SEGA Mega Drive Mini (Electronic Games)

I've been a gamer going back to the 8 bit days and have a real nostalgia for the 16 bit era and the huge step forwards that games took during that time.I had a megadrive back in the day but never had that many games for it, being restricted by the realities of a student budget back then.I've been looking at the various retro consoles and weighing up whether to get then or to get the games in some classic collections for the current consoles (or via retro Pie).After seeing the various reviews of this one I decided to make it my first retro console. I'm really pleased with the end result.The console comes with a (tiny) base unit, a shrunken down version of the original console but with only the on/off switch functioning. The cartridge slot etc just being for appearance. It connects to your TV via HDMI (and looks great on my 4K TV) and is powered via a USB cable (it doesn't come with a plug, though I've connected mine to my TV USB socket). It has two wired controllers, fairly light but they work well and seem to do the job fine.The console comes with a selection of 42 games and comes with something for every gamer. It includes some nailed on Megadrive classics and a nice range from most genres.. The emulation is very smooth and upscaling great. They also play responsively. It's a very well put together package.There is a menu function available by holding down start that allows you to save the current state of any game you are playing.. this is a big boost that didn't used to be there and helps when jumping between the games trying them out and when you just want a short game session.Overall I'm delighted with this. It does exactly what I'd hoped and brings the Megadrive back to life at a very good price with an excellent selection of games.

For those looking to experience the joy of the Mega Drive without shelling out on the original console, then this is finally it! I had previously bought the PS2 disc of 30 Mega Drive classics and was thoroughly underwhelmed by it, as it was nearly all basic and poor games from the dawn of the Mega Drive.... this mini MD however comes packed with plenty of your favourites from back in the day.The highlights for the 42 included games for me are:Sonic 1 & 2 - everyone's favourite hyper speed platformer that is still great fun todayGunstar Heroes - a frantic and fiendishly addictive 2 player blasterDynamite Heady - gorgeous graphics and cute and fun gameplayStreets Of Rage 2 - one of my favourite MD games ever, an absolute blastRoad Rash 2 - violent motorbiking, especially great in 2 player modeEarthworm Jim - addictive platformer with some of the best MD graphicsStreet Fighter 2 - you remember it, you love it. Although it's not great with the standard 3 button controller (you can buy a 6 button for this mini)Eternal Champions - Sega's attempt to capitalise in the SF2/Mortal Kombat success and they make a very good job of itCastlevania - Nice retro haunted house hack n slash.Alisia Dragoon - early platform sword and sorcery with great playabilityMean Bean Machine - fiendishly addictive Columns style gameThunder Force 3 - manic shoot em up mayhemCastle Of Illusion - wonderful 2 player puzzle platformer with awesome graphicsOf course however, everyone will remember the terrible MD games and there are quite a few dates and poor games that play horribly here - Altered Beast, Golden Axe, Mega Man, Alex Kidd, Space Harrier 2, Wonder Bros, Super Fantasy Zone etc.However despite the duffers this is a case where, u like the Ps2 disc, the great far, far outweighs the bad, making this an essential purchase for any old school Mega Drive fan.

I bought this as a pure nostalgia hit and I must say it didn't disappoint! Firstly the product itself is beautifully packaged, with the graphics of the console on the front and all the original covers of the games on the back and it really makes you look forward to taking the thing out and playing it.As to the device itself, yes it's small, but perfectly proportioned, they have even made it so that the cartridge slot opens and closes. Ok, so you don't need a working looking cartridge slot, but it's a really nice touch. And I think the aesthetics of any of these mini-consoles are important as they really give you a feel for the quality of the product itself. Talking of quality and quantity, you get 42 mostly classic games here. So there are always one or two clunkers in any selection like this, but in general pretty much every game has it's merits, and some are such classics such as the Sonic games that they just speak for themselves. I really found myself becoming that excited young lad playing these games again, it does bring back that excitement. Most of them I had not played for well over 25 years and they still play really well and I have to say the emulations are spot on. I can't notice any lag in sound or video personally and they look crystal clear on a modern large screen TV. It's also nice that you can keep to the original 4/3 ratio, which is the way they are meant to be played. The controllers too are really first rate and feel good in the hands and do what you expect. Although, yes you could do with a 6 button controller to mash to really get into games like Streets of Rage II, saying that I still really enjoyed revisiting this brilliant beat em up again, a truly great game and just great fun, which is the whole point of little consoles like this.All in all a fantastic nostalgia hit for any gamer, beautifully packaged and made from Sega and just brings back the good old days of 16 bit gaming. A mini modern classic!