Sega launched the console in 1988 in Japan as the Mega Drive and in 1989 in North America as the Genesis. Its fast processor suited action games and arcade ports, and it took a large share of the 16-bit market.
Sonic the Hedgehog became the mascot, next to Streets of Rage, Gunstar Heroes, Phantasy Star and a strong run of EA sports titles.
Emulators such as Genesis Plus and BlastEm run the library on current hardware.
