The Grumpy Old Gamers

September 26, 2019|All Reviews, New Fangled Review

By Rob Leggo

The Sega Genesis man…even though I always owned a Nintendo, the Genesis was like the cool edgy cousin who came to visit once a year and “totally” knew a way to get weed from a guy.  I admired the edgy hedgehogs from the safety of my Marios and Kirbys, but always wondered secretly what life on the “extreme” side of the fence was like.  Well, as I got older, and started to flirt more with the Sega side of things, I realized it was pretty darn good.

So when Sega announced they were finally doing their own version of a mini classic console, with the help of M2 (we are NOT counting that dumpster fire of a console that they licensed out to AtGames…look up any review on Youtube to see the vitriol that abomination produced!) I counted myself cautiously interested. They then proceeded to slowly announce the games it would have on it, 10 at a time over a couple of months…and the list was most impressive.  Not only were there classics like Altered Beast, Golden Axe and Sonic 1 and 2, there were previously unreleased gems like Mega Man Wiley Wars, Monster World IV and Tetris.  And they launched with a whopping 42 games, doubling the 21 available on the SNES classic.  One could even say they did….what Nintendidn’t? Except Nintendo….still actually makes…..new consoles…..so…..maybe not…

The Unboxing

Inside the box, you get the console itself, 2 – 3 button replica controllers with 6 foot cables, a usb cable with power brick for powering all them Blast processes, and an HDMI cable.

The console itself is designed like a Model 1 Genesis, and I have to say that the attention to detail is amazing.  The volume slider for the headphone port moves up and down (though there is no headphone port), the “cartridge” slot opens up, and there is even a hatch on the bottom where the Sega CD would have attached.  All nice touches that add to the asthetic.

The Interface

Once you power the Genesis mini up, you’re greeted with a very game selection screen, and the option to change some settings. In there you get some basic display option, the ability to add some simulated scanlines and to change the backgrounds when playing the game in 4:3 ratio.  Pretty standard stuff.

The games are all listed with their box art, and can be sorted either alphabetically or by release date.  When you select a game, you get a blurb of information about it, including what type of game it is and whether it’s multiplayer or not.

The Games

So, pretty interfaces and sliding doo-hickeys are nice and all, but all that don’t mean bupkiss if the games aren’t on point. So how did M2 do with the emulation, and how did Sega do with their game choices? 

The emulation in my opinion is very faithful to the original games. Graphics are crisp with few or no artifacts or ghosting.  The audio is clear and I didn’t notice any lag between it and the action in the game. Controller inputs were true, with no noticible input lag as well. While we are on the subject, these controllers are almost identical to the feel and heft of an original Genesis controller, and the buttons and d-pad are very faithfully recreated.  

The games themselves play just as well as they did back in the day. There are some real bangers on this list, like Gunstar Heroes, Strider, Contra Hard Corps and Comix Zone, some middle of the road games like Kid Chameleon, and Golden Axe. Then there are a couple games that probably didn’t need to be here, like Vectorman and Eternal Champions. And in the “what the heck were they thinking” is the steaming pile of you-know-what that is the Genesis port of Virtua Fighter 2. That game doesn’t just not belong on a collection of Genesis games, it doesn’t belong on a world with sentient life forms. 

The Verdict

So, is the Genesis Mini worth adding to your no doubt growing pile of mini consoles? I believe so, as there is a large amount of fun to be had with this. Regardless of what you think of some of the choices for the games (why no Sonic 3???) there are so many games on here that everyone can find some that they like.  The games play extremely well, and the design of both the console and the controllers show an attention to detail. But it isn’t all rainbows and avacado toast, my friends…

Please give me a couple seconds to wind up here…

WHAT IDIOT THOUGHT NOT INCLUDING 6 BUTTON CONTROLLERS, WHEN YOU ARE INCLUDING FREAKING STREET FIGHTER 2 AS A GAME WAS A GOOD IDEA?? ESPECIALLY WHEN THE JAPAN VERSION COMES WITH THEM??  WHOEVER CAME UP WITH THAT NEEDS TO BE SHOVED IN A ROCKET, ALONG WITH VIRTUA FIGHTER 2, AND ALL THE HIPSTERS AND SHOT TO WHATEVER PLANET YANNI CAME FROM!!!

Ahem….sorry about that folks.

Other than that HUGE oversight, the Genesis Mini is a great add on to the mini console generation.  I can’t recommend it enough, it’s a fantastic callback to a more extreme time in video games….where mascots had ‘tudes and games were so difficult it made grown men cry like they were watching the series end of M.A.S.H.

As a side note, there ARE 6 button controllers available from Retro-Bit that work exceptionally well and if you plan on playing Street Fighter 2 or Eternal Champions a lot, its almost a necessity. 

Now, if you’ll excuse me…..I’m off to finally beat Strider. This time for sure!

Written by:

Rob Leggo really is a swell guy, once you get to know him. 20 years in the telecom industry has given him the social skills of a hermit however, so he spends a lot of his spare time with “the vidya games.” He’s a Husband of a woman who is WAY outside his skill level, and a Dad of 3 wonderful kids.