Happy 20th Birthday, Sega Genesis!

This Wednesday, we celebrate the 20th anniversary of that greatest of consoles, the Sega Genesis. It's been a long road full of great games and big pot holes, but the Genesis fan base is still alive and kicking.

More so than those other 16-bit consoles, the Genesis is still at the forefront of gaming news as well, thanks to the efforts of some talented and dedicated fans. Two decades after its initial release in Japan, Sega's most successful hardware is still quite alive and well. For example, this December Genesis owners get not one, but two new games in the forms of Legend of Wukong from Super Fighter Team (the fine folks who brought us Beggar Prince) and Pier Solar & the Great Architects from Watermelon Development. It's incredible that we're anticipating two new titles for a console that was officially discontinued by Sega a decade ago. Who said all good things had to come to an end?

Yes, the Genesis is still going strong, and Sega-16 is going to be right there to celebrate its big day. That's why we've prepared something special for our readers this week! In addition to our regular dual review updates on Monday and Thursday, we have three features and a video archive update for them as well! This is what we have on tap:

• Double Take: Altered Beast: The one that started it all, Altered Beast was a title that played a pivotal role in the early success of the Genesis. Though many gamers today are quick to dismiss its easy and repetitive gameplay, the first 16-bit cartridge did much more than offer Genesis owners a free game with their new consoles; it proved that the next generation in gaming had truly arrived.
• Stories from the Book of Genesis: Good Night Victoria: There's nothing more loyal than a model 1 Genesis, and losing one is always a sad thing. Follow one gamer's experience with his from its birth to its final resting place in this heartwarming tale of a console that gave until the bitter end. It's a a tear-jerker!
• Reader Roundtable: Launch Edition: What a better way to wrap up the week than by letting our own readers and forum members chime in with their own launch experiences? Everyone remembers where they were the day they got their Genesis - it's a day you never forget, like when JFK was killed or 9/11. Yes, the day that big, black box came home is one you never forget, and our readers will tell us what that special day was like!

If that's not enough, we'll have almost a half dozen new video spots for your perusal in the Video Archive, adding to our already impressive collection of well over a hundred videos. This is a week to remember friends, so check back daily. Heck, why not just leave your PC on all week?