Website Temporary Closed

Hello everyone. We are moving to a new, bigger premises so website ordering will be closed for the next month while we move everything to our new building, reorganise and do a full stock take. We will not be taking any orders or able to reply to any messages during this time. We will be open again at the start of December. Many thanks. Console Passion

Sega Genesis

The Sega Genesis is the US release of the Sega Mega Drive and is a 16-bit video game console released by Sega in North America in 1989. Mega Drive was the name used in Japan and Europe, while it was sold under the name Sega Genesis in North America, as Sega was unable to secure legal rights to the Mega Drive name in that region. The Mega Drive was Sega's fifth home console and the successor to the Sega Master System, with which it is electronically compatible.

The Genesis is part of the fourth generation era of consoles, and the first of its generation to achieve notable market share in Europe and North America. It was a direct competitor of the TurboGrafx-16 (which was released one year earlier) and the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (which was released two years later). The Sega Genesis began production in Japan in 1988 and ended with the last new licensed game being released in 2002 in Brazil.

[collapse collapsed title=read more...]

With over 29 million units sold, it became Sega's most successful console. The console has a legacy with certain games available on the console being offered as downloads to be played on newer consoles, fan translations and indie game development.

Although the Sega Master System was a success in Europe, and later also Brazil, it failed to ignite much interest in the North American or Japanese markets, which, by the mid-to-late 1980s, were both dominated by Nintendo's large market shares. Meanwhile in the arcades, the Sega System 16 had become a success. Hayao Nakayama, Sega's CEO at the time, decided to make its new home system utilize a similar 16-bit architecture. The final design was eventually also used in the Mega-Tech, Mega-Play and System-C arcade machines. Any game made for the Mega Drive hardware could easily be ported to these systems.

The first name Sega considered for its console was the MK-1601, but it ultimately decided to call it the "Sega Mega Drive" in Europe and Japan. The name was said to represent superiority and speed, with the powerful Motorola 68000 processor in mind. The North American version went by the name "Genesis" due to a trademark dispute.

The Sega Genesis initially competed against the aging 8-bit NES, over which it had superior graphics and sound. Despite this, the Genesis was all but ignored in Japan as soon as it was launched. Some positive coverage came out of magazines Famitsu and Beep!, but Sega shipped only 400,000 units in the first year. In order to sell more units, Sega tried some risky moves, including creating an online banking system and answering machine called the Sega Anser and several peripherals and games. The Mega Drive remained a distant third in Japan behind Nintendo's Super Famicom and NEC's PC-Engine throughout the 16-bit era.

One of Sega's most famous advertisements in North American media was its slogan "Genesis does what Nintendon't", which showcased the graphics advantage that the Genesis held against the aging NES. New Sega of America CEO Michael Katz instituted a two-part approach to build sales in that region. The first part involved a marketing campaign to challenge Nintendo head-on and emphasize the more arcade-like experience available on the Genesis, summarized by the slogan "Genesis does what Nintendon't". The second part, since Nintendo owned the console rights to most arcade games of the time, involved creating a library of instantly-recognizable titles by contracting with celebrities and athletes to produce games using their names and likenesses; Pat Riley Basketball, Arnold Palmer Tournament Golf, James 'Buster' Douglas Knockout Boxing, Joe Montana Football, Tommy Lasorda Baseball, Mario Lemieux Hockey, and Michael Jackson's Moonwalker all stemmed from this initiative. Nonetheless, it had a hard time overcoming Nintendo's ubiquitous presence in the consumer's home.

Sega CEO Hayao Nakayama, fearing a second market failure soon after the Master System, hired Tom Kalinske to replace Katz in mid-1990. Although Kalinske initially knew little about the video game market, he learned quickly and surrounded himself with industry-savvy advisors. A believer in the razor and blades business model, he developed a four-point plan: cut the price of the console; create a US-based team to develop games targeted at the American market; continue and expand the aggressive advertising campaigns; and replace the bundled game with a new title, Sonic The Hedgehog. The Japanese board of directors asked "Are you out of your mind?", but Nakayama approved all four points. Magazines praised Sonic as one of the greatest games yet made, and Sega's console finally took off as customers who had been waiting for the Super NES decided to purchase a Genesis instead. Nintendo's console would debut against an established competitor, while NEC's TurboGrafx-16 was left out and NEC soon pulled out of the market.

Sega began 1992 with a number of advantages: a 55% to 45% market share over the Super NES, a lower price, and a tenfold advantage in number of games. Sega's advertising continued to position the Genesis as the "cooler" console, and coined the term "Blast Processing" to suggest that the Genesis was capable of handling games with faster motion than the SNES. A Sony focus group found that teenage boys would not admit to owning a Super NES rather than a Genesis. Neither console could maintain a definitive lead in market share for several years.

By the end of 1995, Sega was supporting five different consoles and two add-ons: Saturn, Genesis, Game Gear, Pico, Sega CD, 32X and Master System in PAL and some South American (predominantly Brazilian) markets. As the Saturn was leading Sony's PlayStation in Japan while the Mega Drive was never successful there, Sega of Japan CEO Hayao Nakayama chose to discontinue the Mega Drive. While this made perfect sense for the Japanese market, it was disastrous in North America: the market for Genesis games was much larger than for the Saturn, but Sega was left without the inventory or software to meet demand. In comparison, Nintendo concentrated on the 16-bit market and reported the most lucrative holiday season in the industry. It also undercut the Sega of America executives; CEO Tom Kalinske, who oversaw the rise of the Genesis in 1991, grew uninterested in the business and resigned in mid 1996.

In 1997, Sega licensed the Genesis to Majesco so that it could re-release the console. Majesco began re-selling millions of formerly unsold cartridges at a budget price together with the second model of the Genesis, until it later released a third version of it. The last commercially licensed release in North America was Frogger, released in 1998.

The Mega Drive was supported until 1997 in Europe, when Sega announced it was dropping support for it. It was discontinued along with its predecessor, the long-lived Sega Master System, to allow Sega to concentrate on its newer console, the Saturn. The Mega Drive's add-ons, the Mega CD and 32X, were also both discontinued at this point, having been the same general failures they were in the other regions.

[/collapse]

Shining Force

Box: 
yes
£24.00
Manual: 
yes
£24.00

You are the leader of a group of warriors and sorcerers, fighting to save your homeland from an ancient evil! Choose your party from over twenty-five characters you'll meet while travelling through the world of Rune. Real-time action meets Role-Playing strategy in Shining Force!

Shadowrun

Box: 
yes
£30.00
Manual: 
yes
£30.00

The year is 2050 and the megacorps rule by the power of information. Everyone is on file in the global mainframe, everyone but you and a handful of invisible outlaws called ShadowRunners. Move through the grim and magical realities of futuristic Seattle and uncover a diabolical plot that could destroy the world.

Shaq Fu

Box: 
yes
£7.00
Manual: 
yes
£7.00

Shaquille O'Neil: 7'1", 21.5 stone, Master of Shaquido. Use all your techniques to beat the evil Sett and his minions. Face 12 original characters with up to six special moves each - magic, morphing, weapons and teleports - and their own unique fight locations. Three Gameplay options including special story mode starring Shaq, plus tournament and duel.

Shadow of the Beast 2

Box: 
yes
£8.00
Manual: 
yes
£8.00

Out of the shadow into the fire; you killed the Beast Lord only to incur the anger of his demonic hordes. Over one hundred ew monsters bent on revenge and a series of sinister puzzles stand in between you and your kidnapped sister.

Rolo to the Rescue

Box: 
yes
£8.00
Manual: 
yes
£8.00

Escape the evil McSmiley with a little help from your friends! Control multiple characters and use their special powers: moles dig you out of danger, beavers swing you to safety. Use Rolo's high suction trunk to blow enemies away. Explore over 60 levels in this jumbo sized adventure.

Rolling Thunder 2

Box: 
yes
£10.00
Manual: 
yes
£10.00

Bullets whiz past you. you drive into piles of spent shell casings to avoid exploding grenades.. fingers numb from recoil, you slam your last clip into your pistol and take aim.. you must destroy the terrorist organization called Geldra or the world will never be the same.

Road Rash 3

Box: 
yes
£8.00
Manual: 
yes
£8.00

Its The rash is back in the latest, nastiest, baddest race game for your Megadrive. This time there is five NEW weapons including the cattle-prod and crow-bar. All NEW race tracks take you across the globe from the Aussie Outback to night-time urban Japan. NEW Snitch & Repo models raise the ante with other Rashers.

Risk

Box: 
yes
£12.00
Manual: 
yes
£12.00

You're the General, so defend your countries, capture new territories, occupy vast continents and keep building your armies so you can conquer the world! Fast setup, touch one button and the computer deploys your troops. Computer intelligence, battle your friends or the artificial intelligence of 6 computer enemies. Fast play, pick the classic attack or a computer fight to the finish or choose arcade competition where your skill determines the outcome of the attack. Battlefield sound effects and music bring the battlefield to life!

Pro Quarterback

Box: 
yes
£5.00
Manual: 
yes
£5.00

Break the huddle into a dramatic 3D perspective down the filed. 26 professional teams, stats track each player's performance, 6 different field conditions and realistic sound for 1 or 2 players. You select the plays from either side of the ball using the playbook's long lost of offensive or defensive plays. Team up with a friend, go head to head or play against the computer.

Red Zone

Box: 
yes
£6.00
Manual: 
yes
£6.00

Red Alert! In a former Communist state, the ruthless Ivan Retovitz has lead the fanatical Zyristian Party to absolute power. Now in control of an awesome nuclear weaponry, Retovitz has issued a chillin threat - to turn the world into a radioactive desert of death. Can he be stopped?

Syndicate content