Astro City Mini

[Phantoon]

Finally the full lineup for SEGA's newest mini console is known:

Alien Syndrome
Alien Storm
Golden Axe
Golden Axe: Revenge of the Death Adder
Columns II
Dark Edge
Tant-R
Virtua Fighter
Fantasy Zone
Altered Beast
Bonanza Bros
Columns
Cotton
Crack Down
ESWAT
Gain Ground
Ichidant-R
Puyo Puyo
Shadow Dancer
Shinobi
Wonder Boy
Wonder Boy in Monster Land
Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair
Arabian Fight
Ninja Princess
Stack Columns
Sonic Boom
Scramble Spirits
Flicky
Puyo Puyo 2
Quartet 2
Thunder Force AC
Alex Kidd - The Lost Stars
Rad Mobile
Seishun Scandal (known as My Hero in the west)
Space Harrier

Is anyone planning to buy it?

 

[ShakeWell]

Already pre-ordered on Amazon.co.jp!

 

[MCBanjoMike]

As cute as these things are, I think I'll pass. Part of the games list is Genesis stuff that I already have, and I'm not familiar enough with the others to pay import prices for them. I'll just hope that most of these show up on the MiSTer eventually!

 

[ShakeWell]

There are no Genesis games on this.

 

[MCBanjoMike]

All arcade versions?

 

[YangusKhan]

Revenge of Death Adder rules so hard.

 

[Phantoon]

All arcade versions?

Yep, so quite different

 

[WildcatJF]

If Sega localizes this I'll be all over it. Looks like that's not a priority for them, though.

 

[Phantoon]

Sega are weird, what with not localising this and everything about the Game Gear Micro. They're possibly weirder than Nintendo, which is a real feat.

 

[Kirin]

That's a nice list! But yeah, I don't think I'm actually gonna spring for importing it at the moment. Pity.

 

[ShakeWell]

Revenge of Death Adder rules so hard.

It's literally what's getting me to buy it, since I don't have room in my house for an Arcade 1Up. (Arcade E-Swat and Shadow Dancer help.)

 

[Becksworth]

I’m just shocked to discover Sega made an arcade game named Sonic Boom that has nothing to do with Sonic the Hedgehog.

 

[Phantoon]

On that topic, Sonic's first videogame appearance is on the Astro City Mini. He's in Rad Mobile dangling from the mirror.

 

[MCBanjoMike]

Huh, I knew he was in Rad Mobile (a game that featured prominently in the movie Encino Man), but I had no idea that was before the first Sonic game was released on the Genesis!

 

[LBD_Nytetrayn]

I really want this, quite so for Death Adder (and because I'm a SEGA but), but unless my financial situation sees a big upswing, I think I'll have to wait for something more localized before I can consider it.

Speaking of localized, how much of a language barrier is there to deal with here?

 

[ShakeWell]

I don't think they've said if the world/North America versions of the games are available or not. But even if not, there's probably not much in the way of a language barrier on any of these that couldn't easily be overcome by looking at a playthrough of the US versions on YouTube.

 

[ShakeWell]

Mine showed up today, but I haven't had a chance to play it yet! Anyone else?

 

[Phantoon]

Mine's chilling in Germany at the moment, so no. Almost here though! Are you thinking about videos about any of the games on it?

 

[ShakeWell]

I am always thinking about videos with any device the I buy. It's a sickness, tbh.

 

[Phantoon]

*Starts mashing F5 on YouTube*

Mine's still in Germany, I'm supposed to get it on Tuesday. Not too bad, all things considered

 

[Phantoon]

Mine's arrived. It's really high quality, much nicer than the Neo Geo mini. The scanlines look like complete cack, but that's the worst of it.

 

[ShakeWell]

Fake scanlines always look like total hot garbage, so no surprises there.

 

[Phantoon]

I love the MiSTer ones and the SNES Classic ones (not the Switch SNES ones though), I think they add something to the visuals, more so with simpler visuals. Without them you get big swatches of uninterrupted colour, and the games weren't supposed to have their limitations exposed like that. Bad scanlines are terrible though. Depending on effort, they're either a crappy overlay or they darken the picture. The really good stuff tries to do phosphor physics.

It's like the IPS screens for the Game Boy, I'll have to get the ones which give the proper grid effect, the image doesn't look right without it.

Edit: even for stuff like the Playstation it camouflages the dreaded dithering. You never noticed it on a CRT but there's no avoiding it on any other display.

Edit 2: @ShakeWell you have to try these scanlines, they're hilarious

 

[ShakeWell]

I love the MiSTer ones and the SNES Classic ones (not the Switch SNES ones though), I think they add something to the visuals, more so with simpler visuals. Without them you get big swatches of uninterrupted colour, and the games weren't supposed to have their limitations exposed like that. Bad scanlines are terrible though. Depending on effort, they're either a crappy overlay or they darken the picture. The really good stuff tries to do phosphor physics.

It's like the IPS screens for the Game Boy, I'll have to get the ones which give the proper grid effect, the image doesn't look right without it.

Edit: even for stuff like the Playstation it camouflages the dreaded dithering. You never noticed it on a CRT but there's no avoiding it on any other display.

Edit 2: @ShakeWell you have to try these scanlines, they're hilarious

You can't make me.

But I think playing on CRT again has made me even more critical of fake scanlines, honestly. I know the PS1 is dithered to hell, but it still looks better without fake scanlines.

 

[Phantoon]

These fake scanlines are amazing. They're basically semi-translucent lines stuck on the image. And that's it! No TV ever has looked like the scanlines on this thing.

 

[keurig]

Wow, those scanlines sound dreadful.

I'll also say that I too really love the SNES Classic scanlines, they look fantastic. Pretty much my go-to way to play the SNES classic.

 

[Phantoon]

Yeah, it's weird that the scanlines on the SNES app are nowhere near as nice, I immediately turned them off on that.

 

[ShakeWell]

These fake scanlines are amazing. They're basically semi-translucent lines stuck on the image. And that's it! No TV ever has looked like the scanlines on this thing.

Is it as hilarious on the thing's built-in screen, or do I have to be using the HDMI out to get the full effect?

 

[Phantoon]

It looks sort of OK on the little screen, on an actual display it's really obvious

 

[ShakeWell]

So, I've had some time with this, and... I think I need to order the controller. I love love LOVE that the little control panel is genuine arcade parts, it feels great (especially compared to the Arcade 1Up tabletop Pac-Man my folks have which is... uh... bad enough that I told them the next time I was in Wisconsin, I was going to rip it out and replace it with Sanwa parts), BUT... I have big hands and the panel is so tiny, I feel my hands cramping after playing for like a half hour. $40 is a lot, but it also seems like a VERY nice little USB controller, like maybe it would replace my SF4 wired 360 Fight Pad for normal use when playing non-analog stick games?