RetroGaming

You missed Ristar, which is an awesome one

Surprised nobody mentioned this, but Herzog Zwei for Genesis is considered the predecessor of modern RTS and MOBA games. It's worth checking out!

If you'd like to try general action games as well:

• Gunstar Heroes
• Strider
• Final Fight CD
• Contra Hard Corps
• Streets of Rage 1-2

Also try Snatcher on Sega CD.

Other thoughts:

1. I'll just note that Phantasy Star III, even if it is older-school grindy at times, is a really interesting take on multi-generational epic storytelling. I like it more than Phantasy Star IV.
2. Night Trap on the Sega CD is interesting to play around with for an hour just to see what FMV games in the 90s meant, for some interesting bad late 80s/early 90s acting, and to remember that was all it took to cause a national panic for awhile.

adding some i always found unique or interesting

• Flashback
• Cyborg Justice
• Ecco the Dolphin
• James Pond
• road rash
• Skitchin'
• General Chaos
• streets of rage (i liked 2 the most)
• Combat Cars
• Bonanza brothers
• World of illusion
• Quackshot
• Sunset Riders
• Action Fighter (i swear this isn't a fighting game, it's about evolving motor vehicles)

Desert, jungle and urban strike

To add to others’ suggestions:

• Road Rash 1-3
• Micro Machines 2
• Lotus Turbo Challenge 1 & 2
• Truxton
• Bonanza Bros
• Ristar
• Aladdin
• Gunstar Heroes

If you leave Saturn and Dreamcast off your list then you're really missing out.

Vectorman 1 & 2

Splatterhouse 1 & 2 (1986)

Alienstorm

Sports Games

Well, I have bad news for you about a significant fraction of the Genesis' library...

Some other decent Genesis/Megadrive titles I can think of off the top of my head: Gunstar Heroes, Vectorman, Megaman: The Wily Wars, Zero Wing (for the memes), Aladdin (which was a completely different and vastly superior game to its SNES coutnerpart), Blaster Master 2, Contra: Hard Corps, Ecco the Dolphin and its sequels, Jurassic Park, and probably loads of others I'm forgetting.

The Saturn is notable for having Radiant Silvergun locked to it, in Japan only no less, and I don't think that title was ported or rereleased at all until the XBox 360 version. It's the precursor to Ikaruga, which is itself on the Dreamcast.

If you're into shmups, the Dreamcast is kind of a holy grail. It also has the first two Shenmue games on it.

Alas basically everything on the Sega CD is crap with few exceptions. I will probably surprise my readership by mentioning that I think Sonic CD is not one of them, as its easily the weakest of the classic Sonic titles. It has some cult favorites that are so bad they're good, though, infamously including Night Trap, Time Gal, Corpse Killer, Sewer Shark, etc. For games on it that don't suck, don't forget that the first two Lunar games originated there, there's Popful Mail, Keio Flying Squadron, Snatcher, etc.

The 32X is an interesting novelty but I'm not certain there's a single compelling title in the entire library. Which, admittedly, is only something like 30 games.

how about Sega Saturn? Panzer Dragoon Saga is one of the best JRPGs ever. Don't mistake it for Panzer Dragoon 1 and 2, those are rail shooters and you don't need to play them. Also Dreamcast has some really good RPGs, I love Grandia 2

Master System:

Wonder Boy 3: The Dragon’s Trap Rastan Kenseiden Alex Kidd in Shinobi World Psycho Fox Fantasy Zone R-Type Mickey Mouse castle of illusion Donald Duck Asterix

A couple interesting ones that I remember:

• Haunting starring polterguy
• Jurassic Park
• Aladdin
• Ghostbusters
• Castle of illusion starring Mickey mouse
• Road Rash 2 (maybe it doesn't hold up these days)

You have to do Phantasy Star Online! I mean, the Dreamcast version at this point has a lot less in it (and is fucken hardcore dont die with your favorite weapon in your hands!) but PSO is absolutely a legendary RPG title you should experience if you are a fan. Controls are clunky as fuck by today's standards.

I can't believe no one has seconded Landstalker.

Seriously, give Landstalker a shot.

I enjoyed Space Harrier on the Master System. I'll see if I can find my cartridges to see if there are others that I'd recommend.

Starflight was excellent on Genesis.

Sword of Vermillion was my first ever RPG, took me literal years to beat as a dumbass kid. I enjoyed it tho.

Ecco the Dolphin 1 and 2 are works of art, but rather challenging. Still recommended tho.

ESWAT was a fun platformer shooter jetpack enjoyment thingy

This is the first "What should I play on early Sega?" thread that already has almost all my favourites. In fact, many of them are in OP's list. But to reiterate some added by other commenters:

• The "Strike" games (Jungle, Desert, and Urban)
• Flashback (I agree that the MegaCD version is the best single version, but the fan community has been building a Frankenstein's monster from the best parts of every version; I forgot the name of the project)
• Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap (SMS)
• Wonderboy in Monster World (MD)
• Quackshot (MD)
• Rock 'n' Roll Racing (MD)
• Sunset Riders (MD)

I don't think anyone's yet mentioned:

• The Immortal (MD)
• Golden Axe Warrior (SMS)
• Arcus Odyssey (MD)
• The Lost Vikings (MD, although I played the PC version back in the day)
• Micro Machines (MD)
• Crack Down (MD)
• Gain Ground (MD)
• Alien 3 (MD)
• Addams Family Values (MD)
• Monster World IV (MD, although I haven't actually played it yet)

And a few more that I'm fond of, but I either can't remember them clearly (other than that I enjoyed them at the time), or I'm aware that I can't separate fact from nostalgia, so YMMV:

• Sword of Vermilion (MD)
• Light Crusader (MD)
• Robocop vs Terminator (MD)
• Predator 2 (MD)
• Cosmic Spacehead (MD)
• D&D Warriors of the Eternal Sun (MD)
• Atomic Runner (MD)
• Techno Cop (MD)

An honourable mention to Cadash (MD), which is a solid attempt at a port but sadly can't really hold a candle to the arcade original.

Definitely Toejam and Earl. After the Sonic games those were the ones that we played most often on Genesis. First one is frustrating but entertaining and you will learn to hate cupid and hula dancers. The second one has kids mode where you can't die so you can play with all the ways you can die before you challenge it in normal mode.

Definitely Shining Force 2. 1 is more linear, and while It plays very similar it kind of stinks you lack freedom to roam around the world wherever you want.

Vectorman is a great platformer.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chakan:_The_Forever_Man

These are all Genesis suggestions:

• Rocket Knight Adventures
• Sparkster
• Shinobi III
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist
• Rock n' Roll Racing
• Thunder Force III
• Lightening Force: Quest for the Darkstar (aka Thunder Force IV)
• Dynamite Headdy
• Ranger X
• Gaiares
• Gargoyles
• Eliminate Down
• Alien Soldier
• Chakaan
• Dragon's Fury
• Sonic Spinball (if you like pinball games, you might like this)

The sonic games are some of the best things, along with fighting games from that era. Other than that Rolling Thunder 2 was a good port of an arcade side scroll shooter.

Weren't the Earthworm Jim games also on SNES? Or are the Sega versions different? Like Shadowrun on Genesis is a TOTALLY different game than Shadowrun on the SNES.

Anyway, I don't see Ecco on your list. That's a good one.

Wonder Boy in Monster World! Fuck! I loved that game so much!

It’s like a Zeldavania RPG, is the best I could describe it. Can’t remember the story for shit, but I played the balls off of that game. A bit grindy, but that is part of the appeal.