TLZ
Banned
Weeeellll...... I'll just leave you guessing
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Megadrive/Genesis Mini: Sept 19 release date, $70, M2 doing the emulation, 40 Games (inc Castlevania)
- Thread starter Kazza
- Start date
TLZ
Banned
Saw him in my recommended videos earlier, but no idea who he is. I'll check later.
Fox Mulder
Member
The last gen collection also didn’t do the simple as fuck Sonic and Knuckles lock on stuff until the standalone games. Still nice we’re past the years of Backbone or AtGames shit at least.
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Starlight Lotice
Member
Even your preference to Samus over Alis Lansdale/Tyris Flare and Blaze Fielding? :O
TraceTheTong
Member
This doesn't sound stupid at all, dude. That feeling of: "Oh it's like it's making a tiny megadrive on my computer hardware! Oh, of course! This cd drive in my PC probably doesn't differ much from the CD drive in the saturn!" and all that. That feeling is why emulation is so great. It's a bit of a "duh, of course!" moment.
Windle Poons
Made a crappy phPBB forum once ... once.
So, nobody has yet found a way to hack this yet like the mini NES and SNES?
Kazza
Member
That's not a good sign. The difference between this Mini and the Nintendo ones is that there have already been multiple Megadrive minis through the years, even if they aren't the same quality as this one. There isn't the same pent up demand as there was with the NES/SNES.
RAIDEN1
Member
Seems to me to be like Megadrive/Genesis fatigue....only had the PS4/Xbox-One release last year....had it have been a Saturn Mini...(done right that is) it may have been different
Animagic
Banned
Portable Phantasy Star IV is worth it for me
Lone Wolf
Member
Input lag not a big deal with this game, so I can agree with you here.
TLZ
Banned
It's not even out to the public yet.
Kazza
Member
Sega sure does like its Megadrive collections. I also think that a Saturn Mkini could do well, if done right (they would need to get the marketing spot on, as they couldn't rely on nostalgia, for most Western consumers at least, it would be a different story in Japan)
D
Deleted member 738976
Unconfirmed Member
It's all about the hacks with these things.
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TLZ
Banned
I need Marko's Magic Football and Moonwalker on there.
Bullet Club
Banned
EB have posted my Mini. Not long to go now!
Kazza
Member
EB have posted my Mini. Not long to go now!
Play Asia just authorised my credit card on Friday, so hopefully mine isn't too far behind either.
TLZ
Banned
EB have posted my Mini. Not long to go now!
I'm hoping nin-nin-games are dependable and send mine soon....
VectorVictor
Member
Folks keep mentioning a Saturn Mini...what titles would we want to see on such a creature?
Off the top of my head:
Off the top of my head:
- Clockwork Night
- Bug
- Fighting Vipers
- Panzer Dragoon
- Panzer Dragoon 2: Electric Boogaloo
- Panzer Dragoon Saga
- Burning Rangers
- Sega Rally
- Virtual On
- Shining Force 3 (all three chapters, thank you)
- Dragon Force
- Dragon Force II (translated)
- Street Fighter vs. XMen
- Marvel Super Heroes
- XMen: Children of the Atom
- Castlevania: SotN (Translated)
- Guardian Heroes
- Radiant Silvergun
- Shning The Holy Ark
- DarkStalkers 3
- SF Alpha
- Nights into Dreams (and Christmas Nights)
- Lunar: SSS Complete
- Magic Knight Reyearth
- Beyond Oasis
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Windle Poons
Made a crappy phPBB forum once ... once.
Big-ass Ramp
hella bullets that's true
I wonder if the market is already oversaturated. The NES classic came out, took the world by storm, and now I've seen tons of rip off "retro" consoles being sold in retail stores.
thicc_girls_are_teh_best
Member
This is typical SEGA; the moment they finally get it right people already feel burned from previous let-downs (or at least might feel indifferent). Just look to the Dreamcast itself as a perfect example.
Myself? I'm still picking one up, gonna hope it can get delivered in time or at latest early next week. But I'm mainly doing this because Genesis is my childhood gaming love (and hope to be able to hack it), and (much moreso)...I want a damn Saturn or Dreamcast Mini in the near future. Or better yet, just a "SEGA Mini" for all SEGA console and arcade systems with some neat stuff like online play, officially.
But yeah, hope this sells well enough. Fatigue is definitely an issue for some, though.
Lol @ the bolded.
Most of those look really good for picks. Alundra's a PS1 game tho. Also I think that's too many Capcom fighting games; you could cut off CotA and MSH since they're already too similar to SFvX. Put something like Groove-On Fight (personal pick) and KOF '97 in their place, or maybe Fighters Megamix and Last Bronx.
Also I know SOTN is a favorite but personally I'd want something like Silhouette Mirage (Japanese version with English translation) or Psychic Assassin Taromaru in its place.
thicc_girls_are_teh_best
Member
If anything I'd say the market was oversaturated even before the NES Classic came out. These things have been at it since the mid-'00s at least. The only difference pre-and-post NES Classic was Nintendo. That's it. But Nintendo jumping in (and the quality of the NES Classic being a step above everything before it) was basically the Iphone event for the retro mini market.
And like with smartphones I don't think anyone else is going to do as big an impact as the NES and SNES Classics did (for multiple reasons), but if they do it right and innovate enough they can reach big numbers too. Honestly I'd argue SEGA should've done even more with the Genesis mini, maybe throw in a few more surprises, include those 32X and CD attachements in a bundle for here, put at least ONE 6-button pad in the American version as standard etc.
Yeah the emulation's better than it's ever been, but that is probably the bare minimum for lots of people now. It was "enough" when NES Classic did it 'cuz it was first to do emulation right. But now it's basically expected, you gotta have more features to wow and get that level of hype behind it.
I just hope this thing (successful or not) doesn't deter SEGA from doing a proper Saturn or Dreamcast Mini in the near future; unlike MegaDrive they've pretty much ignored those systems (and their arcade platforms) since the '90s. People are more interested and curious of those than ever.
VectorVictor
Member
Probably. I got my systems confused--I was in college at the time, and half of it I don't remember.
Pfffffttt...no such thing as too many Capcom games. But maybe at least include the games that required the 4MB expansion pack (Marvel and XMen vs SF) since the latter never got a good release in North America (just the truncated PSX version). Also forgot about fighters megamix. That needs to be on there, forthwith.
Also, I forgot Nights into Dreams (and by extension Christmas Nights.), Magic Knight Reyearth (since it released at the tail end, very few copies were made), and maybe Lunar SSS?
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Kazza
Member
Nice list. Feel free to bump up a thread I made last year with any new suggestions:
Which 20 Games Should Be Included On A Saturn Classic?
With the imminent release of the Playstation Classic and rumours of an N64 Classic, I thought it might be fun to speculate on which games deserve to be included on any theoretical Saturn Classic. While not impossible, unfortunately any Saturn Classic is likely to remain theoretical for the time...
What gives me (perhaps unwarranted) hope for a Saturn Mini is the fact that the Saturn was by a large margin the most successful Sega console in Japan, and it seems that it is still Sega of Japan that makes the big decisions (although they seem to give Sega Europe a lot of autonomy these days too). I think there is enough Dreamcast love in the US and enough Master System love in Europe for those to be possibilities too. It's been interesting seeing the library differences between the Jap/NA/Asia Megadrive, and I'd be even more interested seeing what kind of deep cuts into the library Sega of Japan would make with the Japanese version of the Saturn Mini.
Kazza
Member
I think it's going to be hard for Sega to sell a huge number of the Megadrive Mini, not just because they previously saturated the market with officially licensed clones, but because those clones are still there in today's market, directly competing with this new mini. Here's what happens if you search for "Megadrive" on Amazon UK:
You already have 2 versions of the AT Games Mini come up before this new one (plus the recent PS4 compilation). For a casual consumer, that shit is confusing. The AT Games ones both have Sonic and the official logo, and look perfectly legit and official (which technically they are), but the are £20 cheaper, plus they come with 80 plus "games". I wonder if AT Games still has the rights to keep on manufacturing these, or if they just made a shitload back in the day knowing that it would be an evergreen product. Also, it's interesting to see that the original AT Games mini console had a pretty good rating (4 stars). I know that we here like to watch channels such as DF Retro or MyLifeInGaming, but the average consumer has much lower standards. I really hope those people who bought an AT Games console didn't just played these badly emulated games and think to themselves "I always thought that the SoR2 music was great, but it's not so great after all. Ah well, I guess that's nostalgia for you."
Kazza
Member
So, out of the 42 games, which ones haven't you all played before? Looking at the Asian list, these games are new to me:
Alisia Dragoon
Castlevania: Bloodlines
Contra: Hard Corps
Darius
Gunstar Heroes
Landstalker
Mega Man: The Wily Wars
Monster World IV
Shining Force*
Super Fantasy Zone*
Tetris
Alien Soldier
Assault Suit Leynos
Game no Kanzume Otokuyou
Langrisser II
MUSHA
OutRun 2019
Powerball
Puyo Puyo
Puyo Puyo 2
Puzzle and Action: Tant-R
Shining Force 2
Slap Fight MD
Snow Bros
Sword of Vermillion
Wonder Boy in Monster World
*Not 100% sure - it was a long time ago after all. I'm pretty sure the Fantasy Zone I played was my Master System version.
26 never played before games is quite a lot (it would be only 14 never played games if I had ordered the Western version).
As for first games I'm going to play on the mini...I think it will go like this:
1. Altered Beast - seeing as this was probably the first one I played back on that Christmas Day of 1989, it seems an appropriate way to start (plus it's only around 30 minutes long)
2. Alisia Dragoon - have wanted to try this one for a long time
3. SoR2 - do I really need to give a reason for this one?
4. Gunstar Heroes - I've heard it's great
5. Shining Force - I think I'll know in the first 5 minutes whether I have played this before or not
The one I'm most looking forward to is Castlevania, but I want to try and save that one for around Halloween.
Alisia Dragoon
Castlevania: Bloodlines
Contra: Hard Corps
Darius
Gunstar Heroes
Landstalker
Mega Man: The Wily Wars
Monster World IV
Shining Force*
Super Fantasy Zone*
Tetris
Alien Soldier
Assault Suit Leynos
Game no Kanzume Otokuyou
Langrisser II
MUSHA
OutRun 2019
Powerball
Puyo Puyo
Puyo Puyo 2
Puzzle and Action: Tant-R
Shining Force 2
Slap Fight MD
Snow Bros
Sword of Vermillion
Wonder Boy in Monster World
*Not 100% sure - it was a long time ago after all. I'm pretty sure the Fantasy Zone I played was my Master System version.
26 never played before games is quite a lot (it would be only 14 never played games if I had ordered the Western version).
As for first games I'm going to play on the mini...I think it will go like this:
1. Altered Beast - seeing as this was probably the first one I played back on that Christmas Day of 1989, it seems an appropriate way to start (plus it's only around 30 minutes long)
2. Alisia Dragoon - have wanted to try this one for a long time
3. SoR2 - do I really need to give a reason for this one?
4. Gunstar Heroes - I've heard it's great
5. Shining Force - I think I'll know in the first 5 minutes whether I have played this before or not
The one I'm most looking forward to is Castlevania, but I want to try and save that one for around Halloween.
thicc_girls_are_teh_best
Member
I think it's going to be hard for Sega to sell a huge number of the Megadrive Mini, not just because they previously saturated the market with officially licensed clones, but because those clones are still there in today's market, directly competing with this new mini. Here's what happens if you search for "Megadrive" on Amazon UK:
You already have 2 versions of the AT Games Mini come up before this new one (plus the recent PS4 compilation). For a casual consumer, that shit is confusing. The AT Games ones both have Sonic and the official logo, and look perfectly legit and official (which technically they are), but the are £20 cheaper, plus they come with 80 plus "games". I wonder if AT Games still has the rights to keep on manufacturing these, or if they just made a shitload back in the day knowing that it would be an evergreen product. Also, it's interesting to see that the original AT Games mini console had a pretty good rating (4 stars). I know that we here like to watch channels such as DF Retro or MyLifeInGaming, but the average consumer has much lower standards. I really hope those people who bought an AT Games console didn't just played these badly emulated games and think to themselves "I always thought that the SoR2 music was great, but it's not so great after all. Ah well, I guess that's nostalgia for you."
Yeah, that's a bad look for the MegaDrive Mini. They should've put something on the box that screams "THE Official Genesis Mini" or "The DEFINITIVE Genesis Mini"....something like that. And it's even worst if ATGames still has manufacturing rights to those older models.
Also from that listing, I think the pricing actually HURTS the MegaDrive Mini, because the average customer might not think it any different than the other super-cheap versions, and if they have some casual knowledge on the ATGames stuff or PS One Mini, they might just associate the MegaDrive Mini with those. OTOH that SNES Classic's sitting a clearly higher premium AND it's the only one listed for that system; those automatically make it stand out from the crowd, even to someone who knows nothing about these systems.
Well, I'm still hoping the MegaDrive Mini does well, I'll be doing my part. But if it doesn't, SEGA better understand it's not due to lack of interest or love for the MegaDrive, it's because they've already saturated the market for over a decade with cheap ATGames-licensed clones and MegaDrive compilations on other consoles. Unless these games have massive additions or features (or sensible changes), people aren't gonna rebuy them for the 50th time just because there's finally a quality mini console for them.
If it makes them feel any better, the same numbing would come with the SNES Classic if Nintendo licensed those out for years beforehand or re-released those games digitally dozens of times beforehand. And that's why I think a well-done Saturn and Dreamcast mini (or a SEGA mini) would be a huge deal and do a lot better than they probably think they would. Just make sure M2's involved.
I really hope those people who bought an AT Games console didn't just played these badly emulated games and think to themselves "I always thought that the SoR2 music was great, but it's not so great after all. Ah well, I guess that's nostalgia for you."
Willing to put money on that being the norm, especially for some of the younger kids whose parents just bought them a cheap clone console for a Christmas present or whatever. Explains some of the misconceptions on the system's hardware dummies spam in Youtube chats for example.
Then again, it's kinda SEGA's fault; they should've learned way sooner ATGames wasn't up to the task and cancelled the contract in the mid '00s at latest. Even SNK knew when to pull the plug on the Neo Geo X so as not to damage perceptions of the Neo-Geo.
EightBit Man
Member
I don't think there's anything to worry about, as the Mega Drive Mini was on top of the pre-order list at one of the online gaming shops here in The Netherlands for months, outselling all other games and items.
Fox Mulder
Member
Bar81
Member
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thicc_girls_are_teh_best
Member
That's really good to hear
Kazza
Member
Get ready to play some amazing shit...
I got a Mega CD in 93, so ended up missing out on a lot of later Megadrive stuff (MEga CD actually had some decent games, and very different ones from the Megadrive). I managed to finally play the likes of Shinobi3, Sonic 3&K, SoR3 etc on the Xbox 360 compilation, but I still have a lot of great games to try
Hudo
Gold Member
Real question is whether we can put Sega CD and Sega 32X stuff on that thing without needing to put another emulator on this.
Starlight Lotice
Member
Just bought the bolded a few months back and love it! Also it represents ATLUS pretty well on the Console if they can't get Princess Crown on there.
Awaiting for Amazon Japan to say they are shipping my MIni and Case now. ;____;
You NEED to play Monster World 4. That is a great game! I played it back on the 360 when M2 did the English release and it really holds up well. If Wonder Boy on the Asian version uses the Western release, you are kind of screwed on the Final Boss as they made it harder but if it is based on the Japanese version, you should be able to beat it.
I own both Alisia Dragoon and Castlevania. The latter is really unique with some of the boss battles, one is technically a timed battle as the water rises. Alisia Dragoon I got stuck on level 2 but it's a good game as well, the lightning can be OP though.
Also own Super Fantasy Zone but suck at that. It's a great game but so hard.
Played MUSHA once, it was pretty good for a vertical shooter but I suck at those.
Played Gunstar Heroes on the Wii years ago and loved it, but I still prefer Sin & Punishments way of doing things but it is really good. The GBA version is almost a carbon copy with a bonus level???
I saw Snow Bros at an Arcade where I lived once as a kid but never got to play it. That will be my first game to play!!!
Puyo Puyo is standard fare really. Played 1, 2, Puyo Pop and PPT, and I would say that 2 is the best one (took me months to beat), and 1 is definitely either too hard or too easy without the Counter Mechanic. It is also on the 3DS Classics collection.
Assault Suit Leynos got a remake done on PS4 so if you played that one, this one will almost be the same but harder, it came out as Target Earth in the US though.
I ordered the Japanese version and I am curious about Dyna Brothers 2, Rent A Hero and Lord Monarch! (LM is a curio of mine as I also happen to love Falcom games as well...it is a shame we didn't get Popful Mail but this should be a great alternative).
Looking back I am surprised SEGA didn't get at least 5 SEGA CD games on there. Especially since Sonic CD has in the past few years got all the Music Rights back!
I also really really really wanted to play Keio's FLying Squadron as it goes for £1000s now! Looks like a decent Anime Shmup that I believe Marvelous own now? (They bought Victor Entertainments IPs a few years back).
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Kazza
Member
Many Mega CD ISOs are over 500MB, whereas most Megadrive ROMs are only 1MB, so they would need much more storage (I believe this mini only has 250MB).
Ireally hope Sega seriously consider a Mega CD mini (or even a collection on modern consoles). There are more than enough good games to justify it, and it might generate some excitement due to how new most of the games are to most people. Even regular, casual Megadrive/Genesis could be curious: "Hey I remember that CD attachment, that was so expensive back in the day, I really wanted one, but couldn't afford it. What, there's a mini version that costs $80 with 25 games, and it attaches to my mini - oh that's so cute. Why not."
Starlight Lotice
Member
I would buy one for Keio's Flying Squadron alone!
Throw in Sol Feace, Earnest Evans and Lords of Thunder and you have a cracking line up!
20GB is nothing now though. They could have done it!!!
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thicc_girls_are_teh_best
Member
Maybe I guess. 128 Gbit e-MMC serial flash NAND chips can go as high as $20+ or as low as sub $10, but it'd also mean lower profit margins
on systems sold. Retaining the margins they have now and going with something for CD-based games would mean a higher price for the systems, probably pushing near $100.
...or they could just go for shitty low-quality big Flash storage, but that could bring up reliability issues.
Starlight Lotice
Member
Given how Konami are charging £100 for the PC Engine Mini, they could get away with it if the games are unobtainable these days. Perhaps sweeten the deal with some 32X games thrown in as I doubt a 32X Mini will sell on its own.
In a year or two time, the tech should be there to give them a decent profit on the games.
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thicc_girls_are_teh_best
Member
That's a good point; slightly higher premium for a Sega CD Mini could work if they did that. I'd also like maybe them adding some sort of online connectivity for these things down the line for online play and just sharing screenshots, save states etc. with other people. Make it sorta centralized/sorta decentralized/peer-to-peer if that works best.
JohannCK
Member
Mega Drive Mini & Mega Drive Tower Mini - Hardware Review
We take a look at the Japan-exclusive Genesis Mini releases, the Sega Mega Drive Mini and the Mega Drive Tower Mini in this article.
www.frontlinejp.net
Apparently Sega sent out the Genesis equivalent of the Mega Drive Tower to a couple of influencers and youtubers, but they didn't get the bonus stuff that's in the actual Japanese release.
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