Major forces in the gaming industry have gotten into the habit of bottling magic in the form of classic console revivals in miniature forms and Sega is next up to connect a direct line of nostalgia to gamers with the announcement of the Sega Genesis Mini. The console will cost $80 and pre-orders are live now.
The Sega Genesis Mini is set to launch on September 19 with 40 pre-loaded games, two wired three-button control pads, a USB power adapter, power cable, and HDMI cable. We wonder how long the classic console craze will last, but Sega’s newest addition to the market at least means it continues to boom for now. Here are the 10 games revealed for the Genesis Mini thus far:
- Ecco the Dolphin
- Castlevania Bloodlines
- Space Harrier 2
- Shining Force
- Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine
- ToeJam & Earl
- Comix Zone
- Sonic The Hedgehog
- Altered Beast
- Gunstar Heroes
The Sega Genesis launched in North America in in 1989 and went on to sell around 30 million units. Over a lifespan that ran into 1997, classic individual releases and franchises were born. Forty is quite a few games to preload on the Sega Genesis Mini and the company has only revealed 10, so there is a lot more room for Sega to celebrate the legacy and life of its 16-bit console. Here are our top 10 choices for games that should be sure picks to make the Sega Genesis Mini’s final roster.
Streets of Rage
The Sega Genesis was home to a few classic side-scrolling brawlers that live on to this day and Streets of Rage is arguably the best of the bunch. Any entry would be welcome on the Sega Genesis Mini, but Streets of Rage 2 features a playable character that kicks butt while on roller skates.
Golden Axe
Streets of Rage wasn’t alone in the upper echelon of brawlers on the Genesis. The primary developer Makoto Uchida is also the creator of Altered Beast, which is already confirmed for the mini console. The team would be hard-pressed not to include this one on the Sega Genesis Mini as well.
Sonic and Knuckles
The first Sonic is included, but Sega would be remiss to exclude this classic entry in the franchise on the Sega Genesis Mini. Tails had been a dedicated sidekick for every Sonic experience up until this point, but this was the first time Sonic really had to share the limelight. He did so with fan-favorite echidna Knuckles who debuted in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and has been a constant ever since.
Contra Hard Corps
What better way to test your friendship than hoarding all of the better power-ups in a two-player run of Contra Hard Corps? Contra is a mainstay in the 16-bit era and a classic console like the Sega Genesis Mini with no Contra preloaded is no classic console at all.
The Revenge of Shinobi
Joe Musashi, the lead character in The Revenge of Shinobi, isn’t the only ninja to make this list and is arguably the lesser known when compared to Strider Hiryu, but this would be a quality title to include in the Sega Genesis Mini’s library. Plus, Hiryu never had to face off against Rambo, Godzilla, and Batman.
Additional titles we think we’ll see with the launch of the Sega Genisis Mini include:
- NBA Jam Championship Edition
- Desert Strike
- Road Rash
- Strider
- Phantasy Star 4
The Sega Genesis Mini pre-orders are live and the classic mini console will launch September 19 with 40 games pre-loaded on to it.
