Don't expect to see too many of these classic Sega consoles lighting up butts. They're only available for order until November 6 and for the steep asking price of 10500 yen, about $114 USD, each. Of course, if you light your cigars with hundred dollar bills anyway, we're sure you won't mind dropping that much on a Sega lighter.

Oh that's right. I just used Kotaku to further my own agenda. I wouldn't begrudge you a vote for Toejam & Earl either. Hell, just vote for both on alternating days, see if we can't pull off a tie.

In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Sega Genesis, we're putting the power back in the fans' hands and letting you determine the next title we'll release on Xbox LIVE Arcade! Just pick from the Genesis classics below and cast your vote between August 14th and August 21st

Other titles being voted upon include The Revenge of Shinobi, Streets of Rage, Shining Force, Golden Axe II, and Wonder Boy, none of which are anywhere near besting Jim and Toejam, currently dominating with 37 and 20 percent of the vote respectively.

So really, using Kotaku to further my agenda wasn't necessary, as my agenda is apparently yours as well. Go team!

The Genesis Poll [Official Website]

Sega shook the very foundations of the newly reborn U.S. gaming industry on August 14th, 1989, when the Sega Genesis made its North American debut in New York and Los Angeles. Due to a trademark dispute, the console that was known as the Mega Drive to the rest of the known world was rechristened, the new name evoking conflicting notions of biblical import and small, balding British musicians.

While the Mega Drive trailed behind the Super Famicon and NEC's PC Engine in Japan, it gave the Super Nintendo a run for its money in the states, with titles starring big-name sports celebrities like Pat Riley, Joe Montana, and James "Buster" Douglas. Even the late Michael Jackson put in an appearance, saving the children of the world with his dance moves.

In 1991, the Genesis birthed Sonic the Hedgehog, one of the most recognizable and beloved video game characters in the world, despite a run of rather dismal games as of late.

The Genesis eventually gave under the weight of its own add-ons, with the Sega CD and 32X selling far worse than expected. Sega moved on to the Saturn and finally the Dreamcast, but they never quite recaptured the level of support they saw with the Genesis, eventually giving up the console business altogether.

A testament to cartridge-based console reliability, my original Sega Genesis sits on a shelf behind me, ready to be hooked up and played at a moment's notice. They just don't build them like that anymore.

Happy 20th, Sega Genesis! Long may your lovely red LED shine.

Image

I didn't get my Sega Genesis until 1994, picking it up at a MediaPlay in Roswell, Georgia, mainly because it was bundled with the excellent game based on Disney's The Lion King. That system is still very much alive to this day, holding a special place in my heart as the first game console I purchased for myself as an "adult", sparking the realization that I could spend a massive percentage of my income on video games and still afford cheap frozen food, a practice I continue to this very day. Thanks a lot, Sega Genesis, and happy birthday!

Frankly, we don't get it. And we kind of stopped looking at prices after having our world rocked by second-hand gaming sticker shock. But if you want to know where you can drop a grand on a copy of Maximum Carnage, now you know. Super Potato.

Those of us with backward compatible PlayStation 3's or in possession of the XBLA re-releases will probably find the value of said collection pretty low, unless it offers something beyond what was provided in last gen's Sonic Mega Collection. Here's to hoping Sega gets on the ball and delivers some non-Genesis era goodies, like much of its arcade heritage which is sadly not legally available for purchase in the West.

Sega Planning An Ultimate Genesis Collection For PS3 / Xbox 360? [Siliconera]

Insert Credit dug up details on the "new" EA Genesis titles, which happen to be based on the mobile device releases and are being ported by Tectoy devs. Those games are just four of the 86 titles that will come pre-installed on the budget console, including classics like Shinobi III and Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle. There are even some new titles of hazy origin. Everything old is new again... or vice versa.

News: Four "new" EA games on Genesis/Mega Drive [Insert Credit]

The games included aren't bad for the price. You get Shinobi, Eco the Dolphin, Sonic and Knuckles, Altered Beast, Golden Axe, and several others, all for £29.99 - the price of a DS game. While I would have preferred they sneak a cartridge port on their for good measure, the game selection isn't bad and the price is right. Hit the jump for the full game list and additional details.

24th July 2008
News Release FOR IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION

Blaze International Goes Retro with The 16-Bit Blaze Handheld Console with 20 Built in SEGA Megadrive Games!

Handheld Console containing Sonic and Knuckles, Golden Axe, Shinobi, Ecco the Dolphin, Columns and 15 more superb retro titles for only £29.99 is set to take the market by storm!

At last! BLAZE are proud to announce they will be releasing their 16bit Megadrive handheld console in July 2008. The Blaze portable game player will be heading to a store near you from next month, so mums and dads, if you missed playing Sega Megadrive classics such as Sonic and Knuckles, Golden Axe, Shinobi and Ecco the Dolphin, you now have a chance to do so again... in all their portable glory... and all for the price of a single Nintendo DS game!

Other games to be hooked on again include Alex Kidd - Enchanted Castle, Alien Storm Altered Beast, Arrow Flash, Crackdown, Decap Attack, Dr Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine, Ecco Junior, Flicky, Gain Ground, Jewel Master, Kid Chameleon, Sonic Spinball and Shadow Dancer.
...All very 90’s retro chic and far less damaging to your reputation than singing along to Color ME Bad.....Though not everything from the 90’s should make a comeback...are you listening Spice Girls?

Watch a demonstration video and see gameplay footage at http://www.segaretro.net

Now the serious stuff:

Features
Plug & play portable video game system
20 built-in 16-bit SEGA licensed games
Built-in speakers
Build in colour LCD screen
TV out connection
TV format: PAL
Requires:
3 x AAA batteries.
(Batteries not included)

Description
The Blaze Portable game console is a video game player, which is pre-loaded with 20 classic games from SEGA. There is therefore no need to buy game cartridges. The blaze Portable game player has an A/V connector and with the included cable the player can be connected to any TV set. Enjoy playing classic SEGA games anytime, anywhere with the new Blaze Portable video game player. Presented in stylish blister packaging.
Watch out for more BLAZE product announcements from BLAZE and ATGames soon....

Available now from all leading games stores and online at www.segaretro.net for just £29.99 (+ P&P)

Got a cheat video...Why not upload it to the nets largest cheat, tips and tricks community video channel www.youcheats.net – It’s like Youtube for game cheats!

One advantage the Retro Duo has over some of the other NES/SNES clones is its ability to properly play the original Starfox, which looked and played just as we remembered it. The double duty console looks like a pretty nice product for anyone who still has plenty of retro titles on hand and isn't already in possession of similar products like the FC Twin. More pics of the consoles are in our gallery below.

A pair of isometric games, Sonic 3D Blast and Light Crusader have also been rated. The former is a different take on the Sonic formula, with Sonic collecting Flickies in a clunky speed crippling space. The latter is Treasure's take on a Western-style action RPG. No dates for any of this high-quality 16-bit era gaming, but expect announcements from Sega soon.

ESRB Game Ratings

The addition of Shinobi III is so personally exciting, I just powered on my Wii in the vain hope that Nintendo issued a Thursday update to the Virtual Console. Sadly, I was turned away and will leave my Wii powered down in protest until Monday morning. Full press release confirming the confirmation right after this.

SEGA ANNOUNCES TWO NEW TITLES FOR THE Wii VIRTUAL CONSOLE

Two SEGA Genesis Classics Coming Soon to the Wii Shop Channel

SAN FRANCISCO (August 16, 2007) - SEGA® of America, Inc. today announced that two titles from its SEGA Genesis™ library, Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master™ and Landstalker™, will soon be available for download on the Wii™ Shop Channel. Prices start at 800 Wii™ Points for SEGA Genesis titles. Wii Points can be purchased online or at select retailers at an MSRP of $20 for 2,000 points.

Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master - In this thrilling sequel to The Revenge of Shinobi, Joe Musashi finds that Neo Zeed - the crime syndicate he believed he had wiped out two years earlier - is indeed still alive and well. The return of Neo Zeed and its leader, the mysterious Shadow Master, forces Musashi to return from exile and confront the growing evil. As the Shinobi - the master of long-forgotten Oboro Ninjitsu martial arts - Musashi must utilize all his powers to overcome his various enemies. Thanks to his considerable combat skills and special Ninjitsu moves, only the Shinobi can thwart Neo Zeed and vanquish the Shadow Master.

Landstalker - After hearing of the legendary treasure of King Nole, the elvish treasure-hunter Nigel undertakes a quest to gather various pieces of the famed loot. His journey takes him through villages, caves and dungeons that hold King Nole's riches, and along the way, he'll have to help the inhabitants of the island while fighting against the treachery of Duke Mercator, who is searching for the treasure as well. A variety of obstacles and foes will try to deter Nigel, who must use all his wits and skills to defeat Duke Mercator and uncover the secret of King Nole's treasure.

The Wii Shop Channel serves as the Wii's online storefront where visitors can redeem Wii Points to download games. Users need a high-speed Internet connection to access the Wii Shop Channel. Users can buy Wii Points at retail or with a credit card online from the Wii Shop Channel and redeem their Wii Points to download these and other classic games.

For more information on upcoming Virtual Console titles from SEGA, please visit the official Web site at www.sega.com. For assets, please visit the SEGA Press site at http://segapr.segaamerica.com.

About SEGA of America, Inc.

SEGA® of America, Inc. is the American arm of Tokyo, Japan-based SEGA Corporation, a worldwide leader in interactive entertainment both inside and outside the home. The company develops, publishes and distributes interactive entertainment software products for a variety of hardware platforms including PC, wireless devices, and those manufactured by Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. SEGA of America's Web site is located at www.sega.com.

ABOUT NINTENDO:

The worldwide innovator in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Wii™, Nintendo DS™, Game Boy® Advance and Nintendo GameCube™ systems. Since 1983, Nintendo has sold nearly 2.2 billion video games and more than 387 million hardware units globally, and has created industry icons like Mario™, Donkey Kong®, Metroid®, Zelda™ and Pokémon®. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo's operations in the Western Hemisphere. For more information about Nintendo, visit the company's Web site at www.nintendo.com.

Keep in mind that just because the ESRB issues a rating for a particular game doesn't mean it's going to pop up in the Wii Shop Channel come Monday. Plenty of titles, from Pro Wrestling to Pilotwings, have been in the ratings board's database for far too long.

ESRB Game Ratings [ESRB]

The newest additions include Shining Force for the Sega Genesis and Super Turrican and Super Turrican 2 for the Super Nintendo. The ESRB has also rated Dr. Mario Wii for the Wii, but it's unclear if this is strictly a Virtual Console title. Could this be a new Wii release? Something for the original Wii Ware service?

It could simply be the NES puzzle game with an unusual slight renaming. That's probably the safest, least exciting bet. E3's just around the corner, as is a VC update, so we'll know soon enough. Michael McWhertor

In a nod to the late Notorious B.I.G.'s tune "Juicy", Soulful Commandoe has released a tee by the same name, highlighting the two consoles Biggie Smalls namechecked to show that he'd "made it." He also apparently had a pretty big phone bill at the time. At least it's more creative than the billionth mention of rims in modern hip-hop.

The Juicy tee is available over at Karmaloop for $29, should you want to show your 16-bit and B.I.G. love. Michael McWhertor

Juicy Tee [Karmaloop]

You know, I'm really tempted to knock Sony for this one as another half-hearted grab at ticking off a feature on another console. But, really, every other console is now supporting downloads of retro games. Xbox Live's Arcade titles have predominantly been arcade ports — right now, their library of retro games looks weakest. Nintendo Wii, of course, will have the Virtual Console, which will offer a huge number of Nintendo and Sega titles.

If you like retro games and are some how morally opposed to emulation, this is all great news. It's hard to fault a company for offering it, even if you are suspicious of the quick slide into microtransactions. Then again, we haven't heard the price yet on these titles from Mr. Ken "Gran Turismo HD Will Cost $1,000" Kutaragi.

Des jeux MD et NEC sur PS3 [Game Kult]

Gaming Steve has a write-up about a new Sega Genesis game. Read it again, a new Sega Genesis game. Steve talks a bit about the combat system and yearns a little bit for 16-bit gaming. His best point, however, is wondering if making new games for old systems is a trend we may see more of.

It could be, and here's my hunch why. While the market is significantly smaller for the Genesis now - the rising costs of game development for both next and current generation consoles is going to alienate some creative folks who lack the financial backing to make games on these systems. Now, seeing them on the Genesis might be a bit tougher, but seeing them pop up on Xbox Live Arcade would be pretty sweet. And if old series were to start popping up again, the obligatory question is, what would you like to play?

Sega Genesis Lives! Beggar Prince To Be Released Spring 2006 [Gaming Steve]