IsaacPlaystation321 Posted March 11, 2013 Share Posted March 11, 2013 Why does Sega's 16-bit console have two different names because of the North America and Europe versions? In America, it's called the Genesis and in Europe, it's called the Mega Drive. Why couldn't they just give it the same name all over the world? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jgm4789 Posted March 11, 2013 Share Posted March 11, 2013 Its because another company held the rights to the name megadrive, and sega were unable to secure the rights at the time. Its the same reason the biohazard series was renamed resident evil when they're released in the EU and US. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Game Over Man Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 Hahahaha, I always wondered the same thing. Now I know! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BostonDubah Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 I'll always remember the system as the Sega Genesis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyanide Breath Mint Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 3 second Google search says: "The Sega Genesis is a home video game console released on October 29, 1988 by Sega as the Mega Drive (メガドライブ Mega Doraibu?), the name it is known as outside North America. The reason for the two names is that Sega was unable to secure legal rights to the Mega Drive name in North America. As a fourth-generation console, the Sega Genesis is Sega's third console and the successor to the Sega Master System with which it has backward compatibility when the separately sold Power Base Converter is installed." It's in the very first paragraph: Sega Genesis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BEER MONSTER Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 Don't know if anyone played Buck Rogers on the Megadrive. I was going through my old games a while back and I came across it, I remember playing it non stop when it came out and looking back at it now, it really was the Mass Effect of its day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ModularPaper421 Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 The Mega Drive was the first console I had and really loved. Toejam & Earl, Streets of Rage and Altered Beast - oh yeah! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hilly Posted January 12, 2014 Share Posted January 12, 2014 I'm from the UK so have always known it as the Sega Megadrive and I never realised that the Genesis was the US version, I thought it was a different system entirely. After all these years I have finally been educated lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vegetollo7 Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 So many great memories of me and my brother playing Genesis back in the day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrakoV5 Posted February 2, 2014 Share Posted February 2, 2014 I'm from the UK so have always known it as the Sega Megadrive and I never realised that the Genesis was the US version, I thought it was a different system entirely. After all these years I have finally been educated lol  I had an imported Super Famicom  Named Super Nintendo in the UK. Famicom was named way to close to a females contraceptive though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiberius Posted February 2, 2014 Share Posted February 2, 2014 Its because another company held the rights to the name megadrive, and sega were unable to secure the rights at the time. Its the same reason the biohazard series was renamed resident evil when they're released in the EU and US. I never knew that, interesting stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MabdullahK Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 Mega drive was a great console...wish sega still made consoles :/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GearsOfTheDead Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 The Genesis was pretty awesome even though I was a Nintendo fan. I played quite a few games for it and Streets of Rage is one of my favorite 16-bit series. I never knew the reason for the two names, good to know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sosayaze Posted April 12, 2014 Share Posted April 12, 2014 I'm still proud to have my Mega Drive out on show, even if it is getting a bit sick and giving weird video display. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Last DJ Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 (edited) Sega Megadrive games are still very sort after. I go to car boots to look for them as certain ones reach silly money. I used to have one but when I moved I didn't have space for it so had to get rid of it. Edited May 4, 2014 by The Last DJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuiltyAsSin163 Posted August 14, 2014 Share Posted August 14, 2014 lol for all my years a always wondered why it had two different names so this was a good read, thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viper Posted August 15, 2014 Share Posted August 15, 2014 Ahh the Genesis...my second major console I owned as a kid (first was the NES), a lot of great times on that console. I always preferred it to the SNES which my brother had. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redhawk44109 Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 Ahh the Genesis...my second major console I owned as a kid (first was the NES), a lot of great times on that console. I always preferred it to the SNES which my brother had. ahhh the sega genesis i still have my model one almost 25 years later it still works to this day [ATTACH]7524[/ATTACH] this is a picture of my model 1 sega with my wii and ps3 taz in escape from mars is in the console Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyBumBean Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 Got my megadrive in 1992 and still got it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shanehi185 Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 I'm from the UK so have always known it as the Sega Megadrive and I never realised that the Genesis was the US version, I thought it was a different system entirely. After all these years I have finally been educated lol Im the exact opposite, had no idea Genesis = Megadrive lol. Used to love playing Streets of Rage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martain2 Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 I knew the reason it had two different names but didn't know, as Wikipedia seems to suggest, that Mega Drive was the original name and had to be changed for North America, I always assumed it was the other way round. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janne-da-arc24 Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 (edited) Its because another company held the rights to the name megadrive, and sega were unable to secure the rights at the time. Its the same reason the biohazard series was renamed resident evil when they're released in the EU and US. Wow!!! I never knew that. Thank you for the info : Edit: Wait I'm confused...at least for Biohazard, didn't the same company (Capcom) release the game in both countries? (Japan and America). They couldn't get the rights to their own game? Same with the Sega Genesis. Can anyone explain? Thanks Edited February 17, 2015 by janne-da-arc24 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kinjall Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 (edited) Edit: Wait I'm confused...at least for Biohazard, didn't the same company (Capcom) release the game in both countries? (Japan and America). They couldn't get the rights to their own game? Same with the Sega Genesis. Can anyone explain? Thanks This has nothing to do with the game as a whole, only with the name itself. I think it's because patents/rights aren't managed globally but separately for each region. If a trademark is available in one region, it doesn't mean that it hasn't been registered somewhere else. The name Biohazard was available in Japan at the time but was probably already taken in the US (there's a band called like this, I don't know if it has anything to do with them). Edited February 17, 2015 by kinjall typo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vacantelite Posted October 17, 2015 Share Posted October 17, 2015 My fave Mega Drive games: Sonic 2 Streets of Rage Golden Axe and at number 1... Rocket Knight Adventures! Early Konami gem featuring giant robot battles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BEER MONSTER Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 Can anyone tell me how long the batteries last in a Megadrive cartridge. I've been getting the urge to buy the Buck Rogers game but don't fancy starting from scratch each time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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