SEGA Genesis Mini 2

This is a really unique product. It is weird that it is missing the "greatest hits" of the Genesis but makes sense in the context that this is meant as an addition to the original Genesis Mini. The price is also higher by $40 if you factor in shipping so i can see how this is not for everyone. However, i can wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who had a Genesis back in the day or is interested in exploring the library a little deeper. They do make up for it by giving you 60 titles vs the original's 40.the titles picked here are a mix of some of the best games on the system - Earthworm Jim 2, Fatal Fury 2, Golden Axe 2, Lightening Force, Ranger-X, Shadow Dancer, Shining Force II, Streets of Rage 3, Splatterhouse 2, Super Street Fighter 2, Revenge of Shinobi, Vector Man 2... and some deep cuts that people may not be familiar but are still incredible - Alien Soldier, Crusader of Centy (itself a $1000 game), Elemental Master, Midnight Resistance, Ristar etc. SO many of these games cost hundreds by themselves. There are also a few games which may not have aged well but are fascinating vignettes into Sega's Arcade lineup that were responsible for the console's early success and reputation as a processing powerhouse - After Burner II, OutRun, Super Hang On, Virtua Racing. There are definitely some hidden gems as well, Rolling Thunder 2, Herzog Zwei, Warsong, The Ooze all come to mind. BTW, Warsong and Populous look fantastic on a modern screen and a pleasure to play!Of course another huge draw is the inclusion of some of the best Sega CD games (and some of the worst). Sonic CD is arguably the best Sonic game of the 16 bit generation with an incredible soundtrack and gameplay which promotes exploration vs speeding through levels. Shining Force CD is Strategy RPG royalty. Final Fight CD is the best home version of the classic beat em up and Robo Aleste tops is the cherry on top of the already incredible Shmup lineup here. In fact, if you like shmups, this is a must have as it has arguably all the best ones on the console, missing only MUSHA and Android Assault. Even the "awful" FMV games are a fun throwback and interesting history lesson in what we all thought was the future of gaming in 1993.I concede that this mini alone isn't an adequate slice of the console's incredible library, but neither is the first mini. With 60 games everyone is bound to find something they love (the reviewer who gave this 1 star is insane). Between the best shmups of the 16 bit era, some of the best beat em ups, fighting games, RPGs and excellent arcade ports - this is an all star lineup.Another perk is because of the Sega CD games, this console has a lot more storage than the first mini and if you dont mind removing some of the "bad" FMV Sega CD games, you can hack and load it up with practically the entire Genesis library.At $120 it is a luxury purchase for sure, especially since with very little effort one can play every 90s cartridge game on a Wii for a fraction of the price. But if you love official hardware and/or a fan of Sega at its peak, this is a fantastic little package (and it IS little, the box is about half the size of the original mini).A+, would buy again.P.S. I didn't bother reviewing the actual hardware, but it's of fantastic quality and i really appreciate the inclusion of a 6 button USB controller which is IDENTICAL to the original (this is good) as well as power adapter which none of the other mini consoles come with.

The Genesis Mini 1 and 2 are two collector's pieces that i knew upon annoucement that would be a must have for any true Sega fan. Both machines are liscensed, and well crafted. The content. Superb. If you didnt purchase these gems for their very cheap and fair asking price, well, your loss. Now they are going for 2 and 3 times the initial price.

Lots of good games for the Genesis & a few good ones for the Sega CD. Controller works great. Nice menu music. Very polished presentation. Now let's get a Neptune Mini with 32X & more Genesis & Sega CD games to whet our appetites for Saturn & Dreamcast Minis. What would be really cool is if Sega teamed up with Nintendo for a collaboration on a Retro console that can play NES, Master System, SNES, Genesis, 32X, Sega CD, Saturn, N64, Dreamcast & Gamecube games & allows gamers to purchase & download ROMs on the system but having at least a few games from each system installed on the system at purchase. I could see a combo of the Saturn & Gamecube controllers being the way to go. A lot of us older gamers would really appreciate something like this & it would definitely fly off shelves. The Nintendo/Sega Dreamcube!

Do you know how frustrating it was back in the 1990s to work 2 jobs and still not have enough money to buy a Sega CD system? And to put a deposit down just to rent that console from Blockbuster but every week that game was rented out by some other customer? And then to watch in the early 2000s as the price of the game (now that it was out-of-print) slowly climbed up to or above $300? I've played Shining Force 2 more than any other game, and that's saying something since I've logged more than 1000 hours into Monster Hunter Tri on the Wii. The members of the Shining Force are like family to me and the Sega Genesis mini # 2 console is like being given an unaffordable plane ticket to Europe after almost 30 years to see relatives and hear their stories just before they all die from old age. None of the zip drive roms during those years would open it on those dubious websites because the files were too large. So yes, this item gets a 5 star rating for just making that one game part of the lineup. And Ranger X wasn't available on the Wii shop channel, either, so that is a nice bonus, too. Although I doubt any modern player will have the patience to keep flying back to a previously discovered light source in the cave level to recharge the Ranger's solar packs.