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[digital_ghost]

Me likey retarded dough

Whataburger fast food chain stopped paying you for advertising their brand? Sad day man.

The genesis was my first video game console as a kid. I still have fond memories of Sonic and Rocket Knight. My parents could not afford alot of games but I rented a ton of genesis games from Hollywood Video.

Loved Sega.

 

[SLoWMoTIoN]

Whataburger fast food chain stopped paying you for advertising their brand? Sad day man.

The genesis was my first video game console as a kid. I still have fond memories of Sonic and Rocket Knight. My parents could not afford alot of games but I rented a ton of genesis games from Hollywood Video.

Loved Sega.

I wish.


I only had that username since I was eating said brand at the time.

 

[lachesis]

So after beating Revenge of Shinobi - (No Godzilla, but a skeleton dino) - I decided to play Street Fighter II.... Only to realize, that Asian version doesn't have SFII CE! I totally overlooked SFII CE.

I mean if you are not going to include SF II - why include 6 button controllers to begin with? Strange... and interesting decision by SEGA, that Asian version doesn't have any game that pretty much requires 6 button controller at all. (Beyond Oasis uses some short-cuts for the extra buttons, but nothing that breaks the gameplay..)

 

[Vitacat]

So after beating Revenge of Shinobi - (No Godzilla, but a skeleton dino) - I decided to play Street Fighter II.... Only to realize, that Asian version doesn't have SFII CE! I totally overlooked SFII CE.

I mean if you are not going to include SF II - why include 6 button controllers to begin with? Strange... and interesting decision by SEGA, that Asian version doesn't have any game that pretty much requires 6 button controller at all. (Beyond Oasis uses some short-cuts for the extra buttons, but nothing that breaks the gameplay..)

Oh holy crap, seriously? Wow. You just gotta laugh. It’ll be hacked to play any game soon anyway. =)

 

[drganon]

Kind of wish they made one that looked like the model 2 genesis. That's the one I had as a kid.

 

[TLZ]

Kind of wish they made one that looked like the model 2 genesis. That's the one I had as a kid.

Same here.

On another note, mine arrived!

Only spent a minute smelling the console like a fool. I love the smell of new consoles. I think I have a problem...

The quality feels excellent. I can't say much about the controller's quality compared to the original, because I can't remember how the original felt like since I last touched one in mid 90s. It does feel good in the hand though. I feared it might be small and uncomfortable from reading some posts here, but it's good.

Now onto reliving the 90s and playing some games..

 

[EightBit Man]

Once the Sega Genesis Mini released to the public people were quick to run their own tests to see if this audio lag issue was fixed. I am not quite sure what methods most people were using to test audio lag, but many were quick to claim that the retail units did not suffer from the same lag as GameSack's review unit did.

 

[TLZ]

I might be the only one doing this, but I'm really preferring the CRT filter. Gets rid of all the pixelation. I wish it didn't darken the image though.

 

[Starlight Lotice]

I remember some dude at Circuit City telling me how the UK people had issues when my parents bought me my genesis. But didn't know what they were until 2010.

You need to play Sonic 1 on a PAL Mega Drive to truly know suffering.

We grew up with it so we are used to it...although I couldn't imagine anyone playing a C64 on Tape as those load times took minutes of your time!!!

 

[FranXico]

We grew up with it so we are used to it...although I couldn't imagine anyone playing a C64 on Tape as those load times took minutes of your time!!!

I once gamed on a ZX Spectrum 128K. Some games took 15 minutes to load from the tape.

 

[Starlight Lotice]

I once gamed on a ZX Spectrum 128K. Some games took 15 minutes to load from the tape.

Holy Shit that must be agonising.

Imagine people whining about PS2/3 load times a few years back?

 

[TLZ]

The dpad feels so good. Why can't companies get this right? Even Nintendo's pro isn't this good.

 

[FranXico]

The dpad feels so good. Why can't companies get this right? Even Nintendo's pro isn't this good.

Cannot be said enough. The best D-pad ever made was from SEGA.

 

[Starlight Lotice]

Got mine now!

 

[Vitacat]

I once gamed on a ZX Spectrum 128K. Some games took 15 minutes to load from the tape.

For me, it was an Atari 800 and cassettes for a few months before I got a disc drive. The game was Shamus, and it was awesome for its time.

The dpad feels so good. Why can't companies get this right? Even Nintendo's pro isn't this good.

I love Nintendo stuff in general, but it blows my mind how often their dpads are just plain bad.

 

[Starlight Lotice]

World of Illusion is still great to play and I would say the hidden gem(s) for the Japanese version is Value Games in a Can (the one with 12 games on it), as it has Doki Doki Penguin Land MD, Flicky and Teddy Boy that are excellent.

There is one that looks like Dragon Crystal as well but not too sure unless it is based on that game.

 

[KellyM]

World of Illusion is still great to play and I would say the hidden gem(s) for the Japanese version is Value Games in a Can (the one with 12 games on it), as it has Doki Doki Penguin Land MD, Flicky and Teddy Boy that are excellent.

There is one that looks like Dragon Crystal as well but not too sure unless it is based on that game.

Most be fatal Labyrinth. That game plays just like Dragon Crystal.

 

[TLZ]

World of Illusion is still great to play and I would say the hidden gem(s) for the Japanese version is Value Games in a Can (the one with 12 games on it), as it has Doki Doki Penguin Land MD, Flicky and Teddy Boy that are excellent.

There is one that looks like Dragon Crystal as well but not too sure unless it is based on that game.

I don't know if you already know this, but if you have the Japanese version (I think you do or maybe it's Asian) you can change the main menu language to English. And other languages even; Spanish, French, German, Italian etc.

 

[Fat Frog]

So after beating Revenge of Shinobi - (No Godzilla, but a skeleton dino) - I decided to play Street Fighter II.... Only to realize, that Asian version doesn't have SFII CE! I totally overlooked SFII CE.

I mean if you are not going to include SF II - why include 6 button controllers to begin with? Strange... and interesting decision by SEGA, that Asian version doesn't have any game that pretty much requires 6 button controller at all. (Beyond Oasis uses some short-cuts for the extra buttons, but nothing that breaks the gameplay..)

SF2 megadrive edition around the world:

- Asia = 6 buttons, no SF2.
- USA = SF 2 is there but with 3 buttons
- Japan = SF2 + 6 buttons but Japanese players don't give a shit about this version.

They were probably drunk at Sega that day...

 

[celsowmbr]

SF2 megadrive edition around the world:

- Asia = 6 buttons, no SF2.
- USA = SF 2 is there but with 3 buttons
- Japan = SF2 + 6 buttons but Japanese players don't give a shit about this version.

They were probably drunk at Sega that day...

No, no...They probably made a huge deal with retrobit $$$

 

[TLZ]

Also this:

 

[Kazza]

For the people here who have ordered from PlayAsia, did you have to pay any customs/import fees? I choose UPS as the courier and it looks like they are going to hit me up for fees. I didn't think there would be any fees from Hong Kong to China (which is where I'm living now). They are holding the console hostage until I supply import information (model number etc) and will take the money once it arrives at my home.

 

[EightBit Man]

No, no...They probably made a huge deal with retrobit $$$

I wonder if there's a difference between the six-button pads; between the ones included in Asia and the one we can purchase separately in the West.

I also wonder if the Retro-bit controllers are of decent quality, as I've read that they aren't known for their long-term durability.

 

[Kazza]

I wonder if there's a difference between the six-button pads; between the ones included in Asia and the one we can purchase separately in the West.

I also wonder if the Retro-bit controllers are of decent quality, as I've read that they aren't known for their long-term durability.

I'm pretty sure that the Retro-bit 6 buttons are considerably bigger than the pack-in Asian ones. There was a photo earlier in the thread comparing the original western 6 button controller (on which I believe the retrobits were based) comparing size to the Asian mini one.

Retro-bit controllers used to be awful, but it seems that they have really upped their game since getting the official licence from Sega (Sega Lord X gave his approval in a recent video)

 

[Boaty McBoatface]

My 6-button controller arrived today:

I didn't realise it works on Switch too!

I tried my Saturn controller to compare the d-pad and it's basically identical. Also feels like it will last.

Super happy.

 

[Starlight Lotice]

I wonder how the progress is going on the Hacking of the System to see how it works?

Would be amazing to see if you can add better wallpapers on, increase the clock speed and hopefully create those beautiful Boxarts should you wish to add your own ROMs on the system!

 

[EightBit Man]

Seems like I'll receive the console today; a week earlier. A nice surprise!

There's also news on the side of exploring the system...



M2 seems to have have scrapped a music player on the console, as well as a 1080p display mode.

SEGA Mega Drive / Genesis (Project Lunar) Hack Update 2

 

[EightBit Man]

Pretty cool to play the games on a old television. I played most games now, and some are tolerable when it comes to difficulty, but a lot of them are outrageously difficult. Couldn't even make it past Stage 5 (Ship) on Normal in Streets of Rage 2 (I don't use continues, so). I don't even want to talk about Castle of Illusion. Absolutely disgraceful how bad I am at this game; couldn't even make it past the second world (Toyland). Was this game really targeted at little kids? Sonic the Hedgehog, Wonder Boy in Monster World, and World of Illusion are probably the easiest games on the system? Sure, I played these games decades ago, but c'mon! Maybe I've gotten too used to Super NES games over the years. "Nintendo Hard"? Don't make me laugh.

Contra III: Alien Wars on Normal is a walk in the park in comparison to Contra: Hard Corps. Same goes for Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts in comparison to the Mega Drive game. The uncensored Vampire Killer (JP version of Castlevania: New Generation) is surprisingly tolerable though, once you know enemy patterns, as with any other Castlevania it becomes enjoyable to master. Tetris is very difficult because the pieces turn way too slowly; a huge problem when the game speeds up. Mega Man: The Wily Wars is as expected, ten times more difficult than the NES original titles due to a slower firing rate amongst other adjustments. Even a incredibly easy boss like Metal Man in Mega Man 2 takes ages, and of lot of depleted energy to beat.

 

[Damian Monroe]

Mine arrived a couple of days ago. Sorry for the excitement haha I was buzzing

 

[Scopa]

Pretty cool to play the games on a old television. I played most games now, and some are tolerable when it comes to difficulty, but a lot of them are outrageously difficult. Couldn't even make it past Stage 5 (Ship) on Normal in Streets of Rage 2 (I don't use continues, so). I don't even want to talk about Castle of Illusion. Absolutely disgraceful how bad I am at this game; couldn't even make it past the second world (Toyland). Was this game really targeted at little kids? Sonic the Hedgehog, Wonder Boy in Monster World, and World of Illusion are probably the easiest games on the system? Sure, I played these games decades ago, but c'mon! Maybe I've gotten too used to Super NES games over the years. "Nintendo Hard"? Don't make me laugh.

Contra III: Alien Wars on Normal is a walk in the park in comparison to Contra: Hard Corps. Same goes for Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts in comparison to the Mega Drive game. The uncensored Vampire Killer (JP version of Castlevania: New Generation) is surprisingly tolerable though, once you know enemy patterns, as with any other Castlevania it becomes enjoyable to master. Tetris is very difficult because the pieces turn way too slowly; a huge problem when the game speeds up. Mega Man: The Wily Wars is as expected, ten times more difficult than the NES original titles due to a slower firing rate amongst other adjustments. Even a incredibly easy boss like Metal Man in Mega Man 2 takes ages, and of lot of depleted energy to beat.

I never had a Mega Drive as a kid, so I only ever played the Streets of Rage series briefly at friend’s houses.

I fired up SoR2 when I got my mini and I found it kind of amusing how easy the first level or two was and then, holy shit! That game gets difficult and unfair in the cheapest, most enemy spawning ways. I didn’t expect it, lol. So hard.

There’s probably MD/Genesis veterans laughing at that statement.

 

[TLZ]

Mine arrived a couple of days ago. Sorry for the excitement haha I was buzzing

How does the original controller compare to the mini one?

 

[SLoWMoTIoN]

Also this:

That cuck comment though

I never had a Mega Drive as a kid, so I only ever played the Streets of Rage series briefly at friend’s houses.

I fired up SoR2 when I got my mini and I found it kind of amusing how easy the first level or two was and then, holy shit! That game gets difficult and unfair in the cheapest, most enemy spawning ways. I didn’t expect it, lol. So hard.

There’s probably MD/Genesis veterans laughing at that statement.

My 7 year old self is laughing yes
Only 3 (American) is hard though.
My favorite thing about SoR2 was how great it sounded on my 21' wooden tv.

 

[Damian Monroe]

How does the original controller compare to the mini one?

The orginal controller on the Megadrive is only 3 button the mini is 6 button. The mini 6 button is decent I don't think the dpad is as good as the megadrive 6 button pad, I don't think it rolls as good. Maybe am wrong as I haven't used the megadrive 6 button in a while. Am just waiting on the tower of power to arrive now

 

[Dev1lXYZ]

I got a Genesis in December of ‘’89. Loved it. Played Ghouls N Ghosts for a straight year until the games became available in my city. The 3 button pad on the Mini is no where near as stiff as my OG pad was. It’s almost on 6 button pad level. No complaints as I got a new 6 button to compare. I’d say there is a much smaller gap in performance than back in the day. The OG 6 button pad was like Jesus himself had blessed your fingers. The Mini has great pads on BOTH.

 

[EightBit Man]

I never had a Mega Drive as a kid, so I only ever played the Streets of Rage series briefly at friend’s houses.

I fired up SoR2 when I got my mini and I found it kind of amusing how easy the first level or two was and then, holy shit! That game gets difficult and unfair in the cheapest, most enemy spawning ways. I didn’t expect it, lol. So hard.

There’s probably MD/Genesis veterans laughing at that statement.

There's definitely a difficulty spike occurring there, yes. The part of the Amusement Park I find annoying is when you encounter the annoying girl Lisa, and knife-wielding Beano simultaneously - with other goons. I was half-way through the Jungle stage just now by the way.

There's a couple of tricks I use, like hitting the punch button exactly before a opponent recovers/becomes ready to attack; that way you can "freeze" and defeat one. Not recommended when there are multiple, stronger opponents on-screen. It feels a bit like cheating, but still. There's also one extra life hidden in the first stage, left from the start behind the mailbox.

---

Castle of Illusion becomes easier with practice, thankfully. Almost completed the third world (The Storm), without using continues. Gotta figure out a good strategy for the boss there. I'd say it's a medium difficulty game on Normal. Gotta have more patience I guess.

 

[K1Expwy]

I never had a Mega Drive as a kid, so I only ever played the Streets of Rage series briefly at friend’s houses.

I fired up SoR2 when I got my mini and I found it kind of amusing how easy the first level or two was and then, holy shit! That game gets difficult and unfair in the cheapest, most enemy spawning ways. I didn’t expect it, lol. So hard.

There’s probably MD/Genesis veterans laughing at that statement.

In all seriousness, try playing the game with Max. One you learn how he plays, it's hilarious how quickly he wipes out everything on the screen.

 

[Scopa]

There's definitely a difficulty spike occurring there, yes. The part of the Amusement Park I find annoying is when you encounter the annoying girl Lisa, and knife-wielding Beano simultaneously - with other goons. I was half-way through the Jungle stage just now by the way.

There's a couple of tricks I use, like hitting the punch button exactly before a opponent recovers/becomes ready to attack; that way you can "freeze" and defeat one. Not recommended when there are multiple, stronger opponents on-screen. It feels a bit like cheating, but still. There's also one extra life hidden in the first stage, left from the start behind the mailbox.

---

Castle of Illusion becomes easier with practice, thankfully. Almost completed the third world (The Storm), without using continues. Gotta figure out a good strategy for the boss there. I'd say it's a medium difficulty game on Normal. Gotta have more patience I guess.

The dude who flies around with the jet pack is hair-pullingly frustrating. But, he doesn’t like fly kicks. But, the timing has to be perfect.

 

[SLoWMoTIoN]

The dude who flies around with the jet pack is hair-pullingly frustrating. But, he doesn’t like fly kicks. But, the timing has to be perfect.

 

[Starlight Lotice]

I never had a Mega Drive as a kid, so I only ever played the Streets of Rage series briefly at friend’s houses.

I fired up SoR2 when I got my mini and I found it kind of amusing how easy the first level or two was and then, holy shit! That game gets difficult and unfair in the cheapest, most enemy spawning ways. I didn’t expect it, lol. So hard.

There’s probably MD/Genesis veterans laughing at that statement.

There are tricks to beating the game even on Hardest. I have played for many years and have done the game on Hardest with 1 Life but man...Maniac Mode is something else!

There is a Hidden 1UP behind the Bin Foreground on the very first level.

On Hardest you have to face 4 Jets on Level 7 and Two of those Lisas in the Theme Park on Level 3.

The Boxer hates Forward Forward B moves so keep some distance and uss that. Also go in diagonally when you can. If he grabs you do the Neutral Special.

 

[EightBit Man]

The dude who flies around with the jet pack is hair-pullingly frustrating. But, he doesn’t like fly kicks. But, the timing has to be perfect.

I had trouble with him the first time, but there's a tactic to defeat him fairly easily. Turn your back towards him, wait till he's ready to charge, and when he's on his way towards you, jump-kick him, retreat and repeat (while remaining on the same horizontal line/position). A "blitz-attack" (forward, forward, attack) may also work, but have not tried that out yet. As with some other bosses, dealing with the additional henchmen gives them free reign, which can become problematic.

 

[OmegaSupreme]

Damn all that box art its my right in the feels. Something about boxart from that era really grabs me. Probably because its all hand drawn. On another note Shinning Force 2 really should have been in there.

 

[Vitacat]

Has anyone been able to directly compare the Retrobit 6 button pad with the official 6 button mini pad?

Just wondering if there is any significant difference in quality.

EDIT: hmm, there is also this Brawlergen pad that is coming and looks interesting. Also works on PC and Switch.

BrawlerGen USB Genesis Mini / Switch / Mac / PC Controller | Retro Fighters

Next gen styled Genesis mini ControllerCompatible with PC, MAC, Genesis mini and SwitchComfortable and responsive analog stickHigh quality and responsive d-padUsb support both D-input & X-input (PC)

retrofighters.com

Could be good for Saturn emulation of the 3D Pad. Layout is different, with the dpad in the upper location, but actually I think that's better for most games anyway.

 

[Starlight Lotice]

I had trouble with him the first time, but there's a tactic to defeat him fairly easily. Turn your back towards him, wait till he's ready to charge, and when he's on his way towards you, jump-kick him, retreat and repeat (while remaining on the same horizontal line/position). A "blitz-attack" (forward, forward, attack) may also work, but have not tried that out yet. As with some other bosses, dealing with the additional henchmen gives them free reign, which can become problematic.

Jet doesn't like Diagonal Grabs either so if you can pull those off you are set even more.

With Axel, you can time your Grand Upper to cause super damage if you time that right. It is more reliable with henchmen about as they stupudly get caught in it too. Donovans love doing that shitty uppercut if you try and Jump Kick too often.

 

[Kazza]

My Asian edition finally arrived (took a long time, considering I'm actually living in Asia)!

I had a bit of time this afternoon, so spent a couple of hours playing through various games (Space Harrier 2, SoR2, Ghouls & Ghosts, Revenge of Shinobi). I actually wanted to play a bit of Altered Beast, then realised that it wasn't on the Asian version (never mind, I suppose I can just lesser games such as Musha and Alien Soldier instead...). The controllers seemed super small, but when I put them up against my SNES controller, I realised they were roughly the same size. The d-pad and buttons all feel great and you forget the small size once you start playing. Still, I'm a little jealous of the people getting the big 3 button pad (although I appreciate the mode button).

Like others here, I have had my arse handed to me by some of the more difficult games, so I'll have to up my game in the coming weeks (seriously, the first level of Ghouls and Ghosts is straight up trolling, with it's booby trapped chests and worthless weapons upgrades).

It's the start of a week long national holiday where I am, so I should have a couple of hours a day free to play. I'll be putting together some short reviews of each game, looking at what magazines of the time thought and what people think now. First up, the Japanese launch title Space Harrier II (glad the other launch title, Super Thunder Blade, didn't make it onto the collection!)

 

[EightBit Man]

seriously, the first level of Ghouls and Ghosts is straight up trolling, with it's booby trapped chests and worthless weapons upgrades

Indeed, you're lucky if you attain a good weapon (not something like the annoying torch!). The part where I continuously lost lives was past the rainy storm. Tentacles, spewing plants, and a pig that jumps at the most inconvenient moment. Because it's so difficult I'm tempted to watch videos on YouTube, checking out how no-hit runs are achieved, but that kinda feels like taking a shortcut; I want to master a game by myself.

 

[Kazza]

Indeed, you're lucky if you attain a good weapon (not something like the annoying torch!). The part where I continuously lost lives was past the rainy storm. Tentacles, spewing plants, and a pig that jumps at the most inconvenient moment. Because it's so difficult I'm tempted to watch videos on YouTube, checking out how no-hit runs are achieved, but that kinda feels like taking a shortcut; I want to master a game by myself.

I did ok with the storm, but I got stuck with that damn torch (it even stays with you when you die!). It was difficult to kill those fast pig(?) enemies with just the torch. I think pretty much every weapon in that first level is a downgrade on what you start off with. Even the first chest you come across in the game is that magician who turns you into an old man. What a dick move on the part of the developers

I played Super Ghouls & Ghosts and Super Castlevania 4 on the SNES for the first time last Halloween, so I'll put Ghouls & Ghosts and Castlevania Bloodlines to one side until October so that I can play the Megadrive versions this year. The Megadrive Ghouls & Ghosts is the only one of the four that I owned back in the day. I remember really liking it, but don't remember if I ever completed it (or "clocked it" as we would say back then). On the one hand it would have been hard for someone as young as I was to complete such a hard game; on the other hand I did have a lot of time on my hands and I probably didn't have much else to play (games were expensive to the point that "backlog" was not yet a term in my vocabulary).

I actually enjoyed Space Harrier more than I though I would, so I'll give that another go tomorrow.

 

[Dev1lXYZ]

I did ok with the storm, but I got stuck with that damn torch (it even stays with you when you die!). It was difficult to kill those fast pig(?) enemies with just the torch. I think pretty much every weapon in that first level is a downgrade on what you start off with. Even the first chest you come across in the game is that magician who turns you into an old man. What a dick move on the part of the developers

I played Super Ghouls & Ghosts and Super Castlevania 4 on the SNES for the first time last Halloween, so I'll put Ghouls & Ghosts and Castlevania Bloodlines to one side until October so that I can play the Megadrive versions this year. The Megadrive Ghouls & Ghosts is the only one of the four that I owned back in the day. I remember really liking it, but don't remember if I ever completed it (or "clocked it" as we would say back then). On the one hand it would have been hard for someone as young as I was to complete such a hard game; on the other hand I did have a lot of time on my hands and I probably didn't have much else to play (games were expensive to the point that "backlog" was not yet a term in my vocabulary).

I actually enjoyed Space Harrier more than I though I would, so I'll give that another go tomorrow.

Space Harrier 2 is easy with strategy of constantly moving around the screen. Avoiding the pillars is the hardest part for me and was hell on your thumb with the OG 3 button pad back in the day.

Super Thunder Blade is still hell though.

 

[Damian Monroe]

My Tower of power turned up today, really happy with it. The extras you get with it really add to the package & shows some thought has gone into it. Hope it's ok to post another vid. Couple of points in the vid below.
1. I didn't know what the second cartridge was I thought it was an action replay haha my nephew corrected me after the vid, am not really a Sonic fan.
2. Sorry for the quick Rolf Harris impression at 15secs haha.

 

[Kazza]

Space Harrier 2 is easy with strategy of constantly moving around the screen. Avoiding the pillars is the hardest part for me and was hell on your thumb with the OG 3 button pad back in the day.

Super Thunder Blade is still hell though.

It seems easier than the arcade version in Shenmue/Yakuza. Maybe the choppier framerate gives more time to react. I have been doing the constant moving in a circle thing, but my finger starts to hurt after a while.

 

[Dev1lXYZ]

It seems easier than the arcade version in Shenmue/Yakuza. Maybe the choppier framerate gives more time to react. I have been doing the constant moving in a circle thing, but my finger starts to hurt after a while.

It is easier than the arcade game. Not as many enemies on screen and also not meant to much quarters like the arcade. I like it better, actually. It’s balanced for home play.