You might not miss the announcement from SEGA a few weeks ago: the former manufacturer and now Japanese publisher is preparing to launch a new mini-machine. Building on the success of the Mega Drive Mini, SEGA has announced a Mega Drive 2 Mini (which will also be a Mega Drive Mini 2, suddenly…).
As with the first machine released nearly three years ago, SEGA is announcing the line up gradually, in waves, to keep players interested. We know that the console will carry 50 games, including 20 from the Mega-CD catalog. At the moment, here are the titles that have been announced:
- Mega Drive games:
After Burner II
Bonanza Bros.
Columns III
Fantasy Zone (in a version exclusive to the Mega Drive 2 Mini)
Magical Taruruto-kun (a platformer developed by Game Freak!)
MegaPanel (a Tetris-like by Namco never released in Japan)
Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water (RPG from the famous anime Nadia and the Secret of Blue Water, once more unreleased outside of Japan)
OutRun
Puzzle & Action: Ichidant-R
Shining in the Darkness
Splatterhouse Part 2
Star Mobile (released only on PC Engine in Japan)
Thunderforce IV
Virtua Racing - Mega CD games:
Mansion of Hidden Souls
Night Striker
Shining Force CD
Silpheed
Sonic CD
Starblade
The Ninja Warriors
Fushigi no Umi no Nadia, or Nadia and the Secret of Blue Water, a Mega Drive RPG never released in Japan
A very small half of the line-up has therefore been revealed, but these are not the only information that has been communicated regarding this new mini machine. If the first Mega Drive Mini had been accompanied by a whole series of cosmetic accessories (including a 32x and a purely decorative Mega-CD), this Mega Drive 2 Mini will know the honors of a real functional accessory: the Cyber-Stick. An awesome gamepad custom designed for After Burner II, which will also work with Night Striker or Starblade. And we imagine that other games will be added to this list as the complete line-up is revealed.
Already listed on Amazon.jp, the Cyber Stick does not yet have a price displayed, even if some sites mention the price of 19,800 ¥, or 139€. Amazon also mentions PC compatibility… Who else but us already imagines trying it with Flight Simulator?!
Scheduled in Japan for October 27, we still don’t know if the Mega Drive 2 Mini will benefit from a European release. And even if it did, nothing tells us that the line up would be the same, or that the Cyber Stick would also be distributed here. Nevertheless, a Nadia and the Secret of Blue Water officially translated into English might easily convince us to pre-order the little machine. To be continued, then…