Sega Genesis Mini (Mega Drive) release in September 2019

Martin Brinkmann
Mar 31, 2019
Updated • Jun 5, 2019
Games
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sega genesis mini

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

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 all 42 games in the meantime (yes 2 more than expected):

  1. Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle
  2. Alisia Dragoon
  3. Altered Beast
  4. Beyond Oasis
  5. Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse
  6. Castlevania Bloodlines (Genesis) / The New Generation (Mega Drive)
  7. Columns
  8. Comix Zone
  9. Contra: Hard Cops
  10. Darius
  11. Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine
  12. Dynamite Headdy
  13. Earthworm Jim
  14. Ecco The Dolphin
  15. Eternal Champions
  16. Ghouls 'n Ghosts
  17. Golden Axe
  18. Gunstar Heroes
  19. Kid Chameleon
  20. Landstalker
  21. Light Crusder
  22. Mega Man: The Wily Wars
  23. Monster World IV
  24. Phantasy Star IV
  25. Road Rash II
  26. Space Harrier II
  27. Shining Force
  28. Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master
  29. Sonic Spinball
  30. Sonic the Hedgehog
  31. Sonic the Hedgehog 2
  32. Street Fighter II: Special Champion Edition
  33. Streets of Rage 2
  34. Strider
  35. Super Fantasy Zone
  36. Tetris
  37. Thunder Force III
  38. Toe Jam & Earl
  39. Vectorman
  40. Virtua Fighter 2
  41. Wonder Boy in Monster World
  42. World of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck

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.

Sega did not include some of the classic games of the Genesis console but it did add plenty of popular games. I'm a bit disappointed that the device features Shining Force only and not the second part of the series and that shoot em up games are not well represented. There is Darius, a nice surprise, but no game of the Thunder Force series or any other shoot em up game in the Western release versions.

The Japanese version of Sega's Mega Drive is not an exact replica of the European or U.S. game system as it features games such as Thunder Force III, Musha Aleste, or Slap Fight. Other Japanese-exclusive games include Rockman Mega World (MegaMan in the west), Rent A Hero, Wresteleball, Assault Suit Leynos, or Langrisser II.


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?

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Sega Genesis Mini (Mega Drive) release in September 2019
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Sega Genesis Mini (Mega Drive) release in September 2019
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Sega revealed this week that it will release a "mini-console" called the Sega Genesis Mini on September 19, 2019.
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Comments

  1. Silver said on April 2, 2019 at 3:29 am
    Reply

    @Martin
    I’m glad you mentioned Ys!

  2. Craig said on April 2, 2019 at 1:45 am
    Reply

    Sega Masters was the 16-bit, Genesis was the 32-bit.

  3. Mo said on April 1, 2019 at 2:56 am
    Reply

    There are a lot of great games on the Genesis. I would love that if they made the list looks like two have (Ecco and ComixZone). If games like MK II, Sonic & Knuckles, Strider, X-Men, Aladdin, Street of Rage II, and Vector Man were on the list, a day on purchase for me.

    1. Anonymous said on June 1, 2019 at 7:05 am
      Reply

      Streets of Rage II and Vectorman are already on the 30 game list……

  4. Pedro said on March 31, 2019 at 1:18 pm
    Reply

    Comix Zone and Echo the Dolphin??? I’m already sold. Never finished Echo but I thought it was such an amazing game. Comix Zone is really fun, already have it in Android.

    Golden Axe, Streets of Rage, Shinobi – YES PLEASE!!

    I can’t believe you forgot Mortal Kombat though? Give me Mortal Kombat 1, 2 and 3 please.
    Also some of those old sports games from EA (FIFA 95) would be nice but probably not likely.

    1. Cassette said on April 4, 2019 at 8:22 am
      Reply

      From the looks of it, it will be coming with the three button controllers. You really need a six button controller with Mortal Kombat to get the most out of it. They probably won’t be putting any games on it that would suffer from having only three buttons.

    2. Martin Brinkmann said on March 31, 2019 at 3:11 pm
      Reply

      Mortal Kombat would probably turn this into an adults-only device. It is a great series, no doubt.

      Still think NHL 94 was the best of the series..

      1. Pedro said on April 1, 2019 at 10:59 am
        Reply

        Ooooh yes, NHL 94 was so freaking awesome!!!
        I loved that one. :D

        Also Double Dragon would be nice.

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