The American Genesis 2 will be launching on October 27th, 2022 and, like the foreign Mega Drive incarnation, will include 50 fresh classic titles (23 of which have been announced so far) and will include both original Genesis games as well as some from the Sega CD catalog.

Differentiating 2019’s Genesis Mini from the Mini 2 at a glance will be a non-affair given that the latter is shaped like a miniature Model 2 console and will come standard with the 6-button controller rather than the original package’s 3-button.  Note, however, that the Genesis 2 will only include a single controller compared to the original package’s pair.

Sega says that both controllers will be compatible with either system.

In addition, Sega has said that the Genesis Mini 2 will be powered by an entirely new system-on-ship (SoC); one which will include additional flash storage and greater processing power needed to properly emulate the Sega CD hardware.

The 23 games announced for the Western Genesis Mini 2 thus far:

• After Burner II
• Alien Soldier (Japanese)
• Bonanza Bros.
• Fantasy Zone 
• Lightening Force
• Mansion of Hidden Sls. (CD)
• Night Striker  (CD/ Japanese)
• The Ninjawarriors  (CD/ Japanese)
• The Ooze
• OutRun
• OutRunners
• Rainbow Islands Extra
• Rolling Thunder 2
• Shining Force CD  (CD)
• Shining in the Darkness
• Silpheed  (CD)
• Sonic 3D Blast
• Sonic CD  (CD)
• Splatterhouse 2
• Star Mobile (previously unreleased)
• Super Hang-On
• Vectorman 2
• Virtua Racing

While Amazon is taking preorders for the North American unit already, strangely an international shipping charge of nearly $22 takes the $80 system to just over $100 total.  Whether or not Amazon USA will begin taking preorders for the console without the international transportation rate tacked on is yet to be determined.

To learn more, Sega of Japan now has an official North American Genesis Mini 2 site.

The post North American Genesis 2 Becomes Official appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.

In the event that you missed it, Sega has confirmed a new retro mini console follow-up to its 2019 Genesis Mini. While the new Mega Drive 2 looks a lot like the second iteration of the Mega Drive (Genesis) hardware, the real claim to fame over the first is an entirely new list of preinstalled games, this time taking from both the Genesis Cartridge and Sega CD libraries.

They initially announced 11 game titles (click here for a refresher), and now they’ve followed up with an official announcement naming games 12-22.

Genesis Cartridge Games:

After Burner II
Columns III: Revenge of Columns
Megapanel
Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water
Out Run
Puzzle & Action: Ichidant-R
Splatterhouse 2
Star Mobile

SEGA CD Games:

Night Striker
The Ninja Warriors
Starblade

Also of note is that while Sega has announced an official Japanese release date for the new system (October 27) for roughly $70 US, they have yet to officially announce a North American counterpart to the Mega Drive 2. It’s a safe bet they will give the success of the 2019 Genesis Mini and, given that some of the text-heavy RPG titles would be extremely difficult to play without localization, simply importing a Japanese unit isn’t a foolproof workaround.

The post Sega Announces 11 More Titles For Upcoming Mini appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.

As hard as it is to imagine now, when the Amiga line of computers came on the scene in 1985, the Commodore 64 was only three years old. And, contrary to common misconception, the two Commodore personal computer platforms coexisted all the way until 1994, when the C64 was finally discontinued. The Amiga line would go on another two years, finally getting its plug pulled in 1996.

What makes its early debut so impressive is that when you go back to personal computers of the early to mid 1980s, they feel, for the most part, like computers from the early to mid 80s. Interfaces were clunky and complex, tasks were difficult to achieve, processing was painfully slow. And, by and large, the specs out of the box were what you’d be working with for the duration of the hardware’s life cycle.

Amiga turned a lot of these institutions on their head – they came packing 16 or 32-bit processors in 85, packed in 256kb of RAM (compared to the 64k for which the C64’s name was derived), and incorporated a mouse-based, visual click operating system interface; one that, not unlike Windows, is still being used and updated to this very day.

If you’re wondering why any of this matters, Retro Games LTD, the guys behind 2018’s THEC64 Mini (then later the full-size variant THEC64) are at it again. This time they’ve turned their attention toward the Amiga in an all-new piece of miniaturized, emulation-based plug and play hardware: THEA500 Mini.

The naming in this one is a bit complex, so let’s break that one down right away. The first Amiga from 1985 was called the 1000 – the 500 didn’t come on the scene until 1987. We’re guessing this was the model for which the new mini classic edition was named because it quickly became the best-selling Amiga model.

However, while THEA500 Mini looks just like the original Amiga 500 (only much, much smaller – 10x7x3 inches) and boasts perfect emulation of the Amiga 500, Retro Game LTD had the presence of mind to design the new architecture around the later Amiga systems as well including the Advanced Graphics Architecture (AGA) of the A1200 (which didn’t come out until late 1992). Why does this matter? Simple – it gives the player access to Amiga’s entire game library. And like most long-standing personal computer lines, it is a massive library.

Unboxing and Setting Up

When you dig into THEA500’s box, you get the HDMI output, high definition console (25 games preinstalled), USB gamepad, USB optical mouse (each with 6-foot cords), HDMI and USB (A-C) cable and documentation. Everything you need to get underway except for the wall adapter, but in this, the era of the smartphone, having a cube or two laying around is all but a given. Note that the recommended wall adapter should output 5 volts/ 1 amp.

Setting the system up is as simple and plugging it into the wall, running the HDMI to the back of your TV and plugging the controller and mouse into two of the three available USB 2.0 ports. That’s all there is to it – game on.

Interface

The graphical user interface harkens back to some design cues of the original AmigaOS but much more simplified and user-friendly. Out of the box, the system comes with 25 games from which to select from a rotating carousel. Games launch with console-like efficiency. However, some (as is commonplace with computer gaming) request that the player input a name – for this an onscreen keyboard that can be operated with the controller is but a button-press away, or that third USB port can be used to support any USB keyboard. Keep in mind that the keyboard on the unit itself is far smaller than it appears in photos and is thus non-functional.  Also of note – THEA500 Mini is designed to support most USB game controllers out of the box as well so your favorite PlayStation or PC controller can likely follow you over).

As is all but standard fair these days with retro minis, the unit, which outputs in 720p with selectable 50/60Hz refresh rates (meaning the same unit was released for PAL and NTSC regions) comes standard with a variety of filter and aspect ratio options to play with.

The Games

If, like us, the original Amiga glory days managed to pass you by while you obsessed over NES then Genesis and SNES then finally PlayStation, let us assure you that gaming on the Amiga line had ironed out all of the rough spots of its computing contemporaries.

The polish that really became standard fair by the latter portion of the 16-bit era of consoles is present here in terms of graphics, scrolling, control and difficulty. The 25 games selected represent a pretty decent sampling of the spectrum – with everything from a flight sim, a pinball entry, Worms, a few race titles, pool, Battle Chess, California Games, even a couple of mascot platformers in Titus the Fox and Zool: Ninja Of The “Nth” Dimension.

More useful than trying to tell you which of the included games will be your favorite, let me instead comment that we’ve tried each and every one and they ran beautifully. We don’t have an original Amiga around here for comparison sake, but found no artifacting, glitches or tearing. Everything felt tight, precise.

The included controller is surprisingly adequate for gaming as well. We spent a lot of time with THEC64 Mini and, while the second incarnation of the Competition Pro joystick (with the microswitches) was a vast improvement over the first, often found that the precision required for many games was additionally frustrating due to the imprecise nature of the joystick concept.

Such concerns are null and void this time around. The 8-button gamepad is easily on par with what Sega and Nintendo were doing at the time. In fact, we’re impressed enough to where the long-term plan around here is to use this new pad on our C64 Mini when we tire of the Amiga. Going back with this type of input precision should make a lot of those games much more playable.

Save states are also present with THEA500 Mini, so starting over again at the start of each play session is completely left to the user’s discretion.

The 25 Included Titles:

Alien Breed 3D • Alien Breed: Special Edition 92 • Another World • Arcade Pool • ATR: All Terrain Racing • Battle Chess • Cadaver • California Games • Dragon’s Breath • F-16 Combat Pilot • Kick Off 2 • Paradroid 90 • Pinball Dreams • Project-X: Special Edition 93 • Qwak • Simon the Sorcerer • Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe • Stunt Car Racer • Super Cars II • The Chaos Engine • The Lost Patrol • The Sentinel • Titus the Fox • Worms: The Director’s Cut • Zool: Ninja Of The “Nth” Dimension

Game Library Access

What separates THEA500 Mini (and THEC64 family) from just about any other modern plug-and-play retro mini console on the market is the ability to add games from the system’s library. The process here is drag and drop files onto a USB drive simple using the WHDload package, which, when installed includes a free 26^th game in the first person shooter Citadel.

In the event that you tire of the included titles, do keep in mind the Amiga has amassed a library of some 2,200 official games and estimates placing the real-world number closer to 6,000.

Conclusion

THEA500 Mini takes everything we’ve come to expect from Retro Games LTD (excellent build quality, bulletproof performance, plug and play simplicity, spot-on emulation) and elevates it to the next level.

The only downside we could find after two straight days of playing nonstop is that the $140 MSRP places it at the top of the modern retro plug-and-play hardware chart. The cost of entry might be a bit steep for some in these trying times but the way we look at it is video gaming hardware remains on the lower end of the entertainment spectrum in even the worst case scenarios (after all, the PS5 is $499 and Sony can’t get one to reach a store shelf due to demand).

Another way to say it? If you can swing the $140, you will find countless hours of quality gaming entertainment here – and, for us, across a library of titles that we had no prior experience playing. Like traveling back in time. If you’re a fan of retro gaming in general, this is a must-buy.

And though this next one is a long shot – we’d love to see a further iteration of this hardware available in the CD32 shell as well. What’s a CD32 you ask? In September of 1993 Commodore entered the console video game market by releasing their own CD-based 32-bit home video game system based on their Advanced Graphics Architecture chipset from the Amiga 1200 personal computer – exactly like the setup of THEA500 Mini. A CD32 Mini, even if it was no different from the internals and game selection of THEA500 would be a console collector’s dream.

Specs

All Winner H6 ARM processor (Cortex A53)

512mb Ram DDR3

3 x USB 2.0 ports

HDMI Port

USB-C Port (Power )

256mb Flash Rom (OS/25 games)

$139.99 / Available Now

https://retrogames.biz/products/thea500-mini/

The post Console Review: THEA500 Mini appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.

As we approach the tail end of the year, it’s a pretty safe assessment that nobody could have predicted just how brutally rough and tumble 2020 would prove to be.  Yet for the video game industry, somehow, things are very prosperous.  We’re less than a month away from entering the 9th Generation of home video game consoles and, had things gone according to plan, a third contender should have been vying for players’ dollars and attention – The Intellivision Amico.

Delays and MSRP

When announced back in 2018, the Amico was slated for a 10/10/2020 release; a date that sadly came and went recently without so much as playable media units available much less retail units but backers of the project and the individuals involved in production remain optimistic that these delays will come to an end sometime around mid-April of 2021.

The reason for the delay?  Intellivision’s CEO Tommy Tallarico stated in an online press event back in early August that pandemic-induced global parts sourcing would have resulted in compromised quality assurance of the finished product.  “Ultimately our date is going to be determined by specific quality criteria that the team has defined and not a moment before,” he added.

While the news comes as a disappointment to those who have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the unit, quite a bit has changed in the two-years since its initial announcement.  Some of these things have been encouraging, others not so much.

Since having reported on it back in October of 2018, the price of the unit has been solidified at quite a bit higher than initially anticipated.  The company was aiming for between $150 – $180 price point at the time but ended up at $249.99 for either the black or white models or $299.99 for the GameStop Limited edition purple version.  $299.99 literally puts the unit in direct contention with Microsoft’s forthcoming XBox Series S and $100 below Sony’s PlayStation 5 Digital Edition.  However, unlike either of those, the Amico does come bundled with two wireless rechargeable controllers out of the box.

An additional perk to Amico ownership is that the system will come bundled with titles so that playing immediately requires no further investment from the buyer; Astrosmash, Shark! Shark!, Skiing, Farkle (dice) and Cornhole come preinstalled. 

Game Library

The price and hardware delay may be a disappointment but there have been some promising updates where the game library is concerned.  At present 80 titles have been announced for the Amico and among these some promising-looking exclusives.  Interplay will be bringing Earthworm Jim 4 exclusively to the platform in all of its 2D glory.  Bonus Level Entertainment, known for an 8th gen platfomer called Fox N Forests is working on a very solid looking 2D Amico-exclusive spin off title called Finnigan Fox.  Additionally cool is that properties formerly distributed by Sega will be receiving some Amico exclusivity and modernization such as Ecco the Dolphin and Toejam & Earl.

It looks like Intellivision has managed to secure some outside licensing for several forthcoming games as well; a racing game based on the Hot Wheels brand, an action title based on Tron and a 2D platformer starring the Care Bears.

As expected, many games that were big in the early 80s (some originally developed for the original Intellivison) are getting some modernized treatment for the Amico:  Warlords, Lode Runner, Lock ‘N’ Chase, Asteroids, Frogger, Spelunker, Missile Command, Miner 2049er and Beauty and the Beast to mention a few.

The complete listing of announced games to date is as follows:

10 Yard Fight

ACL

Archon

Asteroids

Astrosmash

B-17

Back Talk Party

Bad Dudes

Battle Tanks

Beauty and the Beast

Biplanes

Blank Slate

Bocce Sports

Bomb Squad

Bowling

Boxing Sports

Brain Duel

Breakout

Burgertime

Burnin’ Rubber

Caveman Ninja

Care Bears

Cloudy Mountain

Cosmic Ark

Darts

Demon Attack

Dracula

Dragon Fire

Dynablaster

Earthworm Jim 4

Ecco the Dolphin

Evel Knievel

Farkle

Finnigan Fox

Flying Circus

Football

Frog Bog

Frogger

Golf

Hockey

Horse Racing

Hot Wheels SideSwipers

Ice Trek

Incan Gold / Diamont

Kung-Fu Master

Liar’s Dice

Lock ‘N’ Chase

Lode Runner

Mahjong

Microsurgeon

Miner 2049er

Missile Command

MLB Baseball Sports

Moon Patrol: The Milky Way Chronicles

MotoRace USA

Night Stalker

Nitro Derby

Picture Charades

Pinball Arcade

Pong

Pool & Billiards

R-Type

Rigid Force Redux Enhanced

Running Man

Safecracker

Sesame Street Math Fun

Shark! Shark!

Shuffleboard

Skiing

Snafoo

Space Strike

Spades

Spelunker

Soccer

Telestrations

Texas Hold’em

Toejam & Earl

Tron Deadly Discs

Tropical Angel

Utopia

Warlords

Initially it was announced that games would strictly use a digital distribution model and cost between $2.99 – $7.99 per title.  These days they are blanketing the price at $9.99 and under through the Amico Game Shop but this cost is to own the entire game/ no further DLC, microtransactions or loot crate nonsense.  Additionally they have since announced that physical editions of games will also be available at retail for approximately $20 to $30.

Operating System

According to Tallarico, the hardware runs the Android OS atop a Linux kernel; which, by definition is precisely what Android is – a mobile operating system based on a modified version of the Linux kernel.  What we imagine this to mean is at its core, the Amico is a Linux box but all of the touch-screen interaction and functionality from the controllers (synced mobile phones and tablets with an installed free app can also be used in-lieu of controllers) will be accomplished thanks to Android.

Hardware

While not much of a consolation to eager backers hungry for some gameplay, the missed 10/10/2020 release date instead saw some new Youtube videos from Intellivision showing off play as well as shedding a lot more light on the hardware itself (pun intended).

The console features Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, RFID, HDMI out, a microSD card slot, a charging cradle for two Amico controllers on the top, passive cooling, and one USB-C port on the back for accessories/ expansions.  The big revelation was in that the body will also feature an LED ambient lighting system with 40 independently controlled LEDs capable of changing pattern and color in response to gameplay, a system known as Interactive Guidance Lighting.

The ambidextrous controllers (right or left handed preference by flipping them over) charge wirelessly when placed into the cradle atop the console though they can also be charged up using a wired USB-C connection.  They feature Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, RFID, speakers, a microphone, an accelerometer, haptic force feedback, and a gyroscope. Perhaps their best known attribute, however, is the inclusion of 3.2 in (81.28 mm) full-color interactive touch screen, a home button and a 64-way pressure-sensitive directional disc. Four oversized buttons are placed as two shoulder buttons depending on whether playing in left or right handed position and LED lighting illuminates each shoulder button and the disc itself is surrounded by a ring of twelve more LEDs.

We have also since learned that the heart of the Amico will be a Qualcomm Snapdragon mobile CPU.  And on September 16, 2020 it was announced that Chinese manufacturer Ark Electronics was awarded the contract to produce the Intellivision Amico hardware.

Editions

Intellivision offered 2,600 special Founder’s Edition vintage wood-grain bundles for pre-order and managed to move them all within five hours. The company opened another round of VIP pre-orders in late March and in a few days span, over 10,000 additional ($279) units were pre-ordered.

They offer the hardware in four other configurations as well:  Glacier White, Graphite Black, Gloss Red ($249 each) or the GameStop exclusive Galaxy Purple for $299.

Preorders are being taken here.

The post Intellivision Amico Update: Everything We Know So Far appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.

The world at large is focused on the forthcoming PlayStation 5 and XBox Series X releases and amid all of the preorder frenzy, Sega quietly suggested that its next retro mini classic system is in the works.

Sega creative producer Yosuke Okunari spoke about the future of the company’s mini consoles in a Famitsu interview following the release of the Japan-only Game Gear Micro.  Putting to rest consumer fears that the next new old project to come out of the Sega camp would follow such restrictions, Okunari went on in the interview to say that the project scope for the next one (like the Genesis Mini before it) will once again be global.

While it seems hopeful fans the world over immediately suspected it to be a Dreamcast Mini being hinted at in the discussion, Okunari went on to throw a clever curve:  “I think for the next one, we may go with a concept close to the Mega Drive Mini.  If I have to say some names, it could be an SG-1000 Mini or a Dreamcast Mini.”

In the event that you aren’t up on your Sega company portfolio, the SG-1000 was the company’s first official home console and the Dreamcast was their last.  In short, Okunari was simply stating in so many words that it could be any of Sega’s consoles being considered for the next one.  The big takeaway though, is that there is indeed going to be a next one.

So which is it going to be?  The internet is guessing Dreamcast but would it be wise for Sega to jump from the Genesis Mini directly to the last console the company ever produced?  Let’s look at the possibilities.

Sega SG-1000

The SG-1000 is a home video game console manufactured by Sega and released in Japan, Australia,and other markets in 1983. It was Sega’s first entry into the home video game hardware business.

Likelihood: Very Unlikely

Okunari himself stated Sega would again be targeting the whole world with this next one just like they did with the Genesis Mini.  It wouldn’t make sense to develop a mini that wasn’t even officially released to North America.  Plus the original only moved 160,000 units total.

Sega Master System

The Master System is Sega’s third-generation 8-bit home video game console. It was originally a remodeled export version of the Sega Mark III, which itself was the third iteration of the SG-1000 series of consoles.  It was released in Japan in 1985 and featured enhanced graphical capabilities over its predecessors. The Master System launched in North America in 1986, Europe in 1987, and Brazil in 1989.

Likelihood: Moderate

If Sega were doing it to keep up with the dominance Nintendo has demonstrated with the Classic Mini scene, they would have had a Master System Mini packaged up and ready to go shortly after Nintendo burned through its NES Classic inventory in mere milliseconds back in 2016.  There would still be a strong market, feeding on the retro movement now but for Sega it would seem an odd move to go from their 16-bit offering (2019’s Genesis Mini) back to the far less popular 8-bit hardware as the followup.

Sega CD

The Genesis had a mountain of peripherals and add-ons to enhance the gaming experience but perhaps none more unique and certainly none as successful as the Sega CD attachment.  The Sega CD is, as the name suggests, a CD-ROM accessory for the Genesis designed and produced by Sega as part of the fourth generation of video game consoles. It was released in 1991 in Japan, 1992 in North America, and 1993 in Europe.

Likelihood: Fairly Unlikely

What holds this one back from being a major consideration is the simple fact that it would have likely been designed and marketed as a fairly quick followup to September of 2019’s Genesis Mini.  Since, technically, it was never a stand-alone console in the first place, it would have worked best as an alternative Genesis Mini package, possibly in limited edition.  Completionists and nostalgia junkies alike would have bought up inventories in a fever pitch.  Since Okunari said it could be anywhere from one to two years before the release of the next Mini, the Sega CD seems a more distant candidate than it would have been initially.

Sega Saturn

The Sega Saturn is Sega’s fifth generation video game console and successor to the highly successful Genesis. Developed and manufactured by Sega, the Saturn released in Japan in 1994,  North America and Europe in 1995.  Boasting dual-CPU architecture and eight processors working in conjunction, it was one of the most powerful but underutilized architectures of the generation.  Its game library contains several near identical ports of arcade games as well as a plethora of original titles.

Likelihood: Very Likely

Contrary to common misconception, while the Saturn may have gotten destroyed by contemporary rival Sony with the original PlayStation (then later that generation by Nintendo with the N64), the truth is 9.6-million units moved globally compared to the Dreamcast’s 9.13-million makes it Sega’s most successful piece of hardware in North America behind the Genesis.  A Dreamcast Mini makes sense but almost like the askew logic of releasing the 16-bit Genesis Mini then trying to go back and release an 8-bit Master System Mini, Sega might be wise to keep things in order by releasing a Saturn Mini before a Dreamcast Mini.

Dreamcast

Released in 1999 as first in the sixth generation of video game consoles (preceding Sony’s PlayStation 2, Nintendo’s GameCube, and Microsoft’s Xbox).  The Dreamcast would become Sega’s final home console, marking the end of the company’s eighteen year run in the home console market.  In contrast to the expensive and complex hardware of the Saturn, the Dreamcast was designed to reduce production costs and retail pricing by running “off-the-shelf” components, including a Hitachi SH-4 CPU and an NEC PowerVR2 GPU.  Sega ended up pulling the plug only two years after release (2001), making the Dreamcast one of the shortest-lived major console life cycles in the history of home video gaming.

Likelihood: Extremely Likely

If fans had their way, the Dreamcast Mini would be the candidate hands down.  And while it makes a lot of sense to release such a console while the demand is high, the only downside is that it doesn’t leave Sega a whole lot of places to go from here.  Nintendo paved a very clear and successful path with the retro mini segment by starting with their earliest offering (the NES) then following it up with the 16-bit SNES Classic.  If the company decides to continue, it makes sense that they would release the systems in their original order.

Sega has already painted themselves into a bit of a corner by starting with their 16-bit Genesis but that’s not to suggest they can’t buck the trends and bounce all over their hardware catalog as they see fit.  We’d like to see all of the above consoles get another chance to shine but if we had to pick just one, we’d say the Dreamcast has probably got the best shot at being Sega’s next retro mini system.  However, unlike the first time around, we hope it won’t end up being their last.

The post Is The Sega Dreamcast Mini Really Going Be A Thing? appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.

In my last column I talked about the Sega Genesis Mini and the fact that Sega actually managed to trump its arch rival of years past (Nintendo) in a few key areas of the retro mini market. In the time since, the Genesis Mini has been released to the masses and has been doing quite favorably by both the press and public alike.

As is humanity’s nature (and thanks to the added acceleration of social media), many people out there on the interwebs are voicing requests for Sega to follow up with a Dreamcast Mini. Now let me just say right here I am in full support of this concept. Sony has proven that larger, more hardware-taxing ROMs can be translated to the mini componentry just fine and Sega holds tens of thousands of titles that have been doing nothing but gathering dust for the past couple of decades.

However to have them just jump ahead from the Genesis to the Dreamcast would be a terrible move. In case nobody noticed, there is a natural progression going on with these things. The NES Classic Edition was followed by the SNES Classic Edition. If Nintendo were to do another one, it would be the N64 and not the Gamecube or Wii Classic. Once a company jumps ahead in the release order, it would be a terribly tricky sale to get customers excited about reverting.

As such Sega would be wise to continue on the retro mini path much as they originally advanced with hardware back in the day. Follow up the Genesis with a Sega CD Mini. Follow that with a Saturn Mini. Then work on a Dreamcast Mini.

Just to be clear, Sega has not made official that they will be producing ANY of these systems but it is certainly fun to imagine what they’d be like. I have been spending a lot of time imagining what a Sega CD Mini would be like. I suspect they would want to develop a case that mimicked the Model 1 design (just like they did with the Genesis) – only with USB controller inputs so that the Genesis Mini’s controllers would be fully compatible even though it would be an entirely stand-alone unit (the Genesis Mini is such that functioning add-ons will not be possible).

While the system was supported for a mere 4 years (1992-1996), it managed to amass a surprisingly robust library of 153 titles in North America alone. It went on to sell 2.24-million units globally making it the most successful peripheral for the Genesis; a system known for its multitude of add-ons.

So if I were in charge of the project, what games would I select to pack into this theoretical Mini? Well even though the Genesis Mini contained 42 games, we’ll say that for the argument of the additional memory CD-based titles demand that Sega would come in closer to what Sony did with the PlayStation Classic and lower that number a bit. The PlayStation Classic crammed 20 games so we’ll say 25 for the Sega CD Mini. But which to pick? Thankfully the Sega CD library is nowhere near as expansive as original PlayStation’s. Even still, doing better than Sony did shouldn’t be asking for too much. Here are the 25 games I would include were it my task:

1) Sonic CD – Considered by many to be one of the finest Sonic games of all time, this one would be a must-include title.

2) Sewer Shark – Considered by many to be a terrible game and a relic of the FMV era passed, this one has to be included simply because it was the pack-in game with the system and for many of us original fans, the first taste we got of that sweet CD-ROM potential.

3) Ecco The Tides of Time – Sure Ecco was an acquired taste on any of Sega’s hardware choices, the fact is it has never looked better than on the CD and the time travel element complements Sonic CD really well.

4) Lunar: Eternal Blue – This critically acclaimed role-playing masterpiece had the distinction of being developed exclusively for the Sega CD platform. It would later get ported to the Sega Saturn and Sony PlayStation but before that it was one of the exclusive Sega CD killer apps.. Long before that was a saying.

5) Eternal Champions: Challenge From the Dark Side – Just a prettier port of the Genesis title you say? Increased playable character lineup (from 9 to 25), tighter controls, more balanced game play and many more combo moves say otherwise.

6) Snatcher – This one was released very late in the Sega CD’s life cycle and was developed by none other than Hideo Kojima (of Metal Gear Solid fame). Described as a bit of an interactive comic with a complex plot and rich character development, the Sega CD was the only platform to ever get an English release.

7) Shining Force CD – This one represents another wonderful Sega CD RPG selection but with a bit more emphasis on the strategy element.

8) Silpheed – Sega was always good with their shooters and the Sega CD did get a few really good ones. Silpheed was a solid 2D entry.

9) Final Fight CD – Considered by many to be the absolute best home version of Capcom’s arcade beat em up, this one was another strong reason to own a Sega CD back in the day.

10) Flashback – Yes the Sega CD actually received PC ports back in the day because it had the storage media possible to handle it. Flashback played well and looked excellent.

11) Secret of Monkey Island – Another PC port, this one is more of a point-and-click experience but a memorable one nevertheless and a pretty fun look back to how a lot of hot PC games of the time played.

12) Mortal Kombat – It didn’t look a whole lot prettier than its Genesis counterpart but the audio was the closest to the arcade of all the home ports. Plus the blood was in tact.

13) Night Trap – FMV died out in this era and arguably for good reason. They were barely playable. However Sega couldn’t release a Sega CD Mini without including a few of them. Night Trap was one of the better ones and if that one was a bit too touchy for today’s politically correct society, Ground Zero Texas could pinch hit.

14) Wonderdog – In terms of cartoony 2D platformers, the second most popular behind Sonic CD would have to be Wonderdog from JVC. Amazingly it was developed by JVC exclusively for the Sega CD back in the day and was then ported to the Commodore Amiga.

15) Star Wars Rebel Assault – Like Money Island, it’s unlikely Sega would be able to get Lucas Arts to sign over this one but if they could manage it, this stiff-playing gem was the closest thing we Rebel-wannabes had to taking on the whole Empire ourselves back in the day. And on a personal note the reason I had to have a Sega CD after playing the game on my cousin’s then cutting edge PC.

16) Mickey Mania – This cartoon platformer came to a lot of home consoles (including the Genesis) but the Sega CD version’s audio may as well have been ripped straight off a Disney theatrical picture.

17) Earthworm Jim Special Edition – The anthropomorphic worm came to the Sega CD with its trademark platforming/ shooting in style and like most properties that shared cartridge versions, the audio enhancement alone made them worthy of picking up.

18) The Amazing Spiderman Vs The Kingpin – Yes well before the PlayStation 4, Spidey was doing his thing in 2D form with a great soundtrack on yet another Sega CD exclusive.

19) Heart of the Alien – The cinematic sci-fi adventure from Interplay was moody, rich and games like this really don’t exist anymore.

20) Robo Aleste – The excellent follow-up to M.U.S.H.A. on the Genesis and a shooter considered by many to be the strongest in the Sega CD’s entire catalog.

21) Dune – Frank Herbert’s science fiction masterpiece actually got a strategy title from Virgin Interactive for the Sega CD.

22) Puggsy – Long before they were known for pumping out Lego games by the dozen, Traveler’s Tales was doing puzzle platformers for the Sega CD.

23) Wild Woody – Boasting a name that must have had parents all sorts of squeamish when kids asked for it back in the day, this was another Sega CD exclusive that arrived late in the system’s life and made pretty nice use of the hardware’s potential. It was about a pencil, ya pervs.

24) Popful Mail – Weird name, great game. Somehow Working Designs combined platforming with role-playing and did so with some of the best cut-scenes on the Sega CD.

25) The Terminator CD – Imagine if Contra involved invincible cyborgs and the ability to keep things faithful to the movies (there were far fewer of those then), you’d have The Terminator CD and let’s just say a certain Tommy Tallarico made certain the riffs were ripping.

So there you have it, my choices for 25 titles that would come bundled into a Sega CD Mini. Do you agree? Disagree? Think others would be better fits? Feel free to sound off in the comments; one thing for sure though is a Sega CD Mini would make for a retro classic edition like no other.

The post RETROSPECTIVE: The Theoretical Sega CD Mini appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.