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The Mega Drive Mini 2 - Sega Minis What Nintendon't

muteKi

Geno Cidecity
The Wonder Mega Collection has little chance of being included in the Genesis Mini 2, but you know what I would happily accept as an alternative? Wonder Dog. It was a Core game, not too dissimilar from Chuck Rock, but more fun to play. I would take that, definitely.

I'm a bit confused why they went with Wondermega Collection specifically and not, say, the two Game no Kanzume (Sega Games Can) releases but I guess it'd be odd to have the Phantasy Star II text adventures but not the game they're derived from on the same unit.
 

Sprite

(He/Him/His)
I’m guessing if they haven’t announced Popful Mail for the English version then that probably means the game isn’t on there, which doesn’t bode well for Lunar being on there either. Sucks, those are by far the games I’m most interested in.
 

Sarge

hardcore retro gamin'
I’m guessing if they haven’t announced Popful Mail for the English version then that probably means the game isn’t on there, which doesn’t bode well for Lunar being on there either. Sucks, those are by far the games I’m most interested in.
If those and Snatcher don't make it, I'll likely cancel. Would be very disappointing indeed.
 

WildcatJF

Let's Pock (Art @szk_tencho)
(he / his / him)
I'm a bit confused why they went with Wondermega Collection specifically and not, say, the two Game no Kanzume (Sega Games Can) releases but I guess it'd be odd to have the Phantasy Star II text adventures but not the game they're derived from on the same unit.
Per GSK's translation:
"Wondermega Collection bookended the third announcement as a way of reminding ppl about the Wondermega, Victor's OEM MD/MCD combo system; Okunari chose to include it on the Mini 2 due to its obscurity and also because it contains the omnibus software Pyramid Magic Soushuuhen.

the OG Mini included Game no Kanzume Otokuyou, a compilation of Game Toshokan download games that included Pyramid Magic; several Pyramid Magic games were released via Game Toshokan, but Otokuyou only contained the first game with a 'TBC' message after the final stage.

when Okunari was checking SNS for OG Mini reactions, he saw an unexpectedly large response to Pyramid Magic & a lot of disappointment & confusion from ppl who'd got to the end and wondered where the rest of the game was; Okunari himself had presumed they'd all be there, too.

so, he'd vowed to include a complete version if he ever made MD Mini 2 he had the option of putting in the complete version on its own, Wondermega Collection or Game no Kanzume vol.1; he figured ppl would complain that Kanzume vol.1 had a lot of overlap with Otokuyou, so...

...he went with Wondermega Collection, in order to remind ppl about Wondermega due to that choice, Paddle Fighter & Flicky are on both MD Minis, but the Wondermega versions do feature CD audio and other subtle differences, so they're not identical.

Wondermega Collection also includes Quiz Scramble, which was later released individually & is postulated to be Sega's first original in-house MCD game Quiz Scramble's full of Qs that were considered out-of-date even back then, so Okunari doesn't think under-50s stand a chance.

one more point on Wondermega Collection: the original disc featured several CD+G karaoke songs, but all that content has been cut from the MD Mini 2 version, it's purely game software."

If those and Snatcher don't make it, I'll likely cancel. Would be very disappointing indeed.
Seeing that the Genesis 2 Mini is rated T, Snatcher would be a surprise indeed given some of its subject matter, adult content and some gore. We'll have to see...Konami isn't confirmed to be a partner on this yet.
 

Sarge

hardcore retro gamin'
True. It would be a shame if it weren't there, but you're right, the "T" rating gives me pause. I think @ShakeWell pointed out that Splatterhouse 2 showed up on VC as an M-rated game, and it's here... but that's certainly no guarantee that Snatcher will make the cut.
 

Becksworth

Aging Hipster Dragon Dad
Huh, I just double checked and Snatcher was rated T back in the day. I feel like the ESRB didn't play the same game as me.
 

LBD_Nytetrayn

..and his little cat, too
(He/him)
I’m guessing if they haven’t announced Popful Mail for the English version then that probably means the game isn’t on there, which doesn’t bode well for Lunar being on there either. Sucks, those are by far the games I’m most interested in.
Bring on Sister Sonic, sez I!
 

ArugulaZ

Fearful asymmetry

Gotta be honest with you, I'm not feeling the Genesis Mini 2. I was excited about this system at first, but really, where do you go after the first one? It encapsulated the Sega Genesis experience pretty well, offering a well curated sample of games throughout its history. Most of the titles were good, a few weren't, but overall, it gave you a good feel for the machine... its strengths, its weaknesses, its quirks, and the trends of the time. By contrast, the Genesis Mini 2 feels a little extraneous. Strained. Desperate, maybe? The Sega CD was an underappreciated machine doomed by its association with full-motion video, and it's good that its games will be given a chance to shine. While they're at it, maybe they can chuck Robo Aleste in there, and probably some other titles that aren't coming to mind at the moment (NOT Revengers of Vengeance).

However, on the Genesis side of things, we're getting choppy ports of SuperScaler games and an obscure puzzle game from the PC Engine that doesn't look particularly entertaining and The Ooze, which had some innovative ideas but mostly just serves as a showcase of everything that was wrong with Western-designed Genesis games. And then there's Spatter. Of all the freaking games to port to the Genesis, Spatter? Sega pretty much said that it wasn't worth including in the first Genesis Mini, so getting it here feels like you're being served sloppy seconds. Sloppy seconds for a system that's double the price of the first Genesis Mini, and unlike the Genesis Mini will never go down in price because Amazon is holding the reins. The TurboGrafx-16 Mini is outlandishly priced partially because it was an Amazon exclusive, and I suspect we'll see the same thing happen to the Genesis Mini 2.

The difference is that the TG16 Mini has a buttload of essential games running the gamut from HuCard to CD to SuperGrafx, and the Genesis Mini 2 just... doesn't. It's Sega CD games and floor sweepings.
 
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WildcatJF

Let's Pock (Art @szk_tencho)
(he / his / him)
Crossposting:
For my latest LVLS+ Weekly episode, I talk about the upcoming Mega Drive Mini 2, the recent announcement of a Genesis Mini 2, and the games contained on both!

 

Sprite

(He/Him/His)

Gotta be honest with you, I'm not feeling the Genesis Mini 2. I was excited about this system at first, but really, where do you go after the first one? It encapsulated the Sega Genesis experience pretty well, offering a well curated sample of games throughout its history. Most of the titles were good, a few weren't, but overall, it gave you a good feel for the machine... its strengths, its weaknesses, its quirks, and the trends of the time. By contrast, the Genesis Mini 2 feels a little extraneous. Strained. Desperate, maybe? The Sega CD was an underappreciated machine doomed by its association with full-motion video, and it's good that its games will be given a chance to shine. While they're at it, maybe they can chuck Robo Aleste in there, and probably some other titles that aren't coming to mind at the moment (NOT Revengers of Vengeance).

However, on the Genesis side of things, we're getting choppy ports of SuperScaler games and an obscure puzzle game from the PC Engine that doesn't look particularly entertaining and The Ooze, which had some innovative ideas but mostly just serves as a showcase of everything that was wrong with Western-designed Genesis games. And then there's Spatter. Of all the freaking games to port to the Genesis, Spatter? Sega pretty much said that it wasn't worth including in the first Genesis Mini, so getting it here feels like you're being served sloppy seconds. Sloppy seconds for a system that's double the price of the first Genesis Mini, and unlike the Genesis Mini will never go down in price because Amazon is holding the reins. The TurboGrafx-16 Mini is outlandishly priced partially because it was an Amazon exclusive, and I suspect we'll see the same thing happen to the Genesis Mini 2.

The difference is that the TG16 Mini has a buttload of essential games running the gamut from HuCard to CD to SuperGrafx, and the Genesis Mini 2 just... doesn't. It's Sega CD games and floor sweepings.
The Sega Genesis Mini is probably the strongest of all these mini consoles from a curation standpoint, so any follow-up is going to feel like an afterthought, methinks. The goals behind this one seem to be focusing on the Sega CD while stuffing in all the Genesis/Mega Drive games they wanted to include in the first one but which didn't quite fit. Their reasoning behind games like Spatter seems to be "hey, we've got fifty slots, why not?"

I'm basically approaching it as a Sega CD Mini, which excites me as I have zero experience with that system beyond Sonic CD. It might be the first one of these I hack if none of the Working Designs localizations make the cut.
 

LBD_Nytetrayn

..and his little cat, too
(He/him)
So... apparently if you're in Canada and want one of these, you're fucked.

I am not happy about this.
 

muteKi

Geno Cidecity
Wondermega Collection bookended the third announcement as a way of reminding ppl about the Wondermega, Victor's OEM MD/MCD combo system; Okunari chose to include it on the Mini 2 due to its obscurity and also because it contains the omnibus software Pyramid Magic Soushuuhen.

I mean the wondermega m1 is cool as fuck so I can definitely see any reason to remind people of it as justified, just didn't expect that to be the reason. And Pyramid Magic is probably the best of the old Sega downloadable games (no disrespect to Flicky, but it's a port) so, yeah, makes sense, just not the sort of reasoning I'd have expected them to take.
 

WildcatJF

Let's Pock (Art @szk_tencho)
(he / his / him)

Heads up on two things: Sega is producing 1/10th of the total of the Genesis Mini for its sequel, and it views the product more as a Japan-focused entity (which is pretty apparent when you look at how it's handled things so far). So if you want one, you should probably snag a pre-order.

There's still no word from Sega if the Lunar/Popful Mail games will be on the Genesis Mini 2 like they are with the Mega Drive Mini 2, btw. I'm not holding my breath for their appearance...
 

ArugulaZ

Fearful asymmetry
FOMO? NO-MO, says I. They're making it nearly impossible for Americans to get this console, and literally impossible for everyone else. Corporations have been doing this for the most petty products (witness the return of Ecto Cooler from a few years ago, which was treated by Coca-Cola like ambrosia from Mount Olympus despite being corn syrup, ascorbic acid, and green food coloring) and I've had more than enough. It's a damn game console, not the Klotman diamond. If there isn't enough to go around, make more until demand is satisfied. Don't pull this artificial scarcity crapola like Nintendo did with the NES Classic.
 

Becksworth

Aging Hipster Dragon Dad
If there isn't enough to go around, make more until demand is satisfied.

Sounds them not being sure what the demand is that needs satisfied is part of the problem. Reminder this is a mini console focused on a more niche selection of Genesis/Mega Drive titles, to say nothing of ongoing supply chain issues, licensing costs of 3rd party titles, convincing retailers to stock/restock it, etc.
 

Sprite

(He/Him/His)
It's been available to pre-order for a couple weeks now and is still available, so the demand probably isn't that great. If you're in the US and want one of these, you can still get one.

It's definitely weird and awful that they'd be withholding from Canada, though. Does the site prevent you from shipping to Canada? I've definitely ordered games from amazon.ca, amazon.jp, and amazon.co.uk before.
 

LBD_Nytetrayn

..and his little cat, too
(He/him)
It's been available to pre-order for a couple weeks now and is still available, so the demand probably isn't that great. If you're in the US and want one of these, you can still get one.

It's definitely weird and awful that they'd be withholding from Canada, though. Does the site prevent you from shipping to Canada? I've definitely ordered games from amazon.ca, amazon.jp, and amazon.co.uk before.
Yeah, it's just... well...

This item cannot be shipped to your selected delivery location. Please choose a different delivery location.

That's what it says when I view the page when logged in, beneath the price and above the release date.
 

Sarge

hardcore retro gamin'
I've mentioned it before, but in my mind this confirms it: they overproduced the first run. I figured as much given how often it went on deep discount sales, something you didn't see for the NES/SNES Classic, and that's with the most popular games on there. Now that it's a more niche setup, and you likely don't pull in as many customers as last time, I can understand their reticence in making it too widely available.

However, this also makes me incredibly concerned that we won't see the stuff I'd really like on there, like Snatcher or the Working Designs games, and that would be an absolute bummer.
 

LBD_Nytetrayn

..and his little cat, too
(He/him)
I can understand not overproducing. What I can't understand is saying you're selling it to a certain group, but then telling part of that group "not you" for no good reason.
 

LBD_Nytetrayn

..and his little cat, too
(He/him)
Apparently, they just don't like Canada/don't consider it a part of North America.

They only yesterday -- and not even for all of them in the latest batch -- started including in the title that the PSO2 anime uploads are available for one week only on YouTube.

Oh, but that's okay, you see. The rest of the episodes are available in North America on Hulu.

...which Canada doesn't have.
 

Purple

(She/Her)
So learning, I think from this thread, just now, that this is a thing, I decided to look into what the purchase of one of these here minis might cost. And hey, here's an Amazon preorder... with a $30 shipping fee because I guess this is the Japanese version? Stores seem to be increasingly whatever about what country things that may have localization/region locking going on are coming from. So... yeah what's the actual deal?
 

WildcatJF

Let's Pock (Art @szk_tencho)
(he / his / him)
So learning, I think from this thread, just now, that this is a thing, I decided to look into what the purchase of one of these here minis might cost. And hey, here's an Amazon preorder... with a $30 shipping fee because I guess this is the Japanese version? Stores seem to be increasingly whatever about what country things that may have localization/region locking going on are coming from. So... yeah what's the actual deal?
Sega of America is very hands off on this entire enterprise. Sega of Japan has basically taken the entire reigns of distribution for both the Mega Drive Mini 2 and the Genesis 2 Mini, and aren't shipping any Genesis 2 Mini stock overseas to Amazon to distribute. They also seem to be limiting the Genesis 2 Mini to only the United States, with no European announcement thus far and countries like Canada being left out.

Ultimately, as I believe I mentioned earlier, Sega is treating this as a Japanese focused product first and foremost, and given the lack of a third round of games for the Genesis 2 Mini with the fourth round for the Mega Drive Mini 2 arriving next week, it's a little telling that the US Genesis 2 Mini is an afterthought at best.

Unfortunately, last I looked the MDM2 is out of stock on Amazon.jp, and I think I had better shipping on that than the $30 you saw, Violet. It's a little maddening to say the least. Especially since the Genesis 2 Mini still lacks the Working Designs games as of right now and I don't think they're gonna make it. :(
 
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