When gaming companies reflect on their history, it tends to be done in a heavily curated manner. Hop into Nintendo Switch Online’s library of Nintendo 64 games and you’ll largely find a collection of the console’s most popular hits along with a few hidden gems. What you usually won’t find, however, are a lot of the left-field oddities you played as a kid who had very little way of differentiating what was good and what was bad pre-internet.
Double throwback The Sega Genesis Mini 2 is accidentally something of a double throwback. Naturally, it’s a retro device that faithfully replicates the Genesis’ second model in everything but size. It’s a familiar black square that comes with a cartridge slot, a power switch, and two controller ports. Pair that with a reproduction of the console’s unique controller, complete with six face buttons, and you’ve got a perfect hit of ’90s nostalgia.
That aside, the Genesis Mini 2 is a charming reproduction that’ll look great in a display case next to similar devices. Its HDMI port makes it easy to plug and play, the controller’s subtle mode button adds an easy way to bring up the system’s home menu, and the small design makes it truly portable. My only disappointment is that it doesn’t come with a second controller, making multiplayer-focused games like Vs Puyo Puyo Sun a little less appealing out the box.
What makes the device especially appealing as a preservation project is its collection of previously unreleased games and arcade titles, some of which have never come to the West. Take Star Mobile, for instance. The puzzle game, which has players balancing a scale by stacking stars on it, was in development in the early ’90s, but was never actually released. This is the first time players can try the canceled Sega Mega Drive title, and that’s a significant move.