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The Sega Genesis holds a place among the most iconic consoles of all time. The 16-BIT system starred in the console war of Sega vs Nintendo, and holds a special place for anyone who grew up in the 90s.
The library featured a healthy mix of mature games with graphic material unheard of at the time, which shocked gamers, alongside adorable platformers like Sonic the Hedgehog that appealed to all ages. Sadly, some once classic games haven’t aged well, and have gone from providing hours of fun in the '90s to being unplayable in 2026.
Mortal Kombat is Iconic Yet Dated
There’s no denying the massive impact that Mortal Kombat had. It helped define fighting games and became nearly as massive as Street Fighter. In addition, the violence and blood made it controversial with Congress, which led to the ESRB rating system fans know today.
Yet, playing Mortal Kombat today feels more off than expected, and it's because of how advanced and modernized current fighting games feel. There’s a certain fluidity to modern games that the original Mortal Kombat doesn’t possess.
The attacks are much slower, as combos are limited compared to today’s standards. Gamers can’t deny the historical significance of Mortal Kombat, but that doesn’t mean it’s a must-play.
ToeJam & Earl Walked So Modern Roguelikes Could Run
If modern players looked at ToeJam & Earl, then they would see concepts like exploration and roguelike elements that are more common today. Not to say that ToeJam & Earl invented the roguelike, but players will feel familiar with this game. However, the randomization of each run, along with its odd pace, makes it unplayable.
While the randomization could have been a great asset due to its replayability, the frustration players feel is too great at times. There’s no clear direction that ToeJam & Earl makes players go, as they’ll feel like they’re walking aimlessly. It feels more like a punishment at times.
Disney's Aladdin Features Too Many Spikes in Difficulty
Disney’s Aladdin might have been a cultural touchstone on the Sega Genesis, but the difficulty is frustrating. It’s not even a consistent flow of difficulty, but rather something that spikes up randomly. In the beginning, players think that this game will perform like any other film IP game because of its audience.
The early levels showcase that easiness, but then Aladdin takes a massive step forward in the wrong direction. All of a sudden, enemies become incredibly hard to defeat, and the platforming becomes incredibly tight. Players will have to time their jumps exactly right, or face instant death.
The Cave of Wonders level is brutal enough to make players throw controllers. The auto-scrolling especially makes it notorious among Genesis players. Gamers might want to feel nostalgic and play Disney’s Aladdin, but they should look elsewhere.
Ecco the Dolphin Has a Lack of Direction
The biggest issue with Ecco the Dolphin is its direction. When gamers play Ecco, it’s unclear what they should do. Especially in these massive underwater areas, everything is hard to figure out, because everything looks the same. Pairing that with the game’s difficulty in terms of management makes it tough to replay.
Players will need to manage their oxygen while dogging tough enemies and solving puzzles. It’s moderate in the beginning, but soon gets increasingly tough as the game progresses. That’s on top of the rough controls. The underwater graphics of Ecco the Dolphin were ambitious back then and still look great today, and even the soundtrack is incredible, but the outstanding presentation doesn't redeem maddening gameplay.
Altered Beasts is Short and Repetitive
Altered Beasts was a launch title for the SEGA Genesis and represented what the console could do. The impressive graphics, combined with the violent gameplay, showcased what Nintendo couldn’t do on the SNES. However, playing Altered Beasts feels like a different experience today and not in a good way.
Playing throughAltered Beasts takes around an hour to complete. There are some unbelievable games with a short runtime, but this isn't one of them. The combat is repetitive with a bunch of slow punches and kicks that start to feel lackluster after just a couple of minutes.
Even when players transform into beasts, the combat is still slow and sluggish. The lack of fluidity during fights is uninspiring, and things never improve. Altered Beasts deserves to be called one of the most iconic games of the Sega Genesis, but that's all it has going for it.
