Rocket Knight Adventures

 Ah, now Rocket Knight Adventures is a fun game.  It was one of the few games I had for my Sega Genesis, and I used to play it all the time.  Since it's on a 16-bit system, it's a sidescroller, like most good games from those days were (Sonic, Mario, etc.).  With those bigger name games, however, great games like Rocket Knight Adventures got looked over. 

You star as Sparkster, an opossum with a jetpack and a sword.  At the beginning, the princess gets kidnapped, and you have to fight though the army of evil pig monsters to get her back.

For a game of that time, there is a lot of variety in this game.  The base gameplay is your basic sidescroller, where you go from left to right and fight everything in your way.  There are lots of bosses and unique enemies, keeping the game exciting.

There are sections that vary, such as sidescrolling shooter type levels (including one that's just like R-Type), and a giant Mech battle versus your evil nemesis, the dark knight. 

The graphics are bright and colorful, the characters are likable, and there's a cartoony / comedic / fun feel to the entire game. 

With all the piles of sidescrollers on the Genesis, this one is worth checking out.  You can find it for pretty cheap at your local old game shop.  I still have mine from when I was a kid, but I've seen it for under $10. 

If you see it, you should definitely check it out.