23. Vectorman MD

Vectorman falls short compared to champions of the run-'n'-gun genre - the likes of Contra III and Gunstar Heroes. It looks decent and the wonderfully smooth animation of the titular character makes it a fairly fun game to blast through, but it doesn't add anything noteworthy beyond the spectacle of the protagonist and his physics-defying figure.

Keep your expectations low and you'll enjoy your time with it, though. It was part of the delisted Sega Genesis Classics collection, so it's great that a wider audience still has access to it via NSO.

22. Landstalker: The Treasures of King Nole MD

If you happened to own a PlayStation and the game Alundra, and you're thinking, "Hey, this game looks similar", you don't know how right you are — some of the same developers worked on that game, too.

A great-looking action RPG from Climax Entertainment, Landstalker's dungeons are well-designed and have some smart puzzles, including some that make clever use of the isometric view, and the final dungeon is a true masterpiece. Landstalker is one of the strongest entries in the Genesis library.

21. Dynamite Headdy MD

Though most commonly known for fast-paced action games — think Radiant Silvergun, Ikaruga and Gunstar Heroes — Treasure's Dynamite Headdy doesn’t adhere to the developer's usual formula. That's not a slight against this platformer, though, since this is arguably (along with the aforementioned Gunstar Heroes) the best Treasure game of the Mega Drive era.

It's not quite up there with the cream of the crop of 16-bit platformers such as Super Mario World and the early Sonic games, but it remains a fine game from a fine developer.

20. Crusader of Centy MD

If you're going to make a 'Zelda clone', then at least make it a good one. That's what developer Nextech did with Crusader of Centy, known as Soleil in Europe, an action-adventure which wears its inspiration on its sleeve, hat, jacket, belt buckle, and boots.

For Genesis owners envious of the adventures of Link, Corona's quest was a good-looking substitute that certainly looked that part, even if Nintendo fans had seen it all before. Apart from the Sonic cameo, of course.

19. Golden Axe MD

High-fantasy beat 'em up Golden Axe came along relatively early in the Mega Drive's life and demonstrated the power and potential of the system in delivering quality System 16 arcade ports in the home.

It rides a similar wave of arcade SEGA nostalgia as the likes of Altered Beast (which had the same designer), although battling though Yuria and giving Death Adder a sound thrashing is infinitely more satisfying than wandering through Ancient Greece as a beastie, and the trio of heroes add a dash of variety that would go on to inspire the Streets of Rage series.

18. Light Crusader MD

Light Crusader caught people by surprise when it was first released; it simply could not be any less akin to Gunstar Heroes.

Developer Treasure is famed for its action games and while its first (and to date, only) foray into the world of fantasy RPGs isn’t 100% successful, it’s certainly worth checking out if you’re a fan of this style of game. Perhaps its Nintendo Switch Online release will attract a whole new legion of fans.

17. Beyond Oasis MD

Developed by Yuzo Koshiro's company, Ancient, if you're an RPG fan you might find Beyond Oasis a little lightweight. But for those of you who turn pale at the thought of indulging in a role-playing adventure, this should serve as a gentle introduction to the genre.

Regardless of your stance, you'd have to be pretty sad and shambling not to enjoy this, plus it's one of the best-looking games ever to grace the system. A sequel was released for the Sega Saturn a few years later and although it improved on the original in terms of visuals and sound, it didn't really take the already-excellent concept any further.

16. Street Fighter II': Special Champion Edition MD

Available on Switch to NSO Expansion Pack subscribers, Street Fighter II: Special Champion Edition was a pretty impressive achievement considering the hardware it was produced for, but it’s really an interesting footnote in the Street Fighter lineage.

Although the game bears the ‘Champion Edition’ moniker, it does in fact include improvements seen in the arcade ‘Hyper Fighting’ edition of the game (which was ported to the SNES as Street Fighter II: Turbo).

The group battle option is neat, and the fact that it includes both the Champion Edition and Hyper Fighting variants of the game is a bonus for completists, but you really need the six-button Genesis pad to make this playable. Toggling between punch and kick by pressing 'Start' is still as unworkable as it sounds.

15. Strider MD

Definitely from a golden era of Capcom arcades, Strider then emerged in this excellent iteration on SEGA's 16-bit machine. It's the sort of fun, futuristic sci-fi action platformer that inspires plenty of games in the modern era, and certainly still holds up well for current-day audiences. Though this console port isn't a perfect recreation of the arcade, it comes pretty darn close.

14. Zero Wing MD

Even if you've never heard of Zero Wing, a side-scrolling shooter from Toaplan, we're here to inform you that you almost certainly have heard of Zero Wing, if only indirectly — it's better known as a meme these days.

The infamously dodgily localised line "All your base are belong to us" might have become more famous than the game that birthed it, but there's a solid shooter with plenty of pedigree here. Perhaps not up there with Toaplan's very best, but still enjoyable.

13. The Revenge of Shinobi MD

In the late '80s and early '90s, Sega was at its creative peak and The Revenge of Shinobi is a game developed when the company was firing on all cylinders. A sequel to Sega’s hugely popular 1987 arcade title, this game is thoroughly deserving of its solid-gold classic status, with gorgeous early 16-bit visuals and soundtrack from Yuzo Koshiro providing that patented Sega style.

If you’ve experienced its charms previously, then chances are you already own this multiple times; if you haven’t, you’re in for a real treat.

12. MUSHA MD

Released in an era where you couldn't swing a Genesis controller around without knocking a shooter off the shelves, MUSHA was battling against a crowd when it first launched. Nowadays, though, there's more appreciation for this vertical scroller by virtue of its rockin' soundtrack and visuals that are genuinely up there with the best of the era; don't sleep on this one.

11. Ristar MD

You'd perhaps be forgiven for not knowing a great deal about Ristar, but may be intrigued to hear that the concept and ideas for this game were part of development for the original Sonic the Hedgehog. While the focus of SEGA's mascot shifted towards speedier play, the core Sonic development team would eventually return to realise its vision for Ristar, which is certainly fantastical and quirky.

Expect slower platforming and a lot of focus on the ability to grab onto enemies and the environment alike. It's unique and well worth a look.