SEGA Genesis Mini Test – IGN

is the best all-in-one retro console ever made. With a range of 42 games (some of which have never seen real Western versions), a user interface and software managed by the legendary software company M2, a lively music composed of menus composed on original material by a musical legend Genesis and M2 brand surprises, this is the high watermark compared to which all retro mini-consoles need to be measured. This is not perfect, but it easily exceeds others.

Genesis makes …

The tiny SEGA Genesis Mini takes its design seriously, with key-locked spring-loaded cabinet doors, a mobile volume control (which does not do anything), and even an expansion bay door that open for no reason (at least for the US version, the Japanese version has an optional "Tower of Power" version and completely non-functional).

The included Genesis controllers look like the real deal, and my first thought holding one in my hands after all these years was "wow, these things are huge." Top 6-button controllers are not included, but for 40 of the 42 games included, the pack-in controllers work properly. This makes Street Fighter 2 and Eternal Champions a much better experience, but you will only play once at Eternal Champions.

Official USB Genesis Controller of Retro-Bit

An HDMI cable, a USB power cable and an AC adapter are also inside the box. The only thing that's missing is a nice, clean poster for each period, like Super Nintendo and NES Classics. As a video game litter collector, nothing excites me more than a poster that I will never get to hang up on.

The main menu screen is a delight. When the Genesis Mini starts, the game icons come out of the center of the screen and take their place in the user interface. Streets of Rage 2 composer Yuzo Koshiro plays a catchy melody. You can sort the games alphabetically, by release date, genre, or number of players. It is also fully animated: when you change the sorting options, the boxes move quickly in their new order. There is even an option to sort them by spine, allowing you to see all the games available at the same time, as if they were sitting on a shelf.

To return to the main menu from one of the games, simply hold down the "Start" button for a few seconds on one of the two included 3-button controllers. Personally, I recommend you to choose the officially licensed Genesis controller from Retro-Bit USB for a million different reasons. The best thing is that clicking on its "Mode" button quickly lets you press the Start button of the included controllers.

Until now, I have not found any surprises in the game's menus. You can save, load, reset or return to a game, or return to the main menu. Standard stuff. Back in the settings menu, the filter and wallpaper options are also pretty standard and are a place where I would like M2 to add a little more. You can choose one of two wallpapers or no wallpaper. There is also an option to play in 4: 3 or 16: 9, although it must be a cop to play in 16: 9. There is no perfect pixel option, which is odd because almost all emulation software includes the perfect pixel option, but you can enable or disable a CRT filter. This simply adds erroneous scan lines to the games, giving a rough estimate of their game on a display appropriate to the period. It's a good idea, one for which I've almost always opted when I play games in the old days. However, this makes the games a little too dark, because a large part of the screen is replaced by tiny black lines.

Each Sega Genesis Mini Game Start Screen

Genesis does!

With the Genesis Mini, SEGA has opted for quantity AND quality, giving us exactly twice as many games as SNES Classic, its closest competitor. While the list is full of classic Genesis classics, M2 and SEGA have embarked on adding some previously unpublished games to the west coast. In the case of Darius, it was never worn on the Genesis or Mega Drive. With so many games throughout SEGA Genesis' life, it's hard to complain about the included library. There are hundreds, probably thousands of hours of gambling stuck in the interior.

So, what about these games, huh? It's an extremely solid line-up, covering a long period of release and including games you've come to expect like Sonic and Sonic 2, games you may remember a bit like Alyssia Dragoon, up to # 39, never out in the West. Tetris version for Sega Genesis. They all play mainly as you remember.

Unfortunately, I noticed some strange emulation problems, especially in Sonic. If you capture a chaos emerald in one of the bonus levels, for example, it will flash and disappear from the score screen. The checkerboard pattern on Dr. Robotnik's demolition ball in the first fight against the boss is also twinkling, making the ball shiny and brown rather than checkered.

The strange but infrequent emulation problems aside, the games you will fondly remember will not let you down. I'm thrilled to be able to finally make my way through Phantasy Star IV after missing it the first time. It is really hard to criticize this formation, even if some of the previous games, such as Altered Beast and Golden Ax, are rather clumsy nowadays. But these two games are historically important to Genesis. Long before Sonic seduced us with his rude attitude and breath treatment, Altered Beast was the complete game with Genesis.

Each confirmed game for Sega Genesis Mini

The bonus games, Darius and Tetris, are also important, but for different reasons. I will say that the Genesis version of Tetris, which has never been officially released in the United States, is perhaps the most disappointing game in the group. Of the dozens of versions of Tetris I have played in the past decades, I think this could be my least favorite way to play Tetris. Historically, it is important. Gameplay wise? Try it once, then move on.

The collection contains other Genesis games that you may never have seen, as they have not been widely distributed. Mega Man: The Wily Wars, a 16-bit remasterizer of the first three NES Mega Man games, was exclusive to Sega Channel. In all my life, I have never met anyone who has a subscription to Sega Channel. Monster World IV, another included game, is never actually released for the Sega Genesis. He eventually found his way to the west via the Wii Virtual Console, but if you did not buy it at that time, there was no legitimate way to play it. Now you can play in HD. The Genesis Mini gives us a chance to visit American versions of games almost impossible to obtain otherwise.

You can not do that on Nintendo

One of the most surprising features of Sega Genesis Mini, and true to M2's reputation of going beyond, is the fact that you get even more content when you change the language options in the system menu. There is no reason for the changes to exist because different regions are getting different versions of the console. And yet, they are included, and it's such an unexpected addition.

For example, if you change the menu in Japanese, the entire user interface changes to match the Japanese Mega Drive, up to the Games dialog box. Even versions of the ROM change to match the region, so Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine becomes Puyo Puyo. Even subtle differences reveal that the Genesis Mini has more ROM than expected: the Japanese version of Sonic has clouds scrolling parallax, while the United States does not have the functionality. It's so useless and I love it.