Why did you pick the Genesis/Mega Drive?

[RowdyRodimus]

I was thinking about the "Great War" (yes, I have my shares of scars. Hell, an errant Madden '94 cart took my shins dammit!) and wanted to know why people picked the side they did if they took a side at all.

I never picked a side myself. I had both the SNES and the Genesis. I did get the SNES first, but within two months of getting it I had a Genesis also. The reason I got a Genesis? One of the worst games on it-

Super WrestleMania. I was pissed that the SNES version didn't have finishers and the Genesis version did. So I picked it up and even though it sucked balls, at the time, it was awesome. Then I noticed that there was a Spider-man game that looked like it had McFarlane like graphics compared to the NES stuff I had played.

So what was the reason you first wanted a Genesis/Mega Drive?

[MrMatthews]

For me, I know Sonic was a HUGE factor in why I went with the Genesis. I also want to say that Castle of Illusion played a major role, but I can't remember whether I had the Genesis already when I first saw screenshots of the game.

I don't remember ever thinking that the SNES was "uncool.". I played Super Mario World at my friend's house every chance I got and lusted after Batman Returns and Super Star Wars like you wouldn't believe.

I never regretted my decision, though. I only wish I could go back in time and buy/rent more games than I did. I didn't realize how many titles I missed out on until I came here.

[Rusty Venture]

Mainly because my NES was getting old and support was dying off, but also because I saw pics of this awesome Sega game (which I later found out was Sonic 2) and I knew I wanted that.

[Christuserloeser]

I played Asterix, Sonic and Alex Kidd on a friend's SMS, so at first I wanted an SMS. Then after having bought some magazines I read reviews on Quackshot and Castle of Illusion, so I really wanted a Mega Drive - although I was really dissapointed that there was no Asterix by Sega, like on the Master System.

Also, one of the magazines had a list of the games sorted by the ratings they've received and there was at least one Sega game that was listed with a rating almost as high as Super Mario Bros. 3 (which I already had played on another friend's NES): That game was Revenge of Shinobi.

[Phantar]

I didn't choose it, it rather chose me! A friend of my elder sister started a game console import business from his parents' garage when I was nine, and offered my parents a special discount (he was dating my sister, after all). So my parents figured it to be a great opportunity for christmas.

Somehow I stuck with it. I was already a Mega Drive-fan before the SNES (or even Sonic) came along, so I didn't see any reason to switch sides.

[gamegenie]

Sega Game Gear, I had one before I owned a Genesis and I had some fun games on the Game Gear.

Batman Returns, Home Alone, Sonic, Mortal Kombat.

I came familiar with Sega through this and since I already owned an NES, it was time for me to try the other side.

[jetlag]

I could choose between the snes and genny. And all I wanted was ...to play sonic.
And all of my 'tarded friends had nintendo. Mario didn't interest me at all (douchebag). So I went with sega.

Damn I'm smart.

[djtwok]

At first i owned a gamegear with sonic, shinobi and streets of rage. A friend of mine sold his md1 with sonic 1, revenge of shinobi and streets of rage. After listening to sor and playing shinobi i bought my first md.

[Devil N]

Good question. I don't think I ever consciously 'chose' for the Mega Drive as such. A friend of mine had one, and it was clearly an awesome machine. That was enough for me to want one. As for the SNES... somehow it never really interested me. I knew a few people with a SNES, played on it a couple of times too, but for some reason Nintendo has never really gotten to me. The Mega Drive was the only 16-bit machine I ever wanted.

[Mr Smith]

I didn't choose it, it rather chose me!
Phantar, that's poetic!

The Mega Drive was cooler than the SNES where I was growing up. On the playground we would all recite the Sonic 1 level select code as if saying it meant you belonged to some secret cult of awesome. My gaming experience was limited as a child, but after playing Sonic the Hedgehog at a friends house there was no going back. I had played a few old DOS games, but nothing prepared me for the platform awesomeness of the original Sonic.
It was love. I was a Mega Drive child. :love:

[genesisguy]

I had NES up until Christmas of '92 when I got my Genesis. The first game I played on the Genesis at a friends house sometime in early '92 was Sonic and from that point on I wanted one. I never really wanted a SNES until later one with Donkey Kong Country, but I didn't get one till years later when Funcoland was blowing them out. But at grade school all the cool kids had the Genesis and the SNES was always the weirder nerds.

[BrYaN]

Simple...
I saw Sonic and Super Mario World side by side in display in a video game store, and Sonic blew me away!

Super Mario World was good, but seemed like more of the same as Mario 3 with better graphics, while Sonic was impressive, fast, and different from everything I saw at that point!

[Joe Redifer]

Because I loved Sega arcade games and already had the Master System, so getting a Genesis on day 1 was a no-brainer for me. I picked up the SNES on day 90 or so and the TurboGrafx-16 maybe on day 500.

[KenshiroX]

I wanted a retro system. I found a guy who wanted to sell his. Bought it from him. Best decision ever.

[stalepie]

I think it was the larger library of games, and the appeal of Sonic, SpiderMan and Streets of Rage (the three games I got with it for my birthday that year). It was 1990, I think right before the SNES came out that Christmas. I was more torn between the TurboGrafx and the Genesis than the Genesis and the SNES, and I recall comparing screenshots of Riot Zone and Streets of Rage. The commercials said you could do 40 moves per character in SoR, which got me psyched, and I remember the old granny Sonic 1 commercials too -- "blast processing". So there was just something about it that seemed cooler than both TurboGrafx and SNES.

I do remember playing Final Fight that Christmas when it was display at the mall and thinking the graphics were really good and kind of wishing the characters in SoR were that large. (or was that the Christmas after? 1991? sorry, hazy memories). F-Zero and Pilot Wings really impressed me. I was always surprised Mode 7 wasn't utilized more in SNES games.

I think also I was just tired of Nintendo at the point. I had had an NES since I was 6 or 7, and was tired of playing games like Super Mario 3, as good as they were. Sega seemed less kiddie.

[Scooter]

Sonic and because Nintendo is for little boys who wear skirts.

[Aarzak]

I had been playing the Genesis at a family friend's house since as far back as 1991-1992, when I was 4-5 years old. I recall playing some early games such as "Altered Beast", "Tommy Lasorda Baseball" and "Ghouls N' Ghosts" as well as then-new titles such as the first two Sonics and Streets of Rages, so by the time I got one of my own in late 1995 I had racked up a number of hours with the Genny and desparately wanted one. And then, on that fateful day when my father bought me a dusty, used post-TMSS Model 1 with a used, NFR copy of Sonic 1, my life would never be the same again. Between 1995-2002, I owned and sold 6 different Genesis (2 post-TMSS Model 1's, 3 Model 2's, 1 Model 3), up to 40-50 different titles at different times, and the game that I bought the most copies of was without a shadow of doubt "Ghouls 'N Ghosts", which I re-bought 4 times:

- 1st copy was a loose, used copy. Was reminded of my very early days playing the Genny and this game via an sidebar EGM ran in their 8th Anniversary issue (May 1996, #82) called "The Hot Games of '89", which listed "Ghouls 'N Ghosts" (Genesis), "Mega Man 2" (NES), "Batman" (NES) and "Legendary Axe" (TG-16). This piqued my interest and I wanted the game ASAP, so my pops got it for me. Fell in love with the game through this copy, though one day I got so frustrated at losing that I accidentally threw it out my second-floor bedroom window. I went down to get it, but some fucker most likely stole it then and there. I cried hysterically.

- 2nd copy was a loose, DEAD copy I got at a flea market. I threw it away due to it not working.

- 3rd copy was a CIB copy, fell in love with the game again, got frustrated AGAIN to a point that I took the game, put it in its box, and threw it in a trash can (from where my cousins took it out of). I disavowed my loyalty and faithfulness to everything Sega Genesis then and there, and sold off my entire Genny collection up to that point at a flea market, getting myself a SNES (which I had hated up to that point) and some games in the process. This was in the summer of 1997, and is a TRUE STORY.

- 4th copy was also a CIB copy. I was interested in the game again after reading EGM's last piece on the Sega Genesis in their "1999 Video Game Buyer's Guide", in which they listed G&G as their 5th Favorite Genesis Game. Bought a CIB copy for $9 at some store, and kept it around for quite a while before I actually bought a Genesis to play it with! I owned this copy for the longest, approximately 5-6 years, before I sold off all of my cart systems and games (NES, Genesis, Game Gear, SNES, Game Boy Advance, about 80 or so games inbetween all of them) in January 2006, for $230. I still kinda regret it.........I had a copy of Mega Man X3 goddammit!

[17daysolderthannes]

simple: everyone I knew told me the SNES was better. Any time it would come up, people would say stuff like "SNES has better graphics and sound" and when you're like 6 (born in 85) that's all you needed to hear to pick a side. All of my friends had the SNES and they also happened to have many of its best games, putting the SNES in a very good light (Super Scope was so awesome, I wish I had one back then). The only people I saw on a regular basis with a Genesis were my cousins, and even they said they wanted an SNES more, but they got the Genesis because it was cheaper (Christmas present? I can't remember). Most of my cousin's Genesis collection consisted of shitty ports or just plain bad games because they based their buying decisions solely on box art and title. The only GOOD games they had were Sonic 2 and Streets of Rage 2, which I played the ever loving shit out of. It wasn't until emulators got big and I started hearing about more and more good Genesis games that I came to realize how great it really was. Now, I hardly every play my SNES, I almost always play the Genesis (or Sega CD because its AWESOME). I think if I was 5-10 years older I would've been Sega all the way as I probably would've gone to arcades more and noticed that the Genesis had a bunch of near perfect arcade ports. GamePro reading also hurt my perception as Genesis games always looked worse in the pictures (fewer colors and smaller sprites will do that) and the graphics and sound always got a lower score, even though the fun factor was usually higher (but of course, being a dumbass, I ignored that score).

[RowdyRodimus]

I also failed to mention the fact that I was in awe of SEEING the seams of a pitch in Tommy Lasorda Baseball.

[tomaitheous]

From NES, I got a TG16 in '90, then to Genesis a couple months later. When SNES finally came around, I got one of those too. Then a Duo in '92. The SNES and the Duo were the only two systems that I actually got on release day. My friend had a TG16 (which is how we met) and a Genesis. After playing the Genesis at this house, I knew I needed to get one. 1990-91 held some of my best memories for the Genesis. By '92-93, almost everyone of my friends had both a snes and a genesis.

No, I'm not Canadian.

[johnnyb]

My parents bought me one for christmas which was my first gaming console (my friends up until then were the only cool ones), so straight away I formed that special bond which will never go away!:D

[WarmSignal]

When I was growing up we had both the SNES and Genesis. But since my brother was older, he dictated mostly what games we got, and for which system. So like 3/4ths of our 16-bit games were SNES, as he was and still is a Nintendo fan mostly. I liked both.

Years down the road, he's taken his SNES with him and left the Genesis to me. Which I already had interest in going back and checking out in more detail and collecting for.

I've always been all over the map though as I like Nintendo, Sega, Sony and even Microsoft (since the 360). Hell Atari too, because we've had some of those ancient clunkers around since I can remember, and I had my fun with them too.

[Chilly Willy]

Sonic 2... nuf said! :D

[Black_Tiger]

I loved the SMS and Sega's arcade games so I got a Genesis shortly after it was released. The TurboGrafx-16 later became my favorite console, but the Genesis has remained near the top for me to this day. I got a 32X when it launched and stuck by Sega with the Saturn and Dreamcast and have never had any regrets.

The classic Sega had a great variety of characters, themes and gameplay that set it apart from other developers/publishers back in the day. The only way to play their games was on their console.

[acdc]

played on a mastersystem at my friends house when i was seven or so playing alex the kidd rampage moonwalker operation wolf super monaco gp
and at a other freinds house i played nintendo 8 bit mario megaman
but for a reason i wanted the mastersytem
cause i saw a advertise for ghostbusters but i didn t now that it was the 16 bit version yeah i loved the ghostbusters back in the day (still does)
bhought the sytem for my next birthday but then i realised that the 16 bit games couldn t be played on the mastersytem but hell i bought it anyway cause the megadrive was to expensive
with the games included alex the kidd miracle world and moonwalker bought ghostbusters with it but i was dissapointed the 16 bit version yust looks great then the next year i bought asterix and i was happy and i still aim for that game games that followed ghouls and ghost miracle warriors sonic chaos dick tracey and there where other friends included where i can traded the other games with like cyborg hunter new zealand story double dragon shinobi global defense colums tom and jerry
those where the days

[Flygon]

I didn't choose parsay, I WAS born 1992.

Anyway, my perants have always been Sega loyal during the 90's (The reason I don't have a Saturn was because the budget was REALLY tight during '96, and they didn't bother with the Dreamcast because they KNEW it would die), having been suggested during the early 90's by relatives (Of whom own a lauch Mega Drive from '89, launch Sega CD and you guessed it, launch 32x ^.^). Anyway, it started with a Master System and it grew into a Mega Drive.

Hence, my Mega Driven history.

[Iron Lizard]

After going to the arcades my Nes looked so sad. I couldn't stand the crappy graphics and sounds anymore. So in 1990 I got a Genesis.

[TmEE]

Sonic was a big factor, along with other incredible action games no other system can offer :D

[sonictails]

I remember I was about 3 years of age. The Mega Drive was just released and my cousin bought it. I always played Micro Machines. Anyway owning a Mega Drive is kinda of a childhood dream of mine.

[NeoVamp]

Well for me it was not whether to get a Megadrive or a Snes, because the Snes did not even exist yet.

so it was either a Nes or a Megadrive, and since they pretty much marketed the shit out of how cool Sonic was,
combined with me playing Streets of Rage at the house of a classmate pretty much told me that i had to have a Megadrive.

I still remember riding to highschool on my bicycle and always stopping
for a minute or two just to gawk at the little TV that this toy store had in their window,
only because it show the repeating demo of Ghostbusters (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2prKZP5hRCk).

to me that was just so friggin' awesome since i had always been a Ghostbusters fan.

so i guess i bought my Megadrive around.. September 1991

though perhaps i already had it when i played SOR1.. i don't really remember.

anyhoo when the Snes was released i was kinda envious because of all the cool RPG's they had on there,
awesome games like like Secret of Mana and Lufia and Chrono Trigger etc etc.
but i just couldn't afford another console, so i stuck with my Megadrive
and just played the hell out of the Snes over at my friend's place.

perhaps its sad to say this, but those were truly the best days of my life.
I really lived for gaming back then, these days i just don't care anymore and hardly anything gets me excited.

[segagamer]

I loved the SMS and Sega's arcade games so I got a Genesis shortly after it was released. The TurboGrafx-16 later became my favorite console, but the Genesis has remained near the top for me to this day. I got a 32X when it launched and stuck by Sega with the Saturn and Dreamcast and have never had any regrets.

The classic Sega had a great variety of characters, themes and gameplay that set it apart from other developers/publishers back in the day. The only way to play their games was on their console.

I totally agree with you and got my Genesis during the USA launch in the fall. The TurboGrafx-16 also became a favorite later on, but I got the system free while working at Babbage's during the early 90's. I also got a 32X at launch, but only picked up the Sega CD once it retailed for under $200. My brother picked up the Saturn when it retailed for under $300 also (I later on picked up the JPN V-Saturn instead for $50), and I picked up the Dreamcast at USA launch on 9/9/99.

I had a NES back in the mid 80's until I saw the SMS, then I sold everything I had for the NES and used the money to buy my SMS and games. Then when the Genesis came out, I sold the SMS and bought the Power Base Converter, and kept most of the games.

[Sudo]

I didn't really choose, since I've always been a multi-console gamer. I bought the Genesis because it had great exclusive games, which is the same reason I bought the SNES.

[Melf]

I was debating between a Genesis and a TG-16, but seeing Rambo 3's boss battles sealed the deal for me. After playing Golden Axe and Revenge of Shinobi at a friends house (I had only Altered Beast and Worldwide Soccer), I borrowed Phantasy Star II from another guy. There was no going back after that.

[Mark Robert]

I'm a johnny-come-lately to the Genesis. During it's heyday, I didn't think much of gaming in general. I didn't really become a gaming addict until the N64 came out. Back then, I considered 2D games to be a temporary placeholder until 3D games became the norm. However, in 2001, after the novelty of 3D had long since worn off, I saw a demo of Metal Slug X playing on a Playstation at Gamestop. I was blown away by how beautiful and awesome 2D games could be. I thought if Metal Slug X was amazing, that had to be the tip of the iceberg. I then started looking into the other Metal Slug games and then the arcade circuit. I also took a liking to the beat 'em up genre. I searched on the internet for what people considered to be the very best beat 'em ups. There was a pretty strong opinion among many that the Streets of Rage series (especially part II) was considered to be the best beat 'em ups ever made...and for the Genesis of all systems! :o Years ago if you had told me I would seriously consider buying a Genesis in an age of next-gen consoles, I would have told you you're nuts!!! However, people raved so much about Streets of Rage 2, that I decided to take a chance and bought a model 2 genesis along with a boxed copy of SOR 2 off Ebay in 2006.
[INDENT]When I first tried SOR 2, I was taken aback about how primitive the game looked compared to modern systems. I didn't understand what all the fuss was about. I set it aside for about a month but then decided to give it one last shot. Having acclimated myself to Genesis graphics, this time I was deeply impressed with how deep the game was and how smoothly it played. Over time, I even grew to love the graphics and even to this day consider them to be beautiful. I then bought SOR 3 and again was intially very disappointed but then grew to love it as well. For about 2 years I only had those two games but then started searching youtube about other Genesis games. Lo and behold, I discovered that the Genesis was home to a whole host of awesome games; more than I could have possibly imagined. About 30+ acquired titles later, I find myself a hardcore Sega Genesis fan hungering after more and more titles. It took me a long while to finally "get it" about the Genesis and I could kick myself for not having the fever decades earlier when I could have easily afforded whatever I wanted (I inherited 10,000 dollars back in 1990). I could have enjoyed these classics for decades but it's better late than never I guess. :(

[Tears of Ash]

The games have a certain charm you can't find on any other system. Same deal with the music. I know it sounds lame, lol.

[philiptwood]

I started out cutting grass to get a Game Gear on layaway back when it was popular. I I found that after playing Sonic on it the batteries ran out to quick. I took the Game Gear back and traded it in for a Sega Genesis for about the same price, which at the time was around $99. I didn't cut all of those yards just to have the batteries run out on me so quickly I was glad I traded it in back in 93 or 94. Good memories. :)

[Tanegashima]

My dad chose it for me, I got (rather my brother and I got) a Genesis for Xmas 1989...when I was 3 and my brother was 9...I never looked back after that.

[Baloo]

I started out cutting grass to get a Game Gear on layaway back when it was popular. I I found that after playing Sonic on it the batteries ran out to quick. I took the Game Gear back and traded it in for a Sega Genesis for about the same price, which at the time was around $99. I didn't cut all of those yards just to have the batteries run out on me so quickly I was glad I traded it in back in 93 or 94. Good memories. :)

It was interesting how expensive Game Gear was when it was first released at $200 when Genesis was a mere $135 in comparison.

Kind of dumb if you ask me. Do you now have a Game Gear or no? They're still rather decent handheld systems if you get past the battery life.

[Tanegashima]

A few schoolmates had Game Gears...bastards...my parents refused to ever let us get one. "You already have a Sega..." they'd say....

BUT THIS WAS DIFFERENT!!! DAMN YOU!!!

[philiptwood]

It was interesting how expensive Game Gear was when it was first released at $200 when Genesis was a mere $135 in comparison.

Kind of dumb if you ask me. Do you now have a Game Gear or no? They're still rather decent handheld systems if you get past the battery life.

I lost the original but I've found 2 Game Gears at a local flea market. I remember at that time Sega had a special where if you purchased a Genesis, they'll send you a free copy of "Sonic 2," all you have to do is send them a copy of your receipt and they'll mail it to you. That had a lot to do with my decision to get a Genesis, sure enough they sent me a copy of Sonic 2 for free... I literally traded my Game Gear for a much better system with 2 free games "Sonic 1 and 2." It was then I learned cutting grass for prophit really do pay off. I couldn't beat that deal with stick. :rofl:

[gamegenie]

It was interesting how expensive Game Gear was when it was first released at $200 when Genesis was a mere $135 in comparison.

Kind of dumb if you ask me. Do you now have a Game Gear or no? They're still rather decent handheld systems if you get past the battery life.
The launch price of Game Gear was $150 in 1991, that's about the same the Genesis was being sold.

It was well worth the money for that type of technology. I love my Game Gear, best handheld Sega made.

[Baloo]

Game gear is a rather good console, I like it as well.

[Segs]

The Megadrive was my first ever console growing up, I got Junglebook and Aladdin packaged with it and loved every bit of it, alot of my mates had one aswell it outweighed the SNES in terms of popularity where i was growing up as a kid.

Later on my Parents swapped over my Megadrive for the Playstation, didn't really enjoy it at the start since there was alot of crap games ( Hey i was 7 how would I know better? ) until i stumbled across Crash and Tekken 2 then just completley forgot about the Megadrive.

[RowdyRodimus]

It was interesting how expensive Game Gear was when it was first released at $200 when Genesis was a mere $135 in comparison.

Kind of dumb if you ask me. Do you now have a Game Gear or no? They're still rather decent handheld systems if you get past the battery life.

I keep a Game Gear plugged up with an AC pack near my bed so those nights I can't sleep I just pick it up and play until I can go back to sleep. It's not really helping me though since the reason I can't sleep a lot of times is my carpal tunnel that needs surgery lol.

[Ace]

I initially picked the MegaDrive for repairs, but after I played Sonic 2 and Thunder Force IV, it quickly switched over to getting all Sonic games on the system and all of its Shoot-em-ups, whether 2D side-scrolling or overhead or rail shooters like After Burner II.

[Baloo]

I initially picked the MegaDrive for repairs, but after I played Sonic 2 and Thunder Force IV, it quickly switched over to getting all Sonic games on the system and all of its Shoot-em-ups, whether 2D side-scrolling or overhead or rail shooters like After Burner II.

For repairs? Were you trying to fix something?

[Ace]

I initially got 3 MegaDrives that had issues, all Model 1s:

-1 wouldn't recognize inputs from Right D-Pad, A and B
-1 wouldn't boot after the TMSS screen
-1 would turn on, but not display anything, no video, no audio

I was unable to fix 2 of those. The one that wouldn't recognize inputs just wouldn't want to work right(and it had a VA7 motherboard, so it was one of the bad ones), same with the one that crashed after the TMSS screen disappeared(the RF unit was also dead). The one that had no video and audio actually did that because the power supply that was used to test it was too weak(under 1.2 amps). The RF unit doesn't work all that well, and controller port 1 had a bent pin. I didn't replace the RF unit, but I bent back the controller port. That was actually the very first non-TMSS MegaDrive I owned.

[E-Man]

I picked the Genesis cause it had freakin' SONIC THE HEDGEHOG. I was a Sonic fan from '94-'95.

[Antony]

It was a case "your friends have Sega? You get Sega"

[Ecco]

I remember being stoked about Sonic the Hedgehog before the game even came out. I read the video game magazines and one of them had an ad for Sonic 1 that took up 6 or 8 pages! The ad showed Sonic running off the right side of the page, and the text said things like, "Quick! Turn the page!" and "You have to be faster than that!" This was a cool gimmick, as if the reader were trying to catch Sonic as he ran through the pages! I knew Sonic was groundbreaking and exciting.

Then there were the TV commercials showing quick shots of Sonic 2's Special Stages and the loops of the Chemical Plant Zone, while the announcer bragged about Blast Processing... They blew me away!

When I went to buy a Genesis, I got derailed and bought a Game Gear -- I mistakenly thought the Game Gear was basically a portable Genesis. (The Game Gear box showed a screen shot of Sonic 1 from the Genesis! How sneaky!) I enjoyed the Game Gear but realized quickly it was not what I was really after. I returned it soon and exchanged it for a Genesis (model 1) -- exact same price! I took it home with Sonic 1, mailed away for my free copy of Sonic 2, and soon I got the Blast Processing that I craved!

[RowdyRodimus]

I remember being stoked about Sonic the Hedgehog before the game even came out. I read the video game magazines and one of them had an ad for Sonic 1 that took up 6 or 8 pages! The ad showed Sonic running off the right side of the page, and the text said things like, "Quick! Turn the page!" and "You have to be faster than that!" This was a cool gimmick, as if the reader were trying to catch Sonic as he ran through the pages! I knew Sonic was groundbreaking and exciting.

Then there were the TV commercials showing quick shots of the Special Stages and the loops of the Chemical Plant Zone, while the announcer bragged about Blast Processing... They blew me away!

When I went to buy a Genesis, I got derailed and bought a Game Gear -- I mistakenly thought the Game Gear was basically a portable Genesis. (The Game Gear box showed a screen shot of Sonic 1 from the Genesis! How sneaky!) I enjoyed the Game Gear but realized quickly it was not what I was really after. I returned it soon and exchanged it for a Genesis (model 1) -- exact same price! I took it home with Sonic 1, mailed away for my free copy of Sonic 2, and soon I got the Blast Processing that I craved!

Did you ever catch Sonic?

[Ecco]

On the last pages, Sonic stood in the middle in a classic pose, smirking. "Who's the wise guy who hit pause?"

[Smii]

On the last pages, Sonic stood in the middle in a classic pose, smirking. "Who's the wise guy who hit pause?"

Clever... :) I don't remember seeing any advertising for Sonics (bar reviews in games magazines - I recall many complaints that Sonic 2 was too easy) until Sonic & Knuckles - they showed them both climbing across those things in Flying Battery Zone, & kept switching from Sonic to Knuckles & back. I remember thinking how annoying the game would be if you really had to deal with 2 characters at once. I hadn't played Chaotix then...

As for "why Mega Drive" - I grew up with both MD and SNES (and MS, and GG...) but in general the games on the MD just always appealed to me more, and I had more of them. When I got into "retro" collecting a few years back, I think it was just a case of there being more & better MD games available than anything else. They're a lot of fun, and look pretty - what more do you need? :p

[GelmiR]

Saw it at a friend, played Sonic and Taz-Mania. Good stuff :)

[Hidden_Darkness]

the reason why I wanted a sega genesis was for sonic back in 1991, I got the sonic system set for christmas and thats what started my sega obsession. I really was not all that interested in snes for most of the 90s, I didn't actually get one until about late 95 early 96 but I didn't enjoy it as much as my sega genesis.

[KillerBean2]

Back in the early nineties all of the cool danish kids owned a Mega Drive. The Sega magazines were filled with cool phrases like: "Word Up!" (lol). Everything about the Mega Drive was just cool... and still is. That's why I collect Mega Drive :)

[Samamo]

My brother bought himself a mega drive when I was 6/7 so 1996. I'm not sure why he got it I don't even remember if I knew about video games or the choices before that day :P The "War" wasn't really felt here the only other person I knew who had a game console was my cousin (I was mostly friends with other girls so they wouldn't really be interested in that) he had a SNES but we didn't actually play it much but he had good games (Kirby, Donkey Kong). I do want a SNES these days though but collecting for it is sooo expensive.

[nathanallan]

So what was the reason you first wanted a Genesis/Mega Drive?
I never had a choice back in the day. We had the 2600 until I went and joined the army. Then I was able to really start getting systems (my friends all had different systems back then).

I choose Genesis now because it has a huge amount of potential. Programming is just now becoming a real artform for it (Beggar Prince and upcoming Pier Solar) and the same goes for hardware.

The 68K has evolved and the Genesis is a great platform for a wrapped up dev unit all in one thing. It's ready to go. The same goes for the Z80, it has also evolved over time and with both processors the possibilities are huge as far as config and programming, both hard- and software sided.

It has the brightest future of any game system out there as far as future development.

[jesus.arnold]

I didn't choose the Mega Drive as my brother was the one who bought our Mega Drive (I say "our" because we shared a room in chose days so I could pretty much use it whenever I wanted though it was really his alone :) )

My brother follows the crowd so he was only ever going to get either an Amiga or a Mega Drive (SNES was off the radar and "uncool" for most people in the UK) he'd just started a new job and had stacks of money so he probably felt like treating himself and to be honest i think we wanted a change away from home computers and load times by that stage as he owned a Spectrum and I owned a Commodore 64.

[sketch]

The Mega Drive chose me:)

Basically it was Sonic. That first caught my eye. After the PSX came out and Genesis stuff became dirt cheap, I picked it up and started collecting games for it.

Another factor was money. At that time, SNES stuff still went for a lot. Genesis became cheap right away. Seems like these days both games (commons) are relatively inexpensive, but it took a long time for SNES games to come down in my recollection.

[kool kitty89]

Seems like these days both games (commons) are relatively inexpensive, but it took a long time for SNES games to come down in my recollection.

Probably due to the SNES being supported abit longer and particularly with the late release of the N64, meaning it was Nintendo's main console into 1996. (and there were still first party games being released a fair bit afterward, particularly in Japan, they didn't even release the SNES 2 until late '97)

[Priskixeskzew]

*THWACK*

[Chris]

I guess it was around 1987 when I really started to like the Sega Master System. I had a friend who had one and two friends who had the NES. The only game system I owned was Vectrex and by the time I was ready to go buy a SMS it was 1989 and the Genesis and Turbo Grafx 16 were soon to be available. I had completely made up my mind That I was going to go with the SMS then I decided on the Turbo, then the Genesis then the Turbo then the Genesis and so on.
The reasons I went with the Genesis are:
Backward compatability with the Master System
I'd always been a fan of Sega acade games
Genesis games looked better than Turbo games
More recognisable games than Turbo
Cheaper games than Turbo [Turbo games were selling for $90 vs $60 for Genesis]
Turbo only had one controller port
I liked the look of the system over the other two although the Turbo looked pretty cool in 1989
I didn't think it made sense to go with the SMS since it was Sega's older system even though I would have saved some money

Looking back I absolutely made the right choice, and back then I had no idea how well the system would do compared to the Turbo [which I also have now]

I bought my Genesis on December 27th 1989 for $288.00 with Altered Beast from Compucenter in MetroTown mall. On the same day I also picked up Thunder Force II and Super Thunder Blade.

The system still works and I've never had a problem with it.

[kool kitty89]

$288 Canadian?

[Black_Tiger]

[QUOTE=Chris;144677]
Cheaper games than Turbo [Turbo games were selling for $90 vs $60 for QUOTE]

That's really weird, Turbo games were the same price or cheaper everywhere that I saw them in BC, I'd think that if anything the Vancouver area should've been cheapest of all. I'm guessing that this was when the games were first released and weren't readily available.

[Chris]

Yes, $288.00 Canadian, and I definately remember Turbo Grafx 16 games being more expensive, but I don't think the Turbo was available at as many places. I can remember games going for $89.99 and some might have been 79.99. The only places I can remember that were selling the Turbo Grafx 16 were CompuCenter in MetroTown and Lougheed Mall, Wolco [now Wal-Mart] in Lougheed Mall and Radio Shack locations.
Sega Genesis games were available at many more stores and most games were $59.99 and some were $69.99. and some of the more expensive places sold them for $79.99
My favorite place to pick them up was at Save on Foods in MetroTown, where I got most for $59.99
I also picked up Truxton in a mall in California in the Spring of 1990 while on vacation there.
This all goes back 20 years so it's hard to remember every detail, but I'm pretty sure these were the prices.
I also got Target Earth at Save on Foods for $39.99. The low price should have been a red flag.

[Mel]

I never chose a side when it mattered because I was poor and most of my friends had either one or the other.

Around '99 I chose the snes, and almost immediately regreted it. I since now have only a genny and honestly i find even street fighter 2 to be more entertaining on it. I think I made the choice around the time sega-16 launched, '03?

[Jared]

I purchased a Genesis because alot of my friends had a SNES but no one had a Genesis. I just wanted to be different.

[kool kitty89]

I purchased a Genesis because alot of my friends had a SNES but no one had a Genesis. I just wanted to be different.

Plus it's nice to have a group of freinds with different stuff to share, you get to experience stuff you otherwise wouldn't. Did they end up appreciating you having it?

[Phexar]

I already had a Master System II, so going with the Mega Drive (II) was a natural thing for me. My first game for it was World of Illusion, which I enjoyed greatly... the graphics and sound really showed off the Mega Drive for me well at that age, I think.

[rcgamer]

I already had a Master System and loved it so getting a Genesis was a no brainer for me.

[Tears of Ash]

It's not a choice, it's just something that you're born with.

[Baloo]

Didn't choose, my brother got one for Christmas before I was born.

[girlracer]

well i have a 5 year older brother and he had the nintendo stuff. plus i fell in love with sonic.

[Da_Shocker]

My cousin got me into the Sega scene back in 91 or so. Up until that point we was all on the NES. Which is crazy cuz his older brother actually had a Master System and that did spark sum curiosity but he ended up getting in trouble and I think it got sold. Fast foward to 91 and my cuzin and everybody round the block had gotten a Genesis and it was great. My cousin beat it in my head that Genesis>NES, Genesis>SNES and i've been that way since. He ended up stop playing videogames but he is why I am a Sega fanatic to this day.

[nissling]

My sister, who is two years older then me, got a Mega Drive before I was born. When I was two or three years old (sometime between 1996 and 1997) I started to play some Sonic The Hedgehog and Super Monaco GP 2. But I also destroyed the controller for some reason and later the unit was broken so we throwed it in the garbage.

In 2003 i borrowed a Super Nintendo from a friend with some games. But later, it became mine since he didn't need it anymore. I thought that the Super Nintendo had the best games ever and that it was the best 16 bit-console ever and at that time, I didn't even remember the name "Mega Drive".

In 2007, I started to think about the older games that I played when I was young and I wanted to get nostalgic. So I bought a Mega Drive with some games and hoped that this would be a trip for me to the 90s, but no. I didn't get nostalgic at all. The picture was blurry, the controllers were aweful and i barely worked with my Tv. But I also realized how many good games the Mega Drive had to offer. So later, I bought a RGB-cable which gave me better picture and also some 6-button controllers which I think is better then the 3-button controllers. Also, I had some bad ps1-games that I gave to friend and he gave me a region-modded Mega Drive 1 so now I can play any game that I want.

Now, all that I cares about is Mega Drive, Saturn and Dreamcast. I got tired at Nintendo for over a half year ago, but I still have some Nintendo games just becuse it's a bit cult.

[RyanJTX326]

I had a gotten a Saturn growing up when I was around 3 in 1996 but then my cousin gave me his Genesis. Loved it ever since.

[QuickSciFi]

I was 14 at the time, 1994, about to turn 15. For nurturing reasons I do not care to divulge in detail, it was to be my first console.

I've loved video games since I care to remember, but never had an opportunity to own my own console until then. I remember playing Atari's Popeye in an arcade machine (guess what country). I fell in love with it, with video games in general. Then at age 14 I played my first console game: Duck Hunt/Mario for the NES. My cousin, who owned it, was a tease and would not let me play it on my own--I had to wait until he wanted to play; and, even then, all I got was the "leftover" gameplay, if you know what I mean. I am not certain this added to my Nintendo aversion (now subsiding at last), but I certainly acquired one early on.

Then, the month before my 15th birthday, in another cousin's house, I played the gameboy (original gameboy, that is)--black and white, graphics were shite. But it was a handheld, and the idea of holding screen, console and game in one pocket certainly appealed to me (We were so poor we didn't even own a TV).

Then there was another cousin (a third one), who owned a SNES: the graphics were awesome, the games...not so much. Surprisingly enough, Power Rangers on the SNES was about the only game, I felt, had quick-responsive, fair game-play. Every other game I played felt stocky and childish (including Power Rangers, for the latter statement).

But there was another: the SEGA Genesis (Model 2, at the time). Two other cousins of mine (a fourth and a fifth, now) owned one. Two games enticed my decision: Mortal Kombat II and Sonic the Hedgehog 2.

To make a story short, I turned 15 and got my first allowance--EVER. Luckily for me, it all came in the form of MONEY. I went to the mall then, stood in front of a window, behind which lay a Gameboy ($80.00, reduced price) and a Sega Genesis ($119.00, reduced price). Even then, I gave some thought to the matter: "The Gameboy is a handheld and it is cheaper, the Genesis is more expensive, but comes with Sonic the Hedgehog 2...and it's ABOUT ONE HUNDRED TIMES BETTER," The last of which came out in loud form.
"What's one hudred times better?" my father inquired.
"The Sega Genesis," said I.
A pause...
My father returned: "You'll have your own TV, I promise."
To which I replied: "I only have $115."
"I'll pay for the rest and taxes," he said.
"What are taxes?" I ventured...

...AND I LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER!

[Cornugon]

I always loved gaming, my father had both a Commodore 64 AND a ZX Spectrum. Also at my primary school they had a Philips MSX2 with a few games besides the educational software, like Kingsvalley and Arctic Adventure. (Strangely enough MSX was fairly strongly supported here in the Netherlands)
When I got my weekly allowances (which wasn't a lot compared to other kids of my age, but my parents didn't have a lot of money back then so it was understandable, although frustrating at that time ofcourse) I sometimes went to a local toystore and saw an awesome and interesting videogame starring a small blue dude with a spikey haircut, of whom I was later told it was supposed to be a hedgehog. The shopworkers never allowed me to play that game because they only let you when you're wanting to actually buy a game (which I thought was unfair).
Later my unle who still lived at my grandparents' house back then came to visit (with my grandparents) and told he had traded his Atari Lynx for Sega Megadrive uncluding Sonic. After that I frequently slept over at my grandparents just to play all the games this uncle had. A while later he sold all the fun games and only had some lousy sports games (which aren't really my type of games), so the fun factor went down.
Meanwhile the Super Nintendo got it's release and I played (in another shop where I actually COULD play on it) Super Mario World for a little. It was quite fun to play but I wasn't extremely impressed with it, since I also played Super Mario Bros 3 and SMW was more of an update to it than something completely new.
I have also played some other NES (since 80% of every household here had one, but nobody had an SMS that I knew) games but except SMB3, they weren't much fun.
Although the SNES was vastly popular in the Netherlands (until the Playstation's release anyway), I never got much play on it since miraculously only 1 person I knew had one.
I saw some Nintendo 64 games but simply wasn't impressed by it, not even by Mario 64, most games were so kiddie-like. I never really got much attention from Saturn stuff, seemed already dead here shortly after it's release.

Later-on, a few years after it's death I bought a Dreamcast just for fun and only a few weeks ago i FINALLY got myself in getting a Megadrive.

But all in all: why did I choose the Megadrive?
I got great memories playing it, later I got an Amiga which had quite a few similar (types of) games, and I never really played much SNES but wasn't impressed by both the NES and N64, so the choice is obvious.