For the next 5 days Bundle Stars is having an amazing sale on classic Sega Genesis games for Steam. For about 30-50 cents (CAD) each depending on the bundle you chose you could have a virtual handful or bucket full or really excellent Sega Genesis games.
I have never used Steam before despite hearing nothing but good things about it. I thought this would be a good opportunity to try it out. So why dip in your big toe when you can just dive in. I bought all 54 Sega Genesis games that were included in this sale. And for a total of what worked out to be about $20 CAD it felt like a safe experiment.
Here’s the complete selection of games available for this promotion:
(get your scrolling finger ready!)
Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle
Alien Soldier
Alien Storm
Altered Beast
Beyond Oasis
Bio-Hazard Battle
Bonanza Bros.
Columns
Columns III
Comix Zone
Crack Down
Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine
Dynamite Headdy
Ecco Jr.
Ecco the Dolphin
Ecco: The Tides of Time
ESWAT: City Under Siege
Eternal Champions
Gain Ground
Galaxy Force II
Golden Axe
Golden Axe II
Golden Axe III
Gunstar Heroes
Kid Chameleon
Landstalker: The Treasures of King Nole
Light Crusader
Phantasy Star II
Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom
Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium
Revenge of the Shinobi
Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master
Ristar
Shining Force II
Shining in the Darkness
Sonic the Hedgehog
Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Sonic 3 and Knuckles
Sonic 3D Blast
Sonic CD
Sonic Spinball
Space Harrier II
Streets of Rage
Streets of Rage 2
Streets of Rage 3
Super Thunder Blade
Sword of Vermilion
ToeJam & Earl
ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron
Vectorman
Vectorman 2
Virtua Fighter 2
Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair
Wonder Boy in Monster World
Yeah, that’s right. There are some real heavy hitters in this collection.
The first three games I tested were Streets of Rage, Golden Axe and Phantasy Star II. Right away I noticed that there was some kind of blur effect in place to soften what would have been the natural pixelated look.
The default display setup does not use scan-lines and curves the edges of the screen to simulate an old CRT (tube) TV. I found it strange that Sega chose to default one classic trait of an old tube TV and not also use scan-lines. To me scan-lines are a much more significant feature for an authentic look.
Fortunately the ‘Sega Mega Drive & Genesis Classics’ software does allow you to make several changes. Once in the program click on the Sega Genesis and you’ll be able to turn on scan-lines and straighten the screen edges. This is by far my personal preference.
Below are some comparison screen shots. But in order to really see the different you have to click on each image and see it full size to appreciate what the effects are doing.
No Scan-line and Rounded Edges.
Scan-lines and Square Edges.
No Scan-line and Rounded Edges.
Scan-lines and Square Edges.
No Scan-line and Rounded Edges.
Scan-lines and Square Edges.
I do recommend using a joystick over the keyboard. I felt entirely incompetent on the keyboard even when playing a turned based RPG.
If you do your gaming on a Windows PC and love retro video games this sale is you should take a close look at.
A big thanks to “DESTROY ALL FANBOYS!” for giving me the heads-up on this super sale!
Retro Megabit 
Nice. Welcome to Steam! When you have the time, check out the free games there (a surprising amount) and poke into the Greenlight section to see titles indie devs are trying to get made or stuff that’s almost done that looks worth a buy once it’s been approved.
As you saw, I opted for a “mere” 20 games, but my excuse is a good one, lol…
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Oh, btw: you can change the screen settings! On the launcher page in the “game room”, click the Genesis and mess around with the settings. Scanlines, other resolutions, etc.
I missed this too, lol – there are also mod options via Steam Workshop, but I’m not messing with those yet.
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Thank you geelw! This is much better!
I updated this post to reflect what you’ve shown me. Scan-lines for the Win! 😛
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Oh, you’re welcome! Make sure to poke around the Steam Workshop for the mods. 700+ are there to check out. 😀
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