High school gaming flashback.

I grew up playing games on my Commodore 64, but when I was in high school, my game system of choice was a Sega Genesis. The graphics were incredible (for the time) and the games were great.

A few weeks ago, I purchased a Sega Genesis Mini. It’s a miniature replica of the Sega Genesis I had in the early 1990s. It comes with an assortment of 42 games. The controllers feel the same — except they connect via USB now. The replica is so small, that we easily took it to the beach last weekend and played it in the evening at the hotel.

All the great games. Included with the Genesis mini are some of my favorite games… Sonic, Sonic 2, Streets of Rage 2, Castle of Illusion, Columns, Street Fighter and more. The only game that I really miss is NHL Hockey, but I’m sure licensing made it impossible to include with the bundle.
The right feel. Sonic the Hedgehog was my favorite game at the time. I’ve had it on my iPhone for a while, but without the controllers, it didn’t feel right. These are the controllers that Sonic was designed for — and playing with the right controllers makes a massive difference.
Flashback. It’s funny. I haven’t played most of these games in 20 years. But I still remember many of the tricks. I also get stuck in the same spots that I got stuck on when I used to play them. It’s an odd sort of deja vu.

We’ve never had a game console as a family and the kids are loving it, too. Especially Streets of Rage 2 — that game is still a blast and the kids love it.

Bob Wertz writes about design, technology and pop culture at Sketchbook B. Bob is a Columbia, South Carolina-based designer, researcher, college instructor, husband and dad. He’s particularly obsessed with typography, the creative process and the tools we use to create.