Mega Drive Mini 2

[heyadol]

Is anyone excited for the Mega Drive Mini 2? I'd be more excited if there were a Genesis Mini 2, or any international release plans at all, but I'll get the Japanese model if that is all that is available. Like the previous iteration, M2 will provide the emulation and Yuzo Koshiro will provide ~6 minutes of music for the interface.
The new one is based on Mega Drive 2 and will include Mega-CD games thanks to a more advanced processor and additional storage. There will be 50 titles included plus at least one bonus title. I hope M2 also includes alternate/arcade modes like they did with PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16 Mini.

MD Mini 2 releases on October 27, 2022 in Japan and will retail for ¥9,980 (¥10,978 w/ tax); it includes only one 6 button controller. this time According to the interview with Sega's Yosuke Okunari conducted by Famitsu, the current semiconductor shortage led to the price increase. For the same reason, making a Saturn or Dreamcast Mini would have cost as much as original hardware. Two new features are the inclusion of sound settings (choose between MD or MD2 sound) and the ability to map the mode button on the controller. The interview also mentions Sega is preparing for international expansion (MD and MD Mini were both more popular overseas) but there was nothing to announce at the time of print.

Promotional video:

『メガドライブミニ２ã€�プãƒ*モーションæ˜*åƒ� - YouTube

1. Futari Puyo Puyo Sun (MD Bonus)
2. Space Harrier II (MD Bonus) (Analog)
3. Debi & Pii (MD Bonus)
4. Super Locomotive (MD Bonus)
5. Party Quiz Mega Q 2022 (MD Bonus) (1-5 players w/ USB hub)
6. Party Quiz Sega Q (MD Bonus) (1-5 players w/ USB hub)
7. Night Trap (CD)
8. Mahou no Shoujo Silky Lip (CD)
9. Captain Tsubasa (CD)
10. Star Cruiser (MD)
11. Granada (MD)
12. Ex-Ranza (MD)
13. Shin Souseiki Ragnacenty (MD)
14. Midnight Resistance (MD)
15. Chelnov (MD)
16. Dodge Danpei (MD)
17. Ecco the Dolphin CD (CD)
18. Romance of the Three Kingdoms III (CD) (1-8 players w/ 2 USB hubs)
19. Tenka Fubu: Eiyuutachi No Houkou (CD)
20. Dennin Aleste + Robo Aleste (CD)
21. Shin Megami Tensei (CD) (Mouse)
22. Gain Ground (MD)
23. Sorcerian (MD)
24. Phantasy Star II (MD)
25. Togi Oh King Colossus (MD)
26. Populus (MD)
27. Viewpoint (MD Bonus)
28. Final Fight CD (CD)
29. Lunar: The Silver Star (CD)
30. Lunar 2: Eternal Blue (CD)
31. WonderMega Collection (CD)
32. Alien Soldier (MD)
33. Truxton/Tatsujin (MD)
34. Super Street Fighter II (MD)
35. Fatal Fury 2/餓狼伝説２ (MD)
36. Aa Harimanada/ああ播磨灘 (MD)
37. Katayama Masayuki no Mahjong Dojo/ぎゅわんぶらあ自己中心派 (MD)
38. Spatter/三輪サンちゃん (MD Bonus)
39. Night Striker (CD) (Analog)
40. The Ninja Warriors (CD)
41. Starblade (CD) (Analog or Mouse)
42. OutRun (MD)
43. After Burner II (MD) (Analog)
44. Splatterhouse Part 2 (MD)
45. Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water/ふしぎの海のナディア (MD)
46. MegaPanel (MD)
47. Puzzle & Action: Ichidant-R (MD) (1-4 players w/ USB hub)
48. Columns III (MD) (1-5 players w/ USB hub)
49. Star Mobile/スターモビール (MD Bonus)
50. Silpheed (CD)
51. Shining Force CD (CD)
52. Sonic the Hedgehog CD (CD)
53. Mansion of Hidden Souls/夢見館の物語 (CD) (Mouse)
54. Popful Mail (CD)
55. Virtua Racing (MD)
56. Bonanza Bros (MD)
57. Shining in the Darkness (MD)
58. Thunder Force IV (MD)
59. Magical Taruruto/まじかる☆タルるートくん (MD)
60. Fantasy Zone (MD Bonus)

All 60 games are announced, the total comes out to 68 games when you add the multiple-select entries.

First title announcement:

『メガドライブミニ２ã€�å�ŽéŒ²ã‚¿ã‚¤ãƒˆãƒ«ç´¹ä»‹æ˜*åƒ�第１弾 - YouTube

Second title announcement:

『メガドライブミニ２ã€�å�ŽéŒ²ã‚¿ã‚¤ãƒˆãƒ«ç´¹ä»‹æ˜*åƒ�第２弾 - YouTube

Third title announcement:

『メガドライブミニ２ã€�å�ŽéŒ²ã‚¿ã‚¤ãƒˆãƒ«ç´¹ä»‹æ˜*åƒ�第３弾 - YouTube

Fourth title announcement:

『メガドライブミニ２ã€�タイトル紹介æ˜*åƒ�第４弾 - YouTube

Fifth Title announcement:

『メガドライブミニ２��録タイトル紹介第５弾 - YouTube

MD Mini 2 Official Site

Purchase from Amazon JP (this link is not monetized)

[heyadol]

There is a lot of speculation about future titles to be included, mostly on the CD side, I'm more interested in the bonus titles. Considering Snatcher wasn't released in Japan on Mega CD, I wonder if the US version will be included and if M2 or Konami will go the extra mile and make a full Japanese release? They could probably use resources from the comparable PC Engine version.
I also heard there was a fan conversion of Gradius 2 for MD, similar to the Darius conversion. I wonder if M2 will work to add it to the release?
Of course I'm sure we all want Lunar and Lunar 2, but wouldn't it be cool if they could "demake" Lunar Magic School from Saturn and include that as a bonus to round out the collection? I bet Lunar will be a licensing problem for an international release...
I also wonder if they could remaster some of the video on the Mega CD games, like the way they remastered the pre-rendered scenes for FF XIII when they made the series back combat for Xbox One. I guess that would be a lot, but the FMV games would be greatly improved by it.
Anyone have predictions or games that didn't make the cut last time you would like to see on MD Mini 2? Trouble Shooter/Battle Mania perhaps?

Megadrive GradiusII WIP6 - YouTube

[heyadol]

New titles announced today, I guess we cannot count on a 1:1 ratio of CD to MD games. Never heard of Star Mobile before, I see that it was available on PC Engine. The title page says the port was completed in 1992 but the game was never released, so that is our 2nd bonus title. I hope we get a bonus title at each announcement but who knows?

Sega also announced a new peripheral called Cyber Stick, a remake of a device from the X68000 days, this will add analog control for a few games. It releases along side the MD Mini 2 on October 27 for ¥18,000 (¥19,800 w/ tax). It seems to only be available from Sega's store, not sure if that will change. It is USB so if there are not PC/Linux drivers, I'm sure it won't be long before a fan creates them.

Cyber Stick @ MicomSoft
Purchase from Sega Store:
Cyber Stick Analog Controller

There will also be mouse support for a few games. Sega partnered with Buffalo, also for USB hubs for multiplayer, but I'm not sure if that brand is required. Games that support analog control, mouse control, and multiplayer hub have been annotated in the main post.

Here is Sega's official buying guide (i.e., links to retailers). I know Amazon ships overseas, not sure about the rest.
Buying Guide
Amazon's pre-order bonus is a USB power supply, apparently not included in the box this time around.

Live streams if you want to watch them (Japanese only):

『メガドライブミニ２』伝説を継ぐもの

『メガドライブミニ２��説を継�も� - YouTube

『メガドライブミニ２』夢、叶えい者

“メガドライブミニ2â€�å�ŽéŒ²ã‚¿ã‚¤ãƒˆãƒ«ç™ºè¡¨ç¬¬2弾。一部タイトルã�¯å®Ÿæ©Ÿãƒ—レイã�®ã�ŠæŠ«éœ²ç›®ã‚‚ï¼�ã€�ファミ通LIVE：ä½�々木ç�´å*�】 - YouTube

『メガドライブミニ２』命の詩

�メガドライブミニ2】�録タイトル発表第3弾「命�詩。�実機プレイ��紹介��4GamerSP】 - YouTube

『メガドライブミニ２』光と闇の行方

電撃ゲーãƒ*ライブ #81 å¤�休ã�¿ã‚�ã��ã‚�ã��スペシャル放é€�ã€�MC：ä¸*島由貴】ウルトラ怪ç�£ãƒ¢ãƒ³ã‚¹ã‚¿ãƒ¼ãƒ•ã‚¡ãƒ¼ãƒ*ã€�地ç�ƒé˜²è¡›è»�6ã€�メガドライブミニ2 - YouTube

『メガドライブミニ２』誓いの場所

『メガドライブミニ２ã€�誓ã�„ã�®å*´æ‰€ - YouTube

[heyadol]

Special Announcement:

Alien Soldier, which was previously included with the Asia-region Mega Drive mini, will be included in MDmini2. This was announced at an event for anime series “Uncle from Another World” (異世界おじさん) and confirmed by both Treasure and Sega. There is no page for it yet, I will update the main post when Sega updates their site. The game is also playable via Nintendo Switch Online (and on original hardware, obviously ).

June 19th was Treasure’s 30th anniversary, there should be some other announcements from them soon.

Treasure’s update:
https://twitter.com/treasurecoltd/st...dpNrHiFjINjJfg

Sega’s update:
https://twitter.com/sega_official/st...dpNrHiFjINjJfg

Uncle from Another World streams on Netflix this summer if anyone is interested.

[heyadol]

Genesis Mini 2 is official! The lineup is a bit different so far, it will be an Amazon exclusive and it looks like it is actually shipping from Japan (yet amazon.jp warns "This product is only sold in the U.S. Please note that the orders from outside the U.S. will be canceled.").

Release is October 27 like the MD Mini 2. The launch price is $103.80 and includes the 6-button controller, HDMI cable, USB cable, and power supply (unlike MD Mini 2).

There is no word yet if the JP Mega Drive titles will be translated for the Genesis Mini, or if there will be an Asia-region release with yet another forked lineup. I already ordered the MD Mini 2 so I don't think I will get this unless there is a compelling exclusive not in the JP release.

Official site:
https://sega.jp/genesismini2/

Pre-order here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B4D19JJ4

Promotion video:

SEGA Genesis Mini 2 | Promotional Video - YouTube

During the game introductions they show two announced games and three blank cards, which makes sense since there are three more announcements to get us to 50. It also shows the three blank cards on the "Mysterious new game?!" section, does that confirm we will get three more bonus titles for a total of 55 games? It would certainly be great if they did (and Alien Soldier shouldn't be one of the bonus titles since it was previously included).

Also noticed Popful Mail has been replaced by a Genesis game, which may be a licensing problem. That could also mean other Working Designs games will not be included even if their JP counterpart is on the MD Mini 2. Anyway, we should have the full list by mid August so I guess we will just have to wait and see.

1. Ecco the Dolphin (Sega CD)
2. Ecco: The Tides of Time (Sega CD)
3. Final Fight CD (Sega CD)
4. Mansion of Hidden Souls (Sega CD)
5. Night Striker (Mega CD)
6. Night Trap (Sega CD)
7. Robo Aleste (Sega CD)
8. Sewer Shark (FFS! )
9. Shining Force CD (Sega CD)
10. Silpheed (Sega CD)
11. Sonic CD (Sega CD)
12. The Ninja Warriors (Mega CD)
13. After Burner II (Genesis)
14. Alien Soldier (Mega Drive)
15. Atomic Runner (Genesis)
16. Bonanza Brothers (Genesis)
17. Clay Fighters (Geneses)
18. Crusader of Centy (Genesis)
19. Desert Strike (Genesis)
20. Earthworm Jim 2 (Genesis)
21. Elemental Master (Genesis)
22. Fatal Fury 2 (Genesis)
23. Gain Ground (Genesis)
24. Golden Axe II (Genesis)
25. Granada (Genesis)
26. Hellfire (Genesis)
27. Herzog Zwei (Genesis)
28. Lightening Force (Genesis)
29. Midnight Resistance (Genesis)
30. OutRun (Genesis)
31. OutRunners (Genesis)
32. Phantasy Star II (Genesis)
33. Populous (Genesis)
34. Rainbow Islands Extra (Genesis)
35. Ranger-X (Genesis)
36. Ristar (Genesis)
37. Rolling Thunder 2 (Genesis)
38. Shadow Dancer (Genesis)
39. Shining Force II (Genesis)
40. Shining in the Darkness (Genesis)
41. Sonic 3D Blast (Genesis)
42. Splatterhouse 2 (Genesis)
43. Streets of Rage 3 (Genesis)
44. Super Hang-On (Genesis)
45. Super Street Fighter II (Genesis)
46. The Ooze (Genesis)
47. The Revenge of Shinobi (Genesis)
48. ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron (Genesis)
49. Truxton (Genesis)
50. Vectorman 2 (Genesis)
51. Viewpoint (Genesis)
52. Virtua Racing (Genesis)
53. Warsong (Genesis)
54. Fantasy Zone (Genesis Bonus)
55. Star Mobile (Genesis Bonus)
56. Spatter (Genesis Bonus)
57. Super Locomotive (Genesis Bonus)
58. Devi & Pii (Genesis Bonus)
59. Vs. Puyo Puyo Sun (Genesis Bonus)
60. Space Harrier (Sega Mark V Bonus)
61. Space Harrier II (Sega Mark V Bonus)

Full List Promotion Video:

Genesis Mini 2 | Full Game List - YouTube

[dyne]

Oh crap, no Popful Mail........however if Snatcher gets on the US unit in it's place (I know, pipe dream) I'd take that trade off I think.

[heyadol]

Originally Posted by dyne

Oh crap, no Popful Mail........however if Snatcher gets on the US unit in it's place (I know, pipe dream) I'd take that trade off I think.

It would be great if Snatcher makes the cut, Konami has been pretty generous with the mini consoles.

[beefytwinkie]

Man, there were some great games on the Genesis/Mega Drive.

My four favorites of all time are not on the list ((((((

Golden Axe 2
Alien Storm
Runark
Streets of Rage

[navydavey]

Sucks big time that Popfull Mail hasn't made the cut as that never had a UK release and is a great game (though the working designs version is unnecessarily hard, while the japanese version is a little too easy).

I'm hoping Lords of Thunder, Road Avenger, Kieo Flying Squadron, Mickey Mania & Earthworm Jim Special Edition make it in.

I'd also love The Terminator but I doubt licencing would allow it.

[heyadol]

Originally Posted by beefytwinkie

Man, there were some great games on the Genesis/Mega Drive.

My four favorites of all time are not on the list ((((((

Golden Axe 2
Alien Storm
Runark
Streets of Rage

Originally Posted by navydavey

Sucks big time that Popfull Mail hasn't made the cut as that never had a UK release and is a great game (though the working designs version is unnecessarily hard, while the japanese version is a little too easy).

I'm hoping Lords of Thunder, Road Avenger, Kieo Flying Squadron, Mickey Mania & Earthworm Jim Special Edition make it in.

I'd also love The Terminator but I doubt licencing would allow it.

Hopefully some of these make the cut at tonight's announcement. I still have Keio Flying Squadron and a few other Sega CD titles, but my Sega CD is busted.

[heyadol]

New titles announced, first post updated with titles and the announce trailer. Happy to see Lunar & Lunar 2, and since there was no Genesis Mini 2 update I will keep hope alive that the English localizations are coming (but who knows). Final Fight CD is an excellent port, I wonder why Fatal Fury Special didn't make the cut? Never played the Sega CD version, maybe it sucks. WonderMega Collection includes Quiz Scramble, Flicky, Paddle Fighter, and Pyramid Magic so I guess that is nice for some variety. Since WonderMega was released in partnership with JVC/Victor, maybe this inclusion is a good sign for Keio Flying Squadron since JVC/Victor are the developer and publisher. I suspect this collection and the two very Japanese games will not make the cut for Genesis Mini 2. The bonus title is an old Sega arcade game that looks like it would fit on SG-1000 or Master System.
Good to see Capcom is on board, still hoping Konami shows up. I put the event video here if anyone is interested, next announcement isn't until August 11th.

Here is a commemorative image from Lunar series character designer Toshiyuki Kubooka:


Btw, the cover art used for Lunar: Eternal Blue mentions a premium CD on the spine card. According to Okunari-san, there is no digital version of this premium bonus included in the MD Mini 2. Also, there is an arranged version of soundtrack for Tatsujin; it is still the MD version, but the tempo is adjusted to match the arcade original. It would be interesting if other titles get similar benefits, SSF2 could use some improved voice samples.
None of the games announced today have analog or mouse support.

[LexInHD]

Lunar and it's sequel make this a must-buy for me. I never got to play the sequel and the Sega CD version of the first title was something I greatly enjoyed as a child, though I'd love to play the later, more complete version even more. There was talk and rumblings from XSEED about releasing the games in a modern format, but nothing ever materialized.

[rexcrk]

It’s awesome that they’re making this, and I love that it’s based on the Genesis model that I grew up with.

I’m hoping that Earthworm Jim 2 and Panic on Funkotron are included. I was annoyed that they weren’t on the first Sega Mini.

Too bad that it’s only available directly from Japan… don’t want to pay all that extra shipping lol.

[navydavey]

I'm hoping a UK version is coming shortly (as the US version has already been announced), I'd also love for Earthworm Jim 2 to be on it.

[LexInHD]

Originally Posted by heyadol

It would be great if Snatcher makes the cut, Konami has been pretty generous with the mini consoles.

The Sega CD version of Snatcher would be another grand slam title to have and it's one of the best ported titles for that particular platform. I'd also love to get Rise of The Dragon, another excellent port from Game Arts, who published the two Lunar games.

[dyne]

Rented RotD a couple of times and never finished it. Loved it. Still haven’t finished it despite years of capable emulation and now having a MiSTer setup. I really should remedy that.

[heyadol]

Looks like Genesis Mini 2 will not have a big production run, and there is still no confirmation of any other international editions. From a recent Ars Technica:

Sega confirmed to Ars Technica that the system in question would be in incredibly limited supply: "around one-tenth" the count of the 2019 Sega Genesis Mini.

Full story:

https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2022/...than-original/

[heyadol]

11 new titles announced, the game list and latest reveal trailer have been added to the first post. It is a solid lineup, but not very exciting (at least not for me). Almost entirely RPG/Strategy/Simulation this time, and several titles were not previously released overseas so they will probably be dropped on the Genesis Mini 2. Speaking of which, as of this post there have been no updates to the 22 games announced for the Genesis Mini 2, and still no word of any other international editions (though it doesn't seem likely).

Highlights from the Dengeki Online interview with Sega's Yosuke Okunari: Ecco is a little special for this release. In Japan, Ecco and Ecco II were released as two separate titles on Mega CD, the version included here has both together like the western version. They also took time to demonstrate both Dennin Aleste and Robo Aleste. I don't know if there are differences between the domestic and international versions other than the voice over, but M2 loves shooting games and has the rights to Aleste, so I am sure they wanted to be as complete as possible here. Okunari-san also mentions a second Aleste collection from M2 potentially being released, but that is off topic.

Phantasy Star 2 includes the qol updates M2 added to the Sega Ages 2500 (PS2) version, basically an easy mode. Romance of the Three Kingdoms includes the MD cartridge version and the Mega CD version. Okunari-san mentioned they had 20 Mega CD titles and one was exclusive to the Genesis Mini 2, so adding the Mega CD version rounded out the number for MD Mini 2. I wonder what the Genesis Mini 2 exclusive CD game is? Watch it be Sewer Shark or some other kusoge from Digital Pictures

The bonus title is Viewpoint, which never received a Japanese domestic release on MD. Apparently they have improved the speed of the game to more closely match the arcade. I could be misinterpreting this, but it seems they emulated the Sega TeraDrive for IBM PC and maybe that eliminates some processing delays, the same process was applied to Mega Man: The Wiley Wars on the first MD Mini. I doubt we will get a different bonus title on Genesis Mini 2, but it would be cooler if we did. They should use this to replace one of the heavily Japanese games that will inevitably be dropped and give us a bonus that hasn't been released in the west (but I doubt it will happen).

Anyway, final announcement for MD Mini 2 is next Friday, August 19th! Even Hideki Kamiya is asking for Snatcher (and Power Drift, and Gradius), maybe his friends at M2 are listening. There is also the potential that the Genesis Mini 2 will fill in the gaps, guess we will have to wait and see.

[navydavey]

I really do hope a UK version gets announced soon, seems silly to have a specific US Genesis line up and not port it over for a European audience.

[Hydra Spectre]

I'm surprised the Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water licenced game made it here.
I thought licenced games are usually barred from being included in collections like this. Especially a show like Nadia which is a legal mess (Toho, NHK, Gainax, and Studio Khara all claim ownership of the franchise).