Sega Mega Drive - Nintendo Switch Online

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Sega Mega Drive - Nintendo Switch Online
System(s): Nintendo Switch
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: M2
Licensor: Sega, Konami, Capcom, Sunsoft, Extreme, Tatsujin, Interplay, Game Arts
Peripherals supported: Sega Mega Drive Control Pad for Nintendo Switch
Genre: Compilation
Number of players: 1-2
Official in-game languages: 日本語 English Français Deutsch Español Italiano Nederlands Português Русский 한국어 中文
Release Date RRP Code JP ▼ 2021-10-26 FREEfree US ▼ 2021-10-25 FREEfree DE ▼ 2021-10-26 FREEfree UK ▼ 2021-10-26 FREEfree AU ▼ 2021-10-26 FREEfree HK ▼ 2021-10-26 FREEfree KR ▼ 2021-10-26 FREEfree

Sega Mega Drive - Nintendo Switch Online, known as Sega Mega Drive for Nintendo Switch Online (セガ メガドライブ for Nintendo Switch Online) in Japan and Sega Genesis - Nintendo Switch Online in most countries from the Americas, is a download-only compilation of Sega Mega Drive games made by M2 and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. It is part of the Nintendo Switch Online series of compilations that requires an active subscription to be used (in case of this app, an Expansion Pack subscription).

Overview

After downloading it from Nintendo eShop, the player must initialize the app with the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscription plan active in its respective Nintendo Account. The app will not initialize without it, although this can be bypassed if played through unofficial methods (e.g.: Nintendo Switch emulators). Unlike the compilations based on Nintendo consoles, the Sega Mega Drive - Nintendo Switch Online app features the Sega jingle as its respective boot-up sound. After it, the player can select if the games will be played by just one person or with two players, alongside online play with another Nintendo Switch Online user. Only 2 players can be featured in online matches. Voice chat is also supported through the Nintendo Switch Online app for iOS and Android devices.

In the game selection menu, the games are represented by their cover art (or its title screen), and can be sorted by pressing (or holding) . Presets for sorting games can be set as custom, title, release date, last time played and play time. Pressing while highlighting one title makes a short description of the game (provided by Sega) to appear, but no digital instruction manual or dedicated quick guides for each game are included or featured with a link on the app itself, forcing the player to search for a digital version of such item in the Internet (Sega Retro provides instruction manuals of Mega Drive games scanned by contributors in digital format).

In "Settings", three video filters can be applied through the menu: 4:3, Pixel Perfect and CRT (scanlines). Select regional variants of certain games that are not in Japanese are also featured in the app, including the Korean versions of both The Story of Thor and Soleil. This option is not available in the Japanese version of the app. Using the Sega Mega Drive Control Pad for Nintendo Switch or Sega Mega Drive Fighting Pad 6B while in the Menu makes several sound effects from Sonic the Hedgehog 2 to be heard.

While in-game, the player can summon a menu (by pressing ) to access special functions that can save and load restore points (up to 5), soft reset the game and a quick control guide, represented by the Joy-Cons. The player can use a rewind feature that can go back through select frames by holding + as well.

List of Games

Unlike with other compilations, the game selection is made by Nintendo rather than Sega themselves. The game line-up seems to be a mix between titles that were featured in previous projects that were done by Sega in Japan, such as Virtual Console, Mega Drive Mini and Mega Drive Mini 2, minus the games based on licensed proprieties such as Hokuto no Ken: Shin Seikimatsu Kyuuseishu Densetsu, Yuu Yuu Hakusho: Makyou Toitsusen and World of Illusion. Compared with Mega Drive Mini 2, it does not feature any Sega Mega-CD titles, as this compilation debuted a year earlier than the device itself and Nintendo did not confirm if Mega-CD titles will be available with future updates after October 2022.

• Alien Soldier (2022)
• Alien Storm (2022)
• Alisia Dragoon (2022)
• Altered Beast (2021)
• Castlevania: Bloodlines (2021)
• Columns (2022)
• Comix Zone (2022)
• Contra: Hard Corps (2021)
• Crusader of Centy (2023)
• Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine (2021)
• Dynamite Headdy (2021)
• Earthworm Jim (2022)
• Ecco the Dolphin (No results?)
• Flicky (2023)
• Ghouls'n Ghosts (2023)
• Golden Axe (2021)
• Golden Axe II (2022)
• Gunstar Heroes (2021)
• Kid Chameleon (2023)
• Landstalker: The Treasures of King Nole (2023)
• Light Crusader (2022)
• M.U.S.H.A. (2021)
• Mega Man: The Wily Wars (2022)
• Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium (2021)
• Pulseman (2023)
• Puyo Puyo (2021)
• The Revenge of Shinobi (2023)
• Ristar (2021)
• Shining Force (2021)
• Shining Force II (2022)
• Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master (2021)
• Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2021)
• Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball (2022)
• Space Harrier II (2022)
• The Story of Thor: A Successor of the Light (2022)
• Street Fighter II': Special Champion Edition (2023)
• Streets of Rage 2 (2021)
• Strider (2021)
• Super Fantasy Zone (2022)
• Sword of Vermilion (2021)
• Target Earth (2022)
• Thunder Force II (2021)
• ToeJam & Earl (No results?)
• Virtua Fighter 2 (2022)
• Zero Wing (2022)

Versions

As with all Nintendo Switch Online compilations, there's two different versions of the Sega Mega Drive - Nintendo Switch Online app: One meant to be used only in Japan plus Hong Kong and another one to be used worldwide. The differences lies between the menu and the multiple languages of certain games included in the app.

Different games may also be included between regional variants. In case of the Sega Mega Drive - Nintendo Switch Online app, the only different games between Japan and Western versions are Puyo Puyo and Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine.

The International version of the app varies the title, HOME Menu icon and menu backgrounds between languages in the system:

• British English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese and Brazilian Portuguese languages uses the European title and HOME Menu icon;
• Japanese, American English, Canadian French, Latin Spanish, Chinese (both variants) and Taiwanese languages uses the American title and HOME Menu icon;
• The Korean language uses the European title and the Japanese HOME Menu icon, alongside the white background motif from the Japanese version;
• The Russian language uses an unique name and HOME Menu icon that strips the word "Mega Drive", based in the European mode. Nintendo did this due to the "Mega Drive" word being a trademark registered by New Game rather than Sega.

The Japanese version of the app varies the name but not the HOME Menu Icon between languages in the system: All languages bar Chinese (both variants) uses the Japanese title and HOME Menu icon (the black background from International versions are not included). Both variants of Chinese uses the European title, but everything else is based in the Japanese version, including some game titles being left out in Japanese.

Localised names

Also known as

Language	Localised Name	English Translation
English	SEGA Mega Drive - Nintendo Switch Online	SEGA Mega Drive - Nintendo Switch Online
English (US)	SEGA Genesis - Nintendo Switch Online	SEGA Genesis - Nintendo Switch Online
Japanese	セガ メガドライブ for Nintendo Switch Online	Sega Mega Drive for Nintendo Switch Online
Russian	16-битная классика от SEGA – Nintendo Switch Online	16-bit classics from SEGA – Nintendo Switch Online

Version history

Main article: Sega Mega Drive - Nintendo Switch Online/Changelog.

System	Version	Size	Date	Comment	Ref	Icon
	0000020000060000000000000000002.6.0	145MB 101MB (JP)	202304192023-04-19
	0000010000000000000000000000001.0.0	86MB 83MB (JP)	202110262021-10-26

Artwork

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  HOME Menu icon (EU)

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  HOME Menu icon (US)

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  HOME Menu icon (JP)

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  HOME Menu icon (RU)

External links

• Official website (Japanese)