Sega Genesis

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About

Sega Genesis is a 16-bit video game console originally released in the late 1980s by Sega Enterprises, which is widely known for popularizing the Sonic the Hedgehog series. In 2016, the Brazilian toy manufacturer Tectoy began selling a licensed replica of the Sega Genesis system.

History

In the early 1980s, Sega Enterprises succeeded as a top arcade game manufacturer in the United States. In 1983, Sega released the SG-1000 home video game console, which was subsequently replaced by the Sega Master System in 1985. In 1988, the Sega Mega Drive was released in Japan. The following year, the same console was released in North American, renamed Sega Genesis.

Sonic the Hedgehog

On June 23rd, 1991, the 2D platform game Sonic the Hedgehog^[5] was released on the Sega Genesis^[6] video game console, in which the character assumes the role of the title character Sonic who runs through various levels to defeat the villain Dr. Robotnik (shown below).

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2016 Re-release

In November 2016, the Brazilian toy manufacturer Tectoy^[1] began taking pre-orders for a special edition replica of the Sega Genesis for $125 USD, which would come with a cartridge slot and an SD card preloaded with 22 games. As part of the initial shipments, the company announced they would not be taking international orders. In the coming days, several news sites published articles about the re-release, including Geek,^[2] The Daily What^[3] and CNET.^[4] On November 8th, YouTuber ReviewTechUSA released a video about the Sega Genesis replica (shown below).

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Online Presence

On October 26th, 2009, the /r/SEGA^[5] subreddit was launched for discussions about the various Sega consoles. On December 8th, 2010, the /r/SegaGenesis subreddit was created for discussions about the Sega Genesis console specifically. On December 6th, 2012, the /r/Megadrive^[7] subreddit was launched as part of the Retro Gaming network on Reddit. On December 7th, 2013, YouTuber WatchMojo.com posted a video ranking the "Top 10 Sega Genesis Games" (shown below, left). On August 23rd, 2014, YouTuber Tom Long uploaded a montage of Sega Genesis commercials from the early 1990s (shown below, right).

On February 17th, 2015, The Game Theorists YouTube channel uploaded a video comparing the Sega Genesis to the Super Nintendo (shown below, left). On April 11th, the DidYouKnowGaming? channel posted a video about the history of the Sega Genesis (shown below, right). On the website Emulator.online,^[8] several Sega Genesis titles are available to be played using an embedded emulator within a web browser.

Michael Jackson Sprite

The Michael Jackson Sprite is the 16-bit 2D character modeled after the late entertainer Michael Jackson from the Sega Genesis game Moonwalker (shown below).

Outrun

Outrun is a 1980s-themed retrofuturistic visual art and music style associated with the electronic genres electro, synthwave, futuresynth, new retrowave and vaporwave. The style is named after the iconic 1986 arcade racing game Out Run, which was popularized with a release for the Sega Genesis console.