Net of some slips, the mini console market shows no signs of stopping and, indeed, continues to expand with the arrival of old glories of the past in compacted versions adapted to our high-resolution TVs. This year it's Sega's turn, with its Mega Drive Mini, the console that most of all embodies an era in which the Japanese company was regarded as one of the biggest giants in the industry. Although today SEGA is still a respected company for the games it develops and publishes, who knows what the gaming world would be like today if the Tokyo-based company hadn't failed with Saturn and Dreamcast.
The Mega Drive Mini, however, does not represent SEGA's first attempt to re-propose its successful console on the market, as already in 2016 it had granted the rights to At Games for the production of the Mega Drive Classic, a version of the console with 85 games included. and support for HD TVs which turned out to be a disaster. Poor quality components and plastics, noticeable drops in the framerate, sensitive input lag in the controls, terrible interface and so on and so forth.
SEGA obviously apologized for that terrible job and has therefore decided to make up for it with a new Mini version that will arrive on October 4th at a price of 79.99 euros.
In the setting of the Bug Arcade Bar in Milan, thanks to Koch Media, we had the opportunity to get our hands on the console and we can tell you right away that it has nothing to do with the work of At Games. The aesthetic is that of the first model of the original Mega Drive, the one released in 1988 in Japan and which then came to us in 1990. It is half the size of the original and includes 42 games, two three-button controllers with USB connection, an HDMI cable and a Micro-B USB power cable, so no AC adapter.
A version of the 6-button controller will be sold separately and will be compatible not only with current consoles but also with the Mega Drive Mini. Ideal for those who especially want to play fighting games like Street Fighter II and Virtua Fighter 2. The controller cables reach up to two meters, thus compensating for the criticalities of those seen in other consoles of the competition, such as the mini versions of NES and SNES.
The list of games is as follows:
- 1. Sonic the Hedgehog
- 2. Here is the Dolphin
- 3. Castlevania: The New Generation
- 4. Space Harrier 2
- 5. Shining Force
- 6. Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine
- 7. ToeJam & Earl
- 8. Comix Zone
- 9. Altered Beast
- 10. Gunstar Heroes
- 11. Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse
- 12. World of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck
- 13. Thunder Force III
- 14. Super Fantasy Zone
- 15. Shinobi III
- 16. Streets of Rage 2
- 17. Earthworm Jim
- 18. Sonic the Hedgehog 2
- 19. Probector
- 20. Landstalker
- 21. Mega Man®: The Wily Wars
- 22. Street Fighter II'®: Special Champion Edition
- 23. Ghouls' n Ghosts®
- 24. Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle
- 25. The Story of Thor
- 26. Golden Ax
- 27. Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium
- 28. Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball
- 29. Vectorman
- 30. Wonder Boy in Monster World
- 31. Tetris®
- 32. Darius
- 33. Road Rash II
- 34. Strider
- 35. Virtua Fighter 2
- 36. Alisia Dragoon
- 37. Kid Chameleon
- 38. Monster World IV
- 39. Eternal Champions
- 40. Columns
- 41. Dynamite Headdy
- 42. Light Crusader
It should be noted that Darius and Tetris, although they were in development on the original SEGA console, were never commercialized, so for the first time they will be available in the version for Mega Drive. Net of some questionable choices, mostly dictated by mere personal taste, the game selection seemed almost perfect to us and offers an overview of all the best that the Mega Drive had to offer in its stock. The peculiarity of some titles, then, is that it includes all the editions released over the years and in the various countries, such as Castlevania (available in The New Generation, Vampire Killer and Bloodlines editions) or Street Fighter 2 (Championship or Hyper).
In short, SEGA has really done a painstaking job with this Mega Drive Mini and we hope it will be an example for the next future re-editions of other consoles of the past. More details will then follow with the full review. Do not miss.
