The final 12 games for the upcoming Sega Genesis Mini have been revealed and it combines not only some classics but 2 wonderful surprises! The new line of reveals includes classics such as Columns, Dynamite Headdy, Kid Chameleon and Monster World 4. Also revealed were the amazing Strider, Road Rash 2 and Virtua Fighter 2! Yeah I know everyone hates the Genesis version of Virtua Fighter 2 but I had a blast with it so whatever! Rounding out the list is Alisia Dragoon, Eternal Champions and Light Crusader, 3 games I have never gotten an opportunity to play so I can’t wait till September to give them a shot.
As I am sure you all noticed, I said Sega has revealed 12 new titles coming to their upcoming mini console and I only included 10 above. That’s right, Sega has decided to include 2 bonus games on top of the original 40 limit it previously announced. These 2 bonus games are pretty special, first we have the Genesis version of Tetris! Why is a Tetris title so important you ask because it came out during a time when Nintendo was supposed to have sole ownership of the console Tetris IP in the West while Bullet-Proof Software had ownership of console releases in Japan. Sega’s version of Tetris began as an arcade version in Japan but when the company brought the title to the Mega Drive trouble began and the game was technically never released despite a few carts having been produced. The Genesis Mini release is a piece of history that we will now finally have a legal way of enjoying!
The last game for the Genesis Mini is a port of the arcade game Darius. This is a game that never released on the Genesis but did have ports on the PC Engine. Darius is an arcade shooter that had was met with good praise back in its day so getting it on the Genesis mini is a treat! Its sequel, Darius II, did see release on the Genesis officially so fans of the second game will finally have a way to play the first on their favorite system. The original arcade port is available on PS4 in Japan. On top of these awesome game announcements, Sega also took the opportunity to reveal that the Genesis Mini will get its own set of cosmetic add-ons to let you dress up your min with a Sega CD and 32X add-on. A Sonic and Knuckles style lock-on cart and reproduction of Sonic 1 are also included to let you make your own tower of power replica! Sadly these cosmetic items have only been confirmed for Japanese release so far but man it looks cool!
The final release list for the Genesis Mini is as follows!
Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle
Alisia Dragoon
Altered Beast
Beyond Oasis
Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse
Castlevania: Bloodlines
Columns
Comix Zone
Contra: Hard Corps
Darius
Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine
Dynamite Headdy
Earthworm Jim
Ecco the Dolphin
Eternal Champions
Ghouls 'N Ghosts
Golden Axe
Gunstar Heroes
Kid Chameleon
Landstalker: The Treasures of King Nole
Light Crusader
Mega Man: The Wily Wars
Monster World 4
Phantasy Star 4
Road Rash 2
Shining Force
Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master
Sonic the Hedgehog
Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Sonic Spinball
Space Harrier II
Street Fighter 2: Special Champion Edition
Streets of Rage II
Strider
Super Fantasy Zone
Tetris
Thunder Force III
ToeJam & Earl
Vectorman
Virtua Fighter 2
Wonder Boy in Monster World
World of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck
While I am sad Dune and X-men 2 didn’t make the cut there is no denying this list is pretty loaded and more than justifies the $79.99 price tag with heavy hitters like Castlevania, Contra and Phantasy Star IV. The deal gets even better when you throw in 3 previously unavailable games like Mega Man, Tetris and Darius! The Genesis Mini launches this September and can be pre-ordered now.
