Sega Genesis/Mega Drive Story | Nostalgia Nerd

The Sega Genesis / Sega Mega Drive was the console which Sega first made waves (and green hills) with. Building on their Sega Master System, the Mega Drive heralded the dawn of Sega in the 16 bit home video game market. Going up against the NES, PC Engine (Turbografx 16 in the West) and of course, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, this is a story marked with highs and lows, with aggressive advertising (Genesis Does What Nintendon't) and with lots and lots of amazing games. This video charts the beginnings of the Mega Drive back in the early 80s, out of arcade hardware, to it's arrival in North America as the Sega Genesis, to it's dominance over Nintendo, Europe and even it's recent resurgence by TecToy in Brazil with their limited edition Mega Drive model. We also cover the Sega CD, the 32X and touch on a load of other accessories, rivals (Turografx 16, Super Nintendo) and rip offs, including the Scorpion; a Mega Drive clone released in the UK in 1993. There's also a load of Genesis games and Mega Drive games throughout, including the launch of Sonic the Hedgehog, all designed to hit you right in the nostalgia gland. This is a long'un, so hold on tight, and enjoy!

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[PaddyMcMe]

I love that Toys'R'Us advert, it's so pretty and reminds me of being a kid and how magical toy stores were back then.

[mortimermouse]

As a brazilian, I'm glad you've mentioned the huge market share Sega had in this territory through Tec Toy efforts, most of game history videos fails in this regard. They still support Mega Drive and Master System in mainstream retail stores until this very day in Brazil! This alone deserves recognition in Sega's history.

[stevejohnson]

Today is October 29, 2018. The mega drive was launched in October 29, 1988.


Happy Birthday, Sega Mega Drive.

[hellykerbert]

So many gems on this great console, Genesis/Mega Drive ruled then and still rules now.

[aerotus]

This is the most comprehensive megadrive documentary ever! No idea how you managed to get so much detailed info! Incredible effort! Thank you!

[HoldFastFilms]

Sega's advertising game back then was so on point! Wish commercials were that weird and crazy these days.

[_skyyskater]

This video deserves more views. So well done. Great editing, great music, such thorough detail. Seriously top level stuff. THIS IS THE BEST GAME DOCUMENTARY I'VE EVER SEEN.

[TheFrantic]

EA trying to circumvent manufacturer DRM.
That's an irony for you.

[Gorilla_Jones]

Still have my launch Genesis with box and launch Sega CD with box. Still play them. It's just got so many great games.

[dev]

Here in Brazil we had a cartridge called "Tele Bradesco". Bradesco is a bank and the cartridge had a port to plug a telephone wire and access banking information thorugh the dial up!

[vidarhol]

Very well done! The wealth of vintage ads and TV clips really makes this story come alive.

[Christopher-N]

(24:10) I remember the Genesis game speed being a selling point. The titular character in _Sonic the Hedgehog 2_ was depicted in the "Chemical Plant" stages as sometimes moving faster than the screen could keep up, and it was incredible to experience it first-hand rather than being just a marketing gimmick.

[martinholden]

That was an absolutely brilliant video on The Megadrive. Great work & nice to see things from our point of view here in England. Nearly every video is always 'Genesis' on the internet when it was the Megadrive we grew up with here.

[NickSquids]

I wanted a Mega CD so bad. I was late to the party, but had saved hard, and entered the store one triumphant day to finally purchase one... PlayStation got there the day before.

I hadn't even heard of PS before. It cost almost 3 times more at this point ($800 AU) which was way out of my budget. Needless to say, I promised far more to my parents than I could ever deliver in order to get that machine.

One of the best days of my life, not to mention a bullet dodged.

[vyperii]

There's no arguably about it... Streets of Rage is far, far better than Final Fight ever was.  Streets of Rage to this day, completely defines the pinnacle of the genre, with only it's two sequels even slightly comparing to it.  They are still three of the best videogames ever made.  The same can be said of the original Sonic titles for platform games.  The Megadrive completely changed gaming.  I miss those days so much...

[kirionDK]

I wish we got those Rik Mayall advertisements here. Man was a comedy legend!

[sangsomlipo]

How the hell could i have missed this channel for so long?! Amazing to relive the glory days of gaming and awe at the ridiculous quirkiness of the 80s. Powerful!

[WhiskeyPieSometimes]

"This was the genesis of the Mega Drive" I see what you did there.

[NaokisRC]

Looking at this gives me so much nostalgia of growing up with a mega drive (albeit a lot later than 1990 lol). As much as I appreciate and enjoy the SNES (even with its better GFX and sound capabilities), FM synth and black angles always gets me to this day.

[bobjilesen]

After watching this vid i realized how awesome the name MEGA DRIVE was, expecially as a follow up name to the MASTER SYSTEM. Its freaking genuis.