Sega Genesis Mini Review

The Sega Genesis was the first home console I ever bought for myself, even owned for that matter. This was before the Super Nintendo came out, and I chose the Genesis over the NES, because of the excitement of the graphics and what kind of games we might see on it in the future! I also had access to an NES that I could play whenever I wished. You could say that the Sega Genesis became my Pride and Joy. Naturally, I was very excited to learn that for the Genesis’ 30th Anniversary that Sega announced they would release the Sega Genesis Mini on September 19th 2019! So below I will give you my impressions in my Sega Genesis Mini review.

My Unboxing and 1st Impressions

Upon unboxing the Sega Genesis Mini I noticed how much attention Sega put into their mini Genesis! You can watch my unboxing video above to see for yourself. The mini truly is mini, I mean it is tiny! Sega put a lot of love into this thing! In regards to details, this mini does not disappoint.

The Sega Genesis Mini is pretty much identical to the original Genesis down to most details. There is a cartridge slot that opens, like the original, but it’s just plastic within instead of connectors. The on/off switch works as expected, as does the reset button. The mini Genesis does also include the sliding headphone volume, but sadly it does not control volume at all in any regard. On the front side of the system is an impression in the plastic to replicate the original heaphone slot, with “Phones” stated in the casing, but no actual slot for a headphones connection. Sega even went ahead and added a removeable plastic cover on the bottom of the unit for what was originally reserved for future Sega add-ons.

If you’re familiar with the original Genesis you are aware of the design of the system. This is almost a perfect replica of that system, just so much smaller! It fits easily into the palm of my hand.

The Control Pads

Sega included 2 control pads with the mini, which is great! The pads feel comfortable in my hands, and they actually respond well to the in-game action. They feel sturdy and Sega went with longer cords (6′), to once again suggest Sega does what Nintendoesn’t.

I like the control pads, but they are almost too nostalgic. To me the buttons on the pads make too much noise. Also, most of the fighting games included in the mini are ones that almost require the 6 button pads that Sega later released. It would have been nice to see the 6 button pads included with the system, or to a lesser extent, don’t include games that function best with the 6 button controller.

I still like the pads, and felt them to be very responsive. I would have liked them to be a little quieter, and a little more functional with all of the games included. However, that being said, there are several 3rd party controllers you can get and use with the Sega Genesis Mini.

The Menu and Overall Interface

I like the overall menu system and interface Sega has provided within the system. The UI is slick and quick. One complaint however is that it’s easy to passby an option or game selection as the movement of the D-pad is very quick within the interface.

The games are laid out in 7 rows of 6 games each. All games are with their original cover art. One really nice feature is when you change the system language, it changes the cover art too, and even changes the language within the game. Another feature included is when you press the B button, it will place all games on one screen showing their spines, so you can quickly look at all games to choose more easily.

There are also options to change how you see the games on your screen. There’s the option for a 4:3 aspect ratio, which will give you a pillared boxed image on your screen. You have 3 choices for backgrounds in this choice either a black screen or 2 choices of wallpaper. The other option is the 16:9 aspect ratio. This option will stretch the gamescreen to all edges to fill your screen. Either option for me worked fine.

Within the screen settings menu is also an option for a CRT filter. THis can be done by pressing the C button on the controller to turn the filter on/off. However, when I used this function, I really did not see any difference in the appearance on my screen. Now, I will say my playtesting of the Sega Genesis Mini was conducted on an ASUS Zenscreen 15.6″ portable monitor. So, this may be the reason I did not see a difference. I’ll post more on the ASUS Zenscreen 15.6″ monitor in another post.

The Games and Emulation Quality

The Sega Genesis Mini comes with 42 preset games. Two of the games, Tetris and Darius, were not initially released on the Sega Genesis or the Mega Drive. It’s a strong list of games, and I will include the full list of games after my conclusion in this review. You can also see the full list of games at the end of my unboxing video.

Some of my favorite games, or the standouts for me in this collection are Columns, Phantasy Star 4, Ghouls ‘n Ghosts, and Streets of Rage 2. There are definitely some great games missing from the original Genesis lineup that I would have loved to seen included. Games like Super Monaco GP, Joe Montana Football, any of the previous Phantasy Star games before #4 was released, and a few more shooters from the Genesis. And that’s just to name some of my favorites, but the list of star-powered games could have been many.

The emulation was achieved by M2 and I have to say that they’ve done a wonderful job. Games look great and play true to the original form. The colors are bright and crisp and the sound is as good as it was 30 years ago. The video output is now at 720p, and can apparently upconvert to a 4k screen, which sadly I cannot test. Also, each game comes with 4 save slots available through the emulation programming.

Is The Sega Genesis Mini Worth It For You?

I have to say that I personally love the mini. However, some have said I’m a Sega Fanboy. That may be true, but I’m also a huge Nintendo fan! I love both the NES and SNES mini’s as well. I would have liked to see more games, or rather a few more games that I used to love on this system as well, but I’m happy with this lineup too. Some of the games do not play well with the included controller, and the purchase of a 3rd party controller, with the 6 button layout, is recommended for those games. Overall it’s a good strong system!

I pre-ordered and paid $79.99, but as of this writing you can find it on Amazon and Best Buy for $59.99. The 6 button layout controller runs between $15.99 – $19.99. It’s emulation is great. It has a strong list of games, but could be even stronger with a few more addtions. And the Mini Sega Genesis is just so darn cute. Do you enjoy retro gaming? Do you like Nostalgia? This system is well-worth it for me. But, the question is, is it worth it for you? If you have any questions, or comments of the Mini, or just fond memories of the Sega Genesis please leave them below in the comments.

Sega Genesis Mini List Of Games:

Ecco The Dolphin

ToeJam and Earl

Castlevania: Bloodlines

Space Harrier 2

Comix Zone

Shining Force

Altered Beast

Shinobi 3

Mega Man: The Wily Wars

Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine

Gunstar Heroes

Thunder Force 3

Earthworm Jim

Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse

Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck

Super Fantasy Zone

Landstalker

Ghouls ‘n Ghosts

Beyond Oasis

Phantasy Star 4: The End of The Millennium

Sonic The Hedgehog

Sonic The Hedgehog 2

Sonic The Hedgehog Spinball

Streets of Rage 2

Contra: Hard Corps

Street Fighter 2: Special Champion Edition

Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle

Golden Axe

Vectorman

Wonder Boy in Monster World

Monster World 4

Road Rash 2

Alisia Dragoon

Virtua Fighter 2

Strider

Light Crusader

Columns

Kid Chameleon

Eternal Champions

Dynamite Headdy

Tetris – Bonus!

Darius – Bonus!