Mega Drive



"Genesis does what Nintendon't."

The Sega Mega Drive (called Sega Genesis in the US for legal reasons) is long known as the SNES ' rival. It's not as powerful in video and audio output as SNES, but a number of games had faster flowing action in terms of processing power (blast processing wasn't all bullshit), AND it offers backwards compatibility with the Master System (but you can't run SG-1000 games even though they are compatible with Master System). Because of differences in cartridge shape you need Power Base Converter, or similar adapter, but some of the games still need Master System gamepad to work properly.

Mega Drive also has two other add-ons, the Mega-CD and 32X for extra power that does make it arguably stronger than the SNES (well, when the games are done well). Get an early model 1 for cleaner audio, a head-phone jack, and maybe a Game Genie so you can get around the region protection. Also, like other early consoles, the PAL version has lowered frame rate; though with a little know-how, you can modify it to flow as fast as an NTSC.

Revisions & Clones
There are several revisions of the Genesis. The three main ones are the original "High-Definition Graphics" model, the Genesis 2, and Genesis 3. The Genesis 1 and 2 have a bunch of internal revisions as well. Mostly with sound. Some will sound better than others. The original modes from launch are usually the best with sound in mind. You can tell as they will have the Mega Modem port on the back. There are certain mods that are available that can help restore the sound to original genesis units (see Triple Bypass mod).

The Genesis 3 was a late model released for cheap. A stock unit is really only good for Genesis games. Compatibility with the Master System, 32x, Virtua Racing, and Sega CD were stripped out to make it cheaper. It also only outputs mono sound. There are mods to restore most of these features (not Sega CD though).

There's also number of clone consoles available, and some of them are even officially licensed! The Super Retro Trio, Retron3, and Retron5 are pretty good. The Retron5 is basically an emulation box with support for original cartridges and controllers. One of the best features is the ability to use patches on original cartridges. Great for hacks and translations.

Stay Faraway from anything made by AtGames. Most, if not all, of their clones are shit. Bad replication of the genesis all around.

The best, by far, is Analogue's SG Mega. Like Analogue's other systems, is based on a FPGA chip and runs everything perfectly. There are additional audio options so you can tweak based on what type of sound chips your original Genesis had. Compatibility with other devices is pretty great as well. With adapters, you can also play Master System, Game Gear, and SG-1000 titles. And those few MS titles that don't work with Genesis controllers finally do! It's also includes an edge connector for Sega CD support! The 32x usage might be possible with the DAC. Like the Super NT, it has a built-in game: the unreleased Ultracore by DICE.

For Genesis/Mega Drive gaming on the go, check out the Nomad (made by SEGA), GenMobile (smaller, lighter, cheaper, and better battery life), or Gopher (digital-based version of the former; takes SD cards).

Flashcarts
For flashcarts, the Mega Everdrive series are great. Everything for Genesis is compatible, including Ultimate Mortal Kombat Trilogy. Includes support for Master System and 32x roms as well. Can also emulate the FM adapter for those games that support it on the MS. Also one of the few Everdrives to support save states. Though MS roms and save states don't work if you have the cart running through a 32x. That is an issue with the design of the 32x and not of any flashcart.

For many, the king of Genesis flashcarts is the MegaSD. Made by TerraOnion, the guys behind the fantastic Super SD System 3 for the PC Engine. The MegaSD does pretty much everything the Everdrives can do. But it also includes Sega CD support! Even without the physical addon!!!! It emulates it using a FPGA. This also means you can finally play Sega CD games on the go with a Nomad! You'll still need a 32x to run 32x roms. 32XCD still aren't supported, though you're not missing much. The MegaSD also includes MSU-1 like functionality called MD+.

Finally in 2020, the Mega Everdrive got an update in the Mega Everdrive Pro. Its the older Mega Everdrive but includes Sega CD support. Still no 32XCD support. No MD+ support either. The menus are a bit more basic on the Mega Everdrive. The MegaSD does have some additional Sega CD features like cheats and faster processing for "mode 7" like graphics. The Mega Everdrive Pro is pretty strict about what CD image formats it'll accept while the MegaSD can support more.

There's 3 different versions of the Mega Everdrive. The cheaper models don't have some of the more advance issues (larger rom sizes, slower load speeds, MS rom support, FM support). The highest level costs around ~$200. The MegaSD only has one version and it cost around €232/~$260.

Both these flash carts work perfectly with the SG Mega.

Genesis Mini
After the sucess of the NES and SNES mini, it was only time before Sega jumped onboard the Mini Console train. The inital news wasn't good, since it was announced that Sega was going to let AtGames handle the Mini system. Luckly, Sega listened to their fans and let Japanese emulation geniuses M2 handle the system.

The results are pretty good. It includes a lot more games than either the NES or SNES mini. A lot of heavy hitters. Emulation, as expected, is also great. On par with Nintendo's offerings. They even got Yuzo Koshiro to compose a new track as the menu music. All units contain all regions offerings, so you don't need to buy the Japanese version to get Puyo Puyo. Just switch the region on the system.

It also includes two "new" games. Both arcade ports. Darius and Sega's Tetris. The latter is different from the unreleased Genesis game, as it was portred from the Arcade code base.