The console war between the Sega Genesis and the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) may be long over, but the argument between which is better still remains. Sure, in terms of sales and general recognition, the SNES will be remembered as one of the greatest ever, but Sega's 16-bit arcade juggernaut was a great console too.

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In fact, one could make an argument that it is better than the SNES. While Nintendo's 16-bit console is home to some of the greatest games of all time — titles like Secret of ManaCrono TriggerSuper MetroidSuper Mario World and more littered Nintendo's console and will be remembered forever — the Genesis had its own charm. We here at GameRant are going to argue that maybe, the Genesis isn't getting a fair shake. Here are 10 reasons why it was better than the SNES.

10 90's Cool

One thing that separated the Sega Genesis from the SNES was its focus on more mature gamers. The result of this distinction meant there were more "hardcore" oriented titles. With an emphasis on sports games, including John Madden FootballTriple Play Baseball, and more, the Sega Genesis targeted older gamers who were looking for something a little different.

It wasn't all sports games, however, there are games like Gain GroundHerzog Zwei, Contra Hard Corps., and other titles that span multiple genres. With a focus on violence and hardcore gameplay, the Genesis was the spot for gamers outside of grade school. It was edgy and cool.

9 Blast Processing

Sonic The Hedgehog Sega Genesis Running

For the most part, the SNES outclassed the Genesis in every measurable technical spec except one — the CPU processing. Without getting into numbers, it's the one noticeable thing that the much older Genesis console could keep up with the SNES.

The result wasn't anything special, but it did give Sega an idea — focus on speed. While "Blast Processing" actually didn't mean anything for the games, Sega began making titles that ran at blistering speeds, and it made the SNES look slow by comparison. Titles like Sonic The HedgehogVector ManGunstar Heros, and Virtua Racing all defined what the system could do, and when compared to games like Mario Kart and F-Zero, they move at break-neck speeds.

8 Freeing Third-Party Developers

Contra Hard Corps Sega Genesis

When Nintendo ruled the gaming landscape in the 1980s, they had some pretty draconian practices regarding third-party developers. Publishers could only release five games a year. They also had to purchase cartridges straight from the Big N themselves, meaning the house of Mario always got their cut. While some of their practices ensured the highest quality in their games — the Nintendo Seal of Approval did work, for the most part — most of their rules were designed to keep games on their console.

Those rules loosened when the Sega Genesis started gaining ground. Publishers like Acclaim and Konami began releasing titles on both consoles, while Capcom licensed their games to Sega directly. While, for the time, it may not have seemed like that big of a deal, the mere existence of Sega laid the groundwork for the industry as we know it today.

7 Celebrity Collaborations

Michael Jackson's face and Jackson doing dancing pose by spaceship against space background

Celebrities and video games go hand-in-hand. You can look back at Nintendo with titles like Mike Tyson's Punch-Out! as an early example, but Sega took this to a whole new level when the Genesis launched. Titles like Michael Jackson's MoonwalkerJoe Montana's FootballJohn Madden Football, and  Andre Agassi Tennis flooded the system. Even the famous "Genesis Does" commercial featured cameos from famous athletes of the time, along with Michael Jackson.

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Speaking of the King of Pop, Jackson worked with Sega on other projects, most notably the soundtrack for Sonic the Hedgehog 3. While uncredited in the game, the composers of the game's soundtrack admitted to working with the pop-music icon in 2016, finally ending years of debate.

6 Sega CD

While the Sega Genesis was underpowered compared to the SNES, one thing Sega tried to do was extend the console's life cycle through add-ons. Now, we could write essays on how the 32X contributed to the downfall of the console-maker, but the Sega CD was perfect for its time. While it was far removed from being the first CD-based console — the 1990 Philips CD-i gets that distinction — Sega CD brought this concept to the mainstream, and helped make the system really compete with Nintendo in terms of power.

The result of this was the rise of the full-motion video genre (FMV). Titles like Night Trap and Double Switch flooded the add-on's library while Sega produced some absolute classics like Sonic CD and Shining Force CD.

5 Sega Channel

In today's gaming landscape, it's common to hop online and purchase video games through a console's service. Whether your platform is Xbox Game Store or the PlayStation Store, odds are, you've foregone the retail experience for the convenience of downloading a game straight to your console of choice. Back in the 1990s, however, that was unheard of. Well, it was until the Sega Channel launched.

Launching in 1994, players interested in the service would receive a cartridge with a cable attachment, which connects the system to the server. From there, players had up to 50 games to choose from. By today's standards, that doesn't sound like anything but 25 years ago, it was a game-changer.

4 The Home Arcade

When Sega went back to the drawing board following their release of the Master System, they realized one thing — they've been trying to emulate Nintendo too much. While franchises like the Metroid-esque Zillion, or the Mario Bros. inspired Alex Kidd were great in their own right, players already knew what they were getting with the more established titles. So, Sega looked to their arcade roots. With that, they developed a plan to bring the arcade experience to the home market, and it worked.

While arcades were still far superior, the Genesis did start to close that gap. Titles like Golden AxeSpace HarrierFlicky, and After Burner all made their way to Sega's 16-bit console, and they looked really good on the platform.

3 Mortal Kombat

When discussing the console war, one game comes up in Sega's favor — Mortal Kombat. The game that inspired the Electronic Software Ratings Board (ESRB) to exist was an over-the-top fighter full of blood and gore — well, it was on one console.

Nintendo, known for keeping its family-friendly image intact notoriously opted out of including bloody finishers in their game, while Sega leaned into their "cool" reputation and locked blood behind a secret code. While the game is better on the SNES on a technical perspective, the inclusion of blood made the Genesis version of the game the definitive one.

2 The Beat 'Em Ups

While the SNES had the market on JRPGs, the Sega Genesis had some of the best beat 'em ups ever. There was the Streets of Rage trilogy, Golden Axe trilogy, Altered BeastComix Zone, and Rocket Knight Adventures. During the 16-big era, this was Sega's ace in the hole. It's important to note that this was the favorite style of game in this era, much like the Battle Royale genre today or the first-person shooter in the PlayStation3 Xbox 360 generation.

That isn't to say the SNES didn't have it's own "big guns" either — Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time is one of the greats — but if you were to take a class on the best games the genre has to offer, odds are, it will mostly take place with a Sega Genesis.

1 Creative Game Design

Boss fight in Ecco The Dolphin

Sega loved being creative and weird. In fact, their quirky game-design philosophy set the Genesis apart from Nintendo in the best ways possible — depending on your taste. While we can't go through every game in their library, a title like Ecco the Dolphin can encapsulate what we mean perfectly. Giving players an ocean to explore, Ecco the Dolphin is a game unlike anything we've ever experienced before, blending puzzle solving from The Legend of Zelda with a side-scrolling perspective and an oxygen meter — he even goes to space!

Other titles like Dynamite HeddyToeJam and Earl, and Decap attack are other examples of this, offering completely new experiences that felt like they could only exist on the Sega Genesis. For players who were tired of the same old style of video game, this was important.

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