While the barrage of new titles is exciting, it isn’t all good news. Mega Drive and Genesis titles, along with Saturn and Dreamcast classics, have this month been pulled from online stores.
If you already owned the titles, they’re still in your library. But Steam/PC and Xbox Series owners in particular have been subjected to a vast delisting, taking away the potential to own some bona fide SEGA retro classics. (PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch have been limited to delisting of the SEGA Genesis Classics collection, which remains available in physical form.) There doesn’t seem to have been any titles pulled from the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack, which features a good selection of SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive games.
As to why the titles have been pulled, it isn’t entirely clear. Some suspect it is due to SEGA’s publicly-shared intention to revive classic franchises. Having seen what Digital Eclipse did with Atari 50 and Tetris Forever, however, I suspect repacking the games with a collection of video “extras” might be closer to the truth.
| 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 |
| Crazy Taxi |
| Decap Attack |
| Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine |
| Dreamcast Collection Bundle |
| Dynamite Headdy |
| Ecco Jr. |
| Ecco the Dolphin |
| Ecco: The Tides of Time |
| ESWAT: City Under Siege |
| Eternal Champions |
| Fatal Labyrinth |
| Flicky |
| Galaxy Force II |
| Gain Ground |
| Golden Axe |
| Golden Axe II |
| Golden Axe III |
| Gunstar Heroes |
| Jet Set Radio |
| Kid Chameleon |
| Landstalker: The Treasures of King Nole |
| Light Crusader |
| Mega Drive and Genesis Classic Bundle |
| NiGHTS into Dreams |
| Phantasy Star II |
| Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom |
| Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium |
| Ristar |
| SEGA Bass Fishing |
| Shadow Dancer |
| Shining Force |
| Shining Force II |
| Shining in the Darkness |
| Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master |
| Sonic 3D Blast |
| Sonic Spinball |
| Space Channel 5: Part 2 |
| Space Harrier II |
| Streets of Rage |
| Streets of Rage 2 |
| Streets of Rage 3 |
| Super Thunder Blade |
| Sword of Vermilion |
| The Revenge of Shinobi |
| ToeJam & Earl |
| ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkoton |
| VectorMan |
| VectorMan 2 |
| Virtua Fighter 2 |
| Wonder Boy in Monster World |
| Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair |
The full list of delisted classic SEGA titles can be found on the SEGA website.
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Christian Cawley is a writer and editor who covers consumer electronics, IT, and entertainment media. He has written for publications such as Computer Weekly, Linux Format, MakeUseOf.com, and Tech Radar.
He also produces podcasts, has a cigar box guitar, and of course, loves retro gaming.