7 Sega Mega Drive games we'd love to see on Nintendo Switch

Sega has confirmed that it's bringing a bunch of its classic games to the Nintendo Switch under the Sega Ages banner.

We can expect to see whole heap of beloved 8-bit and 16-bit games from the Master System and Mega Drive eras appearing on the eShop soon. Sega has also hinted at Saturn and Dreamcast ports somewhere along the line, which we'll cover in a follow-up piece.

In the immediate future, it's like to be the simpler stuff that arrives first. We know that the initial offering will be Sonic the Hedgehog (of course), Phantasy Star, Alex Kidd in Miracle World, Thunder Force IV, and Gain Ground.

These ports are in the safe hands of M2, who were responsible for the excellent Sega 3D Classics range on the Nintendo 3DS. In other words, they are almost certain to be handled with skill and care - with a few tantalising "new features" stirred in.

So which other classic Mega Drive-era Sega games would be love to see on Switch? Here are a few ideas off the top of our heads.

We've steered clear of licensed and games and those published by third parties, for obvious reasons. This is still far from a comprehensive list, of course, so do share which Mega Drive games you'd like to see in the comments below.

Fans will argue about this, but to my mind Streets of Rage 2 is the finest entry in the '90s trilogy of side-scrolling beat-'em-ups - and arguably the best example of the genre period.

Streets of Rage 2 gave you way more variety than your average brawler. Its characters encouraged very different approaches, and had access to a roster of special moves. Its levels and enemies, meanwhile, mixed the action up nicely.

OutRun represents a certain kind of racer, one that's not remotely interested in realistic car physics or braking points. All it wants to do is execute the perfect power-slide along an impossibly perfect coastal path.

OutRun's blue skies, timeless soundtrack and immediately gratifying gameplay makes it the quintessential Sega game. It came to both the Mega Drive and the Master System, but given the choice we'd take M2's enhanced 60fps 3DS version.

Another argument fans will have again and again is over which Mega Drive Shinobi game is best - The Revenge of Shinobi or Shinobi III.

Both are fine action-platformers, but we're going with Shinobi III for its faster gameplay, slicker graphics, and the fact that it features surfing ninjas. I mean, come on.

Ristar was sadly overlooked at release due to the fact that it launched deep into the Mega Drive's life, when all anyone was interested in was the PlayStation and the Saturn.

That's a shame because Ristar was - and indeed still is - a deeply handsome, super-slick 2D platformer from Sonic Team itself.

Think of Shining Force as Sega's answer to Nintendo's Fire Emblem franchise. It too is a series of tactical turn-based role-playing games with epic fantasy plots.

This second game in the series tops the original by being much bigger and more open.

A beautiful game that played like nothing else of its time - and still doesn't play like much else today. Ecco cast you as an empowered dolphin in a free-roaming underwater adventure, with novel mechanics like echo location and a perpetual air metre.

Add in a bizarre new-agey plot all about aliens and time travel, and you had one of the most unlikely blockbusters of the Mega Drive era.

Landstalker was quite transparently an attempt to emulate the Zelda formula, as the elfin protagonist (improbably named Nigel) would attest to. Still, there are more than enough unique touches to make it stand out.

Chief among these was an isometric perspective, frequent 3D platforming sections, and a heavier emphasis on RPG levelling systems.