Sega Genesis Mini Review: A mini mega machine

Sega has done a great job of porting and packing Genesis and Mega Drive games on PCs and consoles over the years. Often it is with the help of M2, a talented team devoted almost exclusively to reviving old games on modern platforms. Sega has also, on several occasions, granted publishing rights to AtGames, a company that has produced numerous Genesis handheld consoles and handheld computers that have disappointed. In order to match Nintendo's success with the NES Classic and the SNES Classic, Sega says goodbye to AtGames and collaborates with M2 to create his own classic console, the new Genesis Mini. For $ 80, you get a nice little system, two controllers and 42 games. Although the Mini does not lack a few oddities, it goes well beyond the previous software-based Genesis offerings that have plagued Sega fans for years. If you want to play Genesis games but you can not afford the real thing and a pile of cartridges, the Genesis Mini should be at the top of your list.

An authentic game is what matters most when it comes to a product like this, but you must not neglect the fit and finish of the Mini. It carries the classic design of the classic Model 1 Genesis, and despite its small footprint – which is somewhat smaller than the included controllers – it restores an almost faithful replenishment of the original hardware, up to the cache. removable port extension and cartridge slot flaps. These are frivolous cosmetic details, but they help to give the emulator in a box a touch of material authenticity. Japanese customers even have the option to purchase fictional modules like the Mega CD and 32X, as well as a large collection of miniature cartridges. These options, unfortunately, are not sold in other markets. If a puzzle piece is missing, it is the port for stereo headphones at the front. Although far from being a decisive factor, the option would have been a great function for music lovers who appreciate the distinct audio profile of the Genesis. Otherwise, the connection to the system could not be simpler. The Mini displays in 720p via HDMI and is powered via USB, either connected to your TV, or using the supplied AC adapter.

The pair of three-button controllers provided is a vivid picture of reality, and if you do not tell the difference between the cables, you will have trouble distinguishing them from the originals. In 1993, Sega finally released Genesis six-button controllers, but, just like the decision to mimic the Genesis of Model 1 rather than later models, Sega probably put on the fact that most of we identify with the original Genesis and its simpler controllers.

This decision does, however, affect the Genesis Mini experience. Of the 42 games built into the Mini, five offer different levels of support for the six-button controller. These include: Comix Zone, Eternal Champions, Shinobi 3, Street Fighter 2: Champion's Special Edition and Virtua Fighter II. While a three-button controller is perfect for some of them, good luck playing Street Fighter 2 while pressing the Start button to switch between punches and kicks. The Mini supports six-button USB controllers such as Retro-Bit reproductions, but it's disappointing to know that some of the Mini's games will suffer unless you pay more money for additional controllers. .

As mentioned, the Genesis Mini contains a lot of games, with a few surprises.

The taste is subjective, of course, but overall, the list above is filled with classics that easily withstand the test of time. Classics include: Castlevania: Bloodlines, Gunstar Heroes, Shining Force, Shinobi 3, Sonic the Hedgehog 1 and 2, Streets of Rage 2 and Vectorman. There are games on the list that are a lot less exciting – I'm looking at you, Light Crusader and Virtua Fighter 2 – but you'd be hard pressed to get tired of the selection here if you have the taste of 16 bit game.

There are also some other games that deserve special mention, either for never being released in the US or for ever being published on Genesis. Games like Mega Man Wily Wars and Monster World IV are two games that have never been on store shelves in North America. They are both delicious side scrollers that are good to have on hand. It is even worth mentioning the inclusion of Tetris, which is certainly not an amazing port, but an extremely rare game in the real world – there are only a few copies of the Japanese version after stopping the production and destruction of games as a result. a trial back in the day.

The real highlight of hardcore retro game fans is Darius MD. Darius is a series of Taito's side-scrolling shooter games that has seen many games on many platforms, including Darius 2 on Mega Drive. The first Darius, however, only exists on Genesis because a Japanese amateur developer has created his own port in recent years. M2 has therefore decided to team up with him and tweak it before publishing it on the Genesis Mini. It's a solid game, and an extraordinary hat-trick for fans of classic games.

The quality of emulation is just as important as the choice of games. In addition, the Genesis Mini eliminates the past efforts of AtGames. By and large, the games have amazing sound and sonority, without any of the tiny audio funk that usually invades the Genesis replacement consoles. If you want to get into the finer details, like the meticulous duo My Life In Gaming, some aspects of the Mini are not quite accurate – such as the unparalleled pixel size in games designed natively for the Genesis & # 39; Alternative display resolutions – although in practice, this particular problem is not serious enough to ruin the gaming experience. However, it is a bit different from M2 to leave a problem like this one unsolved.

Likewise, the Mini does not have the usual depth of M2 options and special features, leaving you with basic video settings such as screen stretching, CRT filtering, and wallpaper options. Although to be fair, the basics are certainly pretty good. The Genesis Mini has an interesting feature in its sleeve, however, which may not be obvious at first glance: the ability to play other versions of games by changing the language settings in the system menu. For example, if you change the language to Japanese, the menu will be filled with Japanese covers, and the games themselves will reflect the ROM memory of this version of the game. This will not benefit everyone because the difference between regions is relatively minor for most games, but it is certainly worthwhile to have the option to convert Robotnik's Mean Bean machine to Puyo Puyo, for example. There is a criticism to make regarding this option: burying these alternative versions in the language settings is not intuitive and it's not something that most people will want do, because converting menu text into other languages ​​will make it difficult to return to the region of your choice.

The Mini has some problems, and for M2 fans, it may be a little disappointing to find that it is not up to the team's most ambitious retro projects, but most of the time , the Mini is a small console very satisfactory. Its look, its wide selection of games that play largely faithful to the original experience, and its price just priced at $ 80 – although you may not agree if the six-button games like Street Fighter II are critical factors. Genesis fans have long been waiting for a system like this, and for once, we're happy to say that Genesis' latest official console is well worth it.