Update: In the press release following the announcement, SEGA Europe have announced a 66% off sale on all SEGA Mega Drive games currently available on the platform. The sales will start when the service launches on April 28th. At the moment, it’s not clear what all this means for the US. We’re assuming the sales and the hub will be available, but whether or not it will still use the Mega Drive name is unknown. The games will also feature Steam Workshop support, but the exact details aren’t know yet.
Original post:
During the latest SEGA Central today, SEGA Europe have revealed that they’ll be launching the new SEGA Mega Drive Classics Hub on Steam on April 28th. As the name suggests, this is a hub from where you can access your favorite SEGA Mega Drive/Genesis games on Steam. But rather than a simple menu, the hub is actually a 3D room, based on a typical bedroom of an early nineties SEGA fan. It features dynamic time-of-day effects, a shelf that displays all the Mega Drive games on Steam and a classic CRT TV. You can view the official announcement video and the SEGA Central episode featuring more information below. We also included the entire list of SEGA’s currently available Steam games that you’ll be able to access through the hub. Buying any of these games on Steam will grant you access to the hub. You can also find more information on SEGA Europe’s newly revealed news blog.
It’s not clear if this hub will actually be available in the US, as the update makes no mention of it. The SEGA Mega Drive was known as the SEGA Genesis in the US, so it’d be odd if the hub used the same name worldwide.
The complete list of Mega Drive/Genesis games that will be available:
- Golden Axe
- Altered Beast
- Comix Zone
- Ecco the Dolphin
- Gain Ground
- Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master
- Vectorman
- Crack Down
- Shadow Dancer
- Space Harrier II
- Ecco Jr.
- Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle
- Bonanza Bros.
- Super Thunder Blade
- Kid Chameleon
- Ristar
- Galaxy Force II
- Columns
- Eternal Champions
- Fatal Labyrinth
- Bio-Hazard Battle
- Columns™ II
- Sword of Vermilion
- Virtua Fighter 2
- Ecco: The Tides of Time
- Alien Storm
- Decap Attack
- Flicky
- ESWAT: City Under Siege
- Golden Axe II
- Landstalker: The Treasures of King Nole
- Shining Force
- Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair
- Streets of Rage 2
- Alien Soldier
- Light Crusader
- Gunstar Heroes
- Streets of Rage
- Shining Force II
- Shining in the Darkness
- Beyond Oasis
- Dynamite Headdy
- Golden Axe III
- Phantasy Star II
- Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom
- Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium
- Streets of Rage 3
- Revenge of the Shinobi
- Vectorman 2
- Wonder Boy in Monster World
I was expecting this thing to be a complement to the current megadrive emulator, and so, read the games you had in your steam account already, instead it’s just another collection, that we have to pay for a list of games, again. And worst part is that third party games like Toejam & Earl are not there but they actually are on steam.
Btw, the CRT mode in the 3D Classics (with 3D screen activated) is the most awesome part of those games lol, I hope this is well implemented in this version, in the trailer it just seemed like a flat, round screen.
Just read the hud is actually a free update, not bad, and if you are supposed to be able to use “moded” games, I’m guessing nothing stops you from adding a complete romset… at last an official emulator that’s actually worth it? lol