2016 has had a decidedly retro feel to it when it comes to entertainment.
Pokemon is all the rage again, Robot Wars is back on TV, Ghostbusters was one of the biggest summer blockbusters, and now we’ve (sort of) got a Sega/Nintendo console war in the run-up to Christmas.
The House of Mario announced just last week that they’re re-releasing seminal 80s console the NES, with 30 classic games pre-installed. But your nostalgia fix doesn’t end there, as old rival SEGA will be resurrecting the mighty Mega Drive at around the same time. FIGHT.
To tie in with the 25th anniversary of mascot Sonic the Hedgehog – who is also making an old-school comeback this year – the mini Mega Drive will come loaded with a whopping 80 games, including Alex Kidd and the first three Sonic, Mortal Kombat and Golden Axe titles.
Unlike the NES, which will only let you play the (admittedly pretty good) collection of games it ships with, the 2016 Mega Drive supports original cartridges as well. So if you’ve still got any of your old collection lying around this thing could keep you occupied well into 2017.
Sega are also chucking two wireless controllers in the box, which makes the £49.99 asking price look very reasonable. There are a few downsides, though. While the NES will be able to plug into your TV’s HMDI port, the Mega Drive will required old-fashioned composite cables. There’s no save support either: if you want enjoy 80s games, you’re going to have to suffer like 80s gamers.
A handheld console will launch alongside the living room version with the same collection of games and an SD slot. One of these little beauties will also set you back £49.99.
Both machines are out in October and available to pre-order from funstockretro.co.uk right now. We’ve already caved – those gold rings aren’t going to collect themselves, are they?
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