Sega Mega Drive/Genesis Mini
So now that we’ve passed through some of the rougher entries in Sega’s console portfolio we’re now into the middle ground where there are a combination of some really good machines with great games and games in the mixed with some missed opportunities just a fraction of greatness.
The Sega Mega Drive/Genesis Mini is a brilliant product. The only reason it’s this far down on the list, is because it is arguably an extension of the Mega Drive rather than it’s own thing, and if we do consider it it’s own thing, the set list of games does limit it compared to the others ranked above it.
Also, coming out in 2019 as Sega’s first hardware release since the Dreamcast, it definitely felt like it should be honoured with it’s own entry in the list.
The Mega Drive Mini was originally not going to be developed by Sega and was going to be made by AT Games who had previously released licensed mini Mega Drives to mixed results. When the public became aware of this Sega cancelled the AT produced version and made their own.
This was a smart move by Sega who were jumping on the retro mini console bandwagon that Nintendo started with the NES and Super Nintendo Classic Mini systems, but was soon followed by mini Neo Geos, Commodore 64s and Playstations to name a few. This didn’t receive as good reception as the Nintendo produced machines, and the Playstation in particular received a poor over all reviews.
So, in this sense it was fitting that the console that was seen to rival Nintendo’s NES and Super NES was the Sega Mega Drive. This provided a moment in history where the console wars were reignited as Sega and Nintendo fans could debate which mini console was better. And it’s a tough choice which is somewhat down to your preference of the individual games and perhaps which system you may feel more nostalgic for.
The machine itself is a perfectly scaled down version of the Genesis and you can also buy add on Mega CD and 32X add ons for the device, but these are purely cosmetic and don’t allow you to play any extra games. This is a real shame as it would have been brilliant if buying the mini Mega CD and 32X had unlocked games form those systems to play. If they had done this people would have complained that the games could have been included on the Mega Drive itself, so they were damned if they did and damned if they didn’t but it still would have been a cool idea.
The list of games on the Mega Drive/Genesis is impressive with hits like Sonic 1, 2 and Spinball, ToeJam and Earl, Earthworm Jim and Street Fighter 2. It also features a couple of games that didn’t originally come out for the system back in the day including a previously unavailable version of Tetris, which obviously at the time was a big exclusive for Nintendo. Notably absent are Sonic 3 and Sonic and Knuckles which have had reduced releases in recent years due to music licensing issues.
