Mario sucks (Sega Megadrive)

Member Name: heynonnynonny

Product:	Sega Megadrive
Date:	21/10/09 (13 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Sexy machine

Disadvantages: Nothing, price at time was a disadvantage to my parents tho ha!!

I am the proud owner of the Mega Drive version 1, not to mention the other Segas, also have the Mega CD still. Cool? I thought I was the coolest kid in class owning these.

Mega Drive was Sega's third console. It was a the first ever 16 bit console released in Japan in 1988 and in America in 1989. It was released in the rest of the world in 1990. It had the name Genesis in North America (apparently because Sega was unable to secure the rights to the Mega Drive name. So now you know!).

It has sold over 29 million units worldwide thus making it Segas best selling console, quite rightly too.

The story=
My first experience of the Mega Drive would have been aged around 8 or 9 I believe, I was overwhelmed by the thick instruction manual, and also the £140 price tag (still have the receipt somewhere), the thick black plastic exterior, and my Master System was duly unplugged and therefore began my affair with this 16 bit beast of a machine.

I've read there are roughly 914 games ever released on this console. Some of my faves include Goldenaxe, Flashback, Ghouls and Ghosts, Stryder, could go on forever but this is not a games review. There are games for every taste, but of course the most famous one is Sega's character Sonic the Hedgehog which was in direct competition with Nintendo's Mario character, I proudly wore my 'Mario sucks!' badge with pride back in the day free with 'Sega Power' magazine. The Mega Drive boasted better graphics and sound than it's rival anyway.

There were a number of add ons for this machine.

I owned the 6 button joypads, which provided instant advantages in such games as Streetfighter and Mortal Kombat upon which there were 6 basic actions. So I liked this one. Easier than using the standard 3 button controller.

I owned the Mega CD (version 1 as my Mega Drive was version 1). The first version of the Mega CD sits underneath the Mega Drive console and loads CDs via a motorised tray. The release was 1993, and the first version is far superior to the 2nd as in version 1 they sit on top of each other but the 2nd version they sit side by side. Sonic CD is a must buy for this major add on. Only 200,000 of these ever sold and faded away in 1996.

The Sega 32X allows the user to play technically superior 32-bit games on the Mega Drive. It was released in 1994 in Japan (after the release of the Sega Saturn in that region) and North America and 1995 in Europe. The 32X plugs into the Mega Drive's cartridge slot and the game cartridges are then plugged into the 32X.

Processor= Motorola M68000 16 bit processor
running at 7.67Mhz
Memory= 64 Kb RAM
20 Kb ROM
Display Palette= 512
Onscreen colours= 64
Maximum onscreen sprites= 80
Resolution =320 x 224
Sound= Yamaha YM2612 6 channel FM.
Additional 4 channel PSG
Ports separate R.F aerial and R.G.B outputs
(AUX connector - Megadrive 1 only),
stereo headphone jack (original model only)
9 pin EXT port (Early original model only)

Purchase one off eBay. Play it. If you own one do not sell it!!
Thank you :D

Summary: To own it is to love it