Because of the success of the Sega Master System, Sega could afford to make the successor of its line of home consoles. However, Nintendo was still a threat, as they dominated the video gaming market with the NES. Sega only survived by marketing the Master System to places Nintendo did not sell the NES, such as the Soviet Union, and most of Europe (the NES would later be released in Europe). It needed an edge. They had to do what Nintendo Nintendon’t!

The Sega Master Drive, better known as the Sega Genesis in North America, was the answer to the NES and anything Nintendo could produce at the time. System development started in 1986, and for nearly two years, Sega was thinking of every way their brain child could beat out any form of threat. Finally, Sega released the Mega Drive in Japan on October 29, 1988. It was overshadowed by the release of the classic Super Mario Bros. 3. There was really no build up to the release of the Genesis, but Super Mario Bros. 3 was the talk of the year, even appearing in a movie. In August on the 14, 1989, Sega launch the Genesis in North America and in PAL region (places such as Africa, Europe, etc.) on November 30 of the next year. Sega actually struggled to launch the console in the US because they couldn't find a sales and marketing organization. In the end, they pushed the console through their own Sega of America subsidiary. The system was apart of the 4th generation of video game consoles.

The Sega genesis had only two titles at launch for it's Japanese release, but for the US release it had four more. This wouldn't matter because of third-party support and arcade ports. The only rival the Master Drive had at the time was the TurboGrafx. Sega dominated the ladder. Sega was finally a household name, but everything changed when Nintendo attacked. Nintendo released their master system, the SNES (Super Nintendo Entertainment System). With their herald Mario leading them to great heights, Sega realized something. With all the planning they did, they missed a key element. Sega still needed something only Nintendo had at this time; a mascot. But who could fill the turtle smashing boots of someone like Mario? Alex Kidd couldn't do so. A team was called forth to create such a character.

With Sonic leading the way, the Sega Genesis was the cooler alternative to the SNES. The Genesis had great games such as Landstalker: The Treasures of King Nole and Zombies Ate My Neighbors. Not only that, but some games available to both of the leading consoles were better on the Genesis. Notable ones are Aladdin, Mortal Kombat and Battletoads. With the 16-bit graphics, the Sega Channel and several sports games on it's side, the Genesis was in high demand.

In comparison to the SNES, the consoles were virtually the same, with the exception of where one was lacking, the other provided. The Genesis had its own form of the great Super FX called the Sega Virtua Processor. It enabled 3D like games to be played. Sega had to create new controllers for the console at one point as well.

The Genesis is one of the best known gaming consoles, even being cited in a classic song by Notorious B.I.G along with it's Nintendo counterpart. Its legacy lives on to this day, as collectors and video game enthuses still hunt for this consoles and many of the title only found on it. Specifications CPU: Motorola 68000 7.61 MHz Co-Processor: Z80 @ 4 MHz/Controls PSG(sound)/FM Chips Resolution: 320 x 224 RAM: 64 KByte Sound: PSG (TI 76489 chip)/FM chip (Yamaha YM 2612) Game Library Sonic the Hedgehog Gunstar Heroes Phantasy Star II-IV Beyond Oasis World of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck Earthworm Jim Streets of Rage Toejam & Earl 2: Panic on Funkotron Accessories Super Multi-Play Adaptor Menacer Gun Simulator II Action Chair Outback Joey Heartbeat Personal Trainer Miracle Keyboard System Capcom Soldier Pad Sega CD Sega 32X