Month: March 2019

Sega has announced the Genesis Mini–or Mega Drive Mini, if you’re in Europe. The compact version of its classic 16-bit console will allow fans to indulge their nostalgia and play a range of old school games such as Sonic the Hedgehog, Castlevania: Bloodlines, and Gunstar Heroes on modern displays.

The Genesis Mini was revealed as part of Sega’s Fes event, which is taking place in Tokyo, Japan, and is scheduled to launch worldwide on September 19. It will cost $79.99 US/£69.99/€79.99/AUD$139.95 and have 40 games.

The company has confirmed that this list of titles includes Sonic the Hedgehog, Ecco the Dolphin, Castlevania: Bloodlines, Space Harrier 2, Shining Force, Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine, ToeJam & Earl, Comix Zone, Altered Beast, and Gunstar Heroes. Sega has said the remaining games will be “announced intermittently over the coming months.”

The Sega Genesis Mini is based on the Model 1 Genesis, except is approximately 55 percent smaller than its original incarnation, according to Sega. In the box will be the Genesis Mini, two replica three-button USB controllers, one USB to Micro-B power cable, and one HDMI cable. In North America a power adapter will also be included.

The game ports that are on the Genesis Mini were handled by M2, a team that is well known for its work on emulation and re-releases. M2 previously worked on Sega Ages and Sega 3D Classics Collection.

Releasing Mini versions of classic consoles has become something of a trend recently. Nintendo led the way with the NES Classic and the SNES Classic, both of which were received well by critics and went on to be hot commercial items. Sony followed suite with the PlayStation Classic, which wasn’t received as warmly.

For those looking for a more immediate option, and one that offers a few more options, there’s Analogue’s Mega Sg. “While roughly $200 is a lot to spend on a console to play Genesis games, right now, the Mega Sg is the easiest way to get them up and running on a modern TV without sacrificing audio or video quality–the support for Master System and Sega CD games is the icing on the cake,” said Peter Brown in his Mega Sg review.

“Some people will always prefer to go the route of using emulators, and others may only want to play with original hardware and stick to aftermarket mods. But if you are open to the idea of a third-party Genesis console, and you want the peace of mind knowing that it looks and sounds better than the best original console from Sega, there’s no better option on the market than the Mega Sg.”

Sega has announced a range of video games for the Olympic Games being held in Tokyo next year. Among them is Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, a Switch title that will once again reunite the characters from Nintendo and Sega’s most iconic franchises to compete in sporting events.

However, Sega also has Olympic Games: The Official Video Games in development for PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Switch. On top of that there’s an arcade version of Mario & Sonic At The Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, and Sonic At The Olympic Games — Tokyo 2020 for mobile devices. These games are showcased in a trailer, which you can watch below, albeit briefly.

Obviously, the main differences between the various titles is whether or not they have Mario or Sonic attached to them. Sega is making a standard Olympics video game available on all platforms, and this is currently listed as coming 2020 on the game’s official website. Mario and Sonic will join in on the competition for Switch and Arcade, with the Switch version arriving in Winter 2019 while the arcade version follows in Summer 2020. Finally, on mobile, it’s just Sonic and the game headed to the Olympics, and that game is set for Summer 2020.

In the trailer there are a range of events from the various games shown, including running, swimming, shot put, tennis, basketball, volleyball, motorsports, skateboarding, baseball, hurdles, and long jump, among others. It looks like there’s going to be a nice variety of games for players to check out.

The original Mario and Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games launched in November 2007 and proved to be very popular, becoming a sales success. Critically, however, the response was mixed. In GameSpot’s review the Wii version received a 6/10. “The trouble lies in the often uninteresting and occasionally frustrating motion controls combined with some events that are too similar to one another, as well as shallow gameplay that brings the game down,” it concluded.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is demoralizingly tough. However, the game’s unique brand of difficulty and swordplay sets it apart from developer From Software’s previous work. The precision demanded to properly deflect an enemy attack, as well as the immense mental fortitude needed to withstand each and every debilitating blow it inflicts upon your morale; these near-inaccessible qualities continually pull us in. All the while, Sekiro introduces a higher degree of choice in both combat and exploration, always offering new pathways if our foreheads ever grow too sore from bashing them against the same wall for hours.

Call us sadistic, but we can’t get enough of Sekiro. The game constantly leverages the difficulty of its arduous combat to strengthen your resolve, making the small victories that much more rewarding, so even when it crushes you, you’re determined to push further–either in an attempt to perfect your approach or simply find another way. We can go on and on about how much we love Sekiro and in the video above, you’ll find out the exact reasons why.

What do you think of Sekiro? Do you love it? Shout your opinions in the comments below.

The X-Men came to WonderCon and they brought some pretty massive treats with them. To promote the upcoming movie Dark Phoenix, the cast of X-Men shared some brand new footage at their WonderCon panel. Beware: The following contains spoilers for Dark Phoenix.

All told, there were two different–and lengthy–clips shown. The first, which clocked in at around 10 minutes, sent the X-Men to space. Pieces of this sequence have been seen in trailers, but there’s quite a bit more context to be had. As it so happens, the X-Men are tasked with rescuing a NASA shuttle, which was struck by the Phoenix Force, essentially leaving it dead in the water.

Though she ultimately absorbs the Phoenix energy–and it looks very cool–it’s not just Jean (Sophie Turner) getting in on the action in space. The clip shows just how great a team the X-Men has become, with everyone knowing their role and working together. The clip also shows Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) calling the shots in the field, giving the idea that she’s second in command behind Charles Xavier (James McAvoy).

That’s explored even further, when back on Earth she accuses Charles of sending the team into a dangerous situation, putting their lives at risk to save the lives of non-mutants. According to Charles, he’s just trying to keep the peace.

Mystique also points out–after Jean essentially saved them all in space–that the women on the team are the ones doing the heavy-lifting. “The women are always saving the men around here,” sher said. “You might want to think about changing the name to X-Women.” This potential divide in their relationship is especially intriguing, given what we know about Mystique’s fate in the film.

The second clip finds the X-Men at their lowest. Jean, who’s done full-on Dark Phoenix by this point, has been tracked down in New York City. Beast (Nicholas Hoult) and Magneto (Michael Fassbender) are determined to kill her after the death of Mystique, which was previously revealed in a trailer.

Meanwhile, Charles, Cyclops (Tye Sheridan), Storm (Alexandra Shipp), and Nightcrawler (Kodi Smit-McPhee) plan on stopping them. What follows is a mutant fight on the streets of NYC. It’s the kind of thing that, for comic book fans, is a sight to see. If you’ve been waiting to see Cyclops vs. Beast, this is going to be something you’ll enjoy.

If the clips are any indication, the tone of an X-Men film has never been darker than in Dark Phoenix–and the scale has never been more epic. What remains to be seen is if this is the final chapter in the franchise, following Disney’s acquisition of Fox. If this is the end of the road for the X-Men as we know it, at least it’s finishing with a story as massive as the Dark Phoenix Saga.

Dark Phoenix is in theaters on June 7.