SEGA is releasing its official Genesis (or Mega Drive, for UK folks) emulator next week, and with it you'll be able to play your favorite games in a faithfully recreated early '90s bedroom, complete with CRT TV and SEGA memorabilia.
You can even navigate a virtual shelf stocked with virtual boxes of SEGA games.
The emulator works as a hub for all of your SEGA content, and any classic SEGA games you've already purchased in Steam will be imported to the Hub automatically.
The biggest news about this release is that SEGA will allow users to mod games via the Steam Workshop. There's no information about what can and can't be modified in a game, but we expect players will be able to add their own backgrounds and textures at the very least. We hope other companies take note, and allow gamers to legally modify and distribute assets for their games.
Game on
The Hub won't be a single-player affair, as it will allow local co-op play for supported titles. Both keyboard and controllers will be supported, so you can play the way you like. You'll also be able to save a game at any time, so you won't need to leave your virtual Genesis on all night to keep your place.
To get the SEGA MEGA Drive Hub update, you have to have one of the following games installed:
- 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
Interested in more gaming? Check out our analysis of the SEGA Dreamcast, which pioneered bridging the gap between console and PC way before Windows 10 and Xbox One.
