At last, the final 10 games have been announced for the Sega Genesis Mini as well as two bonus games. To be honest, I am surprised at the full lineup we have for the mini, retro system. I didn’t expect some of these titles on the console at all, yet here we are and all 42 games in total are fantastic. Let’s take a look at the final 12 games that have been announced for the Sega Genesis Mini.
Virtua Fighter 2 — Starting off this list is the lower-end version of the Sega arcade hit Virtua Fighter 2. Released originally in North America in January 1995 for the arcades and then ported to the Genesis on March 4th, 1997, this two player fighter franchise was Sega’s answer to Capcom’s Street Fighter. Virtua Fighter 2 hinges around a fighting tournament, where the greatest fighters in the world seek to compete for fame and glory. However, the tournament is organized by the sinister “J6” syndicate who intend to use the information gathered to perfect their fighting cyborg “Dural” (the game’s boss who uses a move-set made up of other character’s moves).
Alisia Dragoon — Released on March 20th, 1992, Alisia Dragoon is a single-player platformer where you play as Alisia in her quest to save the world by defeating the evil forces that killed her father. The game consists of eight levels of side-scrolling environments, and Alisia has to jump across gaps and kill the enemies that stand in her way. Each stage is completed by defeating the boss at the end. You attack enemies by shooting lightning from Alisia’s Hands or by one of four pet creatures (either the Dragon Frye, Boomerang Lizard, the Thunder Raven, or the Ball O’ Fire). You can only choose one to be active at a time … so choose wisely.
Columns — This multi-player, match three puzzle game was originally created by Jay Geertsen but sold the rights to Sega … thus releasing it for arcades in 1989 then ported the game to the Genesis on June 29, 1990. It was essentially an answer to a problem that occurred when obtaining the rights to another puzzle game on this list (which will be discussed later). As stated earlier, you would match three puzzle pieces together to eliminate them and make room in order to not fill up the screen and lose.
Dynamite Headdy — Released on August 5th, 1994, Dynamite Headdy is a single-player platform game in which the player controls Headdy, a puppet with a detachable head. The story follows Headdy in his adventures to save his world from the evil puppet King Dark Demon, who is transforming all the puppets of the world into his evil minions. To succeed, Headdy must overcome the King’s army, which features the likes of Trouble Bruin and the key masters which serve as stage bosses.
Strider — This Capcom classic was originally released in arcades on March 7th, 1989 and Sega ported it to the Genesis on September 29, 1990. This platformer has gained a reputation as one of the most fun yet challenging games on the Genesis. The game itself is said to be a vital influence on video game franchises such as Devil May Cry, Ninja Gaiden, and God of War.
Kid Cameleon — Another platformer released for the Genesis on May 28, 1992. The plot of the game is that the boss of the new virtual reality video game “Wild Side” begins abducting players and the main character, Casey, goes to beat it and rescue them. He does this by using masks to change into different characters in order to utilize various abilities. You’re able to play this as a single player or with a friend.
Light Crusader — Developed by Treasure for the Genesis and released on May 25, 1995, this single-player action-adventure game is similar in gameplay to Landstalker: The Treasures of King Nole … blending role-playing video game, action-adventure, and platform video game elements in much the same way. Played from an isometric viewpoint, players can execute simple sword slashes as well as using the four magic elements, move freely, jump, and push objects. The gameplay is a mix of action, puzzle solving, and platforming for the most part with the usual role-playing staples like towns, shops, equipment, and spellcasting. The player controls Sir David as he travels through an assortment of dungeons, battling creatures such as “slime,” solving puzzles to advance, and saving those who were kidnapped.
Monster World IV — Originally released in Japan only on April, 1st, 1994, this action-adventure platform game developed by Westone and released by Sega for the Genesis is the sixth game in the Wonder Boy/Monster World series and was the last Wonder Boy game to be both published by Sega and developed by Westone Bit Entertainment. The gameplay is a mix of action-adventure, platforming, and RPG genres in which the player traverses a 2D landscape fighting a variety of monsters as well as interacting with non-playable characters.
Eternal Champions — A fighting game developed and published by Sega for the Sega Genesis. It was one of the few fighting games of its time developed from the ground up as a home console title, rather than being released in arcades first and later ported to home systems. Sega released Eternal Champions in hopes of capitalizing on the fighting game mania that the game industry was in the midst of following the massive success of Street Fighter II and Mortal Kombat.
Road Rash II — The second game in the motorcycle-racing series by Electronic Arts that was released for the Sega Genesis. It is based heavily on the engine and sprites of the first game. Road Rash II introduced several new features to the series including bikes with nitrous oxide injection and varied weapons. The goal is simple … pummel your opponents in a race with weapons and be first across the line.
So, those are the last 10 … but what about the bonus games? I got you covered right here.
Tetris —Originally released on June 6th, 1984, Sega would go on to release an arcade version in Japan for the Sega System 16 and System E arcade boards. A version for the Sega Mega Drive was originally planned for release in Japan but was pulled following licensing issues … resulting in less than 10 copies being printed. This is the first time the North American Market will be able to play the tile-matching, puzzle-based video game on a Sega home console by yourself or with a friend.
Darius — This shoot ’em up arcade game released by Taito in February 1987 (although its title screen indicates a 1986 copyright), it is the first game in the Darius series. The player controls an ornate fighter spacecraft named the Silver Hawk, and must navigate through scrolling terrain while battling a variety of fighter craft, ground vehicles, turrets, and other obstacles throughout the game’s stages (referred to as “zones” in the game). The ship’s arsenal consists of forward-firing missiles, aerial bombs, and a protective force field … all of which can be upgraded by power-ups (in the form of large, colored orbs) that are dropped by specially-colored enemies throughout the game’s zones. When the player reaches the end of a zone, a boss appears who must be defeated to proceed. Once the boss of a zone is destroyed, the player is given a choice as to which zone to play next via a branching path. While there are 28 zones in total, only seven can be played in a single run. Funny enough, this never released on the Genesis so this will be a first for the game.
That wraps up the last 12 games, everyone … and the retro console will release on September 19th. So, will you be getting the Genesis Mini?
Stay tuned for more here at GamingLyfe!
