@@tedlogan5628 it's one of the few consoles I still find it worthwhile collecting CIBs for, as the prices haven't gone clear out to Andromeda compared to Nintendo and Sony.
I remember liking a game called Generations Lost, fairly short but pretty interesting action platformer game with a futuristic alien environment that was reminiscent of sci fi comics of the era. Not many people ever talk about it.
I never had a Genesis back in the day so I didn't start collecting the games until much later. I did however play them at my cousin's house and was always partial to the arcade ports. To this day Ghouls 'n Ghosts & Strider hold up as some of my favorite games on the system.
Ive been watching your videos for about a month and I love them! You've been answering every question I've had about retro gaming. Hope your channel blows up soon since you're incredibly underrated! Cheers!
I had a friend growing up that lived in town and was able to get Sega channel for his Genesis. I thought that was the coolest thing ever, hell I still think that is a cool idea, it was certainly well ahead of its time, at least here in north America
Perfect timing. Just added the mega drive to my collection. My mum n dad wouldn't let me have a mega drive so I had the master system 2 growing up. Now I'm in the market for a master system converter so I can get R-Type as soon as possible.
I had a Nomad late in it’s life. You could still find those at a Game Stop even though the Game Boy Color was fresh, new and readily available. I needed my portable Streets of Rage 2, Samurai Shodown, Super Street Fighter 2, Sonic 3, Gunstar Heroes, Weapon Lord and Strider! Great Stuff, as always!
very good video on the genesis. I'm glad I collected when the prices werent super high as they are now and wasn't looked after as much as the snes. Also the fact I don't really see alot of genesis in my retro game stores as much as the nes or snes which is a shame as it's an amazing system for sure!
I got into the Genesis around 2005 and became my fav console ever. First game I got was Streets of Rage 2 so that was a damn good start. Learned a lot via emulation so I think I didn't missed lots of gems. Only a handful of games got recognition back then but now those "hidden gems" are some of the most sought after titles for the console. Love the fact that is more focused on arcade-like games, after all the console is based on an arcade board (specs and all) and the FM sound screams arcade.
I grew up on SNES, but I have owned a Genesis off-and-on since 2002 (when I was in Middle School) and I really love the console…Soo many great games across all genres….Some of my favorite games are: Sonic 1-3 and Knuckles Streets of Rage 1 and 2 Mortal Kombat I and II Battletoads and Double Dragon NBA Jam NBA Jam Tournament Edition NBA Hangtime X-Men 2 - Clone Wars Street Fighter II Special Championship Edition Robocop vs The Terminator NFL 94 featuring Joe Montana Madden 92-98 Lakers vs Celtics Comix Zone Sports Talk Baseball World Series Baseball …And many more
Lol @ 1:23 , that is so true. I bet the majority of people with a Genesis back in the day just hooked it up through an RF connection and didn't think twice about it.
Had a very hefty sega genesis collection growing up....was my very first system but since I've moved to hawaii I started a new Collection leaving my original collection with my brother
Great video Retro Bird. As collecting for the Genesis can be pricey, the Genesis Mini is a great option for those getting started. My favorite of the mini consoles, it’s a neat collectible, it gives such value looking at price per game, includes so many of the best games, is easily hacked if you’re into that and unlike the nes, snes and turbo 16 is easily available and never shot up in price.
I love the Genesis Mini too, and the project lunar hack is super simple to add all the games you love that they didn't include in the stock. Now, if only Project Lunar could finish version 1.1 so I could delete the save states.
I recently obtained a Genesis Model 2, VA4 board. I had the model 2 growing up, the first game I ever beat was Earthworm Jim 2, three days of hell...la fun (my pops almost tossed my whole kit) had to get it back to the rental store. I'm only collecting only a hand full of games, I think I have like 6 or 7 games to go before I have all I want for the system. So much fun...oh and now I want the 6 button arcade stick that I was today years old when I found out it existed.
honestly I would love to collect for the genesis, but going online makes it tough to get a good price and all the second hand stores around me only have a couple sports games, and that's it. At least it makes it all the more exciting when i do find something nice once in a while ;)
Very comprehensive. I was waiting to jump in with an "uhmm actually" but I think you nailed it RB. I just open up my HD model to confirm it but I also have like 9 genesis consoles sitting around not even hooked up incase my main one dies. Also...... I got the model 1 in addition to the super sound revision that it fits the power base converter.
Yeah, I'm always aware of the "umm actually" responses that could come in and try to prevent that as much as I can. You're swimming in Genesis consoles! Never going to be without one!
The bad-sounding model 1 is the VA7 which can't be case-swapped with the earlier revisions as the port layout is different. The "high definition graphics" marking is one way to tell the earlier revs. Other way to tell is the port layout--the earlier revs will either actually have the EXT port, or a blank spot where it would have been. They also have the power jack almost all the way to the edge while the VA7 is a bit inboard. The very late revision model 2s also have good sound, but they're far less common on the second-hand market and unless you're shopping in person you're very likely to end up with the VA0-VA1.8 which have bad sound. The good-sounding model 2s are the ones with the 3/4 width mainboard--which you can tell by looking through the vents on the bottom. If the RF shield completely covers the vents, it's the full-width mainboard. If it's only partially covering the vents, it's a 3/4. The VA0-VA1.8 model 2s, however, are the ones with the best mod support, and have fairly clear RGB output from the factory, so if you *are* willing to mod your genesis, they're actually the best choice. The genesis 3 also has good sound, but mono-only, and has a lot of drawbacks that would probably make it not a good choice unless you're willing to mod (and don't care about the sega CD). The 32X won't work on a stock genesis 3, and only some revisions of it can be modded. Virtua Racing also doesn't work, and it lacks the expansion slot that's required to use a sega CD.
I love all genesis/mega drive stuff this is my fave system of all time. When I was a kid I had mega drive 2. As for a model 2 bad sound I kinda like it... it reminds me a distortion pedal for guitars. So in my opinion model 2 sounds more metal
I'd go with the Power Base Converter. This was a strong selling point back in the day. Not that a lot of people had a SMS, but backwards compatibility even through an add on is great. I remember a newscast back then where parents refused to buy a SNES because they figured their kids already had an NES and several games. And SMS carts, especially loose, are extremely durable and generally very cheap, or at least they were. And there were many good titles that were in some ways better than classic NES titles, based on who you ask. A must is Phantasy Star.
@@RetroBirdGaming Sure. I never had a SMS, but I did buy the adapter for my Game Gear. While cumbersome, it was basically a slot adapter. That got me into actually thinking about hardware and how it worked. I hadn't thought about it before. And the early EA games with the yellow tag don't work on models 2-3 I believe. There was some crap, but Populous and Zany Golf are excellent. And, the nine pin plug on the Genesis means you can use them on the Atari 2600. That's cool. My uncle broke all the joysticks playing Decathlon on 2600. It's not easy to find original models that work, but they can be repaired. But it's just easier to buy a Genesis controller for 3-5 bucks and call it a day. As for games, I recommend Spider-man v the Kingpin, the Punisher, and Gargoyles. And Toejam and Earl.
I always held out to get the 6 button controller and joystick. The price where I am is $60 + for a 6 button joystick. I got lucky and got them both for $40 as a set. If you wait long enough you will find a deal, my advice.
Great vid, I'm a little biased but more Sega content is always a good thing. At first I thought you were going give the Genesis collecting keys away, then I realized like everyone else that best way to collect for the Genesis is to find a Tardis 😅. I've been down w/the Genesis since '89, it's shame I got back into collecting for it right when prices jumped. Is what it is I guess, I still grab stuff when I...though I can't bring myself to go cart only. Anyways, I've rambled enough 😅. Far as Genesis hardware goes, the Teradrive was a real oddity as is the Laseractive MD/Genesis module.
Finally, someone who understands the D-pad on the Genesis. I think the Sega Genesis D-pad is my favorite D-pad. And it only got better on the 6 button controller. If you gave me a choice between Street Fighter 2 on the SNES or Genesis with the 3 button controller, I would still choose the Genesis version because of the D-pad. Ryu and Ken's hadouken and dragon punch were so much easier to pull off on the Genesis. But regardless of the game, the smoothness of the D-pad was a big advantage Sega had over Nintendo in the console war showdown. Although, I feel like that's the minority opinion. I just never understood why so many people loved the SNES d-pad over the Genesis.
My local game store had a loose Sonic 2 cart for $19.99; and then a boxed one with manual in perfect condition for $22.99. I had to go with the boxes one at that point lol.
Personally I love collecting for my Sega genesis & it's add ons the Sega cd & 32x. Most of the games on the Sega cd & 32x were perhaps underwhelming in their time but nowadays I don't think that stuff matters anymore. To answer the question of the video I think the Sega Channel is to me the most fascinating accessory for the Sega genesis. I prefer physical games but I do think it's pretty cool back in the early 90s Sega had an online subscription service that allowed gamers to play games like other gaming services. I guess some things haven't changed, have they? Lol.
Yeah, it's pretty wild to think that you could do something like that with the Genesis back then. It even had some games that never came out at retail in the US.
I enjoyed this episode 👍 My Sega model 1 HD currently not working right, it has graphic and sound issues. I'm hoping someday to find someone who can take a look at it and maybe fix it. Since my Sega model 1 HD is out of commission, I bought Sega model 2 that's been playing like a champ.
I had both a SNES and Genesis back in the early 90's. Nintendo was easy to find good game for. If it was Nintendo Square Capcom or Konami you knew chances are it was going to be a good game. I had a hard time finding good Genesis games. I was weary about spending my hard earned money on Contra for the Genesis. I thought it may have been a cash grab title. I didn't know about Gunstar Heroes or a lot of good Genesis games until TH-cam. Back around 2008 is when I started buying up Genesis games. I have close to 50 of them now. I missed out on a lot of good games when I was a teen. Most recent genesis game I bought was Judge Dredd.
Yeah, I'm not a fan of the cardboard cases that came out later in the life of the Genesis. I have them for some games, but I been planning on getting most of those expensive games cart+manual only and then buying an aftermarket case/artwork.
I just purchased a Mega Drive 2 weeks ago after all this time. Being a Nintendo kid back in the day closed my young impressionable mind to all things Sega. Now all I need is to take out a huge loan to buy a Pal Sega Saturn and I'll be a complete Sega console owner ha ha
Luckily i found on Fb market place 2 genesis consoles within 15 minutes drive from me. Went with the Gen 1 and had the HD graphics on it. Super happy! 40$ then bought the cables and a 30$ pack of 6 fighting games came with a 6 button controller from an ebay auction. Lastly i just bought the emulator 1200 game cartridge for 60$ off amazon so i can play phantasy star, sunset riders, risestar, shining forces, castlvania and more! I love the Aladdin game too and am trying to beat Toy Story since it kicked my butt as a kid.
A loose cart is the way to go for collecting if you just want to play the games at an affordable price. Model 1 FTW! Prices are rising but still a lot more affordable than SNES overall.
I didn't know this for a long time but the adapter MK 2103 will work with the cdx, but is not intended to use with it. The MK 4122 is the correct one but...its usually veryyyyy expensive. Even though I own a cdx, the model 1 is hooked up to my Trinitron. 😋. And yes I do like the sound of the sound chip of my model 1. It sounds great with Streets of Rage 2!
I personally prefer buying the Sega Mini for the games, and playing them on the Mega SG through the SD card slot, or the Everdrive in the cartridge slot.
It's really important to get a quality regulated power supply for your Genesis. While any console is susceptible to video noise caused by dirty power, my experience has been the Genesis is even more sensitive. There are some cheap knockoff Genesis supplies floating around... don't waste your time, you'll probably end up with snow streaks in your picture. Feed it clean power, and you'll get amazingly crisp video... Assuming you don't have other issues like dry capacitors or loose cable connections.
Believe it or not, I just started collecting Sega Genesis. I buy loose carts because I only want to play these games with a nice collection to choose from. I look for cheap hidden gems which can be found like "Jewel." Being a Nintendo collection all my life I was happy to discover some great titles on the Genesis.
Ms. Pac Man by Tengen requires you to hold that mode button on the controller when you turn it on if you are using a 6 button one. Otherwise the D-pad will not work properly. I have no idea why since most games that came out in the 3 button era work fine on it with a 6 button controller. There's also games that benefit from a 6 button controller, not just fighters either.
I think the sega channel was a great little device that was way ahead of it's time for the genesis. Still have the sega now its just completely useless in 2021
One of my first Genesis goals was to get all of the Renovation games. Guy R Us (Gaiares) is my personal favorite, although the difficulty is a bit high.
@@Not-Great-at-Gaming it would be forgettable if you can lose a 1up in the middle of the stage than respawning in the checkpoint... Something that Space Megaforce does sometimes has the two when you lose a 1up
You see what he did . No one on earth was thinking of the difference in models . Now models like that will go up now . But a course what did I do right.
I always found it weird that people complain about the TMSS 4-second wait, when a modern sleeping game console starts up in 10 seconds. Also, you should mention that people can bypass any sound limitation of each model of the Sega Genesis, when a Sega Triple Bypass is installed/soldered.
I only owned a Model 2 Genesis as a kid, but most of my childhood friends owned the Model 1. I had no idea the Model 1 had superior sound. I guess I just never noticed it when I played my Model 2. Though, I have heard that you just want to steer clear of the Model 3 Genesis as Sega cut a lot of corners with its build quality.
Yes you can pretty clearly hear the difference in sound quality between the 2 models but back when the Model 2 first came out 99+% of people didn't notice it (or at the very least just didn't care). I'm sure a ton of people never even bothered to upgrade from the RF connection. It wasn't really something that was talked about until emulators started getting popular in the late 90s and people were noticing differences in sound when comparing the sega emulator to the various consoles revisions.
@@metalmat3651 Yeah, that makes sense. It was probably that I didn't have a Model 1 to compare to the Model 2's sound quality so I never noticed it. I'm wondering if that also rings true between the original SNES console and later SNES models as well?
I have a model 2, but I also want to add a model 1 and a Nomad to my collection! I like the aesthetics and design of model 1 the best. But I want to attach a 32x to my model 2, since I think it makes it look uglier, and I would rather do that to a model 2 that I think doesn’t look as nice anyway. So I’ll keep my model 2 for that purpose.
I never had a Sega Genesis. But I did play it at friends houses and I remember just hating the controller. You had really large buttons and you had to move your thumb around to get to all three and I frequently had to look down at the buttons. And I hated the D-pad. I didn't like how it was round vs. just a cross, and I just didn't like how you could rock the thing in 360*. As I couldn't be precise with it and I found it hard to quickly go left to right, etc. because the d-pad would go off at an angle and thus I'm going upward instead of just to the left. I really liked it when I could play some Genesis games on the Nintendo virtual console or emulating through the computer. As I could use a regular d-pad. And when emulating on the computer, I use my SNES controller. And if you are playing a game that requires the use of the C button, you can just map that to the upper right shoulder button depending on if you don't have to do a lot of button smashing with it.
The weirdest doodad for the Genesis that I have is probably a boxed Japanese Sega Mega Modem. One US game works with it (Cyberball) if you happen to have two players with their own Genesis, modem, copy of Cyberball, and non-broadband dial-up... but I had to give my brother a Jaguar and a copy of Doom just so we could JagLink. I'm not buying him a Mega Modem setup and changing phone service just to see if Cyberball will work. Maybe if I was gonna do the Saturn Netlink with Virtual on... no. Not buying a second setup of that either. I ended up with the modem when I bought someone's entire Mega Drive collection for an absurdly low price many, many years ago. I'm not sure why I keep it. I doubt I'll ever use it.
Great video for a Great System. The only problem is I'm selfish and it was for a long time the best kept secret in retro gaming but given the increase prices it seems people are discovering it more and more frequently. So thanks for nothing! Just kidding keep up the great work.
@@RetroBirdGaming Yeah I mean I love Sega and love Transformers, so it's my favorite collectible. Just found your channel lately and like what I'm seeing btw.
The Sega cases were genius, they stand the test of time and look awesome. Sega got to big for themselves instead of doing their own thing they competed against Nintendo. It’s a shame the Saturn and Dreamcast are also epic consoles.
I think the bad rap that Mega Drive/Genesis sound gets was due to the GEMS sound system. GEMS was a popular sound engine that some developers chose to use for its ease of use compared to the usual way of getting music and sound out of the Mega Drive. However, this also meant that alot of less talented indiviuals were able to fart out something with little effort. This usually sounded horrible because the GEMS sound enginge was known for very harsh, shill sound and limited variety of sounds. Some devs were able to get good sound out of gems Comix Zone is one that come's to mind. People with a good brain for music and programming were better off not using gems and eeking oujt the true power of the Yamaha YM2612.
ToeJam and Earl is a game for two players that the Genesis has that SNES doesn't, similar to how SNES has Capcom's Goof Troop that Genesis doesn't have. Both are great Co-op games that provide hours of fun, even if Goof Troop is a little short. Both consoles got TMNT but in it's own form, and both got Zombies Ate My Neighbors. Got a Genesis? Then Streets of Rage trilogy is for you. What about SNES? Well the first Final Fight isn't two players, but the sequels are. Honestly, you're good either way and it's even better when you have both. Just be sure to have two 6 button controllers for Genesis so your partner doesn't accuse you of using the "good controller".
Step 1: Buy a Genesis. Step 2: Buy Mega Everdrive Pro. Step 3: Load Mega Everdrive Pro with roms. Step 4: Enjoy playing every Genesis game ever made, 32X games, Sega CD games, Master System, and NES games all on real hardware with a real cartridge. Alternate option: easily mod one of the mini consoles (NES, SNES, Genesis) to play everything from the 90s and prior.
I've got no interest in amassing a huge games collection just for the sake of it. The only games I would like to get my hands on to have are the ones that actually mean something to me, that I either owned or played and enjoyed and have good memories of - that's probably around 20 games at the most.
While prices of Genesis games have gone up since the pandemic, they haven’t exploded like NES and SNES. I’m guessing that Genesis games won’t prove to be financial “investments” like Nintendo games (some gamers do look at their collections partly that way), but you can get the top games in the Sega library for WAY less than the most collectible SNES games. Another factor to consider if you look at Genesis games as collectibles in addition to playables: the carts feature the flimsiest labels of the era. You’ll pay a premium for a mint/near mint cartridge because they are relatively rare. I’ve seen online offerings where half or more of the listings for a game have badly worn or ripped labels. Often the mangled ones are insanely cheap.
Wow, I didn’t know about the sound quality difference on a model 1. I’ve always played my genesis games on either my CDX or my genesis model 3. How do those two compare to the original?
It's been a while since I've played around with those models, but they are typically regarded as better than the average model 2. Model 3 only has mono and the HD Model 1 is still typically considered the best for sound without modifications.
Honestly my genesis collection isn’t anything special but I normally try to get games that are not expensive I don’t buy rare games unless I find a really good deal
![BOWKYLION - วิงวอน (ex-change) [Official MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/cLdnZWDaO-w/mqdefault.jpg)
How to collect SEGA Genesis games: Go back to 2011 where everything except MUSHA and Crusader of Centy cost $20 complete max
I remember those days too. Remember them well.
This guy gets it...
@@tedlogan5628 it's one of the few consoles I still find it worthwhile collecting CIBs for, as the prices haven't gone clear out to Andromeda compared to Nintendo and Sony.
I saw centy for 40 back then and didn't buy... pain
Go back to 2005 where I start my 2° video-game collection! All Sega CD games for 0.50! :D
This channel deserves more attention. Very funny and educational, right up there with AVGN and Jontron.
Thank you Lorna! Appreciate the kind words :)
Up there with AVGN without the foul language. This channel is more family friendly for us dads of small kids.
@@totallyfrozen "ASS!"
Model 1 for the win! Must be high def graphics marketing!
Hahah
Later models sez Stereo sound too!
Between you and Sega lord x, my Sega fix has been satiated on a near weekly basis. Keep em coming!!
Nice! Sega Lord X is a great resource for Sega content!
I'm surprised this video wasn't an hour long. The genesis / mega drive deserves that much attention.
I was thinking about that while making it. There's endless stuff to cover for the Genesis.
@@RetroBirdGaming Part 2? 😁
You should do an entire episode on the white dot on your CRT, give the fans what they want!
Oh my god I will never be able to unsee it now
Hahah it's a reflection from the head lamp I use to light my controller.
Buy it that’s how!
Haha just do it!
I remember liking a game called Generations Lost, fairly short but pretty interesting action platformer game with a futuristic alien environment that was reminiscent of sci fi comics of the era. Not many people ever talk about it.
Must Have from My personal Collection :
Ex-Mutants
Generations Lost
Phantom 2040 ( A SuperMetroid "clone") soooooooo good
I never had a Genesis back in the day so I didn't start collecting the games until much later. I did however play them at my cousin's house and was always partial to the arcade ports. To this day Ghouls 'n Ghosts & Strider hold up as some of my favorite games on the system.
Here are some other must haves:
Golden Axe Series
Ranger X
Alien Storm
Classic Sega titles!
That's going to be my new answer for everything in life "Boom Sega Genesis"😂😂😂
That should work out pretty well for you, I would think.
@@RetroBirdGaming 😂😂😂
Ive been watching your videos for about a month and I love them! You've been answering every question I've had about retro gaming. Hope your channel blows up soon since you're incredibly underrated! Cheers!
Thank you! Glad that my videos have been able to aid your love for retro gaming!
I had a friend growing up that lived in town and was able to get Sega channel for his Genesis. I thought that was the coolest thing ever, hell I still think that is a cool idea, it was certainly well ahead of its time, at least here in north America
Dude, you make me miss the 90’s.
And thanks for making a video about collecting for the Genesis without making it a “hidden gems” video.
I miss the '90s pretty much every day haha :)
Perfect timing. Just added the mega drive to my collection.
My mum n dad wouldn't let me have a mega drive so I had the master system 2 growing up. Now I'm in the market for a master system converter so I can get R-Type as soon as possible.
I love me some r-type
Stumbled upon your channel by accident and instantly subscribed awsome content keep up the good work my man
Cheers and beers from Belgium
Hey! Glad to have you on the channel and thank you for the compliments!
Awesome video, man! This is a perfect starting guide for anyone looking to get into collecting for Sega Genesis
Thanks! That's how I intended it.
I had a Nomad late in it’s life. You could still find those at a Game Stop even though the Game Boy Color was fresh, new and readily available. I needed my portable Streets of Rage 2, Samurai Shodown, Super Street Fighter 2, Sonic 3, Gunstar Heroes, Weapon Lord and Strider! Great Stuff, as always!
Keep up the great work. By far one of my favorite channels. Another home run with this one.
Thank you! I appreciate the kind words :)
very good video on the genesis. I'm glad I collected when the prices werent super high as they are now and wasn't looked after as much as the snes. Also the fact I don't really see alot of genesis in my retro game stores as much as the nes or snes which is a shame as it's an amazing system for sure!
It's been so long since I bought Genesis games that the prices surprised me a little bit when I looked before making this video.
I got into the Genesis around 2005 and became my fav console ever. First game I got was Streets of Rage 2 so that was a damn good start. Learned a lot via emulation so I think I didn't missed lots of gems. Only a handful of games got recognition back then but now those "hidden gems" are some of the most sought after titles for the console. Love the fact that is more focused on arcade-like games, after all the console is based on an arcade board (specs and all) and the FM sound screams arcade.
Streets of Rage 2 really is a damn good start.
I grew up on SNES, but I have owned a Genesis off-and-on since 2002 (when I was in Middle School) and I really love the console…Soo many great games across all genres….Some of my favorite games are:
Sonic 1-3 and Knuckles
Streets of Rage 1 and 2
Mortal Kombat I and II
Battletoads and Double Dragon
NBA Jam
NBA Jam Tournament Edition
NBA Hangtime
X-Men 2 - Clone Wars
Street Fighter II Special Championship Edition
Robocop vs The Terminator
NFL 94 featuring Joe Montana
Madden 92-98
Lakers vs Celtics
Comix Zone
Sports Talk Baseball
World Series Baseball
…And many more
as someone who began game collecting with the N64, just having the cartidge feels right
Thanks to you I’ve just bought my first Megadrive.
Just saw this comment. I hope you've been enjoying it!
I bought a JVC X eye, I am in Genesis heaven. I always wanted to play Quack shot and its so much fun. Loving your channel. Keep up the great work 🎉🥳🤓
Very cool console!
Lol @ 1:23 , that is so true. I bet the majority of people with a Genesis back in the day just hooked it up through an RF connection and didn't think twice about it.
Had a very hefty sega genesis collection growing up....was my very first system but since I've moved to hawaii I started a new Collection leaving my original collection with my brother
Great video Retro Bird. As collecting for the Genesis can be pricey, the Genesis Mini is a great option for those getting started. My favorite of the mini consoles, it’s a neat collectible, it gives such value looking at price per game, includes so many of the best games, is easily hacked if you’re into that and unlike the nes, snes and turbo 16 is easily available and never shot up in price.
Genesis Mini has a pretty solid lineup of games. I recommend it as a cheaper alternative as well.
I love the Genesis Mini too, and the project lunar hack is super simple to add all the games you love that they didn't include in the stock. Now, if only Project Lunar could finish version 1.1 so I could delete the save states.
I recently obtained a Genesis Model 2, VA4 board. I had the model 2 growing up, the first game I ever beat was Earthworm Jim 2, three days of hell...la fun (my pops almost tossed my whole kit) had to get it back to the rental store. I'm only collecting only a hand full of games, I think I have like 6 or 7 games to go before I have all I want for the system. So much fun...oh and now I want the 6 button arcade stick that I was today years old when I found out it existed.
I love shining force 2. That’s my favorite RPG. Also, I just kept staring at that white dot on your screen. I was mesmerized by it. Lol.
Great brother. Thank you for putting a smile on my face. keep up the good work
honestly I would love to collect for the genesis, but going online makes it tough to get a good price and all the second hand stores around me only have a couple sports games, and that's it. At least it makes it all the more exciting when i do find something nice once in a while ;)
Yeah, nothing wrong with having a patient approach.
If you decided that classic genesis sports games, is a great way to collect for budget gaming 100 bucks can get you a good 30 or so sports games.
@@petewillson205 thanks for the tip!
Mega Everdrive
Very comprehensive. I was waiting to jump in with an "uhmm actually" but I think you nailed it RB. I just open up my HD model to confirm it but I also have like 9 genesis consoles sitting around not even hooked up incase my main one dies. Also...... I got the model 1 in addition to the super sound revision that it fits the power base converter.
Yeah, I'm always aware of the "umm actually" responses that could come in and try to prevent that as much as I can. You're swimming in Genesis consoles! Never going to be without one!
The bad-sounding model 1 is the VA7 which can't be case-swapped with the earlier revisions as the port layout is different. The "high definition graphics" marking is one way to tell the earlier revs. Other way to tell is the port layout--the earlier revs will either actually have the EXT port, or a blank spot where it would have been. They also have the power jack almost all the way to the edge while the VA7 is a bit inboard.
The very late revision model 2s also have good sound, but they're far less common on the second-hand market and unless you're shopping in person you're very likely to end up with the VA0-VA1.8 which have bad sound.
The good-sounding model 2s are the ones with the 3/4 width mainboard--which you can tell by looking through the vents on the bottom. If the RF shield completely covers the vents, it's the full-width mainboard. If it's only partially covering the vents, it's a 3/4.
The VA0-VA1.8 model 2s, however, are the ones with the best mod support, and have fairly clear RGB output from the factory, so if you *are* willing to mod your genesis, they're actually the best choice.
The genesis 3 also has good sound, but mono-only, and has a lot of drawbacks that would probably make it not a good choice unless you're willing to mod (and don't care about the sega CD). The 32X won't work on a stock genesis 3, and only some revisions of it can be modded. Virtua Racing also doesn't work, and it lacks the expansion slot that's required to use a sega CD.
I love all genesis/mega drive stuff this is my fave system of all time. When I was a kid I had mega drive 2. As for a model 2 bad sound I kinda like it... it reminds me a distortion pedal for guitars. So in my opinion model 2 sounds more metal
Whatever brings enjoyment is the answer. You're probably pretty used to it by this point as well.
I'd go with the Power Base Converter. This was a strong selling point back in the day. Not that a lot of people had a SMS, but backwards compatibility even through an add on is great. I remember a newscast back then where parents refused to buy a SNES because they figured their kids already had an NES and several games. And SMS carts, especially loose, are extremely durable and generally very cheap, or at least they were. And there were many good titles that were in some ways better than classic NES titles, based on who you ask. A must is Phantasy Star.
It's actually pretty good compatibility as well, given the hardware similarities.
@@RetroBirdGaming Sure. I never had a SMS, but I did buy the adapter for my Game Gear. While cumbersome, it was basically a slot adapter. That got me into actually thinking about hardware and how it worked. I hadn't thought about it before. And the early EA games with the yellow tag don't work on models 2-3 I believe. There was some crap, but Populous and Zany Golf are excellent. And, the nine pin plug on the Genesis means you can use them on the Atari 2600. That's cool. My uncle broke all the joysticks playing Decathlon on 2600. It's not easy to find original models that work, but they can be repaired. But it's just easier to buy a Genesis controller for 3-5 bucks and call it a day.
As for games, I recommend Spider-man v the Kingpin, the Punisher, and Gargoyles. And Toejam and Earl.
For another rabbit-hole to fall into, grab a Power Base Converter and get into the madness of the Master System library.
There ya go haha!
Your videos are fantastic, I've been having a blast watching
Thank you! I'm glad you like 'em :)
I always held out to get the 6 button controller and joystick. The price where I am is $60 + for a 6 button joystick. I got lucky and got them both for $40 as a set.
If you wait long enough you will find a deal, my advice.
Nice!
I've been waiting for this video!
I hope it lived up to what you were wanting!
I guess the sound things can be complex, my genesis model 2 sounded fantastic, but it still did that weird thing where Hellfire’s music played slow
Great vid, I'm a little biased but more Sega content is always a good thing. At first I thought you were going give the Genesis collecting keys away, then I realized like everyone else that best way to collect for the Genesis is to find a Tardis 😅. I've been down w/the Genesis since '89, it's shame I got back into collecting for it right when prices jumped. Is what it is I guess, I still grab stuff when I...though I can't bring myself to go cart only. Anyways, I've rambled enough 😅. Far as Genesis hardware goes, the Teradrive was a real oddity as is the Laseractive MD/Genesis module.
Yeah, that module is pretty sweet!
Finally, someone who understands the D-pad on the Genesis. I think the Sega Genesis D-pad is my favorite D-pad. And it only got better on the 6 button controller. If you gave me a choice between Street Fighter 2 on the SNES or Genesis with the 3 button controller, I would still choose the Genesis version because of the D-pad. Ryu and Ken's hadouken and dragon punch were so much easier to pull off on the Genesis. But regardless of the game, the smoothness of the D-pad was a big advantage Sega had over Nintendo in the console war showdown. Although, I feel like that's the minority opinion. I just never understood why so many people loved the SNES d-pad over the Genesis.
From what I've seen, the 6-button controller has always had it's fans due to it's similarity to the Saturn pad.
My local game store had a loose Sonic 2 cart for $19.99; and then a boxed one with manual in perfect condition for $22.99. I had to go with the boxes one at that point lol.
The only Megadrive/Genesis add on I think people should really go after is the Master System Converter two good libraries 1 console.
Best. Console. EVER!!!
Personally I love collecting for my Sega genesis & it's add ons the Sega cd & 32x. Most of the games on the Sega cd & 32x were perhaps underwhelming in their time but nowadays I don't think that stuff matters anymore.
To answer the question of the video I think the Sega Channel is to me the most fascinating accessory for the Sega genesis. I prefer physical games but I do think it's pretty cool back in the early 90s Sega had an online subscription service that allowed gamers to play games like other gaming services. I guess some things haven't changed, have they? Lol.
Yeah, it's pretty wild to think that you could do something like that with the Genesis back then. It even had some games that never came out at retail in the US.
@@RetroBirdGaming I know, Megaman The Wily Wars is one I've been wanting to import from Europe for years.
I enjoyed this episode 👍
My Sega model 1 HD currently not working right, it has graphic and sound issues. I'm hoping someday to find someone who can take a look at it and maybe fix it. Since my Sega model 1 HD is out of commission, I bought Sega model 2 that's been playing like a champ.
That's too bad. Yes, hopefully it can get fixed!
I had both a SNES and Genesis back in the early 90's. Nintendo was easy to find good game for. If it was Nintendo Square Capcom or Konami you knew chances are it was going to be a good game. I had a hard time finding good Genesis games. I was weary about spending my hard earned money on Contra for the Genesis. I thought it may have been a cash grab title. I didn't know about Gunstar Heroes or a lot of good Genesis games until TH-cam. Back around 2008 is when I started buying up Genesis games. I have close to 50 of them now. I missed out on a lot of good games when I was a teen. Most recent genesis game I bought was Judge Dredd.
This proves my point exactly. A lot of the best Genesis games just didn't quite have the same reputation back in the day that they do now.
The Sega on the toilet cracked me up, haha.
Yeah, I'm not a fan of the cardboard cases that came out later in the life of the Genesis. I have them for some games, but I been planning on getting most of those expensive games cart+manual only and then buying an aftermarket case/artwork.
It's like why couldn't they just keep the clamshells for that last little bit!
@@RetroBirdGaming Exactly! At least they slide easily, unlike Nintendo's worse design.
I loved my SEGA channel. Try before you buy at home
I just purchased a Mega Drive 2 weeks ago after all this time. Being a Nintendo kid back in the day closed my young impressionable mind to all things Sega. Now all I need is to take out a huge loan to buy a Pal Sega Saturn and I'll be a complete Sega console owner ha ha
Hahah getting into Sega is joining a party that's already gone well into the night :)
Luckily i found on Fb market place 2 genesis consoles within 15 minutes drive from me. Went with the Gen 1 and had the HD graphics on it. Super happy! 40$ then bought the cables and a 30$ pack of 6 fighting games came with a 6 button controller from an ebay auction. Lastly i just bought the emulator 1200 game cartridge for 60$ off amazon so i can play phantasy star, sunset riders, risestar, shining forces, castlvania and more! I love the Aladdin game too and am trying to beat Toy Story since it kicked my butt as a kid.
I'm a big fan of you retro bird.
Thank you! I'm glad that you're liking the videos!
We need a Sega Genesis cereal 🥣
A loose cart is the way to go for collecting if you just want to play the games at an affordable price. Model 1 FTW! Prices are rising but still a lot more affordable than SNES overall.
Yeah, it does still seem to be cheaper than SNES by at least a bit.
that retro bird song is hot fire
I didn't know this for a long time but the adapter MK 2103 will work with the cdx, but is not intended to use with it. The MK 4122 is the correct one but...its usually veryyyyy expensive. Even though I own a cdx, the model 1 is hooked up to my Trinitron. 😋. And yes I do like the sound of the sound chip of my model 1. It sounds great with Streets of Rage 2!
Streets of Rage 2 soundtrack is bumpin'!
@@RetroBirdGaming especially with that model 1 sound chip!
I personally prefer buying the Sega Mini for the games, and playing them on the Mega SG through the SD card slot, or the Everdrive in the cartridge slot.
The tower of power will always be cool for no reason besides the title
It's really important to get a quality regulated power supply for your Genesis. While any console is susceptible to video noise caused by dirty power, my experience has been the Genesis is even more sensitive. There are some cheap knockoff Genesis supplies floating around... don't waste your time, you'll probably end up with snow streaks in your picture. Feed it clean power, and you'll get amazingly crisp video... Assuming you don't have other issues like dry capacitors or loose cable connections.
You are tempting me!!!
Haha you would definitely want to go the Everdrive route.
Sega Genesis is my favorite
Such a good console :)
Believe it or not, I just started collecting Sega Genesis. I buy loose carts because I only want to play these games with a nice collection to choose from. I look for cheap hidden gems which can be found like "Jewel." Being a Nintendo collection all my life I was happy to discover some great titles on the Genesis.
Ms. Pac Man by Tengen requires you to hold that mode button on the controller when you turn it on if you are using a 6 button one. Otherwise the D-pad will not work properly. I have no idea why since most games that came out in the 3 button era work fine on it with a 6 button controller. There's also games that benefit from a 6 button controller, not just fighters either.
*people hold down the mode button when they play their 3 button games dude*
I think the sega channel was a great little device that was way ahead of it's time for the genesis. Still have the sega now its just completely useless in 2021
Wouldn't that be something if it still worked!?
I think most RENOVATION Products games on the GENESIS are quite interesting but too obscure, my fav game of them it's GRANADA
One of my first Genesis goals was to get all of the Renovation games. Guy R Us (Gaiares) is my personal favorite, although the difficulty is a bit high.
@@Not-Great-at-Gaming it would be forgettable if you can lose a 1up in the middle of the stage than respawning in the checkpoint... Something that Space Megaforce does sometimes has the two when you lose a 1up
Best console of all time
Excellent video 👍
If you love Genesis or really want to take it up a notch people should check out the Analogue Mega SG. Play Genesis games in HD without the emulation.
That's a great piece of hardware. Everything Analogue does is pretty solid.
You see what he did . No one on earth was thinking of the difference in models . Now models like that will go up now . But a course what did I do right.
That difference between Genesis models is talked about all over the place though.
I always found it weird that people complain about the TMSS 4-second wait, when a modern sleeping game console starts up in 10 seconds.
Also, you should mention that people can bypass any sound limitation of each model of the Sega Genesis, when a Sega Triple Bypass is installed/soldered.
I mentioned modding is an option as a general thing.. but yes, that specific mod is a big one!
My uncle gave me his Sega Genesis and Sega CD. Both are model 1 and work without problems. I've got another Model 1 that won't open its tray.
Those model 1 Sega CDs are notorious for breaking, so pretty sweet you have a working one.
I only owned a Model 2 Genesis as a kid, but most of my childhood friends owned the Model 1. I had no idea the Model 1 had superior sound. I guess I just never noticed it when I played my Model 2. Though, I have heard that you just want to steer clear of the Model 3 Genesis as Sega cut a lot of corners with its build quality.
Yes you can pretty clearly hear the difference in sound quality between the 2 models but back when the Model 2 first came out 99+% of people didn't notice it (or at the very least just didn't care). I'm sure a ton of people never even bothered to upgrade from the RF connection.
It wasn't really something that was talked about until emulators started getting popular in the late 90s and people were noticing differences in sound when comparing the sega emulator to the various consoles revisions.
@@metalmat3651 Yeah, that makes sense. It was probably that I didn't have a Model 1 to compare to the Model 2's sound quality so I never noticed it. I'm wondering if that also rings true between the original SNES console and later SNES models as well?
I have a model 2, but I also want to add a model 1 and a Nomad to my collection! I like the aesthetics and design of model 1 the best. But I want to attach a 32x to my model 2, since I think it makes it look uglier, and I would rather do that to a model 2 that I think doesn’t look as nice anyway. So I’ll keep my model 2 for that purpose.
The first game I ever played was sonic on sega genesis in the 90s
Great first game to play!
I never had a Sega Genesis. But I did play it at friends houses and I remember just hating the controller. You had really large buttons and you had to move your thumb around to get to all three and I frequently had to look down at the buttons. And I hated the D-pad. I didn't like how it was round vs. just a cross, and I just didn't like how you could rock the thing in 360*. As I couldn't be precise with it and I found it hard to quickly go left to right, etc. because the d-pad would go off at an angle and thus I'm going upward instead of just to the left.
I really liked it when I could play some Genesis games on the Nintendo virtual console or emulating through the computer. As I could use a regular d-pad. And when emulating on the computer, I use my SNES controller. And if you are playing a game that requires the use of the C button, you can just map that to the upper right shoulder button depending on if you don't have to do a lot of button smashing with it.
The weirdest doodad for the Genesis that I have is probably a boxed Japanese Sega Mega Modem. One US game works with it (Cyberball) if you happen to have two players with their own Genesis, modem, copy of Cyberball, and non-broadband dial-up... but I had to give my brother a Jaguar and a copy of Doom just so we could JagLink. I'm not buying him a Mega Modem setup and changing phone service just to see if Cyberball will work. Maybe if I was gonna do the Saturn Netlink with Virtual on... no. Not buying a second setup of that either.
I ended up with the modem when I bought someone's entire Mega Drive collection for an absurdly low price many, many years ago. I'm not sure why I keep it. I doubt I'll ever use it.
Great video for a Great System. The only problem is I'm selfish and it was for a long time the best kept secret in retro gaming but given the increase prices it seems people are discovering it more and more frequently.
So thanks for nothing!
Just kidding keep up the great work.
Yeah, I remember thinking how weird it was that Genesis was so cheap to collect for.
That would have to be the Megatron that transforms into a Sega Genesis.
Hahah
@@RetroBirdGaming Yeah I mean I love Sega and love Transformers, so it's my favorite collectible. Just found your channel lately and like what I'm seeing btw.
Best advice, collect loose castigues!
The Sega cases were genius, they stand the test of time and look awesome. Sega got to big for themselves instead of doing their own thing they competed against Nintendo. It’s a shame the Saturn and Dreamcast are also epic consoles.
I love the Saturn and Dreamcast.
@@RetroBirdGaming unlimited arcade quality titles. just got the retrobit wireless Saturn controller, priceless. Waiting on the Dreamcast one now.
I think the bad rap that Mega Drive/Genesis sound gets was due to the GEMS sound system. GEMS was a popular sound engine that some developers chose to use for its ease of use compared to the usual way of getting music and sound out of the Mega Drive. However, this also meant that alot of less talented indiviuals were able to fart out something with little effort. This usually sounded horrible because the GEMS sound enginge was known for very harsh, shill sound and limited variety of sounds.
Some devs were able to get good sound out of gems Comix Zone is one that come's to mind. People with a good brain for music and programming were better off not using gems and eeking oujt the true power of the Yamaha YM2612.
ToeJam and Earl is a game for two players that the Genesis has that SNES doesn't, similar to how SNES has Capcom's Goof Troop that Genesis doesn't have. Both are great Co-op games that provide hours of fun, even if Goof Troop is a little short. Both consoles got TMNT but in it's own form, and both got Zombies Ate My Neighbors. Got a Genesis? Then Streets of Rage trilogy is for you. What about SNES? Well the first Final Fight isn't two players, but the sequels are. Honestly, you're good either way and it's even better when you have both. Just be sure to have two 6 button controllers for Genesis so your partner doesn't accuse you of using the "good controller".
How to collect genesis. Go to eBay. But then cheap.
I find genesis extremely rare to find in the wild over snes
I have a heck of a time finding either in the wild anymore.
You sound like Owen Wilson more than once in this video. Wow.
Sega Genesis is great to start off with since most games on it are cheaper, but Konami is gonna break the bank.
Step 1: Buy a Genesis.
Step 2: Buy Mega Everdrive Pro.
Step 3: Load Mega Everdrive Pro with roms.
Step 4: Enjoy playing every Genesis game ever made, 32X games, Sega CD games, Master System, and NES games all on real hardware with a real cartridge.
Alternate option: easily mod one of the mini consoles (NES, SNES, Genesis) to play everything from the 90s and prior.
I love the SEGA Geniuses
lol I was playing a model 1 non TMSS forever and I thought all genesis were the same. I honestly don't think I've ever played any of the other models.
Hi
Im not a klepto by any means
But id have to jack the sega megajet if i had it on a flight
Somebody had to have. I bet he/she was happy
I've got no interest in amassing a huge games collection just for the sake of it. The only games I would like to get my hands on to have are the ones that actually mean something to me, that I either owned or played and enjoyed and have good memories of - that's probably around 20 games at the most.
I'm always sad to not see the legend of Thor, general chaos and yu yu hakusho as genesis gems, they are on my top 5 favourite genesis games
Those are all some fun games!
While prices of Genesis games have gone up since the pandemic, they haven’t exploded like NES and SNES. I’m guessing that Genesis games won’t prove to be financial “investments” like Nintendo games (some gamers do look at their collections partly that way), but you can get the top games in the Sega library for WAY less than the most collectible SNES games. Another factor to consider if you look at Genesis games as collectibles in addition to playables: the carts feature the flimsiest labels of the era. You’ll pay a premium for a mint/near mint cartridge because they are relatively rare. I’ve seen online offerings where half or more of the listings for a game have badly worn or ripped labels. Often the mangled ones are insanely cheap.
The snes is overrated trash , the game's are for toddlers.
@@Troll_Ha And are Sega Genesis games any different?
@@mrmojorisin8752 The genesis game's are more for teen/adult's and that's a well documented fact.
Rgb scart on genesis looks great
Wow, I didn’t know about the sound quality difference on a model 1. I’ve always played my genesis games on either my CDX or my genesis model 3. How do those two compare to the original?
It's been a while since I've played around with those models, but they are typically regarded as better than the average model 2. Model 3 only has mono and the HD Model 1 is still typically considered the best for sound without modifications.
@@RetroBirdGaming I just watched a comparison video. Well, I’m glad I’ve never owned a model 2! Model 3 and cdx sound fine.
Honestly my genesis collection isn’t anything special but I normally try to get games that are not expensive I don’t buy rare games unless I find a really good deal
Your Genesis collection is special just by virtue of being a Genesis collection :)