Nintendo vs. Sega: The Battle Continues

Do I remember being a kid and fighting over which console was better; Nintendo or Sega? No, I don’t. That’s probably because I grew up with an NES, a Super NES and a Sega Genesis in my house. I had the best of all worlds to keep me company after my schoolyard beatings. Sonic and Mario never had to fight for my affections, they were both my homies. Aaaah, those were the days.

Now, the console wars of old are occupied by X-Box & Playstation. At least that’s the way it’s been for the past couple years. However, prepare to go retro and crack out your Nintendo zappers because the OG’s are apparently making a comeback. Following news of Nintendo re-releasing the NES, it appears that the Genesis will be throwing its hat into the ring right alongside it.

The Sega Mega Drive (or the Genesis-Mini as I like to call it) is currently available to pre-order for £50 and will have 80 games built-in to its system. Better yet, unlike the Nintendo re-release, this one will be compatible with the old-school Genesis cartridges. Yeah, you got Sonic 3 and an old Sonic & Knuckles cartridge? Get ready for Sonic 3 & Knuckles. Good times.

However, that being said there are some drawbacks to The Sega Mega Drive as well. The biggest one is probably that it isn’t licensed by Sega at all. Much like Pokemon GO isn’t licensed by Nintendo, The Sega Mega Drive is licensed by ATGames, a third-party manufacturer. As a result, it isn’t as a guaranteed to last as the Nintendo re-release. In all actuality, it is a rebranding of an emulator that has been out since 2012. I guess ATGames just saw the competition coming and said: “Let’s get it on.” Another drawback is that while it has all three original Mortal Kombat titles, you may notice one specific Sonic title missing from the list below.

• Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle
• Alien Storm
• Altered Beast
• Arrow Flash
• Bonanza Bros.
• Chakan: The Forever Man
• Columns
• Columns III
• ComixZone
• Crack Down
• DecapAttack
• Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine
• Ecco
• Ecco Jr
• ESWAT: City Under Seige
• Fatal Labyrinth
• Golden Axe
• Gain Ground
• Golden Axe 2
• Flicky
• Golden Axe 3
• Jewel Master
• Mortal Kombat
• Kid Chameleon
• Mortal Kombat 2
• Ristar
• Mortal Kombat 3
• Shadow Dancer
• Shinobi 3
• Streets Of Rage 1
• Sonic & Knuckles
• Streets Of Rage 2
• Sonic The Hedgehog
• Streets Of Rage 3
• Sonic Spinball
• Sonic the Hedgehog 2
• The Ooze
• Vectorman
• Vectorman 2
• Virtua Fighter 2
• Games List – bonus cartridge games
• Cross the road
• Jack’s Pea
• Jewel Magic
• Curling 2010
• Fish Story
• Mahjong Solitaire
• Warehouse Keeper
• Chess
• Memory
• Snake
• Air Hockey
• Spider
• Naval Power
• Mr. Balls
• Cannon
• Fight or Lose
• Bottle Taps Race
• Bomber
• Checker
• Hexagonos
• Reaction Match
• Whack-A-Wolf
• Mirror Mirror
• Memory Match
• Treasure Hunt
• Fire Fly Glow
• Panic Lift
• Black Sheep
• Space Hunter

Yes, it appears that while it claims to have all the Sonic games, Sonic 3 is not on their roster. It’s quite a shame given how iconic and memorable the game is to the fans. They can throw in Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine but no Sonic 3? What kind of a slap in the face is that? Sonic & Knuckles doesn’t even make sense without this game. It’s like watching the second episode of Lost before the pilot. It doesn’t work. I mean, sure you could just pop in an old cartridge but in this case, you shouldn’t have to. Shame on you, ATGames! Shame on you!

NES will be available November 11 for $59.99 in the states and £49.99 in the UK. The Mega Drive has been out since 2012 as I mentioned earlier. However, the newest rebrand with the Sonic 25th anniversary logo will be out in October. So, will it be the authentic Nintendo console with fewer games? Or the unofficial rebrand with 80 games built in that, for all you know, might not run properly? Personally, I still have my original consoles and play them regularly. As a result, I leave this decision entirely up to you.

Game On!