by Martin Brinkmann on March 31, 2019 in Games – No comments
Sega revealed this week that it will release a “mini-console” called the Sega Genesis Mini on September 19, 2019. Sega Genesis was the name of Sega’s 16-bit console in the United States; the console’s name was Sega Mega Drive in Europe and other regions.
The company plans to release the system as Sega Genesis Mini and as Sega Mega Drive Mini; the release name depends on the region and seems to be the only difference between the two systems.
Nintendo launched the first first-party mini console, the NES Mini, and it was a smash hit. The company launched the SNES Classic which was a success for Nintendo as well even though the company missed an opportunity with the release (in my opinion).
Sony’s Playstation Classic console was not as successful which mostly came down to the weak game lineup the console shipped with and how emulation was done.
And Sega? Nintendo’s big rival back in the days plans to release the first-party Sega Genesis Mini / Sega Mega Drive Mini in September 2019. Third-party licensed Sega Genesis / Mega Drive consoles have been available for some time but they never managed to meet customer expectations (lots of games, bad emulation).
Sega Genesis Mini / Sega Mega Drive Mini
So, what do we know about the new Sega console?
The console comes with 40 games included, 2 wired control pads that look like the classic Sega Mega Drive / Genesis controller, power and HDMI cables to get started.
Sega revealed 10 of the 40 games already and plans to reveal the remaining 30 soon. The 10 games that we know about are:
- Ecco The Dolphin
- Castlevania Bloodlines (Genesis) / The New Generation (Mega Drive)
- Space Harrier II
- Shining Force
- Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine
- Toe Jam & Earl
- Comix Zone
- Sonic the Hedgehog
- Altered Beast
- Gunstar Heroes
Games are identical for NTSC and PAL regions so far and include several classic games already. Especially the inclusion of Gunstar Heroes is a welcome sign as it is one of the best games for the system.
The selection includes classics, e.g. Ecco the Dolphin and Sonic the Hedgehog, arcade games like Altered Beast or Space Harrier, and even the strategy game Shining Force.
Games that will likely be revealed later include more Sonic games, Shining Force II, Phantasy Star, and Golden Axe. I expect the selection to be very close to what is available as Sega Genesis Classics for PC and other home consoles.
Here are my wishes for the remaining 30 games:
- Beyond Oasis
- Contra: Hard Cops
- Earthworm Jim 2
- Ghouls ‘n Ghosts
- Golden Axe 2
- Herzog Zwei
- Landstalker
- Monster World IV
- Phantasy Star series
- Pulseman
- Rainbow Islands Extra
- Road Rash II
- Shadowrun
- Shinobi series
- Shining Force II
- Sonic the Hedgehog series
- Streets of Rage series
- Thunder Force series
- Warsong
- Ys Series
Let’s hope that the emulation will be better and that the controller cables will be long enough. Price will certainly play a role as well with the release.
Closing Words
Sega’s first console release since the unfortunate demise of the Sega Dreamcast could certainly get Sega fans exited once again and maybe even lure some die-hard Nintendo or Sony fans to giving the mini console a try.
Game selection looks good so far; I hope Sega adds enough multiplayer titles to the lineup as there are not that many yet in the first ten games the company revealed.
Now You: Are you interested in the Sega mini console?