation]] scene. Licensed 3rd party variations of the console are still being produced to this day, and there are also several indie game developers continuing to produce games for the console. Many games have been re-released in compilations for newer consoles or offered for download on various online services.

The Sega Genesis began production in Japan in 1988 and ended with the last new licensed game being released in 2002 in Brazil, making it one of the longest supported consoles of all time. The Genesis was also Sega's most successful console; though Sega has never released a total sales figure quote, sales estimates in the past have ranged from as low as 29 million to over 40.8 million. It was succeeded in 1994 with the release of the [[wikipedia:Sega Saturn|Sega Saturn]].

{{GlobalProblems}}

== Virtual Console Compatibility List (Sega Genesis) ==
<!-- To edit the compatibility list header and manage other templates, navigate to "Template:CompatListHeader" (copy to the search box) -->
{{CompatListHeader}}
{{Compact ToC|top=no|num=no|n=|o=|q=|u=|x=|y=|z=}}
{|class="wikitable sortable width=100%"
! Title !! Year !! Region !! Compatibility 
|- id="A"
|[[Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle]] aka [[Alex Kidd: Tenkū Majou]]
|2007
|JP/NA/EU
|{{Ratings|Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle}}
|-
|[[Alien Soldier]]
|2007
|JP/NA/EU
|{{Ratings|Alien Soldier}}
|-
|[[Alien Storm]]
|2007
|JP/NA/EU
|{{Ratings|Alien Storm}}
|-
|[[Altered Beast (Genesis)|Altered Beast]] aka [[Altered Beast (Genesis)|Jūōki]]
|2006
|JP/NA/EU
|{{Ratings|Altered Beast (Genesis)}}
|-
|[[Assault Suit Leynos]]
|2007
|JP
|{{Ratings|Assault Suit Leynos}}
|- id="B"
|[[Bahamut Senki]]
|2007
|JP
|{{Ratings|Bahamut Senki}}
|-
|[[Beyond Oasis]] aka [[The Story of Thor: A Successor of The Light]], [[The Story of Thor: Hikari wo Tsugu Mono]], [[ストーリー オブ トア 〜光を継ぐ者]]
|2007
|JP/NA/EU
|{{Ratings|Beyond Oasis}}
|-
|[[Bio-Hazard Battle]] aka [[Crying]]
|2007
|JP/NA/EU
|{{Ratings|Bio-Hazard Battle}}
|-
|[[Bonanza Bros.]]
|2007
|JP/NA/EU
|{{Ratings|Bonanza Bros.}}
|-
|[[Boogerman: A Pick and Flick Adventure]]
|2008
|NA/EU
|{{Ratings|Boogerman: A Pick and Flick Adventure}}
|- id="C"
|[[Chelnov]]
|2007
|JP
|{{Ratings|Chelnov}}
|-
|[[ClayFighter]]
|2009
|NA/EU
|{{Ratings|ClayFighter}}
|-
|[[Columns]]
|2006
|JP/NA/EU
|{{Ratings|Columns}}
|-
|[[Columns III: Revenge of Columns]]
|2008
|JP/NA/EU
|{{Ratings|Columns III: Revenge of Columns}}
|-
|[[Comix Zone]]
|2007
|JP/NA/EU
|{{Ratings|Comix Zone}}
|-
|[[Crack Down]]
|2007
|JP/EU
|{{Ratings|Crack Down}}
|- id="D"
|[[Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine]]
|2006
|NA/EU
|{{Ratings|Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine}}
|-
|[[Dragon Slayer: Eiyū Densetsu (Genesis)|Dragon Slayer: Eiyū Densetsu]]
|2009
|JP
|{{Ratings|Dragon Slayer: Eiyū Densetsu (Genesis)}}
|-
|[[Dragon Slayer: Eiyū Densetsu II]]
|2009
|JP
|{{Ratings|Dragon Slayer: Eiyū Densetsu II}}
|-
|[[Dyna Brothers]]
|2007
|JP
|{{Ratings|Dyna Brothers}}
|-
|[[Dyna Brothers 2 Special]]
|2007
|JP
|{{Ratings|Dyna Brothers 2 Special}}
|-
|[[Dynamite Headdy]]
|2007
|JP/NA/EU
|{{Ratings|Dynamite Headdy}}
|- id="E"
|[[Earthworm Jim]]
|2008
|JP/NA/EU
|{{Ratings|Earthworm Jim}}
|-
|[[Earthworm Jim 2]]
|2009
|JP/NA/EU
|{{Ratings|Earthworm Jim 2}}
|-
|[[Ecco Jr.]]
|2007
|JP/NA/EU
|{{Ratings|Ecco Jr.}}
|-
|[[Ecco the Dolphin]]
|2006
|JP/NA/EU
|{{Ratings|Ecco the Dolphin}}
|-
|[[Ecco: The Tides of Time]] aka [[Ecco the Dolphin 2]]
|2007
|JP/NA/EU
|{{Ratings|Ecco: The Tides of Time}}
|-
|[[ESWAT: City Under Siege]]
|2007
|JP/EU
|{{Ratings|ESWAT: City Under Siege}}
|-
|[[Eternal Champions]]
|2007
|JP/NA/EU
|{{Ratings|Eternal Champions}}
|- id="F"
|[[Forgotten Worlds]]
|2008
|JP/NA/EU
|{{Ratings|Forgotten Worlds}}
|- id="G"
|[[Gain Ground]]
|2007
|JP/NA/EU
|{{Ratings|Gain Ground}}
|-
|[[Galaxy Force II]]
|2009
|JP/NA/EU
|{{Ratings|Galaxy Force II}}
|-
|[[Ghouls'n Ghosts (Genesis)|Ghouls'n Ghosts]] aka [[Dai Makaimura (Genesis)|Dai Makaimura]]
|2007
|JP/NA/EU
|{{Ratings|Ghouls'n Ghosts (Genesis)}}
|-
|[[Gley Lancer]]
|2008
|JP/NA/EU
|{{Ratings|Gley Lancer}}
|-
|[[Golden Axe (Genesis)|Golden Axe]]
|2006
|JP/NA/EU
|{{Ratings|Golden Axe (Genesis)}}
|-
|[[Golden Axe II]]
|2007
|JP/NA/EU
|{{Ratings|Golden Axe II}}
|-
|[[Golden Axe III]]
|2007
|JP/NA/EU
|{{Ratings|Golden Axe III}}
|-
|[[Gunstar Heroes]]
|2006
|JP/NA/EU
|{{Ratings|Gunstar Heroes}}
|-
|[[Gynoug]]
|2008
|JP
|{{Ratings|Gynoug}}
|- id="H"
|[[The Hybrid Front|Hybrid Front, The]]
|
|JP
|{{Ratings|The Hybrid Front}}
|-
|[[Hokuto no Ken: Shin Seikimatsu Kyūseishu Densetsu]]
|2008
|JP
|{{Ratings|Hokuto no Ken: Shin Seikimatsu Kyūseishu Densetsu}}
|-id="K"
|[[Kid Chameleon]] aka [[Chameleon Kid]]
|2007
|JP/NA/EU
|{{Ratings|Kid Chameleon}}
|- id="L"
|[[Landstalker: The Treasures of King Nole]] aka [[Landstalker: Koutei no Zaihou]]
|2007
|JP/NA/EU
|{{Ratings|Landstalker: The Treasures of King Nole}}
|-
|[[Langrisser]]
|2007
|JP
|{{Ratings|Langrisser}}
|-
|[[Langrisser II]]
|2007
|JP
|{{Ratings|Langrisser}}
|-
|[[Light Crusader]]
|2007
|JP/NA/EU
|{{Ratings|Light Crusader}}
|-
|[[Lord Monarch: Tokoton Sentou Densetsu]]
|2008
|JP
|{{Ratings|Lord Monarch: Tokoton Sentou Densetsu}}
|- id="M"
|[[M.U.S.H.A.]] aka [[Musha Aleste: Full Metal Fighter Ellinor]]
|2009
|JP/NA/EU
|{{Ratings|M.U.S.H.A.}}
|-
|[[Mega Turrican]]
|2007
|NA/EU
|{{Ratings|Mega Turrican}}
|-
|[[Mercs]] aka [[Senjou no Ōkami II]]
|2008
|JP/NA
|{{Ratings|Mercs}}
|-
|[[Monster World IV]]
|2012
|JP/NA/EU
|{{Ratings|Monster World IV}}
|- id="P"
|[[Pepenga Pengo]]
|2009
|JP
|{{Ratings|Pepenga Pengo}}
|-
|[[Party Quiz Mega Q]]
|2009
|JP
|{{Ratings|Party Quiz Mega Q}}
|-
|[[Phantasy Star II]]
|2008
|JP/NA/EU
|{{Ratings|Phantasy Star II}}
|-
|[[Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom]] aka [[Toki no Keishousha: Phantasy Star III]]
|2008
|JP/NA/EU
|{{Ratings|Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom}}
|-
|[[Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium]] aka [[Phantasy Star: Sennenki no Owari ni]]
|2008
|JP/NA/EU
|{{Ratings|Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium}}
|-
|[[Phelios (Genesis)|Phelios]]
|2008
|JP
|{{Ratings|Phelios (Genesis)}}
|-
|[[Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure]]
|2009
|JP/NA/EU
|{{Ratings|Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure}}
|-
|[[Powerball]] aka [[Wrestleball]]
|2008
|JP/NA
|{{Ratings|Powerball}}
|-
|[[Pulseman]]
|2009
|JP/NA/EU
|{{Ratings|Pulseman}}
|-
|[[Puyo Puyo (Genesis)|Puyo Puyo]]
|2006
|JP
|{{Ratings|Puyo Puyo (Genesis)}}
|-
|[[Puyo Puyo 2]] aka [[Puyo Puyo Tsū]]
|2007
|JP/NA/EU
|{{Ratings|Puyo Puyo 2}}
|-
|[[Puzzle & Action: Ichidant-R]]
|2007
|JP
|{{Ratings|Puzzle & Action: Ichidant-R}}
|-
|[[Puzzle & Action: Tanto-R]]
|2007
|JP
|{{Ratings|Puzzle & Action: Tanto-R}}
|-id="R"
|[[Rent-A-Hero]]
|2006
|JP
|{{Ratings|Rent-A-Hero}}
|-
|[[The Revenge of Shinobi|Revenge of Shinobi, The]] aka [[The Super Shinobi]]
|2009
|JP/NA
|{{Ratings|The Revenge of Shinobi}}
|-
|[[Ristar]] aka [[Ristar the Shooting Star]]
|2006
|JP/NA/EU
|{{Ratings|Ristar}}
|-
|[[Rolling Thunder 2 (Genesis)|Rolling Thunder 2]]
|2007
|JP/NA/EU
|{{Ratings|Rolling Thunder 2 (Genesis)|}}
|- id="S"
|[[Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi]]
|2006
|JP/NA/EU
|{{Ratings|Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi}}
|-
|[[Shanghai II: Dragon's Eye]]
|2010
|NA/EU
|{{Ratings|Shanghai II: Dragon's Eye}}
|-
|[[Shining Force]] aka [[Shining Force: Kamigami no Isan]]
|2007
|JP/NA/EU
|{{Ratings|Shining Force}}
|-
|[[Shining Force II: Ancient Sealing]] aka [[Shining Force II: Inishie no Fūin]]
|2008
|JP/NA/EU
|{{Ratings|Shining Force II: Ancient Sealing}}
|-
||[[Shining in the Darkness]] aka [[Shining and the Darkness]]
|2007
|JP/NA/EU
|{{Ratings|Shining in the Darkness}}
|-
|[[Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master]] aka [[The Super Shinobi II]]
|2007
|JP/NA/EU
|{{Ratings|Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master}}
|-
|[[Sonic & Knuckles]]
|2009
|JP/NA/EU
|{{Ratings|Sonic & Knuckles}}
|-
|[[Sonic 3D Blast]] aka [[Sonic 3D: Flickies' Island]]
|2007
|JP/NA/EU
|{{Ratings|Sonic 3D Blast}}
|-
|[[Sonic the Hedgehog (Genesis)|Sonic the Hedgehog]]
|2006
|JP/NA/EU
|{{Ratings|Sonic the Hedgehog (Genesis)}}
|-
|[[Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Genesis)|Sonic the Hedgehog 2]]
|2007
|JP/NA/EU
|{{Ratings|Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Genesis)}}
|-
|[[Sonic the Hedgehog 3]]
|2007
|JP/NA/EU
|{{Ratings|Sonic the Hedgehog 3}}
|-
|[[Sonic Spinball]]
|2007
|JP/NA/EU
|{{Ratings|Sonic Spinball}}
|-
|[[Sorcerian]]
|2008
|JP
|{{Ratings|Sorcerian}}
|-
|[[Space Harrier II]]
|2006
|JP/NA/EU
|{{Ratings|Space Harrier II}}
|-
|[[Splatterhouse 2]]
|2008
|JP/NA/EU
|{{Ratings|Splatterhouse 2}}
|-
|[[Street Fighter II': Special Champion Edition]] aka [[Street Fighter II Dash Plus: Champion Edition]]
|2008
|JP/NA/EU
|{{Ratings|Street Fighter II': Special Champion Edition}}
|-
|[[Streets of Rage]] aka [[Bare Knuckle: Ikari no Tekken]]
|2007
|JP/NA/EU
|{{Ratings|Streets of Rage}}
|-
|[[Streets of Rage 2]] aka [[Bare Knuckle II: Shitou he no Chinkon Uta]]
|2007
|JP/NA/EU
|{{Ratings|Streets of Rage 2}}
|-
|[[Streets of Rage 3]] aka [[Bare Knuckle III: Tekken Seiten]]
|2007
|JP/NA/EU
|{{Ratings|Streets of Rage 3}}
|-
|[[Strider]] aka [[Strider Hiryū]]
|2011
|JP/NA/EU
|{{Ratings|Strider}}
|-
|[[Super Fantasy Zone]]
|2008
|NA/EU
|{{Ratings|Super Fantasy Zone}}
|-
|[[Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers (Genesis)|Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers]]
|2012
|JP/NA/EU
|{{Ratings|Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers (Genesis)}}
|-
|[[Super Thunder Blade]]
|2007
|JP/NA/EU
|{{Ratings|Super Thunder Blade}}
|-
|[[Sword of Vermilion]] aka [[Vermilion]]
|2007
|JP/NA/EU
|{{Ratings|Sword of Vermilion}}
|- id="T"
|[[ToeJam & Earl]]
|2006
|JP/NA/EU
|{{Ratings|ToeJam & Earl}}
|-
|[[ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron]]
|2007
|NA/EU
|{{Ratings|ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron}}
|- id="V"
|[[Vectorman]]
|2007
|JP/NA/EU
|{{Ratings|Vectorman}}
|-
|[[Virtua Fighter 2]]
|2007
|JP/NA/EU
|{{Ratings|Virtua Fighter 2}}
|- id="W"
|[[Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair]]
|2009
|JP/NA/EU
|{{Ratings|Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair}}
|-
|[[Wonder Boy in Monster World]] aka [[Wonder Boy V: Monster World III]]
|2007
|JP/NA/EU
|{{Ratings|Wonder Boy in Monster World}}
|-
|}
{{Compact ToC|top=yes|num=no|n=|o=|q=|u=|x=|y=|z=}}

== See also ==
*[[GameCube]]
*[[Wii]]
*[[WiiWare]]
*[[Wii Channels]]
*[[Virtual Console]]

[[Category:Platforms]]