Phantasy Star is a role-playing video game (RPG) developed by Sega and released for the Master System in 1987. One of the earliest Japanese RPGs for consoles, Phantasy Star tells the story of Alis on her journey to defeat the evil ruler of her star system, King Lassic, after her brother dies at his hands. She traverses between planets, gathering a party of fighters and collecting the items she needs to avenge her brother's death and return peace to the star system. The gameplay features traditional Japanese RPG elements including random encounters and experience points. All the characters have predefined personalities and abilities, a unique element compared to the customizable characters of other RPGs of the era.
Columns is a match-three puzzle video game released by Jay Geertsen in 1989. Designed for the Motorola 68000-based HP 9000 running HP-UX, it was ported to Mac and MS-DOS before being released commercially by Sega who ported it to arcades and then to several Sega consoles. The game was subsequently ported to other home computers, including the Atari ST.
In the history of video games, the fourth generation of video game consoles, more commonly referred to as the 16-bit era, began on October 30, 1987, with the Japanese release of NEC Home Electronics' PC Engine. Though NEC released the first console of this era, sales were mostly dominated by the rivalry between Sega and Nintendo across most markets: the Sega Mega Drive and the Super Nintendo. Cartridge-based handheld game consoles became prominent during this time, such as the Nintendo Game Boy, Atari Lynx, Sega Game Gear and TurboExpress.
Phantasy Star II is a science fantasy role-playing video game developed and published by Sega for the Sega Genesis. It was released in Japan in 1989, North America in 1990, and in Europe in 1990. It was later ported to a variety of different platforms. An updated remake, Phantasy Star Generation 2, was released for the PlayStation 2 in 2005 in Japan.
Shining Force is a 1992 turn-based tactical role-playing game for the Sega Genesis console. It is the second entry of the Shining series of video games, following Shining in the Darkness. While primarily a traditional fantasy-themed game, it contains some science fiction elements.
Shining in the Darkness, released as Shining and the Darkness in Japan, is a 1991 role-playing video game for the Mega Drive/Genesis video game console. It was the first in the Shining series.
Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium is a 1993 role-playing video game by Sega for the Sega Genesis. It was first released in Japan and later in Europe and North America in 1995. It is the fourth and final game in the original Phantasy Star series, concluding the story of the Algol Star System. Phantasy Star IV kept many of the gameplay elements of the previous game, including turn-based battles, overhead exploration, and magic spells. It received mixed reviews upon its release but has since been considered one of the greatest video games of all time.
Golden Axe is a 1989 hack and slash game developed and published by Sega for arcades, running on the Sega System 16B arcade hardware. Makoto Uchida was the lead designer of the game, and was also responsible for the creation of the previous year's Altered Beast. The game casts players as one of three warriors who must free the fantastical land of Yuria from the tyrannical rule of Death Adder, who wields the titular Golden Axe.
Landstalker: The Treasures of King Nole is an action role-playing that was developed by Climax Entertainment and released for the Sega Genesis in 1992 in Japan and 1993 elsewhere. Players take on the role of the treasure hunter Nigel as he navigates a three-dimensional world through an isometric viewpoint, solving puzzles and fighting enemies.
Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom is a role-playing video game developed and published by Sega. It was released for the Sega Genesis in Japan in April 1990 and worldwide the following year. It is the third game in the original Phantasy Star series, and is a distant sequel to the previous games. However, gameplay is similar to the previous games, with turn-based combat and random encounters. Players explore various overworld maps and dungeons in order to progress through the game. It was later re-released on the Virtual Console and on retro collections such as the Phantasy Star Collection, Sega Genesis Collection, and Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection.
Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse is a 1990 platform game developed and published by Sega and released for the Mega Drive/Genesis. An 8-bit version of the game was later released for the Master System and Game Gear. The game follows Mickey Mouse on a quest to save Minnie Mouse from the evil witch Mizrabel. It is the first game in Sega's Illusion video game series starring Mickey.
Phantasy Star is a series of console role-playing video games and other supplementary media created by Sega. The series debuted in 1987 on the Master System with Phantasy Star, and continues into the present with Phantasy Star Online 2 and other extensions of the Phantasy Star Online sub-series. Each of the games in the series features a science fantasy setting featuring a cross-genre combination of magic and technology.
The Sega Genesis, known as the Mega Drive outside North America, is a 16-bit fourth generation home video game console developed and sold by Sega. It was Sega's third console and the successor to the Master System. Sega released it in 1988 in Japan as the Mega Drive, and in 1989 in North America as the Genesis. In 1990, it was distributed as the Mega Drive by Virgin Mastertronic in Europe, Ozisoft in Australasia, and Tectoy in Brazil. In South Korea, it was distributed by Samsung Electronics as the Super Gam*Boy and later the Super Aladdin Boy.
Super Hydlide is an action role-playing game for the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive. It was originally released in 1987 in Japan only under the title Hydlide 3: The Space Memories for the MSX, MSX2, and PC-8801mkII SR. It's the third game in the Hydlide series. Ports were also released for the X1, Famicom, X68000, Microsoft Windows, and Nintendo Switch. The game was developed by Hydlide series veterans T&E Soft and released worldwide on the Sega Genesis / Mega Drive on October 6, 1989, in Japan, early 1990 in the United States, and 1991 in Europe. This remake evidences substantial graphical upgrades to the original Hydlide 3, though the gameplay remains largely identical. Before its release, it was called Hollo Fighter in some Sega advertising material and was one of the first third party published titles to be released in the U.S, the other being Air Diver.
Crusader of Centy, known as Soleil in PAL regions, is an action-adventure developed by Nextech for the Sega Genesis. The story centers on the player character Corona, a boy who has just turned 14 years of age and must inherit his late father's sword to fight the monsters that threaten the human race's existence. Gameplay uses an overhead perspective and focuses on exploring, battling enemies with a sword, and solving puzzles. As the story progresses, numerous animals join the hero and aid him with special abilities, often granting the player passage to previously inaccessible areas.
Wonder Boy in Monster World, known in Japan as Wonder Boy V: Monster World III, is a side-scrolling action role-playing game originally developed by Westone and published by Sega for the Mega Drive/Genesis in 1991. It is the fifth game in the Wonder Boy series and the third game in the Monster World sub-series, following Wonder Boy in Monster Land and Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap.
Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi, also known simply as Shadow Dancer, is a side-scrolling action game developed and published by Sega for the Sega Genesis in 1990. It is the second game in the Shinobi series released for the Mega Drive, following The Revenge of Shinobi. However, it is not a continuation of the previous game, but rather a loose adaptation of the 1989 arcade game Shadow Dancer. Like in the original arcade game, the player controls a ninja followed by a canine companion. The Secret of Shinobi was well received by critics.
Bomberman '94 is a video game from the Bomberman series which was developed and published by Hudson Soft for the PC Engine and released on December 10, 1993, in Japan. It was later re-developed by Westone and re-published by Sega as Mega Bomberman on the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis in 1994 in other areas. The PC Engine Bomberman '94 was later released outside Japan through the Virtual Console and the PlayStation Network.
Sega Genesis Collection is a compilation of video games developed by Digital Eclipse and published by Sega for PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable. The collection includes twenty-eight Sega Genesis games from a variety of genres, as well as unlockable classic Sega arcade games, with different sets of arcade games for the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable versions. A sequel was released in 2009 called Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
Kid Chameleon is a 1992 platform game developed and published by Sega released for the Sega Genesis. In the game, a boss character with artificial intelligence in a virtual reality video game begins abducting players and the main protagonist Casey goes in to beat the game and rescue them. He does this by using masks to shapeshift into different characters in order to use different abilities. It was later released in Japan. After its initial release in 1992 for the Genesis, it was later re-released a number of times in the 2000s, including part of the Sega Smash Pack 2 for the PC in 2000, the Sega Genesis Collection for the PlayStation Portable and PlayStation 2 in 2006, as a digital release on the Wii's Virtual Console in 2007, Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in 2009 and for the Sega Forever service in 2017.
