Sega has announced an emulator for the Sega Mega Drive (Sega Genesis in the United States), titled Sega Mega Drive Classics Hub. As detailed on the Sega United Kingdom website, the Sega Mega Drive Classics Hub will launch on April 28 via Steam as a free update. Access to the hub itself will be free for players who own one of any of the Sega Mega Drive Classic titles available on Steam, as listed below. Sega has also confirmed via Twitter that the update will also be coming to America, despite the region-specific title of the announcement.
The Sega Mega Drive Classics Hub itself puts the player into a 3D environment of a Sega fan’s bedroom in the early nineties. The player can then boot up the in-game CRT TV, choose the game they want to play off a virtual shelf, and load up the Mega Drive to start playing.
The Sega Mega Drive Classics Hub will feature local co-op for supported games, optional graphic enhancement filters, the ability to save at any point during gameplay, and full controller and keyboard support. All Mega Drive games will also have Steam Workshop support, allowing players to create and share mods of the retro games. Purchasing any of the following titles will grant access to the hub.
- Golden Axe
- Altered Beast
- Comix Zone
- Ecco the Dolphin
- Gain Ground
- Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master
- Vectorman
- Crack Down
- Shadow Dancer
- Space Harrier II
- Ecco Jr.
- Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle
- Bonanza Bros.
- Super Thunder Blade
- Kid Chameleon
- Ristar
- Galaxy Force II
- Columns
- Eternal Champions
- Fatal Labyrinth
- Bio-Hazard Battle
- Columns III
- Sword of Vermilion
- Virtua Fighter 2
- Ecco: The Tides of Time
- Alien Storm
- Decap Attack
- Flicky
- ESWAT: City Under Siege
- Golden Axe II
- Landstalker: The Treasures of King Nole
- Shining Force
- Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair
- Streets of Rage 2
- Alien Soldier
- Light Crusader
- Gunstar Heroes
- Streets of Rage
- Shining Force II
- Shining in the Darkness
- Beyond Oasis
- Dynamite Headdy
- Golden Axe III
- Phantasy Star II
- Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom
- Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium
- Streets of Rage 3
- Revenge of the Shinob
- Vectorman 2
- Wonder Boy in Monster World