Here are two that I almost forgot about brought to you by RetroGames. TheC64 Mini, which is a mini console of the Commodore 64. Unfortunately the keyboard doesn't actually work but you can plug in a real keyboard if you need to. They since released one with a working keyboard but it's the same size as a real Commodore 64 so that defeats the purpose for me. Overall, it's an interesting console but this is way before my time and I didn't enjoy the games as much as I'd hoped as many of them weren't as polished. This is more a product of its time and not the fault of the company that created the mini console which did a fantastic job. Something really awesome was RetroGames released an official firmware update that allows you to add your own games via USB stick!


The same company is also releasing an Amiga A500 mini which I've already pre-ordered and look forward to owning. The games on this system look amazing and you're able to add your own games to it as well. Can't wait.

So last but definitely not least, SEGA knocked everything out of the park with their offering. The SEGA Genesis Classic Mini. This thing is awesome. Great default library of games. It comes with two 3 button controllers but I also ended up buying two 6 button controllers that they released officially. By default, this system comes with Alex Kidd, Altered Beast, Beyond Oasis, Castle of Illusion, Columns, Castlevania Bloodlines, Comix Zone, Contra hard Corps, Darius, Dr. Robotnik's Mean bean Machine, Earthworm Jim, Ecco the Dolphin, Eternal Champions, Ghouls 'n Ghosts, Golden Axe, Gunstar Heroes, Kid Chameleon, Mega Man Wily Wars, Phantasy Star IV, Shining Force, Shinobi III, Road Rash II, Thunder Force III, ToeJam and Earl, Tetris, Strider, Super Fantasy Zone, Street Fighter II: Champion Edition, Sonic 1 and 2, etc.



They also have a Japanese version which I ended up getting, too. AKA the SEGA Mega Drive Classic Mini. They also did a UK/EU version but I opted to skip that one this time.


Now one of the most hilarious and cool things that do absolutely nothing but look neat was this... the Mini Tower of Power. Too sweet to be sour. Sure it doesn't do anything, but I had to have it. The MEGA-CD, the 32X, the funky adapter that lets you play as Knuckles and a mini replica of a Sonic cartridge.



Now SEGA wasn't done there. They ended up doing mini consoles of the Game Gear, too. A portable portable? How can it go wrong? Well... Enter the Game Gear Micro. This console is cute but far from practical. I bought the 4 pack which comes with 4 different Game Gear Micros, a magnifier and they each have a few games. They're so small, it's largely unplayable. This is one of the few I regret buying. SEGA eventually released a white one, too, but I skipped it.

Seriously what am I supposed to do with this?


Then SEGA released a mini version of their arcade systems. The Astro City Arcade Mini which I had to jump on. I bought this and a couple of controllers.


SEGA released a second Astro City Arcade console that has mostly vertical shooters with the screen rotated and also TAITO released a mini arcade that has a series of their arcade classics but I have yet to pick these up. Not sure if I will. Might be good for now but would definitely get more if Nintendo and SEGA do more. Nintendo hinted at doing more and SEGA says the Dreamcast Mini or Saturn Mini could be a thing at some point.

Some video reviews (You can pretty much ignore most of the info where it says they wish it had this game or that game because like I said, there are ways to add certain games, also the complaints about short cables on the NES, you can get an extension cable for a couple bucks):

NES Mini

SNES Mini

TurboGrafX Mini

SEGA Genesis Mini (One of the kings and top mini consoles in my book)

NEO GEO Mini (A fair review)

AtGames Atari Flashback X

Wow. Epic. I didn't know about half of these. I never really got into the Neo Geo back in the day but I might try it out. Guess I missed the train on some of them but thankful I got the Nintendos and the Sega in mini replica form. Like I said for me it's more about the games these days. It would be nice to own some of the rare games but I also want to play them and this makes it affordable or at least it was. They are getting more and more in demand on the secondary market. If I don't find the games fun then it doesn't matter if it's the old cartridge and console from 1980 or the new replica from 2022. It has to be worth playing for it to be worth keeping for me.

I know that's just me though because I know a lot of people who don't care about playing the games and just want the cartridges and systems of old and that's okay too if you just want it for memory sake. I get also wanting to hold onto your old systems. I know some people like to go out and buy a used one with some used games just to try for 5 minutes and then it collects dust but with these replicas now I don't get the appeal of getting a used system and cartridges or CDs because they aren't that cheap to buy and unless you're a collector who appreciates the packaging or the hardware or a big time gamer who likes retro gaming these replicas make more sense to me. I feel like if you don't like the games you don't like the games. It doesn't matter if you play it on the old machine or the new one. For me unless you find an old machine and some games at a garage sale for cheap it is not worth the trouble or money if it will ultimately collect dust in your closet.

How does one go about "adding" games to something like NES Classic?

I'll PM you on it as it is best.

OK, I'm back from My little hiatus Wow Acid, thanks for the pics and explaining it all in good detail I watch all the vids too as I wanted to get every angle of it as I could. I have 3 arcade game replicas with only 1 game in each I got back in their days that I may showcase later on down the road that is nothing like these but looks similar like the NEOGEO one. Hold on one minute Acid....

OSN - Oh I know what your talking about and I feel proud that I own the originals and stuff but its just not about collectibles, its about the history of the first ones and that I wanna play again

Now back to you Acid, I replied to OSN because what I'm gonna say goes hand in hand here, I can clearly see how cool these are and I can also tell how you and others are that these just ain't for fun of nostalgia but also their big pieces for collectors as well. Something like this says different to Me however. Two things to Me is important which is I have discussed things in a similar nature before in My topics. 1. If you never got the original systems and never played them before and always wanted to then these appear to be a great choice to get to make up for all that time. 2. If you are a parent and want to share and teach your kid(s) or whomever of the experiences and history you know, I say this because if all of our nostalgia goes under and history forgets it then...well, that's what I trying to prevent with a lot of My stuff. Believe Me if I had kids this is what I would do, teach them all of the greatness of the past and these minis is one way of doing it

Now it doesn't take a lot to make Me happy and I'm definitely not like that one guy in the Sega vid saying about "oh, your only gonna play Eternal Champions once". These critics For one, it may not be the best but it's got some advantages over other fighters just like SNK's beat'em ups! May not be the best but boy they sure are fun alternatives. With that being said, I am a bit of pickle sometimes and with these minis, I'm not seeing a huge amount of rare games and especially the ones that has only been released once. Only the Turbo Grafx & NEOGEO are the ones that really stand out to Me as I always wanted them systems but never got'em back in the day and have only played a handful of them titles on Virtual Console. The others seem like most of them titles has been on the other systems like Wii U, Xbox & PS. There is so much that is missing over the years and this has always a major issue with Me and I don't care what the issue is, its been decades and nothing can be done...yeah right. Games like many of the NES titles that I showed in My recent showcase like Karnov, it only had one rare PC release and it's never had the proper next gen/current gen release, Cobra Triangle & NARC, all of the classic WWF NES & SNES/Genesis games. I love that Tower of Power one, I love the 32X but it has never got anything ever since of any kind of release and it had some great and unusual games there. The SNES mini could have had the Castlevania X game too which it is like the most expensive game & rarest ever, that would have been a very attractive selling point there because even though you can get it digitally on the Wii U's Virtual Console, not everybody gave that great but poor misunderstood system a chance and Konami didn't provide it on their Castlevania set which was such a missed opportunity as it would have been huge for players that always wanted to play it I mean there's others like Turtles in Time and the other TMNT games, Batman Returns SNES (a great beat'em up), Alien vs. Predator SNES (another great beat'em up), T2 the Arcade Game, Super Double Dragon, Battletoads & Double Dragon, After Burner, Dynamite Duke, Drakkhen, Joe & Mac, the original Lemmings, Superman NES & SNES, Marvel's Total Carnage, NBA Jam, MK 1 - 3, Godzilla NES & SNES, Super Star Wars Trilogy I mean they only released the first one on PS4 and I was like why in the heck did they do that...so foolish I mean I hate complaining about things but when you loved that stuff for s o long and then you see how cool the current systems are and see how all of the options are you want that treatment for the other ones too. When Star Fox 2 was advertised for the SNES mini it was a bit tempting even though it was only for 1 game I really wanted as it was never released before but that's when I had moolah, things are different now unfortunately These systems cost a bit and especially if your a collector, the prices will build up. It would be sweet to somehow get these games to buy & download at additional prices, that wouldn't be a biggie to Me cause they are an option, is all you gotta do it buy'em but if somebody is tech·ie like you Acid may there maybe a way to put even them rarest game son there

All of the other stuff you showed Me was cool but only the Commodore 64 one had a bit of My interest because that's was My Mom's original system and that's how I became a gamer at such a young age

One system that they haven't made yet and that I would really be tempting to get would be an Atari Jaguar mini, I always wanted the original system and let Me tell ya, if it has Doom & Alien vs. Predator then I'm pretty sold on that

Well, that's it. I'm glad you provided Me in all that detail and stuff Acid, that was really cool and I learned a lot that didn't know, thanks dude

You know, theC64 Mini is still available at retail like Amazon and Walmart for a reasonable price. It wasn't as popular as the other minis which ended up selling out quickly. The good thing about theC64 Mini is that the ability to add games is built in. You just stick any game you want on a thumb drive and plug it into the system. Many of the Commodore 64 games are public domain now so you can download them safely and legally from many sources (always try to use a reputable source). Might be something you want to look into someday. There's no complicated process like with some of the other Minis.

I'd be one of the first in line for an Atari Jaguar Mini. Heck I'm not sure why there's no Atari 5200 Flashback yet. I would also love any other SEGA Mini like the Saturn or Dreamcast or an N64 Mini.

Sounds great Acid, ya never know, I might Oh yes, a Sega Saturn mini would be awesome, I always wanted the original one and yes a mini N64 would be too, now I know for a fact how wonderful that system was

Here is some cool stuff I posted in My original Video Game topic which I believe it got WAY OVER LOOKED This isn't the whole thing, just part of it so take a gander at it

BrandonDaCollector wrote:Little bonus till I get things together for My next update which will be soon. Here be a classic ad of Ultra Games (Konami) for the NES from 1989 that I recently found in storage. Look at all that wonderful game history especially for TMNT & Metal Gear! Gosh those were the days to be a kid and gamer, nothin' beats that

BrandonDaCollector wrote:So it was in the great year of 1989, matter of fact one of the last great years period I got a special Strategy set that consist of a classic VHS tape & a cool guide for the original Nintendo Entertainment System or NES My Grandma got them for Me when I was at school via their nice Scholastic catalog (I got some really good things then so school wasn't as bad as it could've been, actually come to think of, there was actually some fun times to be honest.

OK, now this was during a time when video games were video games, no cinematic theatrics & easy button configurations, you actually played them with no cheating or looking up on the web cause there WAS NO WEB until sometime later! Sure, you could ask your friends about how to beat a game if their into the same ones as you if your lucky or you could get that awesome & fun Game Genie by Codemasters, Camerica & Galoob and pop your game into that device for those easy missions or you could just use that password if your title allowed it... in other words, the player would have to be skilled and actually play the game to defeat it! So, having these wonderful video game essentials was really cool back then and really beats looking the info up on the net like has been over the past two decades and and a half already.

I still have My NES and play not as often I should. During the year of 1989 and the entire existence of the NES was one of the absolute best times to be a kid not to mention being a gamer, unfortunately today's generation has clue how great it was then but I feel very fortunate to have experienced it first hand

So with all of that being said, this might be one of the most obscure NES items presentation you may find on the web and sadly there isn't many people that talk about this sort of thing anymore or at least on forums which is one of the reasons why I wanted to showcase this special set of Mine

FRONT COVERS: Look at that coolness, designs and the game selections!




A look at the VHS Covers in Detail: This was made by Kodak of all companies It was huge for Me with Simon's Quest & Double Dragon but wow Andre the Giant vs. the Million Dollar Man Ted Dibase in WWF Wrestlemania...wow did the Mega Bucks explode too This was a great looking tape and amazing selections! And no I haven't got a VCR hooked up to play this, I haven't watch this in years!




More Strategies by The Consumer Guide: Here is most of the pages in detail, look at all of that old school glory! I will commentate through each entry

Yep, great contents! Castlevania 2: Simon's Quest was such a huge game for Me because I loved the first Castlevania and I loved that new music and that concept of night & day time. Oh and Double Dragon, arguably the greatest beat'em up of all-time, so classic!



Guerrilla War was a true classic by SNK, I beat that game fair & square countless times! I never played Gyruss but I believe I played Ironsword: Wizards & Warriors II or at least the first entry and I never really gave it the light of day like I should have.

Like I said, this got over looked like a lot My stuff as it got no replies before. Did you see the cool WWF Wrestlemania there and what I said about it? Also look at Simon's Quest, Double Dragon & Guerrilla War! Now if you want to check out the rest then HEAD OVER TO MY ORIGINAL TOPIC HERE!! Just thought of posting this here as I didn't want you to miss this ultra classic set as this is pretty rare and quite obscure Let Me know what ya think of this cool NES stuff I got here