The Sega Genesis/Mega Drive Mini is now available in all regions where this mini console is sold, and Singapore is on the list of countries where the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive Mini is available.
The Sega Genesis Mini will have 42 games, with 40 of them being available from the start while the other two titles are bonus titles based on canceled ports of Darius and the Sega arcade version of Tetris. However, some of the best games from the Sega Genesis archives will not be featured in any version of the Sega Genesis Mini, which will be a huge disappointment for some customers.
The seven games featured in this comic that did not get featured in the Sega Genesis Mini's final lineup, regardless of version, will have their disappointing absences and its reasons explained:
1. Sonic Eraser: Sonic Eraser was launched in 1991, shortly after the first Sonic The Hedgehog came out. It tried to build on the success of Columns and Sonic 1 by being the first puzzle game in the Sonic series. Unfortunately, it was only available through Sega Meganet, which never reached worldwide availability. This makes Sonic Eraser one of the lost Sonic titles, and not featuring this game as a bonus title will disappoint Sonic fans everywhere.
2. Twinkle Tale: Twinkle Tale is a forgotten top-down shooter published by Toyo Recording. This game, which was the only game that Toyo Recording published, will not see any re-release whatsoever because Toyo Recording is not interested in selling off the rights to Twinkle Tale to anyone else.
3. Valis 3: The original Valis was available on the Sega Genesis, but Valis 3 was no doubt the best Valis game where Yuko was playable, because she is no longer alone in her fight against evil. The Sega Genesis version, while not as great as the TurboGrafx-16 version due to several levels being cut from the game, featured a new level that was not featured in the TurboGrafx-16 version. However, Sunsoft, who now owns the rights to the Valis series, does not want to re-release any of the Valis games for both the Sega Genesis Mini and the TurboGrafx-16 Mini.*
4. Panorama Cotton: The Cotton series is known for being a side-scrolling shooter, but Panorama Cotton was basically a rail shooter game similar to Space Harrier, but with the titular poster girl instead. It was also the only game in the Cotton series to be on the Sega Genesis. Success Corporation, the owner of the Cotton series, still exists today, but have been hardly focusing on the Cotton series until their recently proposed reboot of the series.
5. The Lost Vikings: Great companies had to start somewhere, and in Blizzard's case, that would be The Lost Vikings, which first came out in 1992 for the Sega Genesis. And it's a disappointment that it will not be one of the 40 games pre-installed on the Sega Genesis Mini because the Sega Genesis version of The Lost Vikings was the first version of the game to be released, meaning gamers will never have a piece of Blizzard's history.
6. Pulseman: Pulseman was a Sega Genesis title developed by Game Freak. It did not get enough attention from anywhere outside Japan because North America could only obtain the game through the Sega Channel. Being a non-Pokemon title developed by Game Freak before the release of the Pokemon series as a whole, the absence of Pulseman would be a disappointment, given that it was part of Game Freak's history before Pokemon. But then again, the game's titular protagonist did not show up in any Sega Superstars titles because of licensing complications involving Game Freak, and said licensing issues could have prevented Pulseman from being re-released on the Japanese version of the Sega Genesis Mini.
7. Ristar: Perhaps the biggest disappointment would be leaving out Ristar from the Sega Genesis Mini. There are some people who would like Ristar to be re-released on the Sega Genesis Mini, but Ristar will not be among the 40 pre-installed games featured on the Sega Genesis Mini.
Other games that did not make the cut that were not featured in this comic:
Flicky: Before the likes of Sonic and Alex Kidd, Flicky was the unofficial mascot of Sega. Nowadays, he has always been a minor Sonic character. On top of that, 2019 marks the 35th anniversary of Flicky's arcade debut, and the Sega Genesis version of Flicky not being listed on the Sega Genesis Mini's game lineup is not the right way to mark Flicky's 35th anniversary, and that is excluding the Game no Kanzume Otokuyou version included with the Japanese and East Asian versions of the Sega Genesis Mini.
Streets of Rage 1 and 3: All versions of the Sega Genesis Mini will have Streets of Rage 2, but not the first and third installments of the Streets of Rage series? It would make more sense if all three Streets of Rage games are on the list.
Phantasy Star 2 and 3: Like Streets of Rage 2, Phantasy Star 4 will be on all versions of the Sega Genesis Mini, but Phantasy Star 2 and 3 gets left out from all versions? What's the point?
Earthworm Jim 2: Earthworm Jim has a sequel, but it gets left out?
Ecco: The Tides of Time: Ecco the Dolphin also had a sequel, and it is also getting left out?
Rocket Knight Adventures and Sparkster: Rocket Knight Adventures and its sequel were well acclaimed games from Konami, and the opossum hero from these two games was well-liked. But bad decision making from Konami, and both games being omitted from the Sega Genesis Mini means players will not have a chance to see Sparkster again.
*Note: As of 2020, Edia now owns the rights to Telenet's entire game catalogue after purchasing it from City Connection, who somehow acquired the rights from Sunsoft.
Update: Ristar is now available on the Sega Genesis Mini 2, but not featured in the Japanese version, though.
